#115: Peace & International Relations: The "Pacific Realm Era" and World Affairs.

[H.E. KUM Nelson Bame IV]

Russia, China block Security Council referral of Syria

 to International Criminal Court

China and Russia vetoed a Security Council resolution that would have referred the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC). UN Photo/Evan Schneider

22 May 2014 – Despite repeated appeals by senior United Nations officials for accountability for crimes being committed in Syria, the Security Council was unable today to adopt a resolution that would have referred the situation in the war-torn nation to the International Criminal Court (ICC), due to vetoes by permanent members Russia and China.

The resolution, which was backed by the other 13 members of the Council, would have given the Court the mandate to investigate the horrific crimes committed during the course of the conflict in Syria, which since March 2011 has witnessed the deaths of over 100,000 civilians, the displacement of millions and widespread violations of human rights.

“The Syrian people have a fundamental right to justice. The United Nations and its Member States have a fundamental duty to defend that right,” Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said in remarks delivered on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon prior to the vote.

“Since the outbreak of the war in Syria, I have persistently called for accountability for perpetrators of grave human rights violations, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The recent attacks against humanitarian convoys and personnel, which may constitute war crimes, add to the urgent need to see action now on accountability in Syria,” he stated.

“The Security Council has an inescapable responsibility in this regard. States that are members of both the Security Council and the Human Rights Council have a particular duty to end the bloodshed and to ensure justice for the victims of unspeakable crimes.”

In February 2013, the UN-appointed Commission of Inquiry concluded that the ICC is the appropriate venue to pursue the fight against impunity in Syria.

“If members of the Council continue to be unable to agree on a measure that could provide some accountability for the ongoing crimes, the credibility of this body and of the entire Organization will continue to suffer,” Mr. Eliasson warned.

Today’s action comes less than 10 days after the Joint UN-League of Arab States Special Representative on the Syria crisis, Lakhdar Brahimi, resigned from his post after nearly two years of diplomatic efforts to bring about a political solution to the brutal civil war.

In accepting the envoy’s resignation, the UN chief had acknowledged that the 80-year old Algerian diplomat had faced almost impossible odds, “with a Syrian nation, Middle Easters region and wider international community that have been hopelessly divided in their approaches to ending the conflict.”

 

 

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Ban calls for return to civilian order in Thailand  after military seizes government

 

22 May 2014 – Appealing for “a prompt return to civilian order” in Thailand, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed serious concern about the military takeover in the country today and urged all parties to respect human rights and refrain from violence.

“The Secretary-General is seriously concerned by the military takeover in Thailand,” said a statement issued by a UN spokesperson in New York – the second one pertaining to the country in the past 72 hours.

According to reports, the Thai military sized control of the country today following months of unrest and widespread protests in Bangkok and elsewhere. Popular demonstrations began in late 2013, with calls for the ouster of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s administration and implementation of anti-corruption reforms. The military declared martial law two days ago. On 7 May, Ms. Shinawatra reportedly was removed from Government after a ruling by the Thai Constitutional Court.

“He appeals for a prompt return to constitutional, civilian, democratic rule and an all-inclusive dialogue that will pave the way for long-term peace and prosperity in Thailand,” said today’s statement, which added that the UN chief urged all parties to work together constructively, refrain from violence and respect human rights.

 

 

 

 

The torch will be given to you’ to build better future, Ban tells students in Shanghai

 

22 May 2014 – At a “time of test” for the human family, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today encouraged students and faculty at Shanghai’s Fudan University to help the United Nations as it begins in earnest work on the fundamental challenge of building an inclusive, universal 21st century blueprint “that will steer our world onto a truly sustainable, prosperous and peaceful path.”

“We are living in a very crucially important time. Thus, your responsibility and your engagement and your vision will be very important, particularly for faculty members and professors,” Mr. Ban said in his address, as he wrapped up his week-long visit to China.

In 2000, world leaders gathered at the UN and adopted a blueprint that came to be known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), aiming to, among others, provide fair opportunities, enhance opportunities for education, and improve healthcare, all by 2015.

“Thanks in large measure to China, we have met one goal – cutting in half the abject poverty level in half by 2015,” Mr. Ban said, explaining that the target had in fact been achieved by 2010, according to World Bank statistics. “That is owing to China’s great efforts, so we were able to lift out of poverty half of the population.”

“But there are many other issues…which all countries must get on board for. We are working very hard,” said Mr. Ban, acknowledging that many of the MDGs would have to be carried over in the new development agenda as they would not be met. “That is why we are aiming for 2030,” for achievement of the emerging sustainable development goals.

“There is much unfinished business. Too many countries and vulnerable people are being left behind,” he said, underscoring that it has become clear that the UN family must give greater attention to pressing issues central to success in the 21st century, including climate change, inequality, the rule of law, violence against women and the impact of disasters and many conflicts.

Stressing that the difficult way ahead would require “a global vision,” he cited a raft of challenges that must be addressed, including the “the tragedy in Syria,” where more than 150,000 people have been killed, and the continuing conflicts in South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Moreover, the Secretary-General continued, the impacts of climate change are already with us “and will affect generations to come unless we take immediate action now.”

“You will soon inherit the responsibility, while we are doing our best to make this planet Earth more sustainable, soon it will become your responsibility…The torch will be given to you,” he said, adding specifically that the world’s youth would become the environmental activists who fight pollution, promote renewable energy and deliver a low-carbon growth model to combat climate change.

He went on to appeal to the students to evince the calm, compassion, cooperation and courage to recognize that the global logic of the times requires that all “work together for peace and a life of dignity for all.”

“This world has become one family of nations. So my message is that you must be a global citizen, having a global vision.”

Later in the day, at a lunch on Maternal and Child Health hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the Secretary-General again noted China’s significant progress towards the MDGs, including by placing a priority on healthy mothers and healthy children.

“China is one of the few countries to already meet the Goal on child mortality. We must work to spread these successes to every woman and child – everywhere,” he continued, adding that China had been one of the first countries to commit to his “Every Woman, Every Child” initiative and to support the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health.

Success on these fronts now and in the future depends on five factors, he said, citing: strong leadership at the highest levels; the commitment of multi-stakeholder partners at the country level; predictable financing; accountability for resources and results; and innovation.

“These are the core principles of Every Woman, Every Child,” he said, noting that much progress has been made but there is still a long way to go, especially in improving well-being for the hardest to reach.

As a developing country, China has a major role to play in sharing its many valuable experiences, particularly through South-South collaboration. The Chinese private sector has some of the world’s most innovative minds, spurring unprecedented growth, he said.

“In this room we have leaders from the pharmaceutical industry, agriculture, finance, the media, energy companies, academia and health practitioners. The opportunities for fruitful collaborations are plentiful,” said the UN chief, stressing that securing the health of women and children is vital for sustainable development and a life of dignity for all.

 

 

 

 

 

North Korea artillery fires at

South Korean navy ship, and misses

 

By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park 8 hours ago

 

.

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Residents watch a television report on North Korean artillery fired near a South Korean navy patrol ship …

By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park

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• North Korea vows to punish South Korean official Associated Press

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean artillery fired at least one shot which landed near a South Korean navy patrol ship south of the two sides' disputed maritime border on Thursday, but it did not hit the vessel, a military official in Seoul said.

The official added that South Korean artillery fired at a North Korean naval vessel in response.

Residents of the Yeonpyeong island, which lies just south of the disputed sea border, were evacuated to bomb shelters, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Shelling by North Korean artillery killed four people on the island in 2010.

There was no further firing from the North following the incident soon after 6 p.m. local time (0900 GMT), the official said.

North Korea has refused to recognize the so-called Northern Limit Line that was drawn up at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War and has frequently challenged it with intrusions of ships or more recently by firing artillery near or across the line.

Earlier on Thursday, North Korea had issued its latest threat to "blow up" any South Korean warships, in an angry response to an incident earlier in the week when the South fired warning shots at the North's patrol boats that breached the line.

The North accused South of "a grave provocation" at the time and said its vessels were merely trying to contain Chinese fishing boats that were in the area illegally.

Also, earlier on Thursday, the South's Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said North Korea had no business interfering in operations of South Korean naval vessels south of the Northern Limit Line.

In March, the North fired more than 500 rounds of artillery in an exercise, but 100 rounds landed south of the border, prompting the South to fire more than 300 shots back.

The Northern Limit Line, a maritime border that wraps itself around a part of the North's coastline, has been the scene of frequent clashes.

Earlier in 2010, a South Korean naval vessel was sunk close to the line by what an international commission said was a North Korean torpedo, although the North denies involvement.

The two sides are still technically at war as the conflict ended in a mere truce, not a treaty.

(Additional reporting by Choonsik Yoo; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

 

 

 

 

·  Jihadists seek Islamic state on Syria-Iraq border

"Their name is the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Their goal is to link together the two areas (Syria, Iraq) to set up their state and then to continue spreading," said activist and citizen journalist Abdel Salam Hussein. Speaking from Albu Kamal on the Iraq border, Hussein said ISIL…

AFP

 

 

Congress reaffirms indefinite detention of Americans under NDAA

Published time: May 22, 2014 18:26

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Camp Delta prison, at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base (Reuters / Brennan Linsley)

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The US House of Representatives approved an annual defense spending bill early Thursday after rejecting a proposed amendment that would have prevented the United States government from indefinitely detaining American citizens.

An amendment introduced in the House on Wednesday this week asked that Congress repeal a controversial provision placed in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 that has ever since provided the executive branch with the power to arrest and detain indefinitely any US citizen thought to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda or associated organizations.

“This amendment would eliminate indefinite detention in the United States and its territories,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-Washington), a co-author of the failed amendment, said during floor debate on Wednesday, “So basically anybody that we captured, who we suspected of terrorist activity, would no longer be subject to indefinite detention, as is now, currently, the law.”

"That is an enormous amount of power to give the executive, to take someone and lock them up without due process," Smith added. "It is an enormous amount of power to grant the executive, and I believe places liberty and freedom at risk in this country."

Pres. Barack Obama vowed when he signed the 2012 NDAA into law on December 31, 2011 that he would not use the indefinite detention powers provided to him by Congress. When that provision was challenged in federal court, however, the White House fought back adamantly and appealed a District Court ruling that initially reversed the indefinite detention clause, eventually sending the challenge to the Supreme Court where it stalled until earlier this month with the justices there said they would not consider the case.

The bill sponsored by Smith and co-author Rep. Paul Broun (R-Georgia) would have given the legislative branch a chance to repeal the same provisions that SCOTUS declined to hear, but the bipartisan amendment failed on a vote of 191 to 230.

A separate proposal from Rep. Smith meant to expedite the shut-down of the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was also rejected early Thursday; an amendment from Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Florida) intended to cut federal funding for recreational facilities at Gitmo, however, was approved in the NDAA draft that left the House on Thursday.

On Twitter, Smith said he was “disappointed” but “won’t stop fighting to pass this critical legislation.”

And while the White House is unlikely to abandon its own fight with regards to keep the indefinite detention provision intact, the Obama administration threatened to vote this year’s NDAA because it would continue to complicate the president’s promise to close the Guantanamo Bay facility — a vow older than his own administration.

"If this year's Defense Authorization bill continues unwarranted restrictions regarding Guantanamo detainees, the president will veto the bill," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement Wednesday evening.

When the 2011 NDAA passed Congress with the controversial indefinite detention provision included, the White House said at the time that it would veto the legislation before Pres. Obama eventually balked.

 

Military coup in Thailand: Constitution suspended, all TV & radio broadcasts halted

Published time: May 22, 2014 12:05
Edited time: May 22, 2014 17:53

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Thai soldiers stand guard during a coup at the Army Club where Thailand's army chief held a meeting with all rival factions in central Bangkok May 22, 2014.(Reuters / Athit Perawongmetha)

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Thailand’s army has taken over control of the country, suspending the constitution and imposing a curfew. TV and radio stations were also ordered to broadcast only army material. The coup follows months of political stalemate and turmoil.

"All radio and television stations, satellite and cable, must stop normal programming and broadcast army content until told otherwise," Winthai Suvaree, a deputy army spokesman, said in a televised statement.

Winthai also demanded the protesters disband, while several leaders had been detained. Gatherings of more than five people are now banned with one year prison term for violators. A 10pm to 5am curfew has been proclaimed.

While national TV and radio stations are now allowed to broadcast only army-approved material, global news outlets are being taken off air, according to some reports. CNN and the BBC are unavailable at the moment, users on Twitter said.

No internet censorship has been reported as of yet.

Several hours after the initial announcement, the military started arresting former government members. An ex-Labour Minister, Chalerm Ubumrung, was taken into custody, as was his son.In recent times, Ubumrung was a deputy prime minister of former PM Yingluck Shinawatra.

In an earlier announcement, the country’s army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha proclaimed he takes control of the government to restore order.

"In order for the situation to return to normal quickly and for society to love and be at peace again ... and to reform the political, economic and social structure, the military needs to take control of power," Prayuth said.

The army chief will head the military council which takes charge of Thailand. The prime minister and cabinet ministers were summoned to report to the military. At the same time, the Senate’s upper house and all courts will continue to function.

A general election in August has been proposed as the best way forward, with proposed date of August 3 still to be finalized.

While Prayuth did not use the term ‘coup’ himself, Thursday marks the country’s 19th coup in 82 years.

However, the move by the military has prompted international concern.

The UN has issued a reminder directed at Thai authorities stating that international law “strictly limits” the implementation of emergency powers and has urged that fundamental rights be respected within the country.

The Pentagon has been reassessing its military assistance to and engagement with Thailand in the wake of the coup, the Pentagon stated on Thursday. The review included an ongoing naval drill in Thailand which includes 700 US Marines and sailors, Reuters was told.

Brad Adams, director of the Asia division at Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera that “while there has been sporadic violence in recent months, nationwide martial law was not necessary to prevent further violence.” He added that the military has taken a 100-year-old law “off the shelf” which makes the civilian administration “subordinate to the military, effectively rendering the executive, legislative and judicial branches powerless.”

Thailand’s Martial Law Act of 1914 states that military commanders possess broad powers to suppress unrest, including the capacity to censor media and ban public gatherings.

Implications for travelers

The Russian consular service warned the imposed curfew affects all parts of Thailand.

“It is better not to leave your hotel during the curfew. If you are at the airport at night, you’d better stay there,” the service told ITAR-TASS, initially urging tourists to comply with the new authorities’ recommendations.

The curfew in Thailand does not apply to travelers arriving or leaving the country, according to a later military announcement, the agency reported.

“If you need to get to the airport during curfew hours by private transport, prepare your ticket and passport for the authorities to check. If you use public transportation, try to arrive at the airport early,” Airports of Thailand said in a statement.

Soldiers take their positions after a coup in central Bangkok May 22, 2014.(Reuters / Kerek Wongsa )

Thailand has seen over six months of unrest as anti-government protesters, who want to rid the country of the influence of Thaksin Shinawatra, were locked in a power struggle with opponents.

Thaksin was a prime minister since 2001 till 2006 when he was overthrown in a military coup. Since 2008 he has been living in self-imposed exile in order to avoid a jail term for graft. His opponents accuse him of cronyism and corruption as well as using taxpayers' money to buy votes with populist giveaways.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is Thaksin's sister and is believed to be much affected by him in her policies. She was dismissed from her office on May 7, but her caretaker government had remained nominally in power.

The protesters have been demanding a "neutral" interim prime minister to oversee the electoral reform.

Thai soldiers run as they take their positions during a coup at the Army Club where Thailand's army chief held a meeting with all rival factions in central Bangkok May 22, 2014.(Reuters / Athit Perawongmetha)

Last week, tensions escalated after gunmen started firing at a ‘yellow shirt’ protest camp, killing three and wounding a further 23.

‘Red shirts’ and ‘yellow shirts’ are the identifying symbols of the two camps – those dressed in red are supportive of the government that until recently held power, whereas the yellow shirts oppose Thaksin Shinawatra's role in Thai politics.

Shortly before the coup was announced, hundreds of soldiers gathered at Bangkok's Army Club and forcibly removed the leader of the protests against the pro-Thaskin government, Suthep Thaugsuban. Soldiers unleashed gunfire into the air to disperse the pro-government activists who had been rallying in the west of the captial, said a ‘red shirt’ spokesperson.

 

 

Ukraine dangerously interfering with press freedom – Human Rights Watch

Published time: May 22, 2014 13:17
Edited time: May 22, 2014 13:54

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Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Ukraine’s military and security services are “dangerously interfering with press freedom” by detaining journalists working with Russian news agencies and denying others entry into the country.

The New-York-based advocacy group called on Ukrainian authorities to “immediately” explain the recent detention of three journalists, one of whom has since been released.

“We’re deeply worried about the fate and whereabouts of these three journalists,” said Rachel Denber, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Detaining journalists and then failing to provide information on what’s happening to them or to respect their due process rights are serious violations that have to end.”

The NGO said they should either be promptly released, or if there is evidence that they were involved in illegal activity, they should immediately be brought before a judge so they can be charged and released pending further investigation.

The group further called on authorities in Kiev to make public the legal grounds under which the journalists are being held. Apart from being given access to lawyers and consular officers, all those detained should be given full protection under the law.

“Failure to provide information on the whereabouts and fate of anyone deprived of their liberty by agents of the state, or those acting with its acquiescence, may constitute an enforced disappearance,” HRW warned.

On Tuesday, Graham Phillips, a UK citizen who contributes to RT as a freelance journalist, was detained by the Ukrainian National Guard at a checkpoint outside the eastern city of Mariupol on suspicion of being a spy.

After being held for 36 hours, Phillips was released by security forces after being transferred to Zaporozhye, where he spent the night. Ukraine's authorities did not charge him with anything, he says.

“All my work in order, no charges, no deportation, no one laid a hand on me in anger, Ukrainian authorities treated me fairly,” Phillips said.

Philips said that upon being stopped by troops in Mariupol, the situation “escalated” after they saw he was working for RT.

“They started phoning people and then I was detained. I had my things taken off me and interrogated quite thoroughly,” he said.

Graham Phillips (Photo from grahamwphillips.com)

“RT’s reporting may not be well received by some in Kiev, but it is totally unacceptable and a blatant violation of freedom of expression to arrest journalists simply for the content or tone of their reporting,” Denber said. “Worse still is to turn an arbitrary detention into an enforced disappearance by concealing all information about where the journalist is and what’s happening to him.”

Writing for Buzzfeed, Max Seddon recently wrote that in a conflict characterized by “danger, trauma, and paranoia,” authorities in Kiev “have been working to remove Russian TV from the country entirely and increasingly treats Russian state journalists as enemy combatants.”

#SaveOurGuys

While Philips was released, the fate of two other Russian nationals working for LifeNews media outlet remains unknown.

On Sunday, LifeNews reporter Oleg Sidyakin and cameraman Marat Saichenko were detained on Sunday soon after they released a video which allegedly showed a UN-marked helicopter being used by the Ukrainian army in a military operation in the eastern regions.

On Monday, the deputy secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (SNBO) said the journalists were being investigated on the charges of “aiding the terrorist groups.”

The same day a video merged showing the Ukrainian troops crudely forcing the Russian journalists to their knees.

An SBU spokeswoman claimed that the men were not engaged in journalism in Ukraine but were rather “accompanying terrorists and broadcasting their unlawful actions.” She also said that Sidyakin and Saichanko had admitted to entering Ukraine without any media accreditation and had told border that police that the purpose of their visit was to attend a concert. The spokeswoman declined to provide any information on whether the men had been formally detained, and if so, what is their status.

Russian President Vladimir later called the accusations against the journalists “nonsense and delirium.”

Following their detention, an online campaign #SaveOurGuys was launched in a bid to see the journalists set free.

A lawyer representing the pair has since filed a missing persons report with Ukraine’s Interior Ministry.

HRW called on Ukrainian authorities to “immediately clarify the whereabouts of Saichenko and Sidyakin” and state unequivocally whether “lawful charges are being pursued against them,” Human Rights Watch said.

The group said failing to do so would implicit authorities in an act of “enforced disappearance,” which is “prohibited under international law” and violates “multiple human rights obligations.” The group notes that arbitrary detention and denial of freedom of expression contravention the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which Ukraine is party to.

The Russian detained journalists are being investigated on the charges of “aiding the terrorist groups”. Screenshot from YouTube (Life-Maria Channel)

Earlier, The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) urged authorities in Kiev to release the Russian journalists captured in eastern Ukraine, saying that intimidation and obstruction of media working in the country is “unacceptable.”

In a letter, the OSCE’s representative on freedom of the media, Dunja Mijatovic called on Ukrainian security forces to “stop intimidating and threatening members of the media,” stressing that journalists must be allowed to do their jobs without fearing for their security.

Banned in UA

Meanwhile, on Tuesday RT Arabic’s news crew was denied entry by Ukrainian border police after arriving in Kiev to cover the upcoming presidential election.

“At the border control they immediately took our passports. An hour later, we – one by one – were invited to a special room for an interview,” RT’s Anna Knishenko said at the time.

Following individual interviews, border guards gave the journalists papers in Ukrainian stating that they were denied entry since they could not properly explain the purpose of their visit, she said. The journalists, however, had in fact been accredited by the Ukrainian Central Election Commission, said Knishenko.

Human Rights Watch spoke with Knishenko, along with four other journalists from independent news outlets – including Kommersant, Rosbalt, and Russian Reporter – who were all summarily denied entry to Ukraine under similar circumstances between March and May.

“While Ukraine has a right to control who enters its country, refusal of entry on arbitrary or discriminatory grounds such as nationality or political opinion is inconsistent with the exercise of that right under international human rights law,” HRW said.

Mijatovic had previously condemned the harassment of journalists in Ukraine, noting that on May 15-16 a host of Russian journalists from Channel One, NTV, TVC and Zvezda channels were denied entrance at the country’s border despite “all of them have been accredited by the Ukrainian authorities for covering the presidential elections.”

Denber also called on Kiev to stop clamping down on the press.

“The Ukrainian authorities need to stop the arbitrary detention of journalists and provide information on what has happened to those already detained,” Denber said. “And the Ukrainian authorities should stop blocking journalists from covering the events in Ukraine, including the upcoming election.”

 

 

19:53

UN blacklists Nigeria's Boko Haram militant group

Nigeria's Islamist militant group Boko Haram was blacklisted by the UN Security Council al Qaeda sanctions committee after it kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls, diplomats told Reuters. The sanctions on the group include an international asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo. Previously, Nigeria tried to tackle the Islamists without attracting international help. Boko Haram kidnapped more than 250 girls from a secondary school in Chibok in remote northeastern Nigeria on April 14 and has threatened to sell them into slavery.

19:14

Mourner shot in head in Turkey clashes – CCTV footage

A mourner in a funeral procession in Turkey has been shot and seriously injured as clashes between protesters and police erupted in Istanbul on Thursday, CCTV footage showed. The man was shot in the head after police reportedly deployed live ammunition against the protesters, a group of which had set an armored vehicle alight, according to Hurriyet Daily. Tensions are high in Turkey after a mine disaster killed some 301 people last week, with many blaming the sacrifice of safety regulations for the sake of profit. Protests have been taking place in towns and cities nationwide.

17:27

EU bans imports of Israeli settlements’ poultry and eggs

The European Union has banned the import of poultry and eggs from Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying the products don’t meet public health regulations for import, Israeli news website Walla reported. The EU only recognizes veterinary supervision within the Jewish state's pre-1967 borders, which excludes settlement produced poultry. The Israeli agriculture ministry declined to comment, AFP reports.

16:42

29 farm workers gunned down in suspected Boko Haram siege

Suspected Boko Haram militants have shot 29 workers dead in northeastern Nigeria, according to police and witnesses who spoke to Reuters. There were ten further casualties in the attack in the remote village of Chuck Nguddoa. The majority of the area was razed including the grain store.

15:00

EU can ban seal products on moral grounds - WTO

The EU won a part of an appeal ruling at the World Trade Organization on Thursday, fending off an attempt by Norway and Canada to overturn its ban on imports of their seal products. The WTO’s Appellate Body upheld an earlier ruling that the EU’s rules were “necessary to protect public morals,” Reuters reported, citing a WTO statement. However, the finding in the earlier ruling that the EU had illegally discriminated against imports from Canada and Norway in favor of seal products from the EU was also upheld.

14:54

At least 10 injured in Niger student riots

Two days of student riots in the capital of the West African state of Niger have left at least 10 people injured and several dozen vehicles trashed, AFP reported, citing Niamey's governor. The clashes in Niamey on Tuesday and Wednesday pitted police using tear gas against hundreds of students angry at delays in the payment of their grants, and armed with stones and hunks of wood. The general secretary of the student union at the Niamey University, Younous Abdouramane, said that about 30 people had been injured and 62 detained by police.

14:34

Russia, China veto UN bid to refer Syria govt to ICC

Moscow and Beijing have blocked a UN Security Council resolution authorizing the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate alleged crimes of the Syrian government. The resolution, drafted by France and supported by 58 UN members, was set to condemn "widespread violations of human rights" by Syrian authorities and pro-government militias, as well as abuses by "non-state armed groups." On Wednesday, Russia’s envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin called the resolution “a publicity stunt” and warned it would be vetoed to avoid escalation of the conflict in Syria. According to activist estimates, the four-year crisis in the Arab country has taken over 150,000 lives. This was the fourth time Russia and China have blocked UN Security Council action on Syria.

13:51

North, South Korean warships exchange fire near disputed sea boundary

North and South Korean warships exchanged artillery fire Thursday in disputed waters off the western coast of the peninsula, AP reported, citing South Korean military officials. A South Korean navy ship was engaged in a routine patrol near the countries’ disputed maritime boundary in the Yellow Sea when a North Korean navy ship fired two artillery shells, according to officials from the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defense Ministry. The shells did not hit the South Korean ship. The South Korean ship then fired several artillery rounds in waters near the North Korean ship. Residents on the frontline Yeonpyeong Island were evacuated to shelters.

12:39

Russia urges OSCE permanent council meeting to help free reporters in Ukraine

Moscow raised on Thursday the issue of releasing Russian journalists Oleg Sidyakin and Marat Saichenko during a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Russian representative at the OSCE Andrey Kelin has said. He asked the Ukrainian envoy why his country’s authorities banned members of the special OSCE observer mission in Ukraine from seeing the journalists. Sidyakin and Saichenko were detained May 18 by the Ukrainian National Guard near the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region. Also, the Russian side drew attention to Ukraine’s violation of its commitments in the area of mass media, RIA Novosti reported.

11:52

Russian troops move out of Ukraine border regions on trains, planes – military

Several trains and 15 Il-76 planes with Russian troops that took part in military exercises on Wednesday left the Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk Regions bordering Ukraine to head to their permanent bases, RIA Novosti reported, citing the Russian Defense Ministry. Military hardware, armaments and materials are also carried on trains, as the troops and hardware try to avoid general roads that are busy with the start of the summer season. From June 1, summer training will begin at the permanent garrisons, ITAR-TASS reported.

11:10

US, Britain warn of kidnap threat to citizens in south Iraq

US and British citizens in the southern Iraqi province of Basra may be at risk of kidnapping by militant groups, the US Embassy and British officials said. “Militant groups may be surveilling US citizens for possible kidnapping operations, particularly oil company employees working in Basra province,” the embassy said in a statement late on Wednesday. “The groups may be focused on US citizens at hotels in the Basra area.” The British Foreign Office said on Thursday the US warning applied equally to its own citizens, particularly oil company employees working in Basra province.

10:43

Army announces curfew in Thailand as talks fail

The Thai army has announced a nationwide curfew from 10pm to 5am after declaring a military takeover of the government. Deputy army spokesman Winthai Suvaree made the announcement Thursday on national television, AP reported. Army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha said about an hour earlier that a joint commission of all military branches plus police would govern the country to restore stability. The takeover followed a nearly seven-month period of political turmoil.

09:48

Nuclear deal ‘likely’ by July – Iran’s Rouhani

Iran’s president said Thursday an agreement by July on curbing its nuclear program is “very likely” despite a snag in talks last week. “It is very likely that we can come to an agreement by the end of July,” President Hassan Rouhani said in Shanghai, China. Reaching agreement depends on unspecified countries not be giving a chance to “create problems,” AP quoted Rouhani as saying. The deadline might also be extended, he said. Talks in Vienna involving Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany stalled last Friday, denting hopes that negotiators could meet a July 20 target date.

09:37

US woman hurt as household gas explodes at apartment bldg in central Moscow

A US woman was hurt after a household gas exploded at an eight-story apartment house in Kutuzovsky Prospect in central Moscow on Thursday. She was taken to hospital by a helicopter, RIA Novosti reported. The woman, aged 45-50, is a US citizen and she is working at the US Embassy, according to Viktor Biryukov, a representative of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry. The woman has got “burns to up to 80 percent of her body,” ITAR-TASS quoted Moscow Deputy Mayor Aleksandr Gorbenko as saying. The blast took place at the third floor of the building due to careless handling of household gas, according to an initial version.

07:02

Libya’s culture minister backs renegade general who challenges govt

Libya’s culture minister will support irregular forces led by a renegade general who is challenging the Tripoli government, the first government member to back him. “I support the Libyan National Army,” Habib Amin told Reuters, referring to the forces of renegade general Khalifa Haftar. He added he would not recognize parliament any longer as it had proved unable to run the country.

06:12

China begins internet security checks in govt departments

China will begin checking computer systems used in government departments to protect “sensitive data,” Xinhua reported. The checks would target technology that is important to national security and the public interest, according to the State Council Information Office. It accused a small number of governments and businesses of “taking advantage of technological monopolies to collect sensitive data on a large scale” from the Chinese government, business and institutions, adding that there have been large-scale security breaches. The US recently charged five Chinese army officers with cyber spying and stealing trade secrets, sparking outrage from China.

 

 

Nearly half of US unemployed have given up looking for a job

Published time: May 22, 2014 00:00

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Job seekers line up (AFP Photo / Justin Sullivan)

Nearly half of unemployed Americans are on the verge of completely giving up on looking for a job, but they remain optimistic they will find a job they really want within the next six months, a new survey found.

The poll, commissioned by staffing firm Express Employment Professionals, found that 47 percent of the 1,500 respondents agreed to some extent that they have completely given up on looking for a job, but only 7 percent said they agree completely with that statement.

“The study offers several surprising and sometimes troubling insights into how unemployed Americans are faring and what they’re doing, and not doing, to get jobs,” Bob Funk, CEO of Express and a former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, said in a statement. “It also demonstrates why the labor force participation rate is so low – many people have given up looking for a job.”

Over the past 12 months, the number of long-term unemployed (those unemployed for 27 weeks or more) has decreased by 908,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The civilian labor force dropped by 806,000 in April, following an increase of 503,000 in March. The labor force participation rate fell by 0.4 percentage point to 62.8 percent in April. The jobless rate nationwide dropped to 6.3% last month -- the lowest level since 2008 -- as the nation added 288,000 jobs, according to the government.

"Though the unemployment rate fell in March and April, both drops reflected fewer people looking for work, not more employment," Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist for the forecasting firm IHS Global Insight, said in a written assessment of the job market, according to NPR.

“After searching for four years and being unsuccessful, I am tired of trying,” said one Express survey respondent.

But many jobless Americans are reluctant to make significant changes to boost their chances of landing a job. Only 13 percent of the survey’s respondents have actively pursued more education. And they are unwilling to relocate: 44 percent of respondents said they are unwilling to relocate to a new town, while 60 percent said are unwilling to move to a new state. These numbers include 57 percent and 72 percent, respectively, of those unemployed two years or longer.

The economy took the largest share of the blame (45 percent) for respondents’ difficulty finding a job, but 18 percent blamed the government, 36 percent blamed themselves and 32 percent blamed their last boss or someone else at their last company. And survey-takers don’t seem to be optimistic about the economy improving: 46 percent believe the reason they are still unemployed is that there are no available jobs.

The job search is demoralizing for many, and 82 percent say they are becoming more discouraged the longer they look for a job, including 87 percent of those receiving unemployment benefits. Yet respondents remain optimistic, with 91 percent saying they are hopeful (to some extent) that they will find a job they really want in the next six months; 34 percent say they agree completely that they will be employed in the next half year.

Interestingly, only 80 percent of those who aren’t receiving benefits are becoming more discouraged (though perhaps they can’t become any more discouraged than they already are). The longer respondents are unemployed, 83 percent said, the harder they find it to keep working hard at finding a job. But 14 percent of respondents said that they do not find being unemployed really stressful at all.

"I've been feeling very dejected and depressed," Traci Polacco, an unemployed woman from Denver who dropped out of the workforce after a discouraging months-long job search, said to NPR. "The frustration comes when you apply to places like Subway, and you're told you're overqualified."

Polacco had several interviews while she was looking, including some second- and third-round callbacks, “but [I] haven't come close to grabbing that brass ring," she told NPR in a phone interview.

She’s not alone. Survey respondents averaged 1.8 interviews in the last month, but 46 percent said they hadn’t been on any interviews in April. Of the long-term unemployed, 60 percent didn’t go on any interviews in the last month, including 71 percent of those unemployed two years or more. Only 15 percent of those who didn’t go on an interview in April have had an interview at all in 2014.

A look at the numbers

Of the survey respondents, 86 percent are still looking for work, and 957 respondents (63.8 percent) qualify as long-term unemployed (those unemployed for 27 weeks or more) -- 35.7 percent haven’t worked in more than two years. The long-term unemployed average 44.2 months without a job.

Those receiving unemployment benefits average 11 months unemployed, while those not receiving benefits average 26.2 months unemployed. But those numbers will change soon, as 44 percent of respondents will run out of those benefits by the end of June.

 

 

 

St. Petersburg International Economic Forum LIVE UPDATES

Published time: May 22, 2014 06:09
Edited time: May 22, 2014 19:19

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Flags with the symbols of the 2014 St.Petersburg International Economic Forum.(RIA Novosti / Alexei Danichev)

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Banking, Crisis, Finance, Putin, Russia and the global economy, SPIEF 2014

The 18th International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg has kicked off and runs May 22-24. Thousands of business leaders, policy makers, and economic experts have gathered to talk business, leaving politics at the door.

This year's theme is ‘Sustaining Confidence in a World Undergoing Transformation’. The three–day forum will feature a variety of prominent names across all industries and will feature the ‘CEO Global Summit’, which will focus on how to work together in addressing worldwide economic challenges. Sessions on realizing Russia’s competitive advantage will also be a main pillar of the forum.

Over 6,500 guests, 609 heads of major Russian and non-Russian corporations, 1,700 journalists are participating in SPIEF 2014, held from May 22-24. Delegations from 75 countries are at the forum.

Day 2

Day 2 tomorrow at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller and Russia’s Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak will participate in the panel ‘The Changing Map for Global Gas’ at 9:45.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to present the 2014 Development Award at 11:30 tomorrow morning.

Here is today’s schedule. All times listed are in Moscow Standard Time (MSK). Check out the official forum website for more details.

After the award, Bloomberg is hosting a panel session on the Eurasian Customs Union.

8:00—9:15: Russian-Italian Business Dialogue: Long-Term Cooperation Prospects

8:15—9:30: Investing in Russia’s Urban Development Future

9:45—11:00: Investor Heatmap: Shifting Strategies for Private Equity and Sovereign Wealth

9:45—11:00: The Commodity Demand Cycle: Strategies to Adjust to a New Normal?

9:45—11:00: The Changing Map for Global Gas

9:45—11:00: Building Long-Term Investor Partnerships for Russia’s Infrastructure Agenda

9:45—11:00: The Shifting Fortunes of the Mega City Growth Engines

9:45—11:00: Expanding Industrialization: A tool for Broad-Based Regional Growth

9:45—11:00: The CIS: Modern Reality and the Challenges of Sustained Development

9:45—11:00: The National Rating of Russian Regions: Initial Results

9:45—11:00: Fostering Economic Development of the Russian Far East

9:45—11:00: Nurturing Growth Clusters in Russian Regions

11:30—12:45: Development Award 2014 Ceremony

11:45—13:00: Putting Private Sector Infrastructure Money to Work- What Models to Build Upon?

11:45—13:00: Reviving the Growth Engines for Major Emerging Markets

11:45—13:00: Innovations in Resource Management to Improve Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture

11:45—13:00: Mobility Meets Big Data: Empowering Individual Choice on the Move

11:45—13:00: How are the Technological Advances Changing the Economic Incentives to Global Healthcare Systems?

11:45—13:00: Russian Capital Flows Establishing the Right Incentives

11:45—13:00: Update: Single Economic Area and the Customs Union

11:45—13:00: The Integration of Global Energy Grids: Joint Projects for the Future

11:45—13:00: Energy Innovation and Shifts in Industrial Futures

11:45—13:00: Private Sector Solutions to Regional Development

13:15—14:00: International Global Energy Award

14:30—16:30: Sustaining Confidence in a World Undergoing Transformation

17:15—18:30: The Media Today: Global Transformations Trends and Prospects

17:15—18:30: Public-Private Partnerships: The Imperative to Execute

17:15—18:30: The Private Sector’s Role in Russia’s Evolving Healthcare Future

17:15—18:00: Investing in the Real Economy

17:15—18:30: Russian Firms Building Global Profits

17:15—18:30: Budget Strategy

17:15—18:30: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a Potential Economic Platform

17:15—18:30: Global Growth Prospects in a New Emerging Environment

17:15—18:30: Cultivating Russia’s Impact on Global Fashion Design

17:15—18:30: The Investors’ Opportunity in Russia’s Reforming Electric Power Industry

Day 1

19:00 MSK: Capital outflow from Russia in the second, third, and fourth quarter of 2014 will be between $25-27 billion, about half of the $51 billion that leaked out in the first quarter, Economic Minister Aleksey Ulyukaev said at the forum. The overall forecast for 2014 capital outflow is $90 billion, by the minister's estimate. Ulyukaev attributes the unusually high outflow in Q1 to Russians transferring their savings into other currencies. In the next month Ulyukaev expects to see an inflow of foreign currency.

18:41 MSK: VTB, Russia's second largest bank by assets, increased its current loan portfolio by 10 percent in the first quarter of 2014, bank chief Herbert Moos said. Overall in 2013, the bank increased its loan portfolio by 24.5 percent.

18:45 MSK: The Kremlin may decrease its stake in Rosneft, Russia's largest oil company, by 19.5 percent by the end of this year, Economic Minister Aleksey Ulyukaev said. Previously 2015 and 2016 were reported, but the minister said this year is "technically possible."

18:27 MSK: Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said that Russia will likely need to raise the retirement age in order to use money from the budget for infrastructure development. Shuvalov conceded this would be an unpopular decision.

18:15 MSK: Foreign investors at SPIEF say they won’t refuse partnerships with Russia and are ready for new projects - Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov.

17:42 MSK: “We’ve got very talented entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs But it is very difficult to start a new business because of the regulations that are there," says Dominic Barton, Managing Director at McKinsey & Company.

“Two years ago if you visited the mayor of Beijing, and you went into his office you’d see three numbers. 36, 35, and six. I thought it was some new party manifesto that was going on. What it was; it takes 36 days to start a new business in Beijing, 35 in Shanghai, and 6 in Singapore, that’s what the mayor wanted people to see. I think we have to get some very granular comparisons on how quick it takes to build businesses, so we get real about where we are, and I think there is a lot of potential on the SME side,” says Dominic Barton, Managing Director at McKinsey & Company.

17:39 MSK: “I’m an optimist about what Russia can do, and I think that one thing is that it's obviously a tough situation, primarily from the growth, let alone the political crisis that is going on, and I would actually suggest that warrants a bit of a jolt. I don’t know 'steady as she goes' will do the Russian people any benefit in terms of the potential that is there, or the rest of the world, so I think it’s time to recharge and drive things,” says Dominic Barton, Managing Director at McKinsey & Company.

Barton says his goal is to get Russia’s economy moving at the “metabolic rate that it deserves to move at.”
SME is 21% of GDP, about a third of that in Germany.

17:37 MSK: “I’m an optimist and in the mortal world we can’t cooperate if there is no trust. The lack of trust will incur a lot of costs for any economy” – Sberbank CEO Herman Gref.

17:29 MSK: “I very much hope the political tensions will be solved within a fairly reasonable amount of time and sanctions are just temporary posturing that will not last. As for the recession, well you are in a recession, and its temporary, and that’s the nature of economics recessions follow years of fast growth,” Charles Wyplosz, Professor of International Economics at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, said.

17:20 MSK: Sberbank is about to finish up its panel session on how to make the Russian economy more competitive. Here is the bank's helicopter simulator on the expo floor.

17:11 MSK: “The most important thing is deregulation. After a nine year break from working in the government, I can see that regulatory pressure has improved dramatically. However, additional legal costs are still a burden for small and medium sized businesses. If you introduce a new regulation, you must abandon another regulatory requirement. One in, one out,” - Russia’s Economic Minister Ulyukaev Aleksey Ulyukaev.

17:11 MSK: “The most important thing is deregulation. After a nine year break from working in the government, I can see that regulatory pressure has improved dramatically. However, additional legal costs are still a burden for small and medium-sized businesses. If you introduce a new regulation, you must abandon another regulatory requirement. One in, one out,” Ulyukaev said.

16:59 MSK: “We need to switch from external lending sources and find internal resources. Economic growth we had before the crisis was based on the fact we were expecting oil revenues and we benefited from increasing prices, and that is why we had a strong currency and raised lending abroad by 70 percent. This model is not valid anymore, we will not achieve economic growth using the same structure, and we need to find internal lending sources, and for this we need to drastically change economic policy” - Sergey Glazyev, economic aide to President Putin.

16:31 MSK: “In order to be able to organize a loan you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, you can use the post-war European experience as a model - how they refinanced commercial banks. Or look at the Japanese experience which utilized lending solutions through development banks" - Sergey Glazyev, economic aide to President Putin.

16:30 MSK: “This is a paradox. The country currently has a $200 billion trade balance, and for a long time has been acting as a donor to the world economy, approximately $100 billion in annual transfers per year, and is not capable of organizing long-term credit”- Sergey Glazyev, economic aide to President Putin.

16:24 MSK: “There is a big gap of what is being stated and what is actually being done” - Sberbank CEO Herman Gref

16:15 MSK:

 

Chinese leaders vow severe punishment for terrorists

GOV.cn Thursday, May 22, 2014

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to severely punish terrorists and spare no efforts in maintaining stability in response to Thursday morning's fatal explosions in Urumqi. Two vehicles without license plates drove through roadside fences and plowed into people at an open air market at Gongyuanbei Street near Renmin Park at 7:50 a.m. and set off explosive devices, killing at least 31 people. More than 90 others were injured. Xi ordered the police to step up patrols and security control over possible terrorist targets and prevent ripple effects. He also asked local authorities to solve the case fast, put the injured under proper care and offer condolences to families of the victims. He urged hard strike on violence and terrorists so as to safeguard social stability. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, meanwhile, called on authorities to step up safety measures and eliminate weak points in public security, to protect people's lives and properties. A working group led by Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun has left for Xinjiang to supervise the investigation and handle the aftermath. So far all injured people have been sent to hospitals and police are pushing through the investigation, authorities said.

China urges support on anti-terrorist effort China calls for support on anti-terrorist effort Kunming holds memorial for terrorist attack victims People mourn for victims killed in Kunming terrorist attack Kunming terrorist attack suspects captured

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Christie charges ahead as budget issues mount

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Turkey's deputy PM condemns aide attack on protester

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AFP

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Palestinian refugees pin hopes on pope's visit

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Putin tells investors Russia wants good ties, respect

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Obama says he will get to the bottom of Veterans mess

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White House upset with House defense bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is escalating an election-year dispute with Congress over military spending as lawmakers bucked the Pentagon and spared favorite ships and aircraft despite diminishing budgets.

Associated Press

 

 

·  House Dems Sideline Amnesty, Minimum-wage, For Fall 2014

Democrats planning this fall’s election campaign will sideline the president’s call to hike the minimum wage and his effort to double the inflow of foreign workers and immigrants, say Democrats who briefed a New York Times reporter on their 2014 campaign research. Instead, they’ll portray…

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Northern Arizona wildfire (9 photos)

A wind-whipped wildfire in a canyon near Flagstaff dramatically increased in size Wednesday as it sent up choking plumes of smoke, threatened homes and scuttled Memorial Day weekend plans in the popular hiking and camping area. (AP) Find more news related pictures in our photo galleries and follow…

Yahoo News

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Lebanon bans all political activity by Syrians

Lebanon on Thursday banned all political gatherings by Syrians on its territory, citing a wish to preserve security two weeks ahead of a controversial Syrian presidential election. Damascus has called on all Syrian refugees -- except those who fled illegally -- to cast their votes at embassies for…

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S.Sudan army and rebels block UN peacekeepers

Warring forces in South Sudan are continuing to block United Nations peacekeepers as the civil war that has devastated the young nation continues to rage, the UN said Thursday. The UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said both government and rebels had blocked their patrols, including in the…

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·  Belarus leader says Ukraine must be united state

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Howard among top 5 keepers in world - Klinsmann

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Constitution Check: Has the Supreme Court already tipped its hand on same-sex marriage?

Lyle Denniston looks at the only guidance so far from the Supreme Court about a recent slew of same-sex marriage cases – and why some assumptions about the two-sentence order may be premature.

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Three tornadoes touch down in Denver suburb of Aurora

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4 killed, 7 seriously hurt in California bus crash (7 photos)

A tractor-trailer spilled a load of steel pipes onto a highway, triggering a bus crash Wednesday that killed four people and seriously injured at least seven others on the main road linking Southern California and Arizona, authorities said. (AP) Find more news related pictures in our photo…

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West says rifts remain over Iran nuke pact

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US condemns 'vicious' Nigeria bombings

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Questions linger on gay Boy Scout leaders as Gates takes over

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In Egypt vote, Brotherhood's hope is in boycott

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Vietnam and Philippines agree to oppose China

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Poll says Fresno mayor leads in race for state controller

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Military Goes Full Coup d'Etat In Thailand

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As Putin looks east, China and Russia sign $400-billion gas deal

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Committee OKs end to door-slot mail for millions

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·  Syrian troops reach besieged prison in Aleppo

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Jon Stewart Helps Geithner Explain Why He Bailed Out the 'Arsonists' Behind the Financial Crisis

Former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has a new book out, in which he gives his take on the most recent financial collapse. So on last night's episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart sat him down to go over a few things. 

