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Proposed Nabucco Gas Pipeline Gets European Bank Backing
The heads of the EU's European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said Tuesday, Jan. 27, that they are prepared to provide financial backing for the Nabucco gas pipeline.
Spurred on by Europe's worst-ever gas crisis earlier this month, which left millions of homes across the continent without heat in the depths of winter, Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany invited top-ranking officials from both the EU and the countries involved in Nabucco to inject fresh momentum into the slow-moving project. Nabucco, an ambitious but still-unbuilt gas pipeline aimed at reducing Europe's energy reliance on Russia, is a 3,300-kilometer (2,050-mile) pipeline between Turkey and Austria. Costing an estimated 7.9 billion euros, the aim is to transport up to 31 billion cubic meters of gas each year from the Caspian Sea to Western Europe, bypassing Russia and Ukraine. Nabucco currently has six shareholders -- OMV of Austria, MOL of Hungary, Transgaz of Romania, Bulgargaz of Bulgaria, Botas of Turkey and RWE of Germany. But for the pipeline to get moving, Nabucco would need an initial cash injection of an estimated 300 million euros. Both the EIB and EBRD said they were willing to invest in the early stages of the project through a series of loans, providing certain conditions are met. "The EIB is ready to finance projects that further EU objectives of increased sustainability and energy security," said Philippe Maystadt, president of the European Investment Bank, during the opening addresses by participants at the "Nabucco summit" in Hungary. The EIB is prepared to finance "up to 25 percent of project cost," provided a secure intergovernmental agreement on the Nabucco pipeline is reached, he said. Maystadt noted that of 48 billion euros of financing it provided last year, a quarter was for energy projects. EBRD President Thomas Mirow also offered financial backing to the Nabucco pipeline, on the condition that it "meets the requirements of solid project financing." The bank would need to see concrete plans and completion guarantees, besides a stable political agreement, said Mirow. EU wary of future gas crises Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU, spoke about the recent gas crisis caused by a pricing dispute between Russia and Ukraine that affected supplies to Europe. "A new crisis could emerge at any time, and next time it could be even worse," Topolanek said. He added that reaching an agreement on Nabucco is a "test of European solidarity." The latest gas row between Russia and Ukraine has highlighted Europe's need to diversify its energy sources and thrown the spotlight on Nabucco. But critics insist that the vast project will remain nothing but a pipe dream because its backers cannot guarantee that they will ever have sufficient gas supplies to make it profitable. EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs urged political leaders to commit firmly to Nabucco by the end of March, or risk jeopardizing the project. In his opening address as host, Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany called on the EU to provide 200 to 300 million euros within the next few weeks to get the construction of the pipeline off the ground. Gyurcsany stressed that he was not hoping for a loan, but rather for starting capital from the EU. US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza noted that the Tuesday summit had made it clear that Gyurcsany, who dismissed Nabucco as "a dream" in 2007, was now fully committed to the energy supply diversification project. On the supply side, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan both indicated they would be willing to supply some of the gas. "Azerbaijan, which is according to current plans is a transit country, could eventually serve as a supplier as well," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said. Azerbaijan's gas reserves of some two or three trillion cubic meters would be sufficient to last "several decades," he said. Austrian Economy Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner suggested that Egypt and Iran could also be brought in as suppliers in the long term. But a deal currently seems unlikely with Iran given the long-running international standoff over its disputed nuclear program. Russia, Ukraine still wrangling Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine were still wrangling over the details of the deal which ended their gas quarrel earlier this month. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said on Tuesday he would stand by the terms of the agreement with Russia, even though not all the details are to his liking. But Russian officials questioned his reliability, saying that the political rivalry between Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko could still lead Kiev to cancel the contract. "The agreements signed are not easy ones, but Ukraine fully takes up the performance (of its commitments) and guarantees full-fledged transit to European consumers," Yushchenko told journalists in Brussels after a meeting with the head of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso. The assurance that Yushchenko would abide by the terms of the agreement finalized by Timoshenko was "an important step forward in allowing us to focus on our broader relationship," Barroso said. But the spokesman for Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that Moscow still feared that the growing rivalry between Yushchenko and Timoshenko, who are set to face off in next year's presidential election, could torpedo the deal. EU in talks to upgrade Ukraine's transit system Yushchenko's working breakfast with Barroso was dominated by the energy question, with both men highlighting the need to upgrade Ukraine's gas-transit system and build more links between Ukrainian and European energy markets. The commission is set to host an international conference aimed at gathering donations to upgrade Ukraine's gas-transit system on March 23 in Brussels. The EU and Ukraine have agreed to form a joint expert group to plan the meeting, the leaders said Tuesday. During the conflict, Barroso had warned that both Russia and Ukraine were damaging their credibility as reliable partners. But on Monday he said that "in bilateral relations, we are not taking any negative consequences from (the gas row) because we believe Ukraine wants to deepen the relationship with the EU, and we also want to deepen the relationship with Ukraine." He also said that "we have to state very clearly that we were disappointed by the problems between Ukraine and Russia," and called for political stability and reform in Ukraine. His diplomatic balancing act is likely to have a frosty reception in Moscow, where Peskov said that Russia "would prefer to hear from the European states a very serious and severe evaluation of who is guilty for interrupting the transit." | [
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Chancellor Merkel Tries to Patch Up Differences With Pope Benedict
German Chancellor Merkel and Pope Benedict XVI spoke by telephone to set aside their differences over a Holocaust denial by an ultra-conservative bishop. Spokespeople said the talk was marked by "mutual respect."
Merkel was the first government leader to take the unusual step of calling on German-born Pope Benedict XVI to demand a traditionalist bishop readmitted to the Catholic Church retract statements he made denying the extent of the Holocaust. The pope and the chancellor explained their views during the conversation on Sunday, Feb. 8, "with the greatest of mutual respect," according to a joint statement released by the Vatican and German press spokesman. "It was a good and constructive talk, carried by the deep and constant reminder that the Shoah holds for humanity," the statement said. The telephone conversation came at the request of the chancellor, who earlier this week aroused the Vatican's ire by saying the Catholic Church had not spoken clearly enough in rejecting Holocaust denial. She was reacting to remarks made by Bishop Richard Williamson, one of four traditionalist bishops with the conservative St. Pius X Society whose 1988 excommunication was lifted by the pontiff. Outcry in Germany The move by Benedict XVI, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was condemned by Jewish groups and led to an outcry in his native Germany, where Merkel joined in the criticism. The chancellor came under fire from conservative elements in her Christian Democrat and Christian Social Union alliance, who accused here of meddling in Church affairs. Benedict's decision to rehabilitate the four bishops was seen a sign that the renegade group was willing to reconcile with Rome. But amid mounting pressure, the Vatican eventually issued a statement saying Williamson would have to recant his Holocaust-denial claims before being allowed to occupy any office within the church. Merkel welcomed the Vatican's statement as "an important and good signal." British-born Williamson, who lives in Argentina, denied there were gas chambers at the Nazis' death camp in Auschwitz and alleging the scale of deaths of Jews under the Nazis was no more than "200,000 to 300,000." He refused to change the stance he made in a Swedish television interview days before his excommunication was lifted but told the German weekly Der Spiegel that he would reexamine the historical evidence. "If I find proof I would rectify (earlier statements).... But all that will take time," he was quoted as saying. An opinion poll in Germany found that two-thirds of German Catholics think the decision to allow Williamson back into the Church was harmful, the weekly Bild am Sonntag reported. Some 56 percent of people polled said Williamson should excommunicated for a second time. The Vatican has said Pope Benedict, who has expressed his full solidarity with Jews, was not aware of Williamson's denial of the Holocaust when he readmitted the bishops to the Catholic flock in an attempt to heal a 20-year-old division in the Church. | [
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Pakistan Submits Preliminary Report on Mumbai Attacks
A senior Pakistani official has admitted for the first time that last year's attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai were partly planned in Pakistan.
Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said that several suspects are now being held and a case has been filed which may lead to their prosecution. At least 173 people were killed in November's attacks. Tensions between between India and Pakistan rose after Delhi said all 10 gunmen were from Pakistan. Pakistan denied any responsibility in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, but later it admitted that the sole gunman captured alive was a Pakistani national. | [
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EU Signs Pirate Deal With Kenya
The EU has signed an agreement with Kenya that provides for the handover of pirates seized by the German Navy off the coast of Somalia -- but no decision has been made whether the pirates would be transferred to Kenya.
