The Rooster
"Cock-A-Doodle-Do"
"Okeydoke"
Friday, May 26, 2006
The Polar Music Prize
THE AWARDING OF THE POLAR MUSIC PRIZE 2006
The POLAR MUSIC PRIZE was presented on Monday 22 May for the fifteenth year in succession. The laureates were the Russian conductor Valery Gergiev and the British rock group Led Zeppelin. Each laureate received prize money to the amount of one million Swedish kronor.
His Majesty the King of Sweden awarded the prizes during a nationally televised (TV4) ceremony, which took place at the Stockholm Concert Hall. The subsequent banquet and after-party were held at the Grand Hotel’s Winter Garden and Berns respectively.
http://www.polarmusicprize.se/newSite/index.shtml
RIA Novosti
Putin hopes for quick talks on new cooperation deal with EU
SOCHI, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia hopes that talks on a new cooperation agreement with the European Union will begin in the immediate future, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
"Russia is ready for this work and hopes that the EU commission will get a mandate to conduct talks soon. After that, experts will be able to began official dialogue," Putin said at a Russian-EU summit in Sochi, a resort on Russia's Black Sea coast.
The current Russia-EU cooperation agreement expires in 2007.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060525/48616696.html
Russian delegation heading to Iran for talks - source
MOSCOW, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian delegation headed by Security Council Secretary and former foreign minister Igor Ivanov is on its way to Tehran for talks, a source said Thursday.
"Igor Ivanov will hold a number of meetings and talks in Iran," the source said, adding that the delegation also included Foreign Ministry representatives
The Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA said Ivanov would visit Tehran May 27-28 at the invitation of head of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, to discuss recent developments around the country's controversial nuclear programs.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060525/48610524.html
Gulf nations will not survive war in Iran
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Marianna Belenkaya) -- What do the Gulf nations think about the situation around Iran?
“Our region will not survive a new war, another aggravation of tensions,” said Qatar Foreign Minister Hamad Bin Jassim Al-Thani during a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
Their conversation took place during the 5th foreign ministers’ meeting of the intergovernmental forum devoted to dialog on cooperation in Asia. The forum took place in Doha, and was the last event for the Russian Foreign Minister’s first tour of the Arab Gulf nations – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar.
In principle, political discussions are not in the forum’s traditions. Its main task is to discuss opportunities for Asian countries’ cooperation in specific fields, such as energy, finances, education, transportation, environmental protection, prevention and dealing with emergencies (the latter direction was suggested by Russia). However, considering the tense situation around Tehran, and the fact that success of many projects depends on regional stability, the participants in the forum could not ignore the Iranian problem, at least in the lobby and during press conferences, all the more so since many conferees are taking an active part in the Iranian negotiating process, including Russia, China, Gulf countries, and Iran itself.
Tehran is not yet a co-sponsor or leader of any of the forum’s 20 directions, but it is playing a key role in regional affairs. Implementation of specific projects, and participation in dialog on practical issues is a very effective instrument of diplomacy. The forum-initiated numerous business projects are the best alternative to a military scenario. By increasingly covering a military option, the media are creating the impression that the negotiating process is doomed.
On the eve of the recent meeting of negotiators on Iran in London, the Los Angeles Times wrote that the U.S. had embarked on the strategy of deterring Iran with the help of the Gulf nations. However, such articles only further provoke Tehran and exacerbate its already difficult relations with the Arab neighbors. Commenting on the Los Angeles Times publication at the request of the media, the Qatar Foreign Minister said: “We would welcome very much if the United States coordinated its actions with the Gulf Cooperation Council.”
One gets the impression that the Arab countries do not know whether they should be getting ready for war, or watch the negotiating process as idle onlookers. This is why they were eager to hear Russia’s opinion from its Foreign Minister – what should they expect? Nobody can answer this question precisely but during his tour of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar, Sergey Lavrov made it clear that Moscow would do everything for the talks to continue.
The Arab countries of the Persian Gulf are enthusiastically backing the position of Russia, which believes that negotiations are the only way of settling the Iranian problem. In the event of a military scenario, these countries may suffer as much, or even more than Iran.
Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow was not considering any hypothetical scenarios, hoping that eventually the talks would produce results. Their success depends on two factors. The first one is an ability of the six negotiators – the EU3, Russia, China, and the U.S. – to preserve a common platform. The second factor is Tehran’s constructive position, which is indispensable. Neither factor is guaranteed in the least. But there is no other way out for the time being. A military scenario is too dangerous, which the situation in neighboring Iraq shows. Aware of this, Western and Eastern diplomats are emphasizing the need to continue the negotiations. Sometimes, it is hard to understand what stands behind some official statements. But decision-makers should remember what the Qatar Foreign minister said – the Gulf region will not survive another war.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060524/48579360.html
Iran unconditionally ready for talks - Iranian Foreign Ministry
TEHRAN, May 24 (RIA Novosti) - Iran is ready for talks on its controversial nuclear program without the need for any preliminary conditions, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry said Wednesday.
"We have repeatedly stated that we are ready for talks to solve the nuclear problem, but without any preliminary conditions," Hamid Reza Asefi said. "[Diplomatic] talks are the only solution to the problem."
On Wednesday senior foreign ministry officials from Russia, the United States, China and the EU3 negotiators - the United Kingdom, Germany and France - gathered in London to discuss the Iran's nuclear programs, which some countries have claimed are designed to build a nuclear bomb, though Tehran has consistently denied this.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated Tuesday Russia's position that the long-standing impasse over the Islamic Republic's controversial nuclear research program should be resolved by diplomatic means, and said he hoped Iran would cooperate constructively and openly with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060524/48572519.html
Russia, EU have common position on Iran - Putin
SOCHI, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and the European Union share a common position on the long-running controversy around Iran's nuclear program, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
"During the summit we discussed key international problems, including the situation in the Middle East and in the Balkans and around the Iranian nuclear program. The results of discussions have proved that Russia and the EU have similar approaches to solving most European and global problems," Putin said at a Russian-EU summit in Sochi, a resort on Russia's Black Sea coast.
He said EU enlargement was also on the agenda, and expressed hope that the summit would boost Russia-EU partnership.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060525/48617010.html
Energy set to take spotlight at Russia-EU summit
MOSCOW, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - Officials from Russia and the European Union will gather on the Black Sea Thursday for a summit that it is expected to be dominated by the host nation's reliability as an energy supplier.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, the current president of the EU Council, will arrive in the popular resort of Sochi to discuss with Russian leader Vladimir Putin how to develop relations in the sphere and how to iron out problems.
Russia's role has come increasingly under the microscope since a pricing dispute with neighboring Ukraine in January saw energy giant Gazprom turn off natural gas supplies, which not only led to shortfalls on the continent but also provoked accusations - none so forcefully put as U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's claims in Vilnius on May 4 - that Russia was using its vast energy resources as a way to blackmail other countries.
