Innovative businesses show greater productivity, study shows

BUSINESSES chasing innovation were more than twice as likely to improve productivity as those that didn't, new government data shows.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics business characteristics figures show productivity improved for a third of businesses that "innovated" in 2011-12.

Innovation was defined as new or improved good or services, operations, marketing or management changes.

But only 14% of businesses that did not actively pursue innovation in 2011-12 had any improvement in their productivity.

ABS Andrew Puljic said those businesses actively pursuing new products or ways of doing business were also more likely to report a rise in the number of new jobs and profits.

The data also showed 18% of all Australian businesses sought debt or equity finance in 2011-12, with the vast majority (88%), getting the finance.

China ready to build on Philippine shoal, says Philippine defence secretary

Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin has accused China of preparing to build a structure on an uninhabited group of reefs within its territory.

The Philippine armed forces took aerial photographs of three Chinese coastguard ships and about 30 concrete blocks on the Scarborough Shoal, which China calls Huangyan Island, on August 31, Defence department spokesman Peter Galvez said.

The accusation adds to tensions days after President Benigno Aquino rejected conditions China set for him to attend a trade fair. The Philippines, a US treaty ally, lacks the military force to deter China from controlling disputed waters that may contain oil and gas reserves.

The Philippines asked the UN in January to rule on its maritime disputes with China, a move that leaders in Beijing oppose.

Asked about Gazmin's remarks, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said yesterday that he had no information about the matter.

China to Launch Shanghai Free Trade Zone on September 29th

The Shanghai Free Trade Zone will be officially launched on September 29th, according to Wang Xinkui, Director of the Counselor’s Office of the Shanghai Government.

Wang said the free trade zone will further improve the level of opening-up to promote domestic reforms. Moreover, with the view to improve and optimize the business environment, the zone will test the reform of the investment administrative system in accordance with international standards.

Wang also said that the free trade zone will ease some restrictions for foreign banks in terms of capitals, business scope and establishment of branches.

HSBC, Standard Chartered and the Bank of East Asia will be the first three foreign banks permitted to establish branches in the zone.

However, Wang said the reform will be rolled out in a prudent way, and details of the reform will not be the same as most people expected. The free trade zone will pilot with certain products first, which involves the opening-up of capital accounts and lifting restrictions on interest rates and foreign exchange quotas.

SCO summit promotes regional stability, cooperation

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders conducted in-depth exchanges of views and reached broad consensus on issues such as good-neighborly relations and key global and regional affairs during the bloc's 13th summit that closed Friday.

The meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council was held at a time when international and regional situation was getting increasingly complicated and the SCO was faced with fresh opportunities and challenges.

Analysts said that the summit will provide added impetus to safeguard regional security, deepen economic cooperation and improve people's livelihood and advance the sound steady development of the regional bloc.

In the past decade, the SCO has made remarkable achievements in regional economic cooperation. With trade scale grown and cooperation mechanism established, members states also witnessed creation of the Entrepreneurs Committee and the Inter-bank Association as well as a batch of infrastructure projects in energy, traffic and telecom fields.

SCO glimpses a new Eurasia in Bishkek

The groundwork for a new Eurasian order was laid in remote Kyrgyzstan, even as the world's attention remains focused on diplomatic maneuvers over Syria. The annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) last week brought together an assembly of heads of state opposed to American unilateral dominance, from Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to Iran's newly elected President Hassan Rouhani. 

In the wake of the negotiated settlement over Syria's chemical weapons, and with the continuing waning of America's relative power, the SCO will be an increasingly relevant regional and global institution. Furthermore, this emerging alliance is poised to expand.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was founded in 2001 by China, Russia, and the former Soviet states of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization backs Russia on Syria

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which includes China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, has backed Russia's determination to seek a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Syria.

The entire world would benefit from peace in Syria, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said. 

The Kyrgyz president, Almazbek Atambayev, whose country hosts the ongoing SCO summit, gave his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a warm welcome, which included a hug in addition to the traditional handshake.

Addressing other SCO leaders at the summit, President Atambayev expressed his deep concern at the situation in Syria. "We are deeply worried, and we believe that the conflict should be resolved solely through peaceful means, with the UN acting as a mediator," the Kyrgyz president said.

India’s membership in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation club

 Foreign minister Salman Khurshid is again expected to make a strong pitch for India's full membership of central Asia security grouping, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) — led by Russia and China — during the summit meet, beginning in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Friday. The government believes that with the international troops' drawdown in Afghanistan next year, SCO will play an increasingly significant role in ensuring security in the region.

India is currently an observer in the group. SCO has, however, not been able to evolve a consensus over the method for its further expansion. While China has conveyed to India that it supports New Delhi's initiative for a bigger role in the region, it is silent over the specific issue of India's full membership.

Pakistan, an observer like India, is also vying for full membership.

Hard Start for Mali's New Leader

World leaders and others who have pledged to help Mali recover from nearly two years of conflict will gather in the Mali capital, Bamako, today for the official inauguration of the newly elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

This came days after protesters jeered and threw stones at government officials visiting the northeastern city of Kidal - a Tuareg-rebel stronghold and the base of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), which seized the north of the country with the help of various Islamic factions last year. The delegation from the newly formed Department of National Reconciliation and Northern Development came to meet with the local leadership ahead of negotiations to restore national unity.

Thanks in part to his reputation as a strongman, IBK, as the president is known, was elected with over 70 percent of the vote over his second-round opponent, Soumaïla Cissé. He was touted as the candidate who could bring order back to Mali and enjoyed widespread support at home and abroad - including thinly-veiled favoritism from France, which remains a presence in Mali after leading the push to liberate the north nine months ago. But analysts say the current situation requires more than strength.

After Mali, Niger battles to secure its borders

The takeover of northern Mali by Islamist rebels after a 2012 coup, and the subsequent French-led intervention, have widened fears of a spill-over of insurgency in the region. Niger, which has socio-political problems comparable to those of Mali, is battling to secure its territory from militants still operating in Sahel’s remote wilderness. 

Niger, an impoverished Sahel nation prone to droughts and food scarcity, also faces additional threats from Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria to the south and from militias in the north suspected to be operating in southern Libya, analysts say. 

Politically, Niger has worked to improve the inclusion of its Tuareg population to end the cycles of insurgency. 

Insecurity is an ever-present threat. The country suffered twin attacks on 23 May, when assailants struck a military base and a French-run uranium mine in the north, killing dozens. 

Niger: Another Weak Link in the Sahel?

The 23 May 2013 twin suicide attacks targeting the Agadez army barracks and an Areva mining site in Arlit, and the 1 June violent prison break in Niamey, cast a shadow over Niger’s stability. In a deteriorating regional environment, President Mahamadou Issoufou and his Western allies have favoured a security strategy that has significant limitations, as elsewhere in the Sahel. 

Niger, a focus of outside interest mainly for its uranium and newfound oil reserves, has recently received renewed attention. For several years, Western countries have viewed the Sahel-Sahara region as a particularly dangerous zone, characterised by the rise of insecurity, political crises and poorly controlled flows of people, arms and other licit and illicit goods. 

