China Agency Warns of Collapse in Euro Confidence
(BEIJING) — Chinese ratings agency Dagong has warned that Europe’s debt problems would cause a collapse of confidence in the euro, and predicted a worsening of the global financial crisis this year. The agency said the world’s economic woes would grow more severe in 2012, with the sovereign debt crisis developing into a “currency crisis” as investor confidence in the euro continued to suffer.
“The credibility of the euro will fall, leading inevitably to a sell-off as foreign confidence in the single currency collapses,” Dagong warned in its 2012 Global Sovereign Credit Risk Outlook, published on Wednesday. Dagong has relatively little influence outside China, but it has made headlines by accusing better-known agencies Moody’s, Fitch and Standard & Poor’s of causing the 2008 financial crisis by not properly disclosing risk.
Chairman Guan Jianzhong, a paid adviser to China’s government, insists his agency is fully independent — and stands by his tough talk about rivals, whose ratings affect interest rates at which states and companies can borrow.
Dagong’s report comes after US-based Standard & Poor’s downgraded Europe’s bail-out fund, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), and nine eurozone countries in the past week, stripping France and Austria of their prized triple-A ratings. The Chinese firm cut its own rating for France and Italy last month.
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Czech Republic Joins Opponents of Tobin Tax
The Czech Republic has joined Denmark, Sweden and the UK in opposing the introduction of a financial transaction tax. “The transaction tax would require a lot of innocent victims and cost us economic growth,” Deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Zidek says in the Thursday edition of German regional daily Reinische Post.
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Davos Supremo Wants New Model for Capitalism
The founder and organiser of the World Economic Forum, the annual gathering in Davos of the world’s political and business elite, said Wednesday that capitalism needs a complete overhaul. Speaking to journalists as he unveiled the line-up for next week’s meeting in the Alpine resort, Klaus Schwab said “new models” must be developed and that there was an urgent need to revive a sense of social responsibility.
“Capitalism in its current form, has no place in the world around us,” Schwab told reporters at the forum’s headquarters near Geneva. “We have failed to learn the lessons of the financial crisis of 2009. A global transformation needs to take place urgently and it must begin by restoring a form of social responsibility.”
Schwab revealed that German Chancellor Angela Merkel would give the keynote opening speech when the 42nd WEF begins on January 25th. This year’s forum comes as even Germany, the continent’s economic powerhouse, has had to lower its growth forecast in the wake of the eurozone debt crisis.
Other leaders due to attend the five-day meeting are British Prime Minister David Cameron and Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, while the Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will represent the United States government. The new head of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde, European Central Bank president Mario Draghi and World Trade Organisation chief Pascal Lamy will also attend.
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Fitch to Downgrade Six Euro-Countries, Including Italy
Fitch credit rating agency may cut six euro-area countries by one or two levels by the end of this month, managing director Edward Parker said Wednesday. Fitch had placed Spain, Italy, Ireland, Cyprus, Belgium and Slovenia on review in December. France will keep its triple A rating, however.
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France and Spain Sell Bonds as IMF Mulls Euro Bail-Out
(PARIS) — France and Spain gingerly return to the bond markets Thursday, testing appetite for their debt after a raft of eurozone credit downgrades, as world powers debated boosting the IMF bail-out fund. The key test for two of the single currency bloc’s biggest economies came as its weakest, Greece, was trying to negotiate a deal with private creditors to slash 100 billion euros ($128 billion) from its debt.
In Washington, the International Monetary Fund said it would seek up to $500 billion in new funds as the European debt crisis threatens the global economy, but the plan received a mixed response from world capitals. Japan said Thursday that it was ready to help out, but the United States has resisted calls for a larger IMF stand-by fund, and its success will hinge on the attitude of emerging economies like China, Brazil and India.
Meanwhile, the debt crisis is undermining the euro itself. The Chinese ratings agency Dagong warned the world’s problems would grow more severe in 2012 and could develop into what it called a “currency crisis”. “The credibility of the euro will fall, leading inevitably to a sell-off as foreign confidence in the single currency collapses,” Dagong warned in its 2012 Global Sovereign Credit Risk Outlook.
In Europe, the mood was scarcely less pessimistic. “In the eurozone we are on the brink of a technical recession,” said Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg prime minister who chairs the eurozone, warning that GDP in the bloc has likely fallen over two quarters.
