Proposal to ban polar bear trade shot down

A US proposal to outlaw trade in polar bear parts including paws, fur and teeth was voted down today at an international summit, says Andy Coghlan

UN tribunal renders judgments in appeals by two convicted Rwandans

A United Nations tribunal today affirmed the conviction and 15-year sentence of a famous Rwandan singer and composer for his role during the mass killings that engulfed the country in 1994, and reduced the sentence handed down against a top official after reversing a number of his convictions.

Ban condemns rocket attack from Gaza into Israel

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned today’s rocket attack from Gaza which killed a civilian in Israel, stressing that all acts of violence are “totally unacceptable.”

Sudanese Government and Rebel Group Sign Cease-Fire

Sudan and Darfur rebel group sign cease-fire

The Associated Press

Sudan’s government and a collection of Darfur rebel groups have signed a cease-fire, opening the way for political negotiations ahead of a full peace agreement.

Government representative Ghazi Salah Eddin Atabani and rebel leader Al-Tijani Al-Sissi signed the truce Thursday in Doha, Qatar.

Al-Sissi’s Liberation and Justice Movement is an umbrella organization that includes several small Darfur rebel groups that recently united to negotiate with the government.

Last month, Sudan’s government signed a similar truce in Doha with Darfur’s most powerful rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement.

The government refused JEM’s demand that other rebel groups join the reconciliation process under its umbrella.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) - Sundan’s government and a collection of Darfur rebel groups have signed a cease-fire, opening the way for political negotiations ahead of a full peace agreement.

Government representative Ghazi Salah Eddin Atabani and rebel leader Al-Tijani Al-Sissi signed the truce Thursday in Doha, Qatar.

Al-Sissi’s Liberation and Justice Movement is an umbrella organization that includes several small Darfur rebel groups that recently united to negotiate with the government.

Last month, Sudan’s government signed a similar truce in Doha with Darfur’s most powerful rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement.

The government refused JEM’s demand that other rebel groups join the reconciliation process under its umbrella.

African Union Acts Against Madagascar Coup Leader

AU acts against Madagascar leader

The African Union has put sanctions on Madagascar’s leader Andry Rajoelina, after he failed to meet a deadline to set up a unity government.

Mr Rajoelina and 108 of his backers will face travel restrictions and have any foreign assets frozen, the AU said.

The organisation wants to force Mr Rajoelina, a former DJ who seized power a year ago, back into negotiations.

For the past year, the country has been in turmoil with street protests by Mr Rajoelina’s opponents and supporters.

“We believe that the sanctions are the way that will help the authorities to come back to the virtues of dialogue and negotiation,” said AU security commissioner Ramtane Lamamra.

2009: A YEAR OF TURMOIL
–January Dozens killed in protests sparked after President Ravalomanana shuts opposition media groups
– February Opposition figurehead Andry Rajoelina sacked as mayor of Antananarivo
– March Army mutiny, Mr Ravalomanana resigns and flees country; Mr Rajoelina takes over, African Union suspends Madagascar
– August Power-sharing deal signed, later breached by Mr Rajoelina
– October New power-sharing deal, breached by Mr Rajoelina in December

“I hope they will have the effect of nurturing wisdom. No unilateral party is capable of solving the crisis by itself.”

Former President Marc Ravalomanana, who was overthrown after weeks of violent protests last year, urged his successor to resume talks.

“I hope that these targeted sanctions will spur Andry Rajoelina into cooperating with the international community and that they serve as a wake-up call,” said Mr Ravalomanana, who is in exile in South Africa.

But a member of Mr Rajoelina’s government, Evariste Marson, told the AFP news agency that the sanctions would have “no effect”.

In December, Mr Rajoelina abandoned a peace deal he had signed up to by unilaterally appointing a military prime minister.

The decision sparked violent protests outside the national assembly in the capital, Antanarivo.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/8574051.stm
Published: 2010/03/18 09:55:01 GMT

Israel - not Apartheid

 

If Israel were an apartheid state, what is this Arab doing in the Knesset? Doesn’t apartheid mean that someone like this Knesset member would not, in the first place, even be permitted to run in an election?