The agreement was signed in Nairobi on Friday, March 6, by Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetang'ula and the Czech ambassador to Kenya, said a Foreign Office spokesman. The Czech Republic holds the rotating presidency of the EU. The pirates are on board the German frigate Rheinland Pfalz, which apprehended them on Tuesday when they attacked a German merchant vessel off Somalia with anti-tank missiles and firearms. The frigate is part of the EU's anti-piracy mission Atalanta in the Gulf of Aden, which Germany joined in December. The foreign office spokesman said no decision had been made whether the nine pirates captured by the German Navy would be transferred to Kenya. Exploring unchartered territory First, independent prosecutors in Hamburg need to decide whether the men should face trial in Germany. The German navy has given them all its evidence, and it is now up to them to say whether German interests were at stake during the attack. A specially convened commission, representing Germany's Interior, Foreign, Defence and Justice ministries, met this week to discuss the legal status of the pirates -- hitherto unchartered legal territory. The Hamburg court, which is responsible for maritime legal issues, will provide Berlin with more time to decide on what to do with the alleged pirates. A spokesperson for the court has already said that the decision to open the probe meant in no way that the nine men would be brought to Germany for processing. "The government is studying in-depth whether the suspected pirates could, if necessary, be handed over to a third country for prosecution," the government said Thursday in a statement. This is the first time in Germany's modern history that its navy has made any apprehensions at sea. One possible destination for the nine men could be Kenya, which on Thursday received seven suspected Somali pirates captured Feb. 11 by the US guided-missile cruiser Vella Gul. The seven men will face prosecution under a bilateral pact between the US and Kenya. Prosecution uncertain The German Navy frigate Rheinland-Pfalz took part Tuesday in a dramatic rescue after the nine Somalis, allegedly armed with anti-tank rocket launchers and firearms, were said to have attacked a German merchant vessel off the Somali coast. The MV Courier, owned by a Bremen-based shipping company, had been sailing under an Antigua and Barbuda flag. No German nationals were on board. The Interior Ministry said Wednesday that there were no grounds for a German prosecution of the captured men, because no German interests were judged to have been endangered in the attack. Germany currently has no agreement with third-party countries under which captured pirates could be prosecuted. Under European law, which applies to the German naval mission, pirates can be held for up to 12 days. The men are to stay on board the Rheinland-Pfalz until a decision is reached. In 2008, pirates seized more than 200 ships off the Somali coast, demanding millions of dollars in ransom. | [
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NATO Troops Killed in Roadside Afghan Blast
Five NATO-led troops, three Afghan civilians, two Afghan police officers and five militants were killed in a series of blasts and clashes in Afghanistan. A sixth NATO soldier died in a traffic accident, officials said.
In the latest incident, four NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb blast in eastern region of the country, the alliance said in a statement on Sunday, March 15. "On behalf of ISAF, I offer our sincere condolences to the families and friends of our fallen soldiers," Brigadier-General Richard Blanchette, an ISAF spokesperson said in a statement. "These dedicated professionals have risked their lives for a safe and stable Afghanistan," he said. The statement did not disclose the nationalities of the soldiers, nor say where exactly in eastern region the incident took place. Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman said that their forces attacked a US military tank in Kot district of eastern Nangarhar province on Sunday afternoon. It was not immediately clear if the Taliban and NATO statement were referring to the same incident. Meanwhile, a French soldier was killed in a Taliban attack in an area east of Kabul city on Saturday, French Defense Ministry and NATO military in Kabul said. The sixth NATO fatality was a German soldier, who was killed in a traffic accident in northern Afghanistan, the German Defense Ministry said. A British soldier was also killed in an insurgent attack in southern province of Helmand on Saturday, bringing the total number of NATO fatalities to seven in the past two days. Meanwhile, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed vehicle near a convoy of foreign forces in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday afternoon, killing two civilians and wounding 14, including several children, Zemarai Bashary, spokesman for the Interior Ministry said. In the south of the country, a roadside bomb targeting Kandahar city's mayor on Sunday killed one bystander and wounded six more civilians, Abdul Khaliq, a senior police official in the province, said. In a separate incident in the same province, US-led coalition forces said they killed five suspected Taliban insurgents and detained four more in an operation in Maiwand district of the province on Sunday morning. The Afghan forces bear the brunt of Taliban attacks in Afghanistan. More than 2,300 police forces were killed in the past two years. Seven years from the ouster of their regime, Taliban militants continue to grow stronger and extend their writ to wider swathes of the country. | [
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Bonn Conference to Set Agenda for New UN Climate Deal
The UN's climate chief urged industrialized countries to lead the way on controlling climate change as a new round of UN talks aimed at replacing the Kyoto Protocol got underway in Bonn on Sunday, March 29.
Around 2,600 delegates from 175 countries gathered in the former German capital over the weekend for the first of several meetings ahead of December's Copenhagen summit, at which new global targets on emissions are to be set ahead of the 2012 expiry of the Kyoto agreement. The Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement on stabilizing the output of greenhouse gases, entered into force in 2005. Yvo De Boer, who heads climate change initiatives at the United Nations, said developing countries would only agree to a new climate pact if industrialized nations set clear targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases. Additionally, those nations have to be prepared to offer financial support to poorer countries. A challenge for big polluters The new agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol sets a challenge for industrialized nations, with a call for an additional target of a 25 to 40-percent reduction in greenhouse gases by the year 2020, compared to 1990 figures. By the year 2050, output is to be reduced even more, with a targeted emissions cut of 50 to 80 percent. That cut is needed to keep the overall increase in world temperatures within 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 F). These targets will be haggled over in the months leading up to December's Copenhagen summit. Many industrialized nations are hoping to tweak their domestic economies as little as possible, perhaps by using compensatory projects, such as rain forest preservation, to help them meet targets. De Boer said the debate needed to move forward during the 10-day Bonn conference, as a draft proposal was needed by June in order to meet the Copenhagen deadline. "The clock is running and the states have a great deal of work ahead," de Boer said. All eyes on the US The United States' position will be keenly observed in the coming days, since Washington recently changed tack on climate change with the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Former US President Bill Clinton signed the Kyoto Protocol, but it was never ratified. The White House on Saturday invited the UN and 16 major economies to Washington to prepare for international efforts to reduce climate changing greenhouse gas emissions. "The US will be powerfully and fervently engaged in this process," Obama's climate negotiator, Todd Stern said on Sunday. But he cautioned against unrealistic expectations that the United States could "wave a magic wand" and find solutions to all problems. "I don't think anybody should be thinking that the US can ride in on a white horse and make it all work," he said. The Chinese puzzle In particular, Washington wants to see China increase its commitment to emissions reduction, since the country's economic growth made it one of the biggest greenhouse gas contributors. China and the US between them account for more than 40 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. "If you do the math, you simply cannot be anywhere near where science tells us we need to be if you don't have China involved, as well also other major developing countries," he said. The Kyoto protocol was lenient on developing countries such as China, India and Brazil. This is to change in the document to be signed in Copenhagen. De Boer welcomed Obama's initiative, saying it could be "useful" to find a political solution to the climate change talks. | [
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German Social Democrats pledge more money for low-income earners
Leaders of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) have unanimously approved an election manifesto ahead of September's federal poll, hoping the promise of more cash will win over voters.
Key points of the center-left SPD's platform are tax cuts and state handouts for low-income groups and families with children. These promises would be partly financed by a tax on the rich and a levy on stock transactions. "We know that crisis management is necessary, and that is the core of this program," the Social Democrats' candidate for the chancellery, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, told journalists on Saturday, April 18. The SPD is seeking to distance itself from Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) as Germany's two coalition partners gear up for a parliamentary election on Sept. 27. This year's election campaign is expected to be dominated by the fallout from the financial crisis, which has hit key sectors of German industry and put tens of thousands of workers on reduced hours with less pay. Other key issues for the SPD will be a move to ban the right-extremist National Democratic Party (NPD), as well as a complete phasing out of nuclear energy by 2021. The Social Democrats have also promised to prevent the privatization of Germany's national rail operator Deutsche Bahn until the next election. The much-disputed initial private offering planned for last year was put on hold due to the slide in global markets. Turn to the left? The party platform, which Steinmeier will officially unveil on Sunday, includes a 300-euro ($390) tax rebate for people on low wages, in return for not filing a tax return. The SPD says the plan will not just help low-income earners, but also help cut red tape. But the proposal has already generated ridicule from opposition parties on Thursday, when the German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung leaked the plans. Chairman for the Christian Social Union party's association of small and medium businesses, Hans Michelbach, said the bonus would hinder rather than help. He said it would only complicate people's taxes, and labeled it "the worst form of rip-off." Secretary-general from the business-oriented Free Democratic Party, Dirk Niebel, described the scheme as typically socialist. His deputy, Carl-Ludwig Thiele, said the rebate would give tax authorities the added task of monitoring whether taxpayers applying for the bonus were earning a secondary income. The Social Democrats are also proposing to reduce the lowest-income tax bracket by four points to a rate of 10 percent. Families with children would also receive a 200-euro tax break. The measures would be financed by an increase in the top tax bracket - raising it to 47 percent for people with incomes of 125,000 euros and more, as well as a half-percent levy on stock exchange transactions. The party estimates their economic plans would generate 5 billion euros in extra revenue. The campaign trail begins The Social Democrats currently share power with their main political rival, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), in a right-left "grand-coalition." Both sides, however, seem ready to sever ties after September's election, although influential voices in both camps argue that, especially in difficult times, the grand coalition is the most prudent option. The conservative CDU opposes tax increases on the wealthy and wants to lower income taxes after the poll. "Tax increases during a time of economic crisis is simply irresponsible," CDU campaign manager Ronald Pofalla said last week. "Tax increases are poison for the economy and would endanger jobs." The SPD currently trails the CDU by about eight percentage points. | [
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Final four square off in German Cup semifinals
Bremen's unprecedented four-match battle with Hamburg gets underway with the Cup semifinal on Wednesday. But before that Leverkusen try to seize their last chance for some silverware against Mainz.
