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Article from: Agence France-Presse GREEK socialist leader George Papandreou has declared victory in the general election after trouncing the ruling conservatives of outgoing Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. “We stand here united before the great responsibility which we undertake, which I undertake,” Mr Papandreou told supporters from a special stand in front of the party's Athens headquarters. The 57-year-old leader said his party had waged “a good fight to bring back hope and smiles on Greeks' faces ... to change the country's course into one of law, justice, solidarity, green development and progress”. Bouncing back from a demoralising defeat in 2007, the Pasok socialists won over 43 per cent of the vote and look set to capture a 159-seat majority in the 300-deputy parliament, according to results from nearly two thirds of polling stations. In contrast, Mr Karamanlis resigned his party leadership after the conservatives produced one of their worst electoral results in their 35-year-history. New Democracy looks set to win about 35 per cent of the vote and 94 seats. ||||| Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Greece's opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok) has won the country's snap general elections. Outgoing PM Costas Karamanlis has congratulated Pasok leader George Papandreou and resigned as leader of the conservative New Democracy party. With most ballots counted, the Socialists had more than 43% of the vote, to 35% for New Democracy. Pasok needs 43% to win an absolute majority in parliament. It has been in opposition for more than five years. Mr Papandreou, 57, told cheering supporters in Athens: "We stand here united before the great responsibility which we undertake." He said Pasok had waged "a good fight to bring back hope and smile on Greeks' faces... to change the country's course into one of law, justice, solidarity, green development and progress". He added: "I know very well the great potential of this country. Potential that is being drowned by corruption, favouritism, lawlessness and waste. Potential that we will set free. "I promise that I will do whatever is possible so that all Greeks will believe again that we can succeed, when we are united." Earlier, in a televised address, a humbled Mr Karamanlis said: "I assume responsibility for the result and will launch procedures for the election of a new party leader." Coalition Mr Karamanlis called the election in early September, half way through his four-year term. Mr Karamanlis had warned of the need for austerity He said he wanted a new mandate to tackle Greece's economic problems, but his opponents say he has failed to fulfil promises to clean up public office and to modernise the country. The government has also been hit by a series of corruption scandals. Mr Papandreou has promised he will build a green economy and bring in foreign experts to help Greece overcome its problems if elected. The BBC's Malcolm Brabant says voters preferred Mr Papandreou's promise of a 3bn Euro ($4.4bn:£2.7bn) stimulus package to the programme of austerity proposed by Mr Karamanlis. Correspondents say the build-up to the election has been lacklustre. A recent poll has also suggested nine out of 10 voters no longer trust either party. On Friday a small bomb exploded near Mr Karamanlis's final campaign rally. The blast, which caused no injuries and only minor damage, was claimed by a leftist group calling itself The Fire Conspiracy Cells the following day. Forty seats are automatically awarded to the leading party and the remaining 260 are divided by proportional representation. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version
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The Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) of Greece has won the country's general elections, results have shown. Location of Greece in map of Europe The former prime minister, Costas Karamanlis of the New Democracy party, had resigned his position after the results were announced, and congratulated PASOK's leader George Papandreou. PASOK had 43,99% of the ballot, compared to the conservative New Democracy's 33,49%, with almost all of the votes counted. The socialists now have a 160-seat majority in the 300-seat parliament. New Democracy is projected to have won 91 seats. "We stand here united before the great responsibility which we undertake," Papandreou told a crowd of supporters in Athens. His party had waged "a good fight to bring back hope and smile on Greeks' faces ... to change the country's course into one of law, justice, solidarity, green development and progress," he said. In order to win an absolute majority in the parliament, PASOK needs to control at least 43% of the seats.
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Popular microblogging website Twitter has revealed that it has served its 10 billionth tweet last night at 1am GMT, one which was sent from a protected profile and which shall remain a mystery forever. Unlike the marketing campaign by Apple a few days earlier to find out who was the one who downloaded their 10 billionth track from iTunes, Twitter did not dish out any voucher or prizes to the person who did it. Gigatweet, a service whose sole purpose is to count Twitter messages, calculated Twitter will produce its 20 billionth twitter by October 2010 and is currently growing at the rate of roughly 66 million per tweet per day. Twitter said last month that back in 2007, there were 5000 tweets a day, the year later, that reached 300,000 and in 2009, that number reached 2.5 million a day. Now this has reached more than 760 tweets a second. The three-year old website is already the 12th most visited website on the internet. In comparison though Windows Live Messenger records nine billion messages per day and 1.5 billion conversations. Worse, other social networking websites like Facebook attract more traffic it seems. Users of the latter spend a whopping eight billion minutes on the site each day while Youtube serves more than one billion videos a day. Our Comments Twitter reached the 5-billion tweet milestone back in October 2009, which means that it doubled in size in less than five months. The next milestone (and the one after that) will be even more exciting. The problem though is that a significant amount of this comes from spammy sources, unfortunately. Related Links Twitter flies past its 10 billionth tweet (Cnet) Twitter hits 10 billionth tweet (T3) Twitter users celebrate 10 billion tweets (Unthinkable) Twitter hits 10 billion tweets (Trustedreviews) Twitter hits 10 Billion (Reghardware) ||||| But according to a recent survey by Virgin Media Business, only 16 of the UK's biggest 100 listed companies are using Twitter to engage with customers. Around 57 of these FTSE 100 companies had signed up to the service, but 72 per cent had not actively used their account to respond to customer enquiries or comments. ||||| Twitter users celebrate 10 billion tweets by Twitter has now reached the 10 billion tweets mark according to GigaTweet, a project which keeps tabs on Twitter statistics. That’s a lot of tweeting in the four years since the very first tweet was aired, way back in March 2006. That first tweet was: “just setting up my twttr”, although what the ten billionth tweet was isn’t known, disappointingly, as it originates from a protected profile. Our guess is that it was: “ten billionth!” Or maybe not… The meteoric rise of Twitter can be seen in the exponential avalanche of tweets that have gathered momentum through the years. The billionth tweet, for example, came in November 2008, so it took two and a half years to reach that landmark. The 5 billion mark came just under a year later in October 2009, and that figure has now doubled in a short space of time. It’s quite a scary growth curve when you think about it. GigaTweet estimates that the 20 billionth tweet will be reached in around seven months time. Despite this undoubted success, there are still worries as to exactly how Twitter will monetise its popularity. The social networking site’s latest plan involves search-based adverts, although not everyone is convinced about that model. Some are concerned about the accuracy with which Twitter will be able to target the adverts, for example. Story link: Twitter users celebrate 10 billion tweets
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Twitter logo. The ten billionth update, or "tweet", has been uploaded to Twitter, a social networking website. The statistic was reported by GigaTweet, a group that keeps archives in relation to Twitter messages. The update was placed onto Twitter at approximately 0100 GMT on Thursday. The identity of the user who placed the ten billionth "tweet" on the website and the message itself cannot be discovered due to the fact that the update was uploaded from a protected profile. A protected profile is a profile which cannot be viewed by all internet users. Twitter was first launched in March 2006. The first message to be sent onto Twitter read out: "just setting up my twttr". The website reached its billionth "tweet" in November 2008 and its five billionth in November 2009. GigaTweet have predicted that the twenty billionth update will be put onto the website by October 2010.
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Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement A plane carrying pilgrims in Iran has caught fire while landing at Mashhad, in the north-east of the country. State media said almost 170 people were on board and that at least 46 were injured. There were no reports of fatalities. The plane, a Russian-built Tupolev 154 owned by Taban Air, suffered serious damage as it landed, losing its undercarriage and a wing. The rear end of the plane broke up after the passengers were evacuated. Reza Jafarzadeh, spokesman for Iranian civil aviation, said the plane had left the city of Abadan, in south-west Iran, on Saturday, but bad weather had forced it to land in the central city of Isfahan for the night, according to state television. After taking off again on Sunday, the captain was forced to make an emergency landing in Mashhad because of a passenger's health problems, he said. The plane caught fire as it crash landed at Mashhad airport As it landed in fog at Mashhad airport, the tail of the plane hit the ground and the plane skidded off the runway. Iranian news networks released pictures of the tail of the plane burning, with smoke billowing from the end of the plane. There have been a number of accidents involving Iranian aviation over the last few years. Its civil fleet is made up of old planes in poor condition due to their age and lack of maintenance. Last July a passenger plane burst into flames while landing in Mashhad, killing 17 passengers. 10 days earlier, a Tupolev plane had caught fire mid-air and crashed in northern Iran, killing all 168 people on board. That incident was the third deadly crash of a Tupolev 154 in Iran since 2002. ||||| Iran plane catches fire after crash-landing TEHRAN — An Iranian passenger plane crash-landed on Sunday in thick fog in the northeastern city of Mashhad and caught fire, injuring at least 46 people, state television and other news networks said. Iranian officials told local news networks that the rear end of the Russian-built Tupolev 154 plane owned by Taban Airline and piloted by a Russian caught fire as the aircraft landed in the fog. "Forty-six people have been injured, but most of them are not serious," state television quoted Javad Erfanian, head of disaster management of Khorasan Razavi province of which Mashhad is the capital, as saying. He said that emergency services evacuated the passengers after which the rear end of the aircraft broke up. Pictures released by Iranian news networks showed both wings of the plane torn off and the rear end burning. The English language state-owned Press TV said the plane, travelling from Abadan in southwest Iran to Mashhad, had 157 passengers on board. Erfanian said the plane also had 13 crew members on board. An unnamed informed source told Fars news agency that the accident occurred as the Russian pilot landed the plane in the fog and its tail hit the ground and broke up. The plane caught fire after passengers were evacuated, the report said as Press TV footage showed smoke billowing from the rear end. Mohsen Esmaili, manager of Mashhad airport, told Mehr news agency that the pilot landed the plane in fog "despite repeated warnings from the control tower, saying he had a sick patient on board." Reza Jafarzadeh, spokesman for Iranian civil aviation, said the plane had left Abadan on Saturday but bad weather in Mashhad led to the aircraft landing in the central city of Isfahan for the night before it took off again for Mashhad early Sunday. "The captain had a critical patient on board and so had to do an emergency landing (in Mashhad) which is why the aircraft met with an accident," he was quoted as saying on the website of state television. Iran, which has been under years of international sanctions, has suffered a number of aviation disasters over the past decade, several of them involving small companies using Russian crew or crews from former Soviet republics of Central Asia. Iran's civil and military fleet is made up of ancient aircraft in very poor condition due to their age and lack of maintenance. In its worst air accident, a plane carrying members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards crashed in February 2003, killing 302 people on board. In July last year, a Soviet-designed Tupolev caught fire mid-air and plunged flaming into farmland northeast of Tehran, killing all 168 people on board. In December 2005, a total of 108 people were killed when a Lockheed transport plane crashed into a high-rise housing block outside Tehran. In November 2006, a military plane crashed on takeoff at Tehran's Mehrabad airport, killing all 39 people on board, including 30 members of the Revolutionary Guards. Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More » ||||| Accident: Kolavia T154 at Mashhad on Jan 24th 2010, medical emergency, risky landing, aircraft burst into flames By Simon Hradecky, created Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 09:33Z, last updated Tuesday, Jan 26th 2010 15:49Z A Kolavia Tupolev TU-154M on behalf of Taban Air, registration RA-85787 performing flight HH-6437 from Isfahan to Mashhad (Iran) with 157 passengers and 13 crew, was holding near Mashhad due to visibility at Mashhad being below minimums, when a passenger became seriously ill. The crew declared emergency and decided to attempt the ILS approach to Mashhad's runway 31R despite the low visibility. Upon touchdown at 07:20L (03:50Z) the airplane veered temporarily off the runway, the gear collapsed, one wing impacted the ground and the airplane burst into flames. 42 people received minor injuries and were taken to local hospitals. The airplane received substantial damages including the separation of both wings (sheared off at the mount points of the main landing gear struts) and the vertical stabilizer. Iranian Authorities said, that there were no fatalities. The cause of the accident is under investigation. Runway 13L/31R remains closed following the accident. Iran's Civil Aviation Authority suspended the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) of Taban Air effectively grounding the airline with immediate effect. Iran's Ministry of Health said, that 42 people were admitted to hospital. Runway 31R is 3811 meters (12500 feet) long and is equipped with a Category I ILS. The flight had originated in Abadan (Iran) on Saturday (Jan 23rd) evening and was diverted to Isfahan due to poor visibility in Mashhad, some media in Iran report the airplane may have diverted to Isfahan due to a technical problem. The airplane departed Isfahan for Mashhad again at 05:35L. RA-85787 is owned by Kolavia and operated by Kolavia for Taban Air. Russia's Federal Agency for Air Transport reported, that the airplane had diverted to Isfahan due to deteriorating visibility in Mashhad. Once the commander received news, that visibility in Mashhad had improved to 2000 meters, the airplane continued the journey, visibility however deteriorated again before arrival, when a passenger on board, part of a team of specialists, became seriously ill prompting the leam leader to demand immediate landing. This probably caused the decision by the aircraft commander to attempt landing despite insufficient visibility. The aircraft made a very hard landing resulting in its destruction on the runway. Russia's MAK (Interstate Aviation Committee responsible to investigate aviation accidents) has joined the investigation led by Iranian Authorities. Metars: OIMM 240500Z 00000KT 0400 FG VV005 02/02 Q1021 A3017 OIMM 240450Z 00000KT 0400 FG VV005 02/02 Q1021 A3017 OIMM 240430Z 00000KT 0100 FG VV/// 02/02 Q1021 A3017 OIMM 240400Z 00000KT 0200 FG VV002 02/02 Q1021 A3017 OIMM 240350Z 00000KT 0200 FG VV002 02/02 Q1021 A3017 OIMM 240330Z 00000KT 0300 FG VV003 02/02 Q1021 A3015 OIMM 240300Z 00000KT 0200 FG VV001 02/02 Q1021 A3016 OIMM 240250Z 00000KT 0200 FG VV001 02/02 Q1021 A3016 OIMM 240200Z 00000KT 2000 BR BKN004 02/01 Q1021 A3015 OIMM 240150Z 00000KT 2000 BR BKN004 02/01 Q1021 A3015 OIMM 240100Z 00000KT 2500 BR BKN004 03/02 Q1021 A3015 OIMM 240050Z 00000KT 2500 BR BKN004 03/02 Q1021 A3015 OIMM 240000Z 35004KT 1200 BR BKN005 02/02 Q1021 A3016 OIMM 232350Z 35004KT 1200 BR BKN005 02/02 Q1021 A3016 Relevant NOTAMS: A0237/10 - TWY F CLSD DUE TO DISABLE ACFT. 24 JAN 03:50 2010 UNTIL 24 JAN 11:00 2010. CREATED: 24 JAN 03:53 2010 A0236/10 - RWY 13L/31R CLSD DUE TO DISABLE ACFT. 24 JAN 03:47 2010 UNTIL 24 JAN 11:00 2010. CREATED: 24 JAN 03:51 2010 RA-85787 at Mashhad (Photo: AP/Mehdi Ghorbani): ILS approach Runway 31R (Graphics: AIS Iran): Map (Courtesy Google Earth): Route (Courtesy Google Earth): By Vladimir Golovin on Friday, Jun 17th 2011 05:41Z By Aydin on Thursday, Mar 11th 2010 23:59Z By Kadhum Lateef on Saturday, Feb 13th 2010 17:59Z By iman on Monday, Feb 1st 2010 16:05Z By Tu154 pilot on Monday, Feb 1st 2010 08:18Z By stivi on Thursday, Jan 28th 2010 18:29Z By Guru on Wednesday, Jan 27th 2010 08:53Z By Me on Tuesday, Jan 26th 2010 21:01Z By Per Pettersen on Tuesday, Jan 26th 2010 18:33Z By flyer on Tuesday, Jan 26th 2010 09:07Z By Lars on Tuesday, Jan 26th 2010 00:31Z By Walter on Monday, Jan 25th 2010 15:04Z By Gerard on Monday, Jan 25th 2010 10:43Z By Matt on Monday, Jan 25th 2010 09:28Z By Luis Clarkson on Monday, Jan 25th 2010 02:38Z By captain.meloy on Monday, Jan 25th 2010 00:24Z By Alex on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 23:12Z By Fabo on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 22:17Z By Simon Hradecky on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 21:58Z By nautilusgr on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 21:36Z By Matt on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 21:12Z By Gerard on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 20:41Z By Alex on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 19:09Z By Travis on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 18:55Z By Alex on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 18:45Z By Gerard on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 17:51Z By Gufy on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 17:03Z By Pablo on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 16:59Z By (anonymous) on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 16:30Z By (anonymous) on Sunday, Jan 24th 2010 14:27Z Add your comment: (max 1024 characters) Your Name: Your Email: Subject: Your comment: The Aviation Herald iOS App iPhone & iPad Version 1.02 Support The Aviation Herald one time Monthly support 1 €/month Interview: The human factor named "Simon Hradecky" and the team of man and machine ||||| MASHHAD, Iran, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- An Iranian jetliner skidded off the runway and caught fire in Mashhad Sunday, leaving 46 people with minor injuries, authorities said. The tail, starboard wing and part of the Tupolev's body broke off during the landing, Iran's semiofficial Fars News Agency reported. The plane, carrying 159 people, left Abadan Sunday and was rerouted to Isfahan because of inclement weather in Mashhad. A few hours later, the plane lifted off again for Mashhad only to skid and crash on arrival, authorities said. "Forty-six passengers were slightly injured in the incident, but most of them are in good condition," the head of the Unprecedented Disasters of Khorassan Razavi province told Fars. In July, 16 people died and 21 were injured when a commercial jetliner crashed at the Mashhad airport during an emergency landing.
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A similar Taban Air owned Tupolev Tu-154 Taban Air flight 6437 caught fire as it was landing at Mashhad International Airport in Iran at 7:20 A.M. local time (3:50 GMT) yesterday. There were no fatalities. 46 people were injured out of 157 passengers and 13 crew members aboard. The flight was scheduled to fly from Abadan to Mashhad, but it made an early landing due to severe weather at the destination and an ill passenger. As the flight landed amid poor visibility, the plane veered off the runway and gear collapsed, causing the tail to hit the runway. The right wing touched the ground, sheared off, and caught fire. The tail separated after the plane stopped and passengers were evacuated. The runway suffered damage from the tail's impact. It is not clear whether the tail caught fire before or after landing. The plane involved in the accident was a Tupolev Tu-154 with tail number RA-85787, built in the former Soviet Union. The Iranian Civil Aviation Authority has suspended Taban Air's license.
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ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain today announced that he has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate and to serve as his vice president. Governor Palin is a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in office that she is ready to be president. She has brought Republicans and Democrats together within her Administration and has a record of delivering on the change and reform that we need in Washington. Governor Palin has challenged the influence of the big oil companies while fighting for the development of new energy resources. She leads a state that matters to every one of us -- Alaska has significant energy resources and she has been a leader in the fight to make America energy independent. In Alaska, Governor Palin challenged a corrupt system and passed a landmark ethics reform bill. She has actually used her veto and cut budgetary spending. She put a stop to the "bridge to nowhere" that would have cost taxpayers $400 million dollars. As the head of Alaska's National Guard and as the mother of a soldier herself, Governor Palin understands what it takes to lead our nation and she understands the importance of supporting our troops. ||||| Aug. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Republican John McCain chose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, tapping a 44-year-old with an outsider persona in an effort to appeal to female voters and balance concerns about McCain's age. Palin will appear with McCain, 72, the presumptive Republican nominee, today at an event in Dayton, Ohio. ``Governor Palin has the record of reform and bipartisanship that others can only speak of,'' the McCain campaign said in a statement announcing the choice. ``Her experience in shaking up the status quo is exactly what is needed in Washington today.'' Palin is less than halfway through her first term as governor of Alaska, a post she won in 2006 by challenging the state's Republican leadership and vowing to clean up a government mired in a corruption scandal. In a sign of the secrecy in which the selection was wrapped, Palin's office last night announced that she would be spending today at the Alaska State Fair to introduce the new state quarter into circulation. Palin is the second woman to be chosen as a major-party nominee for vice president. The first, then-Representative Geraldine Ferraro of New York, was nominated by the Democrats in 1984. Although Alaska has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1964, Democratic nominee Barack Obama has vowed to contest it this year. His campaign has already opened four offices around the state. `Genuine Reformer' The Club for Growth, which advocates lower taxes and government spending, praised Palin as a ``genuine reformer'' who has cut wasteful spending in her state. ``At a time when many Republicans are still clinging to pork-barrel politics, Governor Palin has quickly become a leader on this issue,'' the group's president, Pat Toomey, said in a statement. The choice of Palin will also likely appeal to Republicans most concerned about social issues because of her anti-abortion views. ``Conservatives who have been lukewarm thus far in their support for the McCain candidacy will work their hearts out between now and November for the McCain-Palin ticket,'' David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union, said in a statement. Palin, a former beauty queen, high school basketball star and television sportscaster, began her political career in the 1990s as a city councilwoman and then mayor in her home town of Wasilla. The town's estimated population in 2007 was 9,780, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Energy Commission Considered a rising political star by state Republican leaders, she was appointed in 2003 to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, a significant body in the energy-rich state. While on the commission, Palin led an ethics investigation of another member, state Republican Chairman Randy Ruedrich, who was accused of conflicts of interest involving oil companies. In 2006, Palin challenged Governor Frank Murkowski, who faced criticism that a deal he had negotiated with energy companies to build a natural-gas pipeline was too favorable to the companies. Palin's anti-corruption persona appealed to voters in a state where federal prosecutors were conducting a high-profile investigation of alleged political corruption. She defeated Murkowski in the Republican primary and won election in November. Oil Companies Earlier this year, Palin threatened to evict Exxon Mobil Corp. and its partners BP Plc, Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips from a state-owned gas field, winning a promise from them to boost Alaska's natural-gas output by 17 percent. Since taking office, Palin herself has become the subject of a legislative probe involving a personnel case. The investigation centers on her dismissal of the state's public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan. Palin fired Monegan on July 11, saying she wanted to take the department in a new direction. Monegan then alleged that he had been pressured to fire state trooper Mike Wooten, who was married to Palin's sister and was involved in a contentious divorce, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Palin has denied any wrongdoing. The state Legislature voted on July 28 to hire an independent investigator to probe whether Palin, her family or members of her administration had pressured Monegan to fire Wooten, according to the Daily News. Palin hasn't been implicated in the four-year-old federal corruption investigation, which has resulted in convictions of or guilty pleas from three state legislators, Murkowski's former chief of staff and two executives of an oil-services company, as well as the indictment of Senator Ted Stevens. To contact the reporters this story: Ken Fireman in Washington at [email protected]; Lorraine Woellert in Denver at [email protected]. To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Forsythe at [email protected] ||||| DAYTON, Ohio, Aug. 29 -- Sen. John McCain confounded conventional wisdom Friday by announcing first-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, a decision that guarantees that either an African American or a woman will ascend to the White House for the first time in history next year. The senator from Arizona lived up to his maverick reputation, bypassing former rivals and more experienced governors to choose the little-known Palin, 44, as the person "who can best help me shake up Washington." The self-described "hockey mom" brings a blue-collar conservatism and strong antiabortion views to the ticket and appeals to a party base sometimes suspicious of McCain. She made an immediate pitch to female voters, especially those who had supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primaries, saying that her selection "could help shatter the glass ceiling once and for all." But she is also less than two years into her term as governor, and her only previous political experience came as mayor of the town of Wasilla, which has a population of about 6,700. Democrats immediately seized on her lack of political experience, noting that McCain, who turned 72 on Friday, will be confirmed next week as the oldest first-time presidential nominee in history. After a raucous rally here before what the campaign said were 15,000 supporters -- the largest gathering of McCain's campaign -- the two spent six hours together. They traveled by bus to Pittsburgh, ingratiating themselves to Ohioans as they bought Ohio State Buckeye paraphernalia and stopped for ice cream at a roadside stand. The trip provided valuable bonding time for two people who acknowledge they barely know each other. McCain met Palin at a governor's conference in February, and did not see her again until she secretly flew to Arizona on Wednesday night. After a phone interview with the senator on Sunday night, she arrived in the state three days later for a session with McCain's two top lieutenants. She met with McCain's wife, Cindy, on Thursday morning at the couple's Sedona ranch, then McCain joined them and offered her the job on the deck of the house around 11 a.m. Thursday. While Palin, pronounced PAY-lin, had been mentioned as a dark-horse candidate for the job, she was never described as being on the shortlist under consideration by McCain. Those who were -- including former presidential rival Mitt Romney, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) -- had spent months doing surrogate duty for McCain around the country, something Palin had not been called on to do. There were reports of bruised feelings, especially because the McCain campaign's ironclad resolve to keep news of the pick from leaking meant some of the finalists were not told they were not chosen until the last minute. McCain and Democratic rival Barack Obama, opposites in so many ways, took dramatically different paths in making their vice presidential selections. Obama, 47, a first-term senator from Illinois who is battling the charge that he lacks the experience for the job, chose 65-year-old Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., a 35-year member of the Senate and a foreign policy expert. McCain, a war hero and world traveler who has served in Congress for more than a quarter-century, selected a woman who has no national or international experience and is younger than two of his children, but who he said shares his belief in reform and relishes the role of outsider. ||||| (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain announced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate Friday, calling her "the running mate who can best help me shake up Washington." Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hugs Sen. John McCain at a rally Friday in Dayton, Ohio, announcing her selection. more photos » "She's exactly who this country needs to help me fight the same old Washington politics of me first and country second," the presumptive Republican nominee said at a Dayton, Ohio, rally of about 15,000 supporters, who welcomed the surprise pick of the relatively unknown politician with cheers and flags. "She's got the grit, integrity, good sense and fierce devotion to the common good that is exactly what we need in Washington today," McCain said. Palin, 44, described herself as a fighter against corruption and a bipartisan reformer in her first appearance as a candidate for vice president, an office she said she never expected to seek. "I was just your average hockey mom in Alaska" before getting involved in politics, she said. "When I found corruption there, I fought it hard and brought the offenders to account." Palin told the crowd, "To have been chosen brings a great challenge. I know that it will demand the best that I have to give, and I promise nothing less." Watch Palin say she's honored to be picked » Palin is a first-term governor who unseated incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary in 2006 and went on to defeat former Gov. Tony Knowles, a Democrat, in the general election. Candidates 'Revealed' See who the presidential candidates really are in two back-to-back documentaries. Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 7 p.m. ET see full schedule » Campaigning for governor, she described herself as a "conservative Republican, a firm believer in free-market capitalism" and "a lifelong Alaskan who grew up hunting and fishing." She boasted of eliminating taxes as mayor in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. She also was a City Council member in the town and was chairwoman of Alaska's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates oil and gas resources. Palin will be the first woman to be nominated for vice president as a Republican and only the second to run for vice president on a major party ticket, after Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984. Palin also will be the first Alaskan to be on the ticket of either party. She described herself Friday as "commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard" and noted that her oldest son, Track, is a U.S. soldier scheduled to deploy soon to Iraq. But there also are aspects of her biography that make her unusual for a Republican candidate. McCain introduced her as a former union member and the wife of a union member, a nod to Ohio's strong organized-labor culture. iReport.com: What do you think of McCain's VP pick? Sarah Palin Born: February 11, 1964, Sandpoint, Idaho Education: B.S., University of Idaho, 1987 Elected offices: Wasilla, Alaska, City Council member, 1992-96 Wasilla mayor, 1996-2002 Elected governor of Alaska, 2006 Professional career: Television sports reporter, 1987-89; co-owner, commercial fishing operation, 1988-2007; owner, snow machine, watercraft and all-terrain vehicle business, 1994-97; chairwoman, Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, 2003-04. Married: To Todd Palin; five children. The oldest, Track, serves in the U.S. Army; the youngest, Trig, has Down syndrome. Sources: Almanac of American Politics, CNN Palin made her name in part by backing tough ethical standards for politicians. During the first legislative session after her election as governor, her administration passed a state ethics law overhaul. Nevertheless, she is under investigation for her firing of a state official, Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. She has been instructed to hand over documents and recordings of telephone conversations as part of the inquiry, which grew out of allegations that she sacked Monegan for refusing to fire her former brother-in-law from the state police. She has denied wrongdoing. But Palin acknowledged that a member of her staff made a call to a trooper in which the staffer suggested that he was speaking for the governor. Palin has admitted that the call could be interpreted as pressure to fire state trooper Mike Wooten, who was locked in a child-custody battle with Palin's sister. She suspended the staffer who made the call. McCain apparently is making a concerted effort to reach out to former supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton who may be unhappy with the choice of Sen. Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee. Watch McCain praise Palin » "Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America. But it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet, and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all," Palin said in her speech. The remark brought a mixed reaction from the Republican crowd; some women cheered, but there was also some low-pitched groaning and booing. Democratic leaders, including the party's presidential nominee Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton, also issued mixed reactions to Palin's announcement. "We should all be proud of Gov. Sarah Palin's historic nomination, and I congratulate her and Sen. McCain. While their policies would take America in the wrong direction, Gov. Palin will add an important new voice to the debate," Clinton said. "Ultimately John McCain is at the top of the ticket. As I indicated in my speech last night, I think that he wants to take the country in the wrong direction. I'm assuming Gov. Palin agrees with him in in his policies," said Obama, who called Palin later in the day to congratulate her. "But the fact that she's been nominated, I think, or will soon be nominated, I think is one more indicator of this country moving forward," said Obama. "I congratulate her and look forward to a vigorous debate." His campaign issued a more pointed response. "Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Gov. Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies. That's not the change we need; it's just more of the same," Obama spokeswoman Adrianne March said. Rep. Thad McCotter, a Michigan Republican, said Palin has more executive experience than the entire Democratic ticket. Most of the speculation about McCain's choice had focused on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut and 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas also had been mentioned as a possible long shot if McCain were to seek a woman. Palin is the youngest person elected governor of Alaska and the first woman to hold the job. iReport.com: McCain's pick called "a stroke of genius" She was dubbed "Sarah Barracuda" by opponents when she was mayor in Wasilla, resurrecting a nickname she earned as a state champion high school basketball player, according to the Almanac of American Politics. She is married to Todd Palin, an oil production operator on Alaska's North Slope. They have five children. Her youngest, Trig, was diagnosed in utero with Down syndrome. Palin has focused on energy policy during her short stint in office, and she is known for her support of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a position McCain opposes but many grassroots Republicans support. All About John McCain • Republican Party • Sarah Palin ||||| The trips, the speeches, and the moments of Decision ’08. A look at the campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., touches upon the primary themes of his presidential campaign. View images of Sarah Palin’s quick rise to become Alaska’s governor and now John McCain’s running mate. MSNBC and NBC News DAYTON, Ohio - Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain introduced his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, at a raucous rally Friday, praising her "tenacity" and "skill" in tackling tough problems. "She is exactly who this country needs to help us fight the same old Washington politics of me first and country second," McCain told supporters in Dayton. Palin, who becomes the first woman to serve on a GOP presidential ticket and the first Alaskan to appear on a national ticket, echoed McCain's appeal to battle the status quo in Washington. Story continues below ↓ advertisement advertisement "This is a matter when principles ... matter more than the party line," she said to the cheering crowd of 15,000. Palin made an immediate play for support from Democratic women, mentioning that she followed in the footsteps of Geraldine Ferraro, who was the Democratic vice presidential running mate in 1984. She also referred favorably to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who drew 18 million votes in her unsuccessful run against Obama for the Democratic nomination. "But it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all," she said. Surprising choice Palin's selection was a stunning surprise, as McCain passed over many other better-known prospects, some of whom had been the subject of intense speculation for weeks or months. At 44, she is a generation younger than Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is Barack Obama's running mate on the Democratic ticket. She is three years Obama's junior, as well, and McCain has made much in recent weeks of Obama's relative lack of experience in foreign policy and defense matters. Unlike Biden, who attacked McCain sharply in his debut last week, Palin was indirect in her initial attempts to elevate McCain over Obama. "There is only one candidate who has truly fought for America and that man is John McCain," she said as the Arizona senator beamed. McCain was a prisoner of war for more than five years in Vietnam. INTERACTIVE Election A to Z Do you have questions about the election process. We'll answer them. NBC News Palin has a strong anti-abortion record, and her selection was praised warmly by social conservatives whose support McCain needs to prevail in the campaign for the White House. "It's an absolutely brilliant choice," said Mathew Staver, dean of Liberty University School of Law. "This will absolutely energize McCain's campaign and energize conservatives," he predicted. Palin was elected Alaska's first woman governor in 2006, defeating Gov. Frank Murkowski in the GOP primary. “I've been blessed with the right timing here,” Palin said before the election. “There's no doubt that Alaskans right now are dealing in an atmosphere of distrust of government and industry.” She has proven to be a popular leader. Eighty percent of the state's voters gave her a "somewhat favorable" or "very favorable" rating in a July 2008 poll. On Aug. 1, Palin scored a major victory when the Alaska Legislature passed a bill that authorizes her administration to award a license to TransCanada Alaska to build a 1,715-mile natural gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope to a hub in Canada. The pipeline would be the largest construction project in the history of North America. If completed as hoped within 10 years, it would ship 4.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. The United States imported about 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day in 2007. Under investigation for firing But Palin’s seemingly bright future was clouded in late July when the state Legislature voted to hire an independent investigator to find out whether she tried to have a state official fire her ex-brother-in-law from his job as a state trooper. The allegation was made by former Department of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, whom Palin fired in mid-July. Video McCain picks Sarah Palin for VP Aug. 29: Praising her "fighting spirit" and "deep compassion," Sen. John McCain introduces Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate. MSNBC “It is a governor’s prerogative, a right, to fill that Cabinet with members whom she or he believes will do best for the people whom we are serving,” Palin told CNBC’s Larry Kudlow in an interview on Aug. 1. “So I look forward to any kind of investigation or questions being asked because I’ve got nothing to hide.” Palin also reacted to the indictment of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens by calling it “very dismaying.” She added, “Hopefully though, this won’t be a distraction and get people’s minds off what has to be done in the grand scheme of things.” As for the prospect of her being vice president, Palin told Kudlow that she could not answer the question of whether she wanted the job “until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day. I’m used to being very productive and working real hard in an administration. We want to make sure that that VP slot would be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans and for the things that we’re trying to accomplish up here.” ||||| Republican presidential nominee John McCain today selected Alaska governor Sarah Palin, a relative political novice, as his vice-presidential running mate. The move is a bold play for the potentially millions of disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters who yearn to vote for a woman candidate in the November election and who have remained impervious to Democratic pleas for party unity. McCain introduced Palin at a rally in Dayton, Ohio before a crowd of 15,000. He praised her as a woman of "strong principles, fighting spirit and deep compassion". "She's got the grit, integrity, common sense and fierce devotion to the common good that is exactly what we need in Washington today," McCain said. Palin appeared confident and enthusiastic in her first appearance on the national stage. She took the podium alongside her husband Todd, a member of the steelworkers union, and said the two celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary today. "I had promised my husband a little present for our anniversary, and I hope he can see I delivered," she said, to raucous laughter and cheers. She thanked McCain, and after a few words about herself turned her talk back to the senator. "This is a moment when great causes can be won and great problems can be overcome," she said. "In a dangerous world, it is John McCain who can lead America's friends and allies in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons." She was effusive in her praise for Hillary Clinton, claiming for herself the groundbreaking role Clinton played during the Democratic primary race. "It turns out the women of America aren't finished yet," Palin said. "We can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all." The announcement came the morning after Barack Obama's well-received address on the final day of the Democratic convention, a transparent effort to keep pundits from discussing Obama. Texas senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, one of the senior women in the US Senate, praised Palin as "a breath of fresh air". "They wanted to show that they are independent and that they are the agents of change and they have gone outside the [Washington area] to do it," she told MSNBC television. "Of course there's a risk, and I think John McCain assessed that risk". Conservative activists today applauded the pick. David Keene, chairman of the American conservative union, said the selection is "great news for conservatives". "Her dedication to principle, her courage both before and after her election as governor of Alaska and her personal qualities make her a perfect choice for vice-president," he said. "Any conservatives who have been lukewarm thus far in their support of the McCain candidacy will work their hearts out between now and November for the McCain-Palin ticket." The conservative Washington anti-tax group Club for Growth was quick to praise Palin, lauding her "fiscal responsibility" and opposition to the use of public money on a notorious bridge project in an empty quarter of Alaska. "At a time when many Republicans are still clinging to pork-barrel politics, Governor Palin has quickly become a leader on this issue," said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. "She is a principled reformer who understands how badly wasteful spending has marred the Republican brand." Barack Obama spokesman Bill Burton mocked the selection and noted Palin's anti-abortion stance. "Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency," he said. "Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v Wade, the agenda of big oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies - that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same". Palin's selection is sure to excite the news media and thrill voters at the prospect that the next administration will feature either the first female vice-president or African-American president. As unexpected and unusual as Palin's selection is, she is not the first woman to stand for vice-president. That was Geraldine Ferraro, a New York congresswoman who in 1984 ran alongside Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale. Palin, 44, is Alaska's first female governor. She was sworn in December 2006, making her one of the least experienced people to run for vice-president in recent memory. Alaska is one of the smallest states in the US, with only 670,000 residents. Before becoming governor, Palin served two terms as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of 9,800 people, and was on the city's council before that. In the 2006 Alaska gubernatorial race, Palin bested the incumbent Republican governor during the primary election. In recent days, McCain personally interviewed Palin at his ranch in Sedona, Arizona. In selecting a decidedly unconventional running mate, McCain passed over establishment favourites Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Palin will have to face Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden in a televised debate September 2 in St Louis, Missouri. Biden, a Delaware senator, is known as a skilled and tactful debater, and is a foreign policy expert, chairing the Senate foreign relations committee. Obama announced his selection of Biden last weekend. The Democrats will raise questions whether Palin passes the "commander-in-chief test", that is, will Palin be able to assume the presidency should McCain, who has suffered skin cancer, become incapacitated. The announcement was eagerly anticipated among Republicans, who travel this weekend to St Paul, Minnesota, for their national convention, which kicks off on Monday. Palin is to address the convention on Wednesday, and will likely launch blistering attacks on Obama. Today is John McCain's 72nd birthday, and the youthful Palin is a welcome contrast. She is three years younger than Obama. In addition, she was a runner-up to the Miss Alaska beauty pageant. She would present a new face unfamiliar to most of the country and would stir up the race. Palin would be a youthful addition to the ticket. She brings several characteristics sure to encourage the Republican base, such as her opposition to abortion rights and her support of expanded drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. However, she also brings several risks. She has been in office less than two years, and will be hard pressed to go toe-to-toe in debate with Biden. The news media may also seek to tie Palin to longtime Alaska Republican senator Ted Stevens, who is soon to stand trial on corruption charges. In the Alaska capital, Juneau, Palin is under her own ethics cloud: The Alaska legislature is investigating whether Palin sacked a public safety commissioner who declined to fire a state trooper that was engaged in a custody battle with Palin's sister.
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Sarah Palin John McCain Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has been selected by United States Presidential candidate John McCain as his vice-presidential running-mate. The official announcement was made Friday at noon Eastern time (UTC-5) at a rally in Dayton. News agencies began reporting Palin as the selection about an hour earlier, citing sources within the McCain campaign. In introducing Palin, McCain said, "I have found the right partner to stand up to those who value their privileges over their responsibilities." Palin has an "outstanding reputation for standing up to special interests and entrenched bureaucracies," he added. "I will be honored to serve next to the next president of the United States," said Palin, accepting the position. "To have been chosen brings a great challenge. I know that it will demand the best I have to give, and I promise nothing less." Palin has been the governor of Alaska since 2006, and previously served as councilwoman and mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. Prior to this announcement, other potential picks included former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge, and Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman. Sarah Palin will be the Republican Party's first female candidate for vice-president. In 1984, Geraldine Ferraro was Walter Mondale's running mate on the Democratic Party ticket. The first scheduled vice-presidential debate is October 2 in St Louis, Missouri, where Palin will debate Barack Obama's running mate Joe Biden. Palin's aides said they thought she remained in Alaska, however she secretly flew overnight to Ohio where McCain made the formal announcement.
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Schalke caught on the Bance in German Cup BERLIN (AFP) — Schalke 04's disappointing season continued on Tuesday as they were knocked out of the German Cup 1-0 by Second Division Mainz in their quarter-final clash. An 88th minute goal by Burkina Faso's Aristide Bance was enough to end four-time Cup winners Schalke's interest in the competition and send Mainz - who are second in their division - into the semi-finals for the first time in their history. Schalke's exit heaps the pressure on their Dutch coach Fred Rutten as they are eighth in the league, nine points adrift of leaders Hertha Berlin. The other three quarter-finals are on Wednesday with the headline encounter between defending champions Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen with the Munich club looking to set aside from some indifferent league form of late. "We are aware that we have to knuckle down and work hard," said Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann, whose side have lost two and drawn one of their last three league matches. "We want to go the whole way in all three competitions that we are involved in," added Klinsmann, whose side look certain to progress in the Champions League having thrashed Sporting Lisbon 5-0 away last week. Bayern's form may be poor but their opponent's is worse with three defeats, a draw and a win in their last five matches. Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More » ||||| Bei Mainz kehrten Nikolce Noveski, Miroslav Karhan und Markus Feulner zurück in die Startformation, Schalke vertraute der Anfangself des Spiels gegen Frankfurt. Die erste Chance gehörte den Gastgebern. Feulner eilte in der 8. Minute auf links davon, doch der Mittelfeldspieler traf beim Abschluss den Ball nicht voll und schoss daneben. Fast im Gegenzug benötigte Jefferson Farfan nach einer langen Flanke zu viel Zeit für die Annahme. Nach einer halben Stunde wurde Schalke stärker und übernahm das Kommando in einer bis dahin ausgeglichenen Partie. Heiko Westermann verpasste nur um Haaresbreite eine Hereingabe von Farfan (32.). Noch dichter am Torerfolg war Mladen Krstajic, der einen Eckball an die Latte köpfte (40.). Der wenig geprüfte 05-Keeper Dimo Wache machte dabei eine unglückliche Figur. ||||| An 88th-minute goal from Aristide Bance fired 1. FSV Mainz 05 into the semi-finals of the DFB Cup, at the expense of Bundesliga big guns Schalke 04. With the game seemingly heading for extra time, the Burkina Faso striker latched onto a long free-kick and exploited the collective hesitancy of the Royal Blues' defence to net the winner from five metres out. The 1-0 (0-0) home victory for the side currently second the 2. Bundesliga put an end to Schalke's hopes of qualifying for the inaugural UEFA Europa League, which replaces the UEFA Cup from next season, by way of a domestic cup success. Dangerous from set pieces A sell-out crowd in the Stadion am Bruchweg saw Schalke dominate long periods of the game as expected, but Fred Rutten's side lacked real punch throughout, posing their biggest threat from set pieces. In one such instance five minutes before half time, central defender Mladen Krstajic headed an Orlando Engelaar corner against the post. Just before the break, Bance tested Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer with a long-range effort at the oother end. Rutten had sent out the same eleven who started in the 2-1 weekend win at Eintracht Frankfurt, with Vicente Sanchez getting the nod ahead of Halil Altintop up front. Kevin Kuranyi was replaced in attack by Altintop at the break, having been unable to make any impression on the home defence. The sub went close for Schalke in the 71st minute, firing inches wide from the edge of the box. In the 83rd minute Sanchez went even closer, a left-footed curler aimed for the near post finding the side netting. Mainz, and Bance, however, saved the best for last.
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German side , of the , have reached the semi-finals of the , Germany's equivalent of the , for the first time in their history. They defeated Bundesliga side by 1 - 0 on a goal from in the 88th minute. For Schalke, it was just another disappointment in an already dismal season; being elminiated from the Cup means they must improve their current Bundesliga standing to fifth - it was eighth place at the conclusion of the 22nd Matchday - to have any chance to appear in the UEFA Europa League. Mainz got started just after the first whistle, when had a shot from the left side blocked by after eight minutes. However, Schalke began to dominate after the half-hour mark. A shot from sailed just wide of the goal in the thirty-second, and a corner kick from richocheted off the crossbar eight minutes later. Schalke manager was unhappy with his team's effort in the first half, however, saying "We don't have enough power to penetrate towards the front." Striker was replaced by at the break. An opportunity for Mainz in the sixty-eighth was stopped by keeper after an unsuccessful rescue attempt by Ivan Rakitic. Altintop had a shot fly inches wide of the post in the seventy-first. Schalke nearly gave up a penalty in the eighty-second as made a hard and controversial tackle on , but referee Felix Brych allowed play to continue. Finally, in the eighty-eighth, Aristide Bancé converted off of a long indirect free kick to put Mainz through to the semi-finals.
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Ambulance officers have given the New South Wales Government 48 hours to commit to increased staffing levels or face a lengthy industrial campaign. About 200 officers have marched to Parliament House in Sydney this morning, calling on the Government to hire an extra 300 ambulance officers and 60 patient transport officers. They also want the service's senior management, including chief executive Greg Roachford, sacked over what they call a culture of bullying. Health Services Union general secretary Michael Williamson says officers have had enough but will not take action that puts lives at risk. "That would be totally irresponsible to do that," he said. "This is a group of people who aren't irresponsible but they're frustrated. "The government has an opportunity to fix this. This is not rocket science, all they have to do is put the staff on. This problem can be rectified." The officers have put their demands to an Upper House inquiry into the service this morning. Paramedic Greg Campbell has told the rally urgent change is needed. "Some reasons for the removal of the Ambulance Senior management is that the real problems remain and continue to remain, such as understaffing, workplace bullying and also a total utter lack of leadership on almost every issue," he said. Mr Williamson says there have been 10 reviews and ambulance officers cannot cope any longer. "We are currently at the same levels of staffing that we had in 2002 and these not withstanding, also there's been an increase in workload of 5 per cent per year every year since then," he said. He says the rally has the support of every ambulance officer in the state. ||||| July 22, 2008 - 1:49PM Ambulance officers want one of their own to run the NSW service to help deal with a critical staff shortage and a long-term bullying problem, a parliamentary inquiry has heard. Station officer and union representative Ray Tait has criticised the way the NSW Ambulance Service is run, saying its chief executive Greg Rochford does not have the necessary front-line experience. Mr Tait has told the upper house inquiry into the ambulance service that one of their own should be in charge, as with the police and firefighters. "I've been an ambulance officer for 35 years and the service has best been run by a uniformed head," he told the inquiry. "The difference today is ... that when we had a uniformed head we had someone who knew operationally what we were going through on the streets. "The people we've got administrating us now have absolutely no idea what we do." Mr Tait was appearing before the inquiry as part of a delegation from the Health Services Union (HSU), which says the service is struggling because of its lack of staff. Before the HSU's appearance before the inquiry, about 200 uniformed ambulance officers marched on NSW Parliament, calling for at least 300 more staff. The union said it would give the government 48 hours to come back with a solution to the problem, before discussing what further action it could take. HSU industrial manager Dennis Ravlich said there had been a rise in staff levels in recent years, but this was still not enough to meet increasing demand. "It's like having a rugby league team on the field, the ambulance service back in 2000 only had five players on the field," he told the inquiry. "There is no doubt that they've put another five players on the field, but we're still short." The inquiry into suicide, bullying and harassment in the NSW Ambulance Service has received more than 200 submissions. Mr Ravlich said he did not believe bullying was any more prevalent in the service when compared to similar-sized organisations. But the main issue was how the NSW Ambulance Service had handled the problem. "Those who appear to make these complaints have a difficulty in having them resolved," Mr Ravlich said. He said union members had "no confidence" in the service's administration in dealing with bullying. NSW Health Services Union spokesman Michael Williamson said staffing shortages were pushing officers to the point of exhaustion. "This is not about US dollars and cents, this is about standards that the community should expect and get," Mr Williamson told Macquarie Radio on Tuesday. "Here we have a situation where we are acutely short of ambulance officers, they are working extremely long hours and the community aren't aware of this." There had been more than 10 reviews of the ambulance service, he said, and the government, the Department of Health and the ambulance service knew about the problems facing the service. "Well, the membership have had enough and we're going to give the government 48 hours to come back to us with a package, and we'll put something off to them today about it." Opposition health spokeswoman Jillian Skinner said ambulance officers were frustrated that the state government had ignored their concerns for years. "The inquiry has heard (evidence of) a culture of bullying and harassment," Ms Skinner said. "It's forcing many officers to quit the service. Resignations among ambulance officers have doubled since 2002, with 593 officers quitting in that time." ||||| Paramedics to protest outside Parliament Updated Ambulance officers will rally outside New South Wales Parliament and at Martin Place today to express their anger over staffing levels, which they say have not increased since 2002. They will be calling for an additional 300 ambulance officers and 60 extra patient transport officers. Health Services Union general secretary Michael Williamson says ambulance officers cannot cope any longer. "We are currently at the same levels of staffing that we had in 2002 and these not withstanding, also there's been an increase in workload of 5 per cent per year every year since then," he said. Mr Williamson says the ambulance officers will also protest a culture of bullying within the service. He says the rally has the support of every ambulance officer in the state. Topics: activism-and-lobbying, states-and-territories, health, sydney-2000, nsw First posted ||||| THE State Government has until tomorrow to meet the demands of angry paramedics or face losing millions of dollars from indefinite work bans. Six paramedics from Wagga, Mark Stephenson, John Polsen, Eamonn Purcell, James Sutton, Brett Campbell and Phil Hoey were among more than 300 people at yesterday’s vocal rally in Sydney. Their demands include the immediate sacking of Ambulance Service of NSW (ASNSW) chief executive Greg Rochford and the hiring of 300 new paramedics and 60 patient transport officers. Health Services Union Riverina (HSU) spokesman, rescue paramedic Mark Stephenson has hailed the demonstration a success. “The mood was one of anger at senior management. We had a great turn out. It was very vocal and we were very clear on what we want. They have 48 hours to implement our demands or there will be indefinite work bans,” he told The Daily Advertiser. “Every area in the state was represented by their paramedics. Our staff numbers have not increased significantly since 2002 but our workload has increased five to 10 per cent each year. Enough is enough.” Several Wagga paramedics were interviewed by statewide media, including Channel 7. The rally started in Martin Place at 9am and continued to Parliament House where the Upper House Committee was conducting a review into the ASNSW – the 11th review in eight years. Minister for Health Reba Meagher was at a conference in Canberra yesterday, and missed the rally. If paramedics introduce work bans and give patients free rides to hospital, the government risks losing more than $1 million each week in fees. “Ambos, the most trusted professionals in NSW, are under enormous pressure every day to save lives. The recent release of the 10th review … did not grapple with the real problems – understaffing, workplace bullying and lack of resources for ambos to do their job properly,” HSU general secretary Michael Williamson said.
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Paramedics employed by the Ambulance Service of New South Wales in Australia marched on the New South Wales parliament today. They called for the Government to sack Ambulance Service of New South Wales CEO Greg Rochford, hire 300 additional ambulance officers and 60 patient transport officers. Paramedics gave the Government 48 hours to agree to the proposed staffing levels or face industrial action. "We are currently at the same levels of staffing that we had in 2002 and these not withstanding, also there's been an increase in workload of 5 per cent per year every year since then," said Health Services Union general secretary Michael Williamson. The union also called for chief executive Greg Roachford and other senior management to be sacked over what has been described as a culture of bullying.
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Send Article Print Article Bus on way to Paris crashes, seven dead BLOIS, France: Seven people were killed and seven seriously injured when a bus carrying Moroccan passengers crashed yesterday on a motorway in central France, authorities said. The accident happened in the early hours on the A10 motorway near the city of Blois when the coach, carrying 32 passengers en route to the Paris region, left the road and hit a pillar supporting a bridge. Four of the injured were said to be in critical condition while 18 other passengers suffered minor injuries, according to officials from the Blois municipality. Four helicopters, 140 firefighters and 25 police officers were dispatched to the site of the accident to help dislodge the victims from the wreckage. Officials said half of the bus was wrapped around the pillar. “The incredible state of the bus showed that the impact was extremely violent,” said Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau who toured the site of the accident early yesterday. The head of the Loir-et-Cher region, Pierre Pouessel, told AFP the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel but he added that this was one of many leads being investigated. There was little traffic on the motorway when the bus crashed at 2.50am (0050 GMT) and the skies were clear. Investigators were to check for a possible mechanical defect in the bus that was pulling a trailer. The bus, leased by the French Aziz company, had left Tiznit in southern Morocco on Wednesday and was en route to the Paris suburb of Les Mureaux. Aziz manager Abdelhouad Hais said his company leased buses to tourists and small traders travelling from Morocco to France. Hais told AFP he was in Morocco and had not received any information about the crash. – AFP Send Article Print Article ||||| Seven killed in France bus crash Web posted at: 5/24/2008 7:31:21 Source ::: AFP The wreckage of the bus carrying 32 passengers which crashed in Suevres, near the city of Blois, on the A10 motorway in central-western France, yesterday. (AFP) BLOIS, France • Seven people were killed and seven seriously injured when a bus carrying Moroccan passengers crashed yesterday on a motorway in central France, authorities said. The accident happened in the early hours on the A10 motorway near the city of Blois when the coach, carrying 32 passengers en route to the Paris region, left the road and hit a pillar supporting a bridge. Four of the injured were said to be in critical condition while 18 other passengers suffered minor injuries, according to officials from the Blois municipality. Four helicopters, 140 firefighters and 25 police were dispatched to the scene to extricate the victims from the wreckage. Officials said half of the bus was wrapped around the pillar. "The incredible state of the bus showed that the impact was extremely violent," said Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau who toured the site of the accident early yesterday. The head of the Loir-et-Cher region, Pierre Pouessel, said the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel but he added that this was one of many leads being investigated. Morocco's King Mohammed VI has decided to foot the bill personally for the care of the injured and the repatriation of the dead, his office in Rabat said later yesterday, quoted by the MAP news agency. He had also told Morocco's ambassador in France to pass on his condolences to the families of the victims. There was little traffic on the motorway when the bus crashed at 2.50 am (0050 GMT) and the skies were clear. Investigators were to check for a possible mechanical defect in the bus that was pulling a trailer. The bus, leased by the French Aziz company, had left Tiznit in southern Morocco on Wednesday and was en route to the Paris suburb of Les Mureaux. ||||| (Updates death toll from 6 to 7, adds details) PARIS, May 23 (Reuters) - Seven Moroccans died and eight were badly injured when their bus crashed on Friday in central France while they were returning from a holiday in their native country, police said. The bus had been bound for Paris and was carrying 30 passengers and two drivers when it crashed into the support pillar of a highway overpass, a police spokeswoman said. "An investigation is under way, but at the moment the causes of the crash are unknown," she said, adding that the bus had come from the southern Moroccan city of Tiznit. Thirteen other passengers were slightly injured, and four had already left hospital. One of the two drivers was among those killed and the other was seriously injured. Hundreds of thousands of Moroccans work in France and many regularly return home to see their families. (Reporting by Henri-Pierre Andre and Brian Rohan; Editing by Keith Weir) ||||| Seven people have been killed in a bus crash in central France. Seven more have been seriously injured after the bus in which they were travelling crashed on a motorway near the city of Blois. Four of the injured are in a critical condition. 18 other passengers suffered minor injuries. Advertisement The bus was carrying Moroccan tourists and was en route to the Paris region when it left the road and hit a pillar supporting a bridge. The accident happened in the early hours this morning on the A10 motorway. Four helicopters, 140 firefighters and 25 police were dispatched to the site of the accident to help dislodge the victims from the wreckage. Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau toured the site of the accident earlier today. The bus, leased by the French Aziz company, left Tiznit in southern Morocco on Wednesday and was en route to the Paris suburb of Les Mureaux.
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A bus crash in France's Loire Valley has left seven of the Moroccan passengers dead. 22 of the 32 on board were injured, four critically, after the bus smashed into a concrete pillar on the A10 near Blois in the small hours of yesterday morning. The bus had departed Tiznit in South Morocco on Wednesday and was headed to the Parisian suburb of Les Mureaux. It had been hired by Aziz, a French company that provides buses to tourists and small traders heading between France and Morocco. Media images show the vehicle's front end stuck several feet up the pilar, with the roof trapped against the top of the bridge it supported by the pillar. The entire wreck is left leaning at about a forty degree angle back towards the road, and has left the road at a fairly steep angle directly into the pillar. The remains of a trailer it was towing can be seen still attached at the rear of the coach. Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau, who visited the scene shortly after the accident, said that “The incredible state of the bus showed that the impact was extremely violent.” The pictures showed the bus was in the livery of travel company Labat. The French Interior Ministry took the rare step of activating an emergency plan to ensure rapid response from large numbers of rescuers and resources. The scene was attended by four helicopters, 140 firefighters and 25 police officers, who had to free multiple victims from the wreck. The A10 was closed off. Six died immediately, and the seventh victim died shortly afterwards. All the deceased were adults, and included one of the two drivers, the other of whom was seriously injured. It is unclear which was driving at the time. Investigators believe no other vehicles were involved, but the exact circumstances remain unclear. "It looks like a loss of control. Is this linked to a mechanical problem, drowsiness or a totally different cause?" Bussereau said at the scene. His ministry's accident investigation bureau will conduct a major investigation inquiry, and a separate investigation will be launched by local prosecuters. One possible cause is that the driver fell asleep at the wheel. Investigators are also examining the bus to try to determine any sign of mechanical trouble. There was good weather in the region of the town of Suevres, where the accident occurred, and very little traffic was using the road at the time, thought to be around 2.50am (0050 GMT). Morocco's King Mohammed VI has announced he will personally pay for care of the injured and repatriation of those killed. He also asked the ambassador to France to pass on his condolences.
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(China Daily) Updated: 2007-06-01 07:06 Zheng Xiaoyu, former head of the State Food and Drug Administration, was found guilty of taking bribes and dereliction of duty. More than 6.49 million yuan ($811,200) of dirty money bought him the death sentence, lifelong deprivation of political rights, and confiscation of personal assets. Zheng has decided to appeal. Even if the original ruling is upheld by the local High Court, the court of appeal, the death sentence will not be final until the Supreme People's Court approves it. There are good and just reasons for either upholding the death sentence or granting a reprieve. In the Criminal Law, taking bribes worth more than 100,000 ($12,500) merits a death sentence provided "the circumstances are especially serious". Zheng took 6.49 million yuan. And the circumstances could hardly be more serious. He asked for and accepted bribes to have unqualified pharmaceutical factories licensed. Over the years, the factories were directly responsible for the repeated scandals of inferior or fake drugs . Zheng was a ministerial level official. Few at that level have been executed for corruption. Although 100,000 yuan is the theoretical threshold for capital punishment for taking bribes, many corrupt officials have received much lighter sentences. The reason is simple - 100,000 yuan is negligible compared with the multi-millions taken by today's corrupt officials. A considerable proportion of our officials might deserve to die if the 100,000-yuan line is strictly observed. The lower court's verdict was based overwhelmingly on the devastating consequences of Zheng's crimes in his position of power. The death sentence is justifiable in that sense. But such emphasis is rare in the prosecution of corrupt officials. There is the general belief that a public official can be assured of leniency in court. The country may need Zheng's execution to be convinced of the leadership's resolve to end corruption at high levels. But whether or not Zheng will have to pay with his life should be a matter of judicial deliberation. Instead of wanting Zheng to die as a warning to others in high positions, we care more about the ultimate judgment serving as a fine judicial precedent. (China Daily 06/01/2007 page10) ||||| We've noticed you're adblocking. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Thank you for your support. ||||| BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Thursday that the death sentence given to the former head of its drug and food watchdog for corruption was a warning to top officials at a time when the ruling Communist Party is seeking to win popular trust. Zheng Xiaoyu, former head of the State Food and Drug Administration, faces execution after a Beijing court convicted him on Tuesday of graft and dereliction of duty. He left the post before a recent wave of medicine safety scandals engulfed China. But state media hailed the harsh sentence as showing the Party’s determination to end corruption. A commentary in the People’s Daily, the Party’s official newspaper, said Zheng’s fate was a lesson to other officials. “As a case study of a Party member and leading official breaking the law and committing crime, the Zheng Xiaoyu case offers profound lessons that all public servants, especially leading officials at every level, should take to heart,” the paper said. The warning was written by a “specially commissioned commentator” — an uncommon sourcing that suggests the editorial was at the direct behest of top leaders — and appeared in other major papers. But Yan Jiangying, spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration, said Zheng’s guilt did not mean the whole system was corrupt. “You cannot repudiate the whole national drug oversight system just because of one person, Zheng Xiaoyu,” she told a news conference. The handling of Zheng and harsh media warnings reflected government fears that in medicine and other lucrative sectors of China’s economy, agencies often modeled on Western examples have failed to stem abuses and give citizens effective protection, said Mao Shoulong, a public policy expert at the People’s University of China. “The key problem is how to monitor the market without giving room to abuse power over the market,” he told Reuters. “I don’t think the government has in mind massive changes, but it clearly wants to improve official performance through a series of smaller reforms.” DEFUSING DISCONTENT Zheng, 62, head of the agency from 1998 to 2005, took bribes worth some 6.5 million yuan ($850,000) from eight companies. During his tenure, dozens died in China from bad drugs and food products. In 2004 at least 13 babies died in Anhui province after being fed fake milk powder containing no nutrition. The safety of China’s food has also come under the international spotlight after wheat gluten and rice protein containing toxic scrap was exported to the United States and used in pet food, killing some cats and dogs. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have worked to win public trust by promising to defuse discontent about inequality, corruption, poor healthcare and dangerous products. They are preparing for a congress later this year that is expected to give Hu five more years as Party chief. The stiffly worded warning suggested that leaders wanted to scare off other officials from tainting the Party’s image. “Any conduct that hurts the people’s interests, any shirking or perfunctoriness, any dereliction of duty will not be tolerated and must be punished,” the commentary warned. “At every moment, give highest prominence to the people’s interests.” Officials had to ensure that their families and staff did not abuse their closeness to power, it added. China has executed, jailed or detained dozens of high-ranking officials for corruption in recent years, including the former Shanghai Party chief who is under investigation for abusing pension funds. But many ordinary Chinese believe official graft is increasingly entrenched despite these high-profile cases.
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Industrial area of Beijing, China at night.On May 29, 2007, the former head of China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), Zheng Xiaoyu, was found guilty by a lower court of accepting bribes and dereliction of duty. The court handed down a death sentence along with the confiscation of personal assets. Zheng will appeal the ruling. Zheng, 62, was determined to have accepted bribes totaling 6.49 million yuan, or US$811,200. He was head of the SFDA from 1998 to 2005. In Chinese law, capital punishment can be imposed on individuals found guilty of accepting bribes greater than 100,000 yuan, or $12,500, if "the circumstances are especially serious". It was revealed that, as head of the SFDA, Zheng had asked for and accepted bribes to guarantee licences to unqualified pharmaceutical companies. The companies were subsequently involved in the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit or inferior drugs. Zheng's sentence "was based overwhelmingly on the devastating consequences of his crimes in his position of power," said the state-run ''China Daily'' newspaper. While Zheng was head of the SFDA, several health scandals in China unfolded for which the SFDA had responsibility. Dozens of deaths in China have been attributed to poor quality drugs and unsafe food products. In Anhui province, a health crisis arose from baby formula found to contain no nutrition. At least 13 babies died in the incident, which occurred in 2004. In another case, ten deaths were attributed to poor quality antibiotics. More recently, wheat and rice gluten products from China, used in the manufacture of pet food, were found to contain melamine, which may have caused the deaths of many pets in the United States and Canada. Zheng's harsh sentence may be the result of China's embarrassment by the recent scandals and its concern over international credibility. "I don't think the government has in mind massive changes, but it clearly wants to improve official performance through a series of smaller reforms," Mao Shoulong, public policy expert at the Renmin University of China, told Reuters. According to an opinion piece in the ''China Daily'', Zheng's forthcoming execution is being used as an example to help dispel the belief, by the Chinese public, that government officials receive preferential treatment in court. "The country may need Zheng's execution to be convinced of the leadership's resolve to end corruption at high levels," said the ''China Daily''.
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SAN'A, Yemen (AP) -- A suspected al Qaeda suicide bomber plowed his car Monday into a group of Spanish tourists visiting a temple linked to the ancient Queen of Sheba, killing seven Spaniards and two Yemenis in a part of Yemen known for its lawlessness. The Queen of Sheba temple was built about 3,000 years ago. The attack came less than two weeks after the U.S. Embassy warned Americans to avoid the area, which until recent years was rarely visited by tourists because of frequent kidnappings of foreigners. Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said the attacker drove into the middle of a convoy transporting the Spanish tourists, killing seven and wounding five. Two Yemenis also died, according to Yemen's Interior Ministry. Witnesses reported seeing a car drive into the group of tourists on a road outside the site of the 3,000-year-old Queen of Sheba temple in the central province of Marib. The mangled remains of a four-wheel-drive vehicle could be seen on the side of a road, but it was unclear if the vehicle belonged to the bomber or the tourists. The Queen of Sheba temple, which is known in Yemen by its Arabic name, Balqis, is about 85 miles east of the capital, San`a. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but authorities linked the suicide bomber to al Qaeda. Yemen is the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden, and police said they had received information last month about a possible al Qaeda attack. They did not elaborate. The region is home to four powerful tribes with more than 70 branches and is known to be a hotbed of support for al Qaeda. About 100 foreigners have been kidnapped in the area since the 1990s. As a result, tourists are a rare sight, and solo travelers who want to go to Marib must drive there as part of a convoy escorted by armed soldiers. But in recent years, the area had grown calmer and some tourists looking for an off-the-beaten path adventure have begun traveling to Marib, which was the capital of Saba, or Sheba, the mightiest kingdom of ancient Arabia. Yemen has been trying to make the Queen of Sheba temple, known for its columns marking the entrance, a major tourist attraction, especially after it was renovated several years ago. The Queen of Sheba is believed to have ruled over an empire of frankincense and myrrh, and the biblical story talks about her visit to King Solomon in Jerusalem, where she brought camels bearing spices, gold and precious stones. Spain has considered tourism in Yemen dangerous for some time. In recommendations published in April, the Foreign Ministry advised travelers there was a "risk of terrorist action and some tribes use kidnapping of foreigners as a means of currying favor with the government." "The regions of Marib and Shabwa are not currently recommendable and in the case of traveling there it is essential to go accompanied by a local guide and a military escort," the recommendation said. The U.S. Embassy also warned Americans to avoid the area after a Yemeni guard in neighboring Shabwa province fired on a group of foreign oil workers after they landed at a company airstrip on June 23. One person was killed and five wounded, including an American. The provincial governor said at the time that the guard was mentally ill, but the U.S. Embassy in San'a canceled travel to the two provinces "for the near future" and recommended that Americans avoid the area. Al Qaeda continues to have an active presence in Yemen despite government efforts to fight the terror network. Al Qaeda was blamed for the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Aden that killed 17 American sailors and the attack on a French oil tanker that killed one person two years later. In 2002, bin Laden's top deputy in Yemen, Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi was killed near Marib by a missile fired from a U.S. drone aircraft. Al-Harethi was believed to have coordinated the Cole attacks. Yemen was a haven for Islamists from across the Arab world during the 1990s, but after the Sept. 11 attacks, it declared support for the U.S. campaign against terrorism. But its crackdown on militants has suffered a number of setbacks, such as the February 2006 prison breakout of 23 convicts -- some of whom had been jailed for al Qaeda-linked crimes. Foreign interests in Yemen often face low-level threats and foreign tourists are frequently kidnapped by tribes seeking to win concessions from the government, either better services or the release of jailed relatives. Most of the hostages have been released unharmed. E-mail to a friend Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All About Yemen • Al Qaeda • USS Cole • Osama bin Laden ||||| Your news how you want it. On the go and no time to finish that story right now? Your News is the place for you to save content to read later from any device. Register with us and content you save will appear here so you can access them to read later.
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Seven Spanish tourists and two Yemeni citizens are dead after a suicide attacker blew his vehicle up at a crowded temple dedicated to the Queen of Sheba in the Ma'rib Governorate. The blast also injured six more Spaniards. An official with the Yemen Interior Ministry has blamed the attack on al-Qaeda operatives. Less than two weeks ago a terrorist disguised as a Yemeni guard opened fire on foreign oil workers who had just landed on an airfield. The United States embassy in San'a subsequently issued a warning to travelers because of the airfield incident. The suicide attack at the Queen of Sheeba temple comes days after Islamic radicals twice unsuccessfully attempted to attack civilian areas in the United Kingdom.
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By James Pearson Last updated: 10th April 2008 Leverkusen out despite win Zenit St Petersburg are through to the semi-finals of the Uefa Cup despite losing the second leg 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen courtesy of a 4-2 aggregate win. The Russian outfit were all but through to the semis following a sensational 4-1 first leg success in Germany and although they were off the pace in the return leg they did just enough to avoid an unlikely comeback. Leverkusen made a bright start to the contest and wasted a glorious chance to pull a goal back when Russian Dmitri Bulykin found Zenit keeper Viatcheslav Malafeev with a first-time effort after a fine through-ball by captain Bernd Schneider. Bulykin did find the back of the net on 18 minutes when he guided home Gonzalo Castro's fine cross at the back post to restore pride and bolster hopes of a comeback. Leverkusen continued to set the pace and create the better of the chances for the remainder of the half, but the Bundesliga outfit were unable to build on their 18th minute advantage. Purpose Zenit emerged from the half-time interval with more purpose about their game, although Andrei Arshavin's left-footed effort that took a nick off Hans Sarpei's foot was comfortable for Rene Adler. The home side should have been back on level terms in the 70th minute, but Igor Denisov's shot only found the outside of the near post upright following an inventive flick-on from Arshavin. Zenit should have equalised with five minutes remaining, but Anatoli Tymoschuk could only find Adler with a tame penalty after Viktor Faitzulin was adjudged to have been brought down in the box. Despite slipping to defeat it mattered little for Zenit and coach Dick Advocaat who are now through to the semi-finals where they will face the winners of Bayern Munich or Getafe. ||||| Last updated: 10th April 2008 Toni: Celebrates winner Bayern Munich produced a dramatic late comeback to draw 3-3 at 10-man Getafe to advance to the Uefa Cup semi-finals on away goals. Getafe, who had Ruben de la Red sent off after just six minutes, appeared to be heading towards the last four in both normal time and extra-time. But Franck Ribery equalised with a minute to go to send the tie into extra-time and Luca Toni then scored twice in the final five minutes after Getafe had gone 3-1 in front. The Spaniards' prospects of reaching the semi-finals appeared to suffer an early blow when De la Red was shown the red card for a challenge on Miroslav Klose. Yet Cosmin Contra, who scored a late equaliser in last week's 1-1 draw in Germany, had other ideas as he cut in from the right and fired a fierce shot past Oliver Kahn a minute before half-time. Getafe held out until the 89th minute when Toni's flick-on ricocheted off David Cortes into the path of Ribery, who made no mistake in front of goal. A minute into extra-time, Getafe regained the lead when Nobrega Braulio teed up Francisco Casquero to drill his shot in off the post. Braulio made it 3-1 on the night just two minutes later when he converted Mario Cotelo's cross following poor defending from Lucio. In the 115th minute, Bayern grasped a lifeline when Getafe keeper Pato dropped Mark van Bommel's free-kick and Toni pounced on the loose ball. Toni, who had also scored in the first leg, then sent Bayern through to a last-four meeting with Zenit St Petersburg when he rose to head home Jose Ernesto Sosa's cross in the last minute. ||||| Last updated: 10th April 2008 Mutu: Decisive double Adrian Mutu struck twice for Fiorentina to set up a Uefa Cup semi-final with Rangers after a 2-0 win at PSV Eindhoven. The Dutch champions headed into the quarter-final second leg seemingly with the edge after a 1-1 draw in Italy last week. But Mutu scored in each half for the Viola, while PSV fluffed the chance to mount a late comeback when Timmy Simons' penalty was saved. Fiorentina keeper Sebastien Frey pushed first-leg scorer Danny Koevermans' shot round the post early on before Giampaolo Pazzini was denied by Heurelho Gomes. Mutu, who had earlier been booked for diving, made the breakthrough on 38 minutes when he hammered a 30-yard free-kick into the top corner. The former Chelsea striker grabbed his second of the night on 54 minutes with a composed finish after Gomes had parried Pazzini's shot. Riccardo Montolivo hit the crossbar for Fiorentina just past the hour mark before PSV were awarded a penalty 10 minutes from time. Tomas Ujfalusi brought down Danko Lazovic, but Frey was equal to Simons' spot-kick as he dived to his right to make the save. Fiorentina saw out the final stages with few scares and will now face Rangers, who won 2-0 at Sporting Lisbon, in the last four. ||||| By James Pearson Last updated: 10th April 2008 Darcheville: Celebrates opening goal Rangers are through to the semi-finals of the Uefa Cup following a sensational 2-0 second leg success over Sporting. Following a goalless first leg at Ibrox an away goal was always going to be crucial and Jean-Claude Darcheville's close-range effort on the hour mark put the visitors ahead before Steven Whittaker settled the contest late on. Sporting were the better side throughout and created the better of the opportunities, but Gers' superb smash-and-grab job in Lisbon has now set up a semi-final clash with Fiorentina. The game was decided on the hour mark when Darcheville's neat header picked out Steven Davis, who charged forward before delivering a pin-point cross that the Frenchman dispatched with a first-time effort. With Sporting pushing forward, Rangers sealed the game deep into injury-time when substitute Whittaker won the ball on the halfway line before surging forward and slotting the ball home into the far corner of the net. Rangers had the first chance of the match when Gladstone and Tonel failed to deal with a Brahim Hemdani ball into the box, which broke for Darcheville. Sporting sparked into life The striker tried to dink over goalkeeper Rui Patricio, as he raced off his line, but Gladstone managed to block the effort. Sporting's chances had been limited early on but they hit the woodwork when Leandro Romagnoli's free-kick found Liedson and his header smacked off the post. The home side were sparked into life by the near miss and threatened Rangers again within a few minutes. This time Romagnoli played a corner out to Miguel Veloso 35 yards from goal and he drilled narrowly past Allan McGregor's right-hand post. With half-time beckoning, skipper Joao Moutinho saw his shot fizz across the goalmouth and wide of target. Kevin Thomson picked up the first booking of the game four minutes after the restart for a foul on Veloso, the yellow card ruling him out of Rangers' next match in Europe. Veloso recovered enough to provide a tempting cross for Marat Izmailov, who bulleted a header across McGregor's goal and past the post as Sporting piled on the pressure. Skipper suspended Rangers grabbed the opener with an hour gone when Darcheville played the ball out to Davis out on the right before racing into the box and collecting the return pass. He then left Patricio with no chance by slotting home from eight yards to send the Gers fans behind the goal into raptures. With 20 minutes remaining Darcheville - yet to play a full 90 minutes for Rangers - was withdrawn to make way for Daniel Cousin, knowing he had already played a crucial role in this tie. Liedson could have restored parity for Sporting but hooked his shot high and wide, before Leandro Grimi nodded past the upright. Ferguson then picked up a booking, meaning he also misses out on the first leg of the semis through suspension. But nothing would be allowed to dampen the spirits of the Ibrox club tonight as substitute Whittaker - on for Lee McCulloch - provided the icing on the cake by rifling home deep into injury-time following a solo run from his own half.
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Zenit Saint Petersburg, Rangers, Fiorentina, and Bayern Munich all advance to the UEFA Cup semi-finals on Thursday. Zenit was all but assured of their advancement having won their first leg 4-1 over Bayer Leverkusen, but the other three ties were still fully up in the air. Rangers and Sporting had played a scoreless draw at Ibrox, while Bayern Munich drew 1-1 with Getafe at home and Fiorentina tied PSV by the same scoreline.
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Asteroids, Space Invaders, Centipede and Tetris—remember when you could only play these games at an arcade? I would line up behind at least 6 people for my chance at Asteroids.Time warp—now it's 2007. Games can be played anywhere and at anytime. In this mobile world, games have evolved to become a part of our lives. Unlike television, gamers can make games their own—customizing their experience in new ways—and we are helping them do that big time.But of course developing these sophisticated games can be very expensive. Back in the 80s the cost of producing a single game was about $100K. Today it can cost $25M to produce a game. The good news is there are some very passionate gamers out there that have come up with some interesting new ways to introduce non-intrusive and targeted advertising in order to make gaming accessible and affordable for all.Our charge at Adscape has always been to honor the game that was developed and find new ways to enable that game to continue so others can enjoy it. That's why we are so stoked to join Google —because these guys get it, and are committed to helping us continue our mission. ||||| Frequently asked questions Background Q. What is Adscape Media? A. Adscape Media is a small in-game advertising company based in San Francisco California. Adscape Media offers dynamic delivery of advertising with plot and storyline integration - making its solutions a truly interactive marketing platform. Adscape Media supports sophisticated demographic and geographic targeting and also provides a robust reporting interface for marketers. Q. Why did Google acquire Adscape Media? A. In-game advertising is an area where we believe Google could add a lot of value to users, advertisers and publishers. Adscape Media's technology and talented team are a great addition to Google's current advertising solutions for advertisers and publishers. Q. What are the terms of the acquisition? A. The terms of the acquisition are confidential and the deal is officially closed. Q. How much did Google pay? A. The terms of the acquisition are confidential and the deal is officially closed. Q. Will Google assume full operational control of Adscape, or will Adscape remain autonomous? A. We are excited to have the Adscape team join the Google team. We will work together on moving this project forward. Q. Why did Adscape Media decide to sell to Google? A. We found that there was a great fit with their technology, team and culture. Q. Has Google previously incorporated in-game advertising into its ads services? A. No. Adscape Media Partners & Business Q. What does this mean for Adscape Media's partners? A. We plan to continue working with the developer, publisher and advertiser communities. Many of our partners have already been informed of the acquisition. If you have questions, you can contact us directly at: [email protected]. Q. Will current partners continue to get paid? A. Yes, current partners will continue to get paid - and we will honor any open contracts. Q. When will Google integrate in-game advertising into the Google advertising platform? A. At this time, we do not have news to share about the integration plans. Industry/Business Q. Do you already have deals signed with game developers? A. We have been in discussions with many in the game development community and hope to partner with both large and small game publishing companies. Q. Given the dramatic growth of the gaming market in recent years, how much advertising market share does Google hope to gain from this acquisition, both immediately and over time? A. We don't release specific projections but we think there is great value in video game advertising. As more and more people spend time playing video games, we think we can create opportunities for advertisers to reach their target audiences while maintaining a high quality, engaging user experience. That said, we will test ways of successfully implementing this form of advertising and Adscape's technology will be instrumental in those tests. Q. Will the in-game ads continue to be integrated into the game or will they become text ads similar to AdSense format? A. As this is a recent acquisition it is too early to say what the ads will look like. We will explore a variety of options to determine what is best for the advertiser and user. Q. Where does Google see in-game advertising going in the future, in terms of both revenue and the technology itself? A. We don't release specific projections but we think there is great value in video game advertising. As more and more people spend time playing video games, we think we can create opportunities for advertisers to reach their target audiences while maintaining a high quality, engaging user experience. That said, we will test ways of successfully implementing this form of advertising and Adscape's technology will be instrumental in those tests. Over the past few years, the video game experience has become richer and more interactive. We think this rich environment is a perfect medium to deliver relevant, targeted advertising that ultimately benefits the user, the video game publisher and the advertiser.
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200px Friday, Google, Inc. announced on its official blog that it will be acquiring in-game advertiser Adscape Media, Inc, a San Francisco, California based company. Ads that are placed in games through Adscape are targeted based on the plot and storyline that a gamer encounters within a game. These ads are also targeted geographically and demographically. Google, which is based in Mountain View, California, stated that the terms of the agreement and the price paid for Adscape will remain confidential, but the cost might be about $23 million, as informed the Red Herring magazine on 15th February. Adscape is now fully controlled by Google and will provide the company with its first opportunity to use in-game advertising. Google has stated that it will be working with Adscape's partners the same as the company had been before.
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Ich stimme der Verwendung von Cookies für die Zwecke der Webanalyse und digitaler Werbemaßnahmen zu. Auch wenn ich diese Website weiter nutze, gilt dies als Zustimmung. Meine Einwilligung kann ich hier widerrufen. Weitere Informationen finde ich in der Datenschutzerklärung. Es ist ein Fehler aufgetreten. Bitte versuchen Sie es später erneut. Sie haben Cookies deaktiviert. Sie müssen Cookies in Ihrem Browser aktivieren und die Seite neu laden, um zustimmen zu können. ||||| Ich stimme der Verwendung von Cookies für die Zwecke der Webanalyse und digitaler Werbemaßnahmen zu. Auch wenn ich diese Website weiter nutze, gilt dies als Zustimmung. Meine Einwilligung kann ich hier widerrufen. Weitere Informationen finde ich in der Datenschutzerklärung. Es ist ein Fehler aufgetreten. Bitte versuchen Sie es später erneut. Sie haben Cookies deaktiviert. Sie müssen Cookies in Ihrem Browser aktivieren und die Seite neu laden, um zustimmen zu können. ||||| 21.06.2007 | 20:18 | (DiePresse.com) Der Hitze folgten am Donnerstag heftige Unwetter. In Wien stürzte ein Kran auf die Wache der Hauptfeuerwehr, der Kranfahrer starb. Eine 60-jährige Frau wurde von einem Baum erschlagen. Schwere Unwetter mit Sturmböen bis zu 123 km/h und heftigen Niederschlägen sind am Donnerstagnachmittag über Ostösterreich niedergegangen. In Wien kamen zwei Personen ums Leben, es gab zahlreiche Verletzte. Feuerwehr und Rettung standen im Dauereinsatz. In Wien brach der Verkehr zusammen, am Flughafen in Schwechat war für eine Stunde kein Starten und Landen möglich. Das Konzert von Barbra Streisand vor dem Schloss Schönbrunn musste vorerst abgesagt werden. Am Donauinsel-Festgelände gab es ebenfalls Schäden. Betroffen waren auch Ober- und Niederösterreich. Kranfahrer in Wien getötet Die Gewitter- und Sturmfront hat die Bundeshauptstadt kurz vor 17.00 Uhr erreicht. Am Hof in der Innenstadt stürzte ein Baukran direkt auf die Hauptfeuerwehrwache. Dabei kam der Kranführer ums Leben. Frau von Baum erschlagen Beim Ruderclub am Dampfschiffhaufen in der Donaustadt erschlug ein Baum eine 60-jährige Frau, ein 40-jähriger Mann wurde schwer verletzt. Der Sturm verwüstete Teile des Donauinsel-Festgeländes, auch Bühnen zog er in Mitleidenschaft. Das erste Österreich-Konzert von Barbra Streisand musste für Donnerstag "aus baupolizeilichen Gründen" abgesagt werden. Ob der Auftritt am Freitag nachgeholt werden kann, war offen. Behinderung des Verkehrs "Chaotische Zustände" herrschten laut ÖAMTC im Straßenverkehr. Es staute in ganz Wien auf allen Hauptverkehrsrouten, hieß es in der Informationszentrale des Autofahrerclubs. Seit 18.00 Uhr habe sich die Zahl der Unfälle drastisch erhöht, hieß es beim ARBÖ. "Wien steht", so der Kommentar. Für Strecken, die normalerweise in einer halben Stunde befahren werden, mussten Pkw-Lenker zwei Stunden einplanen. Zu Problemen kam es auch auf allen Bus- und Straßenbahn-Linien. Beschädigte Leitungen beeinträchtigen laut Österreichischen Bundesbahnen den Zugverkehr: Die Wiener S-Bahn wurde abschnittsweise eingestellt. Schwechat: Zahlreichen Verzögerungen Am Airport Wien in Schwechat war von 17.01 bis 17.35 Uhr kein Landen und Starten möglich. Da die Unterbrechung in die Abendspitzen fiel, kam es zu zahlreichen Verzögerungen. Auch nach der Landung mussten Passagiere und Personal längere Zeit in den Maschinen ausharren. Unwetter in Niederösterreich Auch in Niederösterreich gingen schwere Gewittern nieder. Mehr als 250 Feuerwehren standen in 18 Bezirken im Einsatz um umgestürzte Bäume von den Straßen zu entfernen, überflutete Keller auszupumpen oder abgedeckte Dächer zu sichern. Gegen 19.00 Uhr hatte sich die Wettersituation "maßgeblich beruhigt". Besonders stark betroffen waren die Bezirke St. Pölten, Tulln, Baden, Korneuburg und Wiener Neustadt. Am Altarm der Donau bei Greifenstein (Bezirk Tulln) gerieten mehrere Schwimmer und Boote in Seenot. Alle Personen wurden von den Einsatzkräften in Sicherheit gebracht. Bergungen am Neusiedler See Im Burgenland konzentrierten sich die Gewitter zunächst auf den Bezirk Eisenstadt-Umgebung. Am Neusiedler See mussten einige Bootsbergungen durchgeführt werden. In Oberösterreich waren die südlichen Bezirke von den Unwettern betroffen. Es gab Schäden, blockierte Straßen und Bahnstrecken, überflutete Keller und einen Waldbrand. Tirol, Salzburg und die Steiermark sind schon am Mittwoch und Donnerstagvormittag von schweren Unwettern heimgesucht worden. Heftige Niederschläge haben Keller überschwemmt, Muren blockierten Straßen, Hagelkörner zerstörten Hausdächer. Noch dramatischer waren die Folgen des Unwetters in der Schweiz und in Deutschland, wo zwei Todesopfer zu beklagen waren. (APA/Red.) ||||| Karten wieder in allen Kategorien erhältlich - Sturmschäden sind bereinigt Wien - Das am Donnerstag abgesagte erste Wien-Konzert von Barbra Streisand wird heute, Freitag, 20.00 Uhr nachgeholt. Dies haben die Veranstalter nach Besichtigung der Sturmschäden beschlossen, teilte der Promoter der APA mit. Bereits gekaufte Karten behalten ihre Gültigkeit, können nach der Absage aber auch zurückgegeben werden. Dadurch gibt es für das Freitagskonzert wieder Karten in allen Kategorien zu kaufen, hieß es. Es sei der explizite Wunsch Streisands, in Wien aufzutreten, hieß es. Tickets gibt es bei der Abendkassa und bei Öticket (Tel. 01 96096). Der über Wien gezogene Sturm hatte am Donnerstagnachmittag am Konzertgelände im Ehrenhof von Schloss Schönbrunn Schäden u.a. an einem VIP-Zelt angerichtet und die Bestuhlung durcheinander gewirbelt. (APA)
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__NOTOC__ On what was the hottest start of the summer ever since measurements have been recorded in , two people were killed, several injured and a not yet estimated amount of property damaged as a strong storm hit the capital of Austria. === Weather conditions === Vienna, as all of Austria and central Europe, has experienced an unusual streak of hot days in the last week, culminating in 36.2 Celsius in Langenlebarn in today. The temperature is expected to fall in the coming days, as the cold front producing the storm reached Austria. It was windy all day in Vienna, but around 16:30 (4:30 pm) local time what was only wind became a full-blown storm. It produced wind speeds between 113 and 123 kilometers per hour in Vienna and was accompanied by rain. By 18:00 (6 pm) local time, wind speeds has normalized again and the rain had stopped.
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A number of houses in Dili have been ransacked and set on fire Emergency powers will give Mr Gusmao control of the army and police, split by internal disputes and gang violence. Mr Gusmao, a highly respected former guerrilla leader, also assumed sole charge of coordination with the Australian-led peacekeeping force. His move comes after fresh violence and looting hit the capital, Dili. Mr Gusmao said the decision to impose emergency rule, which would last 30 days, had been taken in "close collaboration" with Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri. It's not fixed, but we're getting there Brig Michael Slater Australian peacekeeping force Mr Alkatiri has been blamed by other members of the government for failing to stop the violence, which was triggered by the government's sacking of hundreds of troops after they went on strike. Mr Gusmao said the move is to "prevent violence and avoid further fatalities", as well as for the "rapid reestablishment of public order". Burnt out The intervention of the president, who normally plays a largely symbolic role, will be widely welcomed, the BBC's Jonathan Head says. But he alone cannot fix the collapse of East Timor's system of government. Mr Alkatiri is deeply unpopular but refuses to resign and there are few obvious successors to him, our correspondent says. TENSIONS MOUNT Feb: More than 400 troops strike over pay and conditions March: Government sacks nearly 600 of 1,400-man army April: Rioting by sacked troops leaves five people dead May: Violence intensifies; government appeals for foreign assistance Refugees tell of torment In pictures: Unrest boils over Rocky ride to nationhood There are reports that the defence and interior ministers have been sacked, but it is not clear yet whether they have accepted this. Mr Gusmao's move follows days of mounting tension and violence. At least 20 people are reported to have been killed and tens of thousands have fled their homes. More violence on Tuesday left several shops - once part of a vibrant commercial district - reduced to burnt out shells. Many people, including children, were simply helping themselves to supplies. In some houses anything of value has been stripped away or destroyed. Many residents have taken shelter at makeshift camps where basic necessities are running out. Thousands of desperate people descended on warehouses where rice was being handed out, and waited for hours in the baking sun. 'Gutless thugs' The immediate cause of the violence was the sacking of 600 striking soldiers in March. The soldiers, who were mainly from the west of the country, complained of discrimination against them by leaders from the east. The peacekeepers say they are reining in the gangs in Dili But there are also signs that some of the violence is politically motivated. Attorney-General Longuinhos Monteiro told the BBC his offices had been looted on several occasions and up to 15% of the criminal archive stolen. Some of the stolen files relate to Indonesia's bloody withdrawal from East Timor following a 1999 referendum. Pro-Indonesian militias were accused of orchestrating the violence, which left more than 1,000 people dead. Australian Brigadier Michael Slater says his 1,300 peacekeeping troops are gaining an upper hand against the gangs of "gutless thugs" rampaging in Dili. "We've been taking the weapons off them and they are losing their freedom of action because we have so many soldiers out there providing the security among the population," he told the Australian media. "It's not fixed, but we're getting there," he added. He went on to say that although there were "some very large groups of internally displaced people", but "there is no humanitarian crisis here". ||||| May 30, 2006 - 9:39AM East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao says he's taking over "sole responsibility" for the country's national security in a bid to end more than a week of swirling unrest. The announcement came shortly after an emergency cabinet meeting to deal with a crisis that has killed at least 27 people and left the capital smouldering from arsonists' fires. Gusmao released a statement late on Tuesday saying he would assume "sole responsibility" for defence and national security in his capacity as armed forces' commander in chief, to "prevent violence and avoid further fatalities". The emergency measures would take effect immediately and be valid for 30 days. Jose Ramos Horta, the country's Nobel peace prize-winning Foreign Minister, acknowledged that his government had "failed miserably" to prevent the unrest. He directed the blame toward Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri. "In some areas, particularly in political dialogue in embracing everybody, in resolving problems as they arise, well, the government has failed miserably," Ramos Horta told the Nine Network. Mobs torched houses and ransacked government offices, including that of the attorney-general where they succeeded in breaking into the Serious Crimes Unit. Files involving all of the most prominent Indonesian defendants in the 1999 massacres that followed the East Timor's bloody vote for independence, including former Gen. Wiranto, were stolen, said Attorney General Longuinhos Monteiro. Asked whether they had been specifically targeted in the looting, he replied: "We don't know". Aid workers expressed frustration at the insecurity despite the presence of more than 1,300 foreign troops from Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia after scuffles also broke out at a warehouse being used as a food distribution centre. Justice Minister Domingos Sarmento said a contingent of 120 paramilitary police from Portugal would help bolster the foreign force. The contingent is expected in the country by the weekend. "Hopefully in two or three days the situation will improve," Sarmento told The Associated Press. Sporadic fighting was reported in some parts of the city and ambulances were seen ferrying injured people to a hospital. It was not clear how many had been hurt. Much of the antagonism on the streets revolves around accusations, often unfounded, that one person or another harbours sympathies for Indonesia, which pulled out of East Timor after its people voted overwhelming for independence in 1999.
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President Xanana Gusmão has taken special security powers in a bid to quell the violence raging in East Timor. The period of emergency rule, which would last 30 days, was imposed to "prevent violence and avoid further fatalities" and lead to "rapid reestablishment of public order." Government Palace, Dili Gusmão, a popular former guerilla leader, will take sole control of the army and police and also the management of the 1,300 strong Australian-led peacekeeping force on the troubled island. At least 27 people have been killed, criminal documents reported stolen, and looting widespread in the East Timorese capital, Dili during the present period of unrest. The Australian military commander in East Timor, Brigadier Michael Slater has called the mobs "gutless thugs." The decision to give emergency powers to President Gusmão was taken in "close collaboration" with Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri. Mr Alkatiri was unable to stop the rioting that followed the government's decision in March to lay-off 600 soldiers when they refused to work, complaining of discrimination. As the disorder grew during April and May, East Timor appealed for international assistance. Justice Minister Domingos Sarmento said that Portugal had offered to provide East Timor with 120 security personnel by the weekend.
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U.S.-China trade deal not falling apart: White House adviser The U.S.-China "Phase 1" trade deal reached in January is not falling apart and the two countries are still working to implement it, the White House's top economic adviser said on Friday, but President Donald Trump added that he was not "thrilled" with the agreement. ||||| Macro Alerts US needs to limit budget deficits: Greenspan - update 2 Thursday, February 17, 2005 1:37:05 PM ET newratings.com NEW YORK, February 17 (newratings.com) – The US must constrain its budget deficit, as the government borrowing tends would impact the interest rates, the Fed Chairman, Alan Greenspan said before the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee on Thursday. Greenspan had said earlier on Wednesday that the US economy has grown at a reasonably good pace so far in 2005, with inflation remaining low. The US Federal Reserve Chairman said in his testimony to the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday that the recent economic data broadly supports the stance that the economic fundamentals have steadied. At 2.5%, the Federal Reserve's benchmark interest rate, the federal funds rate, is fairly low by most measures, Greenspan added. The Fed Chairman warned, however, that fiscal discipline is necessary to meet economic challenges in the future. Greenspan said that the US dollar weakness may lead to an increase in import prices across the world markets. The Fed Chairman's speech indicated that the volatile productivity trends would play a key role in determining the inflation trends going forward. The US dollar temporarily strengthened its position against various global currencies on Wednesday, following the news of Greenspan's largely optimistic remarks on the country's economy. Macro Alerts | all headlines previous | next 02/18/05 Net inflows into US domestic mutual funds decline in 2005 Banc of America 02/18/05 Profit taking opportunity in European small caps Merrill Lynch 02/18/05 US core PPI rises 0.8%; exceeds forecasts newratings.com AC Research Premium Service for Private Investors Sign up now for the free of charge "AC Research Premium-Service" and immediately start receiving original and exclusive full-length (sample) research reports from the independent analyst firm AC Research. E-Mail ||||| ABC News Stocks Decline in Late Morning Trading Dow, Nasdaq Lower in Late Morning Trading As Alan Greenspan Addresses Congress on U.S. Economy Federal Reserve Chariman Alan Greenspan gestures during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2005 in Washington. He urged a go-slow approach on personal Social Security accounts, saying that while he embraces the idea central to President Bush's proposed overhaul, he is concerned about stability in financial markets. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) By MEG RICHARDS The Associated Press NEW YORK Feb 17, 2005 Stocks sagged Thursday as Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan offered more testimony on the state of the economy, the funding shortfall for Medicare and the problems facing the Social Security program. The Fed chairman, who supports President Bush's idea of setting up private retirement accounts for younger workers, faced questions from members of the House Financial Services Committee, mostly focused on Social Security reform. Greenspan told a Senate panel Wednesday the economy continues to expand at a respectable pace, and that inflation, while not an immediate threat, remains something policy-makers must continue to guard against. In morning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 47.14, or 0.44 percent, to 10,787.74. The broader gauges were also lower. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 5.70, or 0.47 percent, at 1,204.64. The Nasdaq composite index shed 13.53, or 0.65 percent, to 2,073.90. Oil prices climbed, rising 38 cents to $48.95 at the New York Mercantile Exchange. The dollar was mixed against major world currencies, gold edged higher and Treasuries were weaker; the yield on the 10-year note stood at 4.17 percent. Jobless claims were down for a third straight week, the Labor Department reported, as the number of laid-off workers filing for unemployment benefits dropped to the lowest level in more than four years. The decline surprised economists, who had forecast an increase. The data served as fresh evidence of continuing improvements in the labor market. In another report, the department said prices for imported goods rose by 0.9 percent in January as foreign petroleum prices jumped 4.6 percent and the price of non-petroleum imports edged up 0.2 percent. Import prices are expected to continue rising this year as the weaker dollar makes foreign products more expensive for Americans. Separately, the Conference Board reported that its Index of Leading Economic Indicators slipped 0.3 percent last month after gaining 0.3 percent in December. The decline was blamed on a jump in energy prices, the weaker dollar and cautious business attitudes. ||||| About Investor's Business Daily - Investor’s Business Daily provides exclusive stock lists, investing data, stock market research, education and the latest financial and business news to help investors make more money in the stock market. All of IBD’s products and features are based on the CAN SLIM® Investing System developed by IBD’s Founder William J. O’Neil, who identified the seven common characteristics that winning stocks display before making huge price gains. Each letter of CAN SLIM represents one of those traits. Notice: Information contained herein is not and should not be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell securities. The information has been obtained from sources we believe to be reliable; however no guarantee is made or implied with respect to its accuracy, timeliness, or completeness. Authors may own the stocks they discuss. The information and content are subject to change without notice. *Real-time prices by BATS®. Volume delayed. Real-time quote and/or trade prices are not sourced from all markets. © 2000-2016 Investor's Business Daily, Inc. All rights reserved ||||| The Fed chief's largely positive assessment of the country's economic health came as he delivered the Federal Reserve's twice a year economic outlook to the Senate Banking Committee. Greenspan said the economy, which had been stuck in a midyear lull last year, has since improved, a welcome development since he presented the Fed's previous economic report to Congress seven months ago. "The evidence broadly supports the view that economic fundamentals have steadied," Greenspan said. "All told, the economy seems to have entered 2005 expanding at a reasonably good pace, with inflation and inflation expectations well-anchored." Consumer spending, the economy's lifeblood, remains healthy, he said. Business investment has picked up, although companies are still showing some caution in hiring, he added. How inflation fares in the coming months will shape whether Fed policy-makers -- now on a gradual path of raising short-term interest -- will need to speed up or slow down that campaign, Greenspan indicated. One factor to keep an eye on is whether companies -- amid slowing productivity growth -- boost workers' salaries and then pass along those higher costs onto customers, the Fed chief said. The inflation outlook also will be shaped by the direction of oil prices and the value of the dollar, which has been falling over the last few years. Fed policy-makers embarked on a rate-raising campaign in June and have pushed up short-term interest rates six times, each in modest, quarter-point moves. The last rate increase on Feb. 2 left a key rate at 2.50 percent. Another, quarter-point rate boost is expected at the Fed's next meeting on March 22. Even with increases thus far, rates are still "fairly low," Greenspan said. Economists viewed Greenspan's remarks as reinforcing their view the Fed for now will stick to its gradual approach to raising rates. "In my view the bottom line is that we are in for more of the same," said Steve Stanley, chief economist at RBS Greenwich Capital. Given Greenspan's view that inflation isn't currently a threat to the economy, some senators suggested the Fed take a break from its rate-raising campaign. "It seems to me that the Fed should consider now taking a pause from its policy of interest rate increases to see how the economy develops in the first part of this year," said Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Md. Said Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky.: "If you don't see any evidence of inflation, I would hope you'd take that into account in a big way during the next (Fed) meeting. You don't have to raise rates just because many expect it." Keeping the Fed's options open, Greenspan didn't offer signals one way or the other. Before the Fed started to push up rates in June, its key rate was at a 46-year low of 1 percent. That extraordinarily low rate was used to shore up the economy, which struggled to recover from the recession of 2001 and the Sept. 11 attacks. With the economic expansion entrenched, the Fed needs to move rates to a more normal level so all the cheap money does not lay the groundwork for inflation, economists said. Fed policy-makers in an updated economic forecast said economic growth this year should clock in at a range of 3.75 percent to 4 percent, as measured from the fourth quarter of last year. That's about the same as the 3.7 percent growth seen in 2004. On the inflation front, a gauge of prices that excludes food and energy costs is projected to increase around 1.5 percent to 1.75 percent this year -- close to the 1.6 percent increase registered in 2004. The nation's jobless rate should dip to around 5.25 percent this year, compared with 5.4 percent for all of 2004.