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Portugal Holds Successful Bond Sale
Portugal on Wednesday sold €3.5bn worth of government debt at a lower interest rate than before, in spite of an S&P downgrade over the weekend. It follows in the footsteps of Spain, Italy, France and the eurozone’s bail-out fund, the EFSF, who all held successful bond sales this month.
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Swiss Housing Market in ‘Dangerous Trend’: UBS
The price of housing has increased by an average of 35 percent in the last five years, a UBS annual report says. With interest rates lower than ever before and stock markets in constant turmoil, Swiss investors see the real estate market as a solid asset, according to the bank’s ‘Real estate focus 2012’ report.
But the bank’s research branch warned that the real estate market is “overheated” in Switzerland. Investors’ expectations are “clearly too optimistic”, the bank said, while the bleak outlook for the euro area and a lack of alternative investments make for a “dangerous mix”. Despite a slowdown in the Swiss economy, UBS said the market “does not seem poised at the brink of a downward spiral in 2012”. It foresees an increase of four percent for flats and 3.5 percent for houses.
The boom in real estate prices will persist for as long as the debt crisis continues to paralyse the global economy, and interest rates are low in Switzerland, said Claudio Saputelli, chief analyst for real estate markets at UBS, to Tagesanzeiger.ch.
Looking at other countries where there was a real estate boom, Saputelli said the situation could become “dangerous”. “In the five years preceding the collapse of the housing bubble, these countries had an economic growth of well over three percent. After the bubble burst, the economy slowed down for many years in all of them,” he explained.
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The Horrifying Graph That Shows Why Britain’s Debt Addiction Now Equals Five Times National GDP and Why We Face a Decade of Austerity
Britain has the highest level of debt among the major economies bar Japan, research has found. Over the past three years it has risen to more than 500 per cent of national output. The alarming rise since the height of the financial crisis has been fuelled by debt in the financial sector as people seek to borrow their way out of the economic slump, according to consultancy McKinsey. Even at current trends it will take until 2020 for the UK to return to pre-2003 debt levels.
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Gov. Rick Perry to Drop Out of Presidential Race, Two Republicans Say
Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is poised to end his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, according to two Republicans close to Mr. Perry, a decision that comes two days before the South Carolina primary.
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The Power of the Internet
The protests of hundreds of American websites, including Wikipedia and Google, against two planned anti-piracy bills appear to have had the desired effect as representatives in Washington were forced to reconsider.
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Vietnam Vet Randomly Attacked by Teens on Olney Street
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A Vietnam veteran who lost his eye while serving his country was violently beaten during a random attack by a group of teens on a Philadelphia street earlier this week.
The attack happened shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday in the 5000 block of N. 5th Street in the city’s Olney section.
“These animals are specializing on our elderly people out here and a gentleman who served our country,” Lt. George McClay said.
According to investigators, 64-year-old Edward Schaefer was walking to meet his wife at the bus stop when he was approached from behind by six males.
McClay said one of the suspects began the violent attack and the others joined in on the random beating.
Watch The Video (Courtesy: Philadelphia Police Department)
The suspects then fled the scene on foot after police say a good Samaritan came to the victim’s rescue.
“He fell and that’s when I came across the street. When they saw me, that’s when they scattered,” said Donald Jones. “He was trying to talk and I said, ‘No, stay there. I got you.’“
Schaefer was rushed to Albert Einstein Medical Center with fractured skull and severe injuries to his face and hand.
“I’m disgusted by this whole thing,” McClay said. “I’m surprised he survived.”
McClay said “one more shot the wrong way” and this could have been a homicide investigation.
The suspects are described as six black and Hispanic males, between the ages of 16 to 18. Authorities say all of the suspects have been identified. Once they have been apprehended, they could be charged with attempted murder.
The Fraternal Order of Police is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.
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Bulgaria Backs Off on Shale Gas Exploration
Bulgarian lawmakers gave in to strong public pressure over environmental concerns and on Wednesday banned shale gas exploration and production through “fracking.” The Bulgarian parliament has slapped a ban on shale gas exploration and production through hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” a commonly used method that uses high pressure injections of water, sand and chemicals to blast through rock and release oil and gas trapped inside.
The decision follows months of widespread protests from environmentalists across the country. Critics say there is high risk of contaminating soil and drinking water and of triggering earthquakes. The government had planned to start drilling for shale deposits in northeastern Bulgaria as a way to decrease dependence on Russian natural gas deliveries.