The 2011 Libyan civil war, the 2012 Mali crisis and the recent intensification of military confrontations between government forces and Boko Haram in northern Nigeria all affect Niger. Ideas, weapons and combatants circulate across borders. However, surrounded by crisis-ridden neighbours, 

Since 2011, Nigerien security forces have been on alert with the support of Western militaries that have been present in the country ever since. They also contribute to the UN Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), with a battalion deployed in the Gao region, close to Niger.

Ethiopia Urges Sudan and Egypt to Implement Panel's Report On Nile Dam

Ethiopian government on Tuesday urged Sudan and Egypt to implement the final study report presented by the international panel of experts that was established to assess the impact of Ethiopia's giant Nile dam project on downstream countries.

Ethiopia cited the findings of the report issued last June as showing that the $4.7 billion Grand Renaissance dam will not have any significant effect on lower riparian countries of Egypt and Sudan.

Cairo says the construction of the massive hydro-electric dam project will diminish its water share, becoming its prime water security concern.

Addis Ababa however argues the dam project will regulate the flow of water avoiding flooding, reduce siltation and will allow provision of clean and cheap energy to Sudan and Egypt.

Although Ethiopia is a source to 85% of the Nile's water resources, a colonial era treaty, however, has allowed Egypt to utilize the lion's share of the water resources. The treaty effectively granted the North African nation a veto power against any dam project along the Nile River in upper riparian countries. Sudan however, has expressed support to Ethiopia's dam project putting it at odds with Cairo.

Egypt's relations with Africa remain cool despite a diplomatic campaign by Cairo to reboot ties

Egyptian-African relations had witnessed some tensions resulting from the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi, with the African Union suspending Egypt’s membership pending the restoration of constitutional rule and democracy to the country. Furthermore, tripartite negotiations with Sudan and Ethiopia pertaining to the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam were put on hold, as were discussions relating to the problem caused by the Entebbe Agreement.

Despite Egypt’s efforts to bolster its relations with other African countries, the issue of water allocations remained at a standstill during discussions pertaining to the Nile basin dossier, which continued to cause tensions between downstream states Egypt and Sudan and their counterpart upstream countries. These tensions increased as Ethiopia began building its Renaissance Dam over the Blue Nile, which constitutes a direct threat to Egypt’s water interests in the river Nile.

Soy rules in Latin America as China, Europe beckon

Prices have quadrupled over the past dozen years or so, making the Brazil-Argentina-Paraguay region the world's soy powerhouse. Their harvest in 2013 was at an all time high.

Brazil alone produced 81 million tons this year, matching that of the soybean pioneer, the United States, according to figures from the US Department of Agriculture. The last US soybean harvest was hit by drought.

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, thanks to burgeoning demand soy prices have shot from $100 a ton in early 2000 to more than $500 now, said Argentine economist Luciano Cohan.

China imported 60 million tons of soybean sprouts in the 2012/2013 season and plans to take another 70 million in 2013/2014.

Gustavo Grobocopatel, an Argentine nicknamed the "king of soy,", says growth will continue another 10 or 15 years before stabilizing.

Mazoyer reckons production will double in the next 50 years.

The world is developing fast, with people in emerging nations now in a position to afford meat. So demand for it and, thus, soy to feed the cows, will rise.

British consultancy Consensus Forecast, Paraguay increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2014 will be 4.2%. 

The data indicate that Peru will lead growth in the region with an expansion of 6.2%, followed by Bolivia with 4.8%, Colombia with 4.5% and Chile with 4.4%.

Meanwhile Paraguay clinches fifth with the summary record. Uruguay will have a similar expansion with 4.1%, while Ecuador will reach 4%, like Mexico.

Brazil will have a GDP growth rate of 2.7%.The same organization had indicated that the increase in GDP of Paraguay will be 11.1% this year, with this, the local economy will that further expansion will be taking into account, the countries of South America, Bolivia will be followed with 5.1%.

Several organizations have provided data on growth that will take the country within this year, all have revealed that the increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is 2 digits, ie more than 10%

Some of the issues that have driven the country's economy are increasing exports, especially soybeans and beef, and increased activity in construction.

Paraguay extends Zero Deforestation Law to 2018

The Paraguayan government has extended the “Zero Deforestation Law” for a further five years, resulting in an important conservation win for this highly threatened eco-region. 

The Land Conversion Moratorium for the Atlantic Forest of Paraguay, also known as the “Zero Deforestation Law” was enacted in 2004 and dramatically slowed the country’s deforestation rate by prohibiting the transformation and conversion of forested areas in Paraguay's eastern region.

The Atlantic Forest, located in Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina, is one of the world's most endangered tropical rainforests, with just 7 percent of its original surface coverage remaining. Despite the massive deforestation, fragmentation, habitat destruction and degradation of rivers, it contains nearly 7 percent of the world’s plant and animal species, many of which are endemic and threatened with extinction. 

After Paraguay approved the Zero Deforestation Law for the eastern part of the country in 2004, there was a decrease of deforestation by about 90 percent. 

Mongolia to Take Areva Uranium Stake to Help Revive Investment

Areva has explored for uranium in Mongolia since 1997 and has 144 staff in the country, according to its website. MonAtom’s stake would be in Areva Mongol’s unit, Areva Mines LLC, the company that will produce the uranium.

Areva Mongol owns 27 uranium exploration permits in the country and is seeking to upgrade them to allow mining. It is negotiating an equity interest with state-owned MonAtom LLC, according to the Paris-based company’s website. Japan’s largest trader, Mitsubishi Corp. (8058), is also a potential investor, it said.

Mitsubishi is waiting for Mongolian government approval to exercise its option on Areva Mongol shares, Japan’s biggest trading company said in an e-mailed response to questions. The approval is expected in the near future, Mitsubishi said.

May 9, 2007

Texas governor backs down on HPV vaccine effort
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0848771820070509

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said on Tuesday he is backing down in his effort to require that pre-teen girls be vaccinated against a virus known to cause cervical cancer after the state's legislature overturned his order. The February order would have made Texas the first U.S. state to require that girls receive the Merck & Co. Inc.'s vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) so they can enroll in sixth grade, when most students are 11 or 12 years old. But social conservatives opposed it, saying it would lead to sexual promiscuity. The Republican-majority Texas Legislature passed a bill last month contravening the order by preventing the vaccination program for at least four years. Several other states are also considering requiring the vaccine.

Russia to deploy fixed-site Topol-M ICBMs by 2010 -SMF cmdr.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070508/65086382.html

Russia's Strategic Missile Forces will complete the deployment of silo-based Topol-M ICBMs by 2010, the SMF commander in chief said Tuesday. Col. Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov said Monday the Topol-M system will be equipped with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV) in the next two or three years, adding the new system will help penetrate missile defenses more effectively. His statement comes against the background of growing tensions between Moscow and the West regarding plans by the United States to deploy elements of its global antiballistic missile defense system in Central Europe. Gen. Solovtsov said the Strategic Missile Forces would factor in the new threats.