Among the high hopes Leverkusen carried into this season, one is still alive. If they can get past second-division Mainz, the underachieving squad will book a place in the Cup finals in Berlin on May 30. After topping the table for parts of the first half of the season, coach Bruno Labbadia's charges have been wretched of late, winning only three of their last 10 matches and dropping down to ninth in the league. One reason is that, with their own stadium undergoing renovations, they've had to play their home matches in Duesseldorf. That's also the case with Tuesday's semifinal. Still, Leverkusen have to fancy their chances -- with no major injury problems against an opponent from Division Two. And winning the Cup would go a long way toward salvaging a disappointing season and probably save Labbadia's job. Mainz, for their part, are certain to pack defenders into their own half and hope for a late goal, a strategy that worked well in their quarterfinal upset of first-division Schalke in early March. Epic rivalry The other Cup finalist will be determined when Bremen travel to Hamburg on Wednesday. It's the first of a four-game series between the Northern German rivals -- with a UEFA Cup semifinal tie and a league match to follow later in April and in May. Bremen, who have slipped down to tenth in the Bundesliga table, have been on cruise control in the league. But it will be a different story in the two cup competitions, with titles and a spot in international competition up for grabs. Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese has promised his side will try to "get on Hamburg's nerves" and win all four matches. The visitors will be bolstered by the return of superstar playmaker Diego who was rested with a perhaps fictional injury in the league last weekend. Hamburg, meanwhile, are third in the league and have an outside shot at winning a triple. But they should beware, if they think they're bound to be victorious in something. As recently as 2002, Leverkusen had a chance to win the Bundesliga, the Cup and the Champions League -- only to emerge, in the end, empty-handed. Author: Jefferson Chase Editor: Trinity Hartman | [
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UN criticizes Israel over Gaza bombing
A United Nations investigation into attacks by Israeli forces on UN installations during the Gaza war four months ago has strongly criticized Israel for gross negligence and recklessness.
The report, produced by a four-member inquiry board appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, found that the Israeli army failed to protect UN personnel and civilians sheltering in UN buildings. Israel has rejected the report as one-sided and biased. The UN inquiry led by Briton Ian Martin, a former head of rights group Amnesty International who later joined the United Nations, investigated nine incidents of damage to UN property. It found Israel to blame in six incidents when people sheltering in UN buildings were killed or injured. Report highlights Jabalia incident The report highlighted the firing of artillery shells near a UN-run school in Jabalia where Palestinians had sought refuge on January 6. Seven people were wounded inside the school, but an estimated 30-40 people were killed nearby. In several cases, the report found Israel had "breached the inviolability of United Nations premises," had not respected UN immunity and was responsible for deaths and injuries. The board of inquiry also criticized Israel's use of white phosphorus shells which the UN says damaged the UN's main food warehouse in Gaza. The UN report says the Israeli military took "inadequate" precautions to protect UN premises and civilians inside and recommends further investigation into possible war crimes. Israel rejects allegations Israel's deputy UN ambassador, Daniel Carmon, called the report one-sided and unfair. "We were really shocked to see a report where the board is limiting itself to the facts of the damages only, ignoring the context, ignoring that there is war against terrorism," he told Reuters. UN Chief Ban Ki-moon said he would seek compensation from Israel for damage to UN property, estimated at more than $11 million, but would not follow the panel's call for further investigations. | [
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Lufthansa closes in on Austrian Airlines takeover
More than 85 percent of Austrian Airlines shareholders have reportedly accepted a public takeover offer by Germany's Lufthansa. But rival airlines continue to object to the move as being unfair.
Lufthansa has cleared an important hurdle in its bid to take over cash-strapped Austrian Airlines. Lufthansa holds well over the 75 percent of shares in the company, according to Austrian Airlines (AUA). Shares of AUA rose by more than 12 percent to 4.19 euros ($5.70) after Tuesday's announcement. Austrian Airlines said exact acceptance figures would be made public on Thursday. Lufthansa shares dropped 3 percent on the announcement before recovering to end the day down by one percent. At the end of last year, Lufthansa agreed to buy a 41.6-percent stake in AUA from the Austrian government for 366,000 euros. In exchange, Vienna agreed to assume 500 million euros of the struggling airline's debt. The European Commission opened an investigation after rival airlines complained about Austria's agreement with Lufthansa. The commission is scheduled to rule on the issue by June 17. Lufthansa is reportedly also interested in raising its stake in the British airline BMI to 80 percent this year. | [
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Russia and Japan Expand Energy Ties
Russia and Japan agreed on a series of energy deals during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit this week. This includes a key pact on civilian nuclear co-operation. But the two sides once again failed to resolve their long-running diplomatic dispute.
Japan and Russia have been locked in a territorial dispute for decades. It focuses on a chain of islands between the two countries which are called the Northern Territories by the Japanese and the Southern Kurils by the Russians. The islands were occupied by Soviet army in the last days of World War II and are claimed by both sides. During a recent meeting between Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso in Tokyo this week, both sides said they would study all options to end the row, but fell short of announcing any breakthrough. The two countries also reaffirmed that they want to bolster bilateral co-operation and engage in joint energy projects. "Russia-Japanese relations have been worrying for years, including the cold-war period. But in recent years things have changed rapidly. And I think economic relations have become more important for them," explains Professor Nobuo Shimotomai, an expert on Japan-Russia relations at Tokyo's Hosei University. Nuclear pact One of the major highlights of the Putin-Aso meeting was a nuclear energy pact. The agreement will allow the transfer of Japanese technology to Russia. In return, Japan will get the much-needed nuclear fuel. It will also pave the way for joint uranium mining in Russia, a crucial step for the Russian uranium and nuclear industries, says Marcel Viëtor, an expert on energy policy at the German Council of Foreign Relations in Berlin: "The Russian uranium and nuclear industries have been in a critical situation for almost two decades. They are in dire need of new contracts to develop power plants and they are looking for international partners. And now it seems they have found one in Japan. And if it is ratified by both parliaments, this will be a wonderful deal for the Russian nuclear sector." Co-operation in gas sector Japanese and Russian energy companies have also agreed to jointly develop two major oil fields in eastern Siberia. The project is likely to cost over 150 million dollars. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Russian energy giant Gazprom and its Japanese partners to explore ways to process natural gas near the Pacific city of Vladivostok. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller told the media in Tokyo that a 2,000-kilometre pipeline from Sakhalin island to Vladivostok was likely to be completed by 2011, which could possibly supply natural gas to consumers in the Asia-Pacific region as well, including Japan. Energy expert Viëtor says the move, if successful, would considerably help Japan, which is currently heavily relying on Middle Eastern oil. "Until today the Japanese get their oil and gas imports from the Middle East. But of course they are cautious about the political developments there and if, for whatever reasons, the shipments of oil and gas from the Middle East are interrupted, the Japanese industries will suffer. So they are very much looking forward to establishing other transportation routes and since Russia is close to Japan, it will suit the Japanese industries very well." In February Russia opened its first Liquefied Natural Gas or LNG plant on the Pacific coast. The plant supplies Japan also with millions of tonnes of gas annually. Author: Disha Uppal Editor: Grahame Lucas | [
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Opposition to Kashgar Demolition Plans
A plan to demolish the historical centre of Kashgar in China's westernmost Xinjiang region has drawn opposition from the Uyghur community, which makes up the majority of the city’s population. According to the government, the buildings in the city centre are dangerous and thus need to be demolished and rebuilt. 900 families have been moved into government housing.
Despite an influx of Han Chinese in recent decades, Kashgar is mainly populated by Turkic-speaking Muslim Uyghurs and other Central Asian groups that consider Kashgar as one of the cradles of their culture. According to the old city's demolition plan, 49,000 homes will be destroyed. Henry Szadziewski, the manager of the Uyghur Human Rights Project in Washington DC, expressed great concern stating that Kashgar is one of the centres of Uyghur culture. “The destruction of Kashgar old city would be a catastrophe for the maintenance of Uyghur traditions. Many of the residents of Kashgar have built their homes and their businesses in the same area. So moving them out of Kashgar old city to very regimented living arrangements, roughly eight kilometres way from the old city would also remove them from their livelihoods too,” he said. Attempt to assimilate Uyghurs into dominant Han Chinese culture Szadziewski also doubted the official explanation and assumed that this was a move by the Chinese authorities to assimilate the Uyghurs. Attempts to assimilate the minority group into the dominant Han culture date back to well before 1949. Gardner Bovingdon, an expert on Xinjiang politics at Indiana University in the United States, said the demolition of Kashgar’s old city showed familiar patterns and compared it to the destruction of the old Uyghur quarter in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi, which he witnessed in the mid-1990s. He said that it was “aimed at transforming neighbourhoods that were under Uyghur control into neighbourhoods that were more susceptible of police control which is generally Chinese control, more susceptible of scrutiny by the government and so forth. And I think those aims are important in Kashgar as well.” No open protests because of political oppression There was a lot of violent conflict in the region in the 1980s and 90s but public protest has declined recently. The demolition of Kashgar’s old city is only openly opposed by exiled Uyghurs. Gardner Bovingdon said that there might be some justification for arguing that a growing Uyghur middle class and economic growth in Xinjiang had satisfied some people in the Uyghur community but he thought that ”the more important explanation is that political oppression has increased in the region in the 2000s.” Some parts of the old city will be maintained for tourists Kashgar, a traditional trading point on the ancient Silk Road, has a long and interesting past with a history stretching over 2000 years. Its beautiful setting in a fertile oasis to the north of the Pamir Mountains and on the western edge of the Taklamakan desert, along with its ancient buildings has made it a major tourist attraction in Central Asia. Marco Polo recorded a visit in the 13th century. Chinese officials have commented that some parts of the old city will be kept for purposes of tourism but this will probably be only a very sanitised version like a kind of “open air museum,” feared Szadziewski. “This is a pattern that we see in other places in China where old parts of cities are destroyed and then some pieces are left, so that tourists can benefit.” At this point, it is still unclear what exactly will take the place of Kashgar’s old city but its original Uyghur inhabitants will certainly not live there for much longer. Author:Fritzi Titzmann Editor:Grahame Lucas | [
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Opinion: The biggest loser of the polls is Europe itself
Europe has voted and not even half of the electorate bothered to cast their vote. That's shameful. So little commitment for the only democratically-elected institution of the European Union is alarming.
