The People's Daily
Iraqi PM due in Tehran next Tuesday
Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al- Jaafari will pay an official visit to Iran on July 12, the official IRNA news agency reported on Tuesday.
IRNA quoted an informed source as saying that prior to Jaafari's visit, ten Iraqi ministers will arrive in Tehran on July 10 to explore bilateral cooperation in different fields and make preparations for the Prime Minister's visit.
The visit of Jaafari is of high importance and can open a new chapter in Tehran-Baghdad cooperation, the source said.
The United States has accused Tehran of interfering in Iraq's internal affairs using its influence on the Iraq's Shiites since the downfall of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, a charge categorically denied by Iran.
The two neighbors fought a disastrous war from 1980 to 1988, during which more than 500,000 people were killed.
http://english1.peopledaily.com.cn/200507/05/eng20050705_194202.html
Powerful blast near Iranian embassy in Baghdad
A powerful blast rocked Baghdad on Tuesday when a suspected roadside bomb detonated near the Iranian embassy in central the capital, police said.
"The blast took place at about 10:15 a.m. (0615 GMT), when a bomb or several bombs blew up near the Iranian embassy, wounding a civilian and damaging two vehicles," a police Colonel, who named himself Ammar, from Salhiyah police station in the area, told Xinhua.
US and Iraqi forces cordoned off the scene, which situated some 200 meter away from the Iranian embassy in Baghdad.
It was not immediately clear whether the target was the embassy itself or the nearby heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the US embassy and the Iraqi government offices.
More than 1,400 people have been killed across Iraq since the Shiite-dominated government was formed late April.
http://english1.peopledaily.com.cn/200507/05/eng20050705_194204.html
Chinese president meets Indian FM on cooperation
China hopes the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will serve as a new platform for strengthening bilateral cooperation with India, Chinese President Hu Jintao said on July 4, as he met with Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh in the Kazakh capital.
Hu, who is here on a state visit to Kazakhstan and will also attend the fifth SCO summit on Tuesday, said China is ready to work closely with India, which will soon become a SCO observer, and make joint efforts to strengthen the SCO and promote regional cooperation.
http://english1.peopledaily.com.cn/200507/05/eng20050705_194092.html
Why does US preach "China military threat"?
The wave of "China military threat theory" whipped up by the US military is a dangerous practice, involving its attempt to obstinately place China in a "rival" position. The "China military threat theory" not only injures China's security, it all the more involves the price paid for the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the price paid for US misled security.
On June 4, US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld delivered a lengthy speech at the Asia-Pacific security conference held in Singapore, with bombastic words attacking China's military development as "threatening" the military balance in the Taiwan Straits and Asia as a whole. At a time when the US army is about to conclude the large-scale counter-terrorism war stage and to usher in a new strategic adjustment, the backdrop and intention of these words uttered by Rumsfeld make people feel worry.
US again searches for enemies
The global counter-terrorism war launched by the United States has come to an end for the time being and America is now faced with an opportunity for strategic adjustment in security.
http://english1.peopledaily.com.cn/200506/15/eng20050615_190420.html
Chinese scientists locates vanishing snow leopards in Tianshan Mountains
By tracing footprints, observing particular signs and faeces and following scent for two months in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a wildlife research team has finally learnt the approximate location of the endangered snow leopard, the China Daily reported on Monday.
Tomur Peak, in the Tianshan Mountains, is the only place where a group of leopards has been found by the team, Cheng Yun, co-ordinator of Xinjiang Conservation Fund (XJCF), told the paper.
http://english1.peopledaily.com.cn/200507/04/eng20050704_193900.html
Too much TV affects success: Study
The more television children watched the more likely they were to leave school without qualifications, according to a study released Tuesday by a New Zealand university.
Researcher Bob Hancox said those who watched less than one hour a day were the most likely to go on to earn a university degree.
The study by Otago University followed 1,037 people born in 1972 and 1973. It monitored their TV viewing and then checked what qualifications they had achieved by the age of 26.
http://english1.peopledaily.com.cn/200507/05/eng20050705_194142.html
Commercial sex and drug use biggest drivers of HIV in Asia: network reports
As commercial sex and unsafe injecting drug use are the biggest drivers of HIV in most Asia countries, supportive government policies that address these behaviors are urgently needed to slow the spread of AIDS, according to a series of reports by the Monitoring AIDS Pandemic ( MAP) Network.
http://english1.peopledaily.com.cn/200507/05/eng20050705_194141.html
Fifth Summit of the African Union (AU) opens in Libya
Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi addresses the Fifth Summit of the African Union (AU) in Libyan coastal city Sirte July 4, 2005. The two-day summit, opened on July 4, is expected to highlight poverty reduction, the continent's integration and a common position on the United Nations reform.