 

Fortunately, Arab citizens can go to the same beaches, restaurants and shopping malls as Jews in this “apartheid” state. Moreover, they can run in any election and even have a minister in the government [Ghaleb Majadlah] for the first time.

 

In this “apartheid” state, the Arab community has a free media that many Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip envy. Ironically, an Arab newspaper in Nazareth or Haifa that is licensed by Israel enjoys more freedom than the media controlled by Hamas and Fatah, as well as most corrupt Arab dictatorships.

 

Ironically, this Knesset member who is complaining about apartheid enjoys more privileges than most Jews and Arabs in Israel. As a parliamentarian, he is entitled to do many things that an ordinary citizen cannot do, thanks largely to the immunity he enjoys as an elected official.

 

His parliamentary immunity allows him to enter areas that ordinary Jewish and Arab citizens do not have access to. This Knesset member, for example, travels to the Palestinian Authority-controlled territories which, for many years, have been off-limits to ordinary Israeli citizens.

 

This Knesset member also can sometimes even break the law by visiting “hostile” countries like Syria and Lebanon and holding public meetings with Hamas and Hizbullah leaders.

 

True, the Arab community inside Israel has long been facing real problems that need to be dealt with urgently. The main problem was and remains discrimination by the establishment, especially when it comes to employment, infrastructure and allocation of public funds and lands.

 

Nonetheless, the Arab citizens are not struggling for separation from Israel. Rather, they are fighting for integration, equality and better services and treatment. The Arab citizens are happy to live in Israel, where they have always had an average of 10 representatives in the Knesset.

 

By denouncing Israel as an apartheid state, the Knesset member who flew to North America is actually helping those who are trying to avoid the real problem: Discrimination. By focusing on the issue of apartheid, he is actually diverting attention from the real problem and betraying the interests of his own people.

 

The Arab citizens of Israel would like to see their representatives sitting in parliament and fighting for equality and better services for the Arab sector than participating in Israel Apartheid Week at a university in Ottowa or Toronto.

 

It is hard to understand how the participation of an Arab Knesset member in Israel Apartheid Week on a university campus in the US or Canada helps the cause of the 1.4 million Arab citizens of Israel. In fact, this could cause damage to the Arab citizens and their battle against discrimination.

 

The Arab Knesset member’s presence on these campuses plays into the hands of those Israelis who accuse the Arab citizens, the majority of whom remain loyal to the state, of being a “fifth column” and an “enemy from within.” The more the Jews are afraid of their fellow Arab citizens, the more the latter will suffer.

 

The best way to undermine radicals like this Knesset member is by offering the Arab citizens equal services and full rights. Yes, Israel is not an apartheid state. But Israel must wake up and start dealing seriously with the problems of the Arab minority before it is too late.

 

 

The Green Movement and Custom Installation

Published March 16, 2010 by:David Lipscomb
Recommendations from Prominent Movement Spokespeople Poised to Cause ProblemsAlthough well-meaning in their advice, many prominent spokespeople from the Green movement are advocating courses of action in handling electronics that may cause as influx of service calls and general product issues. Since the late 90s, Energy Star-rated gear is responsible for cutting down on a large percentage of wasted (or “phantom”) electricity, by cutting down the amount of power required for electronics to consume while in standby. Admonitions from the Green movement to completely remove potentially high-consumption devices from all power unless in use can and will cause issues unless treated correctly. Although many devices are unaffected by this, the Green movement does not supply a comprehensive list of which electronic devices will and won’t be affected by this advice. Unfortunately, the ones calling for the complete disconnection of devices are not fully educated on the complex programming and ramifications associated with random power
Standby mode is important for a number of reasons, most notably that standby is designed to supply a small amount of power to the device, so that memory remains unaffected. Additionally, complex systems that rely on a constant stream of power to supply data to other devices downstream will suffer from environmentally-conscious but not electronics-educated individuals, seeking to save a little consumption through this course of action. Ironically, these automated systems are the very ones designed to be programmable, controlling lights, appliances, security, and even landscaping systems. Improper power management in these conditions creates a scenario where custom installers are forced on service calls, costing owners of businesses and systems alike needlessly. Many systems (such as larger Crestron automation networks) operate much like PCs; proper shutdown and startup protocols must be observed in order to maintain expected operation. For the past few years, manufacturers have attempted to exploit the Green market by creating innovative solutions for resource management. Additionally, these same innovators are well aware of the cost and manpower issues presented when ad-hoc “solutions” for power management are improperly deployed.Simpler systems, such as small home theaters, suffer from this philosophy as well. Many television and audio/video receivers “forget” input assignments and settings when unexpectedly removed from all current. Complex and detailed settings (especially for calibrated televisions) are at risk when disconnected from power for a length of time, causing unnecessary headaches for system owners and employees of retailers, pressed into troubleshooting service. Calibration of a high-end television can cost anywhere from $200, all the way up to over $1,000, with many of the best, most well-known calibrators flying hundreds of miles to do their work. Saving a few dollars in lost electricity is commonly spent in system downtime, and additional expense by getting the equipment back to a functional state.The Green movement has laudable goals, none of which intend to create hardship for owners of customized media systems. However, unintended consequences for systems and their owners are based on a widespread misunderstanding of power-conservation features and programmability already present on better gear. It remains to be seen if the consumer electronics industry will successfully reach out to the preachers of power consumption, creating an educational environment for consumers