The supranational parliament of 27 states is unparalleled in the world. But this unique chance doesn't seem to matter at all to most Europeans. It's not just lazy voters who are to blame for the debacle, European politicians are also largely to blame. As is normally the case, 27 national election campaigns were fought, with little evidence of any specific European election campaigns. At home politicians tend to lay into those politicians in Brussels, although they often share responsibility for decisions taken at EU level. In Eastern Europe's younger democracies the situation is even worse. There seems to be no comprehension of how important the European Parliament is in all areas of daily life. As in previous EU elections, governments are punished with only a few exceptions. The results of the European elections themselves point towards continuity. Victory for the conservative and center-right parties. The Socialists remain the second strongest force and the liberals stay the third strongest block. The Euro-sceptics and right-wing extremists might have caused uproar in a few countries, but they do not play a large role in the general make-up of the European Parliament. Even if they were to form into a parliamentary grouping, they do not have any major influence. EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has even reason to celebrate. The conservative politician can remain in office for another five years, because it's usually the case that the Commission President comes from the same political family as the majority party represented in parliament. In the largest EU member state, Germany, it was the same story as in the rest of the EU. National topics dominated the scene. The election winners from the conservative CDU, the Left Party, the liberal FDP and the Greens declared the election a test for the federal polls in September. The election losers, the Social Democrats, though, dismiss any idea that Sunday’s outcome will affect the national vote. It's the same old story after every election. But because of the exceptionally low electoral turnout it is indeed hard to make a reliable prediction for Germany's upcoming national elections. One thing's for certain: The election loser is Europe, because far too many voters are not interested in European politics. Author: Bernd Riegert Editor: Andreas Illmer | [
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War crimes spokeswoman on trial over Milosevic secrets
A former spokeswoman for the tribunal set up to deal with Yugoslav war crimes was has gone on trial there herself. She is charged with contempt of court over the publication of classified information.
Florence Hartmann, who was spokeswoman for the former chief war crimes prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, between 2000 and 2006, is accused of having disclosed confidential information about the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in a book and an article published after she left her post. The publications allegedly cite confidential documents and court decisions made during the trial of former Serbian leader, Slobodan Milosevic, which implicate the Serbian state in the 1995 massacre of thousands of men and boys in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica. In his opening speech, ICTY prosecutor Bruce MacFarlane said he would show that the accused had consciously published information from classified documents. But Hartmann's lawyer, Guenael Mettraux, says she did no wrong as the information referred to in her article and her book, entitled “Peace and Punishment: The Secret Wars of Politics and International Justice” was already in the public domain when her work went into print. Online support The journalist's supporters, many journalists themselves, are running an internet petition which calls for the case to be dropped. They say Hartmann was merely doing her job “by rigorously searching for and publicizing the truth.” The petition goes on to say that making Hartmann appear before a court established to try those guilty of genocide “will tarnish the image of the international justice system.” Hartmann, who could face seven years in prison or a fine of €100,000 ($139,000) if found guilty, declined to enter a plea on either charge. The court entered two pleas of “not guilty” on her behalf. The trial is expected to continue until Wednesday. tkw/AFP/AP/dpa Editor: Jennifer Abramsohn | [
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EU deplores recent events in Iran
The European Union has released a statement expressing serious concern after the deaths of Iranian protesters and called on Iranian authorities to allow peaceful demonstrations.
Iran's state media had announced that seven protesters were killed when a massive rally against the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Amhadinejad turned violent. A spokesman for the European Commission urged Iranian authorities to allow peaceful demonstrations in the country where civil unrest appears to have reached levels unseen since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. "The commission is indeed very concerned," said spokesman Amadeu Altafaj Tardio. "We regret the violence and the loss of life and we call on the Iranian authorities to respect the right to demonstrate in a peaceful manner. "We underline the right to protest in a peaceful way, which must be respected by the Iranian security forces," he added. The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned a senior European diplomat on Tuesday to complain about the EU's reaction to the fatalities in the capital Tehran. "Neither the European Union nor other countries are in a position to have the right to make rude and interfering remarks against Iran, especially about our glorious election," the Foreign Ministry told the Czech charge d'affairs, Josef Havlas. A willingness to recount An Iranian state television broadcast said on Tuesday that the country's supervisory body, the Guardian Council, was ready to carry out a recount of some votes, and added that this could lead to changes in candidates’ tallies. But council spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodai rejected a call from the main opposition challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, to annul the vote. "Based on the law, the demand of those candidates for the cancellation of the vote, this cannot be considered," Kadkhodai told state television. The results of the presidential poll have been met with fury by opposition supporters. On Monday night, hundreds of thousands of Mousavi's followers took to the streets to decry what they say was foul play at the ballot box. Iranian state radio said the 'illegal' rally turned violent towards the end, when a military post was attacked with the intention of looting the weapons inside. "Illegal demonstration" The broadcast said thugs taking part in the "illegal" demonstration in Tehran had "attacked and vandalized a number of public and government buildings," in what it described as an "organized and coordinated" event. "Unfortunately, seven of our citizens were killed and a number of them injured," the radio broadcast stated. A source told the AFP news agency however that the emergency services claimed eight had been killed and many more injured in the incident. An unnamed nurse at a city hospital said 28 people with bullet wounds had been brought in, and that eight of them had died. State television has since said that authorities have arrested the "main agents" in the post-election unrest, but it did not say how many had been detained. Planned protests Earlier, Mousavi's supporters announced plans to hold another rally on Tuesday, this time at the same central Tehran square where President Ahmadinejad celebrated his controversial re-election victory on Sunday. But following calls from hardliners loyal to Ahmadinejad for a counter protest in the same place just one hour earlier, Mousavi has appealed to his supporters to protect their lives by not showing up. A spokesman for Mousavi said the "moderates' rally" had been cancelled. But the pro-Ahmadinejad rally is expected to go ahead. An organization affiliated with the government was quoted on Iran's Fars news agency as saying it would be held "in protest against the recent agitation and destruction of public property." Call for peaceful action Meanwhile the country’s top dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri has appealed to opposition followers to act peacefully. He issued a statement to the "noble and oppressed Iranian nation," in which he appealed to everyone, but especially the nation’s youth, to pursue their rights with "patience and restraint." He said protesters should preserve the "calm and security of the country and avoid any violence," adding that their presence at public demonstrations was a clear show of support for defeated presidential candidates in pursuit of the "violated rights." tkw/sjt/AP/AFP/reuters Editor: Susan Houlton | [
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Steinmeier calls on Syria and Lebanon to take part in Middle East peace process
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is in Lebanon as part of a whirlwind Middle East visit centered on restarting negotiations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Steinmeier congratulated Lebanon's new prime minister, Saad al-Hariri, and wished him success in forming a new cabinet, after talks between the two men in Beirut on Tuesday. His election was an encouraging sign of stability in the country, Steinmeier added. Steinmeier said that he and al-Hariri "agreed that we must use the opportunities presented by US President Barack Obama" in furthering the Middle East peace process. The German foreign minister arrived in Lebanon for a three-hour visit after meetings in Syria and Israel. Steinmeier and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were not able to come to an agreement on resuming contact between Israel and Syria during their talks in Damascus, along with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem. "Syria has an objective interest in the success of the Middle East peace process," said Steinmeier, "and I call on Syria and also my counterpart Mr. al-Moallem to do its part." Contact between Israel and Syria was suspended after Israel's military offensive on the Gaza Strip this past winter. Al-Moallem reiterated that Syria would not give up its claim on the Golan Heights, which Israel has occupied since the Six Day War in 1967. Steinmeier specifically named Hezbollah as an obstacle to the peace process. The Lebanon-based organization relies on Syria for some financial support. The talks were also meant to focus on the issue of human rights in Syria, as the European Union has promised to support Damascus in its efforts to improve its infamous record. Steinmeier said he would call on Syria to continue its trend of openness, which he said had improved in recent months. Another hot topic is Syria's close relationship with Iran. During meetings with Israeli President Shimon Peres on Monday, Steinmeier was given harsh words to pass on in Syria. Peres asked Steinmeier to tell Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that, if Damascus continued to have such close ties with Iran, Israel would hesitate to return the Golan Heights to Syria. Talks in Israel Steinmeier had traveled to Syria from Jerusalem, where he'd met with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday. The German foreign minister welcomed Netanyahu's recent acceptance of the need for a two-state solution and called the removal of road blocks restricting the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank a "small start." He added that the "road to stability in the entire region leads only through talks with the Palestinian side. My personal conviction is that a guarantee for stability can only come through the realization of the two-state solution." Reciprocity Netanyahu had initially balked at the idea of openly supporting the two-state solution, but finally made a public endorsement of a demilitarized Palestinian state in a June 14 policy speech, following intense pressure from the US and Europe. Despite this, Netanyahu had refused to accept demands for a complete freeze of construction in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, which the Palestinians along with nations including Egypt and Jordan, have made a condition for any resumption of peace negotiations. Netanyahu has also vowed to pursue a policy of "reciprocity," insisting on Palestinian and Arab counter-steps in exchange for any Israeli "concessions." This would include Arab states gradually moving towards normalizing ties with Israel even before a Palestinian state is created. hf/glb/Reuters/dpa/AFP/AP Editor: Chuck Penfold | [
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Hertha Berlin are hoping cleverness can make up for lack of cash
Money=transfers=success. That's the football formula last season's fourth-placed team is trying to disprove. DW-WORLD's Jefferson Chase looks at whether Hertha Berlin can solve a tough equation.