Lavrov: the EU and NATO connive with efforts to rewrite history http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=44889
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov yesterday accused the European Union and NATO of conniving with nations that disrespect the memory of Soviet soldiers and seek to rewrite history, the latest angry words in a dispute deepened by Estonia's relocation of a World War II monument. "Attempts to make a mockery of history are becoming an element and an instrument of the foreign policy of certain countries," Lavrov said in televised comments at a ceremony honoring Russian diplomats who died during the war. "Unfortunately certain organizations such as NATO and the EU connive with these attempts." The dispute has tested relations between Russia and the West, already strained by disagreement on an array of issues ranging from human rights and democracy to arms control. The West is wary of President Vladimir Putin's increasingly assertive Kremlin, while Putin has accused Western forces of seeking to weaken Russia. The newspaper Kommersant reported yesterday that Putin is expected to sign a decree this month to create a system of seven representative offices abroad - mostly in central Europe, including in Poland, Hungary and the Baltics - that would be responsible for the inventory and preservation of war graves. The Kremlin said it could not immediately comment on the report, which cited Russian military officials.

China, Russia deny weapons breach
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6632959.stm

China and Russia have denied claims by Amnesty International that they are supplying arms to Sudan for use in Darfur, in breach of a UN arms embargo. A report by the rights group says the weapons end up in the hands of the government-backed Janjaweed militia. It also includes apparent photographic evidence of Sudan using military aircraft camouflaged white in Darfur. China said its exports to Sudan were legal, limited and on a small scale. Russia also denied any embargo breach. A Russian foreign ministry official said Moscow "unswervingly" observes the UN restrictions. Under the terms of a UN Security Council resolution passed in March 2005, an embargo is in place on the supply of arms to all parties in the conflict in Darfur. The Sudanese ambassador to the UN, Abdel Mahmood Abdel Haleem, said the Amnesty allegations were "baseless and unfounded".


Serbia at 'crossroads' after hardliner wins top post http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Serbia_at_crossroads_after_hardline_05082007.html
Serbia elected an extreme nationalist to one of the most powerful positions in the country on Tuesday, prompting fears of a return to the isolation of the Slobodan Milosevic era. Leader of the Serbian Radical Party, Tomislav Nikolic, was voted in as parliamentary speaker with backing from caretaker Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica after a marathon 15-hour debate in parliament. The move deepens the political paralysis in Serbia where Nikolic's Radicals emerged as the biggest party in January's legislative elections and squabbling moderate parties have failed to form a coalition after weeks of wrangling. Nikolic's Radical party was an on-off ally of Milosevic's Socialist party of Serbia throughout the Balkan wars up until his arrest in 2001 and removal to the UN international warcrimes tribunal in the Hague where he died just over a year ago. The previous leader of the party, Vojislav Seselj, who was in the vanguard of Serbia's bloody role in the break-up of the former Yugoslavia is currently awaiting trial at The Hague on war crime charges. Under Serbia's constitution, parties have until May 14 to form a new government or else new elections must be called opening the way for the Radical party to increase its share of the vote.


US judge drops charges against anti-Castro militant http://rawstory.com/news/afp/US_judge_drops_charges_against_anti_05082007.html
A US federal judge in El Paso, Texas freed anti-Castro militant Luis Posada Carriles after dropping immigration charges against the ex-CIA contractor whom Cuba and Venezuela call a terrorist. Posada Carriles escaped prison in Venezuela after being convicted of masterminding the 1976 downing of a Cuban airliner, killing 73, and has since been accused of other activities against Fidel Castro and his government. The Cuban-born Venezuelan national was detained by US immigration officials in May 2005 for entering the United States illegally and lying about his immigration status.

US Blames Venezuela For European Drug Problem
http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=42125

The United States' anti-drug czar blamed Venezuela on Tuesday for an increase in shipments of cocaine into Europe and urged EU governments to apply diplomatic pressure on the Latin American country to combat the problem. John Walters, White House director for drug control policy, said Venezuela had become the main transit route for illegal drugs between neighbouring Colombia -- the world's top cocaine producer -- and the increasingly attractive European market. Walters' comments came against the background of persistently tetchy relations between Washington and Venezuela's populist President Hugo Chavez. Walters accused the Venezuelan administration of failing to sufficiently tackle the drugs issue and urged European Union politicians to "use their influence" to persuade Chavez to stop the illegal traffickers.


English rule of Northern Ireland ends
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/05/08/english_rule_of_northern_ireland_ends/

Direct rule of Northern Ireland by London ended Tuesday as Protestant and Catholic parties signed a power-sharing agreement in Belfast. British Prime Minister Tony Blair attended the ceremony where Protestant Democratic Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley, 80, was sworn in as first minister and Martin McGuinness, 56, of Sinn Fein became deputy first minister, the BBC reported. The British government suspended self-rule in October 2002 when allegations of intelligence gathering within the Stormont parliament came to light. In March, DUP leader Ian Paisley met with Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams and the two agreed to share power to end London rule.

Utility argues it protects Great Lakes
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/05/08/utility_argues_it_protects_great_lakes/

The owner of four older Chicago-area power plants argues that dumping hot water into local rivers keeps invasive species out of the Great Lakes. Midwest Generation says ending the hot-water discharge would also be prohibitively expensive, The Chicago Tribune reports. The Chicago and Des Plaines rivers were connected more than a century ago to allow barges to travel from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi. For decades, the rivers were open sewers devoid of most life. Now, the rivers are becoming cleaner. But that raises the possibility that the Asian carp, which escaped from southern fish farms, could make its way into Lake Michigan. Environmentalists say the argument makes no sense, especially since carp prefer warm water. On the other hand, they say the discharges threaten other species of fish that have returned to the rivers.


Student loan chief leaving Education Dept.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/05/09/student_loan_chief_leaving_education_dept/
The department announced this week that Theresa Shaw has resigned as chief operating officer of the office of student aid, The New York Times reported. The announcement came two days before Education Secretary Margaret Spellings was scheduled to testify before a congressional committee. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has been investigating ties between universities and companies that make student loans. In his testimony before the House Education Committee, he accused the Education Department of being "asleep at the switch."


Data Says 2.5 Million Less Watching TV
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8P0F6RG0&show_article=1

In TV's worst spring in recent memory, a startling number of Americans drifted away from television the past two months: More than 2.5 million fewer people were watching ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox than at the same time last year, statistics show. Everyone has a theory to explain the plummeting ratings: early Daylight Savings Time, more reruns, bad shows, more shows being recorded or downloaded or streamed. Scariest of all for the networks, however, is the idea that many people are now making their own television schedules. The industry isn't fully equipped to keep track of them, and as a result the networks are scrambling to hold on to the nearly $8.8 billion they collected during last spring's ad-buying season. The viewer plunge couldn't have come at a worse time for the networks—next week they will showcase their fall schedules to advertisers in the annual "up front" presentations.