African and world leaders attend the Fifth Summit of the African Union (AU) in Libyan coastal city Sirte July 4, 2005. The two-day summit, opened on July 4, is expected to highlight poverty reduction, the continent's integration and a common position on the United Nations reform.
Alpha Oumar Konare (R), chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), talks with Nigerian President and AU President Olusegun Obasanjo during the Fifth AU Summit in Libyan coastal city Sirte July 4, 2005. The two-day summit, opened on July 4, is expected to highlight poverty reduction, the continent's integration and a common position on the United Nations reform.
Delegates attend the Fifth Summit of the African Union (AU) in Libyan coastal city Sirte July 4, 2005. The two-day summit, opened on July 4, is expected to highlight poverty reduction, the continent's integration and a common position on the United Nations reform.
http://english1.peopledaily.com.cn/200507/05/eng20050705_194117.html
Scripture publishing house of Muru Temple maintains tradition
Founded in the 1980s, the scripture printing house of Muru Temple is the only printing house for Buddhist scriptures in Tibet Autonomous Region.
Maintaining the ancient block printing, the printing house collects 320 volumes of Buddhist scriptures in Tibetan in 128, 000 rectangular woodblocks.
Muru Temple is located in central Lhasa city. Buddhist followers from other areas in Tibet, Qinghai, Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu etc. often go to the temple to buy scriptures at cost price.
http://english1.peopledaily.com.cn/200507/04/eng20050704_193985.html
Las Vegas casino boxing bout leaves Mexican fighter dead
Mexican boxer Martin Sanchez has died from serious head injuries after being knocked out by Russian Rustam Nugaev during a fight on Friday at a Las Vegas casino.
Nugaev knocked Sanchez out with a right hand just over two minutes into the ninth round of a super lightweight match at The Orleans casino and hotel on Friday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
http://english1.peopledaily.com.cn/200507/05/eng20050705_194174.html
Analsysis: What could G8 summit achieve?
The Group of Eight (G8) summit is to open in the Gleneagles Hotel of Scotland on Wednesday night, and the whole world are now looking again: what could the annual meeting of the world's wealthiest nations achieve?
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who holds the G8 presidency, announced two ambitious agendas for the summit long time ago -- providing massive assistance to Africa and brokering a global pact on climate change.
For the first agenda, Blair has branded it as an issue of " morality", urging the developed countries to do more for poverty- stricken Africa. For the latter, he believed it is the "biggest threat" to security and stability of human kind in the long run.
http://english1.peopledaily.com.cn/200507/05/eng20050705_194216.html
China Brief - USA published biweekly regarding China
This explains the estrangement of Venezuela from the USA. Bush/Cheney has done nothing except wage an illegal war that has stretched our military thin, depleted out treasury while ignoring China's growing influence throughout the world which starts a long time ago. As a matter of fact what should have gotten Bush/Cheney attention as soon as they took office was their brush up against the authority and cloud of China, when the Chinese President was in Cuba on trade relations when the 'Chinese Spy Plane' incident occurred. He didn't come flying home to China to handle the situation either.
CHINESE ENERGY STRATEGY IN LATIN AMERICA
By Chietigj Bajpaee
Latin America is fast emerging as the major stage of competition for oil and gas resources among the global powers. The region, which has traditionally come under the U.S. “sphere of influence,” caught the attention of China following the significant growth potential of its energy resources. Latin America is estimated to hold 13.5 percent of the world’s proven oil reserves but accounts for only 6 percent of total output. Although China has tapped energy resources in Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru, and has begun to tap Argentina and Bolivia, there still exists significant room for expansion, especially given that China still depends on the Middle East for 60 percent of its oil imports and wishes to further diversify.
China’s domestic energy needs and regional developments in the Asia Pacific region are likely to fuel Beijing’s desire to access Latin American energy resources. China, which has been a net oil importer since 1993, is the world's number two oil consumer after the U.S., importing one third of its crude oil consumption. In the presence of sporadic power shortages, growing car ownership, cross-country air travel, and the importance of energy to maintain China’s burgeoning growth rates, pressure is mounting on China to access energy resources on the world stage. Furthermore, China’s limited progress in accessing local energy resources due to poor relations with neighboring states (witness the Sino-Japanese dispute over the energy-rich East China Sea, the disputed status of the Spratly and Paracel islands and growing political instabilities in Central Asia) have forced China to search for energy further afield. However, China's growing presence on the international energy stage could ultimately bring it into confrontation with the world's largest energy consumer, the U.S. Nowhere is the Sino-U.S. energy competition more evident than in the United States’ backyard.