There won't be any record signings in the German capital this summer. In 2008-09, Hertha Berlin broke out of the mid-table doldrums and earned more points than ever before, but if you think that would be cause for a spending spree, you don't know Hertha's books. The "old lady," as the club is known, is bent on reducing its personnel costs by five million euros ($7 million). That's led to the departures of the squad's two top strikers, Marko Pantelic and Andriy Voronin, and the consensus choice for the Bundesliga's best defensive player last year, Josip Simunic. In fact, Hertha only have around 25 million euros in total for players - significantly less than one-third of what Real Madrid paid to pry Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. Conventional wisdom would say that Hertha are heading for a precipitous fall this autumn. But the club thinks it can build on last season's success and balance the books - thanks to a new general manager, a no-nonsense strategist as a coach and at least one very unorthodox acquisition. Second chance for King Artur Hertha's main move thus far - other than selling Simunic for seven million euros - is to bring back one of the most reviled former players in recent years: striker Artur Wichniarek. The Polish forward spent two hapless years in the capital from 2003 to 2005, scoring just four goals in 44 appearances. Hertha have chosen to ignore that bleak bit of the past for two reasons: Wichniarek's record at his former club Bielefeld is impressive - 83 goals in 207 matches - and he's keen. King Artur's lack of success in the capital reportedly gnawed at him so much that he was willing to fork out a quarter of a million euros of his own money to buy himself out of his Bielefeld contract and take another crack at conquering Berlin. Hertha also have two promising but largely untested young forwards - Valeri Domovchiyski and Armine Chermiti - who they hope can make quantum leaps in 2009-10. But the weight of expectations - and the habitual skepticism of Hertha's supporters - will be on Wichniarek, who ended his last tenure in Berlin in utter acrimony and whose return was only made possible by the departure of a former enemy. Hoeness out, Preetz in Hertha's first move of the off-season was to oust Dieter Hoeness as its long-time general manager. When the former Bayern striker came to the club in 1996, it was struggling to stay in the second division. Under Hoeness, Hertha quickly established itself in the top flight and once even qualified for the Champions League. But Hoeness came under increasing pressure for some expensive transfer flops (chiefly Brazilian strikers) and for his propensity to make grandiose pronouncements in the media. The fact that impecunious Hertha were willing to part with a million euros to get him to resign in June is a sign of how much the club wanted him gone. Hertha's all-time leading goal scorer Michael Preetz has taken over, inheriting both Hoeness' achievements and some 25 million euros in debts that he racked up while trying to heave Berlin into the upper echelons of European soccer. During his career on the pitch, Preetz was known as an efficient, but also affable and intelligent player so there's reason to believe he can be convincing with potential signees. But more importantly, he gets on well with the man who has now been given unprecedented power to form the squad - coach Lucien Favre. Lulu's baby In only two seasons with the club, "Lulu" Favre has completely remade Hertha. Only five players remain from the squad he took over in 2007, and the Swiss coach has focused on building up a multi-talented, young midfield. Serbian Gojko Kacar and Brazilians Cicero and Raffael in particular impressed last season, scoring 19 goals between them. Manchester United are rumored to be keeping Kacar under observation and are said to believe that the 22-year-old all-rounder is worth at least 12 million euros. Hertha also reportedly turned down a 10-million-euro offer from French side Olympique Lyon for Raffael. Basically Hertha believe that with that trio, plus German national defender Arne Friedrich and rock-steady keeper Jaroslav Drobny, the squad has a solid core capable of improving next season. And Favre's insistence that his charges be capable of playing multiple positions means that he's better able to compensate for injuries and suspensions than most coaches. Still, expectations are one thing, and results another, and many teams have been burned when younger players didn't make the progress their bosses envisioned for them. If Hertha are able to maintain or surpass their level of play last season while cutting the budget, it will solidify Favre's argument that he is building a team of the future. But if the goals don't come up front, or the back four folds without Simunic, or the midfield trio stagnates, Hertha could find itself having to borrow some money in mid-season just to stave off collapse. Author: Jefferson Chase Editor: Chuck Penfold | [
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Rights groups consider responses to Lithuanian anti-gay law
After Lithuanian lawmakers approved a bill to keep material deemed harmful away from children - including information about homosexuality - some EU parliamentarians and rights groups are considering what to do next.
European members of parliament, including that body's gay and lesbian working group, as well as human rights groups are weighing their options regarding a response to a bill passed by Lithuania's parliament that would ban the dissemination of information to young people seen as promoting homosexuality. "This is crazy and un-European and totally out of thinking for me and many others," said Ulrike Lunacek, a new EU parliamentarian and member of the European Parliament's Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian rights. As Europe has long been held up as a global beacon on progressive legislation regarding gay rights - same-sex marriage or some version thereof is legal in many EU countries - the bill passed in Vilnius seems like an unexpected slap in the face. It brings back memories of cultural battles that many in western Europe at least thought were largely behind them. "But we have to be aware there are still forces out there who want to deny equal rights to gays and lesbians," she said. "We still have to convince people that equal rights for gays and lesbians doesn't mean taking away the rights of heterosexuals." Now she and others are considering the next steps, which include encouraging the new president of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, to express his concern to the Baltic nation that the new law could be prejudicial to understanding and tolerance of homosexuals. "The new law contradicts the values of the European Union where minority rights are and should remain respected. It is the duty of the President of the European Parliament to ensure that all minorities are treated equally," said Michael Cashman, President of the Intergroup, in a statement. Child-protection or anti-gay censorship? It appears that a majority of lawmakers in this largely Roman Catholic country of 3.3 million do see homosexuality as a threat, since the bill that 86 of the Baltic state's 141 parliamentarians voted for says "public dissemination" of information favorable to homosexuality can harm the mental health and physical, intellectual and moral development of young people. Lithuania's outgoing president, Valdas Adamkus, had refused to sign the bill into law when 76 lawmakers approved it on June 16, but on Tuesday, a large majority overturned his veto. "Parliament has demonstrated its will to institutionalize homophobia," Vladimir Simonko, head of the Lithuanian Gay League, told the AFP news agency. The measure lists 19 examples of "detrimental" information that should be kept from minors, including instructions on making explosives, images of death and severe injury, hypnosis, and information that promotes bad eating. But the section on a ban on information that "agitates for homosexual, bisexual and polygamous relations" has caused the most controversy and, according to gay campaigners, will do the most harm. "This is a huge danger for young people who are lesbian/gay/bisexual not only to receive proper objective information about sexuality and development, but to receive support if needed, because basically all channels will be closed to them," said Juris Lavrikovs of the International Lesbian and Gay Association of Europe. Right-wing backlash The bill was backed by the right-wing populist Order and Justice Party. Petras Grazulis, the bill's co-sponsor, and other party members did not return phone calls or e-mails seeking comment. He told the Associated Press that the bill's passage was a step toward helping Lithuania "raise healthy generations unaffected by the rotten culture overwhelming them." Henricus Mickevicius, director of the Human Rights Monitoring Institute in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, said fears and insecurity over changing societal norms have played a role in the passage of this legislation. Since the country joined the EU in 2004, Lithuania has been asked to accept a host of new rules on gender and sexual equality that have unnerved more conservative members of society. "It's created a situation where people become concerned, and even scared, that it's undermined our national traditions, values and so on," Mickevicius said. According to him, the law intrudes on freedom of speech and violates international human rights standards. It is written so broadly, he and others have said, enforcing it will be difficult. Deciding on violations, and handing out fines for what will be classified as misdemeanors, could largely depend on the social views of those charged with enforcement. According to rights groups and campaigners, Lithuania's move violates the spirit of EU principles on equality, particularly Artricle 6, paragraph 1 of the EU Treaty, according to which "The Union is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human right snd fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law, principles which are common to the Member States." Options According to MEP Lunacek, the head of the Green parliamentary group in the European Parliament, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, called on Jerzy Buzek on Wednesday morning to write a note of protest to Lithuania. She said that might carry some weight with Vilnius, since Burzek is from Poland, another former Soviet-satellite state which joined the European bloc not long ago. "Having a president of the EU parliament like Mr. Burzek, who himself comes from a new-member country, would help say to the Lithuanian parliament - look, this is not European," she said. But the EU's options overall are limited. Child-protection does not fall under Brussels' jurisdiction, and while the EU could apply sanctions of some sort, such options are not being considered right now. Another possibility would be to cancel some Lithuanian voting rights on the European Council, according to Lunacek. The new Lithuanian president, Dalia Grybauskaite, has not yet signed the law, although she is required to do so within three days. By Lithuanian law she cannot reimpose a veto. There has been as of yet no signal whether her office is considering further action against it. Human rights monitor Mickevicius said if that happens, Lithuanian activists will have to just wait. "It may sound cynical, but we'll have to see who becomes the first victim of this law and then take it through the national courts or even the European Court of Human Rights," he said. Author: Kyle James Editor: Neil King | [
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A face with wrinkles and blemishes: the moon is aging with dignity
The moon is more than 4 billion years old and people used to think there were large areas of water as well as lunar species. But there are no settlements yet and the moon's "seas" are bone dry.