May 8, 2007

Concerns raised on China's global health disclosures
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/07/news/pigs.php
The international and Hong Kong authorities said Monday that they had received little information from mainland Chinese officials about a mysterious ailment killing pigs in southeastern China or about Chinese wheat gluten contaminated with plastic scrap, raising questions again about whether Beijing is willing to share data on global health issues. The Chinese government, and particularly the government of Guangdong Province, next to Hong Kong, suffered heavy criticism in 2003 after concealing the SARS virus for the first four months after it first emerged in Foshan, 150 kilometers, or 95 miles, northwest of Hong Kong. After SARS spread to Hong Kong and around the world, top Chinese officials promised to improve disclosure. But officials in Hong Kong as well as at the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization said Monday that they had received practically no information about the latest pig deaths and limited details about wheat gluten contamination. Because pigs can catch many of the same diseases as people, notably bird flu, the WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization maintain global networks to track and investigate unexplained patterns of pig deaths. State-controlled media in China have carried a few reports on the wheat gluten problem but almost nothing on the pig deaths. Hong Kong media were full of lurid accounts Monday of pigs staggering around with blood pouring from their bodies in Gaoyao and neighboring Yunfu, both in Guangdong Province. Apple, a daily newspaper here, said that up to 80 percent of the pigs had died in the area, that peasants were engaged in panic selling of ailing animals at deep discounts and that pig carcasses were floating down the river. Medical experts said that the extent of the reported bleeding from the pigs, including bloody skin lesions, did not sound like common symptoms of bird flu, but added that the pig deaths needed to be investigated. Because pigs can be infected with many avian and human influenza viruses, the most popular scientific model for how avian influenza viruses cause pandemics in humans is that human and avian influenza viruses exchange genetic material when they infect a pig at the same time.


Venezuela criticizes DEA as 'new cartel'
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4782872.html
Venezuela on Monday said it will not allow U.S. agents to carry out counter-drug operations in the country, accusing the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration of being a "new cartel" that aids traffickers. Justice Minister Pedro Carreno said the South American nation suspended cooperation with the agency in 2005 after determining that "they were moving a large amount of drugs." President Hugo Chavez at the time also accused the DEA of spying. Washington has repeatedly accused Venezuela of not cooperating in counter-drug efforts and says cocaine shipments are increasingly passing through the country from neighboring Colombia. U.S. officials say about 10 DEA agents have remained in Venezuela working with law enforcement contacts even after the Chavez government suspended formal cooperation. Carreno was responding to comments by John Walters, the U.S. director of National Drug Control Policy, who told the Colombian magazine Semana in an interview published last week: "Chavez has refused to cooperate. It's a shame. Venezuela is gaining in importance for the drug traffickers." Carreno said Venezuela is making important strides in fighting drug trafficking.

Ecuador will not renew investment agreement with United States http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070507-1502-ecuador-us.html

Ecuador's new leftist president has decided not to renew a bilateral investment treaty with the United States, the country's foreign minister said Monday, just days before a senior U.S. official is due to visit. Maria Fernanda Espinosa said President Rafael Correa, a U.S.-trained economist, will not renew the agreement that expires this week, but is “totally open” to discussing “an alternative that mutually guarantees the investments of each country.” The announcement came less than a week before U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is scheduled to visit the country. The treaty, signed in 1993, is meant to encourage and protect investments. Michael Greenwald, a U.S. embassy spokesman in Quito, said Ambassador Linda Jewell has not yet commented on Correa's decision. Last year, Occidental Petroleum Corp. cited the treaty when it sought $1 billion in damages over Ecuador's cancellation of the California-based company's oil-production contract. The arbitration claim before the World Bank's International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes in Washington has not been resolved. Espinosa said Sunday the treaty “has really caused many problems for our country” and “does not respect national interests,” although she did not elaborate. Some Ecuadorean executives worry that Correa's decision will cause the U.S. to deny Ecuador another extension of the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, a package of trade benefits offered in exchange for cooperation in counter-drug activities. The act expired Dec. 31, but was extended for six months.

World Bank says Wolfowitz broke rules
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21691983-1702,00.html
A WORLD Bank panel has found that bank President Paul Wolfowitz's handling of a promotion and pay increase for his companion represented a conflict of interest and broke staff rules. According to board sources, the panel made no recommendation on how he should be reprimanded. The former US deputy defence minister, who has faced calls by staff to resign over the lucrative deal for his companion, Shaha Riza, a World Bank Middle East expert, has been given time to respond to the report, but senior bank officials repeated that he would not step down. One source close to the World Bank board said the panel found Mr Wolfowitz's actions amounted to conflict of interest, while another source said the panel found he broke governance rules. A meeting of the 24-nation World Bank board of shareholder governments, which will determine whether Mr Wolfowitz should be fired for his actions, is now scheduled for later in the week, possibly on Friday. According to board sources, there is "widespread feeling" among member countries that it is virtually impossible for Mr Wolfowitz to finish his term because of the damage to the bank's credibility and its ability to be effective.

Its official: Norway thinks Wal-Mart sucks
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/02/business/norway.php
Norway has amassed a fortune in excess of $300 billion over the past decade, thanks to a geyser of profits from its oil exports. Yet few countries are more ambivalent about their vast wealth than this modest, socially conscious Scandinavian society of fewer than five million people. So rather than managing this monstrous nest egg simply for the best returns, the reluctant billionaires of Norway are using the fund to advance an ambitious ethical code that they established in 2004 for their oil reserve, known as the Government Pension Fund. Among the first companies to run afoul of Norway's standards were makers of cluster bombs and nuclear weapons or related components - a list that includes Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Then last June, Norway added Wal-Mart Stores to its blacklist, alleging that the retailer was guilty of tolerating child-labor violations by its suppliers in the developing world and obstructing unions at home. The fund sold off more than $400 million worth of Wal-Mart shares. Norway is the world's No. 3 oil exporter after Saudi Arabia and Russia.

Protest Halts Major Chevron Oil Plant in Nigeria
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/41768/story.htm
Villagers with sticks and machetes staged a protest at a major Chevron oil production facility in Nigeria on Monday, forcing the company to shut it down as a precaution, security sources said. The protest at the gates of the Ebite flow station in the western Niger Delta, which is a primary feed point for the 160,000 barrel per day Escravos export terminal, was triggered by alleged delays in compensation for an oil spill. "There is a community protest. They are carrying sticks and machetes, but the place is full of government security forces who were drafted in over the weekend. The company has not lost control of the facility," a security source said. Another source said the plant had been shut down as a precaution and talks had started to resolve the dispute. Oil spills are one source of constant friction between oil companies and communities in the Niger Delta, a vast wetlands region which is home to all of Nigeria's crude. Companies blame spills on criminal gangs illegally tapping oil from their pipelines, while communities blame the companies and often demand substantial compensation. Unrest and militant attacks on oil facilities in other parts of the delta have already shut down a quarter of Nigerian oil production, helping lift world oil prices.