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Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan testifies before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve has suggested that there will be ''more of the same'' in coming months from the Fed. In his speech during testimony before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday, Mr. Greenspan noted that the economic fundamentals of the U.S. appeared to be stable. On Thursday, Greenspan spoke before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services and when faced with questions regarding Social Security reform issues, he hinted that he was in favour of partial privatization of Social Security - but the general consensus on Wall Street is to expect more of the same. However, economic advisors were somewhat disappointed that most of the testimony in both speechs was focused on the upcoming Social Security reform and did not address monetary policy as broadly as they'd hoped. Mike Moran, chief economist at Daiwa Securities America Inc, is quoted in the Investors Business Daily as saying "Chairman Greenspan provided few explicit insights into his plans for monetary policy." Greenspan reiterated his concerns about market reactions to the burgeoning federal deficit. "We are not sure to what extent and how much the market will respond," he said. Parsing Greenspan's reports to Congress is a Wall Street obsession, but the general consensus from his recent testimony is to expect little change in the current Fed policy. Economists expect "measured" hikes to the central bank's short-term interest rates from the next few meetings of Fed policy-makers. "In my view the bottom line is that we are in for more of the same," said Steve Stanley, chief economist at RBS Greenwich Capital to the Associated Press.
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With the industry-tracking NPD Group releasing its US February game-sales figures yesterday, console makers and analysts alike weighed in on what the figures meant today. The DS and the Wii were the two best-selling systems of the month--selling 485,000 and 335,000 units, respectively--and Nintendo wasted little time sending out a press release touting its hardware success. The Mario factory noted that its full line of systems collectively beat out the oppositions' offerings and accounted for 54 percent of hardware sales for the month. It also pointed out that games for Nintendo systems accounted for three of the top four best-selling games of the month. That fourth game, the Xbox 360 exclusive Crackdown, was the best-selling game of all for February, a fact that Microsoft used to lead off its own NPD recap. Continuing on the game-sales theme, Microsoft referenced the average of 5.4 games sold per Xbox 360 customer, comparing it to the PlayStation 3's ratio of 2.3, and the Wii's software attach rate of 2.8. At the same point in the Xbox 360's lifespan, Microsoft said it had an attach rate of 3.8. Sony Computer Entertainment America didn't sell the most systems or the most games, but a representative told GameSpot it brought in 67 percent more retail dollars than in February of 2006. "The PlayStation brand remained the number-one revenue driver for the month in the industry owning 38.5 percent of total sales," he said. Sony also touted the fact that the PlayStation 2 has been performing above expectations. ||||| Only one game system sold more in February, the portable Nintendo DS, with sell-through of 485,000 units. Together, Nintendo systems represented 54 percent of all hardware sales in February, more than those of all other manufacturers combined. "We're gratified that the explosive appeal of Wii, in terms of both new players and new ways to play, has created unprecedented demand, substantially beyond supply," says Reggie Fils-Aime, president, Nintendo of America. "But we also understand that there are hundreds of thousands of consumers still waiting to get their hands on the system so we continue to both ship more units to retail every week and work non-stop to build capacity." Reports from households across the country indicate that Wii has become the centerpiece for weekend parties a new method for improving athletic technique and losing weight, and a landmark product for generating cross-generational fun. The strength of Wii and Nintendo DS was also apparent in monthly software sales where three of the top four best-selling games for the month (Wii Play and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Wii, and Diddy Kong Racing DS for Nintendo DS) play exclusively on Nintendo systems. In addition, so far this year 10 of the top 20 best-selling games are exclusive for Nintendo hardware. For more information about Nintendo, please visit http://Nintendo.com. ||||| The industry-tracking NPD Group released its February tallies for the US gaming market Thursday evening, and the numbers show significant growth in both hardware and software sales year over year. Game sales were up nearly 28 percent from $345 million to $441 million, while hardware sales nearly doubled. For February 2006, gaming hardware accounted for $203 million in the US, while last month's system sales added up to $402 million. Combining those numbers with accessory sales, the industry as a whole was up more than 53 percent, from $639 million to $978 million. On the hardware side, Nintendo's DS led the way, selling 485,000 systems during February. Its console counterpart was the second-best-selling system, as 335,000 Wiis were sold in the US. Domestically, the Xbox 360 sold around 228,000, while Sony saw its older hardware outselling newer offerings. The PlayStation 2 moved 295,000 units, followed by the PlayStation Portable's 176,000, and the PlayStation 3's 127,000. While Nintendo posted the best numbers in the hardware sector, it was a Microsoft game that claimed the top of the software sales charts. Sporting a coveted invite to the Halo 3 beta testing program, the Xbox 360 game Crackdown had the top of the charts on lockdown for February, selling 427,000 copies during the briefest of months. Top 10 games for February, 2007, based on number of units sold: 1. Crackdown--Xbox 360 2. Wii Play with Wii Remote--Wii 3. Diddy Kong Racing--DS 4. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess--Wii 5. Guitar Hero 2 bundle--PlayStation 2 6. Gears of War--Xbox 360 7. MLB 2K7--Xbox 360 8. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition--Xbox 360 9. WarioWare: Smooth Moves--Wii 10. NBA Street: Homecourt--Xbox 360
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The video game console, Wii accompanied with the Wiimote. NDP Group released the independent February United States video game sale reports today leaving gaming companies with things to both worry, and jump for joy about. Nintendo had a strong lead last month with the DS and Wii at the top of the list at 485,000 and 335,000 units sold, respectively. Nintendo alone sold 54% of industry wide merchandise. Microsoft beat out Nintendo for best-selling game of the month with its Xbox 360 exclusive game, Crackdown. Nintendo filled the other 3 spots in the top 4 with ''Wii Play with Wiimote'' at number 2, ''Diddy Kong Racing'' at number 3, and ''The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess'' coming in 4th. Sony only made one spot on the top 10 best-selling games list for February with ''Guitar Hero 2 bundle'' coming in 5th overall. The president of the American Nintendo, Reggie Fils-Aime said, "We're gratified that the explosive appeal of Wii, in terms of both new players and new ways to play, has created unprecedented demand, substantially beyond supply."
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The man suspected of shooting dead Sergeant Matt Ratana in a south London custody suite is 23-year-old Louis De Zoysa, Sky News has confirmed. The suspect, who remains in hospital in a critical condition and has therefore not been spoken to by detectives, is from Norbury, south London. Sgt Ratana, 54, was allegedly attacked by the man, who was handcuffed and who investigators say then shot himself. No police weapons were fired and the case is not being treated as terror-related. Image: Matt Ratana was 'generous and kind'. Pic: Metropolitan Police Another man has been arrested on suspicion of supplying a firearm following the killing of Sgt Ratana, who died in hospital in the early hours of Friday. Sgt Ratana was originally from Hawke's Bay on New Zealand's North Island, but had served in the Metropolitan Police for much of his career. Advertisement He is the eighth officer in the UK to be shot dead in the last 20 years. Friends and teammates of the officer, who was a popular head coach at East Grinstead Rugby Club, gathered in tribute to the "irreplaceable" and "incredibly generous" man. His cousin Adrian Rurawhe described him as an "awesome person" who "loved being a police officer". 'He was an incredibly generous man' Boris Johnson also paid tribute to officers who had died in the line of duty and who "represent the very best of us". The prime minister said: "They laid down their lives to prevent us from coming to harm and we owe them a huge debt. "The dedication and selflessness that they showed in serving their communities will never be forgotten." Image: The National Police Memorial in London was held in tribute Earlier, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Home Secretary Priti Patel laid wreaths at the National Police Memorial in central London as part of the commemorations. All three stood for a minute's silence to remember officers who had been killed while on duty. ||||| THE Croydon police station shooting suspect has been named as Louis De Zoysa. The alleged gunman, 23, remains critically ill in hospital after a bullet tore into his neck in a struggle with the shot cop’s colleagues at Croydon Police Station, South London. ⚠️ Follow the latest updates on the Croydon shooting here 4 Louis De Zoysa, 23, is suspected of shooting and killing Sergeant Ratana Who is Louis De Zoysa? The man accused of shooting Sgt Matt Ratana has been described as a reclusive young man. Details emerged of De Zoysa’s upbringing in a large end-terraced house in Norbury, South London, on September 27. His yoga teacher father Channa, 55, posted snaps of his supple frame online while his mother Elizabeth is a local Green Party activist and former election candidate. Louis lives with the couple at their home in Norbury with his Oxford University student brother John and sister Channika. Sri Lankan-born Channa appeared before magistrates in March 2015, where he was made the subject of a restraining order against his British wife, who worked as an interpreter. But the order was withdrawn at Camberwell magistrates’ court in March 2019, after the pair reconciled. 4 Louis De Zoysa lives with his parents at their home in Norbury Dad Channa De Zoysa, is listed online as a yoga teacher originally from Sri Lanka and once ran a free bike repair workshop in Croydon. His wife Elizabeth was born in Croydon runs a translation firm specialising in Dutch to English work and once ran as a local Green Party councillor for the borough. His younger brother John is doing a masters degree at Oxford University, where he is head of the Sri Lankan society, The Times reports. A childhood friend told The Telegraph: “I knew he was a troubled kid, very awkward, very serious for some reason.” De Zoysa has also been branded a “loner who lived with his parents”. He is described as having a “respectable but unstable upbringing”. A nearby resident of the 23-year-old, said he was “always very awkward, always to himself”. One said: “I don’t think he had many friends. He was probably a bit of a loner." He was allegedly flagged to the Home Office’s Prevent deradicalisation programme two years ago over claims he had extreme Islamist and right wing views, but was assessed as posing no threat. De Zoysa is said to be autistic and of Sri Lankan heritage. What happened in the Croydon shooting? In the early morning hours of Friday, September 25, De Zoysa was stopped and searched by two special constables for possession of ammunition and class B drugs. He was arrested outside Anderson Heights, Norbury, as he walked towards Streatham at about 1.44am. He was then taken to the custody centre in Windmill Lane where he remained handcuffed until a door was opened for him to be searched with a metal detector. A source said: “He was cuffed behind his back and given a pat down. “It would appear the suspect has somehow managed to conceal the gun on his body. "However, there are rules preventing any intimate body searches on the street. It can only be done when a suspect is booked into a custody suite." The source added: “The sergeant opened the door to admit him and take his temperature to comply with Covid rules. But the suspect shot him at point-blank range.” The gunman blazed off more shots, five in all, in a fierce struggle in the corridor at 2.15am. One hit himself in the neck, leaving him critical and still under armed guard in hospital on September 28. Medics performed open heart surgery on Sgt Ratana at the custody centre in Croydon, South London. He was airlifted to hospital but later pronounced dead. Police have since launched a murder probe with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog attending the scene and examining CCTV from the custody centre as well as body-worn video footage from the officers there at the time. Investigators were also looking into possible motives of the suspect - but cops have insisted it is not a terror probe. Sergeant Matt Ratana was shot and killed in Croydon on Friday morning Who was Sgt Matt Ratana? Sgt Matt Ratana was shot dead while on duty in South London the morning of September 25. The 54-year-old veteran officer and father of one worked at the Croydon Custody Centre. Originally from Palmerston North in New Zealand, he travelled to the UK to start a new life in 1989. He has one grown-up son aged 26 and a partner, Sue Bushby, he had been with for six years. 4 Matt Ratana was a rugby coach and originally from New Zealand Credit: AP:Associated Press LATEST ON THE CROYDON SHOOTING 'COP KILLER' Croydon police shooter suspect Louis De Zoysa was 'caught with gun at school' 'COP KILLER' Murder suspect still fighting for life 4 days after Sgt Matt Ratana shot dead Live Blog 'TROUBLED' Croydon suspect Louis De Zoysa 'weapons' past emerges as probe continues HAKA TRIBUTE Murdered cop Matt Ratana's ex-colleagues in New Zealand pay respects with haka Exclusive BLADE POSE Croydon 'cop killer' Louis De Zoysa pictured with 5ft medieval sword Sgt Ratana tragically died after being shot in the chest as he was booking a suspect in over alleged possession of ammunition and dealing cannabis. The suspect pulled a revolver from his trousers while cuffed behind his back and fired at Sgt Ratana before two other cops jumped on him. The 54-year-old dad was just months from retirement - he was going through Covid protocol while doing the "meet and greet" for all new detainees. ||||| The suspect in the killing of veteran Kiwi Metropolitan Police sergeant Matiu Ratana has been named as Louis De Zoysa. The 54-year-old sergeant was shot in the chest multiple times by a handcuffed man in Croydon Custody Centre, South London, in the early hours of Saturday. Ratana, who hails from Hawke's Bay and worked five years for Auckland Police, was approaching the shooter to perform a Covid-19 temperature test when he was shot at point-blank range. The 23-year-old suspect, who is believed to have then shot himself, remains in a critical condition in hospital, with police saying they haven't yet been able to talk to De Zoysa as part of their murder investigation. Advertisement It is believed De Zoysa "died" in hospital, but was revived by medics and is now under armed guard. Louis De Zoysa, suspected of killing Kiwi Metropolitan police officer Matiu Ratana, remains critically ill in hospital. He had initially been arrested for an alleged Class B drugs offence and possession of ammunition when Ratana was shot during the early hours of Saturday. The BBC reported the suspect was known to UK counter-terrorism officials and aspects of his background may feature prominently in police inquiries. London's Metropolitan Police announced overnight that they had arrested a man on suspicion of supplying a firearm. READ MORE: • Kiwi Matiu Ratana killed in UK: Expat police officer's family devastated; revelation he guarded Princess Diana • Ratana gears up for founder's birthday celebrations in Whanganui • Tributes flow for New Zealand police officer Matt Ratana killed in London • Suspected killer of Kiwi-born officer, Matiu Ratana, probed by UK police for extremist background Prince Charles led the tributes for Ratana while speaking virtually on National Police Memorial Day, saying his death is the "latest heartbreaking evidence" of the daily risks law enforcement officers face. He added: "The dreadful incident in Croydon on Friday [UK time] is the latest heartbreaking evidence of the risks faced by our officers daily. "I would like to send my deepest sympathy to the families of each of these officers who have given their lives. Advertisement "These are losses we can never replace, sacrifices we can never repay, but of which, as a society, we can only strive to be worthy." Police in the UK have arrested a man in connection with the death of Kiwi cop Matiu Ratana, as his rugby club gathered to remember an "irreplaceable" figure. Meanwhile, friends and teammates at East Grinstead Rugby Club have gathered to remember Ratana, who was a senior coach at the club. The club's flag flew alongside the New Zealand flag and an All Blacks flag as two periods of silence were held for a man described by assistant head coach Ryan Morlen as an "irreplaceable figure", the Press Association reported. The New Zealand family of Ratana told the Herald yesterday they were "devastated", and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern posted her condolences on Facebook, saying she was "incredibly sad to hear the news". The father-of-one was only two months off retirement, and previously helped guard Princess Diana, the Queen Mother and a former Prime Minister. Despite London Metropolitan Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick saying the shooting was not terror-related, the motive for the shooting is expected to be the focus of the police investigation. Advertisement A UK police watchdog said the suspect had his hands handcuffed behind his back and they are examining CCTV and police body cam footage to establish how the shooting happened. Of particular concern was how thoroughly the suspect was searched before he was taken into custody. ||||| AN alleged gun seller has been arrested as cops launch multiple dawn raids as they probe Sgt Matt Ratana's murder. Officers detained the man in Norwich, Norfolk, at about 2am and brought him to a station in south London to be quizzed. ⚠️ Follow the latest updates on the Croydon shooting here 13 A man has been arrested on suspicion of supplying a firearm in the murder probe Credit: supplied by Pixel8000 13 Police at address in Banstead, Surrey, where sounds of controlled explosions were heard Credit: Doug Seeburg - The Sun 13 Touching tributes left to Matt Ratana after he was shot and died Credit: Chris Eades 13 Cops outside the house being searched in Norbury, South London Yesterday morning armed cops raided a farmhouse in Surrey in connection with the shooting. Officers are thought to have used explosives to blow off the door of a property at Courtlands Farm near Banstead Wood. A neighbour revealed they heard an explosion just before 6am and saw about 20 police cars. Cops swooped on four locations linked to the suspect on Saturday, including a house in nearby Norbury. "The police have been outside the address since yesterday morning," another neighbour told MailOnline. "All we know is that it's connected to the incident in Croydon." SUSPECT CRITCALLY ILL Forensics are checking the gun, while CCTV and bodycams are also being examined. It comes after The Sun revealed the suspect in the shooting was believed to have been revived by medics after he died in hospital. The 23-year-old was hit by a bullet and is still alive but in critical condition under police guard in hospital. Police have not been able to speak to him about the shooting. Sources say there was “zero chance” he was well enough yesterday to speak to officers keen to find out how he had a gun in the police custody suite in Croydon, South London. Cops also remain baffled at how he fired the fatal shot that hit Sgt Ratana with his hands cuffed behind his back. Sources suggest the gun’s barrel may have been concealed in an intimate place inside his pants. The suspect is said to be autistic and of Sri Lankan heritage. 13 Cops in full forensics suits prepare to the enter the house 13 Matt Ratana was a rugby coach and originally from New Zealand Credit: AP:Associated Press Traumatised cops who survived the shooting will be quizzed once mentally fit. Investigators were also looking into possible motives of the suspect - but cops have insisted it is not a terror probe. Police searches are taking place at four locations - the custody suite, the site where he was arrested, and two addresses including the one pictured. He was referred to the Prevent anti-terror scheme in 2018 over alleged Islamist and right-wing views. Deputy assistant commissioner Stuart Cundy said investigators have CCTV from the custody suite and bodyworn video from the officers. Mr Cundy said: “I would reiterate this is a murder investigation not a counter-terror one.” He added: "We have recovered the gun from the custody suite where Matt was shot and that gun is being forensically examined. "We also have CCTV from that custody suite which shows the events, and we have body-worn video of our police officers who were involved in the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the suspect." 13 Matt Ratana had moved to the UK in 1989 to start a new life Credit: Chris Eades 13 Two officers look at the row of folowers for Matt Ratana Credit: Chris Eades 13 Flowers left for tragic cop Matt Ratana Credit: London News Pictures Police said forensic searches at all four locations will be "rigorous" and are expected to take days to be completed. Mr Cundy said Friday was a "dark and sad day for the police family" and offered his thoughts to Sgt Ratana's partner, family and colleagues. He added: "Everyone working on this investigation, from the forensic specialists to the local officers holding the cordons, does so with a heavy heart but a determination to find justice for our colleague and his family." The suspect had been detained in an area of London Road, Pollards Hill for possession of ammunition and possession of class B drugs. POINT BLANK He was taken to the custody centre in Windmill Lane where he remained handcuffed until a door was opened for him to be searched with a metal detector. "The sergeant opened the door to admit him and take his temperature to comply with Covid rules. But the suspect shot him at point-blank range, " a source said. They added: "It would appear the suspect has somehow managed to conceal the gun on his body.” "However, there are rules preventing any intimate body searches on the street. It can only be done when a suspect is booked into a custody suite." How the weapon could have been fired The gunman blazed off more shots, five in all, in a fierce struggle in the corridor at 2.15am. One hit himself in the neck, leaving him critical and under armed guard in hospital last night. Desperate colleagues battled to save the stricken officer's life. Medics performed open heart surgery on Sgt Ratana at the custody centre. He was airlifted to hospital but later pronounced dead. The 54-year-old dad was just months from retirement - and it was revealed he had moved to work in custody as it was safer, as he neared retirement. 13 Cops observe a minute's silence in memory of Sgt Matt Ratana Credit: AFP or licensors 13 Crystal Palace and Everton pay tribute with a minute's silence at Selhurst Park Credit: AFP or licensors Sgt Ratana was a veteran officer originally from Palmerston North in New Zealand, he travelled to the UK to start a new life in 1989. The officer had served with the Met Police since 1991 and worked in Croydon from 2015. He had told colleagues he intended to quit as early as next year, and posted of his excitement at the prospect of “a long healthy life”. Pals said Sgt Ratana, dad to a grown-up son, 26, dreamed of travelling Europe on his motorbike then coaching at his rugby club in Sussex. His partner of four years Sue Bushby was said to be devastated and was being comforted by friends. Her sister Amanda Tessier, a community nurse, told The Sun: “He was a great big friendly bear of a man, one of the loveliest men you could meet. “He was absolutely dedicated to being a police officer and had almost 30 years of service. “He knew the dangers of being a police officer in London but for him it was all part of the job. " 13 Matt Ratana was excited to retire from the force Credit: Twitter Officers killed in the line of duty since 2000: Detective Constable Stephen Oake died during a police raid on a flat in Crumpsall, Manchester, in January 2003. PC Ian Broadhurst, 34, of West Yorkshire Police, was murdered by David Bieber, 38, in Leeds on Boxing Day 2003. Detective Constable Michael Swindells, 44, died after he was knifed in the stomach as he and colleagues conducted a search in Birmingham in May 2004. PC Sharon Beshenivsky was shot dead when she and a colleague tried to stop armed robbers in Bradford in November 2005. PC Ricky Gray was shot in the head by a gunman who then turned the weapon on himself in Shrewsbury in 2007. PC Gary Toms, 37, was critically injured confronting suspects in Leyton, east London, on April 11 2009. He died six days later when his life support machine was switched off, 25 years to the day after PC Yvonne Fletcher was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy in London while controlling a crowd of demonstrators. PC Fiona Bone, 32, and PC Nicola Hughes, 23, were murdered by Dale Cregan in Greater Manchester in September 2012. PC Keith Palmer, who was fatally stabbed in March 2017 by Khalid Masood during the Westminster Bridge terror attack. PC Andrew Harper died when he was caught in a tow rope and dragged along country lanes after trying to stop quad bike thieves in Berkshire in August 2019. The veteran officer's cousin, Adrian Rurawhe, said: "He was really proud to be a police officer, he was also really proud to be Māori from New Zealand." Mr Rurawhe, a Labour MP in New Zealand, described Sgt Ratana, who worked at the Croydon Custody Centre, as "fearless". He added: "Matt really loved his job. He knew what he had signed up and the risks involved. "He was never afraid but he was not reckless either." Most read in UK News Exclusive HAPPY MEAL McDonald’s worker who paid for lad’s meal has secretly bought food for MONTHS PANIC STATIONS Panic buying sweeps country AGAIN clearing Tesco, Asda & Morrisons' shelves WHERE WERE THE PARENTS? Sobbing toddler found wandering Hull streets completely ALONE NUMBER CRUNCH Covid infections NOT rising like 'nightmare projection' by top Gov experts SEE THE SPIKE Burnley now England's new Covid hotspot - so how does YOUR town compare? Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick on Friday night said Sgt Ratana was known as a "big guy" with a "big heart". She said: "A lovely man, respected by his colleagues, officers, staff and of course by members of the public, including, I may say, suspects arrested or dealt with in custody. "He was very well known locally and he will be remembered so fondly in Croydon and missed there, as well as in the Met and in the rugby world." New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern wrote on Facebook that she was "incredibly sad" to hear the news of Matt's death. Police name cop shot dead at Croydon police station as Sergeant Matt Ratana GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL [email protected] ||||| THE suspect in Sgt Matt Ratana’s shooting was revived by medics after he died in hospital, it was said last night. The 23-year-old was hit by a bullet and is still alive but in critical condition under police guard in hospital. ⚠️ Follow the latest updates on the Croydon shooting here 12 The suspect who shot Sgt Matt Ratana was said to have died before being revived by medics Credit: supplied by Pixel8000 12 Cops outside the house being searched in Norbury, South London 12 Cops in full forensics suits prepare to the enter the house Sources say there was “zero chance” he was well enough yesterday to speak to officers keen to find out how he had a gun in the police custody suite in Croydon, South London. Cops also remain baffled at how he fired the fatal shot that hit Sgt Ratana with his hands cuffed behind his back. Sources suggest the gun’s barrel may have been concealed in an intimate place inside his pants. The suspect is said to be autistic and of Sri Lankan heritage. Cops swooped on four locations linked to him on Saturday, including a house in nearby Norbury. The home belongs to Channa de Zoysa and wife Elizabeth, who live there with their five kids, including son Louis, 23. One neighbour said the 23-year-old was “very awkward and kept himself to himself”. "The police have been outside the address since yesterday morning," another neighbour told MailOnline. "All we know is that it's connected to the incident in Croydon." Forensics are checking the gun, while CCTV and bodycams are also being examined. 12 Matt Ratana was a rugby coach and originally from New Zealand Credit: AP:Associated Press Traumatised cops who survived the shooting will be quizzed once mentally fit. Investigators were also looking into possible motives of the suspect - but cops have insisted it is not a terror probe. Police searches are taking place at four locations - the custody suite, the site where he was arrested, and two addresses including the one pictured. He was referred to the Prevent anti-terror scheme in 2018 over alleged Islamist and right-wing views. Deputy assistant commissioner Stuart Cundy said investigators have CCTV from the custody suite and bodyworn video from the officers. Mr Cundy said: “I would reiterate this is a murder investigation not a counter-terror one.” He added: "We have recovered the gun from the custody suite where Matt was shot and that gun is being forensically examined. "We also have CCTV from that custody suite which shows the events, and we have body-worn video of our police officers who were involved in the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the suspect." 12 Touching tributes left to Matt Ratana Credit: Chris Eades 12 Matt Ratana had moved to the UK in 1989 to start a new life Credit: Chris Eades 12 Two officers look at the row of folowers for Matt Ratana Credit: Chris Eades 12 Flowers left for tragic cop Matt Ratana Credit: London News Pictures Police said forensic searches at all four locations will be "rigorous" and are expected to take days to be completed. Mr Cundy said Friday was a "dark and sad day for the police family" and offered his thoughts to Sgt Ratana's partner, family and colleagues. He added: "Everyone working on this investigation, from the forensic specialists to the local officers holding the cordons, does so with a heavy heart but a determination to find justice for our colleague and his family." The suspect had been detained in an area of London Road, Pollards Hill for possession of ammunition and possession of class B drugs. POINT BLANK He was taken to the custody centre in Windmill Lane where he remained handcuffed until a door was opened for him to be searched with a metal detector. "The sergeant opened the door to admit him and take his temperature to comply with Covid rules. But the suspect shot him at point-blank range, " a source said. They added: "It would appear the suspect has somehow managed to conceal the gun on his body.” "However, there are rules preventing any intimate body searches on the street. It can only be done when a suspect is booked into a custody suite." How the weapon could have been fired The gunman blazed off more shots, five in all, in a fierce struggle in the corridor at 2.15am. One hit himself in the neck, leaving him critical and under armed guard in hospital last night. Desperate colleagues battled to save the stricken officer's life. Medics performed open heart surgery on Sgt Ratana at the custody centre. He was airlifted to hospital but later pronounced dead. The 54-year-old dad was just months from retirement - and it was revealed he had moved to work in custody as it was safer, as he neared retirement. 12 Cops observe a minute's silence in memory of Sgt Matt Ratana Credit: AFP or licensors 12 Crystal Palace and Everton pay tribute with a minute's silence at Selhurst Park Credit: AFP or licensors Sgt Ratana was a veteran officer originally from Palmerston North in New Zealand, he travelled to the UK to start a new life in 1989. The officer had served with the Met Police since 1991 and worked in Croydon from 2015. He had told colleagues he intended to quit as early as next year, and posted of his excitement at the prospect of “a long healthy life”. Pals said Sgt Ratana, dad to a grown-up son, 26, dreamed of travelling Europe on his motorbike then coaching at his rugby club in Sussex. His partner of four years Sue Bushby was said to be devastated and was being comforted by friends. Her sister Amanda Tessier, a community nurse, told The Sun: “He was a great big friendly bear of a man, one of the loveliest men you could meet. “He was absolutely dedicated to being a police officer and had almost 30 years of service. “He knew the dangers of being a police officer in London but for him it was all part of the job. " 12 Matt Ratana was excited to retire from the force Credit: Twitter Officers killed in the line of duty since 2000: Detective Constable Stephen Oake died during a police raid on a flat in Crumpsall, Manchester, in January 2003. PC Ian Broadhurst, 34, of West Yorkshire Police, was murdered by David Bieber, 38, in Leeds on Boxing Day 2003. Detective Constable Michael Swindells, 44, died after he was knifed in the stomach as he and colleagues conducted a search in Birmingham in May 2004. PC Sharon Beshenivsky was shot dead when she and a colleague tried to stop armed robbers in Bradford in November 2005. PC Ricky Gray was shot in the head by a gunman who then turned the weapon on himself in Shrewsbury in 2007. PC Gary Toms, 37, was critically injured confronting suspects in Leyton, east London, on April 11 2009. He died six days later when his life support machine was switched off, 25 years to the day after PC Yvonne Fletcher was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy in London while controlling a crowd of demonstrators. PC Fiona Bone, 32, and PC Nicola Hughes, 23, were murdered by Dale Cregan in Greater Manchester in September 2012. PC Keith Palmer, who was fatally stabbed in March 2017 by Khalid Masood during the Westminster Bridge terror attack. PC Andrew Harper died when he was caught in a tow rope and dragged along country lanes after trying to stop quad bike thieves in Berkshire in August 2019. The veteran officer's cousin, Adrian Rurawhe, said: "He was really proud to be a police officer, he was also really proud to be Māori from New Zealand." Mr Rurawhe, a Labour MP in New Zealand, described Sgt Ratana, who worked at the Croydon Custody Centre, as "fearless". He added: "Matt really loved his job. He knew what he had signed up and the risks involved. "He was never afraid but he was not reckless either." Most read in UK News COP ATTACK Sick moment crowd shouts 'light them up' as police officers doused in fuel Exclusive STICK IT TO THE MA'AM Queen 'furious' after servants refuse to work for her over Christmas Exclusive BLADE POSE Croydon 'cop killer' Louis De Zoysa pictured with 5ft medieval sword 'COME WITH US' Boy, 14, latest victim of child kidnap attempt amid fears of snatch gang CAPITAL FEARS Covid rises in EVERY London borough as lockdown with pubs shut looms SOUPER BAD Diner blasted as 'moaning b***h' after track & trace complaint Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick on Friday night said Sgt Ratana was known as a "big guy" with a "big heart". She said: "A lovely man, respected by his colleagues, officers, staff and of course by members of the public, including, I may say, suspects arrested or dealt with in custody. "He was very well known locally and he will be remembered so fondly in Croydon and missed there, as well as in the Met and in the rugby world." New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern wrote on Facebook that she was "incredibly sad" to hear the news of Matt's death. Police name cop shot dead at Croydon police station as Sergeant Matt Ratana GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL [email protected]
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54-year-old Metropolitan Police sergeant Matiu "Matt" Ratana was shot at the Croydon, South London custody centre, at roughly 2am local time (0100 ) on Friday by a prisoner, suspected to be 23-year-old Louis De Zoysa. As of Monday, De Zoysa was reportedly still in critical condition, after a bullet hit him in the neck. A man suspected to have supplied the gun to De Zoysa was arrested in Norfolk at 2am local time (0100 UTC) on Sunday. Sergeant Ratana underwent open heart surgery at the centre and was then airlifted to hospital, but he was later pronounced dead. Sergeant Ratana, from , New Zealand, served in the , New Zealand police force for five years. Reportedly the sergeant was due to retire in two months, and an acquaintance said he moved to the custody centre for its greater safety. The alleged shooter was at the centre after being detained earlier Friday in an area near , , for possession of ammunition and .
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Microsoft agreed to support other browsers on its operating system Microsoft has reached agreement with European Union anti-trust regulators to allow European users a choice of web browsers. The accord ends 10 years of dispute between the two sides. Over that time, the EU imposed fines totalling 1.68bn euros ($2.44bn, £1.5bn). The European Commission said Microsoft's legally binding agreement ended the dispute and averted a possible fine for the company. The Commission's concern was that the US computer giant may have broken competition rules by bundling its Internet Explorer web browser with its dominant Windows operating system. This is a victory for the future of the web Jon von Tetzchner, chief executive, Opera Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said: "Millions of European consumers will benefit from this decision by having a free choice about which web browser they use." Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said the company was "embarking on a path that will require significant change". "Nevertheless, we believe that these are important steps that resolve these competition law concerns," he added. Better browsers Ms Kroes said Microsoft's pledge was an incentive for web browser companies to innovate and offer better browsers in the future. Internet Explorer is used by more than half of global internet users, with Mozilla's Firefox at about 32% and Norway's Opera with 2%. It was the minnow operator, Opera, that brought the latest complaint about browsers in 2007. THE STORY SO FAR Dec 1998 - Sun Microsystems lodges first complaint about Microsoft dominance Feb 2000 - Commission launches investigation after claims Microsoft was not sharing information about its Media Player March 2004 - Commission fines Microsoft and orders it to share information Dec 2007 - New investigation after Opera complains about browsers Feb 2008 - Commission raises 2004 fine Jan 2009 - Commission accuses Microsoft of illegally tying Internet Explorer to Windows July 2009 - Microsoft agrees to browser choice screen proposal Dec 2009 - Commission wraps up investigation The company's chief executive, Jon von Tetzchner, agreed the move would boost innovation. "This is a victory for the future of the web. This decision is also a celebration of open web standards, as these shared guidelines are the necessary ingredients for innovation." Nevertheless, we believe that these are important steps that resolve these competition law concerns." Microsoft's commitments on web browsers will be valid in the European Economic Area for five years. Dominant bundle In preliminary findings released in January, the European Commission said Microsoft "may have infringed" a European Treaty by "abusing its dominant market position" by bundling the company's web browser with its Windows PC operating system. In July, Microsoft proposed a consumer choice screen that allowed users to pick from a number of different browsers. The Commission then asked Microsoft to improve the choice screen, which it has now done. In 2004, the EU fined Microsoft and forced it to offer a version of its Windows operating system without Microsoft's own media player. The company was also told to give rivals more information about how Windows works, so they could make their own software integrate better with the operating system. Microsoft appealed against the decision but lost its case in 2007. Outstanding concerns There remain, though, unresolved areas of dispute between the two parties. Although here, too, progress has been made. Microsoft has submitted an improved version of undertakings it made in July on interoperability. These are designed to address EU concerns about improving the compatibility of third-party products with several Microsoft ones, such as Windows and Microsoft Office. The Commission welcomed this move too, but said it would monitor its impact on the market. Any findings would be taken into account in a pending anti-trust investigation on interoperability, it said. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| Facebook's internet-beaming autonomous drone Aquila has completed a successful second full-scale test flight, the company announced today. While the solar-powered aircraft, designed to fly non-stop for 60-90 days at high altitudes, flew once before, the first flight ended in a crash landing. This time, Aquila "landed perfectly." This second flight took place on May 22 and lasted one hour and 46 minutes. The team constructed a special landing area for Aquila, and having made adjustments including adding wing spoilers, modifying the craft's autopilot software and locking the propellers horizontally before landing, were able to pull off a smooth landing. This is especially impressive because the lightweight Aquila, which has a wingspan wider than a Boeing 737, lacks traditional landing gear; it basically lands on pads made of Kevlar as it skids to a halt. According to Facebook, everything except the propeller locking function worked as it should have. One standout stat is that Aquila's climb rate was almost twice as fast as the first flight at 180 feet per minute, attributable to the changes Facebook implemented. Facebook didn't provide a peak altitude, but said the craft reached at least 3,000 feet before continuing to climb. There's still more work to be done before Aquila is beaming internet to remote parts of the world, but this is a huge step forward for Facebook in its quest to connect everyone. The social network turned all-encompassing tech company has forged ahead with its plans to deliver internet connectivity to more people, which is part of its newly revised mission statement to build community and bring the world closer together. Aquila's flight is an important milestone for these kinds of drone aircraft, and an even bigger one for Facebook.
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The and Microsoft have finalised the proposal for a 'browser ballot' in Windows, following the Commission's concern that Microsoft was unfairly using its operating system monopoly to gain control of the browser market. The browser ballot will give Windows users an option of switching to one of twelve competing browsers when it is made available in an update to the new , as well as and . Microsoft said in a statement that "today's resolution follows years of intensive examination by the European Commission of competition in computer software. The measures approved today reflect multiple rounds of input from industry participants relating to competition in Web browser software and interoperability between various Microsoft products and competing products." The agreement on browser ballot, named the 'choice screen,' is to last five years, and its effectiveness is to be regularly monitored during this time. If successful, it could reduce Internet Explorer's market share. The complaint regarding the alleged browser monopoly was first brought by in January 2009, and the idea of a browser ballot, and Microsoft first agreed to the idea back in July. Since then, the nature of the ballot has been discussed in detail, and now, finally, a conclusion has been reached.
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The Australian doesn't play nicely with your current browser. Please take a moment to upgrade to the latest version. ||||| Julia Gillard has promised to ask the Australian people for their trust, as Governor-General Quentin Bryce cut short an overseas trip, prompting talk of an August election being called within days. The prime minister was coy about an election date but gave the strongest hint yet the government was in pre-election mode. "In the days to come I will be putting forward more detailed arguments about some of the biggest challenges facing our nation," Ms Gillard told a think tank in Adelaide. Julia Gillard. Picture: Stefan Postles "I will ask for the Australian people's trust to move Australia forward." There is a possibility Ms Gillard will ask Ms Bryce to dissolve parliament before she heads to France on Saturday. Government House confirmed Ms Bryce had originally intended to leave Australia on Friday, igniting speculation the trip was postponed so the prime minister could seek to have the writs for an election issued. The trip, to include stops in Singapore and the UK over 11 days, has been shortened to five days. Ms Bryce will head to France to pay tribute to Australian soldiers killed at Fromelles during World War I. The governor-general had reduced the time she was away because she has "constitutional responsibilities" that may require her to be in Australia, her office told AAP. Ms Gillard can go to Government House this week for an August 21 election, although an August 28 poll is still the choice of punters. Asked if she was likely to call the election this week, the prime minister said she had some governing to do. "Obviously I've said to the Australian people that there are some issues we needed to address as a government, some things where I thought we had got off track and that we needed to get back on track," she told reporters. "I've been working on those." Federal cabinet meets in Canberra tomorrow, in what could be the last top-level discussion before an election is called. Senior ministers are likely to discuss political tactics as the asylum-seeker issue continues to dog the government. Fifty-six per cent of respondents to an Essential Research poll, published on Monday, believed Labor is too soft on the issue. But 42 per cent of people approved of the way Ms Gillard is addressing the issue, compared with 33 per cent who disapproved. Ahead of a possible election announcement, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is downplaying the coalition's chances as opinion polls show a consolidation in the Labor vote. "I've always said that we will go into this election as underdogs," he told reporters in Canberra. "We are up against a first-term government which is backed by ... the most ruthless political machine in Australia's history." Since Ms Gillard ousted Kevin Rudd almost three weeks ago, Labor's ratings have improved, with the Nielsen and Galaxy polls showing a 52-48 two-party-preferred lead over the coalition. The Galaxy poll showed the Greens' vote lifting from 12 per cent to 14 per cent, as voters dismayed at Labor's tougher stance on asylum seekers abandoned the government. The same poll showed 59 per cent of voters regarded Labor's East Timor solution for a regional processing centre as poorly planned, even though 63 per cent approved of the tougher stance. AAP
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File photo of Australia's Governor-General, Quentin Bryce. Australia's , , has cut Singapore and the UK from her official winter trip, keeping only France on her schedule, due to expectations that Prime Minister Julia Gillard will arrive at in the coming days to request the Governor-General to call an election. A spokesperson for the Governor-General said that "She wanted to be out of the country for as little time as possible ... She was supposed to go Singapore and UK and now she's just going to France". There has been much speculation as to when Gillard was to request that the election be called by the Governor-General, with 21st and 28th of August being most likely. This would be the first time since 1987 that an election was held during the winter. As a result, Ms Bryce will head to in France to represent Australia in a dedication ceremony and then return home, bringing her ten day trip down to five days. In a speech today in , South Australia Gillard suggested that she wanted to achieve a mandate by the people through the usual means of the Governor-General. "I will ask the Australian people for their trust to move forward," Gillard said in the same speech. According to current Nielsen and Galaxy polls, on a two-party preferred basis, Julia Gillard leads her rival, opposition leader , 52-48 percent.
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© 2001-2007 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved. The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions. Use of the Website signifies your agreement to the . ||||| NY Mets AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Reyes, J, SS 6 2 3 1 0 1 3 .303 Castillo, 2B 5 2 4 0 0 0 2 .305 Gotay, 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .346 Wright, 3B 4 1 1 0 2 0 2 .304 Delgado, 1B 4 1 2 4 1 0 2 .253 Alou, LF 4 0 0 0 2 2 4 .309 Green, RF 5 0 1 1 0 1 6 .269 Lo Duca, C 5 0 1 1 0 0 1 .269 Milledge, CF 4 2 3 0 1 0 3 .305 Glavine, P 2 0 1 1 1 0 1 .244 Mota, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Feliciano, P, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Heilman, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-Anderson, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .237 Sosa, Jo, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .208 Wagner, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 41 8 16 8 7 4 28 .271 a-Flied out for Heilman in the 8th. Chi Cubs AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Soriano, LF 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .297 Fontenot, 2B 3 0 1 1 0 0 1 .308 Theriot, SS 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 .280 Lee, 1B 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 .326 Ramirez, A, 3B 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 .317 Floyd, RF-LF 2 0 1 0 2 1 1 .292 DeRosa, 2B-RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 .286 Dempster, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Pagan, CF 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .273 Kendall, C 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 .231 Marquis, P 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .160 Eyre, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Wood, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-Jones, J, PH 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 .251 Ohman, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Wuertz, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Murton, RF 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .254 Totals 35 3 9 3 2 2 9 .269 a-Grounded out for Wood in the 7th. BATTING 2B: Castillo (13, Marquis), Delgado 2 (27, Marquis, Ohman), Green (25, Marquis), Milledge (6, Marquis). 3B: Reyes, J (11, Dempster). TB: Reyes, J 5; Castillo 5; Wright; Delgado 4; Green 2; Lo Duca; Milledge 4; Glavine. RBI: Glavine (3), Delgado 4 (64), Green (32), Reyes, J (45), Lo Duca (32). 2-out RBI: Glavine; Green. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Alou; Castillo; Reyes, J 2; Lo Duca; Green 2; Anderson 2. S: Glavine. SF: Delgado. Team LOB: 15. BASERUNNING SB: Milledge (1, 2nd base off Marquis/Kendall), Castillo 2 (11, 2nd base off Eyre/Kendall, 3rd base off Ohman/Kendall), Reyes, J (53, 3rd base off Eyre/Kendall). FIELDING Outfield assists: Milledge (Soriano at 3rd base). BATTING 2B: Lee (33, Glavine), Ramirez, A (26, Glavine), Pagan (10, Glavine), Fontenot (10, Feliciano, P), Kendall (14, Wagner). TB: Soriano; Fontenot 2; Theriot; Lee 2; Ramirez, A 2; Floyd; Pagan 2; Kendall 3. RBI: Ramirez, A (69), Jones, J (33), Fontenot (24). 2-out RBI: Ramirez, A; Fontenot. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Floyd; Theriot; Fontenot. Team LOB: 7. NY Mets IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Glavine (W, 10-6) 6.1 6 2 2 1 1 0 4.31 Mota 0.0 1 1 1 0 0 0 5.09 Feliciano, P (H, 12) 0.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.88 Heilman (H, 12) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.47 Sosa, Jo 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4.26 Wagner 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1.30 Totals 9.0 9 3 3 2 2 0 3.86 Chi Cubs IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Marquis (L, 8-7) 5.1 9 5 5 3 1 0 4.39 Eyre 0.2 1 0 0 2 0 0 5.45 Wood 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Ohman 0.1 3 2 2 1 1 0 5.06 Wuertz 0.2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.33 Dempster 1.0 1 1 1 1 1 0 3.89 Totals 9.0 16 8 8 7 4 0 3.91
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Left-handed pitcher Tom Glavine of the New York Mets MLB team won his 300th career game. Glavine pitched 6 1/3 innings allowing six hits, one walk, two runs (both earned) and struck out one. He became only the 23rd pitcher in professional baseball history to win 300 games. He is now 3rd in wins among active MLB pitchers behind only Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens. He also is 5th in wins all time among left-handed pitchers. Glavine allowed one run in the 6th and left after one out in the seventh inning with a runner on base that eventually scored.
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Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's Liberal-Conservative coalition and its far-right ally, the Danish People's Party, won 90 seats in the country's 179-member parliament, promising voters lower taxes and a strict asylum policy. The bloc, which now holds the narrowest possible majority, had 94 seats before the elections. The 90th vote for the coalition came from the Faroe Islands, a Danish territory, and wasn't counted until early Wednesday morning, clinching the coalition's razor-thin majority. "It's historic that for the third election in a row the Liberals are Denmark's biggest party," said Rasmussen on Tuesday after most of the votes had been counted. The party, which he leads, took 46 seats -- six fewer than in the last national elections in 2005. Their Conservative party coalition partners held steady with 18 seats. Rasmussen's opponent, Social Democratic leader Hell Thorning-Schmidt -- who would have become Denmark's first female prime minister -- was strong in the polls in the runup to the elections, though the incumbent pulled ahead on Tuesday. Thorning-Schmidt's party lost two parliamentary seats, coming in with 45. Pro-immigrant party enters parliament Rasmussen is expected to hold talks on whether to include the New Alliance, a party founded in May 2007 by Syrian-born Naser Khader. The New Alliance, whose self-declared aim is to break up the governing bloc and reduce the influence of the Danish People's Party, entered parliament Tuesday with its first five seats. Khader's party has said it would support Rasmussen in exchange for, among other things, a milder refugee policy. This would likely irk the Danish People's Party, the country's third-largest party and a crucial coalition ally. Analysts have predicted, however, that positioning such diametrically opposed parties in the government could destabilize the coalition. Rasmussen's minority coalition has maintained power only with the support of the anti-immigrant People's Party, which gained one seat in Tuesday's elections for a total of 25. Under the influence of the far-right, the governing bloc has drastically reduced the number of refugees coming to Denmark from 10,000 in 2001 to fewer than 2,000 last year, reported the AFP news agency. Rasmussen takes advantage of upswing The Danish prime minister pushed out the Social Democrats to take office in 2001, pledging tax cuts and more stringent asylum laws. He was reelected in 2005 with a commitment to support Denmark's extensive social-welfare system. Rasmussen had called parliamentary elections 15 months early in what was considered to be an effort to capitalize on the country's strong economy and 33-year-low unemployment rate ahead of tough public-sector wage talks. ||||| Landsresultat, 2007 Stemmer Mandater Procent 2005 A. Socialdemokratiet 881.412 45 25,5 % - 2 B. Det Radikale Venstre 177.222 9 5,1 % - 8 C. Det Konservative Folkeparti 359.410 18 10,4 % F. Socialistisk Folkeparti 450.932 23 13,0 % + 12 K. Kristendemokraterne 29.994 0 0,9 % O. Dansk Folkeparti 479.395 25 13,8 % + 1 V. Venstre 908.667 46 26,3 % - 6 Y. Ny Alliance 97.162 5 2,8 % + 5 Ø. Enhedslisten 74.785 4 2,2 % - 2 Stemmeprocent: 86,1 % Stemmeberettigede: 4.019.267 Valgresultat fra 2005 OBS: Resultater for enkelte valgsteder kan mangle i ovenstående tal, da vi ikke har modtaget dem. Disse er talt med i det samlede resultat. Ovenstående tal indeholder desuden ikke de nordatlantiske mandater. Vi beklager.
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Anders Fogh Rasmussen in Brazil on April 25, 2007. The votes for the 2007 election in Denmark have been counted. Of the 179 Folketing seats, 2 represent Greenland and 2 represent Faroe Islands as part of the Danish commonwealth. The results are as follow: Party Votes (national total) Seats Percent A. Socialdemokraterne 881,530 45 (-2) 25.5 % F. Socialistisk Folkeparti 451,065 23 (+12) 13.0 % B. Det Radikale Venstre 177,148 9 (-8) 5.1 % Ø. Enhedslisten 74,781 4 (-2) 2.2 % K. Kristendemokraterne 30,004 0 (+0) 0.9 % V. Venstre 908,831 46 (-6) 26.3 % O. Dansk Folkeparti 479,281 25 (+1) 13.8 % C. Det Konservative Folkeparti 359,394 18 (+0) 10.4 % Y. Ny Alliance 97,064 5 (new) 2.8 % The minority incumbent coaltion of Venstre and Konservative secured just enough votes to score a majority with the support of Dansk Folkeparti and stay on as the government. Speculation about the results centered on whether the government would have had to curry the favor of new-comer, Ny Alliance who won 5 seats, to stay in power.
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Clashes erupted when activists tried to break through police lines Scuffles in Moscow He and other opposition figures were detained during a rally organised by Mr Kasparov's Other Russia coalition. Police moved in when protesters marched on the election commission. Mr Kasparov was charged with resisting arrest and organising an unauthorised protest. The incident came a week before polls which supporters of President Vladimir Putin are widely expected to win. Other Russia brings together a broad coalition of mainstream politicians, leftists and nationalists, all of whom are opposed to the Kremlin. Movement growing About 3,000 protesters attended Saturday's rally, carrying banners and calling for the country to be rid of President Putin. Mr Kasparov is among the Kremlin's fiercest critics The trouble broke out at the end of the rally when about 100 protesters tried to break through police lines. They began to march to the election commission and were stopped by riot police. The commission has barred Other Russia candidates from the 2 December election. The authorities said they had authorised a rally, but not a march. Attending the protest for the first time was Boris Nemtsov, the leader of one of the mainstream liberal parties, the Union of Right Forces - a sign that the movement is growing, says the BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow. Mr Putin stands down when Russia elects a new president in March 2008, as the constitution bars him from seeking a third consecutive term. He has decided to stand as a parliamentary candidate - which effectively guarantees him a seat in the next parliament. The Supreme Court has dismissed an opposition complaint against the move. ||||| If you’re the proud owner of a cast-iron pan , then you already know what a good investment it is. Once well-seasoned, it can cook just about anything from pancakes to fried chicken, it can go from stovetop to oven with ease, it’s nearly indestructible, it’s inexpensive and it holds its heat like a dream. But if you’re just using your pan to cook the occasional burger, then you’re missing out; you really can cook pretty much anything in it. ||||| Police officers detain a protester during an opposition rally in Moscow, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007. Riot police on Saturday detained opposition protesters, including former chess champion Garry Kasparov, after a few thousand people joined an anti-Kremlin rally in Moscow. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel) Russian Police Detain Kasparov at Rally MOSCOW (AP) — Riot police beat and detained opposition leader Garry Kasparov Saturday as they took dozens of protesters into custody at a rally against President Vladimir Putin, his assistant said. The former chess champion was forced to the ground and beaten, his assistant Marina Litvinovich said in a telephone interview from outside the police station where Kasparov was held. He was later taken to a city court, where he was charged with organizing an unsanctioned protest and resisting arrest. The court proceedings were continuing Saturday evening and it was unclear whether Kasparov would be released. "What we see today is the implementation of Putin's plan," Kasparov told journalists in the courtroom. "Putin's plan" is what the dominant pro-Kremlin party is calling its platform in the current parliamentary campaign. Police also detained Eduard Limonov, leader of the National Bolshevik Party, who has been Kasparov's closest partner in a broad opposition coalition. Kasparov, one of Putin's harshest critics, and other opposition politicians have come under growing pressure before Dec. 2 parliamentary elections. Determined to see Putin's party win an overwhelming victory in the elections, the Kremlin has shown little tolerance for any parties or politicians that challenge its rule. "We should overcome the fear that the regime uses to sustain itself," Kasparov told the crowd. "For the Putin regime, our country is just a source of enrichment." Kasparov's coalition, which has welcomed nationalist leftists as well as democrats and Soviet-era dissidents, has little public support. Its ranks have expanded in recent weeks, though, as more mainstream politicians have been squeezed out of the political process. Riot police surrounded the rally on Academician Sakharov Prospect, a street not far from the center of Moscow. They moved in after the rally had ended and about 150 of the protesters, mainly Limonov's young activists, began to march toward the Central Elections Commission. Police pushed protesters into three police buses. Before he was himself surrounded by police, Kasparov estimated that dozens had been detained. Kasparov had not joined the young protesters who had broken away from the crowd. He was detained after walking over to see what had happened to them. Police have violently broken up several so-called Dissenters Marches in the past year, beating demonstrators and bystanders with truncheons and dragging many off to police stations. The city gave the organizers permission to hold the rally but forbid them to march to the Central Elections Commission. The protest was joined by several prominent politicians who had distanced themselves from Kasparov's opposition coalition in the past. "The feeling of disgust and protest has made us come here," said Vladimir Ryzhkov, a veteran independent parliament deputy who has been denied an opportunity to run for re-election under new election rules. Also Saturday, police said three Moscow television journalists and a human rights activist heading to cover an opposition rally in the southern republic of Ingushetia were attacked by armed, masked men. Five men in masks and camouflage burst into their hotel overnight, beat them and abandoned them in a field, said the activist, Oleg Orlov. The four then made their way to a local police station, said Orlov, a member of the respected human rights group Memorial. All four remained in police custody Saturday morning. REN TV anchor Marianna Maximovskaya was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying police were refusing to free the journalists and activist, insisting that they provide testimony against their attackers. The rally in Nazran, the main city in Ingushetia, was dispersed by riot police, and at least three people were detained. Associated Press Writer Zurab Markhiyev contributed to this story from Nazran, Russia. ||||| Limonov, Kasparov Stopped From Boarding Plane By David Nowak and Nikolaus von Twickel Staff Writers MOSCOW — Police stopped opposition activists Garry Kasparov and Eduard Limonov and a group of journalists from boarding a flight to Samara for a sanctioned protest Friday. In Samara, police prevented two activists and two reporters, including Kasparov’s associate Denis Bilunov and Boris Reitschuster of the German magazine Focus, from attending the Dissenters’ March, which was held peacefully Friday afternoon. On Saturday, a Dissenters’ March was held in Chelyabinsk without incident after local radio stations warned residents to stay away. “I am lost for words,” Kasparov said by telephone moments after being released by police at Sheremetyevo Airport on Friday. “This is a flagrant violation of the law.” Passengers, including Kasparov and Limonov, arrived at the Sheremetyevo-1 terminal at around 8 a.m. for their 9 a.m. flight, Kasparov and other people said. After they handed over their documents to check in for the flight, Kasparov, Limonov and least 20 others were told by airline personnel that there was a problem with their tickets, and that they would have to check in on the second floor. Kasparov and a Reuters producer said police had a list of people they were singling out. Police waiting on the second floor told the passengers that their tickets might be counterfeit. Everyone was required to identify the travel agency through which they had bought the ticket, Kasparov said. It was 1:25 p.m. by the time all the documents had been returned, Kasparov said, which meant it was too late to make the last flight of the day, which took off at 1:30 p.m. An Interior Ministry spokesman disagreed with Kasparov’s account. “Everyone’s documents were checked and handed back at 12 p.m., which left the passengers plenty of time to make the second flight,” the spokesman said on condition of anonymity. He said police had received information that several of the tickets might be counterfeit. “It turned out the tickets were genuine,” he added. Kasparov said he had asked for and received an official police statement that there were no flights left when the documents were returned. Limonov, a co-founder of the banned National Bolshevik Party, said Federal Security Service officers were waiting at the Samara airport to detain him and others had they made it that far. “This wave of provocation bears all the hallmarks of fascism,” he said. About 100 protesters gathered in a central Samara square for the march at about 5 p.m. Friday. They were far outnumbered by police and spectators. As the marchers headed to a bank of the Volga River, they waved the black, yellow and white flags of The Other Russia and shouted, “We need another Russia!” and “Down with the police state!” The Dissenters’ March is the brainchild of The Other Russia opposition coalition, headed by Kasparov, Limonov and former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov. Samara officials sanctioned the march after prodding from the European Union. More than a dozen people who helped organize the march have been detained briefly by police in the two weeks leading up to the event. Bilunov, a member of Kasparov’s United Civil Front, was temporarily detained upon his arrival in Samara from Moscow on Thursday afternoon. Police confiscated 95,000 rubles ($3,700) that he had brought to pay for the demonstrators’ expenses, claiming that it might be counterfeit and needed to be examined, Bilunov said by telephone Sunday. Bilunov said he is still waiting for the money to be returned to him. Bilunov was detained again before the march began Friday. Plainclothes police officers put him in a Lada sedan, said Reitschuster, who heads the Moscow bureau of the Focus weekly and was standing near Bilunov while waiting for the march to begin. Then police officers approached Reitschuster. “When I produced my accreditation from the Foreign Ministry, a policeman called his superiors and asked, ‘There is a journalist, a foreigner. What shall we do? Detain him anyway?’” said Reitschuster, who last fall published a critical book on Russian politics under President Vladimir Putin. Bilunov and Reitschuster were taken to a police station along with freelance regional television journalist Dmitry Toropov and Stanislav Yakovlev of the youth movement Smena, Reitschuster said. They were released almost two hours later, after the march had ended. “When I asked them about the reason for my detention, an officer told me, “Let’s say that you resemble the wanted photo of a criminal,” Reitschuster said. Among the reasons police have offered for detentions in the days before the Dissenters’ March have been: carrying grenades; being similar in appearance to a bank card fraudster; pasting flyers in the wrong place; carrying counterfeit cash; and carrying counterfeit tickets. None of the detentions has resulted in any arrests. In Chelyabinsk, dozens of people gathered for a sanctioned Dissenters’ March on Saturday that was heckled by about 200 young people carrying posters reading, “Society of Glamorous Gymnasts” and shouting, “We dissent the arrival of winter,” Interfax reported. Police put the number of protesters at 50, while organizers said it was closer to 150.
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Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov has been arrested along with other opposition leaders after leading protests against current Russian president Vladimir Putin. Kasparov, a prominent critic of Putin, founded the United Civil Front and named the Other Russia umbrella of opposition parties after retiring from chess. The protest began peacefully, after a legal rally held by Kasparov and the other opposition leaders to protest what they see as unfair election practices including the barring of Other Russia candidates from running in the upcoming election. After the initial rally some of the demonstrators tried to march to the offices of the election commission. Kasparov said that the government's response showed that the "the only language they can use with their own people is the language of violence, truncheons and riot police." The ruling party United Russia has broad popular support and the state-controlled media have paid little attention to the opposition parties. Others arrested included Maria Gaidar, daughter of former prime minister Yegor Gaidar and human-rights activist Lev Ponomaryov.
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Mr Yamaguchi had the bad luck to be in Hiroshima and then Nagasaki The only person officially recognised as having survived both atomic bombings in Japan at the end of World War II has died from stomach cancer, aged 93. Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip on 6 August 1945 when a US plane dropped the first atomic bomb. He suffered serious burns and spent a night there before returning to his home city of Nagasaki just before it was bombed on 9 August. He said he hoped his experience held a lesson of peace for future generations. It was already recorded that Mr Yamaguchi had survived the Nagasaki bomb, but in March last year officials recognised he had been in Hiroshima as well. 'Precious storyteller' A handful or Japanese people are known to have lived through both attacks, but Mr Yamaguchi is the only one formally recognised by the Japanese government to have done so. More than 200,000 people were killed in the two atomic bombings Certification as a hibakusha or radiation survivor qualifies Japanese citizens for government compensation, including medical check-ups, and funeral costs. On learning of his official recognition last year, Mr Yamaguchi said: "My double radiation exposure is now an official government record. "It can tell the younger generation the horrifying history of the atomic bombings even after I die." In his later years, Mr Yamaguchi gave talks about his experiences as an atomic bomb survivor and emphasised his hope nuclear weapons would be abolished. About 140,000 people were killed in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki. Survivors fell sick with radiation-related illnesses, including cancers, for years after the bombings. The Mainichi newspaper reported that last month Mr Yamaguchi was visited in hospital by James Cameron, the director of Titanic and Avatar, who is apparently considering making a film about the bombings. Commenting on Mr Yamaguchi's death, the mayor of Nagasaki said on the city's website that "a precious storyteller has been lost". Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| The only man to experience nuclear bombardment twice and live to tell the tale became an eloquent voice for peace By David McNeill in Tokyo Reporters never knew whether to call Tsutomu Yamaguchi the luckiest or unluckiest man alive. In 1945, the Nagasaki native was exposed to both nuclear blasts that incinerated his home city and Hiroshima. Last year the Japanese government formally recognised him as the only "nijuuhibaku" or double A-bomb survivor. The unique horror which marked his life, and the dignified way he handled it, gave him special prominence. Lying in hospital in December, just days from dying of the cancer that finally claimed him this week, he received a distinguished visitor from overseas: Hollywood director James Cameron. His 3D blockbuster Avatar may be searing a hole through global box office records, but Mr Cameron is already reported to be focused on his next project: an "uncompromising" movie about nuclear weapons. So when he turned up in Japan before Christmas, Mr Yamaguchi was the man he most wanted to meet. Aged 93, the great survivor told Mr Cameron it was his "destiny" to make the movie. "Please pass on my experience to future generations," he said. The visit partially made up for what Mr Yamaguchi had waited in vain for all his life: a meeting with a sitting US president. His sister Toshiko said that President Barack Obama's declaration in November that he wanted to visit Hiroshima or Nagasaki was what had helped him cling to life. "He was elated when President Obama pledged (in a speech in Prague last year) to abolish nuclear weapons," she said. Inspired, Mr Yamaguchi painstakingly penned a letter to the President. "I was so moved by your speech in Prague," he wrote. "I devote the rest of my life to insisting that our world should abandon nuclear arms." Mr Yamaguchi was a young engineer on a business trip to Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, when a B-29 US bomber dropped its payload – the "Little Boy", which would kill or injure 160,000 people by the end of the day. Three kilometres from Ground Zero, the blast temporarily blinded him, damaged his hearing and inflicted horrific burns over much of the top half of his body. Three days later, he was back in his home city of Nagasaki, 190 miles away, explaining his injuries to his boss, when the same white light filled the room. "I thought the mushroom cloud had followed me from Hiroshima," he said later. The "Fat Man" bomb killed about 70,000 people and created a city where, in the famous words of its mayor, "not even the sound of insects could be heard". His exposure to so much radiation led to years of agony. He went bald and developed skin cancers. His son Katsutoshi died of cancer in 2005 aged 59, and his daughter Naoko never enjoyed good health. His wife died in 2008 of kidney and liver cancer. Toshiko suffered one of the many symptoms of fallout survivors: an abnormally low white blood cell count. But once he recovered, he returned to work as a ship engineer and rarely discussed what happened to him. He quietly raised his family and declined to campaign against nuclear weapons until he felt the weight of his experiences and began to speak out. In his eighties, he wrote a book about his experiences, and took part in a documentary called Nijuuhibaku. The film shows him weeping as he describes watching bloated corpses floating in the city's rivers and encountering the walking dead of Hiroshima, whose melting flesh hung from them like "giant gloves". Four years ago, he spoke to the UN in New York, where he pleaded with the General Assembly to fight for the abolition of nuclear weapons. When the Japanese government belatedly recognised his "double victim" status, he said that his record "can tell the younger generation the horrifying history of the atomic bombings even after I die." Mr Cameron read Mr Yamaguchi's history before deciding to meet him, along with author Charles Pellegrino, whose book The Last Train from Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back is released this month. An account of the experiences of the nuclear survivors, one scene describes how Mr Yamaguchi survived in Nagasaki by a fluke, protected by a stairwell that diverted the blast as the rest of the building disintegrated around him. "He was an ordinary man so nothing prepared him for experiences like that," recalls his sister Toshiko. ||||| Photo: JEMAL COUNTESS/WIREIMAGE Yamaguchi, who lived in Nagasaki, happened to be in Hiroshima on business on August 6 1945, when the American B-29 Enola Gay dropped "Little Boy" on the city. He was due to leave the next day, having completed a three-month assignment for the shipbuilding division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. At 8.15am he was making his way towards the shipyard. "It was a flat, open spot with potato fields on either side," he said in an interview in 2005. "It was very clear, a really fine day, nothing unusual about it at all. I was in good spirits. As I was walking along I heard the sound of a plane, just one. I looked up into the sky and saw the B-29, and it dropped two parachutes. I was looking up at them, and suddenly it was like a flash of magnesium, a great flash in the sky, and I was blown over." Yamaguchi passed out. When he recovered consciousness, his first thought was that he was dead: "When the noise and the blast had subsided I saw a huge mushroom-shaped pillar of fire rising up high into the sky. It was like a tornado, although it didn't move, but it rose and spread out horizontally at the top. There was prismatic light, which was changing in a complicated rhythm, like the patterns of a kaleidoscope. The first thing I did was to check that I still had my legs and whether I could move them. I thought, 'If I stay here, I'll die'." He made his way to an air-raid shelter, where he discovered that he had burns on his upper body. Two hours later he continued his journey to the shipyard, where he found many of his colleagues still alive. Among them were Akira Iwanaga and Kuniyoshi Sato, who were also from Nagasaki and would also survive the second atom bomb; they, however, have not been officially recognised as "double-survivors". The three men returned to their lodgings to retrieve their possessions, encountering a scene of total devastation as they went: "There were burned people, children as well as adults, some of them dead, some of them on the verge of death." They spent the night in another shelter, then went to the railway station to board a train which took them to Nagasaki, where Yamaguchi was treated in a hospital. Despite being swathed in bandages, he reported for work the next morning, August 9. Just after 11am he was talking to his boss when there was an enormous flash, and "the whole office, everything in it, was blown over". A second B-29, Bockscar, had dropped an even bigger atom bomb, known as "Fat Man". On this occasion Yamaguchi was unhurt, and he managed to make his way home, where he found his wife and son safe. His bandages, however, were in tatters; the hospital was in ruins; and for a week he lay in the shelter at his home suffering from a high fever. On August 15 he heard that Japan had surrendered. Tsutomu Yamaguchi was born on March 16 1916. In his twenties he joined Mitsubishi as a technical draughtsman designing oil tankers. "I never thought Japan should start a war," he once said. "Soon we were running out of iron, steel and oil, but the tankers bringing in the oil were constantly being sunk by submarines." So despondent was he that he considered, in the event of Japan losing the war, killing his wife and baby son with an overdose of sleeping pills. After the surrender however, he worked as a translator for the American forces in Nagasaki. He later became a schoolmaster before, finally, returning to Mitsubishi. His official status as a double survivor was confirmed only in March last year, but he was already well known for the talks he gave about his experiences, often expressing his hope that nuclear weapons would be abolished. He wrote books and songs, and appeared in a television documentary. In 2006 he addressed the UN. "Having been granted this miracle," he said, "it is my responsibility to pass on the truth to the people of the world." Shortly before Christmas he was visited in hospital by the film director James Cameron, who made Titanic and Avatar and is now said to be thinking about making a movie about nuclear weapons. Some 140,000 people were killed in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki; many of the 260,000 or so people who survived suffered from the effects of radiation, with some developing diseases such as cancer. Yamaguchi himself – who gave up smoking and drinking when he was 50 – died of stomach cancer. His son was also killed by cancer, aged 59, and he is survived by his daughter. ||||| In this Japanese name , the family name is Yamaguchi. Tsutomu Yamaguchi (山口 彊, Yamaguchi Tsutomu) (16 March 1916–4 January 2010), was a Japanese national who survived both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings during the Second World War. Although more than one hundred people are known to have been present in both cities when they were bombed, he is the only man to have been officially recognized by the government of Japan as surviving both explosions. An employee of Mitsubishi, Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on business when the city was bombed on 6 August 1945. The following day he returned to Nagasaki and, despite his wounds, returned to work on 9 August, the day of the second atomic bombing. In 1957 he was recognized as a hibakusha (explosion-affected person) of the Nagasaki bombing, but it was not until 24 March 2009 that the government of Japan officially recognized his presence in Hiroshima three days earlier. He died of stomach cancer less than a year later in January 2010. Early life Yamaguchi was born on 16 March 1916. He joined Mitsubishi in the 1930s and worked as a draftsman designing oil tankers.[1] Second World War Yamaguchi did not believe his country should go to war, but he considered killing his family in the event that Japan lost.[1] He continued his work with Mitsubishi, but soon Japanese industry began to suffer heavily as resources became scarce and tankers were sunk.[1] Hiroshima bombing Yamaguchi lived and worked in Nagasaki, but in the summer of 1945 he went to Hiroshima on a business trip.[1] On 6 August he was preparing to leave after three months in the city. At 8:15 he was making his way towards the docks when the American bomber Enola Gay dropped the Little Boy atomic bomb near the centre of the city, only 3 km away.[1][2] The resulting explosion ruptured his eardrums, blinded him temporarily, and left him with serious burns over the left side of the top half of his body. Along with some colleagues he spent a night in an air-raid shelter before returning to Nagasaki the following day.[3] In Nagasaki he received treatment for his wounds, and despite being heavily bandaged he reported for work on 9 August.[1] Nagasaki bombing At 11 am on August 9, Yamaguchi was describing the blast in Hiroshima to his supervisor, when the American bomber Bocks Car dropped the Fat Man atomic bomb onto Nagasaki. His workplace again put him 3 km from ground zero, but this time he was unhurt by the explosion.[2] However, he was unable to seek treatment for his now ruined bandages, and suffered from a high fever for over a week.[1] Later life After the war Yamaguchi worked as a translator for the occupying American forces and then became a schoolmaster before he later returned to work for Mitsubishi.[1] When the Japanese government officially recognized atomic bombing survivors as hibakusha in 1957, Yamaguchi's identification stated only that he had been present at Nagasaki. Yamaguchi was content with this, satisfied that he was relatively healthy, and put the experiences behind him.[2] As he aged, his opinions about the use of atomic weapons began to change. In his eighties, he wrote a book about his experiences and was invited to take part in a 2006 documentary about 165 double A-bomb victims called Nijuuhibaku ("Twice Bombed"), which was screened at the United Nations.[4] At the screening he pleaded for the abolition of atomic weapons.[2] Yamaguchi became a vocal proponent of nuclear disarmament.[5] In an interview he said "The reason that I hate the atomic bomb is because of what it does to the dignity of human beings."[5] Speaking through his daughter during a telephone interview he said; "I can't understand why the world cannot understand the agony of the nuclear bombs. How can they keep developing these weapons?"[2] On December 22, 2009, Canadian movie director James Cameron met Yamaguchi in Nagasaki, Japan, and discussed making a film about nuclear weapons.[6] Yamaguchi said, "I think it's Cameron's and Pellegrino's destiny to make a film about nuclear weapons."[6] Recognition by government At first Yamaguchi did not feel the need to draw attention to his double survivor status.[2] However as he aged he felt that his survival was destiny and so in January 2009 he applied for double recognition.[2] This was recognized by the Japanese government in March 2009, making Yamaguchi the only person officially recognized as a survivor of both bombings.[1][7] Speaking about the recognition Yamaguchi said; "My double radiation exposure is now an official government record. It can tell the younger generation the horrifying history of the atomic bombings even after I die."[8] Health Yamaguchi lost hearing in his left ear as a result of the Hiroshima explosion. He also went bald temporarily and his daughter reports that he was constantly swathed in bandages until she reached the age of 12.[2] Despite this Yamaguchi went on to lead a healthy life.[2] However, late in his life he began to suffer from radiation-related ailments including cataracts and acute leukemia.[9] His wife was also poisoned by black rain after the Nagasaki explosion and died in 2008 (at 88) of kidney and liver cancer after a lifetime of illness. All three of his children reported that they suffered from health issues that they thought were inherited from their parents' exposure.[2] In 2009 Yamaguchi learned that he was dying of stomach cancer.[2] He died on 4 January 2010 in Nagasaki.[10][9][11][12] See also
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Tsutomu Yamaguchi, the only Japanese civilian to be officially recognized as having survived both the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States in August of 1945 at the conclusion of World War Two, has died this Monday at the age of ninety-three, due to stomach cancer—one of the numerous illnesses that he suffered throughout his lifetime as a direct result of his exposure to nuclear radiation. Mr. Yamaguchi, although he was against his nation's involvement in the War, worked as a engineer for Mitsubishi—a company that helped equip and supply the Japanese Imperial Army. He was on business in Hiroshima at the time of the first bombing on August sixth. His almost direct exposure to the atomic explosion temporarily blinded him, ruptured his ear drum (leaving him permanently deaf in his left ear), and severely burnt the top half of his body. Three days later, having gone back to work in Nagasaki, he was approximately three kilometers away from the site of the second bomb. Although he was exposed to significant radiation in this instance as well, Mr. Yamaguchi was left relatively unscathed. Following Japan's surrender and the end of the War days later, Mr. Yamaguchi worked as a translator for the occupying American forces and later as a local schoolmaster, before eventually returning to Mitsubishi—which had since then become an automobile manufacturer. In his later years, Mr. Yamaguchi became a respected lecturer who gave talks about his experiences, and publicly spoke out against the stockpiling of nuclear weapons. For instance, in 2006, he addressed the United Nations General Assembly. "Having been granted this miracle, it is my responsibility to pass on the truth to the people of the world," Mr. Yamaguchi said to the Assembly. He went on to say, "My double radiation exposure is now an official government record. It can tell the younger generation the horrifying history of the atomic bombings even after I die." When asked by the British Broadcasting Corporation what his reaction was to Mr. Yamaguchi's death, the mayor of Nagasaki said that "a precious storyteller has been lost." Among the family and friends Mr. Yamaguchi left behind were his three adult children—who have also had health issues in their lifetimes thus far that they think may have be related to their father's initial exposure.
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News: ePaper | Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements | Advts: Classifieds | Jobs | Obituary | National Cryogenic stage tested successfully T.S. Subramanian A major milestone in our rocket system development, testing, says Madhavan Nair India, 6th to carry out test Engine produced thrust of 7.5 tonnes A fully indigenous effort CHENNAI: India became the sixth member of the exclusive club to have developed a cryogenic stage in rocketry when it successfully tested a full-fledged cryogenic stage for 50 seconds at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu on Saturday evening. The engine in the stage produced a thrust of 7.5 tonnes. It was a fully indigenous effort. The firing was done with the help of an advanced mission computer and the parameters of the test were monitored from a sophisticated control room. A jubilant G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), told The Hindu from the test-site at Mahendragiri over phone, that "for the first time, a cryogenic stage was fired" in the country and the performance was "absolutely flawless." He called it "a major milestone in our rocket system development and testing." "We are the sixth country in the world to have this status. Very few countries in the world have got such a capability." The others who have so far used cryogenic stages in their rockets to put heavy satellites in orbit are the U.S., Russia, European Space Agency, China and Japan. Full-duration test soon The ISRO would go for a full-duration test of the indigenous cryogenic stage for 720 seconds at the LPSC in four weeks from now, Mr. Madhavan Nair said. "And we will take our own cryogenic stage in our GSLV flight next year." The four Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) flights from 2001 from Sriharikota had used cryogenic stages from Russia. The GSLVs orbited satellites weighing around 2,000 kg. Complex system A cryogenic stage is "a very, very complex system" that entailed "synergy" from multi-disciplinary teams that developed sub-systems, electronic components, plumbing and so on, the ISRO Chairman said. "A major effort" B.N. Suresh, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, called the test a major effort. "We have tested with the entire on-board equipment bay, which is going to be used in our GSLV flights," he said. (Equipment bay in a rocket, which houses the electronic systems, forms the brain of the vehicle). "For the first time, we have used an advanced mission computer and this computer will be used in subsequent PSLV and GSLV flights," Dr. Suresh said. The results of the test were as per predictions. They "matched 1:1," he said. R.V. Perumal, Director, LPSC, described it as "another march towards total indigenous capability in rocketry." Ten years of joint efforts of the LPSC, the VSSC and other ISRO units, he said, "had culminated in this test." "We are happy that after a long time, we have crossed this milestone." A cryogenic engine uses liquid hydrogen at minus 260 degrees Celsius and liquid oxygen at minus 183 degrees Celsius. While liquid hydrogen is the fuel, liquid oxygen is the oxidiser. A cryogenic stage used in flight will include the engine, propellant tanks, plumbing to ferry the cryogenic fluids to the engine, wiring, motor casing and so on. Storing and pumping liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen calls for great expertise. At such low temperatures, metals become brittle. So new welding techniques, new alloys and new types of lubricants were developed. Besides, liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen had to be pumped into the engine in the right proportion. Printer friendly page Send this article to Friends by E-Mail National News: ePaper | Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements | Advts: Classifieds | Jobs | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News | ||||| Press Trust Of India TESTING TIME: The cryogenic rocket engine test was conducted at the Indian Space Research Organisation. Bangalore: India on Saturday successfully carried out the first test of a cryogenic rocket engine at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu, putting the country in a select club of nations possessing such a capability. "The test lasting 50 seconds was conducted at the Indian Space Research Organisation's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre and was very successful", ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said. "We had a very successful first cryogenic stage test at Mahendragiri. It is a major milestone in the development of rocket systems in the country," Nair said. Only developed countries have reached this stage, he said. "We have also qualified now." Nair said one more long-duration test would be conducted in the next three to four weeks, which would make the engine ready for flight. The first cryogenic engine successfully tested today was equivalent to the "Russian stage" supplied to India earlier, said Nair, who is also secretary of the Space Commission and chairman of the Department of Space. The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre is engaged in developing liquid and cryogenic propulsion engines for rockets and auxiliary propulsion systems for both rockets and satellites.
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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the first test of the indigenously built cryogenic rocket engine had been a success. Currently, only the United States, Russia, the European Space Agency, China and Japan have successfully developed cryogenic engines, which use rocket fuel and oxidiser stored in a liquified form at very low temperatures. The test was carried out at ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair said that the trial had lasted 50 seconds and had been "very successful". He termed it "a major milestone in the development of rocket systems in the country", adding that India has now "qualified" to a stage which only developed countries have managed to reach. Nair, who is also the secretary of the Space Commission and the chairman of the Department of Space, said that a longer test would have to be carried out within a month, to ensure that the rocket is ready for flight. The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, where the trial was conducted, is working to develop liquid and cryogenic propulsion engines for rockets and auxiliary propulsion systems for both rockets and satellites.
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CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Authorities say 15 pilot whales have died after beaching themselves near Christchurch, New Zealand. Mark Simpson of the group Project Jonah speculated the whales came into Port Levy on Banks Peninsula early Sunday morning chasing fish and became stranded when the tide dropped, TVNZ of New Zealand reported. An alarm went out about 6:30 a.m. and 80 locals re-floated about 30 of the mammals. "We really just stood with them and as the tide came in and started floating, we were just able to push them out and away they went," local Ted Haowden says. Sunday's beaching followed an event Saturday night when pilot whales came into the bay and the locals guided them back out, Haowden said. "We thought everything was OK, we checked them in the boat and then we woke up this morning and saw a whole lot on the beach here," he said. Local residents expect to bury the whales on the beach Monday afternoon. ||||| WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Rescuers in New Zealand managed to coax 33 beached whales back out into deep waters Sunday, but another 15 of the pod died, a conservation official said. The 48 pilot whales stranded Saturday at Port Levy on South Island, but scores of volunteers joined Department of Conservation workers to refloat them off the shallow, muddy inlet, said the department's community relations manager, Grant Campbell. It was the third mass stranding on the New Zealand coast this summer. Some 125 pilot whales died in the two other beachings, while 43 were returned to the ocean. Campbell said that in the latest incident, residents were quick to help after spotting the whales apparently feeding in the inlet before they stranded. "It's a very, very shallow bay in Port Levy, very muddy, so whether they were chasing food and got caught in the shallows, we don't know," he told The Associated Press. Whales in the pod were up to 17 feet (5 meters) -long, while a few calves were between 3 feet (1 meter) and 5 feet (a meter and a half) -long, Campbell said. Local Ted Howden said the pod stranded twice. Residents helped the whales back out to open waters Saturday, but by Sunday morning they were all back on the beach, he told TV One News. More than 80 people rallied to aid the mammals, and as the tide flowed in Sunday, "they began floating and we were able to push them out, and away they went," Howden said. By later Sunday, the survivors had been shepherded into deeper waters by a couple of boats and were swimming away, Campbell said. Specialists will carry out autopsies on two of the dead whales Monday, before the 15 dead mammals are buried high up the beach, he said. Large numbers of whales become stranded on New Zealand's beaches each summer as they pass by from Antarctic waters on their way to breeding grounds. Scientists have been unable to explain why whales become stranded.
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Authorities have said that 48 whales near Christchurch, New Zealand were beached yesterday. Fifteen of them died, although the other 33 were re-floated out to sea, according to a conservation official. The pilot whales beached themselves at Port Levy on South Island, but dozens of volunteers helped to try and get them back out to the open water out of the inlet, which is muddy and shallow. An alarm was called out at about 06.30 local time. This is the third mass stranding on the country's coast this summer; 125 pilot whales died in the two other beachings earlier, and another 43 were re-floated out to the ocean. "It's a very, very shallow bay in Port Levy, very muddy, so whether they were chasing food and got caught in the shallows, we don't know," remarked department community relations manager Grant Campbell to the Associated Press. "We thought everything was OK, we checked them in the boat and then we woke up this morning and saw a whole lot on the beach here." Campbell also commented that the whales were up to five metres (seventeen feet) long, and some of the calves were between a metre and a metre and a half (three to five feet) long. "We really just stood with them and as the tide came in and started floating, we were just able to push them out and away they went," said a local, Ted Haowden, as quoted by United Press International. Locals are expected to bury the dead whales this afternoon. According to Campbell, autopsies will be performed on two of the fifteen dead whales. Whales are frequently stranded on the beaches of New Zealand each summer, as they travel en route from Antarctica to breeding grounds. Scientists don't know why the whales become stranded.
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The State Veterinary Service has today been investigating a case of suspected avian notifiable disease on a poultry farm near Lowestoft in Suffolk. Preliminary tests have this evening indicated that the avian influenza virus is present in samples from poultry found dead on the premises. These preliminary results show that it is the H5 strain of the virus but further confirmatory tests are in progress to identify the strain more fully, and more will be known tomorrow. The affected premises were put under restriction on Thursday (1st February) evening and the appropriate contingency plan has been put into effect. When the additional laboratory results are known further action will be taken and all available information will be provided. Further information ||||| The birds tested positive for the H5 strain of avian flu Vets from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the birds had tested positive for H5 avian flu. It is not yet known if it is the H5N1 strain, which can be passed to humans. Further tests are being carried out on the birds which died at a farm believed to be owned by Bernard Matthews, in Holton near Halesworth. 'Significant mortality' Defra said reports from the farm were received late on Thursday night and the premises were immediately placed under restrictions. "A full investigation began at 0900 GMT this (Friday) morning, with samples being sent to Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Weybridge, for testing," she said. Sources at Defra have told the BBC that the alarm was raised by the farmer after he noticed "significant mortality" among his flock. About 80% to 90% of the turkeys in the shed were showing signs of illness - going off their food and general malaise, which are among the symptoms of avian flu. Chickens culled There are 15 types of bird, or avian, flu. The most contagious strains, which are usually fatal in birds, are H5 and H7. There are nine different types of H5. The nine all take different forms - some are highly pathogenic, while some are pretty harmless. The type currently causing concern is the deadly strain H5N1, which can prove fatal to humans. In May last year, more than 50,000 chickens were culled after an outbreak of the H7 bird flu in farms in the neighbouring county of Norfolk. ||||| The strain can be fatal if it is passed on to humans but experts said the outbreak was being contained and posed little danger to people. A spokesman for Bernard Matthews, which runs the farm in Holton, said none of the affected birds had entered the food chain and there was no risk to health. The 159,000 other turkeys on the farm will now have to be slaughtered. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the European Commission carried out virus tests at laboratories in Weybridge, Surrey. A three-kilometre protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone will be set up around Holton, which is approximately 27km south-west of Lowestoft. It is the first case on a UK commercial farm of an H5N1 infection. The strain has killed 164 people worldwide - mainly in south-east Asia - since 2003. However, the virus is not thought to be able to pass easily from human to human at present. So far, all those who have been infected worldwide have come into intimate contact with infected birds. Vaccinations Fred Landeg, Britain's Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, said an investigation was under way but the most likely source of the outbreak was wild birds. He told BBC News that vaccinations for poultry were not currently being considered. "There are a number of problems with vaccination in that it takes about three weeks to get immunity." DEFRA CONTINGENCY PLAN Full document [372KB] Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need to download Adobe Reader. Download the reader here Mr Landeg said the turkeys at the farm had been too young to enter the food chain and no birds or produce had moved off the site. Dr Maria Zambon, from the Health Protection Agency, said farm workers who had come into contact with infected birds, and those involved in the culling process, would be offered the anti-viral drug Tamiflu as a precaution. She stressed that nobody had developed symptoms of bird flu following similar outbreaks among farm birds in continental Europe. Vets were called to the Bernard Matthews farm on Thursday night. The company said it was confident the outbreak had been contained and there was no risk to consumers. National Farmers Union president Peter Kendall told BBC News 24 the priority would be eradicating the outbreak. "[We will be] making sure we get the message across about how well this will be managed and controlled. "We're encouraging all farmers to be incredibly vigilant, look at their flocks carefully and we do need to reassure consumers that this is not an issue about the safety of poultry - it's completely safe to eat." Defra has revoked the national general licence on bird gatherings and bird shows and pigeon racing will not be permitted. Detergent Professor John Oxford, a virologist at the London Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, said he was confident the outbreak could be contained. He said: "I don't think it has made any difference as a threat to the human population. The most likely explanation is that a small bird has come in through a ventilation shaft. "One good thing about this virus is that it's easily destroyed. You can kill it with a bit of detergent." Dr Oxford also said that while four strains of the H5N1 virus have been identified so far, all are deadly to birds and show potential of being harmful to humans. He said that identifying the particular strain found in Suffolk will help scientists work out how the disease is moving around the world. HAVE YOUR SAY The people most at risk are farmers and their families Andrew Olgado, London Send us your experiences Community in shock In May last year, more than 50,000 chickens were culled after an outbreak of the H7 bird flu in farms in the neighbouring county of Norfolk. One member of staff at the farm contracted the disease and was treated for an eye infection. In March 2006, a wild swan found dead in Cellardyke, Fife, was found to have the H5N1 strain of the virus. For more information call the Defra Helpline on 08459 33 55 77
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1,000 turkeys in the United Kingdom have been confirmed by UK government officials as dying of a strain of avian flu and a further 1,600 have died since the infection was initially reported. The birds, believed to be from a Bernard Matthews owned farm in Suffolk fell ill and died this week after contracting the H5 strain of the flu. It is likely that all other poultry on the farm will be culled. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed on Saturday (3rd February 2006), that the turkeys had contracted the H5N1 strain of the virus. (See H5N1 hits Britain) thumb. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs were told of the turkeys condition on Thursday (1st February 2007) and instantaneously ordered restrictions to be placed on the farm. The department were swift in carrying out a full investigation and sent samples to be tested at facilities in Weybridge. This report comes less than a year after a mass culling of 50,000 birds in Norfolk after an outbreak of the H7 strain. For the protection directives in place on the infected area, see H5N1 hits Britain.
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EVERETT, Mass. - Pro wrestling pioneer Walter "Killer" Kowalski died yesterday from the effects of a heart attack. He was 81. Kowalski died at Whidden Hospital in Everett, 12 days after his family decided to take him off life support. He had been in critical condition since his heart attack Aug. 8, wife Theresa Kowalski said. An obituary posted at Weir Mac Cuish Family Funeral Home's Web site said Kowalski began his professional career in 1947. His 6-foot-7, 275-pound frame and a brutal wrestling style soon earned him the nickname "Killer." He became known as a villain after severing part of Yukon Eric's ear during a match in Montreal in 1954. He visited his opponent in the hospital and "the two men began laughing at how silly Eric's bandages looked. The reporter incorrectly printed that Killer was laughing at his victim and soon after, Killer quickly became wrestling's most renowned 'heel,'" according to the Web site. Kowalski later became famous for various moves, including a stomach vice grip called the Killer Clutch. He retired in 1977, a year after he and Big John Studd captured the WWF Tag Team Championship as The Executioners. ||||| WWE legend Walter Kowalski dead at age 81 Aug 30, 2008 - 11:22 AM Walter "Killer" Kowalski died on Friday night in a Massachusetts hospital at age 81. He'd been living in a nursing home for a few months with knee problems. He suffered a heart attack on Aug. 8 and was eventually removed from life support. You can read a story on Kowalski at Slam Wrestling. [Thanks to George Carroll Jr.] Powell's POV: My condolences go out to Kowalski's family and friends. RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: ||||| WWE is saddened by the passing of one of wrestling’s most successful and revered stars, WWE Hall of Famer Walter "Killer" Kowalski. He was 81. Watch: Killer Kowalski in action | Photos Kowalski began his career in sports-entertainment in 1947, and wrestled extensively throughout the world for 30 years. A devout vegetarian, Kowalski stood taller than most of his opponents in the ring. And, once the bell rang, he had a ruthless and relentless style that mentally helped him reel in victory after victory. He generally finished off his opponents with his signature Iron Claw. Infamously known as the man who ripped off part of Yukon Eric’s ear during a 1954 match held in Montreal, his prowess within the squared-circle ensured that his opponents be at the top of their games. Kowalski competed in WWE rings during the 1960s and ’70s, and he and WWE Hall of Famer Gorilla Monsoon garnered the United States Tag Team Championship in 1963. But, of even more renown, Kowalski was regarded as the toughest challenger to then-WWE Champion Bruno Sammartino, selling out arena after arena up and down the Eastern Seaboard. During the early 1970s, Kowalski trained a big, strapping individual, who was then known as Chuck O’ Connor. In 1976, the teacher-student combination of Kowalski and O’Connor attired themselves in black masks and tights, calling themselves The Executioners. On May 11 of that year, the duo won the World Tag Team Championship from Tony Parisi and Louis Cerdan. O’Connor went on to be known as Big John Studd. After finishing a stellar career in 1977, the WWE Legend opened the Killer Kowalski Institute of Professional Wrestling in Malden, Mass., a place where individuals who wanted to pursue a mat career were taught everything and then some. To his credit, the most famous graduate of Kowalski’s school went on to become one of the premier performers in WWE history, current WWE Champion Triple H. So, it was only fitting that in 1996 when Kowalski was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Triple H himself had the honor and privilege of presenting his mentor. Survived by his wife Theresa, Walter "Killer" Kowalski was a kind gentleman who loved life to the fullest. But inside the ring, he was all business, and certainly one tough individual you did not want to mess with. --- Services will be held this Wednesday, September 3 at: Weir Funeral Home 144 Salem Street Malden, MA 02148 Afternoon Services: 2-4 p.m. Evening Services: 6-8 p.m. The Funeral will be on Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that wrestling fans send donations to: Walter "Killer" Kowalski Memorial Fund c/o Citizens Bank 876 Main Street Malden, MA 02148
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Canadian former professional wrestler Killer Kowalski died in the early morning hours of August 30 at the age of 81. Kowalski suffered a major heart attack on August 8 and remained in critical condition at a local hospital in Everett, Massachusetts until August 18 when his family took him off of life support. Triple H During a career that spanned for 30 years, Kowalski wrestled for several organizations including the National Wrestling Alliance and the American Wrestling Association. In the 1960s and 70's Kowalski wrestled for the World Wide Wrestling Federation. In 1976 he won the WWWF World Tag Team Championship with Big John Studd. In 1952 Kowalski was involved in an incident with wrestler Yukon Eric. During the match while performing his signature diving knee drop he ripped part of Eric's ear off. When Kowalski visited him in the hospital the pair laughed with each other, the following day the newspaper stated that Kowalski showed up at the hospital and laughed at his victim rather than with him, furthering Kowalski's image as a heel. After retiring Kowalski opened up a wrestling school. During his time teaching he taught some superstars such as Triple H, Perry Saturn and Chyna. He has also trained Chris Nowinski, A-Train, Frankie Kazarian, Kenny Dykstra as well as others. Kowalski was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003 and the National Polish-American Hall of Fame in 2007. Former student of Kowalski, Triple H said "It's a huge loss. Walter was one of the biggest name performers of his time. His legacy will live on forever."
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Two million people are believed to have died under the Khmer Rouge The deal was reached in a week-long meeting, after a delay of more than six months because of disagreements between local and UN-appointed legal officials. The tribunal is expected last for three years, with trials starting in 2008. As many as two million are thought to have died during the four years of Khmer Rouge rule in the late 1970s, but no-one has ever faced charges. The movement's former leader, Pol Pot, died nine years ago. But the regime's former head of state, Khieu Samphan, and Foreign Minister Leng Sary have both been living freely in Cambodia. KHMER ROUGE TRIBUNAL Will try cases of genocide and crimes against humanity Five judges (three Cambodian) sit in trial court Cases decided by majority Maximum penalty is life imprisonment Budget of $56.3m Key figures facing trial Tribunal co-prosecutor Robert Petit said the rules had been agreed unanimously by the panel. "These rules will ensure us fair and transparent trials," he told reporters. Almost a third of the court's three-year mandate has already passed, but Mr Petit says the time has not been wasted. "Given all the complexities and after intensive work and consultations, we are pleased to have finalised the rules in a reasonable time. It has been a worthwhile process and it has been essential to take time to prepare this draft." The local and international legal officials had struggled to find ways to incorporate international law into proceedings that fall under Cambodian jurisdiction. But after months of negotiations, they have settled their differences, says the BBC's Guy Delauney in Phnom Penh. Foreign lawyers will now be allowed to represent defendants and victims may file complaints to the courts as long as they do so as a group. It means the courts will be able to move forward with the process of prosecuting former Khmer Rouge leaders. The prosecutors say they will be ready to hand over the files to the investigating judges within weeks, our correspondent adds. Official confirmation of which former Khmer Rouge leaders will be charged should follow. Long hiatus A meeting in November last year ended in disarray - and the future of the process looked bleak. A similar meeting last year ended without agreement But this time the mood was cordial. Earlier, officials told the BBC that there were no serious disagreements during the meeting. Many of the legal officials have had little to do during the long hiatus caused by the dispute, although prosecutors have continued to compile evidence. ||||| Phnom Penh - A trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders moved a step forward Wednesday after a panel of Cambodian and international judges and prosecutors announced they had agreed to adopt internal rules necessary for the investigation phase to proceed. Despite the members of the judiciary being sworn in last July, wrangling over lawyer fees and other points as the hybrid court struggled to meld the vastly different Cambodian and international legal systems had stalled progress. Wednesday's announcement of an agreement after a nine-day plenary session was a major breakthrough for the joint UN-Cambodian 56-million dollar Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), which has been budgeted to take a total of three years. However, co-investigating judge U Bunleng warned at a press conference that indictments of surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge's bloody 1975 to 1979 Democratic Kampuchea regime may still be some way off. "About the time necessary from finishing adopting the internal rules until charges are laid, the fastest ... could be two months or could be five months. That is the fastest it could happen," he told reporters. "Our work is continuing day by day. We really want this process to proceed quickly now. We really don't want any further delays." Co-prosecutor Robert Petit said one newly hammered out point within the internal rules had been regarding the nuances of the setup of a victims' unit to help them become more involved in the proceedings. "We have the ECCC because the participation of the victims has allowed us to establish it, so the co-prosecutor is ready to do everything to ensure the fullest participation of the victims in this trial," he said. The internal rules govern every aspect of the court from witness protection to the heights of judges' chairs and form the backbone of the proceedings. Although Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998 and the movement's military commander Ta Mok died in hospital of age related illnesses last year, a handful of mainly aging and often ailing former leaders still remain. Up to 2 million Cambodians are believed to have died during the ultra-Maoist group's brutal attempt to turn the nation into an agrarian utopia devoid of money, markets and social classes. However, most former leaders still live freely in their communities without ever having faced justice. Copyright, respective author or news agency ||||| Final Agreement Reached in Khmer Rouge Trial Negotiations Forward Article to a Friend Print Article Although it has been nearly thirty years since the Cambodian Khmer Rouge was ousted from power, its leaders have yet to be tried for the human rights atrocities of their Communist regime. One of the most lethal regimes of the 20th century, the Khmer Rouge was responsible for the deaths of about twenty percent of its population. The United Nations and Cambodia have recently agreed to legal conditions that will allow for such human rights trials to take place. While the development of a specially suited court is significant progress in the pursuit of international justice, ongoing bureaucratic and political debacles prevent the selection of a specific date for the trials. Until this month, the latest hurdle standing in the way of the trials was the Cambodian Bar Association’s insistence on its right to determine registration fees for foreign attorneys representing the accused. Proposing a $2,700 registration fee, the Association insisted that any interference with this charge would be a violation of Cambodian sovereignty. International judges fought what they considered the unnecessarily elevated charge on the grounds that former Khmer Rouge leaders could use it to their advantage in the trial by arguing that financial limitations prevent them from obtaining adequate council. Such costs would also put an unnecessary burden on volunteer defense attorneys, who would be forced to pay a significant out-of-pocket expense in order to offer their services pro bono. At the beginning of this month, the monumental last step in the trial negotiations was completed with a settlement on a $500 registration fee, which international judges believe is low enough to prevent financial hardship. The date of the first trial remains uncertain, however, much to the dismay of the international community and the Cambodian people. Since the Khmer Rouge fell from national office in 1979, the people of Cambodia have grown increasingly impatient to see justice brought to the former Khmer Rouge members. As the Herald Tribune recently quoted one survivor of the Khmer Rouge years, “It comes down to time…We need to use time wisely in order to catch up with the aging Khmer Rouge leaders.” Pol Pot, the leader and mastermind of the Khmer Rouge policies that resulted in the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians by starvation and forced labor, died of natural causes almost ten years ago. Ta Mok, his military commander, died last year. Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge regional commander, currently remains in power as the Prime Minster of Cambodia; and he has been widely criticized for his violent political strategies, exemplified by a bloody military coup he led in 1997. The registration fee dispute has been only one in a long string of many minor issues that have stalled progress toward an international trial for the last decade. Agreement on whether to organize a court to try the leaders of the Khmer Rouge was reached only in 2003, at the culmination of five years and eleven rounds of negotiations. Last summer, the UN officially allotted three years for the undertaking; almost a full year of that time has already been spent on bureaucratic hang-ups. The fact that the current Cambodian government is composed of several former Khmer Rouge members has led American newspapers to suggest that such delays may be a case of “foot dragging” on the part of the Cambodian government and its allies. It is interesting to note that China originally opposed trial proposals on the grounds that such matters were the internal affairs of a sovereign nation. The next step in this process will be a United Nations plenary to agree on rules of the Extraordinary Chambers; and this meeting will take place at the end of May. Since this latest milestone, all sides have publicly stated their commitment to justice; however in the face of continued bureaucratic and political maneuvering, it is unclear just how genuine their commitments are. ||||| Cambodian and international judges of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia are meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to hammer out differences on rules for the long-awaited Khmer Rouge tribunal. But the last U.S. diplomat to leave Cambodia before the Khmer Rouge took over in April 1975, says the court's proposed $56-million budget would be better used for schools and hospitals. VOA's Reasey Poch reports from Washington others disagree and say a trial is necessary for Cambodia's recovery. Skulls of Khmer Rouge regime victims are displayed at the Choeung Ek Killing Fields memorial in Choeung Ek In an exclusive interview with VOA, former Ambassador John Gunther Dean said he does not see much use in putting former Khmer Rouge on trial because many top leaders have died, others are very old, and the world already knows the atrocities they committed in Cambodia. "If you go to Phnom Penh and you see the torture chambers and the mountains of skulls and bones, you know what happened," he said. "They are the best proof people will never forget." Mr. Dean, who now lives in Paris traveled to the Jimmy Carter Center in Atlanta last month to donate documents from his time as ambassador to Cambodia in 1974 and 1975. He says he does not believe a Khmer Rouge trial will help young Cambodians and the money it would cost could be better used. "And I think the $56 million which has been collected to convict half a dozen people, would it not be much better to use that to build some hospitals under the name of 'Lest We Forget?'" he asked. The director of the non-profit Documentation Center of Cambodia, Youk Chhang, says although 30 years have passed since the Khmer Rouge was in power, millions of Cambodians still want the leaders held accountable. He says the money to be spent on the tribunal comes from voluntary donations from the world community and is intended to help Cambodia build its state of law and therefore, it does not affect the government's budget to rebuild the nation. The former director of the non-government Cambodian Center for Social Development, Chea Vannath, told VOA most Cambodians want answers from the Khmer Rouge. She says most of them want to understand what had happened and want to know who is responsible for the killings and crimes. During nearly four years of Khmer Rouge rule, an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died of starvation, disease, forced labor, and extra-judicial killings. The United Nations and Cambodia agreed in 2003 to try the former Khmer Rouge leaders for genocide and human rights violations. Since then, top Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot and his military commander Ta Mok died. Other top Khmer Rouge leaders who are still alive and free include Ieng Sary, Nuon Chea, and Khieu Samphan, but they are in their 70's. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Charles Ray served as U.S. ambassador to Cambodia from 2002 to 2005. He told VOA that building schools or hospitals is a good idea, but it does not heal the psyche of the Cambodian people who suffered under the Khmer Rouge. "This issue has inhibited, I think, a lot of the development in Cambodia," he explained. "This is an issue of the long-term health of Cambodia's culture and society. And that impacts its economic and political developments. So you have some kind of official closure to this horrible chapter of history." Ambassador Ray says while it is not possible to have a perfect tribunal, it is necessary to search for the truth. "I think the international community needs this as well to help us get a better understanding of how things like this could happen so that maybe in the future, if we cannot prevent them, at least we can minimize them or keep them from being so devastating," he added. Cambodian Center of Social Development Director Theary Seng says there must be a system to try those accused of human-rights violations in any country. But she says if the trial cannot meet international standards, she would agree with Ambassador Dean. "What I agree with him is that if we try them, but could not do it fairly, we should not have the trial," he explained. "I agree that it is better to use the $56 million to build something or do something for social development." Ambassador Dean says the trial could lead to harsh criticisms of U.S. policy in Southeast Asia in the 1970s. In 1969 President Richard Nixon ordered the secret bombing in Cambodia without letting the U.S. Congress and the American public know. The bombing campaign was designed to get rid of North Vietnamese troops who had been using northeastern Cambodia to transport troops and weapons to fight U.S. and South Vietnamese troops in the Vietnam war. When General Lon Nol staged a bloodless coup against then Prince Sihanouk in March 1970, the United States supported the new Cambodian government. China and North Vietnam backed the Khmer Rouge and Sihanouk in a subsequent war against the Lon Nol government. Seng says it is China that should be worried about the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, because it supported them when they were in power in Cambodia. "For example, China could be embarrassed in the proceedings, because the issue of China's support of the Khmer Rouge could be brought up," he noted. "Other countries could be also embarrassed, but in this tribunal, they should not have anything to worry about." The Documentation Center's Chhang Youk says the United States has confronted its past and has spent several million dollars helping his center gather documents. He says this court would have a hard time moving forward without the support, in terms of documents and evidence that the United States helps gather. He says he thinks the United States has taken a noble stance in facing its past. Current U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli says the victims of the Khmer Rouge genocide demand justice and deserve justice. The U.N.-assisted Khmer Rouge Tribunal is expected to take three years to complete, but no former Khmer Rouge leader has yet been charged. The Cambodian government denies accusations it is dragging its feet and does not want the tribunal. It says that in 1997 it asked the United Nations for help in putting the Khmer Rouge leaders on trial. But Human Rights Watch Asia Director Brad Adams says he believes that in 1997 First Prime Minister Norodom Ranariddh and Second Prime Minister Hun Sen only asked the United Nations, because they were competing for public support and political power. "They needed to appeal to public opinions in Cambodia to show that they were strong against the Khmer Rouge," he said. "Each side was accusing the other of being supporting the Khmer Rouge. Also they wanted to gain international legitimacy." Cambodian and international judges are scheduled to hold a press conference Wednesday to announce the result of their discussion on the internal rules for the tribunal.