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Czech Artist Plans to ‘Recycle’ Sarrazin’s Controversial Book
A Czech artist has urged people to drop off a controversial German bestseller at collection points. He plans an art installation of thousands of copies, to be ‘recycled’ afterwards. Critics are reminded of Nazi practice.
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Danish Breivik Play Sparks Fury in Norway
A Danish theatre group has come in for vehement criticism in Norway after it announced plans to stage a monologue based on the manifesto of confessed mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik. Ragnar Eikelund, the head of a local victim support group whose son Tore was killed in the July attacks, said Café Teatret’s project was “so objectionable that words fail me”, newspaper Bergens Tidende reports.
The theatre’s artistic director, Christian Lollike, told newspaper Politiken the play will feature an actor playing Breivik presenting his manifesto, a document he posted online shortly before setting off a car bomb outside government buildings, killing eight people. Breivik then went on a murderous shooting spree on Utøya island, where he killed a further 69 people at summer camp for young Labour Party followers.
Explaining the rationale behind the play, scheduled to run from August 23rd to September 15th this year, Lollike said understanding Breivik’s mindset was essential in order to avoid a repeat of the tragedy.
In Norway, however, the theatre community was quick to distance itself from the Copenhagen project. “Breivik’s main aim was to spread the message in his manifesto, and he did that by killing all those people. He actually succeeded in that,” said Erik Ulfsby, head of Det Norska Teatret, a major Oslo theatre.
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EU in Uncharted Legal Waters on Scottish Independence
BRUSSELS — Last week’s announcement by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond that he intends to hold a referendum on Scotland’s independence in 2014 implies uncharted legal territory for the EU. A newly independent Scotland would raise a number of thorny questions around its relations with the European Union — including whether it would have to fully renegotiate membership and whether it would be obliged to become a member of the euro.
For the EU itself, the issue would present a political and legal conundrum. Never in the history has a member state broken up and then had its successor part seek EU membership (Greenland, which used to be part of Denmark, left the then EEC in 1985). The EU treaties contain no answers. Salmond’s Scottish National Party has insisted that an independent Scotland will simply remain in the EU and that it will have a referendum on whether to join the euro. It sees its large off-shore oil and renewable energy resources as very big bargaining chips.
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European Parliament Accused of Not Doing Enough on Human Rights
The European Parliament should strengthen its human rights activities, upgrade a subcommittee on the matter to a fully fledged one and “mainstream human rights effectively into its own structures and processes”, an alliance of NGOs, the Human Rights and Democracy Network said in an emailed ‘manifesto’.
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Fox Buys SuomiTV
Fox International Channels (FIC), owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, acquired ailing national television channel SuomiTV on Tuesday. The purchase price has not been disclosed.
FIC, which produces news, sports and entertainment programming, says the channel will continue to be free to viewers.
It remains to be seen if News Corporation can breathe new life into SuomiTV, which has been struggling to reach viewers in Finland since being established two years ago by Canadian businessman Jeffrey Royer.
Fox says it will follow national rules requiring that Finnish-language programming be broadcast on the channel daily. Fox television shows are mainly produced in the United States.
The Ministry of Communication has granted the new owner a broadcast license extending through 2016.
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France: Sarkozy ‘Against the Ropes’ In Re-Election Fight
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is unpopular, defeated, and tired. Only three months ahead of the election, he is frantically battling the image of a failed presidency. A host of media sources in the country are signaling that the Sarkozy-era is nearly finished.
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French Huffington Post Launched
(ANSAmed) — PARIS, JANUARY 18 — It’s official: the Huffington Post, the French version of the US information website, will be launched on Monday under the editorship of journalist Anne Sinclair, wife of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former director of the International Monetary Fund. Today’s official announcement puts an end to months of rumours that Ms Sinclair was about to take charge of the new online newspaper.
The site goes live on Monday morning and on the same day Arianne Huffington, who founded the US website in 2005, will present Ms Sinclair and the other members of the editorial team at a press presentation. The new Huffington Post is the first non English-language version of the US website. It is born from a partnership with France’s Le Monde, with the launched timed a few months ahead of the country’s presidential elections.
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Hungary’s Climbdown Not Good Enough for MEPs
BRUSSELS — Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban defended his country’s new constitution before the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday (18 January), saying it is based on fundamental values of democracy and freedom. His unscheduled trip to the EU assembly came after the European Commission launched legal action against Hungary due to concerns the new charter undermines the independence of its central bank, the MNB, and its judiciary, among other issues.