The Earth's satellite looks really old. It's turned completely grey and its face is marked with numerous wrinkles, stains and scars. It's visible: it's been through a lot in its lifespan. But given it's been around for some 4 and a half billion years, the moon has aged with dignity. Getting a facelift is out of the question. And it's not even necessary – as every four weeks during the new moon phase, the moon is veiled in darkness and can't be spotted from earth. We can see many big dark and lighter areas on the face of the moon. This is due to the varied landscape on its surface. Some people see a face up there, others claim the pattern looks like a hopping rabbit. At the time of astronomer Galileo Galilei, the first observers looking through their telescopes euphorically baptized the dark spots "maria" - the Latin word for the seas. They imagined huge bodies of water sloshing about what poets called the "watery planet", and they imagined a very special lunar species living on the moon. All that has become legend, and although astronomers still talk about "maria", it's quite clear that the moon is dry as a desert. Just like an old bookshelf, the moon is covered in thick dust. Today, it has completely congealed. However our celestial companion looks back at a very turbulent past. In the first billion years of its existence, just like Earth, it was exposed to a tremendous bombardment. Leftover debris from planet formation was abundant, and huge meteorites and whole asteroids were colliding with the surface. Even today, the numerous craters on the moon bear witness to the dramatic impact. The biggest craters gradually filled up with liquid lava and welled up from what then was the hot liquid core of the moon. So the dark spots on the moon are actually due to volcanic activity. And the maria of the moon probably came about roughly 3 billion years ago. That's when the worst bombardment with space debris was over, which is why there are relatively few craters in the maria. The lighter-coloured regions of the moon are called "terrae", or more commonly just highlands, since they are higher than most maria. The soil samples collected by the Apollo space missions are evidence that once upon a time there was indeed volcanic activity on the moon. It's still unclear though how the lava reached the surface of the moon. Possibly it came up through cracks created by the impact of meteorites in the craters. Even the first scientists observing the moon have come up with colorful names for the maria, full of longing for the supposedly paradisiacal conditions on the moon: there are for instance, a sea of mirth, of nectar, of crisis, of clouds and also a 'mare fecunditiatis', or the sea of fertility. However, the most well-known dark spot in the near side of the moon – the right eye in the moon's face – is called mare tranquilitatis, or the sea of tranquillity. That name is an obvious misconception because four and a half million years later the lunar peace has well and truly been disturbed. On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong took his famous first step on the moon right in the sea of tranquillity. Author: Dirk H.Lorezen (ara) Editor: Neil King | [
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Vaccination timetable unclear as swine flu spreads
Failing to reach agreement over funding the German government's plan to launch mass vaccinations remains riddled with uncertainties. Experts point to the new drugs' unknown side effects as another problem.
The number of swine flu cases in Germany has risen by several hundred since the beginning of the week and now stands at close to 15,000 the Robert-Koch Institute reported on Wednesday. The institution officially in charge of recording the outbreak in Germany added that most new infections were caught by people travelling abroad. Faced with the growing extent of the swine flu outbreak in Germany, the federal government last week decided to launch the largest mass immunization program in the nation's history. Vaccinations are expected to start in October when sufficient serum is available, a Health Ministry spokeswoman said. Federal and state governments are aiming at obtaining a total of 50 million doses from drug company GlaxoSmithKline. Since every person has to be vaccinated twice, this would be sufficient for 25 million people. Delays due to unclear funding But, state health ministers, who have failed to reach agreement on how to pay for it, have not yet been able to place necessary additional orders, as planned. Public health funds will foot half the bill estimated at about one billion euros ($1.45 billion), but states and the federal government have not decided on how to split the remainder between them. As a result, vaccinations for all but the most vulnerable groups, such as children and pensioners, will only start in late fall. Health ministers are planning to hold a special meeting in Berlin in two weeks before placing the additional orders stalled so far. Side effects feared Experts are concerned about yet another problem due to the massive extent of the operation and the short time available for drug companies to develop and test substances against swine flu. "We may have to reckon with a larger number of previously unknown side effects", warned the Germany Association of Pediatricians (BKJV). A federal medical institute also pointed out that side effects like headaches or swellings may be more likely with vaccines against swine flu compared to those against seasonal flu viruses. The Health Ministry does not deny this and Minister Ulla Schmidt last week said she would not recommend vaccinating children until all medical studies have been completed. Another risk lies in the different methods of developing substances in Europe and the US, Wolfgang Becker-Brüser told the German newspaper "Muenchner Merkur". The Munich-based medical journal editor said that US labs use common flu vaccines and adapt them to deal with the new virus. "This method is safer compared to what the Europeans and Germany are doing", he added. The latter's substances are based on the much less tested vaccine against bird flu. rri/Reuters/AP/dpa/epd Editor: Mark Mattox | [
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Lights out for the incandescent light bulb?
The Dutch town of Eindhoven is where the Philips brothers first began mass-producing light bulbs. Today though, the company is pursuing technologies they say will make the good old light bulb a thing of the past.
The Philips brothers began producing the first light bulbs in a small brick factory in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in 1887. The site is now home to a museum, where visitors can find out everything about the history of lighting. During the daily guided tours, visitors can see, for example, how workers made the carbonized cotton thread filaments encased in a bulb of glass. Philips became the world's biggest maker of light bulbs, and it turned Eindhoven into a city of light. Today, the company continues to be a pioneer in the field of lighting. But new developments promise to make the old-fashioned light bulb go the way of the horse and cart. "Its fate is sealed," said Niels Haverkorn, strategic marketing director for light at Philips. "The future belongs to LED lights and OLED lights - semiconductor light from light diodes." Four big advantages In light-emitting diode or LED bulbs, more than 50 percent of the energy is converted into light. In the case of energy-saving light bulbs, only 25 percent is converted into light, while the normal light bulb converts just 5 percent. Another advantage is that, in addition to dimming the light, consumers can also choose the color of the light to suit a certain atmosphere. Turn on a sunny yellow light while vacuuming, for example, or cozy red to accompany the evening meal. For designers, the tiny LED light sources also open up new possibilities. They can be more flexible when experimenting with forms and materials for lamps. But perhaps most importantly, an LED lamp burns 50 times longer than a normal light bulb: 50,000 instead of a mere 1,000 hours. The table lamp from Philips' new Ledino series, for example, looks like a shiny silver high-tech oyster that's just starting to open. And the new Daywave desk lamp is packed with special features, says Haverkorn. "It adjusts to the amount of daylight and doesn't disrupt people's biorhythms, so people can work more efficiently," he said. Surround lighting The next step will be OLED, an extension of LED technology (the 'O' stands for organic). Although it's still in the beginning stages, OLED technology has the ability to be embedded in fabric, meaning that your rug, sofa or curtains could be transformed into light sources. "Lamps will become obsolete," said Haverkorn. "Light will be more like daylight, it'll come from everywhere." First though, the estimated 24 billion lamps worldwide equipped with standard light bulb fixtures would have to be scrapped. And besides, LED technology, though quite advanced, is not perfect. It's still relatively expensive, and sometimes, it's not strong enough. To replace a 75-Watt light bulb, for example, you're still better off with an energy-saving bulb. They're now available in all sizes, with different lighting effects, including dimmers. Those who want to stick with the classic light bulb shape can now opt for the Philips Retrofit bulb. It still looks like the good old light bulb, it fits in all the old fixtures, but it gives off LED light. The cost is between 20 and 40 euros ($28 - $57). "But for that, it's environmentally friendly, it gives off a wonderful, warm light, and it'll burn for 50 years!" Haverkorn said. Author: Kirstin Schweighoefer (dc) Editor: Andreas Illmer | [
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More troops and new strategy for Afghanistan will be hard to come by
The dire situation in Afghanistan, highlighted by the call for more troops by NATO's top commander there, is forcing the alliance to make tough decisions. Surprisingly, Europe and the US are closer than before.