The Atlantic Wire

·  Toyota recalling 516,000 vehicles in 3 recalls

DETROIT (AP) — Toyota said Thursday it's recalling 516,000 vehicles worldwide — including 430,500 in the U.S. — for three separate safety problems, including brakes that can activate without warning.

Associated Press

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Russia, China veto U.N. bid to refer Syria to International Criminal Court

A United Nations Security Council resolution referring the Syrian War to the International Criminal Court fails to pass after veto votes by Russia and China. Vanessa Johnston reports.

Reuters Videos

·  Mikulski addresses $4B budget gap with gimmicks

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic chairwoman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee moved aggressively Thursday to use gimmicks to fill in an unexpected $4 billion gap in the budget.

Associated Press

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Cubs to proceed with Wrigley plan, risk lawsuits

CHICAGO (AP) — The owners of the Chicago Cubs are moving forward with plans to renovate and expand Wrigley Field, despite the threat of lawsuits by the owners of adjacent rooftop venues that overlook the 100-year-old ballpark.

Associated Press

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Yet another hugely important reason Google Fiber is better than your broadband service

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BGR News

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School board members met privately on Bible class

Associated Press

Rachel Zoll@rzollAPFollow on Twitter

School board in Okla. circumvented public meet laws to approve #HobbyLobby family backed #Bible course, @AP goo.gl/s0iHJ9

7 hrs ago

 

 

Immigration advocates focus on House GOP leader

WASHINGTON (AP) — Immigration advocates angry that legislation has stalled in Congress are increasingly focusing their ire at one person: Eric Cantor, the House majority leader.

Associated Press

 

 

·  China's Xi issues veiled warning to Asia over military alliances

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Yahoo News

 

NATO missile defense is flight tested on Kauai

HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. military on the Hawaiian island of Kauai has conducted the first flight test of a new missile defense system designed to protect NATO forces in Europe from ballistic missile attack, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Associated Press

 

·  Violent attack in China's volatile northwestern region of Xinjiang (6 photos)

Thirty-one people were killed and more than 90 injured in an attack Thursday on a busy street market in the capital of China's volatile northwestern region of Xinjiang, the local government said, the bloodiest in a series of violent incidents blamed on radical separatist Muslims.

Reuters

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Russian reporters held in Ukraine 'had missiles': US

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Obama creates national monument in New Mexico, sparking border concerns

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Reuters

 

Russia may build eight nuclear reactors for Iran

Russia plans to sign a contract with Iran this year to build two more nuclear reactors at its Bushehr power plant as part of a broader deal for up to eight reactors in the Islamic state, a source close to the negotiations told Reuters on Thursday. It was not immediately clear how this might affect…

Reuters

 

[H.E. KUM Nelson Bame IV]

Jim Carrey gives commencement speech at Maharishi University of Management

• BY VALERIE STRAUSS

• May 28 at 4:01 am

(Maharishi University of Management)

Jim Carrey surprised graduates at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, with a funny, emotional commencement speech in which he told them a poignant story about his father and urged them to walk their own path in life and never settle.

“The decisions we make in this moment are based in either love or fear. So many of us chose our path out of fear disguised as practicality. What we really want seems impossibly out of reach and ridiculous to expect so we never ask the universe for it. I’m saying I’m the proof that you can ask the universe for it. And if it doesn’t happen for you right away, it’s only because the universe is so busy fulfilling my order. 

If you are wondering about the Maharishi University of Management, it is an accredited school that offers degrees in traditional subjects as well as new fields, such as “Sustainable Living” and “Maharishi Vedic Science” and that employs an approach to learning called consciousness-based education. All students and faculty practice Transcendental Meditation® (TM) technique, which the university says helps people learn because it reduces stress, “integrates” brain functioning” and boosting creativity and intelligence. According to the website, “students also study each subject in light of fundamental principles of their own consciousness,” and take one course  at a time, with a new subject every month. The school was founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1973.

If you are wondering why Jim Carrey was at the Maharishi University of Management giving the commencement speech and accepting an honorary degree of doctorate of fine arts, the school’s website says that he practices TM and has been to the school before. Last fall, he spoke to students in the David Lynch Masters in Film program, and he has supported the David Lynch Foundation’s initiative to bring TM to at-risk students, war veterans, and women and children who have been subjected to abuse. Last year, Carrey published a children’s book, called “How Roland Rolls“, which the MUM Website says “presents the classical wisdom of Vedanta.” The book is about a wave that is scared of dying when he reaches the shore but realizes that he is just part of the entire ocean.

The high point of the speech was when Carrey talked about his father, who he said had the ability to be a comedian but took the safe employment route and became an accountant but lost his job. 

“I learned many, many lessons from my father, but not least of which is that you can fail at something you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance doing what you love.”

Carrey also told the students:

“I’m here to plant a seed today. A seed that will inspire you to go forward in your life with enthusiastic hearts and a clear sense of wholeness. The question is, will that seed have a chance to take root or will I be sued by Monsanto?”

The MUM website says Carrey was honored for “his significant lifetime achievements as a world-renown comedian and actor, artist, author and philanthropist,” including starting The Better U Foundation, which addresses  global food security

 

 

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CBerg2

5/28/2014 4:39 PM EDT

The commencement addresses at Maharishi University Of Management - my alma mater - have been lighthouses of enlightenment and inspiration. Last year, Candy Crowley gave the address and we all thought: "It can't get any better than that!". But Jim Carrey topped it. And before Candy we had similar thoughts of never seeing anything better, with talks by terrific speakers like actor Stephen Collins, as well as Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer (former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India; he is an extraordinary orator). MUM is truly the home of, as Jim Carrey says "the vanguard of knowledge and consciousness."

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CBerg2

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A man does what he must in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressure -- and that is the basis of all human morality. (JFK)

[H.E. KUM Nelson Bame IV]

 

In Toronto, Ban says ensuring health of women, children ‘best investment we can make’

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets with Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

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30 May 2014 – Despite major global progress in improving the health of children and their mothers, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged participants at a summit in Toronto to show the leadership, build the key partnerships, generate the financing and devise the creative solutions needed to deliver a world of health, safety and possibility for every woman and every child.

“Let no mother have to grieve a lost child. Let every boy and every girl have the opportunity to know and enjoy their sisters and brothers. That world is possible. Now,” declared Mr. Ban in opening remarks to a summit on maternal, newborn and child health, “Saving Every Woman Every Child: Within Arms Reach.”

The UN chief delivered his call to action following a personal revelation that improving the health and well-being of women and children was an issue close to his heart because, when he was a boy, rather than being the eldest child in his family – as he is known – he was, in reality, the third child; his parents had lost another son and a daughter before he was born.

“When I was a boy, I remember it was considered ‘normal’ to see women and children die in my village. People accepted this as a fact of life,” he said, explaining, that food was not always sufficient. Women feared giving birth. “What should have been the most joyful day was often the scariest or the saddest day instead.”

“Today, too many people still live that reality around the world. We cannot accept that it is ‘normal’ to lose any woman, any child, anywhere,” the Secretary-General said, citing healthy women and children as the very foundation that enables all societies to grow and flourish. “They are the best investment we can make,” he continued, underscoring that this was why he launched the “Every Woman Every Child” initiative in 2010.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at joint press conference with Prime Minister Harper of Canada and President Kikwete of Tanzania. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

‹ ›

Mr. Ban said that he wanted to build on the longstanding efforts of the UN and its global partners from all sectors towards achieving the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and to support the UN’s Global Strategy for improving the health and well-being of women and children.

“Thanks to many of you in this room and the more than 300 partners of the Every Woman Every Child movement, there has been remarkable improvement in the health of women and children around the world,” said the UN chief, adding that this has also been possible because, globally, the health community has come together and brought in new and innovative partners.

Yet, he said that while the world should be “immensely proud” of its achievements, including currently reducing under-five deaths faster than at any time in the past two decades and cutting maternal deaths by almost half since 1990, annually, some 289,000 women still die while giving birth and an estimated 18,000 children die every day, mostly from preventable causes. In particular, an estimated 5.5 million newborn and still-birth deaths occur every year.

Calling for a redoubling of efforts so gains are not reversed in any country, Mr. Ban said overall success depends crucially on five factors: strong leadership at the highest levels; the commitment of multi-stakeholder partners at the country level; predictable financing; accountability for resources and results; and innovation.

“All of us, rich and poor nations, the business community, the United Nations and civil society have roles to play in accelerating our efforts to achieve the health MDGs by the 2015 deadline,” he said, adding that stakeholders must also ensure that women’s and children’s health and well-being in particular is featured as strongly in the new development agenda.

Urging a focus on the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach women and children so that no one would be left behind, he said that beyond 2015, key factors such as water, sanitation, nutrition, education, climate change, energy, gender equality and women’s empowerment also play a critical role in improving health.

“Health should be at the centre of sustainable development. With sustained and increased investments and a focus on equity and human rights, a world with zero preventable maternal and child deaths can be achieved within a generation,” said the Secretary-General, adding: “It is our duty not only to ensure survival but to enable these women and children to thrive.”

Having arrived in Canada yesterday, Mr. Ban has held several meetings with leaders in Toronto for the summit. He met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the two discussed, among other things, strengthening accountability for women’s and children’s health and the need to accelerate the achievement of the MDGs.

In a meeting with President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Mr. Ban expressed his appreciation for the President's leadership on sustainable development issues. The two also discussed the situation in Africa’s Great Lakes Region and Mr. Ban expressed gratitude for Tanzania’s contribution to the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), including through its participation in the Force Intervention Brigade.

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News Tracker: past stories on this issue

 

 

 

Eurasian Economic Union is wake-up call for US

Patrick L Young is expert in global financial markets working in multiple disciplines, ranging from trading independently to running exchanges.

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Published time: May 30, 2014 08:28

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R), Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev (C) and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko shake hands during a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Union in Astana May 29, 2014. (Reuters / RIA Novosti / Mikhail Klimentyev)

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The Eurasian Economic Union is a historic deal and represents a pivot to the East, global financial markets expert Patrick Young told RT. The new union will force the EU to be more competitive and will be a wake-up call for US.

On Thursday, Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan signed the Eurasian Economic Union which will come into effect in January 2015. The new bloc will cut down trade barriers and comprises of over 170 million people, making it the largest common market in the former Soviet space.

RT: Just how big a deal is this?

Patrick Young: This is a very interesting deal. It is one huge step, part of the pivot to the East that Russia has been behind, and of course we have seen in recent weeks really come together. Think about it this way — amongst these three countries alone in the customs union they’ve had over the last few years they’ve increased their trade between themselves by the equivalent of the entirety of Russia’s trade with the US. It has multiple possible impacts - some possibilities for every business, small and large, whether you are sitting in Minsk or Almaty, or wherever you are in Russia to profit from the opportunity. Eurasian economic union is a new power-trading bloc. It has many resources, a huge number of people. We are talking about 170 million people - 1.5 percent of the world’s population. They are covering thought 15 percent of the world’s land, 20 percent of the world’s gas resources, 15 percent of the world’s oil resources and a great deal of industry and also agriculture.

RT: Europe is Russia’s biggest trading partner at the moment, should it be worried?

PY: Europe has to start looking at things from the competitive sensible perspective. Europe was not going to be the only union in the world, just as the same as NAFTA in America was never going to be the only trade agreement there. Europe needs to understand the idea that just because you happen to be on the eastern fringes of the European Union, it doesn’t automatically mean that you are going to try to fight your way into the EU as it currently is. Why not go with something like this Eurasian union, where you’ve got effectively all the benefits of the first stage of the European economic community, i.e. free trade, but you don't have to worry about the silly regulation, plutocratic red tape, which plunged the EU community into crisis.

RT: What impact will this have on US economy?

PY: This is a high wake-up call. This is part two or part three for the US over the course of the last few weeks. Obviously the gas pipeline deal – that was the whole pride of Siberia project – was absolutely fascinating. The point about whether America needs to get worried is:

a) America needs to realize that just because it is the world’s largest economic power; it is no longer the uni-power in the world in terms of economics. Russia and the rest of the world have alternatives in how they trade.
b) And the most significant thing - and this is a very long-term trend for the US - is that none of it will be conducted in US dollars. People will find another way to trade. That is a big impact because the US dollar reserve currency status is the thing whereby it is the most dominant money on Earth ultimately is under threat. As soon as US dollars are under threat, the hegemony of the US project is going to find itself in problems. This is a big pivot and the US ignores it at its peril long term.

 

 

 

US deploys two advanced military drones in Japanese airbase

Published time: May 30, 2014 15:23

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Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (AFP Photo / US Air Force)

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The US Air Force has deployed two of its most advanced military Global Hawk drones in their base in northern Japan. The purpose of unmanned vehicles is closely-guarded secret but their characteristics make them capable of spying on China and North Korea.

Read more on a Japanese mayor’s battle cry against US military base plans in the country

US Global Hawk drones will remain on the Misawa Air Base, located some 590 kilometers northeast of Tokyo until October, when the typhoon season at the drones' home, Andersen Air Force Base, on the island of Guam in the western Pacific is over, commander of US Forces Japan, Lieutenant General Sam Angelella, told AP.

The US commander refused to give any comments on the exact activities of the drones, saying only that the Global Hawk's "capabilities are well known." The drones have an operational altitude of up to 18.3 kilometers and can fly for more than 24 hours. From Japan, it can easily monitor areas on the Asian mainland, including the neighboring countries of North Korea and China.

According to Angelella, the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk has proven itself to be one of the most reliable in the US Air Force. In September 2013, the vehicle covered at least 100,000 flight hours, three-quarters of which were performed in combat.

The US commander said Global Hawk drones have been used in humanitarian missions, including Japan's 2011 tsunami and the Philippines’ 2013 typhoon. They were also operating in missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The first Global Hawk flew to Japan from its home base on May 24, while the second arrived in Misawa on Wednesday morning. The two vehicles are expected to start operating in the Asia-Pacific region in early June.

“I’d like the US military to make relevant information public in the future and to make efforts to ensure safe flights and operations, ” Misawa Mayor Kazumasa Taneichi told the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, after the second US Global Hawk was deployed on the base.

Japan’s government is now planning to buy three US Global Hawk drones, because deployment of these vehicles will help the country to familiarize itself with the aircraft.

Meanwhile, the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones in the country has no clear regulation. The only existing guidelines on fixed-wing drones set by Japan’s UAV Association, state they can only fly up to 150 meters above the ground over unpopulated areas.

In April, some local residents staged a demonstration in front of the Misawa Air Base against to the deployment of the US drones.

However, their protests are comparatively small in comparison with those launched on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, which is home to more than half of the 47,000 American troops and their families. In February, several hundred people who felt unfairly burdened by hosting many US military facilities on the island, rallied against a plan to relocate a US military base to another site on Okinawa.

 

 

====================================================================

Read Snowden’s comments on 9/11 that NBC didn’t broadcast

Published time: May 30, 2014 17:13

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This NBC News handout video frame grab shows an NBC News Exclusive interview with Brian Williams and Edward Snowden, excerpted from the May 28, 2014 TV primetime special. (AFP Photo / NBC NEWS / Handout)

 

 

​Only around a quarter of the recent NBC News interview with former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden made it to broadcast, but unaired excerpts now online show that the network neglected to air critical statements about the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

When the four-hour sit-down between journalist Brian Williams and Snowden made it to air on Wednesday night, NBC condensed roughly four hours of conversation into a 60-minute time slot. During an analysis of the full interview afterwards, however, the network showed portions of the interview that didn’t make it into the primetime broadcast, including remarks from the former National Security Agency contractor in which he questioned the American intelligence community’s inability to stop the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

In response to a question from Williams concerning a “non-traditional enemy,” Al-Qaeda, and how to prevent further attacks from that organization and others, Snowden suggested that United States had the proper intelligence ahead of 9/11 but failed to act.

“You know, and this is a key question that the 9/11 Commission considered. And what they found, in the post-mortem, when they looked at all of the classified intelligence from all of the different intelligence agencies, they found that we had all of the information we needed as an intelligence community, as a classified sector, as the national defense of the United States to detect this plot,” Snowden said. “We actually had records of the phone calls from the United States and out. The CIA knew who these guys were. The problem was not that we weren’t collecting information, it wasn’t that we didn’t have enough dots, it wasn’t that we didn’t have a haystack, it was that we did not understand the haystack that we have.”

“The problem with mass surveillance is that we’re piling more hay on a haystack we already don’t understand, and this is the haystack of the human lives of every American citizen in our country,” Snowden continued. “If these programs aren’t keeping us safe, and they’re making us miss connections — vital connections — on information we already have, if we’re taking resources away from traditional methods of investigation, from law enforcement operations that we know work, if we’re missing things like the Boston Marathon bombings where all of these mass surveillance systems, every domestic dragnet in the world didn’t reveal guys that the Russian intelligence service told us about by name, is that really the best way to protect our country? Or are we — are we trying to throw money at a magic solution that’s actually not just costing us our safety, but our rights and our way of life?

Indeed, the director of the NSA during Snowden’s stint there, Gen. Keith Alexander, reportedly endorsed a method of intelligence gathering in which the agency would collect quite literally all the digital information it was capable of.

“Rather than look for a single needle in the haystack, his approach was, ‘Let’s collect the whole haystack,’” one former senior US intelligence official recently told the Washington Post. “Collect it all, tag it, store it. . . .And whatever it is you want, you go searching for it.”

In recent weeks, a leaked NSA document has affirmed that under the helm of Alexander, the agency was told it should do as much as possible with the information it gathers: "sniff it all, know it all, collect it all, process it all and exploit it all,” according to the slide.

“They're making themselves dysfunctional by collecting all of this data,” Bill Binney, a former NSA employee-turned-whistleblower himself, told the Daily Caller last year. Like Snowden, Binney has also argued that the NSA’s “collect it all” condition with regards to intelligence gathering is deeply flawed.

“They've got so much collection capability but they can't do everything. They're probably getting something on the order of 80 percent of what goes up on the network. So they're going into the telecoms who have recorded all of the material that has gone across the network. And the telecoms keep a record of it for I think about a year. They're asking the telecoms for all the data so they can fill in the gaps. So between the two sources of what they've collected, they get the whole picture,” Binney said.

Although NBC neglected to play Mr. Snowden’s remarks to Williams in which he questioned the efficiency of modern intelligence gathering under the guise of being a counterterrorism tool, it did air on television other remarks from the former contractor concerning the terrorist attacks.

“It’s really disingenuous for the government to invoke and sort of scandalize our memories to sort of exploit the national trauma that we all suffered together and worked so hard to come through to justify programs that have never been shown to keep us safe, but cost us liberties and freedoms that we don’t need to give up and our Constitution says we don’t need to give up,” he said in an excerpt broadcast on air.

 

 

US lawmakers urge France to sell Mistral warships to NATO, not Russia

Published time: May 30, 2014 03:03
Edited time: May 30, 2014 18:13

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A photo taken on May 9, 2014 in Saint-Nazaire, western France, shows the Vladivostok warship, a Mistral class LHD amphibious vessel ordered by Russia to the STX France shipyard. (AFP Photo / Jean-Sebastien Evrard)

 

Amid growing Western pressure being put on Russia, US congressmen are calling on France to reconsider the sale of its two Mistral helicopter carrier ships to Russia and instead allow NATO to buy or lease them.

"The purchase would send a strong signal to [Russian] President (Vladimir) Putin that the NATO allies will not tolerate or in any way enable his reckless moves," Reuters quoted a letter sent to NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen as saying.

France has been facing increasing pressure from its US and European colleagues to cancel the sale in light of the Ukrainian crisis.

The letter also argued that if NATO acquired the two warships, it would enhance the bloc’s capabilities at the time of budget cuts and give reassurances to its partners in Central and Eastern Europe.

Various top lawmakers signed the letter - including US Representative Eliot Engel of New York, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee; Representative Michael Turner of Ohio, chairman of the US delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly; and Massachusetts Representative William Keating, the top Democrat on the House Europe subcommittee.

Despite the clear stance of its allies, France has refused to cancel the 1.2 billion euro (US$1.6 billion) deal, claiming it is too big to go back on.

Even if France chose to reverse the deal, it would have to pay a forfeit, head of the Department of Constitutional and Municipal Law of Moscow State University's Faculty of Law, Suren Avakyan, told RIA Novosti.

“Either they have to act decently and extend relations with Russia, or they forget that there are such duties in international law, <...> that you need to do what is promised,” he said. “It could not be another way, and without penalty will not work.”

Should France change its mind, Russia could file a lawsuit to claim recovery of its losses, lawyer Evgeny Raschevsky told RIA Novosti.

“Not fulfilling the contract, certainly, will give our country a right to appeal to a court. Without having a text of the contract, we don’t know conditions it provides for dispute resolution, but usually a contract with a foreign supplier includes the so-called arbitration clause that stipulates that disputes [be] resolved through an arbitration process,” he said.

Earlier, US officials suggested that France could sell the ships to another buyer or sell them without the advanced technology, although it is not at all clear at this late stage who the other buyer could be.

The French deal was Moscow’s first foreign arms purchase since the end of the Cold War and was hailed by then President Nicholas Sarkozy as an important step forward in French-Russian relations. The contract has created some 1,000 jobs in French shipyards.

The first of the two ships, the Vladivostok, is due to be delivered by November this year and the second, called Sevastopol, will arrive in St. Petersburg for a further fitting with Russian weapons systems in November 2015 and will join the Pacific fleet in the second half of 2016.

The Mistral ships can carry up to 16 attack helicopters such as Russia’s Kamov Ka-50/52, more than 40 tanks or 70 motor vehicles, and up to 700 troops. The ships for Russia have been modified from the version used by the French navy to operate in northern altitudes and ice covered seas.

The Russian navy will fit the ships with air defense systems and rapid fire artillery guns to allow them to go on combat missions with fewer escort vessels.

 

30 May, 2014

17:14

Nigerian emir, policemen killed in suspected Boko Haram attack

A Muslim emir and two policemen have been killed in northeastern Nigeria in a suspected attack by Boko Haram militants. All of the dead were heading to a funeral when armed men opened fire on their car. All died from gunshot wounds. “The Emir of Gwoza was killed around 9 am today following a bloody attack by some gunmen believed to be members of the Boko Haram,” the Borno state government said in a statement, Reuters reported. Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 girls from a secondary school in Chibok in remote northeastern Nigeria in mid-April and had threatened to sell them into slavery. Since they were taken, at least 500 civilians have been killed by the sect. On Thursday, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said that a full-scale operation had been launched and attempted to reassure parents that the children would be freed.

14:53

Norway rejects Greenpeace appeal over Statoil Arctic drilling

Norwegian authorities have rejected an appeal by Greenpeace to stop Statoil from drilling the world’s most northerly well on the Apollo prospect in the Barents Sea, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the oil company. Friday’s announcement comes a day after Norwegian police removed seven Greenpeace protesters who had boarded the rig in an attempt to prevent it from reaching the Barents Sea and Bear Island. It is an uninhabited wildlife sanctuary that is home to rare species, including polar bears.

13:21

Ethnic clashes leave 11 killed in Northern Kenya

At least 11 people have been killed in fighting between rival clans in Wajir in Kenya’s remote northeast, police said on Friday. Several others were wounded as the fighting broke out on Thursday when the attackers raided a settlement of the local Degodia clan, AFP reported. The attack, believed to have been carried out by a militia from the rival Garre clan, could be revenge for the deaths of three men killed by bandits believed to be from the rival Degodia clan, local media reports say. They also put the death toll as high as 18.

12:49

2 Ebola deaths, 12 сases reported in Sierra Leone

Health officials in Sierra Leone say there have been two deaths from Ebola and a dozen other cases of the deadly disease, AP reported. Another official, Dr. Amara Jambai, said on Friday that other suspected cases in the capital turned out to be negative. Teams from the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders are expected in Sierra Leone in the coming days. The Ebola deaths in Sierra Leone follow an outbreak in neighboring Guinea. It also led to cases in Liberia earlier this year.

11:20

Israel prevents Palestinian suicide bomb attack - police

Israeli security forces in the West Bank caught a Palestinian wearing an explosive belt on Friday, officials said. Border police near the Palestinian city of Nablus had been suspicious of the man who was wearing a coat on a hot spring day, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. “The forces stopped him and asked the suspect to remove his clothes. He was wearing a bomb-belt,” Reuters quoted Rosenfeld as saying. The man, believed to be in his 20s, was in a sensitive area in the West Bank, which has a number of Jewish settlements and a large security presence.

10:29

Indonesia testing Cadbury products after Malaysia protests

Indonesia is testing products made by British confectioner Cadbury to check they comply with Islamic standards, officials said on Friday. The move follows a scandal in neighboring Malaysia, after two chocolate varieties were found to be contaminated with pork DNA, Reuters said. “It is prudent to do a test on the other variants to see if they also have traces of the pig DNA,” said Roy Alexander Sparingga, head of Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency. Some Muslim groups in Malaysia have called for a boycott on all products made by Cadbury over the ingredient banned under Islamic dietary laws.

09:52

Military to set up ‘reconciliation centers’ in Thailand

Thailand’s military said on Friday it will set up “reconciliation centers” across the country. They are aimed at healing a decade of political division that has often spilled over into violence, Reuters said. Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, who took power in a coup on May 22, said he had to end the struggle between the royalist establishment and an upstart power network headed by billionaire former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Some loyalists of the self-exiled Thaksin expect the army to bring in electoral and other reforms over the coming months aimed at ending Thaksin’s political influence.

08:05

Bulgarian center-left govt survives no-confidence vote

The center-left government of Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski survived a no-confidence vote in parliament on Friday, AFP said. The motion failed in a vote of 116 to 93 with the backing of the Socialist BSP party, their liberal partner Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and independent lawmakers. This was the fourth such motion submitted by the conservative opposition. It accused Oresharski’s cabinet of lacking a clear strategy for the country's troubled energy sector and taking closed-door decisions on major projects.

07:25

Court frees 25 Cambodians charged with garment strike offences

A Cambodian court found 25 people guilty on Friday of acts of violence during strikes by garment workers. However, all were given suspended sentences and freed, Reuters said. The ruling is likely to be welcomed by global manufacturers operating in the country. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court judges convicted the workers, trade unionists and protesters of intentional violence including damage to public property during strikes in November last year and January 2014.

06:17

Police fire warning shots to stop protesters in C. Africa capital

Security forces fired warning shots as protesters in Bangui demanded the resignation of the interim government and the removal of foreign troops from the Central African Republic on Friday, AFP said. Troops and police stopped the protesters gathering in the capital, who numbered in the thousands, and the demonstrators dispersed around an hour later. Bursts of automatic weapons fire were also heard in the central Bangui neighborhood that is home to the presidential palace, and in the area of the airport. The capital has experienced an upsurge in violence in recent days.

03:27

6.1 quake hits southwestern China

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck China’s southwestern Yunnan province on Friday morning, the USGS reports. The epicenter of the tremor was located at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, just 27 kilometers from the town of Pingyuan in Yingjiang County. Local authorities sent a team of over 50 people for surveying, investigation, and disaster evaluation, Xinhua reported. There have been no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The county borders Myanmar and has a population of 300,000.

 

 

 

America Just Launched a Rocket on a Secret Mission Into Space

By Danielle Wiener-Bronner May 22, 2014 2:47 PM

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America Just Launched a Rocket on a Secret Mission Into Space

While we were all pondering Facebook's role in devaluing the media (ok, maybe a little before) the U.S. went ahead and launched a spy satellite into orbit, for use by the National Reconnaissance Office. 

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• Lockheed-Boeing venture says rocket launch costs lower than claimed by rival Reuters
• [$$] Air Force Searches for Alternatives to Russian Rocket Engines The Wall Street Journal
• U.S. Air Force says working hard to certify SpaceX rockets Reuters

Reuters reports that earlier today, an unmanned Atlas 5 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, equipped with a "classified satellite" for the National Reconnaissance Office — one of the "big five" intelligence agencies. According to Reuters: 

Five minutes after the 9:09 a.m. EDT/13:09 GMT launch, rocket manufacturer United Launch Alliance (ULA), a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, shut down its live webcast under a prearranged news blackout ordered by the U.S. military.

The rocket was launched by United Launch Alliance (ULA) a private company backed by Lockheed Martin and Boeing. ULA vice president Jim Sponnick said the launch went off smoothly in a press release:

Congratulations to all of our mission partners on today's successful launch of the NROL-33 mission! The ULA team is honored to deliver another critical national security asset to orbit together with the NRO Office of Space Launch and the Air Force.

Sponnick adds that this marks the fourth successful launch for ULA in just seven weeks. 

 

 

 

Dozens dead as worst flooding in history grips Balkans

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20 May, 2014 02:05 AM | Photo by Reuters / Srdjan Zivulovic

Flooding in the Balkans has already affected 1 million people, with the damage bill running to hundreds of millions euro.

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North Korea Will Investigate Fate of Abducted Japanese

By MARTIN FACKLERMAY 29, 2014

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SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has agreed to open a new investigation into the fate of Japanese citizens abducted by its agents during the Cold War, the two countries said Thursday, signaling a possible diplomatic breakthrough in an emotional issue that has divided Japan and the North.

At talks held in Stockholm, North Korean negotiators agreed to Japanese requests to investigate what happened to more than a dozen Japanese believed to have been kidnapped by the isolated Stalinist regime decades ago, reversing the North’s earlier insistence that the issue had been settled.

The top Japanese government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, said that in return, Japan would start lifting sanctions that it had imposed on the North over the abduction issue. Those include a ban on travel between the two countries, on the transfer of money, and also on visits by North Korean ships to Japanese ports, he said.

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Former North Korean Agent Makes Public AppearanceMARCH 11, 2009

 

“We expect this to yield concrete results in quickly resolving problems involving Japanese, including the return of any surviving abductees,” Mr. Suga told reporters.

The deal could lead to a resolution of a problem that had driven Japan to cut off virtually all ties with North Korea ever since the North admitted in 2002 that it had kidnapped Japanese citizens, and returned five of them alive.

The Japanese public was outraged by the revelations, and by the vague and often puzzling accounts that the North Korean government gave of the fate of several other abductees, who it said had died. Most of them were snatched by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s as they relaxed on the beach or walked home from school. Their fate had been a mystery until the North’s sudden admission.

Japan has been pressing North Korea ever since to produce a fuller account of what happened to the other abductees, amid unconfirmed reports that some had been seen alive even after 2002 in the North, one of the world’s most closed and secretive countries. North Korean diplomats had rejected those demands, saying it had disclosed all the information on them that it had.

The North’s willingness to reverse that stance may signal a new desire by the dictator Kim Jong-un to open his impoverished nation ever more slightly to the outside world, either to bolster its decrepit economy or to reduce its dependence on China, its main trading partner.

For Japan, the possible breakthrough is a rare diplomatic success for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a conservative who has presided over a souring of ties with other neighbors, China and South Korea.

“The complete resolution of the abductee issue is one of the top priorities of the Abe administration,” Mr. Abe said in announcing the deal. “Our mission is not over until all the families of abductees can once again hold their children in their arms.”

As part of Thursday’s deal, Mr. Suga said, North Korea agreed to set up a committee to conduct an internal investigation into what happened to the abductees. The committee will also examine the fate of other Japanese in the North, including those who accompanied their Korean spouses to the country in the 1950s, and search for the remains of Japanese who died there in the chaotic final days of World War II.

Mr. Suga also said that North Korea had agreed to return any surviving abductees that it found. Though it is unclear if any could still be alive after so many years, and after the North had already declared them all to be dead, the statement reflected the hopes of Japanese families to be reunited with their missing loved ones.

 

Koreas Trade Artillery Fire Across a Line in the Water

By CHOE SANG-HUNMAY 22, 2014

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SEOUL, South Korea — Naval vessels from North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire on Thursday, raising tensions along a disputed maritime boundary. Neither hit the other.

According to a South Korean Defense Ministry official, a North Korean patrol boat fired first, shooting two rounds that fell about 500 feet from a South Korean Navy ship. The South Korean ship responded with several rounds of its own, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity under the ministry’s rules.

The firing took place across the Northern Limit Line, which South Korea says is its maritime boundary in waters west of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea does not recognize the line, and says the correct boundary is farther south. There have been several naval skirmishes over the boundary in recent years.

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Multimedia Feature: Timeline on North Korea’s Nuclear ProgramFEB. 12, 2013

 

The shells fired by both sides fell harmlessly into the sea, and no damage or casualties were reported. As a precaution, hundreds of residents of Yeonpyeong, a nearby South Korean island, took refuge in a bomb shelter.

The firing on Thursday came two days after South Korean naval vessels fired warning shots at three North Korean patrol boats that crossed the Northern Limit Line. The North responded in anger, saying that it would fire on the South’s vessels in the disputed waters. The North said that its boats were chasing away Chinese fishing boats poaching in the waters on Tuesday when the South opened fire.

The disputed western waters are the most volatile section of the inter-Korean border. North Korea conducted naval drills there on March 31, firing more than 500 rounds of artillery and rockets; more than 100 of them fell south of the Northern Limit Line. South Korean marines on an island near the line responded, firing 300 artillery shells. The North conducted another live-fire drill in the area on April 29.

A version of this article appears in print on May 23, 2014, on page A11 of the New York edition with the headline: Koreas Trade Artillery Fire Across a Line in the Water. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe

 

 

 

UPF Chapters Host International Day of Families Programs

 

Thursday, May 15, 2014

UPF chapters organized a variety of events commemorating the UN International Day of Families, May 15, 2014. Since 2009, UPF has been promoting this UN observance because it considers the family as a microcosm of the global community and because sustainable peace is grounded in the family as the most intimate social unit, the school of love. In Africa programs were organized in DR Congo, Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia; in the Americas: Argentina, Barbados, Ecuador, Peru and the US; in Asia: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia and Malaysia; and in Europe: Albania, Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Norway. "By providing economic and emotional sustenance to their members, families can raise productive, caring citizens committed to the common good," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his statement about this year's theme, "Families Matter for the Achievement of Development Goals." He added that strong, well-functioning families can help "reduce poverty, improve the wellbeing of mothers, promote gender equality and uphold human rights." On this 20th anniversary of the UN International Year of the Family, he encouraged member states to support families in realizing their full potential, factor their needs into development policies and consider their circumstances in addressing conflicts. For detailed reports click here.

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Spain's King Juan Carlos I to abdicate

By Al Goodman, Jethro Mullen and Elwyn Lopez, CNN

updated 2:21 PM EDT, Mon June 2, 2014

 

Spain's King Juan Carlos I steps down

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

·         NEW: Some Spaniards announce rallies calling for an end to the monarchy

·         It is "time to hand over to a new generation," the King says in a televised statement

·         Crown Prince Felipe will succeed the King

·         Many feel King Juan Carlos' finest hour was a stand against a coup

Read this story at CNN Español: Abdica el rey de España.

Madrid, Spain (CNN) -- After nearly 40 years on the throne, King Juan Carlos I of Spain said Monday that he will be stepping down.

It is "time to hand over to a new generation -- younger, with a lot of energy -- that can, with determination, take on and carry out the changes that the current situation demands, and to face with intensity and determination the challenges of tomorrow," he said in a televised statement, according to a CNN translation.

"The long, deep economic crisis we are going through has left a lot of scars socially, but it has also pointed toward a future of hope," he said.

Crown Prince Felipe, 46, will succeed his father. The King said he decided it was "time to prepare and pave the way so that he who is in better conditions can continue."

Prince Felipe is "stable" and has "the maturity, the preparation, and the sense of responsibility necessary" to serve as king and "to lead to a new stage of hope using his experience and the drive of a new generation," King Juan Carlos added.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy first announced the King's decision.

Spaniards generally hold King Juan Carlos, 76, in high regard for his service to the nation and his defense of democracy after the death of the dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.

But the King's popularity took a hit in 2012 over a controversial elephant-hunting trip to Africa while the nation was mired in a deep economic crisis.

The focus of his reign was to bring about reconciliation between Spaniards of different political persuasions, and from different regions.

Many consider the King's finest hour to be his decisive stand to halt a right-wing military coup in 1981, when he went on television to say that the monarchy would not tolerate attempts to interrupt democracy by force.

Some push for end of monarchy

Immediately after the announcement Monday, some Spaniards announced plans for rallies calling for an end to the monarchy altogether.

On the global campaign website Avaaz.org, a petition calling for a referendum on the future of the monarchy quickly racked up tens of thousands of signatures. Most were from people indicating that they were in Spain.

"This is a historic opportunity to promote a broad public debate to help regenerate our democracy and determine the future of the monarchy," Luis Javier wrote in the petition.

The call was echoed on Twitter, with some users also posting photos of elephants, saying they were celebrating the King's abdication.

Oversaw democracy's return

Born in Rome in 1938, Juan Carlos didn't set foot in Spain until he was 10. In Franco's Spain, he carried out military training and became the first Spanish officer to hold the rank of lieutenant in all three branches of the military.

In 1969, he was invested as crown prince and the designated successor to Franco.

On November 22, 1975 -- two days after Franco's death -- Juan Carlos was crowned king of Spain, restoring the monarchy after a 44-year interregnum.

In 1977, he enacted political reforms that led to Spain's first democratic election since 1936.

During his reign, Spain grew into an economic powerhouse and a vacation playground for Europe.

The King and Queen Sofia had three children and numerous grandchildren, styling their monarchy as accessible and relatively austere.

Hunting trip dented image

The private trip to Botswana in 2012 became public only after King Juan Carlos fell, broke his hip and was rushed back to Madrid for surgery.

With millions of Spaniards unemployed, the expense of the African trip caused an outcry. That prompted the king to make a rare apology in which he said he had made a mistake that would not happen again.

The King had previously expressed his concern about the impact of the crisis on Spaniards and called on the nation to come together to get through the tough times.

Other recent scandals have also damaged the monarchy's image.

Princess Cristina, the king's youngest daughter, is caught up in a tax fraud and money laundering investigation. She and her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, have denied any wrongdoing over his business dealings and the alleged diversion of public funds.

The scandal has created unprecedented problems for the royal family and kept the country riveted.

There have been open calls for the King to abdicate in favor of Prince Felipe, who is seen as untouched by the scandals.

Juan Carlos: All you need to know

Retirements of monarchs (and a pope)

Belgium's King Albert II gives up throne to son

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/02/world/europe/spain-king-abdication/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

 

 

 

 

Royal rise & fall:

8 key moments of King Juan Carlos’ reign

Published time: June 02, 2014 14:54
Edited time: June 02, 2014 16:06

Spain's King Juan Carlos (AFP Photo)

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King Juan Carlos I of Spain went from being one of the world’s most popular monarchs to a public figure embroiled in scandal. RT charts the Spanish king’s successes and blunders during his reign of almost 40 years.

Crowned just two days after the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos ushered in Spain’s first democratic elections following 36 years of dictatorship in 1977.

Prince Juan Carlos of Spain (Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón) pictured at his desk in November 1975 in Madrid (AFP Photo)

His next challenge came in 1981 when he appeared on Spanish national television denouncing a military coup that would have returned Spain to totalitarian rule.

Journalists and onlookers welcome Parliament deputies, just released after 17 hours as hostages of rebel insurgents, outside the Parliament building in Madrid, on February 24, 1981(AFP Photo)

But in the latter years of his rule, the king made headlines for different reasons, drawing criticism for his ostentatious lifestyle amid Spain’s economic crisis.

Juan Carlos famously told Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to “shut up!” during a 2007 Ibero-American Summit in Santiago, Chile. The Spanish head of state lost his temper when Chavez kept interrupting President Jose Zapatero, alleging his predecessor Aznar was a fascist.

For the first time since 1979, the Spanish royal family was forced to declare its income in 2011, in the wake of a criminal investigation into the king’s son-in-law for embezzlement and fraud. It was revealed the Spanish monarch had a salary of over 140,000 euro a year at the onset of the financial crisis.

A file photo taken on April 12, 2009 shows (fromL) Spanish Crown Prince Felipe, his father King Juan Carlos I, his mother Queen Sofia, his wife Princess Letizia, and his two daugthers Sofia and Leonor (down) posing for a family photo before the traditional Easter Mass of Resurection in Palma de Mallorca (AFP Photo)

The king’s 13-year-old grandson, Felipe Juan Froilan, was rushed to hospital after shooting himself in the foot with a small shotgun in April 2012. The incident sparked calls to prosecute the individual who put the firearm within the reach of a minor.

Felipe Juan Froilan, the 13-year-old son of the Spanish king's eldest daughter Infanta Elena, leaves a hospital after being discharged, in Madrid April 16, 2012 (Reuters / Stringer)

Juan Carlos was forced to make a public apology to the Spanish people for a hunting safari trip he went on at the beginning of 2012. A photo of the Spanish king standing in front of a dead elephant outraged the Spanish public and caused Juan Carlos’ ouster as the WWF’s honorary representative in Spain.

Screenshot from youtube.com

Over 100 people took to the streets in the Spanish capital calling for the dissolution of the monarchy in March of this year amid rising poverty and unemployment in Spain.

People attend the "Jaque al Rey" (Checkmate the King) protest, demanding for the end of the Spanish monarchy and the installation of the Republic, near the Spanish parliament in Madrid March 29, 2014 (Reuters / Andrea Comas)

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announces the abdication of King Juan Carlos in favor of his son Prince Felipe. The news sparked thousands of people on social media to call for an immediate referendum on the future of the Spanish royal family.

 

 

 

 

 

400 senior Russian politicians, officials to undergo military training

Published time: June 02, 2014 09:20
Edited time: June 02, 2014 12:51

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Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu (RIA Novosti / Artem Zhitenev)

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Senior Russian politicians and officials will be shooting assault rifles and driving tanks this week in regular reserve officer training, supervised personally by the defense minister.

The training will last three days in the CSKA sports base in Moscow and at the Alabino range in the city suburbs, the RBC news agency reported on Monday, referring to the Defense Ministry’s plan.

About 400 reserve officers summoned for training occupy high political posts or work as technical staff in the top federal bodies of power. These are 286 State Duma MPs and staff members, 72 senators and upper house staff, 23 people from the Audit Chamber and nine representatives of the Central Elections Commission.

These will include the head of Russia’s Communist Party, Gennady Zyuganov, the chief of populist nationalist party LDPR Vladimir Zhirinovsky (both reserve colonels) and other MPs from all parliamentary parties.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) (RIA Novosti / Vladimir Fedorenko)

The agency claims that the main objective of the basics is to demonstrate the politicians’ patriotic moods to the ordinary personnel of the regular military forces who start another round of routine military training on June 2.

Lower house official Yury Shuvalov noted in comments that the participants of the training can be elevated in military rank once they successfully pass all tests.

The military basics with participation of civil servants and politicians have taken place before, but this year’s event will be exceptional both by the scale and by the level of the trainees.

Organizers of the basic training plan to deliver several lectures on the main directions of Russia’s military development, global security, informational security, and the latest concepts in military strategy. Other parts of the training will be tests of physical form, in speed strength and endurance.

The second section of the tests will be performed on the shooting range, where the reserve officers will show their weapons skills with modern armaments and also WWII guns, such as the Mosin-Nagant rifle and the Maxim machine gun. Others will be tested in operating various vehicles, including modern tanks and APCs.

ARCHIVE PHOTO: January 14, 2010: Russian President and Commander-in-Chief Dmitry Medvedev observing the exhibition of rare shooters at the Vystrel firing range, Moscow suburbs (RIA Novosti / Michael Klimentyev)

MP Mikhail Starshinov of the majority party United Russia has told the business daily Kommersant that the military drills were very useful and interesting “for any normal man.” He noted that shooting a pistol, a rifle and a grenade launcher was obligatory for everyone, but reservists could also try other arms if they so desired.

The organizers of the event also promised to demonstrate the work with modern surface-to-air missiles and reconnaissance drones, but the politicians would not be required to operate these weapons.

The event will have little impact on parliamentary operations as there are no sessions planned for this week.

 

 

Wiggle Room: Russia gives Ukraine extra week before switching to prepayment system

Published time: June 02, 2014 15:26

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Chairman of Gazprom's Management Committee Alexey Miller (RIA Novosti / Grigory Sisoev)

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Gazprom will wait another seven days before it switches Kiev to a prepayment system for natural gas. Ukraine has until June 9 to pay its multibillion dollar overdue gas bill, Gazprom head Aleksey Miller said Monday.

“Ukraine has made the first tranche of the gas supplies [payment]. Today Gazprom got $786 million in its account. We welcome Ukraine beginning to make its gas debt payments, and rescheduled the [start of] the advance payment scheme to June 9. The introduction of the prepayment scheme will depend on whether the debt for gas delivered before April 1, totaling $2.237 billion, is paid in full,” Miller said.

On Friday Ukraine paid $786 million of its $3.5 billion debt to Russia’s state-owned gas utility Gazprom. The payment covered Ukraine’s gas bills for February and March, but fell short of payment plan put forth by the EU in which Ukraine would pay the first $2 billion by May 30 and another $500 million by June 7.

Miller said that Gazprom expects a May payment before June 9.

Ukraine has been late paying its gas bills since July 2013, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Gazprom CEO had previously warned that if Kiev failed to pay its gas bill by June 2, exports to Ukraine would be halted effective June 3.

A gas war could hurt European consumers, as Gazprom sends nearly half of its deliveries through Ukraine.

The Gazprom CEO said the company will not open a case against its Ukrainian counterpart Naftogaz at the Stockholm arbitration court until June 9. However, Ukraine has insisted it would file a lawsuit against Gazprom soon in the same court, unless the parties agree to a new gas payment system by Monday.

Today Ukraine's Naftogaz sent Gazprom a draft agreement that includes changes to the current contract and proposes new gas prices and volumes, according to an emailed statement from the company.

"If we do not agree, I think, in the coming days, a lawsuit will be filed in accordance with the procedures defined by the Stockholm Arbitration Rules," Ukrainian Justice Minister Pavel Petrenko said Monday, as quoted by RIA Novosti.

