RIA Novosti
APEC participants adopt statement on greenhouse gases
SYDNEY, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - The leaders of 21 nations participating in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum have adopted a draft declaration on greenhouse gases, accepting for the first time concrete global goals to reduce CO2 emissions.
Although the draft plan, dubbed the "Sydney Declaration" by Australian Prime Minister John Howard, sets only non-binding targets, it represents a dramatic compromise between rich and poor APEC economies and retains the UN climate change convention as the primary framework to fight global warming.
Most significantly, it is seen as a triumph for the U.S. and Australia in persuading China, a major polluter, and other developing nations to accept measurable reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.
With the Kyoto Protocol on climate change due to be replaced in the coming years by a more binding agreement, the APEC draft will likely serve as the basis for the UN climate change summit in Bali, Indonesia in December.
The Kyoto Protocol, which has not been ratified by the U.S., is due to expire in 2012.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070908/77449618.html
Russia against mandatory greenhouse gas commitments - delegate
SYDNEY, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is against imposing mandatory targets or timetables to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, a Russian delegate to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum said.
A so-called Sydney Declaration calling for dramatic reductions of CO2 emissions has been adopted by the leaders of the 21 APEC nations meeting in Sydney, and once adopted is expected to replace the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, set to expire in 2012.
While the targets are "aspirational," in the words of Australian Prime Minister John Howard, they do offer the hope that greenhouse gas emissions can eventually be reduced, and global warming reversed.
In particular, the meeting succeeded in persuading developing Asia-Pacific economies, notably China, to accept formal reduction targets at long last.
However, the same obstacles that stymied the Kyoto Protocol will likely stand in the way of the newest agreement, notably resistance by many nations to mandatory reductions, and fears that economic development would suffer should genuine steps be taken to curb emissions.
In that vein, the Russian delegate said that the Japanese proposal to halve CO2 emissions by 2050 should be viewed principally as "a strategic task."
He added that the subject of global warming needed further study to more clearly understand the link between greenhouse gases and climate change.
Russia and APEC: towards sustained and stable development
Vladimir V. Putin
President of the Russian Federation
Next year will mark the tenth anniversary of Russia's becoming a full‑fledged member of APEC. It was a committed and strategic choice for us, based on objective economic factors and geopolitical circumstances. Life itself has since then convincingly demonstrated that the decision made then was timely and well-founded.
Today, on the eve of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Sydney I would like to share with you my vision of the prospects for Russia's participation in this influential regional association.
APEC has entered the 21st century as a major and authoritative regional structure with a uniquely broad membership of countries situated on both sides of the Pacific. Represented in it are Asia, America and the Southern Pacific. Russia has been successfully cooperating within its framework.
Due to the rapid development of the Asia-Pacific Region, APEC can be called the most promising economic association of the planet. Even now the Member States of the Forum account for 57 percent of the world's gross domestic product, 48 percent of world trade and over 40 percent of direct foreign investments. And according to expert estimates, these figures may go up in the coming years. Such a prospect is also held out by APEC's basic priorities aimed at improving the trade environment in the Asia-Pacific Region as well as broadening regional integration.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070907/77203099.html
White House preparing to stage new September 11 - Reagan official
WASHINGTON, July 20 (RIA Novosti) - A former Reagan official has issued a public warning that the Bush administration is preparing to orchestrate a staged terrorist attack in the United States, transform the country into a dictatorship and launch a war with Iran within a year.
Paul Craig Roberts, a former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, blasted Thursday a new Executive Order, released July 17, allowing the White House to seize the assets of anyone who interferes with its Iraq policies and giving the government expanded police powers to exercise control in the country.
Roberts, who spoke on the Thom Hartmann radio program, said: "When Bush exercises this authority [under the new Executive Order], there's no check to it. So it really is a form of total, absolute, one-man rule."
"The American people don't really understand the danger that they face," Roberts said, adding that the so-called neoconservatives intended to use a renewal of the fight against terrorism to rally the American people around the fading Republican Party.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070907/77203099.html
Bush has Sydney in stitches
SYDNEY, September 7 (RIA Novosti) - With President George W. Bush's final term set to expire in 16 months, the U.S. leader seems to have used his recent visit to Sydney for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit as an opportunity to hone his talents in other fields.
Bush's time in the White House has seen him mix up places and names, and display an uncanny knack for unforgettable gaffes, leading many in the U.S. and beyond to suggest that the 43rd president of the United State would be well-advised to seek a career as a stand-up comedian if he ever gets tired of political life.