“The problems at hand can be swiftly resolved and remedied,” Orban said. He said he is happy to fall in line with commission demands to take back measures on control of the MNB and on early retirement of judges. But he stood by a new provision forcing MNB top officials — the governor and the members of the monetary council — to take an oath of fidelity to the country and its interests. The commission objects to the oath because the governor of the MNB is also a member of the general council of the European Central Bank — a ‘neutral’ pan-EU body.
Orban said the country’s old constitution failed to protect private property, the environment and the rights of minorities. “The new constitution remedies all this in a satisfactory way,” he argued. Orban — who in his youth stood up against Soviet oppression — asked the European Union to support the country’s historic transition, depicting his recent reforms as an attempt to fully shake off its Communist legacy.
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Lack of Affordable Energy, Raw Materials Drives German Industry Abroad
Fear of rising energy bills and commodity prices has gripped German industry, the German Industry and Commerce Association (DIHK) says. One in five companies has already moved production abroad or plans to do so.
Driftmann called on the German government to do more to ensure that crucial supply lines remained open. He mentioned so-called rare earth minerals, as an example, which were “increasingly in short supply,” as China had reduced its output in recent months. China is the world’s main supplier of such scarce minerals. It has cut exports in efforts to guarantee supplies for its own industry and to keep market prices artificially high.
Another sector of concern for Germany industry was domestic electricity supply, the study said. Fifty-eight percent of the companies surveyed said they feared power outages as a result of the government decision last year to put an end to nuclear power in favor of increasing the production of renewable energy.
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Norway: Breivik to Appeal Call for New Psychiatric Exam
The lawyer of the gunman who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway said on Wednesday he would appeal a court order for a new psychiatric exam of his client, who has already been found criminally insane.
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Norway: Intelligence Chief Resigns Over Secrecy Blunder
Janne Kristiansen, the head of Norway’s domestic intelligence service, has resigned over an alleged breach of confidentiality after she told parliament that Norway had agents operating in Pakistan. Kristiansen, who took over as chief of the Police Security Service (PTS) in 2009, informed Justice Minister Grete Faremo (Labour Party) of her decision on Wednesday night.
Speaking on Wednesday at an open parliamentary hearing on the July 22nd terrorist attacks in Norway, Kristiansen appeared to speak too freely as she fielded questions from Akhtar Chaudhry of the Socialist Left Party about Norway’s relations with Pakistan.
“The Norwegian Intelligence Service has its representatives in these countries, so we cooperate via the NIS regarding that country,” she said, referring to Norway’s foreign intelligence agency. Kristiansen did not explain why Norway had agents in Pakistan. Norway has hundreds of soldiers participating in Nato-led operations in neighbouring Afghanistan.
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Orbán Lashes Out at Critics in European Parliament
In his appearance before the European Parliament on Wednesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán started out with moderate words before quickly launching into a nationalist tirade. But his speech was really aimed at his audience back home, where he desperately needs to boost his popularity.
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Pakistan Wants Answers on Norwegian Agents
Islamabad’s ambassador in Oslo has demanded a full explanation from Norwegian authorities after outgoing domestic security chief Janne Kristiansen said Norway has intelligence agents posted in Pakistan. Kristiansen resigned on Wednesday night after coming under fire for a presumed breach of confidentially when she exposed details of Norway’s foreign intelligence operations in Pakistan during a parliamentary hearing earlier in the day.
Pakistan’s ambassador, Ishtaq Andrabi, said he was in touch with the Norwegian authorities on Thursday to seek an explanation for the comments made by the head of the Police Security Service (PTS), newspaper VG reports.
“For us, it is important to receive clarification of exactly what was said and what the PST chief meant by her comments,” said Andrabi. The ambassador added that he had informed the foreign ministry in Islamabad of Kristiansen’s remarks.
Speaking on Wednesday at an open parliamentary hearing on the July 22nd terrorist attacks in Norway, Kristiansen appeared to say too much as she fielded questions from Akhtar Chaudhry of the Socialist Left Party about Norway’s relations with Pakistan.
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Poland Renews Attack on Eurozone-Only Summits
BRUSSELS — Poland has indicated it might not sign the EU fiscal treaty unless it is allowed to take part in future eurozone summits. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticised the latest draft of the compact — which envisages regular and exclusive meetings of countries which use the single currency — at a press briefing in Warsaw on Wednesday (18 January).