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU commissioner for external affairs, highlighted Tuesday the importance of energy for both sides at the summit.
"Energy is a fundamental element in the partnership between Russia and the EU - for both partners," she said. "You are an important supplier of energy products for us, and we are your most important economic partner. So certainly, how to get the most out of this interdependence will be a major topic at the summit."
Comments made in April by Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller that Russia would look to Asia and South America if the concern's European expansion plans were blocked prompted talk in Brussels and beyond that energy supplies had to be diversified, and raised accusations of hypocrisy given that foreign firms are banned from developing certain lucrative deposits in Russian for "strategic" reasons.
But the commissioner hinted that Russia, which covers 25% of the EU's natural gas needs, stood to gain by dropping what some Europeans see as bullying.
"We already have a good channel for co operation through our Energy Dialogue and we are ready to go further," she said. "But this relationship can only grow on the basis of reciprocity in markets, infrastructure and investments. This will create a win-win energy relationship for the EU and Russia. Transparency and openness are also crucial to competition in the global energy sector."
Russia has dismissed claims of strong-arm tactics - it says it merely wants to reach market-level prices with countries that have long enjoyed hugely subsidized supplies - and has defended its reliability as an energy partner and at least one senior official has said that the country shares the West's values.
With the country set to host its debt summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations in July, Russian representative to the group and influential presidential aide Igor Shuvalov said during a May 16 briefing that Russia and Russian companies had always fulfilled their contractual obligations.
"No one had ever questioned the reliability of hydrocarbon supplies from Russia until the Ukrainian incident," he said.
In an interview with daily newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta on Wednesday, the aide went even further.
"We are prepared to provide Europe with oil and gas on a long-term basis, and we are taking on the role of the leader," he said.
European officials have also urged Russia to ratify the Energy Charter Treaty, which was signed in The Hague in December 1991 as a mechanism spelling out the terms of energy cooperation between eastern and western Europe.
In 2003, 51 European and Asian states joined the charter. Seventeen countries and 10 international organizations have the status of observers. Russia has signed but not ratified the treaty as Europe has demanded access for Central Asian states and other countries to its pipelines, which Moscow says will make their natural gas 50% cheaper than Russia's when it arrives in Europe.
However, Ferrero-Waldner was optimistic that a deal could be done. "It would be excellent if Russia seized the moment, as President of the G8, to move towards ratification of the Energy Charter Treaty,"
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060525/48588929.html
Ballistic missiles in E. Europe threaten Russia - chief of staff
(Recasts, adds paragraphs 2-7)
MOSCOW, May 24 (RIA Novosti) - The deployment of ballistic missiles in eastern Europe poses a threat to Russia, the chief of the country's General Staff said Wednesday.
General Yury Baluyevsky said U.S. plans to deploy ballistic missiles in eastern Europe, possibly in Poland and Romania, as part of its missile shield presented a certain danger to Russia.
"The very fact of the deployment of the first-line missile defenses in this region is unequivocally intended to neutralize Russia's strategic potential," he said.
Baluyevsky said Russia did not need a new round of the arms race, adding that President Vladimir Putin had also addressed this issue in his May 10 state of the nation address.
"In the next five years, we must significantly increase the procurement of modern aircraft, submarines and strategic missiles for the Armed Forces," Putin said.
He said current research was focused on the development of unique high-precision weapons and warheads "whose trajectory could not be predicted by a potential enemy."
The new weaponry will allow the country to maintain the strategic balance of forces in the world, Putin said.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060524/48570591.html
RTS bourse to start trading oil, oil products, gold on June 8
MOSCOW, May 22 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Trading System, Russia's premier stock market, announced Monday that it would start trading in gold, oil and oil products on June 8.
The announcement comes in the wake of President Vladimir Putin's state of the nation address May 10, when he said Russia, as a leading oil exporting nation, should establish its own oil exchange to trade crude and petroleum products for rubles.
"The first trading in contracts for gold will commence in Russia on June 8," the RTS said in a statement.
The stock exchange also said it would start trading in futures and options on oil and oil derivatives, including Urals brand, diesel fuel, jet fuel and fuel oil. Trade will be in rubles based on prices calculated by the Platts agency. The settlement period for a contract is one month and the minimum security guarantee on a contract is 10% of its overall value.
The derivatives section of the RTS, known by its Russian acronym Forts, will trade futures and options on gold in rubles based on the London Stock Exchange evening fixing rate. The settlement period for a contract is one month and the minimum security guarantee on any contract is 5% of its overall value.
The statement said RTS would collect a 1-ruble commission for each concluded contract.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060522/48434383.html
Party starts Russian language campaign in Kyrgyzstan
BISHKEK, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - A campaign to maintain the official status of the Russian language has been launched in the Central Asian Republic of Kyrgyzstan, a local party said Thursday.
The Kyrgyz authorities announced earlier that the Kyrgyz language would be used in all official spheres from January 1, 2007.
The Commonwealth party said this decision "would affect economic relations with Russia and other members of the CIS [a loose association of former Soviet republics] as it might complicate the exchange of information."
The party, known as a supporter of further integration within the CIS, also said it would boost migration of the Russian-speaking population from Kyrgyzstan and provoke negative attitude toward Kyrgyz laborers abroad.
The party said 500,000 Kyrgyz labor migrants, 10% of the country's population, were currently working in Russia and they provided an inflow of $200-mln a year, according to official information.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060525/48610895.html
Fifth Ukrainian city grants regional status to Russian language
(Recasts, adds details)
KIEV, May 24 (RIA Novosti, Olga Bernatskaya) - Dnipropetrovsk, a major industrial city in Ukraine's eastern region, has made Russian a regional language, a municipal council spokesman said Wednesday.
"The decision was backed by 77 votes out of 107," the spokesman said.
Four other cities in largely Russian-speaking areas in the country's east and south have passed similar resolutions, which have sparked nationwide debate over the status of Russian and calls from the predominantly Ukrainian-speaking west of the country for more measures to protect the Ukrainian language.
City Prosecutor Mykola Gornostayev warned deputies he would contest the decision on the grounds that it breached the constitution and the country's laws.
Presidential press secretary Irina Gerashchenko said earlier that Viktor Yushchenko disapproved of decisions made by the councils and sent a letter to Prosecutor General Oleksandr Medvedko demanding that measures be taken to bring the decisions of the local councils into line with the country's constitution.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060524/48566543.html
Cheney is no Churchill and Putin is no Stalin
By Pyotr Romanov, RIA Novosti political commentator. U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have recently been lecturing Russia on how to run its affairs.