On Friday, Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said he believes that Gazprom has a stronger case than Naftogaz, citing the company’s failure to comply with the take-or-pay contract obligations.

Ukraine insists the $485 per 1,000 cubic meters Gazprom charges for Russian gas is unfair and is a consequence of sour politics and not a reflection of market prices.Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Prodan said that the debt Kiev paid off was for supplies that were previously discounted at $268.50 during the first three months of 2014.

Ukraine’s total outstanding debt to Russia has surpassed $3.5 billion, according to EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two weeks to prepare for 'powerful' virus strike-back, UK govt warns

Published time: June 02, 2014 20:17

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AFP Photo / Hoang Dimh Nam

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The UK’s National Crime Agency sent out a global warning for users to take prompt action before hackers seize their computers back. It comes after the FBI, NCA, and Europol disrupted one of the most powerful viruses that steal personal and financial data.

The warning relates to a strain of malware known as Cryptolocker, which works together with another malware, Gameover Zeus (also known as GOZeus or P2PZeus).

GOZeus is usually downloaded by unsuspecting users in what is known as a phishing attack, often in the form of an email which looks legitimate, but which is in fact designed to trick someone into downloading malicious software.

Once inside someone’s machine, the malware then searches for files containing financial information. If it cannot find anything, it will install Cryptolocker, which locks the computer until a ransom fee is paid.

In the biggest operation of its kind, servers all over the world were raided simultaneously by the NCA, FBI, Europol, and other authorities.

This meant police could direct what are known as Command and Control (C&C) servers, which hackers and criminals use to control the operation of the botnet. A botnet is a network of home computers often controlled by a criminal gang.

“The scale of this operation is unprecedented. This is the first time we’ve seen a coordinated international approach of this magnitude, demonstrating how seriously the FBI takes this current threat,” Steve Rawlinson from Tagadab, a web-hosting company involved in the bust, told the BBC.

More than 15,000 computers are thought to have been infected in the UK, according to the NCA. Internet service providers (ISPs) will be contacting customers who they know have been infected.

The NCA is advising anybody who thinks they might have been a target to make their computers safe by visiting the sites Get Safe Online and Cyber Streetwise. Anyone who has lost money through malware should report it to Action Fraud.

“Nobody wants their personal financial details, business information or photographs of loved ones to be stolen or held to ransom by criminals. By making use of this two-week window, huge numbers of people in the UK can stop that from happening to them,” Andy Archibald, deputy director of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, said in a statement.

However, computer users need to take action immediately, as authorities only have temporary control of communications.

"This warning is not intended to cause you panic but we cannot over-stress the importance of taking these steps immediately. This is because the UK's NCA has taken temporary control of the communications used to connect with infected computers, but expects only a very limited window of opportunity to ensure you are protected," said UK-based Get Safe Online, a government-backed organization that has published a list of software it recommends for the task.

But technical problems meant that some users were unable to access the Get Safe website Monday afternoon, although the organization’s chief executive, Tony Neate, insisted that this was not due to a cyber-attack.

 

 

 

 

Oliver Stone to direct Snowden movie

Published time: June 02, 2014 19:55

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U.S. film director Oliver Stone (Reuters / Aly Song)

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The story of former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden isn’t going away anytime soon: Famed American film director Oliver Stone now says he’ll bring the National Security Agent leaker’s saga to the silver screen.

Stone plans to soon begin filming a motion picture adaptation of The Guardian journalist Luke Harding’s 2014 book The Snowden Files, the British paper reported on Monday, adding yet another item to the list of works-in-project involving the 30-year-old former NSA contractor and the story surrounding his leaking of classified intelligence files last year.

"This is one of the greatest stories of our time," the 67-year-old filmmaker said in a statement to the paper. "A real challenge. I'm glad to have the Guardian working with us."

"The story of Edward Snowden is truly extraordinary, and the unprecedented revelations he brought to light have forever transformed our understanding of - and relationship with - government and technology," Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger added. "We're delighted to be working with Oliver Stone and Moritz Borman on the film."

If and when that motion picture makes it to theatres, however, it likely won’t be the only opportunity followers of the Snowden story will have to see the contractor-turned-leaker’s ordeal unfold on the big screen. Earlier this year, former Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald confirmed that a book detailing his own relationship with Snowden and a leaked trove of classified files supplied by him would be made into a major motion picture by producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, whose credits include a number of James Bond movies among others. On his part, however, Stone has had his name attached to numerous award winning dramas and documentaries, including films that examined the lives of Fidel Castro and Richard Nixon, as well as the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Needless to say, the film adaptation of The Snowden Files is expected to get a big boost with the addition of Stone to the project. If it’s received anything like Harding’s book has been, however, then the production team working on that movie might have their work cut out for them: upon release of The Snowden Files earlier this year, Greenwald and Snowden ally WikiLeaks both raised questions about Harding’s work.

“’The Inside Story of Edward Snowden,’ by Someone Who Never Met or Spoke With Edward Snowden,” Greenwald referred to the Harding’s book in a tweet he sent out back in February. WikiLeaks, who has been among the most adamant supporters of both Snowden and Greenwald in the past, called Harding’s book a “hack job” composed of “unattributed re-writes of press reports.”

 

 

 

 

FBI on nationwide manhunt for ‘armed and dangerous’ political consultant

Published time: June 02, 2014 16:08

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Ryan Kelly Chamberlain II is considered armed and dangerous, an FBI spokesman said. Photo: Courtesy, FBI

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Authorities in the United States are conducting a coast-to-coast manhunt for a San Francisco, California man suspected of getting his hands on a cache of explosives and believed to be armed and dangerous.

Federal Bureau of Investigation spokesman Peter Lee told reporters over the weekend that an ongoing investigation brought them to the apartment of Ryan Kelly Chamberlain II on Saturday, where officials executed a search warrant but were unable to locate the suspect: a 42-year-old former consultant with an active social media presence and described by one acquaintance as “a nice guy.”

A crew of two dozen FBI agents, hazardous material personnel, police officers and firefighters were on the scene when the raid was carried out, the San Francisco Gate reported, and authorities closed down much of area while they scoured Chamberlain’s apartment at 1831 Pole Street for evidence.

"He did possess explosives at his residence,” Lee told reporters. "Anyone who possesses explosives should be considered armed and dangerous.”

Officials have so far declined to officer specifics with regards to what was discovered during the search, but Lee refuted media claims that suggested ricin or other chemical or biological threats existed. Nevertheless, the FBI has ordered law enforcement nationwide to be on the lookout for Chamberlain, who they say was last seen south of the city early Saturday wearing a navy blue hooded sweatshirt and jeans and driving a white 2008 Nissan Altima.

"We believe he is alone in the vehicle but we just don't know, again, where his ties or his network is so we ask that any members of the public be on the lookout for anyone that matches this man's description," Lee said during Sunday’s press conference.

But Alex Clemens, the founder of San Francisco's Barbary Coast Consulting, told the Gate that Chamberlain was known within local political circles and had worked doing social media for years on various campaigns.

"It's a small pond, and people in the industry tend to know each other," Clemens said.

"You don't survive in the very high stakes world of San Francisco politics without being competent," Clemens added to KTVU. "I'm worried about the guy. I'm hoping this ends without anybody getting hurt. I'm flabbergasted that this seems to be taking place," he told the Chronicle.

Others familiar with the suspect say they were surprised to hear that Chamberlain is wanted by the FBI and considered armed and dangerous.

"When I heard one of my business partners text me about this (manhunt), I thought he was joking," acquaintance Mark Mosher told the Gate.

"He's a nice guy," former supervisor Brooke Went told the Associated Press.

Yet others, the Gate acknowledged, saw a change in the way Chamberlain acted in recent months, particularly after he was left go from a San Francisco sports marketing company last November. After then, a connection through that company told the paper, Chamberlain “got weird.”

"The thing is, there was a lot of strange behavior since November," the acquaintance, 32-year-pd Randy Bramblett, told the Gate. "He stopped answering his phone. I think he became an extreme introvert."

Online, however, Chamberlain appears anything but introverted: in social media profiles he describes himself as a “communications hack” and “political junkie,” and his Twitter account — which he’s maintained since October 2008 — posted dispatches as recently as Friday.

 

 

 

 

2 June, 2014

14:56

Putin, Cameron to meet in Normandy, France – Kremlin

Russia has coordinated a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and UK Prime Minister David Cameron in Normandy, France, the presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. The Russian side is ready to discuss any issues, ITAR-TASS quoted Peskov as saying. Putin is also expected to have meetings with other leaders during the D-Day 70th anniversary in Normandy on June 6.

14:24

Ukraine’s electoral body officially declares Poroshenko president

Ukraine’s Central Electoral Commission published official results of the May-25 presidential election on Monday. The winner – Petro Poroshenko – gained 54.70 percent of the vote. Yulia Tymoshenko, who came second, got 12.81 percent. The turnout was 51.7 percent. The inauguration of the new head of state is expected to take place on June 7.

13:46

Almost 24,000 people evacuated from areas flooded in South Siberia

Almost 24,000 people were evacuated as 60 settlements in the Altai in South Siberia suffered from floods, local authorities said. Areas in 17 municipal entities in the Republic of Altai and Altai Territory, Khakassia and Tuva in South Siberia were flooded on Sunday. As of Monday morning, water levels began decreasing in the upper and middle streams of the rivers Biya, Katun, Charysh, Anuy and Peschanaya.

13:36

Gunmen kill 9 in Nigeria church attack

Gunmen opened fire on a church service in the northeastern Nigerian village of Attangara, killing nine people, Reuters reported, citing police. “As we were holding service, we started hearing gunshots and everybody fled, some through the windows, and ran into bush,” resident Matha Yohana said of Sunday’s attack. The village lies in the Gwoza hills, near the Cameroon border and is now the main stronghold of the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram.

12:49

Russia to propose creating humanitarian corridors in Ukraine

Moscow will submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on Monday calling for an immediate end to violence in Ukraine, and the creation of humanitarian corridors in the East of the country. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the West had assured Russia the situation in Ukraine would improve after its May-25 presidential election but “everything is happening in exactly the opposite way,” Reuters reported. The draft resolution “will contain a demand for… the beginning of actual negotiations with the aim of establishing a stable and reliable ceasefire,” Lavrov said. It will also include “a demand for the creation, without delay, of humanitarian corridors though which peaceful civilians could leave combat zones.”

12:23

Toll rises to 18 in Libya’s Benghazi fighting – medics

The death toll in heavy fighting between the Libyan army and Islamist militants in the eastern Benghazi city has risen to 18, Reuters reported, citing comments from hospital doctors on Monday. Around 30 people were wounded during clashes that started at dawn and were still raging through parts of the port city by midday.

11:56

Rebel rocket fire kills 50 in Syria’s Aleppo – reports

Syrian rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas of Aleppo killed 50 people over the weekend, a monitoring group said on Monday. The death toll from the attacks by Islamist rebels included nine children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, as cited by Reuters. Another 13 people were killed overnight, when the government forces reportedly dropped four bombs from helicopters into rebel-held districts of the city, the Observatory said.

11:05

Brazil opens bus rapid system ahead of World Cup

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff rode a bus to mark Sunday’s official opening of a $700 million bus corridor for moving people rapidly between the airport and subway stations in the western part of Rio de Janeiro, AP reported. The Transcarioca bus system is a 39-kilometerline, with dedicated bus lanes, that are expected to carry 320,000 passengers a day. None of Rio’s subway lines go to the international airport.

10:32

Abbas swears in Palestinian unity government

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swore in a unity government on Monday, Reuters said. Ministers, professing to be politically unaffiliated, took the oath of office in a televised ceremony in Ramallah, the Palestinian seat of government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. However, three ministers from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip were denied entry to the West Bank by Israel.

09:45

Australia grants refugee visas to 500 Afghans who helped troops

Australia has granted refugee visas to more than 500 Afghans for their help during its mission in the country, AFP reported. The Afghan nationals, mainly interpreters, were resettled with their families in late 2013 and early 2014, the government revealed in a statement. It said their safety would be jeopardized by remaining in Afghanistan.

08:44

Residents celebrate as India creates new southern state of Telangana

Celebrations erupted in southern India to mark the creation of the new state of Telangana on Monday, AFP reported. Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao, who at one stage went on hunger strike as part of the push to create India’s 29th state, was sworn in as chief minister during a ceremony in Hyderabad. India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to congratulate Rao, promising his complete support to the people and government of Telangana. It has been created after a separatist campaign stretching back nearly six decades by splitting the state of Andhra Pradesh in two. Hyderabad, an IT hub, will serve as the capital of both states for the next decade.

07:35

Clashes in Libya's Benghazi leave 7 killed, 15 wounded – reports

Seven people were killed, including five soldiers, and 15 wounded when heavy clashes broke out on Monday between the Libyan army and Islamist militants in the eastern city of Benghazi, Reuters reported, citing medical sources. The Ansar al-Sharia militant group attacked an army camp, triggering fighting in several parts of the port city, according to witnesses. Forces of a renegade general fighting Islamists later joined the battle, using combat helicopters.

07:24

Ukraine pays $786.4mn for gas supplies, Gazprom delays advance payment to June 9

Gazprom has delayed introduction of advance payment for gas supplies to Ukraine to June 9, ITAR-TASS quoted the CEO of the Russian energy giant, Aleksey Miller, as saying on Monday. “Ukraine has paid the first tranche for gas supplies. Today $786 million was transferred to Gazprom,” he said. “We welcome that Ukraine had started gas debt repayment and delay introduction of advance payment to June 9.” The Russian Energy Ministry also said Russia had received $786.4 million from Ukraine as repayment of gas debt for February-March 2014.

06:51

1 dead as boat capsizes in Lake Michigan near Chicago

A woman on a boat that capsized miles from Chicago’s shoreline died on Sunday after being pulled from Lake Michigan, AP reported. The US Coast Guard said crews were conducting an air and water search on Lake Michigan for as many as four other people. The Chicago Fire Department said the search for people who were on a boat that capsized has been suspended for the night.

06:37

Tests show Cadbury products found not to contain pig DNA - Malaysia

Malaysian authorities announced new tests found that two varieties of chocolate made by British confectioner Cadbury do not contain pig DNA, contrary to a previous finding, Reuters reported. Malaysia’s Islamic Development Department (Jakim) said none of the 11 samples it tested of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Hazelnut and Cadbury Dairy Milk Roast Almond from the company’s factory had shown positive results for porcine DNA. Cadbury withdrew the chocolate bars from sale in Muslim-majority Malaysia last week after government tests found traces of pork in them. Some Islamic groups have called for a boycott on all Cadbury products.

06:09

People leave homes due to fighting on outskirts of Lugansk, Ukraine

People were leaving their homes in Lugansk, eastern Ukraine, as fighting continued on outskirts of the city for several hours on Monday, RIA Novosti reported. Artillery shelling on the south outskirts started early morning, said self-defense forces, who are trying to take control over a unit of the Ukrainian frontier service. Small arms and grenade launchers were used in the fighting. One member of militia was reportedly killed and several wounded. The frontier service of Ukraine said several border guards were also wounded.

04:11

12 bodies recovered from Mi-8 helicopter crash site in Russia

Twelve dead bodies were recovered from the crash site of an Mi-8 transport helicopter in Munozero Lake in Russia's Murmansk region, Itar-Tass cited a source as saying. The aircraft downed 200 meters from shore on Saturday evening. It was earlier reported that there were 18 people on board, including five crew members. Two people survived the accident and were taken to hospital.

00:58

Turkey’s telecom agency raided by counterterrorism unit

Turkey’s counterterrorism unit raided the country's telecommunications agency and seized its servers, explaining that its actions were part of the espionage probe regarding a leak to foreign countries via satellite. The raid was conducted over the weekend and kept secret until the very end. But transportation minister Lutfi Elvan said that Turkey’s Telecommunications Directorate (TIB) was informed about the visit. “The investigation is ongoing. These are being done completely within the knowledge of the TIB presidency,” Hurriyet Daily News quoted Elvan as saying. The investigation is being conducted by Golbasi Prosecutor’s Office, which revealed that TIB's archive was copied and leaked to people outside the department, and afterwards deleted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Facecrook: NSA storing your facial web images, millions intercepted daily

Published time: June 01, 2014 09:45

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The National Security Agency is collecting millions of images of people through its international surveillance network to be implemented in a number of other facial recognition programs, according to documents leaked by Edward Snowden.

Read Snowden’s comments on 9/11 that NBC didn’t broadcast

Thanks to rapid advances being made in the field of facial recognition technology, the NSA is much better equipped to “exploit the flood of images included in emails, text messages, social media, video conferences and other communications,” according to an article in the New York Times, co-written by Laura Poitras, who, together with Glen Greenwald, are the only two journalists to have received the leaked NSA documents.

The NSA has the capacity to intercept “millions of images per day,” as well as some 55,000 “facial recognition quality images.” This latest milestone in US intelligence gathering, which goes a long way to putting the final touches on the much-feared Orwellian nightmare, gives the US spy agency “tremendous untapped potential,” according to the 2011 documents.

“It’s not just the traditional communications we’re after: It’s taking a full-arsenal approach that digitally exploits the clues a target leaves behind in their regular activities on the net to compile biographic and biometric information” that can help “implement precision targeting,” noted a document dated 2010.

AFP Photo / Angela Weiss

Such comments are bound to spark fears that the harvesting of facial images, much like the collection of oral and written communications, will snag innocent Americans in the vast intelligence net.

The latest revelations to be gleaned from Snowden’s stash of top-secret documents prove the NSA is not just interested in collecting the meta-data from global communications, but also the images that put a face on potential terrorists and other would-be adversaries of the American government.

The NSA is unique in its ability to match images with huge troves of private communications.

“We would not be doing our job if we didn’t seek ways to continuously improve the precision of signals intelligence activities — aiming to counteract the efforts of valid foreign intelligence targets to disguise themselves or conceal plans to harm the United States and its allies,” said Vanee M. Vines, the agency spokeswoman.

ID databases out of the game?

Since most people have a number of photographs taken of themselves for identification purposes, the question arises as to how much reach the NSA has in acquiring peoples’ facial images.

According to Vines, the NSA does not access driver’s licenses or passport photos of Americans, but refused to say whether the agency had access to the State Department’s photo archive of foreign visa applicants. She also declined to say whether the spy agency collected photographs of Americans from social media sources, like Facebook and Instagram, which would not be a difficult task considering that millions of people willingly post ‘selfies’ to the web.

Moreover, the report claimed that one of the agency’s most intense efforts to acquire facial images is through a program dubbed Wellspring, which “strips out images from emails and other communications, and displays those that might contain passport images.”

AFP Photo / Chris Hondros

Because images are considered a form of communicational content, the NSA is required to get court approval for collecting facial images of Americans, just as it is required to read emails or listen in on phone conversations, an NSA spokeswoman was quoted in the Times article as saying.

However, exceptions may be made in the event “an American might be emailing or texting an image to someone targeted by the agency overseas,” it said.

Human rights and civil liberty groups are expressing concern that the power of the technology, in the hands of government and corporate officials, could have a disastrous impact on privacy.

“Facial recognition can be very invasive,” Alessandro Acquisti, a researcher on facial recognition technology at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, told the paper. “There are still technical limitations on it, but the computational power keeps growing, and the databases keep growing, and the algorithms keep improving.”

Harvesting on video conferences

The NSA facial recognition program made tremendous headway in 2010 when it successfully matched images from two separate databases, one in the NSA database code-named Pinwale, and another in the government’s primary terrorist watch database, known as Tide, the NSA files revealed.

That technical breakthrough led to an “explosion of analytical uses” for the agency.

The NSA has since brought on board “identity intelligence” analysts whose job it is to match the facial images with other records about individuals to build broad portfolios of intelligence targets.

The full depth of the image-collection program is daunting in that it has developed sophisticated methods of integrating facial recognition programs with numerous other databases.

Reuters / Nacho Doce

“It intercepts video teleconferences to obtain facial imagery, gathers airline passenger data and collects photographs from national identity card databases created by foreign countries, the documents show,” the files revealed.

They also show that the NSA was attempting to infiltrate such databases in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Aside from its own programs, the NSA partially relies on commercially available facial recognition technology, including from PittPatt, a company owned by Google, the leaked files show.

Geo-positioning does matter

But the power of facial recognition technology apparently goes beyond the collection of faces, and includes geographic points photographed from satellites.

One leaked file shows photographs of several men standing near a waterfront dock in 2011. Through the use of the recognition technology, the NSA was able to match their surroundings to a satellite image of the same dock taken about the same time.

The document said the photograph showed a militant training facility in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, US law remains surprisingly flimsy in terms of the protections it offers Americans when it comes to their images.

“Unfortunately, our privacy laws provide no express protections for facial recognition data,” said Senator Al Franken, Democrat of Minnesota, in a letter in December to the head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

News of the NSA’s ‘facial-mining’ techniques echo earlier leaked information, reported in February, that Britain's spy agency GCHQ, in direct cooperation with the NSA, intercepted and stored the webcam images of millions of internet users not suspected of terrorism or other criminal behavior.

GCHQ records between 2008 and 2010 reveal a surveillance program, codenamed Optic Nerve, harvested still images of Yahoo webcam chats and stored them on databases, the Guardian reported.

“In one six-month period in 2008 alone, the agency collected webcam imagery – including substantial quantities of sexually explicit communications – from more than 1.8 million Yahoo user accounts globally,” the paper reported.

 

 

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China’s 'Corruption Crackdown' Nabs State Oil Chief

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Maria das Gracas Silva Foster (L), CEO of Brazil's state oil company Petrobras, greets Bo Qiliang, President of CNODC, during a signing ceremony for the First Contract of Brazilian Pre-Salt, attended by Brazil President Dilma Rousseff, ministers and repre

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Jeffrey Young

June 02, 2014 9:30 AM

WASHINGTON — Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ongoing “corruption” crackdown has now nabbed a major state oil corporation senior official. 

PetroChina Company Limited Vice President Bo Qiliang has been removed from his position and detained by authorities, who have prevented him from leaving the country.  Bo’s secretary has also been held in the probe.
 
Bo, who headed overseas operations for PetroChina, a subsidiary of CNPC, the China National Petroleum Corporation, is reported by the anti-corruption news portal FCPABlog to be under investigation for colluding with other senior Chinese oil executives to steal state assets.

The identity and nature of those assets, however, have yet to be publicly revealed.
 
The 52-year-old native of Shandong joined CNPC shortly after his 1983 university graduation.  After CNPC acquired the PK oilfield in Kazakhstan in 2005, Bo was put in charge of that operation.

There are published allegations that during his two years heading PetroKazakhstan, he paid substantial bribes to Kazakh government officials to enlarge the company’s holdings.
 
Interestingly, Reuters reports that Bo’s replacement at PetroChina is Lu Gongxun, who formerly headed PetroChina’s Kazakhstan operation.
 
The government’s “Central Discipline Inspection Division” probe into PetroChina has already swept up a number of other officials, including the detention in April of Foreign Cooperation Department General Manager Yan Cunzhang. Former PetroChina Chief Geologist Wang Daofu has also been put under investigation.
 
China analyst Edward Schwarck at the British research organization Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) says the corruption focus on PetroChina is about profits as well as integrity.
 
“PetroChina,” which is one of the country’s three major oil companies, is “the worst performing among them by a considerable margin,” Schwarck said.

“Investigations into PetroChina executives over the past year,” he said, “suggest that Beijing sees corruption as having contributed to the company’s business failings.

The anti-corruption campaign in PetroChina is probably part of a broader drive to make the company more profitable and efficient.”
 
The Guangzhou-based 21st Century Business Herald says that more than 120 officials from CNPC and its subsidiaries have been put under investigation for alleged corruption.

Caixin, a Beijing based business website, says at least 45 people have been collared by authorities relative to CNPC-connected dealings.

Caixin quotes an unidentified official as saying “in addition to the names of corrupt officials that have been made public, many others are also implicated, notably those in charge of the company’s business dealings.”
 
To a number of observers, the probe into PetroChina and its CNPC parent also has a strong political component – the drive by President Xi Jinping to suppress any rivals.

These analysts point to the ongoing and ever-tightening spiral of investigation into former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang.  Zhou headed CNPC in the 1990s and that, along with his position as Sichuan Communist Party chief, propelled himself into China’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee.
 
In May 2012, General Ruan Zhibo died unexpectedly and Hong Kong-based Waican News asserted he was murdered on Zhou’s orders, reportedly because the general had knowledge that Zhou and Chongqing Communist Party Boss Bo Xilai, now imprisoned, were allegedly plotting a political coup against President Xi and his circle.
 
While Zhou has not been hit yet with official corruption charges, those associated with him have been targeted, investigated, and in some cases, taken into custody. Earlier this year, members of Zhou’s immediate family and close associates had a total of $14.5 billion in assets seized.
 
Several weeks ago, suspected Zhou ally Liu Han, a Sichuan mining magnate, was convicted of heading a 38-member crime gang and sentenced to death.  So was his brother, Liu Yong.
 
“I think what’s happening is that Xi Jinping [and anti-corruption boss] Wang Qishan want to establish a harsh precedent,” Chinese University of Hong Kong researcher Willy Lam told Reuters.

Lam said the death sentences were intended “to make people afraid, in a sense, to have a deterrence impact on corrupt officials.”
 
If Zhou is formally charged, he would be the highest ranking Chinese official to be hit with corruption charges.

But a number of analysts express doubt that authorities want to put someone once in the Politburo on trial because it would weaken the perceived invincibility of that institution, and, perhaps, draw too much attention to its other members.
 
“It is still unclear whether Zhou himself will be prosecuted, but the purging of his former allies,” Schwarck said, “is still important in sending a message that obstructive interest groups [those who stand against President Xi] in industry and politics will not be tolerated.”

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Jeffrey Young

Jeffrey Young came to the “Corruption” beat after years of doing news analysis, primarily on global strategic issues such as nuclear proliferation.  During most of 2013, he was on special assignment in Baghdad and elsewhere with the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR).  Previous VOA activities include VOA-TV, where he created the “How America Works” and “How America Elects” series, and the “Focus” news analysis unit.

 

 

S. Africa Economy Falls in First Quarter

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Mine workers sing and dance outside the Lonmin's platinum mine in Marikana near Rustenburg, South Africa, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) on Thursday rejected a 9% wage offer from leading platinum prod

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Joe DeCapua

Last updated on: May 27, 2014 11:59 AM

South Africa’s economy shrank more than one-half a percent in the first quarter of the year. It’s the worst performance since the global recession five years ago. Most of the decline is blamed on the country’s prolonged platinum mining strike.
 
The decline in South Africa’s economy follows a nearly four-percent growth rate in the last quarter of 2013. However, the platinum mining strike is now in its fifth month. The government has made a new pledge to mediate the labor dispute, saying mining companies “have not done enough to address the well-being of workers.”
 
David Shapiro, a director at Sasfin Securities, said the strike has been a big drag on the economy.
 
“Platinum today is one of our biggest exports. In fact, it certainly exceeds gold. You know, gold production in South Africa has fallen dramatically over the last decade or so. Not for any reasons other than we’ve run out of cheap gold and it’s more difficult to get to the gold. So platinum today is a major mineral export.”
 
He described the strike as a major worry. It’s unclear how quickly the mining sector would bounce back once the strike does end.
 
He said, “When we talk about mines, if you keep them closed for that long there are all kinds of issues even if labor does come back to work. These are deep underground mines and require a lot of attention. So you can’t neglect them. And even if they came back to work it’ll take some time to fire them up again.”
 
Local economies are formed where mines are located.
 
“People live around the mines and of course they earn their income there. The go out and spend it either on entertainment or they buy groceries. So every industry around the mine also starts to suffer as a result,” said Shapiro.
 
Many of the miners in South Africa are migrant workers. Mine companies offer them either a housing allowance or actual housing. Shapiro said the decision they make can have long-term financial effects.
 
“A lot of these miners decided to accept a payment, an allowance, instead. And what they did is instead of buying a decent house or renting a decent house, they would send most of the money back home and then rent shacks. And when I say shacks – literally shacks -- living in really dire circumstances, terrible conditions. And that started strike action,” he said.
 
Because of the strike, the miners are not being paid, and are not able to send any money back home. In addition, there are also tensions between trade unions representing the miners. And while miners demand higher wages, demand for platinum is currently down.
 
South Africa’s economy has also been affected by a slowdown in China’s economy. Shapiro said from 2000 to 2010, the country benefitted greatly from China’s expansion and demand for natural resources, such as iron ore, copper and coal.
 
“Now that China is slowing down emerging countries, such as South Africa, which are major exporters of minerals, are also starting to feel the pinch. So, that’s contributed, as well.”
 
Shapiro also said manufacturing in South Africa has declined as it imports cheaper goods. At the same time, families are under greater pressure to pay back loans and have cut back on buying consumer goods.
 
Despite the first quarter’s bad news, the Sasfin Securities director is optimistic. But he said South Africans are looking to the government to tackle some big issues.
 
“We’re a rich economy,” he said, “It’s a problem we can overcome. Yes, we’ve got a lot of people that are unemployed here. That’s a throwback from apartheid. Skills development here is very low. But it’s an economy that is blessed with so many natural resources. We have a massive array of minerals here. We have natural beauty, which should attract tourism. It’s a country that should be flourishing. We shouldn’t be where we are.”
 
Three mining companies are negotiating with AMCU, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union. However, little progress has been made so far regarding a pay hike.

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IMF Board Approves $4.6B in Aid for Greece

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FILE - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen at the IMF headquarters building during the 2013 Spring Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington, April 18, 2013.

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Reuters

May 30, 2014 6:07 PM

WASHINGTON — Greece is set to receive $4.6 billion from the International Monetary Fund after the institution's board on Friday signed off on the latest review of Greece's rescue package.
 
The disbursement comes after the IMF and Greece's European lenders finished analyzing Greece's progress under its 173 billion euro ($236 billion) bailout in March, ending six months of protracted negotiations. Greece last got an IMF aid disbursement in July 2013, of $2.3 billion.
 
The IMF has so far lent Greece about $15.8 billion under a four-year program, meant to help Athens recover from a sovereign debt crisis, rebuild its economy and return to markets.
 
Given the delay with the fifth review, Greece should get the equivalent of three more disbursements this year, spread out over any remaining reviews, the IMF said.
 
The Washington-based global lender praised Greece's progress in cutting its debt and bringing its primary budget into surplus ahead of schedule.
 
“Greece has gone from having the weakest to the strongest cyclically-adjusted primary fiscal balance in the euro area in just four years,” Naoyuki Shinohara, deputy managing director at the IMF, said in a statement. The primary balance excludes interest payments and other one-off items.
 
“[But] public debt is projected to remain high well into the next decade, despite a targeted high primary surplus,” Shinohara said.
 
Greece's budget surplus, announced in April, is a sign of the progress the eurozone country has made to fix its finances after four years of tough bailout-imposed austerity that wiped out almost a quarter of its GDP and sent unemployment to record highs of nearly 28 percent.
 
But the country's total debt is still about 175 percent of its annual economic output, a level economists consider as unaffordable in the long run. The IMF believes Greece must bring debt down to 110 percent of GDP by 2022 to keep it sustainable.
 
Greece is unlikely to reach that level without further debt relief from eurozone governments, which now hold more than 80 percent of Greece's public debt. The European Union in late 2012 promised to provide further debt relief to Greece as long as it meets targets for its primary budget surplus and reforms.
 
But it is unclear when the debt relief would come through or what form it could take. The European Commission last month said discussions would start in the second half of this year.
 
The IMF's Shinohara repeated that the IMF welcomed European pledges of further support to Greece. Under its rules, the IMF cannot continue to lend to countries if it believes their debt is unsustainable.
 
($1 = 0.7328 Euros)

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U.N. Court Orders Japan to Halt Antarctic Whaling The decision to ban Japan’s annual whaling drive off Antarctica, handed down by the United Nations’ highest court on Monday, is a hard-won victory for conservationists who have long argued that Tokyo’s whaling research is a cover for commercial whaling. “We are very happy with the backing of the International Court. We had never expected such a strong ruling." - Geert Vons, a representative of Sea Shepherd

 

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The World Becomes What You Teach Zoe’s TEDx talk “The World Becomes What You Teach” asks: What if schooling prepared us to solve the most pressing challenges of our time, for ourselves, other people, animals and the earth? What if we educated a generation of “solutionaries”?

To tackle pollution, China to drop pursuit of growth at all costs China will steer local governments away from the pursuit of economic growth at all costs and beef up their powers to punish polluters as part of a campaign to reverse the damage done by three decades of unchecked expansion.

California is first state to ban lead in hunting ammo In a move to protect wildlife and the environment, California on Friday became the first state to ban lead in hunting ammunition.

Limits Approved for Genetically Modified Crops in Kauai, Hawaii Legislators on the island of Kauai in Hawaii have approved a bill that would restrict the use of pesticides by companies developing genetically modified crops there.

Environmentalists win U.S. court fight to protect whales from Navy sonar A federal judge in California has sided with environmental groups in their lawsuit against the U.S. government over Navy training exercises off the West Coast involving sonar that they say harms endangered whales, dolphins and other protected marine mammals.

New York City Air Quality Cleanest in Decades Ahh, smell that New York City air. No, seriously, go ahead. Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday said the city's air quality has hit its highest levels in 50 years, a development officials say has led to fewer deaths and hospitalizations.

Europe’s key animals ‘making a comeback’ Some of Europe's key animals have made a comeback over the past 50 years, a report suggests.

A Vaccine For HIV?  Clinical Trial Successful A vaccine to prevent HIV has aced clinical testing, according to Canadian researchers.

Nepal sees tiger population go up by 63% since 2009 The number of wild tigers living in Nepal has increased by 63% to 198 since 2009, a government survey has shown.

Pope Francis: Gay People ‘Should Not Be Judged’ He told reporters people should not be marginalised because of their sexual orientation - but he reaffirmed the Church's position that homosexual acts are a sin and said its opposition to gay marriage was clear.

Canada’s crime rate lowest since 1972 Canada's police services are once again reporting fewer crimes, a continuing trend that has cut the national crime rate to its lowest level since 1972.

Obama to launch major initiative to curb wildlife trafficking Barack Obama launched a new initiative against wildlife trafficking on Monday, using his executive authority to take action against an illegal trade that is fuelling rebel wars and now threatens the survival of elephants and rhinoceroses.

South Korean airlines ban shark fin as cargo South Korea's two largest airlines, Korean Air and Asiana, said Thursday they had both decided to ban shark fin from their cargo flights as part of a growing global campaign against the Asian delicacy.

City of Vancouver proclaims country’s first Meatless Monday Vancouver has become the first city in Canada to embrace 'Meatless Monday,' encouraging residents to forego meat for one day a week for the sake of the planet and their health.

EU to ban pesticides in bee scare The European Commission will restrict the use of pesticides linked to bee deaths by researchers, despite a split among EU states on the issue.

‘Most Earth-like’ planets discovered The search for a far-off twin of Earth has turned up two of the most intriguing candidates yet.

New Zealand legalises same-sex marriage New Zealand's parliament has legalised same-sex marriage, the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to do so.

New law to protect Puerto Rico leatherback turtles Puerto Rico has introduced a new law protecting a swathe of the island's coast that has become a major nesting site for the world's largest turtle, the leatherback.

U.N. overwhelmingly approves global arms trade treaty The 193-nation U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved the first treaty on the global arms trade, which seeks to regulate the $70 billion business in conventional arms and keep weapons out of the hands of human rights abusers.

Safer vaccine created without virus British scientists have developed a “holy grail” vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease that is safer and more resilient than current vaccines, according to an article published in the journal PLOS Pathogens on Wednesday.

China, world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, will tax carbon China’s Ministry of Finance has announced that the country will levy a tax on carbon emissions, reports Xinhua.

New wind power cheaper than coal or gas in Australia Electricity supplied from a new wind farm is cheaper than that from a new gas or coal-fired power plant in Australia, reports a new analysis published by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Lenses found to ‘cure colour-blindness’ Scientists say they have invented spectacle lenses that cure red-green colour blindness, which affects some women and one in every 10 men.

Gorillas to Be Protected with New Congo National Park The Republic of Congo has declared a new national park that conservationists hope with protect a core population of western lowland gorillas, a critically endangered species, as well as other threatened species, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced.

From the brink of extinction: elephant seals stage remarkable comeback In the 19th century the Northern Pacific Elephant was thought to be extinct until a small population was discovered on an island of Baja California in 1892. Since then, the species has staged a remarkable comeback which was greatly accelerated by protective measures adopted by the U.S. and Mexican governments.

Nations agree on legally binding mercury rules More than 140 countries have agreed on a set of legally binding measures to curb mercury pollution, at UN talks.

Six million turn out for global garbage clean-up More than six million volunteers from 96 countries collected an unprecedented 100,000 tonnes of garbage last year as part of a global, web-driven clean-up campaign, cyber-environmentalists said Friday.

Totally blind mice get sight back Totally blind mice have had their sight restored by injections of light-sensing cells into the eye, UK researchers report.

Obama triples area of protected California coastline On Friday President Obama announced the government would add almost 3,000 square miles of California coastline to the National Marine Sanctuary system, reports the Sierra Club.

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• The World Becomes What You Teach
• To tackle pollution, China to drop pursuit of growth at all costs
• California is first state to ban lead in hunting ammo

Medical discoveries:

• A Vaccine For HIV?  Clinical Trial Successful
• Safer vaccine created without virus
• Lenses found to ‘cure colour-blindness’
• Totally blind mice get sight back

Technology news:

• Safer vaccine created without virus
• Asahi’s auto glass blocks UV, filters out IR rays
• New Microscopy Technique Can See The Lengths Of Atomic Bonds
• New radio telescope to watch for solar flares

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• Pope Francis: Gay People ‘Should Not Be Judged’ | Great News Network
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• Victories for Marriage Equality and First Openly Gay U.S. Senator
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[H.E. KUM Nelson Bame IV]

Scientists Have Discovered A Planet They Thought Was Impossible

By Leslie Baehr 5 hours ago

View photo

.

David A. Aguilar (CfA)

The "Godzilla of Earths!" is in the foreground. Behind it is the smaller 'lava world'. Their sun, in the back, appears to have been created only 3 billion years after the Big Bang.

Based on what we know about how solar systems form, researchers thought that a giant rocky planet could not exist. But they just found one that's 17 times Earth's mass. They're calling it the Mega-Earth.

Scientists say the new planet may have "profound implications for the possibility of life" on extra-solar planets, according to a press release from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. They announced the finding in a talk at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Boston.

Researchers have always thought Mega-Earths were impossible since any planets that big would attract hydrogen gas, forming a gas planet like Jupiter.

Meet the Mega-Earth

 

Mega-Earth, also known as Kepler-10c, is 18,000 miles in diameter and 2.3 times as large as Earth. It appears to be as solid as the planet beneath our feet.

Kepler-10c was previously known to astronomers, but they had not yet measured its mass. Due to its size — 2.3 times that of Earth — it was assumed to be a "mini-Neptune," a planet encased in thick gas. But the new observations have confirmed that it is rocky, not gassy.

It orbits an 11 billion-year-old star named Kepler-10 located 560 light years away from Earth. Its year lasts only 45 days.

Interestingly, this solar system is more than twice as old as our own — it was born less than 3 billion years after the Big Bang.

"We were very surprised when we realized what we had found," study researcher Xavier Dumusque, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said in a press release.

We've always thought a rocky planet is the best place to look for life, since life on a gas giant is hard to imagine. From what they've observed, the planet may also have an atmosphere with thin clouds, another good sign.

A mysterious system

Researchers had previously thought that this kind of planet impossible.

Not only did they think something that big would be a gas giant, but they didn't even think the elements that make up a rocky planet existed in our universe when this solar system was born: The early universe had only the lighter elements of hydrogen and helium. Heavier elements were forged from these lighter ones in stars over billions of years.

Because of this, many scientists hadn't been looking for rocky planets in these very old solar systems.

"Finding Kepler-10c tells us that rocky planets could form much earlier than we thought. And if you can make rocks, you can make life," study researcher Dimitar Sasselov, of the Harvard Origins of Life Initiative, said in a release.

The mega-Earth isn't the only weird planet in its solar system. There's also a 'lava-world' 1.5 times Earth's size whose year lasts only 20 hours.

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Interfaith Prayers for Peace at the Vatican

 

By UPF International

Sunday, June 08, 2014

Spanish UPF applauds the peace initiative taken by Pope Francis during his visit to the Holy Land in May. He met with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders as well as visited sacred and historic sites and held outdoor masses. On the second day, he invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres to join him at the Vatican on June 8 to pray together for peace. He begged his hosts to end a conflict he said was “no longer acceptable.” UPF encourages both religious and political leaders to transcend historical self-interests and pursue the ideal of “One family under God.” Since the dawn of history, human beings have sought to understand their origins and their destiny, giving rise to religions centered on revelation, sacred texts and understandings of truth and goodness. Wherever there has been human society, there has been religion. While there has frequently been misunderstanding, competition, and conflict among believers of various religious traditions, most sacred teachings are shared by believers across the spectrum of the world's religions. "Peace is a gift of God, but requires our efforts. Let us be people of peace in prayer and deed," Pope Francis tweeted regarding the June 8, 2014 prayer meeting. "Prayer is all-powerful. Let us use it to bring peace to the Middle East and peace to the world." Dialogue that fosters mutual understanding, respect and cooperation can contribute to peace and human development. This initiative by Pope Francis is an example of how religions can become a leading force for peace in this world.

 

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Ukraine rejects Putin's offer of gas discounts

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a government meeting that focused on economic and social issues in the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 11, 2014. Ukraine on Wednesday rejected Russia’s offer of discount for gas shipments, which President Vladimir Putin touted as a “partnership deal.” RIA-Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin, Presidential Press Service / AP Photo

Fullsize

previous | next

Image 1 of 6

By JOHN-THOR DAHLBURG and NATALIYA VASILYEVA

The Associated Press

MOSCOW -- Russia on Wednesday offered to restore the discounted gas price it granted Ukraine under the ousted pro-Russian president, but Ukraine demanded an even better deal and called for arbitration to settle the dispute.

Speaking in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia was offering the discount as a "partnership deal." Russia's energy minister, Alexander Novak, specified the price offered as $385 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas.

"We believe that our offer is more than in a partnership spirit, aimed to support the Ukrainian economy at a rather difficult time," Putin said in televised remarks. "But if our offers are rejected it means we will enter another stage. This is not our choice. We do not want it."

Russia and Ukraine have been locked for months in a dispute over the price of Russian gas supplies and Ukraine's debt for previous deliveries. Moscow has threatened to turn off the tap if Ukraine fails to settle the multibillion-dollar debt, but has repeatedly pushed back the deadline after Ukraine paid off part of the sum.

European Union-brokered talks between the two countries in Brussels on Wednesday failed to reach a compromise over the price.

The bruising gas dispute comes amid continuing fighting in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have battled pro-Russian rebels for two months. The insurgents have pushed for joining Russia following Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in March, but Putin has ignored their appeal in an apparent bid to avoid another round of crippling Western sanctions.

Putin also seemed eager to avoid cutting off gas to Ukraine, a move that would likely disrupt shipments to European customers via pipelines crossing Ukrainian territory.

He emphasized Wednesday that the latest offer would restore the price Ukraine had under pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.

In December, Russia offered Ukraine an even lower price of $268 as it sought to give a financial lifeline to Yanukovych, who was facing massive protests triggered by his decision to ditch a pact with the European Union and opt for closer ties with Moscow.

After Yanukovych was chased from power in February, Russia denounced his ouster as a "coup" and annulled all gas discounts, bringing the price back to $485 per 1,000 cubic meters, in line with a 2009 contract.

Ukraine has refused to pay for Russian gas, calling the price politically motivated and demanding that Moscow lower it.

Ukraine's Energy Minister Yuri Prodan told reporters after the talks in Brussels that the price discount offered by Russia isn't enough and demanded an even lower price. He said the Ukrainian government now believes that arbitration is the best option to solve the dispute.

Prodan, however, added that Ukraine is open to talks to hammer out a temporary price while arbitration is proceeding.

Despite the sharp disagreements, EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger, who is involved in the talks, said he hopes the parties will make progress in the next 48 hours.

"I can see movement on both sides, and both sides will need to continue to move," he told reporters. "There are differences of opinion ... and we're talking about billions."

Oettinger said that he has drawn up a draft agreement on the EU's behalf that he hopes both Russia and Ukraine can ultimately agree to, including a temporary "$385 minus" price tag.

He said the final price will depend on two factors: the volume of Russian gas purchased by Ukraine, and the length of the agreement, which he has suggested should be 15 months. That would be enough for Ukraine to see through the winter of 2014-2015 and allow it to build up its reserves for another winter.

Oettinger said that Putin and Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko are to discuss the issue, but the Kremlin said there is no immediate plan for such talks.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk earlier Wednesday said that Kiev initially rejected the Russian offer because there was no guarantee that it would last. Putin and Novak responded by saying that Russia was ready to guarantee the discounts would remain in place for one year.

Gazprom, Russia's gas giant, gave Ukraine a few more days to settle its gas debt before it would start demanding prepayment for gas, without which it has threatened to cut off supplies. Gazprom's CEO Alexei Miller said the deadline would be pushed forward to next Monday.

Georg Zachmann, a research fellow at Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank that specializes in economic affairs, said that despite the impasse, Russia and Ukraine will likely finally come to agreement.

"There are large sums of money involved so they are fighting hard for that," Zachmann said. But in the end, he said, "everybody would lose" from a cutoff of Russian gas to Ukraine that could also disrupt supplies to the EU.

Dahlburg reported from Brussels. Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/06/11/4170997/russia-gives-ukraine-more-time.html#storylink=cpy

 

 

 

 

Ukraine rejects Putin's offer of gas discounts

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a government meeting that focused on economic and social issues in the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 11, 2014. Ukraine on Wednesday rejected Russia’s offer of discount for gas shipments, which President Vladimir Putin touted as a “partnership deal.” RIA-Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin, Presidential Press Service / AP Photo

Fullsize

previous | next

Image 1 of 6

By JOHN-THOR DAHLBURG and NATALIYA VASILYEVA

The Associated Press

MOSCOW -- Russia on Wednesday offered to restore the discounted gas price it granted Ukraine under the ousted pro-Russian president, but Ukraine demanded an even better deal and called for arbitration to settle the dispute.