“Our efforts aim at a fiscal agreement the shape of which does not make the division of Europe into two clubs — the eurozone and countries outside the club — more lasting than is safe in our opinion,” he said, according to Polish media.
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Sweden: Disappointed Robber Kicks Over Stroller
A mother of three, walking her 9-month-old baby in southern Malmö, suddenly found herself surrounded by three men, threatening to rob her. “I have worked as a police officer for 41 years and have never heard of anything similar. It crosses the line,” said Lars-Håkan Lindholm of the Malmö police to TV3’s crime watch programme Efterlyst, which featured the case on Wednesday.
The woman had been taking a walk with her baby when three unknown men in their twenties turned up. The men tried to get her attention by calling after her, but the woman decided to ignore them and continued on her way. Suddenly, they sprang up beside her and surrounded the stroller, blocking her way. The men asked her for money, but the woman told them that she had nothing in her wallet.
Instead the men took her mobile phone but reportedly turned aggressive when the woman wouldn’t look them in the eye. One of the men kicked the stroller to the side of the path, turning it over on its side.
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UK: Murdoch Agrees to Pay Damages in News Hacking Cases
Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers will pay damages to 36 of the plaintiffs in the phone hacking case that has fixated British media since July when the tabloid News of the World was shuttered.
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EU Launches Talks With Kosovo on Visa Free Regime
(PRISTINA) — The European Union on Thursday opened talks with the authorities in Pristina aimed at allowing Kosovans to travel to the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone without a visa, officials said. “I know how important visa free travel is to the citizens of Kosovo and I am happy that we have now set the ball rolling,” said Cecilia Malmstroem, the EU’s home affairs commissioner.
The citizens of Kosovo, which has declared independence from Serbia in 2008, are the last in the Balkans who still need visas to travel to the Schengen zone covering 25 European countries. Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia were granted visa-free status in December 2009, and Albania and Bosnia a year later.
Hashim Thaci, the prime minister, hailed the prospect of a change in status as a “new chapter” in Kosovo’s history. However, Kosovo is yet to receive a roadmap clarifying the conditions it needs to fulfil before its citizens are allowed to travel visa-free to the EU.
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Morocco: Fule in Rabat for Action Plan and Free Trade Area
Eu Commissioner will sign two agreements on solar and water
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, JANUARY 18 — Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy, Stefan Fule, will focus on several bilateral issues in his visit to Rabat today and tomorrow: the agreement of the liberalization of trade in agricultural products, the new Action Plan of the ‘advanced status’, the preparation of a deep and comprehensive free trade area, the mobility dialogue. During the two days, Fule will also sign two financing agreements in the framework of the Neighbourhood Investment Facility (Nif). The first one relates to the Ouarzazate Solar Power Plant for a total of 30 million euros and the second one relates to the Drinking Water Efficiency Programme for a total of 7 million euros.
“The relations between Morocco and the EU — said the Commissioner before leaving Brussels — are an example of how reforms that are decided and implemented by the local authorities can be accompanied by EU solidarity. The path towards the consolidation of democracy and the rule of law, which also promotes sustainable and inclusive development, deserves full EU support”. For this the European Commission has already proposed to mobilise important EU instruments like trade facilitation, a deep and comprehensive free trade area (DCFTA), increased financial support and to launch a partnership on mobility of people.
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Hamas Chief Meets Swiss Envoy in Cairo
Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal met the Swiss Middle East envoy in Cairo late on Wednesday as part of efforts to normalise relations with European governments, sources in the Islamist movement told AFP. A Hamas official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Meshaal and Jean-Daniel Ruch, whose country is not part of the European Union, discussed the possibility of relations between Europe and the Islamist group which rules Gaza.
The talks “addressed the political situation in light of the Arab Spring and the Palestinian political situation,” he said on Thursday, adding that the meeting was attended by several other top Hamas leaders. The Hamas delegation stressed “the importance of Europe being open to the movement and the need to end the bias against one Palestinian side in favour of the other,” an apparent reference to its rival Palestinian movement Fatah.
Despite Hamas’s sweeping 2006 Palestinian parliamentary election victory, and its efforts to reconcile with Fatah, the group remains blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by the European Union, with EU government officials barred from engaging in normal relations with the group.
Swiss diplomats have been engaged in a dialogue with Hamas as part their contacts with political movements in the region. Mushir al-Masri, head of foreign relations for Hamas who is currently in Switzerland for a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, said Wednesday’s meeting was part of a broader process.