The ongoing Sydney APEC talks saw the man who once said "My pro-life position is I believe there's life," and "I believe that the human being and the fish can peacefully co-exist," refer to APEC as OPEC, and to the Australian prime minister's visit to 'Austrian' troops in Iraq.
He also sauntered up to Condoleezza Rice at a state banquet to enquire of the U.S. Secretary of State "So, you gonna be my girl?" and wandered off-stage after his opening comments at the APEC forum in entirely the wrong direction.
Although the widely-reported 2004 story that Bush's I.Q. was the lowest of any U.S. president in history turned out to be an unproven rumor, it is understandable that in such desperate times many people feel nervous about a man able to confuse such elementary facts as the names of countries and regions.
But not to worry. As the man himself said in 2004: "God loves you, and I love you. And you can count on both of us as a powerful message that people who wonder about their future can hear."
Feel better now?
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070907/77387730.html
China Daily
APEC leaders adopt pact on climate change
2007-09-08 17:01:55.0
APEC leaders adopt pact on climate change
Updated: 2007-09-08 17:01
Sydney -- Asia-Pacific leaders agreed on Saturday to adopt a "long-term aspirational goal" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said.
Leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members adopted a Sydney Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development, in support to United Nations' global efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, Howard said.
"We are serious about addressing in a sensible way, compatible with our different economic needs, the great challenge of climate change," Howard told reporters at the end of the first day of the APEC Leaders Meeting.
Howard announced four key components of the declaration.
He said "there should be a long-term aspirational goal for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions" to guide an effective post-2012 international arrangement on climate change.
"All economies should contribute to achieving that goal, taking into account national circumstances and allowing for a range of market-based policy measures," Howard said.
He also said that APEC will adopt regional goals to reduce energy intensity and increase forest cover. New technologies will support the actions towards the goals.
Under the declaration, the goals are to reduce energy intensity by at least 25 percent by 2030 from the 2005 level, and to increase forest cover in the region by at least 20 million hectares of all types of forests by 2020.
An Asia-Pacific Network for Energy Technology will be established to strengthen collaboration on energy research in the region.
Another regional network, Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation, for sustainable forest management and rehabilitation will be set up to enhance capacity building and strengthen information sharing in the forestry sector.
The measures also include low emissions technology and innovation, alternative and low carbon energy uses, trade in environmental goods and services, and policy analysis capability.
Founded in 1989, APEC has become a major regional forum acting as the primary regional vehicle for promoting open trade and practical economic and technical cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
It has 21 members: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, China's Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
Fair poultry deal for China urged
2007-09-08 08:54:03.0
Hu YinanFair poultry deal for China urgedUS poultry chief
By Hu Yinan (China Daily)Updated: 2007-09-08 08:54
A recent US provision that effectively blocks China's poultry exports to the country leaves an impression that it was "made on political grounds," a top American poultry industry representative said on Friday.
Decisions must be made "on the basis of sound science politics really has no place in it..." James H. Sumner, president of the US Poultry & Egg Export Council and head of the International Poultry Council, told senior Chinese quarantine officials in Beijing.
"China must be given fair consideration," he stressed.
He was commenting on an act passed by the US House of Representatives earlier this month.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/08/content_6091064.htm
Officials investigated for 172 deaths
2007-09-07 23:56:54.0
(Xinhua)Updated: 2007-09-07 23:56
XINTAI, Shandong -- Two senior officials from a mining company have been investigated over a mining disaster which left 172 miners dead in Xintai, East China's Shandong Province, the local government said on Friday.
"Zheng Zhenxiu, board chairman of the Huayuan Mining Co Ltd, and Zhang Canjun, the company's deputy general manager, have been investigated," according to the Shandong provincial government.
A group of life science experts believe "the trapped workers are not likely to return alive as the inundated mine was not fit for living."
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/07/content_6090470.htm
US denies preparing military attack on Iran
2007-09-08 11:40:14.
Updated: 2007-09-08 11:40
WASHINGTON -- The United States rejected on Friday UN nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei's suggestion that Washington is preparing a military attack on Iran.
"We are working with our partners in other parts of the world to deal with the consequences of Iran's state sponsorship of terrorism," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey told reporters.
But "We're pursuing a diplomatic track with Iran. We are engaging with our Security Council partners and the IAEA. We've been doing so for a number of years," Casey noted.
"There is no change in US policy," the spokesman said.
"While no US president ever takes any options off the table, our approach has been and is and as far as I know, until you hear differently from the president, will continue to be one of using diplomacy, using all the tools in the diplomatic tool box to try and convince Iran to change its behavior."
Casey made the remarks after Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, suggested that Washington is preparing a military attack on Iran.