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Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in 1997 in Phnom Penh. After months of infighting, rules governing the proceedings of the first-ever trial of leaders of the genocidal Khmer Rouge in Cambodia have been unanimously agreed upon by Cambodian and international judges in Phnom Penh. "These rules will ensure us fair and transparent trials," co-prosecutor Robert Petit told reporters. "Now that the rules are adopted, we can move forward." Backed by the United Nations with a budget of US$56 million, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia was expected to start this year. But since being sworn in last July, the panel of foreign and Cambodian jurists have disputed the rules that govern the court, which stipulate such details as lawyer's fees and the height of the judge's chairs. The court is expected to start holding hearings next year and last for three years. One of the key issues holding up the trial was the insistence of the Cambodian Bar Association that foreign lawyers in the trial pay a fee of $2,700. International judges disputed the fee, which they said was too high and would place an undue burden on volunteer defense lawyers. As a compromise, the fee has been lowered to $500. The Khmer Rouge, a Maoist communist regime, ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. Led by Pol Pot, the regime's plan was to redevelop Cambodia into an agrarian utopia that had no money, religion, schools or social classes. As many as 2 million people died of starvation or overwork in labor collectives and in genocidal purges. Pol Pot died in 1998, but two other high-ranking Khmer Rouge officials, Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary, are still alive and living freely in Cambodia. Both men, as are many other Khmer Rouge leaders, are old and suffering from health problems. Another leader, the military commander Ta Mok, died last year while in prison. One other leader, Khang Khek Ieu, the administrator of the Tuol Sleng torture center, is in prison awaiting trial. Many members of the current government of Cambodia are former Khmer Rouge, including Prime Minister Hun Sen. Critics of the trial say the $56 million pricetag is too much. Among the critics is John Gunther Dean, who was U.S. ambassador to Cambodia when Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rogue in 1975. "I think the $56 million which has been collected to convict half a dozen people, would it not be much better to use that to build some hospitals under the name of 'Lest We Forget?'" he said in a recent interview with Voice of America. Youk Chhang, director of the non-profit Documentation Center Cambodia, which collects and archives Khmer Rouge records, said the money for the trial has come from voluntary donations, and does not take funds away from such things as building schools or hospitals, and will help Cambodia rebuild its rule of law.
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Fears of return to Troubles after third fatal shooting in three days By David McKittrick, Ireland Correspondent Northern Ireland was plunged into a deeper security crisis last night when a police officer was shot dead in Craigavon, Co Armagh, the third member of the security forces to die in as many days. His killing is assumed to be the work of republican dissidents of the type who murdered two soldiers at Antrim near Belfast on Saturday night. Last night's shooting took place near Lismore High School at Brownlow. It is believed that the police patrol was responding to a call from a "vunerable" member of the public. It was the first time a police officer had been murdered in Northern Ireland for 12 years. The incident will dismay almost everyone in Northern Ireland, shattering fervent hopes that the Antrim shootings would be a one-off incident. Those deaths were followed by an unusual degree of unity across political parties. But this follow-up killing will increase political and community tensions. It has also raised questions of the state of alert within the security forces, where even before the Antrim attack the threat level was deemed "severe." The policeman killed last night was the first to die violently for more than a decade. Dolores Kelly, a nationalist politician from the Craigavon area who sits on the Policing Board, said the three murders had left people "staring into the abyss". She said: "All of us have to realise we are on the brink of something absolutely awful." The Sinn Fein Assembly member for the Craigavon area John O'Dowd joined Ms Kelly in condemning the latest attack. "This is an attack on the peace process. Whoever carried out this shooting was not doing so to advance Irish republican or democratic goals. "They have no strategy to deliver a United Ireland. This is a time for strong political leadership and cool heads. It is a time for all political parties and the two governments to recommit to the principles which have underpinned the peace process and delivered the stability of recent years." Police had said earlier that they were making progress in the hunt for the gunmen who killed two soldiers and wounded four people in the weekend attack on an Army base near Belfast. The investigation may focus on experienced terrorist figures since the incident has the hallmarks of being the work of seasoned gunmen – 60 shots were reportedly fired in 30 seconds. The attack, which has been claimed as the work of the Real IRA, had particularly audacious features. Terrorists generally set their vehicles alight to destroy any forensic evidence, but the killers left the car – a Vauxhall Cavalier bought two weeks ago – intact, abandoning it seven miles away. During the shooting, they cut down four soldiers and two pizza delivery men, then advanced on them and fired again. The attack took place at the entrance to a security base guarded by at least one armed sentry. The Army chief, Brigadier George Norton, said the attack was "callous and clinical". Investigators hope to gather clues from the recovered car, as well as from CCTV footage from the Massereene Army base in Antrim. The attack had a level of planning which indicates that surveillance had almost certainly been carried out, so that the gunmen were able to lie in wait for the pizza delivery. No particularly notorious republican activists are known to live in its vicinity so the search for the killers is expected to spread to other parts of Northern Ireland. Detective Chief Superintendent Derek Williamson said "some of the events" at the base had been caught on camera. Appealing for co-operation from the public, he said: "We are making progress. It is very much early days in the investigation." Gordon Brown flew into Northern Ireland yesterday as part of official efforts to calm the shockwaves generated by the Antrim shootings, which produced the first military fatalities in the region in more than a decade. The Prime Minister, who visited the base and spoke to soldiers as well as political leaders, declared: "They want to send out a message to the world – as I do – that the political process will not and never be shaken. In fact, the political process is now unshakeable." Questions remain about security levels before the attack. It was confirmed that the four soldiers who left the base to take delivery of pizzas were unarmed and off duty. They were due to fly out to Afghanistan within hours and were dressed in desert fatigues. It was also confirmed that a guard had not returned fire during the attack. Brigadier Norton, when asked why fire had not been returned, responded: "Are you suggesting that people should have fired into a closely packed group including my soldiers? "Both the guard service and the soldiers did everything that they could possibly do to save the lives of those who had been shot, including obviously the pizza delivery individuals, and I'm delighted by the way they responded but in no way surprised." He said that the unit to which the dead soldiers had belonged, 38 Engineer Regiment, had since left the base and been deployed to Afghanistan. "They will not allow the actions of a few loathsome individuals to distract them from the job in hand," he said. Four men remain in hospital. One of the two surviving soldiers who was shot suffered a facial injury. The condition of one delivery driver, named as Anthony Watson, 19, from Antrim, is described as stable. The most seriously injured was a 32-year-old Polish delivery man who suffered gunshot wounds to his chest and abdomen. He lives in Antrim with his partner and 16-month-old son. Other relatives are travelling to be at his bedside. The incident has produced a particularly strong wave of revulsion in Northern Ireland, with apprehension that a new bout of the Troubles could lie ahead. Most immediately, the fear is that violent loyalists could retaliate, although the Real IRA is not thought capable of waging any sustained campaign of violence in return. Before last night's death, the mood was sombre rather than hysterical. The First Minister, Peter Robinson, won praise from nationalists for what they viewed as a restrained speech in the Belfast Assembly. He described the murders as "a futile act and a terrible waste" and added: "The events of Saturday evening were a throwback to a previous era. We must never return to such terrible days." The Policing Board chairman, Sir Desmond Rea, said that the murder of the police officer last night was "a step back into a past which the vast majority of people in these islands had hoped that they had left behind." MI5 is preparing to boost spending on intelligence activities in Northern Ireland in an effort to track down Republican extremists. The Security Minister, Lord West of Spithead, said the M15 budget would be re-assessed. ||||| Peter Robinson, the First Minister: "I am sickened at the attempts by terrorists to destabilise Northern Ireland ... Those responsible for this murderous act will not be allowed to drag our province back to the past." John O'Dowd, Sinn Fein assembly member for the Craigavon area: "This is an attack on the peace process. It is wrong and it is counter productive and I would extend my condolences to the dead man's family at this time," he said. "As with what happened in Antrim over the weekend we condemn it. Whoever carried out this shooting was not doing so to advance Irish republican or democratic goals. They have no strategy to deliver a United Ireland. "This is a time for strong political leadership and cool heads. It is a time for all political parties and the two governments to recommit to the principles which have underpinned the peace process and delivered the stability of recent years." David Simpson, DUP MP for Upper Bann: "What we have seen over the last 36 hours is a deliberate and sustained effort by terrorist murderers to try and drag Northern Ireland back to the worst days of Ulster's past," he said. "I utterly and completely condemn the criminals responsible for this latest outrage and I hope that the vermin responsible for it are brought to justice immediately. "Events such as the murders at Massereene and this latest terrorist atrocity show us all the need for a swift, co-ordinated and ruthless security and government response." Alderman Sidney Anderson, the mayor of Craigavon: "There is total revulsion about what has taken place in Craigavon tonight. This was done to heighten tension and up the ante. I would appeal to everyone in Craigavon to ensure they don't succeed. "Our young people know nothing of the Troubles and we don't want to bring Craigavon back to the bad old days. Someone, somewhere must knows these people within Craigavon. Gunmen don't just carry out an attack and disappear into nowhere. I would hope that when they close their eyes at night their conscience will get them and they will come forward." Lord Maginnis, UUP peer: "We had made progress and we allowed it to be undermined. I blame the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who should have reacted to the warning from the Chief Constable [that the police faced a recruiting crisis and shortfall of 400 detectives]. Ian Paisley, Jr, member of the NI Policing Board and DUP Assembly member: "Our thoughts are with the officer's family ... this was a brutal, callous, unacceptable and completely unnecessary murder". Sir Desmond Rea, the Chairman of the NI Policing Board: "It's a step back into a past that the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland hoped they had left behind." Patrick Mercer MP, chairman of the Commons subcommittee on counter terrorism: "This is not unexpected. They have been expecting this escalation in activity for some time. "The chief constable last week said the threat had risen and the fact that he asked for the help of special troops was a tactic that proves his fears. "The terrorists want to damage the peace process – that is undoubted – but they are a small minority." David Ford, Alliance Leader: "I simply cannot comprehend the sheer evil of those involved in this attack. This shooting was cowardly and despicable. "This murder must be roundly condemned by all right-thinking people. It is clear that dissident republicans are determined to attempt a sustained attack on peace and stability in Northern Ireland." Danny Kennedy, the deputy leader of the UUP: "These terrorists seem totally incapable of understanding that they are flying in the face of the overwhelming will of the people in Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, who want peace and political stability ... We will not allow ourselves to be dragged back to a darker, bloodier world." David McKittrick, a journalist and expert on Northern Ireland's recent history, said that the province was "slipping towards a security crisis." After their attack on Antrim, an area that was relatively quiet even during the Troubles, the Real IRA were attempting to show that they can strike anywhere, he said. "Now we have had an attack in a place where there has been more violence, so security forces will have to ask where can they send their people where they will be safe," he said. "They can keep a campaign going with just a few weapons. They don't need to have many weapons to do these type of hit and run attacks." ||||| A police officer was shot dead in Northern Ireland last night as dissident republicans intensified their terror campaign aimed at destabilising power sharing in the province. The policeman was shot in the head before 10pm in the Lismore area of Craigavon in north Armagh, 26 miles south-west of Belfast. Later, around 12.20am this morning, there were reports that a black car had been raked with gunfire on the outskirts of Craigavon. There were unconfirmed reports that the car had earlier been rammed by a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) patrol. The murdered PSNI officer, believed to have been an experienced officer who had been in the force for more than 20 years, was part of a patrol that had been called out to the Drumbeg estate after reports of suspicious activity in the area. At a press conference early today, the PNSI chief constable Sir Hugh Orde said: "Today a police officer with his colleagues responding to a call for help from a vulnerable person in the community was gunned down." Asked if the Massereene barracks murders in Antrim were linked to last night's killing, Sir Hugh said: "I think you are giving (the attackers) credit they ill deserve. I think these are disparate groups, badly infiltrated and indeed many awaiting trial north and south of the border. "It just reminds us that a small group of people determined to wreck what is huge political progress are becoming more dangerous. We are mindful of that and will do our best in every way to bring these people to justice." Sir Hugh sent his sympathies to the murdered policeman's family and said he was very proud of each and every one of his officers. Local reports said the gunmen shot the officer at long range from the housing estate. There were unconfirmed reports that another PSNI officer was badly injured in last night's shooting. This killing is the first of a PSNI officer since the police force was transformed by reforms under Chris Patten, the former Tory party chairman, in 2001. The Real IRA has mounted several assassination bids against PSNI officers over the last 18 months. The latest terrorist incident took place on an estate where there had been violent scenes late last year following PSNI house raids. Gunfire was directed at PSNI Land Rovers and petrol bombs were hurled at the police during the violence. Last night British military helicopters hovered and armed police patrols sealed off roads leading into the Drumbeg housing estate in Craigavon. Last night's murder has compounded the sense of shock and concern following the weekend double murder by the Real IRA of two young British soldiers who died in a hail of gunfire outside the Massereene army barracks in Antrim town. Nationalist politicians joined unionists in condemning the latest murder. Sinn Féin's local assembly member John O'Dowd called on the entire community to back the PSNI investigation into the policeman's murder. O'Dowd said the killers would not drag the north of Ireland into the past. The SDLP assembly member for the area, Dolores Kelly, said: "I was in the area immediately after the shooting and I regret to say I am hearing reports that the officer has died. We are staring into the abyss. There is little point appealing to the people who planned and did this, but all of us have to realise we are on the brink of something absolutely awful. All of us have to get together to pull ourselves back from the brink. A tiny handful of people with nothing to say and nothing to offer cannot be allowed to destroy so much." The party representing one of the main loyalist terror groups, the Ulster Volunteer Force, appealed to the loyalist community last night to stay calm. Dawn Purvis, the leader of the UVF-linked Progressive Unionist party, said: "Obviously the details surrounding this shooting are only just coming through but my thoughts go to those that may be injured and their families. The message remains the same, the perpetrators will not be allowed to damage our peace process. I appeal for calm and for people to assist the police by providing them with the information that can take these people off the streets and before the courts." Northern Ireland's first minister, Peter Robinson, said: "It is with great sadness that I have learned of the murder of a police officer in the Lismore area of Craigavon. This officer was serving his community at the time of the incident. I unreservedly condemn this evil deed and offer my sincere sympathy to the officer's family circle. The entire police family is in my thoughts and prayers at this time. "I am sickened at the attempts by terrorists to destabilise Northern Ireland. Those responsible for this murderous act will not be allowed to drag our province back to the past. "On behalf of the Democratic Unionist party and the people we represent, I would urge the prime minister and the chief constable to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that innocent life is protected in the face of this terrorist threat across Northern Ireland," Robinson said. The two main parties in the Northern Ireland assembly, the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Féin, pledged last night to work together and ensure that the political process survives despite the rising terror levels. Tomorrow morning Sinn Féin MP Martin McGuinness and DUP leader Peter Robinson will travel to the United States for a tour aimed at attracting US investment into Northern Ireland. During their trip they will meet President Obama for St Patrick's Day festivities at the White House. A spokesman for the PSNI said police were called to Lismore Manor, Craigavon, at around 9.45pm, following a request for assistance from a member of the public. He said: "Two police vehicles arrived in the area. Both officers alighted from the vehicles. It appears gunshots were fired at them. One officer was struck by gunfire and subsequently he has died from his wounds." Lord Maginnis, UUP spokesman, said those behind the attacks had barely any "grass roots" support but were getting "an opportunity" to publicise their cause. He told the BBC: "We have a chief constable who has warned us and warned us and warned us about the danger of dissident IRA. That has put pressure on the leaders of dissident IRA to have a big show to kill those soldiers at the gates of Massereene barracks, to kill this policeman." ||||| Police Officer Murdered, Craigavon A police officer has been murdered whilst on duty in Craigavon, County Armagh. At around 9.45pm on Monday 9 March, police responded to a request for assistance from a member of the public at Lismore Manor in Craigavon. When two police vehicles arrived in the area and as officers alighted from one of the vehicles, it appears that gunshots were fired at them. One officer was struck by gunfire. He subsequently died from his wounds. Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Sir Hugh Orde has appealed for the community to help police bring those responsible to justice. Sir Hugh said: “Shortly before 10pm officers in Craigavon were going about their duty, serving the public of Northern Ireland, answering a call for help. Sadly one of those officers paid the ultimate price when cowards and criminals gunned him down. I pay tribute to him and send my deepest sympathy to his family. "His death comes some 48 hours after a similar attack in Antrim that saw two young soldiers murdered and four other people seriously injured. "This has got to stop and I have a direct appeal to the community to help us to do so. "We need people with information to come forward. My police officers are men and women from within this community – your community – who have opted to protect and serve you. They are your neighbours, he said. The Chief Constable paid tribute to the dedication of his colleagues: "My officers joined the police service to serve the community here. Every day and night they respond to reports of burglary, domestic abuse, missing persons, vehicle theft, rape… the list goes on. Last night in Craigavon it was a call to a broken window. Such is the desire within my organisation to win the support of all within the community my officers responded knowing the threat to their lives was a very real possibility. "But last night their commitment was met with the very worst in human nature. This morning the Police Service of Northern Ireland has lost an officer. But I say to you – the people living on this island – you have lost a member of your community. This was not only an attack on the peace process – it was an attack on the community here. "There are people in the community who have information that will help us catch those responsible. "Maybe you have not spoken to police before. Maybe, for whatever reason, you are suspicious or fearful of what speaking to us will mean. I say to you in the most honest and open terms - my officers opted to protect lives, in this, your community - by bringing information to us - you can do the same. I ask you to have the courage and confidence to come forward. Let us stand together for the future. "Children today do not remember the horrors of the past. Let us not repeat that pointless loss of life with them. If anyone has any information – no matter how small – please bring it to my officers and help us stop the horror of the last few days," he concluded. A major police investigation is now underway and we would appeal to anyone with information to come forward. Police can be contacted at Lurgan on 0845 600 8000. Alternatively members of the public can pass information anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111. ||||| The dissident terrorist group warned of more attacks following the death of Pc Stephen Carroll, the first police officer to be murdered in the province for a decade. Mr Carroll 48, was shot in the head at as he waited in his car providing backup for colleagues dealing with a call-out in the Lismore Manor estate. He was the first member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the force which took over from the RUC as part of the peace process, to be killed by paramilitaries. His murder came 48 hours after two soldiers, Mark Quinsey, 23, and Patrick Azimkar, 21, were shot dead collecting pizza at the gates of Massereene Barracks in Antrim on Saturday night. A rival dissident republican group, the Real IRA, earlier claimed responsibility for the Army base shootings which left two other soldiers and two pizza delivery men wounded. Mr Carroll, from Banbridge, Co Down, and his colleagues were sent out in two cars after a call from a woman described as in distress just before 9.45pm on Monday. There were reports that one of her windows had been broken. When the police arrived, the killer or killers were lying in wait in the estate – a sprawling residential area with pockets of woodland, scrub and wasteland. Mr Carroll, an officer with 20 years' experience, stayed in the second car as backup while his colleagues went to investigate the complaint. A few moments later neighbours heard two shots as a gunman opened fire from an area of open ground. It is thought the killer may have been hiding in a house under construction nearby. In a coded message, the Continuity IRA said the shooting was the work of its north Armagh battalion. "As long as there is British involvement in Ireland, these attacks will continue," the group said. Sir Hugh Orde, the Chief Constable, vowed to "pursue those responsible to the ends of the Earth." Shaun Woodward, the Northern Ireland Secretary, expressed his condolences to the family of Mr Carroll who he said was a "brave man serving the community". Gordon Brown vowed that the recent killings would not be allowed to undermine the peace process. He said there should be "no return to the old days" of tit-for-tat reprisals. The attack prompted the province's First Minister, Peter Robinson, and Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, to postpone a planned visit to the United States to meet President Barack Obama. The annual St Patrick's Day gathering at the White House has become one of the most important fixtures in the year for Northern Ireland's politicians. There were calls for Sir Hugh to call in the SAS in a bid to thwart the dissident republicans. But Mr Woodward earlier ruled out any return to troops on the streets following the recent surge in paramilitary violence. Some 300 members of the RUC (now PSNI) died during the troubles (1969-1998), along with six members of the English police and nine Irish Garda. The last member of the RUC killed was Constable Frank O'Reilly, killed October 6 1998 by loyalists when he was fatally injured in a Blast bomb attack in Corcrain Estate, Portadown. ||||| Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Dissident republicans, the Continuity IRA, have said they murdered a policeman in Northern Ireland. He was Constable Stephen Paul Carroll, 48, a married man with children from the Banbridge area of County Down. He died just 48 hours after two soldiers were shot dead by the Real IRA at an army base in Antrim. Monday night's shooting happened at Lismore Manor, in Craigavon, County Armagh, after a woman called police when her window was broken. Map: Northern Ireland shootings Constable Carroll was shot through the rear window of his police car when he arrived at the scene at about 2145 GMT on Monday. Police say they are looking for a man in a light coloured top who was seen running from the area after the shooting. At least two houses have been searched in the nearby Drumbeg estate. At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Chief Superintendent Alan Todd said the constable had given 23 years of service to the community, working with the police service. Constable Stephen Paul Carroll, 48, was from Banbridge "We have this morning, colleagues without a workmate, a wife without a husband, a son without a father and grandchildren without their grandfather," he said. "It is a desperate loss ... we are working with people to provide safer communities, my question to the people who perpetrated this is 'What have they got to offer?'" The Continuity IRA is one of a number of dissident republican paramilitary groups opposed to the peace process which have carried out bomb and gun attacks on civilians and the security forces. There is believed to be cross-over and co-operation between the Continuity IRA and the larger Real IRA, which bombed Omagh in 1998 killing 29 people and injuring hundreds more. Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde called it a "sad day" for Northern Ireland's force and said the gunmen were "criminal psychopaths", but said he would not ask for the Army to help patrol NI's streets. "I have no intention to ask the Army for routine military support, it's not necessary and it doesn't work," he said. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Sir Hugh held a joint press conference with the first and deputy first ministers Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness at Stormont. Mr Robinson said: "This is a battle of wills between the political class and the evil gunmen - the political class will win." Mr McGuinness said the dissidents' actions were futile: "These people are traitors to the island of Ireland, they have betrayed the political desires, hopes and aspirations of all of the people who live on this island." Prime Minister Gordon Brown has condemned the murderers and insisted there would be "no return to the old days" in Northern Ireland. This is the first murder of a police officer in NI since 1998. Constable Frank O'Reilly was killed by a loyalist blast bomb during disturbances linked to the Drumcree dispute in 1998. The last police officers murdered by republicans, RUC constables Roland John Graham and David Andrew Johnston, were shot dead by the IRA in Lurgan, County Armagh in June 1997. Constable Carroll was the first PSNI officer to have been murdered by paramilitaries since the force was formed in 2001. Dissident republicans tried to kill two PSNI officers in shootings in Derry and Dungannon in November 2007. They have also been linked to a booby trap bomb which exploded under a police officer's car in Spamount, County Tyrone in May 2008. HAVE YOUR SAY These events show that the peace process is still under threat E Breen, Chelmsford Politicians from all parties condemned Monday's killing, which Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward insisted would not damage the peace process. Asked if the killing was linked to the soldiers' shooting at the weekend, Sir Hugh Orde said: "I think you are giving (the attackers) credit they ill deserve. "I think these are disparate groups, badly infiltrated and indeed many awaiting trial north and south of the border. The first and deputy first ministers have again postponed an investment visit to the US following the murder. In the weekend attack, Sappers Mark Quinsey, 23, from Birmingham and Patrick Azimkar, 21, from London, were shot dead at Massereene Army base, Antrim. The soldiers were killed as they accepted a pizza delivery at about 2120 GMT on Saturday. Four other people, including two pizza delivery men - Anthony Watson, 19, from Antrim, and a Polish man in his 30s - were injured in the attack. One of the men is in a critical condition, another is seriously ill. NORTHERN IRELAND SHOOTINGS 1. Sat 7 Mar, 2120 GMT: Sappers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar are killed outside the Massereene Army base, Antrim. Four other people, including two pizza delivery men, are injured. Dissident republican group Real IRA claims responsibility. How the barracks attack unfolded 2. Mon 9 Mar, 2145 GMT: Police Constable Stephen Carroll is shot dead in Craigavon after responding to a call for help from a distressed woman. Splinter group the Continuity IRA says it was responsible. 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Location of County Armagh within Northern IrelandA police officer has been killed in County Armagh, Northern Ireland by Continuity IRA gunmen a mere 48 hours after two soldiers were killed. In what is presumed to be an attempt by dissident Republicans to derail the peace process, Pc Stephen Carroll was shot in the head just before 10:00 p.m. on March 9. The officer, described as an experienced veteran with 23 years of service, was responding to a call for help in the Lismore Manor estate in Craigavon when he was shot. In what is described as a genuine incident, a female member of the public had called for help saying a street gang had broken a window. A two vehicle patrol was sent to the incident given previous trouble in the area. After standing off for a reasonable period to ensure that there was no ambush, the members of one vehicle got out to deal with the incident, whilst those in the second vehicle provided cover, while providing cover in the second vehicle that Pc Carrol was attacked. The PSNI, believe that the officer was hit by one of two shots fired by a gunman secreted in scrubland on the estate. There are unconfirmed reports that a second officer has also been injured. Responsibility for the shooting has been claimed on behalf of the North Armagh Battalion of the Continuity IRA in a coded message to Belfast media. The shooting has led to a call for unity and calm from a broad spectrum of the community ranging from spokesmen for the Ulster Volunteer Force, who called for the gunmen to be dealt with through the courts, to Sinn Féin were quick to condemn the gunmen and to offer their condolences to the family of the dead officer. This is the first death of a police officer to sectarian violence in over a decade, and comes after a nine month period in which intelligence indicated that dissidents were aiming to kill a policeman.
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Hon Helen Clark Hon Dr Michael Cullen Hon Jim Anderton Hon Steve Maharey Hon Phil Goff Hon Annette King Hon Trevor Mallard Hon Pete Hodgson Hon Parekura Horomia Hon Mark Burton Hon Ruth Dyson Hon Chris Carter Hon Rick Barker Hon David Benson-Pope Hon Lianne Dalziel Hon Damien O'Connor Hon David Cunliffe Hon David Parker Hon Nanaia Mahuta Hon Clayton Cosgrove Hon Judith Tizard Hon Dover Samuels Hon Harry Duynhoven Hon Mita Ririnui Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban Hon Mahara Okeroa Rt Hon Winston Peters Hon Peter Dunne Ms Jeanette Fitzsimons Ms Sue Bradford Select Portfolio ACC Agriculture Archives New Zealand Arts, Culture and Heritage Attorney-General Auckland Issues Biosecurity Broadcasting Building and Construction Civil Defence Climate Change Issues Commerce Communications Community and Voluntary Sector Conservation Consumer Affairs Corrections Courts Crown Research Institutes Customs Defence Deputy Prime Minister Disability Issues Disarmament and Arms Control Duty Minister Economic Development Education Education Review Office Energy Environment Ethnic Affairs Finance Fisheries Food Safety Foreign Affairs Forestry GCSB Health Housing Immigration Industry and Regional Development Information Technology Internal Affairs Justice Labour Land Information Law Commission Local Government Maori Affairs National Library NZ Security Intelligence Service Pacific Island Affairs Police Prime Minister Public Trust Racing Research, Science and Technology Revenue Rugby World Cup Rural Affairs Senior Citizens Small Business Social Development and Employment Sport and Recreation State State Owned Enterprises State Services Statistics Tertiary Education Tourism Trade Trade Negotiations Transport Transport Safety Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Veterans' Affairs Women's Affairs Youth Affairs Hon David Benson-Pope OECD report confirms NZ is on path to sustainability The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)’s Environmental Performance Review for New Zealand was released today. The Review finds that the Government's efforts to limit pollution, to protect nature and biodiversity, and to make economic development more environmentally sustainable have resulted in clear improvements. “The launch of this review is timely and provides additional impetus to this government’s aspiration to be the first country to be fully sustainable," said Mr Benson-Pope. “The OECD says more work needs to be done and I am pleased to say that work to fulfil many of the Review's 38 recommendations is already underway, and where we are unlikely to fulfil the OECD recommendations, alternative actions are in place." The environmental strengths identified by the OECD include New Zealand’s management of water resources and the value placed on its protected areas and conservation lands. Over 32 per cent of New Zealand’s land area and 7.5 per cent of territorial sea is protected – more than twice the OECD average. "I am also pleased that the Review has identified our partnership approach to environmental management, linking local and central government, industry, business and communities, as being key to our significant achievements. "Key initiatives like the "The Review is very encouraging but Government acknowledges that much more needs to be done before we can lay claim to being the first country to be sustainable across the four pillars of environment, economy, society and nationhood. "In particular we are already focussing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving recycling and cutting waste, and strengthening environmental monitoring and the national reporting of key environmental indicators, such as the state of the environment report to be released later this year." A summary and copies of the OECD Review are available from: An independent international report indicates that New Zealand is on the way to become a sustainable nation, says Environment Minister David Benson-Pope.The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)’s Environmental Performance Review for New Zealand was released today.The Review finds that the Government's efforts to limit pollution, to protect nature and biodiversity, and to make economic development more environmentally sustainable have resulted in clear improvements.“The launch of this review is timely and provides additional impetus to this government’s aspiration to be the first country to be fully sustainable," said Mr Benson-Pope.“The OECD says more work needs to be done and I am pleased to say that work to fulfil many of the Review's 38 recommendations is already underway, and where we are unlikely to fulfil the OECD recommendations, alternative actions are in place."The environmental strengths identified by the OECD include New Zealand’s management of water resources and the value placed on its protected areas and conservation lands. Over 32 per cent of New Zealand’s land area and 7.5 per cent of territorial sea is protected – more than twice the OECD average."I am also pleased that the Review has identified our partnership approach to environmental management, linking local and central government, industry, business and communities, as being key to our significant achievements."Key initiatives like the Clean Streams Accord , the Business Partnerships for Sustainability programme and the Household Sustainability Campaign are based on a co-ordinated, partnership approach to improving our overall sustainability."The Review is very encouraging but Government acknowledges that much more needs to be done before we can lay claim to being the first country to be sustainable across the four pillars of environment, economy, society and nationhood."In particular we are already focussing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving recycling and cutting waste, and strengthening environmental monitoring and the national reporting of key environmental indicators, such as the state of the environment report to be released later this year."A summary and copies of the OECD Review are available from: http://www.oecd.org/ Click here for a printer friendly version of this document ||||| OECD Home › New Zealand › OECD urges New Zealand to improve water and waste management 05/04/2007 - New Zealand has improved its environmental performance over the past decade, but should reinforce water and waste management, energy efficiency and climate protection efforts. The OECD’s Environmental Performance Review of New Zealand makes a number of recommendations. Among other things, it calls on New Zealand to: Better protect surface and ground waters. The report shows that the water quality of streams, rivers and lakes is declining due to diffuse pollution, and irrigation is taking a toll on some aquifers. The OECD recommends introducing baseline regulations on water quality, and economic approaches to water allocation among users, to avoid problems in the future. Clarify and strengthen climate protection policy. The suspension of the climate protection policy package in 2005, in particular the planned carbon tax, has created great uncertainty about how New Zealand will meet its Kyoto target. The OECD calls on the country to use economic approaches to encourage energy efficiency and carbon dioxide sequestration. It also recommends more use of the “Kyoto flexible mechanisms”, including emissions trading. Upgrade waste management. The OECD notes improvements in waste management policies, but urges that landfill sites be run on a full cost recovery basis, country-wide, to help finance needed infrastructure improvements. The report also points out the need for systematic tracking of movements and treatment of hazardous wastes. Improve environmental reporting at the national level. The OECD points to the need for better coordination of regional-level monitoring to enable the development of national-level indicators to track progress towards environmental sustainability goals. Among achievements during the review period, the report notes that New Zealand has: Kept environmentally harmful subsidies among the lowest in the OECD in the agriculture and fisheries sectors. Associated environmental benefits include the conversion of large tracts of marginal agricultural lands to forest or conservation parks. Fisheries management through individual tradable quotas has helped avoid stock collapses; Improved drinking water quality. Thanks to investment in distribution and treatment infrastructure, and better management, the proportion of the public water supply that fully complies with drinking water guidelines increased from 50% in 1994 to 84% in 2004. To enable further progress, OECD recommends introducing nationally consistent and legally binding drinking water quality standards. Improved integration and balancing of environmental and social concerns. Under the Resource Management Act, stakeholder input to environmental management and policy formulation has increased, through public participation and consultation, and through confirmation of Maori natural resource interests. Expanded its network of protected areas to include formerly under-represented ecosystems (e.g. marine areas, indigenous forests). Protected areas now cover 32% of the country’s land area, and 7.5% of the territorial sea, significantly higher than in most OECD countries. The review, part of the OECD’s regular Environmental Performance Reviews of member countries is available for journalists from the OECD's Media Division ( tel. + 33 1 45 24 97 00). The report can be purchased in paper or electronic form through the OECD’s Online Bookshop. Subscribers and readers at subscribing institutions can access the online version via SourceOECD. Further information on OECD's Environmental Performance Review of New Zealand can be found at http://www.oecd.org/env/countryreviews/newzealand. Related Documents Speech on the occasion of the launch of the Environmental Performance Review of New Zealand
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The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released a report on the environmental performance of the New Zealand Government. Although the Government applauds the findings as vindicating its path to sustainability the report makes a wide range of recommendations in order to improve environmental performance. It calls for better protection of water, a clarification and strengthening of climate change policy, an upgrade of waste management and improvement environmental reporting. The previous report was released in 1996 and a number of improvements have been noted. Thse include minimising harmful substances in agriculture and fisheries, improving drinking water, balancing social and environmental concerns and expanding protected areas. It is part of a second cycle of peer reviewed reports on the OECD member countries.
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Sir Paul Reeves has been farewelled to the sound of waiata, haka and drums. More than 350 people braved snow and hail to fill the Holy Sepulchre Church in Khyber Pass for his tangi today. His female relatives, including Lady Beverley Reeves, surrounded his casket at the front of the Anglican Church in Khyber Pass. PASSED AWAY: Sir Paul Reeves. Waiata and haka sounded through the wooden church and elders passionately spoke of the former Governor-General. Wellington-born Sir Paul, the first Maori Governor-General and a former Anglican Archbishop of New Zealand, died yesterday morning, aged 78. A black hearse carrying the body of the former Governor-General arrived at the church about 2pm. Heavy hail and snow flurries began just as a few hundred mourners walked with the casket in through the doors. Among the gathered whanau today were many of Sir Paul's family from Taranaki. Elder women, dressed in long black coats and holding small flowers, said Sir Paul worked his whole life for the people and had many great achievements. A state funeral for Sir Paul will take place on Thursday. Prime Minister John Key said he, ministers and MPs from across the political spectrum will attend the funeral, to be held at 11am at the Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell. On Thursday, Sir Paul's cortege will travel from the Holy Sepulchre Church to the Holy Trinity Cathedral through part of the Auckland Domain, Key said. Defence personnel will escort the hearse for the final part of the procession from the edge of the Domain along the few blocks to the Cathedral Forecourt entrance. He has been remembered as a humble man who united people, who was not afraid to speak up for social justice, and as a natural leader. Key has said New Zealand had lost one of its greatest statesmen. "We are indebted. New Zealand is a poorer place for his passing." Former Prime Minister Helen Clark has also paid tribute to Sir Paul, who died less than a month after announcing he was stepping back from public life to battle cancer. Clark said she had known Sir Paul since she was a young government minister in the late 1980s. "Sir Paul was a great New Zealander who served his country, his church and his iwi with great distinction throughout his life." Taranaki Bishop Philip Richardson said Sir Paul died peacefully in the presence of his family. "He died surrounded by their love, very beautifully supported by his whanau." He described a man who held an unwavering conviction to make the world a better place, right up until his last hours. "I don't think we have seen his equal throughout our history." Sir Paul was never afraid to speak out against injustice and never set himself above anyone else, Bishop Richardson said. Sir Paul is survived by his wife, Beverley, Lady Reeves, his three daughters, Sarah, Bridget and Jane, and six grandchildren. AT A GLANCE Born in Wellington in 1932, educated at Wellington College, Victoria University, St John's Theological College, Auckland, and St Peter's College, Oxford. He was made Bishop of Waiapu in 1971, Bishop of Auckland in 1979 and Primate and Archbishop of New Zealand in 1980. Chairman of the Environmental Council from 1974 to 1976 and president of the National Council of Churches 1984-85. Governor-General from 1985 to 1990 - the first Maori and the first cleric to fill that position. Anglican Observer at the United Nations for three years. Deputy leader Commonwealth Observer group to South Africa, Nelson Mandela Trust chairman. Chaired the Fiji Constitution Review Commission 1995 to 1997. Commonwealth election observer in Ghana and South Africa. Admitted to the Order of New Zealand in 2007. This followed being made a Knight Bachelor and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1985 and a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victoria Order in 1986. Awarded the Queen's Service Order for public services in 1990. Inaugural chair of Toi Te Taiao: Bioethics Council in 2002. Chancellor of AUT University from February 2005. ||||| Motorists are being urged to stay off some Auckland central city roads tomorrow ahead of the state funeral of former governor general Sir Paul Reeves who died on Sunday. Thousands of mourners are expected to turn out to pay their last respects to Sir Paul at the Anglican Cathedral in Parnell and Auckland Council said that several roads would be closed and a ban on parking imposed on others. Motorists should avoid the Parnell area and the surrounding streets if possible, said a council spokesperson. Sir Paul's body, which has been lying in state at the Church of Holy Sepulchure in Newton, will be taken at 9.30am tomorrow to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Parnell for the funeral service at 11am. The Cortege will leave the church at 9.30, turning right onto Khyber Pass Road, then left onto Grafton Road, right into Park Road, left into Domain Drive and continue through the Domain to Parnell Road. It will be the first state funeral since 2008 when Sir Edmund Hillary was farewelled at the same cathedral. Mourners will include Prime Minister John Key and outgoing Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand. The service will be followed by a private family burial ceremony. The service will be screened live on Maori Television. - NZPA ||||| Sir Paul Reeves dead, aged 78 STACEY WOOD Lyle McMahon Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand talks at a media conference in Auckland about Sir Paul Reeves, who he described as a "quintessential New Zealander". Tributes have started to flow for former Governor General Sir Paul Reeves who died in Auckland this morning, aged 78, after a battle with cancer. Sir Paul died peacefully and was surrounded by loved ones. Prime Minister John Key announced the news to the National Party conference this morning and asked the 600 delegates to stand and observe a moments silence. Key said planning for a state funeral was underway. Key said New Zealand has lost one of its greatest statesmen. "Sir Paul’s contribution to New Zealand did not end when he left Government House. He spent another two decades serving at the highest level. We are indebted,'' Key said. Key said Sir Paul's life was one of giving. "His contribution was enormous and New Zealand is a poorer place for his passing.'' Former Prime Minister Helen Clark also paid tribute Sir Paul who died less than a month after announcing he would be stepping back from most aspects of his public life to battle cancer. Clark said she had known Sir Paul from the time she was a young government minister in the late 1980s and had been with him on countless occassions. "Sir Paul was a great New Zealander who served his country, his church and his iwi with great distinction throughout his life. "After his retirement from the position of Governor General Sir Paul represented the Anglican Church at the United Nations in New York. I was very grateful that Sir Paul came with the delegation of Maori leaders who formally presented me at the United Nations in New York on April 2009, an occassion to which he brought great mana. "My heart goes out to Lady Reeves and all Sir Paul's family at this sad time." Sir Paul's whanau have acknowledged the immense support they have received since his diagnosis was announced. He is survived by his wife Beverley, Lady Reeves, his three daughters, Sarah, Bridget and Jane, and six grandchildren. A spokesman said his immediate family would spend some private time with Sir Paul before a public tangi began tomorrow at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Auckland. ''The whanau acknowledge and are very aware of the immense grief and loss felt by Maori, the Church and the wider community, and there will be time and opportunity for people to pay their respects in the days to come.'' The family has asked for privacy. Sir Paul was born in Wellington, and his whakapapa is Te Atiawa. He was Governor General from 1985 till 1990, and was the first Maori and the first cleric to fill that position. Speaking on behalf of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, Archbishop David Moxon said Sir Paul had always aimed to bring people together. "He continued to follow the gospel and remained a bishop contributing a great deal to our church and community. Bishop Paul was and remains a taonga to us and future generations.'' Since 2005 Sir Paul had been the chancellor of the Auckland University of Technology and had held many prominent New Zealand leadership roles including a stint as the Archbishop of the Anglican Church. Other international posts have included chairman of the Nelson Mandela Trust and chairman of the Fiji Constitution Review Commission between 1995 and 1997. He was an Additional Member of the Order of New Zealand. Tributes flow Auckland University of Technology Vice-Chancellor Derek McCormack said Sir Paul was a force to be reckoned with, a friend and a visionary. "He was a man who engendered great respect, but one who was also respectful, compassionate and inclusive of others," he said. "He a wonderful colleague and encourager, with a great grasp of the big picture who also had an ability to put things into perspective with his sense of humour and wit. I am among many who will sorely miss his spirit, contribution and friendship." Bishop of Taranaki Philip Richardson recalled a mentor and humble man with a gift of unifying people. "All of us have lost a great leader, not only of this nation but of our chuch and internationally. "As a mediator, as a diplomat, as a statesman of all sorts of difficult situations - he has been extraordinary." Sir Paul was a patron of the Quality Public Education Coalition since its formation in 1997. The organisation's national chairperson, Liz Gordon, expressed her sadness at the falling of a "mighty tree" of Tane. "Sir Paul was a great leader, a role model, a gentle and unassuming man with a great sense of humour, and a staunch friend to us." "Te hinganga o te Totara haemata o te waotapunui a Tane - A mighty tree has fallen in the forest of Tane." She remembered Sir Paul as a dignified man whose sense of humour helped keep politics a focus at meetings. "Paul made a large contribution to New Zealand in terms of the struggle of Maori for a place in the sun and on behalf of marginalised groups everywhere." - © Fairfax NZ News
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Reeves was the 15th Governor-General of New Zealand , the 78-year-old Anglican Archbishop who became the first and first cleric to be the of New Zealand, died on Sunday in after a battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Beverley, Lady Reeves, three daughters and six grandchildren. His body has been lying in state in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Newton, Auckland. The state funeral, scheduled to occur on Thursday in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in (the first there since that of Sir Edmund Hillary in 2008), is expected to be attended by thousands of mourners. Sir Paul Reeves was born in in 1932, and was educated at , , and . He was appointed in 1971, then in 1979, and then in 1980. Other roles included Chairman of the Environmental Council from 1974 to 1976 and President of the National Council of Churches from 1984 to 1985. He was appointed the fifteenth Governor-General of New Zealand in 1985 by despite doubts about his outspokenness and whether a cleric could serve as Governor-General. Since serving as Governor-General until 1990, he has held several other positions; he served on observer teams in South Africa and Ghana, a commission reviewing the Fiji constitution, and for three years was Anglican Observer to the United Nations. He was appointed to the Order of New Zealand, New Zealand’s highest honour, in 2007. == Sources == * * *
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China's President Hu Jintao has vowed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions produced by his country, one of the largest polluters in the world. Chinese President Hu Jintao addressing the climate change summit at the United Nations, 22 Sep 2009 In a speech to world leaders at the U.N. climate change summit in New York on Tuesday, Mr. Hu said China plans to get 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2020.He also said China will cut greenhouse gases by a "notable margin" by 2020 from 2005 levels. He did not set a figure for the cuts, saying they will be made based on China's economic output.Speaking at the summit, Japan's new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told world leaders his nation plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.Prime Minister Hatoyama and President Hu also called for financial support from developed countries - to help developing nations achieve climate change goals and sustainable development. Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP. ||||| NEW YORK -- China's President Hu Jintao said Tuesday his country will combat climate change in the next decade by reducing energy intensity as the country grows, while increasing its reliance on renewable-electricity generation and nuclear power. Mr. Hu said China would cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product by a "notable margin" by 2020, but didn't set a concrete cap. The rapidly growing nation plans to get around 15% of its energy from what Mr. Hu described as "non-fossil fuels" by 2020, while increasing forest coverage to reduce greenhouse-gas levels. Developed countries such as the U.S. and rapidly developing countries such as China disagree over commitments to reduce emissions of the heat-trapping gases linked to climate change. Speeches by Mr. Hu and U.S. President Barack Obama at the U.N. Tuesday provided few details on how consensus on fighting climate change may be reached ahead of a key international climate change meeting in December. It remains to be seen whether the U.S. and other developed nations will accept measures such as carbon intensity and renewable-electricity targets rather than outright emissions-reduction targets. Mr. Hu said developing countries need "to avoid the old path of polluting first and cleaning up later." But he said "they should not, however, be asked to take on obligations that go beyond their development stage, responsibility and capabilities." U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the climate change summit in New York amid concerns that international talks on reducing carbon dioxide emissions are stalling ahead of the December meeting. The international gathering in Copenhagen is set to establish a new agreement when the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012. Enlarge Image Close Associated Press Chinese President Hu Jintao speaks at the summit on climate change at the United Nations on Tuesday. Mr. Ban opened the summit by saying climate talks are proceeding "too slowly." Obama in his speech sought to inject urgency into the negotiations, saying living standards and the health of the planet are at stake. He said some developing countries have made great strides, but added they need to do their part going forward because they account for most of projected CO2 emissions growth. "They will need to commit to strong measures at home and agree to stand behind those commitments just as the developed nations must stand behind their own," President Obama said. A carbon-intensity standard like the one Mr. Hu discussed doesn't reduce overall emissions, but instead reduces carbon per dollar of economic product. The measure highlights the difference between developing nations and developed nations, which have considerably higher carbon intensities. Setting up a carbon standard could set a framework for any future caps because China would need to measure its carbon emissions for the first time. But analysts warn that China's economy is growing so fast it could wipe out any gains made in other parts of the world unless it pursues a deep cut overall. In his speech, Mr. Hu said China in its current five-year environmental program includes reductions in energy intensity, which can cut 1.5 billion tons of CO2 emissions, equal to 620 million tons of coal. Going forward, he said China plans to increase its forest cover by 40 million hectares by 2020. —Henry J. Pulizzi in Washington, and Shai Oster and Ian Johnson in Beijing contributed to this article. Write to Mark Peters at [email protected] ||||| China pledges climate action Reuters World leaders are trying to move climate change talks forward, but new proposals by China and a rallying cry from US President Barack Obama have done little to break a United Nations deadlock. Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao, leaders of the world's top greenhouse gas polluters, had hoped to help foster efforts to forge a new global warming treaty, two and a half months before a December deadline. Speaking at a special UN climate change summit in New York, Hu laid out a new plan to tackle China's emissions, but failed to include specific figures. Obama outlined his administration's efforts since he took office in January, but offered no new proposals. Hu, due to meet Obama directly later on Tuesday, said China would vigorously develop renewable and nuclear energy and promised emissions would grow slower than economic growth in the future. "We will endeavour to cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by a notable margin by 2020 from the 2005 level," Hu said. The pledge, while short of an absolute cap on output, was seen as an attempt to counter critics, especially in Washington, who say Beijing is doing too little. Obama said the United States had done more over the eight months of his presidency to reduce carbon pollution than at any time in history and urged all nations to act together. "Our generation's response to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it - boldly, swiftly, and together - we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe," Obama said. "The time we have to reverse this tide is running out." Activists and analysts expected more. "It was a bit disappointing that China did not give a number for greenhouse gas intensity. I had expected it to come now," said Knut Alfsen, head of research at the Centre for International Climate and Energy Research in Oslo. "But this is progress. Five years ago climate was a non-issue for China. Now they have turned around and are saying 'we are going to do something now.' This is a tremendous shift." MOMENTUM? Environmentalists assailed Obama for having few specifics in his first presidential speech to the United Nations. "We are really very, very disappointed about what Obama has said," said Thomas Henningsen, climate co-ordinator for Greenpeace International. "It is really more of a step back than a step forward," he said, adding that Obama had not spelled out any concrete steps compared to what Japan and other nations were prepared to do. Europeans, who had welcomed Obama's commitment to fight climate change as a positive development after his predecessor George W Bush, have grown impatient. A climate change bill mandating cuts in US emissions is unlikely to be passed by the US Senate by December while other domestic issues, notably healthcare reform, dominate the congressional agenda. French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed that heads of state from major economies meet in November ahead of the Copenhagen talks. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who called Tuesday's meeting, said talks were moving too slowly. "Failure to reach broad agreement in Copenhagen would be morally inexcusable, economically short-sighted and politically unwise," Ban said. Talks leading to the December 7-18 meeting have put developed and developing countries at odds over how to distribute emissions curbs. Poorer nations are pressing richer ones to contribute hundreds of billions of dollars a year to help them cope with rising temperatures.
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Hu Jintao, the president of China, has promised to reduce carbon dioxide emissions produced by his country, one of the largest polluters in the world. Hu JintaoIn a speech to world leaders at the United Nations' climate change summit in New York on Tuesday, the president said that China plans to receive 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. "We will endeavour to cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by a notable margin by 2020 from the 2005 level," Hu said. He did not set a figure for the cuts, saying they will be made based on China's economic output. Hu encouraged developing countries "to avoid the old path of polluting first and cleaning up later." He added that "they should not, however, be asked to take on obligations that go beyond their development stage, responsibility and capabilities." Meanwhile, Japan's new Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, told world leaders at the summit that his nation plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% from 1990 levels by 2020. Prime Minister Hatoyama and President Hu also called for financial support from developed countries to help developing nations achieve climate change goals and sustainable development. US President Barack Obama, who was also at the summit, encouraged all countries to work together to reduce their carbon emissions. "Our generation's response to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it — boldly, swiftly, and together — we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe. The time we have to reverse this tide is running out," he said.
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Paul Krugman occupies two spheres in the American intelligentsia. In one, he is a New York Times op-ed columnist known for his barbed opinions about President Bush's policies. In the other, he is a Princeton University economist famous for his research on international trade and finance. Yesterday, it was Krugman the academic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for his study of international trade and the effects of globalization. In announcing the prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences cited in particular Krugman's work nearly 30 years ago in advancing a theory on trading patterns and why certain countries produce what they do. Perhaps owing to Krugman's columnist perch, he was barely asked about his research yesterday during a news conference. Instead, he was asked about the U.S. government's $700 billion financial system bailout, about the causes of the credit crisis, and even about whether he would consider taking a cabinet post in the next presidential administration. (He said no thanks.) He noted that he was naked and about to shower when his phone rang with the news from Stockholm. Krugman has been fiercely critical of Bush administration policies in his columns for the Times. Yesterday, when asked a question about China, he said: "I've been spending my last few years trying to save my own damn republic." Some economists questioned whether Krugman's politics may have somehow swayed the Swedish Academy. Its selections in the past have been viewed as politically motivated, and Krugman's selection came just weeks before a U.S. presidential election in which Bush's legacy is playing no small role. Krugman is still, at age 55, relatively young in economist years. "They could have waited and nobody would have asked that question," said Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University who has closely followed Krugman's research. "It's fair speculation that in part they are making a political statement. Krugman does deserve it, though. It's not only a political statement." Robert Solow, a 1987 Nobel laureate in economics and Krugman's former professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said, "I don't think it's true for one minute. I wouldn't be surprised if next year it was a conservative who wins. I really think that it's pure coincidence and there is no reason at all to suppose his columns had any role in this choice." Tore Ellingsen, a member of the prize committee, told the Associated Press in Sweden yesterday, "We disregard everything except for the scientific merits." Krugman, too, played down the influence of politics, saying a lot of intellectuals simply happened to be critical of the Bush administration. The Swedish Academy praised Krugman's work in explaining how a theory of trade dating back to the 1800s had become less applicable. The theory suggested that trade could be defined by initial differences among countries. Some should specialize in industrial products because they have more labor, others in agricultural because of their location. Then they should trade with each other. But that doesn't explain why, for instance, Sweden would come to both make cars and import them -- why countries that dominate trade have similar conditions and trade similar products. Krugman thinks that's because consumers prefer a diversity of products. "It becomes advantageous for a country to specialize in manufacturing a specific car, and to produce it for the world market, while another country specializes in a different brand of car," the Swedish Academy wrote in a commentary that explained Krugman's work. "This allows each country to take effective advantage of economies of scale, thereby implying that consumers worldwide will benefit from greater welfare due to lower prices and greater product diversity, as compared to a situation where each country produces solely for its own domestic market, without international trade." Solow, Krugman's former professor, said he had for years thought his former pupil would be awarded a Nobel Prize. In 1991, Krugman won the John Bates Clark Medal, given every two years to the best economist under age 40. But as the Times column took on more importance in Krugman's life, taking him away from more traditional academic work, "I expected he would miss out," Solow said. "I was very pleased that the Swedish Academy looked back and decided this body of work was really worth a prize, as I think it was." Krugman's win, which includes a $1.4 million prize, marks the ninth consecutive year that an American has solely won or shared the economics prize. The award for economics was not among the original five established by Alfred Nobel's will in 1895. Those were awards for physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. The first economics prize was awarded in 1968. ||||| The Nobel economics prize was awarded on Monday to Paul Krugman, one of the great popularisers of economic ideas and a trenchant critic of the Bush administration. However, the prize was awarded for work done almost three decades ago in developing what is known as “new trade theory” and “new economic geography”. Earlier trade theories suggested that a country would trade with partners that were different – rich would trade with poor, and capital-intensive would trade with labour-intensive. In practice, rich countries tend to trade with other rich countries. Mr Krugman’s analysis showed why this was to be expected: many products were most efficiently produced by large companies, but consumers wanted variety and would buy products from foreign giants as well as the dominant domestic corporations.
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ProlineserverAmerican yesterday won the Nobel Prize for developing a theory known as the “new trade theory” and “new economic geography”. Krugman first released the above theory approximately thirty years ago, and it explained why rich countries will trade with rich countries. As Krugman contributes to popular newspapers, such as ''The New York Times'', with criticisms of the Bush administration and its financial policy, there has been speculation that Krugman's political opinions earned him the prize. , a professor of economics at , stated that he believed the award may have been motivated by politics. "They could have waited and nobody would have asked that question, he said. "It's fair speculation that in part they are making a political statement. Krugman does deserve it, though. It's not only a political statement." , Krugman's former professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, dismissed these claims, however. "I don't think it's true for one minute. I wouldn't be surprised if next year it was a conservative who wins. I really think that it's pure coincidence and there is no reason at all to suppose his columns in newspapers had any role in this choice." Tore Ellingsen, who was in the committee that decided the winner also responded to the claims that the decision was political. He claimed that "we disregard everything except for the scientific merits," when choosing the winner.
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Energy-hungry India needs nuclear power The legislation will now be sent to President George W Bush to be signed into law. The vote follows an agreement earlier this year between Mr Bush and the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. The accord has been hailed as historic by some, but critics say it will damage non-proliferation efforts. It was approved by the House of Representatives on Friday evening and the Senate early on Saturday. Weapons sites off-limits Under the deal, energy-hungry India will get access to US civil nuclear technology and fuel, in return for opening its civilian nuclear facilities to inspection. NUCLEAR POWER IN INDIA India has 14 reactors in commercial operation and nine under construction Nuclear power supplies about 3% of India's electricity By 2050, nuclear power is expected to provide 25% of the country's electricity India has limited coal and uranium reserves Its huge thorium reserves - about 25% of the world's total - are expected to fuel its nuclear power programme long-term Source: Uranium Information Center Global nuclear powers But its nuclear weapons sites will remain off-limits. The Congress decision was welcomed in Delhi as an historic moment in relations between the two countries. Once on opposite sides of the Cold War fence, they have become allies with close economic, political and even defence ties. Correspondents say that India sees the deal as a tacit acceptance of its emergence as a global nuclear power. But some say that by making an exception for India, the US will find it difficult to rein in the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran. 'Compromise bill' Previously, the US had opposed Indian nuclear activities because it has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and has twice tested nuclear weapons, in 1974 and 1998. The final bill was said to have been altered to take into account some Indian concerns about the deal, says the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani in Washington. Earlier, senior US state department official Nicholas Burns - who is visiting India - said he anticipated "a very successful and supportive bill", well within the parameters of the agreement signed between India and the US. India has made clear that the final agreement must not bind it to supporting the US policy on Iran, and does not prevent it from developing its own fissile material. ||||| CNN-IBN STEP 2: The final bill will now be discussed and voted upon in the US Senate. New Delhi: In what is being considered as a big boost in the passage of the Indo-US nuclear deal, the US House of Representatives passed the Bill early on Saturday by a margin of 330-59 votes. However, skeptics caution against early jubilation for the final Bill has to be discussed and voted upon in the US Senate by the end of the day, that is in another one hour. The Bill is scheduled to be discussed in the Senate today (Friday in the US)—the last day of the working Congress. Sources say that since there are host of other legislations to be discussed, the Bill may be voted upon by a voice vote. "There are serious procedural issues but I have no doubt that Bill will be enacted tonight as it is far too important for the US as well," says Deputy Strategic Affairs Editor Siddharth Varadarajan of The Hindu. Reacting to Senator Ed Markey's statement that the approval of the Bill would mean igniting an arms race between India and Pakistan, Varadarajan said, "The only problem is lack of time, otherwise my hunch is that the Bill may be passed. I feel that the other Senators will convince Senator Markey." If the Senate fails to vote today, it will ring the death knell for the much touted Indo-US nuclear Bill. However, if it does vote for the Bill, all it will take is for President Bush to sign it into the law in a White House ceremony on Monday. The law will reopen doors for nuclear commerce between India and United States after 30 years. New Delhi will then have to conclude a bilateral agreement with Washington and engage with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Following this India will seek the approval of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG*). "This legislation will allow the United States to engage in peaceful nuclear cooperation while safeguarding US national security and non-proliferation efforts, as well as Congressional prerogatives," the four conference managers stated, commending the new legislation to the Congress. "It is an opportunity to build a vital strategic partnership with a nation that shares our democratic values and will exert increasing influence on the world stage," said Senate and House foreign relations panels chairpersons Dick Lugar and Henry Hyde and ranking Democrats on the two panels, Joe Biden and Tom Lantos. The bill reflects the widely held view in both the House and the Senate that peaceful nuclear cooperation with India can serve multiple US foreign policy and national security objectives, but that this must be secured in a manner that minimises potential risks to the global non-proliferation regime, they said. The conference agreement will help solidify New Delhi's commitments to implement strong export controls, separate its civilian nuclear infrastructure from its weapons programme, and place additional civilian facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. An agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation with India would be a powerful incentive for India to cooperate closely with the United States in halting proliferation and abstaining from additional tests of nuclear weapons, they said. Meanwhile, Under Secretary of State Nicolas Burns is in New Delhi to negotiate the terms of the deal. Burns urged India to join the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership saying it would help India's case to get access to sensitive technologies. Burns insisted that India's policy regarding Iran's nuclear program as stated in the nuclear Bill was not a violation of India's sovereignty. He said that both India and the US saw Iran as a country that would not be trusted with its nuclear weapons. *(NSG is a group of nuclear supplier countries which seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through the implementation of Guidelines for nuclear exports and nuclear related exports) (With inputs from IANS) ||||| Advertisement The US House of Representatives approved the Indo-US civilian nuclear cooperation bill at 10:30 on Friday morning. In a last-minute attempt at the sort of political posturing that has bedeviled the bill, maverick Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich broke the consensus agreement and forced a roll call. The bill got 355 votes ayes. All the 55 nays were from Democrats. Though indirectly confirming the certainty of the bill’s passage, the labour union-backed Kucinich’s action will mean the final House vote and the subsequent Senate passage will be pushed too on Friday evening. The White House is so certain of victory that US President George Bush is reportedly penciling in December 11 for a formal signing of the bill – in the House it is called the "Henry J Hyde US-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006 – into law. The heart of the bill is that it allows the US to provide nuclear technology and material to India’s civilian nuclear programme, ending a nearly 25-year-long boycott required by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty regime. Legally, it exempts India from fulfilling Section 123(a)2 of the US Atomic Energy Act which said cooperation was possible only when India put all its nuclear facilities under international inspection – in other words surrender its nuclear arsenal. The US Congress explicitly accepts that New Delhi can have its nuclear cake and eat it too in the bill’s explanatory notes: “The conferees understand that US peaceful nuclear cooperation with India will not be intended to inhibit India’s nuclear weapons program.” The juggling was in Capitol Hill’s desire, as the notes say, to ensure the bill did not “assist” India’s nuclear weapons development. Another bit of balancing: carve a place within the NPT regime for India without leaving a hole big enough for the Irans and Pakistans of the world to crawl through. Most of the clauses and amendments that India had protested against were diluted or placed in the toothless, non-binding parts of the legislation. Draft clauses that held future cooperation hostage to tight monitoring systems and various “presidential certifications were demoted to a set of information summaries. Says South Asia analyst Lisa Curtis of the Heritage Foundation, "A presidential determination is binding, whereas a reporting requirement is merely a report by the administration to the Congress. There are literally, maybe thousands, of reporting requirements included in US legislation.” The so-called Sherman amendment of the House draft which called for an end to nuclear cooperation if India violated global missile or nuclear nonproliferation agreements, survives in Section 104(d) of the bill. But after protests that it conflates individuals with governments, it waives sanctions if it is clear the Indian government is not the guilty party. While the US keeps India within its worldwide ban on exporting reprocessing, enrichment and heavy water technology, the bill has a loophole in saying such technology could be made available in case of IAEA-approved research. India already has such knowhow, its interest would be future technological developments. Political scientist Sumit Ganguly of the University of Indiana, Bloomington, says, "This is no surprise. It would be impossible for the US to have granted carte blanche in this matter." The part of the bill that may cause problems in India will be the very little wiggle room it leaves for India in case there is another nuclear test. The bill makes it clear all bilateral cooperation would be off under such circumstances. However, the language seems to exclude subcritical nuclear testing from its strictures. "The testing issue is a red line for the Congress. One should not have expected major changes on this," says Curtis. The bill dilutes hopes the US would build up a "strategic fissile material reserve” for Indian reactors and that Washington would help to get other countries to help provide nuclear fuel if it did not do so. The latter is now restricted to a "market failure or other such reason.” Irritating clauses on Iran, fissile material caps and so on which had seen as trespassing on Indian sovereign decisions have all been bundled into non-binding sections of the bill. These are actually dropped from the text when the bill is signed by the US president and becomes law. Swadesh Chatterjee, a key Indian-American lobbyist for the bill, argued the text is “better than both the original House and Senate drafts." New Delhi did not get everything it wanted, he admits, "but not even the Israeli lobby can get 100 per cent of what it wants and India got 95 per cent." However the nonproliferation group is not displeased either. Michael Krepon of the Stimson Centre believes the bill indicates that Congress was able to "resist" Bush administration pressure. There is widespread agreement that the bill is a major turning point in Indo-US relations. William Cohen, Pentagon chief during the Clinton administration and strong proponent of the bill in Washington, said that “this intiative will advance the US-India relationship in multiple ways." Chatterjee agreed, calling the bill a “historic moment” and a “coming of age for the Indian-American community which showed what it could do if when it speaks with one voice." ||||| House of Representatives votes out hurdle in N-deal Aziz Haniffa in Washington, DC | December 09, 2006 01:17 IST Last Updated: December 09, 2006 12:53 IST The United States House of Representatives approved the conference committee enabling legislation to facilitate the US-India civilian nuclear agreement by a massive margin of 330-59. It sent the bill directly to the Senate, which is expected to also pass it unanimously by a voice vote. As was with the earlier House vote, Republicans voted in massive numbers for the bill with 193 Republicans voting for and 5 against while 135 Democrats voted for it and 53 against it. The remaining members did not vote. The passing of the rule means that when lawmakers debate the deal no new amendments will be allowed. What the lawmakers have done by approving this rule, established by the Rules Committee, is to set the parameters for the final debate on the civilian nuclear legislation on the floor of the House later in the day. The division on the rule came after a lone Democrat, Ohio's Dennis Kucinich, demanded the ayes and nays after the Chair ruled that the ayes had prevailed in the voice vote. "This is great news," Congressman Joseph Crowley, who was instrumental in pushing the bill, said. "With the final version of this legislation approved for this historic agreement between India and the United States to move forward, the Congress has provided realistic parameters for the benefit of both our nations. Now the ball falls into the President's and the Indian government's court to move forward, and ensure a positive relation between India and the United States well into this century." Congressman Tom Lantos, ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, said the he legislation will help fashion a partnership with India to further US nonproliferation goals. "The passage of the conference report will also adopt the implementing legislation for the US-IAEA Additional Protocol. That legislation will finally allow us to bring that Protocol into force, which will promote the US goal of all states adopting the enhanced safeguards contained in the Additional Protocol," he said. ||||| WASHINGTON: US lawmakers on Friday gave a final stamp of approval for a landmark nuclear cooperation initiative envisaged by the governments in Washington and New Delhi, paving way for ending India's three-decade long nuclear isolation. Following the passage of the so-called Henry J Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006 (named after a retiring Congressman who co-wrote the bill), President Bush is expected to sign it into law in a White House ceremony on Monday. Amending US law will be a major -- but not the only -- step in re-opening the doors of nuclear commerce to India that was shut ever tighter after it first conducted a nuclear test in 1974. Consequent to the amended US law, New Delhi has to conclude a bilateral agreement called the 123 Agreement with Washington, engage the IAEA, and seek changes to the rules of the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group. But getting the US to change its law is the biggest step, since Washington led the nuclear apartheid regime and is the only country to have written the nuclear blockade of India into laws. The US having now relaxed its laws and recommended nuclear commerce with this conditional India-specific bill, New Delhi, despite not being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) can now buy much-needed nuclear fuel and new technology to upgrade its under-performing and undernourished civilian nuclear energy sector. Opponents and supporters of the nuclear deal, critics and partisans of the legislation, will find plenty to quibble and argue about in the 109-page compromise bill arrived at on Thursday by the Senate and Congress and placed for voting on Friday. Laden with numbing bureaucratese and legalese, littered with sections, sub-sections, clauses, sub-clauses and footnotes, it has enough statements, caveats, and requirements to make heads spin. But here's the bottomline for the fearful and the paranoid as written by lawmakers in an explanatory background paper attached to the bill: "US peaceful nuclear cooperation with India will not be intended to inhibit India's nuclear weapons programme. At the same time, such cooperation must be conducted in a manner that does not assist the programme." In one stroke, lawmakers address the primary concern of the most trenchant critics of the deal both in India and U.S -- those who believe US wants to quietly undermine India's nuclear weapons arsenal and those who fear the deal will help the arsenal grow. Several other explanatory notes also explicitly acknowledge India's nuclear weapons status and its immutability in the context of its security environment.
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The United States House of Representatives has passed the resolution seeking to implement the US-India Civilian Nuclear Cooperation agreement. The bill was passed with a huge margin in which representatives voted 330 in favour of the agreement and 59 against the agreement. The resolution, in the 109-page compromise bill, based on high marginal support of the House-Senate conferees, will be sent directly to the US Senate which is also expected to also pass it unanimously by a voice vote today, before the Congress goes into Christmas recess. The deal offers India US nuclear technology in exchange for inspectors' access to Indian civilian reactors. The accord is hailed as historic by many of the representatives, but critics said that it will damage efforts. Democratic congressman said, "India is a state that should be at the very centre of our foreign policy and our attention." He added that a partnership with India would help in regulation of the peaceful and responsible spread of nuclear power. Represenative from Illinois , who is the co-writer of the bill, argued that the conference report, titled "Henty J Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006", is a judicious balance of competing all priorities and accommodates the concerns of administration. He added that President George Bush is expected to sign it into law in a White House ceremony on Monday, if the bill passed by Senate. Representative from New York , who was instrumental in pushing the bill, said, "With the final version of this legislation approved for this historic agreement between India and the United States to move forward, the Congress has provided realistic parameters for the benefit of both our nations. Now the ball falls into the President's and the Indian government's court to move forward, and ensure a positive relation between India and the United States well into this century." Representative from California , who is from the Democratic Party, opposed the bill and said that it would lead to problems by way of doing lasting damage to more than 30-years of . The law will allow the nuclear cooperation between India and United States after more than 30 years. After the bill is passed, the Indian government will have to conclude a bilateral agreement with the and engage with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). India and the IAEA have already concluded an agreement requiring the application of IAEA safeguards in perpetuity in accordance with IAEA standards, principles, and practices (including IAEA Board of Governors Document GOV/1621 (1973)) to India's civil nuclear facilities, materials, and programs, as discussed in the Section 104 (b) (2) of the bill. , who is visiting India, anticipated a very successful and supportive bill. Supporters of the compromise bill, backed by the United States are quite confident that the bill would be acceptable to India.
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Faster higher stronger was China's Olympic promise When the Olympics hosted by Beijing ended, a collector snapped up the 5,000 condoms left over from the 100,000 distributed free to athletes. The collection has now been put up for a one-off auction, with a starting price of one yuan ($0.15; £0.08) each. Each condom wrapper carries the motto of the Beijing Games - faster, higher, stronger - in English and Chinese. The sale will also feature other Olympics memorabilia, the China Daily newspaper reported. Shy bidders The entire lot of 5,000 must be purchased by one buyer at the Exceptional Auction of China Sport Collection on 29 November. "The move is to grab more attention from the public to promote the awareness of safe sex and the prevention of HIV/Aids," said Guo Lei of the Sport Collection of China Collector Association, the auction's host. Condoms have been handed out to Olympic athletes since Barcelona hosted the Games in 1992. Some potential buyers might be reluctant to bid for the condoms but being married might help, said Mr Guo. "Although anyone married should be interested for their practical use, some people will be too shy to bid for the condoms," the paper quoted him as saying. The owner of the condoms, sport memorabilia collector Zhao Xiaokai, is also selling a torch autographed by Brazilian football legend Pele and a Chinese medicine case from the 1936 Games. ||||| Relax News There was apparently not quite as much fun and games being played as expected by organizers at last year's Beijing Olympics with news breaking that a stash of 5,000 leftover "Olympic condoms'' will be placed up for auction. One man went around the games collecting everything he could lay his hands on and has now decided to put the lot up for auction -- at the China International Exhibition Centre on November 29 (details in Chinese can be found on http://www.ticang.com). And that includes what remains of the 100,000 condoms distributed throughout the Athletes Village last year. And a representative of the Sport Collection of China Collector Association -- which is hosting the auction -- told Chinese media Thursday the opening price for the condoms would be one yuan (0.09 euros) and that the buyer must agree to purchase the entire batch. No mention was made, however, of what size the condoms were or even which particular group of athletes failed to make use of their allotted quota. "The auction of condoms is the first time in the country,'' Guo Lei told the China Daily newspaper. "The move is to grab the attention of the public to promote the awareness of safe sex and the prevention of HIV/Aids.'' Zhao Xiaokai, who has made a living from collecting Olympic-themed items, has also put an autographed Olympic torch, signed by Brazilian footballing legend Pele, and a medicine case from the 1936 Berlin Olympics up for sale. Olympic memorabilia has been in the global news this week with reports coming out of Canada that torches being used in the Winter Olympics relay are being put up for sale -- four months before the Vancouver Games are even set to begin. According to the Globe and Mail newspaper one dealer in Greece -- where the flame was carried for eight days before heading off on a flight to Canada -- has offered a torch on the internet sales/auction site eBay for US$2,000 (€1,343) and others are posting notes on similar websites offering their torches "to the highest bidder'' before they have even been carried. There are an estimated 12,000 torch-bearers lined up to run legs of the Olympic torch's 45,000-kilometer journey across Canada before the Winter Olympics open on February 12, 2010. MS ||||| Relax News There was apparently not quite as much fun and games being played as expected by organizers at last year's Beijing Olympics with news breaking that a stash of 5,000 leftover "Olympic condoms'' will be placed up for auction. One man went around the games collecting everything he could lay his hands on and has now decided to put the lot up for auction -- at the China International Exhibition Centre on November 29 (details in Chinese can be found on http://www.ticang.com). And that includes what remains of the 100,000 condoms distributed throughout the Athletes Village last year. And a representative of the Sport Collection of China Collector Association -- which is hosting the auction -- told Chinese media Thursday the opening price for the condoms would be one yuan (0.09 euros) and that the buyer must agree to purchase the entire batch. No mention was made, however, of what size the condoms were or even which particular group of athletes failed to make use of their allotted quota. "The auction of condoms is the first time in the country,'' Guo Lei told the China Daily newspaper. "The move is to grab the attention of the public to promote the awareness of safe sex and the prevention of HIV/Aids.'' Zhao Xiaokai, who has made a living from collecting Olympic-themed items, has also put an autographed Olympic torch, signed by Brazilian footballing legend Pele, and a medicine case from the 1936 Berlin Olympics up for sale. Olympic memorabilia has been in the global news this week with reports coming out of Canada that torches being used in the Winter Olympics relay are being put up for sale -- four months before the Vancouver Games are even set to begin. According to the Globe and Mail newspaper one dealer in Greece -- where the flame was carried for eight days before heading off on a flight to Canada -- has offered a torch on the internet sales/auction site eBay for US$2,000 (€1,343) and others are posting notes on similar websites offering their torches "to the highest bidder'' before they have even been carried. There are an estimated 12,000 torch-bearers lined up to run legs of the Olympic torch's 45,000-kilometer journey across Canada before the Winter Olympics open on February 12, 2010. MS
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Sports memorabilia collector Zhao Xiaokai has amassed 5,000 condoms left over from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and is offering them for sale at auction. Each condom is stamped with the motto of the Olympics in English and in Chinese: "faster, higher, stronger". The Beijing Olympics condoms are offered for sale as part of an auction of Olympic memorabilia. Starting price is one yuan, which is equivalent to US$0.15 or £0.08. The condoms will be sold as a batch. 2008 Summer Olympics The 5,000 Olympic condoms are the remainder of a 100,000 production run that were distributed free of charge to athletes who competed in the games. Olympic organizers have been providing free condoms to athletes since the Barcelona Olympics of 1992. This is the first time that condoms have been sold at public auction in China. Guo Lei of the Sport Collection of China Collector Association, which hosts the auction, told the press that the condom portion of the auction is intended to raise public awareness of HIV and AIDS, although he also expressed concerns that potential buyers may be too embarrassed to bid. Zhao Xiaokai is offering several other items for sale in the same auction, including an Olympic torch signed by Brazilian footballer Pelé. Neither the collector nor the auction organizers have disclosed which athletes provided the unused condoms.
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By Staff • 18th August 2009 Neville Chamberlain’s diary from September 1939 is to be the highlight of a major new exhibition at London’s Imperial Museum marking the outbreak of World War II. Outbreak 1939 will also feature a letter from Chamberlain to his sister describing the events that led to the eventual declaration of war and the declaration of war from Lord Halifax to Germany on 3 September. Visitors will also be able to see the jacket belonging to King George VI which he wore during his famous broadcast to the nation. The free exhibition will be supported by a book, Outbreak 1939 – The World Goes To War, published by Virgin Books on 27 August 2009. A companion documentary on ITV1 will feature contributions from relatives of major wartime figures no longer with us including Churchill’s daughter Lady Soames, and his grandson Winston Churchill; Neville Chamberlain’s grandson Francis; Charles de Gaulle’s nephew Bernard: and the Countess Mountbatten of Burma. For more information about how the Imperial War Museum is marking the seventieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War across the UK visit: www.iwm.org.uk/wardeclared ||||| Outbreak 20 August 2009 to August 2010. Free admission. At 11.15am on 3 September 1939, the British public heard Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announce that Britain and France were at war with Germany. Seventy years after the announcement that signified the start of the Second World War and changed the lives of millions, this special exhibition explores how being a nation at war shaped the lives of ordinary men and women as well as those who were actively involved in the political negotiations and their aftermath. Historical material and personal memorabilia will illustrate the build-up to war, an hour-by-hour countdown of events on 3 September, and the early months of the conflict. In association with
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The personal diaries of British wartime Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain are to go on display at the Imperial War Museum in London. Beginning on August 20, 2009, a free exhibition, marking the 70th anniversary of the declaration of WWII, will allow visitors to have an unprecedented insight into the mind of the Prime Minister at the helm of the government when war was declared on September 3, 1939. His entry for that day, a note scribbled in pencil reads simply: "''War declared''." With the diaries, a letter to his sister detailing the preparations for war, and the declaration letter itself, written by Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax. The centrepiece at the exhibition will be accompanied by King George IV's jacket worn on his television appearance, and other previously unseen memorabilia from the period in the immediate run up to the Second World War. A book, entitled ''The World Goes To War'', is to be published on August 27, 2009 to accompany the exhibition. Also, a television documentary will be broadcast on UK network ITV1.
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AT least 30 people died when their bus crashed, rolled over and broke in two in central Cameroon, police said Sunday,adding that the toll could rise. "At the scene we've identified around 30 bodies but the death toll could be much greater given that some of the injured evacuated before we arrived reportedly died," local traffic police official said. The accident happened overnight Saturday near Bafia, around 85 miles north of the capital Yaounde. "The bus lost control," Mr Idrissou said, and "200 meters [yards] further on the bus hit a ditch. It rolled over several times." "The impact was so powerful that the bus broke in two," he said. It was not known how many passengers were aboard the bus at the time of the accident. ||||| The bus lost control and hit a ditch, about 135km from the capital Yaounde, before rolling down a hill [AFP] The bus lost control and hit a ditch, about 135km from the capital Yaounde, before rolling down a hill [AFP] A bus crash in Cameroon has killed at least 30 people after rolling down a hill. The bus broke in two in the accident in central Cameroon overnight on Saturday, police said. Authorities said that the death toll may rise.
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At least thirty people are dead in Cameroon after a bus rolled over, reports say. The accident happened on Saturday near the city of , 135 kilometres or so north of the capital . The accident happened when the bus lost control, rolled down a hill into a ditch, and broke in half. Officials say the death toll may increase. Traffic police official Fifen Idrissou told the Agence France-Presse news service: "At the scene we've identified around 30 bodies but the death toll could be much greater given that some of the injured evacuated before we arrived reportedly died. The bus lost control ... 200 metres further on the bus hit a ditch. It rolled over several times," he said. It wasn't immediately clear how many people were aboard the bus when it crashed.
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Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Kevin Pietersen has succeeded Michael Vaughan as England cricket captain. Following Vaughan's shock resignation on Sunday, the 28-year-old's appointment was confirmed by national selector Geoff Miller at Lord's. Pietersen will captain both the Test and one-day sides and will lead England in the final Test against South Africa at The Oval on Thursday. He said: "I'm very thrilled and excited to have been given the opportunity to captain England." The South Africa-born batsman, who becomes England's 74th Test captain, had been widely tipped to take over from Vaughan and one-day captain Paul Collingwood, who also stood down on Sunday following England's Test series defeat to South Africa. Kevin is a world-class player who will command the respect of the dressing room and I am sure he will be looking to lead from the front England national selector Geoff Miller Pietersen, who has played 40 Tests for England and burst onto the international stage in the famous Ashes win over Australia in 2005, added: "It's a huge honour and a terrific challenge for me at this stage of my international career. "I have learned a great deal about leadership from playing under both Michael and Paul and fully appreciate the level of responsibility that comes with the job of captaining your country. "My immediate priority will be this week's fourth npower Test and I will be devoting all my energies to ensuring that the team are properly prepared and play to their full potential, starting on Thursday." Pietersen has captained England before, in the recent final one-day match against New Zealand, which England lost. TMS: BLOG Making Pietersen Vaughan's successor is both the obvious choice and the biggest gamble BBC Sport's Oliver Brett Miller, together with selectors Ashley Giles and James Whittaker and England coach Peter Moores, sat down on Sunday to decide on Vaughan's successor. Other potential captains whose names were in the frame were Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook and Kent skipper Rob Key. Miller said: "In choosing a new captain, we were keen to identify a player who could lead the team in all three forms of cricket and bring fresh enthusiasm and ideas to the role of captain. "Kevin is a world-class player who will command the respect of the dressing room and I am sure he will be looking to lead from the front and work closely with both the players and the coaching staff to bring England success in the future." With Vaughan deciding not to play in the final Test, England have made one change to the squad with Essex's Ravi Bopara replacing him. England also announced the squad for five one-day internationals with all-rounder Andrew Flintoff returning in place of Hampshire's Dimitri Mascarenhas. We need to unite and get onto the same hymn sheet Pietersen on his relationship with Peter Moores Sussex wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior has earned a recall as a replacement for Tim Ambrose while uncapped Nottinghamshire all-rounder Samit Patel is included for the first time. Pietersen started his tenure as England captain praising his predecessor Vaughan. "What a great man he was as a skipper - They are huge boots to fill and I'll try to give it the best possible go I can," said the new captain. "He was a great leader, he brought me into the side and I always tried to the best I could for a great man." Pietersen said he would look to the senior players for advice but wanted to stamp his own captaincy style on the national team and he did not believe his own form would suffer because of the extra burden. "I will always respect what has happened in the past and I will always respect what Michael did and what my predecessors did," he said. "I will always look for advice because I'm new in this job and I've had calls and messages from the senior players in the squad. From what I'm hearing (Kent captain) Rob Key was in second place BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew "Once you have the support of the lads around you, you can't ask for any more. "But I'll have my own ways and it's very exciting. It's a brand new test and a bright new challenge for me." There have been suggestions Pietersen has had a strained relationship with coach Moores but he insisted they would have no trouble working as a team. "I don't think I would be sitting here today if I wasn't 100% confident that everything is going to be perfectly fine," said Pietersen. "Yesterday I sat down with Peter and we had a really good discussion on how we want to take this team forward. "My position as a player to becoming captain is now totally different and we need to unite and get onto the same hymn sheet and we need to get this team going forward." BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew said that once the selectors had decided to appoint one captain for all forms of the international game, Pietersen was the logical choice. "He was the only real candidate once the selectors decided there was only going to be one captain - that was the big decision," said Agnew. "From what I'm hearing (Kent captain) Rob Key was in second place, if you like. I'm not saying it was a close contest between Pietersen and Key at all, I don't think it was. "But because they wanted that starting point of a unified captain, Key was higher up the pecking order, I think, even than Andrew Strauss." Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? ||||| Captaincy won't change my style, says Pietersen (AFP) – Aug 4, 2008 LONDON (AFP) — New England captain Kevin Pietersen said Monday that he wanted to take his "instinct" approach as a batsman into his new role as leader of the team. Pietersen, 28, was announced as England's Test and one-day captain, starting with the fourth and final Test against South Africa at the Oval from Thursday. He said he did not believe the captaincy would affect the way he played. "Time will tell. I hope it won't. It's a way I've been successful with so far in my career and something I want to try and keep at a real high level." Asked what style he would bring to the captaincy, Pietersen said: "The way I play is very gut instinct orientated and I like to do things spontaneously. I like to do what I feel is right in a situation. "I think over the years I've played cricket I've gained a good cricket brain. My gut instinct when I've been batting for England has assisted me tremendously. It's a brand new challenge for me and I love challenges." He said he would captain England "with a smile on my face". Pietersen paid tribute to Michael Vaughan, who resigned Sunday, and said he had "huge boots to try and fill. Michael was a great leader and a great friend." He believed that Vaughan remained a great batsman and that after he had taken some time off he would go back to county cricket for Yorkshire and win back a place in the England team. He said the invitation to captain England had turned his life around. He said he accepted the job after speaking to his wife Jessica and his parents in South Africa. "You could see how emotional Michael was when he spoke about his family and it's an emotional decision," said Pietersen, who said he had a good meeting with coach Peter Moores on Sunday. "He likes to challenge us on a daily basis. There are a lot of strong characters in the dressing room and a lot of opinionated people. I sat down with Peter and we had a real good discussion about how we want to take this team forward. I think my position from a player to a captain is totally different and we need to unite and to get on the same hymn sheet." He said he would lean on people like Vaughan. "I will always respect what happened in the past and I will always ask for advice. I'm fresh into this and I will need some help. One of the most exciting things is that I have had text messages and phone calls from senior members in the squad who have said they are right behind me." Chairman of selectors Geoff Miller confirmed that uniting the Test and one-day captaincy was something he had wanted to achieve. Paul Collingwood resigned from the one-day captaincy Sunday. Miller announced only one change in England's 13-man squad for the final Test against South Africa, with batsman Ravi Bopara replacing Vaughan, which he said was a sign that there was no panic from the selectors with England trailing the four-match series 2-0. He said the selectors had not contemplated a change of captaincy before Vaughan's resignation. Nottinghamshire batsman Samit Patel is the only uncapped player in a 15-man squad for a Twenty20 international and five one-day internationals against South Africa. Wicketkeeper Matt Prior has been recalled. Pietersen was quoted recently as expressing doubts about travelling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy next month. He has also been linked with the Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition. Asked how the captaincy would affect his participation, he said: "I haven't even thought that far ahead. My concern this week is about how we can salvage pride from this series." Pietersen was born and raised in South Africa and played for the Natal provincial team as an off-spin bowler and hard-hitting lower order batsman. Disenchanted with South Africa's racial quota system he joined Nottinghamshire in 2001, where he quickly established himself as a top order batsman. Entitled to a British passport through his English-born mother, he qualified for England in September 2004 and was almost immediately picked for England's one-day side for a series in Zimbabwe. He made such an impact there that he was drafted into the squad for a one-day series in South Africa and despite being jeered by the local crowds he made three centuries in seven matches to announce himself as a player of quality and big-match temperament. He made his Test debut against Australia in 2005 and played a major role in England's winning of the Ashes, notably with his innings of 158 in the final Test at the Oval. Despite being criticised for sometimes being too aggressive and impetuous he has hit 13 centuries in his 42 Test matches and has an average of 50.36, placing himself in the top bracket of international players. Pietersen holed out to long-on when he was on 94 in the third Test at Edgbaston last week. Asked whether he might have played differently if he had been captain, he said: "Hopefully I am going to bat exactly the same way. The way Colly (Paul Collingwood) and I played is exactly the way you need to play against South Africa and against Australia. You have to be positive and aggressive." England squads: Fourth Test against South Africa: Kevin Pietersen (captain), Tim Ambrose, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, Monty Panesar, Ryan Sidebottom, Andrew Strauss. Twenty20 international and one-day series: Pietersen (captain), Anderson, Bell, Bopara, Broad, Collingwood, Cook, Flintoff, Samit Patel, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, Luke Wright. Copyright © 2013 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
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Today the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that Kevin Pietersen MBE has been chosen to be the new England Cricket captain. "I'm very thrilled and excited to have been given the opportunity to captain England," Pietersen told the ''BBC''. He said that he would approach his captaincy like he approached his batting. Michael Vaughan, Pietersen's predecessor, resigned Sunday in what the ''BBC'' has described as a "shock." During the news conference, the new captain paid tribute to his predecessor and said that the last few days had been an emotional time.
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President Obama is continuing what has become a dizzying reach-out to the Muslim world and the Middle East. Having used his inaugural speech to promise Muslims a “new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect,” he gave his first television interview as president—on only his sixth full day in office—to an Arab channel, the Saudi-backed, Dubai-based al-Arabiya. The interview follows the appointment of an Arab-American, former Sen. George Mitchell, as the Obama administration's Middle East envoy. It's important for Americans as well as the people of the Middle East to understand how very significant Obama's early moves are. He's now made it clear that he has every intention of taking a new approach to the region. Here's what we learned in the al-Arabiya interview, conducted by veteran journalist, Washington Bureau Chief Hisham Melhem: Obama is critical of past U.S. Middle East policy, including insensitivity to the perspectives of the people in the region. All too often the United States starts by dictating -- in the past on some of these issues -- and we don't always know all the factors that are involved. So let's listen…. What we want to do is to listen, set aside some of the preconceptions that have existed and have built up over the last several years. And I think if we do that, then there's a possibility at least of achieving some breakthroughs… We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect. But if you look at the track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that. And that I think is going to be an important task. Obama is not kidding when he says he intends to plunge into peacemaking immediately. We cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what's best for them. They're going to have to make some decisions. But I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people. And that instead, it's time to return to the negotiating table. People are going to judge me not by my words but by my actions and my administration's actions. We're not going to wait until the end of my administration to deal with Palestinian and Israeli peace, we're going to start now. It may take a long time to do, but we're going to do it now. Obama seems to see the need to address the legitimate interests of Arabs in the Middle East conflict, but he's going to judge their position based on their actions and not merely their words. I might not agree with every aspect of the [Arab peace plan sponsored by Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud in 2002], but it took great courage to put forward something that is as significant as that. I also believe that there are Israelis who recognize that it is important to achieve peace. They will be willing to make sacrifices if the time is appropriate and if there is serious partnership on the other side. Obama seems intent on winning over the Arab world, to bolster U.S. credibility in pushing his Middle East policy, by leveraging his personal popularity on the Muslim street based largely on his Muslim roots and underdog image and by effectively campaigning for support among Muslims as he did for American voters. This could have a significant impact on his ability to win backing for compromises from the Arab world needed to achieve peace. The Arab street as well as Arab governments were skeptical even of Bush's better Middle East initiatives simply because they didn't trust him. My job is to communicate the fact that the United States has a stake in the well-being of the Muslim world, that the language we use has to be a language of respect. I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries. My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We're going to follow through on our commitment for me to address the Muslim world from a Muslim capital. We are going to follow through on many of my commitments to do a more effective job of reaching out, listening, as well as speaking to the Muslim world. To the broader Muslim world what we are going to be offering is a hand of friendship. As part of his endeavor to show respect, Obama seeks to assure Muslims and educate Americans about the distinction between Muslim extremists and Muslims who disagree with American policy. He's saying that the war on terrorism is not a war on Islam, that not all Muslims are terrorists and not all terrorists are Muslims. My job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives. What we need to understand is, is that there are extremist organizations -- whether Muslim or any other faith in the past -- that will use faith as a justification for violence. We cannot paint with a broad brush a faith as a consequence of the violence that is done in that faith's name… And so you will I think see our administration be very clear in distinguishing between organizations like al Qaeda -- that espouse violence, espouse terror and act on it -- and people who may disagree with my administration and certain actions, or may have a particular viewpoint in terms of how their countries should develop. We can have legitimate disagreements but still be respectful. --By Scott MacLeod/Cairo ||||| Obama extends diplomatic hand to Muslim world WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President Barack Obama told the Muslim world that "Americans are not your enemy" as he urged Israelis and Palestinians to return to the negotiating table and offered a diplomatic hand to Iranian leaders if they "unclenched their fist." In an interview with the Al-Arabiya satellite television network on Monday, Obama, a week after his historic inauguration as the country's first African-American president, also renewed his pledge to travel to make an address in the capital of a major Muslim nation. Obama noted he had lived in Indonesia for several years while growing up and said his travels through Muslim nations had convinced him that regardless of faith, people had certain common hopes and dreams. "My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy -- we sometimes make mistakes -- we have not been perfect," Obama said in the Al-Arabiya TV interview. "But if you look at the track record... America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that." Obama was asked about the highly personal tone of recent Al-Qaeda messages released since he was elected president in November. He agreed with his interviewer that the tone of recent videos seemed "nervous". "What that tells me is that their ideas are bankrupt," he said. Obama, who has promised to directly address Middle East questions at the start of his presidency rather than waiting for years like his predecessor George W. Bush, said he did not want expectations raised too high for swift progress for Middle East peace, following the Israeli war against Hamas in Gaza. But he said he believes "that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people. "Instead, it's time to return to the negotiating table." The new US president had earlier met with new US Mideast envoy George Mitchell at the White House along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Mitchell left Tuesday for a mission to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, London and Paris. "If we start the steady progress on these issues, I'm absolutely confident that the United States, working in tandem with the European Union, with Russia, with all the Arab States in the region -- I'm absolutely certain that we can make significant progress," Obama told the Dubai-based network. Obama also said in the interview that the United States would in the next few months lay out a general framework of policy towards Tehran. "As I said in my inauguration speech, if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us." "It is very important for us to make sure that we are using all the tools of US power, including diplomacy, in our relationship with Iran," Obama said. Earlier, Susan Rice, the new US ambassador to the United Nations made her debut and pledged "vigorous" and "direct" nuclear diplomacy with Iran but warned of increased pressure if Tehran refuses to halt uranium enrichment. "We will look at what is necessary and appropriate with respect to maintaining pressure toward that goal of ending Iran's nuclear program," she added. "Dialogue and diplomacy must go hand in hand with a very firm message from the United States and the international community that Iran needs to meet its obligations as defined by the Security Council and its continued refusal to do so will only cause pressure to increase." The five permanent members of the Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany have offered Tehran economic and energy incentives in exchange for halting its uranium enrichment program, which the West sees as a cover to acquire a nuclear weapons capability. Copyright © 2013 AFP. All rights reserved. More » ||||| President Obama expressed optimism yesterday about the prospect of peace between Israel and the Palestinians, but he said a peace accord will take time and require new thinking about the problems of the Middle East as a whole. Obama's comments came during his first formal television interview as president, with a correspondent from al-Arabiya, the Dubai-based satellite network aimed at Arab audiences. The president sat for the interview, at the White House, moments after officially dispatching George J. Mitchell, his special envoy for Middle East peace, to the region last evening. "All too often the United States starts by dictating -- in the past on some of these issues -- and we don't always know all the factors that are involved," Obama told al-Arabiya. "So let's listen. He's going to be speaking to all the major parties involved. And he will then report back to me. From there we will formulate a specific response." Mitchell will be on the road until Feb. 3, according to the State Department. He will travel to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France and England. He also hopes to go to Istanbul, the site of talks between Israel and Syria. "The administration will actively and aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as Israel and its neighbors," said State Department spokesman Robert Wood. In the television interview, Obama reiterated U.S. support for Israel, calling it "a strong ally of the United States" and saying he will "continue to believe that Israel's security is paramount." But in tone, his comments were a stark departure from those of former president George W. Bush, who often described the Middle East conflict in terms that drew criticism from Palestinians. By contrast, Obama went out of his way to say that if America is "ready to initiate a new partnership [with the Muslim world] based on mutual respect and mutual interest, then I think that we can make significant progress." The president declined to reveal where he plans to give his first major speech in a foreign country. In the past he had said he would speak in a Muslim capital sometime within the first 100 days of his administration. And he reiterated a point from his inaugural address: He plans to reach out to Muslims around the world who are willing to "unclench your fist" but will go after terrorists who continue to be bent on destruction. "Now, my job is to communicate the fact that the United States has a stake in the well-being of the Muslim world, that the language we use has to be a language of respect. I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries," Obama said in the interview. He said that the United States must be "willing to talk to Iran" and that he would lay out a "framework" for those discussions over the next several months. Wood said Mitchell will not have contact with Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, but he did not rule out the possibility that Mitchell would also visit Syria or travel to Gaza. Mitchell's quick start -- just four days after he was named -- appears designed to showcase the administration's determination that it will engage more vigorously on Middle East peace than did the Bush administration. "The cause of peace in the Middle East is important to the United States and our national interests. It's important to me personally," Obama told reporters while meeting with Mitchell and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the White House before Mitchell's departure.
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President Barack Obama of the United States had his first full interview since his inauguration, on Al Arabiya television. The Dubai television network in the United Arab Emirates had exclusive access to the President. Barack Obama in his historic interview on Al Arabia. During the interview, Obama repeated a campaign promise to deliver a speech in a Muslim capital, and urged that the peace process between Israel and Palestine resume. "We cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what's best for them. They're going to have to make some decisions. But I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people," Obama said. The President pointed out that he had lived for years in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country. This experience taught him that people share the same hopes and dreams regardless of their faith, he said. "My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy — we sometimes make mistakes — we have not been perfect," said Obama. "But if you look at the track record... America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that." Obama also spoke about al-Qaeda and, according to Al Arabiya, former President George W. Bush's "war on terror". "What we need to understand is, is that there are extremist organizations — whether Muslim or any other faith in the past — that will use faith as a justification for violence. Our administration will be very clear in distinguishing between organizations like al Qaeda — that espouse violence, espouse terror and act on it — and people who may disagree with my administration and certain actions." Obama also stated that he "cannot respect terrorist organizations that would kill innocent civilians and we will hunt them down." On the topic of Iran, Obama stated that the country has not been conducive to peace, and that, "if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us." "If we start the steady progress on these issues, I'm absolutely confident that the United States, working in tandem with the European Union, with Russia, with all the Arab States in the region — I'm absolutely certain that we can make significant progress," Obama told the interviewer. Immediately prior to the interview, Obama met with George J. Mitchell, his special envoy to the Middle East. Mitchell then embarked on his diplomatic mission with visits to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France and the United Kingdom.