The competition for energy resources in Latin America is unlikely to be confined to the economic sphere as seen by developments in other regions where China is attempting to access energy resources. For example, China’s military cooperation with Myanmar, Sudan and the Central Asian republics cannot be separated from its attempts to access energy resources in these states. While not a zero-sum game, growing interlinkages and interdependence between China and Latin America is likely to come at the cost of the United States’ relations with its neighbors, which will only undermine U.S. ability to access the region’s energy resources. This will force the U.S. to rely on energy resources from more remote and less stable regions, such as West Africa, the Caspian and the Middle East.
Entering the U.S. “Sphere of Influence”
As the world’s number five crude exporter with the largest proven oil reserves in the Western hemisphere, Venezuela is emerging as a major prize in the competition for energy resources in Latin America. While Venezuela sells 60 percent of its crude oil exports to the U.S. and is the United States’ fourth largest oil supplier, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is attempting to reduce his country’s dependence on the U.S. market. President Chavez has stated that "We have been producing and exporting oil for more than 100 years but they have been years of dependence on the United States. Now we are free and we make our resources available to the great country of China." [1] Easier said than done, as China’s refineries will have to be refitted to process Venezuela’s heavy crude oil. Furthermore, transporting energy resources from Venezuela and Argentina is particularly difficult given that both states are on South America’s Atlantic coast although there have been discussions to overcome this by constructing a pipeline from the Atlantic to the Pacific through Panama. [2]
Nevertheless, China has made significant inroads in accessing Venezuela’s energy resources. During Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's visit to Beijing in December and Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong's visit to Venezuela in January 2005, China committed to develop Venezuela’s energy infrastructure by investing $350 million in 15 oil fields, $60 million in a gas project as well as upgrading the country’s railway and refinery infrastructure. In exchange, China will get 100,000 barrels of oil a day, 3 million tones of fuel oil a year and 1.8 million tones of Orimulsion, an alternative boiler fuel from Venezuela. China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has also been given significant oil and gas development opportunities in Venezuela including the fields at Zumano in eastern Venezuela, which has an estimated 400 million barrels of oil.
Apart from Venezuela, China has made significant progress in tapping the energy resources of numerous other Latin American states. While attending the annual meeting of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference in Chile in November 2004, Chinese President Hu Jintao announced a $10 billion energy deal with Brazil for investments in energy and transport infrastructure over two years. This supplements plans for a $1.3 billion deal between China’s Sinopec (China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation) and Brazil’s Petrobras for a 2,000 kilometer natural gas pipeline. China is also acquiring oil assets in Ecuador as well as investing $5 billion in offshore petroleum projects in Argentina over the next five years. During Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong's visit to Latin America in January, he also signed an oil exploration agreement with Peru.
Latin America’s increasingly symbiotic relationship with China is not limited to energy. Progress in trade, investment, and political and military cooperation reinforce cooperation in the energy sphere. China has increasingly purchased raw materials from Latin America to meet its consumption and growth needs in exchange for Chinese investment in Latin America’s infrastructure. While the United States has traditionally looked to Latin America as its source of numerous raw materials and a market for its finished products, China is fast replacing the United States in these roles. China buys vast quantities of iron ore, bauxite, soybeans, timber, zinc and manganese from Brazil while looking to Bolivia for tin and Chile for copper. In 2004, China displaced the U.S. as the leading market for Chilean exports while becoming Brazil's second-largest trading partner in 2003. China is the world’s largest consumer of copper, with Chile accounting for more than 40 percent of its copper imports.
During Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to Latin America in November 2004, he also secured “market economy” status from Brazil, Argentina and Chile in exchange for pledging to invest $100 billion in Latin America over the next decade as well as reducing restrictions on the access of Latin American products to the Chinese market. In January, Chilean and Chinese trade officials also began discussions on a free trade agreement in Beijing, while Brazil is also pushing for the creation of a free trade area with China. Chinese investment into Argentina has been especially welcome as it comes in the wake of Argentina's devastating economic crisis three years ago.