Moreover, Cheney's chilly tones have prompted many political scientists to talk about the prospects of a new Cold War. I don't think they are right. Cheney is not Churchill, and cannot change the course of history. Besides, power in Russia belongs to Putin, not Stalin. Putin's Russia is not going to build a new Berlin Wall. To the contrary, it is increasingly opening its doors to the West, both economically and politically. It is enough to recall its energy projects, and its readiness to discuss any subject despite many differences of opinion with the West. The latter cannot start fighting without an opponent - it takes two to tango.
But there are more important points than that. I have repeatedly read Western comments about the importance of exerting pressure on Russia on the eve of the G8 summit in St. Petersburg on many issues, starting with the Iranian nuclear file and ending with its domestic problems. Such statements show that the U.S. political elite has missed a crucial point - after staying in the U.S. orbit for almost two decades, Russia has restored itself as a planet, and eventually regained its own trajectory. Therefore, the West, and the U.S. in particular, should stop talking to Russia in condescending tones. The manner of talking should be changed, too. This became particularly obvious after the recent lectures of Rice and Cheney, who tried, for the umpteenth time now, to teach what they call true democracy to the Russians. Both looked somewhat comical, like a man yelling something to the train, which has long left the station.
If Washington had analyzed the situation in time, it would have come to a natural conclusion. Russia was not going to be committed to bed forever. It has recovered from the upheaval of the Soviet collapse, and chosen its own road. Moscow is beset with problems but it is ready (psychologically, above all) to resolve its problems on its own. It is grateful for friendly advice and sincere help, but it is emphatically against the preachy tone and importunate advice, all the more so if it contradicts the very nature of Russia and its people. Russia will not change whether the West curses it, complains about it being slow on the uptake, or tries to analyze why the Russians have a peculiar view of the world. Russia did not adopt a Western pattern of democracy in the short period of bourgeois development after the democratic interlude in February of 1917. Today, its political system is not going to be a replica of Western democracy, either.
Some analysts may attribute this fact to Russia's inability to develop the market in earnest, or to value freedom, but this is not the smartest conclusion. It should not be forgotten that pre-revolutionary Russia was moving ahead by leaps and bounds, as many Western experts acknowledge. The German government commission led by Professor Auhagen, which visited Russia in 1914, on the eve of World War I, made a worrisome conclusion for Wilhelm II - once Russia finished its land reform, there would be no country capable of fighting against it. Russia was among the world's leaders in economic growth rates. I recall this fact because a number of experts predict that by 2027-2030 Russia will regain its position among the world's top economies.
It is a myth that the Russians are allergic to a market economy.
The problem of Russian democracy is not simple, either. In order to succeed, a democracy has to absorb the national features and traditions of the Russians. Russian democracy will never be a perfect clone of the Western political system. Russia has another history, and its view of the good and evil, and human rights and freedoms largely differs from that of the West. The recent Council of the Russian People, held recently in Moscow at the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church, was strongly critical of the West for neglecting moral standards. Speakers emphasized that without respect for morality, freedoms of the individual and of speech lead to social degradation. The Catholic Church is of the same opinion. Moreover, I'm sure that the deeply religious founding fathers of the American democracy would not have liked many features of Western life today. Why insist on the Russians following the Western road?
Russia has opted for democracy. There are no serious indications that it will deviate from this strategic direction. But the purely Russian nuances, such as stronger statehood or tougher morality will manifest themselves with time. Finally, as any sovereign state, Russia will be defending its interests in the world arena - the stronger the country, the tougher its policy. There is nothing to be scared of. But it would be logical to expect Russia after some time to have strategic interests near U.S. borders. After all, doesn't Ms. Rice talk today about U.S. strategic interests at the Russian borders? The U.S. is certainly right about globalization.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060510/47934816.html
Putin talks army, xenophobia, family violence to youth movement
SOCHI, May 18 (RIA Novosti) - President Vladimir Putin met Thursday with a pro-Kremlin political youth movement to discuss the problems of Armed Forces recruits, as well as increasing xenophobia and the rights of children.
The meeting with the Nashi ("Ours") movement at the presidential residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi focused in particular on conscripts and their rights in the wake of a string of hazing attacks in the Russian army.
Putin said the conscripts must know their rights and stand up for themselves.
"I fully support what you just said," he said in reply to a Nashi member's question. "People who have come to serve in the army must know their rights."
The highest-profile of the recent hazing incidents involved private Andrei Sychyov, who had to have both of his legs amputated after allegedly being beaten and tortured over the New Year's Eve holidays in his army unit in the south Urals city of Chelyabinsk.
Putin also said the Army needed to raise its prestige, and called on people to treat it with respect.
"We must realize that there can be no country without an army. No army - no Russia," he said.
Putin also called for Russians to recognize that the country's ethnic variety makes it stronger. A string of apparent race-hate attacks in cities across Russia have pushed xenophobia to the top of the political agenda, and brought stinging criticism from the West.
"We complement each other, and it makes us stronger and more effective," Putin said.
He said Russia's richness of different cultures made it unique, and called for people to respect their differences.
"Despite a shared mentality, every region has its peculiarities, and if you go there, you are bound to respect local culture and traditions," he said, adding that such an approach would help reverse current xenophobic trends.
"All these together will not only help to make the problem less acute, but will enable us to forget that it ever existed," Putin said.
Over a thousand people took to the streets of St. Petersburg in mid-April to protest following the fatal shooting of Lamzer Samba, a fifth-year student from Senegal at St. Petersburg State Telecommunications University. Police found a gun bearing a swastika at the scene. Other killings elsewhere in the country include the slaying of a Peruvian student in the central Russian city of Voronezh last October.
On violence against children, Putin said the government and the public had to keep an eye on how children's rights are observed.
"It is a vital issue, because we do not always remember that a child in any society is a highly dependent person," the president said.
But he said the problem persisted both in Russia and many other countries. A number of adopted Russian children have been at the center of abuse and even murder cases, particularly in the United States.
The most notorious incident came in summer 2005, when U.S. citizen Peggy Sue Hilt allegedly beat her adopted two-and-a-half year-old Russian daughter to death in a fit of rage. Hilt pleaded guilty, and the verdict is due on May 25.
"We can see it now in what happens to children adopted by foreigners," Putin said. "In countries where such cases take the most outrageous forms, they come under active public discussion, and we must not be ashamed of making such incidents public either."
Putin said children's rights should be outlined and observed. But he added that Nashi would be unable to deal with family violence on its own, and urged for joint efforts between the public and the authorities.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060518/48309737.html
Russia will not relapse into Cold War era in relations with West - Putin
SOCHI, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will be patiently developing relations with the West and will not return to the Cold War period in their relations, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday.
"We will be building relations with our Western colleagues with patience and calm," Putin said. "As I said [in the state of the nation address] we will not return to the Cold War era."
Putin said he had made it a point in his address to parliament Wednesday that Russia did not seek in its foreign policy or defense strategy a return to the Cold War era.
"We only want normal, reasonable conditions for our foreign political development. We do not need anything else," the president said.