Annie Lennox's home destroyed in MySpace party http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=453293&in_page_id=1770&in_a_source=

Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox might well be feeling, as in the words of her hit song, just like she's walking on broken glass today. The popstar, 52, has been hit with a hefty repair bill after her 16-year-old daughter became the latest victim of gatecrashers who get wind of a party on the internet. The mayhem happened after Annie's teenaged daughter Lola innocently let slip she was having a get-together at home while her film producer father Uri Fruchtmann was away. But the email which was meant to get to just 30 close school friends ended up frenziedly circulating to hundreds of others. It is understood that the information about the party spread on websites like MySpace. Their £2 million family home in north London was trashed when more than a hundred youngsters forced entry. Party-goers daubed graffiti on walls, broke pictures and lampshades, tore apart books, urinated and vomited on carpets, flooded the kitchen and had a pitch battle in the garden. It was not long before it was standing room only at the house and in its grounds and the party quickly got out of hand. Her singer mother, who divorced from her father Uri in 2000 after 12 years of marriage and also lives in north London, is not understood to have heard about the party at the former marital home until the damage had been done.

Embryonic stem cells can repair eyes, company says
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0735624120070507?feedType=RSS&rpc=22
Stem cells made from human embryos can home in on damaged eyes, hearts and arteries of mice and rats, and appear to start repairs, a U.S. company said on Monday. Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technology said it had devised a straightforward way to make blood vessel precursor cells out of the stem cells and plans to test them in humans. Embryonic stem cells are the ultimate master cell of the body, giving rise to all of the tissues and organs. The use of human embryonic stem cells is controversial because many people oppose destroying the embryo. The U.S. Congress has passed several bills that would expand federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research but President George W. Bush vetoed one and has said he will veto any more. However, companies working with private funding, such as the over-the-counter listed ACT, may do as they please.

Red Cross steps up Iraq missions in face of "crisis"
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L07358280.htm
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday it was stepping up its relief operations in Iraq in the face of what an official called "an ever-deepening humanitarian crisis." The Swiss-based ICRC said it was upping its Iraqi budget for this year by over 60 percent -- from some $47 million to $75.2 million -- and was appealing to international donors to come up with the extra $29 million as soon as possible. The additional funds would be partly used to help the most vulnerable among the growing numbers of internally displaced people -- now estimated at totalling 850,000 across the country -- and the poorest in communities sheltering them

Despite warnings, most U.S. babies watch TV, DVDs http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N07340982.htm
About 90 percent of U.S. children under age 2 and as many as 40 percent of infants under three months are regular watchers of television, DVDs and videos, researchers said on Monday. They said the number of young kids watching TV is much greater than expected. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that children in the United States watch about four hours of television every day. They recommend that children under age 2 should not watch any and older children should watch no more than 2 hours a day of quality programming. A second study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that teens who watch three to four hours of television a day are more likely to have attention or learning problems and are less likely to get a college degree. Just 12 percent of the parents whose children watched less than an hour of television a day said their child "hardly ever does homework," compared to 21 percent of those who watched one to three hours a day and 27 percent of those who watched more than three hours a day. Parents said 22 percent of teens who watched less than an hour a day were often bored at school, compared to 35 percent of the moderate watchers and 42 percent of those who watched three hours or more. The result was the same regardless of socioeconomic status.

Popcorn can kill you http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/05/07/lung_disease_linked_to_flavoring_chemical/
The Washington Post is reporting that since 2001, academic studies have linked bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare and life-threatening form of fixed obstructive lung disease, with an artificial butter flavoring called diacetyl,. Diacetyl is often used in microwave popcorn flavoring plants. Flavoring manufacturers have paid out more than $100 million in lawsuits during the past five years. One death from popcorn workers lung has been confirmed. Politicians and health care workers are pushing for a ban on diacetyl. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration has been criticized for being slow in acting on the issue. Because of this, California Assemblywoman Sally Lieber has introduced a bill to ban the use of diacetyl. The Post reported that most people infected with popcorn workers lung are young Latinos with no history of smoking.

Bee disorder hasn't impacted Kansas http://www.kansas.com/113/story/63825.html
Kansas has so far been spared from the mysterious problem that is killing honeybees across the nation, according to a report from Kansas State University entomologist Sharon Dobesh. Dobesh said that the state has probably been spared because most of the states hives are owned by individuals who keep bees as a hobby. Most of the populations that have been killed by the problem, which has been called "colony collapse disorder" have been commercial migratory hives, which are trucked from state to state to pollinate orchards and fields. Kansas has fewer than a dozen beekeepers who would quality as commercial operators. Dobesh said there is no known cause for colony collapse disorder, which causes bees to die or abandon their hives. Speculation has included new diseases, pesticides or parasites. Bees are vital to the pollination of about 30 percent of the crops grown nationwide. Domestic hives have become extremely important in recent years because many of the country's wild bees have been killed by infestation with the varroa mite.

May 6, 2007

On Iraq, Gates may not be following Bush's playbook http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gates6may06,0,2140065.story?coll=la-home-headlines

During a recent trip to the Middle East, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the Iraqi government that time was running out and praised Democratic efforts in the U.S. Congress to set a timetable for withdrawal, saying it would help prod the Iraqis. He reiterated that point during a meeting with reporters last week. A spokesman for Gates insisted there was no distance between the Defense secretary's thinking on the timetable for Iraq and views held by the White House or Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. troops in Iraq. But his warnings to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki are just the latest indications from Gates that he believes the window of opportunity for the administration to get Iraq right is closing sooner rather than later. Any determination by Gates that time is running out on the current plan could severely complicate the administration's strategy this summer, a prospect that has begun to worry some backers of the troop "surge." Gates' sharpest public difference with supporters of Bush's strategy has been over the question of how long the buildup should last before undergoing a thorough assessment. Gates insisted for much of the year that the current Baghdad security plan be evaluated this summer — just two months after all five of the "surge" brigades are in place. And Gates occasionally scolded senior officers who have suggested otherwise. When Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, the chief military spokesman in Baghdad, suggested in recent weeks that a progress report may have to wait until the fall, Gates responded harshly. "I was a little disturbed, frankly, to hear that one of our military officers — and I don't know who it was — saying it will be fall before we have some good idea," Gates told a congressional hearing, unprompted by any question about timing.

Voting brisk as the French decide
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6629077.stm

France is reporting record turnout as voters choose between socialist Segolene Royal and conservative Nicolas Sarkozy for their next president. In a hotly contested poll, nearly 75% of voters had cast their ballots by late afternoon - the highest turnout at that point in more than 30 years. The two rivals are bidding to succeed Jacques Chirac after 12 years. Ms Royal has suggested a Sarkozy win might spark riots. Mr Sarkozy accused her of verbal violence. Polls opened at 0800 (0600 GMT) for mainland France's 43.5 million voters and are due to close at 2000 (1800 GMT).

Russian partnership with the West in peril http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Russian_partnership_with_the_West_i_05052007.html

In an effort to ease bilateral strains, Moscow and Washington have reached an unusual agreement to have their foreign and defence ministers meet, particularly to address Russian concerns about the missile shield. Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, a favourite to replace President Vladimir Putin next year, said Thursday that Moscow would no longer inform partners when it moves troops across its territory. The announcement, the application of a freeze Putin made on the Soviet-era Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, was the first concrete move in what are tense and possibly changing times. In this atmosphere of confrontation, some at NATO fear that Kosovo, where the alliance has some 16,000 troops and whose ethnic Albanian majority is impatient for independence, could ultimately pay the price.