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Radioactive Material Stolen From Nuclear Power Plant in Egypt
Radioactive material was stolen from the site of a nuclear power plant in Dabaa.
CAIRO: Radioactive material has been stolen from a nuclear power station on Egypt’s Northern coast, according to a report from Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram newspaper.
A safe containing radioactive material was stolen from the Dabaa nuclear power plant, and another was broken into, with part of its contents stolen.
The Egyptian government has deployed special teams to track down the stolen materials, according to the Al-Ahram report.
The Dabaa plant was the site of mass protests last week, as about 500 Egyptians set out to demand the relocation of the controversial nuclear plant, which is still under construction.
Military police worked to disperse the protesters, as they exchanged gunfire and hurled stones at one another, devolving quickly into violence.
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Former Saudi Navy Officer and ‘Arab News’ Columnist: The Iranians Aren’t Capable of Closing the Strait of Hormuz
In an article in the English-language online daily former Saudi Navy officer and columnist in Arab News, columnist ‘Abd Al-Latif Al-Mulhim wrote that despite its repeated threats, Iran will not close the Strait of Hormuz because it lacks the military capability to do so. He argued that with its outmoded and ill-maintained air force and submarines, Iran has neither the tools nor the expertise to carry off such an operation.
The following are excerpts from his article, in the original English.[1]
“Every five years, the Iranians threaten the whole world that they [will] close the Strait of Hormuz, [but] they never do. They simply can’t do it… [even] if they want to do it.
“The Strait of Hormuz is the most important waterway in the world. It is about 35 miles wide, and an average of 15 oil tankers pass through it each day. Most people associate the width of the Strait of Hormuz with the navigation channel and the traffic-separation scheme. This is a normal maritime procedure to separate inbound and outbound traffic. The width of the navigation channel is only six miles… Traffic is monitored by the Sultanate of Oman [using a] radar located on an Omani island. Ships do eventually pass thorough Omani and Iranian territorial waters. A two-mile-wide navigation channel is very narrow in maritime terms. And the strait is very shallow… The strait is very challenging to navigate. [Ships] are restricted in [their] ability to maneuver.
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Iran Oil, Gold and Banks on EU Hitlist
BRUSSELS — An oil embargo from 1 July, a partial ban on the central bank and a prohibition on trade in gold and gems are among the latest EU ideas on how to stop Iran building nuclear bombs.
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Iraq Oscillates Between Bombings and Political Crisis
Bomb attacks, shootings and an incapable government characterize the current situation in Iraq. The state of affairs has worsened significantly since US troops pulled out in December. Fear of a civil war is growing.
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Russia Eyes Possible Moon Base With NASA: Reports
Russia is talking to NASA and the European Space Agency about building manned research colonies on the moon, according to Russian news reports. Russia’s Federal Space Agency, known as Roscosmos, is also consulting with NASA and ESA about the possibility of placing manned space stations in lunar orbit, Russian news agency Ria Novosti reported Thursday (Jan. 19).
A growing body of research supports the supposition that humanity can live for extended periods of time on or around the moon, Russian space agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said. “Today, we know enough about it, we know that there is water in its polar areas,” Popovkin told the Vesti FM radio station Thursday, according to Ria Novosti. Popovkin added that “we are now discussing how to begin [the moon’s] exploration with NASA and the European Space Agency.”
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India and China Set Up Mechanism to Maintain Border Peace
The two rival giants, India and China, have decided to set up a new mechanism to maintain peace on their shared border, which stretches 3,500 kilometers, and have resolved to enhance mutual trust.
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Baby Formula Trade Skyrockets as Chinese Look to Germany
Food scandals erupt regularly in China, with milk formula among those products most prone to contamination. Worried parents have therefore started buying non-Chinese powder online from countries such as Germany.
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China’s City Dwellers Overtake Rural Population
As the Chinese economy continues to grow, the country’s urban centers are attracting more people from rural communities. Analysts say urbanization will carry both economic and social consequences for China.
The urban population in China has outgrown that of rural areas for the first time, the country’s National Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday. Urban dwellers now represent 51.27 percent of China’s population of around 1.35 billion. In 1982, only one in five Chinese lived in cities. By 1990, the number had grown to 26 percent, and by 2000 it had jumped to 36 percent.
“Urbanization is an irreversible process and in the next 20 years China’s urban population will reach 75 percent of the total population,” Li Jianmin, head of the Institute of Population and Development Research at Nankai University, told news agency Agence France-Presse. “This will have a huge impact on China’s environment, and on social and economic development.”