These growing linkages have also resulted in a strengthening of political relations. It is no secret that a growing number of Latin American states with left-leaning regimes hold hostile views of the U.S. Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela and Fidel Castro’s Cuba have been open in condemning U.S. foreign policy. Venezuela has raised taxes on foreign oil and gas companies operating in Venezuela, such as ExxonMobil. Argentinean President Néstor Kirchner called for a boycott of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group's Argentine affiliate to protest a gasoline price increase, which forced Shell to back away from its price increases. Even Mexico appears to be distancing itself from the U.S., with Mexico City's popular left-wing mayor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, gaining popularity ahead of Mexico's July 2006 presidential election. Many Latin American states also opposed Washington’s candidate for the head of the Organization of American States and elected José Miguel Insulza, a leftist from Chile.
Bolivia’s Congress recently approved a new energy law that increases taxes on foreign companies accessing its oil and gas reserves while street protesters have called for a nationalization of Bolvia’s hydrocarbon reserves, which culminated in the resignation of U.S.-backed pro-free market President Carlos Mesa. Elections will be held within the next six months and Evo Morales; an anti-US leader of the Movement Towards Socialism party has emerged as a strong contender for the presidency.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has also tried to distance himself from U.S. influence to emerge as a leader of the developing World, as seen with the G33 bloc at the World Trade Organization, and Brazil’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. President da Silva has also backtracked on the U.S.-backed Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) while favoring a “strategic alliance” with China, India and other developing countries in order to enhance south-south cooperation. Finally, Peru and China also have strong relations with diplomatic ties going back 150 years and Peru having the largest Chinese immigrant population in South America.
China's growing energy interests in the Americas have been accompanied by a growing involvement in the region's security. In October, in its first military deployment to Latin America, China sent a UN peacekeeping contingent to Haiti comprising 140 Chinese policemen with plans to deploy an additional 125 personnel. Ironically, Haiti is one of only 25 states that recognize Taiwan rather than China. Recently, the issue of extending the mandate of the 6,000-strong UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which is due to expire in June, has come under pressure from Sino-Taiwanese frictions. While UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the interim government of Haiti have asked that the mandate be extended by one year in order to oversee the municipal, legislative and Presidential elections to be held later this year, China is pushing for only a six month extension due to a scheduled visit by interim Haitian President Alexendre Boniface to Taiwan in July. While having to accept the humiliation of aiding a state that engages in relations with Taiwan’s “secessionist” forces, China has garnered the goodwill of Latin American states, which will come in handy when negotiating energy and other deals.
The U.S. is looking on with caution as China encroaches upon a region that has traditionally been a major supplier of energy resources. Venezuela and Canada together provide the U.S. with a third of its energy imports. For every barrel of oil that China purchases from Latin America there is potentially one less barrel available for the U.S. Furthermore, as the American states reduce their reliance on the U.S. oil market, they will have greater political leverage over the U.S. on contentious issues such as Canadian trade disputes with the U.S. over lumber and beef, and tensions over human rights abuses in Venezuela.
Finally, the competition for energy resources in Latin America is not limited to the U.S. and China. In October 2004, several oil companies including China’s PetroChina and India’s ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) were looking into acquiring oil assets valued at $1.5 billion in Ecuador. Japan and South Korea are also stepping up efforts to secure raw materials in Latin America. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Brazil in September 2004 and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun also made trips to Argentina, Brazil and Chile in 2004.
Setting the Stage for an Energy “Cold War”
Friction between China and the U.S. has so far focused on the question of China's undervalued exchange rate, its human rights record, relations with “rogue” states and the issue of Taiwan. However, the competition over energy resources is now becoming an additional area of contention. While China and the U.S. have launched the U.S.-China Energy Policy Dialogue, both states are also engaged in a competition for energy resources in Russia, the Caspian, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. This competition could foreseeably combine with other areas of friction. For example, if the U.S. were to side with Japan on its territorial dispute in the potentially oil and gas rich East China Sea or support India over China in meeting its growing energy needs, strategic blocs or alliances could form in the international energy arena. Latin America is likely to emerge as a major stage of this energy competition or confrontation.
Notes:
1. Luft, Gal, “In search of crude China goes to the Americas,” Institute for the Analysis of Global Security: Energy Security, January 18, 2005, http://www.iags.org/n0118041.htm.
2. Cheung, Ray, “Barriers in the way of tapping S American oil and gas,” South China Morning Post, November 21, 2004.
http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=408&&issue_id=3376
The China Daily
Hu in Kazakhstan for talks on terrorism, energy
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-07-04 20:28
The presidents of China and Kazakhstan held talks on terrorism and energy in Kazakhstan's capital, hailing what they said was a historic agreement to forge a strategic bilateral partnership.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/04/content_457004.htm
Japan's white paper adds chill to China ties
(China Daily)
Updated: 2005-07-05 06:08
Two white papers from Japan have added a chill to the current low in China-Japan relations.