Communist symbol returns to Russian Army's flag
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1915193.htm

Russia's Parliament has voted to restore the communist-era hammer and sickle to the official flag of the Russian Army. It is expect President Vladimir Putin will ratify the move in time for next week's commemorations marking the end of World War II in Europe. If so, Russians will again have the Soviet version of the victory banner for next week's Victory in Europe parade in Moscow. For many Russians, especially the elderly, its symbolism is immense. The red banner, together with the hammer, sickle and a white star, was the one raised on the Reichstag roof on May 1, 1945. Millions of people all over the world know that photograph, but in Russia its significance is much deeper, with the Soviet victory over fascism in World War II remaining something seen in almost religious terms.

Asian finance ministers agree on currency pact overhaul
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Asian_finance_ministers_agree_on_cu_05052007.html

Asian finance ministers agreed Saturday to pool part of their huge foreign exchange reserves to shield themselves against a repeat of the financial crisis that rocked the region a decade ago. Finance ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as China, Japan and South Korea also voiced optimism about prospects for their economies while noting such risks as slowing global growth. A decade after the regional financial crisis, ministers are now concerned about a tide of capital flowing into the smaller economies, whose exporters are struggling with stronger currencies that damage their competitiveness. While in 1997 many countries in the region were running current account deficits, several now have large surpluses and swelling foreign exchange reserves because of their export-driven expansions. In an effort to bolster their defences, ministers agreed in principle on a system of pooled foreign currency reserves to replace the existing bilateral emergency currency swap system.
In the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the 10 ASEAN nations plus Japan, China and South Korea agreed to set up a bilateral currency swap scheme known as the Chiang Mai Initiative in a bid to prevent a repeat of the turmoil. Although the full details have yet to be thrashed out, the idea of the overhaul is to enable a country to borrow foreign currency from another more quickly to shore up its international reserves until a crisis passes. Asia now holds the bulk of the world's foreign reserves at some 2.7 trillion dollars, led by China, which alone has more than one trillion dollars. Economists warn that the reserves are far in excess of what is needed to ensure stability, leaving the risk of asset bubbles. Last year, the 10 ASEAN nations along with China, Japan and South Korea agreed to study the creation of a single Asian currency akin to the euro, but ministers said the issue was not even discussed this time around. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

FBI probing Posada's alleged links to Havana bombing
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/FBI_probing_Posada_s_alleged_links__05032007.html

The Miami Herald said FBI agents recently traveled to Cuba gather evidence on the attack, one of several Cuba claims was masterminded by Posada Carriles, including the deadly 1976 downing of a Cuban jetliner. The paper said the Havana hotel bombing is the focus of a federal grand jury probe in Newark, New Jersey. A Cuban-born Venezuelan national staunchly opposed to President Fidel Castro's government, Posada Carriles, 79, is currently under home detention in Miami awaiting trial later this month in Texas on immigration charges. Cuba claims Posada Carriles planned the 1997 bombing at Havana's Copacabana hotel that killed Italian tourist Fabio di Celmo, whose family is now seeking his prosecution for the crime. Posada Carriles was jailed in Venezuela in 1976 for allegedly masterminding the downing of the Cuban jet off Barbados, which killed 73 people. He escaped from prison in 1985, was sentenced to eight years in jail in Panama in a 2000 bomb plot to assassinate Castro, and was pardoned four years later. Declassified US documents show that Posada Carriles worked for the CIA from 1965 to June 1976. He also reportedly helped the US government ferry supplies to the Contra rebels who waged a bloody campaign to topple the socialist Sandinista government in Nicaragua in the 1980s.

Power Station Under Threat from Dog-Sized Concrete-Eating Rats
http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=62185

A hydroelectric power station on the River Pica which supplies power to Montenegro is under threat from an army of rats reputed to be the size of small dogs. Authorities are attempting to come up with a plan to combat the invasion. Local workers are terrified of the animals. "There are thousands of them and they have eaten through all the cables inside the dam walls and are burrowing lots of holes inside it. We are afraid the dam might collapse..." one said. None of the workers will go in the station as it is at the moment. "It's like something out of a James Herbert book, they are even eating through concrete," a spokesperson said.

UFOs Spotted over UK, France on Same Day
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=79914

A commercial airline pilot has reported seeing two unidentified flying objects in the sky near Guernsey Island, England, on April 23, BBC informed. The pilot, Captain Ray Bowyer, reported seeing bright yellow flat disc shapes twice the size of a Boeing 737 some 15 miles north east of the island. "This is not something you see every day of the week - it was pretty scary," the shocked pilot said for BBC. At first he thought it was the sun reflecting from greenhouses in Guernsey. He said the objects were bright like the sun, but did not hurt his eyes when he looked at them. The stationary objects were also observed by other aircraft and the passengers on the plane. The same phenomenon was witnessed on the same day in southern France. Videos by people who saw it were published immediately on-line in several free-to-watch sites.

Grateful Dead memorabilia on auction in band's US birthplace http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Grateful_Dead_memorabilia_on_auctio_05052007.html

Guitars played by The Grateful Dead's legendary front man and gold records from the psychedelic-era band will be up for auction to the group's famously cultish followers beginning Tuesday. Rudson Shurtliff, an heir of a longtime Grateful Dead road manager Lawrence "Ram Rod" Shurtliff, hauled the band mementos to Bonhams Butterfields in San Francisco for an auction expected to attract bidders worldwide. One of the guitars even has a broken string from the last time that lead singer Jerry Garcia, whose death in 1995 caused the band to dissolve, plugged it in and played. Big ticket items include some of the band's "Wall of Sound" gold records and Garcia-played guitars, including one dubbed "The Eagle" and a circa 1975 electric guitar expected to fetch more than 250,000 dollars. Other items include two never-before-seen Garcia-drawn ink on paper drawings, tie-dyed sound speaker boxes, photographs, a concert rubber mat with dirt on it and an unopened box of Camel non-filter cigarettes.

May 4, 2007

Defusing Buffalo Power Play Boosts Rangers http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/sports/hockey/04nhl.html?pagewanted=print

By LYNN ZINSER

A big reason for the Rangers’ success against Buffalo has been their ability to frustrate the Sabres’ power play. In the series, which is tied 2-2, Buffalo has converted only 3 of 25 chances, including 1 of 13 in two losses at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers, who have had power-play woes at times this season, are 5 of 19 in the series. Both of their goals in a 2-1 victory in Game 4 were on the power play.

(In a series that has gone approximately 277 minutes, Buffalo has clearly dominated at best 35 of those minutes. During that time they went ahead 3-0 in the second period of game 1; and they erased a 1-2 deficit in period 3 to prevail 3-2 in game 2. Overall Buffalo has scored 10 goals, including an empty-netter. So, in approximately 240 minutes, the Rangers have outscored Buffalo, while giving up 5 goals. In other words, the Rangers are dominating, including giving up 6 shots in the first forty minutes of the away game 2.)