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China Jails Third Dissident Within a Month
China has jailed a third dissident within a month ahead of the one-year anniversary of calls for a “Jasmine Revolution” modeled on the Arab Spring. The sentences throw a light on life for intellectuals in China.
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Hong Kong Finds Japanese Solution to Accommodation Problem
In an effort to alleviate Hong Kong’s hotel and university dormitory shortage, capsule hotels will soon be introduced into the former British colony.
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Report Shows Corruption Cases on the Rise in China
A recent report shows corruption and white collar crime is on the rise in private and public sectors in China. Experts blame a lack of accountability and cronyism.
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Oil Talks Resume Between Khartoum and Juba
Sudan’s dispute about oil is also about power. Since South Sudan’s independence from the north in 2011, the thorny issue of oil has remained unresolved. But talks have resumed with help from the African Union.
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Pacification Scheme Targets South America’s Largest Favela
Rio De Janeiro’s largest favela Rocinha has been pacified by military police in preparation for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. But much remains to be done to improve the lives of those living in the community.
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Rousseff’s Gender Revolution: Women Take Power in Brazilian Government
Brazil’s new president, Dilma Rousseff, has quickly stepped out of the shadow of her charismatic predecessor Lula. After one year in office, she is more popular than any former president was at this stage. She has surrounded herself with powerful women, who are now calling the shots in Brasília.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
2,200 Died in Strait of Sicily in 2011, CIR
60,000 fled from Libya and Tunisia to Italy
(ANSAmed) — MILAN — In 2011 twenty-eight thousand people arrived in Italy after escaping from a war-torn Libya, though most were nationals from other African countries and not Libya itself. The same number arrived in Italy from Tunisia after the fall of Ben Ali’s regime.
This increase in migratory flows also led to an increase in asylum requests: 10,860 in the first six months of the year, a 102% rise on the previous one according to low estimates.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) figures show clearly one aspect of the humanitarian consequences of Arab Spring uprisings in North Africa. Another aspect is that of those who die in trying to get here.
“In 2011, estimates say 2,200 people drowned in the Strait of Sicily, the highest number ever since the phenomenon of sea crossings towards Europe began,” said Christofer Hein, director of the Italian Refugee Council (CIR), which organized a conference in Milan with the Ismu Foundations to discuss these issues. He added that “the emergency is not yet over.” Many have found refuge in the Lombardy region, both those benefitting from a temporary stay permit and asylum seekers. The Ismu Foundation noted that as of today there are 3,037 refugees who have arrived in Italy from North Africa. Regional Councillor for Family Affairs Giulio Boscagli said that “Lombardy is one of the most welcoming regions thanks to its centres. Of course there are unresolved issues, such as the lengthy period between when the refugees arrive and the recognition of their juridical status, as well as the fact that these issues must be dealt with in a joint manner at the European level.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
India Wants to Supply EU With Manpower
India is aiming to sign an agreement with the “ageing” EU to supply manpower, Indian daily The Economic Times reports. “(Europe) needs young people to work, so we are (saying) that we have any number of people,” Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi is quoted as having said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Libya Says Illegal Immigration Has Resumed Across Its Borders
Libya’s interior ministry said today that illegal immigrants have started entering the country again in their thousands, appealing to the European Union to help curb the flow of people.
“The phenomenon has started again and we need the EU to intervene,” mainly to help monitor the vast Saharan borders in the south, General Abdelmonem al-Tunsi, a ministry spokesman, told AFP.
He said “thousands of people from Syria and neighbouring countries enter through the Massad terminal” on the border with Egypt, adding that “hundreds of immigrants also arrive through the southern borders, including from Nigeria.”
Tunsi said that on January 10, the authorities intercepted 260 such illegal immigrants who were aided by three Libyans armed with Kalashnikovs and also in possession of 3.5 kilos of hashish.
He said the flood of illegal immigrants began at the end of the conflict against Muammar Gaddafi because the country’s borders were not fully protected.
When the revolt erupted in February, tens of thousands of illegal immigrants fled Libya, and few dared venture into the North African nation while fighting against Gaddafi’s forces raged last year.
Libya has been a destination and a transit country to European shores for hundreds of thousands of African immigrants.