A summary of the country's 2005 white paper on national defence, published by Yomiuri Shimbun on Sunday, devotes more detail to China than previous such documents.
The white paper is saying Japan needs to respond to China's increased defence budget.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/05/content_457125.htm
Strategic reserve to see oil by year's end
By Bi Jian (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-07-05 06:19
By year's end, China's effort to complete its new strategic oil reserve is expected to be completed, with oil flowing into the site, senior government officials confirmed to China Daily.
The move is not expected to have a major impact on international crude oil markets, since the crude will come from domestic supplies, officials said.
A senior director with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) yesterday said in a telephone interview that the country is to wrap up the first-phase of construction of its initial strategic oil reserve at Zhenhai in East China's Jiangsu Province by the end of this year.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/05/content_457188.htm
China tells Congress to back off businesses
(Agencies/Washingtonpost.com)
Updated: 2005-07-05 11:07
The Chinese government on Monday sharply criticized the United States for threatening to erect barriers aimed at preventing the attempted takeover of the American oil company Unocal Corp. by one of China's three largest energy firms, CNOOC Ltd.
China National Offshore Oil Corporation's (CNOOC) oil rigs is seen in China's Liaodong Bay of the Bohai sea February 3, 2005. [newsphoto]
Four days after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a resolution urging the Bush administration to block the proposed transaction as a threat to national security, China's Foreign Ministry excoriated Congress for injecting politics into what it characterized as a standard business matter.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/05/content_457271.htm
CNOOC's Unocal bid may benefit US economy
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-07-05 06:03
Some American leading economists have said that China's push to buy US companies such as Unocal Corp. and Maytag Corp., might benefit the American economy despite sparking a political outcry in Congress.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/05/content_457140.htm
Blair and Beckham lead UK's Olympic bid
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-07-05 09:08
Prime Minister Tony Blair and David Beckham were leading a last-minute charm offensive to secure the 2012 Olympics for London - as a new row flared with leading rival Paris.
England's soccer captain David Beckham leaves a dinner reception at the British High Commissioner's residence in Singapore July 4, 2005. Paris, London, Madrid, New York City and Moscow are competing to win the right to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in an IOC vote which will be held on July 6 in Singapore. Beckham is in town to support London's bid. [Reuters]
Mr Blair hailed the capital's "brilliant" bid to host the games and said the event would provide a "wonderful legacy" for British sport.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/05/content_457212.htm
Ice-cream parlor under fire
(eastday.com)
Updated: 2005-06-20 10:05
Local ice-cream aficionados were shocked to learned the quality scandal of Haagen-Dazs that erupted in Shenzhen on Saturday, and the company officials in the city were not available for comment last Sunday.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-06/20/content_452909.htm
The Washington Post
China Tells Congress To Back Off Businesses
Tensions Heightened by Bid to Purchase Unocal
By Peter S. Goodman
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, July 5, 2005; Page A01
SHANGHAI, July 4 -- The Chinese government on Monday sharply criticized the United States for threatening to erect barriers aimed at preventing the attempted takeover of the American oil company Unocal Corp. by one of China's three largest energy firms, CNOOC Ltd.
Four days after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a resolution urging the Bush administration to block the proposed transaction as a threat to national security, China's Foreign Ministry excoriated Congress for injecting politics into what it characterized as a standard business matter.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/04/AR2005070400551.html
Sunni Clerics Plan Edict On Greater Political Role
Followers in Iraq Will Be Told to Join Process, Vote
By Andy Mosher and Omar Fekeiki
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, July 5, 2005; Page A01
BAGHDAD, July 4 -- Several senior clerics of Iraq's disaffected Sunni Muslim minority will soon issue a decree calling on followers of the faith to vote in upcoming elections and help write a new constitution, a prominent Sunni leader said Monday. The step could draw Sunni Arabs away from the insurgency and into a political process they have steadfastly rejected.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/04/AR2005070401089.html
Afghan Civilians Killed in Airstrike
U.S. Disputes Governor Over Report of Another Serviceman Being Found
By Daniel Cooney
Associated Press
Tuesday, July 5, 2005; Page A08
KABUL, Afghanistan, July 4 -- An Afghan governor said Monday that a U.S. airstrike against a suspected insurgent site in Konar province last week killed 17 civilians. The U.S. military confirmed that civilians had died and expressed regret but said the strike Friday targeted a "known operating base for terrorist attacks."