ElBaradei told reporters in Vienna that "Iran is moving with its (uranium) enrichment without us doing the robust verification required."
But, the UN nuclear chief said "On the other hand I see war drums (from those) who are basically saying the solution is to bomb Iran," which is believed to be an implicit attack on the Bush administration which has refused to rule out military action against Iran.
"I would certainly hope that those kinds of comments wouldn't be referred to the United States, because they certainly wouldn't be true," said Casey.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-09/08/content_6091236.htm
Trade, security policies outlined at APEC
2007-09-06 22:24:04.0
Trade, security policies outlined at APE
Updated: 2007-09-06 22:24
SYDNEY -- Trade and foreign ministers and representatives from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies wrapped up their two-day meeting Thursday, announcing plans for greater trade and economic reform and enhanced human security in the region.
The ministers, under the theme of "Strengthening our community, building a sustainable future," reviewed developments in the region and challenges facing the region's future.
Issues of the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, trade and economic reform, energy security and clean development, human security, climate change and APEC reform topped their agenda.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-09/06/content_6087054.htm
WWF to help preserve Yellow Sea ecosystem
2007-09-08 11:48:08.0Sun Xiaohua
WWF to help preserve Yellow Sea ecosystem
By Sun Xiaohua (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-08 11:48
The World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) launched the Yellow Sea Ecoregion Support Project (YSESP) on Friday to conserve the marine ecosystem.
The project, supported by Japan's electronics giant Panasonic, is part of WWF's Global 200 - which lists 238 regions across the world that need immediate conservation.
The seven-year regional marine conservation project aims to redress public concern and ensure proper protection and effective management of the critical habitats in and around the Yellow Sea by supporting local communities' sustainable conservation activities.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/08/content_6091273.htm
Postcards from deep end of sea
2007-09-07 10:25:41.0
Postcards from deep end of seaunderwater
Updated: 2007-09-07 10:25
An underwater mailbox was recently installed in the sea off Penghu Bird Isle in Taiwan that will be used for postcards. The postcards are dropped into the box by divers .
Wu Chengfu, a local tourism operator, initiated the service. Wu said postcards used in the submarine mailbox are specially made to be water-proof. Postmen will collect the mail every week and deliver them using the ordinary postal system. Many tourists were excited at the new service and said it would be romantic to receive postcards mailed from 50m under the sea.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/07/content_6088960.htm
China to address coastal-hinterland imbalance
2007-09-08 14:16:56.0
China to address coastal-hinterland imbalanceimbalance, hinterland, economy
More efforts against regional imbalance
Updated: 2007-09-08 14:16
China will continue to cope with the imbalanced development of its coastal and hinterland regions, a senior official with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Friday at the Summer Davos in Dalian.
Zhang Xiaoqiang, vice minister of NDRC, said the Chinese government will continue to use policy leverage to narrow the gap between different regions.
"The overall development in the central and west regions, particularly in service sector, has lagged far behind that in the east," Zhang said at the Inaugural Annual Meeting of the New Champions hosted by the World Economic Forum.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2007-09/08/content_6091334.htm
Seven US troops killed in Iraq
2007-09-07 22:08:30.0Seven US troops killed in Iraq
George W. Bush, Anbar
Updated: 2007-09-07 22:08
BAGHDAD - Seven US troops have been killed in Iraq, including four in the western province of Anbar, where gains in security were hailed this week by US President George W. Bush during an unannounced visit to the desert region.
The US military said on Friday that four Marines were killed in the vast province on Thursday while conducting combat operations. It gave no further details on one of the deadliest days for troops in Anbar in months.
The military also said three soldiers were killed in the northern province of Nineveh on Thursday when an explosion hit their vehicle.
The deaths take to more than 3,750 the number of US soldiers killed since the start of the US-led invasion in 2003. Eighteen US soldiers have died so far this month.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-09/07/content_6090430.htm
Hilton wants to name first child London
2007-09-07 17:32:18.0
Hilton wants to name first child
Socialite heiress Paris Hilton is desperate to have a baby and has already decided to name her unborn child after her pet cat London.
Hilton spoke about her plans to start a family maybe even as early as 2008 and said: “I want kids next year, so I've got to get my body ready.”
Contactmusic.com reports that she is certain her first born will be a son and has already picked out two names.
She said: “If I had a child I would name him London. I used to have a cat named London. I like the name Paris Jr. too. I love babies. I'd like three or four.”