Whatever decisions President Barack Obama and other NATO leaders make in response to General Stanley McChrystal's assessment of the conflict in Afghanistan, they won't be able to claim later on they didn't understand the message NATO's chief commander in the country wanted to convey in his report. In clear and undiplomatic language, the head of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) spells out how he views the options the alliance is facing. "Success is not ensured by additional forces alone, but continued underresourcing will likely cause failure," is how McChrystal describes his call to send more troops to Afghanistan. The second component for possible success "is the urgent need for a significant change to our strategy and the way that we think and operate." While the two pillars - more soldiers and a new strategy - needed to make progress in Afghanistan are clearly laid out in the report, experts and even McChrystal himself are not sure whether they can be implemented by NATO member states where public opinion is growing increasingly weary of the war, now in its eigth year. The old dividing lines that have existed for a long time regarding the war in Afghanistan are still there, notes Daniel Korski, an Afghanistan expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations. "It's the division of those who want to committ more assets and those who would rather pull out." But, he adds, unlike before the lines between both camps can't be drawn geographically anymore. "I think it's a division that cuts across both the alliance and within certain member states, but not in sort of neat ways and certainly not in terms of Old Europe and New Europe that Donald Rumsfeld talked about." Skeptical Americans But while Europeans on a whole have for a long time had their doubts and concerns about the war in Afghanistan, in the US public opinion has grown increasingly skeptical toward the mission as well. According to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll 51 percent of Americans now oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan. "More and more people feel that it is a never ending story, that this war has been dragging on now for longer than the second world war, that we see too little results and we really don't know why we are there," is how Patrick Keller, Foreign and Security Policy Coordinator at the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, a think tank affiliated with the German Christian Democrats, sums up the shift in the United States. "And this is a situation that is pretty similar to that in Europe and it's a difficult political issue, especially at a time when the administration is spending most its political capital on domestic issues such as healthcare," he adds. Whether or not the increasingly negative perception of the Afghanistan effort among the US public, but also within the foreign policy establishment, translates into political decisions could decide the future of the Afghan mission. The US currently provides 30,000 of the 65,000 ISAF troops in Afghanistan. Should Washington reassess the situation and not opt for increasing the funds and troop levels for Afghanistan as requested by General McChrystal it could signal to the international community that the US has given up on the country. What's more, President Obama has a lot of other tough issues to deal with such as the economic crisis, health care reform, Iran's nuclear program and the upcoming climate conference. Still, it will be difficult for him to turn down General McChrystal. "It's very hard to see that President Obama given all the things he said in the past about George Bush's strategy, would deny a direct request from the ground commanders for additional troops," says Korski. Few European troops Even more so, because the US shouldn't count on Europe to come up with more soldiers to fulfill McChrystal's request. "It's very difficult at this point to see a lot of European countries rushing to deploy more troops," says Korski. "And in going forward we will probably see the British offer some more troops, perhaps the Danes as well, but many other countries are really looking the other direction." While the first demand of McChrystal's request - more troops - may be hard to fulfill, his second demand - a new strategy - may prove even harder to implement. McChrystal said so himself in the report: "ISAF is a conventional force that is poorly configured for COIN (comprehensive counterinsurgency), inexperienced in local languages and culture, and struggling with challenges inherent to coalition warfare." To win in Afghanistan, argues McChrystal, ISAF troops must eschew their traditional role of combat soldier and switch to that of a counterinsurgency operator who basically lives among the local population and protects it. That, however, as the head of ISAF wrote himself, presents a huge challenge for most troops. "It's going to be very difficult for any other army bar the US, the Brits and perhaps one or two other countries to adopt to this unless we see a real push by the NATO secretary general to turn mentoring of Afghan forces and cooperation with Afghan civilians into a key focus for the alliance," argues Korski. But even if ISAF is able to retool its mission, which will take time, it will come with a higher risk for the individual soldier. That in turn could make it difficult to sustain the effort to war-weary constituencies in the US and Europe. "I think given how bad the situation in Afghanistan is, if you consider that we are there now for more than eight years and how relatively little progress there has been made, it is important to really consider a change in strategy even if that might lead to more casualties because in the long run with the current strategy we will also fail to convince our publics to support it," says Keller. Despite the recent negative turn of events in Afghanistan both Keller and Korski believe that a turnaround, not a victory in a classical sense, is still possible. "Can we build a capability in the Afghan government so that it can not destroy but contain the insurgency while gradually over time drawing more and more ordinary Afghans onto its side," is how Korski frames the question of success in Afghanistan. "That is what our objective ought to be and that is what probably can still be done at this stage." Author: Michael Knigge Editor: Rob Mudge | [
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Romania's shaky coalition government collapses
Romania's center-left coalition government has collapsed after a group of Social Democrat ministers resigned in protest over the firing of the country's interior minister.
After months of an uneasy cohabitation with its centrist Liberal Democrat (PDL) partners, left-leaning Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Mircea Geoana said on Thursday that nine ministers from his party had quit the government "in solidarity" with Interior Minister, Dan Nica. The move ends the shaky nine-month tenure of a coalition consumed by bickering and corruption allegations just before presidential elections scheduled for November 22. Nica was fired by Prime Minister Emil Boc on Monday over comments he made about potential fraud in the run-up to the November poll. Nica's comments were widely interpreted as an accusation that Boc's Liberal Democrats might try to cheat to get President Traian Basescu re-elected. As an interim solution, Nica was replaced by Development Minister Vasile Blaga, who is the PDL campaign chief and a close ally of Basescu. Geoana has blamed the president for the crisis, saying "nothing was sacred" to him to ensure he wins another term in office. Coalition had a whole laundry list of problems Divisions between the PDL and PSD have festered since the beginning of the year after the Social Democrats accused President Basescu of interfering in the government decision-making process. Also in January, the PSD's interior minister, Gabriel Oprea, resigned in a dispute over the appointment of an intelligence officer considered too close to the coalition partners. In February, the newly appointed Liviu Dragnea quit the same post, citing insufficient funds allocated to his ministry. In September, Prime Minister Boc threatened to fire the leftist education minister unless she withdrew a controversial decision to allow political appointments in the education sector. Boc said the decision contradicted principles of newly adopted IMF-mandated legislation to reform the country's ailing education system. At the same time, the Social Democrats slammed massive job cuts planned by the government as part of a 20-billion-euro ($29 billion) IMF aid package, saying it would oppose the implementation of such a move. PSD support for parliamentary inquiries investigating PDL ministers Monica Iacob-Ridzi for fraud and Elena Udrea for abuse of power prompted the centrists to ask the PSD whether they wanted to be in government or in the opposition. As it stands now, with the presidential election in November, voters will have the option of sending a signal on which party should do what. gb/dpa/AFP/Reuters/AP Editor: Michael Lawton | [
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Berlin's ex-finance chief probed for controversial immigrant remarks
Thilo Sarazzin, Berlin's outspoken ex-finance chief who sparked outrage by making disparaging remarks about the capital's Arab and Turkish populations, is being investigated for suspicions of inciting racial hatred.
A spokesman for the state prosecutor's office in Berlin said on Friday that investigators were looking into comments made by Sarrazin in an interview this week, criticizing certain immigrant groups in the German capital for not being productive enough. "The authorities are examining whether the transcript of the interview crossed limits on free speech and whether there are initial suspicions for a crime," the spokesman told news agency AP. Sarrazin, an executive board member of Germany's federal bank, the Bundesbank, told magazine Lettre International that Berlin's large Arab and Turkish populations were unwilling to integrate and worsened the city's considerable economic problems. "A large number of Arabs and Turks in this city, whose number has grown through bad policies, have no productive function other than as fruit and vegetable vendors," Sarrazin, 64, told the quarterly magazine. Citing Berlin's high jobless rate compared to the national average, he said part of the city's problems lay in the fact that 40 percent of births were among the "lower class". He also took aim at what he called a "slob factor" in the capital. "I do not need to accept people who live on handouts from a state they reject and who are not adequately concerned about the education of their children, and constantly produce new, little headscarf-clad girls," he said. "That goes for 70 percent of the Turkish and 90 percent of the Arab population of Berlin." Far-right party applauds comments The comments have triggered a storm of outrage across Germany. "This is outrageous," Kenan Kolat, who heads the Turkish Association in Germany, told news agency dpa. Uwe Foullong of the Ver.di trade union called the comments "scandalous" and "extreme right-wing." Sarrazin, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), also faces calls for his expulsion. "After these comments, Thilo Sarrazin can no longer be tolerated in the party," Eva Hoegl, a SDP member of the Berlin state parliament told newspaper Rheinische Post. Gerhard Schick, a parliamentarian from the Green Party told the newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau that Sarrazin had damaged the reputation of the Bundesbank with his controversial comments and had clearly violated the bank's rules of conduct. The Bundesbank issued a statement saying it distanced itself resolutely from Sarrazin's "discriminatory remarks." Sarrazin said in a statement on Thursday he regrets the comments and did not mean to insult anyone. His remarks have however been applauded by the far-right NPD party. The party said that Berlin's former finance chief "had hit the nail on the head when it came to Germany's development as a country." No stranger to controversy It's not the first time Sarrazin has stirred controversy with his outspoken comments which earned him the nickname "Rambo." The belligerent 64-year-old established a reputation for criticizing the habits and slovenliness of Berlin's lower class during his seven-year term in political office in the city. At one point, he complained about people wandering the streets all day in jogging pants, and his department published a document demonstrating that the unpopular unemployment benefit known as Hartz IV still provided more than enough money for a well-balanced diet. sp/AP/dpa Editor: Andreas Illmer | [
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Czech court keeps Europe waiting
The Czech Republic's highest court said it will deliver a ruling next week on a complaint filed by Czech senators against the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, which could hold up reform of the unwieldy 27-member bloc.
The Czech Constitutional Court heard the case Tuesday and will likely announce its decision on Tuesday, November 3, according to secretary-general of the court, Tomas Langasek. The proceedings at the Czech Constitutional Court have stirred intense international interest because the Lisbon Treaty, designed to streamline the administrative and decision-making processes in the EU, hangs in the balance. The Czech Republic is the only country yet to ratify the treaty. Without its signature, the European Commission, the EU's executive body, would be in legal limbo and unable to fill appointments set to expire at the end of this month. "Only when we have legal clarity about the (Lisbon) Treaty can we decide about the new top posts in the EU," said Sweden's Minister for European Affairs, Cecilia Malmstrom, whose country currently hold the rotating EU presidency. The group of Czech senators who filed the complaint say the treaty undermines national sovereignty and is at odds with the Czech constitution. Czech President Vaclav Klaus has also been very critical of the treaty, demanding an "opt-out" clause with regard to the EU's human rights charter. Klaus has said that if the treaty were approved as is, it would allow ethnic Germans, expelled under the Benes Decrees in postwar Czechoslovakia to reclaim their property and file damage claims. Slovakia now eager to have the same privilege The move by the Czechs has led neighboring Slovakia to demand a similar opt-out. Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak on Monday said his country "would insist on the same political and legal protections as the Czech Republic" because it shares the same post-World War II law that deported millions of ethnic Germans and Hungarians from then-united Czechoslovakia. Most legal experts say the Czech court, which has already rejected one challenge by the Senate, will throw out the senators' appeal. It could issue a ruling on Tuesday, or take longer to do so. Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer, who would like to see the Lisbon Treaty ratified, said on Monday that he did not expect the final ruling until later. Rejection of the appeal would give President Klaus the legal authority to sign the Lisbon Treaty. He cannot sign before the ruling. However, if the court accepts the appeal, the Czech constitution would have to be changed to allow ratification. And this could be a lengthy process with an uncertain outcome. gb/dpa/AP/Reuters Editor: Nancy Isenson | [
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German students protest university reforms
Students throughout Germany are protesting reforms to the country's university system. But Germany's education minister says the changes will go ahead as planned - preferably sooner rather than later.