Speaking in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia was offering the discount as a "partnership deal." Russia's energy minister, Alexander Novak, specified the price offered as $385 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas.

"We believe that our offer is more than in a partnership spirit, aimed to support the Ukrainian economy at a rather difficult time," Putin said in televised remarks. "But if our offers are rejected it means we will enter another stage. This is not our choice. We do not want it."

Russia and Ukraine have been locked for months in a dispute over the price of Russian gas supplies and Ukraine's debt for previous deliveries. Moscow has threatened to turn off the tap if Ukraine fails to settle the multibillion-dollar debt, but has repeatedly pushed back the deadline after Ukraine paid off part of the sum.

European Union-brokered talks between the two countries in Brussels on Wednesday failed to reach a compromise over the price.

The bruising gas dispute comes amid continuing fighting in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have battled pro-Russian rebels for two months. The insurgents have pushed for joining Russia following Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in March, but Putin has ignored their appeal in an apparent bid to avoid another round of crippling Western sanctions.

Putin also seemed eager to avoid cutting off gas to Ukraine, a move that would likely disrupt shipments to European customers via pipelines crossing Ukrainian territory.

He emphasized Wednesday that the latest offer would restore the price Ukraine had under pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.

In December, Russia offered Ukraine an even lower price of $268 as it sought to give a financial lifeline to Yanukovych, who was facing massive protests triggered by his decision to ditch a pact with the European Union and opt for closer ties with Moscow.

After Yanukovych was chased from power in February, Russia denounced his ouster as a "coup" and annulled all gas discounts, bringing the price back to $485 per 1,000 cubic meters, in line with a 2009 contract.

Ukraine has refused to pay for Russian gas, calling the price politically motivated and demanding that Moscow lower it.

Ukraine's Energy Minister Yuri Prodan told reporters after the talks in Brussels that the price discount offered by Russia isn't enough and demanded an even lower price. He said the Ukrainian government now believes that arbitration is the best option to solve the dispute.

Prodan, however, added that Ukraine is open to talks to hammer out a temporary price while arbitration is proceeding.

Despite the sharp disagreements, EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger, who is involved in the talks, said he hopes the parties will make progress in the next 48 hours.

"I can see movement on both sides, and both sides will need to continue to move," he told reporters. "There are differences of opinion ... and we're talking about billions."

Oettinger said that he has drawn up a draft agreement on the EU's behalf that he hopes both Russia and Ukraine can ultimately agree to, including a temporary "$385 minus" price tag.

He said the final price will depend on two factors: the volume of Russian gas purchased by Ukraine, and the length of the agreement, which he has suggested should be 15 months. That would be enough for Ukraine to see through the winter of 2014-2015 and allow it to build up its reserves for another winter.

Oettinger said that Putin and Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko are to discuss the issue, but the Kremlin said there is no immediate plan for such talks.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk earlier Wednesday said that Kiev initially rejected the Russian offer because there was no guarantee that it would last. Putin and Novak responded by saying that Russia was ready to guarantee the discounts would remain in place for one year.

Gazprom, Russia's gas giant, gave Ukraine a few more days to settle its gas debt before it would start demanding prepayment for gas, without which it has threatened to cut off supplies. Gazprom's CEO Alexei Miller said the deadline would be pushed forward to next Monday.

Georg Zachmann, a research fellow at Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank that specializes in economic affairs, said that despite the impasse, Russia and Ukraine will likely finally come to agreement.

"There are large sums of money involved so they are fighting hard for that," Zachmann said. But in the end, he said, "everybody would lose" from a cutoff of Russian gas to Ukraine that could also disrupt supplies to the EU.

Dahlburg reported from Brussels. Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/06/11/4170997/russia-gives-ukraine-more-time.html#storylink=cpy

 

 

================================================================

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 June 2014

General Assembly HR/5191

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

States Parties to Convention

on Rights of Persons with Disabilities

1^st & 2^nd Meetings (AM & PM)

 

Under-Secretary-General Stresses Need to Build Better Future for All

 

as States Parties to Disabilities Convention Open Session

 

 

Conference President Calls for Their Inclusion in Post-2015 Framework

 

As the world discussed the post-2015 landscape, it was vital that inclusive sustainable development built a better future for all people, especially for those living with disabilities, said Under-Secretary-General Wu Hongbo, as the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities opened its seventh session today.

 

“We need to make sure the new development framework would not leave the 1 billion persons with disabilities behind,” said the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, who spoke on behalf of the Secretary-General.

 

Opening the three-day meeting, Conference President Macharia Kamau ( Kenya) highlighted key achievements, among them that 147 States had ratified the Convention and that 158 States were signatories.  Such triumphs were testament to the inclusion of the rights of persons with disabilities, as well as the General Assembly’s high-level meeting on disabilities last September which determined that addressing disabilities was at the core of development.

 

Now all stakeholders must address the gaps between the goals and the situation on the ground, where access to schools, health care, jobs and public services was sometimes uneven, he said.  Efforts were needed to ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the post-2015 development goals, to implement the Convention and to address monitoring and evaluation systems that helped to identify persons with disabilities.  “It was now time for all of us to roll up our sleeves and work harder on these issues,” he said.

 

Maria Soledad, Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, said the exercise of all rights, particularly equal recognition of persons before the law, was imperative so people could exercise full autonomy and to make their own decisions on their lives.

 

Risnawati Utami, speaking on behalf of civil society, said people with disabilities should work together to build bridges with partners to ensure the implementation of the Convention.  Given that 80 per cent of those with disabilities lived in developing countries, their empowerment was vital to eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development.

 

In the general debate that ensued, a number of speakers described how their countries were making a difference.  Alain Dominique Zoubga, Minister for Social Action and National Solidarity of Burkina Faso, said since ratifying the convention in 2009, his country had adopted a national plan, laws and action-oriented goals.  As part of those efforts, a three-year plan to protect the rights of persons with disabilities included a $5 million job-creation project.

 

Many speakers endorsed the Secretary-General’s statement that persons with disabilities be included in the post-2015 development agenda.

 

The Philippines’ delegate expressed hope that momentum gained at the first-ever High-Level Meeting on Disability and Development last September would ensure that the post-2015 development framework would leave no vulnerable groups behind.

 

A representative of the European Union Delegation emphasized the need to enhance monitoring of the Convention’s implementation, saying that the bloc’s first implementation report had been sent to the United Nations on 5 June.  Furthermore, 12 European Union States had submitted their reports to the Organization.

 

Kenya’s delegate said that youth were the strength, wealth and drivers of innovation in her country.  That generation would offer the greatest social, political, intellectual, scientific and technological transformation.  Her Government’s programmes for the disabled had continued to mainstream youth with disabilities to ensure inclusion in education and economic empowerment.

 

Speaking during the general debate were Government ministers from Senegal, New Zealand, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Angola, Albania, South Africa and Turkey.

 

Also delivering statements were representatives of Malta, Philippines, Jordan, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Israel, Panama, Cyprus, Sweden, Republic of Korea, Japan, Russian Federation, France, Italy, Mexico, Australia, Thailand, Argentina, Indonesia and Canada.

 

Representatives of civil society organizations — International Disabilities Alliance, Disabled People International and the People with Disability of Australia — also spoke.

 

In other business, the Conference adopted its agenda, its organization of work and elected, by two rounds of secret balloting, members of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to replace the nine members whose terms were due to expire 31 December 2014.  The terms of the newly elected members would begin on 1 January 2015 and end on 31 December 2018.

 

In the first round of voting, the following eight candidates were elected:  Theresia Degener ( Germany), Hyung Shik Kim ( Republic of Korea), Stig Langvad ( Denmark), Carlos Alberto Parra Dussan ( Colombia), Coomaravel Pyaneandee ( Mauritius), Jonas Ruskus ( Lithuania), Damjan Tatić ( Serbia) and Liang You ( China).

 

In the second round of voting, the Conference elected Danlami Umaru Basharu ( Nigeria).

 

The Conference will reconvene Wednesday, 11 June, to continue its general debate and to hold round tables on incorporating the Convention’s provisions into the post-2015 development agenda, youth with disabilities and on national implementation and monitoring.

 

* *** *

---

For information media • not an official record

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 June 2014

Meetings Coverage PAL/2176 PI/2099

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

As International Seminar Concludes, Panels Explore Japan’s Middle East

 

News Coverage, Use of Visual Tools to Convey Region’s Reality

 

 

TOKYO, 10 June — The twenty-second International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East concluded today, with two interactive panel discussions that explored Japanese media coverage of events in that region, as well as the use of innovative visual tools to tell stories conveying the stark realities faced by Palestinians and Israelis alike.

 

The Seminar, which opened on 9 June, was organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information, in cooperation with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Sophia University, Tokyo.

 

During the first panel discussion — entitled “Japanese media coverage of the Middle East, including how the Japanese media covers its Government’s support for Palestine” — speakers highlighted the country’s decades-long involvement in international efforts to create the conditions for a durable, lasting peace in the region.  Panellists, several of them Middle East-based journalists, described the unique perspective that Japanese media brought to the Israeli-Palestinian situation.  Some explored key issues that captured public attention, while others examined how stories written for the Japanese public could reach a global audience.

 

The second panel discussion — entitled “New tools for the media in covering the Middle East — Infographics:  merging journalism with design” — explored the use of graphics to communicate complex information quickly and easily.  The four panellists presented colourful maps, charts, images and other interactive designs to convey the general complexity of daily life as faced by Palestinians, Israelis and Japanese.  They all emphasized the need to use visual images for communicating serious messages in ways that would garner the global attention they deserved.  The creation of compelling visuals required intense planning, skill and data mining, they said.

 

In closing remarks, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, said it was not that diplomacy had lost its ability to find solutions, but rather that it had not been used in ways that would create the desired outcomes.  “Diplomacy only works when you build relationships,” he emphasized, adding that the last two days had been a stark reminder of the need to spend more time on building relationships.

 

Yutaka Iimura, Special Representative of the Government of Japan for the Middle East and Europe, said the Seminar had brought together participants involved in Middle East diplomacy, academia, journalism and the United Nations.  “I’m very glad the Seminar allowed us to have an honest and interactive discussion on the important role of the media in the Middle East peace process,” he added.  “We should not forget there are millions of people suffering, not only in Palestine, but in the Middle East.”

 

Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine at the United Nations, said he had held constructive meetings with Japanese officials over the last two days, and declared:  “We would like to see Japan playing a larger role.”  The Seminar was an effort to facilitate a bigger role for the country in the quest for a peaceful, just resolution of the conflict.

 

Panel Discussion 1

 

Lyutha Al-Mughairy, Chairperson of the Committee on Information and Permanent Representative of Oman to the United Nations, moderated the panel, which featured presentations by Waleed Siam, Representative, Permanent General Mission of Palestine to Japan; Hiroshi Fuse, Chief Editor, The Arab Magazine, and Senior Editorial Writer, The Mainichi Newspaper; and Yuki Hasegawa, Chief, Kofu Bureau, and former Chief, Cairo Bureau, Yomiuri Shimbun.

 

Mr. SIAM spoke highly of the Japanese Government’s support for the Palestinian cause, saying that the main portion of its $1.44 billion commitment was channelled through bilateral projects with the Palestinian Authority.  There were no cash exchanges as the funds were placed in a Japanese bank and distributed through Japanese companies to their Palestinian counterparts.  Noting that Japanese media tended to focus more on East Asian and North American affairs, he said the Middle East was generally not a priority.  It was a far-away region and its complexities were not of special interest to the Japanese public.  A number of factors affected the way in which Japanese media covered the Middle East, including the Japanese Government’s policy towards the region, its restrictions on movement and reliance on third-party news reporting.  In addition, Japanese media did not do a good job in simplifying their presentation to the Japanese public.  Japanese people held a negative perception of the Middle East because of all the news reporting about terrorist attacks and other violence, particularly after 9/11.  The media must provide deeper coverage of the regional situation and the plight of Palestinians, he stressed.  Although Israel was the biggest hurdle to completing the Japan-led Peace Corridor project, Japanese media tended to hide such complications.  The press had not covered the Jericho Agro-Industrial Park either, he noted, stressing:  “The media has to be more challengeable in covering these problems.”

 

Mr. FUSE, recalling a visit to the Gaza Strip in 1988, said that Israel had imposed a curfew hours after his arrival, restricting movement and cutting off phone and electricity service.  That night, a Jewish woman friend had given birth at a hospital run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), while her husband, a Palestinian, hid from Israeli soldiers.  He said that the owner of his hotel had explained that that was daily life in Gaza, adding that after 26 years, he had not forgotten that story.  He went on to recall arriving in Jerusalem with great joy in 1995, having studied the Middle East.  During that time, he had attended several funerals for students killed by terrorist attacks, and in the same year, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin had been assassinated by a Jewish youth.  In 2002, a cafeteria at Hebrew University had been targeted in a bombing that had killed seven people and injured 80 others, he said, expressing shock that the cafeteria was one in which he had loved to spend time while in Jerusalem.  Underlining the paramount importance of dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis, he said that because Japan had good relations with both, it could play a larger role in peace efforts.

 

Ms. HASEGAWA said that, as a reporter, she felt that she was perceived as “more or less” neutral.  “We are less bound up in the notion that we’re on one side of an issue or another,” she said.  Japanese media did not represent Christians or Muslims, she pointed out.  “We represent our values,” which was perhaps a different perspective, but a common stance of the Government and media that had served reporters well.  She said that in her visits to Palestine, notably for the funeral of the founder of Hamas, she had been received with good will by all parties, possibly because she was a member of Japan’s media, which were sympathetic to the Palestinians suffering injustice while recognizing at the same time that Israel had legitimate security concerns.  The criticism that Japanese reporting was “cosmetic” probably meant that Japan was not on one side of an issue or another.  “We try to be more objective,” she said, describing Japan’s media as dedicated, impartial and devoted.  She added that while her newspaper had offices in Cairo, Jerusalem and Tehran, it lacked outreach, and although her stories were read by some 20 million people in Japan, the language barrier prevented them from reaching a global audience.

 

With the floor opened for discussion, one participant asked why there had not been more coverage of the Peace Corridor, while another asked whether the coverage included an explanation of why such projects were needed.  A third participant wondered how a balance could be struck between the Palestinian and Israeli sides of the story.

 

Mr. FUSE, responding to the question about the Corridor, said that although his newspaper had been covering that story, it was considered “unglamorous”, and viewers in Cambodia would say that there must be more coverage of mine removal.  However, events unfolded simultaneously and space was limited.  He recalled that the Japanese Foreign Minister had visited Israel years ago, and had asked the Government to stop building settlements in order to advance peace.  Israel’s Prime Minister had responded by saying that was a domestic the issue.  The next day, a newspaper editorial had argued that Japan’s Foreign Minister had interfered in Israel’s domestic affairs, he said, urging the United Nations to play a bigger role in advancing peace initiatives.

 

Ms. HASEGAWA, on striking a balance between Israeli and Palestinian stories, said:  “We should not take sides.”  While journalists tried to be neutral, there was no such thing as perfect neutrality.  “We’re not the ones living the reality so we try to examine things by reporting the history.”  Providing the background of events in the Middle East would make for a better balance.

 

Mr. FUSE, in response to the same query, called for comparing editorials in different media outlets.  He said that if he wrote about Palestine, the implication was that he was sympathetic to Palestine and he would soon receive calls from the Israeli embassy asking questions.  That was a form of pressure, he said, emphasizing that to understand the reality of Palestine, it was important to understand events in the United States.

 

Panel Discussion 2

 

Moderated by Margaret Novicki, Chief, Communications Campaigns Service, Department of Public Information, the panel featured presentations by Ramzi Jaber, Co-Founder, Visualizing Impact and Visualizing Palestine; Roni Levit, infographic designer; Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, Huffington Post Live; and Takashi Tokuma, bowlgraphics.

 

Mr. JABER said people were “narratively wired”, illustrating the point by recounting the story of Khader Adnan, a Palestinian administrative detainee who had gone on hunger strike.  A small group of people had created the “Dying to Live” campaign to attract public attention to the unfolding drama, and the first major media attention had come from Al Jazeera.  Reuters, The New York Times and CNN had picked up the story after 62 days, and 66 days later, a court had set Khader Adnan free.  He explained that in order to communicate the story visually, his company had illustrated the physical facts of a hunger strike, mining data from reputable international and local organizations, academic institutions and medical journals.  It had created other infographics to illustrate the issue of water in the West Bank, showing the disparity of water resources and distribution among London, Israel and Ramallah.  Other infographics had visualized the number of babies born at checkpoints, the routes between Jerusalem and the settlements, and the roads that Palestinians were not permitted to use.

 

Ms. LEVIT noted the similarities between her work and that of Mr. Jaber, but emphasized that she worked neither in journalism nor politics, but in graphic design.  Creating infographics required researchers, translators, writers and designers, she said, illustrating her point by presenting a “sound map” of Jerusalem, in which bright circles of sounds were associated with calls to prayer at various mosques, orange circles indicated bells at various churches, blue and red circles showed police and ambulance centres, and grey circles showed the origin of the Shabat calls.  “On the map, you can see how Jerusalem is divided,” she said, pointing out that the Jewish population was in the city’s western part and the Muslim population in the east.  Standing in the city centre, one was bombarded by the sounds of different religions, she said.

 

Mr. TOKUMA, discussing interactive infographics, displayed one example in which a person could understand the costs associated with travelling 1,000 kilometres.  Using the illustration of an odometer, a person could see the increasing amount of money needed.  “You can touch it and the figures talk to you,” he said.  “You can feel how much money you’ll need.”  Infographics had been created to attract attention and visualize the concepts behind numbers, he said, adding that in a “data visualization” example, he had taken statistics used by researchers of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.  To make the visualization more user-friendly, he said, he had displayed the numbers as icons showing, at a glance, the number of people engaged in research and development in various industries.  “In the age of social media, you look at the data and respond,” he said.  “Data is available to anyone.”

 

Mr. SHIHAB-ELDIN noted that participants had laughed during the visual representations of injustice, most likely because of the “ridiculous reality” being communicated.  People did not generally care to read a 1,000-word article about the six-day Gaza war because it appeared that nothing had changed.  Some stories could not be advanced without an innovative way to communicate the gravity of the situation, and infographics provided a way to do that, he said.

 

Mr. JABER, responding to a question about what the United Nations should do with infographic tools when working with Governments that were not susceptible to the usual pressures of advocacy, said the Organization had a major voice, noting that although Palestinian voices were usually discredited, they were covered when the United Nations publicized them.

 

Mr. SHIHAB-ELDIN said journalists often “parachuted” into situations and then moved on.  The United Nations could find people who were not traditional journalists but who were always finding new methods to keep the conversation alive in ways separate from what was happening on the ground, he added, stressing the need to “partner with people”.

 

Closing Remarks

 

PETER LAUNSKY-TIEFFENTHAL, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, delivered closing remarks, sharing messages that had provided “food for thought” over the last two days.  Participants had underscored the importance of coming to the table as equals, and finding different approaches to diplomacy.  The media had a responsibility to call attention to the peace effort, and Seminar participants, in discussing the “false balance” in media coverage, had underlined the importance of presenting the facts as they were.  Participants had said that thanks to new media, the narrative was shifting and the mainstream media could no longer ignore stories.  It was not so much that diplomacy had lost its ability to find solutions, but rather, that it had not been applied in such a way as to arrive at the desired outcomes.  “Diplomacy only works when you build relationships,” he added.  The last two days had been a stark reminder of the need to spend more time on building relationships that would give diplomacy a better chance to work.

 

YUTAKA IIMURA, Special Representative of the Government of Japan for the Middle East and Europe, said the Seminar had brought together participants involved in Middle East diplomacy, academia, journalism and the United Nations.  “I’m very glad the Seminar allowed us to have an honest and interactive discussion on the important role of the media in the Middle East peace process.”  The new Palestinian Government had accepted the Quartet principles, which hopefully would lead both sides to restart direct negotiations.  It was meaningful that the Seminar had been held at such a critical juncture since it allowed for a better understanding of the challenges involved and of the media’s role in the peace process.  “We should not forget there are millions of people suffering, not only in Palestine, but in the Middle East,” he said.

 

RIYAD MANSOUR, Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine to the United Nations, said that over the last two days, he had held constructive meetings with Japanese officials in which they had discussed the relationship between the two parties to the conflict.  They had also discussed the positive programmes that Japan was carrying out vis-à-vis the question of Palestine.  “We would like to see Japan playing a larger role,” he said, describing the Seminar as an effort to facilitate a bigger role for Japan in the quest for a peaceful, just resolution of the conflict.  He said that in the last two days, he had been pleased to interact with young Palestinian leaders, who were conveying the daily struggle to stay in their homeland in innovative ways that reached millions of people.  “I am proud to say I’m willing to yield to them to be the future leaders of Palestine,” he declared.

 

* *** *

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For information media • not an official record

 

 

 

9 June 2014

Meetings Coverage PAL/2174 PI/2096

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

United Nations Counts on Diversity of Media to Shape Perceptions, Secretary-General

 

Tells International Seminar on Peace in the Middle East

 

TOKYO, 9 June — In its work to foster peace in the Middle East, the United Nations counted on the diverse contributions of traditional and new media, which played a critical role in promoting transparency and shaping perceptions of the region’s most important challenges, the head of the United Nations Department of Public Information said today, as he opened a two-day international media seminar in Tokyo.

 

“We look forward to hearing the many different perspectives and experiences they represent,” said Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, said in welcoming participants who had travelled “from near and far” to attend the International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East.  The Seminar was taking place amid continuing turmoil in the Middle East, ongoing tragedy in Syria and a political stalemate between Israelis and Palestinians in United States-mediated negotiations, which challenged the prospects for a two-State solution, he said.

 

Delivering a message from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, he pledged that the United Nations would do all that it could to help a meaningful resumption of the peace process, and expressed regret that the intense diplomatic efforts of the last year had not yielded the desired outcome.  “There is no contradiction between Palestinian reconciliation and peace negotiations,” he emphasized.  “Palestinian unity is essential for the viability of any peace agreement.”

 

For its part, he continued, the United Nations had consistently supported efforts towards unity within the framework of commitments made by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which included recognizing Israel’s right to exist and renouncing terrorism and violence.  The Organization would was committed to working with the parties and with international partners for an end to the occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian State living in peace alongside Israel, within secure and recognized borders.

 

In other opening comments, Hirotaka Ishihara, Japan’s Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, said his Government supported a two-State solution, a goal that could only be achieved through negotiation.  Japan welcomed the formation of a new Palestinian cabinet of technocrats, as well as the commitment of President Mahmoud Abbas to non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements — the “Quartet principles”.

 

Also delivering opening remarks were David M. Malone, Under-Secretary-General and Rector of the United Nations University, and Takahashi Hayashita, President of Sophia University.

 

The International Media Seminar was established by a 1991 General Assembly resolution to provide a forum for dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian journalists, as well as others from the region, with the participation of the international community.  It aims to enhance understanding between peoples and to achieve a just and lasting peace based on two States living side by side in peace and security.  The Seminar was organized by the Department of Public Information in cooperation with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Sophia University.

 

Opening Remarks

 

PETER LAUNSKY-TIEFFENTHAL, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, delivered a message from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who expressed regret that intense diplomatic efforts over the last year had not yielded the desired outcome.  Although negotiations had reached an impasse, that did not mean an end to diplomatic efforts.  The Secretary-General had repeatedly appealed to the parties, as well as the international community to work constructively to find a meaningful path forward, using the current “pause” to consider options without taking unilateral steps that would undermine the prospects for a resumption of direct negotiations.  “There is no contradiction between Palestinian reconciliation and peace negotiations,” he emphasized.  “Palestinian unity is essential for the viability of any peace agreement.”

 

For its part, he continued, the United Nations had consistently supported efforts towards unity within the framework of the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s commitments, which included recognizing Israel’s right to exist and renouncing terrorism and violence.  In addition, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) continued to provide assistance and protection to some 5 million registered Palestine refugees.  In that context, he expressed deep concern about the plight of Palestine refugees in Syria, who were again being displaced by conflict, with dramatic humanitarian consequences.

 

He said the Secretary-General was committed to working with the parties and with international partners to end the occupation that had begun in 1967, and for the establishment of a Palestinian State living in peace alongside Israel, within secure and recognized borders, and for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.  In that effort, he counted on journalists, civil society representatives, academics and policymakers, who played a critical role in promoting transparency and shaping perceptions of the world’s most important challenges.

 

HIROTAKA ISHIHARA, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan, said his Government supported a two-State solution whereby Palestine and Israel would coexist in peace.  “This is only achievable through negotiation,” he emphasized.  Japan also welcomed the 2 June formation of a new cabinet of technocrats, as well as the commitment by President Mahmoud Abbas to non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements – the “Quartet principles”.  Japan’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister had conveyed strong messages to the Prime Minister of Israel during his visit in May that the resumption of peace talks would benefit everyone, and that the parties should refrain from unilateral actions that would undermine the prospects for peace.  Japan had also sent its Special Representative for the Middle East and Europe to exchange views with President Abbas.

 

Stressing the importance of laying the groundwork for a two-State solution, he said Japan had provided more than $1.44 billion to the Palestinian cause since the Oslo Accords, and had promoted the “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity”, aimed at ensuring economic independence and prosperity for Palestine, Israel and Jordan.  Its flagship project, Jericho-Agro Industrial Park, had reached the stage where a Palestinian company would begin production later this year.  Japan had also established the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development to mobilize their resources and experiences.  Relations between Israel and Palestine and their neighbours were also important, he said, noting that Egypt’s presidential election marked a crucial step towards political normalization in that country.

 

DAVID M. MALONE, Under-Secretary-General and Rector of United Nations University, Tokyo, said the United Nations had been only modestly successful — and only at the margins — in fostering peace in the Middle East.  “We have no peace in the Middle East, despite many, many years of efforts,” either among or within countries, he pointed out.  The region was seriously challenged, and while United Nations involvement had taken place at various levels, the peace process was among the most abstract.  Regional Governments had had great difficulty engaging positively on the substance of peace, he said, asking whether the Middle East was being viewed through “the wrong end of telescope”.

 

Happy, inclusive societies generally tended to live in peace with each other within their neighbourhoods, he explained, encouraging participants to consider how successful regional societies had been in creating such models for themselves, rather than focusing exclusively on inter-State relations.  Development was generally considered in terms of economic development, yet social development was equally important.  Japan offered an example of how a society could be in harmony with itself, he said, adding that the country enjoyed excellent relations with all significant parties in the Middle East and had reached out systematically in its international relations.

 

TAKASHI HAYASHITA, President of Sophia University, Tokyo, noted that the school had celebrated its 100^th anniversary in 2013, and that 2014 marked the first time that an institution of higher learning had hosted the United Nations International Media Seminar.  Sophia University was dedicated to international education and to promoting international understanding, and in order to deepen that commitment, it had recently established a new faculty of global studies, which included Middle East studies.  Recalling that Pope Francis had recently visited the Middle East, praying for peace at the separation barrier, he said Sofia University fully supported his efforts with the hope that peace would finally descend on the region.

 

Mr. LAUNSKY-TIEFFENTHAL, said the Seminar aimed to sensitize public opinion on the question of Palestine and to examine the evolving media-related dynamics shaping events in the region, while exploring how they related to the situation between Israelis and Palestinians.  Discussions would focus on the role of the media in recent events, providing an opportunity for representatives from media, civil society, policymaking and academia to share their views.

 

The Seminar was taking place against the backdrop of continuing turmoil in the Middle East, he said, noting that the tragedy in Syria had killed more than 100,000 people and internally displaced more than four million.  The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had estimated that more than 1.8 million Syrian refugees were now in neighbouring countries, and more than half of the population was in desperate need.

 

It had also been a difficult year in the search for a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he said, with the end of negotiations under the “Kerry initiative” of United States engagement.  As the Secretary-General had stated, the political stalemate posed great risks to prospects for a two-State solution.  Not making a choice in favour of peace and coexistence, within the two-State framework, was the most detrimental choice of all, he said.  Failing to continue meaningful negotiations towards the two-State solution would lead further down the path of a one-State reality on the ground.

 

The Secretary-General continued to stress that settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem were illegal under international law, he continued, also underlining that demolishing Palestinian households and other property contravened Israel’s obligation to protect civilians under its occupation.  In addition, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was a profound concern, and steps must be taken to improve conditions in the enclave and to ensure a complete opening of crossings into the area, including Rafah, to allow for legitimate trade and the movement of people.  At the same time, violence against civilians, including rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, was equally unacceptable, he emphasized.

 

Turning to the Seminar, he said the first panel discussion would focus on whether the current stalemate signalled the end of the two-State solution and examine the future of peace efforts.  The other four panels would focus on key media-related dynamics that had emerged in the region over the last year and how they related to the Israel-Palestine situation in particular.

 

Panel Discussion 1

 

Moderated by Mr. Launsky-Tiffenthal, the panel discussion titled “Status of Peace Efforts — What Now?” featured presentations by Phyllis Bennis, Director, New Internationalism Project, Institute for Policy Studies; Avraham Burg, International Coordinator, Bruno Kreisky Forum; Yutaka Iimura, Special Representative, Government of Japan for the Middle East and Europe; and Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer, State of Palestine to the United Nations.

 

Ms. BENNIS said the best news about the peace process was that the United States-controlled talks, which represented almost 24 years of failed diplomacy, had ended.  The latest round had offered nothing new, and had failed because they were based on maintaining Israeli power in the region rather than ensuring justice, without which there could be no peace.  The United States said that both sides had been unhelpful, Israel by its refusal to release 29 illegally held prisoners as agreed and its announcement of 700 new illegal settlements, and the Palestinians in having signed 15 human rights treaties.  She encouraged participants to compare Palestinians actions to hold themselves accountable to international law with Israel’s illegal actions.  Looking ahead, different approaches to diplomacy — rather than diplomacy itself — must be considered, she said, stressing that, in any scenario, the solution must be based on justice.  The goal of the United States-led process was to eliminate the conflict, and as long that country was in charge, under political cover provided by the Quartet, Israeli hegemony would remain the objective.  If talks were determined by the United Nations, the focus would be on international law and implementation of all United Nations resolutions, including resolution 194 (1948), which guaranteed refugees’ right to return and to receive compensation.  A change would be seen in the power relationship between the two sides.  While Japan supported Palestinian rights and reconstruction, it had not challenged the United States-dominated peace process, she said, noting that its money would be worth more if it were to present “the pause” as an opportunity for new diplomacy.

 

Mr. BURG said he did not wish to repeat criticisms that played the “accusation game”.  Both peoples were victims of a vicious cycle that had found no solutions.  He said he had given up hope that some external magician would arrive on a white horse and bring redemption to the region.  No such player could do that.  What was needed was a change of paradigm, he said, recalling that the paradigm of partition had prevailed for decades.  “Partition does not work in this neighbourhood,” he said, adding that an alternative was needed.  The United States had proven itself naïve.  It was not an honest broker, and could not be when it provided one side with support and safety nets.  The Europeans were also “in deep mud”, as their soft power prevented them from fostering a deal.  The Arab world had repeatedly abandoned the Palestinians, while Israel had done whatever it could to exhaust all potential mistakes before it did the right thing.  Despite all the regional “earthquakes”, the conflict still posed a moral and political challenge to the West, he warned.  In addition, the peace agreements between Israel and its neighbours were solid.  Oslo provided the framework for the Palestinian Authority’s artificial existence, but it appeared that the “post-Tunis” generation of Palestinians preferred the most challenging approach to Israeli occupation:  civil, non-violent disobedience, for which Israel had no energy or answer.  The despair over the two-State solution indicated a need to transform the discourse from one of power to one of rights and liberties encompassing an alternative to partition.  He said he was unsure of Israel’s acceptance of such a change.  In politics, the burden of change was the responsibility of the weak element, because the strong element had no motivation, he pointed out.  The key was in the Palestinian hands.

 

Mr. IIMURA said that, while the peace process was at a critical juncture, it had not ended.  It was critically important that the international community firmly maintain the idea of a two-State solution as the only way to solve the problem, and urge the parties to resume direct negotiations.  For its part, Japan had strongly encouraged both sides to resume the talks and refrain from unilateral actions that would have a negative effect on the situation.  It had called on Israel to freeze settlement activity, which contravened international law, and cautioned the Palestinian side against actions that would provoke Israel.  On the economic front, efforts should be stepped up to prepare the future State of Palestine for self-sustainability.  Japan’s “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity” initiative, launched with Israel, Jordan and Palestine, aimed to create a vigorous private sector through the Jericho Agro-Industrial Park.  It aimed to create 7,000 jobs and generate $41.6 million annually.  The Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development aimed to harness the resources of those countries towards economic growth.

 

Mr. MANSOUR said it was true that Palestinians saw themselves as victims in the relationship, and that they would show the way towards resolving the conflict.  Israel would not help to change the status quo.  “It is our responsibility that we will carry the torch and show the path for how we can bring justice to this conflict” for the benefit of both sides.  “Our State exists, but our land is under occupation,” he said.  The Palestinian negotiating team had thought that the aim of the negotiations was to end the occupation and realize a two-State solution.  However, Israel’s negotiation team had not prepared its people for an eventual withdrawal from Palestinian land.  Had it been interested in peace, it would not have increased settlement activity by 123 per cent over the previous year, demolished homes and tried in the Knesset to pass laws extending Israeli sovereignty over Muslim holy sites, he pointed out.  It was for such reasons that the negotiations had not succeeded, adding that Israel would not change its behaviour unless it had an incentive to do so.  He called for exacting a heavier cost for Israel’s settlement activities, noting that the Europeans had opened the door with their funding guidelines, which must be strengthened and enlarged.  In addition, Governments must treat as criminals activist settlers who committed crimes against Palestinian civilians.

 

The floor was then opened for discussion, with participants asking about some of the points raised by panellists.

 

Mr. BURG, responding, said that changing the oppressor’s behaviour was a huge question that pointed to the psyche of the Israeli occupier.  The abused had become the abuser, and discovering the reason why would help to answer the question.  Israel responded well to disasters, he said, adding that he did not know which disaster would unleash Israeli justice.  One street in Hebron epitomized the occupation, he said — one side was well paved for Jews, and the other was in terrible condition and meant only for Palestinians.  Oslo had introduced partition, and for 20 years, generations of children had not known anything about the other side.

 

Ms. BENNIS voiced concern that Israel was occupying another people’s land, denying refugees their right to return and treating a segment of its own population as fifth-class citizens.  A lesson could be learned from South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement, she said, noting that the reason Israelis accepted the status quo was because the price was sustainable.  What had “pushed the buttons” in South Africa was the sports boycott against the Springboks playing in the World Cup.  Israelis would pay attention when the cultural and academic boycott started to bite, she warned, adding that the United Nations must end its obsession with being even-handed.

 

Mr. MANSOUR, responding to a question about the one fifth of Israel’s population living below the poverty line, said funds must be cut from “the settlement enterprise” and the defence industry in order to help them.  As for increasing the costs of occupation, the conditions must be allowed to ripen, since making a decision in an abstract way would not elicit the desired response.  “You need to create a situation where people will do it spontaneously”, as had happened in the First Intifada, he said, adding that he had seen a greater international readiness for Palestinians to take “bolder” steps.

 

Governments could hold criminal activists accountable and international companies could refrain from expanding in the occupied territories, he said.  Under the Oslo Accords, Palestinians had no jurisdiction over crimes committed by Israeli settlers or soldiers on their territory, but were required to document and hand them over to Israel.  Palestinians had documented all the crimes committed since the Second Intifada and would send copies to the occupying authority, to the United Nations and the media, in readiness for the moment of “complementarity” with the International Criminal Court.

 

Mr. BURG added that boycotts were not helpful because 90 per cent of those who would be harmed wanted peace.  Boycotts would drive neoconservative “Tea Party Republicans” to successfully lobby Congress for compensation.  Turning to psychological elements, he said there was a competition of traumas.  People did not understand the continuing role of Holocaust in Israeli decision-making.  “This is the competition,” he stressed.  “If you don’t undo competition and create a situation in which Israel realizes its responsibility for the refugee problem, the issues will persist.”

 

Another participant commented that the situation in Syria had arisen from the absence of a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, and urged the international community to take seriously its responsibility to resolve it.

 

Panel Discussion 2

 

Deborah Seward, Director, Strategic Communications Division, Department of Information, moderated the second panel discussion, on “Shifting narratives in media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Middle East peace efforts”.  Making presentations were Nobuhisa Degawa, Senior Commentator, Japan Broadcasting Corporation; Nour Odeh, Founder and CEO, Connect Strategic Communications Consultancy; Noam Sheizaf, +972 Magazine; and Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, Huffington Post Live.

 

Mr. DEGAWA recalled that, 20 years ago, he had been dispatched to open the first Japan Broadcasting Corporation news bureau in Jerusalem, at a time when he had had high expectations about the future.  The Oslo Agreement had been reached the year before, he said, adding that he had expected to be in Jerusalem for four years, that Israel and Palestine would reach a final status agreement and that he would cover the signing ceremony.  Today, “I am not excited” about those prospects, he said, recalling that he had interviewed President Abbas two years ago during his visit to Japan, as well as the Prime Minister of Israeli, who had sought to avoid questions about resuming peace talks and to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme instead.  There were forces opposed to peace on both sides, while others objected to “giving in” to the peace process.  Under the Oslo Accords, no neutral mediator had been designated, and while the United States was important, it was not necessarily fair and neutral.  Israel had power over the Palestinians, and Oslo did not outline ways in which to end settlement activity nor allow room for a partial agreement.  If the promoters of peace were not in the majority on both sides, the peace process would not succeed, he emphasized.  People were losing interest in Middle East issues, perhaps in part because there had been no progress.  The media had a responsibility to draw attention to the peace process.

 

Ms. ODEH called attention to the “false balance” in the media coverage of the Middle East, saying it tried to categorize the story into a “he said, she said” model that gave equal significance to both sides.  That was simply not the reality.  Expressing frustration with the “fake balance” dictated by editorial boards, she said that telling the story was not about making people happy, but about presenting the facts.  The Middle East conflict was not about a real estate dispute, or two Governments at war because they liked it; it was about a people under an occupation covering everything from the goods they consumed to the time they took to travel from one Palestinian location to another.  However, the media approach was shifting, thanks to social media and the emergence of “citizen journalism”, she noted.  People around the world now had better opportunities to hear voices that did not have to pass through editorial filters.  But the mainstream media remained immune to the shift, she said, citing the recent story of two Palestinian boys killed by Israeli soldiers.  Despite the shooting having been broadcast around the world, a Middle East analyst had answered, when asked about the boys, that it was not known if they were, in fact, dead.  Casting doubt on factual events illustrated the influence of such narratives, she said, stressing that non-mainstream media must be encouraged to shift the narrative.

 

Mr. SHEIZAF said he had recently received a call from a journalist seeking help on a story about Israeli society.  Previously based in Ramallah and recently relocated to Beirut nearing the end of the peace talks, he had been told that there was nothing to report.  The story that the mainstream media demanded no longer existed.  “We’re dealing with a transformative moment in the way we shape narratives,” he said.  Noting that his magazine had existed for four years, he said it had received 8 million visits, 80 per cent of them mainly from the United States and Canada, but no one read the diplomacy or political system stories.  The most widely read story had been an info-graphic about the freedom of movement, which looked at the routes that an Israeli and a Palestinian had to travel to reach the beach.  Another was an exchange of Facebook messages between Israelis and Iranians at the height of tensions between their two countries.  None of the stories contained the words “Netanyahu”, “Abbas” or “United Nations”.  They were predominantly human rights stories that touched on activism.  They lacked the overall context one would see in a formal conversation between a traditional anchor and commentator.  “The new narrative has abandoned diplomacy to a greater extent than any one of us can imagine,” he said, adding that it bordered on hostility to diplomacy.  The Palestinians he had met were not interested in a Palestinian State, and the Israelis were not interested in diplomacy.  Today, the fragmented consumption of journalism fit the human rights narrative emerging from the ground.  Israel did not have a good answer for why people had been deprived of their freedom of due process and travel, and no political actor had reacted in a good way to such challenges.

 

Mr. SHIHAB-ELDIN said he had been called an anti-Semite, a Hamas sympathizer and a mouthpiece for terrorists long before he had started working for the Huffington Post.  The story in the Middle East was about justice, yet the framing of the conflict had been missing, in part, because of lobbying, censorship and self-censorship.  Old narratives had allowed Israel to progress with impunity because the media war had long been disproportionate.  However, the old rhetoric had lost its relevance, he said, citing the Israeli Prime Minister’s comments to the effect that peace was only possible with a divided Palestinian Government.  With those words, he was trying to frame the Palestinian reconciliation as “yes to terrorism and no to peace”, which was overly simplistic.  Media was a competitive business, and the mainstream media could no longer ignore stories from people on the ground who had exclusives “because they were there”.  The narrative was starting to shift in favour of justice.

 

When the floor was opened for discussion, participants asked about subjects ranging from how to foster peace, to ownership of media content, to the shared lineage of Israelis and Palestinians.

 

Ms. ODEH, noting that the Pope was informed about Palestine, the injustices they suffered and the impact of the wall on Palestinian Christians, said that, by making decisions at an individual level, people could help end injustice.

 

Mr. SHEIZAF, discussing content ownership, said that Israel spent a lot on propaganda, in part because it was losing its grip on the conversation.  The Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson operated on Facebook and Twitter, and was called an “information combatant”, he noted.  “This is a lost battle because the [Israeli Defense Forces] is conducting the same war as Coca-Cola and you can’t win the Twitter war under a brand,” he said.  “We’re entering an age of populism in politics, where there is a greater sense among politicians that they must respond quickly on social media.”

 

Mr. SHIHAB-ELDIN said the fact that it was more difficult for anyone to control the narrative was encouraging because that provided greater opportunities for expanding the narrative.

 

Mr. DEGAWA, in response to a question about Israeli and Palestinian lineage, said that, for the Japanese, nationality was a matter of course, while Palestinians had not had a nation for a long time.  Israelis had established their nation.  To understand the history, “you have to be there”, he said, adding that that would help one to understand the difficulty of forging peace.  A one-State solution was not possible, and a two-State solution was the only viable option.

 

Mr. SHIHAB-ELDIN said the question spoke to the lack of interaction between the two sides.  If the figurative or physical walls came down, that would facilitate a better future for Israelis and Palestinians.

 

Ms. ODEH emphasized that the conflict was not about what had happened 3,000 years ago.  To draw the map in that way would make the entire world look very different, and many countries would not exist.  Palestinians and Israelis of Middle Eastern heritage might have shared a grandfather or grandmother, she said, but the situation was not so much about lineage as political and national rights.  “We talk about peace as if it was a present to buy at a supermarket.”  It was not, and that was not the answer to the conflict.

 

Panel Discussion 3

 

Moderating the third panel discussion, titled “Coverage and narratives surrounding Palestinian refugees — turning the spotlight on Yarmouk” was Chris Gunness, Spokesperson, UNRWA.  The panel featured presentations by Faisal Irshaid, BBC World; Nidal Bitari, Palestinian Association for Human Rights in Syria; Phyllis Bennis, Director, New Internationalism Project, Institute for Policy Studies; and Ryoji Tateyama, Visiting Fellow, Institute of Energy Economics, Professor Emeritus, National Defence Academy, Japan.

 

Mr. GUNNESS, introducing the panel, described the successful UNRWA global social media “thunder clap” campaign in support of Palestinians in Syria, in particular, the Yarmouk refugee camp.

 

Mr. IRSHAID said that to understand the situation in Yarmouk, one must look at the Syrian conflict from its start in March 2011.  At that time, BBC had expected the uprising to mirror what had taken place in Tunisia and Egypt.  Instead, the Government had responded with an “iron fist”, shifting the situation from peaceful demonstration to armed conflict.  In December 2012, BBC had received reports from field commanders that the regime would fall by the summer of 2013, and as such, had focused on ground developments rather than humanitarian issues.  “We were absolutely wrong,” he said, noting that, by June 2013, the regime had shown that it was strong and “here to stay”.  In January 2013, the United Nations had estimated that 1 million people needed immediate humanitarian aid.  By January 2014, that number had grown to 10 million, which was why BBC had sought to spotlight the humanitarian situation.  At the end of 2013, there had been few foreign journalists in Syria, and the best source of information was “user-generated content”, or citizen journalism.  Online communities had formed to tell the world what was happening.  BBC had to verify social media information, sometimes three times, because there was strong propaganda by both the opposition and the Government, as well as many false leads and misinformation.

 

Ms. BENNIS explained, by way of background, that the reason why Palestinian refugees remained in Damascus and elsewhere in the region, six decades after 1948, dated back to al-Nakba (the “catastrophe”), when 750,000 Palestinians had been expelled from their homes at gunpoint, or had fled for fear of fighting during Israel’s creation.  They remained refugees today, many in camps inside Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.  There were now more than 4.5 million of them around the world, and many of those in Yarmouk were refugees for the fifth time, having moved in 1948, 1967, 1970 and 1982 amid changing political and military realities.

 

Mr. BITARI shared his experience as a refugee in Syria, saying that, at the start of the conflict, people had thought it was in their best interest to remain neutral.  Palestinians in Syria had enjoyed privileged economic and social rights — the same as Syrians — and more than those of Palestinians in Lebanon and elsewhere.  As activists inside Yarmouk and other Syrian camps, they had tried not to give the impression that they were pro-regime and against the opposition — or vice versa.  “We don’t want to be used by either the regime or the opposition.”  However, the situation had changed in July 2013, when the regime had bombed Yarmouk and the Free Syrian Army had entered the camp the next day.

 

Mr. GUNNESS added that Syria had historically been extremely generous to Palestinian refugees, more so than most Governments might be to a huge foreign population.  Different narratives had emerged, one stressing that various events had been inflicted on the camp and the other stressing that foreign terrorists had entered the country and the Government was trying to defend itself.  How could those account be reconciled?

 

Mr. IRSHAID said the two narratives were advertised for different regional audiences, and it was difficult for a news organization to verify information without staff on the ground.