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Egypt plays host as great Satan eyes up axis of evil

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2071328,00.html

Close to 60 different flags are flying in the hot sunshine of Sharm el-Sheikh as an international conference on Iraqi stabilisation and security gets under way today. Iraq's neighbours are here in force and being urged to do more to help as the US and Britain hone their exit strategies. But no one is betting that it will have much immediate effect on the mayhem in Iraq. Nouri al-Maliki, the Shia prime minister of Iraq, is leading his country's delegation to the two days of talks in the Egyptian Red Sea resort and is hoping that a combination of multilateral support and greater regional goodwill can help provide some light at the end of a very dark tunnel. The background to all this is the grandly named International Compact for Iraq, an initiative co-chaired by the UN, the World Bank and Iraq itself. It aims to build a framework for security, good governance and regional economic integration with the ambitious goal of a stable and prosperous Iraq within five years. The broader purpose of the conference is to talk about what is at stake, for Iraq and the region, on the clear if unspoken assumption that the Americans and British are on their way out and that the neighbours need to more to help clear up the mess. The big hope is that Syria and Iran can be persuaded to play a more constructive role and end their support for the Sunni insurgency and Shia militias respectively. But the pre-conference messages from Damascus and Tehran - attacking US policy and repeating calls for an immediate withdrawal - are hardly encouraging. The big event at Sharm al-Sheikh is expected to come tomorrow. Nothing has yet been finalised, but that is the likely moment for talks between Dr Rice and her Iranian counterpart, Manuchehr Mottaki, the highest-level encounter between Washington and Tehran for close to 30 years. That will be billed as "the axis of evil meets the great Satan," though the symbolism - like that of the entire conference - could turn out to be greater than any substance

'Herald Tribune' defends Iran nuke ad http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1178198606220&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

The International Herald Tribune newspaper has defended its acceptance of an advertisement seeking bids for two large scale nuclear reactors in Iran. The ad appeared on April 20. Inviting bidders to help in the construction of two pressurized light water reactors in the Bushehr province, the ad also ran in the Financial Times on April 25. Iran announced on April 15 that it is seeking bids for two additional reactors to be located near Bushehr for producing electricity. The announcement came as Iran and Russia remained at loggerheads over funding for the first plant in the same region. An IHT spokesman, asked whether accepting such an ad was appropriate, wrote: "We believe that advertising should be as free and open as the dictates of honesty and decency allow. In our view, advertising is an essential ingredient in the broad concept of a free press."

Chavez braced for assassination attempt http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID={0CD1618F-7071-418F-A46C-9BAC7530BC3C})&language=EN

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez slammed an assassination plan against him with the participation of Cuban-born terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. Addressing an act on May 1 for recovering control in the Orinoco Oil Belt, Chavez stated that the recent release of Posada Carriles, termed as the "biggest terrorist of Latin America," is linked to assassination plans. The Venezuelan leader accused the US government of protecting the criminal, responsible for the mid-air explosion of a Cuban airplane in 1976 that cost the life of 73 people, and impeding his extradition to trial in this country. Chavez has mobilized all security and intelligence bodies to neutralize any attempt of aggression against Venezuela, including assassination.

UN: Bolivia Embodies Social Change http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID={A817FCEE-7703-4DE0-B383-405534727DFC}&language=EN

Special UN rapporteur on the Right to Food Jean Ziegler stated on Friday that Bolivia is an example of country where social transformations favors equally everyone. After almost a week in La Paz to analyze advances in this aspect, the expert told Prensa Latina that health and education programs, supported by Cuba, are an example of the change President Evo Morales leads. Free medical services, a Zero Malnutrition program and the national campaign to teach 1.2 million people to read and write work toward the UN Millennium Goals, from which other governments are still far away, said the rapporteur. According to the official, the international community must learn from democracy in Bolivia, including the nationalization of hydrocarbons, "an exemplary decision." He explained the mission he leads examines national policies and programs established by the Bolivian government to facilitate availability and access to food and water. The top commissioner also supports Bolivia's wish to enter the Permanent Human Rights Council in Geneva, in recognition of its work in that matter.

LA Mayor Cuts Short Mexican Tour http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-ex-lapd4may04,1,185289,print.story

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who cut short his trip to Central America and Mexico in the wake of the May Day clash between Los Angeles police and protesters, is scheduled to speak this afternoon about the matter, into which the FBI has opened an inquiry. The mayor, speaking to reporters Thursday in Mexico City on a stop during a trade mission, said he would welcome the FBI's investigation into the violence at the end of mostly peaceful immigrant rights marches and rallies. The mayor, who was seeking to stimulate trade and encourage international cooperation in fighting street gangs, announced late Thursday night that he was flying back to Los Angeles today, and his office had scheduled a 3 p.m. news conference. New questions about how commanders handled Tuesday's incident at MacArthur Park have been raised after sources said that the Los Angeles Police Department removed dozens of elite officers from immigration protest duty in the hours before a violent clash with marchers and reporters that left 10 people injured. Police Chief William J. Bratton escalated his criticism of the officers' tactics and said the department's three investigations would focus on the actions not only of line officers but also of the top brass who gave the orders. Bratton and other LAPD officials declined to discuss the deployment plan or other specific details of the investigation. But the disclosure of the shift provides more details of how commanders managed the protest and suggests that police might have been caught off guard by its scope. Three platoons of the highly trained Metro Division, which were originally set to be at MacArthur Park for the end of the immigration march and rally, instead were sent home or to other assignments, including one in South Los Angeles, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it involves ongoing investigations. (The size of a platoon varies, but sources estimated that the total number of officers moved were 50 to 80.) The redeployments occurred shortly before a group of agitators began throwing bottles and other debris at the remaining officers. As crowds grew and tensions rose, officers came under attack, sources said, and commanders scrambled to get some of the departed officers back. Some arrived just as the confrontation began. The sources said it was not clear why commanders ordered the platoons to depart. Bob Baker, president of the L.A. Police Protective League, said his organization had heard from its members about the redeployment and said some officers thought not enough officers were at the scene. "Why would you take away assets when you know what happened at that location a year before?" Baker said, referring to similar disturbances that occurred at the end of the 2006 May Day rally at the park. Even with the reduced staffing, several hundred LAPD officers -- including many not in the Metro unit -- were in the vicinity when commanders decided to clear the area. It is not clear whether extra officers might have changed the outcome.

LAPD officers fired at least 240 rounds of foam, sponge or fiber projectiles as they swept through the park about 6:15 p.m. The move came after police had clashed with a small group of protesters near the intersection of 7th and Alvarado streets. Sources have said that neither the top commander nor captain was on the skirmish line as officers confronted the crowd. Bratton also said the LAPD's order to scatter, which was made from a police helicopter, in English, was inadequate. On Thursday, Chief Bratton offered a more detailed and pointed critique of the police actions, particularly those involving Telemundo anchor Pedro Sevcec, who was broadcasting from under a canopy. He was pushed to the ground while on live television as police shoved through.He also said he was troubled by reports that police used force on women and children who had gone to the park to play. "The idea that officers would be firing -- some of these devices send out five or six projectiles with one shot -- that is a concern," Bratton said. Andre Birotte, the LAPD's inspector general, said part of his investigation would focus on whether there were adequate resources and training for the officers involved. "Were there sufficient planning and resources detailed and dedicated to this event, and was LAPD's response appropriate to the actions of the crowd?" Birotte said. "If they thought they were undermanned, it could play a role in why they used the force they used. We are going to look at that issue." The FBI said in a statement that its "preliminary inquiry" will examine "whether the civil rights of protesters taking part in the May 1st immigration rally were violated." The FBI has opened similar probes after other recent high-profile LAPD incidents, including the fatal shooting in 2005 of a 13-year-old. Mexico's consul general in Los Angeles, Ruben Beltran, said in Mexico City that he trusted Bratton to deal with the issue in an honest and candid way. Beltran, who witnessed the melee in the park, said Chief Bratton called him Wednesday in Mexico to say that the Police Department would reach out to the immigrant community and take its investigation seriously.