The president's remarks Saturday and his state of the nation address, which focused on the need to strengthen Russia's defense capabilities and improve the demographic situation, were a response to growing criticism in the West of Russia's democratic record and allegedly politically-driven energy policy.
Russia has repeatedly dismissed the charges, saying it only wants to ensure its national interests and in turn accusing Western countries of being prejudiced against Russia.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060513/48077318.html
Putin's address: expectations and risks
MOSCOW. (Alexei Makarkin for RIA Novosti) - Vladimir Putin's state of the nation address fully coincides with the public expectations.
What does an ordinary Russian want? A Russian, whose world is far from politics and debates on Putin's successor or his third term? He wants his family to live a decent life and his country to be a strong power. In effect, these ideas formed the gist of the address.
Russian people are loyal to the government (and actively support the president, as his high rating shows), but the growing economy and skyrocketing oil prices are generating higher expectations. The cash-for-benefits protests of pensioners in the beginning of the past year have made it clear that people no longer want to live "as they did before." They demand a tangible rise in their living standards before too long.
Last year, the president responded to these expectations with his initiative on national projects (about which he spoke at length in his address). This time he has announced a family support program. An oil-and-gas nation, Russia can easily afford to drastically increase childcare allowances. It can go for much more ambitious projects, such as large-scale second child benefit payments.
As for the defense policy, it is important both per se and as a symbol. Russia needs a strong army and an advanced defense industry to position itself as a key player in the world arena, which is able to resist pressure from the U.S. and other sources. In a way, the address is a response to the recent Vilnius speech by Dick Cheney, who lodged many claims with Russia, mostly on the issue of democracy.
If the president wanted to respond in kind, he would have either made excuses for Russia ("we are democrats, after all") or gone conflict ("we don't need your advice"), but he chose neither. His response was asymmetrical. In his address he outlined his vision of Russia's future, which was a diplomatically correct warning to the U.S.
On the other hand, the army and defense industry have traditionally been viewed in Russia as a symbol of a strong power, which is a source of pride. This sentiment was gone from public mentality in the late 1980s, but its revival began several years later and even lead to an idealistic revision of the Soviet years. In his address the president relinquished the Soviet tradition of sacrificing social policy to the defense effort. This is consonant with the attitudes of the public, which does not want a repetition of the guns-before-butter saga.
Understandably, this defense and social programs address is not wholly based on the public demand for a particular socio-economic policy. It was also affected by a serious disappointment in dialog with the West on energy carriers and other issues. The energy dialog will continue, but is not likely to override other aspects of economic policy. Importantly, the government has a considerable flow of money from the oil and gas sector, which enables it to implement large-scale social and economic projects.
Needless to say, the ideas expressed in the address have no failsafe guarantees of success. The role of the West in modern Russian policy is not great, but there are three much more important factors which harbor the main risks.
The first factor is linked with the rampant corruption of Russian bureaucrats and their ability to obstruct any initiative of the supreme authority. Russia has never had a universalist bureaucracy, capable of implementing major projects at the government's initiative or with its active participation, like in post-war France.
The second factor is rooted in clan and group interests, which are very important in Russia today and which can frustrate the conduct of any meaningful economic policy. Under the circumstances, the government's partnership with business in following a "new course" may create better opportunities for "friendly" economic structures.
The third factor depends on world prices on energy carriers. Let's recall that a drop in oil prices upset Gorbachev's equally ambitious plans of "accelerated growth." Russia has just started diversifying its economy. Will it have enough time to complete this process? So far, experts are optimistic, and predicting booming oil prices for another several years. If there is enough time, Russia should make good use of it.
Alexei Makarkin is deputy general director of the Center for Political Technologies.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060512/48040631.html
Beslan terrorist gets life sentence
MOSCOW, May 26 (RIA Novosti) - North Ossetia's Supreme Court Friday sentenced to life imprisonment the sole surviving gunman of those who took hundreds hostage in a bloody siege at a school in south Russia in September 2004.
Nurpashi Kulayev, 26, was found guilty on all counts by presiding judge Tamerlan Aguzarov for his involvement in the Beslan school tragedy, in which 331 people died, including 186 children.
Kulayev is the only survivor of 32 gunmen who took hundreds hostage at school No. 1 in Beslan in the North Caucasus region of North Ossetia on September 1, 2004, the start of the new academic year.
Prosecutors earlier demanded the death penalty for Kulayev, while his lawyers insisted on a life sentence. Kulayev pleaded not guilty.
Aguzarov said Kulayev's plea of not guilty was groundless, as it had been refuted by witness evidence and evidence that Kulayev had given during the preliminary investigation.
"The court ruled that he [Kulayev] as a socially dangerous individual deserved capital punishment," the judge said. "However, based on a decision of the Constitution Court from February 2, 1999 [that imposed a moratorium on the death penalty], this punishment could not be imposed."
Mitigating circumstances found by the court were Kulayev's two children and his lack of previous convictions.
The court also ruled that Kulayev was sane, and had never suffered any mental disorders.
Kulayev will serve his sentence in a high-security penal colony, but has ten days to appeal the verdict.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060526/48649984.html
U.S. woman given at least 25-yrs in Russian adoption killing
MANASSAS, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - A U.S. woman was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison with a possible extension of 10 years for killing her adopted Russian daughter in 2005.
Judge William Hamblin handed the sentence down to Peggy Sue Hilt, 34, in the district court of Manassas, Virginia.
Hilt will serve a mandatory 25 year term, and if after her release her behavior is judged not to meet requirements laid down by the court she will be returned to prison for a further 10 years.
The child, originally named Viktoria Bazhenova, had lived in an orphanage in the Siberian city of Irkutsk before the adoption.
On July 2, 2005, Hilt was visiting her friends in Manassas, where she had arrived from North Carolina, when she called an ambulance to say Nina had stopped breathing. An autopsy showed that the girl had died of heavy blows to the stomach.
Hilt then admitted to having flown into a rage against the child.
According to the case materials, Hilt first shook the baby and then threw her to the floor and started beating her in the stomach. She then picked the girl up and continued the beating.
Medical examinations showed that Hilt was sane, including during the lethal beating.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060525/48616041.html
Montenegro vote does not set precedent for Georgia - Saakashvili
TBILISI, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Thursday that a referendum on independence in Montenegro should not be taken as an example for Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The Montenegro elections commission said earlier that a referendum May 21 produced 55.5% (with 55% required) of votes in favor of Montenegro seceding from its union with Serbia.
"We should not attempt to open Pandora's box, because if we follow this train of thought, we can claim that Tatarstan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, the Basque country, Corsica and many other world regions also have the right for independence," Saakashvili said.
"Yugoslavia is a different matter," he added. "It had a different historical background. The decision on separation of former Yugoslavia involved the UN, NATO and the whole international community. In our [Georgia's ] case, there is a certain group of Russian politicians who are pushing for independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and with all respect to these politicians I do not think their power and influence can be compared with the influence of the forces that decided the fate of Yugoslavia."