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El Senado reforma leyes para combatir el 'narcomenudeo' México despenaliza la posesión de drogas para uso personal Redacción México, DF., 29 de abril. Aunque eclipsada por el brote de gripe porcina que tiene a México en los noticiarios de todo el mundo, el Senado mexicano aprobó el martes con 87 votos a favor y 10 abstenciones, diversas modificaciones a la Ley General de Salud, al Código Penal Federal y al Código Federal de Procedimientos Penales, a fin de combatir la venta de drogas al menudeo.Las reformas prevén implementar programas de prevención del consumo de narcóticos y no es persecutoria del consumidor, por lo que establece las dosis máximas de droga que una persona puede portar para su consumo sin ser castigada. A saber, 2 gramos de opio, 50 miligramos de heroína, 5 gramos de marihuana, 500 miligramos de cocaína, 0.015 miligramos de LSD y 40 miligramos de metanfetaminas.La despenalización del uso de drogas era una reivindicación de los sectores de izquierda del país, que consideran que las armas no son el único camino para terminar con la violencia del narcotráfico, que el año pasado se cobró alrededor de 6.000 vidas. Por eso la votación del Senado sorprendió al país. El partido en el Gobierno (PAN) y la sociedad mexicana en su conjunto son de tradición conservadora.El nuevo marco legal otorga facultades a las fiscalías locales (ministerios públicos de los estados) para investigar la venta de drogas en pequeñas cantidades. Hasta ahora sólo las fuerzas federales estaban habilitadas para combatir el tráfico de drogas a todos los niveles, pues el narcotráfico está catalogado como delito federal.Según la nueva ley, los policías estatales y federales podrán poner trampas a los vendedores mediante la compra de narcóticos y lograr la detención de los responsables de su tráfico.Sin embargo, el secretario de la Comisión de Justicia del Senado, Tomás Torres Mercado (PRD, izquierda), exigió que el Gobierno federal vigile el cumplimiento de estas reformas “para que no se conviertan en una desgracia para la población”.Redacción - Agencias ||||| MEXICO CITY, April 28 (Reuters) - Mexico's Senate approved a bill on Tuesday decriminalizing possession of small amounts of narcotics for personal use, in order to free resources to fight violent drug cartels.The bill, proposed by conservative President Felipe Calderon, would make it legal to carry up to 5 grams (0.18 ounces) of marijuana, 500 milligrams (0.018 ounces) of cocaine and tiny quantities of other drugs such as heroin and methamphetamines.Mexico's Congress passed a similar proposal in 2006 but the bill was vetoed by Calderon's predecessor Vicente Fox, under pressure from the United States, which said it would increase drug abuse, but now is worried by the drug-related violence along its border.Calderon has staked his presidency on curtailing the escalating violence between rival drug gangs as they fight over smuggling routes to the United States, with violence spilling into U.S. cities like Phoenix and Tucson.Calderon was praised by U.S. President Barack Obama this month for his army crackdown in a visit to the Mexican capital and Washington is sending more agents to its side of the border to curb the flow of guns and cash to the cartels.Drug violence has killed 2,000 people this year across Mexico after 6,300 deaths in 2008.The bill, which needs to be approved by the lower house, also allows Mexican states to convict small-time drug dealers, no longer making it a federal crime to peddle drugs. Drug dealers are rarely convicted in Mexico as federal courts are saturated with bigger cases and local judges cannot interfere.Mexico's Congress convenes for a final session before its recess on Thursday but may call an extraordinary session given the outbreak of deadly swine flu in the country that has forced lawmakers to hold sessions behind closed doors to prevent further contagion. (Reporting by Miguel Angel Gutierrez, editing by Patricia Zengerle)
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On Tuesday, April 28, the Senate of Mexico approved a bill that would decriminalize the possession of small quantities of psychoactive drugs for personal use, including marijuana and cocaine. The proposed law has the support of President Felipe Calderón. It awaits approval by the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Mexico's legislature. The tribune of the Mexican Senate. The bill, which passed with 87 votes and 10 abstentions, would make it legal to carry quantities up to 5 grams of marijuana, 500 milligrams of cocaine, 50 milligrams of heroin, or 40 milligrams of methamphetamines for personal use. Those found with greater quantities or convicted of the intent to distribute or sell any quantity of the specified drugs face a sentence of 5–15 years of prison. The Mexican Congress passed a similar bill in 2006, but it was vetoed by then-president Vicente Fox under pressure from the administration of former United States president George W. Bush. The 2009 bill would authorize local authorities to investigate drug trafficking. Previously, the classification of drug trafficking as a federal offense prevented local authorities from enforcing drug laws and made it difficult to convict drug dealers: Mexico's federal courts are overwhelmed by bigger cases. The bill would also offer voluntary treatment to drug addicts. Those detained three times for drug possession would be sent to a rehabilitation center for mandatory treatment.
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Mr Walsh will take over at BA in September BA said Mr Walsh would take over from current chief executive Rod Eddington on his retirement in September. BA chairman Martin Broughton said Mr Eddington had "performed miracles" at the airline and had "transformed our business beyond recognition". He added that in appointing Mr Walsh "we have captured the very best person for the job". 'Outstanding opportunity' Mr Walsh said the move was "an outstanding opportunity to be at the helm of what many people see as the best airline in the world and I'm very excited at the prospect of joining the team". Many commentators have rightly said that Rod Eddington will be a hard act to follow Martin Broughton, BA chairman Check BA's share price Profile: Willie Walsh The 43-year-old left Aer Lingus in January - several months ahead of his anticipated departure date - along with several of his senior colleagues. He was reported to be frustrated that the airline remained in public ownership and to have been in talks about setting up a rival airline, leading to accusations of a conflict of interest. Mr Walsh denied any conflict of interest but declined to confirm or deny that he had been planning to set up a rival carrier. He joined Aer Lingus as a 17-year-old cadet pilot in 1979, becoming chief executive in 2001. He took over as airlines flew into a sharp business downturn following the September 11 attacks and was responsible for repositioning Aer Lingus as an airline with lower fares, fewer frills and fewer staff. Turbulent Mr Eddington joined BA in May 2000 and one of his early decisions was to bring back the union flag on the planes' tail fins. Since taking the helm, Mr Eddington has endured some turbulent times, following the Concorde disaster, the post-September 11 travel slump and the Sars epidemic. He also led the airline's "Future Size and Shape" review - which led to more than 13,000 jobs being axed and an overhaul of BA's route network. However, the changes did lead to some problems at the airline, with staff staging wildcat strikes over changes to working practises, while staff shortages during the summer led to serious delays and flight cancellations. BA later apologised for the chaos, with Mr Eddington admitting the company "got it wrong". Driving out costs Mr Broughton was full of praise for Mr Eddington's performance. "Rod has transformed our business beyond recognition through his determined focus to drive out costs whilst ensuring the airline never loses sight of the highest standards of customer service," he said. "Many commentators have rightly said that Rod Eddington will be a hard act to follow but I am completely confident that in Willie we have captured the very best person for the job." Mr Broughton said Mr Walsh's success in leading Aer Lingus back into profit proved he was up to the task, adding "many commentators expected Aer Lingus to follow airlines such as Swissair and Sabena into oblivion". Shares in British Airways rose on the news to close 1.63% higher at 281 pence. ||||| The former Aer Lingus boss, Willie Walsh, has been named as the new Chief Executive of British Airways. Mr Walsh left the top job at Aer Lingus earlier this year and will join Europe's second largest airline as Chief Executive designate on 3 May. He will replace the current Chief Executive of the British airline, Rod Eddington, when he retires at the end of September. Advertisement This morning's announcement confirms Mr Walsh's credentials in the top ranks of international aviation. The 43-year-old announced his resignation from Aer Lingus last November after withdrawing plans for a management buyout earlier in the year. He left the company in January amid speculation of his frustration at the failure of the Government to make a decision on the future financing and ownership structure at the airline. He is credited with turning Aer Lingus around from near collapse after the 11 September terrorist attacks to a company returning profits this year of over ¤100 million through a programme of low fares, cost-cutting and reducing over half the workforce. British Airways too has been through a drastic survival plan - slashing 13,000 jobs over the last three years. The Chairman of British Airways, Martin Broughton, said he was completely confident that Mr Walsh was the best person for the job. Mr Walsh said this was an outstanding opportunity to be at the helm of what many people see as the best airline in the world. ||||| Subscriber ID: Password: Forgot your ID and/or password? We can send you an e-mail to help you remember them. Sign-in help answers common questions about signing in. 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British Airways has named Willie Walsh as new CEO The British national airline, British Airways has announce that the former CEO of Aer Lingus, Willie Walsh is to be their new CEO. Mr Walsh is to replace the current CEO, Australian-born Rod Eddington in September after his retirement. Willie Walsh started as a cadet for Aer Lingus at the age of 17, later becoming a captain of the airline. In 1998, he became the chief-executive of the airline's charter subsidiary Furtura, and later in 2000 chief finance officer. In the wake of 11th September 2001, he became the chief-executive of Aer Lingus, itself. Worried about what happen to Swissair and Sabena, he looked at the rival Irish airline Ryanair for inspiration and made Aer Lingus in effect a no-frills airline, such as replacing the infamous turquoise uniforms with polo shirts and promoting via the Internet.
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The Circuit: iPhone data; AT&T;, T-Mobile file with FCC; Samsung fires back at Apple LEADING THE DAY: Google’s Android platform and Apple’s iOS are both sending location data back to the companies, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Analysis from security analyst Samy Kamkar found that an Android phone transmitted a unique phone identifier back to Google along with location data. The Journal also revisited documents Apple sent to Congress last year, which said the company collects location information for location-based services. Apple is facing concerns from lawmakers and consumers over an unencrypted filed that collects time-stamped location data. It does not appear that this information is transmitted off of user devices, but the unprotected file could pose security problems in the wrong hands. AT&T, T-Mobile file with FCC: AT&T and T-Mobile made a case for their proposed merger by talking up the competition after filing paperwork with the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday. Joan Marsh, an AT&T vice president focusing on federal regulatory affairs, said that the mobile market is competitive and that AT&T and T-Mobile both face serious spectrum issues that the merger could address. Smaller cellular companies and consumer advocates released statements Thursday in the wake of the filing, voicing antitrust concerns. Samsung fires back: Answering Apple’s lawsuit, Samsung filed three of its own Friday morning in Germany, Korea and Japan. According to Reuters, the suits involve 10 Samsung patents involving wireless data communication and data transmission. Apple filed a suit against Samsung on Monday, alleging that the Korean manufacturer’s Galaxy line of devices copy the Apple iPhone and iPad. Groupon hires Google VP to be COO: Groupon has hired away Margo Georgiadis, formerly Google’s VP of Global Sales, to be its new COO. According to All Things Digital, Georgiadis will oversee Groupon’s global sales, marketing and operations. Online poker players to get refunds: The Justice Department said that online poker players will be able to receive refunds from the major poker sites it shut down last week, the Associated Press reported. The government seized three major poker sites — Poker Stars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker — last Friday and charged their executives with bank fraud and illegal gambling. ||||| At this point, unless you've been living under a digital rock, everyone knows that Apple is collecting data from your iPhone. But why are they doing it? (More: How to Encrypt Your iPhone's Location Data) Turns out the answer is simpler than you think, and it doesn't involve a conspiracy theory, the government or David Duchovny. Basically, Apple keeps track of your location data so that it can maintain its own location database. By golly, it also turns out they've explained it some time ago--last summer. Last year, Apple lawyer Bruce Sewell sent a letter to two congressmen explaining and disclosing Apple's location-data collection techniques and policies. The 13-page letter reports that location data is only tracked and transmitted if a user turns on the Location Services option on in the Settings menu. If the option is turned off, nothing is collected. According to the letter, the data is stored in what we can only assume is “consolidated.db,” randomly assigned an identification number every 24 hours, and sent off every 12 hours to Apple. The data gets stored in a secure database “accessible only by Apple.” Apple then collects information about nearby cell towers and Wi-Fi access points whenever you utilize a service that requests your current location. It sometimes automatically happens with location-based apps that utilize GPS technology. It turns out Apple ditched the location databases it was previously using from Google and SkyHook Wireless, and is in fact using their own. Now for that to happen, what Apple needs is location data. What better way than to pull it from the millions of existing iPhone customers already roaming around the globe? (via WIRED) More on TIME.com: How to Encrypt Your iPhone's Location Data (Consolidated.db) Apple Geo Tracking: Now the Government Is Involved Hidden iPhone File Records Your Location Coordinates ||||| Report: Apple, Google collecting location data on users As Apple faces scrutiny over the collection of location data from users of its iPhones and iPads, the Wall Street Journal reports that Android smartphones snag the same data and send it to Google. Citing research from security analyst Samy Kamkar, using an HTC Android phone, the report says the device grabbed location info and sent data to Google multiple times an hour. It also "transmitted the name, location and signal strength of any nearby Wi-Fi networks, as well as a unique phone identifier," the report reads. Google did not comment on the Journal report. Meanwhile, as the Associated Press spells out, privacy watchdogs and congressman have reached out to Apple following a report from tech researchers that says iPhones and iPads secretly gather location data. "Apple needs to safeguard the personal location information of its users to ensure that an iPhone doesn't become an iTrack," says Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., in a statement to the AP. See photos of: Google Inc, Apple, iPhone ||||| WSJ.com Senior Technology Editor Julia Angwin reports Apple's iPhone and Google's Android regularly transmit user location data back to those companies, based on data analyzed by The Wall Street Journal. Apple Inc.'s iPhones and Google Inc.'s Android smartphones regularly transmit their locations back to Apple and Google, respectively, according to data and documents analyzed by The Wall Street Journal—intensifying concerns over privacy and the widening trade in personal data. Google and Apple are gathering location information as part of their race to build massive databases capable of pinpointing people's locations via their cellphones. These databases could help them tap the $2.9 billion market for location-based services—expected to rise to $8.3 billion in 2014, according to research firm Gartner Inc. In the case of Google, according to new research by security analyst Samy Kamkar, an HTC Android phone collected its location every few seconds and transmitted the data to Google at least several times an hour. It also transmitted the name, location and signal strength of any nearby Wi-Fi networks, as well as a unique phone identifier. Google declined to comment on the findings. There are ways for users to block the transmission of location information by Android devices and iPhones-although doing so limits important smartphone functions such as maps. WSJ's Jennifer Valentino explains. Until last year, Google was collecting similar Wi-Fi data with its fleet of StreetView cars that map and photograph streets world-wide. The company shut down its StreetView Wi-Fi collection last year after it inadvertently collected e-mail addresses, passwords and other personal information from Wi-Fi networks. The data that Mr. Kamkar observed being transmitted on Android phones didn't include such personal information. Apple, meanwhile, says it "intermittently" collects location data, including GPS coordinates, of many iPhone users and nearby Wi-Fi networks and transmits that data to itself every 12 hours, according to a letter the company sent to U.S. Reps. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) last year. Apple didn't respond to requests for comment. The Google and Apple developments follow the Journal's findings last year that some of the most popular smartphone apps use location data and other personal information even more aggressively than this—in some cases sharing it with third-party companies without the user's consent or knowledge. Apple this week separately has come under fire after researchers found that iPhones store unencrypted databases containing location information sometimes stretching back several months. Google and Apple, the No. 1 and No.3 U.S. smartphone platforms respectively according to comScore Inc., previously have disclosed that they use location data, in part, to build giant databases of Internet WI-Fi hotspots. That data can be used to pinpoint the location of people using Wi-Fi connections. Cellphones have many reasons to collect location information, which helps provide useful services like local-business lookups and social-networking features. Some location data can also help cellphone networks more efficiently route calls. Google also has said it uses some of the data to build accurate traffic maps. A cellphone's location data can provide details about, for instance, how fast traffic is moving along a stretch of highway. The widespread collection of location information is the latest frontier in the booming market for personal data. Until recently, most data about people's behavior has been collected from personal computers: That data generally can be tied to a city or a zip code, but it is tough to be more precise. The rise of Internet-enabled cellphones, however, allows the collection of user data tied with much more precision to specific locations. This new form of tracking is raising questions from government officials and privacy advocates. On Wednesday, Rep. Markey sent a follow-up letter to Apple asking why the company is storing customer-location data on its phones. "Apple needs to safeguard the personal location information of its users to ensure that an iPhone doesn't become an iTrack," Rep. Markey said in a statement. Google previously has said that the Wi-Fi data it collects is anonymous and that it deletes the start and end points of every trip that it uses in its traffic maps. However, the data, provided to the Journal exclusively by Mr. Kamkar, contained a unique identifier tied to an individual's phone. Mr. Kamkar, 25 years old, has a controversial past. In 2005, when he was 19, he created a computer worm that caused MySpace to crash. He pled guilty to a felony charge of computer hacking in Los Angeles Superior Court, and agreed to not use a computer for three years. Since 2008, he has been doing independent computer security research and consulting. Last year, he developed the "evercookie"—a type of tracking file that is difficult to be removed from computers—as a way to highlight the privacy vulnerabilities in Web-browsing software. The Journal hired an independent consultant, Ashkan Soltani, to review Mr. Kamkar's findings regarding the Android device and its use of location data. Mr. Soltani confirmed Mr. Kamkar's conclusions. Transmission of location data raises questions about who has access to what could be sensitive information about location and movement of a phone user. Federal prosecutors in New Jersey are investigating whether smartphone applications illegally obtained or transmitted information such as location without proper disclosures, the Journal reported in April, citing people familiar with the matter. A spokeswoman for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada said the office "had concerns" about using cellphones to collect Wi-Fi data and has expressed those concerns to Google. "The whole issue of the tracking capabilities of new mobile devices raises significant privacy issues," she said. The business of collecting location information began in 2003, when Boston-based Skyhook Inc. launched and began the practice of "wardriving"—cruising around in cars to collect information about Wi-Fi hotspots. Comparing the names and signal strengths of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots against a database allows for a cellphone's location to be determined within 100 feet, in many cases, Skyhook says. "For the first four or five years, people thought we were nuts," said Ted Morgan, Skyhook's founder and CEO. "We invented this whole concept of driving around and scanning for Wi-Fi and tuning these algorithms." In 2007, Google began building its own Wi-Fi database, using the StreetView cars. Last year, Apple switched from using Skyhook and began creating its own database of Wi-Fi points for use on its newest phones, although it still uses Skyhook data for older phones and Macintosh computers. Skyhook's Mr. Morgan says the company attempts to protect users' privacy by collecting data via cellphone only when a person requests location from its servers—for instance when they are actively looking at a map. Each time a user requests location, the information is encrypted and gathered without any identifying user numbers, Mr. Morgan says. That means Skyhook can't follow a person from one location to the next, he says. Google seems to be taking a different approach, to judge from the data captured by Mr. Kamkar. Its location data appears to be transmitted regardless of whether an app is running, and is tied to the phone's unique identifier. In its letter to Congress last year, Apple said that it only collects location data from people who use apps that require location. It doesn't specify how often a person must use the app for intermittent collection to occur. Apple also said in the letter that it collects Wi-Fi and GPS information when the phone is searching for a cellular connection. Apple said the data it transmits about location aren't associated with a unique device identifier, except for data related to its mobile advertising network Apple gathers the data to help build a "database with known location information," the letter says. "This information is batched and then encrypted and transmitted to Apple over a Wi-Fi Internet connection every twelve hours (or later if the device does not have Wi-Fi Internet access at that time)," the company wrote in the July letter to Congress. The letter, which is available on Rep. Markey's website, became newsworthy this week in light of findings from two researchers who uncovered a file on iPhones that keeps a record of where the phone has been and when it was there. The file is unencrypted and stored by default. The discovery of this location file touched off a furor among iPhone owners who could see for the first time a trove of location data about themselves stored on their phones. The researchers, Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden, said that they had no evidence that the file was being transmitted to Apple. Write to Julia Angwin at [email protected]
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Apple store in Chicago. Apple Inc.'s and periodically send location information back to the company, according to new reports. The data is transmitted to a secure database that only it can access, Apple claims. Bruce Sewell, an attorney for Apple, sent a letter to two US Representatives last year, discussing the company's data collection techniques and policies. The thirteen-page letter states that location information is recorded and sent to Apple every twelve hours, but only if the user enables the device's location settings. Apple began building a location database of its own when it decided to stop using similar services offered by Google & . Location data is used in social networking applications and call routing. In a statement to the Associated Press, Democratic Massachusetts Representative said, "Apple needs to safeguard the personal location information of its users to ensure that an iPhone doesn't become an iTrack." Such data collection is not unique to Apple. Google's operating system uses similar technology to provide location-based services to its users. Google has said that it also uses the data collected to provide accurate traffic data through its "Maps" applications on both Apple and Android devices. However, the company declined to comment on the latest findings regarding its data collection. Apple was also recently in the spotlight after it was discovered that the iPhone and iPad were retaining location data on the device itself. This information is collected in an unencrypted file and is not transmitted elsewhere. The data file reportedly contains a variety of information, including and , cell phone tower identification data, wireless hotspot identification, and timestamps.
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Deccan Herald » News Update » Detailed Story Nitish to stake claim for govt formation Patna, PTI: Nitish Kumar is set to take over as Bihar's new Chief Minister. The Janata Dal United legislative party will meet in Patna later today to elect Nitish as its leader. This would be followed by a joint meeting of the NDA, after which Nitish will meet Bihar Governor Buta Singh and stake claim to form the new government. He will be sworn-in as Chief Minister on Thursday at Patna's Gandhi Maidan. Deputy CM's post Nitish also announced that he would be inducting about 14 ministers, including a deputy chief minister, in the new NDA government in the state. "There will be a deputy chief minister. We will be initially inducting a small team of about 12-14 ministers which would later be expanded," said Nitish. He, however, declined to divulge the name of the person who would be deputy chief minister and said "every thing has been discussed." BJP leaders Sushil Kumar Modi and Shahnawaz Hussain are among the frontrunners for the post closely followed by Ashwani Choubey and Nand Kishore Yadav. Nitish Kumar is set to take over as Bihar's new Chief Minister.The Janata Dal United legislative party will meet in Patna later today to elect Nitish as its leader.This would be followed by a joint meeting of the NDA, after which Nitish will meet Bihar Governor Buta Singh and stake claim to form the new government.He will be sworn-in as Chief Minister on Thursday at Patna's Gandhi Maidan.Nitish also announced that he would be inducting about 14 ministers, including a deputy chief minister, in the new NDA government in the state."There will be a deputy chief minister. We will be initially inducting a small team of about 12-14 ministers which would later be expanded," said Nitish.He, however, declined to divulge the name of the person who would be deputy chief minister and said "every thing has been discussed."BJP leaders Sushil Kumar Modi and Shahnawaz Hussain are among the frontrunners for the post closely followed by Ashwani Choubey and Nand Kishore Yadav. ||||| PATNA: Bringing to an end the 15-year-long Laloo-Rabri rule in Bihar, the JD(U)-BJP combine led by Nitish Kumar is all set to take charge of Bihar by bagging 145 seats in the 243-member Assembly. Laloo Prasad’s RJD-led SDF, whose stay in power was broken in March this year with a hung verdict in the Assembly polls, has won 66 seats of which the Congress got nine. Ramvilas Paswan’s LJP, which was the kingmaker in last Assembly with 29 seats, has won just ten seats and its ally CPI three. ‘Others’ accounted for 10 seats while Independent six. Former Chief Minister Rabri Devi retained her Raghopur seat in a sea-saw battle against JD-U’s Satish Kuamr. Other prominent RJD winners were Shakuni Choudhury (Tarapur) and Ramchandar Purvey (Sonbarsa). ||||| Advertisement Bihar's Chief Minister in waiting Nitish Kumar on Wednesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who offered him full cooperation for his government in the state. LeaderSpeak The UPA alliance may break in a year. -JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav BJP has its ideology and we have our own. - JD (U) chief Nitish Kumar Congress' love for the Lalu-Rabri leadership had cost the UPA very dearly in Bihar. - LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan Nitish Kumar met Manmohan Singh at his office in Parliament before leaving for Patna to stake claim to form a government. Though he described the meeting as a "courtesy call", Nitish Kumar told reporters that the prime minister had assured him of the centre's full cooperation for the state of Bihar, resource rich but underdeveloped. Nitish Kumar, who will be sworn in on Thursday, said he would also meet the prime minister after taking over as chief minister to discuss Bihar's developmental issues. The JD-U leader, currently the Lok Sabha MP from Nalanda, Bihar, was in Parliament when the House met to condole the demises of former president KR Narayanan and other parliamentarians. The Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine on Tuesday secured a landslide victory, winning 143 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly. ||||| PATNA: Following are key facts about the Assembly elections in Bihar where the vote count will be held on Monday. Total electorate: 5,13,47,092 Male voters : 2,75,46,646 Female voters: 2,38,00,446 Voter turnout : 47 per cent Total candidates: 2,135 Women candidates: 136 Counting Centres: 41 No of Candidates: BSP : 212 BJP : 102 CPI : 36 CPI(M) : 10 INC : 51 NCP : 08 CPI(ML) : 84 JD(U) : 139 LJP : 201 RJD : 175 SP : 159 Independents : 748 Others : 210 Total : 2,135 Party position after the February, 2005 polls: RJD : 75 INC : 10 NCP : 03 CPI(M) : 01 BJP : 37 JD(U) : 55 LJP : 29 CPI : 03 CPI(ML) : 07 SP : 04 BSP : 02 Independents : 17 Total : 243
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The -Bharatiya Janata Party combine under the leadership of has won 143 of 243 seats in Assembly elections for the state of Bihar held this November. The JD(U) legislative party elected Nitish to be Bihar's new Chief Minister. This was the second election in the last eight months; the first was held in February and the resulting house was suspended by the Bihar Governor . The former Chief Minister is the wife of Lalu Prasad Yadav, who had control of the state for 15 years, either directly or through his wife. Nitish Kumar will be sworn in as the 31st chief minister of Bihar on Thursday November 24, 2005. After meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his office in Parliament, Nitish left for Patna in order to stake claim to form a government. Nitish will appoint 14 ministers in his government, including deputy chief minister. BJP leaders and are front runners for the post as deputy chief minister, followed by Ashwani Choubey and . Voting turnout in the election was 47 percent of the total electorate numbering 5,13,47,092, which is comprised of 2,75,46,646 male voters and 2,38,00,446 female voters. There were 102 BJP candidates and 139 JD(U) candidates.
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LONDON (Reuters) - The United States has agreed to release three British residents held at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp and send them back to Britain, Foreign Secretary David Miliband confirmed on Thursday. A U.S. Army guard stands in a corridor of cells in Camp Five, a detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in this September 4, 2007 file photo. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/Files Washington refused a request from London to release a fourth British resident and talks were still under way about a fifth man, Miliband said in a statement. The United States had agreed that Jamil el-Banna, a Jordanian; Omar Deghayes, a Libyan; and Abdennour Sameur, an Algerian, would be returned to Britain “as soon as the practical arrangements can be made”, Miliband said. Zachary Katznelson, a lawyer for the three men, said last Friday that they would be released. Miliband said Britain was making no commitment to allow the three to remain permanently in Britain. “Their immigration status will be reviewed ... and the same security considerations will apply to them as would apply to any other foreign national in this country,” he said. “As always, all appropriate steps will be taken to protect national security,” he added. Miliband asked U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in August to release the three men as well as Shaker Aamer, a Saudi national, and Binyam Mohamed, from Ethiopia. The five men were legally resident in Britain before their detention but are not British nationals. Miliband said the U.S. government had “expressed significant additional security concerns” over Aamer and Mohammed. Washington had refused to release Aamer, it said. Both sides were still discussing Mohammed’s case, although the U.S. government was “not inclined to agree to his release and return”, he said. The decision by Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government to ask for the men’s release marks a shift from the previous government of Tony Blair, which secured the release of all nine British citizens held at the U.S. prison camp in Cuba but maintained this was not responsible for detainees of other nationalities who had simply lived in Britain. Miliband said Britain would continue to discuss with the U.S. government how best to work with Washington to bring about the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison. The United States has faced fierce criticism worldwide for the detention without charge — often for years — of suspected al Qaeda and Taliban members at Guantanamo Bay as part of President George W. Bush’s war on terrorism. About 305 inmates are still held at the prison, including about 70 whom U.S. military panels have cleared for release or transfer. ||||| Login Enter your details below to login If you are an existing member of The Times and The Sunday Times enjoying the full benefits of thetimes.co.uk, then simply enter your Times+ login details below and press 'Enter' Enter your details to login Email address Password Keep me logged in information Keeps you logged in for a rolling 15 days or until you logout
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David Miliband on April 11, 2007. United Kingdom foreign secretary David Miliband confirmed today that three British residents, who are being held at the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, will be released by the United States. The three are Jamil el-Banna, of Jordan; Omar Deghayes, of Libya; and Abdennour Sameur, of Algeria. They will return "as soon as the practical arrangements can be made," said Miliband. "Their immigration status will be reviewed following their return, and the same security considerations will apply to them as would apply to any other foreign national in this country. As always, all appropriate steps will be taken to protect national security," the foreign secretary continued. Miliband said the UK government will work toward getting the US government to close the Guantanamo Bay prison.
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WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY By Babak Dehghanpisheh Newsweek Oct. 19, 2005 - Almost two years after being dragged out of a spider hole near Tikrit, Saddam Hussein appeared in court today for the start of a long-awaited trial. If the months of solitary confinement or the humiliation of being deloused by American medical personnel had taken a toll, it didn’t show. The Butcher of Baghdad was at his best, cocky and confrontational. He told the judge: “I maintain my position as the constitutional president of Iraq.” It feels odd to see a person accused of mass murder in the flesh. More peculiar if you feel that person has affected your life. In 1982, my family left Iran to escape the chaos of the war with Iraq. I was only 10 at the time, but the Iranian military, unable to match Hussein’s well-stocked arsenal, was sending younger and younger recruits to the front. One of my older cousins, 15, had already shipped out. We ran through bomb drills at my elementary school in the southern city of Shiraz. At night, electricity was cut around 8 p.m. to hinder Iraqi warplanes that had targeted the city. My parents eventually had enough: they started the arduous process of getting our family out of the country. I felt a profound sense of loss and didn’t see some of my relatives until nearly two decades later. I returned to the region as a reporter after 9/11 and interviewed dozens of victims of Saddam’s madness, Iraqis and Iranians, who have been through unimaginable suffering and grief. In northern Iraq, Kurds showed me sites of mass executions where their families had been buried. At the Sasan hospital in Tehran, I met Iranian soldiers who were blistered and breathing through tubes because of chemical weapons used during the Iran-Iraq War. Today I met an elderly man who was clutching a black-and-white photo of his brother. Jamal, as the man asked to be called, explained that his brother, a pilot, was rounded up along with two cousins in the late ‘70s because of suspected ties to the Dawa Party. His brother’s body was later sent to their family’s house. The two cousins disappeared. Jamal works in Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari’s office and pulled strings to get a seat in the courtroom press gallery today. I was inside as a member of the media pool. Our eyes were glued to the wooden door on the side of the courtroom around half past noon when the court clerk announced the name of the next defendant. “I’ve been waiting 35 years for this moment,” Jamal whispered. Saddam Hussein al-Majid, the name noted in court records, walked into the room flanked by Iraqi security guards, clutching a worn copy of the Qur'an in his left hand. The guards led him up to a pen in front of a panel of judges. Seated around him were seven codefendants, including his half brother Barzan and former vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan. There seemed nothing menacing about the old man, sporting dyed hair and a shabby suit, as he eased into a black leather chair. But it didn’t take long for the old tyrant to show himself. When the lead trial judge, Rizgar Mohammed Amin, a Kurd, asked for his name, Saddam testily replied, “Who are you? I want to know who you are.” The judge asked Saddam to state his name for the record nearly half a dozen times without getting a proper response. “I don’t recognize the body that has designated and authorized you,” Saddam said. A few moments later, he quoted an Arabic proverb, “Everything that is built on something false is false.” During breaks in the court session, defense lawyers lined up to greet Saddam deferentially, by placing a right hand on their chests and bowing slightly. At one point, Ramadan leaned over a row of metal railing and kissed Saddam on the head. Saddam knew he was playing to a captive audience: he stood up in the pen and joked with his codefendants, smiling and brimming with confidence. When a couple of guards tried to escort him out of the building, Saddam pulled away and got into a heated exchange. A short scuffle followed as the guards tried to grab his arms. The guards eventually relented and allowed Saddam to walk out of the courtroom. “This was beyond my expectation. I think it was too polite,” says Adnan Ali Kadhemi, an aide to Prime Minister Jaafari, who sat in the observer’s gallery. Security was extremely tight for today’s session, in a former Baath Party headquarters inside the Green Zone. In addition to the defendants, several high-profile observers like Ahmed Chalabi ratcheted up the security profile. A tank guarded the building; two rows of concrete blast walls surround it. Bomb sniffing dogs roamed the grounds and journalists weren’t allowed to bring in anything other than identity cards. “Ladies and gentlemen it’s easier to get into the White House today,” said one U.S. marshal, there to help with security. The charges filed against Saddam and the seven other defendants today stem from an incident in 1982. During a visit to the village of Dujail, about 40 miles north of Baghdad, gunmen hiding in orchards on the side of the road shot up Saddam’s convoy. He cracked down fast: over two weeks, authorities killed 148 people and sent nearly 400 to a detention facility in southern Iraq. Dujail isn’t as high profile as some of the other cases on the prosecution’s list, such as the Anfal operation in northern Iraq, when Saddam’s military gassed Kurdish villages, or the crackdown on Shiites in southern Iraq after the 1991 uprising. But the trial, following a politically charged referendum over the weekend, has become a divisive issue. Maysoon Mohammed, a Sunni Arab who works as a clerk at a government ministry refused to watch the trial. “No matter what Saddam did, the leaders of our country today are worth even less than the ground he walks on,” she said. “This trial should not be on TV. Respecting him is a part of respecting ourselves.” The fairness of the trial has been called into question in recent weeks, particularly after President Jalal Talabani publicly announced that Saddam had confessed and should be executed. Still, many of the former regime’s victims want payback. “Saddam was lucky because he was being tried by such a neutral court,” says Thaer Qasim, a 32-year old dentist whose cousin was executed. “I think he should be tried by the people.” When Judge Amin asked Saddam to enter a plea on the charges today, he replied, “I’ve said what I’ve said. I’m not guilty.” Saddam faces the death penalty if convicted in the Dujail case, which was adjourned until Nov. 28th. But observers and sources close to the tribunal speculate that Iraq’s new government will try him afterward on further charges. And if I get the chance, I’ll take another front-row seat. © 2005 Newsweek, Inc. Rate this story Low High • ||||| NEWS Saddam trial Q & A SADDAM Hussein's trial is being conducted by the Iraqi Special Tribunal. The following are some procedural questions and answers. SADDAM and his co-defendants are being tried before the Iraqi Special Tribunal, established in December 2003 by US-led authorities and empowered to try members of the former regime for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. New statutes governing the tribunal, which would make it a body established by Iraq's elected interim National Assembly and change its name to the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal, have been approved by parliament but have not come into force. The tribunal consists of trial chambers with five judges in each. Saddam and the others will be tried by Trial Chamber No.1 in Court No.1, inside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone compound. Who brought the charges? THE tribunal has 20 investigative judges, led by a chief investigator, who are responsible for gathering evidence against suspects. In Saddam's case, evidence was gathered by chief investigative judge Raad Jouhi. Who's defending Saddam? He is being defended by a small team of lawyers led by Khalil al-Dulaimi, an Iraqi with little experience of defending clients in major criminal cases. If guilty, can Saddam appeal? Yes. The tribunal has a nine-member appeals chamber. Any sentence must be carried out within 30 days of all appeals being exhausted. Charges in the Dujail case carry the death sentence, which according to Iraq's criminal code would be by hanging. Will Saddam take the stand? Saddam can be called to give evidence but under Iraqi judicial procedure it is tribunal judges who conduct examinations. Prosecution and defence lawyers can address questions to witnesses only via judges. Such a provision is expected to prevent Saddam staging a personal defence. The defendants: Saddam Hussein, 68. Strongman after the 1968 Baath party coup, he formally took over the presidency in 1979. A US ally in fighting Islamic revolutionary Iran in the 1980s, he became an enemy by invading Kuwait in 1990. Taha Yassin Ramadan, aged 67. Vice-president until 2003, he joined Baath in the mid-1950s and rose to become a hardline member of Saddam's inner circle. No. 20 on the US's 55 most wanted, he was captured in August 2003. Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, one of Saddam's three younger half-brothers. Ex-head of feared Mukhabarat intelligence service. No. 38 on the list, he was captured in April 2003. Awad Hamed al-Bander, chief judge in Saddam's Revolutionary Court. Abdullah Kadhem Ruaid, Ali Daeem Ali, Mohammed Azawi Ali and Mizher Abdullah Rawed: Baath officials in Dujail. ||||| Hussein trial plays as drama for the world Former dictator uncooperative, won't recognize court's authority BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The televised trial of Saddam Hussein and seven co-defendants adjourned Wednesday after three-and-a-half hours, but that was long enough to impart the symbolism of the new Iraq and evoke strong images of the leaders of the fallen regime. The proceedings took place in the Green Zone in central Baghdad, at the old headquarters of the Baath Party, the political movement that controlled Iraq for decades before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 ousted Hussein from power. Octavia Nasr, CNN's senior editor for Arab affairs, said it was pure drama for the Arab world, which stretches from North Africa to southwestern Asia, and for a TV audience around the globe. (Watch strong reaction to trial -- 2:40) "The people I've spoken with, the reaction we've been getting from the streets, is that this is like a film, like a movie, a drama. They're watching...." and are "very interested in the proceedings themselves." Presiding judge Rizgar Amin, an ethnic Kurd, handled the proceedings in a methodical, workmanlike manner. His presence served as a reminder that Kurds in Iraq -- once a persecuted minority when the country was dominated by Sunni Arabs -- are an emerging power. Jaafar Moussawi, the chief prosecuting attorney, outlined the charges connected to a murderous retaliation against scores of people in Dujail after a July 8, 1982, assassination attempt on Hussein. The ex-dictator is on trial along with seven of his loyalists, who are similarly charged.(Full story) As he spoke, Moussawi's blackened index finger was an indication that he was one of millions who cast ballots in the weekend's constitutional referendum, part of the political process disdained by Hussein loyalists participating in the insurgency. People who voted in the referendum had their fingers stained with ink to prevent them from returning to vote again. The ink-stained finger has become a symbol of emerging democracy in the Middle East. Millions of people across the globe watched the proceedings, which were broadcast on a 30-minute tape delay and conducted in Arabic. The trial stirred demonstrations earlier in the day in Iraq, some supporting Hussein, others asking that he be hanged. What viewers saw had the feel of other war crimes proceedings, such as the post-WWII Nuremberg trials last century. Prosecutors sat facing the judges' bench, and next to them was the defendants' dock, with three rows of seats for the eight defendants. On the other side of the defendants was a witness box and the defense table. Hussein sat in the front row. Awad Kadhim al-Bandar, another defendant, was to his right. Taha Yassin Ramadan, Mizher Ruwaid and Abdullah Ruwaid sat in the second row. Mohammed Ali, Ali Dayem Ali and Barzan Hassan were in the third row. Hussein was bearded and wore a dark suit without a tie. The former president seemed more demoralized and tired than he did in a court appearance last year. At the same time, he displayed a defiant, contentious demeanor, although he addressed the judge in fairly polite terms. He insisted that he was still Iraq's rightful leader and did not recognize the court's authority. The seven others -- whom Hussein greeted joyously in the room at one point -- didn't display the same bravado. In fact, CNN's Christiane Amanpour said Hussein seemed to be "indicating many of them had changed, and they really had. You wouldn't recognize most of them from the way they used to look in full regime regalia. It was tough to pull information from Hussein. Asked by Amin to give his full name, Hussein refused. "You know me," he said at one point. "If you're an Iraqi, then you know." "Mr. Saddam, we ask you only now to prove your full name, title and profession. Then you will be given a chance to talk," Amin said. "Who are you and what are you?" Hussein asked. "I need to know." "We are the criminal court in Iraq," Amin answered. "So please -- these issues have nothing to do with you, sir." Hussein complained that he had been kept waiting for hours and was denied pen and paper. "I don't harbor any hatred toward any of you," he said. "But holding onto the rights, and out of respect for the Iraqi people for choosing me ... I say I don't answer to this, what is called a court, with all due respect, and I reserve my constitutional right as the president of Iraq." (Watch Saddam Hussein enter plea -- 4:11) Amin eventually told Hussein to be seated. At least one other defendant also refused to give his name, saying, "I repeat what Mr. President Saddam Hussein said." Later, when Amin identified him as the former president, Hussein snapped, "I said I'm the president of the republic of Iraq. I did not say deposed." Scene in courtroom During a recess, there was a hostile exchange between Hussein and his Iraqi guards. A couple of guards tried to take his arms and walk him during a recess. He wrestled his arms away and glared. "It wasn't noisy and it wasn't with much resistance, but he stared them down and walked out with them on either side rather than rather than them handling him," Amanpour reported. Mohammed Ali, once a feared Baathist Party official in Dujail, stood up during pleas and sternly said: "Innocent, God willing." Hussein's half-brother, Barzan Hassan, on the other hand, made a comment that could be taken as ingratiating. When he was asked his plea, he stood up, raised his right hand and said: "Innocent Mr. Judge," the former head of the secret police during the Dujail executions speaking in a polite manner to the new order. Awad Bandar, sitting next to Hussein and a former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court, stood up and said: "Innocent." Hussein never stood up for judges as they entered the room or when he entered his plea.
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Saddam Hussein pleaded "not guilty" at the opening of the al-Dujail trial on Wednesday. The court recessed for 6 weeks during which time his defense will be prepared. During the proceeding, Hussein argued that the judge was not appointed by him, and thus was not legitimate. "I don't acknowledge this court." The hearing convened 22 months after Hussein's capture. A tribunal of five Iraqi judges headed by Rizgar Mohammed Amin, with the death penalty vested in them, will decide his sentence.
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President Bush says the so-called "surge" strategy in Iraq is working. The president gave this assessment of the situation in Iraq Saturday in Kuwait. It is one of several stops on a tour of the Middle East to build support for his administration's efforts to stabilize Iraq and to contain Iran's growing influence in the region. VOA correspondent Challiss McDonough has more from our Middle East bureau in Cairo. President Bush speaks to members of the media, 12 Jan 2008, in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait President Bush said the United States' surge in Iraq has sharply reduced violence there and should allow the military to finish withdrawing 20,000 troops on schedule by the middle of the year. The president spoke to reporters after meeting with his top military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker. "Iraq is now a different place from one year ago. Much hard work remains, but levels of violence are significantly reduced. Hope is returning to Baghdad, and hope is returning to towns and villages throughout the country. Iraqis who fled the violence are beginning to return and rebuild their lives," he said. The president said he has made no decision on withdrawing more troops from Iraq. He said that will depend on recommendations by General Petraeus, who is due to report to Congress on that issue in March. A day earlier, the president told the NBC television network that U.S. troops could remain in Iraq for at least a decade. Mr. Bush also called on Syria to cut what he called "the flow of terrorists" into Iraq. He accused Iran of supporting militias and extremist groups in Iraq, and urged it to stop. "Iranian agents are in our custody, and we are learning more about how Iran has supported extremist groups with training and lethal aid," he said. Iran and Syria have both denied fueling violence in Iraq, and have complained that the chaos there risks destabilizing both of their countries. Later, the president addressed a crowd of some 1,500 American troops at a U.S. military base in Kuwait. "The history will say, it was when you were called upon, you served, and the service you rendered was absolutely necessary to defeat an enemy overseas so we do not have to face them here at home," he said. Mr. Bush said the troops are part of what he called "an ideological struggle" against "cold-blooded murderers" with a "hateful vision of a future." He said the best way to defeat an ideology of hate is with an ideology of hope, based on liberty. After meeting with the troops, the president attended a roundtable discussion with Kuwaiti women activists working for women's rights and democracy. Although Kuwait is a close U.S. ally, there is deep anxiety there about some U.S. policies. With a large Shi'ite population and a large U.S. troop presence, Kuwait is worried about the possibility of a U.S. military strike on Iran. The emirate has said it will not allow its territory to be used in such an attack. It is also concerned about a spillover of violence from neighboring Iraq. After Kuwait, the president continued to Bahrain, headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. He will later visit the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt before returning to Washington next week. ||||| Mr Bush thanked the troops for their hard work George W Bush Visiting a US base in Kuwait, Mr Bush said the withdrawal of 20,000 troops by July was on track, but no decision had been taken to bring home more. Mr Bush was briefed by the head of US forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus. The US president went on to Bahrain - the latest stage of a Middle Eastern tour that has included meetings with Palestinian and Israeli leaders. Correspondents say he is trying to persuade some of his key Arab allies to support his peace initiative. Mr Bush also urged Iran and Syria to do more to reduce violence in Iraq. Later Gen Petraeus said that attacks in Iraq linked to Iranian "explosively formed projectiles" had doubled or even trebled in recent days. 'Hope returning' Mr Bush met Gen Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador in Iraq, at a command centre at the US base at Arifjan, where an intelligence team monitors developments on the ground in Afghanistan, the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. Gen Petraeus and Mr Crocker briefed the president on the improving security situation in Iraq. Iraq is now a different place from one year ago - we must do all we can to ensure that 2008 will bring even greater progress George W Bush Middle East tour diary Send us your comments Mr Bush said the increase in US troop levels by 30,000 last year had turned Iraq into a country where hope was now returning. "The new way forward I announced a year ago changed our approach in fundamental ways," he said. "Iraq is now a different place from one year ago. We must do all we can to ensure that 2008 will bring even greater progress," he said. No further decision would be taken on bringing troops home, he said, although plans to withdraw 20,000 by the middle of the year were on track. Any new reduction of troop levels would depend on conditions on the ground, he added, and it was up to Gen Petraeus to decide whether this was possible. Gen Petraeus is due to brief the president again in March. Iran factor After rounding off his first trip as president to Israel and the West Bank, Mr Bush held talks with Kuwait's emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah. Mr Bush met the king of Bahrain as part of his tour of the Gulf He will then visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Mr Bush's aim is to encourage them to back Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as he negotiates with the Israelis. This is phase two of what many regard as "mission impossible", the BBC's Matthew Price reports from Kuwait City. Mr Bush hopes to encourage states like Kuwait to start a process of reaching out to Israel. One problem, our correspondent notes, is that what concerns Gulf states like Kuwait the most is not the Israeli-Palestinian issue, but Iran and Washington's intentions towards it. Gulf leaders will be telling Mr Bush they want the stand-off resolved peacefully, not through military means, our correspondent says.
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US President George W. Bush says the so-called "surge" strategy in Iraq is working. The President was speaking in Kuwait during one of several stops on a tour of the Middle East to build support for his administration's efforts to stabilize Iraq and to contain Iran's growing influence in the region. President Bush said the United States' change of strategy in Iraq has sharply reduced violence there and should allow the military to withdraw 20,000 troops on schedule by July this year. George Bush in Kuwait on Friday After meeting with his top military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, Mr.Bush told reporters that hope is returning to Baghdad. The president said he has made no decision on withdrawing more troops from Iraq. He said that will depend on recommendations by General Petraeus, who is due to report to Congress on that issue in March. A day earlier, the president told the NBC television network that U.S. troops could remain in Iraq for at least a decade. Mr. Bush also called on Syria to cut what he called "the flow of terrorists" into Iraq. He accused Iran of supporting militias and extremist groups in Iraq, and urged it to stop. Later, the president addressed a crowd of some 1,500 American troops at a U.S. military base in Kuwait. "The history will say, it was when you were called upon, you served, and the service you rendered was absolutely necessary to defeat an enemy overseas so we do not have to face them here at home," he said. Mr.Bush said the troops were part of what he called "an ideological struggle" against "cold-blooded murderers" with a "hateful vision of a future." In his speech Bush said "Iraq is now a different place from one year ago," and that "we must do all we can to ensure that 2008 will bring even greater progress" He said the best way to defeat an ideology of hate is with an ideology of hope, based on liberty. "There is no doubt in my mind that we will succeed," he said. "There is no doubt in my mind when history was written, the final page will say: Victory was achieved by the United States of America for the good of the world; that by doing the hard work now, we can look back and say, the United States of America is more secure, and generations of Americans will be able to live in peace." Kuwait is the most pro-U.S. country in the Arab world, but even so there is deep anxiety there about some U.S. policies in the Middle East. With a large Shi'ite population and a large U.S. troop presence, Kuwait is worried about the possibility of a U.S. military strike on Iran. The emirate has said it will not allow its territory to be used in such an attack. It is also concerned about a spillover of violence from neighboring Iraq. After Kuwait, the president continues on to Bahrain, headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. He will later visit the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt before returning to Washington next week.
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Planet Mars A group of U.S. astronomers say there is a chance an asteroid could hit the planet Mars by the end of next month. Stargazers in Arizona discovered a 50-meter wide asteroid in November that was designated "2007 WD5." Astronomers at the U.S. space agency NASA's Near-Earth Object Office are tracking the object and say it may pass within 48,000 kilometers of Mars by January 30. The astronomers say there is a one-in-75 chance the asteroid will strike the planet on that day. The asteroid is compared to a similar object that struck Siberia in 1908 with the energy of a three-megaton bomb and destroyed tens of millions of trees. NASA officials say if the asteroid does hit Mars, it will do so near the location of its Opportunity rover, which has been exploring the Martian surface for three years. Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP. ||||| Astronomers Monitor Asteroid to Pass Near Mars Media contacts: DC Agle 818-393-9011 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. [email protected] Grey Hautaluoma 202-358-0668 NASA Headquarters, Washington [email protected] 2007-152 WASHINGTON - Astronomers funded by NASA are monitoring the trajectory of an asteroid estimated to be 50 meters (164 feet) wide that is expected to cross Mars' orbital path early next year. Observations provided by the astronomers and analyzed by NASA's Near-Earth Object Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., indicate the object may pass within 30,000 miles of Mars at about 6 a.m. EST (3 a.m. PST) on Jan. 30, 2008."Right now asteroid 2007 WD5 is about half-way between Earth and Mars and closing the distance at a speed of about 27,900 miles per hour," said Don Yeomans, manager of the Near Earth Object Office at JPL. "Over the next five weeks, we hope to gather more information from observatories so we can further refine the asteroid's trajectory."NASA detects and tracks asteroids and comets passing close to Earth. The Near Earth Object Observation Program, commonly called "Spaceguard," plots the orbits of these objects to determine if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet.Asteroid 2007 WD5 was first discovered on Nov. 20, 2007, by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey and put on a "watch list" because its orbit passes near Earth. Further observations from both the NASA-funded Spacewatch at Kitt Peak, Ariz., and the Magdalena Ridge Observatory in New Mexico gave scientists enough data to determine that the asteroid was not a danger to Earth, but could potentially impact Mars. This makes it a member of an interesting class of small objects that are both near Earth objects and "Mars crossers."Because of current uncertainties about the asteroid's exact orbit, there is a 1-in-75 chance of 2007 WD5 impacting Mars. If this unlikely event were to occur, it would be somewhere within a broad swath across the planet north of where the Opportunity rover is located."We estimate such impacts occur on Mars every thousand years or so," said Steve Chesley, a scientist at JPL. "If 2007 WD5 were to thump Mars on Jan. 30, we calculate it would hit at about 30,000 miles per hour and might create a crater more than half-a-mile wide." The Mars Rover Opportunity is exploring a crater approximately this size right now.Such a collision could release about three megatons of energy. Scientists believe an event of comparable magnitude occurred here on Earth in 1908 in Tunguska, Siberia, but no crater was created. The object was disintegrated by Earth's thicker atmosphere before it hit the ground, although the air blast devastated a large area of unpopulated forest.NASA and its partners will continue to track asteroid 2007 WD5 and will provide an update in January when further information is available. For more information on the Near Earth Object program, visit: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ .An audio interview/podcast regarding 2007 WD5 is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/jpl-mars-20071220.html A videofile related to this story is available on NASA TV and the Web. For information and schedules, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv ||||| In this photo made by the Mars rover Opportunity and released in this Oct. 2006 file photo, by NASA shows a view of the "Victoria crater" looking southeast from "Duck Bay." A newly discovered asteroid has a 1 in 75 chance of slamming into the Red Planet on Jan. 30, 2008, scientists said Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007. If the asteroid does smash into Mars, it'll likely aim near the equator close to where the rover Opportunity has been exploring the Martian plains since 2004. (AP Photo/NASA, JPL, CORNELL) Asteroid May Hit Mars in Next Month LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mars could be in for an asteroid hit. A newly discovered hunk of space rock has a 1 in 75 chance of slamming into the Red Planet on Jan. 30, scientists said Thursday. "These odds are extremely unusual. We frequently work with really long odds when we track ... threatening asteroids," said Steve Chesley, an astronomer with the Near Earth Object Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The asteroid, known as 2007 WD5, was discovered in late November and is similar in size to an object that hit remote central Siberia in 1908, unleashing energy equivalent to a 15-megaton nuclear bomb and wiping out 60 million trees. Scientists tracking the asteroid, currently halfway between Earth and Mars, initially put the odds of impact at 1 in 350 but increased the chances this week. Scientists expect the odds to diminish again early next month after getting new observations of the asteroid's orbit, Chesley said. "We know that it's going to fly by Mars and most likely going to miss, but there's a possibility of an impact," he said. If the asteroid does smash into Mars, it will probably hit near the equator close to where the rover Opportunity has been exploring the Martian plains since 2004. The robot is not in danger because it lies outside the impact zone. Speeding at 8 miles a second, a collision would carve a hole the size of the famed Meteor Crater in Arizona. In 1994, fragments of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 smacked into Jupiter, creating a series of overlapping fireballs in space. Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet. "Unlike an Earth impact, we're not afraid, but we're excited," Chesley said.
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This artist rendering uses an arrow to show the predicted path of the asteroid on Jan. 30, 2008, and the orange swath indicates the area it is expected to pass through. Mars may or may not be in its path. Astronomers have discovered an asteroid that is approximately 160 feet long, that may be on a collision course for Mars and may hit the planet sometime in early 2008. Since the discovery of asteroid ''2007 WD5'' on November 20, 2007, scientists at NASA's Near-Earth object Office have been tracking it, and say that the asteroid could come within 48,000 kilometers of the planet around January 30, 2008. "Right now asteroid 2007 WD5 is about half-way between Earth and Mars and closing the distance at a speed of about 27,900 miles per hour. Over the next five weeks, we hope to gather more information from observatories so we can further refine the asteroid's trajectory," said Don Yeomans, manager of the Near Earth Object Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It may also hit near the area where the Opportunity Rover is currently exploring, but scientists say that the rover is outside of the zone of possible impact. The current odds of the asteroid hitting the planet are 1 in a 75 chance that it will make its impact on or around that date. "These odds are extremely unusual. We frequently work with really long odds when we track...threatening asteroids. We know that it's going to fly by Mars and most likely going to miss, but there's a possibility of an impact," said Steve Chesley, an astronomer with the Near Earth Object Office.
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Hundreds of activists were being coached to Ben Gurion airport for deportation Hundreds of activists were being coached to Ben Gurion airport for deportation Nearly all the foreign activists held by Israel after its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla are due to be deported by the end of the day. About 120 of the 682 detainees were expelled overland through Jordan while hundreds more, most of them Turks, were due to be flown out. Nine activists, four of them Turkish, died when Israeli commandos boarded the six-ship convoy early on Monday. Turkey's parliament has called for relations with Israel to be reviewed. The declaration passed by MPs also called for Israel to make a formal apology and pay compensation to victims. Some MPs from the governing Justice and Development Party had wanted a much tougher statement, calling for a freeze on Turkey's substantial military and commercial ties to Israel, the BBC's Jonathan Head reports from Istanbul. There is a lot at stake for both countries, our correspondent says. Trade is worth well over $3bn (£2bn) a year and there are dozens of joint ventures between Turkish and Israeli companies. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel earlier of a "bloody massacre" over the deaths, which are all thought to have taken place on the Turkish aid ship Mavi Marmara. The identities of the non-Turkish activists killed in the raid remain unknown. Ankara recalled its ambassador to Israel on Monday, while Israeli media reports say the families of Israeli diplomats in Turkey have been ordered to leave the country. Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak thanked the commandos involved in the raid when he visited them at their base in Atlit. "We live in the Middle East, in a place where there is no mercy for the weak and there aren't second chances for those who don't defend themselves," he was quoted by Haaretz newspaper as saying. Chants of celebration Activists were ferried to Ben Gurion airport by coach, flashing victory signs to reporters. Flotilla facts Continue reading the main story 682 activists to be deported, Israel says 380 of those held are Turkish. Others from more than 30 others countries 45 left Israel on Tuesday, 124 deported on Wednesday Nine dead, four of which are thought to be Turkish Unknown number of activists injured Seven Israeli soldiers injured Four planes were due to fly them out - three Turkish jets bound for Istanbul and one Greek jet going to Greece. Two seriously injured activists were to stay behind in Israel and were being treated by the Turkish Red Crescent in an Israeli hospital. About 120 activists arrived in Jordan via the Allenby crossing in the morning to cheers and applause from supporters. They activists, from Arab and Muslim nations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Pakistan, were due to travel on to Amman, from where they would travel to their respective countries. More than 300 activists were taken from Beersheba prison by bus to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv to be flown out of Israel, the Israeli interior ministry said. Three Israeli Arabs on the aid flotilla remain in custody. Israel seized a total of 682 people along with the ships. Around 50 activists were deported early on Tuesday. The Israeli government is clearly hoping that releasing the activists will relieve some of the pressure its under internationally, says the BBC's Andrew North in Jerusalem. Israel said its soldiers were attacked with "knives, clubs and other weapons" when they landed on the Mavi Marmara and had opened fire in self-defence. HOW ISRAEL RAID UNFOLDED The flotilla of six ships, including the Turkish ferry Mavi Marmara, was on its way from Cyprus to Gaza carrying supplies including cement, paper and water purification tablets. HOW ISRAEL RAID UNFOLDED As the flotilla, still in international waters, neared Gaza, Israeli commandos intercepted the boats from air and sea. This image shows a soldier rappelling from a helicopter onto the upper deck of the ferry. HOW ISRAEL RAID UNFOLDED The Israelis say their soldiers were set upon and beaten with bats, chairs and metal poles as soon as they boarded the Mavi Marmara. Activists say the soldiers attacked them first. HOW ISRAEL RAID UNFOLDED As the incident escalated, the Israelis used live weapons on the activists, although the exact circumstances are unclear. This still from Turkish TV footage shows first aid being given to an injured activist. HOW ISRAEL RAID UNFOLDED At the end of the incident at least nine activists were dead. Israel escorted the flotilla to the port of Ashdod and detained the protesters. An online maritime tracking map shows the route taken by the boats. BACK {current} of {total} NEXT Freed activists have disputed Israel's account, accusing the soldiers of brutality. "They came up and used plastic bullets, we had beatings, we had electric shocks, any method we can think of, they used," Greek activist Dimitris Gielalis said. The six ships, carrying more than 10,000 tonnes of aid, had sailed from Cyprus in a bid to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Israel had warned organisers that the flotilla would not be allowed to land in Gaza, but had said the ships could land in the Israeli port of Ashdod. The MV Rachel Corrie, another aid ship with Irish and other pro-Palestinian activists aboard, is expected to reach the point of Monday's confrontation by the weekend. Following the Israeli raid, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered the border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip to be opened to allow humanitarian aid through. International concern The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council has voted to set up an independent international inquiry into the raid. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. In London, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said Israel's raid was "completely unacceptable" and called for the blockade of Gaza to be lifted. The blockade "just strengthens Hamas's grip on Gaza", he told the British Parliament. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier called the situation in Gaza "unsustainable". Israel has maintained control of Gaza's airspace and territorial waters, as well as most of its land borders, since withdrawing troops and settlers from the territory in 2005. According to the UN, Gaza receives about one-quarter of the supplies that it received in the years before the blockade was tightened in 2007. The envoy of the Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, described the raid as a "terrible, horrible and tragic incident" but said it should not undermine confidence in Middle East peace negotiations. Were you or anyone you know on the flotilla? Are you in Gaza waiting for aid? If you have information you would like to share with the BBC, please let sus know. Send your pictures and videos to [email protected] or text them to 61124 (UK) or 0044 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. Read the terms and conditions At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. If you wish to remain anonymous, please say so in the box. ||||| JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Defending Israel’s enforcement of its blockade of Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday it was vital for security and would stay in place. In a televised speech after world outrage erupted over nine deaths in Monday’s seizure of a Turkish ship bound for Gaza, a defiant Netanyahu said easing controls would put Iranian missiles in the hands of the Palestinian enclave’s Hamas rulers. This threatened not just Israel but Europe too, he said. Turkey, a Muslim country that had been Israel’s strategic ally, accused it of “state terrorism” and has recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv and demanded it lift its blockade. Those calls have been echoed by European leaders and the United Nations whose Human Rights Council voted to set up an independent fact-finding mission into the incident. Israel’s key backer, the United States, is less outspoken. It has called for calm. Western powers agree with Israel that Iranian-backed Hamas is a threat but say the embargo should not punish the 1.5 million people trapped in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu made no mention of launching any form of investigation, despite the growing calls inside Israel as well for a hard look at what critics say was a bungled raid. He lambasted world leaders for criticizing the ships’ takeover, accusing some of holding Israel to what he called a double standard and questioning its right to defense. “Once again, Israel faces hypocrisy and a biased rush to judgment,” Netanyahu said as he defended the actions of Israeli marines who, he said, fired in self-defense against Turks wielding sticks and knives on the cruise liner Mavi Marmara. “The international community cannot afford an Iranian port on the Mediterranean...The same countries that are criticizing us today, should know that they could be targeted tomorrow.” British Foreign Secretary William Hague said leaders in London and Washington were discussing what might be done to ease the pain of the blockade on ordinary Gazans, telling parliament it had created an “unacceptable and unsustainable situation.” TESTIMONY Israel said it was deporting all 682 activists from more than 35 countries detained after the assault in international waters on the six ships it commandeered. All but nine wounded prisoners were expected to be gone by the end of the day. The accounts of some released challenged Israeli versions that all of those shot, including two who grabbed pistols from the boarding party, were attacking the marines. Moroccan Islamist lawmaker Abdelkader Amara said: “I will never forget a Turkish companion. I had just left him to go down below and I thought he would follow me, and then I saw they had shot him in the chest and he died.” Israel says it has not been able to identify all nine dead, but says most of them were Turks. It said the marines who rappelled onto the Mavi Marmara, fired in self-defense after activists attacked them with clubs, knives, as well as two pistols snatched from the commandos. Slideshow ( 30 images ) Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai told parliament that two of the activists killed during the takeover were shot after they used the two handguns to wound two commandos. Turkey said three of the nine dead had been identified as Turks and a fourth had a Turkish credit card. Israel has not named publicly any of those killed. An opinion poll in Israel’s Maariv newspaper showed that more than 60 percent of Israelis believed the interception was flawed operationally. But few question the Gaza blockade. Slideshow ( 30 images ) TURKS SEIZED COMMANDOS Israeli military affairs experts have described the assault as a blunder because the strength of the resistance on board was underestimated. Andre Abu Khalil, a Lebanese television cameraman deported on Wednesday, said he saw Turks on the Mavi Marmara seize the first four commandos to land on the deck. Israel has said marines winched down from helicopters armed with riot-control paintball guns were beaten and about to be “lynched” before comrades opened fire with live ammunition. “The first attempt to descend failed. They detained four soldiers,” Abu Khalil said. “They (Israelis) opened fire on three quarters of the men who were at the back of the ship.” Tensions over the flotilla rippled through Israel’s parliament on Wednesday where a Jewish lawmaker denounced as a traitor an Arab member, Hanin Zoabi, who had been aboard one of the ships. Another tried to grab Zoabi’s microphone. A new attempt to bust the blockade loomed on the horizon: The MV Rachel Corrie, a converted merchant ship bought by pro-Palestinian activists and named after an American woman killed in the Gaza Strip in 2003, set off on Monday from Malta. It is carrying 15 activists, including a Northern Irish Nobel Peace laureate, and expects to be at the point of Monday’s interception between Friday evening and Saturday morning, crew member Derek Graham told Irish state broadcaster RTE. Asked how Israel would treat any new attempt to steam into Gaza, Tzachi Hanegbi, head of parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said: “We cannot let them blur the red line Israel has set. Letting them in to help Hamas is not an option.” Egypt, which has kept its own Gaza border largely closed since Hamas, an offshoot of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood, seized the territory in 2007, reopened the frontier. The move was widely seen as an attempt to deflect criticism of its blockade, and hundreds of Palestinians flocked to the frontier terminal at Rafah on Wednesday. It is the only Gaza crossing not controlled by Israel. ||||| Hundreds of Gazans use newly opened Egyptian crossing RAFAH, Palestinian Territories — Hundreds of Palestinians travelled into and out of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after Egypt opened its Rafah crossing for travel and humanitarian aid. The opening took place in the wake of a deadly Israeli assault on a flotilla of aid ships that had sought to break a blockade on the coastal territory that was tightened after the Islamist movement took over in 2007. "Rafah crossing is open today in all directions," Hamas border official Bashir Abu al-Najaa said in a statement. The terminal is the only way in and out of Gaza that is not controlled by Israel. Priority would be given to the sick and to pre-registered travellers, as well as those holding a visa or residency permits from elsewhere, he said. Hamas and Egyptian border authorities said five busloads of travellers, or around 400 people, had entered Egypt by mid-afternoon with another 400 people expected to depart by the end of the day. Hamas said more than 450 people had entered Gaza, while an Egyptian border official put the count at 200. "The crossing authority will work to facilitate the travel of any citizen who wishes to without any limitations," Abu al-Najaa said. "The Rafah crossing will remain open on a permanent basis in order to ease the unjust blockade on the Palestinian people." Egypt has previously opened the crossing for short periods to send in humanitarian aid and allow the sick to leave Gaza, and Hamas greeted the decision to open the crossing with scepticism. "We hope that the Rafah crossing will be open permanently and completely and not simply as a reaction," Hamas social affairs minister Ahmad al-Kurd told reporters. "We don't need any more lives to be sacrificed in order to open the crossing." At a packed waiting area outside the crossing an angry Umm Ahmad said she had little hope it would remain open. "Egypt's doing this for the media. They are opening the crossing for a thousand people only, and tomorrow another thousand will cross, and then they will close it and the suffering will return," she said. Ahmad Abu Tawil, an elderly traveller wearing a white skullcap, said he had been disappointed before on previous attempts to leave. "There are so many problems, and so many times we have come to the crossing and then been turned back. The last time they opened the crossing my name was listed, and I was on bus number 11 (between the two sides), and then they stopped the whole process." Egypt's official MENA news agency confirmed the crossing would be open for Palestinians returning from abroad and for those with visas or residency permits to leave the territory. It said medical supplies, humanitarian aid and food would also be let in but only in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent. Hamas border authorities said the Red Crescent had brought in six trucks loaded with medical supplies and generators as well as five minibuses donated by Saudi Prince Walid Bin Talal. Israel and Egypt have largely sealed Gaza's borders since the 2006 capture of an Israeli soldier by Hamas and other militants, with the closures tightened after Hamas ousted the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. Israel has said the closure is necessary to prevent Hamas from importing weapons and insists the humanitarian needs of Gaza's 1.5 million people are met by the dozens of truckloads of basic goods it allows in most days. But the closures have severely hindered rebuilding following Israel's devastating three-week assault on Gaza that ended in January 2009, during which entire neighbourhoods were flattened and thousands of homes destroyed. Some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed during the war launched in a bid to halt years of near-daily rocket attacks from the territory. Since 2007, Gaza's economy has been largely sustained by international aid and the smuggling of goods through a vast network of tunnels from Egypt. Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More » ||||| Hundreds of Gazans use newly opened Egyptian crossing RAFAH, Palestinian Territories — Hundreds of Palestinians travelled into and out of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after Egypt opened its Rafah crossing for travel and humanitarian aid. The opening took place in the wake of a deadly Israeli assault on a flotilla of aid ships that had sought to break a blockade on the coastal territory that was tightened after the Islamist movement took over in 2007. "Rafah crossing is open today in all directions," Hamas border official Bashir Abu al-Najaa said in a statement. The terminal is the only way in and out of Gaza that is not controlled by Israel. Priority would be given to the sick and to pre-registered travellers, as well as those holding a visa or residency permits from elsewhere, he said. Hamas and Egyptian border authorities said five busloads of travellers, or around 400 people, had entered Egypt by mid-afternoon with another 400 people expected to depart by the end of the day. Hamas said more than 450 people had entered Gaza, while an Egyptian border official put the count at 200. "The crossing authority will work to facilitate the travel of any citizen who wishes to without any limitations," Abu al-Najaa said. "The Rafah crossing will remain open on a permanent basis in order to ease the unjust blockade on the Palestinian people." Egypt has previously opened the crossing for short periods to send in humanitarian aid and allow the sick to leave Gaza, and Hamas greeted the decision to open the crossing with scepticism. "We hope that the Rafah crossing will be open permanently and completely and not simply as a reaction," Hamas social affairs minister Ahmad al-Kurd told reporters. "We don't need any more lives to be sacrificed in order to open the crossing." At a packed waiting area outside the crossing an angry Umm Ahmad said she had little hope it would remain open. "Egypt's doing this for the media. They are opening the crossing for a thousand people only, and tomorrow another thousand will cross, and then they will close it and the suffering will return," she said. Ahmad Abu Tawil, an elderly traveller wearing a white skullcap, said he had been disappointed before on previous attempts to leave. "There are so many problems, and so many times we have come to the crossing and then been turned back. The last time they opened the crossing my name was listed, and I was on bus number 11 (between the two sides), and then they stopped the whole process." Egypt's official MENA news agency confirmed the crossing would be open for Palestinians returning from abroad and for those with visas or residency permits to leave the territory. It said medical supplies, humanitarian aid and food would also be let in but only in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent. Hamas border authorities said the Red Crescent had brought in six trucks loaded with medical supplies and generators as well as five minibuses donated by Saudi Prince Walid Bin Talal. Israel and Egypt have largely sealed Gaza's borders since the 2006 capture of an Israeli soldier by Hamas and other militants, with the closures tightened after Hamas ousted the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. Israel has said the closure is necessary to prevent Hamas from importing weapons and insists the humanitarian needs of Gaza's 1.5 million people are met by the dozens of truckloads of basic goods it allows in most days. But the closures have severely hindered rebuilding following Israel's devastating three-week assault on Gaza that ended in January 2009, during which entire neighbourhoods were flattened and thousands of homes destroyed. Some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed during the war launched in a bid to halt years of near-daily rocket attacks from the territory. Since 2007, Gaza's economy has been largely sustained by international aid and the smuggling of goods through a vast network of tunnels from Egypt. Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
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All International Activists from the six ship "", seized in the by in international waters, may be released. The activists had attempted to break the Israeli . Benjamin Netanyahu decided that Israel will not prosecute or continue to hold the activists it captured. "It was agreed that the detainees would be deported immediately," said a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister, as Israel comes under fire for its actions in the incident. Although some reports indicated that more had died, it's now believed that nine people were killed in the Israeli attack on the convoy, although one witness put the death toll at as high as sixteen. The details of the raid still remain unclear and repatriated flotilla activists have challenged the Israeli version of the . Israel's defense minister, , visited troops who had been involved in the incident, saying that Israel officially expelled 48 of the 682 of the activists on Tuesday, after they signed documents saying they entered Israel illegally. The activists who refused to sign the document were detained at the southern Israeli prison of . Some 30 wounded activists were still detained in hospitals, the Red Cross said it was granted access to the detainees. By Wednesday morning, about 120 activists arrived in Jordan via the Allenby crossing. Activists, from Arab and Muslim nations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Pakistan, were due to travel on to Amman. More than 300 activists were taken from Beersheba prison by bus to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv to be flown out of Israel, the Israeli interior ministry said. Meanwhile, hundreds of Gazans used the newly opened Egyptian crossing.
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AP Photo/Reed Saxon Buy AP Photo Reprints LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Police investigating Michael Jackson's death looked into his medical treatment Friday, seeking to interview one of the pop king's doctors and seizing a car that they said may contain drugs or other evidence. As medical examiners began an autopsy for Jackson, police towed a BMW from rented home "because it may contain medications or other evidence that may assist the coroner in determining the cause of death," police spokeswoman Karen Rayner said. She said the car belongs to one of Jackson's doctors whom police wanted to interview. Rayner said she did not know the doctor's identity and stressed the doctor was not under criminal investigation. The autopsy began Friday morning and was expected to last several hours. An official determination on cause of death was not expected for weeks or longer, until more sophisticated tests are completed. In a 911 call released by fire officials, a caller reports Jackson was on a bed and not breathing or responding to CPR. The unidentified caller said Jackson only was with his personal doctor at the time. The pop star died later Thursday afternoon at UCLA Medical Center. As stores reported they were inundated with orders for Jackson's music, a chorus of grief for the megastar spread around the world, from statesmen to icons of music to legions of heartbroken fans. "I can't stop crying. This is too sudden and shocking," said Diana Ross, who helped launch Jackson's career. "I am unable to imagine this. My heart is hurting." Lisa Marie Presley, briefly married to the pop icon in the mid-1990s, said he had confided to her 14 years ago that he worried about facing the same tragic fate as her father, Elvis Presley, who died of a drug overdose at age 42. "The world is in shock but somehow he knew exactly how his fate would be played out some day more than anyone else knew, and he was right," she wrote in a long, emotional statement on her MySpace page online. The White House also weighed in for the first time, with a spokesman saying President Barack Obama saw Jackson as a spectacular performer and music icon whose life nonetheless had sad and tragic aspects. The House of Representatives observed a moment of silence. Brian Oxman, a former Jackson attorney and a family friend, said Friday he had been concerned about Jackson's use of painkillers and had warned the singer's family about possible abuse. "I said one day, we're going to have this experience. And when Anna Nicole Smith passed away, I said we cannot have this kind of thing with Michael Jackson," Oxman said on NBC's "Today" show. "The result was, I warned everyone, and lo and behold, here we are. I don't know what caused his death. But I feared this day, and here we are." Oxman claimed Jackson had prescription drugs at his disposal to help with pain suffered when he broke his leg after he fell off a stage and for broken vertebrae in his back. After Jackson was acquitted on child molestation charges in 2005, prosecutors argued against returning to Jackson items including syringes, the drug Demerol and prescriptions for various drugs, mainly antibiotics, in different people's names. Jackson died after being stricken at his rented home in the posh Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him for three-quarter of an hours there before rushing him to the hospital. His brother Jermaine said Jackson apparently suffered cardiac arrest, an abnormal heart rhythm that stops the heart from pumping blood to the body. It can occur after a heart attack or be caused by other heart problems. Jackson was preparing for a monster comeback bid - a series of 50 concerts that was to begin next month in London. A handful of bleary-eyed fans camped out throughout the night with media outside the Jackson family house in the San Fernando Valley and near his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. People heading to work in New York stopped to pay respects outside Harlem's Apollo Theater, where Jackson performed as a child. "When the autopsy comes, all hell's going to break loose, so thank God we're celebrating him now," Liza Minnelli told CBS' "The Early Show" by telephone. A producer said Sunday's BET Awards would be dedicated to Jackson because of his influence on music and pop culture. And a screening of Universal Pictures' "Bruno" in Los Angeles on Thursday night cut a scene involving Jackson's sister La Toya. Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer. His 1982 album "Thriller" - which included the blockbuster hits "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" - is the best-selling album of all time worldwide. Yet after selling more than 61 million albums in the U.S. and having a decade-long attraction open at Disney theme parks, Jackson died reportedly awash in about $400 million in debt, on the cusp of a final comeback after well over a decade of scandal. The public first knew Jackson as a boy in the late 1960s, when he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the singing group he formed with his four older brothers out of Gary, Ind. Among their No. 1 hits were "I Want You Back," "ABC" and "I'll Be There." He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his backward-gliding moonwalk, his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched singing, punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks, as was his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance. "For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced "Thriller." "He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him." Jackson ranked alongside Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. He united two of music's biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie. Jackson's sudden death immediately evoked comparisons to that of Presley himself, who died at age 42 in 1977. As years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure - a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. He often wore a germ mask while traveling, kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions and surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, a storybook playland filled with toys, rides and animals. The tabloids dubbed him "Wacko Jacko." After the enormous success of "Thriller," Jackson had strong follow-up albums with 1987's "Bad" and 1991's "Dangerous," but his career began to collapse in 1993 after he was accused of molesting a boy who often stayed at his home. The singer denied any wrongdoing, reached a settlement with the boy's family, reported to be $20 million, and criminal charges were never filed. Jackson caused a furor in 2002 when he playfully dangled his infant son, Prince Michael II, over a hotel balcony in Berlin while a throng of fans watched from below. In 2005, he was cleared of charges that he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him, and of engaging in strange and inappropriate behavior with other children. The case followed years of rumors about Jackson and young boys. In a TV documentary, he acknowledged sharing his bed with children, a practice he described as sweet and not at all sexual. Despite the acquittal, the lurid allegations that came out in court took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble. Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994, and they divorced in 1996. Later that year, Jackson married Deborah Rowe, a former nurse for his dermatologist. They had two children together: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince Michael, now 12; and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11. Rowe filed for divorce in 1999. Jackson also had a third child, Prince Michael II, now 7. Jackson said the boy, nicknamed Blanket as a baby, was his biological child born from a surrogate mother. Billboard magazine editorial director Bill Werde said Jackson's star power was unmatched. "The world just lost the biggest pop star in history, no matter how you cut it," Werde said. "He's literally the king of pop." Jackson's 13 No. 1 one hits on the Billboard charts put him behind only Presley, the Beatles and Mariah Carey, Werde said. "He was on the eve of potentially redeeming his career a little bit," he said. "People might have started to think of him again in a different light." © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy. ||||| LOS ANGELES (AP) — The cardiologist who was with Michael Jackson during the pop star's final moments sat down with investigators for three hours to explain his actions, and his spokeswoman says he is not a suspect.Dr. Conrad Murray, a physician with a tangled financial and personal history who was hired to accompany Jackson on his planned summer concert tour, reportedly performed CPR until paramedics arrived at Jackson's rented home. The pop star was declared dead later at UCLA Medical Center.In his interview with police, the doctor "helped identify the circumstances around the death of the pop icon and clarified some inconsistencies," Murray's spokeswoman Miranda Sevcik said in a statement Saturday. "Investigators say the doctor is in no way a suspect and remains a witness to this tragedy."The statement said Murray has been in Los Angeles since Jackson's death, and plans to stay here until his cooperation is no longer needed.Police confirmed that they interviewed Murray, adding that he was cooperative and "provided information which will aid the investigation."The interview took place on a busy day when one of Jackson's lawyers was chosen to represent the family's legal interests and celebrities descended on Los Angeles for a star-studded public celebration of the King of Pop's life at the annual BET awards show.President Barack Obama has written to Michael Jackson's family expressing condolence, White House adviser David Axelrod said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." Obama did not issue a statement following Jackson's death, but the White House has said the president saw the pop star as a spectacular performer whose life had sad and tragic aspects.L. Londell McMillan, who represented Jackson last year in a breach of contact lawsuit and has advised high-profile clients such as Prince, was picked to help the family by Katherine Jackson, the singer's mother, said a person who requested anonymity because the matter is private.The legal move came as the Rev. Jesse Jackson revealed that Michael Jackson's family wants a second, private autopsy of the pop superstar because of unanswered questions about how he died."It's abnormal," Jesse Jackson said from Chicago a day after visiting the Jackson family. "We don't know what happened. Was he injected and with what? All reasonable doubt should be addressed."People close to Jackson have said since his death that they were concerned about his use of painkillers. Los Angeles County medical examiners completed their autopsy Friday and said Jackson had taken prescription medication.Medical officials also said there was no indication of trauma or foul play. An official cause of death could take weeks.There was no word from the Jackson family on funeral plans. Many of Jackson's relatives have gathered at the family's Encino compound, caring there for Jackson's three children.It remains unclear who Jackson designated as potential guardians for his children. Those details — likely contained in the 50-year-old singer's will — have not been released.An attorney for Deborah Rowe, the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, issued a statement Saturday asking that the Jackson family "be able to say goodbye to their loved one in peace."Sisters Janet and La Toya arrived Saturday at the mansion Jackson had been renting and left without addressing reporters. Moving vans also showed up at the Jackson home, leaving about an hour later. There was no indication what they might have taken away.The Jackson family issued a statement Saturday expressing its grief over the death and thanking his supporters."In one of the darkest moments of our lives we find it hard to find the words appropriate to this sudden tragedy we all had to encounter," said the statement made through People magazine. "We miss Michael endlessly."There was no immediate word on whether the second autopsy was being performed right away. Jesse Jackson described the family as grief-stricken."They're hurt because they lost a son. But the wound is now being kept open by the mystery and unanswered questions of the cause of death," he said.Organizers of the annual BET awards show — which recognizes the best in music, acting and sports — scrambled to revamp Sunday's show to honor Jackson and his legacy.Previously announced acts, such as Beyonce and Ne-Yo, hoped to change their planned performances to honor Jackson, said producer Stephen Hill. Other artists who hadn't planned to attend the ceremony, including Usher and Justin Timberlake, tried to catch last-minute flights to Los Angeles to participate.___Associated Press writers Anthony McCartney; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Juan A. Lozano in Houston; and Gillian Flaccus, Brooke Donald, Beth Harris and Mike Blood and AP Global Media Services Production Manager Nico Maounis in Los Angeles contributed to this report. ||||| Michael Jackson Dies We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50. Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back. A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived. A cardiologist at UCLA tells TMZ Jackson died of cardiac arrest. Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive. A source inside the hospital told us there was "absolute chaos" after Jackson arrived. People who were with the singer were screaming, "You've got to save him! You've got to save him!" We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911. La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead. Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II. Story developing... Filed under: Michael Jackson ||||| Latest news: Pop star Michael Jackson dead at 50 Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead today after paramedics found him in a coma at his Bel-Air mansion, city and law enforcement sources told The Times. Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda told The Times that paramedics responded to a 911 call from the home. When they arrived, Jackson was not breathing. The paramedics performed CPR and took Jackson to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda said. Hundreds of reporters gathered at the hospital awaiting word on his condition. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said family members rushed to Jackson’s bedside, where he was in a deep coma. The circumstances of Jackson’s death remain unclear. Law enforcement sources said that Los Angeles Police Department robbery-homicide detectives have opened an investigation into the death, though they stressed that there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. The detectives plan to interview relatives, friends and Jackson’s doctors to try to figure out what happened. The L.A. County coroner’s office will determine a cause of death. A Los Angeles Fire Department source told The Times that Jackson was in full cardiac arrest when rescue units arrived. A doctor was in the house performing CPR on Jackson, said the source who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Paramedics were called to a home in the 100 block of Carolwood Drive off Sunset Boulevard. Jackson rented the Bel-Air home -- described as a French chateau built in 2002 with seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a theater -- for $100,000 a month. The home is about a six-minute drive from UCLA Medical Center. Jackson has three children -- sons Prince Michael 7, and Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11. Jackson, 50, died as he was attempting a comeback after years of tabloid headlines, most notably his trial and acquittal on child molestation charges. In May, The Times reported that Jackson had rented the Bel-Air residence and was rehearsing for a series of 50 sold-out shows in London's O2 Arena. Jackson had won the backing of two billionaires to get the so-called "King of Pop" back on stage. His backers envisioned the shows at AEG's O2 as an audition for a career rebirth that could have ultimately encompassed a three-year world tour, a new album, movies, a Graceland-like museum, musical revues in Las Vegas and Macau, and even a "Thriller" casino. Such a rebound could have wiped out Jackson's massive debt. [Updated post] -- Andrew Blankstein and Phil Willon Photos: Michael Jackson, 1958-2009 Photos: Fans grieve worldwide Location of Jackson's Bel-Air home in relation to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. ||||| (CNN) -- Entertainer Michael Jackson died after being taken to a hospital on Thursday having suffered cardiac arrest, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's office. A Los Angeles fire official told CNN that paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson's home after a 911 call. Paramedics took Jackson, 50, from his west Los Angeles home Thursday afternoon to UCLA Medical Center, where a team of physicians attempted to resuscitate him for more than an hour, said brother Jermaine Jackson. He said the famed singer was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. PT. An autopsy is scheduled Friday, he said. Results are expected Friday afternoon, according to Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles coroner's office, who also said Jackson was unresponsive when he arrived at the hospital. Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN paramedics were sent to a west Los Angeles, California, residence after a 911 call came in at 12:21 p.m. Law enforcement officials said the Los Angeles Police Department Robbery-Homicide Division opened an investigation into Jackson's death. They stressed there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing but that they would conduct interviews with family members and friends. CNN Analyst Roland S. Martin spoke on Thursday with Marlon Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson. "I talked to Frank Dileo, Michael's manager. Frank told me that Michael last night was complaining about not feeling well. He called to tell him he wasn't feeling well. "Michael's doctor went over to see him, and Frank said, 'Marlon, from last night to this morning, I don't know what happened.' When they got to him this morning, he wasn't breathing. They rushed him to the hospital and couldn't bring him around." "Janet Jackson is grief-stricken and devastated at the sudden loss of her brother," Kenneth Crear, her manager said. "She is ... flying immediately to California to be with her family." Michael Jackson, the music icon from Gary, Indiana, was known as the "King of Pop." Jackson had many No. 1 hits, and his "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time. Watch why Jackson is "as big as it gets" » Jackson was the seventh of nine children from a well-known musical family. He is survived by three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II. Watch Jesse Jackson share memories » Jackson's former wife, Lisa Marie Presley, said she was "shocked and saddened" by Jackson's death. "My heart goes out to his children and his family," she said. At the medical center, every entrance to the emergency room was blocked by security guards. Even hospital staffers were not permitted to enter. A few people stood inside the waiting area, some of them crying. iReport.com: Your Michael Jackson tributes Video footage shows a large crowd gathering outside the hospital. Some of Jackson's music was being played outside. The sounds of "Thriller" and "Beat It" bounced off the walls. Kingston: Jackson "a legend" » Outside Jackson's Bel Air home, police arrived on motorcycles. The road in front of the home was closed in an attempt to hold traffic back, but several people were gathered outside the home. Sharpton: Jackson "was a trailblazer" » Along with his success Jackson had some legal troubles later in his career. He was acquitted of child molestation charges after a well-publicized trial in Santa Maria, California, in March 2006. Prosecutors charged the singer with four counts of lewd conduct with a child younger than 14; one count of attempted lewd conduct; four counts of administering alcohol to facilitate child molestation; and one count of conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment or extortion. CNN's Alan Duke contributed to this report. All About Michael Jackson ||||| Remembering Michael Jackson on Twitter As the news of Michael Jackson's death spread around the world on June 25, the social-networking site Twitter came to a virtual standstill, flooded with visitors tweeting the news. Within moments of the first breaking news reports indicating that Jackson had suffered cardiac arrest and had been rushed via ambulance to a Los Angeles hospital both #michaeljackson and cardiac arrest emerged as two of the network's highest-rated "trending topics." As TIME's Michael Scherer notes, nearly three times as many tweets were posted about Michael Jackson on Thursday than about either Iran or swine flu. (See TIME's Michael Jackson tribute: "The Talent and the Tragedy.") In the hour following confirmation of his death, celebrities rushed to make their grief and condolences public: Miley Cyrus (mileycyrus): michael jackson was my inspiration. love and blessings MC Hammer (MCHammer): I have no words.. I loved Michael Jackson.. RIP... I will be mourning my friend , brother, mentor and inspiration.. He gave me and my family hope. I would never have been me without him. Lance Armstrong (lancearmstrong): Terrible news about Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett. My best to their friends, fans, and families. Danica Patrick (DanicaPatrick): I can not believe Michael Jackson and Farrah passed away. Rest in peace. Wyclef Jean (wyclefjean): Michael Jackson was my music god, he made me believe that all things are possible and through positive music he will live forever... Alyssa Milano (Alyssa_Milano): Remember the first time you saw him moonwalk? RIP Michael Jackson Lindsay Lohan: NO OMG ... sending my love and prayers out to Michael and his family ... i feel sick.. Josh Groban (joshgroban): Definitely a "Where were you when..." day. Lost a great artist who had great demons. Britney Spears (britneyspears): He was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed. (See the top 10 celebrity Twitter feeds.) John Mayer (johncmayer): Dazed in the studio. A major strand of our cultural DNA has left us. RIP MJ. Perez Hilton (PerezHilton): Grieving is not entertainment. That does not need to be public. That adds nothing to the story. I won't be running any pics. Please follow. Ashton Kutcher (aplusk): I plea to the public to refuse to consume media that does not respect the anonymity of Michaels children Larry King (kingsthings): I interviewed Michael Jackson when he 12 and with the Jackson 5 Mandy Moore (TheMandyMoore): RIP michael jackson and farrah fawcett. what a tremendous loss in one day.... thoughts and prayers with their families and loved ones.... Kirstie Alley (kirstiealley): Don't know what to say...so I will say I am so sorry for his family either way... What a horrible way to find these things out...sorry John Legend (johnlegend): Terrible news about Michael Jackson Katy Perry (katyperry): Oh my God. Kim Kardashian (KimKardashian): Wow I am truly in shock that Michael Jackson has passed away! I love u Jackson family, my prayers are with the whole family! Marlon Wayans (babyway): My prayers, my love, my heart goes out to michael jackson and the entire jackson family. I pray so hard for them. I'm crushed! Please pray. Ashley Tisdale (ashleytisdale): I have to say, the 6 of us from HSM were very lucky to have met such an amazing man. I will remember that moment forever. RIP Michael Stephanie Pratt (stephaniepratt): "Wow Sad day Remembering how much you loved the thriller video when u were 2 yrs.old Must have watched u dance 2 it a million times" - My mama just texted me that :( Meghan McCain (McCainBlogette): prayers go out to the King of Pop's family, a sombre day... Jane Fonda (Janefonda): I am stunned. My friend, Michael Jackson is dead. He lived with me for a week on "Golden Pond" set after "Thriller." Ellen DeGeneres (TheEllenShow): So sad to hear about Michael Jackson. His music changed our lives. The world has lost an amazing singer and dancer. I will miss him. Sean (Diddy) Combs (iamdiddy): Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat. He made the music come to life!! He made me believe in magic. I will miss him! Rob Thomas (ThisIsRobThomas): Official. Michael jackson dies at 50. Speechless. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (Schwarzenegger): We lost a great entertainer and a pop icon. My thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Jackson's family, friends and fans. Kelly Clarkson (Kelly_clarkson): Such a sad day in Hollywood. You'll always be in my heart. Hanson (hansonmusic): It is difficult to think of a more impact full loss from the passing of an icon, than that of Michael Jackson. Watch TIME's video "Appreciating Michael Jackson, the Musician." Michael Jackson's Thriller is on the list: See TIME's top 100 albums of all time. ||||| Login Enter your details below to login If you are an existing member of The Times and The Sunday Times enjoying the full benefits of thetimes.co.uk, then simply enter your Times+ login details below and press 'Enter' Enter your details to login Email address Password Keep me logged in information Keeps you logged in for a rolling 15 days or until you logout ||||| As soon as reports started emerging that Michael Jackson had suffered a fatal heart attack, fellow celebrities and fans started to pay tribute to the King of Pop on Twitter. P Diddy commented: "Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat. He made the music come to life!! He made me believe in magic. I will miss him." Lindsay Lohan wrote "RIP Michael Jackson . My love and prayers go out to the Jackson family...'you are not alone'." Her on-off girlfriend DJ Samantha Ronson meanwhile said: "His music is just as relevant now as it was the day they pressed record, I'm sure it will remain so for generations to come. RIP Mr Jackson." Mariah Carey was devastated by the news. She wrote: "I am heartbroken. My prayers go out to the Jackson family,and my heart goes out to his children "Let us remember him for his unparalleled contribution to the world of music, his generosity of spirit in his quest to heal the world & the joy he brought to his millions of devoted fans throughout the world. I feel blessed to have performed with him several times & to call him my friend. "No artist will ever take his place. His star will shine forever." US reality star Kim Kardashian had known Jacko her entire life. She wrote: "I'm looking at pictures of my 14th bday party at Neverland Ranch, these memories will last forever!" Chris Moyles said: "Michael Jackson was to me what I imagine Elvis was to another generation. I bought his songs and I saw him live. His death is very sad." X Factor winner Alexandra Burke wrote: "May MJ Rest in peace. Sometimes God need's to call his angels home. May His music live on..." Actress Demi Moore wrote on her Twitter site: "I am greatly saddened for the loss of both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Especially for their children!" Husband Ashton Kutcher reacted like most fans, initially stunned, baffled and looking for confirmation of the early news reports that were coming out. "Michael Jackson had a heart attack?" he asked on his Twitter page, before updating: "Mike Jackson passed away today from a heart attack. That's what tmz said. Wow" He later wrote: "Pray for his kids." TV presenter Alexa Chung said she actually found out about his death via Twitter. She said: "V strange to discover MJ has died via twitter. How modern. Sang 'heal the world' in his honour." Teen singer Miley Cyrus wrote: "Michael Jackson was my inspiration. love and blessings." Advertisement - article continues below » Stephen Fry was shocked at the news. "Goodness. Michael Jackson. Poor old soul. Oh dear." Pink said: "Michael Jackson was one of the best that ever did it. RIP" And rapper MC Hammer also paid tribute, saying: "I will be mourning my friend, brother, mentor and inspiration... He gave me and my family hope. I would never have been without him." Musician Wyclef Jean wrote: "he lives forever in my heart i will never forget the day he came to see me in the studio and i played him music... R i p to Michael Jackson my music god ... Some lost Elvis Presley and we lost Michael Jackson... I cried today because Michael Jackson was a Father that we all lost!" Usher wrote: "Again.. my heart goes out to the King of Pop and his family." Princess of pop Britney Spears wrote: "He was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed." Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote: "We lost a great entertainer and a pop icon. My thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Jackson's family, friends and fans." Katy Perry simply wrote: "Oh my God." The site was so flooded with activity that people found they could not post. And fans were quick to post messages reacting to his sudden death. ElToroDiablo posted on gossip website TMZ.com: "God bless you Michael, heaven just got another beautiful angel." Kimbers wrote: "What a sad day. I hope Michael Jackson finds the peace that eluded him in life." Another fan, Sineen, wrote on website MJSite.com: "I never thought that one day would come and i'll have to write this down, Michael Jackson is no longer with us. May your warm soul rest in peace. I'll always love you Michael. Keep the faith!" Rulintheroost posted on political website The Huffington Post: "RIP Michael. Your music was a joy to many people around the world." Michael Jackson dead at 50. All you need to know about the King of Pop. ||||| British fans and admirers of Michael Jackson have expressed their shock after news broke of the pop star's death in an LA hospital. Matt Blank, from the Michael Jackson World Network fan club, told BBC News 24 he was "a bit dumbfounded and a bit shellshocked by it all". He added: "I find it hard to believe this could be a reality. In the past, health issues of Michael Jackson have always been rumoured. I can only imagine this is down to the amount of stress he was under to come out and perform." He added: "It's just unimaginable that Michael Jackson is no more, it's just unbelievable." Foreign Secretary David Miliband wrote on Twitter: "Never has one soared so high and yet dived so low. RIP Michael." Publicist Max Clifford first met the star in the 60s when Mr Clifford was working at record label EMI's press office. He spoke to the singer most recently three weeks before reality TV star Jade Goody died earlier this year when Jackson asked to visit her. Mr Clifford said: "It is a terrible shock, you wonder if the strain of getting fit for this major tour proved too much. In recent pictures he looked anything but healthy. That's the first thought that went through my mind. "Worldwide his fans are going to be devestated, he was incredibly close to his fans and he had a loyal following right up to the end as shown by his sell out shows." Terry George, a Yorkshire businessman who was working with Jackson in a bid to secure possible cooperation on a future project, said he was "absolutely shocked" by the news. "I didn't think he would go out in these circumstances," said Mr George, 44, of Halifax. "It's not the way I would have expected him to go at all. He's going to become a Marilyn Monroe or an Elvis Presley." Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2009, All Rights Reserved. ||||| UPDATE 3.05pm: MICHAEL Jackson's ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley has told of her heartbreak as tributes poured in for the pop icon after his sudden death. "I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible," said the daughter of Elvis Presley.She married Jackson in 1994 but they split less than two years later."I am heartbroken for his children who I know were everything to him and for his family."This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me."”I'm absolutely devastated at this news,” bestselling record producer and musician Quincy Jones told NBC, after Jackson died suddenly aged 50 at his Beverly Hills home.”I just don't have the words. Divinity brought our souls together and allowed us to do what we could do through the '80s,” Jones said.”To this day that music is played in every corner of the world, and the reason is because he had it all talent, grace, and professionalism. I've lost my little brother today and part of my soul has gone with him.”Pop star Justin Timberlake, seen by many as the heir to Jackson's pop crown, said in a statement that the world had "lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music"."He has been an inspiration to multiple generations and I will always cherish the moments I shared with him on stage and all of the things I learned about music from him and the time we spent together," the statement read."Just as there will never be another Fred Astaire or Chuck Berry or Elvis Presley, there will never be anyone comparable to Michael Jackson," director Steven Spielberg told Entertainment Weekly."His talent, his wonderment and his mystery make him a legend."California Governor and former Hollywood action star Arnold Schwarzegger issued a statement lamenting the loss of “one of the most influential and iconic figures in the music industry.”Schwarzenegger noted that there were "serious questions'' about Jackson's personal life, but the governor said he and his wife Maria Shriver joined “all Californians in expressing our shock and sadness over his death”.”Our hearts go out the Jackson family, Michael's children and to his fans worldwide,” the statement said."I can't stop crying over the sad news," Madonna said."I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever!"My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless."American Idol judge Randy Jackson said Jackson’s death was on par with the deaths of Elvis Presley and John Lennon.“We have really really lost a great one. I don’t think that there will be anybody ever again like Michael Jackson,” he told CNN's Larry King.“I haven’t seen something affect people like this has in a long time.“He transcended everything, he was colourless. Thriller changed the face of music forever.”In a statement, Britney Spears said she was going to meet up with Jackson in the UK while she was touring through Europe.“He has been an inspiration throughout my entire life and I am devastated that he is gone,” she said.Singer Celine Dion said Jackson’s death was a huge loss. “It feels like when Kennedy died, when Elvis died. It’s an amazing loss,” she told Larry King.“He was an extremely talented person … he was a genius. It’s a big loss and I have to say it’s not even sinking in yet.”Singer Cher recalled meeting Jackson when he was a young boy.“He was always adorable to me, he was always sweet,” she said.“He was a great singer. He was a genius like Ray Charles, like people that have a gift.”Close friend Uri Geller told the BBC : ”I'm just devastated, very very sad. I pray that his soul is up there now."Jackson was best man when the television physic Geller renewed his wedding vows in 2001.”I'm still trying to hold on to the glimmer that it is not true. It is too surreal for me to absorb that Michael is no longer with us.”Geller told the BBC that he was “absolutely shocked” as Jackson had been in good shape training for his comeback tour due to launch on July 13 in London.”Michael was in good shape because he was practising, he was training, he was rehearsing for the shows,” he said.US actor Jamie Foxx was in the middle of an interview with Extra TV when the news broke, and said he hoped Jackson would be remembered as a “brilliant musician” and not for “the circus sideshow” that his life turned into.Many paid tribute to Jackson's influence on the world of music and dance. His album Thriller remains the bestselling album of all time with more than 41 million sales.British child actor Mark Lester, the godfather to Jackson's children, said he was in shock at the news, and praised Jackson's attributes as a father.”They're the most fabulous kids – whatever they need, they've got me,” Lester told MSNBC.Many singers and musicians were quick to express their grief at his passing on social networking website Twitter.Sean 'Diddy' Combs wrote that Jackson made music "come to life"."Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat," he said. "He made me believe in magic. I will miss him!"The Australian music community was also united in paying tribute to the ground-breaking artist.Australian music guru Molly Meldrum said he couldn't believe the news.Meldrum, the former Countdown host, this morning reflected on the exceptional talent, extraordinary success and bizarre personal life of the Thriller star."I'm still trying to get my head around it,'' Meldrum told 3AW radio "All of us will have to look and gauge what artists like your Paul McCartneys, even Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel of what their reaction will be."Because Michael Jackson was in that stratosphere of your John Lennons, your Elvis Presleys and it's hard to believe he's not here.''But Meldrum said Jackson's life was often sad, despite the glitz and glamour that came with his mega success especially once he started altering his image."Once he started doing all that plastic surgery and the whitening (of his skin) and then obviously all that other dramas in his personal life that went on, for anyone of us it was totally surreal,'' Meldrum said."Even the look of Michael Jackson, he started to - without being cruel - he started to look like one of the (figures) from the video Thriller."It was a sad life in a sense because he didn't know anything else."When you're a superstar at the age of eight and that's all you've ever known in your life and you've had to surround yourself with people, bodyguards, publicists, whatever it would be very surreal.''Meldrum said the controversial child molestation case in an LA court just added to the strange course of his life."It just became a bizarre trail and it was hard to know what was fact and what was fiction,'' he said.”I wish I got to tell him how much his music & existence changed my life,” Lisa Origliasso from The Veronicas wrote on Twitter.”He was my biggest inspiration and will forever live on in my heart.”Delta Goodrem said she heard the news when she woke up this morning. ”I feel so thankful for him sharing his brilliance,'' she wrote.Australian Idol winner Wes Carr said he shocked by the singer's death.”Pretty upsetting to wake up to that news, I'm going to play one hell of a show tonight in honour of the great man,” he tweeted.The social networking website went into meltdown for a short while this morning.”The King of Pop, greatest entertainer ever, is gone. Thanks for the boogie,” wrote TV personality Andrew G.Pop singer Nikki Webster, who also started out in the entertainment industry at a young age, said her thoughts were with Jackson's family and children.”The music industry will not be the same,” Webster wrote.”You are a true inspiration and genius.”Rock band Grinspoon added: “You knock me off of my feet now baby hoo hoo... Bye Michael. Thanks for the tunes.”