UK must transform to meet future energy needs, warn top engineers

The changes include a transformation of draughty homes, plus vast expansion of renewable and nuclear power

Damian Carrington
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 18 March 2010 07.00 GMT
The UK’s most eminent engineers have warned that the biggest set of investments and social changes ever seen in peacetime are needed to meet the country’s energy needs in the coming decades, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
The changes include a transformation of the nation’s draughty homes and cuts in how far people commute to work, as well as a vast expansion of wind and solar power and dozens of new nuclear or “clean coal” power plants.
The authors of the Royal Academy of Engineering report, published today , say the existing level of political will and the market-led approach to energy planning cannot deliver the fundamental restructuring needed.
“We are nowhere near having a plan,” said Prof Sue Ion, who led the report. “These are massive projects. It requires a huge exercise all through government, and needs to come from the very top and go down through all departments such as transport and local government.”
“What we are talking about is making sure our children and grandchildren have an energy infrastructure that is fit for purpose.”
Another author, Prof Roger Kemp, from Lancaster University, said: “It needs the political enthusiasm that was behind the war on terror after 9/11.”
The team devised scenarios for the UK in 2050, starting with achievable cuts in energy usage and the maximum possible amount of renewable energy. Next they calculated how much fossil fuel could then be used while still meeting the UK’s planned action on climate change, an 80% cut in carbon emissions by 2050. In all scenarios, that left an energy gap that was filled by dozens of new nuclear power stations and coal stations fitted with technology to prevent carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere.
In the two scenarios identified by the engineers as most probable, fossil fuel use fell by 75%, renewable energy rose 20-fold and about 40 new nuclear or clean coal plants were needed (see details below). The remaining fossil fuel has to be split between heating homes or powering transport, with social consequences for both.
If home heating is to be decarbonised by the use of electric heat pumps, said the authors, gas boilers would have to be all but banned and community heating schemes built. If cars are to be electrified, then a vast new charging infrastructure is needed, said Kemp, including a smart, interactive grid that charges vehicles when renewable energy from wind and the sun is most available.
Kemp suggested the long commutes to work common today could not continue: “We have to think about constraints on where we live. Car mileage has been going up since 1950s and shows no sign of slowing.” But he said: “One of the problems of transport is that it is a very emotional issue.”
A critical factor was cutting demand for energy, said the author Prof Roland Clift, from the University of Surrey, primarily by increasing the energy efficiency of homes. “The UK has notoriously inefficient buildings. We need to put huge effort into the unsexy business of retrofitting. It is a frustration to me that this was said 10 years ago, but very little has happened since.”
The transformation needed is so substantial that they said it would “inevitably involve significant rises in energy costs to end users”‘ said Ion. But the report notes that the renewal of the UK’s energy infrastructure, mostly built in the 1970s, is required regardless of the need to cut emissions to tackle global warming.
Prof Nick Cumsty used another war analogy: “It’s like going to war with Hitler: it is not what it costs but what you have to do or you will be overwhelmed.” In October, the government’s adviser, the Committee on Climate Change, said a “step change” was needed in the rate of carbon emissions cuts.
A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said: “Large parts of the report are very much in tune with our thinking.” Last month, the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said in a statement: “For the longer term [beyond 2020], Britain will need a more interventionist energy policy. The scale and upfront nature of the low-carbon investment needed is likely to require significant reform of our market arrangements.”
John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: “The government has been too slow and too hesitant in the past, but next week’s budget offers them a chance to fire the starting gun for a low-carbon economy. Britain has faced up to massive challenges before and has emerged stronger and more prosperous because of them. The decades ahead will improve our energy security and generate thousands of new jobs.”
What the UK needs in 2050 to keep the lights on and fight global warming
Renewable energy:
• More than 20,000 wind turbines, on and off onshore
• 36m² of solar panels on each house, or equivalent
• 1,000 miles of Pelamis “sea-snake” wave power machines
• A tidal power barrage across the Severn and 2,300 tidal turbines elsewhere
• The burning of farm, forest and food waste for electricity, and transport biofuels, equivalent to 26 large coal-powered stations
Low-carbon energy:
• About 40 new power stations using either nuclear or “clean coal” technology
Fossil fuels:
• Use cut by 75% compared with today and used largely for transport or home heating, but not both
Energy efficiency
• 20% cut in energy use by white goods and gadgets, and a 40% cut in home heating