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060525/48620267.html
Georgia, Abkhazia must resolve conflict on their own - MP
TBILISI, May 17 (RIA Novosti) - Georgia and its breakaway province of Abkhazia must be given the opportunity to resolve their long-running conflict independently, a deputy speaker of the Georgian parliament said Wednesday.
A bloody conflict between the sides erupted in 1991 after Abkhazia declared independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia cultivates close ties with the breakaway region, has granted citizenship to many residents and maintains peacekeepers in the area.
But Dzhemal Inaishvili, commenting on a new Abkhazian peacekeeping plan, said: "The problem must be addressed by the Georgians and Abkhazians themselves. A third party who is trying to mediate the negotiations is in fact the initiator of the conflict."
He said the mediator was stalling the conflict resolution process in a thinly veiled reference to Russia.
"We have lived with the Abkhazians for thousands of years, and must deal with the problem ourselves," Inaishvili said.
The deputy speaker ruled out that Georgia would ever recognize Abkhazia's independence.
"They [the Abkhazians] know this very well. The longer they refuse to agree to our proposals, the longer the problem will remain unresolved," he said.
Inaishvili said the impasse over the status of the self-proclaimed republic had to be broken peacefully and called on Abkhazia to agree to Georgia's proposals, which would pave the way for Abkhazia enjoying a great degree of autonomy within Georgia.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060517/48260018.html
RTS bourse to start trading oil, oil products, gold on June 8
MOSCOW, May 22 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Trading System, Russia's premier stock market, announced Monday that it would start trading in gold, oil and oil products on June 8.
The announcement comes in the wake of President Vladimir Putin's state of the nation address May 10, when he said Russia, as a leading oil exporting nation, should establish its own oil exchange to trade crude and petroleum products for rubles.
"The first trading in contracts for gold will commence in Russia on June 8," the RTS said in a statement.
The stock exchange also said it would start trading in futures and options on oil and oil derivatives, including Urals brand, diesel fuel, jet fuel and fuel oil. Trade will be in rubles based on prices calculated by the Platts agency. The settlement period for a contract is one month and the minimum security guarantee on a contract is 10% of its overall value.
The derivatives section of the RTS, known by its Russian acronym Forts, will trade futures and options on gold in rubles based on the London Stock Exchange evening fixing rate. The settlement period for a contract is one month and the minimum security guarantee on any contract is 5% of its overall value.
The statement said RTS would collect a 1-ruble commission for each concluded contract.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060522/48434383.html
The Mercury News
Powerful quake kills hundreds in Indonesia
By Irwan Firdaus
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake flattened buildings in central Indonesia early Saturday, killing nearly 450 people, injuring thousands of others and leaving hospitals appealing for help.
The magnitude 6.2 quake struck at 5:54 a.m. near the southwest of the city of Yogyakarta, 250 miles east of the capital, Jakarta, as many people slept, causing death and damage there and in at least two other nearby towns, officials said.
In the chaos that followed the quake, rumors of an impending tsunami sent thousands of people on Java fleeing to higher ground in cars and motorbikes. But Japan's Meteorological Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami.
The quake also triggered heightened activity in nearby Mount Merapi volcano, which has been spewing out clouds of hot ash, gas and lava for several weeks, a scientist said.
The death toll rose steadily through the morning and eight hours after it struck, the Indonesian Red Cross put the death toll at 443. Morgue officials and the privately run el-Shinta radio said at least 393 bodies were lying in nine hospitals in the region.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14680826.htm
You call this a relaxing weekend?
By Julie Sevrens Lyons
Mercury News
So you're taking out a small loan to fill the Suburban with gas and heading out of town for some much-needed R & R?
Yeah, good luck, buddy.
Expect ticked-off drivers making obscene hand gestures, crowded hotels and overbooked restaurants. And that's just in San Jose proper.
If you were hoping to wing it and stumble upon a quaint, nearly empty inn without a three-night minimum, AAA has news for you:
``If you had your heart set on something particular, you might find it's not available,'' says Sean Comey, an AAA spokesman. On the other hand, he adds, ``if you just want to get out of Dodge and have some fun, I'm sure you can find something that's going to work for you.''
Might it be the Bates Motel? ``Let's hope not,'' Comey says. Then, in his best ``Psycho'' Anthony Perkins impression, he cackles ``NorMAN!''
Not reassuring.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14672738.htm
Schwarzenegger signs country's toughest fish-farming rules
By Paul Rogers
Mercury News
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed into law new rules giving California the toughest ocean fish-farming regulations in the United States.
The measure, written by State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, is designed to reduce the risk of pollution and harm to marine wildlife from giant floating pens of tuna, halibut, or other species that could result if the aquaculture industry expands to the California coast.
``Ocean fish-farming can now be part of California's future without sacrificing the environment,'' Schwarzenegger said. ``This legislation will lay the groundwork for a new California aquaculture industry to thrive while providing an abundance of healthy food and more jobs.''
The bill was supported by the Ocean Conservancy and other environmental groups. It passed mostly along party lines, with Democrats voting for it and nearly all Republicans voting.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14677587.htm
Bush admits he regrets `tough talk' about Iraq
BY KENNETH R. BAZINET
New York Daily News
WASHINGTON - President Bush admitted Thursday he regrets "tough talk" like telling Iraqi insurgents to "bring it on" and saying he wanted Osama Bin Laden "Dead or Alive."
"I learned a lesson about expressing myself in a more sophisticated manner," Bush said. "In certain parts of the world, it was misinterpreted, so I learned from that."
Answering a question, Bush listed the "bring it on" comment from July 2003 and "Wanted Dead or Alive," as well as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, as mistakes made along the way since the 2003 invasion.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/14672050.htm
Voters can cast ballots early at Registrar's office
NO NEED TO WAIT UNTIL JUNE 6
Mercury News
Registered voters can cast their ballots before Election Day at the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters' office.
Early voting will be open on weekends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 27, June 3 and June 4. Weekdays, early voting is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Registrar's office is located at 1555 Berger Drive, Building 2, San Jose.
For more information, go to www.sccvote.org or call toll-free (866) 430-VOTE [8683].
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14677029.htm
Chavez far outstrips her foes in fundraising for mayoral bid
By Phil Yost
Mercury News
Demonstrating a fundraising prowess that was evident from the beginning of the campaign, Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez has raised much more money than her nearest challengers in the San Jose mayor's race -- and has the most money left in the bank for a last-minute campaign push.
She came within a hair of reaching the June 6 election's spending limits, reporting a total of $708,174 on Thursday. The cap is $708,643.
Chavez has long been considered the campaign front-runner, a status both her fundraising totals and the polls reflect. The mayor's race is considered almost certain to head to a November runoff among the top two vote-getters in the five-candidate field.