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Michael Jackson in 1988 Michael Jackson, a singer and songwriter who was dubbed as the 'King of Pop', has died today at the age of 50. Initial reports had stated that Jackson is in a coma after being rushed to UCLA Medical Center. According to TMZ, rescue crews from the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to his home in Holmby Hills, a suburb of Los Angeles, California where they found Jackson not breathing. According to Fire Captain Steven Ruda, a 911 call was received from Jackson's home at 12:21 p.m. PDT (19:21 UTC), and paramedics responded just before 12:30 p.m. PDT (19:30 UTC). Paramedics unsuccessfully attempted CPR, for a suspected cardiac arrest. According to Lieutenant Fred Corral, the L.A. County Coroner, Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. PDT (21:26 UTC). The ''Los Angeles Times'' and Associated Press have said they have confirmed his death with anonymous sources familiar with the situation. According to CNN, the road on which Jackson lived has been blocked off in an attempt to reduce traffic. Jackson began his career with The Jackson 5 which debuted in 1966. Despite numerous hits and best sellers, Jackson is probably most known for his 1982 hit ''Thriller''. It's estimated that the album sold as many at 109 million worldwide. The news failed to reach some quarters quickly. As of 01:00 UTC the web site of the O2 arena, where Jackson had been scheduled to perform his This Is It concerts in July, was still advertising tickets for sale. Several companies, including Ticketmaster, Seatwave, and AEG Live, now face having to reimburse all ticket sales. AEG Live had already faced problems obtaining insurance for the concerts. Many celebrities were quick to publish comments and tributes: ;Britney Spears:"He was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed." ;Ludacris:"If it were not for Michael Jackson I would not be where or who I am today. His music and legacy will live on forever. Prayers to the family." ;John Mayer:"I hope he is memoralised as the '83 moonwalking, MTV owning, mesmerizing, unstoppable, invincible Michael Jackson." ;Miley Cyrus:"Michael Jackson was my inspiration. love and blessings." ;MC Hammer:"I will be mourning my friend, brother, mentor and inspiration... He gave me and my family hope. I would never have been without him." Several, including Celine Dion, Randy Jackson, and Donald Tarlton, compared the news of Jackson's death to the news of the deaths of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, John F. Kennedy, and John Lennon. Talking to Larry King, Dion said "It feels like when Kennedy died, when Elvis died. It's an amazing loss." A Yorkshire businessman who was working with Jackson on a proposed future project said "I didn't think he would go out in these circumstances. It's not the way I would have expected him to go at all. He's going to become a Marilyn Monroe or an Elvis Presley."
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Scorecard - Commentary - Wickets - Partnerships - Wagon wheels - Player v player - Over comparison - Over graphs - Career averages - Match home - Bulletin - Article index (6) - Photo index (19) ODI no. 2543 ICC World Cup - 13th Match, Group D West Indies v Zimbabwe 2006/07 season Played at , on 19 March 2007 (50-over match) Result West Indies won by 6 wickets (with 13 balls remaining) Zimbabwe innings (50 overs maximum) R M B 4s 6s SR b Powell 1 9 9 0 0 11.11 b Taylor 0 2 1 0 0 0.00 b Taylor 12 39 25 2 0 48.00 run out (Bravo/Samuels) 50 145 121 1 1 41.32 c Powell b Smith 16 36 27 2 0 59.25 not out 70 107 88 7 0 79.54 not out 30 33 29 5 0 103.44 Extras (b 1, lb 7, w 15) 23 Total (5 wickets; 50 overs) 202 Did not bat , , , Fall of wickets Bowling O M R W Econ 6 1 15 1 2.50 (2w) 10 0 42 2 4.20 (7w) 9 0 29 0 3.22 (2w) 5 0 28 1 5.60 (3w) 10 1 32 0 3.20 (1w) 10 1 48 0 4.80 West Indies innings (target: 203 runs from 50 overs) R M B 4s 6s SR c Sibanda b Mpofu 40 82 48 3 3 83.33 c Sibanda b Chigumbura 21 77 60 3 0 35.00 c & b Ireland 12 32 19 2 0 63.15 c Chibhabha b Mupariwa 28 54 48 3 0 58.33 not out 44 83 68 2 1 64.70 not out 37 54 46 3 2 80.43 Extras (lb 10, w 10, nb 2) 22 Total (4 wickets; 47.5 overs) 204 Did not bat , , , , Fall of wickets Bowling O M R W Econ 9 1 34 1 3.77 (8w) 7 0 38 1 5.42 9 2 34 1 3.77 (1nb) 9.5 0 45 1 4.57 (1nb, 2w) 10 1 26 0 2.60 3 0 17 0 5.66 Toss West Indies, who chose to field first Points West Indies 2, Zimbabwe 0 Player of the match SC Williams (Zimbabwe) Umpires (England) and (Australia) TV umpire (New Zealand) Match referee (Sri Lanka) Reserve umpire (South Africa) Match notes Zimbabwe innings Power Play 2: Overs 10.1 - 15.0 Drinks: Zimbabwe - 49/3 in 14.0 overs (BRM Taylor 11, S Matsikenyeri 15) Zimbabwe: 50 runs in 14.4 overs (97 balls), Extras 11 Power Play 3: Overs 15.1 - 20.0 Zimbabwe: 100 runs in 28.6 overs (186 balls), Extras 15 5th Wicket: 50 runs in 85 balls (BRM Taylor 21, SC Williams 26, Ex 3) Drinks: Zimbabwe - 117/4 in 34.0 overs (BRM Taylor 42, SC Williams 30) BRM Taylor: 50 off 121 balls (1 x 4, 1 x 6) Zimbabwe: 150 runs in 42.6 overs (273 balls), Extras 18 SC Williams: 50 off 70 balls (5 x 4) 6th Wicket: 50 runs in 46 balls (SC Williams 20, E Chigumbura 24, Ex 7) Zimbabwe: 200 runs in 49.4 overs (313 balls), Extras 23 West Indies innings Lunch: West Indies - 0/0 Power Play 2: Overs 10.1 - 15.0 West Indies: 50 runs in 13.1 overs (86 balls), Extras 12 1st Wicket: 50 runs in 86 balls (CH Gayle 24, S Chanderpaul 18, Ex 12) Drinks: West Indies - 71/0 in 16.0 overs (CH Gayle 38, S Chanderpaul 21) Power Play 3: Overs 18.1 - 23.0 West Indies: 100 runs in 23.5 overs (152 balls), Extras 18 Drinks: West Indies - 129/4 in 33.0 overs (BC Lara 10) West Indies: 150 runs in 37.5 overs (236 balls), Extras 18 5th Wicket: 50 runs in 62 balls (BC Lara 18, DJ Bravo 32, Ex 1) West Indies: 200 runs in 47.5 overs (299 balls), Extras 22 ||||| Test Match Series: West Indies v India 10-06-2006 at St Lucia, Day 5 of 5 West Indies drew with India India won the toss and decided to bat India 1st Innings 588 for 8 (148.2 overs) West Indies 1st Innings 215 all out (85.1 overs) West Indies 2nd Innings 294 for 7 (119.0 overs) India 1st Innings Runs Balls 4s 6s W Jaffer c D J Bravo b P T Collins 43 92 4 0 V Sehwag c and b P T Collins 180 190 20 2 V V S Laxman c D Ramdin b P T Collins 0 10 0 0 R Dravid c B C Lara b R R Sarwan 146 243 17 0 Yuvraj Singh b P T Collins 2 16 0 0 M Kaif not out 148 243 12 0 M S Dhoni c D Ganga b I D R Bradshaw 9 35 0 0 I K Pathan c D Ganga b C H Gayle 19 52 2 0 A Kumble b J E Taylor 14 31 1 0 Extras 12nb 4w 4b 7lb 27 Total for 8 588 Bowler O M R W P T Collins 28.0 5 116 4 J E Taylor 24.2 4 88 1 D J Bravo 10.0 0 66 0 C D Collymore 21.0 1 92 0 I D R Bradshaw 26.0 6 80 1 R R Sarwan 18.0 1 83 1 C H Gayle 21.0 6 52 1 Fall of wicket 159 W Jaffer 161 V V S Laxman 300 V Sehwag 306 Yuvraj Singh 485 R Dravid 517 M S Dhoni 555 I K Pathan 588 A Kumble Back to top West Indies 1st Innings Runs Balls 4s 6s C H Gayle c M S Dhoni b A Kumble 46 106 7 1 D Ganga lbw b M M Patel 16 33 3 0 R R Sarwan lbw b M M Patel 0 1 0 0 B C Lara lbw b A Kumble 7 14 1 0 S Chanderpaul lbw b I K Pathan 30 79 3 0 D J Bravo c R Dravid b A Kumble 25 84 3 0 D Ramdin c M S Dhoni b M M Patel 30 83 4 0 I D R Bradshaw c and b V Sehwag 20 59 2 0 J E Taylor c M Kaif b V Sehwag 23 36 2 1 P T Collins c R Dravid b V Sehwag 0 5 0 0 C D Collymore not out 2 18 0 0 Extras 9nb 5b 2lb 16 Total all out 215 Bowler O M R W I K Pathan 11.0 2 43 1 M M Patel 17.0 4 51 3 A Kumble 30.0 12 57 3 V R V Singh 10.0 3 23 0 V Sehwag 16.1 5 33 3 Yuvraj Singh 1.0 0 1 0 Fall of wicket 36 D Ganga 36 R R Sarwan 55 B C Lara 106 C H Gayle 106 S Chanderpaul 167 D J Bravo 178 D Ramdin 209 J E Taylor 210 P T Collins 215 I D R Bradshaw Back to top West Indies 2nd Innings Runs Balls 4s 6s C H Gayle c M S Dhoni b I K Pathan 2 3 0 0 D Ganga b A Kumble 26 66 3 0 B C Lara lbw b V Sehwag 120 307 10 0 R R Sarwan c M S Dhoni b M M Patel 1 10 0 0 S Chanderpaul c I K Pathan b A Kumble 54 113 6 0 D J Bravo c Yuvraj Singh b A Kumble 47 123 3 1 D Ramdin not out 17 64 2 0 I D R Bradshaw lbw b M M Patel 3 38 0 0 J E Taylor not out 0 3 0 0 Extras 14nb 5lb 5pen 24 Total for 7 294 Bowler O M R W I K Pathan 15.0 1 50 1 M M Patel 21.0 7 49 2 V R V Singh 11.0 0 39 0 A Kumble 42.0 11 98 3 V Sehwag 30.0 9 48 1 Fall of wicket 2 C H Gayle 51 D Ganga 52 R R Sarwan 181 S Chanderpaul 252 B C Lara 277 D J Bravo 291 I D R Bradshaw Back to top Umpires: Asad Rauf, S J A Taufel West Indies: C H Gayle, D Ganga, R R Sarwan, B C Lara, S Chanderpaul, D J Bravo, D Ramdin, I D R Bradshaw, P T Collins, J E Taylor, C D Collymore India: W Jaffer, V Sehwag, R Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, V V S Laxman, M Kaif, M S Dhoni, I K Pathan, A Kumble, M M Patel, V R V Singh Sachin for the day Download all our top cricket masks Star of the week: Have you been a sporting legend?
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West Indies beat Zimbabwe by 6 wickets (with 13 balls remaining) in Group D of the 2007 Cricket World Cup at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica. This victory ensured the West Indies qualified for the Super 8 phase. Toss: West Indies won, and elected to field first. Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Kasteni, 1.1 ov), 2-2 (Sibanda, 2.2 ov), 3-31 (Chibhabha, 9.2 ov), 4-59 (Matsikenyeri, 17.4 ov), 5-142 (Taylor, 40.6 ov) Fall of wickets: 1-73 (Chanderpaul, 17.3 ov), 2-73 (Gayle, 18.1 ov), 3-106 (Sarwan, 24.6 ov), 4-129 (Samuels, 32.6 ov) West Indies: C H Gayle, S Chanderpaul, R R Sarwan, M N Samuels, B C Lara (capt), D R Smith, D J Bravo, D Ramdin (wkt), D B Powell, J E Taylor, C D Collymore Zimbabwe: V Sibanda, C J Chibhabha, B R M Taylor (wkt), S Matsikenyeri, S C Williams, F Kasteni, E Chigumbura, P Utseya (capt), C B Mpofu, T Mupariwa, A J Ireland Player of the match: S C Williams (Zimbabwe) Umpires: I J Gould (England) and S J A Taufel (Australia) TV umpire: B F Bowden (New Zealand) Match referee: R S Mahanama (Sri Lanka) Reserve umpire: B G Jerling (South Africa)
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Three people were killed and thousands of houses destroyed by a powerful aftershock in China's Sichuan province. The 6.0 quake struck near Guangyuan City at 1800 (1000GMT) on Tuesday. Two people died in the town of Yaodu, and another in neighbouring Gansu province, Xinhua news agency said. At least 35 people were injured. The aftershock is one of thousands to hit the area since the devastating earthquake in May which left almost 70,000 people dead. Water and power supplies were cut off in Yaodu, and communication facilities were also damaged, the agency said. More than 3,200 houses collapsed in the region. Another person died and six were injured in Gansu province's Wenxian County, the agency quoted a provincial official as saying. Officials are working to assess the damage and help those affected by the aftershock. The quake came a few hours after the Olympic torch was paraded through Sichuan's provincial capital, Chengdu, the last leg of its journey before it returned to Beijing for the opening ceremony. Major reconstruction efforts have been under way in Sichuan province since the 12 May earthquake, which left about five million people homeless. ||||| Tuesday, August 05, 2008 at 09:49:18 UTC Tuesday, August 05, 2008 at 05:49:18 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones ||||| One person died and 23 were injured today when an earthquake hit parts of western China. The tremor was in the same region wrecked by a quake that killed at least 70,000 people in May. Today's tremor, measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, shook the Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Gansu. The epicentre was in Sichuan's Qingchuan county, 1,250km (780 miles) south-west of Beijing, the US Geological Survey said. Five people were seriously injured in the tremor, which toppled a bridge, cutting off a national highway, and cut roads to at least three villages, the Chinese state news agency said. Hundreds of paramilitary troops and militia have been mobilised to carry out relief and rescue work. The county's communist party secretary was leading a team to the area while the scale of the damage was investigated. In May, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake devastated Qingchuan and made millions homeless. A string of strong aftershocks followed. Reconstruction work and attempts to rebuild have since been carried out in the region. ||||| The death toll from the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province and its neighboring region stood at 69,207 as of Monday noon, the State Council Information Office said in a statement. The number of people listed as missing and injured stood at 18,194 and 374,468 respectively. As of Monday noon, a total of 1,485,899 quake-affected people had been relocated. Among the 96,509 hospitalized for injury, 91,849 had been discharged, the statement said. The government spending on disaster relief and reconstruction had topped 64.16 billion yuan (about 9.3 billion U.S. dollars), including 57.41 billion yuan from the central budget and 6.75 billion yuan from the local budget. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, domestic and foreign donations had reached 59.25 billion yuan in cash and goods by Monday noon. Of this, 22.88 billion yuan had been forwarded to quake-hit areas. About 1.58 million tents, 4.87 million quilts, 14.1 million garments, 2.63 million tonnes of fuel and 5.62 million tonnes of coal had been sent to the quake-hit areas, it said. As of Sunday, relief workers had built 603,600 temporary houses and another 5,600 were being installed, with 38,400 to be built. In the 96 hours ending Monday noon, three aftershocks between 4.0 to 4.9 magnitude, one between 6.0 to 6.9 magnitude and 770 aftershocks at or below magnitude 3.9 were monitored in the quake zone, according to the China Earthquake Administration. A total of 22,019 aftershocks had been detected since May 12. A total of 291,516 tonnes of grain and 9,272 tonnes of edible oil have been allocated to the quake zones from central reserves as of Sunday, the statement said. Of the 48,276 km of ruptured water supply pipelines, 44,825 km had been restored as of Monday noon, according to the statement. Of the 53,295 km of roads damaged in the quake, 52,521 km had been restored, according to the statement. And 127,723 of the 138,960 business outlets damaged by the quake had been reopened, the statement read. As of Monday noon, 155,584 quake-affected people had been organized to work outside of the quake zone, while another 648,888people had found jobs in their hometowns. Source: Xinhua
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Location of Qinghai, China An earthquake with a magnitude 6.0 that struck the area of Southern Qinghai, China on Tuesday, has killed at least three people and injured nearly 40 others. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake at 9:49 hours UTC (5:49 a.m. at the epicenter). The China Earthquake Networks Centre considers it an aftershock from the May 12 Sichuan earthquake. A bridge on a national highway was reported to be damaged, and communications were reported to have been severed. At least 3,200 homes were severely damaged or destroyed. The quake struck 45 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Guangyuan, Sichuan, near the town of Yaodu. It struck in the same area of China as the one on May 12 that killed at least 69,207 people and wounded another 374,468, according to the English language edition of the ''People's Online Daily''. Data released by the USGS shows that the epicenter was near the G109 highway which connects Lhasa in the south and Xining and Lanzhou in the northwest, a distance of 2,020 km (1,255 mi), according to Google Maps China. Just over 12,000 aftershocks and small quakes have been recorded in the same area since May 12th.
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A number of campaigners climbed onto the roof on Tuesday and tried to install solar panels. The activists began packing up the panels in the afternoon after Mr Prescott refused to talk to them. He called the protest a "deplorable" publicity stunt and said the protesters had terrorised his wife. It's not pleasant to be invaded in the privacy of your own home Supt Gavin Collinson They were then handcuffed and taken to a waiting police van where they were arrested for "harrassment of a person in a dwelling". Supt Gavin Collinson said they would be interviewed at a nearby police station. He said the distress caused to Mrs Prescott had been immense. "It's not pleasant to be invaded in the privacy of your own home and it is being treated seriously. "She's very distressed but she's pleased with the happy outcome." Publicity stunt Before the protesters came down Greenpeace spokeswoman Emily Armistead said they were going to leave the solar panels on the ground and would install them for Mr Prescott later, if he so wished. Campaigners say the protest was aimed at Mr Prescott because of his responsibility for housing policy and was intended to highlight energy wasted by housing in Britain. Visiting Gloucester, Mr Prescott said he did not want to give the group extra publicity by talking too much about the protest. He told BBC News 24: "It's now clearly a publicity stunt and it terrorised my wife in the early hours in the morning to see all those men scrambling over the building. "She did not know who they were. It's deplorable and unacceptable even for a publicity stunt." Supt Collinson said police officers challenged the demonstrators as they approached the gates to the house, but when they realised it was a peaceful protest they withdrew that challenge. ||||| 26-04-2005 Greenpeace volunteers fitted solar panels to John Prescott's roof and hung a huge banner across his house this morning that says: Oi 2 Jags! Hit targets, not voters. The Deputy Prime Minsiter is putting Britain's climate change targets at risk by failing to make UK homes more energy efficient. According to the UN, climate change kills 150,000 people every year, and Tony Blair has described the threat as the gravest we face. Mr Prescott - who says everybody must 'do their bit' to fight climate change - is in charge of housing policy in the UK. Our homes account for over a quarter of the UK's climate damaging emissions. The government is aiming for a 20% improvement in household energy efficiency, but unless Ministers take drastic action they will fail to meet the target. Greenpeace campaigner Laura Yates helped fit 60 square-feet of solar panelling to the medieval-style battlements on Mr Prescott's roof. Listen to an update from campaigner Laura Yates from Prescott's roof. "The Deputy PM's got a reputation for straight-talking," she said from the roof, "but since the election kicked off we've heard barely a squeak about climate change from big hitters like him. As long as the average existing British house is responsible for six tonnes of CO2 every year he's not dealing with the climate crisis. He's in danger of hitting more voters than climate targets. Whoever wins on May 5th needs to get serious about energy efficiency." Mr Prescott's office has stated that he wants to create 'sustainable communities' requiring 'a step change in the way our housing and communities are planned, designed and built.' But so far he has failed. "Mr Prescott thinks climate change is a huge threat and lectures the world about the need to tackle it, but when it comes to meeting Britain's climate targets he hasn't got his house in order," said Laura. "The average British home is responsible for more greenhouse gas than the average car. John Prescott needs to make sure all new homes are 100% climate-friendly and help existing houses become much more energy efficient." The protesters also left low energy light bulbs and loft insulation outside the front door of Mr Prescott's house in Hull before taking to his roof to install the clean energy system. The solar panels are ready for use as soon as the Deputy PM plugs them in. Update: This afternoon the eight Greenpeace volunteers who installed the solar panels on Prescott's roof were detained by police, handcuffed and taken to a waiting van. As the van left a small number of local people who had gathered to watch clapped and cheered. Greenpeace climate campaigner Emily Armistead was still on the scene and said: "We've tried to engage with Mr Prescott and get him to come and talk to us, but he's clearly refused to engage with us today. It's his lucky day. We're leaving him solar panels with an offer to install them properly." The panels properly installed could save Mr and Mrs Prescott about a quarter of their annual energy bill. Tell Prescott to get his house in order Please send an online fax to Prescott asking him to set tough environmental standards for all new buildings and create incentives for massive energy saving in existing homes. More information Download the Greenpeace briefing UK Housing Fuelling Climate Change as a pdf. Find out more about renewable energy, energy efficiency and solar power.
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Greenpeace activists have scaled the house of Britain's Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, and then mounted 60 square feet of solar panels on the roof. The four men and four women were highlighting what they believe is Prescott's failure to make new houses, for which he has responsibility, more energy efficient. After putting the solar panels up, they unfurled a large banner which read ''Oi 2 Jags! Hit targets, not voters''. John Prescott's wife was alone in the house when the protesters climbed the building. She was reportedly awoken by their noise. One protester, Laura Yates, 27, said, "The Deputy PM's got a reputation for straight-talking," she said from the roof, "but since the election kicked off we've heard barely a squeak about climate change from big hitters like him. As long as the average existing British house is responsible for six tonnes of CO2 every year he's not dealing with the climate crisis. He's in danger of hitting more voters than climate targets. Whoever wins on May 5th needs to get serious about energy efficiency." Speaking from the roof by mobile phone, she told Reuters, "It's a major contributor to the climate change problem and Prescott could do something about this, particularly with the millions of new homes that are going to be built in Britain over the next years," she said. "He's overseeing this house building programme and he should be ensuring that every one of these new homes is built to zero emissions standards," she added. The protesters climbed down at 2.50pm and were promptly arrested by local police for "harassment of a person in a dwelling". The police then handcuffed them before taking them away in a van. The protesters left the solar panels by the door of the house, offering to come back and install the panels at a later date. A police officer emphasised to BBC News that the distress of the event had been immense for Mrs Prescott: "It's not pleasant to be invaded in the privacy of your own home and it is being treated seriously. She's very distressed but she's pleased with the happy outcome." John Prescott is currently touring the country as part of Labour's General Election 2005 campaign. Speaking from Gloucester, he told BBC News 24, "It's now clearly a publicity stunt and it terrorised my wife in the early hours in the morning to see all those men scrambling over the building. Mrs Prescott did not know who they were. It's deplorable and unacceptable even for a publicity stunt." The protesters were challenged by the armed police officers who guard Mr Prescott's home, but reportedly the officers withdrew when they realised it was a peaceful protest.
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December 30, 2005 Spoof posters displayed across Vienna depicting the Queen having sex with the US and French presidents are causing embarrassment just days ahead of Austria taking over the European Union presidency. The images show two naked female models wearing masks of President George Bush and the Queen, and a male model with a mask of President Jacques Chirac, positioned as if they were having sex. The Austrian Government has tried to distance itself from the images, which are likely to be viewed by members of Europe's elite when they attend next month's EU conference. In yesterday's issue of the newspaper Krone, the Austrian Chancellor, Wolfgang Schuessel, condemned the images as "highly tasteless" and promised to have them removed. "[They] have nothing to do with art," he said. "The borders of good taste and reasonableness have been crossed by a long way." Part of a series called euroPART and created by artists from all 25 member countries of the EU, the posters were meant to "reflect on the different social, historical and political developments in Europe", said the art project 25peaces, which commissioned the posters. The project received 1 million ($1.6 million) from the Austrian Government for the works. Three of the 150 images had sexual overtones. Taxpayers are contributing 10 per cent of the cost of the project, which involves 75 European artists. The rest of the money is from private sponsors. Heinz Christian Strache, of the right-wing Freedom Party, said the Government was "using taxpayers' money to drag pornography into the public arena". Women's groups said the posters were misogynist. Reuters; Telegraph, London ||||| VIENNA (Reuters) - Spoof posters depicting the Queen having sex with the U.S. and French presidents and displayed across Vienna are causing embarrassment just days ahead of Austria's taking over the EU presidency. The images showed two naked female models wearing masks of President George W. Bush and the Queen, and a male model with a President Jacques Chirac mask, positioned as if they were having sex. Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel appealed to the artists to withdraw the images, according to a spokeswoman quoted by the APA news agency. Part of a series called "euroPART" and created by artists from all 25 member countries of the European Union, the posters were meant to "reflect on the different social, historical and political developements in Europe", said art project 25peaces, which commissioned the posters. 25peaces received 1 million euros ($1.2 million) of funding from the Austrian government for the works. But the project, 150 images only three of which had sexual overtones, caused uproar in the media and among politicians. The tabloid Kronen-Zeitung, read by half of Austria's population, called for immediate removal of the "porno posters" from 400 billboards in prominent places across the city. Austria is due to take over the revolving EU presidency for six months on January 1. The poster series is supposed to be shown until the end of January. ||||| 'Porno posters' pulled from Vienna-wide project Billboards depicted political leaders in a sex act RELATED YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS Austria Vienna (Austria) or or Create Your Own VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- Depictions of the U.S., French and British heads of state naked and engaged in a sexual act will be removed from hundreds of billboards across Vienna after causing a national uproar, the artists decided Thursday. Besides two images showing nude models wearing masks of President Bush, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and French President Jacques Chirac, another work also will be yanked, the Austria Press Agency reported. That picture showed the lower torso of a woman in a suggestive pose and wearing nothing but EU-blue panties emblazoned with the stars symbol of the 25-nation European Union. The work of "euroPART," an independent artists' group, had embarrassed the government just days before the country assumes the EU's rotating presidency Sunday. Germany's "The Financial Times Deutschland" reported on the controversy under the headline "European Group Sex in Austria," and Italy's "Corriere della Sera," in its online edition, described the images as "not necessarily the height of good taste." Austria's political opposition claimed the project had been at least indirectly financed by the government through an agency that disburses subsidies for cultural programs. Joseph Cap of the opposition Social Democratic party said the posters were backed in part by nearly $600,000 of taxpayers' money. Aides to Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, seeking to contain the damage, described the posters as an "independent project" and said he was unaware of the subject matter being displayed. Carlos Aires, the artist who created the two posters, denied his works were meant to offend, telling APA when asked for his motivation: "I suddenly had this image of three decision makers who are having an orgy while everything around them collapses."
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25 Peaces logo Posters produced and printed by the art project '''25peaces''', in Austria have caused huge public outcry and debate. The posters depict Britain's Queen Elizabeth, having sexual intercourse with US president George W. Bush, and French President Jacques Chirac. A number of public figures including Wolfgang Schuessel, the Austrian Chancellor, have publicly denounced the posters. Its creator, artist Carlos Aires, says he had no desire to offend anyone, "''I suddenly had this image of three decision makers who are having an orgy while everything around them collapses''".
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Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova, architect of the ethnic Albanian drive to win independence from Serbia, died on Saturday, four months after announcing that he had lung cancer, said his spokesman Muhamet Hamiti. The PM had called an urgent Cabinet session at 3 pm, said sources. The death was a few days before the United Nations was to begin a Belgrade-Pristina negotiation to decide whether Kosovo’s 90 per cent ethnic Albanians should be independent. Rugova, 61, has no definite successor in his faction-ridden Democratic League of Kosovo or head of the Kosovo negotiating team, which he was expected to lead. Western diplomats are worried about a possible messy power struggle. The Sorbonne-educated literature professor was the architect of the decade-old passive resistance since 1989, when former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic stripped the province of autonomy. ||||| 22/01/2006 (Brussels, DTT-NET.COM)-Leaders of EU, UN, NATO, US and OSCE have expressed their sadness on the death of Kosovo president Ibrahim Rugova, who died Saturday from lung cancer. “The Commission and its President are saddened by the death of President Rugova. On behalf of the Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso presents his condolences first and foremost to the family. President Rugova was a highly respected leader of Kosovo. The Commission appreciated his work for a peaceful solution to the problems of Kosovo, and encourages all leaders to continue to work in this spirit.” (European Commission). "It is with profound sadness that I have heard of the death of President Ibrahim Rugova. With him Kosovo has lost a historic leader who devoted his life to protecting and promoting the rights of the people of Kosovo. President Rugova was a man of peace, firm in the face of oppression, but deeply committed to the ideals of non-violence. For this he was loved by his people and respected all over the world. My deeply felt condolences go to his family and to the people of Kosovo. The loss of President Rugova comes at a particularly challenging time for Kosovo. His wisdom and authority will be greatly missed. At this difficult moment I call on all leaders of Kosovo to show unity and responsibility. This is the best way to pay tribute to the memory of President Rugova." (Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy) “ It is with deep regret that I have learned of the passing away of the President of Kosovo, Ibrahim Rugova. In the name of the Presidency of the European Union and in my own name I would like to convey my condolences to his family, to the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo and to the entire population of Kosovo. During his exceptional political career President Rugova worked tirelessly for the interest of Kosovo. As a staunch and unwavering defender of the principle of non-violence he has continuously pursued his efforts through political dialogue. He was not given the chance to complete his political path. At a time, when the future status of Kosovo is being negotiated, we call on all sides to keep up his political legacy in cooperating and finding a solution which will bring peace, prosperity, security and lasting stability to Kosovo and all its people.” (Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, EU Council of Foreign Ministers President). ”I wish to express my condolences to the people of Kosovo upon the death of President Ibrahim Rugova. President Rugova led his people through challenging times and earned the world's respect for his advocacy of democracy and peace. Even while battling his final illness, President Rugova worked to bring unity to Kosovo's leaders and hope to its people. The United States has lost a great friend today. The people of Kosovo have lost a great leader. President Rugova's death comes just as Kosovo enters a political process to determine its future. Despite the loss of his leadership, this process will go on. The United States will continue to work with all the people of Kosovo to build a society based upon the principles of democracy, human rights and inter-ethnic tolerance that President Rugova valued so deeply”. (US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice). "It is with deep regret and sadness that I learned of the passing of President Ibrahim Rugova. I wish first of all to extend my heartfelt condolences and sympathy to President Rugova's family and to the people of Kosovo. Kosovo has lost a historic leader at this crucial time, as the negotiations on Kosovo's status have entered an important phase. He was the symbol of the aspirations of Kosovo's people and devoted his life to promoting the rights of the people of Kosovo through peaceful means. I was very impressed by his vision for the future, his determination to work for a better Kosovo, and his leadership of the negotiation team. I have fond memories of our meeting in Pristina during my first trip to Kosovo after being appointed Special Envoy. I expect the momentum generated by President Rugova to be sustained, and that Kosovo's political leaders assume the responsibility to remain unified and actively support our common efforts to realize Kosovo's status. I reiterate my commitment to leading the status process to culminate in a political settlement that determines the future status of Kosovo." (Martti Ahtisaari, Special Envoy for the Future status process for Kosovo. “On behalf of the NATO Alliance, I wish to express my profound condolences at the death of President Ibrahim Rugova of Kosovo after his long illness. President Rugova will be remembered as a man committed to the idea of a fully democratic, peaceful and multi-ethnic Kosovo. Mr. Rugova’s opposition to violence, including during the difficult years that deset the former Yugoslavia, was both brave and remarkable. Until the very end, he served the people of Kosovo with conviction. He played a key role in helping Kosovo down the long and often painful road towards reconciliation, lasting peace and stability. I am confident that his example will continue to guide the people of Kosovo at this important time, and into the future. (NATO Secretary General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer) "I am struck by a feeling of immense loss over the untimely death of a person who came to embody the search for a peaceful and democratic future for his beloved Kosovo.. Over a lifetime as a dedicated pacifist, through the violence of the Second World War when both his father and grandfather were executed, to the decade of repression in Kosovo before the NATO intervention in 1999, he has always led by his personal example. Truly, he has been an outstanding figure in the history of the Balkans region. We must show our respect for him by not allowing his death at such a sensitive time to alter the very real prospects for a lasting solution. The OSCE will maintain its strong support." (OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht). “I want to express my deep sympathy and condolences to all the people of Kosovo on the death of President Ibrahim Rugova. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time. President Rugova was one of the most popular figures in Kosovo. He created an international awareness of, and concern for, the plight of the Kosovo people. In so doing, he always pursued his goals through peaceful means. His death comes as a process to determine Kosovo's future status has just begun. This is something that President Rugova long wanted and argued hard for. All the people of Kosovo should continue to work for a stable and multi-ethnic society where all people, regardless of ethnic background, race or religion, are free to live in peace and security. This would be a fitting legacy for President Rugova.” (UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw). United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today mourned the passing of Kosovo's President, Ibrahim Rugova, and urged that his legacy of peace be sustained in the period ahead. In a statement released by his spokesman, the Secretary General hailed the late politician for having "demonstrated true leadership and advocated a peaceful solution for Kosovo." He noted that Mr. Rugova passed away at a crucial moment, with final preparations now underway for talks on Kosovo's future status. "The Secretary General trusts in the maturity of Kosovo's institutions and believes that the loss of Kosovo's President will not disrupt this process," the spokesman said. The Secretary General also called on the Kosovo political leaders to maintain their unity and continue cooperating with his Special Envoy, Mr. Martti Ahtisaari, and his Special Representative, Mr. Soren Jessen-Petersen. This article is intended only for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution without the written agreement of the DTT-NET.COM is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. If you wish to republish contact DTT-NET.COM : [email protected]
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Ibrahim Rugova Kosova President Ibrahim Rugova, the leader for many years of Kosova in the most difficult process and struggle for country’s independence, died Saturday. Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova passed away in his home in Prishtina at 11:38, close to his family members, his personal doctor, a US doctor, and his close staff. President Rugova suffered from lung cancer, diagnosed in end of August 2005. He fought his illness for months with an exceptional moral courage. The PM had called an urgent Cabinet session at 3 pm, sources say. The death was a few days before the United Nations was to begin a Belgrade-Pristina discussions relating to the road to independence for the province. Rugova, 61, has no definite successor in his faction-ridden Democratic League of Kosovo or head of the Kosovo negotiating team, which he was expected to lead. Western diplomats are worried about a possible messy power struggle. The Sorbonne-educated literature professor was the architect of the decade-old passive resistance since 1989, when former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic stripped the province of autonomy. A statement issued by President Rugova’s Office said the public would be advised shortly concerning the details related to the events to honor the President.
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Mr Madoff said he could not adequately express his sorrow Disgraced US financier Bernard Madoff has been jailed after pleading guilty to all 11 charges surrounding an estimated $50bn (£35bn) fraud. Some of his victims clapped when he was handcuffed and led out of a New York courtroom. He had earlier said he was "deeply sorry and ashamed". The 70-year-old defrauded thousands of investors in a fraud he admitted had been running since the early 1990s. He could receive up to 150 years when he is sentenced in June. Arrest 'inevitable' You're dealing with the greatest con artist probably in the history of the world Madoff investor Burt Ross, a former town mayor Madoff victims lost life savings Madoff's road to ruin Why didn't regulators stop him? "I cannot adequately express how sorry I am for what I have done," Madoff told the court. He said that when he started the fraud, he had hoped it would only be for a limited time. "I realised that my arrest and this day would inevitably come," he said. While Madoff insists he acted alone, attention is now likely to switch to whether others at his company were involved. "A lot of resources are being expended both to find assets and to find anyone else who might be responsible for this fraud," said prosecutor Marc Litt. "It's impossible to believe that Mr Madoff did this by himself," William Galvin, secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, told the BBC. Prior to having his bail revoked, Madoff had been under house arrest at his luxury Manhattan apartment. 'Evil incarnate' A number of Madoff's victims attended the hearing. Speaking outside the courtroom, Cynthia Friedman told the BBC Madoff was "evil incarnate". She and her husband lost $3m with Madoff. "He has no remorse. He's a horrible man," she said. "He stole from charities, he's just an awful man." Many of his victims told the court they opposed his guilty plea, because they wanted the case to go to full jury trial so they could find out exactly what he had done with the money. Yet most clapped when he was handcuffed. "I think the only thing he feels is regret that he got caught," said one investor. "But the best view of all was when they put the handcuffs on him - you know, he might be in that several thousand dollars suit that the investors paid for - to see that is justice." Money laundering A former chairman of the Nasdaq stock market, Madoff has been a Wall Street figure for more than 40 years. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The only person accused in the giant fraud surrounding his firm, Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities, Madoff is said to have run a Ponzi scheme, whereby early investors were paid off with the money of new clients. Madoff's 11 charges include four counts of fraud. In addition, he pleaded guilty to three counts of money laundering, making false statements, perjury, making a false filing to the US financial watchdog, and theft from an employee benefit plan. Madoff himself estimates that the fraud totalled $50bn. 'A genius' One of Madoff''s victims, Burt Ross, a former mayor of New Jersey town Fort Lee, told the BBC he did not expect to recover a single cent of the $5m he invested. WHAT IS A PONZI SCHEME? A fraudulent investment scheme paying investors from money paid in by other investors rather than real profits Named after Charles Ponzi (pictured) who notoriously used the technique in the United States in the 1920s Differs from pyramid selling in that individuals all tend to invest with the same person "Bernard Madoff is a genius," said Mr Ross. "You're dealing with the greatest con artist probably in the history of the world. "He created a mystique and associated with extraordinarily well respected and revered people, and so he was given the benefit of the doubt by financial regulators who blew it badly." Investigators say they are continuing efforts to recover all the money Madoff has stolen, but most commentators - and most of his investors - say it is highly unlikely that any more than a very small amount will be found. "It's going to be hard to recover the money," said Lisa Osofsky, former deputy general counsel for the FBI, now a consultant with Control Risks. "In a Ponzi scheme, you're constantly passing the money out rather than keeping it, so who knows how much money he actually made." Mark Raymond, a lawyer representing some of Madoff's victims, said it would be wrong to think of them all being multimillionaires. Despite widespread press coverage of famous names and a wealthy elite, Mr Raymond, of law firm Broad and Cassel, said many were normal working people, including a retired couple from Atlanta. "He's 82, she's 78, and they are both looking for work because they have lost everything," he said. Mr Raymond said another victim was a plumber who earned no more than $60,000 a year. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| Madoff Is Jailed After Pleading Guilty to Fraud The disgraced financier Bernard L. Madoff was immediately handcuffed and led off to jail on Thursday after a hearing in which he pleaded guilty to running a vast Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of billions of dollars. Rather than letting Mr. Madoff remain free on bail and return to his penthouse apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Judge Denny Chin of Federal District Court ordered Mr. Madoff remanded as he awaited sentencing, The New York Times’s Diana B. Henriques and Jack Healy report. “He has incentive to flee, he has the means to flee, and thus he presents the risk of flight,” Judge Chin said. “Bail is revoked.” Some of Mr. Madoff’s victims in the courtroom applauded his ruling. The 11 counts of fraud, money laundering, perjury and theft to which Mr. Madoff pleaded guilty carry maximum terms totaling 150 years. Sentencing was scheduled for June 16. Dressed in a charcoal-gray suit, Mr. Madoff, 70, appeared in a downtown Manhattan courtroom packed with journalists, lawyers and some of his victims and, for the first time, described the scope of what was perhaps the largest fraud in Wall Street history. Mr. Madoff was sworn in and reminded that he was under oath. Noting that he had waived indictment, Judge Chin asked, “How do you now plead, guilty or not guilty?” “Guilty,” Mr. Madoff responded. Flanked by his lawyers, Mr. Madoff began to answer questions from Judge Chin about whether he understood the ramifications of his guilty plea, whether he was satisfied with his legal representation and whether he was competent to enter the plea. At first, Mr. Madoff’s voice was barely audible as he acknowledged the litany of crimes. “Try to keep your voice up so that I can hear you, please,” Judge Chin said. At one point, Mr. Madoff asked for water. In recounting how he sustained a 20-year fraud whose collapse erased as much as $65 billion that his customers thought they had in their accounts, Mr. Madoff said, “I believed it would end shortly and I would be able to extricate myself and my clients from the scheme.” “As the years went by, I realized this day, and my arrest, would inevitably come.” “I cannot adequately express how sorry I am for what I have done,” he said. “I am deeply sorry and ashamed.” Although Mr. Madoff admitted to operating what he called “a Ponzi scheme through the investment advisory side of my business,” he said all other aspects of his enterprise, operated by his sons and brother, were legitimate, profitable and successful. Mr. Madoff’s fraud was a global scheme that ensnared hedge funds, nonprofit groups and celebrities, and devastated the life savings of thousands of people. Some of them came to court on Thursday to speak during the 75-minute court hearing. One was Maureen Ebel, who said: “If we go to trial we have more of a chance to comprehend the global scope of this horrendous crime. We can hear and bear witness to the pain that Mr. Madoff has inflicted on the young, the old and the infirm.” A federal prosecutor, Marc O. Litt, said the government was continuing its investigation and was looking for assets and anyone else who might be criminally responsible. It remains unclear where the billions of dollars that his victims lost has gone, and whether those victims will ever see any meaningful restitution. Prosecutors have said the government is seeking $170 billion in forfeited assets from Mr. Madoff, apparently representing all the money that ran through Madoff accounts traceable to the crimes. A court-appointed trustee liquidating Mr. Madoff’s business has so far only been able to identify about $1 billion in assets to satisfy claims. This week, the government said Mr. Madoff had 4,800 client accounts at the end of November supposedly containing $64.8 billion in customer savings. But the government said Mr. Madoff’s business “held only a small fraction of that balance.” As Mr. Madoff arrived at the courthouse early Thursday morning, helicopters buzzed overhead and television news trucks lined the street. The day’s events marked a coda in the saga of a man whose name has become shorthand for an entire era of greed and deceit on Wall Street. With the promise of steady, unwavering returns, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities enticed thousands of investors including boldface names like Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, the Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax and a charity run by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel. This week, the government offered more details on how Mr. Madoff ran the fraud that had financed his lush lifestyle of a beachfront mansion in the Hamptons, an estate near the French Riviera and yachts in New York, Florida and the Mediterranean. Prosecutors said that Mr. Madoff concocted an elaborate charade to make it seem like he was running a legitimate investment business when, in reality, “no such business was actually being conducted.” He hired employees with little training or experience and directed them to generate false monthly account statements. He shuttled millions between banks in New York and London to make it seem as if he was “conducting securities transactions in Europe on behalf of investors when, in fact, he was not conducting such transactions,” prosecutors said. And they said he repeatedly lied to regulators from the Securities and Exchange Commission to cover up his scheme. Go to Article from The New York Times » ||||| Robert Nisbet, US correspondent Disgraced financier Bernie Madoff has apologised for masterminding the biggest investment fraud in Wall Street's history. Madoff claimed he managed $64bn - investigators have recovered less than $1bn The former chairman of the Nasdaq stock exchange spoke publicly for the first time about the scam after pleading guilty to all 11 charges against him including fraud, money laundering and perjury. "I'm deeply sorry and ashamed," Madoff said during a 10-minute speech in court in New York. "I believed it would end quickly and I would extricate myself and my clients. This proved difficult and, in the end, impossible." Madoff used cash from new investors to pay fictional returns to existing clients, in what has become known as a Ponzi scheme. Among those he duped were Steven Spielberg, Holocaust survivor and activist Elie Wiesel, several charities and even large financial institutions such as HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland. Madoff admitted securities fraud, investment adviser fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, false statements, perjury, false filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and theft from an employee benefit plan. Presiding Judge Denny Chin ordered him to be sent to jail until his sentencing on June 16. "He has incentive to flee, he has means to flee, and he is a risk of flight," Judge Chin said. Has Spielberg lost out? Madoff claimed to investors that the accounts he managed totalled $64bn (£46bn). So far, investigators have managed to recover only a little under $1bn (£722m) in cash and securities. The 70-year-old lured new investors by touting average annual returns of 10% - gains which bemused many analysts. His company was investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory bodies eight times in 16 years but the scheme ran uninterrupted for more than two decades. Prosecutors are now hinting that family members and close associates are also under investigation. Since his arrest last December, Madoff has been living under house arrest in a $7m (£5m) Upper East Side apartment, which is owned by his wife, Ruth, who also holds more than $60m (£43m) in assets. Madoff Securities offices in New York She is named in two civil suits but her lawyers claim her wealth is entirely separate from the money generated by Madoff Securities. For those who lost their life savings, the scramble is on to recover their cash. As well as suing Madoff, several are also targeting financial advisers who recommended Madoff's company, while others are trying to recover tax they paid on "false" profits. Around 4,300 people and companies claim they lost money in Madoff's alleged scam. :: The Ponzi type of pyramid scheme is named after Charles Ponzi, an Italian immigrant who spent a total of nine years behind bars when his scheme collapsed in the 1920s. In contrast, Bernie Madoff has been warned he faces 150 years in jail. As the financial services industry struggles to steady itself after the credit crunch, this tale of greed and malpractice has done little to recover Wall Street's standing in the eyes of the general public.
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US financier Bernard Madoff, the former chairman of the stock index, has been jailed after pleading guilty to all 11 charges of fraud, , and surrounding . "I'm deeply sorry and ashamed," the financier stated during a speech in the New York court. "I believed it would end quickly and I would extricate myself and my clients. This proved difficult and, in the end, impossible." Some of Madoff's victims applauded when the former was handcuffed by officers and taken out of the courtroom to a holding cell where he will await sentencing. Madoff is facing 150 years behind bars, with no chance of parole. Sentencing is set for June 16. Among the charges that Madoff plead guilty to were four counts of fraud, three counts of money laundering, perjury, and making false statements, among others. Judge Denny Chin of Federal District Court ordered that Madoff be remanded as he was awaiting a sentence, rather than letting him out on and allowing him to return to his apartment in Manhattan. "He has incentive to flee, he has the means to flee, and thus he presents the risk of flight," the judge said. "Bail is revoked."
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A strong undersea earthquake hit North Maluku province in eastern Indonesia on Thursday, triggering panic among frightened residents and a brief tsunami warning. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties after the quake, which the US Geological Survey put at magnitude 6.7 and the epicentre at a depth of 45 km. The agency had initially put the quake at magnitude 7.4 and a depth of 88 km. "We have lifted the warning. After monitoring, there were no signs of tsunami," Fauzi, the head of the seismology centre in Indonesia's meteorology agency, told Reuters. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre also said on its Web site that it did not expect a "destructive Pacific-wide" tsunami but said quakes of this magnitude can sometimes create local tsunamis. ||||| Indonesia has lifted a tsunami warning after a strong undersea earthquake hit North Maluku province in the east of the country, the meteorology agency said. In December 2004, over 170,000 people were killed by tsunami triggered by powerful earthquake in the province. Indonesia is laid on a vulnerable quake-hit zone so called the Pacific Ring of Fire where two continental plates meet that cause frequent seismic and volcanic movements. Source: Xinhua ||||| Indonesian authorities have issued a tsunami warning for the province of North Maluku after a 6.6-magnitude quake hit the area. The US Geological Survey put the quake at magnitude 7.4. A meteorology official says the earthquake was centred 57 kilometres under the seabed, some 234 kilometres north-west of the town of Ternate, the capital of North Maluku, at 1:40pm local time. "Judging from the magnitude, there is a potential that a tsunami might develop," he said. Local ElShinta radio reported that residents panicked and rushed out of buildings in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi, but there was no damage or victims immediately apparent. A meteorological official told the station that they would wait 30 minutes before calling off the warning if no tsunami hit. -AFP ||||| Posted Wed, 02 Mar 2016 13:10:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe lists for leading nations in annual growth dont often include Central Asia. The slow but steady investment in private enterprise and international partnerships with aid have brought some environmental improvements and greater water security in the dry, extreme climates found in the region. Posted Tue, 01 Mar 2016 12:37:01 GMT by Dave ArmstrongSolar or biofuel? Well, we know which plane will get you there quicker at the moment. Posted Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:59:00 GMT by Paul RobinsonPlants such as Rafflesia spp. are closest to the Euphorbias, but literally stand out as amazing examples of evolution to attract insects for pollination and mammals for dispersal. We take off our hats, and place it round our noses to a plant that parasitizes and almost paralyses us, and perpetually pleases flies!!! Posted Wed, 24 Feb 2016 09:25:34 GMT by Dave ArmstrongWe have a record for being obsessed with camouflage in the sea or on land. The incredible lengths that species will go to (evolve) in order to resemble an object that is either dangerous or inedible. The name is mimicry (Batesian or otherwise) and the game here is masquerade. Posted Mon, 22 Feb 2016 11:20:00 GMT by JW DoweyWhy do we allow the rainforest to die? How can we possibly encourage the regeneration of large stretches of the habitat needed for organisms large and small? Posted Sat, 20 Feb 2016 10:50:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongAn important step for many countries now is relieving the strain on health services from the heavy but invisible pollution, not only from our cars but actually drawn into our vehicles. Posted Thu, 18 Feb 2016 11:42:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe revealing of the oceans wealth probably postdates the almost-total human exploitation of perhaps our most valuable resource. Here is an important indication that wealth remains deep below our puny explorations. The hope must be that it can be preserved or conserved and not canned. Posted Tue, 16 Feb 2016 10:00:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe genome is already possibly the most useful tool in fighting disease, enabling conservation, and improving our scientific efficiency all round. Here the most ancient organisms are investigated and found absolutely amazing, if just a little small and hard-to-get! Posted Mon, 15 Feb 2016 09:20:26 GMT by Paul RobinsonIt is impossible to judge exactly how global warming will affect all of us. This includes remote populations of plants and animals, many of which could be important in predicting how climate is changing. We now know just how complex the rainfall, the temperatures, the sea ice and the desertification can become. Posted Tue, 09 Feb 2016 10:47:50 GMT by JW DoweyHow do we evaluate modern humans in their approach to high fidelity learning. We are barely adequate in evaluating teaching, so maybe it is about time we looked more closely at how children really learn. The so-called professionals, from areas that are barely concerned, have failed to agree for generations, even on defining true teaching, instruction, coaching or mentoring properly. That leaves the field wide open for novel or ingenuous suggestions about early (or even late) learning and the teaching that successfully provides it. Posted Fri, 05 Feb 2016 10:50:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe joy of mutualism is in forever finding new connections although in this case, we should have listened to the seers at least as long ago as 1653. Many crows and their relatives hoard food n activity known as scatter-hoarding. Even the giant of the family, the raven, has been recorded as encouraging the limited tree growth in isolated patches of almost-Arctic Shetland. No wonder the Norse regarded the species as among the gods. Posted Wed, 03 Feb 2016 10:50:01 GMT by Dave ArmstrongMore important than food, if you are not starving; more important than children, if you are currently without; the sustainability of civilisation from the ancients to the International Space Station, is connected to waste and recycling, whether it is water or solid obstructions. Here is a compendium of current problems caused by yours truly in his or her own home. Posted Mon, 01 Feb 2016 09:08:19 GMT by JW DoweyThe world's water problems do not simply include the Aral Sea and this Bolivian lake. Whole states and nations are suffering from droughts that go unnoticed internationally. If we can alleviate the suffering of people and renovate some of the environmental conditions, then these neglected regions could achieve some of their former glory. In this case, ancient civilisations thrived in these high, inhospitable mountains, while we fail to maintain even a potable supply of water. Posted Wed, 27 Jan 2016 21:09:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe distribution of animals and plants can be absolutely fascinating. While fossils may not interest everybody, the mammals that occupy our earth currently give us a wealth of information. This concerns climate and geological change, as their ancestors, and those who didnt make it, show us the details of the climate changes that concern us very deeply at this moment in time. Posted Mon, 25 Jan 2016 18:00:00 GMT by JW DoweyAs Parisand April promises yet further promises, how are the pollution and carbon footprints decreasing over some of the major players in world climate change? Posted Fri, 22 Jan 2016 12:11:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongWhether we eat vegetables or meat, tofu or McDonalds, the basis of human and animal ingestion is the producers. These are the plants that are eaten by us all, in all their incredible varieties, providing food and drink to every living thing on the planet. Wouldnt it be a good idea to safeguard all the variety for our future needs. You bet your fat bottom! Now Norway and Germany are leading the way, along with 137 other nations to conserve what we have, in case we havent much left in 2017. Posted Wed, 20 Jan 2016 01:00:00 GMT by JW DoweyMost recent among a mass of work appearing on dolphin and whale society alongside the equivalent in birds and primates, among many others, the language of sperm whales could well be translated soon as a fascinating set of clan chats. Posted Sun, 17 Jan 2016 15:57:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongWhatever you think of deadbeat species or lost causes, the kakapo certainly isnt one of them. This year may see an upturn in their fortunes finally after years of dedicated effort on New Zealands islands in the cold, unfruitful and uninspiring situations we have placed this bird in. Posted Tue, 12 Jan 2016 12:36:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongYou wouldnt want to meet up with the common puff adder. This African species is not only visually camouflaged but your dog (or even a mongoose) would find it more or lesstoo. Posted Mon, 11 Jan 2016 10:50:00 GMT by Paul RobinsonWe rarely see political releases of information about pollution in most countries. Here is Australia becoming more transparent about chemicals and in particular herbicides. Now we need such honesty from dam builders, light polluters and, of course, the major climate changers. The Earth Times site and content have been updated. We do apologise, as this may mean that the article or page you were looking for has changed. The Earth Times now focuses on producing and publishing our own unique content on environmental issues, which is written by our own team of expert authors and journalists. We now publish environmental news articles and information on various environmental problems. You can use the site search at the top of each page, otherwise there are links to some of the main site categories and green blogs we publish included on this page. Some of the environmental topics and categories that we now focus on include climate change and the effects of global warming, including their various impacts on both people and the planet as well as conservation issues and news articles relating to nature and wildlife. The site puts an emphasis on sustainability issues, including the use and technological progress made with various types of alternative or renewable energy. Earth Times runs several eco friendly blogs (environmentally friendly) on various topics such as ecotourism (sustainable travel and tourism), eco fashion, green living, green gadgets and clean technology, plus various other environment based news categories including pollution and science news. If you have any questions or queries please contact us. ||||| Versíon en Español Earthquake Summary The following is a release by the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center: An earthquake occurred 220 km (135 miles) N of Ternate, Moluccas, Indonesia 330 km (205 miles) ENE of Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia at 11:40 PM MDT yesterday, Jul 25, 2007 (Jul 26 at 1:40 PM local time in Molucca Sea). The magnitude and location may be revised when additional data and further analysis results are available. No reports of damage or casualties have been received at this time; however, this earthquake may have caused damage due to its location and size. Felt Reports Several injuries, and damage to tens of houses in North Maluku Province. Felt (V) at Ternate; (IV) at Manado and Tobelo; (III) at Labuha. Also felt at Davao, Philippines. Tectonic Summary The earthquake occurred 85 km off the coast of Pulau Ternate, Indonesia, in the Molucca Sea. The tectonic setting of this region of the world is extremely complex, due to the interaction of the major Eurasian, Philippine, and Australian plates, and the presence of several micro plates whose movements are influenced by the larger plates. This shallow thrust event was caused by the release of compressional stress built in the Sunda plate, one of several micro plates in the region. Compressional stresses are generated as the Birds Head plate subducts beneath the Sunda plate at a rate of 106.3 mm/yr. Recent devastating earthquakes have occurred in the immediate region: On May 26, 2003 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred 150 km southeast-east of the recent earthquake, killing at least one, injuring 7, and destroying 28 houses throughout the island of Morotai. On March 05, 2002 a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred 500 km northwest of the recent earthquake, and killed eight people, and injured at least 630. The country of Indonesia has suffered several recent deadly earthquakes, including the May 26, 2006 magnitude 6.3 Java event, that killed nearly 6,000, and injured 38,000. On March 28, 2005 a magnitude 8.6 earthquake occurred off the western coast of northern Sumatra. This event caused at least 1000 fatalities on the Island of Nias, and triggered a tsunami reaching the countries of Sri Lanka and India. Indonesia also suffered the devastating 2004 Sumatra-Andaman magnitude 9.1 earthquake, the third largest earthquake to occur since 1900, that killed close to 300,000 people. Earthquake Information for Asia Earthquake Information for Indonesia Tsunami Information
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Shakemap indicating quake strength. Star marks the epicenter. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) a strong magnitude 6.9 earthquake has struck Indonesia in the Molucca Sea approximately 220 kilometers (135 miles) north of Ternate, Maluku Islands, Indonesia at a depth of 44.6 kilometers (27.7 miles). The Japan Meteorological Agency reports the quake at a magnitude 7.0 with a depth of 50 km. An unnamed official with the USGS says "there is a potential that a tsunami might develop, judging from the magnitude," but no tsunamis were reported. "We have lifted the warning. After monitoring, there were no signs of tsunami," said the Indonesian head of the country's geology agency, Fauzi. Initially, Fauzi issued a tsunami warning saying "we have issued a warning that the quake could potentially trigger a tsunami." There are no reports of injuries, deaths or damage. One resident in Ternate said that he "felt a strong tremor for almost a minute, people ran in panic from buildings. Children are crying and their mothers are screaming but there is no damage in my area." Earlier the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had issued a tsunami bulletin stating that local high waves could be possible, but a widespread tsunami is "not expected based on historical earthquake data."
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Pranab in Delhi army hospital; advised rest April 08, 2007 15:41 IST External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was on Sunday rushed to the national capital from Kolkata in a special plane after being injured in a road accident in West Bengal and admitted to an elite army hospital where doctors said his condition was stable. Mukherjee (72) is 'cheerful and stable,' said a medical bulletin issued by doctors of the Army's Research and Referral Hospital, where the minister was admitted. The bulletin said Mukherjee underwent a CT scan immediately after his admission. The results are clear and all his vital organs are working normally but he would be kept under observation for the next 48 hours, it said. Mukherjee said he was well and hoped to be back at work after 48 hours. "I am well but doctors have advised me 48-hours rest. I hope to be back to work after that period," he said in a message. In a special gesture, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh received Mukherjee at the Palam airbase when he arrived there and enquired about his health. In view of Mukherjee's condition after the accident, his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia beginning Monday has been cancelled, official sources said. During his visit, the minister was expected to meet Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and hold talks on enhancing bilateral ties. Mukherjee suffered injuries to his head and other parts of the body when his car was hit by a truck while he was returning to Kolkata from Murshidabad on Saturday night. He was initially treated at Bethuadahari Primary Hospital and later shifted to Krishnanagar Hospital in West Bengal. ||||| Mr Mukherjee became foreign minister last year Mr Mukherjee's convoy was on its way back to Calcutta from Murshidabad, West Bengal, when it was hit by a lorry. Mr Mukherjee is one of the most senior Congress party politicians in India. He has been a minister since the early 1970s, holding many portfolios in the federal cabinet - including both finance and commerce. Constituency The accident took place near the village of Nakashipara. Mr Mukherjee, 71, was first taken to a village hospital and then to a district hospital. He was flown to Delhi on Sunday after receiving treatment for a head injury. In statement, he said he would be back at work soon: "I am well but doctors have advised me 48 hours rest. I hope to be back to work after that period," the Press Trust of India reported. A close colleague of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress party head Sonia Gandhi, Mr Mukherjee became defence minister in 2004. He was then appointed external affairs minister in October last year. Jangipur (in Murshidabad district) is Mr Mukherjee's parliamentary constituency.
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has been taken to a Delhi Army Hospital after being injured in a car mishap in West Bengal. His condition is said to be stable. He has received injuries on the head and other body parts. In statement, he said he would be back at work soon: "I am well but doctors have advised me 48 hours rest. I hope to be back to work after that period," the Press Trust of India reported. Mukherjee is one of the senior most politicians in the ruling and is close to party supremo . In a cabinet reshuffle in October last year, Mukherjee had been given the high profile post of India's foreign minister which was lying vacant after the resignation of . Until then he had been the minister for defence. In view of this accident Mukherjee's two day visit to where he was expected to call upon the Saudi king has been cancelled. Prime Minister received Mukherjee at the airport when he was brought back from West Bengal.
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Kyle Quinlan survived the Garuda Airline crash that killed 22 people 2007, he pulled many passengers to safety that day but insists he was only doing his job. Photo:John McCutcheon/184460 As the plane descended swiftly towards the tarmac at Indonesia’s Yogjakarta airport, Kyle Quinlan knew the crash was coming. He tightened his belt and put his head between his knees as the Garuda Airlines 737 crashed into the ground and burst into flames. “There was smoke and fire everywhere. People were screaming and others were dead. It was horrific,” Kyle recalled. “I unstrapped myself, kicked open the emergency door and started helping people out. “It was my instant reaction.” The events of March 7, 2007 still haunt the Eudlo man. It was the day 21 people, including five Australians, died when the plane crashed shortly after take-off. Kyle, who grew up in Nambour and now lives at Eudlo, has been honoured for the courage he displayed that fateful day, awarded a bravery medal in the governor-general’s Australian Bravery Decorations. But the 26-year-old is a reluctant hero. At the time of the crash he was a member of the Australian Defence Force and was in Indonesia as part of the security team for foreign minister Alexander Downer. Despite suffering chest injuries, he extinguished an escape hatch fire and rescued a man who was being trampled in the chaos. He then removed one of his ADF colleagues from the wreckage before returning four times to save injured passengers. Then the plane exploded. “What I did that day just came naturally. I certainly don’t feel like a hero,” Kyle said yesterday. “In that situation all I did was help. If I was in trouble I’d like to think another person would do the same for me.” After the crash, Kyle provided valuable information to Australian Embassy staff about fellow Australians involved in the disaster and an insight into what happened as the plane made its treacherous descent. He left the ADF last year and settled at Eudlo where he leads a quiet life with his fiancé and their dog. Kyle said he did not know who nominated him for the bravery award but was thrilled someone thought he was a hero. To this day he is still traumatised by the crash and finds flying difficult. “I’m a different person now – I enjoy and appreciate every moment. The crash changed my life,” he said. “Within an instant everything can change. Every day I remember how lucky I am. “I’m no hero though – just an ordinary bloke.” ||||| Breaking News National National A Sunshine Coast man who helped injured passengers escape the March 2007 Yogyakarta plane crash in Indonesia will receive a national bravery award. Then leading aircraftman, Kyle Quinlan, received chest injuries when the Garuda Indonesia plane slammed onto the runway at Yogyakarta airport, careered into a field and burst into flames killing 21 people, including five Australians. Despite his injuries, Mr Quinlan helped extinguish an escape hatch fire and calmed terrified passengers who, in their panic to flee, would have otherwise crushed a victim lying on the floor. Despite the flames and smoke, he also helped remove an injured RAAF colleague from the cabin, guiding him to safety. Advertisement He then repeatedly returned to the wreckage to help injured passengers escape before the fire forced him to withdraw. Mr Quinlan accompanied his injured colleague to hospital and later provided valuable information to Australian Embassy staff about the moments leading up to the crash and about other Australians aboard. Governor-General Quentin Bryce is expected to present a Bravery Medal to Mr Quinlan and others at a ceremony at Government House early next year. There are four levels of awards beginning with the Cross of Valour, the Star of Courage, the Bravery Medal and the Commendation for Brave Conduct, as well as a Group Bravery Citation.
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Australia has given a bravery award to a Sunshine Coast resident who rescued several people after an air disaster in Indonesia. Kyle Quinlan was a passenger in the March 2007 crash of a Garuda Indonesia jet in Yogyakarta. The jet overshot the runway and burst into flames. Quinlan received chest injuries but still got up and opened an emergency exit. He extinguished a fire blocking an escape and prevented panicked passengers from trampling a wounded victim. After helping an injured colleague with the Australian air force to safety, he then returned to the wreckage several times to help people before being forced to retreat by the heat. "There was smoke and fire everywhere," Quinlan said of the accident, which killed 21 people from Indonesia and Australia. "People were screaming and others were dead. It was horrific." Quinlan is to receive a Bravery Medal, the second-highest bravery award, in a ceremony at the Australian Bravery Decorations early next year. "What I did that day just came naturally. I certainly don’t feel like a hero," the 26-year-old told reporters. "In that situation all I did was help. If I was in trouble I’d like to think another person would do the same for me." After the crash Quinlan travelled to hospital with his injured friend, and later worked with the Australian Embassy to give details of Australian nationals on the flight and recount his memory of how the disaster unfolded.
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Brazil slaps trade sanctions on US over cotton dispute The WTO has ruled that subsidies to US cotton producers are discriminatory The Brazilian government has announced trade sanctions against a variety of American goods in retaliation for illegal US subsidies to cotton farmers. The World Trade Organization (WTO) approved the sanctions in a rare move. Brazil published a list of 100 US goods that would be subject to import tariffs in 30 days, unless the two governments reached a last-minute accord. It said it regretted the sanctions, but that eight years of litigation had failed to produce a result. It said it would raise tariffs on $591m (£393m) worth of US products - from cars, where the tariff will increase from 35% to 50%, to milk powder, which would see a 20% increase in the levy. US farm subsidies are condemned worldwide. This archaic practice must stop Carlos Marcio Cozendey Brazil's foreign ministry Cotton and cotton products would be charged 100% import tariff, the highest on the list. The Office of the US Trade Representative said it was "disappointed" by Brazil's decision and called for a negotiated settlement. Critics say the US has given its cotton growers an unfair advantage by paying them billions of dollars each year. In 2008, the WTO ruled that subsidies to US cotton producers were discriminatory. Tall order HAVE YOUR SAY Government subsidies for local producers should only be allowed in response to short term need after natural disasters or periods of serious economic hardship Peter Galbavy Carlos Marcio Cozendey, head of economic affairs at Brazil's foreign ministry, told a news conference: "The idea was to distribute the retaliation broadly in order to maximise pressure. "US farm subsidies are condemned worldwide. This archaic practice must stop." However some analysts say major changes to these subsidies would involve modifying agricultural legislation - a tall order for the US Congress against a difficult economic and political backdrop, says the BBC's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo. Our correspondent says the dispute, which began in 2002, is one of the few in which the WTO has allowed cross-retaliation, meaning the wronged party can retaliate against a sector not involved in the case. He adds that it appears the Brazilian government has deliberately chosen a wide range of products in order to have maximum impact. Safety net Cotton producers in the US argue that the system of subsidies has changed since the WTO made its original ruling in 2005. "The US has made changes in the cotton programme as well as the export guarantee programme," Gary Adams, chief economist at the National Cotton Council told the BBC, adding that US cotton production was now 40% to 45% lower. Mr Adams said he believed that subsidies were still justified. "We feel this is a very important financial safety net for producers," he said. Steven Bipes of the Brazil-US Business Council urged the US to take steps to avoid what he called "damaging" retaliation by Brazil. "The business community finds it extraordinarily important that countries, including the US, comply with its WTO obligations and otherwise negotiate to find common ground when there are disputes," he told the BBC. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| Brazil slaps trade sanctions on U.S. to retaliate for subsidies to cotton farmers. Here's an item about the U.S. and trade sanctions. Except this time it's Brazil that is slapping trade sanctions on the U.S. in retaliation for years of anticompetitive subsidies paid to U.S. cotton growers. The import duty on raw cotton alone jumps to 100% from 6%, the Associated Press reports, while the tariff on cars jumps from 35% to 50% and for sugar-free chewing gum more than doubles to 36%. Brazil, which has pursued the issue with the World Trade Organization for eight years, argued successfully that the U.S. has been able to hold its place as the world's second-largest cotton producer by paying some $3 billion to American farmers each year. China is the largest exporter of cotton, while Brazil is fifth. The WTO found that U.S. subsidies authorized by Congress in the annual agricultural bill unfairly help U.S. producers undersell foreign competitors and depress world market prices. The BBC says U.S. cotton producers argue that the subsidy system has changed since the WTO made its original ruling five years ago and that U.S. production has dropped dramatically. Posted by Doug Stanglin)
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Brazil has announced, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) has approved, new trade sanctions on US goods, in response to illegal subsidies paid by the US government to American cotton growers. A list was published by Brazil of the items on which import tariffs would be placed, which includes more than 100 different American products, worth nearly $600 million. Cotton products would face the highest penalty, with the tariff increasing from 6% to 100%. Other American products will be included in the sanctions as well, although the tariff increase will not be as significant. According to a Brazilian official, a wide range of products was chosen, in order to "maximize pressure." The tariffs will go into effect in 30 days, unless the two countries can reach an agreement before then. The subsidies cited by Brazil as justification for the tariffs pay out around $3 billion to American cotton growers annually. Brazil has argued for eight years that these subsidies were the reason that the US was the second-largest producer of cotton in the world, and in 2008, the WTO ruled that they were illegal. The National Cotton Council in America, however, argued that that the system of subsidies has changed since the WTO's first ruling on the matter in 2005. A senior executive at the council said that the subsidies were justified, and that they were an "important financial safety net for producers."
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String of blasts rock Bangkok, killing 2 New Year's Eve parties cancelled / Rumours point to 'undercurrents' / Police, military out in force around country Police and military personnel were scrambling to find out who was behind what seems to have been a coordinated bomb attack in the capital last night that left two people dead and more than 20 people injured. Bangkok was rocked by six explosions early in the evening at widely separate parts of the city, completely disrupting New Year's Eve celebrations. Tens of thousands of alarmed people swarmed out of the city centre hours before midnight after the capital's major parties were cancelled. One person was killed and at least 17 injured when a powerful bomb went off at the Victory Monument at about 6.30pm. The blast ripped through bus stops, shattering windows at a restaurant and sent debris flying in all directions. The dead man was identified as Songkran Kanjana. His age was not known. "Bodies were scattered all over the place. I didn't know who to help first," an eyewitness told TV reporters. The second fatality was Suwitchai Nakiem, 61, who was killed by a blast near the Na Ranong intersection in the Klong Toei area. The bomb, which was hidden in a trash can near a Chinese spirit shrine, injured three pedestrians and caused a number of cooking-gas cylinders kept nearby to also explode. Two people were injured in a blast at the Saphan Kwai intersection. Witnesses said they saw a man drop a grenade from a pedestrian bridge onto a police booth below. Residue of C4 and TNT explosives were found at the scene, an television reporter said, quoting an unnamed military source. A bomb was found in a dustbin outside a gold shop on the first floor of Seacon Square shopping mall on Srinakharin Road. It was removed to the parking lot and went off harmlessly when no one was standing near. The blast created panic among the roughly 10,000 shoppers in the mall at the time, who were ordered to evacuate. All outlets in the mall were ordered to close their shutters. There were blasts at two police booths, one at the Khae Rai intersection in Nonthaburi province just north of Bangkok, where police said the closed circuit TV monitors went out of action about 3 hours before. The other was at the entrance of Sukhumvit Road Soi 62. No injuries were reported. The explosions brought a swift reaction from police around the country. Military personnel were called out in a number of centres to assist police with security. Speaking at a press conference called two hours after the first bomb went off, police spokesman Pol General Ajiravid Subarnbhesaj said the coordinated blasts were intended to "create chaos". Few sources were prepared to comment openly on the source of the explosions. Speculation was rife that it was an insurgent attack from the South, given the timing of the bombings. But most intelligence sources were emphatic that it was connected to the "undercurrents" of post-coup political tension. Soldiers were posted at some of the blast sites, while major shopping complexes, including the Central Chidlom and Siam Paragon, closed their doors early. Deputy Bangkok Governor Wallop Suwandee announced that the New Year's eve countdown celebrations planned at Sanam Luang had been cancelled. The Central World Shopping Centre, where another major count-down venue was designated, also cancelled the event. But revellers at the CentralWorld plaza were reluctant to call it quits and dragged the party on for another two hours after its cancellation. Government Spokesman Yongyuth Malyalarp urged the public to remain calm and said the police had been instructed to stay on high alert, especially in areas where large gatherings of people were expected take part in the New Year countdown. "Police reinforcements have been sent to various areas of the city. We urge the public to remain calm, continue with the celebrations, but at the same time keep a lookout for any irregularities," Yongyuth said. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont is keeping a close watch on the situation as it develops, he said. Surayud late last night visited some of the wounded at Rajvithi Hospital. The New Year's eve bombings capped a year of unrest in the nation, with political turmoil that was capped by a coup d'etat three months ago and an ongoing insurgency in the Malay-speaking deep South. More than 20 public schools, mostly in the North and Northeast, have been torched in the past three months. Authorities suspect fires may have been politically motivated arson attacks. ||||| Eight bombs exploded across Bangkok overnight, killing two people, wounding up to 30 and forcing the cancellation of New Year celebrations in one of Asia's liveliest party cities. Two bombs went off at midnight (4am AEDT) on a shopping boulevard. Bangkok was struck by a second wave of bombs at midnight, on a shopping boulevard that would have been packed with thousands of revellers had authorities not called off the New Year's Eve festivities. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade today urged Australians to reconsider travelling to Bangkok. "There is a possibility of further attacks in coming days,'' the department said. "Australians are urged to avoid unnecessary travel in Bangkok.'' Only two of the four bombs timed to go off at midnight detonated in Rachadamri Street, in central Bangkok, injuring six foreigners and one Thai. No Australians were reported injured. The street was largely deserted due to an earlier wave of six bombs - a seventh was defused - which exploded across the city at 6.30pm, killing two people and injuring up to 30 more. After the initial explosions, government authorities cancelled formal New Year's Eve celebrations and warned people not to gather in large numbers. Speculation rife No-one has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, in which small explosive devices were mainly placed in rubbish bins and phone booths. In one incident a grenade was thrown from an overhead bridge. Speculation on who might be responsible is rife, but no-one will comment openly. While southern insurgents are the first targets of suspicion, intelligence sources have suggested it is more likely to be connected to political tension surrounding the recent military coup. For Thailand, already unsettled by that coup and a recent stockmarket crisis, the new year could not have begun less auspiciously. With soldiers returning to the streets of Bangkok for the first time since the September 19 coup, the night was alive with rumours of new explosions and the discovery of suspect packages. The Nation newspaper reported a suspected bomb was found at the Buddy Bar in the tourist enclave of Khao San Road half an hour after midnight and tourists were evacuated; and that at 1am police defused another bomb at the Lumpini Night Bazaar. 'Like a big cracker' ||||| Two more bombs explode at Central World, Pratunam Two more bombs exploded in the heart of Bangkok once the new year started, severely injuring many foreign tourists and some Thais. The two bombs exploded nearly at the same time seconds after the new year started. The first bomb exploded at the Best Sea Foods restaurant on the Saen Saeb Canal near the Pratunam Pier just seconds after the New Year countdown ended. Three foreigners and two Thais were injured. One of the foreigners had one leg amputated by the blast. The foreign tourists were having dinner at the restaurant. Police said the bomb was hidden in a tire at the pier. The second bomb exploded at a public telephone booth at the pedestrian flyover linking Central World and Kesorn Plaza. Sixl foreigners were injured and rushed to hospitals. A suspected bomb was located at the Buddy Bar on Khao Sarn Road about half an hour after midnight and tourists were evacuated from the area. By 1 am, police also disposed another bomb at the Lumpini Night Bazaar before it explodes. The Nation ||||| New Year's Eve public celebrations were called off after the attacks Alistair Graham, 48, and Paul Hewitt, who is from Horsham, West Sussex, suffered minor injuries. One of the bombs, in a crowded shopping district, drove a piece of debris deep into Mr Hewitt's left arm. Mr Hewitt, 55, said he had just happened to be standing in the "wrong place at the wrong time". British officials earlier warned Britons in Thailand not to travel in Bangkok "unless absolutely necessary". Mr Hewitt, who was kept in hospital overnight, before being discharged on Monday said the bombings would not stop him from returning to Thailand in the future. "I can't see why this would deter me from coming back. I just happened to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said. "It could have happened anywhere in the world." Mr Graham had been treated and discharged earlier. Whoever is behind these attacks, they clearly demonstrate an indiscriminate callousness for human life UK Foreign Office A first spate of six attacks took place at sites across the Thai capital during late afternoon local time on Sunday as the streets were beginning to fill up. At least two further blasts rocked the city centre just before midnight. BBC correspondent Jonathan Head said many Thais suspected the attacks were the work of opponents of the current military government which forced Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from office in September. All New Year's Eve public celebrations were called off following the attacks. The Foreign Office has set up two emergency telephone lines for those concerned about relatives in Bangkok. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We were deeply disturbed to hear about the string of bomb attacks. "Whoever is behind these attacks, they clearly demonstrate an indiscriminate callousness for human life." Did you witness the blasts? Are you in the area affected by the explosions? You can send your experiences using the form below. If you have any pictures or video of what happened, you can send it to [email protected] or text them to 07725 100 100. Name Your E-mail address Town & Country Phone number (optional): Comments ||||| Bangkok: Usually thought among safest Asian cities for foreigners A first spate of six attacks occurred at sites across Bangkok as streets were filling up late afternoon local time ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations. Just before midnight, at least two further blasts rocked the city centre. The Thai authorities had cancelled all public celebrations for New Year's Eve after the first devices went off. Two people died on Sunday, and a third man died of his injuries on Monday in hospital. All three victims were Thai. Police do not believe foreign groups or militants from the Muslim south are to blame, says the BBC's Jonathan Head. There was a big bang and people started screaming and running Chalermsak Sanbee Witness Blasts in pictures Britons caught up in blasts Our Bangkok correspondent says many Thais suspect the attacks were the work of opponents of the current military government, which forced Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from office in September. The latest explosions occurred near the Central World Plaza, a shopping mall close to where the biggest New Year's event was to have been held. The area had already been cleared. However the blasts caught several foreign tourists. Two British men, three Hungarians, two Serbs and an American are receiving hospital treatment but none were thought to be in a serious condition, officials quoted by Reuters news agency said. Of the earlier attacks, the largest was at about 1730 (1030 GMT) near a bus station next to one of Bangkok's busiest intersections, Victory Monument. Police said this caused the biggest number of casualties, injuring at least 13 people and killing one. People on the streets of Bangkok react to the New Year's Eve bombings. In pictures Reports suggest the device was planted beneath a seat at a bus stop or in a rubbish bin. One witness who was standing nearby, 17-year-old Chalermsak Sanbee told Reuters news agency: "There was a big bang and people started screaming and running. I saw people with blood all over their legs and faces." According to a police spokesman, the other blasts occurred: At 1720 on Sukhumvit Road in the south-east, causing no casualties Simultaneous blasts at 1800: at a crossroads in the north injuring two people, and in Kae Lak district injuring no-one At 1830 close to a Chinese temple in the Klong Toey district, killing one person and injuring six A bomb went off in a rubbish bin near the Seacon Square shopping area, injuring no-one National police chief General Ajirawit Suphanaphesat said the authorities inspected other locations where suspicious packages were found. Did you witness the blasts? Are you in the area affected by the explosions? You can send your experiences using the form below. If you have any pictures or video of what happened, you can send it to [email protected] or text them to 07725 100 100. Name Your E-mail address Town & Country Phone number (optional): Comments ||||| Revellers at Central World ordered to disperse Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayothin went up on the stage at the Central World Plaza at about 8:50 pm and asked the revellers to disperse. They dispersed after paying respect to His Majesty the King. People were seen on Channel 6 to disperse calmly. The Nation ||||| BTS cancels plan to operate throughout night The Bangkok Transit System announced that it would run its skytrain services until midnight, instead of till dawn as earlier planned. The Nation ||||| Sonthi orders deployment of soldiers to step up security in Bangkok Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin ordered the first army area commander to deploy soldiers to help police step security in Bangkok following a series of bomb attacks in the capital. Army Assistant Commander-in-Chief Gen Anupong Paojinda said the soldiers would be deployed to various spots and bomb experts of the army had been ordered to be on stand by. The Nation ||||| Surayud visits bomb victims at Rajvithi Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont visited bomb victims at the Rajavithi Hospital at 9:50 pm. Surayud who appeared under tension said he did not know yet who the masterminds of the bomb attacks were. He said he had not yet whether the government would announce the state of emergency. The Nation ||||| Old power clique suspected of being behind Bangkok bomb attacks: source A security source at the Government House said the old power clique was behind the simultaneous bomb attacks in Bangkok. The source from an intelligence agency said the intelligence agencies had learnt about the plan of the old clique to create disturbance toward the yearend. The source said Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont was on the standby in Bangkok because he expected the attacks. The Nation
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CentralWorld shopping center was the venue for the New Year's Eve Countdown and near the location of two blasts. More bombs went off just after midnight (0500 GMT) on New Year's Day in Bangkok, injuring eight people near a shopping mall where hours before a New Year's Eve countdown was cancelled due to a string of six bombings earlier in the evening. The first bomb exploded at a seafood restaurant on the Saen Saeb Canal near Pratunam Pier just seconds after midnight. Three foreigners and two Thais were injured. One of the foreigners had her legs amputated by the blast, according to television and local newspaper reports. The foreign tourists were having dinner at the restaurant. Police said the bomb was hidden in a tire at the pier. A second bomb exploded in a telephone booth near a pedestrian bridge at CentralWorld, where thousands of people had gathered earlier in the evening for a countdown party and had been urged by authorities to leave the area and go home. Several foreigners were injured and rushed to hospitals. Another bomb was found and disposed of without incident at Suan Lum Night Bazaar, another late-night venue for tourists. A possible bomb was investigated at Buddy Bar, a popular music venue on Khaosan Road. It turned out to be a false report. Police had earlier closed the venue and other bars on the street frequented by backpackers, urging people to return to their hotels and guesthouses. Earlier in the evening, bombs had gone off at six locations across the city, from about 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Twenty-five people were injured and three later died at hospitals from their injuries. The biggest toll was at Victory Monument, where 17 people were injured, two of them dying from their injuries. Other targets were a police booth at Saphan Kwai intersection, where two people were injured, and a market in Khlong Toei, where three people were injured, one fatally. At Seacon Square shopping mall, a bomb was found in a trash can inside the mall and taken to the parking lot, where it exploded without injuring anyone. Police booths on Sukhumvit Soi 62 and in suburban Nonthaburi were also hit, but there were no injuries. After the bombings, Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayothin had ordered the cancellation of the countdown celebrations at Central World and Sanam Luang and other smaller ones. "Due to several bomb explosions in Bangkok and for the sake of peace and security, I would ask all of you to return to your homes now," Apirak told a crowd of around 5,000 people at CentralWorld. Most of the crowd dispersed quickly and calmly. Army Commander-in-Chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin ordered soldiers deployed around the capital. Security was intensified on the Metro and Skytrain rail systems. The Skytrain cancelled plans to run all night and closed at midnight as usual. Department stores closed early. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont visited victims at a local hospital. He appeared on television looking tense, telling reporters he didn't know who was responsible for the attacks. Surayud was appointed premier after a coup d'état on September 19 in which the military led by Sonthi ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. ''The Nation'' newspaper quoted a "security source" as saying "the old power clique" was behind the bombing. However, there is also the ongoing violence by Muslim separatists in the South Thailand insurgency, which has left 1,900 people dead since 2004.
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This Afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high around 95. Heat index values as high as 102. South wind around 5 mph. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 75. South wind between 5 and 10 mph. Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Heat index values as high as 102. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Sunday Night: Clear, with a low near 72. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming northeast between 5 and 10 mph. Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 74. Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 96. Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 74. Wednesday: Partly cloudy, with a high around 94. Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low near 74. Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a high around 91. Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 91. ||||| HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 355 PM CDT SUN APR 4 2004 TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-051200- AUSTIN-BRAZORIA-BRAZOS-BURLESON-CHAMBERS-COLORADO-FORT BEND-GALVESTON- GRIMES-HARRIS-HOUSTON-JACKSON-LIBERTY-MADISON-MATAGORDA-MONTGOMERY- POLK-SAN JACINTO-TRINITY-WALKER-WALLER-WASHINGTON-WHARTON- 355 PM CDT SUN APR 4 2004 ...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE OVER SOUTHWEST COUNTIES TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A COMPLEX OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN SAN ANTONIO AND LAREDO WILL PUSH EASTWARD TO NEAR THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST THIS EVENING. THESE STORMS COULD AFFECT THE FAR SOUTHWEST COUNTIES OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE WEST OF A LINE FROM COLUMBUS TO FREEPORT. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE IN THIS SAME AREA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE STRONGEST STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. MONDAY...AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL COMBINE WITH INCREASING MOISTURE TO PRODUCE SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS. A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER MAINLY THE WESTERN HALF OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS WITH LARGE HAIL THE PRIMARY THREAT. HOWEVER...THE OVERALL SEVERE WEATHER THREAT APPEARS MARGINAL AT THIS TIME. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. TUESDAY...AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE STATE BRINGING ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO SOUTHEAST TEXAS. WITH GREATER INSTABILITY AND A MORE FAVORABLE ATMOSPHERIC WIND PROFILE IN PLACE...THE OVERALL SEVERE WEATHER THREAT APPEARS GREATER ON TUESDAY. WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE MAINLY IN BRAZORIA...COLORADO... JACKSON...MATAGORDA...AND WHARTON COUNTIES TONIGHT. $$
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Limited visibility in south east Houston A dense fog has enveloped the greater Houston area in Texas, United States, ahead of an incoming warm front. Visibility has been reduced to under a quarter of a mile, in some places as low as 100 feet. Motorists are advised to use caution during the morning commute. The fog advisory is scheduled to lift at 12 PM CST.
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Timor-Leste: Kuwait poderá vir a financiar obras públicas O Kuwait poderá vir a financiar grandes obras públicas em Timor-Leste, num total de 500 milhões a 600 milhões de dólares (entre 391 milhões e 470 milhões de euros), disse hoje à Agência Lusa o primeiro-ministro timorense. Segundo José Ramos-Horta, que parte hoje à noite (hora local) para o Kuwait, para uma visita oficial, entre as obras públicas previstas figuram estradas, pontes, portos e aeroportos. «Quero iniciar já o processo de negociações com o Fundo de Desenvolvimento do Kuwait para a construção de grandes projectos de estradas, pontes, portos e aeroportos de Timor-Leste», disse Ramos-Horta. «Para um projecto desta magnitude, a realizar ao longo de vários anos, a verba envolvida é da ordem dos 500 milhões a 600 milhões de dólares ou mais. Aguardamos um estudo preliminar feito por uma empresa da Índia, pago pelo Kuwait», acrescentou. «Não temos outras alternativas em termos de desenvolvimento deste país, se queremos desenvolver o país, modernizá-lo, criar emprego e cumprir o programa do governo, de levar o desenvolvimento para as zonas rurais», adiantou. O primeiro-ministro, que regressa segunda-feira a Díli, leva consigo nesta visita os ministros das Obras Públicas e dos Recursos Naturais, Minerais e Política Energética, Odete Victor e José Teixeira, respectivamente. A visita, a convite do primeiro-ministro do Kuwait, Nasir Al-Muhammad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, inclui encontros com o emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir Al-Sabah, o príncipe herdeiro Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah, o ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros Muhammad Sabah Al-Salim Al- Sabah, e representantes da Câmara de Comércio e Indústria e do Fundo de Desenvolvimento do Kuwait. Esta é a segunda visita em dois anos de Ramos-Horta ao Kuwait, país onde se deslocou em 2004 em representação do anterior chefe de governo timorense Mari Alkatiri. Diário Digital / Lusa 04-08-2006 13:03:00 ||||| Amanhã, sábado, o chefe do Governo timorense terá encontros com o emir, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir Al-Sabah, o príncipe herdeiro, Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, o primeiro-ministro, o ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Muhammad Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, representantes da Câmara de Comércio e Indústria e do Fundo de Desenvolvimento do Kuwait. A delegação timorense é composta pela ministra das Obras Públicas, Odete Victor, e o ministro dos Recursos Naturais, Minerais e da Política Energética, José Teixeira. Para o chefe do Executivo de Díli, esta visita, que se prolonga até à próxima segunda-feira, é uma oportunidade para «identificar áreas concretas de cooperação entre o Kuwait e Timor-Leste, em particular no apoio humanitário imediato e, no médio e longo prazo, na concretização de projectos de investimento em infra-estruturas, como a auto-estrada entre Lospalos e a fronteira». Esta é a segunda visita em dois anos de Ramos-Horta ao Kuwait, país com quem tem mantido relações estreitas «com vários membros da família real e do Governo». Com um total de 2,4 milhões de habitantes, o Kuwait ocupa o 44/o lugar no ranking de países com maior desenvolvimento humano, segundo a Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU), e é um dos principais produtores de petróleo do mundo, possuindo 10% das reservas de petróleo mundiais. ||||| Amanhã, sábado, o chefe do Governo timorense terá encontros com o emir, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir Al-Sabah, o príncipe herdeiro, Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, o primeiro-ministro, o ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Muhammad Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, representantes da Câmara de Comércio e Indústria e do Fundo de Desenvolvimento do Kuwait. A delegação timorense é composta pela ministra das Obras Públicas, Odete Victor, e o ministro dos Recursos Naturais, Minerais e da Política Energética, José Teixeira. Para o chefe do Executivo de Díli, esta visita, que se prolonga até à próxima segunda-feira, é uma oportunidade para «identificar áreas concretas de cooperação entre o Kuwait e Timor-Leste, em particular no apoio humanitário imediato e, no médio e longo prazo, na concretização de projectos de investimento em infra-estruturas, como a auto-estrada entre Lospalos e a fronteira». Esta é a segunda visita em dois anos de Ramos-Horta ao Kuwait, país com quem tem mantido relações estreitas «com vários membros da família real e do Governo». Com um total de 2,4 milhões de habitantes, o Kuwait ocupa o 44/o lugar no ranking de países com maior desenvolvimento humano, segundo a Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU), e é um dos principais produtores de petróleo do mundo, possuindo 10% das reservas de petróleo mundiais.
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José Ramos Horta Kuwait might finance a great number of public works in East Timor, in an investment worth 500 million to 600 million dollars, the East Timorese Prime Minister said today. José Ramos Horta leaves today for an official visit to Kuwait. "I want to start right now the negotiations process with the Development Fund of Kuwait for the construction of great projects for East Timor's roads, bridges, harbors and airports", Ramos Horta, East Timor's Prime Minister, said. "For a project of this magnitude, to carry throughout several years, the amount of money to be spent is about 500 million to 600 million dollars or more. We are now waiting a preliminary study made by an Indian company, paid by Kuwait", Ramos Horta added. The East Timorese delegation is composed by the Minister of public works, Odete Victor, and the Minister of energy & mineral resources, José Teixeira. The visit is part of an invitation by Kuwait's Prime Minister Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, and includes meetings with the Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the crown prince Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah and representatives of the Development Fund of Kuwait. This is the second visit to Kuwait in two years by Ramos Horta, an country with who the East Timorese Prime Minister maintains relations with several members of the royal family and of the government.
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Igor Ivanov, the Russian secretary of the Security Council, has literally doomed the Commonwealth of Independent States to a fall. He said that the term 'post-soviet country' should not be used anymore, and he also implied to a soon decay of the CIS. He said that there were times when this organization has played a great role, however the current conditions have made this role much smaller. He mentioned the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) in this context and said that it complies with all the conditions of the present political and economical environments. The EurAsEC consists of six member states - Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan - and three observers - Moldova, Ukraine and Armenia. On behalf of all the members of the Security Council (Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, is one of them) Mr. Ivanov touched upon the fact that the USA and NATO interfere with the affairs of Russia's neighboring states. Mr. Ivanov has also emphasized that Russia should use all political and economical instruments to defend its positions ||||| ・Igor Ivanov questioned NATO's capability to counter emerging security threats. ・Terrorism is not on the ebb despite NATO's enlargement. ・Russia viewed all actions on its enlargement as political moves, he said. Russian Security Council chief Igor Ivanov (File Photo) Photo Gallery>>> Terrorism is not on the ebb despite NATO's enlargement and the alliance cannot cope with the task of rebuffing present-day threats, Ivanov told the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, a think tank that gathers Russian politicians, officials, experts and business leaders. The United States, Britain and Spain have been stricken by terrorist attacks and the new NATO members are not feeling safe, Ivanov said. "Then the questions pop up: why does NATO expand? What is NATO's role in present-day international relations," he said. NATO's expansion is not just "an abstract, technical question" and Russia viewed all actions on its enlargement as political moves, he said. "This enlargement goes against the interests of NATO, the states about to join NATO and other nations like Russia," Ivanov said. Seven countries -- Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia -- formally joined NATO on March 29,2004 in the fifth and largest round of enlargement in the alliance's history.
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right Igor Ivanov, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, said that the Eurasian Economic Community (EuroAsEC) could take the place of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Speaking at a press conference, Ivanov said that the CIS has already played a great role in the development of all the countries and that its current role is rather overestimated. At the moment, the EuroAsEC consists of six members and three observers. In his speech Ivanov also expressed his concern with what he termed US and NATO interference into the affairs of Russia's neighbor countries. Speaking on behalf of the entire Security Council, one of whose members is the Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said that Russia will have to be politically and economically active to defend its interests.
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(CNN) -- A Scottish court has formally allowed Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi to abandon his second appeal against his conviction over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, in which 270 people were killed when an airliner was blown out of the sky. Convicted bomber Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, pictured in 1992, has terminal cancer. Last week, al Megrahi lodged a "minute of abandonment" with the Scottish Court Service, which is a legal move to drop an appeal. The Scottish Court of Appeal in Edinburgh confirmed Tuesday it had accepted the request. Analysts say the move may be part of a deal al Megrahi is seeking with Scottish authorities to be released on compassionate grounds. A compassionate release could allow al Megrahi, who has maintained his innocence, to return to his native Libya. Megrahi, 57, who is suffering from terminal prostate cancer, is currently serving a life sentence for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 which killed 189 U.S. citizens and 270 people in total. The court announcement follows increasing pressure from the U.S. for Al Megrahi to remain imprisoned in Scotland. On Monday, seven U.S. senators wrote to the Scottish government urging that al Megrahi be kept in prison indefinitely. The letter, which includes the signatures of John Kerry, the current chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and veteran Edward Kennedy, has expressed concern about reports that Al Megrahi is about to be released. The letter states: "We believe he (Al Megrahi) should remain in Scotland to complete his sentence in prison." "Recognizing the gravity of this heinous crime, the international community demanded that the government of Libya turn the perpetrators over for prosecution and accept responsibility for the crime." In their letter the senators also remind Scotland's Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill -- who is considering an application to release the Libyan national on compassionate grounds -- that "until the tragic events of September 11, 2001, no terrorist act had killed more American civilians." The letter continues: "Our international agreement called for his sentence to be served in Scotland and we believe strongly there should be no deviation from this sentence." The senators' letter follows opposition to Megrahi's release from victims' families in the U.S. and U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton last week. ||||| Photo: PA Dr Swire, whose daughter Flora, 24, died in the attack, is preparing to sue the Scottish prosecution service because he is convinced it deliberately blocked attempts to bring his daughter's "real" killers to court. He is planning the action under human rights legislation just three days after it was disclosed that the only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing is likely to be released later this month. Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, 57, who has terminal prostate cancer and is expected to be freed on compassionate grounds, has always protested his innocence. Dr Swire, 73, a spokesman for the relatives of the victims, is convinced that Megrahi was wrongly convicted. His supporters claim that international politics prevented the truth from being uncovered during the investigation into the mid-air explosion which caused the deaths of 259 people on board Pan Am Flight 103 and a further 11 on the ground. Dr Swire has told of his determination to bring his daughter's killers to justice in a letter sent to Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary, in which he is critical of the Crown Office, which is responsible for criminal prosecutions in Scotland. In the letter, he highlights the fact that evidence from a Heathrow security guard was suppressed for more than 12 years and did not figure at Megrahi's trial in 2000 and 2001. The guard revealed that Pan Am's baggage area at Heathrow was broken into 17 hours before Flight 103 took off from the airport for New York. Dr Swire believes that this was probably when the bomb was planted, not much earlier on a flight from Malta. In his letter, sent on Aug 10, Dr Swire says that he is now "reluctantly" looking at two projects: - "To take action against the Crown Office under Human Rights legislation, since I now believe that the Crown Office has deliberately obstructed my rights to know who killed my daughter and why she was not protected, and continues to do so," and - "To seek annulment of the findings of the Lockerbie Fatal Accident Inquiry [of 1990] on grounds of withholding of evidence about Heathrow, and then to seek a new FAI or legitimate equivalent in its place." Critics of Megrahi's conviction have long believed that the Libyan was the victim of a US-led conspiracy to "frame" the country and its ruler, Col Muammar Gaddafi, for the bombing on Dec 21, 1988, when the plane exploded over the Scottish town of Lockerbie less than 40 minutes after take-off. Many, including Dr Swire, now believe that the most likely to group to have carried out the bombing was the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC). At the time, the group was headed by Ahmed Jibril, a former Syrian Army captain, who was based in Damascus and funded by Iran. Dr Swire suspects Iran was seeking revenge for the shooting-down of Iran Air Flight 655, with the loss of 290 lives, by the USS Vincennes in July 1988 – just five months before Lockerbie. Iran did not accept the US's claim that the incident was a mistake. Dr Swire believes the families of the victims have been "pawns in a political scenario that had nothing to do with truth". He added: "The Heathrow break-in would have been the perfect scenario for the Syrian-backed PFLP-GC to put one of its bombs on the aircraft." The grieving father also suspects that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, now the anti-Western president of Iran but then reportedly an ambitious figure in Iran's Republican Guard, may have been involved in Lockerbie. Another suspect is Abu Talb, a Palestinian later arrested and jailed in Sweden for terrorist bombings: he had circled the date of December 21 1988 in a calendar found at his flat. Other relatives, particularly those in the US seeking "closure" over the tragedy, still think the right man was convicted and want Megrahi to die in jail. The Libyan was convicted by a Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands. Another suspect was acquitted. Critics say the evidence against Megrahi was, at best, circumstantial, and, at worst, flimsy. His lawyers have dismissed the evidence of Tony Gauci, a Maltese shopkeeper and the key prosecution witness. He said he had sold clothes to Megrahi which had supposedly been in the suitcase that contained the bomb. But it later emerged that Mr Gauci had seen a photograph of the suspect in a magazine linking him to the bombing. Other witnesses, it is alleged, were paid or offered money to give damaging evidence against the Libyan. Professor Robert Black QC, the architect of the original trial and a leading academic lawyer, also believes that Megrahi was convicted on "very, very weak circumstantial" evidence. Pierre Salinger, the former ABC News correspondent and a press spokesman for President Kennedy, believed, until his death in 2004, that Iran and Syria carried out the atrocity. He alleged a cover-up by the United States and Britain. In 2003, Ahmed Own, Libya's ambassador to the United Nations, submitted a letter to the Security Council in which Libya accepted "responsibility for the actions of its officials" regarding the bombing. Yet the following year, Sukri Ghanem, the Libyan Prime Minister, insisted the compensation payment was the "price of peace" with the West and was simply designed to remove sanctions Lawyers for Megrahi had launched a second appeal over his conviction – the first was unsuccessful – but it was revealed on Friday that the convicted killer has now applied to abandon this action. His supporters are optimistic he will be freed within days because of his serious illness. The Crown Office insists the conviction is safe and that no decision on his release has yet been taken by the Scottish Justice Secretary. Paul McBride, a QC who advises the Tory party on law and order, said the Scottish Justice Secretary should resign over his handling of the case. Mr McBride insisted that Mr MacAskill should have recalled Parliament to discuss the matter. The QC described the manner in which Megrahi’s possible release was being discussed as “beyond shameful”. ||||| Photo: PA Lawyers for the 57-year-old, who is dying of prostate cancer, said he had taken the unexpected decision after his condition took a "significant turn for the worse". He is expected to be freed next week on compassionate grounds, but relatives of the victims had expected his appeal to continue, even after his death. They reacted to the latest news with dismay and immediately renewed their calls for a full public inquiry into the atrocity in which 270 people died. The decision means that Megrahi, who has always protested his innocence, will die a guilty man. He had previously claimed that he would not return to Libya until he cleared his name, and politicians expressed concern that he may have been put under pressure as part of a deal to return home. Scottish ministers are thought to be preparing to free him after being persuaded that he does not have long to live. He lost his original appeal in 2002 but was granted a second appeal after an independent review body ruled that he may be the victim of a miscarriage of justice. The Scottish Executive, which insists no final decision has been taken on the Libyan's fate, said it was not involved in the appeal decision. Reports that Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish justice minister, has already taken the decision to free him next week have infuriated American relatives of the Lockerbie victims. They are convinced of his guilt and believe he should die in jail in Scotland, where he has served only eight years of a minimum sentence of 27 years. Most of the British families believe he is innocent and support his release. Lawyers confirmed that he had asked for the appeal to be dropped and the request will be heard in the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday. Pamela Dix, whose 35-year-old brother Peter died in the bombing, said she was disappointed by the decision. Speaking from Woking in Surrey, she added: "At the moment there is no other process or procedure ongoing to tell us how the bombing was carried out, why it was done, the motivation for it and who ordered it." Martin Cadman, 84, of Burnham Market, Norfolk, who lost his son Bill, 32, said: "It's been nearly 21 years since the event and where are we? Nowhere." Meanwhile, Daniel Kawczynski, the Tory chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on Libya, said Megrahi should not be freed until the killer of Pc Yvonne Fletcher  who was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy 25 years ago - was handed over.