Pangelinan: Decolinization Registry Now On Senator’s Website

Guam - Senator Ben Pangelinan in continuing the advancement of the decolonization process has made the roll of the Decolonization

 

Registry available at his office and is providing registration services for those who find they are not on the list and wish to register. The completion of the registry is of great importance for the people of Guam for the purpose of conducting the political status plebiscite on Guam.  

 

 

Senator pangelinan says, “My office is working with anyone interested in contributing to the registering of qualified persons. My office has a copy of the Registry for persons to check if their names are on the listing.  If they find their names are not on the list, we have qualified registrars that can register them.”  A copy of the listing is also available on my website:  www.senbenp.com”.   

“It is very important this information is made available to the public as to clearly identify those registered.  I want to remind the public the people who qualify to register are those persons who became U.S. Citizens by virtue of the authority and enactment of the 1950 Organic Act of Guam and descendants of those persons” concluded the Senator.  
 
 

For further information please contact senbenp@guam.net or call our office at 473-4236.

River Lea pollution ’caused illness’, residents say

By Anna Cavell BBC London

Chemicals entered the river from Thames Water’s works in Hertfordshire
Almost 100 people have reported feeling ill to Thames Water after the contamination of the River Lea in north-east London last month, it has emerged.
BBC London has learned that chemicals entered the river at the utility company’s own sewage treatment works at Rye Meads in Hertfordshire.
The contamination is being investigated by the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the regulator of public water supplies, and any conviction would carry a fine.
In total, more than two million people were affected when the water supply to this area of London was contaminated with the chemicals 2-EDD and 2-EMD.
About 1,000 people contacted Thames Water to report foul-smelling and foul-tasting water but were told that there was no significant threat to health.
Local resident Michelle Mifka is convinced that it made her ill after she drank a glass of water on 8 February.

Michelle Mifka said she was sick within half an hour of drinking water
“I’d just gotten up, I hadn’t had breakfast, I wasn’t ill and I had the water,” she said.
“Within half an hour I was sick, so it couldn’t really have been anything else.”
Thames Water said there was no evidence to suggest that pollution led to the illnesses.
In a statement, Thames Water said: “The Health Protection Agency has confirmed that the minute traces of these substances found in water from our Walthamstow works during February did not present any significant threat to the health of our customers.”
Rotten eggs
This was not the first the first time these two chemicals have found their way into drinking water in England.
In April 1994 customers of Severn Trent Water reported their water as smelling like paraffin, or rotten eggs.
After receiving a number of calls from customers, Severn Trent Water decided to bring in water bowsers from elsewhere in the country, advising people not to use the water until it had identified the contaminant.
One of the district managers told a TV interviewer at the time: “The advice from the health authority is that the water is not safe to drink and we are therefore advising everybody not to drink the water at all.
“However, if people have drunk the water this morning, they may suffer an upset tummy but that’s all.”
Following the incident in 1994, Severn Trent Water was found guilty of supplying water unfit for human consumption in court and fined.
As a gesture of goodwill the company paid customers £25.