Three other candidates are tightly bunched in the money race -- Councilman Dave Cortese, with $511,668; businessman Michael Mulcahy, $432,654; and Councilman Chuck Reed, $413,085. Deputy District Attorney David Pandori has managed $236,445.
Chavez has more than twice as much money unspent as any other candidate -- $265,934.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14672702.htm
Democrats' primary election spending tops $60 million
WESTLY, ANGELIDES ARE NECK AND NECK
By Kate Folmar and Steven Harmon
Mercury News Sacramento Bureau
SACRAMENTO - In the bruising Democratic gubernatorial primary, the two candidates and their allies have burned through more than $60 million -- mostly on a barrage of tit-for-tat negative ads -- while Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been quietly collecting almost $15 million for his re-election.
With just under two weeks left in the nasty primary spat, Controller Steve Westly had spent about $36 million, leaving $3.7 million on hand, according to campaign finance reports that reflect activity through May 20. Most of his campaign cash came from Westly's own personal fortune, earned as an early employee of online auction giant eBay.
Treasurer Phil Angelides' campaign stash is more modest. The former real estate developer has spent nearly $20.7 million so far, and has $2.9 million remaining for the final push. But, Angelides' fortunes continue to be bolstered by a controversial $10 million independent television campaign that is being paid for by supporters.
Reflecting the tightness of the race, both multimillionaire candidates wrote seven-figure checks to their campaigns this week, contributions that were not reflected in the reports. Angelides added $1.5 million to his effort this week. On Thursday, Westly wrote a $2 million check.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14672753.htm
Fox wraps up U.S. trip with L.A. leaders
PETER PRENGAMAN
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Mexican President Vicente Fox wrapped up a U.S. visit Friday that critics slammed as an attempt to influence congressional debate on immigration reform and others praised as recognition of his country's responsibility in a binational problem.
Fox's agenda in a city heavily influenced by Mexican culture included meetings with two fellow proponents of immigration reform, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Cardinal Roger Mahony. Both have been high-profile supporters of marches that brought hundreds of thousands of immigrants to the streets.
After a private meeting with Fox, Villaraigosa said they talked about the economic ties between the two countries. "Our economy is driven by the labor of Mexican immigrants," he said.
Fox said Mexico wants to "develop and enforce migration laws with full respect to human rights and the safety of citizens on both sides of the border." He called for "legal, safe, orderly migration policy that will benefit the security and the prosperity of both of our nations."
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14679321.htm
Sept. 11 memorial foundation leader quits
AMY WESTFELDT
Associated Press
NEW YORK - The head of the foundation that has struggled to raise money for the Sept. 11 memorial quit Friday.
Gretchen Dykstra resigned after serving slightly more than a year as president and CEO of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation. Critics said she has failed to raise enough money - just over $130 million - for a memorial that has been estimated to cost nearly $1 billion.
Fundraising has been suspended while architects and a newly appointed developer make changes to the design so that it can be built for half that amount.
For now, construction also has stopped and new bids are being reviewed.
In her letter of resignation, Dykstra said too many people were taking charge of the protracted battle for control of the memorial.
"Perhaps it would help if there was one less player," she wrote.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14678324.htm
TREES SAVED, BUT ONLY IN PHOTOS
By Mike Cassidy
Mercury News
Audio: Angela Buenning talks about her orchard photography project (RealAudio)
It made for a nice shot.
The abandoned orchard pressed against the low-slung, high-tech buildings of IBM's former campus in South San Jose. The old and the new. The Valley of Heart's Delight and Silicon Valley.
Photographer Angela Buenning took the picture in early 2003 and moved on.
But there was something about that orchard. Something about the 35 acres of trees, sentenced to death. The prune trees had been cast aside as unnecessary. Once part of the economic engine of Santa Clara County, the decrepit trees were in the way by the time Buenning found them. Once producers of plump prunes, now they were silly old fools just taking up space.
Buenning caught herself periodically changing her route, so she could drive past the orchard just off Highway 85 at Great Oaks Boulevard. She found herself thinking about the trees, about how she owed them something, about how she needed to preserve them. Not the way, say, Julia ``Butterfly'' Hill might save a redwood, by taking up residence in it. But in the way she saves things -- by photographing them.
`Got a hold of me'
``I really enjoyed being here,'' Buenning says, standing in the dry, tilled dirt of the orchard. ``The place just kind of got a hold of me.''
Big hold. Soon after discovering the orchard, Buenning knew what she had to do. She would photograph the trees. Every single one. Each an individual portrait. One thousand seven hundred and five.
Buenning has been chronicling the rise and fall of Silicon Valley in photos since 2000 -- whimsical shots of billboards, eerie shots of abandoned server rooms, mournful shots of vacant tilt-up buildings. (See www.angelabuenning.com.) The orchard was a departure, a less industrial, more sentimental view that surprised even Buenning.
But the artist in her had no choice. And so she plotted the exact location of each tree as she went. The graph paper charting the orchard has been worn soft from folding and unfolding.
``It was an endurance project,'' says Buenning, who lives in Palo Alto with Yahoo co-founder David Filo and teaches at Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto.
It was an endurance race, really. Boom or bust, land is currency in Silicon Valley. A large undeveloped tract? Pure gold. And the orchard was in play.
For decades, IBM maintained the land as a working orchard. It was cheaper than fancy landscaping and a chance to keep the old valley alive.
Change arrives
But times change. IBM is gone now, having sold the orchard land to a developer and the buildings to Hitachi, which bought Big Blue's disk-drive division in 2002. A New York company called iStar owns the orchard now. But iStar isn't in the prune-growing business. Its plan for a commercial complex is making its way through the city's approval process.
``I always had the pressure on my mind,'' Buenning says, ``that these trees weren't always going to be here.''
It's hard not to think of the orchard as a dying loved one. There is no doubt about what is to come. Yes, there is time, time to make peace, say goodbye, time to make sure nothing goes left unsaid. Time to etch in your mind or on film the image of who or what you love.
Buenning wanted to remember the trees at the end of life. She shot their portraits only in winter -- naked, gnarled branches against gray, gloomy skies. Hour after hour. Weekend after weekend. Winter after winter. For three years.
Yes, people thought she was nuts. She wondered herself sometimes. But she was determined to finish.
``The fact that the trees were still here, it kind of felt like, OK, I can't let them down.''
In February, she finished. Finished the photography, anyway.
Now Buenning would like to find a public place to install her work. Her vision? A 6-foot-tall by 17-foot-wide wall of small photos of the fruit trees.
Fruit trees, existing side-by-side. Just as they do today.
For now.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14672736.htm
PUC backs peak-hours electricity price plan
LARGE COMPANIES LIKELY TO SEE NEW RATES IN JANUARY
By Sarah Jane Tribble
Mercury News
Large companies across the state lost a battle Thursday to avoid a new electricity rate plan.