 

Mr. BITARI added that there was a strong civil society presence inside the camps.  People were prepared to communicate with the media, whether Arabic or international.

 

Ms. BENNIS said that discourse followed reality.  There were at least six wars being fought in Syria, and as long as they continued, there would be no marrying of narratives.  The priority was to end the war and rebuild social cohesion.  It was not enough to change the discourse on the ground, and Governments around the world must do more to stop the violence.

 

Mr. TATEYAMA, asked about lessons learned from international intervention in Yarmouk, touched on the situation in the Shatila, Burj Barajneh and Rashidiyeh camps in Lebanon.  He said he had been sent to southern Lebanon in the 1980s to help Palestinian and other refugees living near the camps.  In the early 1970s, Palestinian armed groups had launched attacks across the border with Israel, and in 1982, the Lebanon war erupted, with the Israeli invasion aiming to eliminate the PLO political and military infrastructure.  It had also been aimed at establishing a pro-Israeli Government in Beirut, but that plan had not been realized.  Palestinian fighters, including former PLO leader Yasser Arafat, had been forced to leave Lebanon, and the Israeli occupation had continued for three years, before its forces had eventually withdrawn from southern Lebanon.  As for suggestions that local solutions could set an example for peacemakers, he said the humanitarian crisis should not be tackled solely from the top down.  Local organizations and humanitarian agencies also had an important role to play.

 

Mr. BITARI, addressing that point, said the context of the Lebanese civil war was very different from what was happening in Syria today.  People fleeing the camps were not allowed to leave Syria, and Lebanon had closed its borders.  Jordan had refused, since the start of Syrian revolution, to receive refugees, while Turkey now demanded visas.  Many who had fled had been arrested because their travel documents were not recognized by the destination countries, and their only solution was to return to Palestine.

 

Mr. IRSHAID agreed in principle that the problem would be solved when Palestinians could return home.  However, the Russian Federation had also used its veto power in the Security Council, he said, stressing that international players must resolve their own problems before the Palestinian situation could be resolved.  People were staying in Yarmouk to protect their right of return.

 

When the floor was opened for discussion, one participant said that suggestions that UNRWA did not have a protection mandate was “slightly wrong” in that the General Assembly had passed a resolution adding one.  Another participant took issue with the “sterile” conversation about Yarmouk and the situation in Syria, saying that what was missing in Middle East context was discussion of the international community’s failure to hold international players and countries accountable.

 

Mr. GUNNESS replied that UNRWA had a specific mandate.  If it accused anyone of a crime against humanity, Palestinian refugees would not receive the one food packet that allowed them to survive.  The Agency was currently delivering humanitarian aid to 18,000 people in Yarmouk.  There were parts of the United Nations whose legitimate role it was to make judgements on the basis of international law, as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had done in her recent support of the rights under discussion today.  With confusion over mandates, the only people who suffered were the beneficiaries.

 

Mr. IRSHAID said Palestinians were being punished for things they had not done.  They had committed no crimes.  He was not a politician.  As a BBC journalist, he sought to ensure that the real story was being told.  “We got a lot of wrong information from people trying to push propaganda,” he said, which forced him to ensure that he had the right information.  He had not turned a blind eye to human suffering.

 

Mr. BITARI, to comments about a sterile conversation about Yarmouk, said he had taken 18 days to prepare his comments about each incident that had taken place at Yarmouk. T he road to human rights respect was long.  For sixty years, Palestinians had waited for human rights laws to be implemented.  He was here today because the people of Yarmouk were demanding the United Nations to save their lives.

 

Another participant from the Syrian Government thanked UNRWA for its work to satisfy Palestinians’ concerns.  The problem was with those countries that did not fund UNRWA.  She did not expect anyone to question the Syrian Government’s support for Palestinians.  All Syrians were suffering.  She urged thinking about ways to solve the crisis and to stop the support for the foreign terrorist groups inside Syria.  She held up a note verbale by the Palestinian Authority, which thanked the Syrian Government for its support for people in Yarmouk.

 

Mr. IRSHAID pointed out that the current discussion was an example of two narratives to the conflict.  It was up to people to decide what was actually happening.  Journalists needed to report facts.

 

Mr. BITARI said that the international community had neglected the situation in Syria.  The people in Yarmouk wanted to open the door for peace and maintain their right to live.

 

Ms. BENNIS rounded out the discussion by saying that the question hinged on stopping the war.  The people of Japan could pressure their Government and demand that it take a strong position at the United Nations, calling for an immediate ceasefire to all the wars inside Syria and for an arms embargo on all sides involved.

 

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For information media • not an official record

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 October 2013

General Assembly GA/11439

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

Sixty-eighth General Assembly

Plenary

31^st Meeting (AM & PM)

 

Channel Funds to Development, General Assembly Urged

 

As High-Level Dialogue on Financing Concludes

 

 

Round-table Discussions Held during Two-day Event at Headquarters

 

A broad range of stakeholders’ commitments, criticisms and concerns had built momentum towards redoubling efforts in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and towards advancing the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015, said General Assembly Vice-President Octavio Errázuriz today at the close of the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development.

 

Over the two-day event, representatives of Member States, civil society and the private sector delivered statements and participated in round tables and an informal interactive dialogue that examined elements of how to effectively channel funding to promote and bolster development.  (See Press Release GA/11438)

 

Delivering a statement on behalf of John Ashe ( Antigua and Barbuda), President of the General Assembly, Mr. Errázuriz thanked the participants for their valuable contributions and constructive interventions.  Outlining the key points raised through the Dialogue, he noted that a changing world required an adapted conceptual framework to deal with new circumstances and challenges, particularly those related to the integration of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

 

He also noted calls for an early conclusion to the World Trade Organization Doha Round of trade negotiations and for countries to fulfil their official development assistance (ODA) commitments to bolster development.  He said many delegations also called for the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to be held before the end of 2015 in order to best contribute to the post-2015 agenda.

 

“I have also sensed optimism that we can come together to meet the challenges of sustainable development,” he said.  “The resources are there, they just need to be allocated effectively.  This requires a true multi-stakeholder effort and global partnership encompassing all stakeholders, in order to expedite the mobilization of financial resources, public and private, at the national, regional and international levels, for sustainable development.”

 

The General Assembly will meet at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 9 October, to take up a report of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) and other matters to be announced.

 

Round Table II

 

Jeremiah Nyamane Kingsley Mamabolo, Permanent Representative of South Africa, chaired the round table on “Mobilization of public and private financing, including foreign direct investment and other private flows, and fostering international trade and sustainable debt financing, in the context of financing for development”.  It featured the following panellists: Mansur Muhtar, Co-Chair, Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing, and Executive Director, World Bank Group; Shamshad Akhtar, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development; Erik Berglöf, Chief Economist and Special Adviser to the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; Renate Hahlen, Head of Unit, Aid and Development Effectiveness and Financing, Directorate General for Development and Cooperation, EuropeAid, European Commission, Brussels; and, Bruce Greenwald and Robert Heilbrunn, Professors of Finance and Asset Management, Columbia Business School.

 

Mr. MAMABOLO said evidence suggested that financing needs for the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development were high and that estimated financing needs represented a global savings of around $17 trillion in 2012.  The challenge rested in facilitating a financial system that directed a portion of that investment toward sustainable development.  As financing needs for sustainable development far outpaced public sector resources, the focus must be on both private sources and public resources, domestically and internationally.  The public sector had an important role to play in incentivizing private investment into areas of global concern.  Institutional investors had been increasingly looked at as a potential source for long-term financing for sustainable development, yet investments had been limited due to a range of factors, including weak regulatory structures.  Foreign direct investment flows had also been falling globally.  Domestic resource mobilization was critical and should be driven by inclusive and sustained economic growth.  An important question he asked was how developing countries could raise their capacity to collect public revenues.  Current concerns include illicit financial flows, the potential of international trade as a source of financing development and sovereign debt.

 

Mr. MUHTAR said in view of the change in the development landscape and the global financial outlook, it was clear traditional ODA was coming under increased pressure, ever burdened by the economic crisis.  Other sources, including from the private sector and philanthropists, were now being directed towards development.  While it was important to recognize the weight of public resources, other sources needed to be leveraged.  The World Bank had been examining how to do so through existing and new channels.  More could be done to benefit from the private sector’s potential, however, there were risks.  The challenge was creating a conductive condition to tap into those resources, he said.  To do so, domestic conditions needed to be improved in many countries to make them attractive for investors.  Among the tasks at hand were mobilizing tax revenues, generating natural resource revenues and addressing illicit finance flows.  In addition, subsidies amounting to $400 billion were not reaching the intended beneficiaries and those funds could be tapped for development.

 

Ms. AKHTAR said that due to challenges, the financing framework for sustainable development had to be broad-based.  She stated that some lessons learned over the past few years were instructive.  The global financial crisis had resulted in major destruction to financial systems.  This reality called for maintaining financial stability at both the international and domestic level.  Also, the current financial sector could not adequately meet the needs of developing countries, particularly in providing long-term funding, she said, stressing the need for a stronger, more resilient and diversified financial sector.  She pointed out that the lack of financial access in developing countries should be addressed and that efficiency in financial resources allocation should be enhanced.  On mobilization of domestic resources, there was a huge gap between developing countries and developed countries in terms of public revenue collection.  Developing countries needed to expand their tax base and combat tax evasion, tax avoidance and illicit financial flows.  In that regard, strengthening international cooperation was crucial.  On ODA, she said although the global crisis had affected developed countries’ economic growth, they could still try to fulfil their commitments by improving resources allocation and looking for new funding sources.

 

Mr. BERGLÖF said the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development experience demonstrated how financing could help to deliver on the Millennium Development Goals and the post-2015 development agenda.  Finance transformed economies and the lives of people, with access to it being an important delivery mechanism for sustainable and inclusive growth.  Foreign direct investment, private equity funds and emerging market corporate funds were also important transformational financing tools.  Looking beyond, the post-2015 agenda should aim at extending the Millennium Goals to neglected areas and to broader themes, such as climate change.  The critical role of the private sector should be recognized and there should be a broader role for multilateral development banks.  In the Bank’s work helping transition countries to catch up through transformational financing, lessons learned included that productivity growth was linked to reform.  Multilateral development bank activities included the use of banks to deliver Millennium Development Goal-type objectives by providing credit lines to finance energy efficiency, subsidies that maximized impact to target CO2 savings and efforts to promote women entrepreneurs, food security or water and material efficiency.  But multilateral development banks could not do it alone and a coordinated approach was needed.  For its part, the Bank’s key strategic objectives included mobilizing long-term investment while complying with United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment.

 

Ms. HAHLEN said that each country should take the primary responsibility for its own development.  Speaking of domestic public resources for financing for development, she said developing countries needed to improve their tax systems, strengthen tax administration, combat tax avoidance, fight corruption and ensure accountability.  Stressing the role of private finance, which was larger than all public finance combined, she said Governments should adopt appropriate policies to create an enabling environment and channel investment into sustainable development.  Although the private sector was profit-driven, given the large amount of funds it had, even a small portion of that would make a significant contribution to development.  Acknowledging that ODA remained a major financing source for low-income countries, she said European Union Member States would continue to deliver on their commitments.  Meanwhile, reforming the ODA mechanism and better monitoring of the funding for different policy objectives were needed.  Financing must be aligned with policy objectives and should go where it was most needed, she said, stressing the need for using development funds in an effective way to ensure maximum results.  Looking to the future, she said sustainable development would require a comprehensive approach.

 

Mr. GREENWALD said a century ago peripheral economies were based on agriculture, but today this was no longer the case due to important productivity growth levels.  Manufacturing dominated the twentieth century, but was now dying the same death for the same reasons as agriculture.  Recently, manufacturing was in fact returning to the developed world, with lower transportation costs, higher employment costs and fewer jobs.  Given the challenges facing the next generation of developing economies, development goals that are set must recognize that technology diffusion was key.  Peripheral economies would face many serious challenges, which emphasized the sense of urgency in addressing those concerns in this and other fora.  Resources should not be wasted on middle-income countries, and the focus should be on the poorest countries.  Since economies would no longer be able develop through agricultural, global funding sources would be the likely driver of development into the future.  Local infrastructure was imperative, including banking systems and national institutions capable of addressing concerns.  Countries reeling from the death of manufacturing often now tried to export their way out of the situation, which was not a viable long-term solution.  One way out, he said, could be if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or similar local institutions issued special drawing rights, which would have a profound effect on developing countries by relieving the current structural pressure that, historically, resembled the realities of the Great Depression.

 

The representative of Saudi Arabia recalled that developed countries had committed to the 0.7 per cent of gross national product target regarding ODA.  His country had reached this target, but many other countries lagged behind, he said.  Now in discussing the post-2015 global agenda, there was the question whether this target was too high, too low or just about right.  He believed that with so many people around the world suffering from poverty, hunger and the lack of energy and social services, if Member States could not agree on a higher target, at least they should deliver on their commitments by 2015.  He also stressed that trade was more important for development than aid, calling for assisting developing countries in increasing market access and manufacturing more exportable products.  While acknowledging that the private sector was essentially profit driven, he said it remained an important source and even a small portion of private funding could contribute significantly to development.

 

The representative of the United Republic of Tanzania raised the question of implementation.  He said many speakers had talked about developing countries taking ownership for their own development, which was exactly what many African countries had been doing.  They had made efforts to strengthen institutions, good governance, the rule of law, partnerships between the public and private sectors and tailored policies to attract foreign direct investment.  Many commitments had been made on various international platforms, including in the Monterrey Consensus and Doha Declaration, he said, but they were not implemented.  If all commitments had been fulfilled, the Millennium Goals could have been reached.  Therefore, he called on all Member States to make sure that commitments would be implemented.

 

The representative of the United Arab Emirates said that over the last two years, the country’s ODA had increased dramatically, calling for developed countries to reach the 0.7 per cent gross national product target regarding ODA.  Regarding the post-2015 agenda, he raised the question on how to incorporate measures of encouraging private investment and ODA into the agenda.

 

A civil society representative brought up the role of women in economic development, noting that the Beijing Platform for Action principles had been sidestepped by the Monterrey and Doha processes.  There would be no sustainable development without gender equality and women’s rights, she said, emphasizing that it was imperative that fiscal policies were in line with human rights and considered social protection measures, since women played a large part of informal labour sector.  New mechanisms for financing for development were needed honouring justice for all and existing commitments to gender equality and women’s rights needed to be fulfilled.  Public and private sectors needed gender objectives that were accountable.

 

The representative of the Republic of Korea said many elements contributed to his country’s economic development and it would share experiences and best practices.  The Republic of Korea was collaborating with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to provide a model for development and methodology to benefit interested countries.  Regarding the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, he asked for more details on the impact of smart subsidies.

 

Australia’s representative said trade was a driver of development.  Liberalization of trade enhanced growth and trade-led growth allowed countries to build and use additional forms of financing for development.  Least developed countries account for only 1 per cent of global trade and a successful Doha Round in Bali would deliver a needed boost to increase that percentage.

 

The representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said development banks had been involved in bolstering economic activity at the local level, however, enhancing the expertise at this level would be an area to investigate.  Given the importance of trade, the CARICOM Single Market and Economy was increasing regional activities.  Regarding Mr. Greenwald’s statement of not wasting time with middle-income countries, he asked the panellist for advice for middle-income countries, which formed a large number of CARICOM States.

 

Germany’s representative said the Monterrey Consensus supported strengthening tax systems.  The G20 Summit addressed illegal capital flows through transparency measures.  Other venues had addressed related issues.  A dialogue was now required on the various systems, particularly concerning the BRIC countries ( Brazil, Russian Federation, India and China), to further expand on existing themes.

 

The representative of Barbados said that the ongoing global economic and financial crisis had significantly affected the development cooperation landscape.  Under this background, his country had proposed a variety of initiatives in financing for development, including the establishment of an international fund aimed at providing investment on small and medium enterprises, particularly in such fields as agricultural development and technological innovation.  While admitting that each country should take the primary responsibility for development, he said that Barbados — a country with a small, vulnerable economy — could not do this alone and that its efforts needed to be supplemented by international assistance.  He called for using indicators other than gross domestic product (GDP) per capita to measure the degree of development, saying that his country was classified in the middle-income group, a designation that lead to decreased international assistance.

 

A representative from the business sector said that a significant portion of ODA had not been achieving the expected effectiveness it should have been, and the fact that some multilateral development agencies had instead resorted to giving direct cash transfers to those most in need was an indicator of that.  He called for a paradigm shift in the way ODA was administered so as to achieve its intended results.  He also said that given increasing awareness of corporate social responsibility and the profit-making potential in a green economy, with appropriate leverage and incentives, it was possible to channel private investment to support sustainable development.

 

The representative of Argentina said ODA remained an important source of financing for developing countries, adding that financing from the private sector was complementary but could not replace ODA.  She also stressed the need for mobilizing domestic sources, addressing sovereign debt crisis, promoting trade and eliminating agricultural subsidies in developed countries.

 

The representative of Bangladesh said most countries that pledged their commitment at a Special Event on the Millennium Goals last month had not fulfilled their promises.  While non-traditional funding sources were important, they could not replace steady sources of funding, he said.  The onus was on the Member States to ensure there was smooth and sustainable financing for development.

 

A speaker from the business sector said there were adequate funding sources, but the process was flawed.  Banks were not taking enough risks, she said, noting there was evidence of certain pockets of unpopular fields that received scant funding.  She suggested strengthening local institutions and measures to unlock some risks not addressed by traditional instruments currently being used.

 

A representative of civil society said he was puzzled over the way countries bailed out banks instead of building toward development.  Regulation was needed in the global financial architecture to prevent future crises.  An independent institution, not IMF, should handle efforts to address pressing problems.  He was surprised that private finance was on the international agenda when European experiences showed private credit-driven booms ended in busts.  A clear selection process was needed when taking that approach.  Capital controls and binding standards were needed for Governments and private institutions.  Private actors should pay taxes in a way the represents tax justice.  He called on the United Nations to convene an international forum on tax issues.

 

Ecuador’s representative noted that what functioned for some countries did not for others.  New institutional agreements were needed alongside a new format of what investment should be.  A private sector country had used and abused his country, and other countries faced similar situations.  New agreements would maximize profitability and development.

 

Responding to questions from the delegates, Mr. Greenwald said he did not think supporting middle-income countries was a “waste of time” but in a world of limited resources in the near future, prioritizing resources was needed and the truly poor countries should be the focus.  On trade liberalization, he said it was important to recognize that the world was in an era when it mastered manufacturing and was now entering a new era.  Turning to IMF assistance, he said the funds should have limitations on debt, but the fewer strings attached, the greater the local economy would be boosted.  Referring to the Republic of Korea's phenomenal performance, he suggested that its delegate should include IMF's inputs into his country's collaborative work on a development model with UNDP.

 

Ms. HAHLEN, responding to questions regarding ODA, said that since Goal 8 of the Millennium Development Goals was created, many new challenges had emerged and the landscape of development cooperation had changed.  Regarding financing for sustainable development, ODA alone could not “do the trick” and that all stakeholders should be brought on board.  She noted that since European Union Member States had committed to the time bound ODA target, they had at least “done something”, under the pressure of time and global economic crisis.  “We would like to see other countries set the bar higher,” she said.

 

Mr. BERGLÖF, addressing a question on the relationship between economic growth and productivity, explained that the correlation between the two was a long-term one.  In the short term, there were indeed occasions when growth was increased without improving productivity, or when productivity was improved without generating more income.  He emphasized the need for each country to make smart use of development finance according to its own situation and characteristics.  Citing his experience in promoting energy efficiency in the developing world, he said it was important to adopt a results-oriented approach in providing funding.

 

Mr. MUHTAR said that progress in scaling up development aid efforts could not be neglected, but the challenge was how to build on that.  Setting the Millennium Goals had helped developing countries mobilize resources, and the ongoing United Nations-led efforts in defining the post-2015 global development agenda would provide an opportunity to generate further support.  In this process, it was important to have more voices speaking out for developing countries, he said, adding that the private sector, philanthropies and civil society were making great contributions to the discussions.  He also stressed the importance of reducing aid dependence, promoting trade and strengthening South-South cooperation.  Responding to the comment from a representative of the private sector that direct cash transfers used by some multilateral development agencies indicated the failure of ODA in achieving effectiveness, he said actually there had been many areas of success and cash transfers were only complementary to the much wider efforts.  At the same time, he stressed that improving aid effectiveness and enhancing accountability were very important.

 

Round Table III

 

The roundtable on “The role of financial and technical development cooperation, including innovative sources of development finance, in leveraging the mobilization of domestic and international financial resources for sustainable development” was chaired by František Ružička, Member of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing and the Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the United Nations.

 

Panellists included Pertti Majanen, Co-Chair, Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing, Helsinki, Finland; Jon Lomøy, Director, Development Cooperation Directorate, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); Gargee Ghosh, Director of Policy and Finance, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Mauricio Escanero, Alternate Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); and Gilles Alfandari, Senior Economist, International Policy and Partnerships Group (IPPG), World Bank.

 

Mr. RUŽIČKA said that developing countries continued to rely on global support and external finance sources.  In the Monterrey Consensus, countries had pledged 0.7 per cent of gross national income as ODA to least developed countries.  Those commitments were again reaffirmed at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio+20.  Yet aid had declined in recent years just as the world accelerated efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.  ODA fell in real terms two years in a row and aid to least developing countries fell by 12.8 percent.  The need for more predicable international public financing had intensified the search for alternative financing to complement ODA.  It was vital to ensure transparency and avoid duplicity.  While South-South cooperation had a role in boosting financing sources, it should not be used as a substitute for transnational aid but rather as complementary to North-South cooperation.

 

Mr. MAJANEN said the Monterrey Consensus and Doha Round had provided a strong foundation and documents that were still relevant for today’s discussion.  Now, the objective was to produce a clear, action-oriented set of recommendations on development financing that included policy recommendations and took into account financing for the environment, including climate change and bio-diversity.  Despite being a small part of the financial flows to developing countries, ODA had a central and important role in reducing and eradicating poverty, especially in least developed countries.  However, more could be done.  Developing countries needed to take more ownership, while the international community needed to pursue more private flows so that ODA could be more oriented toward poverty reduction.  The reality of today was that a major portion of financial flows for development would come from the private sector.

 

Mr. LOMØY said frequently discussions about development were conversations about misery and did not emphasize the great progress made in reducing poverty, improving access education and health services.  The global community should celebrate the success in reaching the first Millennium target and an important part of the dialogue should be about opportunities, particularly as the discourse about post-2015 took shape.  Much important input had been received and an inspiring agenda had formed.  For the first time in human history, eliminating poverty was a realistic possibility.  The world had changed a great deal since Monterrey and never before had there been more resources for development available. 

 

Three major elements that formed the financing picture, including domestic resource mobilization, private investments and public financing, he said.  The first was instrumental and ensured developing countries took their share of responsibility through increased tax bases, elimination of large-scale tax exceptions and streamlined taxation of natural resources.  With regard to private financing, he underlined the need for a more creative and strategic use of public-private resources.  There also must be greater acknowledgement of the successes of ODA.  The world needed to “talk up” ODA more instead of lamenting its decline and struggles, which risked turning its failures into a self-fulfilling prophecy.  In particular, the international community must celebrate cases where recipient countries were now ODA providers.

 

Ms. GHOSH recalled how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation focused much of its work on combating extreme poverty and improving access to financial services.  The Foundation was focused on telling the story on what ODA could do and how it could be quite effective.  It remained committed to promoting the next set of development goals, which she hoped would be just as specific and centred as the Millennium Development Goals.  It was important to enhance the effectiveness of resources and transparency, reduce the volatility of aid and modernize efficient mechanisms of delivering aid.

 

Beyond ODA, the Foundation was working with new development finance landscapes, she said, pointing to projects with Saudi Arabia, China and Brazil.  The new finance flows focused on neighbouring countries and mutually beneficial outcomes.  In the next decade of development finance, the Foundation was keen to support a crop of philanthropists to fill gaps in public programmes and to understand specific results and tangible outcomes.  In that regard, there was certainly a need to develop projects that tapped into new sources of financing.  Innovation was about modernizing tools of finance and making them more efficient from research to delivery.  She emphasized the need to provide a partial loss guarantee to reduce private investment risk

 

Mr. ESCANERO, recalling his role as a facilitator in the Monterrey Consensus negotiations, said the time was ripe to prepare a follow-up conference that would deepen a holistic approach to development.  Building on what had been done, and reinforced at Rio+20, all efforts must concentrate on including the social, economic, and environmental dimensions in the post-2015 development agenda.  Speaking in his national capacity, he said that for Mexico, social inclusion was crucial as there was an unacceptable level of inequality.  The lead up to the post-2015 development agenda must include a discussion on social inclusion that attacked the different dimensions of poverty, including the lack of income, food, housing, and other basic services. 

 

In that regard, global cooperation for development must be strengthened at the current juncture when the world was expediting completion of the Millennium targets and advancing towards a new development agenda.  Reversing the decline of ODA flow and addressing the challenges of middle-income countries was important.  He emphasized the challenges and opportunities posed by South-South and Triangular Cooperation.  A new platform must provide innovative sources of development, such as international taxes on financial transactions.  ODA was also essential in financing climate change mitigation.

 

Mr. ALFANDARI called on the global community to mobilize funding on the supply side, select better projects on the demand side, and identify ways to use funding more effectively.  A global development cooperation framework, increased public spending with targeted and evidence-based policies, cooperative efforts that produced and mobilized financing, and better-leveraged private sector resources were needed to achieve the post-2015 goals.  Developing countries must take the lead in some regard and improve taxation capacity, harness sustainable streams of natural resource revenue, and curb illicit financial flows.  ODA had been a relatively stable source of development financing for the poorest economies as had remittances and foreign direct investments.  The development of fragile, conflict-affected regions relied heavily on ODA, he said, calling for ODA in those vulnerable areas to be sustained.  The private sector could play a catalytic role in the overall development financing picture, although better management of portfolios of potential investments and projects that posed less risk was needed.

 

When the floor was opened for discussion, the representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, speaking on behalf of CARICOM, called for an immediate review of the criteria used by multilateral financial institutions and some development partners to graduate small highly indebted middle-income countries from access to concessional resources.  Issues of differentiation and graduation greatly affected access to funding.  The specific vulnerabilities of small island developing States must be reflected in the economic classification of countries.

 

The representative of the European Union supported Mr. Escanero’s call for a follow-up conference on financing for development.  France’s delegate said that innovative sources of financing were needed in the areas of health, education and climate, and every State should be free to choose suitable sources.  He outlined three steps taken by his Government to raise funds: the freeing up of loans to ensure flows of capital for things like vaccinations; implementing solidarity taxes on airplane tickets to help leverage supplementary resources; and allocating 10 per cent of national tax to financing for development.  Although innovative financing offered a diversity of opportunities, it was important to remember that primary financing must come from national resources, which must also ensure equitable distribution of wealth.

 

The representative of Portugal said that the main challenge in seeking innovative sources of financing was strengthening synergies between financial sources and achieving the right combination of partners.  The representative of the Republic of Korea said that while private flows had an important role to play, it was concerning that often private investments were directed at certain countries and toward specific sectors.  For example, only 2 per cent of private flows went to least developed countries.

 

Several members of civil society and the private sector also participated in the interactive discussion.  One civil society representative underscored the need to examine why public resources were so inadequate.  Financial liberalization had made it too easy for capital to flow across borders, causing a reduction of revenue available for public investment.  Clamping down on tax havens would help deal with imbalances that caused financial instability.

 

A speaker from the private sector said that Governments must engage meaningfully with that sector at local, national and global levels, with a focus on technical cooperation and aid effectiveness.  Echoing her sentiment another member of the business sector said that while telecommunications and digital technologies were significant contributors to GDP, in the developing world they lacked efficiency and investor interest.

 

Continuing the discussion, a civil society representative said that hunger and violence were “loud cries” that society was not moving in the right direction.  ODA did little to balance the disparity caused by the exploitation of natural resources in developing countries.  Another civil society speaker, noting that far too many women were living in poverty and did not have access to formal financing services, stressed the need for their meaningful participation in micro-credit and micro-savings initiatives.

 

In closing remarks, several panellists stressed the need to address social inequality. Mr. ALFANDARI said that as 970 million people worldwide still lived below the poverty line, there was a lot of work to be done.  Efforts must mobilize political will first, and then budgets would follow.  Ms. GHOSH said it was important to move through different sources and channels to understand an increasingly changing global market.  That required intermediaries who defined projects and found the best suited methods of finance to adapt.

 

Mr. LOMOY said that development was about more than money; it was about policies that dealt with inequalities.  Inequality was as much a part of the problem in developing countries and least developed countries as it was in developed countries.  Illicit flows of funds, asset recovery regulations, and the existing international taxation system all required examining to fit the purpose of a developing global economy.  Mr. MAJANEN pointed to microfinancing as a well functioning system which had benefitted 100 million people.

 

Informal Interactive Dialogue

 

In the afternoon, the Assembly held an informal interactive dialogue, entitled “The link between financing for development and achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, and advancing the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015”, that was chaired by Octavio Errázuriz, Vice-President of the General Assembly.

 

Panelists included Gyan Chandra Acharya, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States; Olav Kjørven, Special Adviser to the Administrator on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, Bureau for Development Policy, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); and Daniel Titelman, Director of the Financing for Development Division, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

 

Mr. ERRÁZURIZ said it was clear that the world had made significant progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and that in the months ahead, the biggest challenge would be how to move even faster towards them, with a focus on those that were most off-track and on the countries that faced unique development challenges.  Mobilizing financing was also a central priority on a global level.  Countries needed to make every effort to mobilize domestic resources, while there was obviously still a clear role for donor countries.  Sustainable development and the eradication of extreme poverty must be at the centre of the new, post-2015 agenda, the success of which would rest on the ability to implement a coherent and comprehensive financing strategy.

 

The renewed global partnership must also address issues such as climate change, financing stability and tax evasion, he said.  Many of these issues had already been incorporated into the financing for development process.  He hoped the international community would seek solutions for building a renewed global partnership for development, identify ways to integrate the three dimensions of sustainable development into a financing framework, and determine how the financing for development process could help shape the post-2015 agenda.

 

Mr. ACHARYA said there was clear recognition that the Millennium Development Goals must be supported by the international community, as outlined in Goal 8.  However, progress on a global partnership for development had fallen short of expectations.  While substantial progress had been made in many of the Goals despite hardships in some countries, meeting the targets was still a distant objective considering the 2015 deadline.  Many countries’ dependence on natural capital, such as agriculture and fishing, must be taken into account when mapping sustainable development in the post-2015 agenda.  Traditional and additional sources, including private sector and philanthropy, would also be critical to move the agenda forward.

 

The 92 least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States had specific needs and challenges, he said.  Highly dependent on aid, the countries were disproportionately affected by climate change and global economic crises.  ODA had dropped in recent years, but that train must be reversed as 2015 approached.  Domestic resources were also critical, but development was equally an international responsibility.  There should be ample support for infrastructure building in energy and other sectors to drive development forward.  An equal emphasis must be on developing domestic resources and tax issues.  Private sector investment and concessional funding of infrastructure also must be further examined.  South-South and triangular cooperation were increasingly becoming important for least developed, landlocked developed and small island developing nations and the potential of those partnerships should be enhanced.  Innovative financial measures must be considered alongside involving the private sector when considering a post-2015 agenda.

 

Mr. KJØRVEN said that citizens around the world have been discussing on an unprecedented level what should follow the Millennium Development Goals when they expired in 2015.  Close to 1.5 million people had contributed to the discussion through national consultations, thematic consultations and online platforms.  As a result, there was a much clearer picture of people’s priorities and a number of themes had emerged, including the desire to fully achieve the existing Millennium targets, particularly those that dealt with issues like maternal and child mortality, and water and sanitation.  Citizen input also indicated that people wanted certain themes, such as education and health, to continue after 2015.

 

The recent financial crisis and subsequent decline in ODA meant this conversation was taking place at a challenging time, he said.  It was important to mobilize resources from across the spectrum, including public and private sources, as well those on the national and international levels.  Curbing illicit financial flows and increasing the capacities of tax administrators would help increase domestic resources for sustainable development.  High expectations were also being placed on the private sector on how to catalyze long-term finance.  Opportunities for blending public and private finance would be a critical dimension of the post-2015 development framework, as would continued South-South cooperation.

 

Mr. TITELMAN said the Monterrey Consensus was the first global attempt to address financing for development in a number of areas, including sustainable debt financing and enhancing the coherence of the international trading system.  Those topics were relevant today and for the post-2015 era.  In addition, climate change and transforming economies to boost growth and social development were also concerns.  One of the key issues in the new financing for development was the global common good.  Achieving goals beyond the Millennium targets would require an even great pool of resources.  Relevant to ODA, the Monterrey Consensus set out a target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income, but had fallen short with some countries allocating on average about 0.28 percent to ODA.  Moreover, ODA had lost its relevant importance to other sources of finance, including remittances, grants from financial donors, and private capital.  Those sources were now playing a great role in financing development.

 

Innovative mechanisms also generated new public revenue streams and debt-based instruments such as debt swaps and public- private incentives guaranteeing private flow mobilization, he said.  The post-2015 agenda, which must incorporate the social, economic and environmental dimension, was a global policy agenda requiring the provision of global public goods.  A growing number of recipient countries received donations to mitigate climate change.  Those funds were generally difficult to access by countries which lacked the know-how and financial resources.  As in Monterrey, a key element of the future 2015-agenda was the need to strengthen domestic resource mobilization.  The development of international and domestic finance systems had proved to be a complex process requiring new instruments that managed economic and financial resources.

 

When the floor was open to discussion, a representative of civil society said that although many commitments had been made, they often did not come to fruition.  He believed that many of the problems were tied to the lack of political will.  If countries could reach agreement on reducing their military budgets and use the saved resources on development, much more progress could be made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, he said.

 

The representative of Jamaica stressed the need for promoting mobilization of domestic funds.  To achieve that, he said Governments needed to conduct reforms to create an enabling environment to attract investment.  He outlined many efforts made by his country, including strengthening tax administration and consolidating tax revenues, increasing global competitiveness, and reducing fiscal deficits.  He also emphasized the importance of public and private partnership, saying that the private sector could make significant contributions in many key areas of development, such as improving infrastructure, enhancing information and communications technology capacity and increasing energy diversification.

 

The representative of Germany said it was important to return to the roots: the Millennium Development Declaration and its goals.  It was time to separate the financing from the tasks and it was necessary to clarify the role of participants to indentify the ownership of the tasks.

 

Chile’s representative said a Monterrey+ conference would serve as an opportunity to recognize the social issues involved.  The conference should be held before 2015 so it could contribute in a meaningful way to discussions on the post-2015 development agenda and renew and update the international community’s commitment to social issues and poverty eradication.

 

The representative of Sudan said the shrinking size of assistance from developed countries had impacted developing countries.  There was a growing need to focus on poverty eradication and to give special assistance to least developed countries to help those States build their economies.  Predictable funding and the flow of private capital were critical sources that would, among other things, contribute to sustainable development.

 

The representative of the Republic of Korea said ownership was key to development.  In the coming years, with the Millennium Development Goals’ deadline looming, the issue of financing was more important than ever before.  Limited resources needed to be used effectively.  The biggest challenges had been the decline in ODA, he said, calling on countries to fulfil their commitments and end that trend.  Traditional ODA, innovative financing sources and private sector investment were needed to move ahead to face new challenges, such as climate change.

 

The representative of Mexico said the world was facing a defining political moment as it moved towards 2015.  The Monterrey Consensus should guide collective efforts in the post-2015 era and the principles of shared economic prosperity, social inclusion and development and the environmental perspective must be considered.  Monterrey should be comprehensive and should allow all stakeholders to build a platform for financing that would be created with consensus and would move towards concrete results for all people.

 

The representative of Ecuador was concerned that commitments on financing for development were not sufficiently fulfilled so far, and called for strengthening implementation of the Monterrey Consensus and Doha Declaration.  He also stressed the need for reforming the current international financial structure as well as strengthening cooperation and coordination between international and regional financial institutions.

 

A representative from the business sector underscored the importance of revitalizing the financial intermediation process, which had been heavily affected by the financial crisis.  Bank and non-bank financial intermediaries could play an important role in channelling funds into development.  A stock-taking process was needed to understand the current situation and the challenges ahead.

 

A number of representatives of civil society raised concerns about financing for development.  One speaker said debt left countries unable to provide essential services to their people and debt cancellation offered opportunities to use funds for healthcare, education and other areas targeted by the Millennium Development Goals.  Another said domestic economic growth was the heart of all development, followed by other sources of financing, and the national level was the starting point for efforts.

 

A representative of the private sector said to attract more involvement by private investment there was a need to produce “fresh ideas” and the processes to follow through.

 

A representative speaking on behalf of various women organizations said that when setting the post-2015 development agenda and advancing the financing for development process, adopting a gender perspective was essential, because without empowering women, it was impossible to achieve real development.

 

In closing remarks, Mr. ACHARYA said that evidence from the field had shown that strong leadership, well-designed development strategies, effective financing mechanisms and supportive international frameworks were important for reaching the Millennium Development Goals.  The international community must comprehensively address financing for development.  Looking forward to the post-2015 development agenda, he said ODA remained an important financing source and should be more focused on the most vulnerable countries.  Meanwhile, the international community should also provide aid to these countries in areas such as capacity building, trade promotion, innovative financing and policymaking in order to attract more investment.

 

Mr. TITELMAN said that he agreed with certain speakers on the importance of increasing productivity and domestic growth, which was a key element in the process of mobilizing domestic resources.  He also welcomed the idea of using the Monterrey framework as a basis for discussing the post-2015 global development agenda and expanding it to incorporate new challenges.

 

Closing Remarks

 

Delivering a statement on behalf of Mr. ASHE, President of the General Assembly, Mr. ERRAZURIZ thanked the participants for their valuable contributions and constructive interventions and outlined key points raised through the dialogue.  Among them were that a changing world required an adapted conceptual framework to deal with new circumstances and challenges, particularly those related to integrating the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, as well as to calls for an early conclusion of the World Trade Organization Doha Round of trade negotiations and for countries to fulfil their ODA commitments to bolster development.  Many delegations also called for the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to be held before the end of 2015 in order to best contribute to the post-2015 agenda.

 

“I have also sensed optimism that we can come together to meet the challenges of sustainable development,” he said.  “The resources are there, they just need to be allocated effectively.  This requires a true multi-stakeholder effort and global partnership encompassing all stakeholders, in order to expedite the mobilization of financial resources, public and private, at the national, regional and international levels, for sustainable development.”

 

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For information media • not an official record

 

 

 

 

US commandos get permanent Eastern European foothold

Published time: June 11, 2014 09:50
Edited time: June 11, 2014 12:56

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Paratroopers from the U.S. Army's 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team participate in training exercises with the Polish 6 Airborne Brigade soldiers at the Land Forces Training Centre in Oleszno near Drawsko Pomorskie, north west Poland, May 1, 2014.(Reuters / Kacper Pempel )

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American special operations units permanently deployed in Eastern Europe are no longer just on the Pentagon’s wish list. About 100 instructors are set to train spec ops teams in former Soviet bloc states to ‘message’ Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia launches Baltic drills alongside NATO Saber Strike war games

Tanks, troops, jets: NATO countries launch full-scale war games in Baltic

The latest statements from the US European Command (EUCOM) once again prove that Washington is using the crisis in Ukraine to revitalize the NATO alliance and bolster its military presence in Europe in order to tie it to the US.

EUCOM said in a statement that its Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR) “increased the size and scope of its planned exercises” following the bloody developments in Ukraine to send a “message to Moscow.”

Though American commandos have always been present at alternating military trainings in Eastern Europe, now they plan to take up quarters there, reports Reuters.

SOCEUR spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Sternberg acknowledged that “Training with our partners in their home countries is something that we have always done.”

“The difference is that now we will maintain a [permanent] Special Operations Forces presence in theater along the eastern front of NATO on this training mission,” Sternberg explained.

American special forces instructors are going to be stationed on the territory of the new NATO members states to train local special forces the urban combat tactics, wet boat exercise during mock assault raids, airdrops and drilling the visual gunnery spotters.

Paratroopers from the U.S. Army's 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team participate in training exercises with the Polish 6 Airborne Brigade soldiers at the Land Forces Training Centre in Oleszno near Drawsko Pomorskie, north west Poland, May 1, 2014.(Reuters / Kacper Pempel )

The crisis over federalization of Ukraine has been going for two months now and so far country’s regular troops and National Guards have been unable to suppress the defenses of pro-federalist insurgents in the Russian-speaking eastern regions.

The battles in Ukraine exposed that self-defense militia can successfully counter regular troops, and even manage to shoot down assault helicopters and fighter jets, as well as burn APCs with Soviet-made RPGs. The true number of Ukrainian servicemen who have died in the clashes remains unpublished.

To prevent such a scenario on NATO borders – and in new NATO member states - the US wants its special forces instructors to train counter-insurgency specialists in such eastern Europe countries as the Baltic States and Poland, dealing with a possible Ukrainian scenario and also putting American commandos as close to Russia’s borders as possible.

The Americans have been training troops in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland for many years now. Every year a whole set of international war games is being conducted in Europe with military from the above-mentioned states unfailingly present.

In May and June there are five joint international military drills held in Europe. ‘Exercise Flaming Sword’ in Lithuania, ‘Exercise Combined Resolve’ in Germany and ‘Saber Strike’ ground forces exercise conducted in all three Baltic States coincided with ‘Baltic Host 2014’ and ‘Baltops 2014’ naval drills.

Such drills always bring together special troops from the participant NATO member countries.

Yet still the skills of special units from Baltic States are not close to those of the US Navy SEALS, Delta Force or Britain's Special Air Service (SAS).

“They are still not up to US, British or French capabilities, but some of the newer NATO special forces are improving very quickly," Linda Robinson, an expert in special forces at the RAND Corporation think tank, told Reuters.

Some units from the new NATO member states also took part in the Afghan campaign, like Poland's GROM special unit.

U.S. army paratroopers attend opening ceremony of NATO military exercise "Saber Strike" in Adazi, Lithuania. June 9, 2014. (Reuters / Ints Kalnins)

During his recent European tour, American President Barack Obama promised to defend the ‘territorial integrity’ of countries like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania, without specifying which enemy might impinge upon it.

Obama told newly-elected Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that Washington would find new ways to bolster Ukrainian military, like sending military instructors to the country.

It’s hard to imagine that the US could send their special forces to help Ukrainian government deal with federalist insurgency in the east of the country, but American instructors could train Ukrainian special units to do that work instead.

So far EUCOM has firmly stated that no US forces have been deployed to Ukraine and that no Ukrainian troops are involved in special forces training in Eastern Europe.

American special forces have been extensively used in the Iraqi and Afghan campaigns, usually operating behind enemy lines, conducting reconnaissance and performing clandestine operations against Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces.

Since the 9/11 terrorist attack, American special forces have doubled in number, with the budget tripling and the number of operations expanding fourfold.

A U.S. soldier attends the opening ceremony of NATO military exercise "Saber Strike" with Lithuanian soldiers, in Adazi, Lithuania. June 9, 2014.(Reuters / Ints Kalnins)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Public has no idea how NATO spends money': Dutch auditors call for more transparency

Published time: June 11, 2014 13:33
Edited time: June 11, 2014 20:23

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Dutch auditors claim NATO member states - which contribute to the organization’s budget from a combined $1 trillion in defense spending - are largely unaware of how these funds are being spent, as most of the alliance’s expenditures remain classified.

For decades the accounting records of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which marked its 65th anniversary in April, remained largely ‘blotted out’ as classified, leaving billions of NATO dollars unaccounted for, claim auditors from the Netherlands.

The official controlling body of the Dutch government, the Netherlands Court of Audit (NCA), which also audits the funds annually allocated by Netherlands government on NATO activities, collected information from open sources on NATO expenditures over the last 40 years. The results of this extensive research have been published last Tuesday on a specially-created English language website.

The NCA stipulates it has no “specific mandate to audit NATO,” yet the organization is involved in advising the International Board of Auditors for NATO (IBAN). Financial inspections of the last six years have brought auditors from IBAN, the NCA and other NATO member states to the conclusion that bloc’s finances are not in order.

State officials from all of NATO’s 28 member states actually have no idea where the alliance’s funds go and who’s the final recipient of huge amounts of money, the NCA claims.

Troops from the U.S. Army's 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team parachute during a NATO-led exercise "Orzel Alert" held together with Canada's 3rd Battalion and Princess Patricia's Light Infantry, and Poland's 6th Airborne Brigade in Bledowska Desert in Chechlo, near Olkusz, south Poland (Reuters / Kacper Pempel)

“NATO might be wasting a lot of money, or maybe they are short of cash. Frankly, we have no idea,” shared NCA President Saskia Stuiveling.

A third, or $2.4 billion, of the Netherlands’ $7.8 billion military budget in 2013 was spent on NATO missions in Afghanistan. The lack of transparency of military spending “does not contribute to the public support for NATO” among the Dutch citizens, Stuiveling said.

The overall defense budget of all 28 NATO member states exceeds $1 trillion, of that about 75 percent is spent by the US. Some of this money passes through NATO’s account books.

The alliance is financed by all members through three general sources.

The first is a common fund ($3.3 billion) is used to maintain the main office and staff.

With over $707 million, the US is the largest contributor to this fund. Next come Germany ($474), Great Britain ($358) and France ($357).

Two others are the international mission fund (wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.) and special projects fund (arms development, etc.). These are funded by unknown additional contributions of each NATO member state.

Not only funding of entities and missions, but also how exactly and for what purpose the money in all three funds is being spent could not be established from open sources.

The NCA found that 378 NATO investment projects worth estimated $4.5 billion have remained open for decades, since the 1990s and even the 1970s. None of these projects have ever been evaluated or accounted for.

“We are an advocate of transparency and accountability for all public expenditures, including those of NATO,” the president of the NCA said in a foreword to the statement.