German university students staged demonstrations across the country on Thursday to protest recent reforms to the country's degree system and tuition fees. They also complain that colleges are underfunded and understaffed. By 2010, Germany will follow the Bachelor-Master-Doctorate format as part of the Council of Europe's Bologna reforms, aimed at synchronizing Europe's higher education standards. But critics say the new system will be too intense, as the time to complete one's degree will be shorter. "The students are protesting against the workload that results from this more condensed course and fear that a bachelor's degree will not be enough when entering the job market," said Susanne Schilden, a spokeswoman for the German Rectors Conference, a group representing 265 of the country's 300 universities. Demonstrators, who occupied lecture halls in 20 German cities, including Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, also said they want tuition fees to be scrapped. Police evicted around 200 protesters from a university lecture hall in Tuebingen. Inspiration from Austria Since 2005, German universities have been allowed to charge tuition fees, which now run between 100 to 500 euros ($150 to $750) per semester. "No one can force an academic reform against the will of the students," a statement from the Munich students said. "Therefore we call for rights of co-determination for all decision-making processes that affect studies at the university." Education Minister Annette Schavan has called for Germany's 16 states to quickly implement the planned reforms. "The students need a clear signal that the corrections that have been decided are being incorporated into the academic system," Schavan told broadcaster Suedwestrundfunk. The demonstrations began on Wednesday. They were inspired by student protests in Austria that have been underway for the past three weeks. There, too, the students are protesting against the Bologna reforms as well as plans to introduce tuition fees and to limit admissions to certain courses of study. vj/AFP/dpa Editor: Nancy Isenson | [
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Bhopal Gas Leak: 25 Years on
Shortly after midnight on December 2, 1984, the Indian city of Bhopal witnessed the world’s worst industrial disaster. Toxic fumes escaped from a pesticide factory owned by the US firm Union Carbide Corporation and engulfed the homes of thousands of residents, killing many in their sleep. As many as 3,000 people died in a single night - over 22,000 in the days and years that followed. 25 years later, the catastrophe in Bhopal is far from over. While survivors still have to cope with the long-term effects of being exposed to the gas, the disaster also has consequences for the city's newer residents.
A few kilometers away from the city centre in Bhopal, an abandoned factory lies in ruins. This factory, formerly owned by the US-based firm Union Carbide Corporation, gave off toxic fumes on the night of December 2, 1984 which killed over 3,000 people. Today the factory premises are unused. In 1989 a controversial court ruling cleared the firm of all liability with regard to the incident. For residents living in the slums nearby, the sight of the derelict factory is a constant reminder of the disaster that hit them on a dark night 25 years ago. Satinath Sarangi, the director of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic for gas victims, says the impact of the catastrophe is still there for all to see. “Today, in many ways the conditions are worse than how it was on the morning of the disaster. More than 100,000 people are suffering from chronic illnesses related to the toxic gas exposure. Then there are tens of thousands of children born to gas-exposed parents with a range of growth and developmental disorders. And also in the last 25 years people who lost their health also lost their ability to work and earn a livelihood, which has meant starvation conditions for thousands of families, because the government has not provided any kind of economic rehabilitation support.” Groundwater pollution But it is not just through the long-term effects of gas-exposure that the repercussions of the disaster are being felt. The Union Carbide Factory in Bhopal dumped thousands of tons of toxins at the site. The poison continues to pollute groundwater and thus expose the residents to still more danger. In an official statement on the disaster put up on its website, Union Carbide maintains that it has spent two million dollars on clean-up efforts at the site. Yet a study released on December 1 by an independent research organisation, the Centre for Science and Environment, shows that groundwater at and near the factory site contains almost 40 times more pesticides than the average for India. Soil and water samples taken in areas as far as 3 kilometres away from the site show harmful substances including heavy metals like mercury and chromium in high concentrations. The residents of nearby slums use hand pumps or bore wells to extract their drinking water from the ground. It is of course heavily contaminated and is having a negative impact on health, says Ram Bai, a resident of the area. “For 25 years we have been drinking this polluted water, we have no access to clean water,” says Ram Bai. “There are constant illnesses here. That is why we demand our right to clean water. We have lived most of our lives, but we want to secure a better future at least for the children now being born here.” Birth defects among newborns The high level of chemicals present in the water is leading to a rising number of birth defects in new-born children. This can be witnessed even among people who moved to Bhopal after the disaster and were not exposed to the harmful gas. According to Satinath Sarangi of Sambhavna Trust, more children are born with developmental defects in this area than in any other comparable population. Yet an alternate source of water is still not available. In 2004, the Supreme Court of India directed the state government in Madhya Pradesh to provide clean drinking water to the settlements near the factory site. Now a water pipeline has been built, but local activists say the water does not reach all of the settlements on a regular basis. Moreover, some of the slum-dwellers have been told it is a private water supply and that they have to pay to use it. Outside the premises of the Union Carbide factory, women have gathered to shout slogans in protest at the conduct of the Madhya Pradesh state government. A few days ahead of the 25th anniversary of the disaster, the state government went so far as to deny that there was any toxic contamination at the site. The women in these settlements now want the world to know that while the catastrophe may have occurred a long time ago, their struggle for basic rights like health care and clean drinking water is far from over. Author:Pia Chandavarkar(Bhopal) Editor: Grahame Lucas | [
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Climate activists receive Alternative Nobel Prizes
An award for activism, dubbed the "alternative Nobel prize" has been awarded to four individuals for their work in fields such as climate change, medicine and preventing deforestation.
Four activists were awarded the 2009 Right Livelihood award in the Stockholm parliament on Friday for "offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The so-called "Alternative Nobels" have been awarded since 1980. David Suzuki of Canada won an honorary award for "his lifetime advocacy of the socially responsible use of science," as well as his contributions to highlighting the issue of climate change. He expressed concerns before the awards ceremony that the imminent Copenhagen conference would result in a contract emphasizing economics over the environment. "The worst possible thing would be a half-hearted agreement," he told the dpa news agency, saying it was better to work for a better deal next year. "We have partied as if there is no tomorrow, using things up and throwing them away without regard to the future," Suzuki said on Thursday. "Well, the party's over and we have to sober up, clean up our mess, assess our situation and get on with acting for a future." He also admitted doubting the Canadian government's commitment to dealing with climate change, saying that Ottawa "would try to prevent any hard targets and time frames and enforcement mechanisms." Prize winning activism Other laureates honored were Rene Ngongo, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who won for his courage in establishing conservation efforts for the rainforests of the Congo. "Climate change is the biggest threat our planet has to face right now," Ngongo said. "The world must act now - if not, we risk suffering from growing and irreversible disturbances that will exceed our capacities to adapt." New Zealand's Alyn Ware won for his work promoting peace education and campaigns against nuclear weapons. In Ethiopia, Australian-born Catherine Hamlin, was awarded the prize for her 50 years of work dedicated to treating obstetric fistula patients. Co-winners Ware, Hamlin and Ngongo are to receive 50,000 euros ($73,000) in prize money. sjt/dpa/AP Editor: Sean Sinico | [
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Fake medicines inundate EU market
The EU's outgoing industry commissioner warns that the bloc has been swamped by spurious pharmaceutical products. Guenter Verheugen is calling for steps that will criminalize offenses and protect potential victims.
The Industry Commissioner said in an interview published in the German daily Die Welt on Monday that the trade in counterfeit medicines in the European Union had exceeded the body's worst fears. Guenter Verheugen said the EU had seized fake tablets worth millions within a short period of time. "In just two months, the EU seized 34 million fake tablets at customs points in all member countries. This exceeded our worst fears," he said. He told Die Welt that antibiotics, cancer treatments and Viagra were among the counterfeit medicines. Other fake drugs seized included anti-malaria medicines, analgesics and anti-cholesterol treatments. Verheugen is Germany's commissioner to the European Union and will hold the portfolio until commissioner-designate Antonio Tajani of Italy is approved and takes office early next year. Verheugen said the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, was very concerned about the situation, adding that he expected the EU to take action to fight the menace of fake pharmaceutical products. "The number of counterfeit medicines arriving in Europe ... is constantly growing. The European Commission is extremely worried," Die Welt quoted Verheugen as saying. An EU report in July said that many of the fake pharmaceuticals seized in 2008 came from India. Call to criminalize Verheugen said counterfeiting drugs should be treated as a serious crime and punished severely. "Every faked drug is a potential massacre,” he said, adding: "Even when a medicine only contains an ineffective substance, this can lead to people dying because they think they are fighting their illness with a real drug." The outgoing EU commissioner expressed optimism that there would be progress in tackling the problem of fake medicines in the coming year. "I expect the EU will agree in 2010 that a drug's journey from manufacture to sale should be scrutinized carefully. There will also be anti-counterfeit markings on packaging – in particular a barcode and seal, to show clearly if a package has been opened," he said. In June, EU health ministers gave a warm reception to a legal proposal aimed at stopping fake drugs entering the legal supply chain. The plan included stepped-up security measures on packaging, including barcodes, seals and holograms, as well as tighter controls on suppliers. Some analysts have welcomed the proposal, saying it could help to better regulate distributors. rb/AFP/AP/dpa Editor: Kyle James | [
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},
{
"content": "EU",
"is_validated": true,
"label": "organization",
"start_index": 38
},
{
"content": "Guenter Verheugen",
"is_validated": true,
"label": "person",
"start_inde... | [] | true |
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