The California Public Utilities Commission said it favored a plan that calls for companies to pay more for energy during times of day when electricity is in high demand. Businesses had called the plan an unfair burden.
The new pricing would probably take effect after ongoing discussions where regulators decide what each electric company will be allowed to charge, commission advisers said. Large customers of Pacific Gas & Electric could see prices change by January.
``When the commission makes a decision, we're duty-bound to go forward,'' said PG&E spokesman Jeff Smith.
The vote demonstrates the state's plan to eventually transfer all customers, including residents, to some version of a demand-based pricing plan. The idea is that if electricity costs more during high-demand periods, customers will change their patterns of use and help avoid blackouts.
``People want this choice,'' said Michael Messenger, demand response program manager for the California Energy Commission.
Commissioner John Bohn was the only one of five state regulators to oppose a change in pricing for businesses, and his adviser, Stephen St. Marie, said business will continue to fight the rates. About 5 percent of the 8,000 companies in PG&E's coverage area have already volunteered for the rates.
William Booth, attorney for the California Large Energy Consumers Association, said the pricing would have the biggest impact if used for residents. He argued that demand for electricity is highest during the summer, when millions of home air conditioners switch on. Still, he doesn't expect regulators to force the pricing on residents.
``When it comes to imposing these kinds of programs on residential customers, they pull the punches, they don't do it,'' Booth said.
PG&E already offers a time-of-use rate for consumers and has tested 2,000 customers statewide on a variety of rate programs that charge more for electricity during peak hours.
The utility said people have been willing to use power at different times of day when they see that it saves them money.
``Customers are going to migrate to what's best for them,'' said Andrew Bell, electric rates team leader for PG&E.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14672762.htm
Yahoo, eBay will team up online
By John Boudreau and Michelle Quinn
Mercury News
Google this: Ads from Yahoo on eBay. EBay's PayPal on Yahoo.
Two of the world's biggest Internet companies Thursday announced a plan to blend some of their most popular and powerful services in a bid to outflank Google and Microsoft in the battle for billions of dollars in online spending.
The multiyear alliance will put Yahoo's search bar in front of 200 million eBay users. EBay's PayPal easy-to-use payment service will be featured to shoppers on Yahoo's shopping and other channels.
Image ads sold by Yahoo will appear on eBay auction pages, and eBay's Skype Internet phone calling program could ultimately give Yahoo's 402 million users the ability to click on an ad and talk to a merchant.
Google's search-advertising success has outpaced Yahoo's, and it has been elbowing its way into eBay's comfortable flea-market community through recently unveiled online classified and payment services.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14672706.htm
Man fails to pay for gas; Owner shoots
Associated Press
LIVINGSTON, La. - Deputies arrested a store owner accused of shooting out two tires on a customer's vehicle after the customer said he had no money to pay for gasoline, spokesman Jason Ard of the Livingston Parish Sheriffs Office said Thursday.
The motorist had pumped $36.50 worth of gasoline, then discovered he didn't have the money to pay for it, Ard said. An argument with the store owner followed.
When the motorist tried to leave, the grocery store owner fired a shot that hit one of the customer's tires, then fired a second shot into another tire after the driver pulled back into the parking lot, deputies said.
Deputies booked Nardeep S. Bhullar, 25, the owner of Singhs Grocery, with aggravated assault, criminal damage to property and illegal discharge of a firearm.
Deputies also booked Chaz R. Watkins, 18, of Holden with theft of gasoline, Ard said.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14678439.htm
Woman shoots fireworks at police helicopter
Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. - Deputies have arrested a woman who shot fireworks at a sheriff's helicopter flying overhead. Marjorie Thompson, 44, was annoyed with the loud noise the helicopter was making over her house late Thursday night, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
The woman ran outside with a bottle rocket launcher and started shooting bottle rockets at the aircraft, Florida Today reported.
The helicopter was in the area searching for the suspect of a car theft, authorities said.
The helicopter's pilot, Mike Umbarger, said the craft's flight pattern was never in jeopardy.
Authorities said they caught Thompson in the act of launching the second bottle rocket. She is facing a felony charge of shooting or throwing a deadly missile into an aircraft.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14678442.htm
continued …
THE AWARDING OF THE POLAR MUSIC PRIZE 2006
The POLAR MUSIC PRIZE was presented on Monday 22 May for the fifteenth year in succession. The laureates were the Russian conductor Valery Gergiev and the British rock group Led Zeppelin. Each laureate received prize money to the amount of one million Swedish kronor.
His Majesty the King of Sweden awarded the prizes during a nationally televised (TV4) ceremony, which took place at the Stockholm Concert Hall. The subsequent banquet and after-party were held at the Grand Hotel’s Winter Garden and Berns respectively.
http://www.polarmusicprize.se/newSite/index.shtml
RIA Novosti
Putin hopes for quick talks on new cooperation deal with EU
SOCHI, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia hopes that talks on a new cooperation agreement with the European Union will begin in the immediate future, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
"Russia is ready for this work and hopes that the EU commission will get a mandate to conduct talks soon. After that, experts will be able to began official dialogue," Putin said at a Russian-EU summit in Sochi, a resort on Russia's Black Sea coast.
The current Russia-EU cooperation agreement expires in 2007.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060525/48616696.html
Russian delegation heading to Iran for talks - source
MOSCOW, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian delegation headed by Security Council Secretary and former foreign minister Igor Ivanov is on its way to Tehran for talks, a source said Thursday.
"Igor Ivanov will hold a number of meetings and talks in Iran," the source said, adding that the delegation also included Foreign Ministry representatives
The Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA said Ivanov would visit Tehran May 27-28 at the invitation of head of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, to discuss recent developments around the country's controversial nuclear programs.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060525/48610524.html
Gulf nations will not survive war in Iran
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Marianna Belenkaya) -- What do the Gulf nations think about the situation around Iran?
“Our region will not survive a new war, another aggravation of tensions,” said Qatar Foreign Minister Hamad Bin Jassim Al-Thani during a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
Their conversation took place during the 5th foreign ministers’ meeting of the intergovernmental forum devoted to dialog on cooperation in Asia. The forum took place in Doha, and was the last event for the Russian Foreign Minister’s first tour of the Arab Gulf nations – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar.
In principle, political discussions are not in the forum’s traditions. Its main task is to discuss opportunities for Asian countries’ cooperation in specific fields, such as energy, finances, education, transportation, environmental protection, prevention and dealing with emergencies (the latter direction was suggested by Russia). However, considering the tense situation around Tehran, and the fact that success of many projects depends on regional stability, the participants in the forum could not ignore the Iranian problem, at least in the lobby and during press conferences, all the more so since many conferees are taking an active part in the Iranian negotiating process, including Russia, China, Gulf countries, and Iran itself.