Troops from Canada's 3rd Division, composed with a platoon of 3rd Battalion and Princess Patricia's Light Infantry, participate at a NATO-led exercise "Orzel Alert" held together with the U.S. Army's 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team and Poland's 6th Airborne Brigade in Bledowska Desert in Chechlo, near Olkusz, south Poland (Reuters / Kacper Pempel)

Improving NATO’s public accountability may also contribute to a greater understanding and therefore better “efficiency and effectiveness of NATO,” Stuiveling said.

The situation remained unattended for years, but now the NCA is preparing to put it on the agenda of NATO Parliamentary Assembly in November 2014, to be held in The Hague.

The official comment from NATO spokesperson confirmed that “some reports” cannot be made public due to confidential nature of the issue. Still, all 28 NATO states “maintain full control of the level of expenses and how the money is being spent” through national representatives in the North Atlantic Council, which holds meetings twice a week. The information distributed at these meetings is rarely shared with external auditors supervising expenditure of taxpayers’ money.

The Netherlands Ministry of Defense agreed with the NCA’s initiative as “viewed upon positively by the Dutch cabinet,” as Dutch citizens would be better informed about NATO spending allocated funds to ensure safety of the citizens of the alliance member countries.

The ministry acknowledged that while the civilian expenditures of NATO are constantly monitored, the money spent on military missions (in Iraq, Afghanistan) and special military projects are not audited properly, whereas they make up the most of all the expenses.

US President Barack Obama pointed out in March that defense spending of some European countries is decreasing, which also means that NATO budget is shrinking as well.

At a time of economic hardship, NATO is constructing a huge new $1 billion headquarters in Brussels. The eight-floor structure contains enough blast-proof glass to cover 10 football fields.

Yet NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary-General Matthew Klimow told Reuters last November that the “far-from-extravagant” new headquarters is a “functional building that will allow us to say to the world that NATO is ready for 21st-century challenges.”

 

 

 

 

 

US airlines lobby Congress to shut out cheaper European competitor

Published time: June 10, 2014 22:52

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Reuters / Brendan McDermid

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A contingent of US lawmakers has moved to block an attempt from European Union officials who represent a Norwegian airline aiming to make headway outside Scandinavia and into the US by offering American travelers cheaper international fares.

An application from Norwegian Air Shuttle has awaited a decision for months on a proposed plan to use an Ireland-based subsidiary – a move that would expand the company into territory where the largest American and European airlines currently control the marketplace.

That move, which would require authorization from the US Department of Transportation (DOT), was dealt a major blow on Monday when the US House of Representatives passed an amendment to a proposed DOT budget that essentially blocks the DOT from reviewing the application.

European officials supporting the Norwegian airline's cause told The Wall Street Journal that the vote’s passage Monday would likely lead to “very spirited discussions” during a scheduled meeting between European transportation regulators in Vienna on Tuesday.

Opponents of the proposal say the Norwegian Air Shuttle is trying to expand into Ireland in order to take advantage of finance rates that are unavailable in Norway, skirting European labor laws and allowing the company to hire cheaper labor and pay less in registration fees.

A DOT spokesman said the application has only been delayed because “it is a contested proceeding,” although the DOT “cannot comment on the merits of the case.”

That explanation did little to satisfy those frustrated with the foot-dragging. The department must give its permission under the terms of the US-EU Open Skies agreement, which allows Irish airlines to operate throughout all European and American cities.

“The strategy seems to be to allow [Norwegian Air Shuttle] to bleed slowly to death as the administration seemingly cannot move. But if they don’t grant the permit, it is in violation of European rights under the [Open Skies] agreement,” a European official told the Journal. “It cannot be that the EU-US agreement only operates when one side says so.”

A spokesman for Air Line Pilots Association International, which bills itself as the largest union of airline pilots in the world, told the Daily Signal that more than 100 members of Congress have “weighed in with the DOT against [the application] for a foreign air carrier permit.”

However, a spokesman for Norwegian Air Shuttle argued that lobbyists and the DOT have forgotten about the consumer by siding with the three American airlines which dominate trans-Atlantic service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Microsoft fights US warrant demanding information from overseas servers

Published time: June 11, 2014 16:44

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Microsoft is attempting to fend off a search warrant served by federal prosecutors in the United States because the tech giant says the government lacks the authority to compel the company for customer data that’s stored overseas.

Experts are already saying that Microsoft’s attempt to squash a search warrant served last December marks the first time that a major company has fought requests from the Justice Department for digital information held on overseas servers. If the Silicon Valley corporation fails to win, however, then a precedent could be established to ensure prosecutors in the US will in the future have little problem asking for digital files even if that data lacks all other ties to America.

Much of the case in question remains under seal, including the identity and nationality of the Microsoft customer whose data is sought by US investigators. What’s certain, though, is that a federal magistrate judge in New York granted a search warrant as part of a criminal inquiry last December that asked Microsoft of Washington state for emails pertaining to a customer who claimed to reside outside of the US.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara.(Reuters / Brendan McDermid )

Microsoft, as do other major tech companies who hold data on the digital cloud, no longer stores all information within the US, but at interconnected facilities around the world so that customers abroad can more quickly access their accounts. In this instance, Microsoft said it would not supply US prosecutors with the contents of the requested email account because the information sought was stored in Dublin, Ireland, beyond the reach of a domestic search warrant.

US Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV of the New York court refused in April an initial attempt from Microsoft to quash the warrant, prompting Microsoft to challenge the government’s request in a filing made public just this week. Attorneys for Verizon, a telecommunications provider, have since filed a friend-of-the-court brief, and the Electronic Freedom Foundation, a privacy group, plans to soon do the same.

“Congress has not authorized the issuance of warrants that reach outside US territory,” attorneys for Microsoft wrote in the brief filed last Friday. “The government cannot seek and a court cannot issue a warrant allowing federal agents to break down the doors of Microsoft’s Dublin facility.”

Reuters / Rick Wilking

Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post wrote on Monday that Brad Smith, Microsoft’s general counsel, likened the government’s request to a “general warrant” issued by the British in the Colonial era.

“It, in fact, tells Microsoft to go from building to building to building and go from country to country to country throughout the cloud of Microsoft data centers. . .to find and turn over the information that the government seeks,” she quoted Smith as saying at a speech last week at the Personal Democracy Forum. “It is, in a sense, the broadest possible warrant that one literally can imagine in the twenty-first century.”

Others, like Verizon, say that letting the warrant stand would all but encourage foreign governments to claim they have the power to search digital files held, for instance, in the US.

“The Russian government, for example, might demand that a local affiliate of a US cloud services provider disclose the data of a US company negotiating a large corporate transaction with a Russian state-owned enterprise, or that of an American human rights group that has challenged an action of the Russian government in a fashion deemed to violate Russian law. Following the magistrate’s reasoning, Russian officials could order the provider’s Russian affiliate to obtain the target’s data from the US and turn them over to the Russian authorities in Moscow,” lawyers for Verizon wrote in the amicus brief supporting Microsoft they filed with the court on Monday. “This is not a result that the U.S. government — or American companies or citizens — would find tolerable. Yet it is precisely what the magistrate’s decision invites.”

Image from eff.org

On its part, the government has so far argued that ordering data held on overseas servers does not constitute a violation of the protections against unlawful search and seizures guaranteed by the US Constitution because such a “search” does not exist until the sought after contents is actually read — something that would happen on US soil.

The judge opined that the search would take place only when the e-mails were opened and read — and that would be in the United States. Microsoft argues that the search and seizure take place when the government compels technicians to search for and retrieve data that resides on the Dublin servers.

Preet Bharara, United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, wrote in opposing Microsoft’s request to quash that Internet companies may purposely try to avoid complying with a search warrant “simply by storing the data abroad,” and a win for Microsoft would be “a dangerous impediment to the ability of law enforcement to gather evidence of criminal activity.”

Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for late next month in New York City.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NSA argues its system is 'too complex' to stop destroying evidence

Published time: June 10, 2014 20:30

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National Security Agency (NSA) (AFP Photo)

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Making any adjustments to the way the National Security Agency collects intelligence —even court orders to ensure that evidence isn’t deleted by the NSA’s spying infrastructure — would bring great harm to the United States, officials say.

In the midst of a frantic filing of legal memorandum late last week, the NSA told a federal court judge in California that following through with official orders to preserve metadata collected by the spy firm would cause grave repercussions.

NSA Deputy Director Richard Ledgett made that argument in a filing entered withUS District for the Northern District of California Judge Jeffrey S. Whiteon Friday after the court said that intelligence gathered by the agency through a contested surveillance program must be preserved while the case continues to be heard.

RT has reported previously that that case, Jewel vs NSA, has challenged the agency’s practice of collecting telecommunication records in bulk since before former government contractor Edward Snowden exposed the full scope of the agency’s activities starting last June. Only last week, in fact, RT reported that lawyers for the plaintiffs in that case told the court that “there was no doubt that the government has destroyed years of evidence of NSA spying.”

“The government’s own declarations make clear that the government has destroyed three years of the telephone records it seized between 2006 and 2009; five years of the content it seized between 2007 and 2012; and seven years of the internet records it seized between 2004 and 2011, when it claims to have ended those seizures,” Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Cindy Cohn wrote last Friday on behalf of the plaintiffs.

Cohn and her colleagues quickly asked the court to intervene and ensure that all information being collected by the NSA as authorized by Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, remain on the government’s computers and not be deleted as assumed, but Ledgett responded right away to say that the nature of the agency’s surveillance program and the infrastructure involved was too complex to be altered.

“Assuming that the Court’s June 5, 2014 order requires an immediate halt to destruction of all Section 702 materials, that order creates an extremely significant operational crisis for the National Security Agency,” the agency’s lawyers wrote.

A testimony entered by Ledgett argued further that “any attempts at an immediate solution would unleash a series of consequences that the US government cannot predict because a requirement to preserve all data acquired under Sec. 702 presents significant operational problems, only one of which is that the NSA may have to shut down all systems and database that contain Sec 702 information in order to attempt to preserve” that information.

“If compelled to implement this order without additional time for a more thoughtful review, the NSA may be forced to consider drastic measures, to include, the possible suspension of all operations related to the collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of communications acquired pursuant to Sec. 702,” Ledgett added.

According to the deputy director, it could take months for the NSA to find a way to preserve all information that it collects instead of routinely expunging evidence older than half-a-decade.

The NSA’s “novel argument” it presented to the court, Andrea Peterson wrote for the Washington Post, is that “it’s too complex.” According to Ledgett, any change in the agency’s systems could be catastrophic.

“An order prohibiting the destruction of any Sec. 702 data will cause a lack of or delayed access to lawfully collected SIGINT data on foreign teinlligence targets of interest to the NSA’s customers,” Ledgett added. “The NSA has a finite amount of data storage capacity, and if the NSA were ordered to retain data that would otherwise be aged-off of its systems, the NSA would be limited in the amount of newly collected non-FAA [FISA Amendments Act of 2007] data that it could store.”

After several memos were filed by the EFF and the NSA’s lawyers on Friday, Peterson wrote that Judge White reversed his earlier emergency order that had barred the government from destroying that data.

 

 

 

 

US pressures El Salvador to buy Monsanto's GMO seeds

Published time: June 10, 2014 18:11

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The entrance sign is seen at the headquarters of Monsanto, at Creve Coeur (St. Louis), Missouri (AFP Photo / Juliette Michele)

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As one of the preconditions to authorizing close to $300 million in aid, the United States is pressuring El Salvador to purchase genetically modified seeds from Monsanto instead of non-GM seeds from local farmers.

According to Sustainable Pulse, a website covering developments related to genetically modified organisms and sustainable agriculture, the US will reportedly withhold $277 million in aid through the Millennium Challenge Compact if El Salvador refuses to purchase GM seeds from the biotech company Monsanto.

The website states that the stalled aid package was originally put on hold in late 2013, when it was revealed that Millennium Challenge Corporation would not deliver funds to the country unless “specific” economic and environmental reforms were made. Apparently, one of those is related to the purchase of GMO seeds.

Speaking with Verdad Digital, however, the president of the El Salvadoran Center for Appropriate Technologies (CESTA) criticized the US negotiating position and said the country should back away from its demand.

“I would like to tell the U.S. Ambassador to stop pressuring the Government (of El Salvador) to buy ‘improved’ GM seeds,” CESTA president Ricardo Navarro said, adding that the move would hurt the local economy and only benefit US companies.

Navarro specifically singled out Monsanto for criticism as well, saying, “There is a harmful corporation on the planet called Monsanto … it is truly disturbing that the U.S. is trying to promote them.”

In Europe, too, Monsanto’s GM seeds have garnered criticism. In March, France banned the growth and sale of the company’s insect-repelling maize seed MON 810, just a few days before it was revealed that insects in the US were developing resistance to the crop.

The comments from Navarro also arrive as Monsanto is under fire in several South American countries, including El Salvador and Brazil. As RT reported previously, El Salvador passed legislation in September 2013 banning glyphosate, used in Monsanto’s Roundup pesticides, as well as dozens of other agricultural chemicals.

Similar proposals are being considered in Brazil, where the country’s prosecutor general recently urged the National Health Surveillance Agency to “reevaluate the toxicity of eight active ingredients suspected of causing damage to human health and the environment,” including glyphosate and seven other chemicals.

As for why glyphosate is coming under such heavy scrutiny, new research has indicated that while the chemical is not as dangerous on its own, it becomes extremely toxic to humans once it mixes with natural metals found in soil.

Meanwhile, other reports have linked glyphosate to the outburst of a fatal kidney disease that has killed thousands of people in El Salvador and Sri Lanka, and could also help explain similar situations in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and India.

 

 

 

Immigrants subjected to ‘pointlessly cruel’ treatment in private prisons – ACLU

Published time: June 11, 2014 03:30

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Reuters / Damir Sagolj

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Thousands of immigrants have been subjected to regular abuse and otherwise harsh, dangerous conditions in privately operated Texas federal prisons, according to a report published Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The new report is the culmination of a five-year investigation conducted by the civil liberties protection group that found, among other issues, widespread overcrowding, lacking medical facilities, filthy conditions, and a near-dependency on isolation cells.

ACLU investigators examined Criminal Alien Requirement (CAR) prisons in Texas, where convicted immigrants living in the US illegally are detained before they are scheduled to be deported.

According to the Texas Tribune, the US federal Bureau of Prisons contracted three corporations to oversee 13 criminal alien prisons throughout the US, totaling approximately 25,000 inmates. Over half of that population are held in Big Spring, Post, Eden, Pecos, and Raymondville, all of which are located in Texas.

The ACLU reported that because the private corporations have more of a responsibility to the bottom line than to corrections, inmates are trapped in a system where their care is based on how much money their needs will cost.

“Medical understaffing and extreme cost-cutting measures reportedly limit prisoners’ access to both emergency and routine medical care,” the report explained. “Martin, a 36-year-old Cuban immigrant, told us he woke up in the middle of a severe asthma attack one night and did not have access to his inhaler. There was no doctor on staff that night, so he waited nearly an hour to see a nurse who did not know how to properly intubate him.”

Such health issues seem to be a near daily occurrence, with much more dire circumstances detailed throughout the report. In one instance, an inmate described watching his cellmate become ill and clearly turn worse as he spent hours trying to convince a guard to find medical help. The sick inmate was unconscious by the time help arrived and died shortly after.

Isolation has also become a preferred method of incarceration. While the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) must abide by policies that dictate when inmates are housed in solitary housing units (SHUs), private prisons are not required to adhere to the same rules.

“At Eden, nearly everyone we interviewed in January 2014 reported that they were immediately locked in an isolation cell when they arrived, with some waiting for days and others waiting as long as two weeks before being assigned a bed in the general population dorms,” the report said. “In addition to being pointlessly cruel, such extended periods of isolation upon intake appear inconsistent with BOP intake policies.”

Overcrowding is also an ongoing issue, with each of the five Texas facilities operating at near their 115 percent capacity – the fullest a prison can be while still receiving per-inmate compensation from the government.

Also of concern is that, unlike American citizens housed in government prisons, the immigrants kept in CAR prisons are not entitled to education or other rehabilitative programs, leading the ACLU to speculate that the BOP has no interest in helping inmates who will be deported anyway.

“We’re talking about segregating a group of people on the basis of their immigration status in a facility that is by all measures second class to the hard-core BOP prisons that we see felons incarcerated in,” Rebecca Robertson, legal and policy director at the Texas ACLU, told the Tribune, adding that the situation leads to “enforced idleness.”

A BOP spokesman denied that overcrowding is an issue in the privately-owned facilities, with a representative from the GEO Group (which runs two of the prisons in question) telling journalist Gilad Edelman that “GEO’s facilities provide high quality services in a safe, secure, and humane environments, and our company strongly refutes allegations to the contrary.”

 

 

 

 

 

First commercial drone license granted to oil giant BP

Published time: June 11, 2014 01:02

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Screenshot from avinc.com video

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The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Tuesday that it has approved a license for commercial drone flights over land for the first time, with BP energy corporation and drone developer Aero Vironment receiving the green light.

Countless businesses and private Americans have lobbied the FAA to grant permission for commercial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flights, with the agency coming under harsh scrutiny for the perception that effective regulation was coming along too slowly.

The criticism seems to have had an effect, though, with the FAA suddenly starting to work with a number of other governmental departments to begin the operation of drone test sites throughout the US. It has also reduced the number of cease-and-desist letters sent to private hobbyists and, as of Tuesday, authorized flights over the BP Prudhoe Bay oil field on the North Slope of Alaska.

“These surveys on Alaska’s North Slope are another important step toward broader commercial use of unmanned aircraft,” Department of Transportation secretary Anthony Foxx announced in a statement on Tuesday. “The technology is quickly changing, and the opportunities are growing.”

The announcement has already been portrayed as a cautious step for the FAA, which pundits say could still be a long time away from authorizing a drone flight over a congested area like New York City, for instance. An agency memo makes it clear that Tuesday’s announcement also comes as part of a plan to authorize drone activity over fields, and potentially the Arctic.

“Members of the FAA Arctic Team have begun and will expand the process of working with relevant federal agencies and international communities by seeking their input on this implementation plan,” the agency explained.

Both AeroVironment and BP will deploy the Puma AE aircraft, a 4 1/2 foot UAV that has a wingspan of nine feet and a battery life of up to 3.5 hours. The FAA approved the same aircraft for surveys of Arctic waters, with aerial photography equipment that can be used for 3D mapping purposes, AeroVironment’s website explained.

The BP drone, in particular, will scan the region’s roadways, pipelines, and oil filtration equipment after Alaska state officials confirmed last month that BP was responsible for an apparent pipeline rupture that unleashed an oily mist over 33 acres of frozen snow directly surrounding the oil well. Prudhoe Bay, as with elsewhere on the North Slope, is home to a vast array of wildlife, including migratory birds and caribou.

The FAA announced last month that it is considering whether or not to give Hollywood film studios and other photography companies permission to use drones when filming.

Regulation officials, while admitting that the idea is a possibility, said the agency is “working aggressively to ensure the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace.”

 

 

 

 

Internet restrictions must not touch upon freedom of speech - Putin

Published time: June 10, 2014 14:19

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President Vladimir Putin (center) attending the Internet Entrepreneurship in Russia forum at the Silver City Business Center in Moscow, June 10, 2014.(RIA Novosti / Alexei Druzhinin)

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Russian President has blasted any attempts to infringe basic Human Rights under the pretext of fighting against various negative phenomena on the World Wide Web as unacceptable.

The campaign against harmful tendencies in the internet, including pedophilia and propaganda of suicide cannot in any way justify restrictions aimed against civil freedoms and Human Rights, Vladimir Putin said at the Tuesday meeting with leaders of the Russian internet industry.

Putin added that all restrictions on the internet content must be introduced through the parliament and other public and political structures, through the joint effort of all citizens.

“We have had a lot of arguments over the bans, like those connected with pedophilia, propaganda of terrorism and illegal drugs, propaganda of suicide. But we are all grown up people. Do we really need to argue about this? Better to let us spare our children,” he told the participants of the Russian internet business forum.

The president also noted that the restrictions must not harm the interests of the free market.

At the same time, Putin said that there was no doubt that internet enterprises must be regulated by the law, just as any other aspect of social relations.

The Russian leader also suggested that the state could help the representatives of national internet companies to become truly independent and start expressing personal views. Putin said that those who are mentioning some special mission of internet companies must remember that such missions need pure sovereignty to become real.

“If all these companies [national search engines] have a single owner this is no longer a mission, this is a monopoly and monopoly is only good when it is your own,” Putin said and smiled. “In general it is a harmful thing.”

“Our mission is to help you – to help the national segment [of the Internet] and people who work in these prospective spheres to become independent. To help you express and formulate if not the viewpoint of the state and the society, but at least your own viewpoint in a way you feel necessary, because when it happens on the national basis, the state will eventually benefit,” Putin told the conference.

In late April this year, Vladimir Putin brought up the topic of relations between authorities, society and internet companies during the televised Q&A session with journalists and bloggers.

The head of the state admitted that “not everything was simple” in the situation, and promised that all decisions on the subject would be passed only after broad social discussion.

 

 

 

Google seeks to transform century-old US utility industry

Published time: June 11, 2014 09:56

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AFP Photo / Joel Saget

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Google, already the world’s most popular search engine and dominant player in retail, entertainment, education, and even self-driving cars, now wants to revamp the US energy industry. It is looking to make the delivery of electricity more efficient.

Bloomberg News reported that Google is planning to tap into America’s more than $360 billion power market. The company is in the early stages of developing and building software and hardware that will better manage the effective flow of energy to homes and businesses.

The US is the world’s third largest energy market in the world, but transmission and delivery methods of electricity are antiquated.

“They recognize there is a huge wide-open space and that the utility companies are not stepping up to the plate,” Steven Chu, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, said at an energy conference in California in May, as quoted by Bloomberg.

“They see a huge market opportunity,” Chu added.

Google has been posting vacancies on its website geared towards candidates who will help the company “fundamentally change the world of power”, one listing said.

Google, which receives most of its revenue from ads, is looking for ways to diversify income, and has been working on several projects including a car that drives itself and a partnership with Android TV, to have a more secure source of income than selling ad space.

The California-based company’s latest quarterly results were strong, but disappointing revenue highlighted the vulnerability of ad sales. Year on year revenue increased 19 percent, but its income of $15.4 billion was about $15 million short of anticipated results from analysts.

Google itself consumes a lot of energy, and has long been a proponent of clean and efficient energy solutions. This year Google paid $3.2 billion to acquire Nest Labs, a digital-thermostat company, and is also involved in Atlantic Grid

Development LLC, which delivers energy to the state of New Jersey.

Google has parked more than $1 billion in environmentally friendly power projects, both in the US and abroad, including renewables such as wind and solar.

Another project Google has picked up on is the idea of solar roadways, an idea to replace concrete roads, parking lots, and sidewalks with energy-producing solar panels. Google chose the mom and pop start up project to be one of their Moonshot projects in May 2013.

 

 

 

Bad news for GPS: Sun releases three powerful flares in two days (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Published time: June 11, 2014 19:38

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Three X-class flares erupted from the left side of the sun June 10-11, 2014. These images are from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and show light in a blend of two ultraviolet wavelengths: 171 and 131 angstroms. (Image Credit: NASA / SDO)

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Cameras used by scientists at NASA have captured images of “significant” solar flares emitting from the sun this week.

On Wednesday, NASA reported, a third solar “X-class” flare was recorded in a span of just two days.

The flares — short-lived but incredibly powerful bursts of radiation that bring goodies from the sun like gases, plasma and other matters in the solar system — are not entirely unusual. At least two of this week’s events have been larger than normal, though, and may interfere with high-frequency radio communications and GPS signals million miles away, according to NASA.

Scientists said that the first significant solar flare was recorded early Tuesday by NASA cameras that capture activity on the sun 24 hours a day. That flare, spotted at around 7:41 a.m. EDT, was classified as an X2.2 flare — more than double the strength as an X1-level flare. Around an hour later, scientists saw an X1.5 flare, then an X1.0 early Wednesday.

The second X-class flare of June 10, 2014, appears as a bright flash on the left side of this image from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. This image shows light in the 193-angstrom wavelength, which is typically colorized in yellow. It was captured at 8:55 a.m EDT, just after the flare peaked. (Image Credit: NASA / SDO)

NASA said in a statement that "Analysis is underway to determine potential impacts at Earth.” In the meantime, though, more incidents could be expected.

“There is the chance that additional flares could occur in the following days,” Katy Galimberti wrote Wednesday for AccuWeather. As the sun rotates, the flares could travel in a more direct path towards the Earth. The radiation from such a flare may cause radio wave disturbances to electronics, such as cell phones, GPS and radios, causing services to occasionally cut in and out.

Mark Paquette, a meteorologist with the weather site, told Galimberti that solar flares are like a “burp” from the sun.

"The 'burp' releases a stream of particles that comes away from the sun's surface and sets the whole thing in motion," he said.

According to Space.com, the latest flare on Wednesday was the eighth documented example so far in 2014 of an X-level event—the strongest of the solar flares. Even the X2.2 spotted this week was small compared to the strongest in recent months, though: in February, NASA cameras caught a colossal X4.9 glare occur on the sun.

A solar flare bursts off the left limb of the sun in this image captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory on June 10, 2014, at 7:41 a.m. EDT. This is classified as an X2.2 flare, shown in a blend of two wavelengths of light: 171 and 131 angstroms, colorized in gold and red, respectively. (Image Credit: NASA / SDO / Goddard / Wiessinger)

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11 June, 2014

19:23

US drone strike kills four in Pakistan

The first US drone strike of 2014 has killed at least four militants in northwestern Pakistan, in a tribal region where pressure has been mounting on the Pakistani military to launch a full-scale military operation. Officials said the missile hit a compound and a vehicle in the village of Dargah Mandi in North Waziristan. The drone strike comes after a sustained attack by the Taliban on Karachi airport on Sunday, which left 28 people dead. The airport attack appears to have killed off any chances of a peace deal being reached between the militant group and the Pakistani government.

18:41

Four UN soldiers killed by car bomb in northern Mali

At least four United Nations peacekeepers were killed in the northern Malian town of Aguelhoc on Wednesday, according to UN and diplomatic sources, Reuters reported. Two sources said that the four killed were Chadian peacekeepers, though another official said that Malian troops had also been killed. There was no immediate comment from the UN mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, and it is currently unclear who was behind the blast.

18:19

Gunmen kill at least eight in Nigeria village raids

At least eight people, including three security officers, were killed when gunmen started shooting sporadically in villages in Nigeria’s central Plateau state. Many houses were also burnt down, including a church. Plateau state lies between the Muslim north of the country and the Christian south, and has witnessed decades of upheavals which have claimed tens of thousands of lives, according to Human Rights Watch.

15:09

16 killed in Shiite Sadr City area of Baghdad in suicide bombing

A suicide bomber blew himself up in a gathering of people inside a tent in Baghdad’s Shiite slum of Sadr City, police and medical sources said on Wednesday. At least 16 people were killed in the attack, Reuters reported.

13:43

Yemen president replaces top ministers amid popular discontent

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi replaced several top ministers on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The move came amid rising popular discontent driven in part by power cuts and high prices. New finance, oil and foreign ministers, among others, were appointed, according to Saba news agency.

12:10

Harry Potter creator Rowling donates £1m to Scotland anti-independence campaign

JK Rowling, the best-selling author and Edinburgh resident, has donated 1 million pounds to the anti-independence campaign Better Together, the Guardian writes. The Harry Potter creator is a long-standing supporter and donor to the Labor party and to charities. Her donation is the largest single gift yet given to Better Together, which is run by her friend Alistair Darling, the former Labor chancellor of the exchequer. Rowling said she feared for an independent Scotland in a globalized world. “My hesitance at embracing independence has nothing to do with lack of belief in Scotland's remarkable people,” the writer added.

11:50

More than 300 Islamists from Germany fought in Syria

About 320 Islamists from Germany were in Syria to fight government forces in that country, counter-intelligence officials in Berlin said. They said about a hundred Islamists have returned to Germany. Twenty-five people who fought on the side of radical rebels against Syria government forces have been reportedly killed.

11:16

Spain parliament backs royal succession

The Spanish parliament has backed the abdication of King Juan Carlos and accession of his son Prince Felipe, the BBC reported. The succession had the backing of both the ruling center-right Popular Party and the opposition Socialist party by a large majority. However, radical leftists in the chamber demanded a referendum. After Juan Carlos, 76, announced on 2 June he would step down, anti-monarchy rallies were staged in Madrid and other cities.

10:29

China denies sending warships to scene of territorial dispute with Vietnam

Vietnam said on Wednesday a Chinese oil rig at the center of an increasingly bitter territorial dispute appeared to be on the move again, as China denied accusations that it had sent warships to it, Reuters said. Vietnam’s Directorate of Fisheries said the rig had shown signs of moving towards the east and southeast, adding that Beijing had 119 vessels in the rig’s operating area. China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying dismissed as “completely incorrect” the accusations that six warships were sent to the scene. The rig’s deployment triggered anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam last month, in which at least four workers were killed.

09:47

After technical glitch at Bombay Stock Exchange, deals struck with rival bourse data

India’s Bombay Stock Exchange suffered a technical glitch Wednesday leaving real-time data feeds blank for nearly an hour. It forced deals to be struck using prices from a rival bourse, AFP reported, citing traders. The BSE’s feeds opened blank when trading began at 9:15am (03:45 GMT) before being restored at about 10am due to a technical glitch in its calculation system, according to BSE spokesman Yatin Padia. Trading was not halted, and the BSE was trading flat after touching record highs this week. Expectations are high that the new government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unleash reforms and revive the sluggish economy.

08:41

Toyota recalls 2.27mn vehicles over airbag defect

Toyota on Wednesday recalled 2.27 million vehicles globally over an airbag system defect that could cause fires, AFP said. The announcement covered 20 models, including its Corolla sedan, Yaris subcompact and Noah minivan. The fire risk covers about 1.62 million cars overseas and 650,000 in Japan, and it follows a mass recall last year for the same glitch with the vehicles' airbag inflator. The Japanese car giant has now recalled about nine million vehicles in the past two months.

08:24

500,000 flee as jihadists take control of Iraq’s Mosul

Jihadists were in firm control Wednesday of Iraq’s second city Mosul after seizing it and a swathe of other territory, AFP reported. The Sunni militants including fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) overran Mosul on Tuesday, sparking a mass exodus of an estimated half a million people. The seizure dealt the Shiite-led Iraqi government a blow as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki asked parliament to declare a state of emergency and announced citizens would be armed to fight jihadists.

07:52

Japan detains 13 China hackers suspected of stealing $6mn from bank accounts

Police in Japan have arrested 13 Chinese hackers who are suspected of stealing about $6 million from Japan’s bank accounts via internet, RIA Novosti said. The sum is the largest for similar crimes in Japan, Kyodo News reported on Wednesday. Part of the stolen money was cashed in Japan, and the other transferred to China via underground banks structures. Those detained deny any wrongdoing. Overall damage from crimes in the area of internet banks in Japan amounted to 14.7 million during five months this year.

07:19

Oil firm Soco Soco, WWF agree to halt oil drive in Africa’s oldest park

Environmental campaigners WWF and oil exploration firm Soco International announced on Wednesday that the British firm will halt its hunt for oil in part of Africa’s oldest national park, AFP said. The WWF had in turn pledged not to pursue a complaint against Soco which it had filed with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Plans envisioned tapping oil in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga park, home to 3,000 species including the endangered gorillas.

06:53

US extends sanctions against Belarus authorities for another year

US President Barack Obama has prolonged sanctions against Belarus authorities for a year, ITAR-TASS said. The activities of some Belarusian officials pose a threat to US security and foreign policy, the document reads. The White House also cites alleged human rights violations and corruption as a reason for sanctions.

06:28

5,000 Ukrainians in Crimea seek Russian citizenship – officials

Five thousand Ukrainians who have been living in Crimea without registration have applied to the Russian Federal Migration Service for Russian citizenship, FMS head Konstantin Romodanovsky said. All permanent Crimea residents have become Russian citizens unless they rejected the move, RIA Novosti quoted him as saying. However, many Ukrainian citizens who work on the peninsula are also seeking Russian citizenship, and every such case will be considered individually, Romodanovsky told Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily.

06:10

Seattle campus shooter stopped taking medication – prosecutor

The man charged with killing one student and wounding two others at a Seattle college last week had stopped taking his medication because he “wanted to feel the hate,” a prosecutor said Tuesday. “I just want people to die, and I’m gonna die with them!” Aaron Ybarra wrote the day of the shooting, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said. Ybarra detailed his plans in a handwritten journal for two weeks before the attack, AP reported. Satterberg, who filed charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and assault against Ybarra, 26, is seeking a sentence of life in prison.

03:20

Chile police fire water cannons, tear gas at student protest

Chilean police used water cannons and tear gas on student demonstrators in the capital of Santiago as protesters demanding education reforms clashed with police on Tuesday, Ruptly reports. Numerous injuries and detentions were reported. Several stray dogs joined the scene, jumping and biting at water from the police cannons. Organizers say 80,000 protesters were involved in the march, which demanded that Chilean President Michelle Bachelet improve the country's education system.

 

 

 

 

 

World moving away from American financial hegemony'

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Published time: May 22, 2014 11:29

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) is greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping before the opening ceremony at the Expo Center at the fourth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in Shanghai on May 21, 2014. (AFP Photo / Mark Ralston)

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With the China-Russia deal conducted outside the dollar system we see the beginning of the de-dollarization and de-Americanization of the world, former assistant Secretary of the Treasury Paul Craig Roberts told RT.

RT: A number of Western businesspeople have boycotted the St. Petersburg economic forum. Are they going to lose out?

Paul Craig Roberts: I think it is just a symbolic way of accommodating Washington. I don’t think it means anything, I do not think the firms in Germany, for example, want to harm the relationships with Russia, nor do they want it in France. So I do not think it means much. What is much more significant is that the number of Asian countries that are coming to this forum, and energy deal signed by Russia and China, is an indication that the world will be moving away from American financial hegemony.

This large energy deal will be conducted outside the dollar system, so here is the beginning of the de-dollarization, the beginning of the de-Americanization. This is an indication that the two large countries, Russia and China, are forming a strategic alliance because they are tired of being harassed and cut out of the Western mechanisms, they are tired of the threats. So they are moving in a new direction, and they will take much of the world with them. I do not think the European countries that have strong economic relations with Russia will want to lose those.

This is a beginning of a turn from Russia toward the East. Previously Russia was focused on being accepted by the West, being accepted by the Americans. It waited for years to be allowed to join the WTO. I think this was a mistake on Russia’s part because the West is not the rising part of the world. The rising part of the world is the East.

RT: Pressure from Washington may account for some business figures not going to the forum, but are there other reasons too?

PR: They have made it for that reason, if there are opportunities that they could have made there, if they are not present they cannot make the deals. In that sense it is a bad decision. I do not know how many countries actually decided not to come. I think in a way the American credit card companies were hurt by the sanctions that Washington kept talking about because this has now forced Russia to develop its own credit card companies, which it should have done a long time ago.

It has always been a mystery to me that economically stable countries continue to operate within the American financial system. They are dependent on American credit card companies, for example. They are dependent on American internet companies, which simply allows the NSA to spy on them better. Why do they accept such dependence on American economic institutions? I have never understood. I think in a sense these developments are good for Russia because it means it is now developing its own infrastructure and will not be dependent on Washington’s infrastructure for communications, for finance, for credit. So this development is good for Russia, it is not good for Washington.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks at the opening ceremony for the Naval Cooperation 2014 joint China-Russia naval exercise at a command center of the Wusong naval base in Shanghai on May 20, 2014.(AFP Photo / Alexey Druzhinin )

RT: A lot of people are expected to come from Asia for the forum. Can we expect any major trade deals between Russia and that part of the world?

PR: I would think so. I mean all countries need energy and all countries are getting tired of Western bullying. Western machinations, the air of superiority over the world that Washington has. It was not long ago that President Obama declared that the US was the exceptional country. That means we come first, you are second. Other people do not like thinking of themselves as second class, so I think that this is the beginning of transformation that has been long implicit in the organization known as BRICS. That is starting to form up and be a real thing.

RT: Do you think there's genuine concern from the West over growing ties between Russia and China?

PR: Yes, there is very much concern. The American foreign policy doctrine calls Washington to prevent the rise of other global powers. So now it is confronted not just with two rising global powers, but these two powers have a mutual alliance and both understand that Washington is surrounding them with military bases. Washington has land bases in the Baltics, in the Eastern Europe; possibly they are going to be in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine. And China is confronted with new American naval and air bases positioned to control the flow of ships through the South China sea. So both countries see that Washington has in mind hemming them in, preventing their rise and they are forming a strategic alliance because the two are stronger together than independently. And this worries Washington very much.

I think it has overreached, it should have accepted the Russian cooperation, it should not have seen the rise of China as some kind of the threat. But it made mistake in demonizing both countries and it is trying to operate in the ways that prevent or slow the rise of these two countries. So this is a very serious situation for the world because it has the implication of a serious war.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

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Comments (227)

 

Frank Wolstencroft 08.06.2014 06:33

The US dollar is not a fiat currency produced by edict. The US uses debt based money, which is somewhat different. No debts = no money. The federal reserve is a private company owned by the banks.

 

Norberto Triemstra 03.06.2014 06:51

But this system is merely a PROTOCOL, an agreement (not necessarily voluntary though, as Saddam Hussein noted when he tried to denominate OIL contracts in Euros instead US dollars....), it is NOT hard science, it more similar to Hollywood than Menlo Park since it depends on CREDIBILITY and credibility depends on control of MASS MEDIA, et cetera...

 

Norberto Triemstra 03.06.2014 06:50

At the end of the day finances are merely ACTION at DISTANCE, allows moguls to be feasting and sipping French wine in London and New York while their assets are located in the antipodes....

It is neo-colonialism without military occupation (far cheaper), the IMF and the financial ranking agencies do the police work.... the infrastructure is provided by interconnected stock exchanges and the GLUE is the US dollar....

 

 

Exclusive: U.S. using JPMorgan penalty to speed cases against other banks

By Aruna Viswanatha and Karen Freifeld

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK Wed Jun 11, 2014 3:48pm EDT

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A sign outside the headquarters of JP Morgan Chase & Co in New York, September 19, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Mike Segar

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(Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is spending some of the $13 billion JPMorgan Chase & Co agreed to pay to settle claims stemming from mortgage misdeeds to speed up similar punishments against other lenders, possibly including Bank of America Corp and Citigroup, according to people familiar with the matter.

    U.S. Attorney's offices that have been among the most active in probing banks over the toxic loans they bundled into mortgage securities and sold to investors have received funds to hire new civil prosecutors, the people said.

U.S. Attorneys in New Jersey, Colorado and the Eastern District of California, based in Sacramento, are among those most experienced in pursuing the probes, the people said.

 

 

 

    The increased activity is a sign that President Barack Obama is trying to follow through on his 2012 pledge to hold more banks accountable for their role in the housing crisis, after prosecutors faced criticism for little high-profile action. Attorney General Eric Holder has also expressed a desire to wrap up more of mortgage securities-related cases this year.

    "There is a widespread recognition that the banks have not yet been held fully accountable for their origination practices and the harm that did to borrowers, investors and the American economy in general," said Don Hawthorne, a partner with Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider in New York who has represented clients in mortgage-backed securities litigation.  

    The Justice Department's portion of the JPMorgan settlement went to the U.S. Treasury, but the department can keep up to three percent of money it collects for other federal agencies to use for certain purposes. The DOJ settlement with JPMorgan also resolved lawsuits from other agencies, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

    In addition to Bank of America and Citigroup, the government has been investigating other banks, including Royal Bank of Scotland, Credit Suisse AG, and Goldman Sachs Group Inc, people familiar with the investigations said.

    In the wake of the government's landmark settlement against JPMorgan last year to resolve probes into shoddy mortgage securities, authorities may reach settlements with both Bank of America and Citigroup this summer over similar charges, people familiar with the matter said. The JPMorgan settlement included about $4 billion to resolve claims from the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

    Bank of America has discussed paying about $12 billion, with more than $5 billion of that going to help struggling borrowers, to resolve a range of federal and state probes, according to people familiar with the talks. That would be on top of the $6.3 billion the bank has already paid to resolve claims from the FHFA.

The Justice Department suggested a $17 billion settlement in the latest round of negotiations and did not view Bank of America's most recent offer as a serious one, one of the people said.

Reuters could not determine the range of penalties Citigroup is potentially facing, but one analyst estimated the bank could face a settlement of about $5 billion, including about $2 billion in consumer relief.

    Bank of America spokesman Lawrence Grayson declined to comment on the investigations and negotiations. Representatives of Goldman, Citigroup, RBS and Credit Suisse declined to comment.

Representatives of the Justice Department and U.S. Attorney offices in New Jersey, Colorado and Sacramento declined comment.

As part of the effort to accelerate the probes, the Justice Department is also spreading the work among offices with experience in similar cases, and in some situations reassigning cases. An investigation into Goldman Sachs, for example, was moved from the U.S. Attorney's office in Philadelphia to Sacramento, which had worked on the JPMorgan case, according to two people familiar with the matter. Representatives of both of those offices declined comment.

   

    MERRILL PROBE

    The negotiations between Bank of America and the Justice Department, fueled by a threatened lawsuit against Merrill Lynch from civil prosecutors in New Jersey, have yielded back-to-back meetings in the past two weeks, one source said, though no meetings have yet been scheduled after the bank's latest offer.

The U.S. Attorney's office in New Jersey is drafting its complaint against Merrill, though does not have specific plans to file it yet, the person said. Bank of America agreed to acquire Merrill at the height of the 2008 financial crisis, along with some of its liabilities.

    The probes date to 2012, when Obama directed the Justice Department to create a task force to investigate the packaging and sale of home loans. After earlier inquiries fizzled, the Justice Department took a more systematic approach, issuing more than a dozen subpoenas in early 2012 to financial institutions.    

    Civil fraud inquiries into banks including Citigroup and Merrill Lynch were prioritized, sources said. Holder took an active interest in the investigations, receiving regular briefings on developments. 

    Three U.S. Attorney offices divided the investigations into Bank of America and its units, with Los Angeles examining Countrywide, Charlotte taking on Bank of America itself, and New Jersey leading the probe of Merrill Lynch, sources said.

    A magistrate judge earlier this year recommended dismissing a lawsuit the U.S. Attorney's office in Charlotte brought against the bank over fraud in the sale of mortgage securities, and a federal district judge considered the recommendation at a Wednesday hearing, a ruling in which could give the bank leverage in negotiations. 

    The talks also include the U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn, which has been investigating whether the bank properly submitted mortgage loans for government insurance provided by the Federal Housing Administration, people familiar with the matter said.

    That probe has focused on loans the bank made after May 2009, since Bank of America paid about $500 million in 2012 to resolve liability over loans it sold earlier than that. Mortgage originations plunged in the aftermath of the 2007-2009 financial crisis, however, and it's unclear how much liability the bank faces through that inquiry.

    The Justice Department's negotiations are being led by its No. 3 official, Tony West, who oversees the agency's civil efforts. Bank of America's team includes Meyer Koplow of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and the bank's general counsel Gary Lynch, sources said.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office is also involved in negotiations, according to a person familiar with the talks. Schneiderman is one of four co-chairs of the working group that is coordinating the investigations.

His office also advised the bank months ago that it planned to recommend an action against Merrill Lynch, according to a February filing from the bank. A spokesman for Schneiderman declined comment.

    The negotiations do not include a separate civil mortgage fraud case brought by the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, which convinced a jury last October that the bank was liable for fraud through loans sold by its Countrywide unit. The government has asked for more than $2 billion in penalties but a judge has yet to rule on that request. 

    

    ADVERTISING FOR ATTORNEYS

    Several U.S. Attorney offices including the Eastern District of California, which handled the JPMorgan investigation, recently advertised for new attorneys to work on its civil mortgage fraud enforcement cases and other types of fraud on the government.

    A spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner in Sacramento declined to comment on specific hires but said that the working group "has been very supportive" of the office. "We are currently in the process of evaluating our needs and determining how additional resources could best be utilized," the spokeswoman said.

    A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch's office in Brooklyn said it's also in the process of hiring new assistant U.S. attorneys but declined to discuss their roles. The new resources suggest the government may pursue cases tied to the financial crisis for several more years, and reflect the amount of work necessary to move the complicated cases across the finish line, sources said.

But observers say the government must do more than force big penalties, and should enforce standards and adequate disclosures for borrowers and investors, which some argue does not seem to be a priority.

    "Even if we look at these settlements as punitive, we cannot look at them as corrective," said Joshua Rosner, managing director of Graham Fisher & Co., a New York based independent consultancy. "If you don't fix the system going forward, you may have extracted monies, but you haven't done anything to ensure this doesn't happen again in the future."

 

 

(additional reporting by Peter Rudegeair in New York. Editing by Karey Van Hall and John Pickering)

 

 

 

 

 

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China Building Dubai-Style Fake Islands in South China Sea

By Joel Guinto 18 hours ago

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Sand, cement, wood and steel are the latest tools in China's territorial arsenal as it seeks to literally reshape the South China Sea.

Chinese ships carrying construction materials regularly ply the waters near the disputed Spratly Islands, carrying out work that will see new islands rise from the sea, according to Philippine fishermen and officials in the area. China's efforts are reminiscent of Dubai's Palm resort-style land reclamation, they say.

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"They are creating artificial islands that never existed since the creation of the world, like the ones in Dubai," said Eugenio Bito-onon, 58, mayor of a sparsely populated stretch of the Spratlys called Kalayaan, or "freedom" in Filipino. "The construction is massive and nonstop. That would lead to total control of the South China Sea," Bito-onon said May 28, citing fishermen.

Artificial islands could help China anchor its claims and potentially develop bases to control waters that contain some of the world's busiest shipping lanes. China, which says the area falls within its 1940s-era "nine-dash line" map, successfully assumed control of the Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines in 2012 and has pressured Vietnam in the past month with an exploration oil rig in waters claimed by its neighbor.