Gaddafi’s regime used the issue as a means to exert pressure on Europe and asked for five billion euros from the European Union last year to stop the flow of illegals.
| — Hat tip: Nick | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: ‘Your Baby Looks Like Saddam Hussein’
An administrator at the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) is facing disciplinary action after telling a family of Iraqi asylum seekers that their newborn baby looked like Saddam Hussein.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: 370,000 Migrants on the Dole
More than 370,000 migrants who were admitted to Britain to work, study or go on holiday are now claiming out-of-work benefits, according to official figures compiled for the first time.
The migrants, who can claim unemployment, housing and incapacity benefit, are costing taxpayers billions of pounds a year.
In other countries, many would have had to return home after their visas expired or their employment ended.
The figures are likely to reopen the debate over the generosity of the welfare system amid growing concerns that the country has become a destination for “benefit tourists”.
In an article for today’s Daily Telegraph, Chris Grayling, the employment minister, and Damian Green, the immigration minister, say that the large number of migrants now claiming benefits has been increased by the “organisational chaos” of Britain’s immigration system.
“It should never have been allowed to happen and Labour should be embarrassed by what it left behind,” they add.
“We’re determined to sort things out. Firstly by building an immigration system that is properly controlled and which people can have confidence in. And secondly by building a new generation of data systems that will ensure that no one can come to Britain and claim benefits to which they are not entitled.”
In the past, the nationality of benefit claimants has not been recorded. Ministers ordered a comparison of records held by the UK Border Agency, Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs.
The analysis found there were 371,000 foreign-born claimants for out-of-work benefits, out of a total 5.5?million recipients. Of these, 258,000 were from outside the European Economic Area.
Officials used data from applications for National Insurance cards, which require people to declare whether they are foreign nationals. Just over half have subsequently become British citizens.
People from outside the European Union can legally come to Britain to work, study or visit with a visa. If they stay for a certain period of time, marry or have children they can apply to remain permanently — after which they become eligible for state handouts. Asylum seekers can also be eligible for benefits.
European nationals actively looking for work can claim unemployment benefit. However, those from some eastern European nations can only claim after 12 months on a registration scheme.
In the majority of cases, ministers found that the migrants claiming benefits were eligible for the money. In a small sample group, details from a quarter of claimants could not be verified, while 2 per cent of them were suspected of making fraudulent claims.
Mr Grayling and Mr Green write: “We’ll be investigating the records of all
those people claiming benefits to make sure they are entitled to what they are receiving.
“We’ve already identified some with serious question marks over both their right to benefits and their immigration status. Investigators are calling to see them.”
It currently takes about three months to stop benefits in these cases and ministers are drawing up plans to allow the handouts to be stopped immediately.
| — Hat tip: Nick | [Return to headlines] |
Islam’s OIC: The World’s Thought Police
What is also alarming, even to me as a practicing Muslim, is the fact that the resolution seems to revolve around just one religion: Islam. But will the OIC countries implement any resolution for themselves, taking measures against their government-sponsored demonization of the Jewish faith and the systematic proliferation of anti-Semitism?
| — Hat tip: KGS | [Return to headlines] |
Shadows of the Moon Hide ‘Fluffy’ Dirt & Water Ice
Some of the most intriguing areas on the moon are the hardest to see. These spots, called permanently shadowed regions, are always dark and never reflect sunlight, so telescopes and satellites have no way to image them in regular light. Now, researchers have used a more devious method to view these areas and found that they may be relatively abundant in water ice.
The permanently shadowed regions are located on the moon’s poles and are usually deep in craters where sunlight can’t reach. To view these areas, scientists used light that’s reflected off hydrogen atoms floating throughout the universe that spreads in all directions, even hitting areas in shade. This light, called lyman alpha emission, shines in a particular, narrow wavelength band.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
1 comments:
Can no one in europe see that we need to encourage couples 'native'to europe to have more children.This is not a racist practice or call to arms.It would be a practical way to supply the old with carers,industry with manpower and countries with people who can look upon the names in thier graveyards with familiarity and a sense of belonging.
If we insist on bringing indians (who I have nothing against,they are usaully a jolly people) into the land,where will the loyalty to family bonds be? In all of this the people who run europe seem to forget that it is the family with shared interests and bonds that make up a nation.Not fly by nights and strangers.This is just comman sense. The trouble with europeans and the modern material world is that they cannot see further than 10 yrs. What is happening in the UK is the greatest demographic and social change since the Normans invaded anglo-saxon Britain. It may turn out for the best in 1000yrs (I doubt it) but I bet the anglo-saxons werent thinking that as they were forced out,enslaved and murdered.
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