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The Lockerbie memorial The in Edinburgh has today accepted 's request to drop his second appeal against his conviction for the Lockerbie bombing. Al-Megrahi was found guilty of planting a bomb on , which detonated as the aircraft flew over , Scotland in 1988 killing all 259 people on board and eleven more on the ground. Megrahi has always protested his innocence. Although his appeal was dismissed in 2002, a review found evidence of a possible miscarriage of justice and granted Megrahi a second appeal. He is terminally ill with and may soon be released on compassionate grounds. Today's hearing was attended by the Reverend John Mosey, whose daughter was killed and who believes in Megrahi's innocence. The conviction remains controversial, with the majority of victims' families in the UK feeling Megrahi is innocent while those in the US believe him to be guilty according to ''''. Doctor , a member of ''UK Families Flight 103'', has threatened to sue the over what he feels is a deliberate blocking of justice. Meanwhile, in an earlier interview with ''Wikinews'' on the twentieth anniversary of the bombing last year, the then-head of the US group ''Victims of Pan Am Flight 103'', Kara Weipz, told ''Wikinews'' that "There is no difference between the truth as we see it and the official version of events. The facts are the facts, Mr. Megrahi is guilty." ''Wikinews'' has obtained a statement from Mrs. Weipz's replacement Frank Duggan. In it Duggan maintains that Megrahi should die behind bars in Scotland, casts doubt on the likelihood of a transfer to Libya and attacks the Scottish media's coverage of the case. Dr. Swire has also been contacted with a request to comment. "The murderer appealed again, and now seeks, without apparent reason, to withdraw that appeal. The court had little discretion, and absent some grandstanding from the bomber’s attorneys, it is certainly not what the Scottish media is making it out to be. It is NOT the key to Mr. Megrahi's release pursuant to the Prisoner Transfer Agreement, since Article 5 of that agreement states that there cannot be any pending legal action against him. There is, as everyone should know, another appeal pending, which was originally filed before Megrahahi's, objecting to the lenience of the sentence for the murder of 270 innocent souls. In addition, Justice Minister must still rule on the request for transfer, a request made by Libyan President Muammar Gadhafi, who has admitted his nation’s guilt in the most egregious case of state-sponsored terrorism in UK history. It is simply inconceivable to us that the would respect the wishes of this man. "The American victim’s families cannot understand why Megrahi would withdraw his appeal, unless his attorneys thought that they were not persuading Minister MacAskill that the bomber was indeed on his deathbed. That is a more likely scenario since they had been saying he had one foot in the grave for the past year. If the rumors of his impending release, fueled by the Herald, Guardian, Scotsman and other “newspapers” were meant to test public opinion about his release, either by Prisoner Transfer or Compassionate Release, then the trial balloon was successful. There has been worldwide outrage and opprobrium that this man might get to go home to a hero’s welcome in Libya. "The only other reason we can imagine is that his attorneys were not aware of the other pending appeal, and are perhaps taking advice from that legal scholar, , who still maintains that there was insufficient evidence in the first trial and appeal. Black has been wrong about every step of this case from the beginning, yet he and Dr. James Swire are given full opportunity to express their views of the evidence in the UK “newspapers.” "The convicted bomber should not be transferred under any subsequent agreement since the arrangements for the promised that if convicted, the defendant would serve his prison term in Scotland. As to the application for release on compassionate grounds, this has caused the most uproar around the world. News media, not so many in Scotland I regret to say, wonder just how much compassion was shown by Megrahi and Libya when they planted a bomb designed to murder hundreds of innocent, unsuspecting lives." Megrahi is now set to complete his sentence in , where he is to serve a minimum of 27 years, barring any further developments.
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TAGS: SciTech, Prime Time Russia, Anya Fedorova Prominent Russian geographer and explorer Andrey Kapitsa died today in Moscow aged 80. Kapitsa took part in numerous important Soviet expeditions to the South Pole. He is famous for discovering the sub-glacial Lake Vostok in Antarctica. The lake lies four kilometers beneath the ice and is considered the largest water reservoir of its kind in the South Pole. Scientists suspect the lake may be inhabited by unique microorganisms. Kapitsa belonged to a family of highly-regarded scientists. His father was a Nobel laureate in physics, while his elder brother Sergey is an established physicist and demographer. ||||| Andrey Kapitsa, an outstanding Russian geographer, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Professor Emeritus at Moscow State University, died in Moscow on August 2nd, aged 80. Andrey Kapitsa was born on July 9th 1931 in Cambridge, U.K. The scientist’s whole life was inextricably linked to first Soviet and then Russian geographical science. A graduate of the Moscow State University’s Faculty of Geography, Mr Kapitsa was a member of the Russian Geographical Society. He took part in four Antarctic expeditions undertaken by the Soviet Union between 1955 and 1964, and headed the 1967-1969 Eastern African expedition of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences. From 1965 to 1970 Andrey Kapitsa was the Dean of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University’s Faculty of Geography. He also served as the Chairman of the Far-Eastern Research Centre of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences’ Presidium, and was the founder and first Director of Pacific Institute of Geography. In 1953 Andrey Kapitsa graduated from the Moscow State University’s Faculty of Geography. After his graduation the promising young geographer was invited to work at the Laboratory for Experimental Geomorphology attached to the Faculty of Geography. In 1958 he successfully defended his PhD thesis, “Morphology of the Eastern Antarctic ice cap”, and only seven years later, in 1965, the scientist completed his doctoral dissertation, “Subglacial relief of Antarctica”. In cooperation with other scientists, Andrey Kapitsa made one of the most remarkable geographical discoveries of the 20th century – a vast lake beneath the Antarctic ice, near the polar research station Vostok. Mr Kapitsa’s research interests revolved around various environmental issues and sustainable nature resources management. The geographer was among the first to challenge the theory of anthropogenic causes of the “greenhouse effect” and the “ozone holes”. Later, a team of scientists under his leadership proved that Antarctic ozone hole anomalies had a natural origin. In 1987 the scientist set up within the MSU’s Faculty of Geography the Department of Sustainable Nature Resource Management, which laid the foundation for subsequent development of this new scientific branch. Professor Kapitsa also introduced new areas of learning into the MSU’s geography curriculum, including courses of lectures dedicated to such themes as “Introduction into sustainable nature resource management”, “Current issues in the field of sustainable nature resource management”, and “Sustainable nature resource management – applying geographical methods to environmental studies”. Andrey Kapitsa’s numerous students always noted that he was a companionate and sympathetic person, not only happy to advise on scientific research, but also eager to help get through a difficult period in life. During his prolific career as a scientist and university professor Mr Kapitsa received many government awards, including the State Prize, as well as honorary titles, such as Professor Emeritus at Moscow State University; Honorary Employee of the higher education sector; and Meritorious Scientist of the Russian Federation. For his contribution to the Atlas of Antarctica, Mr Kapitsa was awarded the U.S.S.R. State Prize and MSU’s D.N. Anuchin Prize. In the past decade Kapitsa published a series of research papers dedicated to methodological aspects of studying industrial pollution and ecosystems stability in the Russian Arctic. These publications resulted into a monograph entitled “A methodology for assessing the state of Arctic ecosystems transformed by human activities. At about the same time, together with A. Gavrilov, put forward a theory of a natural origin of the Antarctic ozone hole anomalies. Together with O. Sorokhtin he carried out a series of studies dedicated to geopolitics of global climate change. The lying-in-state ceremony for Andrey Kapitsa will take place on Thursday, August 4th, in the foyer of the Moscow State University’s Community Centre (Dom Kultury). Information: Lake Vostok, named after a polar research station, is one of the largest subglacial lakes in Antarctica. The total surface area of the lake is estimated at 15.5 thousand km², which is 15 times bigger than the surface area of Moscow and two times smaller than the surface area of Lake Baikal. Lake Vostok is hidden some 4,000 metres beneath the Antarctic ice cap. Its estimated depth is over 1,200 metres. Scientists believe that water temperature in Lake Vostok is too hot for Antarctica; it may reach at least 10 degrees Celsius in the deepest regions. In fact, water in the lake is heated by subterranean geothermal springs, and this gives scientists a reason to assume that the lake might be inhabited by ancient organisms, which have developed and evolved in isolation from the rest of the world.
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Satellite image of Lake Vostok , the Russian geographer best known for his part in the discovery of in Antarctica, has died in Moscow at the age of 80. He participated in four expeditions to the during his career. Kapitsa was born to Physics laureate in , England in 1931. He graduated from the 's Faculty of Geography in 1953, and took part in the first of his four expeditions to the South Pole two years later. In 1967, he led the on a two year expedition through eastern Africa. Along with other scientists, Kapitsa is credited with the discovery of Lake Vostok in eastern Antarctica. Lake Vostok, named after the , lies four kilometres below the ice and is around 15.5 thousand km². It is believed that the lake is home to ancient organisms, which have evolved over time. Kapitsa's body will lie in state on August 4 in the foyer of the Moscow State University’s Community Centre. == Sources == * *
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By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer Sat Nov 11, 6:44 AM ET ADVERTISEMENT WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. John McCain ( news voting record ) intends to take the first formal step toward a White House run next week by launching a presidential exploratory committee, GOP officials say. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid pre-empting a public statement from the four-term Arizona senator, who is considered the front-runner for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. McCain, the GOP maverick who unsuccessfully sought his party's nomination in 2000, already has opened a bank account for the committee, one official said. "The senator has made no decision about running for president," said Eileen McMenamin, a McCain spokeswoman. Aides to McCain say the senator will discuss whether to seek the presidency with his family over the Christmas holiday and decide thereafter. Establishing an exploratory committee allows a potential candidate to raise money for a White House run and travel the country. McCain is a former Navy pilot who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was elected to the Senate in 1986 and had served in the House for four years before that. If McCain were to run, he would turn 72 on Aug. 29, 2008, at the height of the campaign. Only President Reagan was older 73 at the start of his second term. McCain's health could be another issue. The senator has had several cancerous lesions removed from his skin. Since losing to George W. Bush in 2000, McCain has alternately challenged and embraced the president, building an independent reputation as one who isn't afraid to speak his mind. At the same time, he's sought to mend fences with conservatives he alienated in his first presidential run. After Republicans lost control of both the House and Senate on Tuesday, McCain called for a return to the conservative principles he said make up the foundations of the Republican Party. "We came to Washington to change government, and government changed us," lamented McCain. "We departed rather tragically from our conservative principles." He urged the party to return to a time when it was known for careful stewardship of tax dollars, less government, less regulation, lower taxes and a strong defense, as well as community and family values. "I'm confident we will do that," he said. The Republicans' loss of power in the Senate was a double blow to McCain, who had been in line to become chairman of the powerful Armed Services Committee in January. The panel's top post overseeing the military would have given him a high-profile platform during wartime and in the year leading up to 2008. McCain has spent the past year padding his Straight Talk America political action committee with supporters in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, and he has broadened his inner circle of advisers to include several strategists with ties to Bush. During the 2006 election cycle, McCain worked to spread goodwill throughout the party, attending 346 events and raising more than $10.5 million on behalf of Republican candidates across the country. He also donated nearly $1.5 million to federal, state and county parties. There's no shortage of Republicans vying to replace President Bush in 2008. A full 15 months before the first primary contest in Iowa, McCain is considered the one to beat in a crowded field. Possible candidates include Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record) of Kansas and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. An Associated Press-AOL News poll conducted late last month found Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Giuliani and McCain essentially tied for support. Rice has insisted she will not run. ____ On the Net: Sen. John McCain: http://www.straighttalkamerica.com/ ||||| By JAKE TAPPER and AVERY MILLER Nov. 10, 2006 His party may have taken "a thumpin'," in the words of President Bush, but ABC News has learned that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his political team have decided it's full steam ahead for his 2008 presidential campaign though he has yet to make the final, official decision. Sources close to McCain say on Wednesday in Phoenix, he and a half dozen of his top aides huddled and decided to proceed more formally with his quest for the White House. McCain told ABC News that his team will continue to meet and "go through the process of decision making." But, he added, "I certainly haven't made any decision." A presidential exploratory committee is expected to be set up this month — perhaps as early as next week. McCain's official, final decision will likely not come until after the Christmas holidays, after he's had a chance to talk it over with his wife, Cindy. Among his seven children, Jimmy is at boot camp at Camp Pendleton; Jack is at the Naval Academy; and daughter Megan is in her senior year at Columbia University. In the meantime, McCain's team is exploring office space in Virginia, hiring staff and building infrastructure in key early-primary states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Strategy Could Target Swing Voters, Bipartisan Issues Despite Republican losses of the House and Senate, McCain sees encouraging signs for his personal quest. Independent voters were the key swing voters in this election, going overwhelmingly for Democrats. And that could be a voting pool he would tap into. "No question. I think voters said they want independence, they want bipartisanship, and they want a voice of moral authority on Iraq, and John McCain is all three," said former Bush adviser Mark McKinnon, who worked on the 2004 campaign. "I've always been popular with independents," McCain said. "But I don't know [how] independents feel right now from what I see they are kind of unhappy." Republicans will want to focus on winning them back, and according to polls, McCain is more popular with them than he is with conservative Republicans. In exit polls, Republican voters expressed disappointment with their party on the issues of fiscal restraint and government ethics, issues McCain has tried to make his signature. "A lot of people look at the Republican Congress and say the problem is they only took half measures of which McCain wanted to do in full measure," McKinnon said. He said McCain has been a "leader for years" in those areas. "All the relevant issues in the Congress now — spending reform, ethics reform — are issues that John McCain has been talking about for a long time," he said. Why would McCain start his campaign so early? ||||| By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer Sun Nov 12, 6:41 PM ET ADVERTISEMENT WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. John McCain ( news voting record ) said Sunday he is taking the initial steps for a White House bid in 2008, setting up a committee that allows a potential candidate to raise money and travel the country to gauge support. Democratic Sen. Joe Biden reaffirmed his intention to seek his party's nomination, though an announcement about establishing an exploratory committee probably will not come until early next year. The anticipated wide-open campaign for the first time since the 1928 race, the field will not include a sitting president or vice president lost one possible participant when Sen. Russ Feingold (news, bio, voting record), D-Wis., decided against a long-shot run. McCain, R-Ariz., said he is moving toward a 2008 bid by "doing things organizationally and legally" but will not make a final decision until early next year. McCain, considered the front-runner for his party's presidential nomination, said he could create an exploratory committee as early as this week. "Are we doing the things organizationally and legally that need to be done? Yes," he said. "There are certain things legally you have to comply with in order to continue to raise money and set up an organization." "The important thing is we will not make a decision until I sit down with my family, but we will be prepared," McCain said. GOP officials last week said McCain would set up an exploratory committee and has opened a bank account for the committee. On Sunday, McCain characterized the moves as preliminary until he decides over the holidays about a possible bid. He unsuccessfully sought his party's nomination for president in 2000. If McCain were to run, he would turn 72 on Aug. 29, 2008, at the height of the campaign. Only Ronald Reagan was older 73 at the start of his second term. McCain's health also could be an issue because he has had several cancerous lesions removed from his skin. McCain is a former Navy pilot who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was elected to the Senate in 1986, and served in the House for four years before that. During the 2006 election cycle, McCain attended 346 events and raising more than $10.5 million on behalf of Republican candidates. He also donated nearly $1.5 million to federal, state and county parties. The 63-year-old Biden, who is line to take over as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also ran for president before, dropping from the 1988 race after it became known he had lifted a portion of a speech from a British politician without attribution. Biden, first elected to the Senate in 1972, said Sunday he would address the issue of an exploratory committee early in 2007. "I still plan on running. I haven't, quite frankly, thought through all of the ... mechanics of it at this point in terms of when to announce setting up an exploratory committee, but I plan on doing that," he said. One potential challenger he will not have to contend with is Feingold, who said he wanted to focus on his work in the Senate. Feingold, 53, is an outspoken opponent of the Iraq war, the Patriot Act and other Bush administration policies. "I never got to the point where I felt strongly I wanted to run," Feingold told The Associated Press. "Then I saw the result Tuesday and thought what a great opportunity to do my work in the Senate." Last week Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack announced his candidacy. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York is widely considered the front-runner. Others mentioned include Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the 2004 nominee; former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, the vice presidential nominee two years ago; Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois, Evan Bayh of Indiana and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut; and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. Republicans talked about for 2008 are Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee; Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record) of Kansas and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record) of California, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said last month he is forming an exploratory committee. ___ Associated Press writer Emily Fredrix in Milwaukee contributed to this report. ||||| John McCain, the Arizona Republican widely seen as a front-runner for his party's presidential nomination in 2008, has moved closer to a White House run, saying he was setting up an exploratory committee, and that he would take a final decision early in 2007. "I am going to sit down with my family over the holidays and make that decision," the four-term senator, who unsuccessfully ran against George Bush in 2000, told NBC's Meet the Press yesterday. He did not say exactly when the committee - a legally required precursor of a White House bid - would be formally established. But he noted that it was "part of the process". Whatever happens, he added, "the important thing is that we will be prepared". With his reputation as a maverick and blunt-spoken teller of truth to power, Mr McCain has a proven appeal to independents and many Democrats. He has also of late moved to shore up support among the Christian right, a constituency vital to success in the primaries - as he learnt to his cost six years ago. Every sign thus far is that he plans to run. There are, however, significant question marks about a McCain candidacy. One is his advocacy of yet more troops being sent to Iraq, at a moment when the war has never been less popular. The other is his age. If elected, Mr McCain, who is a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, would be 72 when sworn in in January 2009, making him the oldest incoming president ever. He also has a history of melanoma skin cancer, meaning that his health would be a matter of intense scrutiny. On the Republican side, after the defeat and political self-destruction of the once-fancied Senator George Allen of Virginia at last week's midterm election, the Arizona senator's most dangerous rival may be Mitt Romney, the outgoing governor of Massachusetts, who is showing every sign of a presidential bid. Other possibilities include the former mayor of New York Rudolph Giuliani, and the outgoing Senate majority leader, Bill Frist of Tennessee - and conceivably even Mr Giuliani's successor as mayor, Michael Bloomberg. The Democratic contest also became slightly clearer yesterday. Joe Biden, senator for Delaware, confirmed on ABC's This Week programme that he planned to run in 2008, but did not say when he would take a final decision. In the meantime, Mr Biden is expected to become chairman of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee when the new Democrat-controlled Senate convenes in January. He advocates a loose federal structure for Iraq. But another senator, the liberal Russell Feingold of Wisconsin, who has been a strong opponent of the Iraq war from the beginning, ruled himself out of the race - as did Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat poised to take over as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I value my marriage too much for that," he joked. The favourite - albeit undeclared - remains Hillary Clinton, flush with money after her untaxing re-election to the Senate from New York last week, and with a powerful organisation already in place. But a threat has emerged in the person of Barack Obama, the wildly popular first-term senator from Illinois, who has been promoting a political memoir, The Audacity of Hope, that in part resembles a campaign manifesto. Mr Obama, born of a Kenyan father and Kansan mother, recently admitted that he was mulling a bid. A decision could come soon, he indicated. Other senators who might join the 2008 contest are the defeated 2004 nominee John Kerry, and Evan Bayh, the conservative Democrat from Indiana. All but certain to run is John Edwards, Mr Kerry's running mate four years ago. Interesting? Click here to explore further
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John McCain John McCain, a prominent U.S. Senator from Arizona will launch a 2008 exploratory committee next week, said Republican Party officials. According to an official, McCain has already opened a bank account for the committee. Aides to McCain say the senator will discuss whether to seek the presidency with his family over the Christmas holiday, and make a final decision thereafter. This decision was later disputed by a McCain advisor, but later evidence showed that McCain in fact has opened a bank account for an exploratory committee. McCain's team is exploring office space in Virginia, hiring staff and building infrastructure in key early-primary states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. In addition, Joe Biden, a US Senator confirmed he will seek the Democratic 2008 Presidential Nomination and will probably hire a Exploratory committee early next year. Russ Feingold, a US Senator from Wisconsin who had previously been suspected to run has denied interest in the nomination saying he wants to continue his work in the US senate.
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Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, August 15, 2007; Page A01 The United States has decided to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country's 125,000-strong elite military branch, as a "specially designated global terrorist," according to U.S. officials, a move that allows Washington to target the group's business operations and finances. The Bush administration has chosen to move against the Revolutionary Guard Corps because of what U.S. officials have described as its growing involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its support for extremists throughout the Middle East, the sources said. The decision follows congressional pressure on the administration to toughen its stance against Tehran, as well as U.S. frustration with the ineffectiveness of U.N. resolutions against Iran's nuclear program, officials said. The designation of the Revolutionary Guard will be made under Executive Order 13224, which President Bush signed two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to obstruct terrorist funding. It authorizes the United States to identify individuals, businesses, charities and extremist groups engaged in terrorist activities. The Revolutionary Guard would be the first national military branch included on the list, U.S. officials said -- a highly unusual move because it is part of a government, rather than a typical non-state terrorist organization. The order allows the United States to block the assets of terrorists and to disrupt operations by foreign businesses that "provide support, services or assistance to, or otherwise associate with, terrorists." The move reflects escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran over issues including Iraq and Iran's nuclear ambitions. Iran has been on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism since 1984, but in May the two countries began their first formal one-on-one dialogue in 28 years with a meeting of diplomats in Baghdad. The main goal of the new designation is to clamp down on the Revolutionary Guard's vast business network, as well as on foreign companies conducting business linked to the military unit and its personnel. The administration plans to list many of the Revolutionary Guard's financial operations. "Anyone doing business with these people will have to reevaluate their actions immediately," said a U.S. official familiar with the plan who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced. "It increases the risks of people who have until now ignored the growing list of sanctions against the Iranians. It makes clear to everyone who the IRGC and their related businesses really are. It removes the excuses for doing business with these people." For weeks, the Bush administration has been debating whether to target the Revolutionary Guard Corps in full, or only its Quds Force wing, which U.S. officials have linked to the growing flow of explosives, roadside bombs, rockets and other arms to Shiite militias in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Quds Force also lends support to Shiite allies such as Lebanon's Hezbollah and to Sunni movements such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Although administration discussions continue, the initial decision is to target the entire Guard Corps, U.S. officials said. The administration has not yet decided when to announce the new measure, but officials said they would prefer to do so before the meeting of the U.N. General Assembly next month, when the United States intends to increase international pressure against Iran. Formed in 1979 and originally tasked with protecting the world's only modern theocracy, the Revolutionary Guard took the lead in battling Iraq during the bloody Iran-Iraq war waged from 1980 to 1988. The Guard, also known as the Pasdaran, has since become a powerful political and economic force in Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rose through the ranks of the Revolutionary Guard and came to power with support from its network of veterans. Its leaders are linked to many mainstream businesses in Iran. "They are heavily involved in everything from pharmaceuticals to telecommunications and pipelines -- even the new Imam Khomeini Airport and a great deal of smuggling," said Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations. "Many of the front companies engaged in procuring nuclear technology are owned and run by the Revolutionary Guards. They're developing along the lines of the Chinese military, which is involved in many business enterprises. It's a huge business conglomeration." The Revolutionary Guard Corps -- with its own navy, air force, ground forces and special forces units -- is a rival to Iran's conventional troops. Its naval forces abducted 15 British sailors and marines this spring, sparking an international crisis, and its special forces armed Lebanon's Hezbollah with missiles used against Israel in the 2006 war. The corps also plays a key role in Iran's military industries, including the attempted acquisition of nuclear weapons and surface-to-surface missiles, according to Anthony H. Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. ||||| The Bush administration is considering a move to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist organization. Such a step would subject business interests of the elite Iranian military branch to U.S. financial penalties. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department. Iranian Revolutionary Guard (file photo) The action, which officials here confirm is under consideration, would be the first time the United States has placed the armed forces of any foreign government on a list of terrorist organizations. U.S. officials link the Revolutionary Guards, an elite branch of the Iranian military, with Iran's presumed nuclear weapons program and the smuggling into Iraq of armor-piercing weapons being used with deadly effect against American troops. Both the New York Times and the Washington Post reported Wednesday that action against the Revolutionary Guard is pending. The Post said the designation would be made under an executive order issued by President Bush after the September 2001 terrorist attacks aimed at obstructing the funding of terror groups. Briefing reporters, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said he would not discuss administration actions that might be under consideration, saying among other things that an early tip-off might allow the prospective targets of U.S. sanctions to move threatened assets. At the same time however, McCormack stressed U.S. concern about the Revolutionary Guard Corps, which he said has been depicted as a "state-within-a-state" with "tentacles" extending into commercial businesses as well as a range of terrorist-related activity. "We all know about their support for those groups that are going after our troops in Iraq," he said. "We also have talked about their supplying arms to the Taleban in Afghanistan, and there have also been numerous news reports about their linkages with Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations around the world. So quite clearly, this is an entity within the Iranian government that is engaged in a number of different activities." A designation against the Revolutionary Guard Corps under the 2001 White House directive would block any assets it may have in U.S. banks and make it illegal for U.S. citizens and residents to have any dealings with it. It is unclear what practical effect such a move would have, but U.S. officials say it would greatly increase international scrutiny of the Guard Corps' business activities. In addition to helping to push two sanctions resolutions through the U.N. Security Council over Iran's nuclear program, the Bush administration has also been pressing international banks and financial institutions to cease, or limit, business dealings with Iran. McCormack said the aim of the effort is to persuade pragmatic elements within the Iranian government that seeking nuclear weapons and promoting terrorism are not in the country's long-term interest: "The hope is that you find enough reasonable people within the Iranian government who say it's just not worth it to engage in these behaviors anymore, especially when there is something attractive on the other side on the nuclear front," he said. "There is still an attractive offer on the table for the Iranian government. They can have peaceful nuclear energy in such a way that the international community has objective guarantees that they're not going to use that technology, and those materials, to build a nuclear weapon." The spokesman acknowledged that efforts to get a third, more stringent, sanctions resolution through the Security Council have lagged, though it is a matter of "consistent conversation" for top administration officials including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The sanctions push is likely to intensify next month when Rice will be in New York for the convening of the new U.N. General Assembly.
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The United States will be labeling Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a "specially designated global terrorist" organization according to U.S. White House officials. According to reports, U.S. President George W. Bush will label the group under Executive Order 13224 which "provides a means by which to disrupt the financial support network for terrorists and terrorist organizations by authorizing the U.S. government to designate and block the assets of foreign individuals and entities that commit, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism." "Anyone doing business with these people will have to re-evaluate their actions immediately. It increases the risks of people who have until now ignored the growing list of sanctions against the Iranians. It makes clear to everyone who the IRGC and their related businesses really are. It removes the excuses for doing business with these people," said an unnamed U.S. official. U.S. officials say that Iran's growing involvement in terrorist acts in Afghanistan, Iraq and their support for Middle Eastern Muslim extremists are some of several reasons officials are considering the move. It is reported that Iran's continuing involvement in nuclear activities is another cause for the addition. If the U.S. labels Iran's military as a terrorist organization, it would be the first time that any country has added an armed forces unit of any sovereign government to its list of terrorist groups. Iran has been on the U.S. list of state sponsored terrorism since 1984. Iran continues to deny that their nuclear program is being used to build nuclear bombs, saying that their program is for "peaceful purposes." "This kind of news is within the propaganda and psychological activities of the US statesmen against the Islamic Republic of Iran and it is professionally worthless," said an unnamed Iranian official. Iran's Revolutionary guard controls the air force, navy and ground forces and was created in 1979.
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(Adds details, comments, background.) By Nick Skrekas and Alkman Granitsas Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ATHENS (Dow Jones)--Greece's parliament voted Thursday to pass the three-year EUR30 billion package of austerity measures, as had been expected. The bill passed by 172 votes from a total of 300 lawmakers. Thus it only required 151 to vote for it. The votes against totaled 121. The vote follows an all-day debate against the backdrop of a mass protest and general strike Wednesday against the measures, which erupted into violence leading to the deaths of three people in a firebomb attack on a Greek bank. More ... ||||| Greece's parliament has voted in favour of spending cuts and tax rises proposed by the government to address the country's financial crisis. The measure, which will pave the way for Greece to receive a joint European Union-IMF emergency loan, was passed on Thursday with 172 votes in favour and 121 against. The austerity bill later became law after it was approved in a second vote. The voting came a day after three bank workers died in a petrol bomb attack as protests over the planned austerity measures turned violent. As the bill was passed, thousands of Greeks gathered outside parliament in a clear show of anger at the measures, which include salary and pension cuts as well as tax hikes. Some of the protesters hurled bottles and rocks and the police fired tear gas to disperse them. 'Avoiding bankruptcy' "For the immediate future, this is the end of the matter and the government is telling the people that EU leaders will deliver a very generous aid package," Al Jazeera's Barnaby Phillips, reporting from Athens, said. The new taxes and spending cuts have been demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other European countries before debt-ridden Greece can get the $146bn bailout package of loans to keep it from defaulting. Ahead of the vote, the Greek prime minister said the measures were the only way to avoid bankruptcy. "The situation today is simple - either we vote and implement the deal or we condemn the country to bankruptcy," George Papandreou told parliament. Papandreou has defended the measures, which foresee $38bn in savings, mainly from cuts to pensions and wages, saying the government will do everything possible to prevent Greece from defaulting. "The future of Greece is at stake," he said. "The economy, democracy and social cohesion are being put to the test." He expelled three Socialist deputies from his parliamentary team for abstaining in the vote. The expulsions still leave Papandreou with a majority of members in the house, with 157 of the 300 seats. "The government has the responsibility of implementing the most difficult financial measures ever taken in this country," George Papaconstantinou, the finance minister, said. Defaulting fears Papaconstantinou has warned Greece is two weeks away from defaulting on part of its debt worth $12bn due on May 19. MEASURES INCLUDE: Public sector All reductions in salaries, benefits and allowances apply to members of parliament, government officials and employees Freeze all public sector salaries until 2014 Pensions/Retirement Limit or abolish early retirement Banning increases in public sector salaries and pensions for at least three years Taxes Increasing VAT from 21 per cent to 23 per cent Raising taxes on fuel, alcohol and tobacco taxes by 10 per cent Source: Agencies "The state's coffers don't have that money," he told parliament earlier. "Because today the country can't borrow it from the international market. "And because the only way for the country to avoid bankruptcy and suspension of payments is to take the money from our European partners and the International Monetary Fund." But in order to receive the $146bn bailout, Greece must agree to the three-year austerity programme, he said. The aim is to cut Greece's public deficit to less than three per cent of GDP by 2014. It currently stands at 13.6 per cent. But the measures have angered ordinary Greeks and triggered regular protests. Wednesday's deaths - the first such fatalities in protests in nearly 20 years in Greece - have also shocked many people in Greece. Earlier during the day, Karolos Papoulias, the president of Greece, called on the country to turn back from the "brink of the abyss". However, private sector unions have been undeterred by Wednesday's events, urging members to continue demonstrating. ||||| New clashes in Greek after austerity bill passed ATHENS, Greece — Greek police fired tear gas to repel stone-throwing protesters after lawmakers approved drastic austerity cuts Thursday needed to secure international rescue loans worth euro110 billion ($140 billion). In New York, Dow Jones industrials plunged almost 1,000 points before recovering to a loss of 328 as investors succumbed to fears that Greece's debt problems would halt the global economic recovery. Thursday's clashes followed violent street protests Wednesday that left three people dead after a bank was firebombed. Greek lawmakers voted 172-121 to approve the austerity measures — worth about euro30 billion ($38.18 billion) through 2012 — that will slash pensions and civil servants' pay and further hike consumer taxes. The rescue loans are aimed at containing the debt crisis and keeping Greece's troubles from spreading to other countries with vulnerable state finances such as Portugal and Spain. The money will come from the International Monetary Fund and the 15 other governments whose countries use the euro. Clashes in Athens broke out at the end of a main protest that drew tens of thousands of people as police pushed back a few thousand demonstrators outside parliament. The violence was quickly contained with riot police firing tear gas at the protesters, who had earlier pelted them with stone, oranges and bottles. Several small fires burned in surrounding streets. No injuries or arrests were reported. Demonstrators banging drums and shouting anti-government slogans through bullhorns, unfurled a giant black banner outside parliament earlier Thursday. More than 30,000 demonstrators filled downtown streets, chanting "They declared war. Now fight back." Prime Minister George Papandreou expelled three Socialist deputies who dissented in the vote, reducing the party's number of seats to 157 in the 300-member parliament. "We have done what was necessary, not what was easy," Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said after the vote. "Without these measures, we'd be thrown into the deepest recession this country has ever known." The bulk of Thursday's protest — organized by the Greek Communist Party — quickly dispersed, leaving about 5,000 demonstrators outside parliament before police pushed them back. Protester Thodoris Mougiakos said he was angry the IMF would control Greek finances. "It's blackmail," the 32-year-old engineer said. "There is money, but they spend it on things like armaments and businesses. The church has money too. If we had been drawing money from all these sources, we wouldn't be in this situation now," But the protest remained peaceful, in contrast with Wednesday's rioting that left three people dead, 59 injured and 25 people arrested. Police said 50 stores, banks and offices were damaged and seven vehicles damaged or burned. Papaconstantinou said Greece would default on debt payments this month unless it received the bailout loans from the International Monetary Fund and 15 euro-zone countries that had remained divided for months on how to aid Athens. "Today things are simple. Either we vote and implement the deal, or we condemn Greece to bankruptcy," Papandreou told parliament before the vote. "Some people want that, and are speculating (on it), and hope that it will happen," he said, referring to speculative attacks that have been blamed for raising Greece's borrowing costs to unsustainable levels. "We, I, will not allow that. We will not allow speculation against our country, and bankruptcy to happen." European governments are now scrambling to get parliamentary approval for the Greek loans. European leaders will meet on the issue in Brussels on Friday. Fears of Greek default have undermined the euro, and while the current package should keep Greece from immediate bankruptcy, its long-term prospects are unclear. The country's growth prospects are weak, and the population's willingness to accept cutbacks may wane, leading some economists to predict an eventual debt restructuring somewhere down the road. Opposition parties lambasted the government for imposing measures that are too harsh for the population to bear. "The dose of the medicine you are administering is in danger of killing the patient," conservative opposition leader Antonis Samaras said. "You know that these measures have sparked a social explosion ... The citizens of this country have to believe there is a way out. Because whoever cuts pensions of euro700 cannot convince anyone." Samaras also expelled a dissenting lawmaker, former Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, reducing his share of parliamentary seats to 90. Associated Press writers Nicholas Paphitis and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed. Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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The Greek parliament has approved an austerity bill proposed by the government to help rescue the country's ailing economy. The proposal, which includes increases in taxes, as well as salary and pension cuts, passed with 172 members of parliament supporting, 121 opposing, and several abstaining; the proposal needed at least 151 votes to pass. There are 300 total parliament seats. The vote comes after a debate that took the entire day. Meanwhile, rallies and strikes are being held around the country to protest against the measures; the protests have occasionally turned violent, with a firebomb attack on a bank killing three people yesterday. The and the International Monetary Fund had asked for austerity plans to be implemented so that Greece can access a rescue loan package worth US$146 billion in order not to default on debts. The austerity programme is estimated to save $38 billion. Greece also aims to lower the public deficit to less than 3% of the GDP in four years; at the moment it is at 13.6%. Prime minister described the situation to parliament ahead of the vote, saying: "The situation today is simple - either we vote and implement the deal or we condemn the country to bankruptcy ... The future of Greece is at stake. The economy, democracy and social cohesion are being put to the test." Papandreou also expelled three Social deputies from his parliamentary team when they abstained from voting; however, his bloc still has a parliament majority of 157 MPs. Finance minister George Papaconstantinou also commented that Greece will default on some of its $12 billion debt on May 19 if action is not taken, saying: "The state's coffers don't have that money. And because the only way for the country to avoid bankruptcy and suspension of payments is to take the money from our European partners and the International Monetary Fund." Opposition parties, however, say the measures will put too heavy a burden on the populace; the leader of the conservatives, Antonis Samaras, commented: "The dose of the medicine you are administering is in danger of killing the patient. You know that these measures have sparked a social explosion ... The citizens of this country have to believe there is a way out. Because whoever cuts pensions of €700 cannot convince anyone."
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By Ben Russell, Home Affairs Correspondent Nick Clegg's 250,000 automatic "cold calls" to voters after his party conference speech broke privacy laws, the information commissioner has ruled. The commissioner said the calls, featuring a recorded message from Mr Clegg highlighting themes in his party conference speech last week, were "direct marketing" and could not be targeted at anyone who did not give consent. The information commissioner's office said it had received "a number" of complaints about the calls. The party said it would not appeal. The calls were made to people in 50 marginal constituencies targeted by the Liberal Democrats, but hit immediate controversy after it emerged the party had previously complained about automated calls from the Scottish National Party. People receiving the early evening calls heard the disembodied voice of Mr Clegg outlining the themes of his speech before being asked questions about their attitudes to Liberal Democrat policy. The calls lasted about four minutes, although party officials admitted that around half of those telephoned in tests featuring the former leader Paddy Ashdown, put the phone down. David Smith, the deputy information commissioner, said: "Many people find unsolicited automated calls particularly intrusive and annoying, so it is important that any organisation making such calls ensures that individuals have given their consent." Tricia Marwick, of the SNP, said: "The hypocrisy of the Lib Dems in making these calls knows no bounds. Having reported other parties for making similar calls and having run a campaign against unwanted telesales calls themselves the Lib Dems were well aware of their actions." ||||| The Liberal Democrats have been found guilty of breaching the privacy of 250,000 people after making "intrusive and annoying" calls to voters without their consent last week. The information commissioner, Richard Thomas, ruled yesterday that the party should not have called anyone without their prior approval, and rejected the party's claims that the calls were for market research and not promotion. The ruling is a serious embarrassment to party leader Nick Clegg, who introduced the calls to voters in 50 marginals on Wednesday evening last week with a pre-recorded message, followed by automated questions on Lib Dem policies. The Lib Dems had successfully complained to the commissioner about a similar cold-calling campaign by the Scottish National party in 2005 and demanded tougher regulation of automated telemarketing. Defending the calls last week, Clegg said: "I rather hope it won't disturb. People don't have to pick up the phone if they don't like the time at which the call is made." Thomas's officials said yesterday that 26 members of the public had complained, and added that the party should have been well aware of the commissioner's previous rulings and the regulations. David Smith, the deputy information commissioner, said they had "consistently made clear that the promotion of a political party counts as marketing. We have previously issued detailed guidance to all major political parties on this subject." The Lib Dems said they would respect the decision. A repeat of the calls would leave the party at risk of criminal prosecution and an unlimited fine.
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The Liberal Democrat party has been criticized for automatically telephoning voters Richard Thomas, the British Information Commissioner has criticized the Liberal Democrats for cold calling 250,000 British people automatically to encourage them to support their party. The commissioner announced in a press release made public on Thursday that "the Information Commissioner’s Office has taken enforcement action against the Liberal Democrats after finding the party in breach of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations." In the enforcement notice, which has been seen by ''Wikinews'', the Liberal Democrats are told that "in view of the matters referred to above the Commissioner hereby gives notice that, in exercise of his powers under section 40 of the Data Protection Act, he requires that the Liberal Democrats within 30 days of the date of service of this Notice shall, in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Regulations, cease using an automated calling system to transmit communications comprising recorded matter for direct marketing purposes to subscribers who have not previously notified the Liberal Democrats that they consent to such communications being sent to them." The Liberal Democrats have been given 28 days to appeal against the action, although the party has said that they accept the decision. In 2005, the party successfully stopped the Scottish National Party for continuing to carry out a similar cold calling campaign. Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, defended the party's actions by saying that "I rather hope it won't disturb. People don't have to pick up the phone if they don't like the time at which the call is made." If the Liberal Democrats continue to cold call users in thirty days time, they are at risk of prosecution and an unlimited fine.
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Universitetet i Oslo har i dag bestemt seg for å utsette brenningen av en samling nordiske og ikke-nordiske aviser fra 1800-tallet fra et lager i Follum gård på Ringerike. Det skjer etter at Aftenposten.no i helgen skrev om avisbrenningen. - Vår utfordring er at det er ingen fagmiljøer som ønsker denne samlingen, og vi er oppfordret av Universitetsbiblioteket til å rydde opp, sier Frode Meinich, teknisk direktør ved Universitetet i Oslo. Universitetet vil nå vente litt med destrueringen av avissamlingen. - Vi holder an kjøringen til forbrenningsanlegget litt. Dersom noen seriøse aktører ønsker denne samlingen, kjører vi de heller dit, sier Meinich. Direktøren understreker at eventuelle mottakere må ta imot hele samlingen. - Vi har fått noen henvendelser om enkeltaviser, men vi har ikke mulighet til å sortere og drive utdeling av enkeltaviser, sier Meinich. - Kulturskadeverk Avissamlingen ble første gang reddet fra destruksjon i 2002. Da fikk Ildsjeler ved Nasjonalbiblioteket og Universitetet i Oslo fraktet samlingen til Follum Gård for trygg oppbevaring. At samlingen nok en gang er truet har skapt sterke reaksjoner. - Dette er kulturskadeverk. Disse avisene er uerstattelige, sier en opprørt Edgar Ytteborg. Han var tidligere ansatt ved Universitetsbiblioteket, og var den som hadde tilsyn med avissamlingen mens han jobbet på UiO. Nå er han pensjonert, men er svært opptatt av at den verdifulle samlingen av aviser tas vare på. - Vi har ikke maken til samling noe annet sted i Norge. Dette er helt forferdelig, sier Ytteborg til Aftenposten.no. - Burde vært gjort for lengst Meinich mener på sin side av samlingen ikke er unik. Hverken Nasjonalbiblioteket, Universitetsbiblioteket eller Det Humanistiske Fakultet ved UiO er interessert i å beholde samlingen. - Samlingen finnes andre steder i utlandet. Dette er gamle utenlandske aviser. Meg bekjent er det ingen som ønsker å ha dette. Dette burde vært gjort for lengst, sier han. ||||| Samlingen av nordiske og ikke-nordiske aviser ble reddet fra destruksjon i 2002. Ildsjeler ved Nasjonalbiblioteket og Universitetet i Oslo fikk fraktet nesten 3000 hyllemeter med aviser til Follum Gård på Ringerike for trygg oppbevaring. - Ikke nok interesse Frode Meinich Foto: Anniken Mihle/NRK Men nå har direktør ved teknisk avdeling på UiO, Frode Meinich, bestemt at avisene skal destrueres og brennes. Han mener at det ikke har vært nok interesse rundt samlingen. - Avisene har ligget på Follum i mange år, men det er ingen som har tittet i dem eller brukt dem. Nå har vi tenkt å rydde lageret, sier Meinich til Aftenposten.no. - Hva skal dere bruke lagerplassen til? - Vi har snakket om å sette en del antikvariske møbler som kommer fra oppussingen av Universitetsaulaen der. De trenger midlertidig oppbevaring, kan han fortelle. - Kulturskadeverk Edgar Ytteborg, som hadde tilsyn med samlingen før han ble pensjonist, sier til Aftenposten at dette er kulturskadeverk. - Vi har ikke maken til samling noe annet sted i Norge. Dette er helt forferdelig, sier Ytteborg til Aftenposten.no. Men direktør ved universitetets tekniske avdeling, Frode Meinich, som har avgjort at avissamlingen skal brennes, sier at man ikke kan ta vare på alt her i verden. - Samlingen finnes andre steder i utlandet. Dette er gamle utenlandske aviser. Meg bekjent er det ingen som ønsker å ha dette. Dette burde vært gjort for lengst, sier han. Venter litt på seriøse aktører Meinich sier at verken Nasjonalbiblioteket, Universitetsbiblioteket eller Det Humanistiske Fakultet ved UiO er interessert i å beholde den. UiO vil likevel vente litt med å kvitte seg med samlingen. - Vi holder an kjøringen til forbrenningsanlegget litt. Dersom noen seriøse aktører ønsker denne samlingen, kjører vi de heller dit, sier Meinich. (Aftenposten.no) ||||| UiO brenner uerstattelige aviser fra 1800-tallet. - Man kan ikke ta vare på alt her i verden, sier beslutningstakeren. Samlingen består av nordiske og ikke-nordiske aviser fra 1800-tallet. Alt i alt er det 3000 hyllemeter med aviser som Universitetet i Oslos tekniske avdeling nå vil brenne, melder aftenposten.no. - Uerstattelige Samlingen ligger lagret på Follum Gård på Ringerike hvor den ble fraktet etter planer om destruksjon i 2002. Ildsjeler fra Nasjonalbiblioteket og UiO trodde samlingen lå trygt på Follum Gård. Men fredag kom et transportbyrå med ordre fra universitetets tekniske avdeling. På ordren sto det at avissamlingen skulle brennes. Avgjørelsen skaper sterke reaksjoner. - Dette er kulturskadeverk. Disse avisene er uerstattelige, sier Edgar Ytteborg til Aftenposten. Som ansatt ved Universitetsbiblioteket hadde han tilsyn med samlingen. Ytteborg er nå pensjonist men fortsatt engasjert i å bevare samlingen. - Kan ikke ta vare på alt Direktør ved teknisk avdeling på UiO, Frode Meinich, er den som har beordret destrueringen. Det har ikke vært nok interesse rundt samlingen, mener han. - Hvis noen ønsker å ha den, må de bare si hvor de vil ha den. Men at den ligger utilgjengelig på Follum er ingen løsning. Jeg tviler på at noen vil ha samlingen. Man kan ikke ta vare på alt her i verden, sier Meinich til aftenposten.no. Ifølge direktøren finnes samlingen også andre steder og verken Nasjonalbiblioteket, Universitetsbiblioteket eller Humanistisk fakultet ved UiO har vist interesse. Det har heller ingen andre sier Meinich. - Avisene har ligget på Follum i mange år, men det er ingen som har tittet i dem eller brukt dem. Nå har vi tenkt å rydde lageret, sier Meinich til aftenposten.no. Plassen som nå ryddes for gamle aviser skal muligens brukes som midlertidig oppbevaring for antikke møbler fra Universitetsaulaen. ||||| Har du lyst til å oppbevare en stor samling aviser fra 1800-tallet? Nå har du sjansen til å ta over for denne mannen. Universitet i Oslo kjørte i 2002 en stor samling nordiske og ikke-nordiske aviser fra 1800-tallet til lagring på Follum gård på Ringerike. Nå trenger imidlertid Universitetet lagringsplassen til andre ting, og ønsker derfor å kvitte seg med samlingen. I mangel av andre alternativer ønsket de å brenne hele samlingen. Det vekker reaksjoner. - Dette er kulturskadeverk. Disse avisene er uerstattelige, sier Edgar Ytteborg til Aftenposten. Ytterborg er pensjonert, men var tidligere ansatt ved Universitetsbiblioteket, og har sterke bånd til samlingen. Derfor ble Ytterborg meget opprørt da han fikk høre at et transportbyrå på fredag kom kjørende til Follum gård for å hente samlingen. De skulle ta med samlingen til Jevnaker miljøstasjon og hadde en klar ordre med seg som de viste til gårdseieren Nils Christian Bang. Nederst på ordren stod det "BRENNING!!!" i følge Aftenposten. Nå er det imidlertid blitt bestemt at brenningen av avisene er utsatt på ubestemt tid. Men utsiktene til samlingen ser ikke lys ut. - Vår utfordring er at det er ingen fagmiljøer som ønsker denne samlingen, og vi er oppfordret av Universitetsbiblioteket til å rydde opp, sier Frode Meinich, teknisk direktør ved Universitetet i Oslo til Aftenposten. - Vi holder an kjøringen til forbrenningsanlegget litt. Dersom noen seriøse aktører ønsker denne samlingen, kjører vi de heller dit. Vi har fått noen henvendelser om enkeltaviser, men vi har ikke mulighet til å sortere og drive utdeling av enkeltaviser, sier Meinich. Det er ikke lett å finne gode alternativer for oppbevaring. Hverken Nasjonalbiblioteket, Universitetsbiblioteket eller Det Humanistiske Fakultet ved UiO er interesserte i samlingen. Samlingen består av nesten 3000 hyllemeter aviser. Vigdis Ystad er professor ved UiO, og engasjerte seg sterkt i saken forrige gang avisene holdt på å bli destruert. Hun kjøper ikke argumentet om at det er greit å brenne avisene fordi ingen har sett på dem i den perioden de har vært oppbevart på Follum. - Hvem vet hvilke forskere som kommer dit om 50 år? Avisene har ikke ligget der i så mange år. Skal vi ha et så kortsiktig perspektiv på ting, da skjønner jeg ingenting. Det materialet skal oppbevares for fremtiden, det betyr ingenting om ingen har besøkt det på Follum, sier Ystad til Aftenposten. Frode Meinich ser gjerne at samlingen blir reddet. Dersom noen sier at de ønsker å oppbevare samlingen, vil han sørge for transport. - Hvis noen ønsker å ha den, må de bare si hvor de vil ha den. Men at den ligger utilgjengelig på Follum er ingen løsning. Jeg tviler på at noen vil ha samlingen. Man kan ikke ta vare på alt her i verden, sier Meinich. ||||| På Follum Gård på Ringerike ligger en samling nordiske og ikke-nordiske aviser fra 1800-tallet lagret. Nesten 3000 hyllemeter. Dette er komplette avissamlinger som ble reddet fra destruksjon i 2002. Ildsjeler ved Nasjonalbiblioteket og Universitetet i Oslo fikk fraktet samlingen til Follum Gård for trygg oppbevaring. «BRENNING!!!» Men fredag kjørte et transportbyrå inn til Follum Gård. I lommen hadde de med seg en ordre fra UiO. Aftenposten.no har fått tilgang til innholdet i ordren bortkjøringsselskapet viste til eieren av gården, Nils Christian Bang. Der fremgår det at avisene skal kjøres til Jevnaker miljøstasjon. Nederst på ordren står det: "BRENNING!!!". - Dette er kulturskadeverk. Disse avisene er uerstattelige, sier en opprørt Edgar Ytteborg. Han var tidligere ansatt ved Universitetsbiblioteket, og var den som hadde tilsyn med avissamlingen mens han jobbet på UiO. Nå er han pensjonert, men er svært opptatt av at den verdifulle samlingen av aviser tas vare på. Til hans store forferdelse har nå UiO, som eier den historiske skatten, begynt å brenne avisene. «Dette burde vært gjort for lengst.» Frode Meinich, direktør ved teknisk avdeling på UiO - Vi har ikke maken til samling noe annet sted i Norge. Dette er helt forferdelig, sier Ytteborg til Aftenposten.no. Lagerplass til møbler Det er direktør ved teknisk avdeling på UiO, Frode Meinich, som har iverksatt destruksjonen av avisene. Han mener det ikke har vært nok interesse rundt samlingen. - Avisene har ligget på Follum i mange år, men det er ingen som har tittet i dem eller brukt dem. Nå har vi tenkt å rydde lageret, sier Meinich til Aftenposten.no. - Hva skal dere bruke lagerplassen til? - Vi har snakket om å sette en del antikvariske møbler som kommer fra oppussingen av Universitetsaulaen der. De trenger midlertidig oppbevaring, kan han fortelle. Ifølge Meinich finnes avissamlingen andre steder, og hverken Nasjonalbiblioteket, Universitetsbiblioteket eller Det Humanistiske Fakultet ved UiO er interessert i å beholde samlingen. - Samlingen finnes andre steder i utlandet. Dette er gamle utenlandske aviser. Meg bekjent er det ingen som ønsker å ha dette. Dette burde vært gjort for lengst, sier han. «Man kan ikke ta vare på alt her i verden.» Frode Meinich Meld fra om interessert Men Meinich er ikke fremmed for å redde samlingen. Hvis noen melder fra til ham om at de er interessert i å oppbevare den, sørger han for at samlingen blir fraktet dit. - Hvis noen ønsker å ha den, må de bare si hvor de vil ha den. Men at den ligger utilgjengelig på Follum er ingen løsning. Jeg tviler på at noen vil ha samlingen. Man kan ikke ta vare på alt her i verden, sier Meinich. - Er alle avisene skannet eller på mikrofilm? - Jeg vet ikke om alt finnes på mikrofilm. Det er en konklusjon Universitetsbiblioteket kom frem til i 2002. De sa den finnes andre steder, sier Meinich. Ifølge Edgar Ytteborg er ikke alle avisene på mikrofilm. Han mener også at mange av filmene ikke holder mål. Blant avisene med store format, er fokuset på midten av siden, mens kantene har blitt grumsete på film. Skandale Ytteborg er ikke den eneste som er redd for at digitaliseringen av avisene ikke er god nok. Professor ved UiO, Vigdis Ystad, var blant de som sørget for at destruksjonen av avisene ikke skjedde i 2002. Hun engasjerte seg sterkt i saken den gang, og legger ikke lokk på følelsene denne gangen heller. Om alt er digitalisert er hun ikke sikker på. Det hun er sikker på, er at om originalene forsvinner, står vi overfor en skandale. «Dette er kulturskadeverk.» Edgar Ytteborg, tidligere ansatt ved Universitetsbiblioteket - Det er ikke nok å digitalisere slikt, man må ha det originale materialet. Skal en forsker ha materialet, må man ha selve kilden. Det er viktig å se selve dokumentet, fysisk. Man må ha originalen, ikke et fotografi av den. Dette er ting som ikke finnes ved andre norske bibliotek i det hele tatt. Det er kulturhistorisk skandaløst om det blir tilintetgjort, sier Ystad til Aftenposten.no. Ikke akseptabelt At ingen har vært på Follum for å bruke materialet så langt, har ingen betydning ifølge Ystad. - Hvem vet hvilke forskere som kommer dit om 50 år? Avisene har ikke ligget der i så mange år. Skal vi ha et så kortsiktig perspektiv på ting, da skjønner jeg ingenting. Det materialet skal oppbevares for fremtiden, det betyr ingenting om ingen har besøkt det på Follum, sier Ystad. - Det er bare ikke et akseptabelt argument, slår Ystad bestemt fast. ||||| Without increased public funding, it will take the University of Oslo 40 years to adapt all the university’s buildings to the needs of disabled students The law has no time-limit, and the Norwegian Handicap Association fear that it will be left on the shelf 2008-04-10 It will now be illegal, and therefore a punishable offence, to discriminate against the disabled, according to the Ministry of Children and Equality’s proposal for a new Anti-Discrimination and Accessibility Act. The act states that all new buildings must satisfy the demands of a so-called “universal design”. All existing buildings must be upgraded to the new standard. According to the proposal, adjustments to school buildings and public institutions will be especially important. But suggestions as to how exactly the government proposes to finance this, are remarkably absent in the proposal. And the costs may be enormous, if we are to believe Frode Meinich, technical director at the University of Oslo (UiO). - I would estimate that such an upgrade of the university would cost between 1 and 2 billion kroner, he says. Four billion behind Today approximately five per cent of the maintenance budget at the university is set aside for universal design, but this amount is just four million kroner – nowhere near the billions needed. - The university is struggling with a group of buildings that were built in another time, and we already need around four billion for maintenance and upgrades, says University Director at UiO, Gunn Elin Aa. Bjørneboe. Still, the Director makes it clear that the university is very eager to live up to the norms of a universal design, and that all new buildings since 2005 have followed this principle. Meinich believes that without increased support, it will take 30-40 years for the university to reach the goals set in the proposal. - This is a money issue, and if you want quicker progress, more public funding needs to be put on the table, he says. The Syse Committee, who made the original proposal, gave a deadline of January 1st 2019 for the upgrades. In a statement during the hearing, the university demanded that this time-limit had to lead to public resources beyond the normal funding. Now the ministry has chosen to remove the deadline altogether. - The reason for removing the time-limit in the proposal is probably that the ministry has understood how much this would have cost, states Meinich. A laconic cabinet minister Despite the sky-high costs, Minister of Children and Equality Anniken Huitfeldt does not believe in increased funding. - University funding is a case for the government budget, so we will have to get back to this, says Huitfeldt. She is however very pleased to be presenting such an ”offensive proposal” to the Norwegian parliament, as she herself characterizes it. Huitfeldt points out that the law paves the way for the measures regarding existing buildings, is to be followed up in the new Planning and Building Act. When it comes to concrete time-limits, the government believes that support in the Planning and Building Act gives the most predictability, at the same time as the legal security is preserved, she says. Lars Ødeård, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Handicap Association, believes that the absence of deadlines could allow the university to slack off. - The law is constructed in such a way that the discrimination continues in existing buildings. The university has to take responsibility, says Ødegård. He believes that there is a great probability that the lack of a deadline will make this law redundant and ineffectual. Frode Meinich disagrees with this. - Unrealistic laws lead to everyone losing out, says Meinich, who instead hopes for a sensible regulation of progress in the directions for the new Planning and Building Act. Protected UiO has in addition to this a number of buildings that are of cultural and historical value, which due to conservation cannot satisfy the demands for universal design. However, the proposition takes into account that conservation needs must be taken into consideration in such cases. - For the stairs leading from Universitetsplassen and into the assembly hall, a central wheelchair lift would be the only adequate alternative, but here aesthetic and conservational concerns would prevent such a solution, says Meinich. Sight- and movement-disabled Mia Jacobsen studies social anthropology and has applied to do an MA in the autumn. She points out that it is amongst other things difficult to participate in the social sides of student life. - The pub at Fredrikke closes its wheelchair entrance at seven o’clock in the evening. After that, there is no other option that to be carried in, says Jacobsen. She feels that the university is nowhere near fulfilling the demands. The ministry’s proposal will be processed in the Norwegian parliament during the spring, and will in all likelihood be accepted, as the government has a majority in Parliament. ||||| Indoor rain gutters and buckets are not an unusual site at the University of Oslo. Norway's universities and laboratories are in serious need of repair, with facilities and equipment desperately needing funding and maintenance. Rusty pipes and moldy boards. PHOTO: PER KRISTIAN AALE In the cellar of the biology building at the University of Oslo water is being prepared for experiments. Crumbling concrete and spreading rust are evident. PHOTO: PER KRISTIAN AALE Related stories: Norway worst in research - 02.10.2007 Aftenposten estimates the maintenance gap at about NOK 7.4 billion (USD 1.37 billion) and has documented university rooms with loose floorboards, poor ventilation, cracked walls and leaking roofs. Over a display case in a building at the University of Oslo (UiO), a rain gutter has been set up indoors to lead water into buckets when the roof leaks during rainfall. The university is a collection of cracked walls and floors and roofs. At the Institute for pharmacy advanced measuring devices must be cooled down in order to function. In the summer this laboratory cannot be used, and now the equipment is being cooled by a provisional set-up of air hoses. "The building material has deteriorated so much that what was a maintenance task has become a renovation and rehabilitation job. In a few years our maintenance budget has doubles, but all we manage is a bit of mending and plastering where things are worst. We have no chance of bridging the maintenance gap," said UiO technical director Frode Meinich. The current situation is due to decades of insufficient maintenance in educational buildings, technical installations and scientific institutions. Minister of Education and Research Øystein Djupedal was not prepared to comment on the situation. The need for renovation finance is greatest at UiO, where NOK 4 billion is needed, more than the total annual state funding for the university. The University of Bergen needs NOK 2 billion and reports that their repeated pleas for financing are met with silence. The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) has many period buildings, many of them over a hundred years old. "A large part of our maintenance budget goes to renovating the old buildings so they satisfy new regulations for fire, escape and ventilation safety. At the same time we must preserve the state of the buildings, which costs a lot," said dean Knut Hove. Hove and Meinich agree that a national program of infrastructure modernization is desperately needed at Norway's universities. "For the time being we are managing to keep the ship afloat, but if something serious isn't done in the next few years we have a major problem," Meinich told Aftenposten.
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The library at the University of Oslo. The plan to incinerate over 200 years' worth of archived newspapers at the University of Oslo was paused this week, following an article by the Norwegian newspaper ''Aftenposten'' publicising the intended destruction. The unwanted archives take up 3 kilometres of shelf space, and neither the University nor the National Library are interested in retaining and storing the years of history any more. The collection consists of both Nordic and non-Nordic newspapers, including Manchester Guardian, New York Times, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Le Figaro. A planned incineration of them in 2002 was avoided by moving them into a warehouse owned by Nils Christian Bang at ''Follum Grend'', near Ringerike. Edgar Learn Borg, retired supervisor of the collection, continues to be involved in the preservation of the collection which hasn't been accessed by researchers since its move. The order came again to clean up the store. Frode Meinich, technical director of the University, says that the collection is not unique, and indicated that the University needs temporary storage for some antiquarian furniture during renovation of a music facility of the University. In 2007, Frode Meinich told Aftenposten that a national program of infrastructure modernization was desperately needed. "For the time being we are managing to keep the ship afloat, but if something serious isn't done in the next few years we have a major problem".
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Gazan rockets still hitting Israel Israeli authorities examining the remains of a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip At least eight rockets have hit southern Israeli towns shortly after premier Ehud Olmert claimed all rocket launch pads were taken over by Israeli forces. The late Saturday mortar rounds, however, did not result in any damage or casualties, the Israeli military said. The latest rocket-firings came after Olmert announced that Tel Aviv had reached it objectives in the Gaza Strip and would observe a 'unilateral ceasefire'. The premier also claimed that Israeli forces had 'taken the positions from which the rockets were being fired at Israeli settlements'. Palestinian resistance fighters have fired more than 30 mortar rounds over the past 24 hours. Earlier in the day a local synagogue was hit by a rocket, however, no one was killed or injured in the incident. The trail of a rocket fired by resistance fighters in the Gaza Strip Gaza fighters say the rocket launches are retaliatory measures in response to Israel's deadly blockade on the costal strip and the frequent overnight incursions by Israeli troops, who kill or kidnap Palestinians in the area. Tel Aviv used the shelling as a pretext to launch an all-out military campaign against the beleaguered Gaza, which has so far resulted in the death of over 1,215 Palestinians. The onslaught has also wounded over 6,000 others. The aggression drew international condemnation and frequent calls - including UN resolution 1860 - for an 'immediate' and long-lasting truce deal between Tel Aviv and Hamas-run Gaza. However, Israel which does not recognize the democratically-elected Hamas government in the costal sliver and has refused to negotiate a ceasefire deal with Hamas, has sufficed with simply announcing a 'unilateral ceasefire'. The ceasefire does not envisage an Israeli withdrawal and even authorizes the troops to open fire at Palestinians should they deem it necessary. MMN/HAR Related News Olmert announces unilateral ceasefire War on Gaza - Timeline Hamas demands full Israeli withdrawal Hamas hits Israeli towns, Special Forces E-mail this Story | Print this Story Count of views : 1856 Share: Del.icio.us Digg Facebook Newsvine Reddit Technorati Translate this page by Google to French - to German - to Spanish - to Italian Comments Note: The views that are expressed and the links that are provided by contributors on our comment pages are the views of the general public and/or organizations and are not necessarily the views of Press TV or its associates. The views that are expressed and the links that are provided by contributors on our comment pages are the views of the general public and/or organizations and are not necessarily the views of Press TV or its associates. Erick Lyimo Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:45:40 GMT Things looks good to Hamas and other freedom fighters. One problem remain before expel Israel from that region is to do everything possible to develop a system which can work on Israel air force.If Hamas,manage to chase all Israel out of Gaza air space, the equation will be different now. Home work for Hamas and Hezbollah. RealityCheck Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:51:36 GMT Hey 'proud to be muslim' - israel does not want to take over any muslim countries. Israel just wants insane palestinian lunatics to stop attacking israel. RealityCheck Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:50:43 GMT Hamas lost this war. And Palestinians will keep losing as long as they support insane extremists who want to destroy Israel. The day the palestinians agree to peace with israel, both sides will have peace. Those of you who root for attacks on israel are only hurting the palestinians. Being nazis and lunatics doesn't help arabs. Israel wants peace, with sane people who also want peace. As for 'palestine' 80% of it became Jordan. Get over it. Move on. It's 2008 now. The Beast Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:47:02 GMT The term that is used for that vow and the "irrevocable right" of committing genocide for the sake of God better say the "Beast" in the Taurat is called (Hormah). Ronald ROgers Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:45:50 GMT hamas firework made of paper tube and fertilizer and suger which alegedly had to be supplied by iran The Beast Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:45:46 GMT For those who wonder why so much destructions killing of women children and even the animals whenever Israel goes to war is because according to the satanic verses of Taurat the Israelis have a vow with their God that gives them "irrevocable right" to sacrifice things persons and animals whenever at war. They say that Islam promotes terrorism but when you compare the word of God in Quron to the twisted versions of Taurat one can find out Israelis God is nothing but blood thirsty beast. sneaker Sun, 18 Jan 2009 03:28:33 GMT The stupid zio trash lose another war. Israel = Hebrew word for "losers." proud to be a muslim Sun, 18 Jan 2009 03:04:45 GMT face facts isrealis u can never take over our muslim countries so keep tryn u losers!!! Ash Hussain Sun, 18 Jan 2009 02:17:31 GMT The City of Gaza vs The State of Israel. Its like saying, London Vs France! And u still havent reached your objectives?? This is definitley the beginning of the end for Israel, InshAllah. Devolnu Sun, 18 Jan 2009 01:52:57 GMT To Miro, can you state some links for resources? I am like minded as you, SWEDESH Sun, 18 Jan 2009 01:39:55 GMT MIGTE IS RAIGT USA AND ISRAIL THEMSELV IS ILIGAL NATION INTHE HISTRI IS ONE NATION WHO USE THE ATOMBOMB THES IS NOTING NEW SHAM ON USA Nayim Sun, 18 Jan 2009 01:14:46 GMT i totally agree with u fatima... free palestine!! BUSH FAREWELL TO ZIONISTS Sun, 18 Jan 2009 01:12:54 GMT The Iraqi journalist jailed since throwing his shoes at the despised US President George W. Bush got a visit from his brother Friday and a birthday party from his guards as he turned 30. Muntadhar al-Zeidi, who has gained cult status for his bizarre protest, is in good shape but has been denied access to his lawyer. His status amongst Europeans and Muslims has hit pop star legend. Some facts about ZIONIST DEFEAT Sun, 18 Jan 2009 01:00:37 GMT Zionist cowards were effectively defeated by 15,000-20,000 lightly armed HAMAS fighters in a a 360 sq kms quarantined space of GAZA. The JEWS had the best US technology, 900 COMBAT JETS, 4500 TANKS, 250,000 ZIONIST rodents called IDF and total backing of US, EGYPT, SAUDI ARABIA and JORDAN. ZIONISM IS TOTALLY EXPOSED AS A PAPER TIGER THAT ONLY KILLS BABIES. IT is DISGRACEFUL. KUDOS TO HAMAS, the NEW ISLAMIC LEGEND. Hands down Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:58:54 GMT Israel will continue to win the War. Muslims around the world watched their own kinds get slaughtered and did nothing shows you the power they have. Hamas should give up to save more lives and the Arab world do what you want cause they all useless anyway and are interested in wealth and authority upon weak people. Peace in the middle east!!! Summeya Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:38:37 GMT Al Quds should be divided so Jews get their wall. UN can put troops on check points and on Cyprus. I really do not want watch for a year the horror again.After,getting the State new elections under UN supervision should be run. That is it. Summeya Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:31:45 GMT Emir of Qatar can represent all /Hamas, Fatah etc/. He seems smart, open minded. Mubarak is old and dirty player. But, Emir needs Hamas stop pound Jews. This is my opinion what should be done. Summeya Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:28:39 GMT Palestinians with reason fear of you. UN must call a session and see when to declare Palestinian State. That is only one long term solution.UK should assure regular food is reaching Gazza. Israel does not need Brown´s services after they make all or buy in USA. Miro Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:28:02 GMT Everyone Please: Iranians don't hate Jews. Jews and Muslim should be friend. We are against the West European Elite (New & Old Nazis). They are employing divide and conquer tactics, play jews against muslims, Iraq against Iran and Pakistan against India. Their ultimate goal is while they are in love with German Race to exterminate all other races which they claim being subhumans (Untermenschen). West European Elite controls Israel and U.S. government. ZIONISM DEFEATED Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:22:45 GMT It is indeed amazing that the LIONS of HAMAS withstood the worst aerial assualt by the Zionist-US war machine in history and held out. All the BABY KILLING JEWS did was to make future generations of resistance fighters and global enemies. The Zionists are proving both cowardly and stupid. ONE MONTH OF GENOCIDE AND HAMAS RULES. BRAVO HAMAS. A new ARAB LEGEND IS BORN. HEZBOLLAH 2006 redux. english woman Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:19:51 GMT This is a total trap, israel KNOW that hamas will not stop the rocket fire whilst those trigger happy troops all literally holding all gazan's prisoners.... this is a ploy to justify their attacks on gaza once the 'ceasefire' is broken by hamas. Its a disgrace. the world needs to wake up. FREE PALESTINE Name Email Address Enter the code shown Comments I agree with your terms of use ||||| By: Josef Federman And Ibrahim Barzak , THE ASSOCIATED PRESS GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israel's top leadership met Saturday to approve a unilateral ceasefire that would halt the devastating 22-day military offensive in the Gaza Strip but Hamas vowed to keep fighting until all Israeli forces pull out. In the hours leading up to the meeting and after it started, Israel kept bombarding Gaza. In the northern town of Beit Lahiya, Israeli shells struck a United Nations school where 1,600 people had sought shelter. One shell scored a direct hit on the top floor of the three-story building, killing two boys, UN officials said. The 12-member cecurity cabinet was expected to back an Egyptian-brokered proposal for a 10-day ceasefire during which Israeli troops would remain on the ground while longer term arrangements are hammered out with international backing. But Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said a unilateral ceasefire was not enough. "The occupier must halt his fire immediately and withdraw from our land and lift his blockade and open all crossings and we will not accept any one Zionist soldier on our land, regardless of the price that it costs," Barhoum said. More than 1,100 Palestinians, half of them civilians, have been killed in the three weeks of Israeli attacks, according to Palestinian and UN officials. Thirteen Israelis have also died. Defence Minister Ehud Barak indicated Israel's readiness for a ceasefire, saying the country "was very close to achieving its goals and securing them through diplomatic agreements." He spoke during a trip to southern Israel, which has been the target of Hamas rocket fire. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni indicated that Israel would renew its offensive if Hamas continued to fire rockets at Israel after a truce is declared. "This campaign is not a one-time event," she said in an interview with the Israeli YNet news website. "The test will be the day after. That is the test of deterrence." Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon both demanded Saturday an immediate end to the Israeli assault and pullout of all troops. A summit aimed at giving international backing to the ceasefire will be held in Egypt on Sunday. It is to be attended by the leaders of Germany, France, Spain, Britain, Italy, Turkey and the Czech Republic - which holds the rotating European Union presidency - as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Mubarak and UN chief Ban. It was not immediately clear whether Israel would send a representative, and Hamas has not been invited. If the truce is approved, Israeli attacks would stop immediately for 10 days. Israeli forces would remain in Gaza during that time and the territory's border crossing with Israel and Egypt would remain closed until security arrangements are made to prevent Hamas arms smuggling. Israel launched the offensive Dec. 27 to try to halt near-daily Hamas rocket attacks against southern Israel. The rocket attacks were sparked by the Israeli siege of Gaza. Egypt has been a key interlocutor in weeks of negotiations to end the assault on Gaza. Israeli strikes on Gaza kept up even after the cabinet meeting began. Walls shook and windows trembled in the southern Gaza border town of Rafah as Israeli warplanes soared above head, apparently focusing their missiles on the no-man's land with Egypt where many suspected smuggling tunnels lie. A total of 13 Palestinians were killed in battles throughout Gaza on Saturday, Palestinian medics said. John Ging, the top UN official in Gaza, condemned the attack on Beit Lahiya that killed the two boys - the latest in a series of Israeli shellings that have struck UN installations. "The question that has to be asked is for all those children and all those innocent people who have been killed in this conflict. Were they war crimes? Were they war crimes that resulted in the deaths of the innocents during this conflict? That question has to be answered," he said. The Israeli army said it was launching a high-level investigation into the shelling, as well as four other attacks that hit civilian targets, including the UN headquarters in Gaza. The army investigation also includes the shelling of a hospital, a media centre and the home of a well-known doctor. ||||| Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Israel has begun a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza, three weeks after launching a full-scale assault against Hamas. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel had achieved its goals and Hamas - which has been firing rockets at Israel - had been defeated. But hours later, five rockets fell near the Israeli border town of Sderot, and there was a brief exchange of fire. Israel said its troops would remain in Gaza for now. Hamas said it would not accept one Israeli soldier in Gaza. Nearly 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since the violence began on 27 December. Thirteen Israelis have died. The US has welcomed the ceasefire, saying it "expects that all parties will cease attacks and hostile actions immediately". UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed relief, saying the ceasefire should be "the first step leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza". Aid organisations have expressed concern that crossings into Gaza will not reopen fully unless Hamas is committed to a ceasefire. 'Goals achieved' The Israeli prime minister's announcement came in a televised address following a late-night cabinet meeting. We feel the pain of every Palestinian child and family member who fell victim to the cruel reality created by Hamas Ehud Olmert Israeli prime minister Excerpts: Olmert declares ceasefire Ceasefire may not end war Lebanese fear next step Survivors count losses in Rafah Israel's "goals have been achieved, and even more", Mr Olmert said. Hamas was badly damaged both militarily and in terms of government infrastructure; rocket factories and dozens of smuggling tunnels had been destroyed, he said. But the success of the ceasefire depended on Hamas, he said. Troops would remain in Gaza for the time being and if Hamas held fire, the military would "consider pulling out of Gaza at a time that befits us". If militant rocket fire into Israel continued, Israel would respond with force, the Israeli leader added. A Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhum, condemned the move. Hamas could not "accept the presence of a single [Israeli] soldier in Gaza", he said. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Israel must withdraw completely, lift its economic blockade of Gaza and open border crossings, the spokesman said. BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen says the question now is whether Hamas decides to lick its wounds and regroup - or whether it gambles on dragging Israel into a war of attrition. Hamas representatives have been taking part in talks in Cairo, brokered by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, aimed at reaching a bilateral deal. Egypt will on Sunday host a summit, attended by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, the UN chief and several EU leaders, aimed at securing a permanent truce. Representatives of Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Jordan are expected to attend the meeting in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. On Saturday, Germany, France and Britain sent identical letters to the Israeli and Egyptian governments offering support for a ceasefire and their help in preventing arms smuggling into Gaza. Minutes before Mr Olmert spoke, a rocket was fired from Gaza, a BBC producer in Gaza said. 'War crime' The Israeli announcement came on the 22nd day of violence in Gaza. HAVE YOUR SAY If Hamas is not involved then the cease fire is agreed with whom? Khizar Mohammed, Mumbai, India Israel carried out more than 50 air strikes on Gaza on Friday night, as Hamas rocket fire from the territory continued. United Nations officials said two children, aged five and seven, were killed when Israeli tank fire hit a UN school where hundreds had taken shelter in the northern town of Beit Lahiya. Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), said an investigation was needed "to determine whether a war crime has been committed". An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, Yigal Palmor, told the BBC that Israel was waiting for more information on what happened. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version
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The remains of a bombed orphanage and a mosque in Gaza Yesterday Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert held a press conference to announce that Israel would observe a unilateral ceasefire in their offensive in the Gaza Strip, but that Israeli troops would remain in Gaza. The ceasefire began at 2:00 a.m. local time in Gaza. Olmert stated that he understands Hamas does not agree to the ceasefire. He also stated that in order for the Israeli to withdraw from Gaza, Hamas "must stop firing rockets" into Israel, but that excessive rocket fire would cause the Israel Defense Forces to "respond with force". "At two o'clock in the morning (0000 GMT) we will stop fire but we will continue to be deployed in Gaza and its surroundings. If our enemies decide to strike and want to carry on then the Israeli army will regard itself as free to respond with force," said Olmert during the press conference. "The IDF and the Israel Security Agency have succeeded in conducting an outstanding operation, utilizing all the elements of Israel's force - on land, at sea and in the air. The military operation was characterized by determination, sophistication, courage and an impressive ability in intelligence and operations, which led to significant and numerous achievements," added Olmert. Despite the ceasefire, Hamas continues to fire rockets into Israel. According to ''Press TV'', at least 8 rockets have been fired overnight, the most ever fired into Israel at nighttime. This comes just four hours after Olmert said that "the factories in which its missiles were manufactured have been destroyed" along with "smuggling routes, through dozens of tunnels, have been bombed". Hamas issued a statement following the press conference saying the ceasefire is not enough and that their resistance will continue. "The occupier must halt his fire immediately and withdraw from our land and lift his blockade and open all crossings and we will not accept any one Zionist soldier on our land, regardless of the price that it costs," said Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman. Nearly 1,200 Palestinians have been killed as a result of the Israeli offensive into Gaza, and more than 400 of those killed have been children. The Israeli military says that at least 13 of their soldiers have been killed in the fighting. Israel claims it began its offensive in order to stop rockets that Hamas was firing into Israel. The reason for Hamas to fire these rockets is that Israel blocks transport into the Gaza Strip, which Israel in turn does because those transports may include such rockets, thus creating a vicious circle. Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France, says that all three (the invasion, the rockets and the blockade) have to stop.
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U.S. Sailor Gets Life in Japan Murder Nigerian Citizen Serving in American Navy Sentenced in 2008 Killing of Japanese Taxi Driver Near Tokyo Photo U.S. sailor Olatunbosun Ugbogu, center, confessed to the murder of a Japanese cab driver, a spokesman for the Yokosuka police department said. (AP Photo/Kyodo) Fast Facts Japan Learn about the people, economy and history. Japan Interactive Military 101 Basic training to learn all about America's fighting force. Video and Galleries from World A U.S. sailor was sentenced Thursday to life in prison in the stabbing death of a Japanese taxi driver, a crime that led to calls for tougher punishment for American service members who break the law.Olatunbosun Ugbogu, a 23-year-old Nigerian citizen serving in the U.S. Navy, was found guilty of stabbing 61-year-old Masaaki Takahashi to death near a U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, in March 2008, according to a Foreign Ministry official who declined to be named, citing department policy.Ugbogu was initially apprehended by U.S. Navy authorities in Tokyo on a desertion charge, but was handed over to Japanese authorities because a credit card in his name was found in the victim's car.Presiding Judge Masaaki Kawaguchi ruled that Ugbogu, who testified that he heard "voices" ordering him to kill Takahashi, was mentally competent to stand trial, according to Kyodo News agency.Japan hosts some 50,000 American troops under a security treaty.Japanese anger over the U.S. military presence grew last year following the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl by a U.S. Marine on Okinawa.Earlier in Yokosuka, a Japanese court convicted a U.S. sailor of robbing and fatally beating a 56-year-old Japanese woman in 2006 and sentenced him to life in prison. ||||| An American sailor has been jailed for life for the killing of a Japanese taxi driver, Japan's foreign ministry said. Olatunbosun Ugbogu, 23, was sentenced in the Yokohama District Court, Kyodo news agency reported. He was convicted of killing Masaaki Takahashi, 61, who was found with stab wounds in his neck near a US base in Yokosuka, near Tokyo, in March 2008. The killing strained US-Japanese relations, prompting the US ambassador to apologise to the victim's family.
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United States Navy Seal An American sailor has been jailed over the murder of a Japanese taxi driver. Nigerian national Olatunbosun Ugbogu was sentenced in the Yokohama District Court. Ugbogu's lawyers claimed insanity but judges rejected the claim stating he was fully competent. The murder took place in March 2008 when Ugbogu entered the cab of 61-year-old Masaaki Takahashi. Takahashi was ordered to drive approximately 60 km from Tokyo to the US Navy base in Yokosuka. Ugbogu then failed to pay the fare and stabbed Takahashi with a knife and fled the scene. He deserted the Navy the same month. After the murder, the relationship between Japan and the United States became tense. Japanese officials stated that Ugbogu was not handed over to them fast enough, but the US Navy said he was handed over as soon as requested. The strained relationship prompted the US ambassador to apologize to the family of the murdered victim. After the murder the Yokosuka base banned the sale of alcohol and restricted travel. Japan has around 50,000 US military personnel stationed in the country under the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, and the relationship with locals is often bitter, particularly in Okinawa, where around two-thirds of the American forces are based.
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"Chess is a sea in which a gnat may drink and an elephant may bathe" - Indian Proverb "Of chess it has been said that life is not long enough for it, but that is the fault of life, not chess." - Irving Chrnev "Chess is mental torture." - Garry Kasparov "Chess is a curse upon man." - H.G. Wells "A good player is always lucky." - J.R. Capablanca "One bad move nullifies 40 good ones." - Horowitz "The hardest game to win is a won game." - Emmanuel Lasker "There just is'nt enough televised chess." - David Letterman "Some part of a mistake is always correct." - S. Tartakower "There are two types of sacrifices: correct ones and mine." - M. Tal "You cannot play at chess if you are kind-hearted." - French Proverb "It is always better to sacrifice your opponents men." - S. Tartakower "When you see a good move -- wait -- look for another." - Emmanuel Lasker "Creating an undesired stalemate is the height of stupidity." - Anonymous "The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made." - S. Tartakower "I think it's almost definite that the game is drawn theoretically." - R.J. Fischer "A knowledge of tactics is the foundation of positional play." - Richard Reti "Chess is 99% tactics." - R. Teichmann "A good sacrifice is not one that is necessarily sound, but leaves your opponent dazed and confused." - R. Spielmann "Modern chess is too much concerned with things like pawn structures. Forget it -- checkmate ends the game." - N. Short "A chess game is divided into three stages: the first, when you hope you have the advantage, the second when you believe you have the advantage and the third...when you know you are going to lose!" - S. Tartakower "The winner of the game is the one who makes the next to the last mistake." - S.Tartakower "During a chess competition a chessmaster should be the combination of a beast of prey and a monk." - A Alekhine "Excellence at chess is one mark of the scheming mind." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle "Style? I have no style." - Anatoly Karpov "Why must I lose to this idiot!" - A. Nimzovich "In chess at least, the brave inherit the earth." - E. Mednis "You may knock your opponent down with the chessboard but that does not prove you are the better player." - English Proverb "Chess is a contest between menin which there is considerable ego-involvement. In some way it certainly touches upon the conflicts surrounding aggression, homosexuality, masturbation and narcissism which becomes particularly prominent in the anal-phallic phases of development." - GM Reuben Fine "When I'm white, I win because I am white. When I am black I win because I am Bogulyubov." - E. Bogulyubov "I have never played the French defense in my life, which is the dullest of all openings." - W. Steinitz ||||| U.S. says threat to NFL stadiums not credible WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Department of Homeland Security warned officials on Wednesday in seven U.S. cities about a dirty-bomb threat to National Football League stadiums but does not believe the threat is credible, officials said. ||||| The worlds No.1 chess player is a leading member of a liberal grouping known as Committee 2008, set up by liberals after their disastrous showing in the 2003 parliamentary election. Kasparov, 41, announced his departure after winning a prestigious tournament in the southern Spanish town of Linares for the ninth time on Thursday. He said he would still dabble in the game, but at a strictly non-professional level. I believe that at the moment the country is moving in the wrong direction, therefore it is necessary to help Russia, to help Russian citizens to make the country comfortable, just and free, he said in the statement. I will do everything possible to oppose Putins dictatorship, he said. Committee 2008, whose members include well-known reformists Irina Khakamada and Grigory Yavlinsky, aims to install a new liberal leader to replace Putin serving his second and final term at the next election in 2008. Putin has been criticised by the West for becoming increasingly autocratic after introducing a series of reforms that tighted his grip on power. Putin rejects the criticism and says he needs to reign in Russias unruly regions, especially after the Beslan school siege last year, in which more than 330 people died, half of them children. In his statement, Kasparov said he would also spend time writing books about chess, life and politics. But some insiders wondered whether he would stick with his decision to retire. A spokesman for World Chess Federation (FIDE) chief Kirsan Ilyumzhinov said the professional chess world may not have seen the last of the Azeri-born Kasparov, who at the age of 22 became the youngest world champion in chess history. Anand finishes third linares: V Anand suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of Michael Adams of England while worlds top rated Garry Kasparov of Russia won the title despite being upset by Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria in the 14th and final round of the Linares chess tournament that concluded here. Both Topalov and overnight sole leader Kasparov scored an identical eight points out of a possible 12 but the Russian was declared the winner of this edition by virtue of his more number of victories with black. (PTI) ||||| March 12, 2005 MOSCOW -- Garry Kasparov of Russia, the chess world's youngest-ever champion, on Friday retired from professional play. The announcement by the world's No. 1 ranked player since 1984, who is considered by some the best in the history of the game, came after he won the 14-match Linares tournament in Spain on Thursday, despite losing the final game. Kasparov, 41, said Friday he wanted to concentrate more on politics in Russia. He has emerged as an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin. ''As a chess player, I did everything I could, even more. Now I want to use my intellect and strategic thinking in Russian politics,'' Kasparov said Friday in a statement cited by Interfax. ''I will do everything in my power to resist Putin's dictatorship. It is very difficult to play for a country whose authorities are anti-democratic,'' he said. AP ||||| Sat 12 Mar 2005 Kasparov's next move is into Russian politics GARRY Kasparov, the chess world’s youngest-ever champion and undisputed king for the past two decades, made a stunning move shortly after winning a prestigious tournament in Spain: he retired from professional play. Kasparov yesterday said he had achieved all he wanted to in the game and was planning to turn his attention to politics. The announcement by the Russian grandmaster - the world’s No 1 ranked player since 1984 who is considered by some to be the best in the history of the game - came shortly after he won the 14-match Linares tournament in Spain. "Before this tournament I made a conscious decision that Linares 2005 will be my last professional [tournament], and today I played my last professional game," Kasparov said at a news conference, according to a video posted on the online chess magazine chessbase.com. He said his last games were "very difficult for me to play under such pressure, because I knew it was the end of the career which I could be proud of". Kasparov, 41, became the youngest world champion ever at the age of 22, and quickly cut a swathe through the chess world with an aggressive style that shunned settling for a draw. He said part of the reason he was retiring was because he saw no real goals left to accomplish in professional chess. He said he wanted to concentrate more on politics in Russia. He has emerged as an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, and is playing a leading role in Committee 2008: Free Choice, a group formed by prominent liberal opposition leaders. "As a chess player, I did everything I could, even more. Now I want to use my intellect and strategic thinking in Russian politics," Kasparov said. "I will do everything in my power to resist Putin’s dictatorship. It is very difficult to play for a country whose authorities are anti-democratic," he said. Alexander Roshal, the chief editor of a popular Russian chess magazine 64, said: "There’s no-one else of his calibre. No-one comes close. He saw that, and said ‘you go on without me’." Kasparov has expressed increasing exasperation over the professional chess world, which has been bitterly divided since 1993 into two federations with rival champions. He reiterated that he was disappointed with a failed campaign to reunify the title. Mr Roshal said that Kasparov had evidently been coming to the decision for a long time after it became clear the reunification match would come no time soon. "He won more than 40 super-tournaments and in a month he’ll be 42," Mr Roshal said. "For chess, that’s not young, and he has no reason to waste time preparing for another tournament. He’s not going to be greater than he was or is." Kasparov will continue to write books about chess and take part in tournaments, such as so-called knockout events in which he plays many opponents at once, or in speed-chess games. But he is saying goodbye to lucrative, top-level play. Earlier this year, he withdrew from a World Chess Federation championship match scheduled for this month, saying he had suffered financial and psychological damage from the match’s repeated postponement. His withdrawal announcement then, in which he said "it breaks my heart" to watch great tournaments from the sidelines, gave no hint he was considering leaving professional play. If anything, it suggested he was determined to remain. "I will continue to serve chess and those who love our game," Kasparov wrote in January. "I have now held the No 1 ranking for 20 years and I will defend my position against any opponent." His first title match, from September 1984 to February 1985 against Anatoly Karpov, was the longest in chess history. After 48 games, the psychological and physical strain on Karpov, who was leading but appeared likely to lose, caused chess authorities to end the match inconclusively amid controversy. Kasparov won a rematch six months later, becoming the youngest world champion. ||||| Garry Kasparov, the world's leading chess player, is to give up competitive chess and devote his time to Russian politics in an attempt to bring down the increasingly despotic regime of President Vladimir Putin. The man many consider to be the best chess player ever seen is giving up the international circuit after winning the prestigious Linares tournament in Spain. Mr Kasparov is already chairman of the opposition body Committee 2008, a group of liberals fighting to halt Russia's slide to autocracy and to ensure that Mr Putin resigns when his second term in office ends in three years. The committee was set up amid growing fears that Mr Putin and his cronies, many of them placemen from the old KGB, will be reluctant to relinquish office and may try to manipulate the constitution to hang on to power. Since the committee was formed a little over a year ago Mr Kasparov has become one of the most outspoken critics of the Putin regime on the international circuit, lambasting its decision to clamp down on the media and its stranglehold over the courts and parliament. At a late-night news conference on Thursday, Mr Kasparov finally took the plunge and declared he was leaving competitive chess for good. He said: "Before this tournament I made a conscious decision that Linares 2005 will be my last professional [tournament], and today I played my last professional game." advertisement He said his final games were "very difficult for me to play under such pressure, because I knew it was the end of the career which I could be proud of". In comments published on the website of the Russian weekly journal Yezhednevny Zhurnal, he said: "In chess I have done all I could and even more. Now I intend to use my intellect and strategic thinking in Russian politics. "I will do all I can to oppose Putin's dictatorship. "It is very hard to play for a country with undemocratic authorities. I will be tackling this problem with those who hold Russia dear and care about it." Mr Kasparov, 41, has dominated international chess tournaments since becoming world champion at the age of 22. He said professional chess no longer held any challenges, but he would continue to play knock-outs and speed chess for fun. He was born in Baku in Azerbaijan when it was part of the Soviet Union and started attending chess school when he was 10. At 12 he won the USSR junior championship and at 16 the world junior championship. In 1985, after a 48-game marathon against the champion Anatoly Karpov ended inconclusively when Mr Karpov's health failed, he won a rematch to become the youngest ever world champion. But Mr Kasparov is often remembered for a rare defeat - against the computer Deep Blue, a moment many thought marked machine's superiority over man. Six years later he drew 3-3 against Deep Junior, which calculated three million moves per second. Shay Bushinsky, one of Deep Junior's two programmers, said Mr Kasparov was "the closest thing to a computer that I know as a man. Sometimes I think he has silicon running in his veins. "Kasparov has the most incredible look-ahead and memory capabilities I have ever seen." But such skills may not serve him well in the cut and thrust of politics. Andrei Piontkowsky, a political analyst with the Strategic Studies Centre, said: "I have great respect for Kasparov but I do not believe he has a big future as a politician. "The qualities that helped him become the world's greatest chess player will only hamper his political career. "He is a fighter, he has defined his stance on the Putin regime and that is a good thing. "But considering the state of the democratic opposition a leader should be a great communicator and capable of compromises. "Garry couldn't even unify international chess, which is split into two federations." ||||| In a Surprise Move, Kasparov Retires Friday March 11, 2005 9:01 PM AP Photo MOSB102 By JUDITH INGRAM Associated Press Writer MOSCOW (AP) - Garry Kasparov, the brilliant and aggressive tactician regarded by many as the greatest chess player of all time, announced his retirement from professional play. He said he plans to write books and become more active in the politics of Russia, a country that's ``headed down the wrong path.'' The 41-year-old Kasparov has been ranked No. 1 in the world since 1984, dominating chess for two decades with formidable energy, discipline and intellect. His announcement came shortly after he won the 14-match Linares tournament in Spain. Kasparov's mastery of chess seemed sometimes to be superhuman, and perhaps his most famous loss was a 1997 match against IBM supercomputer Deep Blue. Shay Bushinsky, a programmer behind another chess computer, told The Associated Press that as a chess player Kasparov was ``the closest thing to a computer that I know as a man. Sometimes I think he has silicon running in his veins.'' But Kasparov also became famous for his colorful and vibrant personality. He was seen as an especially vital and well-rounded person in a pursuit where top players often have the image of not having interests besides chess. ``He isn't just a pawn; and he isn't just a database, either, an inflated cerebellum, a throbbing maniac in the closed system of 64 squares,'' novelist Martin Amis wrote of him in a 1993 essay. Among Kasparov's interests is politics. A Russian citizen, Kasparov has emerged as an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin and is playing a leading role in the Committee 2008: Free Choice, a group formed by liberal opposition leaders. But he was increasingly exasperated with the politics of the chess world, which has been bitterly divided since 1993 into two rival federations with rival champions. In his retirement announcement Thursday, he reiterated that he was disappointed with a failed campaign to reunify the title. He also said part of the reason he was retiring was that he saw no real goals in professional chess. ``As a chess player, I did everything I could, even more. Now I want to use my intellect and strategic thinking in Russian politics,'' Kasparov said Friday in a statement cited by the Interfax news agency. ``I will do everything in my power to resist Putin's dictatorship,'' he said. ``My opinion is that the country is headed down the wrong path now.'' Kasparov said he would continue to play chess, write books about it and take part in tournaments, such as events in which he plays many opponents at once, or in speed-chess games. Alexander Roshal, chief editor of a popular Russian chess magazine called 64, said Kasparov had no peers in the chess world. ``There's no one else of his caliber. No one comes close. He saw that, and said 'you go on without me,''' he said. Kasparov evidently was thinking about retiring for a long time after it became clear the reunification title match would not happen soon, Roshal said. ``He won more than 40 super-tournaments and in a month he'll be 42,'' Roshal said. ``For chess, that's not young, and he has no reason to waste time preparing for another tournament. He's not going to be greater than he was or is.'' Born in Baku in the then-Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, Kasparov is thought by many to be the best chess player in history. His defeat by Deep Blue was seen as a watershed moment in technological advancement, but in 2003 he averted a similar defeat when he agreed to a draw in the last game of his series against Deep Junior, which could process 3 million chess moves per second. ``Kasparov has the most incredible look-ahead and memory capabilities I have ever seen,'' said Bushinsky, one of two Israelis who helped design Deep Junior. Kasparov's chess talent was apparent at an early age. At 12 he became the youngest player ever to win the USSR Junior Championship. Four years later, he won the World Junior Championship, and achieved the title of grandmaster on his 17th birthday. His first title match, from September 1984 to February 1985 against Anatoly Karpov, was the longest in chess history. After 48 games, the psychological and physical strain on Karpov, who was leading but appeared likely to lose, caused chess authorities to end the match inconclusively amid controversy. Kasparov won a rematch six months later, becoming the youngest world champion ever. He defended his title against Karpov in 1986, 1987 and 1990.
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"Chess is life in miniature. Chess is battles, chess is struggles." - Garry Kasparov "Chess is life in miniature. Chess is battles, chess is struggles." said the longtime world champion Garry Kasparov at the height of his career. In a surprise announcement Friday, the grandmaster said he will retire. He went public with his intentions from , Spain after winning a prestigious tournament there. The news comes as Kasparov, now 41, declared an ambition to devote his energy into the politics of his native Russia. Alternately known as brash, emotional and brilliant, the maverick Kasparov could be a formidable opponent in the realm of politics. He will partner with the Russian group known as the Committee 2008 (Komitet 2008), whose members are attempting to influence the 2008 Russian election that will replace Putin. The champion said he also wants to write books, with chess being among the subjects, but he will not play any more at the professional level. Always mercurial in defeat, Kasparov lost his final game in tournament play in a stunning upset by of Bulgaria. The upset did not take away his victory at the tournament, but his announcement came after being bitterly stung in defeat. At age 22, Kasparov became the youngest person ever to hold the title of world champion when he won it from fellow Russian, Anatoly Karpov, in 1985. The two players dominated the field until infighting in 1993 caused Kasparov to break away from the (FIDE) and form the (PCA). In this forum he defeated British challenger . For a period of time, Kasparov, of the PCA, and Karpov, who reclaimed the top spot of the FIDE, both claimed to be world champions. However, the ratings system developed by FIDE held that Kasparov was the stronger player. The PCA eventually fell apart in 1995. In 1996, Kasparov was at the top of his game, when a team led by IBM introduced , the strongest of a new class of chess playing computers. In a highly publicized face-off of man vs. machine, Kasparov won the 6 game match. A year later, against an enhanced version of Deep Blue, he lost. He blamed the loss on a variety of factors, including fatigue against his tireless opponent. While the machine found a new place in the chess world, and while a new generation of chess players favored '''', where the fast pace of play does not allow for deep calculation, Kasparov turned his attention to taking on the world. The Kasparov vs. the World online chess game in June 1999 brought together chess players from around the world in a cooperative effort to beat the reigning world champion. With more than 50,000 individuals submitting move votes, Kasparov vs. the World was one of the largest interactive gaming events in history. Kasparov won this match.
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Moussaoui pleads guilty to role in Sept. 11 attacks Asks to be put to death Alexandria, Virginia Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring with the Sept. 11 hijackers to kill Americans and declared he was personally chosen by Osama bin Laden to fly a plane into the White House during a later attack. Mr. Moussaoui admitted guilt in front of a packed courtroom only a few miles from where one of the four hijacked planes crashed into the Pentagon in 2001. He pleaded to six conspiracy counts, four of which could bring the death penalty. He said he would contest such a sentence, which prosecutors say they intend to pursue. "I will fight every inch against the death penalty," he said. Asked by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema if prosecutors had promised him the possibility of a lighter sentence for his admission, Mr. Moussaoui said no. Then he added, "I don't expect any leniency from the Americans." Advertisements Judge Brinkema accepted his pleas, making the French citizen the lone person convicted in a U.S. court in connection with the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. While a sentencing phase still must come, the hearing brought a dramatic conclusion to a bizarre three-year legal battle during which the mercurial Mr. Moussaoui insulted Judge Brinkema, tried to fire his lawyers and once asked to plead guilty only to change his mind a week later. Wearing a green prison jump suit and a full beard, Mr. Moussaoui entered the hushed courtroom and politely answered questions from Judge Brinkema, a departure from some previous appearances during which he sometimes ranted at her. "How do you plead?" she asked him for each of the six felony counts. Each time, he answered, "Guilty." Judge Brinkema asked Mr. Moussaoui to review a lengthy statement of facts in which prosecutors laid out their case against him. He carefully reviewed it as court spectators watched intently. Judge Brinkema asked if he understood it. "Yes I have read more than 10 times this statement. I pondered each paragraph and find it factual," he said. Mr. Moussaoui was arrested in August 2001 after drawing attention at a Minnesota flight school because he had said he wanted to learn to fly a Boeing 747 although he had no pilot's license. He was in custody on Sept. 11. In the statement of facts, Mr. Moussaoui said Mr. bin Laden had personally selected him to take part in an attack on the White House with a commercial airliner. Mr. Bin Laden told Mr. Moussaoui, "Sahrawi, remember your dream," according to the statement. Abu Khaled al Sahrawi was one of the names Mr. Moussaoui used. Mr. Moussaoui said he lied to federal agents after his arrest in order to allow the Sept. 11 plot to proceed. He denied being part of al-Qaeda and "falsely denied that he was taking pilot training to kill Americans," according to the statement he signed. Judge Brinkema asked defense lawyer Alan Yamamoto, the only attorney Mr. Moussaoui has been willing to talk to in recent weeks, if he was satisfied his client understood what he was doing by pleading guilty. "When I have spoken to him, we have disagreed," Mr. Yamamoto said. "He is facing the possibility of death or life in prison. He has told me that he understands that." Judge Brinkema said she personally had discussed the pleas at length with Mr. Moussaoui earlier. "He has a better understanding of the legal system than some lawyers I have seen in court," the judge said. "The court is accepting today the defendant's six pleas of guilty to the six counts of the indictment," Judge Brinkema said. "You are found guilty at this time," she told Mr. Moussaoui. Prosecutor Robert Spencer told the court he believed Mr. Moussaoui should be ordered to pay restitution to the victims of Sept. 11. When the judge noted that part of the penalties could include a $250,000 fine, Mr. Moussaoui replied, "I wonder where I will get the money." Before he formally entered the plea, he was asked if he understood the statement could be used against him to prove he was guilty. "Absolutely I do understand that," he said. A few seconds later, he added, "Where do I get the pen?" ||||| Mr. Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, was arrested in Minneapolis in August 2001 on immigration charges after the authorities learned that he had sought lessons on how to fly Boeing jets but had expressed no interest in learning how to take off or land. His case took on new significance after the 9/11 hijackers commandeered and crashed four airliners the next month. Mr. Moussaoui, the only person to be charged with an offense related to the September 2001 attacks, had earlier asked Judge Brinkema to plead guilty and had taken the additional step of asking the judge to be sentenced to death. Mr. Moussaoui's request to be put to death - clearly withdrawn today - appeared to be at center of the defense motion that lawyers briefed on it had said challenged his mental fitness to understand the charges against him. Defendants are free to plead guilty, even over the objections of their lawyers, if their pleas are entered voluntarily and knowingly. But Mr. Moussaoui's lawyers have long questioned whether he is able to fully comprehend the case against him. Judge Brinkema declared Mr. Moussaoui competent to plead guilty after meeting with him on Wednesday. But she previously declared him unable to represent himself, saying he had repeatedly violated her orders by filing court papers that were "frivolous" and "scandalous." The guilty plea may circumvent what has been the thorniest issue in the case, whether Mr. Moussaoui could have access to captured leaders of Al Qaeda who might provide testimony in his defense. In the past, Mr. Moussaoui's efforts to plead guilty collapsed in part because of his conflicting statements, in which he said he wanted to plead no contest, a step tantamount to a guilty plea, even as he insisted that he had played no role in the 9/11 plot, which took the lives of nearly 3,000 people.