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"China's end game is to have de facto -- if not de jure -- control over adjacent waters, the Western Pacific," said Richard Javad Heydarian, a political science lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University. "The only question is if and how it will achieve it. China might need to consider more coercive measures to do so given the hardening resistance of other claimant states."

Islands, Reefs

The Spratlys are a collection of more than 100 islands or reefs that dot the waters of the southern South China Sea. The islands have been at the center of sparring for decades, claimed in part by Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam, the Philippines and China. In 1988, a Chinese naval attack in the area killed 64 Vietnamese border guards. China has sought to cut off supplies to the Ayungin Shoal, where the Philippines scuttled a naval boat in 1999 on which it stations a handful of soldiers.

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The islands and reefs cover about 5 square kilometers of land, spread over an area roughly the size of Iraq. It is a commercial fishing area for tuna, mackerel, squid, octopus and turtles, and may contain large oil and gas deposits.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration in a February 2013 report estimated there to be about 11 billion barrels of oil reserves and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves in the broader South China Sea. Those figures are based on both proved and probable reserves, it said.

China's Claim

China considers the islands -- which it calls Nansha -- part of its territory, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters on June 6. "Anything China does on any of the islands or atolls is within its sovereign rights, and the Philippines has nothing to do with it," Hong said.

China's reclamation in the disputed Johnson South Reef, about 385 nautical miles from Scarborough Shoal, started in February and "we're almost sure that will be a base" for China, Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said on May 15. The defense ministry said in May it spotted a large ship siphoning sand nearby.

The Philippines has noted activity around two more reefs, known as Gaven and Cuarteron, President Benigno Aquino told reporters on June 5. "We are again bothered, there seems to be developments, amongst them a movement of ships," Aquino said.

Having islands that support air strips could help China if it were to seek to replicate its East China Sea air defense identification zone over the South China Sea. China declared the zone in November over islands where it contests sovereignty with Japan.

‘Aerial Presence'

"If you want to patrol and ‘enforce' an ADIZ, you need planes in the air; these could be launched from bases in Hainan and Woody Island, or from the new aircraft carrier" China launched in 2012, Richard Bitzinger, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said by e-mail.

China's reclamation efforts may serve as a template for waters disputed with Vietnam. China's placement of the oil rig off the Paracel Islands has led to clashes between coast guard vessels.

"China is already making its aerial presence felt over the South China Sea, with aircraft reported to be supporting its maritime flotilla around the oil rig off the coast of Vietnam," said Rory Medcalf, Director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney.

Nervous Fishermen

Chinese vessels unloaded sacks of cement and piles of wood and steel near Johnson South Reef in mid-May, according to fishing contractor Pasi Abdulpata, who received a call from one of the 40 fishermen aboard two 65-feet-long speedboats in the area at the time.

"They looked like they were going to build houses. They came in three big ships the size of our coast guard vessels," Abdulpata, 40, said by phone on May 28. "What China is doing is wrong, deforming the ocean."

Asked about the safety of the fishermen, Abdulpata said: "If the Chinese would run after them, they'd know where to hide." Even so, the crews are getting nervous, especially after the Philippines in May detained and then charged 9 Chinese fishermen with poaching in the area.

Last October, Abdulpata was fishing in the northern Spratlys near Parola Island when he encountered Chinese vessels.

"There was this huge Chinese ship sucking sand and rocks from one end of the ocean and blasting it to the other side using a tube," he said.

Fiery Cross Reef

Building a structure on the Johnson South Reef may contravene a 2002 declaration between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The non-binding Declaration of Conduct calls on parties to refrain from "inhabiting on the presently uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, cays and other features." China strictly follows the declaration, Hong said.

The Philippines is monitoring activity at the Fiery Cross Reef, with online Chinese news portal Qianzhan.com reporting in February that China has drawn up a plan to reclaim land in the area to build a military base. Any move to fortify the reef with a runway or sea port would "raise tensions and violate the Declaration of Conduct," Philippine Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said by phone.

China and Asean agreed to start talks last July on a legally binding code, although the discussions have made little progress.

Status Quo

"There have been a number of press reports about activities in the South China Sea, such as reclamation work and such as large scale construction of outposts that go far beyond what a reasonable person would consider to be consistent with the maintenance of the status quo," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel.

"Coercion and the threat of force as a mechanism for advancing territorial claims is simply unacceptable," Russel said yesterday on a teleconference with reporters.

The Philippines has taken its dispute to a United Nations tribunal, a process China does not recognize.

Kalayaan mayor Bito-onon favors arbitration, given the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, is dwarfed militarily by China. "You can't fight a gun with a bolo," he said in Puerto Princesa City on Palawan Island, referring to a machete-type knife. "That's crazy."

To contact the reporter on this story: Joel Guinto in Manila at jgui...@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rosalind Mathieson at rmath...@bloomberg.net Neil Western

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North Korea will ‘ruthlessly punish’ those behind human rights probe

By Chris Harris | With REUTERS

09/06 17:28 CET

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North Korea has reportedly threatened to ‘ruthlessly punish’ anyone involved in a UN bid to probe human rights abuses in the country.

The warning was made in a statement from the North’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, carried by the official KCNA news agency.

The UN has called for a field office to be set up in South Korea to monitor human rights abuses.

It followed a UN report that alleged wide-ranging abuses, including systematic torture, starvation and killings comparable to Nazi-era atrocities.

The statement, according to Reuters, said South Korean president Park Geun-hye and others from international human rights organisations would ‘pay the price’.

It went onto say the planned office would be an ‘anti-North Korean plot-breeding organisation’ led by South Korea and the US.

The UN, publishing its report, said North Korea had committed 'unspeakable atrocities' and that it should be referred to the International Criminal Court.

The report said: “The gravity, scale and nature of these violations reveal a state that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world.

“These crimes against humanity entail extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence, persecution on political, religious, racial and gender grounds, the forcible transfer of populations, the enforced disappearance of persons and the inhumane act of knowingly causing prolonged starvation.”

By Chris Harris | With REUTERS

 

 

 

 

[H.E. KUM Nelson Bame IV]

Pope Francis: The World's 'Idolatrous Economies' Only Survive Through War

• Agence France Presse

• Jun. 13, 2014, 7:15 AM
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REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

Pope Francis presides over the Holy Mass for the Assumption of Mary from the papal summer residence in Castelgandolfo south of Rome, August 15, 2013.

Pope Francis launched a sweeping attack on the world's economic system in an interview released Friday, saying it discards the young, puts money ahead of people and survives on the profits of war.

The 77-year-old leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics said some countries had a youth unemployment rate of more than 50 percent, with many millions in Europe seeking work in vain.

"It's madness," the pope said in an interview with the Barcelona-based Vanguardia daily's Vatican correspondent Henrique Cymerman.

"We discard a whole generation to maintain an economic system that no longer endures, a system that to survive has to make war, as the big empires have always done," Francis said.

"But since we cannot wage the Third World War, we make regional wars. And what does that mean? That we make and sell arms. And with that the balance sheets of the idolatrous economies -- the big world economies that sacrifice man at the feet of the idol of money -- are obviously cleaned up."

The pope said there was enough food to feed all the world's hungry.

"When you see photographs of malnourished children you put your head in your hands, you cannot understand it," Francis said.

"I think we are in a global economic system that is not good," he said.

People's needs should be at the heart of the economic system, the pope said.

"But we have placed money in the centre, the god of money. We have fallen into the sin of idolatry, the idolatry of money. The economy moves by the desire to have more and paradoxically it feeds a disposable culture."

screensnhot/"Dogma"

The pontiff said the young were discarded when "the birth rate is limited" and the old were discarded when they no longer were considered productive.

"By discarding children and the old, we discard the future of a people because the young will pull us strongly forward and the old will give us wisdom," he said.

Copyright (2014) AFP. All rights reserved. 

This article originally appeared at Agence France Presse. Copyright 2014. Follow Agence France Presse on Twitter.

Read more: Pope Francis: The World's 'Idolatrous Economies' Only Survive Through War

			Pope Francis: The World's 'Idolatrous Economies' Only Su... "It's madness."

[H.E. KUM Nelson Bame IV]

UN pushes for migrants

 to be called refugees

 

By ALBERTO ARCE and MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN3 hours ago

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — United Nations officials are pushing for many of the Central Americans fleeing to the U.S. to be treated as refugees displaced by armed conflict, a designation meant to increase pressure on the United States and Mexico to accept tens of thousands of people currently ineligible for asylum.

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·         Kerry urges Central America cooperation on child migrants AFP

Officials with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees say they hope to see movement toward a regional agreement on that status Thursday when migration and interior department representatives from the U.S., Mexico, and Central America meet in Nicaragua. The group will discuss updating a 30-year-old declaration regarding the obligations that nations have to aid refugees.

While such a resolution would lack any legal weight, the agency said it believes "the U.S. and Mexico should recognize that this is a refugee situation, which implies that they shouldn't be automatically sent to their home countries but rather receive international protection."

Most of the people widely considered to be refugees by the international community are fleeing more traditional political or ethnic conflicts like those in Syria or the Sudan. Central Americans would be among the first modern migrants considered refugees because they are fleeing violence and extortion at the hands of criminal gangs.

Central America's Northern Triangle of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras has become one of the most violent regions on earth in recent years, with swathes of all three countries under the control of drug traffickers and street gangs who rob, rape and extort ordinary citizens with impunity.

Honduras, a primary transit point for U.S.-bound cocaine, has the world's highest homicide rate for a nation that is not at war. Hondurans who are used to hiding indoors at night have been terrorized anew in recent months by a wave of attacks against churches, schools and buses.

During a recent visit to the U.S., Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said migrants from his country were "displaced by war" and called on the United States to acknowledge that.

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In this June 19, 2014 photo, a 14-year-old Guatemalan girl traveling alone waits for a northbound fr …

Honduran police routinely are accused of civil rights violations. The AP has reported at least five cases of alleged gang members missing or killed after being taken into police custody in what critics and human rights advocates call death squads engaged in a wave of social cleansing of criminals.

Violence by criminal organizations spread after members of California street gangs were deported to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, where they overwhelmed weak and corrupt police forces.

In El Salvador, the end of a truce between street gangs has led to a steep rise in homicides this year.

Salvadorans heading north through Mexico who were interviewed by The Associated Press last month said there also was fear of the "Sombra Negra," or "Black Shadow" - groups of masked men in civilian clothes who are believed responsible for extrajudicial killings of teens in gang-controlled neighborhoods. The Salvadoran government denies any involvement in death squads, but says it is investigating the reports.

In El Salvador, at least 135,000 people, or 2.1 percent of the population, have been forced to leave their homes, the vast majority due to gang extortion and violence, according to U.N. figures. That's more than twice the percentage displaced by Colombia's brutal civil war, the U.N. says.

Immigration experts in the U.S. and Central America say the flow of migrants from Honduras and El Salvador is likely to rise as the two countries experience more gang-related violence.

Bracing for new migrant busloads, Murrietta reside …Play Video

 

"They are leaving for some reason. Let's not send them back in a mechanical way, but rather evaluate the reasons they left their country," Fernando Protti, regional representative for the U.N. refugee agency, told The Associated Press.

Even though the agreement would not be legally binding on the countries that sign it, advocates say it would help create international consensus to help the migrants.

Those actions could include emergency aid and social services for internally displaced people inside Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

While U.N.-backed refugee camps house tens of thousands of people who have fled conflicts around the world, they are not a practical solution to the Central American crisis, said Dr. David James Cantor, director of the Refugee Law Initiative at the University of London, who has been pushing for the recognition of violence as one of the main factors driving Central American migration.

"Somebody from El Salvador will fit in in Guatemala. I don't think we want to get on the route of isolating them," he said. "They're not in the middle of the Syrian desert where there's nobody to receive them."

The United States has seen a dramatic increase in the number of Central American migrants crossing into its territory, particularly children traveling without any adult guardian. More than 52,000 unaccompanied children have been apprehended since October. Three-fourths of them are from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador and most say they are fleeing pervasive gang violence and crushing poverty.

Both Congressional Republicans and the Obama administration have called for action to reverse the trend. Among other changes, the administration wants to end a 2008 law allowing child migrants to automatically appear before an immigration judge. Instead, Border Patrol agents could decide whether to deport them or allow them an additional hearing.

Asked Monday whether the Obama administration viewed the situation at the border as a refugee crisis, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it was "a humanitarian situation that requires urgent attention."

The administration, he said, wanted to ensure child migrants were housed in "humane conditions" while authorities worked quickly to determine whether they should be allowed to remain in the U.S. If not, he said, the Homeland Security secretary should be allowed "to exercise his discretion about repatriating."

Many Congressional Republicans attribute the increased immigration to a failure to secure the border and recent immigration policy changes that led many to believe child migrants would be allowed to stay.

Many of the migrants, in fact, stay for years as their cases wend through overloaded migration courts. Those who say they are fleeing criminal violence generally are not eligible for political asylum, which is reserved for groups persecuted for their beliefs or identities. U.N. officials say there is no way of forcing the U.S. and Mexico to accept Central Americans as refugees, but a broad-based change in terminology could bring pressure on the two countries to do more.

"Unaccompanied children and families who fear for their lives and freedoms must not be forcibly returned without access to proper asylum procedures," UNHCR official Leslie Velez said in testimony submitted to the House Judiciary Committee late last month.

___

Weissenstein reported from Mexico City. Marcos Aleman contributed from San Salvador. Julie Pace in Washington contributed to this report.

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Ban urges maximum restraint amid ‘dangerous escalation of violence’ in Gaza

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. UN Photo/Mark Garten (file)

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8 July 2014 – With militants in the Gaza Strip stepping up rocket attacks against Israel, and Israeli airstrikes on the enclave intensifying, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said that he is ‘extremely concerned” by the escalating violence, and reiterated his call on all actors to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further civilian casualties and overall destabilization.

“The Secretary-General condemns the recent multiple rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza. These indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas must stop,” said a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson in New York.

Israeli-Palestinian violence has flared in the wake of the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank in late June and the subsequent kidnapping and killing of a Palestinian teenager from East Jerusalem last week.

“The Secretary-General is extremely concerned at the dangerous escalation of violence, which has already resulted in multiple Palestinian deaths and injuries as a result of Israeli operations against Gaza,” said today’s statement.

Mr. Ban reiterated his call on all actors to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further civilian casualties and overall destabilization, and added: “It is imperative now to restore calm. The unsustainable situation in Gaza will also need to be addressed in its political, security, humanitarian and development dimensions as part of a comprehensive solution.”

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News Tracker: past stories on this issue

UN officials deplore murder of Palestinian boy in Jerusalem

 

 

 

 

 

2 July 2014

General Assembly GA/PAL/1307

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

UNITED NATIONS SEMINAR ON ASSISTANCE TO PALESTINIAN PEOPLE EXAMINES ASSISTANCE,

 

GROWTH, AID DEPENDENCY IN EFFORT TO SPUR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

 

 

NAIROBI, 2 July — Ahead of the closing today of the United Nations Seminar, participants considered mobilization of global assistance to the Palestinian people and its effective use for sustainable growth in the context of a new aid paradigm, hearing that foreign aid might not be the key to unlock development, as many had thought.

 

Opening the third plenary session, Macharia Kamau, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations, noted that East Asia had experienced “transformative economic change in the last few decades, with little external aid”.  The new package of 17 sustainable development goals currently being discussed would be universal and transformative, and would have a cross-cutting effect on national social, economic, environmental and political efforts.  That would set the stage for very high expectations about the possibilities in a world without occupation and exploitation — one in which human rights were universally protected.

 

Unfortunately, he said, the new goals would have little applicability to Palestine under the current circumstances of colonization and occupation — a political construct that was truly anathema in the twenty-first century.  “So when we think of Palestine in the context of a new development paradigm, it cannot be that the situation in Palestine continues the way it has been for the last 30 or 40 years,” he said, stressing the occupation was a direct contradiction to those goals.

 

Mutasim Elagraa, senior economist with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) Assistance to the Palestinian People Unit, addressed the issue of enlarging the Palestinian economic policy space to promote sustainable development and competitiveness, breaking the cycle of aid dependency in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  He said that the high Palestinian unemployment rate underlined the severity of the socio-economic conditions, because it masked declining wages, low productivity, protracted unemployment spells and low participation, particularly of women, in the labour force.

 

Mr. Elagraa also drew attention to significant “revenue leakage” from direct and indirect imports into the Territory, explaining that 39 per cent of official Palestinian imports from Israel were actually transiting Israel from a third country before being re-exported to the Occupied Palestinian Territory duty-free, as if they had been produced in Israel.  UNCTAD estimated that, in 2010 and 2011, that had resulted in $115 million in annual revenue lost to Israel.  Smuggled goods were another major problem, as approximately 25 to 35 per cent of imports entered illegally.  Revenue leakage caused an estimated loss of 4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), he said, adding that recovering that revenue could create some 9,000 jobs.

 

In that context, he argued for greater economic policy space for the Palestinian Government, and stressed that the use of the Israeli shekel greatly limited the policy options, as Palestine, lacking its own currency, was unable to pursue independent monetary, exchange rate and interest rate policies, having to rely on fiscal tools instead.  However, in the discussion, he acknowledged that the issuance of a Palestinian currency was, at present, out of reach, owing to the need for additional training for the Central Bank and an overall lack of confidence in the economic situation.

 

Itay Epshtain, representing the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) — a coordinating body of more than 70 international non-governmental organizations presently working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory — delved into the issue of mobilizing, coordinating and delivering developmental and humanitarian assistance.  The Association’s advocacy efforts derived from a collective understanding that the context of the Occupied Palestinian Territory was one of a prolonged occupation, whereby Israel, as the occupying Power, had imposed several restrictive policies and practices that created or increased humanitarian needs and impeded development.  In that setting, the organization’s members understood that the sustainability of their aid and development efforts was largely dependent on policy change.

 

Further highlighting challenges to aid distribution to Palestinians, he said that while the Association recognized Israel’s legitimate security concerns, the land, sea and air restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip might very well be in contravention of Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law.  Stressing that those must be lifted, he said that where security threats necessitated the curtailing of the free movement of people and goods, that must comply with international law and be proportionate to a specific threat.  Those must also be temporary in nature, he said, noting that current constraints hit the poorest the hardest, impeded development of a sustainable local economy, and increased food insecurity and aid dependency.  Those also undermined access to specialized health and education services, as well as restricted normal family life.  It was incumbent on the international community to press both Israel and Egypt to drastically reduce the restricted access to the Gaza Strip, he said, highlighting specific incidents where the Israeli military commander had obstructed donor assistance and, in some cases, destroyed aid infrastructure.

 

In closing remarks, Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, said that while many of the presentations had been gloomy, the objective was to inform participants so as to well equip them to discuss the issues in detail with their counterparts, in defence of the rights of the Palestinian People.  It was important to help the Palestinian people “stay in their homeland”.  Many, he added, lived in crowded homes, sometimes seven or eight persons to a room, but still chose to stay.  Israel’s occupation must cease and independence of the State of Palestine must be achieved, he insisted, drawing an analogy to previous situations in African countries.

 

While he underlined the Palestinian Government’s condemnation of the killing of the three Israeli teenagers, he said the murders did not justify collective punishment.  As in the case of the three Israeli teenagers, he counted on the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Secretary-General to all condemn the murder of a Palestinian teenager that day, stressing that human rights must be equally applied.

 

The Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Abdou Salam Diallo (Senegal), recapped the two days of the Seminar and noted that Mr. Mansour’spresentation of the Palestinian National Development Plan for 2014-2015 was especially important, given the clear need to begin implementation.  Presentations from various United Nations bodies about the reality on the ground had reminded participants of the moral responsibility to combat the injustice inflicted on the Palestinian people.  Stressing the need for unwavering support to the Palestinian State in solidifying its Government and economy, he said “collective solidarity with the Palestinian people must take the shape of concrete assistance for long-term sustainable development and growth”.

 

He also reminded participants about the recently launched “Initiative for the Palestinian Economy”, a strategy put forward by United States Secretary of State John Kerry.  Aimed at revitalizing the Palestinian economy, stimulating local and foreign investment and creating job opportunities and economic growth, the Initiative, he noted, was intended to complement a peace process, as it brought the Palestinian people long-awaited peace dividends.

 

Concluding the work of the Seminar, Mr. Diallo said that “while the peace process has yet to bear the fruits we had all hoped for, we must all redouble our efforts to support the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable rights to self-determination and independence, allowing them to live free from occupation and in a thriving economy”.  Noting that 2014 was the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, he called on all the Governments to show concrete support in standing with the Palestinian people.

 

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For information media • not an official record

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monsanto begins compensating victims of dioxin exposure

Published time: July 08, 2014 19:16

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AFP Photo / Juliette Michel

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Residents of a West Virginia town that formerly hosted a Monsanto factory that produced noxious, cancer-causing chemicals can begin receiving assistance promised through a 2012, multi-million-dollar settlement.

A long-promised claims office finally opened up on First Avenue in Nitro, WV on Tuesday this week, meaning residents there will now be able to drop by five-days a week through October 31 in order to learn about what kind of coverage they are eligible to receive.

Monsanto, a major biotech corporation and the world’s largest seed producer, shut down their Nitro plan in 2004. Decades beforehand, however, the company produced the Vietnam War-era herbicide Agent Orange at the facility. Dioxin, a chemical by-product of the weed killer, was later linked to causing cancer and other serious health problems in those exposed to it.

In lieu of going to trial over the contamination, the biotech company agreed in 2012 to spend millions of dollars on a program that for the next three decades will assist residents of Nitro impacted by the plant.

West Virginia’s State Journal reported this week that anyone who lived, worked or attended school in areas impacted by the dioxin contamination can now show up at the claims office and register in order to formally express their interest in receiving free medical monitoring or have their property cleaned-up.

Under the terms of the settlement, Monsanto agreed to pay $84 million on the 30-year monitoring program, according to the State Journal — $21 million towards initial testing, and $63 million if dioxin test results suggests more should be done. Additionally, the company pledged $9 million towards property clean-up efforts to be undertaken at cites still contaminated. According to a 2013 report in the West Virginia Gazette, Monsanto planned on cleaning upwards of 4,500 homes in the area that were contaminated with dioxin dust. That procedure, the paper reported at the time, was expected to include vacuuming carpets, rugs and accessible horizontal surfaces with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter vacuums, wet cleaning floors, floor vents, tops of doors and window moldings, interior window sills, ceiling fans, light fixtures and radiators.

Thomas V. Flaherty, the court-appointed administrator of the class action settlement, told the paper that the opening of the claims office means that millions of dollars can soon go towards "medical examinations and property cleanup services to people and property affected the production of 'dioxin' at the Nitro Monsanto plant.” In order to be eligible, claims filers must be able to show that they worked, lived or studied near Nitro between 1948 and 2010.

“We are pleased to resolve this matter and end any concerns about historic operations at the Nitro plant,”Scott Partridge, Monsanto counsel, said in a statement when the settlement was first reached in 2012.

Meanwhile, a recent study has suggested that Roundup, a Monsanto-made herbicide used to treat the company’s GMO crops, may be linked to a fatal kidney disease. The study, published earlier this year in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, concluded that Roundup’s key ingredient, glyphosate, becomes highly toxic to the kidneys when mixed withor metals like arsenic and cadmium that often exist naturally in the soil. RT reported at the time that glyphosate was patented as a herbicide by Monsanto in the early 1970s, and has since been used to treat crops around the world, albeit with allegedly adverse reactions.

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Rasputin 08.07.2014 20:49

What about Vietnam, where children have been congenitally deformed, and millions of hectares of land ruined from Agent Orange? Where is their justice? I really hate the United States with a passion, with their Monsantos and Halliburtons and all the rest of the evil
of that nation.

 

penelope powell 08.07.2014 20:38

Leon the Professional 08.07.2014 19:35

Mansanto employees should be forced to eat their own corn until their stomach explode like in the movie, Seven.

  

Leon did you know that in facilities where these seeds are developed the cafeterias and dining rooms are forbidden to serve any GMO food? Monsanto's corporate headquarters dining room: ditto.

One of several species of corn causes infertility, but we have no way of knowing where this corn is grown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wall Street gets former NSA chief to help banks create ‘cyber war council’

Published time: July 08, 2014 20:19

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General Keith B. Alexander.(Reuters / Brendan Smialowski)

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The top trade group on Wall Street wants the White House to assemble a “cyber war council,” according to a new report, as America’s banks continue to brace for hackers to hit their computer systems with an unprecedented attack.

Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday this week that its journalists have viewed an internal document from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, or Simfa, calling for the United States government to create such a council “to stave off terrorist attacks that could trigger financial panic by temporarily wiping out account balances” by way of a cyberattack previously unseen on US servers.

According to Bloomberg journalist Carter Dougherty, the unpublished Simfa draft proposes that executives and deputy-level representatives from no fewer than eight US agencies join forces to ensure that the banking industry can withstand a severe cyberattack.

“We are concerned that the industry may not have the capabilities that we would like to effectively defend against this newer form of potential attack, the capability that we would like to stop such an attack once commenced from spreading to other financial institutions, or the capability we would like of effectively recovering if an initial attack is followed by waves of follow-on attacks,” Dougherty quotes from the document, reportedly dated June 27.

Such an attack, Simfa suggests, could occur “in the near-medium term,” result in “account balances and books and records being converted to zeros” and be “difficult and slow” to recover from.

“The systemic consequences could well be devastating for the economy as the resulting loss of confidence in the security of individual and corporate savings and assets could trigger widespread runs on financial institutions that likely would extend well beyond the directly impacted banks, securities firms and asset managers,” the document reads.

In order to counter such a strike, Simfa has reportedly suggested that government officers from the likes of the Treasury Department, National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security join forces with Wall Street in preparation.

Already, Dougherty reported, Simfa has retained Gen. Keith Alexander, the recently retired head of the NSA, as well as Michael Chertoff, the former director of DHS. Recently, it was reported that Alexander was requesting $1 million a month to provide consulting services in his post-NSA career.

A spokesperson for Simfa declined to comment to Bloomberg about the document, which the news agency failed to publish with this week’s report, but did say that the Wall Street group “is doing everything possible to help the industry prepare for and defend against cyberattacks.”

Another letter signed recently by Simfa was published to the web this week, however, and reveals that the trade group is officially endorsing a cybersecurity bill slated to be discussed by the US Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.

The potential legislation — the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, or CISA — “further strengthens the ability of the private sector and the federal government to work together to develop a more effective information sharing framework to respond to cyber threats,” reads the letter from Monday this week signed by Simfa President and Ceo Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr., as well as the Financial Services Roundtable and the American Bankers Association.

“The threat of cyberattacks is a clear and present danger to our industry and to other critical infrastructure providers that we and the nation as a whole rely upon,” the letter reads in part.

Privacy advocates are largely opposed to that act, however, and have said that codifying a program to share digital data between the government and private sector would put the sensitive information pertaining to millions of Americans at risk.

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laurierjoyce 08.07.2014 20:55

►●►●►●�� �▶my neighbor's step-mother makes <$65 /hr> on the laptop . She has been fired from work for nine months but last month her check was <$19486> just working on the laptop for a few hours. more tips here……... 2.gp/ACZ5

 

Tsuhna 08.07.2014 20:38

Haha, american "democracy" ; is so predictable. This news means in the real world tat NSA gets full access to foreign banks info, which helps the American business.

 

conservative one 08.07.2014 20:37

There is no more separation of powers in the US. Wall Street, US Congress, CIA, White House, Democrats and Republicans, Pentagon, MSM (media) are all together, all allies of each other. One giant superpower cabal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Israel readies 'ground assault' on Gaza, calls up 40,000 reservists

Published time: July 08, 2014 12:47 
Edited time: July 08, 2014 19:01

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Israeli soldiers stand on Merkava tanks in an army deployment area near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip on July 8, 2014 (AFP Photo / Jack Guez)

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Israel’s army is formulating options to eradicate rocket fire coming from Gaza, “including ground assault,” an anonymous Israeli official stated on Tuesday. An unspecified number of troops are being called up after preliminary approval for 40,000.

Air raid sirens rang through Tel Aviv as Israel’s 'Iron Dome' anti-missile system intercepted a rocket in images shown on live television, shortly after the troop mobilization.

The sirens rang out for a second time just under three hours later as the 'Iron Dome' intercepted another rocket. Sirens sounded in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and the northern Israeli town of Binyamina.

The reserve soldiers were mobilized as backup for the regular forces in anticipation of a possible escalation in the conflict, spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner told Reuters.

Some 1,500 reservists had already been mobilized by the time that Israel approved the calling up of the extra 40,000. Israel’s security cabinet voted in favor of calling up the tens of thousands of extra personnel as part of a potential “ground operation.”

“The army is preparing for all possible scenarios, including an invasion or a ground operation,” an anonymous official told the AFP agency.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said on Tuesday: “We are preparing for action against Hamas, which will not end within a few days,” according to RT’s Paula Slier from the Israeli/Gaza border area. More than100 sites in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip were struck over the course of the day.

There will be no immediate attempts at cease-fire, an Israeli official stated. “It won't end in a day and it won't end in two days. It will take time,” Yitzhak Aharonovitch, the country's Cabinet minister for internal security, told Channel 2 TV.

“If we need to go inside in a ground operation, then we will do it. These things are on the table. These options exist. We will not stop anything until the rocket firing ends,” he said, stating that presently there were no efforts being made to broker a cease fire. 

At least 15 Palestinians, among them three children, have been killed in the attacks, Palestinian medical officials told AP. Hamas stated shortly after discovering that at least two children had been killed, that"all Israelis" would be considered legitimate targets, according to AFP.

One specific assault targeted an Israeli assault on a house in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Interior Ministry reported on Tuesday. The home had belonged to the family of a Hamas member, local residents told Reuters, and six people died in the assault, two of which were the aforementioned children.

Tel Aviv Municipality is preparing to open public bomb shelters, reported Slier, and flights departing and arriving at Ben Gurion Airport are being diverted because of fears they could be hit by rocket fire, according to Haaretz.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military earlier in the day to "take off the gloves," with one source claiming he told the IDF to "go all the way."

Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar told Ynet on Tuesday that the IDF should take more aggressive measures in the Gaza Strip. "Israel need to step it up and operate with more ferocity against Hamas....I wouldn't rule out the possibility of rockets at Tel Aviv," Sa'ar stated.

Early on Tuesday, Israel began a major counter-offensive on Gaza, following the launch of over 85 rockets at southern Israel on Monday. The IDF deemed the figure to be higher.

Isra al-Modallal from the Ministry of Information in Gaza told RT that the strikes constituted a "real war" against Gaza, calling for an end to the "siege" and temed Israel's behavior "illegal and immoral". 

Peter Lerner from the Israeli Defense Force asked RT: "What is the alternative? To just let Hamas terrorists continue their barrage or aggression, of rockets?"

"This is an unfortunate situation," he said. "Israel had no intention, no wish to go and attack Gaza, but Hamas put us in this corner."

Israeli army tanks are seen outside the central Gaza Strip July 8, 2014 (Reuters / Baz Ratner)

At least 14 people were injured as the Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes against Hamas targets.

Operation Protective Edge was launched in Gaza following rocket fire, the Israeli Defense Force said on Twitter.

The Israeli air force and navy landed hits on 50 separate targets across Gaza.

A further official confirmed to AFP on Tuesday that the army had received instructions “to prepare different military alternatives in order to be ready in case of need.”

Russia, the US, France and the UK have all expressed unease over events in the Gaza Strip. Moscow has stated that "it is with deep concern" that there have been further escalations around Gaza and that the"use of force against the civilian population of Gaza deserves condemnation."

"I am deeply concerned by the recent escalation of violence in Gaza and southern Israel. I condemn the firing of rockets into Israel by Gaza-based militants," said the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague in a statement published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

"All sides have a responsibility to respect in full the November 2012 ceasefire, and to address the underlying causes of conflict and instability in Gaza," he said.

The US stated that it "strongly" condemned continuing rocket fire inside of Israel and "the deliberate targeting of civilians by terrorist organizations in Gaza," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a news briefing. "We support Israel's right to defend itself against these vicious attacks."

France has urged all sides to show restraint, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal stating: "We reaffirm our rejection of any form of violence," reported Reuters.

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Joshua 08.07.2014 20:21

Tsuhna 08.07.2014 20:15

Wait and see. Something will happen, but not like you hope. Wishing an annihilation of a nation is just demonic really.

  

I agree. but the overall picture people forget is that it does not matter what country does what. The people of this world are all slaves and trapped and made desolate of all things good.

The world needs freed, not just a nation. Soon the woman that rides the back of the beast will fall and all these systems and govenments and abomination corporations will fall. 

We will be free. This woman is their church, that would be Money.

 

Tsuhna 08.07.2014 20:15

Mark Ashton 08.07.2014 19:18

FFS Can't someone just nuke Israel so we can put a stop to all this nonsense. Really getting sick and tired of it.

  

Wait and see. Something will happen, but not like you hope. Wishing an annihilation of a nation is just demonic really.

 

DoAskDoTell 08.07.2014 20:04

Why is western Democratic Hate SO predictable? 

How much does religiou$ I$reali protection$ require from the US? 

Is there no break to Anglo Axis WW1 to WW2... to WW3? aka *the winner takes all BS*?

Why are the Nobel Peace Winners SO silent? 
Is there some hidden Nobel War Winner lists going in the US/Isreal? Or is it a top ultimate Racism/God list?

Armag eddon BS can only happen IF We All let it!

 

 

 

 

Scientists worldwide protest EU’s $1.6bn brain-mapping project

Published time: July 08, 2014 15:54

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Professor Henry Markram head of the Human Brain Project poses next to a lab setup after a new conference at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Ecublens, near Lausanne January 29, 2013 (Reuters / Valentin Flauraud)

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Neuroscientists worldwide are challenging an ambitious EU-funded $1.6 billion project to build a supercomputer simulation of the human brain, saying the effort is doomed. They are urging investment in existing projects instead.

Nearly 370 neuroscientists and researchers across the world – from the US to Japan – have signed an open letter to the European Commission.

The number of signatories on the letter – first published on Monday - is growing with more and more scientists intending to boycott the project if the EU refuses to adopt their recommendations.

Critics, including researchers at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Harvard and Stanford, say that the Human Brain Project (HBP) is “controversial and divisive” and “would fail to meet its goals” because it focuses on “an overly narrow approach.”

The 10-year effort was announced in 2013, just months before the US launched a related BRAIN Initiative to map the activity of the human brain.

The EU’s project involves more than 80 European and international research institutions and is aimed, according to its website, at building “a completely new information computing technology infrastructure for neuroscience.”

“If we can rise to it, we can gain profound insights into what makes us human, build revolutionary computing technologies and develop new treatments for brain disorders,” the HBP says.

But many researchers have refused to join HBP, saying it has “proved controversial from the start” on the grounds that it was far too premature to attempt a simulation of the entire human brain in a computer.

A scientist works in the laboratory of Professor Henry Markram (not pictured) head of the Human Brain Project during a media tour after a new conference at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Ecublens, near Lausanne January 29, 2013 (Reuters / Valentin Flauraud)

Some scientists insist the project is taking the wrong approach and that it’s a waste of money.

They have now come up with a list of “criteria,” which should be implemented, and are calling on EC officials to take “a very careful look” at the science and management before deciding on whether to renew its funding.

“At stake is funding on the order of 50 million euros per year for the “core project” and 50 million euros ($68 million) in “partnering projects” provided largely by the European member states’ funding bodies,” the letter reads.

They say the review will find "substantial failures" in the project's governance, flexibility and openness.

“We wish to express the view that the HBP is not on course and that the European Commission must take a very careful look at both the science and the management of the HBP before it is renewed,” the letter states.

Unless the EU takes their recommendations on board, neuroscientists “pledge not to apply for HBP partnering projects and will urge our colleagues to join us in this commitment.”

But the HBP’s head, Henry Markram, a neuroscientist at the the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, said that “criticisms are premature[sic],” and called it “a natural reaction when you move from an old paradigm to a new one.”

Markram’s colleague, co-director of the HBP Richard Frackowiak, has criticized the letter’s signatories for pursuing their own research agendas, saying they were “ill-informed,” The Guardian reported. Frackowiak said that simulations of the brain represented a long-needed "paradigm shift" in neuroscience, the newspaper added.

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DoAskDoTell 08.07.2014 20:45

Lovely, the ultimate wet dream for very impatient Master$ of the *greed is good* universe...

maybe, doing God's work... culling all *pesky* humans?
replace with robots/cyborgs that can multiply themselves?

... best of *corporate* science & all that the expense of massive Austerity/neo-$laver y R&D$ 

To convince the authoritarian-advers e $lave$: in the name of science dividents (aka budget black hole$) LOL

 

Rob Taylor 08.07.2014 16:40

What's the big deal if it works great if it doesn't then 1.7 billion is a drop in the ocean to what Europe spends. More like America doesn't want competition in this field and are scared in case Europe gets a lead. The UK academics and the US ones are the same side of the coin. They don't want Europeto be revolutionary. The US likes to be the first for everything. And if they don't get their way they'll try and sabotage it.

 

Maynard 08.07.2014 16:35

Our brains are holograms, being raped by R.N.M.-E.B.L. via U.S. airfarce and navy satellite and ground networks."For history is simply form, used to contain energy. Historical events are temporal, the energy of consciousness eternal. The Illuminati are using both historical event and memory as form to entrap consciousness and the energy it contains, which they then use to fuel their activities in various levels of the auric field."-The Illuminati and the Auric Field, Beth Goobie, paranoiamagazine issue 39. Protect your auric field with labradorite crystals and soul retrieval.also "The Network of Stolen Consciousness"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Half-million people evacuated in Japan amid 'worst-in-15-years' typhoon

Published time: July 08, 2014 12:15

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Trees have collapsed by strong wind on a street at Naha in Japan's southern island of Okinawa on July 8, 2014 (AFP Photo / Jiji Press)

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A super typhoon with destructive winds, towering waves and storm surges is heading to the Japanese island of Okinawa. Authorities have canceled flights and urged over 500,000 people to evacuate as meteorologists issued the highest storm warning.

One person has been reported dead in Typhoon Neoguri after his boat was swamped by high waves, reported NHK national television. Several people also sustained minor injuries from falls.

The typhoon alert was issued for Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost territory and home to around 1.2 million residents, and for the Miyako Islands in the same prefecture.

The super storm is packing gusts of up to 250kph, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, issuing a top-level warning.

According to the official from the agency, the waves could reach as high as 14 meters.

Some schools in the south of Japan’s main islands have been closed, and the authorities halted air and sea transport.

"There are fears about violent winds, high waves and tides and torrential rain that we have never experienced before," Satoshi Ebihara, the Japanese weather agency's chief forecaster, told journalists at a Monday news conference.

He urged the residents of Okinawa to stay in secure buildings or seek shelter if they fear that their household won’t survive the super typhoon.

"We are in an abnormal situation where serious danger is imminent," he said.

About 50,000 of Okinawan households have been left without power.

"The rain is becoming heavier as the typhoon approaches," a municipal official of Nanjo, a city in the south of Okinawa Island, told AFP, "We have urged residents to evacuate when they see any danger."

NASA is warning of major flooding on Wednesday and Thursday due to the rain caused by the typhoon

A wooden house collapsed during strong winds in Naha on Japan's southern island of Okinawa on July 8, 2014 (AFP Photo / Jiji Press)

“Neoguri has been caught by a trough of low pressure and is headed for the Japanese island of Kyushu, where the city of Nagasaki lies. Nagasaki had upwards of 8 inches of rain on Thursday, and parts of Kyushu saw 10 inches of rain on Friday, thanks to a stalled stationary front over the island,” said chief Weather Underground meteorologist Jeff Masters.

Typhoon Neoguri (image from earthobservatory.nasa.gov)

Okinawa Prefecture has no nuclear plants. However, there are two on Kyushu and Shikoku Islands, to the northeast of Okinawa, which could also be affected by the super typhoon. Both plants are shut due to government policy after other natural phenomena – a strong earthquake and subsequent tsunami - which crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant back in March, 2011.

Fukushima has 9 days to prevent ‘unsafe’ overheating

Meanwhile, the Kadena Air Force Base on Okinawa, the biggest US base in the Pacific Ocean, has evacuated some of its aircraft.

Typhoon Neoguri (image from Japan Meteorological Agency)

"I can't stress enough how dangerous this typhoon may be when it hits Okinawa," Commander James Hecker of the 18th Wing stationed in Kadena said in a statement posted online, “This is the most powerful typhoon forecast to hit the island in 15 years.”

He called on the base’s personnel and local residents to get ready and to take serious precautions ahead of the upcoming storm.

"So be prepared! Tie down your outdoor items and work with your neighbors to help them," he said."During the typhoon, do not go outside... anything not tied down, even small items, could become deadly projectiles."

The storm comes less than a year after one of the most destructive typhoons - Haiyan – struck the coast of the Philippines in November. The deadliest Philippine typhoon on record, it killed at least 6,268 people in that country alone.

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Gloves 08.07.2014 20:35

Suzanne Majo De Kuyper 08.07.2014 19:18

HAARP is the billion dollar United States program that changes world weather. The Feds just announced it is a dud and that they are stopping it. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. It is so successful it is being "pulled" in order to change it's name and profile and upgrade it's use a thousandfold. The US also seeds and blows up ready volcanoes that might not blow for 100 years naturally. Haiti was one such clearly, Fukushima might have been another.

  

Did Elvis tell you this?

 

Exat1952 08.07.2014 20:16

my buddy's step-aunt makes <$80> an hour on the internet . She has been without a job for five months but last month her pay was <$17434> just working on the internet for a few hours. visit homepage............ ........ 2.gp/Bdnx

 

Suzanne Majo De Kuyper 08.07.2014 19:18

HAARP is the billion dollar United States program that changes world weather. The Feds just announced it is a dud and that they are stopping it. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. It is so successful it is being "pulled" in order to change it's name and profile and upgrade it's use a thousandfold. The US also seeds and blows up ready volcanoes that might not blow for 100 years naturally. Haiti was one such clearly, Fukushima might have been another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

First since WWII: Germany may start spying back on US after double-agent scandal

Published time: July 08, 2014 10:26

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Demonstrators hold up banners as they take part in a protest in front of Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate against the US National Security Agency (NSA) collecting German emails, online chats and phone calls and sharing some of it with the country's intelligence services in Berlin (AFP Photo)

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Conflict, Crime, Germany, Intelligence,Politics, USA

Germany may scrap its decades-old policy of not spying on key NATO allies in response to the latest spy scandal, which exposed a German intelligence officer as a double-agent leaking secret documents to the US.

READ: Officials admit US had recruited German spy

After the defeat of Nazis in World War II, the new authorities of West Germany adopted a policy of turning a blind eye to the intelligence activities of some of the victors, namely the US, Britain and France. However, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government may change that situation, Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière told Bild newspaper.

He said Germany urgently needs to acquire “360-degree view” on operations conducted on its soil, which means it must conduct surveillance of all foreign intelligence agents working in the country.

The newspaper says it has obtained a document detailing “concrete countermeasures” it plans to implement to that regard.

The possible change in Germany’s stance follows the exposure of a German intelligence officer, who worked for the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), as an American double agent. The 31-year-old reportedly contacted the US embassy and offered “cooperation,” after which he leaked at least 218 secret documents in exchange for cash payments amounting more than $34,000.

Ironically, one of the prime interests for the US that the double agent was meant to meet was Berlin’s investigation into the alleged spying by the US National Security Agency on Chancellor Merkel and other German citizens.

The scandal reignited the outrage in Germany over American surveillance, with some lawmakers calling on expelling the handlers of the double agent from the country. The government so far refrained from commenting on the ongoing counter-espionage investigation, but Merkel said that if the allegations are proven to be true, it would be “a serious case.”

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the relations between Germany and the US would change if the allegations are confirmed.

“Should the suspicions be confirmed that American intelligence agencies were involved, then that’s also a political matter where one can’t just go back to the daily routine,” his office cited him as saying during a visit to Mongolia.

Thomas de Maizière (Image from wikipedia.org)

German President Joachim Gauck said if the allegations were to turn out to be true, “then it truly needs to be said: enough is enough.”

Merkel’s government is facing criticism over the restrained response it demonstrated after the revelation of NSA snooping on Germany, and the new scandal gives critics more ammunition.

“To respond to these allegations with the motto 'now we're going to spy back on you' is just absurd, and a sign of the government's helplessness,” commented Konstantin von Notz, a member of the parliamentary investigation committee into the NSA activity. “Either these surveillance activities are illegal and we do something to curb them, or not.”

The revelation of bugging of Merkel’s phone in publications based on leaks by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden triggered a heated debate in Germany, which is cautious of government surveillance due to a negative historic record the country had. The German government wanted the US to sign a no-spy deal to address the public concern, which Washington rejected.

The no-spy deal’s failure resurfaced this week after the new spy scandal. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Der Spiegel magazine that Washington would never agree to one.

“The US will never sign a no-spy agreement with any other countries, not with you, not with Britain or Canada,” Clinton was quoted as saying. “But that doesn’t mean that the two countries and their intelligence agencies shouldn’t clarify what’s appropriate and what isn’t.”

The comment came shortly after Defense Minister, Ursula von der Leyen, made a personal appeal to Clinton, who was visiting Berlin.

"For God's sake, take a hard line with your secret services," the minister said. "Good friends don't spy on one another."

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laurierjoyce 08.07.2014 20:55

►●►●►●�� �▶my neighbor's step-mother makes <$65 /hr> on the laptop . She has been fired from work for nine months but last month her check was <$19486> just working on the laptop for a few hours. more tips here……... 2.gp/ACZ5

 

Maurice Bond 08.07.2014 20:50

I am not interesting but I know they are used to spy on my person also. For instance these lines I wrote are registered in BLUFFDALE (Utah) for a duration of 100 years ! I am very honored and because every time I know I write and speak for the generations yet unborn...Isn't marvellous ?