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2007-09/07/content_6090285.htm
Audience in Beijing to tune in Games via 'radio caps'
2007-09-06 21:31:55.0Audience in Beijing to tune in Games via 'radio caps'Olympics,Radio caps1158961Regional2@webnews/enpproperty-->(Xinhua)Updated: 2007-09-06 21:31
Visitors and locals in Beijing for the Olympics next August will be able to tune in Olympic information "anytime anywhere" via "radio caps", a major broadcaster said Thursday.
"People to the Olympic Games have to wear a cap to shelter the summer sunlight anyway, if the cap happens to be a radio for the Olympic events, how can they refuse?" Xu Jun, director of the Olympic Radio of the China Radio International (CRI), said.
"Radio caps", an idea originated from radio workers, incorporate mini radios and stereo earphones into caps that allow cap wearers to "listen to real-time information of events, weather forecasts and services without the barrier of time and place," Xu said.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/06/content_6087043.htm
Breast cancer more deadly in black women
2007-09-07 11:33:40.0
Breast cancer more deadly in black womenbreast
Updated: 2007-09-07 11:33
A new study gives a possible explanation for why breast cancer is more deadly in black women: they are more likely to have tumors that do not respond to the hormone-based treatments that help many others with the disease.
The study is the largest yet to link a biological factor to the racial disparity, which also has been blamed on black women getting fewer mammograms and less aggressive treatment.
"This puts biology more to the forefront," said Dr Julie Gralow, a cancer specialist at the University of Washington School of Medicine familiar with the work. "It's not just access to care, access to treatment and other factors that have been implicated in the past."
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-09/07/content_6089352.htm
Tooth loss linked to higher heart disease risk
2007-09-07 04:55:06.0
Tooth loss linked to higher heart disease riskheart
Updated: 2007-09-07 04:55
NEW YORK - Young adults who lose their teeth to cavities or gum disease may have an increased risk of dying from heart disease later in life, a new study suggests.
The findings, reported in the journal Heart, add to evidence linking oral health to heart health. A number of studies have suggested that gum disease may contribute to heart disease over time -- though it's still not clear that there is a cause-and-effect relationship.
This latest study involved more than 12,000 UK adults who were followed from college onward, for up to 57 years. Researchers found that those with a large number of missing teeth in young adulthood -- nine or more -- were one-third more likely to die of heart disease than their peers with fewer than five missing teeth.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-09/07/content_6087136.htm
Globe and Mail
Canada central to APEC pact
GLORIA GALLOWAY
Globe and Mail Update
September 8, 2007 at 1:55 PM EDT
SYDNEY, Australia — Canada and Japan have emerged as the linchpins of the APEC climate change agreement described by Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a “big, big step” towards reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
The two nations were explicitly singled out for credit in the body of the text for their efforts in getting the agreement, given the divisions within the disparate APEC forum.
“We and a couple of others stood firm,” said a senior Canadian official at a briefing late Saturday.
But getting the growing Asian economies to agree to targets of 50 per cent reductions in emissions by 2050, said the official, “was a bridge too far.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070908.wapecgreen0908/BNStory/International/home
Bangkok Post
Apec agree to tackle climate change
Sydney - Asia-Pacific leaders fell short of setting themselves targets for reducing the greenhouse gases that cause global warming but agreed that cuts were needed and that both rich and poor nations must make them.
The 21 leaders, gathered for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Australia's biggest city, also agreed on "specific APEC goals on energy intensity" that would translate into producers cutting the amount of energy they use producing goods and services.The meeting also agreed that deforestation must be addressed to stop the planet heating up."It's a very important milestone in the march towards a sensible international agreement on climate change which recognizes the need to make progress but also recognizes that different economies bring different perspectives to addressing the challenge of climate change," Apec host Prime Minister John Howard said.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=121461
Euronews
APEC agrees "good intentions" on climate change
Environmentalists have attacked APEC leaders meeting in Australia for failing to agree any targets to tackle carbon emissions. The 21 leaders of countries including the world's two worst polluters, China and the United States, only announced that they "hoped" there could be some reduction in the future. "We are serious about this," Australian Prime Minister John Howard insisted. But no hands were tied during the roundtable sessions. Sydney was turned into a ghost town for the top- level meeting. The presidents and prime ministers were barricaded inside the Opera House, while the man in the street was kept a 20 minute walk away. The summit's security team boasted success as tens of thousands of demonstrators failed to materialise, deterred by kilometres of barriers and concrete. Only about 5,000 people gathered to vent their anger against the Iraq war. Their protest was noisy but largely peaceful. A water cannon, bought especially for the occasion, did not see any use. Globalisation activists bemoaned the cost of the fortifications, estimated at 100 million euros.
http://euronews.net/index.php?page=info&article=441678&lng=1
continued…