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U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema accepted would-be hijacker guilty pleas on six charges of conspiracy laid against him for his plotting to participate in the . Moussaoui, who had to be restrained at one point during the trial in an , Virginia courthouse, was polite and quiet during the day's appearance. 36-year-old Moussaoui, a French citizen, faces the death penalty or life in prison in the sentencing phase of his trial. The prosecution has also asked that Moussaoui be forced to pay restitution to the victims of the attack. === September 11, 2001 attacks === 19 hijackers took control of four planes on September 11, 2001. Nearly four weeks before the attack, Moussaoui was arrested in Minnesota on immigrations charges having raised the suspicions of instructors at a flight school. During the attack, two planes were flown into the World Trade Center buildings, a third struck the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, USA.
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AFP - Two French journalists kidnapped in eastern Afghanistan this week are thought to be alive and in good health, a source involved in efforts to free them said Friday. But the condition of three Afghan assistants abducted with the journalists from France's public television broadcaster on Wednesday was unclear, the source told AFP from Kabul. "The two French journalists appear to be alive, in good health and being well treated," said the source. Suspected Taliban militants snatched the journalists in the war-torn country around 60 kilometres (38 miles) from the Afghan capital, according to a French journalist working with them. To take advantage of all the features on FRANCE24.COM, please click here to download the latest version of Flash Player. The kidnappers were yet to issue any claim of responsibility late Friday more than 30 hours after the journalists disappeared. Criminal groups and Taliban insurgents have kidnapped several dozen foreigners, many of them journalists, since the 2001 US-led invasion ousted the Taliban regime in Kabul, sparking a nine-year insurgency. The journalists, accompanied by their Afghan translator and the translator's brother and cousin, were kidnapped on the road between Surobi and Tagab, their French colleague told AFP. She blamed the kidnapping on the Taliban, saying they had laid an ambush on the road for the group in Kapisa province. A spokesman for local authorities in the province confirmed the kidnapping and said French soldiers and Afghan security forces had launched a hunt. The journalists' employer, public broadcaster France Televisions, did not formally confirm their abduction, saying simply there had been no news from them for 48 hours. On assignment for channel France 3, the team arrived Wednesday morning in the town of Surobi to meet a contact who agreed for them to continue on the road to Tagab. ||||| Defence Minister has 'no news of missing French journalists' Two French reporters have been kidnapped north-east of the Afghan capital Kabul, Afghan officials say. They say the journalists were seized in Kapisa province, along with three Afghans travelling with them. French Defence minister Herve Morin, who is visiting Afghanistan, said he had had no news of two journalists since Wednesday. Their identity is unclear. Media sources in Paris said they work for the French TV Channel FR3. According to provincial police chief Matiuallah Safi, the journalists and the Afghans accompanying them were abducted in the Shinkai district of Kapisa province, 120km (70 miles) from Kabul. Mr Safi said police were in contact with local villagers but no contact had been made with the abductors. Both the Taliban and other insurgent groups operate in Kapisa province. French troops are also stationed there as part of the Nato-led force in Afghanistan. At the French base in Nijrab, in central Kapisa, Mr Morin said that he was not ruling out "any theories". He is visiting the French troops in Afghanistan for the new year.
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Kapisa province Two French journalists kidnapped on Wednesday north-east of the capital Kabul are believed to be in good health, although the condition of their three Afghan assistants is unknown. "The two French journalists appear to be alive, in good health and being well treated," said a source involved in the attempts to release them. According to another French journalist, suspected members of the Taliban captured them in the Kapisa province's Shinkai district, although the abductors have yet to claim responsibility. A local spokesman confirmed that the group of two journalists from France 3, their translator and his brother and cousin had been abducted, and that Afghan security forces along with French soldiers from the local NATO mission were looking for them. France Télévisions, who employs the journalists, has not confirmed the kidnapping, merely stating that they had received no news from them in the past 48 hours.
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Printable version E-mail this story Posted on: Sunday, May 28, 2006 A solemn farewell to Boeing's 717 By Peter Pae Los Angeles Times LONG BEACH, Calif. — As hundreds of people on the tarmac waved goodbye, Boeing Co.'s last 717 airliner took off from Long Beach Airport on Tuesday, marking the end of 90 years of commercial airplane production in Southern California. The 717 delivered to AirTran Airways was the 15,599th plane built at the sprawling manufacturing complex next to the Long Beach Airport since 1941. "They're calling it a celebration, but it feels more like a funeral," said Alvin Frye, an aircraft inspector hired at the plant in 1965. Frye, 62, was among the present and former workers who gathered to mark the plant's last aircraft delivery and relive its storied history. While typical aircraft delivery ceremonies are cheerful and filled with balloons, last week's occasion was solemn and eerily quiet, except for a stand where employees were briskly selling at half price shirts embossed with 717 logos. The Long Beach plant, now owned by Boeing, was opened by Douglas Aircraft Co., and it still has a large "Fly DC Jets" sign out front. For decades it thrived, producing some of the world's most popular airliners, including the DC-3, DC-9 and MD-80. After the ceremony, some spectators stayed to watch the last plane take off, including Jerry Callaghan, retired designer for the 717. As the aircraft disappeared from view, Callaghan recalled that he stood at the same spot a decade ago when the first 717's flew. On Tuesday he felt like he was seeing his child "go off and leave the nest. This is it. Everything has to come to an end," Callaghan said, as his wife, Joan, hugged him. Last year Boeing announced plans to shutter the 717 line because of slow sales of the single-aisle plane. Boeing inherited the 717 when it acquired McDonnell Douglas in 1997, but the plane, originally called MD-95, never caught on with major airlines. One problem was the 717's cockpit configuration didn't match Boeing's other aircraft. Some former 717 workers lamented Tuesday that the plane never got the marketing support to make it successful. In all, 156 of the 717s were built, far short of the 200 sales Boeing needed for the aircraft to be profitable. Five years ago, about 1,800 people worked on the 717 assembly line, but only 160 were left to build the last planes. At least one hangar is likely to stay open for 717 repairs and will employ a skeleton crew. Some 717 workers retired, others, including Frye, were shifted to another Boeing factory in Long Beach that builds the C-17 military transport. But that facility will close in 2008 unless the Air Force orders more planes. The Long Beach complex was part of Southern California's golden era of aviation as pioneers took advantage of the warm weather and open space to test their new flying machines. In 1916, the Loughhead brothers formed a firm that grew into Lockheed Aircraft and two decades later built planes for Amelia Earhart. In the '20s, Donald Douglas set up his firm behind a Los Angeles barber shop. A few years later, a small San Diego firm started by Claude Ryan built the plane that Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic. Other pioneers included Jack Northrop and Howard Hughes, who built companies that bore their names and flourished. At its peak during World War II, the Douglas Aircraft plant in Long Beach employed 50,000 workers and produced a plane every two hours. The plant's prosperity spawned new neighborhoods to house workers. Among the early residents were couples starting families, such as Billy and Evelyn Dewees, who attended Tuesday's ceremony wearing their old McDonnell Douglas employee badges. Evelyn started working at the Long Beach plant in 1954 building the C-133 and then the C-124 military cargo planes. Her husband, was hired three years later. Evelyn's starting pay was $1.24 an hour, plus a bonus of 8 cents an hour for working the swing shift. That beat the going rate of 80 cents an hour for an office job, she recalled. "They treated us well," she said, noting how the aerospace industry helped spawn the local middle class. "And we got good pensions, better than most." The Dewees retired in 1989, walking out of the factory holding hands. The local aerospace manufacturing industry peaked in the late 1980s before the end of Cold War triggered a major retrenchment, followed by industry consolidation and increased competition overseas. Local aircraft manufacturing employment is now about 40,000, down some three-quarters from its peak, and much of the work has shifted to military research and development. Europe's Airbus and Boeing are the last makers of large jetliners, and production has shifted out of state, although Southern California is still home to thousands of suppliers who make parts for the two rivals. The region also is home to the nation's top advanced aerospace R&D; firms that design satellites, rockets and robotic airplanes. At Lockheed Martin Corp.'s famed "Skunkworks" in Palmdale, more than 4,000 engineers design aircraft cloaked in secrecy. And Torrance is still home to the nation's largest helicopter maker, Robinson Helicopter Co. But for many longtime residents, Tuesday's 717 ceremony marked the end of an era. A large section of the Boeing complex in Long Beach has been bulldozed to make room for the construction of homes and offices. "We've lived here for 55 years, and to see all of that disappear is very sad," former plant employee Evelyn Dewees said. "It's like losing a child." ||||| The Orange County Register The 15,599th plane built by Boeing and its predecessor companies in Long Beach (McDonnell Douglas and Douglas Aircraft), took off from the Long Beach Airport this morning. The 717 built for AirTran Airways is the last commercial jet Boeing will build in California. JEBB HARRIS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER MORE PHOTOS Graphic The aircrafts assembed at Long Beach PART OF FACILITYS HISTORY A B-17 Flying Fortress, one of 3,000 built in Long Beach in the 1940s. USHERING IN AN ERA Donald Douglas breaks ground on the Long Beach production facility in 1940. LONG BEACH - On Tuesday morning, as a ceremony marking the end of commercial aircraft manufacturing at Boeing's Long Beach plant was winding down, an old DC-3 propeller aircraft bound for Santa Catalina Island took off from adjacent Long Beach Airport. The DC-3, a military version of which was built in Long Beach by what was then Douglas Aircraft Co., finished production in 1946. The sight of one taking off 60 years later was a reminder that although the assembly of passenger aircraft in Long Beach is finished, some of the planes built there will still be flying for years to come. Even so, Tuesday's ceremony, which saw the final two Boeing 717s fly off in the hands of airline customers, was a sad occasion for many Boeing employees and retirees. "Today's a bittersweet day," said Hank Gissel, 63, of Lakewood, who is in his 40th year working for Boeing and its predecessors. "It's the end of an era. It's the end of McDonnell Douglas and Douglas Aircraft before it. It's not really a pleasant thing, but time goes on." Gissel's wife, Carolyn, who retired from Boeing more than four years ago, said seeing the Long Beach plant dwindle from its peak of 50,000 workers around 1990 was like watching a "slow, sad sickness." The 717 program employed about 800 people as of early last year, when Boeing announced that the program would shut down. About 200 unionized workers have used seniority rights to transfer to Boeing's C-17 military cargo jet, also assembled in Long Beach, displacing roughly an equal number of workers there, said Gary Lesser, a Boeing spokesman. The C-17, which employs about 6,500, is the last remaining jet aircraft built in California, but its future is also uncertain. Marsha Burke, 51, of Santa Ana, who has worked at the Long Beach plant for 23 years, described her feelings as "bittersweet" as well. "I'm very proud of this product," she said, nodding toward the next-to-last 717, which was awaiting delivery to its new owner, Midwest Airlines. "It's a very good airplane." Tim Hoeksema, the chief executive of Midwest Airlines, seconded that opinion, praising the 717's fuel efficiency, reliability and quietness. If the 100-seat aircraft has any drawbacks, it is a limited flight range of about 1,500 miles, Hoeksema said. Pat McKenna, who managed the 717 program for Boeing, said it's "an interesting question" why Boeing wasn't able to sell more of the planes to airlines. The company had projected demand for about 2,000 jets in the 100-seat category, but sold just 155 of its 717s. In McKenna's analysis, the 717 was probably done in by competitors that developed 50- to 70-seat passenger jets, attracting airlines looking for short-haul aircraft. Also, union rules at many airlines made it more expensive to staff the larger 717s, he said. David and Ruth Robertson of Huntington Beach offered a different view of the 717's demise. Robertson, a retiree, and his wife, who works for Boeing in Huntington Beach, said they didn't think the company tried hard enough to sell the 717 after Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas in 1997. McDonnell Douglas first developed what became the Boeing 717 as a descendant of its DC-9 twinjet passenger aircraft first built in 1965. "I don't think (Boeing) knew what they had in the plane," said Ruth Robertson. "They spent so many years competing with it, they weren't aware of what a jewel it was." Tuesday's fine weather was a reminder of the conditions that first attracted aviation pioneers like Donald Douglas Sr. to Southern California decades ago. Dave Simpson, a 29-year Boeing employee who lives in Huntington Beach, watched as the last 717, now owned by AirTran Airways, disappeared into a clear blue sky. "That's it," he said. Then Simpson stuck two fingers in his mouth and loosed a final whistle of appreciation for the 65 years that Douglas Aircraft and its descendants built planes in Long Beach. KEY DATES The Long Beach production facility has produced more than 15,500 planes over the past 65 years. Some key dates: October 1941: Long Beach facility opened by Douglas Aircraft Co. The site would become part of Boeing in 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas. December 1941: First plane off assembly line is a C-47, a military version of the DC-3. 1941 - 1945: Douglas employs more than 40,000 workers in Long Beach on three full shifts. May 1958: Maiden flight of the first Douglas commercial jetliner, the four-engine DC-8. February 1965: First flight of DC-9 twinjet with aft-mounted engines; 976 DC-9s would be delivered through 1982. 1971: The DC-10 trijet family enters service; six models of the DC-10 would be produced. October 1980: The MD-80 twinjet series enters airline service. 1990: The MD-11, a twin-aisle trijet, is introduced. October 1995: The MD-95 program is launched. August 1997: McDonnell Douglas merges with The Boeing Co., and Douglas Aircraft Co., which was the commercial airplane manufacturing segment of McDonnell Douglas. Renamed the Douglas Products Division. Early 1998: Boeing renames the MD-95 and introduces it into the short-range jetliner market as the 717-200. August 1998: Douglas Products Division is renamed the Long Beach Division of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. September 1998: First flight of 717. September 1999: First delivery of 717. December 1999: The last of 1,191 MD-80s is delivered. May 2001: Boeing announces it will cut 2,100 people from the 3,500 who work on the 717 program. January 2005: Because of poor sales, Boeing announces it will shut down 717 plane production once all of the 717s under order are assembled. December 2005: Boeing faces uncertainty over the last remaining plane production programs in California, the C-17 Globemaster III. The Pentagon contract will be completed in 2008. May 23, 2006: Final deliveries of Boeing's last two 717 commercial airplanes. ||||| AirTran Airways has taken delivery of the last Boeing 717-200 ever built during special ceremony at Boeing's manufacturing facility in Long Beach, Calif. It was the 87th addition to AirTran's fleet of 717s, making the airline the world's largest operator of that aircraft. The aircraft was designed specifically for short-haul, high-frequency routes. Orlando-based AirTran, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings Inc. AirTran Holdings Inc. Latest from The Business Journals Southwest change to boost Dayton airport Top 10 Stories of 2011 - HospitalitySouthwest, AirTran reach deal with union Follow this company (NYSE: AAI), is a Fortune 1000 company and one of the nation's largest low-fare airlines. It employs more than 7,000 people and operates more than 600 daily flights to 50 destinations. The airline's hub is at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. ||||| AirTran Airways and Boeing Fly Into Aviation History; AirTran Takes Delivery of Last Boeing 717 Aircraft Tuesday May 23, 12:00 pm ET ORLANDO, Fla., May 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Marking a historic moment in U.S. aviation history, AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI News ), officially took delivery of the last Boeing 717-200 ever built during a special ceremony at Boeing's manufacturing facility in Long Beach, California. AirTran Airways Ship 752 rolled off the production line in April and marks the 87th addition to AirTran Airways' fleet of 717s -- making the airline the world's largest operator of the Boeing 717 with the youngest all-Boeing fleet in America. "AirTran Airways would like to thank the many Boeing employees for their hard work and dedication over the years and enabling us to build a world-class aircraft fleet that is unparalleled in the aviation industry," said Joe Leonard, Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of AirTran Airways. "Although production of the 717 has come to an end, AirTran Airways' long-standing relationship with The Boeing Company will continue to grow for the benefit of our Crew Members and customers." During the delivery ceremony in Long Beach, Leonard, on behalf of the more than 7,000 AirTran Airways crew members nationwide, presented Boeing employees with a donation to the Boeing Employee's Community Fund as a token of appreciation for the role they've played in the success of AirTran Airways and the entire airline industry. Tuesday's delivery concludes 65 years of airplane production in the Long Beach, Calif., factory, dating back to the Douglas Aircraft Company. More than 15,000 airplanes have been produced in the Long Beach factory since it opened in 1941. The Boeing 717 program produced 156 airplanes and pioneered breakthrough business and manufacturing processes for Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA). "The 717 is an example of lean manufacturing and employee involvement that has now been incorporated into several other BCA production lines," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and Chief Executive Alan Mulally. "We're extremely proud of the airplane, the employees and our supplier partners." The Boeing 717-200, known for its efficiency and reliability, was designed specifically for short-haul, high-frequency routes and offers low acquisition, trip and maintenance costs. AirTran Airways' 717 aircraft, which accommodates 117 passengers, offers 12 Business Class seats and XM Satellite Radio, spacious EasyFit overhead bins and 100 percent fresh air circulated throughout the cabin. The 717's Rolls Royce engine was specifically developed to make the quietest and most environmentally friendly airplane in its class while not compromising power. AirTran Airways, a Fortune 1000 company and one of America's largest low- fare airlines with 7,000 friendly, professional Crew Members, operates over 600 daily flights to 50 destinations. The airline's hub is at Hartsfield- Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where it is the second largest carrier. AirTran Airways recently added the fuel-efficient Boeing 737-700 aircraft to create America's youngest all-Boeing fleet. The airline is also the first carrier to install XM Satellite Radio on a commercial aircraft and the only airline with Business Class and XM Satellite Radio on every flight. For reservations or more information, visit http://www.airtran.com (America Online Keyword: AirTran). Media Contacts: Tad Hutcheson [email protected] 678.254.7442 Judy Graham-Weaver [email protected] 678.254.7448
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Boeing Commercial Airplanes on Tuesday delivered the final 717 jet built to AirTran Airways in ceremonies in Long Beach, California, bringing production of McDonnell Douglas jets to an end. "AirTran Airways would like to thank the many Boeing employees for their hard work and dedication over the years and enabling us to build a world-class aircraft fleet that is unparalleled in the aviation industry," said Joe Leonard, Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of AirTran Airways. The final Boeing 717 was the 15,599th plane built by the Long Beach plant, the original home of Douglas Aircraft and McDonnell Douglas. It also marked the end of the popular DC-9 family of jets, which has sold over 2,400 units over its 41-year history. In 1995, McDonnell Douglas introduced the MD-95, which later became the Boeing 717 when McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1996. The 717 had suffered from slow sales throughout its history, with 155 planes ordered. In January 2005, Boeing announced that it would cancel the 717 program after completing all outstanding orders. The 717 program's demise leaves the C-17 military cargo jet as the only remaining jet aircraft built in California. Some workers from the 717 program have transferred to the C-17 program. Its future is also uncertain as Boeing's contract to produce the aircraft expires in 2008.
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Nov 27, 2010 10:33 AM | By Sapa-AP Current Font Size: Vatican Radio says in a report on Friday that 83-year-old Benedict will make a pilgrimage to the West African nation on November 18-20, where he will mark the 150th anniversary of the Catholic church's evangelisation of Benin and discuss the work of its bishops. Other trips previously announced for Benedict next year are European pilgrimages to Croatia in June; for a Catholic youth jamboree to Madrid, Spain, in August; and to Berlin and other cities in his German homeland, likely in September. ||||| ROME (Reuters) - Pope Benedict will make a three-day visit to Benin in November next year, his second trip as pontiff to Africa where the Catholic Church is growing faster than on any other continent. According to a Vatican statement on Friday, the pope will deliver a document to African Catholic leaders that will develop themes discussed at the 2009 synod of bishops on Africa, and serve as a guide to the Church in Africa in coming years. His visit to the west African state will run from November 18-20. The pope made a first trip to Africa as pontiff in 2009, when he visited Cameroon and Angola. He sparked a storm of criticism from around the world during that trip for saying that the use of condoms was complicating the fight against AIDS. This month the pope said condoms are sometimes morally justifiable to stop AIDS, a comment seen as a breakthrough for efforts to fight the disease in Africa, giving health workers and clergy more scope to broach the still taboo subject. Despite recent progress, the AIDS-causing virus HIV still afflicts 22.5 million Africans -- two-thirds of the world total.
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in 2010 It has been announced that Pope Benedict XVI will make a three day visit to Benin, Africa. Starting on November 18 next year, it will be his second Papal visit to Africa, the continent where the is growing fastest. An announcement made by The Vatican on Friday says the Pope will deliver guidance for the to several Catholic leaders. The document had been discussed at the of African Bishops last year. The pontiff's prior African trip was to Angola and Cameroon last year. That garnered controversy after he said were complicating anti-AIDS efforts. Recently he has accepted their use to be morally justifiable in some circumstances to prevent spread of the disease. So far four visits have been announced for the Pope, with visits to Croatia, Spain, and his homeland of Germany as well as Benin planned next year.
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A faraway planet in the constellation of Leo has been named the most habitable known world beyond the solar system after astronomers detected water vapour in its atmosphere. It is the first time a planet in its star’s “Goldilocks zone” – where the temperature is neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to exist – has been found to bear the life-sustaining substance in the blanket of gases that surround it. The discovery has raised hopes that the planet, and similar worlds spotted in recent years, not only have conditions that can be suited to life, but in some cases may host living organisms. “This is the first potentially habitable planet where the temperature is right and where we now know there is water,” said Angelos Tsiaras, an astronomer at University College London. “It’s the best candidate for habitability right now.” The planet, named K2-18b, was first spotted in 2015 by Nasa’s Kepler space telescope. Roughly twice as big as Earth and eight times as massive, it orbits a cool red dwarf less than half the size of the sun, 110 light years away. Red dwarfs produce far less heat than the sun, but K2-18b is warmed to about 10C (50F) by circling close to its star. From a mere 14m miles out, a sixth of the distance from the Earth to the sun, the planet completes an orbit every 33 days, making a year there pass as swiftly as a month on Earth. Today’s technology is too feeble to take photos of the surfaces of such distant worlds, and they are too far away to send probes to. But space-based telescopes can glean some information about the atmospheres on alien planets. The UCL team turned to Nasa’s veteran Hubble space telescope, which observed K2-18b in the two years after its discovery. In particular, they analysed measurements of starlight from the red dwarf as the planet wandered across its face on eight separate occasions. The data revealed that as K2-18b crossed in front of its star, wavelengths of light that are absorbed by water suddenly dropped off, and then rose again as the planet moved on. The effect is seen as a smoking gun for water vapour in the planet’s atmosphere. “To our great surprise we saw a pretty strong signature of water vapour,” said Giovanna Tinetti, a member of the UCL team. “It means first of all that there’s an atmosphere, and second that it contains a significant amount of water.” Nothing has driven the search for life elsewhere more than the presence of water. On Earth, there is no life without the substance, and the same is expected on other planets, at least for life as we know it. The discovery of water vapour on K2-18b does not prove there is water on the surface. But it ticks one more box in the hunt for worlds where the conditions are ripe for life. “We don’t know any other planet with the right temperature that has water in its atmosphere,” Tsiaras told the Guardian. According to the report in Nature Astronomy, K2-18b has between 0.01% and 50% water in its atmosphere. In astronomy jargon, K2-18b is a super-Earth, putting its size between Earth’s and Neptune’s. But rather than Earth’s twin, K2-18b is more like our home planet’s cousin. It is two-thirds the density of Earth and though it may have a rocky surface, it could equally be a water world. Humans would not fare well on the planet. If it has a hard surface, it would be impossible to stand. With gravity eight times stronger than on Earth, the average human would weigh half a tonne. Added to that are intense UV rays that would drive cancer-causing mutations. But get around these and the view, at least, might be pleasing to the eye: wispy clouds, a giant red sun, and an inner planet that rises like Venus. As Ingo Waldmann, a researcher on the team, said: “It’s maybe not quite your vacation destination just yet.” Ryan Cloutier at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said an independent analysis, or fresh observations, would be valuable to confirm the detection of water vapour. But he added that the apparent presence of water was promising for K2-18b’s habitability. “It’s a good sign,” he said. “Overall, the presence of water in its atmosphere certainly improves the prospect of K2-18b being a potentially habitable planet, but further observations will be required to say for sure.” Astronomers now hope to study more super-Earths for signs of water in their atmospheres. That work is due to be transformed in coming years with the launch of Nasa’s James Webb space telescope in 2021 and the European Space Agency’s Ariel mission in 2028. Observations from these telescopes should reveal more about the makeup of atmospheres on distant worlds, including the presence of methane and other gases that could be direct signs of life. ||||| This week, astronomers announced new hope for extraterrestrial habitability: an exoplanet some 110 light-years away from Earth that harbors water in its atmosphere. The discovery, published in two independent papers published in Nature Astronomy and on the pre-print server arXiv.org, marks the first time researchers have detected an Earth-like planet orbiting a distant star that supports liquid water—a crucial ingredient for life as humans understand it. But don’t pack your bags just yet. While it’s offered up some tantalizing tidbits, the planet, called K2-18b, likely harbors many foreign features, and is 2.5 times larger and eight times more massive than Earth. Such intermediate sized planets don’t always look like Earth, and may actually more closely resemble Neptune—the icy planet that’s one size up in our own solar system. “K2-18b is not ‘Earth 2.0,’” Angelos Tsiaras, an astronomer at University College London and author of the Nature Astronomy paper, said in a statement. “However, [this] brings us closer to answering the fundamental question: Is the Earth unique?” Support Provided By Learn More NASA’s Kepler space telescope first spotted K2-18b in 2015. The planet closely orbits a dim red dwarf star that’s about half the size of our solar system’s sun. Its orbital path is much tighter than the one Earth follows around our sun (out there, a year would be just 33 Earth days)—but this intimate distance means the planet is still within the red dwarf star’s habitable zone, the life-friendly region where temperatures are conducive to liquid water. This isn’t the first time water’s been detected in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, but previous candidates have had extremely hostile environments—like a Saturn-like behemoth with scorching surface temperatures, reports National Geographic’s Michael Greshko. So far, K2-18b seems considerably more hospitable—and that’s big. In the arXiv.org paper, a team led by University of Montreal astronomer Björn Benneke used the Hubble Space Telescope to pinpoint evidence of a watery atmosphere, noting how it absorbed certain wavelengths of light. After Benneke’s group posted their data to a public archive, an independent team led by Tsiaras re-analyzed it with their own software, arriving at similar conclusions. Their study, which appears in Nature Astronomy, also suggests that K2-18b’s atmosphere contains hydrogen and helium. As Tsiaras said during a press conference, researchers consider K2-18b “the best candidate for habitability” outside our solar system. Both studies, however, raise many new questions. For instance, it’s unclear just how much K2-18b’s atmosphere holds. In their paper, Tsiaras’ team laid out three models, each of which contained a very different estimate, spanning between 0.01 and 50 percent of the total atmosphere. When Benneke’s team modeled K2-18b’s climate, they discovered that the planet has clouds, as well as conditions might allow for the formation of liquid water droplets. Taken together, these two pieces of data hint that water could condense out of the planet’s clouds to create rain. If that’s true, K2-18b would be the first known exoplanet with clouds of water vapor, Greshko reports. “It’s quite likely that this planet has liquid rain on it,” Benneke told Lisa Grossman at Science News. “This is actually one of the most exciting findings from this data.” However, Sara Seager, an astronomer at MIT who was not involved in either study, cautioned to Grossman that the presence of rain remains speculation until further observations are made, perhaps with the more NASA’s more powerful James Webb Space Telescope. Depending on what future observations yield, K2-18b could turn out to be a planet with a dense, rocky core swaddled by a thick atmosphere, like Neptune—not exactly the most life-friendly of places. There’s still a chance it could be bathed in a huge ocean, though, which would be more suitable for life, Abel Mendez, director of the Planetary Habitability Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico, who was not involved in either study, told Daniel Oberhaus at WIRED. Either way, this exoplanet remains a first. K2-18b may not be an exact replica of Earth, but in several ways, it comes much closer than previously known water-vapor-containing exoplanets, Nikole Lewis, an astronomer at Cornell University who was not involved in either study, told Lee Billings at Scientific American. Getting to know K2-18b a bit better, she said, “will be important for understanding the potential habitability of smaller ‘Earth-sized’ planets.” Receive emails about upcoming NOVA programs and related content, as well as featured reporting about current events through a science lens. 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In findings published Tuesday in Cornell University's by a team of scientists from the University of Montreal and a separate report published Wednesday in '''' by a team from University College London (UCL), the presence of water vapour was confirmed in the atmosphere of , a planet circling a star in the . This is the first such discovery in a planet in its star's — not too hot and not too cold for liquid water to exist. Artist's impression of (right) orbiting the red dwarf The Montreal team, led by Björn Benneke, used data from the NASA's Hubble telescope to assess changes in the light coming from K2-18b's star as the planet passed between it and Earth. They found that certain wavelengths of light, which are usually absorbed by water, weakened when the planet was in the way, indicating not only does K2-18b have an atmosphere, but the atmosphere contains water in vapour form. The team from UCL then analyzed the Montreal team's data using their own software and confirmed their conclusion. This was not the first time scientists have found signs of water on an exoplanet, but previous discoveries were made on planets with high temperatures or other pronounced differences from Earth. "This is the first potentially habitable planet where the temperature is right and where we now know there is water," said UCL astronomer Angelos Tsiaras. "It's the best candidate for habitability right now." "It's a good sign", said Ryan Cloutier of the , who was not one of either study's authors. "Overall," he continued, "the presence of water in its atmosphere certainly improves the prospect of K2-18b being a potentially habitable planet, but further observations will be required to say for sure." K2-18b was first identified in 2015 by the . It is about 110 from Earth and larger but less dense. Its star, a , is cooler than the Sun, but the planet's orbit is much closer, such that a year on K2-18b lasts 33 Earth days. According to ''The Guardian'', astronomers were optimistic that NASA's — scheduled for launch in 2021 — and the European Space Agency's 2028 program, could reveal more about exoplanets like K2-18b. == Sources == * * * *
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* Egyptians in Benghazi must travel by land to Egypt * Tripoli airport functions, permission for flights pending CAIRO Feb 22 (Reuters) - Runways at Libya's Benghazi airport have been destroyed in the violence that has gripped the country and passenger planes cannot land there, Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Tuesday. Libyan security has cracked down on anti-government protesters and fighting has spread to the capital Tripoli after erupting in Libya's oil-producing east last week with no signs of Leader Muammar Gaddafi stepping down after 41 years in power. Egypt's foreign minister told his nationals in Libya to, if possible, remain in their houses and secure themselves with enough food and water and to stay off the streets. Up to 1.5 million Egyptian nationals live in Libya. Egypt has been unable to evacuate citizens by air from the second city of Benghazi. It still awaits permission from Libyan air traffic authorities to land its planes at Tripoli airport. "Regarding east of Libya, the Benghazi airport runways have been destroyed. It is not possible for Egyptair flights or any other flights to land in that airport," Aboul Gheit told reporters at a news conference. He called on Egyptian nationals living in Libya to stay off the streets but said those determined to leave Benghazi must travel by land in groups to reach the Egyptian border. "If Egyptians need to leave, and I always advise to stay home, then they would have to travel to Egyptian borders by land some 500 km in proximity to danger. Such trips must be in groups and in busses," Aboul Gheit said. ||||| UPDATE: Tuesday February 22, 11:30GMT Runways at Libya’s Benina International Airport in Benghazi have been “destroyed” as violent clashes against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime continue across the country. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit confirmed the news this morning: ”Regarding east of Libya, the Benghazi airport runways have been destroyed. It is not possible for Egyptair flights or any other flights to land in that airport,” he told a news conference. Egyptian authorities have been unable to evacuate citizens by air from the country’s second largest city of Benghazi and are awaiting permission from Libyan air traffic authorities to land its planes at Tripoli airport, reports Reuters Africa. Italy, Greece and the Netherlands are sending transport planes to Libya repatriate their citizens home, The BBC reports. After six days of unrest in the country and bloody clashes, The International Federation of Human Rights puts an estimate on the death toll at up to 400. It is the biggest uprising the Northern African country has seen since dictactor Muammar Gaddafi took power 41 years ago. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) says Libyan officials are allowing foreigners to leave without exit visas and British nationals have been told to take commercial flights from the capital, Tripoli, where the airport is operating flights. The FCO points out that “the majority of airport offices in Tripoli are closed until further notice.” Stay up-to-date with the latest FCO advice for British citizens travelling to/living in Libya: www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/middle-east-north-africa/libya British Nationals requiring assistance or further advice can call the Foreign Office on 020 7008 1500 from the UK or 021 3403644/45 from Libya. Related Stories
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An aerial shot of The runways at in Benghazi, Libya have been destroyed according to an Egyptian government minister. Foreign Minister said that the runways had been destroyed during the violence that is currently taking place. Protests have spread to Tripoli as Muammar Gaddafi has made no signs of stepping down from his 35-year rule as leader of Libya. Aboul Gheit told media at a news conference "Regarding east of Libya, the Benghazi airport runways have been destroyed. It is not possible for Egyptair flights or any other flights to land in that airport." He added "If Egyptians need to leave, and I always advise them to stay home, then they would have to travel to Egyptian borders by land some 500km in proximity to danger. Such trips must be in groups and in buses." Egypt is currently awaiting permission to land at . Aboul Gheit compared the situation to the evacuation of Egyptian nationals from Iraq in 1991 during the outbreak of the Iraq war. Greece, Italy, and the Netherlands have all sent transport planes to bring their nationals back home.
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An Algerian driver kidnapped last week in northern Niger has been released in neighbouring Mali, sources said. The man had been abducted with a French tourist in a remote desert region close to the border with Mali and Algeria. "Some people riding camels found him wandering. After some explanations, they took him to Algeria," a military source in Niger told Reuters. Gunmen linked to al-Qaeda - which has seized several Westerners - were still holding the tourist, the sources said. Some sources suggest he is being held in Mali. The pair were taken near the town of Tiguidan Tessoun just days after four Saharan countries opened a military base to counter al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The group is believed to earn money from ransom payments for hostages, although this is never officially confirmed. It has also demanded the release of some of its captured militants in exchange for hostages. In February, Mali freed four militants, sparking a row with Mauritania. Mali's government denied accusations it was giving in to the militants' demands and said the men had served their time. Two Italians were freed in Mali earlier this month after spending four months in captivity, but two Spaniards are still being held hostage. Last year, AQIM killed a British hostage, Edwin Dyer. The group emerged in early 2007, after a feared militant group, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), aligned itself with Osama Bin Laden's international network. It has waged a campaign of suicide bomb attacks and ambushes in Algeria, and in recent years has become more active in the Sahara Desert, where governments struggle to impose their authority and gangs of smugglers, bandits and rebels operate alongside the militants. ||||| Algerian freed, Frenchman held Niamey - Al-Qaeda linked gunmen in Niger have released an Algerian national abducted last week but are still holding a French hostage, security sources in the west African country said on Thursday. "The Algerian hostage has been released," one of the sources said, adding that he was released in the last few days and was already back in Algeria. The release was confirmed by a second security source, who said that the Frenchman with whom he had been kidnapped, "is still being held". Sources close to the case said the Algerian had been a driver for the Frenchman, who is reportedly in his 70s. The men were kidnapped on April 20. The French foreign ministry said on Monday they had been abducted in the so-called "Red Zone" on the southern rim of the Sahara desert that tourists are advised to avoid for security reasons. Meanwhile, in Algeria, the daily En Nahar reported that the Algerian had been released by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in the Mali desert, and had returned home.
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An Algerian driver has been released by his hostage takers in Niger. The man was abducted on April 20 along with a French tourist he was driving. The Frenchman, who is in his 70s, is still being held hostage; the pair were taken at gunpoint near the Mali and Algerian boarders. The gunmen are reported to have links to al-Qaeda. It is reported that the driver was released in the last few days and has already returned to Algeria. Apparently, he was released in the Mali desert and made his own way back to Algeria. "Some people riding camels found him wandering. After some explanations, they took him to Algeria," said a Nigerien military source to the Reuters news service. The pair were abducted only days after four countries near the Sahara opened a military base to combat al-Qaeda. The vicinity in which the kidnapping took place is known as the "red zone"; foreign offices recommend that tourists avoid the area near the Sahara. Hostage takings have become more frequent with governments having more trouble controlling the problem. Recently the Mali government sparked a row with Mauritania over the release of four militants.
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Fight To Survive Il Blog di Jeff Englehart, uno dei due ex-militari USA intervistati nell'inchiesta Gennaro Carotenuto "Io sono stato a Falluja" - l'intervista a Javier Couso, fratello di José Couso ucciso all'Hotel Palestina a Baghdad Kevinsites Taking Fallujah: foto-blog sulla conquista di Fallujah Hannah's Blog: Fallujah Truth It was the smell that first hit me, a smell that is difficult to describe, and one that will never leave me Michael Fumento Fallujah Rises from the Ashes Insomnia The Journal of Mark Kraft ||||| The US assault began exactly a year ago Rai says this amounts to the illegal use of chemical arms, though the bombs are considered incendiary devices. Eyewitnesses and ex-US soldiers say the weapon was used in built-up areas in the insurgent-held city. The US military denies this, but admits using white phosphorus bombs in Iraq to illuminate battlefields. Washington is not a signatory of an international treaty restricting the use of white phosphorus devices. WHITE PHOSPHORUS Spontaneously flammable chemical used for battlefield illumination Contact with particles causes burning of skin and flesh Use of incendiary weapons prohibited for attacking civilians (Protocol III of Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons) Protocol III not signed by US Transmission of the documentary comes a day after the arrival of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on a five-day official visit to Italy. It also coincides with the first anniversary of the US-led assault on Falluja, which displaced most of the city's 300,000 population and left many of its buildings destroyed. The documentary was shown on Rai's rolling news channel, with a warning that the some of the footage was disturbing. The future of the 3,000-strong Italian peacekeeping contingent in Iraq is the subject of a political tug-of-war, says the BBC's David Willey in Rome. 'Destroyed evidence' The documentary begins with formerly classified footage of the Americans using napalm bombs during the Vietnam war. It then shows a series of photographs from Falluja of corpses with the flesh burnt off but clothes still intact - which it says is consistent with the effects of white phosphorus on humans. Jeff Englehart, described as a former US soldier who served in Falluja, tells of how he heard orders for white phosphorus to be deployed over military radio - and saw the results. Last December, the US state department issued a denial of what it called "widespread myths" about the use of illegal weapons in Falluja. "Phosphorus shells are not outlawed. US forces have used them very sparingly in Falluja, for illumination purposes. They were fired into the air to illuminate enemy positions at night, not at enemy fighters," the US statement said. However, the Rai film also alleges that Washington has systematically attempted to destroy filmed evidence of the alleged use of white phosphorus on civilians in Falluja. Italian public opinion has been consistently against the war and the Rai documentary can only reinforce calls for a pullout of Italian soldiers as soon as possible, our correspondent says. Both the Italian government and opposition leaders are talking about a phased withdrawal in 2006. President Talabani and the US say the continued presence of multi-national forces in Iraq is essential. ||||| says the use of white phosphorus in built-up areas amounts to the illegal use of chemical weapons, although thenotes that such bombs are considered incendiary devices. The US military admits to using the weapon to illuminate battlefields in Iraq, and says it did so in Fallujah, but insists it did not use it in civilian areas. Washington is not a signatory of an international treaty restricting white phosphorus devices. "I saw the burned bodies of women and children. The phosophorous explodes and forms a plume. Who ever is within a 150 metre radius has no hope," the former soldier adds. , the all news state-run satellite channel in Italy, aired a documentary Tuesday that accused the United States of using chemical weapons against the civilian population during a November 2004 bombardment of Fallujah., the Italian news agency, reports that the documentary, entitled "Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre" and aired on the first aniversary of the assault on insurgents in Fallujah, includes interviews with former US soldiers and with residents of Fallujah who say that during the assault on the city the US military used the chemical white phosphorus La Repubblica, the Italian newspaper which recently broke the story on the Italian government's involvement with the forged Niger-Iraq uranium documents, reports the documentary also broadcast what it claimed is proof of the use in Iraq of a new napalm formula called MK77. The use of the incendiary substance on civilians is forbidden by a 1980 UN treaty. The use of chemical weapons is forbidden by a treaty that the US signed in 1997. The Independent reports that ever since the assault, "rumours have swirled that the Americans used chemical weapons on the city." But the US denied the charges last year, saying "The fighting in Fallujah, Iraq has led to a number of widespread myths including false charges that the United States is using chemical weapons such napalm and poison gas. None of these allegations are true." The United States categorically denies the use of chemical weapons at any time in Iraq, which includes the ongoing Fallujah operation. Furthermore, the United States does not under any circumstance support or condone the development, production, acquisition, transfer or use of chemical weapons by any country. All chemical weapons currently possessed by the United States have been declared to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and are being destroyed in the United States in accordance with our obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. The US also denied charges by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, that US forces were using "poisonous gases" during a recent battle in the Iraqi city of Tall Afar, saying "those who wish to discredit the United States find it useful to invent the false charge that the United States is using such weapons. " The Independent reports, however, that the documentary offers video and photographs it alleges proves that the white phosphorus was used "indiscriminately" on both insurgents and the civilian population. Photographs on the website of RaiTG24, the broadcaster's 24-hours news channel, show exactly what the former [US] soldier means. Provided by the Studies Centre of Human Rights in Fallujah, dozens of high-quality, colour close-ups show bodies of Fallujah residents, some still in their beds, whose clothes remain largely intact but whose skin has been dissolved .... or turned the consistency of leather by the shells. The documentary began with formerly classified footage of the Americans using napalm bombs during the Vietnam War. The film repeated accusations that Washington has systematically attempted to destroy filmed evidence of the alleged use of chemical weapons in the attack on Falluja last November. Italian public opinion has been consistently against the war and the RAI documentary can only reinforce calls here for a pullout of Italian soldiers as soon as possible, our correspondent says. Thereports that the US denounced the documentary as "disinformation." It aired a day after Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, came to Italy for a five-day visit.Last March 3, an article in(a site different than the one for the more familiar Al Jazzera satellite TV channel) carried a report that alleged a Dr. Khalid ash Shaykhli, an Iraqi health ministry official, told a Baghdad press conference that the US military had used internationally banned chemical weapons , including nerve gas. The US information service wrote later that month that the story of Dr. Shaykhli was fabricated, and claimed the press conference never took place. ||||| Powerful new evidence emerged yesterday that the United States dropped massive quantities of white phosphorus on the Iraqi city of Fallujah during the attack on the city in November 2004, killing insurgents and civilians with the appalling burns that are the signature of this weapon. Ever since the assault, which went unreported by any Western journalists, rumours have swirled that the Americans used chemical weapons on the city. Article Length: 488 words (approx.) ||||| Willy Pete in Falludscha Thomas Pany Ein Jahr nach der Großoffensive erhärten sich die Gerüchte, denen zufolge die amerikanische Armee chemische Kampfstoffe eingesetzt hat Vor Jahresfrist beherrschte die Großoffensive auf Falludscha (vgl. Finishing Fallujah ) die Schlagzeilen der Weltpresse; ein entscheidender Schlag gegen den zentralen Hort des irakischen Widerstands sollte dort geführt werden, das "Rückgrat der Guerillas gebrochen". Ein Kalkül, das sich nicht erfüllte. Obschon eine militärische Vorgabe erreicht wurde, die Säuberung von "militanten Elementen" und die Kontrolle der Stadt, verkehrte sich der militärische Sieg vor Ort in eine weitere Niederlage im parallel geführten "Propaganda-Krieg". Falludscha wurde neben "Abu Ghuraib" zum Symbol für das brutale, arrogante Vorgehen der Amerikaner im Irak. Beschuss von Falludscha mit Brandbomben. Bild aus The Hidden Massacre Seit mehreren Monaten war Falludscha aus der Berichterstattung verschwunden, es gab nur sporadische Meldungen (vgl. Alarm in Falludscha ) von kleineren Scharmützeln in der Stadt, über die nur zögerliche Rückkehr der ehemaligen Einwohnerschaft bzw. deren Fernbleiben und über den stockenden Wiederaufbau. Zum "Jahrestag" der Falludscha-Offensive veröffentlichen jetzt eine italienische Webseite und eine britische Zeitung Augenzeugenberichte, welche allem Anschein nach die bereits vor einem Jahr kursierende Gerüchte bestätigen, wonach US-Truppen auch in der Häuserschlacht chemische Kampfstoffe eingesetzt hätten. Schon zuvor war vom britischen Verteidigungsministerium eingeräumt worden, dass das US-Militär auch bei der Invasion chemische Waffen eingesetzt hatte, nämlich Napalm ähnliche Brandbomben des Typs MK77, die weißen Phosphor enthalten ( Keine Napalm-Bomben im Irak, nur MK77-Brandbomben ). Update: Das Pentagon hatte dies abgestritten , aber formal korrekt darauf hingewiesen, dass nach dem Abkommen zum Verbot chemischer Waffen ( CWC ) auch Napalm nicht verboten wäre (viele chemische Toxine sind nach dem Abkommen nicht verboten, Brandbomben fallen beispielsweise deshalb nicht darunter, weil ihre Wirkung thermal bedingt ist): First, napalm or napalm-like incendiary weapons are not outlawed. International law permits their use against military forces, which is how they were used in 2003. Second, as noted above, no Mark-77 firebombs were used in Fallujah. Die Verwendung von Napalm-ähnlichen Brandbomben ist also formal nach dem CWC nicht illegal. Allerdings ist nach dem Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons (Protocol III) aus dem Jahr 1980 die Verwendung von Brandwaffen (""Incendiary weapon" means any weapon or munition which is primarily designed to set fire to objects or to cause burn injury to persons through the action of flame, heat, or combination thereof, produced by a chemical reaction of a substance delivered on the target.") geächtet worden, wenn die Gefahr besteht, dass Zivilisten davon betroffen werden. Der Einsatz von Brandbombem beim Angriff auf eine Stadt würde diese Bedingung erfüllen: It is prohibited in all circumstances to make the civilian population as such, individual civilians or civilian objects the object of attack by incendiary weapons. It is prohibited in all circumstances to make any military objective located within a concentration of civilians the object of attack by air-delivered incendiary weapons. It is further prohibited to make any military objective located within a concentration of civilians the object of attack by means of incendiary weapons other than air-delivered incendiary weapons, except when such military objective is clearly separated from the concentration of civilians and all feasible precautions are taken with a view to limiting the incendiary effects to the military objective and to avoiding, and in any event to minimizing, incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects. Ratifiziert wurde das Protokoll insgesamt von 88 Staaten, darunter etwa auch Australien, Großbritannien, Dänemark, Italien oder Japan, die Truppen im Irak stationiert haben. Die USA haben das Protokoll nicht ratifiziert. Das teilen sie mit Iran, Syrien oder Nordkorea, während China, Russland und vor kurzem Venezueala Mitgliedsländer sind. (FR) Die Aussagen aus einem Dokumentarfilm, ausgestrahlt vom italienischen Fernsehsender RAI, fügen sich ein in die Reihe später Enthüllungen (Stichwort "Nigergate" vgl. "Ich habe versucht, den US-Präsidenten vom Krieg abzuhalten" ), welche die schlimmste Annahmen über die US-Politik im Irak erhärten: Anzeige ');} if(plug) {OASfp=' Menu=FALSE swModifyReport=TRUE width=300 height=250 '; OASd.write(' '); OASd.write(' '); OASd.write(' '); OASd.write(' '); }else{OASd.write(' ');} //--> Ich hörte den Befehl, gut aufzupassen, weil sie weißen Phosphor in Falludscha benutzen wollten. Was der amerikanische Soldat, der vor einem Jahr beim Kampf in Falludscha eingesetzt wurde, im Dokumentarfilm "Falluja: The Hidden Massacre" behauptet, wird dort auch von anderen Zeugen belegt. Weißer Phosphor, im Militärjargon "Willy Pete" genannt, soll wie "Feuerregen" auf die Stadt niedergegangen sein und Frauen und Kinder getötet haben, so ein irakischer Biologe. Bilder , die vom Menschenrechtszentrum (Studies Center of Human Rights) in Falludscha stammen, erhärten die Indizien der Anklage: Sie zeigen Leichen von Bewohnern von Falludscha, die im Bett verschmort sind, auf eine Weise, die nahe legt, dass sie Opfer von weißem Phosphor geworden sind. Vermutliches Opfer von Brandbomben in Falludscha. Bild aus The Hidden Massacre Gerüchte über den Einsatz von chemischen Waffen in Falludscha hat es schon während der Kampfhandlungen vor einem Jahr gegeben (vgl. Mit ausgezogenen Samthandschuhen in der "Geisterstadt" ), erhärtet wurden sie damals von einem Bericht des Internetportals "Islam Online". Das militärische Kommando der US-Truppen wertete die behauptete Anwendung von chemischen Kampfstoffen freilich als pure Propaganda von Aufständischen - "widespread myths" - und erklärte jedoch weiter, dass Phosphor-Granaten nicht verboten seien und nur selten eingesetzt würden, zu "Beleuchtungszwecken": Sie wurden in die Luft gefeuert, um Stellungen des Feindes in der Nacht zu beleuchten, niemals gegen feindliche Kämpfer. Der Dokumentarfilm widerspricht dieser Darstellung. Nach Informationen der englischen Zeitung "Independant" führt er schwer zu widerlegende Beweise vor, wonach bei der Großoffensive auf Falludscha Brandbomben verwendet wurden, die als "Mk 77" - eine andere Form von Napalm-Bomben - bekannt sind. Das Pentagon erklärt allerdings stets, dass es sich nicht um Napalm handelt, die Wirkung ist jedoch praktisch gleich. Die Wirklichkeit des Kriegsgeschehens im Irak bleibt schwierig zu ergründen; da der Irak für unabhängige Reporter ein hochriskantes Terrain ist, bleibt dem Informationssuchenden nur der Slalomlauf zwischen den Behauptungen der verschiedenen Seiten, vor allem wenn es um die Opfer geht, die dieser Krieg fordert: Die Berichterstattung aus dem Irak sei zutiefst "unehrlich", sowohl was die Zahlen der Opfer anbelangt als auch die Berichte darüber, wer für die Toten verantwortlich ist, stellt der Guardian heute fest. Toter aus Falludscha mit schweren Brandverletzungen. Bild aus The Hidden Massacre Über Falludscha und der hohe Preis, der für die militärische Kontrolle dieser Stadt bezahlt worden ist, herrschte seit längerem Schweigen. Eine seltene Ausnahme ist die vor einigen Tagen im amerikanischen Magazin "Time" erschienene Reportage von Chris Allbritton, einem amerikanischen Blogger und Freelancer, der im Auftrag des Magazins als eingebetteter Reporter aus der Stadt berichtete . Es sei zu spät für die Amerikaner, die jetzt die Ordnung in der Ruinen-Stadt aufrechterhalten, um sich Freunde zu machen, schreibt er. Die amerikanischen Patrouillen müssten sich auch im von Aufständischen leergeräumten Falludscha ständig auf neue, trickreiche Hinterhalte gefasst machen, sogar "Tauben werden gegen sie eingesetzt". Sicher sei die Stadt noch immer nicht: "Definitely not safe. I wouldn't let my sister walk here, ever", so ein amerikanischer Soldat. Doch würden die Bewohner noch jemanden mehr fürchten als die amerikanischen Besatzer, nämlich die irakische Armee: "Wenn irakische Soldaten in die Stadt kommen, dann fangen sie damit an, die Bewohner zu attackieren und in die Luft zu schießen. Die irakische Armee will Rache an uns üben." Was den Wiederaufbau anbelangt, so dürfte noch einige Zeit vergehen, bis nennenswerte Erfolge vorzuweisen sind. In der gesamten Provinz Anbar gebe es nur einen amerikanischen Zuständigen der USAID für den Wiederaufbau, das Geld geht in andere Provinzen. Aus den bekannten Sicherheitsgründen scheut man den Einsatz in Anbar und deren Symbolstadt Falludscha. Für die dort eingesetzten Truppen heisst das, dass der Zeitpunkt ihres Abzugs völlig ungewiss ist - für die Bewohner von Falludscha, dass sich bis auf weiteres an ihrem kärglichen Leben inmitten der Ruinen nicht viel ändern wird. ||||| Results are 'remarkably similar' to using napalm By James W. Crawley UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER American jets killed Iraqi troops with firebombs – similar to the controversial napalm used in the Vietnam War – in March and April as Marines battled toward Baghdad. Marine Corps fighter pilots and commanders who have returned from the war zone have confirmed dropping dozens of incendiary bombs near bridges over the Saddam Canal and the Tigris River. The explosions created massive fireballs. Mark 77 Firebomb "We napalmed both those (bridge) approaches," said Col. Randolph Alles in a recent interview. He commanded Marine Air Group 11, based at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, during the war. "Unfortunately, there were people there because you could see them in the (cockpit) video. "They were Iraqi soldiers there. It's no great way to die," he added. How many Iraqis died, the military couldn't say. No accurate count has been made of Iraqi war casualties. The bombing campaign helped clear the path for the Marines' race to Baghdad. During the war, Pentagon spokesmen disputed reports that napalm was being used, saying the Pentagon's stockpile had been destroyed two years ago. Apparently the spokesmen were drawing a distinction between the terms "firebomb" and "napalm." If reporters had asked about firebombs, officials said yesterday they would have confirmed their use. What the Marines dropped, the spokesmen said yesterday, were "Mark 77 firebombs." They acknowledged those are incendiary devices with a function "remarkably similar" to napalm weapons. Rather than using gasoline and benzene as the fuel, the firebombs use kerosene-based jet fuel, which has a smaller concentration of benzene. Hundreds of partially loaded Mark 77 firebombs were stored on pre-positioned ammunition ships overseas, Marine Corps officials said. Those ships were unloaded in Kuwait during the weeks preceding the war. "You can call it something other than napalm, but it's napalm," said John Pike, defense analyst with GlobalSecurity.org, a nonpartisan research group in Alexandria, Va. "They were Iraqi soldiers there. It's no great way to die." Col. Randolph Alles Although many human rights groups consider incendiary bombs to be inhumane, international law does not prohibit their use against military forces. The United States has not agreed to a ban against possible civilian targets. "Incendiaries create burns that are difficult to treat," said Robert Musil, executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility, a Washington group that opposes the use of weapons of mass destruction. Musil described the Pentagon's distinction between napalm and Mark 77 firebombs as "pretty outrageous." "That's clearly Orwellian," he added. Developed during World War II and dropped on troops and Japanese cities, incendiary bombs have been used by American forces in nearly every conflict since. Their use became controversial during the Vietnam War when U.S. and South Vietnamese aircraft dropped millions of pounds of napalm. Its effects were shown in a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of Vietnamese children running from their burned village. Before March, the last time U.S. forces had used napalm in combat was the Persian Gulf War, again by Marines. During a recent interview about the bombing campaign in Iraq, Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Jim Amos confirmed aircraft dropped what he and other Marines continue to call napalm on Iraqi troops on several occasions. He commanded Marine jet and helicopter units involved in the Iraq war and leads the Miramar-based 3rd Marine Air Wing. Miramar pilots familiar with the bombing missions pointed to at least two locations where firebombs were dropped. Before the Marines crossed the Saddam Canal in central Iraq, jets dropped several firebombs on enemy positions near a bridge that would become the Marines' main crossing point on the road toward Numaniyah, a key town 40 miles from Baghdad. Next, the bombs were used against Iraqis near a key Tigris River bridge, north of Numaniyah, in early April. There were reports of another attack on the first day of the war. Two embedded journalists reported what they described as napalm being dropped on an Iraqi observation post at Safwan Hill overlooking the Kuwait border. Reporters for CNN and the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald were told by unnamed Marine officers that aircraft dropped napalm on the Iraqi position, which was adjacent to one of the Marines' main invasion routes. Their reports were disputed by several Pentagon spokesmen who said no such bombs were used nor did the United States have any napalm weapons. The Pentagon destroyed its stockpile of napalm canisters, which had been stored near Camp Pendleton at the Fallbrook Naval Weapons Station, in April 2001. Yesterday military spokesmen described what they see as the distinction between the two types of incendiary bombs. They said mixture used in modern firebombs is a less harmful mixture than Vietnam War-era napalm. "Many folks (out of habit) refer to the Mark 77 as 'napalm' because its effect upon the target is remarkably similar." Col. Michael Daily "This additive has significantly less of an impact on the environment," wrote Marine spokesman Col. Michael Daily, in an e-mailed information sheet provided by the Pentagon. He added, "many folks (out of habit) refer to the Mark 77 as 'napalm' because its effect upon the target is remarkably similar." In the e-mail, Daily also acknowledged that firebombs were dropped near Safwan Hill. Alles, who oversaw the Safwan bombing raid, said 18 one-ton satellite-guided bombs, but no incendiary bombs, were dropped on the site. Military experts say incendiary bombs can be an effective weapon in certain situations. Firebombs are useful against dug-in troops and light vehicles, said GlobalSecurity's Pike. "I used it routinely in Vietnam," said retired Marine Lt. Gen. Bernard Trainor, now a prominent defense analyst. "I have no moral compunction against using it. It's just another weapon." And, the distinctive fireball and smell have a psychological impact on troops, experts said. "The generals love napalm," said Alles, who has transferred to Washington. "It has a big psychological effect." James W. Crawley: (619) 542-4559; [email protected]
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Map of FallujahA documentary aired on November 8 on an Italian state-run satellite channel RAI claims that the United States military used chemical weapons and napalm-like bombs during a bombardment of Fallujah in November 2004. The documentary, entitled ''Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre'', asserts that the US military used white phosphorus on the civilian population during the bombardment, and backs these allegations with interviews with former US soldiers as well as residents of Fallujah. White phosphorus is a spontaneously flammable chemical used in battlefield illumination or to generate smoke screens. Contact with the substance results in burning and melting of skin and flesh. According to an account of a former US soldier, the phosphorus explodes and forms a plume, killing everyone within a 150 metre radius. The smoke produced by burning phosphorous converts to hot, concentrated phosphoric acid on contact with human skin, eyes, lungs and mucous membranes producing characteristic chemical burns internally and externally. White phosphorus is also a highly toxic substance with an average lethal dose (LD50) of 50 milligrams; lethal intoxication causes a slow death after 5 to 10 days. White phosphorus bombs are considered incendiary devices, though RAI claims that they are chemical weapons. The US military admits using white phosphorus to illuminate battlefields, but denies having used it as a weapon against civilians. The United States has ratified the Chemical Weapons Convetion (CWC), but has not ratified the "Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons (Protocol III)" which forbids the use of incendiary weapons against places with concentrations of civilians. A statement issued by the United States in December 2004 pointed out that phosphorus shells are not outlawed, and that "US forces have used them very sparingly in Fallujah, for illumination purposes." RAI's film, however, alleges that the US has attempted to destroy footage of use of white phosphorus on civilians in Fallujah. "A rain of fire fell on the city, the people struck by this multi-coloured substance started to burn, we found people dead with strange wounds, the bodies burned but the clothes intact," says Mohamad Tareq, a biologist in Fallujah interviewed for the film. Jeff Englehart, a former US soldier, describes on the documentary: "Burned bodies, burned women, burned children; white phosphorus kills indiscriminately... When it makes contact with skin, then it's absolutely irreversible damage, burning flesh to the bone." The Pentagon has previously claimed that white phosphorous was only used for illumination purposes in Fallujah: “U.S. forces have used them very sparingly in Fallujah, for illumination purposes. They were fired into the air to illuminate enemy positions at night, not at enemy fighters.” However, the documentary clearly shows two types of munitions being used: * LUU-2 Parachute flares for illumination. *White phosphorous incendiaries being used to attack a large residental area. This corroborates the eyewitness testimony in the documentary claiming many civilians were killed in their homes by incendiary and caustic materials. The Pentagon and the U.S. Administration stopped short of denying the claims that white phosporus was used in Fallujah, although U.S. Marine Major Tim Keefe insisted that it was not used to "target" civilians. The use of incendiary weapons against civilians is banned by an additional protocol to the Geneva Conventions that was added in 1980, however the United States did not sign this protocol and it does not directly cover the use of toxic smokes. The documentary also implies that US troops used Mark 77 incendiary bombs in Fallujah, which contain an upgraded napalm formulation. The main difference to Vietnam-era napalm being the replacement of gasoline with kerosene in the mixture, and it is reported that the mixture contains oxidizing agents, including white phosphorus. The US military does not call MK77 munitions "napalm" bombs. However, the use of MK77 munitions against Iraqi troops in 2003 had a "strikingly similar" effect to napalm as confirmed in August 2003 by the US military representatives Col. Randolph Alles and Col. Michael Daily.
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Customers rushed to buy the new handsets Staff cheered as throngs of excited customers made their way into Apple's flagship store in London. A small number of Apple fans keen to get hold of the handset had started queuing at stores overnight and numbers swelled to around 300 for the launch. First out of the store with the £269 internet enabled device was 20-year-old north London student Tom Jasinski who said "It was worth the wait". "I got here 26 hours ago," he told PA. "It is a great piece of hardware. It is a great thing and I love it." The BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones described the scene in London as "mayhem". He said before the doors opened at the store, Apple staff were walking up and down the lines of people "whipping them into a frenzy". The internet enabled handset has also gone on sale at more than 1,300 other stores around the UK with each customer limited to two handsets each. The first European handsets were sold at the T-Mobile store in Cologne, Germany just after midnight on Friday morning. T-Mobile's parent company Deutsche Telekom said it had sold over 10,000 iPhones in Germany by late afternoon. "It was love at first sight," one 50-year-old man told Reuters news agency. The iPhone will go on sale in France on 29 November and Asia in 2008. Lock-down Although the wait is over for some fans, there are concerns that consumers are only able to use the phone with the 02 mobile network. GEEK TEST N95 versus iPhone The phones can be unlocked for use on other networks but this voids the warranty and could break the device if software updates from Apple are installed. As many as 250,000 users in the US have unlocked the device using free and paid-for software to make the phone work on different networks, and to load third-party software not supported by Apple. Critics have pointed out that the device, while boasting an innovative user interface which makes it simple to use, lacks technology found in rival phones. The iPhone only works on slower 2G networks, limiting its usefulness as a mobile web browser, but it does also connect to wi-fi hotspots. In the UK, iPhone owners can connect to the net for free at thousands of The Cloud's hotspots. Greg Joswiak, head of marketing for the iPhone, denied that the phone had sacrificed function over form by choosing 2G. "We wanted to make sure that we had a very small device and good battery life. You can't do that today with 3G. Talk time "It's just too power hungry, which is why most 3G phones have nowhere near eight hours of talktime." GEEK TEST Fans queuing One of the iPhone's big rivals, the Nokia N95, has four hours of talk time on a 2G network, while Apple's device has up to eight hours, according to technical specifications provided by both firms. Customers have to pay in advance for the iPhone and cannot get it free on a mobile contract. The Apple phones costs £269 and the minimum monthly contract with O2 is £35. Jonathan Arber, an analyst with Ovum, said: "In the long term it will be interesting to see how consumers will react to having to pay for this device. "Obviously in the UK most consumers are used to getting their devices for free." Mr Arber also pointed out that the UK mobile market is predominantly made up of pre-pay users. I don't like be imposed upon as to which network I want to switch to iPhone unlocker Daryl "That's a huge section of the market that is not going to be purchasing an iPhone. In the contract segment there are a lot of people who are not going to pay £35 a month. "But for a large group of people the iPhone is certainly an attractive proposition." According to analysts M:Metrics 10% of 16,000 mobile phone users surveyed in the UK expressed strong interest in buying the iPhone. Fifty per cent of the survey sample with a strong interest had not paid for their current phone and almost half were on a pre-pay contract. 'Love experience' Apple has sold 1.4 million iPhones since it went on sale in the US and O2 and T-Mobile are expecting strong sales. Graham Gilbert was the first to buy the iPhone at the London store "We assume that the device will find a very good reception on the market," said Rene Bresgen, a spokesman for Deutsche Telekom, owners of T-Mobile in Germany. More than a 1,000 O2 shops, Carphone Warehouse stores and Apple shops are expected to sell the device. Some iPhone owners in the UK have not been content to wait for the official release and have bought the device in the US and unlocked it for use on any network. One owner, called Daryl, told BBC News he had bought 14 phones in the US for himself and friends and unlocked them. He said he had unlocked his original phone because he didn't want to be tied to one network. "I like the current network I am on and I'd like to stay with that network. I don't like be imposed upon as to which network I want to switch to. "Also the actual O2 network doesn't have very good coverage where I live; Orange has good coverage where I live, that's why I chose them first, and why I want to stay with them." ||||| iPhone UK launch: everything you need to know This Friday is I-Day here in the UK, as the iPhone finally goes on sale here in Blighty. We're a few months behind the US, but anticipation is still running high for launch day. With that in mind, here's a beginner's guide to the UK iPhone launch... Where and when can I get one? The iPhone goes on sale this Friday at 6.02pm (O2, see) in Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse stores on the high street, which is more than 1,300 shops. However, you'll also be able to buy one from the comfort of your desktop, since all three will be selling the iPhone online too. Apple will be holding free workshops and training sessions on Saturday at its stores, while O2 says it's hired hundreds of iPhone experts to lurk in-store and help buyers out. How much will it cost? The iPhone itself will cost £269, but you'll need to sign up for an 18-month O2 contract too. The operator is offering three tariffs: £35 a month gets you 200 voice-call minutes and 200 texts, while £45 a month gives 600 minutes and 500 texts, and £55 a month gives 1,200 minutes and 500 texts. In all cases, you get unlimited data - which O2 has confirmed really will be unlimited. How many iPhones can I buy? Just two per person, on a first-come first-served basis. Apple is keen to nix the plans of resellers, particularly those who might hack the iPhone to work on other operators. I can hack it? Hmm. Well, the UK iPhone is shipping with the latest firmware, which fixes some of the loopholes exploited by crafty hackers in the US to unlock the handset. In other words: no. But of course, it'll only be a matter of time before coders find their way around the new firmware and produce new unlocking solutions, so if you really want to use your iPhone with a non-O2 SIM card, you probably won't have to wait that long. How will I activate the iPhone? The good news is you won't have to do it in-store. Apple says you'll be able to activate your iPhone using the iTunes application on your PC or Mac, which will include choosing your tariff and activating the device. Be warned: you'll need an existing iTunes Store account, or at least a credit card handy to register your details. You'll also need the latest version of iTunes, which should be available on the day. Is the UK iPhone 3G? No. You can expect to be surfing the Web using the slower EDGE network, although it is faster than GPRS. However, O2 is keen to promote its deal with Wi-Fi hotspot provider The Cloud, which is offering unlimited free use of its network of hotspots to iPhone owners here in the UK. That's over 7,500 hotspots, which will be partial consolation for the lack of 3G. Can I get it on pay-as-you-go? Nope, sorry. In the US, there were reports that if you failed the credit check, you could switch to a pay-as-you-go contract for the iPhone, but O2 has confirmed that this won't be the case in the UK: "If you do not pass the credit check, you will not be able to activate your iPhone. You'll need to return the iPhone in as new condition with all the original packaging and accessories to the original point of purchase, with proof of purchase and the email confirming activation failure within 14 days of receipt for a full refund." We'll be covering the lead-up to the UK iPhone launch throughout the week, as will Shiny's dedicated iPhone blog iPhonic, so watch these spaces!
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The London Apple store The iPhone Queues have started to form today outside the London Apple store for the launch of the iPhone. The phone launches tomorrow at 6.02 p.m. UTC exclusively onto the O2 network amid controversy. The iPhone was launched five months ago in the United States and is set to launch in the United Kingdom and Germany tomorrow. Many people have braved the poor weather and have set up camp in the street in a bid to be the first of many thousands to buy the product on the first day of it's release in the UK. Apple have already sold 1.4 million of the units in the US, some of which have already been imported into the UK un-officially. The cost of the device is set as £269 on a minimum £35 per month contract and will be sold at The Carphone Warehouse, O2 and Apple Stores across the UK. The iPhone has a touch screen display and can act as a phone, text device, web browser, music player and email client all in one. The launch of the product onto one phone network only has caused controversy internationally and has led to many people using free and paid methods of unlocking the phone to be able to use it on other networks even though it voids the warranty. Apple replied to this move by releasing software patches that, when installed, will prevent functionality of the phone.
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Sky Television's monopoly on digital broadcasting in New Zealand has finally been broken with the launch of a new service, Freeview . The $75 million government-backed project means the entire country can now watch free-to-air television using digital signals provided by satellite. Wednesday's launch of Freeview promises an even greater choice of channels and programmes for consumers. Freeview will initially broadcast TV One, TV2, TV3, C4, Maori Television, Radio New Zealand National and Radio New Zealand Concert. More channels will be added. But the new digital era comes at a cost, and viewers will have to decide whether it's worth it. It's being hailed as the most significant broadcasting event since the launch of colour television 30 years ago. Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey says it's financially important to make the shift. "We know that if we do this, within the next six to ten years then the financial gain for the country is around $230 million," he says. Advertisement What it costs Freeview means that people who have struggled with poor analogue signals can now get a crystal clear digital picture. But setting up could set you back around $600 if you need a professionally installed set-top box and satellite dish. "I might just have to miss out on meals out and takeaways for a few months," says David Wilson, a potential Freeview customer. The basic requirement is a set-top box, and the Freeview consortium has certified two pre-tuned models which retail for almost $300 each. But the broadcasting minister offered some free advice at Wednesday's launch. "You can buy alternative ones for 167 dollars already. We know that once this all starts to roll the costs of these things will start to drop as they always do," Maharey says. Chinese-made set-top boxes cost $160 and Satlink managing director Peter Escher's whole do-it-yourself package is half the official cost. Escher says the package comprises a very simple dish for a caravan or a mobile home, and a satellite meter. "And you just line up the dish with a sat meter and away you go." The receiver, dish and meter costs about $240 , he says. But people with a Sky dish can use that for Freeview. "You can use existing dishes whether it be Sky or another service provider that you might have used in the past. So those dishes are usable," says Jason Newlove, Dick Smith store manager. Channels and content Freeview's ultimate success will hinge on new channels and content. TV ONE has promised a lifestyle channel later this year plus a news and information channel, but other broadcasters remain secretive. "We'll advise our competitor at the last possible moment," says Brent Impey, CanWest chief executive. Analysts say Freeview needs quality programmes to capture public imagination. Media analyst Wilson Owen says content is king in television. "And all we're getting on Freeview is the existing free-to-air channels. Until there's some premium content on there it won't be a threat to Sky," he says. However sky still faces a loss of revenue. Thousands of viewers who pay Sky $18 a month to watch free-to-air television could switch to Freeview. But Freeview expects only 20,000 viewers in its first year, compared with Sky's 690,000 subscribers. Escher says Sky has its own market. "It's sort of untouchable, I think Sky. And Freeview appeals to people that just don't want Sky - just want simple, simple free-to-air TV." And while people in remote areas might rush at the chance to see clearly now, city dwellers may wait until next year's launch of digital terrestrial television, which uses a UHF aerial and needs a different set-top box. National sceptical Prior to the launch, National's broadcasting spokesman Dr Jonathan Coleman said the government was told at the start of the process that for digital TV to thrive, two key components were needed - quality content to make sure people will actually watch it, and some certainty about when the analogue signal will be turned off. Coleman said in refusing to give any detail on either front, Maharey is dodging his responsibilities. But Maharey says the success of free to air digital TV is in the hands of New Zealand's broadcasters. He says they have got 13 extra channels that can be taken advantage of and it is up to them to maximise the network's potential. Maharey says the government won't be able to set a date to turn off the analogue network until the digital service has been up and running for a while. Latest Close Up Video ||||| Freeview Digital Television and Radio Launches Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 Freeview Digital Television and Radio Launches Today From approximately 1:00pm today, New Zealanders will be presented with the opportunity to watch their favourite programmes in crystal clear, high resolution, digital quality for free, courtesy of the new Freeview television and radio platform. “The ‘switch on’ event at the Auckland Museum marks the start of the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting and is as significant an event as the introduction of colour television more than 30-years ago,” says Steve Browning, General Manager, Freeview. “Every New Zealander can now receive digital television with no monthly fees and no contracts. They simply purchase a Freeview satellite set top box, and if they need one, install a dish, and their favourite television programmes are free,” he adds. Freeview will initially broadcast TV One, TV2, TV3, C4, Maori Television, Radio New Zealand National and Radio New Zealand Concert. More channels will be added in due course. Freeview set top boxes can be purchased from New Zealand's leading appliance retailers. Approved Freeview boxes include a free eight day Electronic Programme Guide known as the Freeview EPG, automatic scanning of new channels and interactive capability. ENDS © Scoop Media
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New Zealand's new digital free to air television platform, Freeview was 'switched on' today at the Auckland Museum by the Government. This is the beginning of digital, and within 10 years, analogue transmission will be switched off for good. Broadcasting minister, Steve Maharey said that it may take time for people to be persuaded to change to Freeview, but says changing to it is necessary. He describes Freeview as the path to a digital nirvana. Broadcasting spokesperson for National Dr Jonathan Coleman says that the Government was told that, for Freeview to work, quality content was needed, otherwise people wouldn't see a need to change. Before the launch of Freeview, the only way New Zealanders could watch digital TV was to subscribe to the only pay TV operator, SKY Network Television. Viewers who have bought the required NZ$300 set top box can only watch TV ONE, TV2, TV3, C4, and Māori Television. Radio New Zealand National and Radio New Zealand Concert are also available on Freeview to listen to. The most notable exception from the current line up of channels is SKY's free to air channel, Prime. There is a possibility for an extra 13 channels to be added at a later date. State broadcaster, Television New Zealand (TVNZ), who owns TV One and TV2, announced earlier that they will be launching two new channels. One will carry family, arts and entertainment type programmes and the other will be a news and current affairs channel. The former will be launched later this year, and the latter being launched next year. As well as the $25 million the Government has already contributed to Freeview, TVNZ's new channels will be given $79 million over five years. Various local broadcasters are also worried how they will survive when the analouge transmission is turned off. The Regional TV Broadcasters Association Chairman Jim Blackman has estimated the cost for regional broadcasters to be up to $1 million annually. He says the Government needs to help these broadcasters for them survive. "Every New Zealander can now receive digital television with no monthly fees and no contracts. They simply purchase a Freeview satellite set top box, and if they need one, install a dish, and their favourite television programmes are free," Freeview General Manager, Steve Browning said. Freeview terrestrial transmission will start sometime next year. Controversy has been thrown up recently that Sky has told its contractors not to help install set top boxes for Freeview. SKY refused to comment to Radio New Zealand about this. Mr Browning said that the launch is as significant as the launch of colour television was 30 years ago.
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The hospital said it is reviewing its processes A 27-year-old-man has died from an overdose during a cancer drugs trial at the University College London Hospital. Gary Foster, from Waltham Abbey, Essex, was given double the amount of chemotherapy he should have been prescribed, the hospital said. The hospital's computer system has been blamed for an error in the set-up of the trial which led to the death. Another cancer patient who was also exposed to an overdose during the drug trial has survived. The hospital said it has reviewed its drugs testing procedures and processes and has "made all appropriate changes to improve patient safety in response to this accident". 'Additional checks' University College London Hospital, in Euston Road, north London, said Mr Foster, who suffered from "very widespread testicular cancer", had been treated at the hospital since he was referred last June. A statement from the hospital said: "He was treated intensively and, despite an initial improvement in his condition, died as a result of drug toxicity. "The measures introduced to address the lessons the trust has learnt include: a second separate check by senior pharmacy staff in collaboration with the supervising consultants of all protocols on the trust's electronic chemotherapy prescribing system and additional checks by nurses of the chemotherapy toxicity for every patient before repeated doses are given." The coroner's report of Mr Foster's inquest is awaited. ||||| Gary Foster, 27, was repeatedly given twice the amount of chemotherapy drugs he should have been prescribed. He was due to be married this month. Reports have said his death was caused by an error in the setting up of the trial on the computer system at University College London Hospital (UCLH). A second patient was affected by the same mistake, but survived. When the MRC suspected patients had been given overdoses, instead of calling the hospital immediately it wrote a letter - which a nurse at UCLH failed to open until two days after Mr Foster had died. Mr Foster's mother Colleen said: "Gary was slowly poisoned to death. "We just thought Gary was getting tired because of the chemotherapy." The incident raises fresh questions about the safety of medical testing in Britain. Two years ago six men almost died in the so-called "elephant man" case at Northwick Park Hospital, North London. Their bodies swelled horrifically after they were given the experimental drug TGN1412. UCLH has been forced to suspend the trial, called TE23, which tests whether a combination of five drugs is better at treating testicular cancer than the standard treatment of three drugs. It has, however, being continued at other UK hospitals. Mr Foster, a graphic designer, had just been diagnosed with testicular cancer. He was told he had a 60 per cent chance of survival. The disease has a 95 per cent survival rate when caught early. Mr Foster was told about the TE23 trial and told that if he was accepted on to it, his chances of survival would increase. His fiancée, Paula Collins, 35, told The Sunday Times: "When Gary became involved in the trial, we thought it was fantastic news because we thought Gary's chance of survival would be greater and the care would be better. "The trial sister said: 'Good news, Gary, you have been selected for the trial.' At UCLH they said, 'Don't worry, testicular cancer is curable. We will monitor Gary for 10 years – you don't have to worry.' They made us feel so confident." Mr Foster received the drugs during visits to UCLH between June and September 2007. On seven occasions, he received 30,000 units of bleomycin - of one of the five drugs - instead of 15,000. A third patient died at a different hospital after receiving an overdose of the same drug due to an error by a nurse or doctor. However the Medical Research Council (MRC), the government body which ran the trial, said the drug was not the direct cause of his death. An inquest heard Mr Foster began to show signs of deterioration after taking the drugs. Eventually he developed a dry cough, a symptom of damage to his lungs that had been caused by the overdose of bleomycin. The lung damage was eventually fatal. The inquest heard the cough should have been recognised by doctors and nurses as a warning sign. However, he was given a final dose. Miss Collins said: "We had dreams and lots of plans together. Gary also had his own ambitions. We were supposed to be getting married. He was such a lovely person. He was so well liked and had so many friends." "We do need trials but there need to be more controls," Collins added. "I would encourage other people thinking about taking part in trials to proceed with caution. I would hate to think of anyone else going through what we have gone through." "Checks should have been carried out. It is incomprehensible that they were dealing with the most dangerous medicines and they were so blasé. It was so slapdash." Mrs Foster said: "An overdose gives the impression that it was a one-off. It was seven times. "Every week my poor Gary was going into hospital, we thought he was getting better but, actually, he was being slowly poisoned and poisoned to death." In a statement, UCLH said: "We would like to reiterate our deepest sympathy and condolences to the family and friends of Mr Foster." It said it has introduced measures to make medical tests safer. The MRC said it had reviewed its trial procedures as a result of Mr Foster's death and subsequently introduced additional checks.
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Mr. Foster suffered from testicular cancer Gary Foster, a British cancer patient, has died after a hospital computer error. The twenty-seven-year-old was undergoing a trial at the University College London Hospital when an apparent computer system error led to him repeatedly receiving double the amount of chemotherapy needed. Foster had been treated for testicular cancer since June. He had improved temporarily after the overdose but died due to drug toxicity. Another patient suffered an overdose during the trial but survived. Gary Foster was engaged, with wedding plans this month. He had been working as a graphic designer when he was diagnosed with cancer and a sixty percent survival rate. According to his fiancée, Paula Collins, the couple had been relieved to be included in drug trials as they had been told his chances of survival would increase. He had slowly received the overdoses over a period of four months. His mother said he had been "slowly poisoned." University College London Hospital reviewed its procedures and has made sufficient changes for future patient safety. The lesson it has learned, hospital officials stated, was to include "a second separate check by senior pharmacy staff … for every patient before repeated doses are given." Suspected overdoses were reported through written letters, which hospital staff left unopened for two days. While a coroner's report is in progress, investigators said the drug had not directly caused Foster's death despite his health deteriorating after the overdoses began.
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Associated Press Four united Nations anti-narcotics staff and two Bolivian military pilots died when their aeroplane crashed in the west of the country. The Bolivian air force said the Cessna, missing since Thursday, had been flying over the main coca-growing area in Los Yungas when it hit a tree. The four UN staff worked for the Office on Drugs and Crime, monitoring the production of coca – the key ingredient of cocaine. The aircraft was found on Saturday in a remote region of Inquisivi, about 75 miles from the capital, La Paz. ||||| (CNN) -- A Bolivian Air Force plane missing since Thursday crashed in a remote, mountainous area, killing two pilots and four United Nations workers, a U.N. official said Saturday. A day earlier, a local mayor claimed to have found the plane and its passengers safe and sound, but the Air Force on Saturday found the wreckage, confirming that that was not the case. "The plane was completely destroyed and burned," Robert Brockmann, spokesman for the U.N. field office in Bolivia, told CNN. The plane was found northeast of La Paz, the capital, in an overgrown area with steep cliffs, Brockmann said. The closest village to the site of the wreckage is La Merced, though it was not easily accessible, he said. The cause of the crash has not been determined. The four U.N. workers belonged to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. They were identified as Ivan Alfaro, Patricia Delgado, Cinthia Moreno and Stephan Campos. At the time of its disappearance, the plane was carrying out an overflight of coca-producing areas in the Los Yungas region of the country, north of La Paz. It was the last week of what had been months of such overflights. The plane had left El Alto International Airport in La Paz at 10:30 a.m. Thursday and was expected back at 2:30 p.m. The Air Force initiated a search after the plane never returned. ||||| UN anti-drugs staff die as plane hits tree in Bolivia The plane went down in the Yungas region, north-east of the capital, La Paz Continue reading the main story Related Stories Four UN anti-narcotics staff and two Bolivian military pilots died when their plane crashed in western Bolivia, officials in the country have said. The Bolivian Air Force said the Cessna, missing since Thursday, had been flying over the country's main coca-growing area in Los Yungas when it hit a tree. The four UN staff worked for the Office on Drugs and Crime, monitoring coca. Bolivia has seen an increase in the cultivation of coca, from which cocaine is derived. Bolivian Air Force General Tito Gandarillas told reporters it went down after a direct impact against a tree 50m (164ft) high. He said the bodies would take some time to be recovered. "The place is completely inaccessible in a very tall forest," he said. UN officials said the plane had been carrying out coca-monitoring duties when it came down in the heavily wooded area. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Bolivia is the third largest producer of coca leaf after Colombia and Peru.
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is the largest producer of coca in Bolivia. Six people, including four U.N. staff working for the anti-narcotics department in Bolivia, have been killed in a plane crash in a remote area in the west of the country. Two pilots are also among those killed in the accident, which happened in the area, northeast of the capital city, . The aircraft had been missing since Thursday and was found on Saturday morning according to a general in the , who added the light aircraft hit a tall tree and then impacted the ground. Robert Brockmann, a U.N. spokesperson in Bolivia, said the aircraft "was completely destroyed and burned." Investigators have not yet determined what caused the accident, but Brockmann said the aircraft was in an area with overgrown trees and steep cliffs. The bodies of the pilots and U.N. personnel, who had been monitoring the transport of —a plant used to make —over several months, have yet to be recovered because of the remote location of the crash site. "The place is completly inaccessible in a very tall forest," the general said.
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KABUL/WASHINGTON - The United States has killed the leader of the Afghan Taliban in an air strike in a remote border area just inside Pakistan, Afghanistan said, in an attack likely to dash any immediate prospect for peace talks. ||||| Wrongly imprisoned Baha'i dies in Iranian jail -- A Baha'i who was wrongly jailed in Iran for 10 years died in his prison cell of unknown causes on Thursday, 15 December 2005, the Baha'i International Community has learned. Mr. Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, 59, was held in a government prison in Yazd under harsh physical conditions at the time of his death. His death comes amidst ominous signs that a new wave of persecutions of Baha'is has begun. This year so far, at least 59 Baha'is have been arrested, detained or imprisoned, a figure up sharply from the last several years. Arrested in 1995 in Yazd on charges of apostasy, Mr. Mahrami was initially sentenced to death. His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment after an international outcry and widespread media attention. "The worldwide Baha'i community mourns deeply the passing of Mr. Mahrami, who was unjustly held for a decade on trumped-up charges that manifestly violated his right to freedom of religion and belief," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations. "While the cause of his death is not known, Mr. Mahrami had no known health concerns," said Ms. Dugal. "We also know that Mr. Mahrami was forced to perform arduous physical labor and that he had received death threats on a number of occasions. "In this light, there should be no doubt that the Iranian authorities bear manifest responsibility for the death of this innocent man, whose only crime was his belief in the Baha'i Faith," said Ms. Dugal. "In our mourning, we nevertheless hope that Mr. Mahrami's unexplained passing will not go unnoticed by the world at large and, indeed, that his case might become a cause for further action towards the emancipation of the Baha'i community of Iran as a whole," said Ms. Dugal. Born in 1946, Mr. Mahrami served in the civil service but at the time of his arrest was making a living installing venetian blinds, having been summarily fired from his job like thousands of other Baha'is in the years following the 1979 Iranian revolution. Although Iranian officials have asserted that Mr. Mahrami was guilty of spying for Israel, court records clearly indicate that he was tried and sentenced solely on charge of being an "apostate," a crime which is punishable by death under traditional Islamic law. Although Mr. Mahrami was a lifelong Baha'i, the apostasy charge apparently came about because a civil service colleague, in an effort to prevent Mr. Mahrami from losing his job, submitted to a newspaper an article stating that he had converted to Islam. When it later became clear to Iranian authorities that Mr. Mahrami remained a member of the Baha'i community, they arrested him and charged him with apostasy for allegedly converting from Islam to the Baha'i Faith. On 2 January 1996, he was sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court, a conviction that was later upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court. The death sentence against Mr. Mahrami stirred an international outcry. The European Parliament, for example, passed a resolution on human rights abuses in Iran, making reference to Mr. Mahrami's case. The governments of Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States also registered objections. There was also significant media coverage of the case, in Le Monde and Liberation in France, as well as reports by the BBC, Reuters and Agence France Presse. Although the authorities did not publicly bow to international pressure calling for Mr. Mahrami's release, in December 1999 they took the occasion of the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad to declare an amnesty and commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. Since 1978, more than 200 Iranian Baha'i have been killed, hundreds more have been imprisoned, and thousands have been deprived of jobs, pensions and education as part of a widespread and systemic religious persecution by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. As of October, Mr. Mahrami was one of nine Baha'is being held in Iranian prisons. However, all of the others had been arrested in 2005. Mr. Mahrami is survived by his aged mother, his wife, his four children, and his grandchildren. Mr. Mahrami's funeral was held on Friday, 16 December 2005, the same day that the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution expressing "serious concern" over the human rights situation in Iran, making specific mention of the ongoing persecution of the Baha'i community there. (See http://news.bahai.org/story.cfm?storyid=413 >)
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The Bahá'í International Community has claimed that a Bahá'í has died in mysterious circumstances in jail in Yazd, Iran. Dhabihu'llah Mahrami was arrested in 1995 and convicted by an Iranian court of "apostasy" - converting from Islam to another religion. He was sentenced to death, but following protests from the international community the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1999. Mahrami was a lifelong Bahá'í, who was fired from his civil service job after the Iranian revolution in 1979 on grounds of his religion. An article later appeared in a local newspaper stating he had converted to Islam, but Mahrami claimed this had been written by colleague and he had always remained a Bahá'í. After he had repeated this publicly, he was arrested and charged with apostasy. Iranian authorities later claimed he was jailed for spying for Israel, but this was contradicted by the court documents. The Bahá'í community claims that Mahrami had no known health concerns at the time of his death, but had been forced to do arduous labour in prison and had received death threats. They say they hold the Iranian authorities responsible for his death and his only crime was belief in his religion. They claim the Bahá'í community in Iran has suffered an increase in persecution this year, with 59 Bahá'ís arrested so far.
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Ajax reunion as Nürnberg face Everton - Steven Pienaar (right) in action against Larissa (©Getty Images) Three former AFC Ajax team-mates could meet again on the pitch as 1. FC Nürnberg kick off their Group A campaign at home against Everton FC. • Nürnberg are playing their first group stage game of the season while Everton won their opener against Larissa FC 3-1 on Matchday 1. • The two sides have never faced off in UEFA club competition. • They did meet in the first round of the 1965/66 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the predecessor of the UEFA Cup. Everton earned a 1-1 draw in the first leg in West Germany and then prevailed 1-0 at home to progress. • Nürnberg have never encountered English opponents in UEFA competition. • Everton have played four UEFA competition matches against German teams. • They drew 1-1 home and away against VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 1970/71 European Champion Clubs' Cup second round, winning the tie on penalties. It was that tournament's first-ever shoot-out. • They tackled FC Bayern München in the 1984/85 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals, drawing 0-0 in Munich and triumphing 3-1 at home to advance to the final, where they beat SK Rapid Wien 3-1 in Rotterdam. • Thus they have never lost against a Bundesliga side and have drawn both of their previous ties on German soil. • Nürnberg's Tunisia midfielder Jawhar Mnari celebrates his 31st birthday on the day of the match. • There will be an Australian accent to proceedings, with Everton's Sydney-born Tim Cahill lining up against compatriots Michael Beauchamp, Matthew Spiranovic, Dario Vidosic and Joshua Kennedy. • Everton reserve goalkeeper Stefan Wessels played alongside Nürnberg's Bosnia-Herzegovnian international forward, Zvjezdan Misimović, in the FC Bayern München senior and reserve teams between 2000 and 2003. • Everton's South Africa midfielder Steven Pienaar – on loan from BV Borussia Dortmund – was a colleague of Nürnberg's Greece striker Angelos Charisteas and Czech Republic midfielder Tomáš Galásek at Ajax. • Nürnberg have not won a European home game since overcoming Club Atlético de Madrid 2-1 in the 1962/63 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals. They have played only three European home matches since, drawing two and losing one. • Larissa are at home to FC Zenit St. Petersburg in the day's other Group A tie. ©uefa.com 1998-2007. All rights reserved. ||||| By Jonathan Stevenson Everton's Anichebe (left) receives praise from fellow striker Yakubu Anichebe was wrestled to the ground with seven minutes left for Mikel Arteta to score from the spot, before the striker ran through to slot home. The Toffees nearly took the lead after 24 seconds, denied when Jaromir Blazek saved from Arteta and Tim Cahill. Nuremberg created chances of their own but Peer Kluge rifled wide and Dominik Reinhardt was denied by Tim Howard. It was a tough way to finish on the German side after an even contest, but means Everton are now almost certain to progress to the next round. They had to wait so long for their goals but they so nearly went ahead from the game's first attack, Arteta's fierce drive parried away by Blazek into the path of Cahill, the Australian's shot deflected onto a post by Blazek's legs. 606: DEBATE The Toffees were almost left to rue not taking their early opportunity when Joleon Lescott crazily gave the ball away to Ivan Saenko, the striker racing through only to be denied by the advancing Howard. It was turning into an open and exciting encounter with both sides pressing hard for an opener and play switching from end-to-end. Leon Osman found space down the right but his cross just evaded the onrushing Cahill, before Kluge rifled a shot inches wide of Howard's right-hand post as the visitors countered. Everton almost gifted Nuremberg a goal again when Steven Pienaar dummied the ball straight to Reinhardt, but the midfielder's shot was parried away to safety by Howard at full stretch. Just before the break Everton were presented with a golden chance when Blazek weakly punched a corner half-clear, but Yakubu swung and missed from four yards before Blazek pounced on the Nigerian's weak follow-up shot. Leon Osman (right) and Tomas Galasek tussle for possession Proceedings did not slow down after the break either, as both teams went gung-ho for an opener. Everton's defence had looked uncharacteristically nervy all evening and they backed off once again, allowing Marek Mintal to smash in a left-foot shot that Howard again did well to block. At the other end the classy Arteta drilled in a shot from the right that swerved awkwardly in front of Blazek and produced a fumble from the keeper, though no visiting players were on hand to take advantage. But the game turned in the 75th minute, when the tiring Yakubu was replaced by the fresh legs of Anichebe. And how those fresh legs made the difference. The young hitman powered his way into the box and was unceremoniously dumped to the ground by Leandro Glauber, with Arteta coolly dispatching the penalty. Moments later Anichebe picked the ball up wide on the right, surged into the area and expertly tucked the ball past the advancing Blazek from a tight angle. Boss David Moyes will rarely have made a change that made a bigger impact. "He has been struggling with a broken hand and I wasn't sure whether to put him on, just shows what I know! "Overall I thought it was a good performance, we did well enough. They had one or two chances early on as we did, but they are a good side too." Nuremberg: Blazek, Schmidt (Kennedy 76), Glauber (Benko 86), Wolf, Reinhardt, Galasek, Kluge, Mnari, Mintal, Misimovic, Saenko (Pagenburg 85). Subs Not Used: Klewer, Beauchamp, Kristiansen, Engelhardt. Booked: Blazek, Glauber. Everton: Howard, Neville, Yobo, Lescott, Nuno Valente, Arteta, Carsley, Cahill (Jagielka 90), Osman, Pienaar (Hibbert 90), Yakubu (Anichebe 75). Subs Not Used: Wessels, Gravesen, McFadden, Vidarsson. Booked: Nuno Valente, Yobo. Goals: Arteta 83 pen, Anichebe 88. Att: 43,000. Ref: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain).
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Everton defeated Nürnberg 2-0 to move top of Group A in the 2007-08 UEFA Cup. The first chance for the visiting team came just over 20 seconds into the match when Mikel Arteta saw his shot saved by Nürnberg goalkeeper Jaromír Blažek, before Tim Cahill's followup shot was tipped onto the goalposts. Nürnberg had chances from Peer Kluge and Dominik Reinhardt, but Kluge's attempt went just wide of the posts while Tim Howard saved Reinhardt's shot. Everton opened the scoring late in the match when Berti Gláuber brought down Victor Anichebe, giving the visitors a penalty which Arteta converted. Five minutes later Anichebe scored to extend Everton's lead. In the other Group A match of the evening, Zenit Saint Petersburg defeated Larissa 3-2. Everton lead Group A with two wins from two matches and look likely to qualify for the knockout stage. Saint Petersburg are second with four points while Dutch side AZ Alkmaar have one point with a game in hand. Nürnberg, defeated in their only match so far, are fourth in the group and Larissa are bottom with two defeats from two matches.