 

 

mariarfoster 08.07.2014 20:37

►●►●►●�� �▶my neighbor's step-mother makes <$65 /hr> on the laptop . She has been fired from work for nine months but last month her check was <$19486> just working on the laptop for a few hours. more tips here……... 2.gp/ACZ5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20 strong 'powerful elite' abused children for decades – whistleblower

Published time: July 08, 2014 10:52 
Edited time: July 08, 2014 15:32

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Britain's Home Secretary Theresa May (Reuters / Phil Noble)

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Children, Human rights, Law, Police,Politics, Scandal, Sex, UK

​At least 20 former MPs, government ministers, judges and other prominent figures abused children for decades, claims a former child protection manager.

At least 20 former MPs, government ministers, judges and other prominent figures abused children for decades, claims a former child protection manager.

Whistleblower Peter McKelvie, whose allegations led initially to a 2012 police inquiry, told BBC Newsnight a “powerful elite” of pedophiles carried out “the worst form” of abuse.

He told the programme there was evidence that victims of abuse were treated like “lumps of meat,”taken from place to place to be molested.

McKelvie, formerly a child protection manager in Hereford and Worcester, took his concerns to Labour MP Tom Watson in 2012, who then raised the matter in parliament, prompting a preliminary police inquiry that became a formal inquiry in 2013.

“For the last 30 years and longer than that, there have been a number of allegations made by survivors that people at the very top of powerful institutions in this country ... have been involved in the abuse of children," McKelvie told Newsnight.

Asked if claims had been made against people still in positions of power today, he said, "Very much so ... what are allegations may or may not be true, but the allegations are there and they are against very specific named individuals.”

Announcing two reviews into the claims in the House of Commons on Monday, Home Secretary Theresa May said the first would be led by an independent panel of experts headed by Lady Butler Slosson law and child protection, while the second would cover how police and prosecutors handled information given to them.

She said further inquiries would focus on the Home Office’s alleged failure to act on allegations of child sex abuse contained in a dossier handed to them by Home Secretary Leon Britton in the 1980s by former Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens.

May claimed that files in the missing dossier were not deleted or destroyed intentionally, but pledged the inquiries would determine whether state bodies and “other non-state institutions”fulfilled their“duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse”.

“It will, like the inquiries into Hillsborough and the murder of Daniel Morgan, be a non-statutory panel inquiry. This means that it can begin its work sooner," she told MPs.

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Alan Rigby Marr 08.07.2014 19:37

I don't have much faith in any British inquiry.We had the one on Dr. Kelly and recently the Chilcot report which has failed in full publication. In Britain inquiries are used to whitewash any real facts and to silence the whistleblowers . The main purpose is to protect the establishment at all costs. British politicians must rank as both the worlds greatest hypocrites and cynics. Sexual abuse of children among the higher echelons will continue unabated and God help anybody who reports reports it. So don't believe any of the rubbish that goes on presently in the media .

 

HugoRune 08.07.2014 17:55

AL Nelson 08.07.2014 17:15

I'm fairly sure that many if not ALL of the names mentioned will be those connected to the Tory Party and in particular Maggie Thatcher

  

Te d Heath for one....

 

AL Nelson 08.07.2014 17:16

Not surprising.
We also know that Repulicans organised child sex parties in the White house with the full knowledge (and likely participation) of St Ronnie of alzheimers

 

 

 

Moscow accuses United States of 'kidnapping' Russian hacker

 

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U.S. Arrests Russian In Hacking Of Retail Systems

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WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia accused the United States on Tuesday of violating a bilateral treaty and "kidnapping" a Russian accused of hacking into U.S. retailers' computer systems to steal credit card data.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on July 5 arrested Roman Valerevich Seleznev, the son of a Russian lawmaker, for what it said were crimes carried out from 2009 to 2011.

The 30-year-old's father Valery Seleznev, a deputy in Russia's lower house, said in a statement he "intends to take all necessary steps to protect his lawful interests."

Roman Seleznev was apprehended in an airport in the Maldives, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"We consider this as the latest unfriendly move from Washington," it said in a statement on its website.

"This is not the first time the U.S. side, ignoring a bilateral treaty ... on mutual assistance in criminal matters, has gone ahead with what amounts to the kidnapping of a Russian citizen."

Seleznev was indicted in Washington state in March 2011 on charges including bank fraud, causing damage to a protected computer, obtaining information from a protected computer and aggravated identity theft, the U.S. agency said in a statement.

The indictment said Seleznev hacked into websites ranging from those run by the Phoenix Zoo, a branch of Schlotzsky's Deli and many other small restaurants and entertainment venues around the country.

Relations between Russia and the United States are at a low ebb in Vladimir Putin's third term as president, with the former Cold War enemies divided over the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine as well as on human rights, democracy and defense matters.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Julia Edwards; Additional reporting by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)

 

 

 

 

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Germany weighs how to hit back in US spying row

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S. Africa: Cutting Edge Laboratory Launched

iThemba Laboratory at the University of Johannesburg has launched the continent's first Accelerated Mass Spectrometry facility which will assist in areas including  in areas, including global and regional climate change, regional groundwater systems and palaeoanthropology.

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Africa's first Accelerated Mass Spectrometry (AMS) facility lab has been launched at the iThemba Laboratory at the University of Johannesburg. read more »

Photo: iThemba Labs

Minister Naledi Pandor and Dr Simon Mullins at AMS Facility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

100 million more Indians defined as poor: reports

 

July 7, 2014 2:21 PM

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An Indian resident speaks on the telelphone while his son looks on as another child sleeps in a hammock …

An extra 100 million Indians have been classed as poor by an expert panel that has redefined the country's poverty benchmark after a storm of protest, reports said Monday.

The government-appointed panel estimated nearly 30 percent of India's mammoth population -- or 363 million people -- were living in poverty in 2011-2012, after raising the poverty line proposed by the Planning Commission, the top economic planning body.

The experts' report, which was handed to the government last week, is expected to spark fresh debate in India where hundreds of millions of people still face a lack of food and housing.

The panel's conclusions were leaked to Indian media on Monday ahead of this week's budget, the first for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government which won a landslide victory in May on a pledge to revive the flagging economy and halt high inflation.

The previous government asked the panel, led by a former central bank governor, to review the figures following an outcry over the Planning Commission's threshold for poverty.

The commission's proposed level, revealed in 2011, defined those living on 27 rupees (45 US cents) a day in villages and 33 rupees (55 cents) in cities as not being below the poverty level, sparking outrage from social activists who said it was not enough to survive on.

But the experts said those living on 32 rupees (53 cents) in villages and 47 rupees (78 cents) in cities should be considered as living on the poverty line, according to the Times of India and other newspapers.

The poverty line is used to help determine government welfare benefit entitlements.

The planning minister's office told AFP it had received the panel's report but would not reveal its findings.

According to the Press Trust of India news agency, the report says poverty hit 38.2 per cent of the population in 2009-10 and fell to 29.5 percent or 363 million people in 2011-12.

The Planning Commission, however, estimated poverty at 29.8 per cent in 2009-10, saying it declined to 21.9 per cent in 2011-12 or 270 million people.

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Forum at the UN Discusses the Significance of Parents for Human Development

 

By Mrs. Lynn Walsh, Director, UPF Office of Marriage and Family Education

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

New York, USA - In commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family and the Global Day of Parents, the Permanent Mission of Grenada and UPF organized a forum about "The Significance of Parents in Human and Societal Development" held June 17, 2014 at the UN headquarters in New York. This event was honored by the enthusiastic co-sponsorship of the Permanent Representatives of Egypt, El Salvador, Indonesia, Nigeria and Romania and greatly enhanced by the supportive partnership of the Women's Federation for World Peace International. The first session, chaired by Taj Hamad, secretary general of UPF, opened with H.E. Denis G. Antoine, permanent representative of Grenada to the UN, sharing about the challenges parents face with many social changes and stresses such as social media and mentioned the anguish of parents in Nigeria with the recent abduction. The ambassador stated, "parents are indispensable" and without parental love, guidance and values, children have little sense of belonging or moral guides for their decisions; therefore, it is essential to reflect on and strengthen the role of parents for the sake of building strong societies. Ms. Amira Fahmy, counselor at the Permanent Mission of Egypt, spoke with great emphasis on children's natural need of parenting from both a mother and father for their optimum development in becoming contributing members of society. Mr. Masni Eriza, counselor at the Permanent Mission of Indonesia, emphasized parents’ unique role in giving children stability and love and teaching responsibility and values, stating that because "parents unlock the maximum potential for children," we need to take seriously the inclusion of the family in the Sustainable Development Goals. Ambassador Noel Sinclair, deputy chef de cabinet of the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly, shared how his parents taught him about coexisting cooperatively with others, caring for and respecting others, and living for the common good. As his family of nine was poor and he had to share a pair of sneakers with his sister, they had to alternate going to school week by week. He said being poor surely has significant disadvantages, but the security and love of his parents was far more important to him and made all the difference. The second session was moderated by Ms. Alexa Ward, deputy director of the UN Office for the Women's Federation for World Peace International. Fernando Vial, advocacy fellow at the World Youth Alliance, shared a striking personal story of how his mother's small but sacrificial act had a lifetime impact on his learning the value of integrity. Next, the keynote speaker, Dr. Catherine Panter-Brick, professor of anthropology, health and global affairs at Yale University, gave an informative PowerPoint presentation on, "Effective Parenting: Promoting Health, Development, and Peace" based on her years of research done around the world. Dr. Panter-Brick summarized from her research into both disadvantaged and middle-class populations by saying "to prevent mental health disorders, we need to prevent childhood adversities, and for this we need family-focused policies that strengthen the capabilities of parents to reduce violence, illness, and poor functioning." She said that unless we strengthen parents, both rich and poor, so that they can raise their children without the toxic stress of violence, neglect and family dysfunction, we are turning "gold into lead" or "turning normal children with great potential into mentally diseased adults."     Showing graphs of the cost effectiveness of different interventions including job training and school programs, Dr. Panter-Brick made clear that the earliest programs that strengthen parenting abilities are by far the most effective for child well-being. She stressed that secure attachment to both the mother and father are predictive of the child's success on all levels of development throughout life, since the parent-child relationship "sets the stage for the chemical and structural changes in the brain that govern emotional, social and physical behavior throughout life." Emphasizing that the father’s role cannot be underestimated, she said "the benefits of being securely attached to a father are paramount when children enter their period of adolescence." Dr. Panter-Brick discussed recent research answering the question, "With effecting parenting, can we raise our children in ways that reduce violence inside and outside the home?" with a resounding, "yes.” These research findings will be discussed this September at the UN in the launching of the Early Childhood Peace Consortium and the publication, Pathways to Peace. In her conclusion, she pointed out that policies and investments for social development are amiss if they exclude the family. Instead she argues for early childhood investments and parenting education, especially ones that engage fathers, as "the key to boost adult health, to reduce crime, to raise earnings, and to promote education and global citizens... because the scientific evidence links substantial family investments to real boosts in adult health, social and economic development and a disposition to peace." After Dr. Panter's presentation, respondent, Dr. Thomas Walsh, president of UPF, praised the presentation for making clear the essential role of parents, the importance of engaging fathers and the need for early intervention. We must create family-focused policies and programs, because mothers and fathers are the best resource we have for raising children to their full potential, or "gold into gold for life."

 

 

 

[H.E. KUM Nelson Bame IV]

Billionaire trio unite for

 US immigration reform

 

.

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Chairman of Microsoft Bill Gates (R) and chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett break for lunch during the Allen & Co. annual conference at the Sun Valley Resort on July 11, 2013 in Sun Valley, Idaho (AFP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

Washington (AFP) - Three of the world's richest men -- Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Sheldon Adelson -- put aside their political differences to unite in scathing condemnation of US lawmakers' failure to implement immigration reform.

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• Buffet, Gates, and Adelson: Billionaires prod Congress on immigration reform Christian Science Monitor
• Border crisis highlights US immigration reform failure AFP
• Democrat gives House Republicans red card: 'You failed' on immigration reform Christian Science Monitor
• US House Democrat: Immigration reform chances over Associated Press
• Why Boehner is right to sue Obama The Week (RSS)

In an opinion column in Friday's New York Times, the trio, who have a net worth of about $160 billion between them, said that a Congress paralyzed by partisanship is failing US citizens by refusing to make the compromises necessary to overhaul a system that Democrats, Republicans and President Barack Obama all say is broken.

"Americans deserve better than this," the men wrote, adding that despite their political differences they would be able to draft a bill acceptable to each of them.

They took particular aim at the Republican-led House of Representatives, which has stonewalled several attempts to craft legislation.

The House bill's differences, the trio argued, could be hammered out with members of the Senate, whose landmark immigration bill passed with bipartisan support one year ago but has languished on Capitol Hill.

"Whatever the precise provisions of a law, it's time for the House to draft and pass a bill that reflects both our country's humanity and its self-interest," the billionaires said.

"A Congress that does nothing about these problems is extending an irrational policy by default."

The three men may be on the same page with regard to immigration reform, but it is their political differences that makes the column stand out.

Gates, founder and former boss at Microsoft, and Berkshire Hathaway founder and world-renowned investor Buffett have both supported Obama, while Las Vegas Sands Corporation chief executive Adelson is the casino magnate who in 2012 spent nearly $100 million in an effort to defeat Obama's re-election.

Last year's Senate bill created a "pathway to citizenship" for many of the 11 million undocumented people in the US, a sticking point for conservative House Republicans who view the provision as amnesty for illegal immigrants.

House Speaker John Boehner has publicly proclaimed his support for immigration reform but has also said efforts to draft a comprehensive bill in 2014 were essentially dead.

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At least 128 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its operation five days ago, Palestinian sources say.

Two nephews of Hamas ex-PM Ismail Haniyeh were among those killed on Saturday, as Gaza was hit by multiple strikes, Palestinian officials said.

Israel says it has been hit by 43 rockets since Friday, suffering damage.

It has vowed to press on with its campaign until rocket attacks stop.

Israel says it is targeting militants and militant facilities, including the homes of senior operatives. It says "dozens of terrorists" are among those killed.

In the latest violence

• Ismail Haniyeh's nephews were among a group of six men killed in the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City, Palestinian medics said

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• Two people were killed in the north of Gaza City, and three other people, including an Islamic Jihad activist, died when a house in Jabaliya refugee camp was hit, the Palestinian health ministry said

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that his country will resist foreign pressure to halt its operations.

"The objective is to restore quiet to the cities of Israel, and I intend to achieve this objective," he said.

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James Reynolds reports from a petrol station gutted by a rocket attack in the Israeli city of Ashdod

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But Israeli civilians judge the rockets by the intent behind them and not by their military effectiveness. They are grimly familiar with the ritual of running for shelter with their children when they hear a 15-second warning. They expect their government to put a stop to it.

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A rocket struck a gas station in southern Israel on Friday, setting vehicles alight

 

 

 

 

Israel Pounds Gaza Strip as Palestinian Death Toll Rises

By Yaacov Benmeleh and Saud Abu Ramadan Jul 12, 2014 10:58 AM ET

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Photographer: Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images

Smoke rises following rocket attack in Ashdod, Israel.

Photographer: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images

Smoke plume following an explosion after an Israeli air strike on Gaza City.

Photographer: Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images

An Israeli tank moves along the border with Gaza.

Photographer: Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images

Palestinian men inspect the site of an Israeli military strike in Gaza City on July 8.

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Israeli warplanes pounded the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip for a fifth day, taking the death toll among Palestinians past 120 after the army struck a care facility for the disabled.

Two Palestinians were killed at the Charitable Institute for the Disabled in Beit Lahia and four others were seriously wounded, Ashraf al Qedra, spokesman for the Gaza Health Ministry, said by phone today. The Israeli army said it was investigating the report. Hundreds of Palestinians have been injured during the military operation and at least 128 have died, according to the official Wafa news agency.

Gaza militants, who have launched hundreds of rockets at Israel since July 8, fired at least 34 at Israel today, the army said on Twitter. Two others were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile-defense system. Three Israelis were hurt yesterday, one seriously, when a rocket hit a gas station in Ashdod.

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers how best to shut down the rocket fire, world leaders are seeking to steer him away from a land invasion that would send casualties higher. Palestinians and their international supporters are discussing a United Nations Security Council draft resolution to call for an immediate ceasefire and condemn all violence against civilians, the Associated Press reported today.

Egypt is stepping up efforts to end the crisis and has started “high level” talks with Israel, different Palestinian groups, as well as the UN and Arab League, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in an e-mailed statement today.

Mosques

During the pre-dawn raids today, Israeli warplanes struck a total of 60 “terror” sites, including a mosque the army said was being used by militants to store weapons. An aerial photo released by the military on Twitter showed the mosque site surrounded by civilian homes.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters “systematically use mosques to conceal weaponry and establish underground tunnel networks, abusing the holy nature of these sites for their own terror-oriented agendas,” the military said in a statement. “These sites are part of a vast terror network embedded deep within civilian populations purposefully.”

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay urged Israel yesterday “to take all possible measures to ensure full respect for the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions” in avoiding harm to civilians. The Israeli army said Hamas uses civilians as human shields.

At least 28 children are among the dead in Gaza, the UN aid agency in the region said.

Health System

The violence is straining the Palestinian health system, and the World Health Organization is appealing for $60 million to help prevent its collapse.

Netanyahu spoke by phone July 10 with President Barack Obama, who offered to “facilitate a cessation of hostilities,” according to a White House statement. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on Hamas, which recently ended its seven-year rift with his Palestinian Authority, to end the bloodshed by ceasing its rocket fire.

Hundreds of Palestinian civilians were killed and more than 1,000 wounded when Israel last invaded Gaza in January 2009. Israel evacuated the territory in 2005 after a 38-year occupation.

Rockets

“What’s important now is to save the people of Gaza,” Abbas said yesterday in an interview with Al Mayadeen television. “The only answer is a political solution.”

U.S.-brokered peace talks between Abbas’s Palestinian Authority and Israel collapsed in April. Tensions have since been heightened by the killing of teenagers on both sides of the conflict and Israel stepped up its air strikes after weeks of rocket fire intensified.

Netanyahu said the pace of attacks is double that of Israel’s November 2012 operation, also designed to quell rocket bombardments. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S., and the European Union.

At least 680 rockets have been fired from Gaza in the past five days, with about 138 intercepted by the Iron Dome. Israel has struck about 1,100 targets in the coastal enclave, including tunnels militants dug under the border with Israel, their homes, rocket launchers, command centers and training camps, according to the army.

To contact the reporters on this story: Yaacov Benmeleh in Tel Aviv at yben...@bloomberg.net; Saud Abu Ramadan in Jerusalem at sram...@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asa...@bloomberg.net Caroline Alexander, Vernon Wessels

 

UN must urgently investigate war crimes in Israeli-Gaza conflict – Amnesty Intl

Published time: July 12, 2014 10:33
Edited time: July 12, 2014 11:53

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Smoke and flames are seen following what witnesses said was an Israeli air strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip July 11, 2014. (Reuters/Abed Sha'at)

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Amnesty International (AI) has urged the UN to urgently mandate an independent international investigation into Israeli airstrikes on Gaza as well as Palestine’s indiscriminate shelling of Israel, and hold accountable those responsible for war crimes.

The UN questions the legality of Israel’s Gaza offensive, while Netanyahu is dismissive of international pressure

Despite claims by Israel that its operation “Protective Edge”, launched June 8, targets Hamas militants, most of more than a hundred Palestinians killed in airstrikes on Gaza are civilians, Amnesty says, adding that at least 24 children and 16 women were among the casualties.

Simultaneously, at least 20 people in Israel have been wounded by rocket attacks from Palestinian territories, according to the human rights watchdog, calling on the UN to set up a “fact-finding mission to Gaza and Israel to investigate violations of international humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict.”

“Swift UN action is needed as lives hang in the balance,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International. “The international community must not repeat previous mistakes, standing by and watching the devastating consequences for civilians of both sides.”

Palestinian men inspect the destruction following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City on July 12, 2014. (AFP Photo)

Amnesty sees arms embargo on Israel and all Palestinian military groups as a means of preventing the violence escalating further.

“Pending such an embargo, all states must immediately suspend all transfers of military equipment, assistance and munitions to the parties, which have failed to properly investigate violations committed in previous conflicts, or bring those responsible to justice,” Amnesty's official statement reads.

Strikes on homes, performed as part of Israel’s military operation, are a matter of particular concern to human rights groups. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, on Friday questioned the legality of such attacks.

Israel has argued that all targets in the Gaza strip are either military facilities or are homes of Hamas militants.

Bulldozers remove debris as Palestinians and rescue workers search for victims under the rubble of a house which police said was destroyed in an Israeli air strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip July 11, 2014. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

"In case of doubt, buildings ordinarily used for civilian purposes, such as homes, are presumed not to be legitimate military targets,” Libi Vice, spokeswoman for the Israel Defense Forces (IFD) told RT on Thursday.

Human rights watchdogs want proof that 340 housing units, destroyed in Gaza, were actually used for military purposes.

“Unless the Israeli authorities can provide specific information to show how a home is being used to make an effective contribution to military actions, deliberately attacking civilian homes constitutes a war crime and also amounts to collective punishment against the families,” said Amnesty's Luther.

“Firing indiscriminate rockets, which cannot be aimed accurately at military targets, is a war crime, as is deliberately targeting civilians,” he added. “There can be no excuse for either side failing to protect civilians, including journalists, medics and humanitarian workers, or civilian facilities.”

A picture taken from the southern Israeli Gaza border shows a rocket being launched from the Gaza strip into Israel, on July 11, 2014. (AFP Photo)

Amnesty International has also called on Israel and Egypt to “ensure that sufficient amounts of medical and humanitarian supplies are allowed into Gaza”. Healthcare services in the region have been on the brink of collapse due to shortages of supplies, the World Health Organization earlier warned.

Friday saw thousands of activists in London and Oslo protesting against Israeli strikes in Gaza. Organizers of the massive rallies said Palestinians are facing “a horrific escalation of racism and violence” at the hands of the IDF.

Israeli firefighters extinguish a fire that broke out after a rocket hit a petrol station in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod July 11, 2014. (Reuters/Avi Roccah)

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Azri'el Collier 12.07.2014 15:24

 

Vitaly Elman-Yelaun 12.07.2014 15:19

Where is Amnesty in Irak Afganistan Pakistan Syria this is not a crime by Israel Self defense from murdereres who did in fact killed jewish boys . Whoevere is crying for Amnesty to intervene is nazi himself Stop this UN campaining for good or we should get rid of this organization of international racists once and forever They are jew haters and should be treated just as such . DEFUND THEM

  

Exactly! About time some common sense! Instead of all these nazi/islamic racist jew haters!

 

Marc Lepine 12.07.2014 15:24

Azri'el Collier 12.07.2014 14:59

What a vile piece you are!! It is alright for hamas to rain rockets and terrorize Israelites anytime they want to?? And since hamas does not have the brains to develop ability like an iron dome, it is ok for them to fire rockets at Israel? You are either a nazi or an islamist pig!

  

What's really vile is the genocide committed by Israel against innocent men women and children. Not ONE Israeli has been killed. NOT ONE yet you sit these like a cretin and condemn the Palestinians. You Jewish people make me sick.

 

wiz ofozz 12.07.2014 15:23

Azri'el Collier 12.07.2014 15:19

Yes , they should. As well as war crime committed by the islamists too. and also great briton also, right?

  

I agree with you that what Israel has done is a war crime. We should make an example of them for the rest of the crooked countries to look at what will be coming to them as well..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russia writes off 90% of Cuba's debt ahead of Putin's 'big tour' to L. America

Published time: July 11, 2014 08:51
Edited time: July 12, 2014 13:52

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Big deal

Russia has written down $32 billion of Cuba’s Soviet era debt. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law ahead of his official visit to Latin America, with Havana as his first stop.

The agreement was first signed in October 2013 and draws a line under a twenty-year dispute.

Cuba is now required to pay back $3.2 billion over the next 10 years.

The first payment from Cuba is expected in October, and the money will be transferred to an account of the Russian lender Vnesheconombank opened at the National Bank of Cuba.

The agreement was signed into a law on Friday ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official visit to Latin America, where Cuba comes the first.

Cash-strapped Cuba has been feverishly trying to restructure its debt to jump start its economy and attract investment. Three years ago it restructured $6 billion it owes to China, and in 2012 Japan forgave about $1.4 billion.

Mexico recently forgave $478 million of Cuban debt, and Havana agreed to pay back $146 million over 10 years.

Cuba’s total debt was officially estimated at $13.6 billion in 2012 which is described as “active”. Other debt collected prior to its default in 1980s is referred to as “passive”.

Cuba remains a strong ally of Russia, with trade between the two countries at about $200 million last year.

After the Soviet Union broke up Russia became the legal successor to Cuba’s loans. Cuba in turn rejected this, saying that the debt was in a currency that no longer existed, and was to a country that had vanished.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (RIA Novosti)

Putin’s 'big tour'

The next stop following Havana will be Buenos Aires. Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been very supportive of Moscow in its stand-off with the West, and regrets that trade with Russia hasn’t been better. The two leaders aim to increase the annual $1.8 billion turnover, but its energy deals where both hope to gain a lot. A fifth of Argentina's power is provided using Russian technology, and a new multibillion dollar nuclear power plant which is expected to be built by Russia’s state-owned energy firm Rosatom will certainly increase that.

Last, but certainly not least, is Brazil. Not only will Putin be lucky enough to witness the World Cup final from the stands - and go through a symbolic handover of the Mundial from Brazil to Russia - he has a lot to discuss with Dilma Rouseff.

Brazil is Russia's key trading partner in Latin America and the two leaders share a common view on US wiretapping scandals - President Rouseff was one of the world leaders whose phone was hacked by the NSA. So a joint information security project will be on the agenda.

Here Putin will also meet a dozen Latin America presidents in hope of striking new partnerships.

The tour will culminate with the BRICS summit, where the final bricks of a joint development bank will be laid. The new financial body that’ll focus on infrastructure projects will have a $100 billion budget, and could represent a solid attempt by developing economies to become less dependent on loans from such international organizations as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

The BRICS countries are also expected to sign an additional $100 billion fund to steady the currency markets, a buffer that’ll provide for quick currency to compensate for massive capital outflows. Russia’s finance minister has already dubbed the body as a “mini –IMF.”

Russia will also propose to set up a BRICS energy association that will include a fuel reserve, as well as an institute for energy policy.

 

 

 

 

 

Russia surpasses US gold production for first time in 25 years

Published time: July 10, 2014 16:02
Edited time: July 11, 2014 12:13

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RIA Novosti / Pavel Lisitsyn

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Russia has produced more gold than the United States for the first time in 25 years. It’s now the world’s third biggest producer after China and Australia, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia Sergey Donskoy said.

In the last five years 270 mineral deposits were found in Russia, despite it not being a leading country for mineral exploration investment.

"This, in our opinion, has negative consequences, including a negative impact on the social and economic development of the regions," Vestifinance.ru quotes Donskoy as saying.

In 2013 Russia increased gold production by 12.6 percent achieving 254,241 tons according to the Russian gold producers union. China, the world’s major gold producer, increased its gold production by 6.2 percent to 428.16 tons a year.

However in 2013 gold prices tumbled by 28 percent and have only slightly recovered this year from $1,217 to $1,328 per troy ounce.

Unlike other countries where the taxation of oil and gas production is based on revenue, Russian legislation also includes the expense of geological exploration.

A deduction of exploration expenses from the production tax will contribute to the development of Russian gold production, says the minister, explaining that the US already has similar legislation for its coal industry.

 

 

 

‘US hegemony in world has ended’ – Russia’s deputy security chief

Published time: July 02, 2014 10:04

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US soldiers board the last C17 aircraft carrying US troops out of Iraq at Camp Adder on the outskirts of the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah on December 17, 2011. (AFP Photo / Martin Bureau)

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The deputy head of Russia’s supreme security body says US international dominance is being replaced by multiple centers of power. He urged a global agreement on the results of the Cold War, warning that the world could otherwise become engulfed in chaos.

“The United States has an impression that the breakup of the Soviet Union was the only result of the Cold War. This is arguable, and this is possible. But no one has attempted to analyze the results or make any conclusions from the situation. The unipolar world headed by Americans simply appeared,” Evgeny Lukyanov told the RIA Novosti.

“However, this status quo was not built to last. New power centers have appeared on the international arena, including the BRICS nations, and Russia itself has managed to regain its stance. Nations openly declare their interests and demand respect to their basic rights. This is how the US hegemony on the international arena has ended and of course Washington officials cannot agree with this,” the Russian official stated.

Lukyanov emphasized in the interview that the USSR was no more.

“Russia is a different state, a participant of international processes and we want to have a say, we have national interests which we intend to defend,” he said.

“This caused the West to overreact, on the verge of hysteria. But you cannot ignore the ‘Russia factor’ in the world,” the official added.

Lukyanov told reporters that all nations should gather and reach an agreement finalizing the Cold War. He suggested that it is done at a global congress of all major players and said that the only existing organization for such task is the UN and its Security Council.

“Otherwise, we will have no rules of the game, no agreements. Violations will happen without concrete obligations, and the world will become less manageable and more chaotic,” he said.

Lukyanov also touched upon the current situation in Ukraine and mentioned that US advisors were actively helping the Kiev regime.

“I am talking about intelligence specialists and people from US power structures. Of course, these people do not limit themselves to advice, they are developing a strategic line that the authorities are following strictly in making their decisions,” he noted.

The official also recalled that Russia also used US advisors during the reforms of the early ’90s and said that the results of this cooperation could be a warning to everyone who decides to repeat it.

He also said that it was unlikely that Kiev officials could establish order while using mercenaries from private military companies, such as Greystone Limited. German press has reported earlier that about 400 contractors from US private security firms were taking part in the Ukrainian military operation against anti-government protesters in southeastern regions of the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Former Chinese Premier Donates Book Earnings to Rural Students

   2014-07-12 17:17:42    CRIENGLISH.com      Web Editor: Guo

Click to see the next picture A ceremony is held on July 10, 2014, in Changting county, southeast China's Fujian province, to Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's earnings from book writing to improve local educational conditions. [Photo: Fujian Daily] Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji donated his earnings from book writing to a foundation to help students and teachers in poor and remote areas in southeast China's Fujian province, Fujian Daily reported. The foundation held a donation ceremony on Thursday, in Changting county of the province. Zhu Rui, chief of the foundation, introduced at the ceremony that this year's donation will go to help 800 students from five schools in the county's rural areas. The money will be used to provide free nutritious lunch to students, purchase new chairs and desks, and reward well-performing teachers. Zhu Rongji served as Chinese Premier between the year of 1997 and 2002. After retirement, he published several books on his remarks and statements during his tenure. He has donated all his income from book writing to establish the foundation last year, which aims at improving the educational condition in poor areas.

 

http://english.cri.cn/12394/2014/07/12/2743s835749_2.htm

 

 

 

First Private Charging Pole for Electric Cars Installed in Beijing's Tongzhou District

   2014-07-12 13:11:39    CRIENGLISH.com      Web Editor: Wang

Charging poles for new energy cars. [Photo: tyncar.com] The first private charging pole for new energy cars had been installed in a residence community in southeast Beijing's Tongzhou District, Beijing Times reports. The installation of the charging pole finished soon after its owner surnamed Li handed in his application form at the Tongzhou electric company. Cao Ying, a person in charge of the sales department of the electric company, said that the electricity price charged by a private charging pole costs 1.4002 yuan per kwh during the peak hours, and 0.8745 yuan per kwh during the non-peak period. If the car owner charges the battery between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. next morning, he can also enjoy a low electricity price at 0.3748 yuan per kwh, which means running a hundred kilometers costs only 10 yuan. For white collars like Li, who usually charge their cars after going off work in the evening, which is not the peak period, the cost is much less compared with an ordinary car that consumes gasoline, Cao added.

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NORTH KOREA

·  Jul. 3, 2014

President Xi Jinping of China arrives in South Korea for a state visit to a vital American all in move that appears to signal his resolve to unsettle America’s alliances in Northeast Asia; In the past, Chinese leaders have visited their ally North Korea before visiting South Korea, but Xi appears eager to strengthen some alliances and let others simmer. MORE

·  Jul. 2, 2014

Experts on North Korean behavior say country's decision to try American tourists Matthew Miller and Jeffrey Edward Fowle on charges of committing hostile acts against country could reflect the isolated nation's frustration that it is not drawing United States' full attention; some even suggest decision could be retaliation over release of movie The Interview, comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. MORE

 

 

 

The North Korean Puzzle

By THE EDITORIAL BOARDJULY 11, 2014

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President Park Geun-hye of South Korea and President Xi Jinping of China showed no sense of urgency in tackling the North Korean nuclear issue when they met last week in Seoul, even as analysts keep warning that North Korea is preparing to conduct its fourth nuclear test.

Ms. Park and Mr. Xi said the “two countries reaffirm their firm opposition to the development of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula” and reiterated the need to resume the six-party talks — involving North Korea, South Korea, China, the United States, Japan and Russia — to end the North’s nuclear program. The talks have been suspended since 2009. But there was no sign that anything more concrete came of the meeting. (Some worry that Mr. Xi’s five meetings with Ms. Park since he came to office last year is in part an effort to drive a wedge between South Korea and the United States. But Ms. Park is unlikely to be swayed.)

Ms. Park insists that South Korea will attend the talks only after North Korea commits to denuclearization. She raised the hurdle to the resumption of dialogue in March when she chose to deliver a speech in Dresden, Germany, on her government’s vision of Korean unification — which means unification under Seoul’s auspices.

Her stance is a more overt departure from that of her predecessors, who did not openly threaten North Korean integrity. President Lee Myung-bak, for instance, proposed the denuclearization of North Korea in exchange for security assurance, normalization of relations and economic assistance. For his part, Mr. Xi is pushing for resumption of the talks but considers denuclearization as a long-term goal and will not support a forced unification.

Meanwhile, North Korea continues to produce more nuclear materials. China should keep pressing the North to curb its nuclear activities, and all parties should try to find a way to return to negotiations.

A version of this editorial appears in print on July 12, 2014, in The International New York Times.

 

 

 

 

North Korea fires missiles as state announces death of its top nuclear expert

Announcement of the decorated general Jon Pyong Ho's death came as North Korea launched short-range missiles into its eastern waters

Image 1 of 2

Jon Pyong Ho attends KJI’s tour of the Rakwo’n Machine Complex in January 2005 (Photo: Rodong Sinmun). 

AP

2:47AM BST 09 Jul 2014

A former North Korean missile expert who was sanctioned by the United Nations for his role in the North's nuclear and missile weapons programmes has died, state media has said.

The announcement of Jon Pyong Ho's death came as North Korea launched short-range missiles into its eastern waters in the early hours of Wednesday.

The missiles, which a South Korean joint chiefs of staff official said appeared to be ballistic Scud-class missiles, were launched from a province in western North Korea and flew about 310 miles before crashing into waters to the northeast.

Jon, a highly decorated general in the Korean People's Army (KPA) and senior Worker's Party of Korea (WPK) figure, died aged 88 of natural causes, state media said.

"He made a special contribution to turning the KPA into a powerful elite revolutionary army equipped with modern and defensive means and converting the DPRK into a satellite producer, launcher, and a nuclear weapons state," official KCNA news agency said, using the North's official acronym.

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Jon's passing is unlikely to have any impact on the North's weapons programme because he had been retired from the frontlines and had passed his duties on to successors. However, he was still an influential figure nonetheless.

"He was certainly so powerful that when he left office as WPK Secretary and Director of Munitions Industries in 2010, Kim Jong Il essentially split his old position in two," said Michael Madden, an expert on the North's leadership.

A graduate of Moscow State University and a close adviser to late leader Kim Jong Il, Jon worked for more than four decades as a senior figure in the production and development of North Korean arms before retiring from public life in 2011.

When he was in office he oversaw development of the isolated, impoverished North's long-range ballistic missile programmes and was directly involved with its first test of a nuclear device in 2006.

He helped broker a deal with Pakistan in the 1990s that provided Pyongyang with critical technology for its uranium enrichment programme and exported advanced North Korean missile technology that is still in use by Pakistan.

Wednesday's missile launch was in defiance of a U.N. ban that prohibits North Korea from using or procuring ballistic missile technology that could be used in its nuclear or intercontinental ballistic missile programmes.

North Korea, which has threatened a fourth nuclear test, also in violation of UN sanctions, has test-fired short-range missiles and rockets four times in the past two weeks, and has threatened to continue doing so.

A state funeral in honour of Jon and his legacy in North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes will be organised by Kim Jong Un and held in Pyongyang soon, North Korean media said.

"Although Jon passed away, the exploits he performed on behalf of the party, the revolution and the country will shine on," KCNA said in an obituary.

 

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North Korea fires missiles as state announces death of its top nuclear expert

Announcement of the decorated general Jon Pyong Ho's death came as North Korea launched short-range missiles into its eastern waters

Image 1 of 2

Jon Pyong Ho attends KJI’s tour of the Rakwo’n Machine Complex in January 2005 (Photo: Rodong Sinmun). 

AP

2:47AM BST 09 Jul 2014

A former North Korean missile expert who was sanctioned by the United Nations for his role in the North's nuclear and missile weapons programmes has died, state media has said.

The announcement of Jon Pyong Ho's death came as North Korea launched short-range missiles into its eastern waters in the early hours of Wednesday.

The missiles, which a South Korean joint chiefs of staff official said appeared to be ballistic Scud-class missiles, were launched from a province in western North Korea and flew about 310 miles before crashing into waters to the northeast.

Jon, a highly decorated general in the Korean People's Army (KPA) and senior Worker's Party of Korea (WPK) figure, died aged 88 of natural causes, state media said.

"He made a special contribution to turning the KPA into a powerful elite revolutionary army equipped with modern and defensive means and converting the DPRK into a satellite producer, launcher, and a nuclear weapons state," official KCNA news agency said, using the North's official acronym.

Related Articles

• Kim Jong-un oversees test of North Korea's ‘breakthrough’ guided missile

27 Jun 2014

• North Korea slams US film The Interview about Kim Jong-un

20 Jun 2014

• What's it like watching World Cup from North Korea

18 Jun 2014

• North Korea releases video of 'new' and 'destabilising' cruise missile

18 Jun 2014

• North Korea sends Queen birthday congratulations

17 Jun 2014

• North Korea branches out into ivory, fake cigarette and pharmaceutical trade

15 Apr 2014

Jon's passing is unlikely to have any impact on the North's weapons programme because he had been retired from the frontlines and had passed his duties on to successors. However, he was still an influential figure nonetheless.

"He was certainly so powerful that when he left office as WPK Secretary and Director of Munitions Industries in 2010, Kim Jong Il essentially split his old position in two," said Michael Madden, an expert on the North's leadership.

A graduate of Moscow State University and a close adviser to late leader Kim Jong Il, Jon worked for more than four decades as a senior figure in the production and development of North Korean arms before retiring from public life in 2011.

When he was in office he oversaw development of the isolated, impoverished North's long-range ballistic missile programmes and was directly involved with its first test of a nuclear device in 2006.

He helped broker a deal with Pakistan in the 1990s that provided Pyongyang with critical technology for its uranium enrichment programme and exported advanced North Korean missile technology that is still in use by Pakistan.

Wednesday's missile launch was in defiance of a U.N. ban that prohibits North Korea from using or procuring ballistic missile technology that could be used in its nuclear or intercontinental ballistic missile programmes.

North Korea, which has threatened a fourth nuclear test, also in violation of UN sanctions, has test-fired short-range missiles and rockets four times in the past two weeks, and has threatened to continue doing so.

A state funeral in honour of Jon and his legacy in North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes will be organised by Kim Jong Un and held in Pyongyang soon, North Korean media said.

"Although Jon passed away, the exploits he performed on behalf of the party, the revolution and the country will shine on," KCNA said in an obituary.

 

 

[H.E. KUM Nelson Bame IV]

 PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

 

I looked up to the heavens and heard sounds, I looked at the earth and saw objects, and felt the waves of the cosmos;  it is a different era, WITH  different machines and different spirits.

Kindly pull back on GAZA.    For the sake of Peace and for the sake of greater dangers against all – something STRANGE  stands among nations and mankind.   Quench the thirst of ANIMOSITY, RACISM and SATANISM and ancestral spirits on the ground.   It is time for the World to step in on this day at this hour before all things FALL Apart.  Not just the Arabs and the Christians are in danger;  we are all in danger with no Victor!  Your satellites see nothing!  It is time for the superpowers to do something urgent for Peace and God and mankind!

PEACE IN GAZA; PEACE IN JERUSALEM; PEACE IN ISRAEL; PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST!!!!

---- Kum Nelson Bame Bame

 

[H.E. KUM Nelson Bame IV]

Epic fail: Israel's ambassador to US lambasted on Twitter during #AskDermer Q&A

Published time: July 17, 2014 16:54

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Ron Dermer, Ambassador of Israel to the United States (AFP Photo / Chris Kleponis)

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Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer received fierce backlash on Thursday as he defended his country’s Operation Protective Edge offensive on Gaza during a Twitter Q&A.

According to the latest Pew Research polling on the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, Americans still heavily lean toward sympathizing with Israel. Yet Dermer urged those who oppose Israel's military actions to ask him any questions so he could clarify his government's position. So they did, but the result was probably not the one that Dermer expected.

Israel’s offensive on Gaza that has killed 220 Palestinians as of Wednesday, 80 percent of which have been civilians, according to the United Nations. Meanwhile, only one Israeli has died as a result of rockets shot into Israel.

#AskDermer trended worldwide on Thursday, as a significant number of questions related to the four Palestinian children killed Wednesday on a Gaza beach by shelling from Israeli Defense Forces.

[H.E. KUM Nelson Bame IV]

The philosophy of WAR-vs-PEACE looking at man/tribe/nation as a  BEING that lives not just 80-100years but a BEING that lives across Ages, transcending the Cosmos both spiritually through give-and-take with newer generations having connections (mental/spiritual) with generations 300-7000 years ago, strongly points to the fact that WARS are a stupid way of resolving modern conflict.   How pre-emptive can MAN BE with the weapon of WARS?  Victories for 40years and up to 120 years are short-lived by the vengeance of newer generations that encircle the globe.  The resentment against RACISM and oppression are live-able and more enduring, more sustainable, more potent than the earth on which the oppressor lives.  The human heart/spirit lives longer than any man-made machines.  Dead flesh, yet living spirits haunt the earth beyond generations and impact our climate, temperatures and production capabilities within the physical living environment.   From the nearest hair to the galaxies far out, spirits have no boundaries how to melt the machineries of war or transcend all man-made-objects.  It is more powerful to conquer the soul of one living flesh-spirit BEING than it is to conquer the entire universe by ARMS/Flesh yet with no SOUL conquered.

----- Kum Nelson Bame Bame

 

 

World celebrates first Mandela Day since death

The world is celebrating the first Nelson Mandela International Day, a day of service coinciding with the late-South African president’s July 18^th birthday. This is the first time the day has been celebrated since the Nobel Peace Prize recipient died on December 5 at the age of 95. For the past five years, millions have volunteered 67 minutes of their time to mark Mandela's 67 years of activism in South Africa. Approximately 126 countries are expected to participate this year.

 

 

Merkel affirms Israel’s right to self-defense

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the armaments being used by Hamas were of “a completely new quality” which required a response from Israel. “When attacked like this, Israel as any other country must defend itself” she said at a press conference. Merkel said both sides would have to make “painful compromises” in order to end the ongoing conflict.Her comments come after Israel launched an overnight incursion into the Gaza Strip following ten days of airstrikes. At least 23 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have been killed since the ground operation began.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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There can be no military solution,

Ban says as Israel launches ground offensive against Gaza

 

A large crowd gathers in front of a home that was destroyed during Israeli air strikes in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip (8 July 2014). Repeated air strikes have destroyed many homes during the recent escalation of violence. Photo: UNICEF/NYHQ2014-0899/El Baba

17 July 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced his regret that Israel has launched a ground offensive against Gaza, despite calls for restraint, and stressed that there can be no military solution to the conflict which flared up over a week ago.

“I regret that despite my repeated urgings, and those of many regional and world leaders together, an already dangerous conflict has now escalated even further,” he stated during a photo-op at United Nations Headquarters with his newly appointed special envoys for Syria.

“In the past 24 hours, there have been a number of incidents involving the deaths of civilians, including the appalling killing of four boys on a beach in Gaza City,” he stated.

“I urge Israel to do far more to stop civilian casualties. There can be no military solution to this conflict. This applies as much to Israel-Palestine as it does to Syria.”

Israeli-Palestinian violence has flared in the wake of the recent kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank and the subsequent kidnapping and killing of a Palestinian teenager from East Jerusalem. Militants in Gaza have since stepped up rocket attacks against Israel, and Israeli airstrikes on the enclave intensified.

Earlier today, Mr. Ban had welcomed the humanitarian pause in Gaza which allowed the UN food agency and partners to provide aid to thousands of people, while expressing his hope that this will lead to a more durable calm.

In a statement issued today by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said the temporary ceasefire, which was brokered by the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, “allowed people to resume some daily routines and start repairs to electrical and water infrastructure,” while civilians in Israel “had a reprieve from rocket fire.”

The five-hour humanitarian pause started at 10 a.m. local time today and ended at 3 p.m.

The UN chief voiced appreciation that the pause “has mostly been respected by all parties,” and added that it shows that a cessation of hostilities is possible “if all the parties demonstrate the necessary will and put the interests of civilians, who have borne the brunt of this escalation, first.”

He voiced support for international efforts, led by Egypt, for a sustainable ceasefire, and expressed hope that today’s humanitarian pause can lead to a “more durable calm.”

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is distributing emergency food vouchers in areas where shops are functioning so that people can get food and shops can get funds at a time when banks in Gaza are closed.

The agency said it took advantage of the humanitarian pause to transport food, including wheat flour, bread and canned tuna, from its warehouses ready for distribution to 85,000 people in the next days as security conditions permit.

“The food needs in Gaza are urgent,” said WFP Country Director Pablo Recalde. “We are seeing the effectiveness of WFP’s food assistance programmes, which provides the opportunity for a rapid response and flexibility to scale-up emergency food assistance if the need arises.”

Since the latest wave of fighting began, the agency provided emergency food rations and vouchers to more than 20,000 displaced people. It has appealed for $20 million to continue its food assistance programmes to more than 600,000 of the most vulnerable people in the area.

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