Asadullah Wafa, the governor of Konar province, also said that a second member of a missing U.S. Special Operations team had been located near the Pakistani border, but a senior U.S. Defense Department official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity due to ongoing operations, said that was not true.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/04/AR2005070400417.html
The New Zealand Herald
Pakistani troops bring aid to flood-hit areas
05.07.05
Army troops and rescue teams distributed aid to about 50,000 people left homeless in northwestern Pakistan where floodwaters have inundated thousands of homes.
Authorities dispatched troops with life jackets and motor boats to villages along the Kabul and Sawat rivers that have been swamped with flooding from monsoon rains since mid-June.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10334215
Michael Richardson: Win for France over fusion reactor a big blow to Japan
05.07.05
The quest to find a clean, cheap and abundant way to meet future global energy needs took a big step forward last week when six of the world's leading powers agreed that France, not Japan, should be the site for an experimental nuclear fusion reactor.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10334212
Pack rape accused found guilty
05.07.05 12.30pm
Four men have been found guilty of abducting and raping a woman at Mt Maunganui 16 years ago.
The men, aged 40, 46, 47 and 53 had pleaded not guilty in the High Court at Wellington to the charges.
Verdicts were returned just before midday by a jury of eight women and four men. They came at the end of 12 hours of deliberation, following a two and half week trial.
The victim, who is now 37, said that in January 1989, she was lured to a beach hut on the pretext of having lunch with one of the men, and was raped there.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10334295
National could change anti-nuclear policy
Don Brash
05.07.05
A National government may change New Zealand's anti-nuclear policy without a referendum, says party leader Don Brash.
In an interview at Palmerston North yesterday, Dr Brash elaborated on what would be needed for National to change the policy if it forms part of a government.
A year ago, the National Party decided against a recommendation from within its own ranks to scrap the 1985 anti-nuclear legislation after polls suggested public support for the stance was still overwhelmingly strong.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10334285
Developing economies threaten environment
05.07.05 8.00pm
By Michael McCarthy and David McNeill in Beijing, and Justin Huggler in Delhi
The leaders of the world's biggest developing countries, led by China's President, Hu Jintao, will be at Gleneagles this week to begin a vital dialogue with the rich nations about how they can join in the fight against global warming.
For it is the greenhouse gas emissions from the developing nations, with their mushrooming economies, which will be crucial to the fight against climate change in decades to come.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10334301
Global warming nears danger point
05.07.05 1.20pm
Global average temperatures rose in the 20th century by 0.6C.
They are projected to rise by anything from 1.4C to 5.8C over the period 1990 to 2100.
A report this year by an international group chaired by the head of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) identified a 2C increase as the threshold beyond which "the risks to human societies and ecosystems grow significantly".
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10334302
Deaths in Brazil slum clashes spark protests
05.07.05 3.20pm
RIO DE JANEIRO - A boy and an old man died in shootouts between police and drug gangs in two Rio de Janeiro shanty-towns on Monday, triggering protests by residents tired of rampant crime and police violence.
In Latin America's biggest slum of Rocinha, a 60-year-old pensioner was shot to death by a stray bullet. Another man died from a heart attack during the fierce standoff, police said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10334291
Gwynne Dyer: Time for G8 to stop pulling strings on aid
05.07.05
"We are very sorry and apologise to viewers and other people who felt offended," announced the Japanese cosmetics firm Mandom last month, but mass ritual suicide would have been a more appropriate form of apology.
The company had aired a TV commercial that showed several black people wiping the sweat from their brows with a Mandom facial wipe while a chimpanzee wearing an afro wig imitated them.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10334144
Global arms dealers blamed for Congo violence
05.07.05 1.00pm
KINSHASA - Weapons and ammunition shipped by a web of international arms traffickers are fuelling killings and torture by militia groups in eastern Congo, according to Amnesty International.
Amnesty said brokers and transporters from countries including the United States, Britain, Israel and Russia were involved in supplying arms to governments around Africa's Great Lakes region, who were then passing them on to the militias.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10334300
Awol Israeli soldier found in grocery store
05.07.05
Military police have arrested the Israeli Army's longest-missing deserter, only to discover that he spent most of the time working in a grocery store where the police themselves buy food.
The soldiers' weekly Bamahane said the soldier walked away from his unit in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba five years ago.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10334216
continued . . .