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The US has announced it is forming a "core coalition" to battle Islamic State (Isis) in Iraq, and has given the new bloc two weeks to finalise plans to help the Baghdad authorities and the Kurds in the north intensify the fight against the militants. Speaking at the Nato summit in Wales, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, said on Friday that the 10-nation coalition would concentrate on shoring up those in Iraq who were fighting against Isis, but said intervention would not extend to western powers sending in troops. "We need to attack them in ways that prevent them from taking over territory, to bolster the Iraqi security forces and others in the region who are prepared to take them on, without committing troops of our own," Kerry told a meeting of the 10 nations that will form the coalition. "Obviously I think that's a red line for everybody here: no boots on the ground." He said the grouping should come up with firm plans by the time the UN general assembly meets for its annual session later this month. The 10 nations are the US, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Poland and Denmark. Significantly, the group does not include any Arab nation and only one of Iraq's six neighbours. The US has launched more than 100 air strikes on Isis positions in northern Iraq in the past month to try to check the progress of the militants, who have seized a vast swath of Syria and Iraq in the past few months. But Pentagon officials have said that this military engagement will only contain the Isis advance, not defeat them, and that a broader strategy and alliance is needed. The decision was made at a joint meeting of defence and foreign office ministers chaired by Kerry and his British counterpart, Philip Hammond. British sources stressed that no request was made by the US at the meeting for the UK or Nato to carry out air strikes. But the agreement of the 10 to attend the meeting under a Nato umbrella is considered a sign that a strong military component is being planned in the campaign against Isis. "The meeting was Nato countries coming together to see, particularly on the diplomatic and political front, how we put together the best support for the countries in the region," a spokesman for David Cameron said. "It is a politically led strategy and no commitment to military action has been taken." He stressed that the next stage of Nato support to Iraq – helping to train the Iraqi armed forces or to supply arms – was dependent on an effective, permanent, inclusive government in Baghdad. The British government also emphasised that the next political stage would be the meeting of the UN general assembly, due to be attended by world leaders including Cameron. It is likely the core coalition will put together a UN resolution endorsing military and political support for the Iraqi forces trying to oust Isis. It remains unclear whether there will be any mention of Syria at this stage, an issue that is likely to cause difficulty for Russia, a permanent member of the UN security council. Cameron was due to discuss the issue with the Turkish prime minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, on Friday afternoon and has already made a commitment to a training mission to help Jordan. The Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, said her country was prepared to join in future air strikes. She said: "The countries that have expressed a willingness to tackle Isil head-on have also looked at what more can be done in terms of air strikes and Australia will respond when a formal request is made. "The red line is combat troops on the ground. There is no interest from any country present to commit combat troops," she said. ||||| The Foreign Secretary welcomed powerful international commitment to support the Iraqi government, help Iraqi and Kurdish forces defend themselves against ISIL and deal with the humanitarian consequences of ISIL’s barbarity. Speaking from the NATO summit in Wales, the Foreign Secretary said: ISIL is not an invincible military force. At every level, military and ideological, we have to challenge their messaging and challenge their capability. It’s going to be a long campaign; not necessarily a military one, but a campaign to turn the tide, to cut off the funding, to undermine the recruiting, to cut off the support that they’re receiving from some of the countries around the world and to push ISIL back. We in Britain have made no commitment to take part in any air strikes as yet, but we’ll certainly consider that possibility if we think that it is the best and most effective way to support a credible and inclusive Iraqi government. This morning (Friday 5 September), Foreign and Defence Ministers from ten countries met to agree an international strategy to counter the threat from ISIL and address the harm it has done to communities in Iraq and Syria. The meeting was jointly convened by the UK and the United States, and led by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and US Secretary of State John Kerry. Speaking after the meeting, the Foreign Secretary said: The clear message coming out of here is that we have to have a comprehensive response to the ISIL challenge. It’s not just about whether or not we should get involved in air strikes. Everyone has a role to play and we should look at all elements, though it is clear we need regional support with a new and inclusive Government of Iraq leading the efforts. Further information The countries in attendance at this morning’s joint UK/US chaired meeting were Canada, Australia, Turkey, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark and Poland. For the latest updates visit the NATO Summit Wales 2014 homepage and @NATOWales on Twitter. Follow @foreignoffice for the latest information from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. ||||| Ukraine crisis: Hopes rise for peace deal in the east Fighting in the east of Ukraine has shown no sign of abating despite hopes for a peace deal Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has expressed careful optimism that a deal could be struck with Russia to end fighting in the east of his country. The BBC's Bridget Kendall says that there could be a breakthrough when talks including Ukraine, Russia and pro-Russia rebels start in Belarus. Western countries meanwhile are preparing to tighten sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine. They are attending the second day of a Nato summit in Newport. The West accuses Russia of sending arms and troops to back the rebels in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies this. Nato leaders are watching closely the outcome of the talks in Belarus between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents amid the splendour of their summit in Wales Pro-Russian rebels are widely reported to be forcing the Ukrainian army into retreat in parts of the east Also on the itinerary on the second day of the summit in Wales is the rise of Islamic State (IS), and Afghanistan where the alliance is due to end its combat operation at the end of this this year. But there is no government in place in Kabul to complete the handover because the outcome of presidential elections earlier this year is still being contested. Taliban militants launched a deadly attack on a government compound on Thursday. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. An IS video released on Tuesday showed the killing of US journalist Steven Sotloff, just days after the group beheaded another American reporter, James Foley. In the latest video, an IS militant is seen threatening to kill a UK hostage, aid worker David Haines, who was seized in March 2013 in Syria's Idlib province. Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen had pledged "seriously" to examine any plea by Iraq to fight IS militants, while UK Prime Minister David Cameron said that his country was deciding whether to arm the Kurds. 'The highest price' Our correspondent says there is a lot at stake at the Nato summit, where President Poroshenko on Thursday confirmed that there was a chance that a deal could be signed in Minsk later on Friday, leading to a ceasefire within hours. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also expressed hope that a deal can be agreed. But President Poroshenko was careful not to sound too upbeat. "Ukraine is paying the highest price," the president said, "including lives of soldiers and innocent civilians. As president of Ukraine I must do my best to stop it." Mr Rasmussen also sounded a note of caution. He warned that previous peace offerings from President Putin had turned out to be smokescreens, and it was not certain he would stop destabilising Ukraine. "Based on experience we have to be cautious," he said. "But... if we are witnessing a genuine effort to find a political solution, I would welcome it." Rebel leaders were quoted as saying they would order a ceasefire at 11:00 GMT on Friday if the peace plan was agreed. On Wednesday, Mr Putin announced a seven-point plan, including a halt to "active offensive operations" by the Ukrainian military and pro-Russia rebels, international ceasefire monitoring, unconditional prisoner exchanges and humanitarian aid corridors. The summit on Thursday called for Russia to end its annexation of Crimea Ukrainian government forces are manning checkpoints in Mariupol - as rebel shelling was heard in surrounding areas The fighting on the ground in eastern Ukraine however is not abating, especially in areas were Ukrainian forces are under fire from pro-Russian rebels and are being beaten back. If a peace deal fails to materialise, our correspondent says, the EU and the US have let it be known that they are poised to announce tough new sanctions against Russia instead. But they have been careful to make clear that further sanctions may be delayed depending on the outcome of the negotiations in Minsk. They will be implemented only if there is no breakthrough and no sign of an end to the recent escalation of Russian military support to rebels in eastern Ukraine. Nato leaders on Thursday agreed new financing to aid Ukraine's military and provide better medical treatment for wounded soldiers in the five-month conflict, which has led to the deaths of more than 2,600 people. A UK government official said the EU would announce - jointly with the US - tougher punitive measures including more restrictions on Russian banking, energy and defence. More of what an official dubbed "Putin cronies" would have travel bans imposed on them. "We will keep the pressure on Putin to force him to the negotiating table and off the battlefield," the official said. Mariupol threatened Ukrainian government forces have recently suffered several losses of territory, after rebels launched offensives in both the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and further south around the city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Reports are emerging that the separatists have begun shelling the outer defences of Mariupol. Eyewitnesses spoke of gunfire. The BBC's Fergus Keane on Mariupol says that explosions could be heard close to the city on Thursday night as rebels push towards it from the recently taken town of Novoazovsk. Our correspondent says that the situation is confused and the atmosphere volatile. ||||| Ukraine ceasefire deal 'signed' The Ukrainian government and pro-Russia rebels meeting in Minsk have signed a preliminary protocol to start a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says. He said that the ceasefire would start at 14:00 GMT. The announcement came after reports of further clashes. Western countries are meanwhile working on further sanctions against Russia. The West accuses Russia of sending arms and troops to back the rebels in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies this. The talks in Minsk, capital of Belarus, involve former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, Russian ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov and leaders of the self-proclaimed "people's republics" in Donetsk and Luhansk. They come after Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward a seven-point peace plan. The plan includes a halt to "active offensive operations" by the Ukrainian military and pro-Russia rebels, international ceasefire monitoring, unconditional prisoner exchanges and humanitarian aid corridors. ||||| NATO leaders at the Wales Summit on Thursday (4 September 2014) pledged to provide strong support to help Ukraine improve its own security at a meeting with Ukraine President Poroshenko. “Our support is concrete and tangible,” said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. “We highly value Ukraine’s contributions to our operations and the NATO Response Force. Ukraine has stood by NATO. Now in these difficult times, NATO stands by Ukraine.” The Secretary General said that Allies have established “a comprehensive and tailored package of measures” to help Ukraine. The focus of NATO support will be on four areas; rehabilitation for injured troops, cyber defence, logistics, and command and control and communications. NATO’s assistance to Ukraine to boost cooperation will amount to around 15 million euros. Thursday’s NATO-Ukraine Commission strongly condemned Russia’s violations of international law. “Russia must stop its aggressive actions against Ukraine, withdraw its thousands of troops from Ukraine and the border regions, and stop supporting the separatists in Ukraine,” said the Secretary General. He also called on Russia to reverse its illegal and illegitimate self-declared “annexation” of Crimea, which Allies do not recognise. Mr. Fogh Rasmussen added that an independent, sovereign and stable Ukraine, firmly committed to democracy and the rule of law “is key to Euro-Atlantic security.” ||||| The White House Office of the Press Secretary FACT SHEET: Wales Summit – NATO’s Changing Role in Afghanistan NATO’s mission in Afghanistan has been the Alliance’s largest and one of its longest-running military operations, with 50 coalition countries contributing a peak of 140,000 troops over a 13-year campaign. The United States, together with NATO Allies and partners, support a sovereign, stable, unified, and democratic Afghanistan and will continue our partnership with Afghanistan based on the principles of mutual respect and mutual accountability. Moreover, we believe that an Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process is the surest way to end violence and ensure lasting stability for Afghanistan and the region. International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Since 2001, ISAF has assisted Afghan authorities in maintaining security and developing the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), per a United Nations mandate and at the request of the Afghan government. The ISAF mission is part of the overall international effort to enable the Government of Afghanistan to exercise its authority throughout the country by providing security and stability to the Afghan people. NATO assumed command of the ISAF mission in August 2003. At the Lisbon Summit in 2010, Afghanistan and ISAF nations, including the United States, committed to transition full responsibility for security to the Afghan Government by the end of 2014. Afghanistan and ISAF nations reaffirmed that commitment in 2012 at the Chicago Summit and took a step further announcing a mid-2013 milestone after which the ANSF would be in the lead for security nationwide and the ISAF role would transition from combat to support. Since June 2013, the ANSF has been in the lead, with modest coalition support, and has exceeded most expectations. Today, ISAF forces focus primarily on training, advising, and assisting their Afghan counterparts. At the end of 2014, the ANSF will assume full responsibility for security and the ISAF mission will end. Resolute Support. At the Wales Summit, NATO Allies and partners reaffirmed their intent to conduct a non-combat train, advise, and assist mission in Afghanistan beyond 2014, known as Resolute Support, contingent upon the Afghans signing a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) and a status of forces agreement (SOFA) with NATO. This new advisory mission would be at the security ministry and national institutional level, with advising to the ANSF at the corps level and advising to Afghan special operations forces at the tactical level. This non-combat mission would be centered in the Kabul-Bagram area, with a regional presence in the north, west, south, and east. It would initially include approximately 12,000 troops. Four Allied nations have agreed to serve as “framework nations” – Turkey will lead in the capital; Germany will lead in the north; Italy will lead in the west; and the United States will lead in the south and east. NATO is prepared to commence this mission at the beginning of 2015. For the United States’ part, President Obama announced on May 27, 2014 that the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan will end by the end of this year and, contingent upon a signed BSA and NATO SOFA, the United States would be prepared to continue “two narrow missions” in Afghanistan after 2014: “training Afghan forces and supporting counterterrorism operations against the remnants of al-Qa’ida.” At the beginning of 2015, we anticipate 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan with the majority participating in the NATO-led Resolute Support mission. By the end of 2015, we would reduce that presence by roughly half, consolidating our troops in Kabul and Bagram Airfield. By the end of 2016, our military presence would shift to a strong security assistance mission based from our embassy. This presence would serve as the basis for sustained security cooperation with the Afghan government and continued coordination with Allies’ and partners’ efforts to advise and assist the Afghan security ministries and to continue to develop ANSF capabilities. Financial Sustainment of the ANSF. At the Wales Summit, NATO Allies and partners renewed their commitment to contribute significantly to the financial sustainment of the ANSF through the end of 2017 and to financially sustain the ANSF throughout the decade of transformation. The international community has pledged nearly €1 billion annually to sustain the ANSF for 2015 through the end of 2017. The United States has requested up to $4.1 billion in our 2015 budget, which would help sustain the ANSF surge end strength of 352,000 through 2015. The United States expects that Afghanistan will assume an increasing portion of ANSF sustainment costs beginning with $500 million in 2015, as agreed at the Chicago Summit. To ensure that donors can confidently commit their financial support to the ANSF over the long term, NATO Allies and partners welcomed the development of effective funding mechanisms including the strengthening of the Afghan National Army Trust Fund and the establishment of the Oversight and Coordination Body. And finally, NATO Allies and partners look forward to working with Afghanistan to review planning for a sufficient and sustainable ANSF beyond 2015. NATO-Afghanistan Enduring Partnership. At the Wales Summit, NATO nations reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen its enduring partnership with Afghanistan, which would serve as the foundation for longer term security cooperation between NATO and Afghanistan.
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Leaders from NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) member states met in Wales over Thursday to Friday in a summit addressing the organisation's role in Afghanistan and new threats from Russia and the Islamic State. NATO member countries __NOTOC__ === Role in Afghanistan === Since the 2010 NATO summit in , countries involved in the (ISAF), NATO's military operation in Afghanistan, have been committed to full transition of security responsibilities to Afghan forces by the end of 2014. This would mark the end of ISAF's 13 year mission in Afghanistan, with troops changing to a training and assistance role. Plans had originally intended for Afghanistan's new President, or President-elect, to attend this year's summit, but due to the political situation and ongoing election process it is still unknown who will replace outgoing President . Bismullah Khan Muhammadi, the country's defence minister, instead attended the summit in the absence of a President. This political stalemate has put at risk NATO plans for a continuing military presence in the country, with troops expected to pull out at the end of the year without new security agreements being signed, signature not possible without a new President in place. NATO members have urged Afghanistan's presidential candidates to reach an agreement, with officials indicating that if no agreement can be reached by the end of the month, then troops would begin to leave. === Threat from Russia=== On Thursday, NATO leaders pledged support for at a meeting with the country's President, , in the face of recent moves from Russia. On their website, NATO outlined four areas where the alliance would provide support for Ukraine, "rehabilitation for injured troops, cyber defence, logistics, and command and control and communications", with assistance expected to have a monetary value of about 15 million (about 19 million). On Friday, peace talks in , resulted in a ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and rebel forces, whom NATO has accused Russia of supporting in their bid for separation of eastern regions of Ukraine. The said sanctions being prepared are likely to go ahead, regardless of the outcome of these talks, until it is seen that Russia is acting upon them. === Threat from Islamic State === On Friday morning, a meeting of ten countries chaired by the UK and agreed to jointly working to combat the threat posed by the Islamic State in the . , US Secretary of State, stated after the meeting that the group should aim to make firm plans and raise support from within the region affected before the annual meeting later this month. , UK Foreign Secretary, also said it was clear that regional support was needed, adding "with a new and inclusive Government of Iraq leading the efforts". It was also announced NATO would help a non-sectarian government, on request, to build defence capabilities in Iraq to help fight the Islamic State, as well as coordinating the humanitarian airlift of supplies. === Increased readiness === Plans for a Readiness Action Plan were agreed at the summit. Speaking on Monday before the summit, NATO's secretary general, , described this as a response to "Russia's aggressive behaviour", but outlined how he hoped it would increase the responsiveness of the alliance to face any security challenge. These plans aim to allow reinforcements to reach any NATO member state within 48 hours, in what Rasmussen described as a "spearhead" of the preexisting . This requires logistical, and headquarters facilities to be set up in Eastern European countries, the ones most under threat from an attack by Russia, or the . These plans are also to be rehearsed through joint military exercises.
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"I think Michael is like litmus paper - he's always trying to learn." -- Elizabeth Taylor, absurd non-sequitir about Michael Jackson ||||| What's new on Gmail? Updated July 14, 2004 You asked. We said they were coming. And now, they're here: Import Contacts You've made a list. You've checked it twice. Now you never have to check it again. Move all your contacts from Yahoo! Mail, Outlook, and others to Gmail in just a few clicks. Then simply rely on our auto-complete feature to fill in your addresses as you're typing. Keep all your contacts in one place and keep in touch with all of them using Gmail. Signature options From the settings page, create a signature that's automatically added to the end of all your outgoing messages. Change it as often as you like, but always get the last word. Safari browser support Everybody's gone surfin'… now Mac OS X's Safari is surfing Gmail as well (versions 1.2.1 and newer). ||||| Since Gmail upgraded everyone's account to over 2GB each I want to know what our readers are thinking of doing with all the extra space. I've had my account for a couple of months and I've only managed to get 1MB of e-mails. What good news lists do you suggest? Besides mailing lists, I guess I'll just start using Gmail more with Gmail Drive and keep a small library of my favorite files ready to send to whoever needs it. Email Entry #2 | Julian (http://www.julian-bez.de/blog/) I've set up redericts in every e-mail account I have, so everything goes to my gmail archive now. #3 | Norgus I'll just use it whenever I need it. Primary contact address, address to sign up to services that don't appear to be pure spam. Newsletters, personal small file sendage (although I often use yousendit if the file is of a medium to large size) I just use email more as a result of gmail being so convienient, I don't go out of my way to deliberately fill the provided space. #4 | minghong (http://minghong.webhop.org) No big change. Still used for email. #5 | Chris G. (http://chrisgonyea.com/) I really wish Gmail would offer the ability for your own personal domain to use the Gmail interface. That would seriously rock. Right now I just use it for webmail access when I am away from my computer. #6 | Tony C Before the storage was upped I had filled about 25% of the limit, now it's down to 13%. To fill mine up, I subscribed to every PCWorld and About.com newsletter. Everytime I'm asked for my email address online, I give them that one. AND, if any ever sends me a large attachment, I get them to send it to Gmail as well. #7 | evil latte (http://smashbot.net) I've added some photos and a couple files that I like to pass along to friends and whoever else. But that's all, nothing more. Its just an email account with a generous amount of storage. To me it's not that different from my Yahoo account. #8 | asqui If you just want to blindly fill up your space then find some high-traffic mailing lists to subscribe to -- preferably in HTML format. I've moved to using Gmail as my primary email hub, and recently started auto-forwarding messages from other accounts to my Gmail account for convenience. So far I'm up to 158MB in seven months of normal usage and I did have concerns about how I'd clean things up if-and-when I reach the limit (you can't export, or sort messages by size!) although this mild concern was further alleviated by the recent jump to over 2GB in quota. (My footer says 2053MB -- yee-har, 5MB extra on top of my 2 binary gigs) By the way, I've heard rumours or speculations that there isn't enforcement for the limit so when you fill it up it just merrily continues saying something like "You are currently using 105% of your space", which sounds fairly plausible -- the number of people exceeding the limit is probably not enough to cause trouble for them. Final tip: If you're subscribing to lists give them an email address in the format [email protected] Mail will still arrive at your inbox ([email protected]) but in future you'll be able to easily identify it (search for "to:+something") and remove it. If you sign-up to mailing lists etc. with a different email address (eg. Register for the New York Times supplying [email protected] as an email address) then you'll also be able to know who compromised your email address when you start receiving spam! #9 | Justin (http://behindtheyellowline.tk) That's an interesting tip... I'll have to try it. Anyway in addition to news headlines I also have a Dilbert comic coming in every day. and like mentioned before, I've forwarded all my past e-mail addresses to my gmail account. #10 | Griffith Isn't Yahoo also upgrading their users accounts to 1GB? #11 | Manny Fleurmond The counter has slowed down considerably. Think it is counting down to the 3GB mark?(possibly by next April's fools?) #12 | Derek Rose (http://www.thefeecalculator.com/) Why do people want to fill it up with junk just because you can? That only means google has to add more storage and spend more money, slowing down the growth for the rest of us that actually use it. #13 | John Novelty? I don't really have much in my gmail account... I use it for semi personal email, it is the email address on my resume and a few of my friends have it but they tend to just call me anyway... #14 | Ian (http://idowens.com) Like evil latte, I keep some files on there that I tend to forward more than others because its quicker than uploading it to my POP server each time. On the other hand, I haven't uploaded tons of files just becasue "I can"...I agree with Derek Rose in that, if you need it, go for it, if not, don't clutter it for kicks & giggles... #15 | Frost Like most everyone else, my Gmail doesn't have a lot in it. It actually gets the least email out of all my accounts. I don't think I'll try to fill it up too hard, since my Yahoo account is full of spam to the point where I ignore it like they said to do when they increased the size to 250MB. #16 | Abhishek Assume: 1 as [email protected] 2 as other email address. Well i tried one thing. I composed a message from 1 and set it to forward to 2. When 2 receives email from 1 I set it to forward again to 1. But this doesn't seem to work. because when last email is forwarded from 2 to 1 it says that message can't be forwarded because the email has a same message-id. #17 | Abhishek Check this site to fill gmail account. Link: http://www.wirzm.ch/goollery/ Post a comment Email this entry to a friend Email this entry to: Your email address: Message (optional): Email information is not stored by us and is only used to send out the email. « Open Source Beer | PSP Contest Tomorrow »
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'''NB''': this subject is also covered in Google doubles Gmail storage, adds text formatting Gmail was yesterday officially 1 year old. After last years announcement of Gmail from Google, which was nicely timed for April fools day. This years Gmail bombshell is that there will be a possibility for infinite storage with Google already moving stroage up to 2GB thats what some paid services offer. Rumours do exsist that you can already fill your Gmail account to more than 100% (105% for example) which is not confirmed in anyway. However could be entirely possible as filling Gmail is proving for me and many others to be difficult. There are reports on slashdot of nice new features on Gmail such as coloured text, a full list can be found on Gmail's help pages.
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Full scorecard - Commentary - Wickets - 3D animation - Partnerships - Wagon wheels - Player v player - Over comparison - Over graphs - Career averages - Match home - Article index (4) - Photo index (17) Twenty20 Int. no. 37 - 18th Match, Group F Australia v Pakistan 2007/08 season Played at (neutral venue), on 18 September 2007 (20-over match) Result Pakistan won by 6 wickets (with 5 balls remaining) Australia innings (20 overs maximum) R M B 4s 6s SR c Mohammad Hafeez b Sohail Tanvir 24 18 12 5 0 200.00 c Younis Khan b Sohail Tanvir 1 6 5 0 0 20.00 b Mohammad Hafeez 27 40 26 3 0 103.84 b Shahid Afridi 29 18 18 5 0 161.11 c Imran Nazir b Sohail Tanvir 37 37 25 3 1 148.00 c Younis Khan b Mohammad Asif 36 36 29 3 0 124.13 run out (Shahid Afridi) 0 3 1 0 0 0.00 not out 2 6 3 0 0 66.66 not out 1 1 1 0 0 100.00 Extras (b 1, lb 3, w 3) 7 Total (7 wickets; 20 overs; 86 mins) 164 (8.20 runs per over) Did not bat , Fall of wickets Bowling O M R W Econ 4 0 34 1 8.50 (2w) 4 0 31 3 7.75 (1w) 4 1 35 1 8.75 4 0 31 1 7.75 4 0 29 0 7.25 Pakistan innings (target: 165 runs from 20 overs) R M B 4s 6s SR c Johnson b Clark 10 12 10 1 1 100.00 c Clarke b Clark 15 15 11 2 1 136.36 lbw b Johnson 11 16 12 2 0 91.66 c Lee b Clark 4 5 3 1 0 133.33 not out 52 58 38 4 2 136.84 not out 66 51 42 7 1 157.14 Extras (lb 1, w 5, nb 1) 7 Total (4 wickets; 19.1 overs; 81 mins) 165 (8.60 runs per over) Did not bat , , , Fall of wickets Bowling O M R W Econ 4 0 30 0 7.50 (1nb) 4 0 35 0 8.75 4 0 27 3 6.75 4 0 28 1 7.00 (4w) 2.1 0 27 0 12.46 (1w) 1 0 17 0 17.00 Toss Pakistan, who chose to field first Points Player of the match Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan) Umpires (England) and (England) TV umpire (Australia) Match referee (England) Reserve umpire Match notes Australia innings Australia: 50 runs in 5.4 overs (37 balls), Extras 6 Restricted overs (0-6) - Australia 58/2 (Symonds 17*, Ponting 10*) Australia: 100 runs in 12.3 overs (78 balls), Extras 7 5th Wicket: 50 runs in 30 balls (MEK Hussey 26, BJ Hodge 24, Ex 0) Australia: 150 runs in 16.6 overs (105 balls), Extras 7 Innings Break: Australia - 164/7 in 20.0 overs (B Lee 2, MG Johnson 1) Pakistan innings Restricted overs (0-6) - Pakistan 40/3 (Salman Butt 7*, Shoaib Malik 1*) Pakistan: 50 runs in 7.2 overs (48 balls), Extras 5 5th Wicket: 50 runs in 33 balls (Shoaib Malik 36, Misbah-ul-Haq 13, Ex 1) Pakistan: 100 runs in 12.4 overs (80 balls), Extras 5 Misbah-ul-Haq: 50 off 35 balls (6 x 4) 5th Wicket: 100 runs in 66 balls (Shoaib Malik 45, Misbah-ul-Haq 56, Ex 2) Pakistan: 150 runs in 17.3 overs (110 balls), Extras 6 Shoaib Malik: 50 off 36 balls (4 x 4, 2 x 6) Twenty20 International Scorer: S Raju Search for an international scorecard from the match/series archive: ||||| Misbah-ul-Haq hit the biggest six of the tournament in his 66 not out The pair came to the crease with Pakistan struggling at 46-4 in the seventh over after Stuart Clark had taken three top-order wickets. Malik ended on 52, while Misbah was unbeaten on 66. The win is likely to secure Pakistan a semi-final place. Earlier, Sohail Tanvir claimed three wickets in Australia's 164-7. Misbah's innings also included the biggest six of the tournament so far, a tremendous front foot drive off Nathan Bracken which travelled an incredible 111m to usurp home favourite Albie Morkel at the top of the big-hitter's league. Malik won the toss and elected to field - and his decision immediately paid dividends when Tanvir had Matthew Hayden (1) caught by Younus Khan at mid-wicket in the second over. Adam Gilchrist (24) played his usual flamboyant innings before slashing an easy catch to Mohammad Hafeez at point in the fourth over. Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds began to repair the early damage, although Symonds was dropped on 26 by Hafeez, who shelled a tough caught and bowled chance in the eighth over. 606: DEBATE It was Shahid Afridi who made the vital breakthrough, bowling Symonds (29) as he attempted to smash the leg-spinner over long-on in the ninth over. And Hafeez then took the vital wicket of Ponting (27) two overs later, bowling the Australian captain as he hit across the line. Hussey and Hodge began to build a dangerous partnership, with Hussey in particular looking dangerous. But left-hander Hussey (37) succumbed when he drilled Tanvir to Imran Nazir in the deep in the final four overs. A superb direct hit from Afridi ran out Michael Clarke before Asif claimed the final wicket of the innings when Hodge (36) holed out to Younus in the deep. Australia got off to the ideal start when Clark ripped through Pakistan's top order, courtesy of undisciplined batting from Imran Nazir (10), Hafeez (15) and Younus (4), all of whom were dismissed playing needlessly expansive strokes. But thanks to their intelligent partnership, Malik and Misbah guided Pakistan through a rough patch to mount the perfect opportunity to counter-attack, pinpointing the off-spin of Symonds as a weak link. The pair plundered 17 from the 14th over of the innings, bowled by Symonds, to give them a target of 31 from 30 balls. And the duo reached the winning runs courtesy of a wide from Symonds with five balls to spare. Australia vice-captain Adam Gilchrist: "We always felt the total was a bit shy. I don't think our bowlers let us down, it was with the bat where we let ourselves down. "It always felt like a reasonable wicket. We've seen the way the ball gets to the boundary rope here. "We felt that in those conditions we were probably 15 or 20 runs short to really be confident of winning."
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Pakistan defeated Australia by six wickets in the Super 8 stage of the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa. Australia lost early wickets, with Matthew Hayden caught on one run in the first over. Adam Gilchrist made 24 before being removed in the fourth over. Andrew Symonds and Ricky Ponting added a 48 run partnership but Shahid Afridi bowled Symonds for 29 runs and Mohammad Hafeez bowled Ponting, who made 27. Michael Hussey (37) and Brad Hodge (36) shared 63 runs to help Australia to 164-7, while Sohail Tanvir took 3-31 for Pakistan. In response Pakistan were reduced to 46-4 in the seventh over as Australia's bowlers made breakthroughs. Stuart Clark took three wickets, dismissing Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez and Younis Khan cheaply, while Salman Butt fell lbw to Mitchell Johnson. However Shoaib Malik (52 not out) and Misbah-ul-Haq (66 not out) claimed victory and a likely semi-final place for Pakistan. '''Toss:''' Pakistan won, and chose to field first. '''Fall of wickets:''' 1-8 (Hayden, 1.3 ov), 2-32 (Gilchrist, 3.4 ov), 3-80 (Symonds, 8.5 ov), 4-92 (Ponting, 11.1 ov), 5-155 (Hussey, 17.5 ov), 6-159 (Clarke, 18.4 ov), 7-162 (Hodge, 19.3 ov) '''Did not bat:''' N W Bracken, S R Clark '''Fall of wickets:''' 1-25 (Imran Nazir, 3.1 ov), 2-27 (Mohammad Hafeez, 3.4 ov), 3-35 (Younis Khan, 5.1 ov), 4-46 (Salman Butt, 6.4 ov) '''Did not bat:''' Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir '''Australia:''' A C Gilchrist (wkt), M L Hayden, R T Ponting (capt), A Symonds, M E K Hussey, B J Hodge, M J Clarke, B Lee, M G Johnson, N W Bracken, S R Clark '''Pakistan:''' Salman Butt, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik (capt), Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal (wkt), Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir '''Man of the Match:''' Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan) '''Umpires:''' M R Benson (England) and N J Llong (England) '''TV Umpire:''' D J Harper (Australia) '''Match Referee:''' B C Broad (England) '''Reserve Umpire:''' K H Hurter (South Africa)
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Asian Nations Pledge to Double Wild Tiger Numbers The commitment to re-populate wild tigers was made in Thailand at the first Asia ministerial conference on tiger conservation and was welcomed by conservation groups. Photo: AP Thirteen Asian countries have pledged to double their numbers of wild tigers by 2022, the next Chinese year of the tiger. Human encroachment and poaching have devastated wild tiger populations. Representatives from the thirteen Asian nations with wild tiger populations agreed Friday to aim for a doubling of wild tiger numbers in the next twelve years. The tiger range nations pledged to better protect wild tigers and their habitats. The commitment to re-populate wild tigers was made in Thailand at the first Asia ministerial conference on tiger conservation and was welcomed by conservation groups. Michael Baltzer, is in charge of the global tiger initiative for the conservation group WWF (World Wildlife Fund), says time is running out to save wild tigers. "This is important because the tigers are in a serious decline and it's really the tipping point for tigers," he said. "This is the Year of the Tiger and it's the year that all of the concerned organizations have come together and said enough is enough. We really need to turn around the future for wild tigers and so it's really this year or never." The meeting in Thailand was organized in part by the Global Tiger Initiative, a coalition of the World Bank, conservation groups, and the Smithsonian Institute that aims to repopulate wild tigers. "You know if you save the tiger, you are saving the habitat for a lot of other species," said Keshav Varma, the program director for the World Bank's Global Tiger Initiative. "So the tiger is symbolic about this and as the apex and the most charismatic species, it is drawing attention to the habitat and to the prey base, to encroachment, to corruption, to so many issues." Tigers are found wild in China, Russia and most of South and Southeast Asia. But whereas a century ago there were an estimated 100,000 wild tigers found from Iran to Indonesia to Russia, now around 3,500 are believed to live in only seven percent of their original territory. The WWF says a poaching epidemic has wiped out much of the wild tiger population. Tigers are killed so their bones and organs can be sold as expensive Chinese folk medicines. Intensive hunting of tiger prey and infrastructure development has also contributed to reducing wild tiger numbers. ||||| Posted Fri, 08 May 2015 13:40:09 GMT by Paul RobinsonWhat are we going to do about energy production, while the Paris Summit on carbon emissions looms in December? While we twiddle our thumbs, global warming is worsening at a faster and faster pace. Each individual on earth needs to act like his personal government and environmental agent, to gain a fuller appreciation of how technology and 'new' thinking can prevent such vast amounts of emissions. Many solutions are being found, but they have to appear this year. Otherwise, the winter in Paris could be uncomfortable in so many different ways. Posted Mon, 04 May 2015 11:09:54 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe future is talked about, the climate is changing, but when will we finally stop the rot. Forests are essential but from Japanese furniture to cardboard and toilet paper, they are still being used illogically and incomprehensibly by people who all know better. The time has come to prevent the disappearance of these trees and all the animals that live in, on and around them. This is a desperate time for us and all the other species around forests. Posted Fri, 01 May 2015 08:42:42 GMT by JW DoweyConservation is not only about the big animals. The plants, their consumers and the rest of an ecosystem may not catch headlines, but involving them and indigenous populations is crucial to our last ditch efforts to keep these organisms alive in their habitat. Posted Wed, 29 Apr 2015 08:39:05 GMT by Dave ArmstrongGreat research requires a similar amount of attention, as we concentrate on climate change and global warming. One of our most significant assets is the Amazonian forests that absorb more of our carbon dioxide than any other. Here is a possible link to the answers we need to preserve this vitally-important function and our own world as we know it. Posted Mon, 27 Apr 2015 08:14:25 GMT by Dave ArmstrongWhile plastic and chemicals destroys turtles at sea, the nesting sites are receiving much more care now to ensure the rarest species can still slowly reproduce. There are officially none more cared-for than Jumby Bay on an island off Antigua. The private island situation helps, but any extra aid has to count with all critically endangered species that we so often have to save from extinction. Posted Sat, 25 Apr 2015 09:21:29 GMT by JW DoweyWhen they look back at us, will they laugh, or just point at achievements that led to a future of eco-living, wildlife management that works and fossils that belong only in museums. Posted Fri, 24 Apr 2015 09:29:11 GMT by Dave ArmstrongNeonicotinoids have devastated the bee populations on all continents, but one way to fight this insidious neuronal and behavioural attack on our major pollinators is to investigate their most intimate genetic secrets and help them by understanding how they survive their natural threats. We could have made things much worse for animals, but we can also understand better now how to help them in so many ways. Those fruit orchards are going to be very empty if we dont. Posted Wed, 22 Apr 2015 12:20:33 GMT by Dave ArmstrongWhich one will bite you? The parent of Romulus and Remus or that next-door mut that is always chained up? Posted Tue, 21 Apr 2015 09:14:16 GMT by Paul RobinsonHow soon will real solar harvesting take place on a truly large scale, that will make our use of fossil fuels truly obsolete? That question still needs a really astute answer, but the time is rapidly approaching, even if this new hybrid photosynthesis fails to deliver quickly enough. Posted Mon, 20 Apr 2015 08:22:41 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe need to get pure bred animals back into the wild as well as create a genetic diversity from all available stock is emphasised in this exercise. Swedish crocs are being sent to their Cuban origins to help increase both survival and genetic stock. Posted Thu, 16 Apr 2015 08:56:28 GMT by JW DoweyThe most intriguing species are often those that have adopted unusual shape and size as means to their special species needs. Stag beetles now appear to stand out as one of the most remarkable and numerous speciations from a basic model of battling males. Some species survive because flight is used as an alternative to walking those mandibularare so heavy! Posted Wed, 15 Apr 2015 09:17:31 GMT by JW DoweyThe consideration of all factors in your environment is a policy that escapes most politicians, many scientists and even you. Water is inescapable, becoming more scarce and highly useful for normal life. Just ask a Martian. When we look back on the 21st century, and not the 20th as we do here, it is certain that water will be seen as one of the most critical losses from our societies, from the African deserts, to the American groundwater crises; from Manilas complex water privatisation to simple pollution by nuclear, chemical and fuelling industries. Posted Tue, 14 Apr 2015 08:06:05 GMT by Dave ArmstrongHow do gibbons maintain their small family groups? Could they have slightly larger family groups and would this work in similar ways to those found in other primates? Fascinating questions especially given the threatened species of gibbon and the rapidly disappearing habitat of those magnificent forest canopies, 100m or more than 300 feet above the ground. Posted Sun, 12 Apr 2015 16:56:57 GMT by Dave ArmstrongGoogle Glass could be a flash in the pan, bullet-proof glass is so passé. In the future we could all be invisibly surrounded by energy-harvesting, smart windows, powering our electronic devices and maintaining the indoor environment in the most efficient manner. Posted Thu, 09 Apr 2015 09:36:17 GMT by Dave ArmstrongHow to prevent the tragic loss of life among Australias native fauna? The process of rapid extinctions over the past few centuries show little sign of declining without powerful efforts from the population, government and action groups. Leadbetters possum sets the target for preserving the habitat for a very rare, almost invisible animal, terribly threatened but worth conserving as an example for many others. Posted Wed, 08 Apr 2015 08:50:00 GMT by Paul RobinsonMimicry is a true natural wonder, while many of us have looked at butterflies and wondered if their mimicry really works. We are not the predator, so we cannot envisage the exact moment of attack, when lives are lost or beaks are mistakenly directed at the wrong part of the prey. Any chance of escape is a lifeline! Posted Fri, 03 Apr 2015 19:20:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe race for solar power is on as fossil fuel investments areand renewable technologies increase their percentages of many nations electricity production. The first major solar power project in every country is a real measure of progress. Uzbekistan stands out as having enormous amounts of solar potentials but with a current 89% usage of fossil fuels. To turn the tables on this energy budget would be a truly great achievement. Posted Tue, 31 Mar 2015 03:31:02 GMT by Paul RobinsonThere is little we can do to stop large corporations and various forms of government from riding roughshod over our communities' best interests. Or is there?! Posted Sat, 28 Mar 2015 04:30:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongIt is likely that more writers and scholars have written about Samarqand than any other ancient city. The place teems with ghosts of long-gone civilisers, - and decivilisers, Amirs and zealots, soldiers of both fortune and dedication, but I love it. Thanks, Mohi! The Earth Times site and content have been updated. We do apologise, as this may mean that the article or page you were looking for has changed. The Earth Times now focuses on producing and publishing our own unique content on environmental issues, which is written by our own team of expert authors and journalists. We now publish environmental news articles and information on various environmental problems. You can use the site search at the top of each page, otherwise there are links to some of the main site categories and green blogs we publish included on this page. Some of the environmental topics and categories that we now focus on include climate change and the effects of global warming, including their various impacts on both people and the planet as well as conservation issues and news articles relating to nature and wildlife. The site puts an emphasis on sustainability issues, including the use and technological progress made with various types of alternative or renewable energy. Earth Times runs several eco friendly blogs (environmentally friendly) on various topics such as ecotourism (sustainable travel and tourism), eco fashion, green living, green gadgets and clean technology, plus various other environment based news categories including pollution and science news. If you have any questions or queries please contact us.
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Malayan Tiger swimming (2007) Ministers from thirteen countries in Asia pledged on Friday to doubling the wild tiger population on the continent by 2022, to seven thousand. The commitment was made in Thailand, and is first Asia ministerial conference on tiger conservation; the thirteen countries that upheld the pledge were Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam — all countries in which the wild Asian tiger is still found. "The wild tiger is already in crisis. This may be our last chance to save it," commented Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in a video address. The meeting was partially organised by the Global Tiger Initiative, a coalition group within the World Bank, as well as the Smithsonian Institute and various conservation groups. Meeting host Suwit Khunkitti, who is also the Thai minister of natural resources and environment, also remarked that "tigers are at a tipping point. There were 100,000 tigers across our range countries 100 years ago. Today, there are about 3,500 left." Wild tigers are primarily found in China, Russia and most of southern Asia; according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), tiger numbers have been reduced due to a poaching epidemic. The animals live in only seven percent of the territory they had a hundred years ago, according to Voice of America. Michael Baltzer, who is with the WWF, noted: "This is important because the tigers are in a serious decline and it's really the tipping point for tigers. This is the Year of the Tiger and it's the year that all of the concerned organizations have come together and said enough is enough. We really need to turn around the future for wild tigers and so it's really this year or never." The program director for the Global Tiger Initiative, Keshav Varma, said: "You know if you save the tiger, you are saving the habitat for a lot of other species. So the tiger is symbolic about this and as the apex and the most charismatic species, it is drawing attention to the habitat and to the prey base, to encroachment, to corruption, to so many issues."
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HONG KONG, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Six construction workers died Sunday when an elevator lift in a Hong Kong skyscraper plunged 17 stories, authorities said. The workers were standing on a platform on the 27 floor when it plunged to the 10th floor of the under-construction International Commerce Center, RTHK, Radio Television Hong Kong reported. The building, in West Kowloon opposite Hong Kong Island, is to be 118 stories -- the world's fourth tallest building -- when it opens next year. Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd., the building's developers, will pay the victims' funeral expenses and give each of their families at least $129,000, Sun Hung vice chairman Thomas Kwok said Sunday. After visiting the accident scene, Hong Kong's Chief Executive Officer Donald Tsang promised a full investigation and support for the victims' families, RTHK reported. Deutsche Bank AG and Credit Suisse Group AG have signed leases to move into the building, where the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. is to occupy the top floors, the developers' Web site said. ||||| The ICC will be the world's fourth largest building Six workers have died in Hong Kong after falling 17 storeys down a lift shaft in what is set to become the territory's tallest skyscraper. The workers were on a platform that gave way on the 27th floor, plunging them to the 10th. The International Commerce Centre in Kowloon's Tsim Sha Tsui district will become the world's fourth tallest building on completion in 2010. Chief Executive Donald Tsang visited the scene and pledged a full inquiry. Emergency workers initially recovered three injured workers but they were confirmed dead on arrival at hospital. Three more bodies were later retrieved. Mr Tsang pledged support for the families of the dead workers and said there would be a full investigation. Broadcaster RTHK quoted Labour Secretary Matthew Cheung as saying that the developer, Sun Hung Kai, had agreed to pay the families of the dead workers HK$1m ($129,000) in an ex-gratia payment, before the payment of other compensation to be determined later. When it opens next year, the International Commerce Centre will rise to 118 floors. Only the Burj in Dubai, the Shanghai World Financial Centre and Taiwan's Taipei 101 will be taller.
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The International Commerce Centre under construction in July 2009Six construction workers at Hong Kong's International Commerce Centre (ICC) were killed on Sunday when they fell seventeen stories down a lift shaft. The workers were standing on a platform on the 27th floor of the building when it collapsed. The ICC's building developers from Sun Hung Kail Properties, Ltd., said they would pay the families of the victims at least HK$1 million (US$129,000) apiece and pay for funeral costs. Donald Tsang, the city's CEO, said a full investigation into the incident would be launched. The International Commerce Centre, when completed, is to be the fourth tallest building in the world, with 118 stories. It is scheduled to open in 2010.
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The government yesterday abolished Sats examinations for 14-year-olds in a move triggered by the collapse of this year's marking process and a string of high profile reports critical of the tests. The reforms mean pupils will no longer have to sit externally marked tests at the age of 14, but ministers have insisted that the more controversial tests for primary school pupils will continue. The schools secretary, Ed Balls, yesterday told parliament of his plans for sweeping changes to the national testing system which effectively overturned 15 years of education policy. At present, 1.2 million pupils sit 9.5 million papers every year, but the plans cut the testing burden on schools in half. The Balls plans also include a new "report card", based on a New York scheme, which will grade every school in England and give more information for parents on which to judge schools. Opposition MPs accused the government of a U-turn on testing, but Balls insisted the plan was simply a response to mounting evidence in the best schools that the test results for 14-year-olds, at key stage three, are all but redundant. Schools, parents and the pupils are far more interested in GCSE scores than Sats, he said. "If you ask are we abolishing half the national testing system, yes we are doing that," he said. "It's our judgment that for parents, for head teachers, tests at key stage three are a less important measure and are not a necessary measure for the performance of schools because of the existence of GCSEs." But he insisted that tests for 11-year-olds would remain. "It would be an entirely retrograde step and we will not remove key stage two national tests at 11." He said the changes followed an "on-going debate" about the value of the tests, but he admitted that this summer's crisis over Sats had been a factor in the timing of the announcement. Officials are in the process of finding a replacement for ETS, the American firm that failed to mark this year's tests on time. Some schools are still waiting for Sats results. The changes include: • An immediate end to national tests for 14-year-olds and the scrapping of league tables based on those test results; • New school-by-school report cards, to give parents richer information when they are choosing schools, will be outlined in a white paper in the spring. The card will include data on pupils' performance and Ofsted reports. The government will still provide tables of schools' results, which are used to construct league tables of school achievement; • Tests for 11-year-olds will remain in place, but Balls re-emphasised the pilots of a new version of "single level tests" based on the structure used in music examinations as a possible alternative in the future; • A review group will be established to oversee the reforms and will look at the impact of tests on 11-year-olds, to tackle charges that schools have been teaching to the test; • Sats will be replaced by more assessment in the classroom and better reporting of pupils' weekly progress to their parents in secondary schools. Balls said: "These reforms will provide more regular and more comprehensive information to parents about their children's progress, support heads and teachers to make sure that every child can succeed, and strengthen their ability to hold all schools to account, as well as the public's ability to hold government to account." Although first introduced in their current form in 1995 under the Conservative government, the tests have been a defining feature of Labour's education reforms. The move comes after a disastrous year when the delivery of the tests collapsed under ETS, which was brought in to modernise the system. The £156m contract with ETS was dissolved earlier this year. The testing system was also severely criticised by MPs in a select committee report, which said tests had "distorted" children's education, and in a major inquiry into primary education by Cambridge University, which found that Sats were feeding into a "pervasive anxiety" in children's lives. The move was widely welcomed by school unions representing secondary schools, but those in primary schools said the whole system of national tests should be scrapped. Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "We are bitterly disappointed in key stage two. Why are 10- and 11-year-old pupils in England now the only pupils in UK who undergo this ritual every year, which actually affects the whole of their final year at primary school? We know that it narrows their curriculum and spoils the learning experience in year six. The government has missed an opportunity to sweep away the whole thing." John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "The proposals will make the testing regime more manageable and help to avoid a repetition of the chaos in summer 2008." Michael Gove, the shadow education secretary, said: "Over the last seven years we have fallen behind as a country in every external measurement of educational performance, so it is welcome that Ed Balls has recognised that change is necessary. "We've argued for fewer national tests and more rigour and we want to work constructively to improve the assessment and qualifications regime." ||||| Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. National tests for 14-year-old school pupils in England are to be scrapped, following this summer's Sats marking "shambles". Children's Secretary Ed Balls said an expert group would develop a system of assessment by teachers. But the tests taken at the end of primary school by 11 year olds, and used for league tables, will remain. A new system of report cards showing schools' academic attainment and pupil well-being is also to be introduced. Mr Balls said that the decision to stop Sats tests for 14 year olds was "not a u-turn" - and that the wider principle of the need for testing and accountability remained. "But if you ask 'are we abolishing half of the national tests?', the answer is 'yes'," said Mr Balls. Report cards Mr Balls said that tests for 11 year olds would provide accountability for primary schools - and that GCSEs and A-levels would be sufficient to show the performance of secondary schools, without the need for tests at the age of 14. TESTS IN ENGLAND Age 5: Teacher assessment of children's all-round development Age 7: national tests in English and maths marked in school by teachers Age 11: national tests in English, maths and science marked externally and school's results published nationally Age 14: there will cease to be national tests in English, maths and science, marked externally How the New York system works What scrapping the test means Send us your comments A White Paper to be published next year will set out plans for schools to have a report card, allowing parents to have a simple run-down of the school's performance. A template for this, identified by ministers, is the system used in New York where schools are awarded a grade from A to F and attributes 85% of marks to educational attainment and 15% to other measures. The timing of the decision to scrap the tests for 14 year olds - known as Key Stage 3 tests - was shaped by the problems with delivering this year's Sats tests, accepted Mr Balls. When the private company ETS had its contract terminated, and the search for a replacement began, he said it was recognised as an "important moment which will set the direction for the coming years". Ministers decided that externally-marked tests for 14 year olds were no longer justified - and a panel of experts will be asked to come up with an alternative system of teacher assessment, with a report due by February 2009. 'Sigh of relief' Mr Balls also promised more frequent reporting to parents of children in the first three years of secondary school, with a stronger focus on one-to-one tuition and catch up support for struggling pupils. There were widespread problems over the return of Sats papers A possible alternative to the Sats for 14 year olds has already been ruled out - with pilots of single-level tests (where pupils take tests when teachers think they are ready) proving "disappointing" in secondary school and being discontinued. The news that Sats tests in secondary school were being scrapped was welcomed by teachers' unions, who have been longstanding critics. Acting general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Christine Blower, said the announcement was an admission that the testing system had failed. "For too long, English, mathematics and science teachers in secondary schools have found themselves skewing everything to enable their pupils to jump through a series of unnecessary hoops," she said. "The sound of a deep collective sigh of relief will emanate from secondary schools across the country," said Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT. Head teachers' leader Mick Brookes welcomed the removal of tests at 14, but said that not stopping tests at 11 was "an opportunity missed to extract some dignity from the tests and marking debacle seen earlier this year". Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The delays in the marking of Sats tests, affecting both tests for 11 and 14 year olds, put the government under pressure through the summer, with hundreds of thousands of families seeing their results postponed. Opposition parties seized upon the decision as a sign of the government accepting that it was time to change direction. Liberal Democrat children's spokesman David Laws welcomed the government's "complete u-turn". "The Sats tests taken by 14-year-olds are not only a waste of time but have been highly unreliable over the last few years." Shadow Children's Secretary Michael Gove welcomed Mr Ball's announcement to reduce the amount of testing. "We've argued for fewer national tests and more rigour and we want to work constructively to improve the assessment and qualifications regime." The inquiry into what went wrong with the delivery of this year's Sats tests, carried out by Lord Sutherland, has still to report this autumn. 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14-year-old children in Britain are no longer subject to compulsory testing The UK Government has stated that children in Britain will no longer be required to take compulsory, externally marked tests at the age of fourteen. The change takes effect immediately, meaning that children who were due to take the test this year no longer have to do so. Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families yesterday announced his plans to radically change the UK testing system, in parliament. Currently, almost ten million tests are sat each year by British pupils. This change is expected to cut the number of tests taken in half, according to ''''. The tests for seven and eleven year olds are not being abolished. A review group is being set up, however, to research the effect of these tests on eleven-year-olds. Instead of league tables showing test results, the government will produce report cards for . According to Ed Balls, the results from will be adequate to judge the performance of schools by their test results. The decision to abolish the tests for fourteen year olds came as a result of a situation earlier this year, when there were long delays with the delivery of test results to students of this age. According to Christine Blower, acting general secretary of the , the government is admitting that the previous test system failed by making this move. "For too long English, mathematics and science teachers in secondary schools have found themselves skewing everything to enable their pupils to jump through a series of unnecessary hoops," she claimed, while Chris Keates, general secretary of the , said that "the sound of a deep collective sigh of relief will emanate from secondary schools across the country." Both major UK opposition parties welcomed this move. Shadow Secretary of State for Children stated that his party have "argued for fewer national tests and more rigor and we want to work constructively to improve the assessment and qualifications regime." , Shadow Secretary of State for Children for the , said that "the taken by 14-year-olds are not only a waste of time but have been highly unreliable over the last few years."
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(Page 1 of 2) Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig will resign from the Senate amid a furor over his arrest and guilty plea in a police sex sting in an airport men's room, Republican officials said Friday.Craig will announce at a news conference in Boise on Saturday morning that he will resign effective Sept. 30, four state GOP officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.The announcement follows by just five days the disclosure that he had pleaded guilty Aug. 1 to a reduced misdemeanor charge arising out of his arrest June 11 at the Minneapolis airport.The three-term Republican senator had maintained that he did nothing wrong except for making the guilty plea without consulting a lawyer. But he found almost no support among Republicans in his home state or Washington.Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter appeared Friday to have already settled on a successor: Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, according to several Republicans familiar with internal deliberations.Craig's spokesman, Dan Whiting, had said earlier that the senator would announce his career plans Saturday. The spokesman would not say whether Craig intended to resign.Craig has been out of public view since Tuesday, when he declared defiantly at a Boise news conference: "I am not gay. I have never been gay." But Republican sources in Idaho said he spent Friday making calls to top party officials, including the governor, gauging their support.There has been virtually none publicly.Republican operatives have described Craigs scandal as a "Category 4" political storm that would bring with it echoes of earlier embarrassments such as the Mark Foley e-mails to congressional pages, said"So the idea of going to a difficult presidential campaign with an unpopular president, a divisive war with those kinds of burdens was too much. They wanted him out big time,"said.Asked Friday at the White House if the senator should resign, President Bush said nothing and walked off stage.Republican officeholders and party leaders maintained a steady drumbeat of actions and words aimed at persuading Craig to vacate his Senate seat.GOP lawmakers, hoping to get the embarrassment to the party behind them quickly, stripped Craig of leadership posts on Wednesday, one day after they called for an investigation of Craig's actions by the Senate Ethics Committee. Craig complied with the request.With his wife, Suzanne, at his side, he said he had kept the incident from aides, friends and family and later pleaded guilty "in hopes of making it go away."Craig, 62, has represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter-century and was up for re-election next year.Republican officeholders and party leaders wanted Craig to give up his seat in the Senate as soon as possible. Their preference, according to several officials, was for a successor to be selected and ready to take the oath of office when the Senate returns from its summer vacation next week.Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Craig's conduct "unforgivable" and acknowledged that many in the rank and file thought Craig should resign. ||||| WASHINGTON Idaho Sen. Larry Craig resigned from his Republican Senate seat Saturday, bowing to pressure from Republicans to step down after his arrest and guilty plea in a sex scandal. "It is with sadness and deep regret that I announce that it is my intent to resign from the Senate, effective Sept. 30," Craig said, appearing with his wife, Suzanne, at a press conference in Boise, Idaho. The resignation comes after reports that Craig pleaded guilty Aug. 1 to a reduced misdemeanor charge from his arrest June 11 in a men's room at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The three-term Republican senator did not admit wrongdoing, but apologized for being unable to serve the rest of his term to pursue legal options. "I apologize for what I have caused. I am deeply sorry," Craig said. "I have little control over what people choose to believe but clearly my name is important to me and my family is so very important also." Idaho Gov. C.L. Butch Otter will appoint Idaho Lieutenant Governor James E. Risch to serve out the remainder of Larry Craig's term. Risch, the lieutenant governor, served for seven months as governor last year after former Gov. Dirk Kempthorne was named interior secretary. Risch had said earlier he was interested in Craig's Senate seat if Craig did not seek re-election in 2008. While Republicans urged Craig to step down earlier in the week, GOP leaders were quick to wish Craig well after his announcement. President Bush called Craig after he heard the news of his resignation. "Sen. Craig made the right decision for himself, his family, his constituents, and the United States Senate. After the president heard the news he called Sen. Craig and he said he knew it was a difficult decision and wished him well," said Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesman. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement of support. "Senator Larry Craig made a difficult decision, but the right one. It is my hope he will be remembered not for this, but for his three decades of dedicated public service," McConnell said in a statement. Craig has been out of public view since Tuesday, when he declared defiantly at a Boise news conference: "I am not gay. I have never been gay." But Republican sources in Idaho said he spent Friday making calls to top party officials, including the governor, gauging their support. Asked Friday at the White House if the senator should resign, President Bush said nothing and walked off stage. Republican officeholders and party leaders maintained a steady drumbeat of actions and words aimed at persuading Craig to vacate his Senate seat. GOP lawmakers, hoping to get the embarrassment to the party behind them quickly, stripped Craig of leadership posts on Wednesday, one day after they called for an investigation of Craig's actions by the Senate Ethics Committee. Craig complied with the request. With his wife, Suzanne, at his side, he said he had kept the incident from aides, friends and family and later pleaded guilty "in hopes of making it go away." Craig, 62, has represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter-century and was up for re-election next year. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Craig's conduct "unforgivable" and acknowledged that many in the rank and file thought Craig should resign. The contest for control of the next Senate was already tilted against Republicans, who must defend 22 of 34 seats on the ballot next year, before the Craig scandal and the announcement from Virginia Sen. John Warner that he would not seek re-election. With a GOP candidate other than Craig, Republicans would stand a much better chance of keeping his Idaho seat in 2008. Idaho is one of the nation's most reliably Republican states. The GOP controls the statehouse and all four seats in Congress, and Bush carried the state in 2004 with 68 percent of the vote. On Thursday, the Minneapolis airport authorities released a tape recording of Craig's interrogation minutes after he encountered a plainclothes officer in an adjacent stall in an airport restroom. • Click here to read the transcript of the audio interview of Sen. Larry Craig. • Click here to listen to the interview. Craig and airport police Sgt. Dave Karsnia disagreed about virtually everything that had occurred — including whether there was a piece of paper on the floor of the stall and the meaning of the senator's hand gestures. Craig denied that he had used foot and hand gestures to signal interest in a sexual encounter. "I'm not gay. I don't do these kinds of things," Craig told the officer. "You shouldn't be out to entrap people." FOX News' Major Garrett and The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Embattled Republican Sen. Larry Craig will announce his resignation from the Senate Saturday, a GOP source in Idaho said Friday. Sen. Larry Craig, shown here in a 2005 photograph, is facing calls to leave the Senate. Craig will leave office on September 30, the source said. Earlier, several well-placed GOP sources in Washington and Idaho had said Craig was likely to resign soon. GOP sources with knowledge of the situation told CNN's Dana Bash that the Republican National Committee was poised to take the extraordinary step of calling on Craig to resign but held off. The RNC put the move on hold, the sources said, because top party leaders had received indications that Craig himself was preparing to step down. Craig has been under pressure to quit since news surfaced this week that he was arrested in June at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and later pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge. The arrest was made by an officer investigating reports of sexual behavior in an airport restroom. In a post-arrest police recording released Thursday, Craig denied that he was trying to engage in lewd behavior in the airport bathroom and suggested he was entrapped by the arresting officer. "I sit down to go to the bathroom, and you said our feet bumped," Craig told an officer. "I believe they did ... because I reached down and scooted over and the next thing I knew, under the bathroom divider comes a card that says 'police.' " Craig said he was in the bathroom for its intended purpose and told the officers,"I am not gay. I don't do these kinds of things." "You shouldn't be out to entrap people either," Craig said. Listen to the interview » The officer accused Craig of lying during the contentious, eight-minute session, and said he would not take the senator to jail "as long as you're cooperative." "I'm just disappointed in you, sir," the officer said. "I mean, people vote for you." Craig spokesman Dan Whiting said Thursday the tape "speaks for itself." The RNC held off its call for Craig to resign after it got word from Idaho Republicans that such a move could backfire, said GOP sources. "Any official group saying he would have to resign would have been explosive," a GOP source told CNN. "Craig can't easily go if it appears he's been dictated to by the White House, the RNC, or any other party structure. It has to be his decision." "He needed a grace period, a day with no action," said the GOP source. "He's gotten some breathing room, and that's helped." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday called Craig's conduct "unforgivable" and acknowledged that many in his caucus believe Craig should resign. "We have acted promptly to begin the process of dealing with this conduct," McConnell said. "We will see what happens in the coming days." Craig's guilty plea to the misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge came earlier this month, according to state criminal records. Craig told reporters Tuesday he did not take part in "inappropriate conduct" and said he had "overreacted and made a poor decision" in pleading guilty. No sexual contact is alleged to have taken place, although the officer who arrested the senator said Craig moved his foot to touch the officer's foot while they sat in adjoining restroom stalls. Craig is a three-term senator who has aligned himself with conservative groups that oppose gay rights. Watch as pressure mounts from fellow Republicans for Craig to resign » If Craig does leave office, Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter would name an interim replacement to serve until next year's election. Otter would most certainly name a fellow Republican, and that person would most likely have a major edge in the 2008 contest, because Idaho is a heavily Republican state. Meanwhile, a SurveyUSA poll showed that 55 percent of Idaho respondents think Craig should step down. The poll of 475 registered Idaho voters was conducted Tuesday. Thirty-four percent of the 475 respondents said Craig should remain in office. The Idaho Statesman -- a newspaper the senator has accused of conducting a "witch hunt" -- was frank in calling for his resignation. "We cannot abide an elected official who didn't disclose a lewd conduct arrest until the story broke 77 days later -- a lie by omission and a violation of the public trust," the Statesman said in an editorial published in Thursday's editions. "We cannot afford ... to have a senator who merely provides fodder for bloggers and late-night talk show hosts." In its editorial, the Boise newspaper pointed out it endorsed Craig for re-election in 2002. But in recent months, it had been investigating allegations that Craig had made sexual advances to men. Sen. John McCain, a GOP presidential candidate, has called Craig's case "disgraceful." Another Republican senator, Norm Coleman of Minnesota, has said Craig pleaded guilty to "a crime involving conduct unbecoming a senator." The White House also has voiced its displeasure over the scandal. Craig, 62 and married, has stepped down from his role in the presidential campaign of Republican Mitt Romney. E-mail to a friend CNN's Dana Bash, Candy Crowley and Jessica Yellin contributed to this report. Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. All About Larry Craig • Idaho
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United States Larry Craig (R-ID) is announcing on September 1 that he will resign his post, effective September 30. Craig was involved in a scandal where he allegedly propositioned another man for sex in a bathroom at a airport. Craig has previously claimed he was "in the bathroom for its intended purpose." The senator said in a news conference that "I am not gay. I have never have been gay," and that he "pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in the hopes that it would go away." This comes just before the Republican National Convention would have called on Craig to resign.
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The workers - four Britons and one French citizen - had been released into the care of the authorities in Eritrea, she said. Mrs Beckett said they were safe and were "broadly all in good health". But eight Ethiopian staff who had been with the group when they were captured had still not been released, she added. The freed hostages were being cared for at the British Embassy in Eritrea's capital Asmara, she added. Families informed Whitehall officials later said the released five had been seen by a doctor and did not appear to have been mistreated. They have been named as the Foreign Office's Peter Rudge and Jonathan Ireland, who both worked at the British Embassy in Addis Ababa; Malcolm Smart and Laure Beaufils, of the Department for International Development in Addis Ababa; and Rosanna Moore, wife of the head of the British Council in Addis Ababa. It is hoped they will come back to the UK "shortly" but there is as yet no timetable for their return, said a Foreign Office spokesman. The party were apparently on a sightseeing tour when they were abducted on 1 March. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said that he expected the five released Britons would be debriefed in Asmara, and that this should provide more information about who kidnapped them and what conditions they were held in. "We have informed the families of all five who were, of course, very relieved and are looking forward to being reunited," Mrs Beckett said. "We continue to be concerned about the wellbeing of the Ethiopians who were taken at the same time as the British group," she said. Embassy officials had "worked tirelessly" to help secure the group's release, she added. She also thanked the authorities in Ethiopian and Eritrea for their "exceptional assistance". A spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed the release of the hostages. BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams said the Foreign Office had insisted that no-one was paid for the hostages' release. 'Wrong place' Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague also welcomed the "wonderful news". According to reports, Ethiopia's information minister Berhan Hailu said the search would continue for the citizens of his country who remained missing "We don't have any information about them. We are very concerned," he told Reuters news agency. "They should be released unconditionally and as soon as possible." One of the Land Rovers driven by the group was recovered at the weekend in the village of Hamedali, in the Afar region. The region straddles the border of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Relations between the two countries have been strained since Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year guerrilla war. On Monday, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said the workers were people who had "not done anything to hurt anyone". "I do not believe these people were targeted. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said. He spoke of the kidnappers having taken "a step too far", saying they "need to find a way to redress their steps in a way that does not affect their interests". ||||| By the Ethiopian/Eritrean border By the Ethiopian/Eritrean border Ethiopia Hostages Freed A kidnap ordeal for five British embassy hostages has ended after they were released nearly two weeks after going missing in Ethiopia. Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett announced the group had been handed over to the authorities in neighbouring Eritrea. She said the hostages were understood to be "broadly" in good health. Mrs Beckett praised the efforts of British officials and political leaders to secure their release. However, she said there was still concern for Ethiopians who were captured at the same time. The five, including the First Secretary at the British Embassy in Addis Ababa Peter Rudge, went missing on March 1 on a tourist trip to visit geological sites in the remote Afar region. The other captives were Jonathan Ireland, a member of the administrative support staff; two members of the Department for International Development, Malcolm Smart and Laure Beaufils, a French national; and Rosanna Moore, wife of the head of the British Council in Addis Ababa. According to witnesses, 50 men burst into the village, some of them armed, and marched a group towards the Eritrean border. Two vehicles belonging to the group were found abandoned in the north-eastern village of Hamedali, riddled with bullets, but still containing luggage and mobile phones. Mrs Beckett said: "We have informed the families of all five. They were of course very relieved to hear the news and are looking forward to being reunited. "The five are being fed and given fresh clean clothes. They are seeing a doctor and medical checks are continuing, but I understand that they are all broadly in good health. "We continue, I'm afraid, to be concerned, however, for the welfare of the Ethiopians who were taken at the same time...about whom we do not yet have such clear news." Asked whether the captors had been offered any assurances or benefits in return for the release, she added: "I can't tell you that and I'm not sure I would actually." Prime Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman said: "Clearly we welcome the release of the hostages and thank the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea for their help." Reports that the five were safe in Eritrea first surfaced on Friday, when an Afar community leader was reported as saying the group were "unharmed and safe" and being held by rebels.
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A group of British embassy workers kidnapped in northern Ethiopia 12 days ago have been released, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has said. The workers - four British citizens and one French citizen and Ethiopian staff working with them, had been held in Eritrea, she announced on Tuesday. The party were apparently on a sightseeing tour when they were abducted on 1 March. Beckett also said that all kidnapped were safe and well and were: The group went missing on March 1 on a tourist trip to visit geological sites in the remote Afar region, in the country's north. Two vehicles belonging to the group were later found in a north-eastern village called Hamedali. The vehicles were found were riddled with bullets, but still contained luggage and mobile telephones. The region in which the Hamedali is, Afar, straddles the border of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had said on Monday that Ethiopian officials had a "good idea" of where the hostages were being held. Zenawi announced that embassy staff had not been specifically targeted and suggested that the kidnapping might have been a "mistake". Hamedali is a staging post for tourists venturing into the unique geological formations of the Danakil Depression, including the area's famous salt lakes. The area is one of the hottest and inhospitable lands on Earth. Visitors are warned by the government to travel in a convoy with armed guards because of rebels and bandits. Witnesses stated that around 50 men burst Hamedali and marched the foreigners towards the Eritrean border.
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Some people were injured by collapsing homes Some 43 people were killed by the storms on Saturday afternoon, while the other bodies were recovered on Sunday. Dozens more were injured as heavy winds uprooted trees and brought down power lines, electrocuting people. Karachi residents were already suffering from power cuts which have led to riots in the city. The minister of health for Sindh province, where Karachi is located, had earlier reported that 228 people had been killed in the storms, but the province's governor later reduced the total to 213. It was the worst storm I have seen in my life Arman Sabir Karachi resident 'Still counting the bodies' Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, has received 17.7mm (0.7in) of rain since Saturday and more rain is predicted late on Sunday, according to the city's Meteorological Department. Most parts of the city have been without electricity for almost a day. In India, heavy rain and floods have killed at least 45 people in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Hospital 'emergency' Karachi residents said that within minutes of the storm breaking, the city's main road, Shahra-e-Faisal, was blocked by fallen debris, leading to accidents and traffic jams. "The destruction was nothing like I have seen in my life in Karachi," Saad Sayeed, a Karachi-born visitor from Toronto, told the BBC. "The sky went grey, the rain started coming down and then everything started to quiver in the face of the storm." Many of the fatalities were caused by the initial high winds. The rain followed and lashed the city for the next half hour. It flooded much of the city and together with the gale force winds led to the collapse of many shanty town homes, the BBC's Shoaib Hasan says. People were also killed by fallen trees and sign boards blown down by the winds. Other deaths were caused by roofs or walls collapsing from the rain. The overburdened infrastructure of Pakistan's largest city could not cope with the onslaught, says the BBC's Barbara Plett. Municipal workers have begun to clear up the debris, but Karachi is a long way from recovering and the electricity is still out in parts of the city, our correspondent adds. Karachi's power utility said it would restore the city's electricity as quickly as possible. "We are doing our best to restore the power supply, but... the situation is very bad," said a company spokesman told Reuters news agency. The power grid has already been under terrible strain and another storm is brewing off the coast. "We have declared an emergency at all government hospitals and cancelled the vacations and leave of doctors and paramedics," AFP news agency quoted Syed Sardar Ahmed, health minister for Sindh province, as saying. The storms came after temperatures reached 40C (104F) in Karachi. Angry residents staged street protests after having to spend the night without power to run fans or air conditioners. Every year thousands of people are killed and hundreds of thousands made homeless across South Asia by months of monsoon rains. ||||| Slideshow ( 2 images ) KARACHI (Reuters) - Over 220 people have been killed in accidents caused by heavy wind and rain in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi, a provincial minister said on Sunday. Officials earlier said that 43 people had been killed in the rain that lasted for three hours in country’s biggest city and capital of southern Sindh province on Saturday. But Health Minister of Sindh Sardar Ahmed said a private welfare organization had received bodies of another 185 people killed in rain-related accidents. “Now the total number of those killed because of rain is 228,” he told Reuters. ||||| June 24, 2007 Sunday Jamadi-us-Sani 08, 1428 44 die in Karachi rain By Tahir Siddiqui KARACHI, June 23: At least 44 people were killed and over 200 others injured on Saturday when torrential pre-monsoon rains, accompanied by a severe dust-storm, lashed Karachi, smashing the city’s infrastructure and leaving major roads submerged. Thunderstorms also hammered Hyderabad, Thatta and a number of other towns in Sindh — without taking a heavy toll of human life. Sindh Health Minister Syed Sardar Ahmad said over 40 people were killed and 160 others injured in rain-related accidents in Karachi. “Four people were electrocuted and the others died either in wall and roof collapses or after being hit by falling trees and hoardings,” he said. The Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister on Home Affairs, Waseem Akhtar, said cases were being registered against owners of the hoardings that claimed 19 lives. The downpour — 17.2 millimetres, according to the Met Office — not only left standing pools of rainwater on many roads but also caused traffic jams. Sources said that at least five bodies were brought to the city’s Civil Hospital, 13 to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and five to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. At least 14 people were killed in roof and wall collapses in Gadap Town, four in Gulshan Town, and three in Saudabad. The bodies of these 20 victims had not reached hospitals till the filing of this report. The director of the JPMC’s emergency centre, Dr Samin Jamali, told Dawn that 13 people were brought dead to the hospital. “At least two of them were electrocuted and three others were killed when hoardings fell on them.” The JPMC director said at least 60 people, injured in rain-related accidents, were treated at the emergency centre. The city’s chief weatherman, Naeem Shah, told Dawn that the pre-monsoon phenomenon was active over north Arabian Sea and its adjoining coastal areas as the monsoon weather system was swiftly advancing to the region from Mumbai. “More moderate to heavy rains are expected in the next two days and temperature in the city will range between 41 and 43 degrees Celsius on Sunday,” he added. The weatherman said the afternoon showers also brought down temperature to 31 degrees Celsius on Saturday, while the maximum temperature was recorded at 44.3 degrees Celsius with 78 per cent humidity. The Director-General of the Pakistan Meteorological Department, Dr Qamaruzzaman Chaudhry, said a strong monsoon weather system (deep depression) over India was likely to approach Sindh’s coastal areas by Monday. “Under its influence, widespread rains, with scattered heavy to very heavy rainfall, are likely in southern Sindh and coastal areas, including Karachi.” Fishermen have been advised not to venture out into the sea from Sunday to Wednesday as conditions are likely to vary from `very rough to extremely rough’ along the coast. A severe duststorm first hit almost every part of the city around 4:30pm, uprooting and dismantling hundreds of trees and a large number of hoardings and signboards. An official of the city government’s horticulture department said that the duststorm uprooted an 80-year-old banyan tree near the Lilly Bridge. Another official from the University of Karachi said winds were so strong that about 40 trees, including neem and banyan trees, fell inside the campus. The transmission and distribution network of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation and the telecommunication system of the PTCL also went haywire in many areas as power supply to almost half of the city was disrupted and hundreds of telephones went out of order. Gusty winds forced cable TV off the air and disrupted the broadcast of at least one FM radio station. A Karachi-bound flight from Islamabad (PK-396) was diverted to Muscat while two flights from Gwadar were diverted to Turbat due to the inclement weather. Intikhab Hanif in Lahore adds: A `deep monsoon depression’ brought rain to upper Punjab and the NWFP on Saturday. In Lahore, the rain gave joy to people reeling under a relentless heatwave. A number of low-lying areas were inundated. rain which was somewhat heavy in some areas, inundating low lying areas. According to the Met office, Islamabad, Murree, Sialkot, Risalpur, Kohat, Bahawalpur, Sargodha and Mandi Bahauddin also received light rain. “It was a pre-monsoon rain generated by a strong monsoon system,” chief meteorologist Shaukat Awan said. A westerly system moving across Iran would reach the Northern Areas around June 25. It would accentuate the impact of the monsoon depression, hitting other parts of the country at the same time, he said. By 5pm Lahore’s met office had recorded 11mms of rain at the airport and 7mms at its Jail Road observatory. The maximum temperature was 35.4 degrees Celsius and the minimum 28. Humidity was nearly 60 per cent. The met office forecast that Lahore and its periphery would receive light rain on Sunday.
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Torrential rainstorms with gale force winds brought floods and destruction to Karachi, the capital of Sindh Province in Pakistan. Over 40 dead were recovered on Saturday and more than 180 on Sunday. Many more are said to have been injured by downed trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are reported as well as some rioting. "We have declared an emergency at all government hospitals and cancelled the vacations and leave of doctors and paramedics," said the health minister for Sindh Province, Syed Sardar Ahmed, to ''AFP''. "Now the total number of those killed because of rain is 228," he told ''Reuters''.
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Clarke is on loan at Leicester from Sunderland Paramedics rushed down the tunnel to attend to the 27-year-old shortly after the half-time whistle. "Clive was very seriously ill," said Leicester chief executive Tim Davies. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Clive and his family." Clarke was in a stable condition in a cardiac unit at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre. Davies added: "I would like to say a big thank you to Nottingham Forest for dealing with the matter so fast." Forest were leading the Carling Cup tie 1-0 at half-time thanks to Junior Agogo's goal. However, after a delay of 15 minutes, Forest boss Colin Calderwood and Leicester manager Martin Allen emerged from the tunnel to announce to the crowd that the game had been abandoned. Calderwood said: "We are afraid that due to the serious illness of a Leicester player both clubs have agreed to postpone the match." Forest chief executive Mark Arthur said later: "I think football is secondary to human issues. "As soon as we found out the serious nature of Clive's situation, we went straight to the referee and said we would do whatever is right by Leicester. "Obviously, they are going through great trauma at the moment and we very quickly agreed between the three parties that the game should be abandoned." ||||| Clarke: Concerns Leicester City defender Clive Clarke collapsed at half-time during his side's Carling Cup tie against Nottingham Forest. Clarke, who is on loan at Leicester from Sunderland, collapsed in The Foxes' dressing room shortly after the referee blew for the break. The restart was delayed by 25 minutes while paramedics attended to Clarke and his team-mates waited anxiously on pitch-side for news. Clarke, 27, regained consciousness and was taken to hospital but the Leicester players had been shaken by the ordeal. Forest boss Colin Calderwood and his Leicester counterpart Martin Allen agreed it was in the best interests to postpone the tie. Calderwood, whose side were winning 1-0 through Junior Agogo's goal, made the announcement to the home crowd. He said: "We are afraid that due to the serious illness of a Leicester player both clubs have agreed to postpone the match." Leicester chief executive Tim Davies has confirmed attempts have been made to contact Clarke's family. "When Clive went into the dressing room he collapsed and was very seriously ill," Davies said. "He was taken away in an ambulance to hospital. He did offer a few words in the ambulance. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Clive and his family - we hope he makes a speedy recovery. "I would like to say a big thank you to Nottingham Forest for dealing with the matter so fast."
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The Carling Cup tie between Leicester City and Nottingham Forest was abandoned at half time after Leicester defender Clive Clarke collapsed in the changing room at half time. Shortly after the half time whistle, paramedics were called into the changing room before taking Clarke to Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham. Tim Davies, Leicester City's chief executive said: "He was taken away in an ambulance to hospital. He did offer a few words in the ambulance. Our thoughts and prayers are with Clive and his family." The Nottingham Forest chief executive added: "I think football is secondary to human issues." Nottingham Forest had been leading 1-0 at the time after a goal from Junior Agogo, however after a 15 minute delay both managers agreed to abandon the game as many of the players had been shaken up by the incident. Clarke is currently believed to be conscious.
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Lebanon will accept UN probe on Hariri * Opposition leader urges pro-Syrian security chiefs to resign BEIRUT: Lebanon will accept an international commission to investigate the assassination of former premier Rafiq Hariri if a decision to form such a panel is taken by the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hamoud said Saturday. “Lebanon agrees to the creation of an international commission of inquiry if the Security Council takes such a decision to uncover the truth in the assassination of Rafiq Hariri,” Hamoud told reporters. Hamoud was speaking following a meeting here with the ambassadors of three permanent members of the Security Council, Britain, China and Russia. Ministry sources said he would also meet this week with envoys from the other two permanent members, France and the United States. A UN report issued Thursday was sharply critical of an investigation carried out by Lebanese security services into the February 14 assassination of Hariri, determining that it “has neither the capacity nor the commitment to reach a satisfactory and credible conclusion.” It called instead for an independent international commission to take over the inquiry. Mahmoud and other Lebanese officials dismissed the report on Friday but appeared to accept its recommendations on condition that the outside panel cooperate with the Lebanese government. Pro-Syria security chiefs: A leading Lebanese opposition figure on Saturday urged the country’s Syrian-backed security chiefs to resign to make way for an international probe into the killing of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri. “It is not possible to carry out a just, serious, clear and transparent investigation if the heads of the agencies remain in their place,” Druze chieftain Walid Jumblatt told reporters. “We warned against a security state over and over.” A UN fact-finding team said in a report released on Thursday that Lebanon’s own inquiry into Hariri’s February 14 killing was seriously flawed and called for an international investigation, long a demand of the opposition that holds Damascus and the security services it backs responsible. Hariri’s assassination has plunged Lebanon into its biggest political crisis since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. Syria denies involvement in the assassination of Hariri in a huge bombing in Beirut, but the report said such an inquiry was unlikely to fulfil its mission satisfactorily if the Lebanese security chiefs stayed. Lebanon’s pro-Syrian authorities, put on the defensive by the findings that criticised their shortcomings in preventing and investigating the killing, have slammed the report. But opposition figures say it bolsters their repeated calls for an international probe and for the security chiefs to go. “Yesterday, they tried to defend themselves ... they tried to defend themselves to the last moment,” Jumblatt said of Lebanon’s justice, interior and foreign ministers. “Tomorrow, they will no doubt be brought to court, to investigation.” The UN Security Council, which last year passed a resolution demanding Syria pull its troops out of Lebanon, ordered the fact-finding mission last month to report on “the circumstances, causes and consequences of the assassination”. The United States and France, co-sponsors of the resolution, are expected to introduce a new resolution to the Security Council calling for an international inquiry, diplomats say. The opposition has seized on mass street protests to force the pro-Syrian government to resign and Damascus to bow to international pressure to finally withdraw the forces it poured into the country early in the civil war. Facing mounting pressure, Syria has pledged to withdraw its troops, intelligence agents and equipment from Lebanon. agencies Home | Foreign ||||| Lebanon agreed to accept an international commission to determine who assassinated former prime minister Rafic al Hariri after a UN report sharply criticized a probe carried out by local security services. "Lebanon agrees to the creation of an international commission of inquiry if the Security Council takes such a decision to uncover the truth in the assassination of Rafiq Hariri," Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hamoud told reporters. According to AFP, Hamoud was speaking following a meeting in Beirut with the ambassadors of three permanent members of the Security Council, Britain, China and Russia. A UN report issued Thursday was sharply critical of an investigation by Lebanese security services into the February 14 assassination of Hariri, determining that it "has neither the capacity nor the commitment to reach a satisfactory and credible conclusion." It called instead for an independent international commission to take over the inquiry. Earlier Saturday, the Lebanese opposition pressed the UN Security Council to act quickly to open an independent investigation into Hariri's killing. © 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com) ||||| advertisement Car Bomb Explodes in East Beirut, Five Wounded They said a rigged Buick car exploded in the industrial area in Dikwanah suburb in Christian east Beirut. Fire fighters were trying to contain blazes in two buildings as thick black smoke rose into the night sky. Ambulances and rescue workers rushed to the scene, witnesses said. "A large bomb exploded near a commercial center in Sin al-Fil," said the security source who declined to be named. It was not immediately known if there were people in the buildings. The area houses factories, printing houses and warehouses. Two explosions in the past week have targeted commercial areas in the anti-Syrian Christian heartland, killing three people and wounding 16. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri on Feb. 14 has plunged Lebanon into its biggest political crisis since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. Lebanon's opposition who blame Syria for Hariri's death urged the country's Syrian-backed security chiefs on Saturday to resign to make way for an international probe into the killing. Syria denies involvement in the assassination. The opposition seized on mass street protests to force the pro-Syrian government to resign last month and Damascus to bow to international pressure to withdraw the forces it poured into the country early in the civil war. ||||| Lebanon figure urges pro-Syria security to resign Source: Reuters By Lin Noueihed BEIRUT, March 26 (Reuters) - A leading Lebanese opposition figure on Saturday urged the country's Syrian-backed security chiefs to resign to make way for an international probe into the killing of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri. "It is not possible to carry out a just, serious, clear and transparent investigation if the heads of the agencies remain in their place," Druze chieftain Walid Jumblatt told reporters. "We warned against a security state over and over." A U.N. fact-finding team said in a report released on Thursday that Lebanon's own inquiry into Hariri's Feb. 14 killing was seriously flawed and called for an international investigation, long a demand of the opposition that holds Damascus and the security services it backs responsible. Hariri's assassination has plunged Lebanon into its biggest political crisis since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. Syria denies involvement in the assassination of Hariri in a huge bombing in Beirut, but the report said such an inquiry was unlikely to fulfil its mission satisfactorily if the Lebanese security chiefs stayed. Lebanon's pro-Syrian authorities, put on the defensive by the findings that criticised their shortcomings in preventing and investigating the killing, have slammed the report. But opposition figures say it bolsters their repeated calls for an international probe and for the security chiefs to go. "Yesterday, they tried to defend themselves ... they tried to defend themselves to the last moment," Jumblatt said of Lebanon's justice, interior and foreign ministers. "Tomorrow, they will no doubt be brought to court, to investigation." The U.N. Security Council, which last year passed a resolution demanding Syria pull its troops out of Lebanon, ordered the fact-finding mission last month to report on "the circumstances, causes and consequences of the assassination". The United States and France, co-sponsors of the resolution, are expected to introduce a new resolution to the Security Council calling for an international inquiry, diplomats say. STREET PROTESTS The opposition has seized on mass street protests to force the pro-Syrian government to resign and Damascus to bow to international pressure to finally withdraw the forces it poured into the country early in the civil war. Facing mounting pressure, Syria has pledged to withdraw its troops, intelligence agents and equipment from Lebanon. It has already completed the first phase of a two-phase plan, pulling back to eastern Lebanon and withdrawing over a third of its 14,000 troops out altogether. Syrian troops left four positions in the eastern Bekaa Valley overnight and crossed the border into Syria, witnesses said. They left five positions in the agricultural plain earlier in the week and continued to dismantle positions on Saturday. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said he expects Syria to complete its withdrawal before Lebanese general elections due in May. A Lebanese-Syrian military committee is expected to meet in early April to set a timeline for full withdrawal. Lebanese Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mrad warned on Friday that Lebanon's military and security forces were too small to take over from Syrian troops leaving the Bekaa and may not be capable of securing the area if Syrian forces leave quickly. Syria's backers in Lebanon have long argued that their country could slip back into lawlessness without it, but Jumblatt blamed the pro-Syrian security forces for bombings that have rattled the Lebanese. Two blasts have shaken Christian areas where opposition to Syria is strong in the past week. AlertNet news is provided by Printable view | Email this article | Send comments
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Lebonese President Emile Lahoud A late night car bomb explosion on Saturday in Beirut wounded 5 people and sparked a large fire in an industrial suburb east of the city. This marks the second car bombing inside a week's time in the Lebanon capital’s anti-Syrian vicinities. The blast added an exclamation point to the sudden policy shift by Lebanon's top leadership. In an announcement earlier Saturday, Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hamoud said to reporters, "Lebanon agrees to the creation of an international commission of inquiry if the UN Security Council takes such a decision to uncover the truth in the assassination of Rafiq Hariri". The statement came after a joint meeting in Beirut with UN ambassadors from Britain, China and Russia. Further meetings with UN envoys from France and the United States are being sought. Opposition government pressure, spearheaded by Druze chieftain Walid Jumblatt, called for the removal of all Lebanese security chiefs earlier that day. Urging for their resignations, Jumblatt said, “It is not possible to carry out a just, serious, clear and transparent investigation if the heads of the agencies remain in their place.” Lebanon’s pro-Syrian government originally rejected a UN Security Council report issued Thursday that found, "security services has neither the capacity nor the commitment to reach a satisfactory and credible conclusion" in the bombing assassination of the anti-Syrian former prime minster Rafiq Hariri. The UN investigation complained they could not conduct it more thoroughly, partly due to lack of cooperation from Lebanon’s security services. The UN report bolsters Jumblatt claims these services are staffed by pro-Syrian agents and are the source of the car bombings and other lawlessness. The Hariri assassination on Feb 14 was the galvanizing force that spurred opposition government groups to street protests and rallies. The capital has since been beset with protesting groups both for, and against, the Syrian presence in Lebanon. A recent rally was estimated to have numbered a million people. In the face of these events and UN pressure, the Syrian capital of Damascus agreed to have its forces leave Lebanon. The Syrians have completed the first phase of its previously announced two-stage withdrawal. A meeting is planned for early April where a Lebanese-Syrian military committee will discuss the how the second stage will be conducted. The goal is for complete withdrawal before national elections scheduled for May. The worry is that Lebanon may be so far diminished in the vacuum created by the Syrian exit, the country may plunge into chaos.
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The following article has been retrieved from the archive and no longer contains the original video. Iraq’s parliament has agreed a last minute deal to overcome divisions on a law allowing elections next year. In a special late night session convened to end the political crisis, MPs supported a redistribution of seats which appear to accommodate Sunni and Kurdish calls for a more evenly shared political voice and reflect ethnic and religious minorities. Iraq’s deputy parliamentary speaker said: “The seats of the new Parliament will be 310 seats plus 15 seats for the minorities making a total of 325.” The expansion of Iraq’s parliament is seen as a breakthrough. Rows over the reallocation of seats were in danger of reopening deep sectarian divides that had only just started to heal after the 2003 US invasion. The elections previously set for January are now likely to be held at the end of February. It is welcome news to the White House as the delayed poll had been threatening to impinge on US plans to end combat operations in Iraq by next August, ahead of a full withdrawal by 2012. The US wants to handover security responsibility to the Iraqi military but political stability is needed for that to happen. Copyright © 2009 euronews tags: Elections, Iraq ||||| Iraq's Parliament Approves Election Law The bill took shape during several months of intense debate over how much parliamentary representation should be given to Iraq's minority groups. Photo: AP Iraqi lawmakers overcame long-standing divisions Sunday to pass a law needed to conduct parliamentary elections early next year. Parliament approved the law late Sunday in a nearly unanimous vote. The new law expands parliament from the current 275 seats to 325 seats. The bill took shape during several months of intense debate over how much parliamentary representation should be given to Iraq's minority groups. Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi said the law resolves his objections. He had demanded revisions to give his Sunni minority group a greater political voice. The vice president vetoed an earlier version of the law that did not meet this condition. The White House congratulated the Iraqi people and their elected representatives in passing the law and called it a "decisive moment for Iraq's democracy." According to a White House statement, both President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden spoke Sunday with Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani. The U.S. leaders affirmed America's commitment to a long-term relationship with Iraq, including the K.R.G. The United States has linked the pace of its military withdrawal from Iraq to the elections, which are considered a test of the country's ability to provide its own security. Iraqi leaders had warned that if the law was further delayed, the elections previously planned for January would be postponed for at least a month. On the outskirts of the Iraqi capital Sunday, gunmen stormed a police checkpoint in Abu Ghraib, killing four officers. Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters..
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Iraqi lawmakers passed a law on Sunday needed to conduct parliamentary elections early next year, in a nearly unanimous vote. The new law expands parliament from the current 275 seats to 325 seats. The bill took shape during several months of intense debate over how much parliamentary representation should be given to Iraq's minority groups. "The seats of the new Parliament will be 310 seats plus fifteen seats for the minorities, making a total of 325," said the deputy parliament speaker. Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi said the law resolves his objections. He had earlier demanded revisions to give his Sunni minority group a greater political voice, and vetoed an earlier version of the law that did not meet this condition.
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By Judith Miller The New York Times FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2005 Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, said Wednesday that Annan had dismissed Joseph Stephanides, the head of the Security Council Affairs Division, "in accordance with United Nations staff regulations" and after a "thorough review of all aspects of the case." The dismissal took effect immediately, Dujarric said. In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Stephanides, a 59-year-old Cypriot who had worked for the United Nations for 25 years and who had been scheduled to retire in September, denied any wrongdoing and said he was "very upset and disappointed" by Annan's decision. He said he had retained a lawyer to appeal his dismissal through the UN system. Dismissals of UN staff members are rare. Since taking the top post in 1997, Annan has dismissed 40, including Stephanides. Stephanides was suspended four months ago after a panel appointed by Annan to investigate accusations of corruption and misconduct in the $64 billion oil-for-food program criticized Stephanides in its first interim report, accusing him of helping to steer an inspection contract to a British company. The panel, the Independent Inquiry Committee, is led by Paul Volcker, a former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve. The report said that Stephanides had violated UN procurement rules by taking actions that "prejudiced and pre-empted" competitive bidding for the contract. Under the program, Saddam Hussein's government was permitted to sell oil to buy food and other civilian goods to alleviate the effect on the Iraqi people of sanctions imposed by the United Nations in 1990 after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Specifically, the report accused Stephanides, then the chief of the sanctions branch of the department of political affairs, of having "tainted" the bidding process by promoting the selection of Lloyd's Register Inspection to inspect the goods bought by Iraq, though it was not the lowest bidder. The panel did not suggest that Stephanides had personally benefited and also quoted Stephanides as saying he felt he was acting in the United Nations' best interests The panel leveled stronger criticism at a more senior official, Benon Sevan, the former director of the program, accusing him of having requested and received Iraqi oil allocations for a friend's company. Though suspended, Sevan has retained diplomatic immunity and is being paid $1 a day to encourage continued cooperation with the Volcker inquiry, UN officials said. In an interview, Stephanides asserted that his dismissal had been unwarranted and improper. He said he had learned of it in a fax sent to his home on Tuesday night. George Irving, his attorney, said Stephanides had not been permitted to present his response to the Volcker panel's criticisms at an administrative hearing and contended that this was a violation of UN rules. The UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, has dismissed a senior staff member for "serious misconduct" in the scandal involving the oil-for-food program for Iraq, a spokesman said. It was the first dismissal in the investigation of the program.Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, said Wednesday that Annan had dismissed Joseph Stephanides, the head of the Security Council Affairs Division, "in accordance with United Nations staff regulations" and after a "thorough review of all aspects of the case." The dismissal took effect immediately, Dujarric said.In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Stephanides, a 59-year-old Cypriot who had worked for the United Nations for 25 years and who had been scheduled to retire in September, denied any wrongdoing and said he was "very upset and disappointed" by Annan's decision. He said he had retained a lawyer to appeal his dismissal through the UN system.Dismissals of UN staff members are rare. Since taking the top post in 1997, Annan has dismissed 40, including Stephanides.Stephanides was suspended four months ago after a panel appointed by Annan to investigate accusations of corruption and misconduct in the $64 billion oil-for-food program criticized Stephanides in its first interim report, accusing him of helping to steer an inspection contract to a British company. The panel, the Independent Inquiry Committee, is led by Paul Volcker, a former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve.The report said that Stephanides had violated UN procurement rules by taking actions that "prejudiced and pre-empted" competitive bidding for the contract.Under the program, Saddam Hussein's government was permitted to sell oil to buy food and other civilian goods to alleviate the effect on the Iraqi people of sanctions imposed by the United Nations in 1990 after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.Specifically, the report accused Stephanides, then the chief of the sanctions branch of the department of political affairs, of having "tainted" the bidding process by promoting the selection of Lloyd's Register Inspection to inspect the goods bought by Iraq, though it was not the lowest bidder.The panel did not suggest that Stephanides had personally benefited and also quoted Stephanides as saying he felt he was acting in the United Nations' best interestsThe panel leveled stronger criticism at a more senior official, Benon Sevan, the former director of the program, accusing him of having requested and received Iraqi oil allocations for a friend's company.Though suspended, Sevan has retained diplomatic immunity and is being paid $1 a day to encourage continued cooperation with the Volcker inquiry, UN officials said.In an interview, Stephanides asserted that his dismissal had been unwarranted and improper. He said he had learned of it in a fax sent to his home on Tuesday night.George Irving, his attorney, said Stephanides had not been permitted to present his response to the Volcker panel's criticisms at an administrative hearing and contended that this was a violation of UN rules. ||||| 1 June 2005 The action was taken “after a thorough review of all aspects of the case,” Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. He added that Mr. Stephanides, former Deputy Director of the Security Council Affairs Division, had been advised on Tuesday that he was being separated from service for serious misconduct, in accordance with UN Staff Regulations. The Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC), commissioned by the Secretary-General to probe the oil-for-food programme in February, issued a report which found that a UN Steering Committee “prejudiced and pre-empted the competitive process in a manner that rejected the lowest qualified bidder” with the “active participation” of Mr. Stephanides. He was immediately suspended and given time to respond to the administrative charges against him as part of due process. According to the IIC report, Mr. Stephanides violated procurement rules to enable Lloyd’s Register Inspection, Ltd. to secure a multimillion dollar UN contract under oil-for-food. While Mr. Stephanides acknowledged this to be a technical violation of the rules, he contended that he acted to benefit the UN by negotiating the lowest price and not for personal gain, the report says. The IIC did not accept this explanation, noting that Mr. Stephanides “shared information with and enlisted the United Kingdom’s assistance in an effort to win the contract for Lloyd’s, not simply to obtain a better price from Lloyd’s for a contract award that already had been decided.” The Committee said it did “not doubt the sincerity of Mr. Stephanides view that Lloyd’s was the best company for the contract or that this view was shared by high-ranking officials of the United Nations and some members of the Security Council,” but maintained that rules which should have been followed were not. Mr. Annan’s decision to dismiss Mr. Stephanides brought to 40 the number of staffers who have been let go summarily since he became Secretary-General in 1997. Mr. Stephanides, who also served as Chief of the Sanctions Branch, was suspended along with Benon Sevan, the former head of the oil-for-food programme. In its February report, the IIC, led by former United States Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker, found that Mr. Sevan had repeatedly solicited allocations of oil under the programme. By doing so, the panel said he “created a grave and continuing conflict of interest.” The report did not rule on whether the former oil-for-food chief had personally profited. Through his lawyers, Mr. Sevan has denied any wrongdoing. Mr. Dujarric today indicated that with questions still open, formal action against Mr. Sevan is not imminent. “A decision has been taken to suspend actions against him until the Independent Inquiry into the oil-for-food programme has finished looking into Mr. Sevan’s activities,” he said. The spokesman explained that “if administrative action is to be taken against Mr. Sevan then it would be taken as a whole, instead of piecemeal.” ||||| U.S. Annan Fires Stephanides for Iraq Program Misconduct (Update1) June 1 (Bloomberg) -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday fired Joseph Stephanides, an official in the Iraq oil-for-food program, for misconduct in the awarding of a contract to a company that inspected humanitarian goods imported by former dictator Saddam Hussein's regime. Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, who is investigating allegations of corruption in the program, said in a Feb. 3 report that Stephanides ``tainted'' the process of hiring Lloyds Register Inspection Ltd. by telling the U.K. company how much to lower its bid to win the 1996 contract. ``After a thorough review of all aspects of the case, the secretary-general has decided that Mr. Joseph Stephanides be summarily dismissed for serious misconduct, in accordance with the United Nations staff regulations,'' UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters today at the UN. The former Cypriot diplomat is the first official involved with the oil-for-food program to be fired. The program's chief, Benon Sevan, also a Cypriot, has been suspended for what Volcker called a ``grave'' conflict of interest by soliciting oil purchases on behalf of a trading company. Sevan has denied any wrongdoing. Stephanides hasn't responded to a message left by telephone with his office requesting comment, nor has he replied in the past to messages from Bloomberg News. Created by the Security Council as an exemption to sanctions imposed on Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, the program allowed Hussein to sell $64 billion worth of oil from 1996 until the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. He skimmed more that $17 billion from the program through oil smuggling and graft involving humanitarian goods, U.S. congressional investigators said in November.
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UN Secretary General Kofi Annan UN Secretary General Kofi Annan fired the first UN official in connection with the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal. "After a thorough review of all aspects of the case, the Secretary General has decided that Mr. Joseph Stephanides be summarily dismissed for serious misconduct in accordance with UN staff regulations," relayed spokesman Stephane Dujarric. "Mr Stephanides was advised accordingly yesterday and separated from service with immediate effect. There is no allegation of any criminal act. This is a disciplinary action for a breach of staff rules regarding procurement." The investigation concluded that Stephanides infringed on regulations by helping the British company, Lloyds Register Inspection Ltd., win a contract under the UN programme for Iraq. Mr. Stephanides acted as the head of the Security Council Affairs Division when he allegedly told the company how much to lower its price to be awarded a contract. He denies any wrong-doing and hired a lawyer to defend himself. Aged 59, Stephanides worked for the UN for 25 years, and was due to retire in September this year. After a first food-for-oil interim report was released in February, Mr. Stephanides along with Benon Sevan were suspended. Sevan, the former head of the oil-for-food programme for 6 years, was also accused of breach of procurement rules in the report co-written by Paul Volcker. However, disciplinary measures against Sevan will not be carried out because of his status of diplomatic immunity. A final report is scheduled for publication in three months which should further clarify whether Mr. Sevan received Iraqi oil allocations for a friend's company. In the meantime, he remains suspended from all UN duties, and is being given only a symbolic salary of one dollar a year. A central and unanswered question, is whether either Stephanides or Sevan profited directly by their actions in executing and implementing the complex programme.
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A small plane has crashed into a house in Florida, slicing the property down the middle. Plane crashed into house in Florida. Picture: WSVN TV images showed the home with a gaping hole in it and smoke could be seen rising from the crash site. The house burst into flames when the plane went down, but firefighters were able to quickly contain it, authorities said. The aircraft, believed to be a twin-engined Cessna 421, came down in Oakland Park, shortly after taking off from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. The plane had reported trouble to the tower, and the tower cleared it to turn around and land, said an airport spokesman. Before it could land, it crashed. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said one person was on board the plane. She did not know if the person survived. The house was a total loss," said Broward Sheriff's Office spokesman Mike Jachles. "The plane went right into the centre of the house." Incident near Fort Lauderdale It was not clear if anyone was inside the home, which was about two miles from the airport. Witness Rick Cunningham said he heard a "spitting and sputtering coming from the plane" while he was painting a house down the street. Then, he saw the plane coming in sideways, and it nose-dived into the ground, he said. Bill Slugg, who lives across the street, told reporters: "I said 'Oh my God, that could have been my house.' It was that close." Dorothy O'Brien, 83, who lives nearby, said: "I was on the phone, the phone went dead and there was this loud bang and a lot of black smoke emanating from the area. "Black, black smoke for at least 10 minutes." The crash was the fifth involving Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, which caters for small planes and jets, in the last 12 years. In the latest incident, the aircraft was heading to Fernandina Beach, just outside Jacksonville, when it came down. ||||| MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A Fort Lauderdale official said that only one person was on a plane that slammed into a vacant house Friday, a crash called "not survivable" by a fire official. Bystanders watch the flames after the plane crash Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The two-engine Cessna crashed about 11:15 a.m. in a neighborhood not far from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, from which it took off, the city official said. Video from the scene showed a small house virtually cut in two as firefighters poured water on smoking debris. Chaz Adams -- spokesman for the city of Fort Lauderdale, which owns the airport -- said that there was only one person aboard and that a previous report of four passengers was incorrect. The Federal Aviation Administration also said the flight plan listed one person on board, and witnesses at the airport have told the FAA that only one person boarded the aircraft. Adams said three people live in the house that was hit, but "the house was vacant when the plane down." He said the plane was headed to Fernandina Beach, north of Jacksonville, Florida. Seconds after takeoff, the pilot reported trouble. "The tower cleared it to come back and try to land at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. The plane crashed attempting to return to the airport," Adams said. Watch an iReporter describe the crash » Donald Widing, chief of fire rescue for Oakland Park, said, "the crash was not survivable." "The fire is under control. The emergency is contained," he said a little more than an hour after the crash. "What we're doing now is making sure that the scene is safe enough to introduce our first responders to do a complete primary and secondary search of the aircraft wreckage itself and the occupancy." He added, "we are concerned with the plane's fuel tanks and have to save the house and the scene before we can conduct any further search-and-rescue operations." Watch firefighters tackle the blaze » Asked whether more than one home in the area was impacted, Widing said, "we're still assessing the damage." He said "the majority of the fire" was "contained on the property that was affected." However, he said, there may be minor fire damage and some heat damage elsewhere. Nation Transportation Safety Board officials were going to the scene. CNN's Rich Phillips contributed to this report . All About Fort Lauderdale ||||| OAKLAND PARK, Fla. (AP) — A small plane has crashed into a house outside Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and smoke can be seen rising from the crash site. The crash happened Friday morning. Television images show the house has a gaping hole, and firefighters are working to extinguish the flames. The home is near Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. It isn't immediately clear if anyone was inside the home, or how many people were aboard the plane.
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A small plane crashed Friday morning into a house in Florida after taking off from the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. The twin engine aircraft is believed to be a Cessna 421. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson has said that one person was on board the 8 passenger plane. Authorities report that no one was at home when the crash occurred just before noon hour. File photo of A Cessna 421 similar to the plane involved in the accident The pilot, 80-year-old Cecil A. Murray, has not been found, but authorities say he did not survive the crash. "The house was a total loss. The plane went right into the center of the house," said Mike Jachles, Broward Sheriff's Office spokesman. A neighbour rushed over and knocked on windows before the heat became too intense. Firefighters immediately attended to the blaze and tried to determine the amount of aircraft fuel present in the area. The plane also took out power lines in its descent resulting in a loss of power to 1,645 homes in the neighbourhood. The intended destination was Fernandina Beach, Florida. Chaz Adams, from the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, reported that the plane radioed back to the tower for permission to turn around due to problems in flight.
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