House GOP hits shift of spy funds to study climate

http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070504-123740-8370r.htm

The House next week will consider the Democrat-crafted Intelligence Authorization bill, which includes a provision directing an assessment of the effects that climate change has on national security. Democrats, who outnumber Republicans on the committee, blocked the minority from stripping the warming language from the bill. Intelligence panel Chairman Silvestre Reyes, Texas Democrat, said the climate-change study is one of several shifts his party has made to intelligence policy. Few details about its method were available. "There are other parts of the government better suited to doing this type of study," said Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican. "Our government should not commit expensive spy satellites and human intelligence sources to target something as undefined as the environment." Several Republicans trotted out the statistic that the government already spends $6.5 billion annually on global-warming related issues through several agencies, including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. "It's hard to imagine how anyone could believe that climate change represents a more clear and present danger to the United States than radical Islamic terrorists armed with bombs, but that's essentially what Democrats have concluded in this bill," said Brian Kennedy, a spokesman for Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican. The House is expected to vote Wednesday or Thursday on the overall authorization measure, which identifies how intelligence appropriations can be spent in 2008. It is not clear whether Democrats will allow Republicans to offer amendments to the bill.

Russia to help Slovakia upgrade nuke capacity http://www.bbj.hu/news/news_25984.html

Slovakia has two power plants with six units, including four designed by Soviet experts. Two units generate power at the Bohunice plant in the west of the country. Another two units operate at the Mochovce plant in the south, and the third and fourth units of the plant are to be commissioned by 2012. During his Russian visit last November, Slovakia's Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek said his country was ready to set up a consortium with Russia to complete the third and fourth units. "But that plant does not belong to Slovakia, as 66% is controlled by an Italian company, and the decision will be up to it," the minister said in a reference to Italy's utility Enel, which acquired 66% in the Mochovce power plant almost a year ago. Russia and Slovakia agree that energy is the area of the most intensive bilateral cooperation, which, apart from nuclear power, includes gas and oil. Russian natural gas giant Gazprom, which covers 100% of Slovakia's gas imports. Slovakia, which enjoys discounted gas price rates as a transit nation for Russian natural gas, fears that possible gas price hikes could complicate the government's efforts to maintain low inflation, which is the major condition for entering the euro zone in 2009. Slovakia is the second transit nation for Russian energy exports to Europe after Ukraine, pumping Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline. European consumers have expressed serious concerns about the reliability of Russian energy exports after Moscow's pricing spats with Belarus, another transit country, early this year and with Ukraine last year. The tensions led to shortfalls in Europe.

Stunning' Nepal Buddha art find http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6624117.stm

Paintings of Buddha dating back at least to the 12th century have been discovered in a cave in a remote area of Nepal's north-central region. The find was in the Mustang area, 250km (160 miles) northwest of Kathmandu. It was set in sheer 14,000ft (4,300m) cliffs in Nepal's remote Himalayan north. The team of international researchers - including film makers, climbers and archaeologists - from Nepal, Italy and the US were told of the works of art by a sheep herder. In passing conversation he said that he had seen a cave with old paintings in it several years ago as he took shelter from the rain. It turned out to be a treasure trove of Buddhist art. Besides the main mural, other paintings were discovered which the team believes are marginally older. A nearby cave had manuscripts written in the Tibetan language, which were photographed by the team to be translated later by experts, along with pre-Christian era pottery shards. The team has refused to divulge the exact location of the caves to prevent the possibility of visitors disturbing the centuries-old art.

Dog Destroys Elvis' Teddy Bear at Museum

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/08/02/international/i112102D73.DT

A guard dog has ripped apart a collection of rare teddy bears, including one once owned by Elvis Presley, during a rampage at a children's museum. "He just went berserk," said Daniel Medley, general manager of the Wookey Hole Caves near Wells, England, where hundreds of bears were chewed up Tuesday night by the 6-year-old Doberman pinscher named Barney. Barney ripped the head off a brown stuffed bear once owned by the young Presley during the attack, leaving fluffy stuffing and bits of bears' limbs and heads on the museum floor. The bear, named Mabel, was made in 1909 by the German manufacturer Steiff. The collection, valued at more than $900,000, included a red bear made by Farnell in 1910 and a Bobby Bruin made by Merrythought in 1936. The bear with Elvis connections was owned by English aristocrat Benjamin Slade, who bought it at an Elvis memorabilia auction in Memphis, Tenn., and had loaned it to the museum. "I've spoken to the bear's owner and he is not very pleased at all," Medley said. A security guard at the museum, Greg West, said he spent several minutes chasing Barney before wrestling the dog to the ground. (submit by BBB)

AGGRESSIVE ELEPHANT SEAL MENACES SONOMA BEACHES

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/24/MNGJGPE9Q51.DTL&hw=aggressive+seal&sn=001&sc=1000

A rogue elephant seal nicknamed Nibbles has run rampant near the mouth of the Russian River in recent weeks, killing a dozen harbor seals, biting a surfer and jumping out of the water to attack a pit bull terrier on Easter. One witness said the 2,500-pound male, who often lunges at his victims, is the most aggressive elephant seal he's ever seen. "This bull does straight-out murder," said Keary Sorenson of Sebastopol, a former surfer who volunteers for government and nonprofit agencies in Sonoma County. "A week ago, I saw him chase down a female harbor seal, use chest blows to crush her, then bare his upper canine teeth and drive them down onto her head and back." Warning signs have gone up on beaches near Jenner, and officials cautioned the public Monday not to swim or wade in the estuary waters around Goat Rock Beach or approach the big seal should they see him basking in the sun. Kayakers also have grown wary, scouting the estuary from overlooking bluffs before going for a paddle. Kathie Lowrey, who lives nearby and was outside washing her car before going to church, saw the dog emerge from the water, drop the stick and begin to shake off droplets of water. "I saw the elephant seal come out of the water like a torpedo, angle down on the dog and land on him," said Lowrey. "Somehow the dog wriggled out and turned and squared off with the seal." Erinn Flaherty, the dog's owner, said Garcia told her Sativa barked defiantly at the seal while Garcia hurled the stick at him. Garcia then escaped with the dog, which suffered a puncture wound the diameter of a quarter in one thigh. soon after the bull first appeared, he tried unsuccessfully to mate with the (much smaller) female harbor seals. Then, last year, after trying again to mate, he turned violent and began to kill. This year, he is staying around well past his usual departure date at the end of March, and now has started to consume his kills. (submit by DJ Mom)