Tehran is not yet a co-sponsor or leader of any of the forum’s 20 directions, but it is playing a key role in regional affairs. Implementation of specific projects, and participation in dialog on practical issues is a very effective instrument of diplomacy. The forum-initiated numerous business projects are the best alternative to a military scenario. By increasingly covering a military option, the media are creating the impression that the negotiating process is doomed.
On the eve of the recent meeting of negotiators on Iran in London, the Los Angeles Times wrote that the U.S. had embarked on the strategy of deterring Iran with the help of the Gulf nations. However, such articles only further provoke Tehran and exacerbate its already difficult relations with the Arab neighbors. Commenting on the Los Angeles Times publication at the request of the media, the Qatar Foreign Minister said: “We would welcome very much if the United States coordinated its actions with the Gulf Cooperation Council.”
One gets the impression that the Arab countries do not know whether they should be getting ready for war, or watch the negotiating process as idle onlookers. This is why they were eager to hear Russia’s opinion from its Foreign Minister – what should they expect? Nobody can answer this question precisely but during his tour of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar, Sergey Lavrov made it clear that Moscow would do everything for the talks to continue.
The Arab countries of the Persian Gulf are enthusiastically backing the position of Russia, which believes that negotiations are the only way of settling the Iranian problem. In the event of a military scenario, these countries may suffer as much, or even more than Iran.
Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow was not considering any hypothetical scenarios, hoping that eventually the talks would produce results. Their success depends on two factors. The first one is an ability of the six negotiators – the EU3, Russia, China, and the U.S. – to preserve a common platform. The second factor is Tehran’s constructive position, which is indispensable. Neither factor is guaranteed in the least. But there is no other way out for the time being. A military scenario is too dangerous, which the situation in neighboring Iraq shows. Aware of this, Western and Eastern diplomats are emphasizing the need to continue the negotiations. Sometimes, it is hard to understand what stands behind some official statements. But decision-makers should remember what the Qatar Foreign minister said – the Gulf region will not survive another war.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060524/48579360.html
Iran unconditionally ready for talks - Iranian Foreign Ministry
TEHRAN, May 24 (RIA Novosti) - Iran is ready for talks on its controversial nuclear program without the need for any preliminary conditions, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry said Wednesday.
"We have repeatedly stated that we are ready for talks to solve the nuclear problem, but without any preliminary conditions," Hamid Reza Asefi said. "[Diplomatic] talks are the only solution to the problem."
On Wednesday senior foreign ministry officials from Russia, the United States, China and the EU3 negotiators - the United Kingdom, Germany and France - gathered in London to discuss the Iran's nuclear programs, which some countries have claimed are designed to build a nuclear bomb, though Tehran has consistently denied this.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated Tuesday Russia's position that the long-standing impasse over the Islamic Republic's controversial nuclear research program should be resolved by diplomatic means, and said he hoped Iran would cooperate constructively and openly with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060524/48572519.html
Russia, EU have common position on Iran - Putin
SOCHI, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and the European Union share a common position on the long-running controversy around Iran's nuclear program, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
"During the summit we discussed key international problems, including the situation in the Middle East and in the Balkans and around the Iranian nuclear program. The results of discussions have proved that Russia and the EU have similar approaches to solving most European and global problems," Putin said at a Russian-EU summit in Sochi, a resort on Russia's Black Sea coast.
He said EU enlargement was also on the agenda, and expressed hope that the summit would boost Russia-EU partnership.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060525/48617010.html
Energy set to take spotlight at Russia-EU summit
MOSCOW, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - Officials from Russia and the European Union will gather on the Black Sea Thursday for a summit that it is expected to be dominated by the host nation's reliability as an energy supplier.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, the current president of the EU Council, will arrive in the popular resort of Sochi to discuss with Russian leader Vladimir Putin how to develop relations in the sphere and how to iron out problems.
Russia's role has come increasingly under the microscope since a pricing dispute with neighboring Ukraine in January saw energy giant Gazprom turn off natural gas supplies, which not only led to shortfalls on the continent but also provoked accusations - none so forcefully put as U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's claims in Vilnius on May 4 - that Russia was using its vast energy resources as a way to blackmail other countries.
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU commissioner for external affairs, highlighted Tuesday the importance of energy for both sides at the summit.
"Energy is a fundamental element in the partnership between Russia and the EU - for both partners," she said. "You are an important supplier of energy products for us, and we are your most important economic partner. So certainly, how to get the most out of this interdependence will be a major topic at the summit."
Comments made in April by Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller that Russia would look to Asia and South America if the concern's European expansion plans were blocked prompted talk in Brussels and beyond that energy supplies had to be diversified, and raised accusations of hypocrisy given that foreign firms are banned from developing certain lucrative deposits in Russian for "strategic" reasons.
But the commissioner hinted that Russia, which covers 25% of the EU's natural gas needs, stood to gain by dropping what some Europeans see as bullying.
"We already have a good channel for co operation through our Energy Dialogue and we are ready to go further," she said. "But this relationship can only grow on the basis of reciprocity in markets, infrastructure and investments. This will create a win-win energy relationship for the EU and Russia. Transparency and openness are also crucial to competition in the global energy sector."
Russia has dismissed claims of strong-arm tactics - it says it merely wants to reach market-level prices with countries that have long enjoyed hugely subsidized supplies - and has defended its reliability as an energy partner and at least one senior official has said that the country shares the West's values.
With the country set to host its debt summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations in July, Russian representative to the group and influential presidential aide Igor Shuvalov said during a May 16 briefing that Russia and Russian companies had always fulfilled their contractual obligations.
"No one had ever questioned the reliability of hydrocarbon supplies from Russia until the Ukrainian incident," he said.
In an interview with daily newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta on Wednesday, the aide went even further.
"We are prepared to provide Europe with oil and gas on a long-term basis, and we are taking on the role of the leader," he said.
European officials have also urged Russia to ratify the Energy Charter Treaty, which was signed in The Hague in December 1991 as a mechanism spelling out the terms of energy cooperation between eastern and western Europe.
In 2003, 51 European and Asian states joined the charter. Seventeen countries and 10 international organizations have the status of observers. Russia has signed but not ratified the treaty as Europe has demanded access for Central Asian states and other countries to its pipelines, which Moscow says will make their natural gas 50% cheaper than Russia's when it arrives in Europe.
However, Ferrero-Waldner was optimistic that a deal could be done. "It would be excellent if Russia seized the moment, as President of the G8, to move towards ratification of the Energy Charter Treaty,"
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060525/48588929.html
Ballistic missiles in E. Europe threaten Russia - chief of staff
(Recasts, adds paragraphs 2-7)
MOSCOW, May 24 (RIA Novosti) - The deployment of ballistic missiles in eastern Europe poses a threat to Russia, the chief of the country's General Staff said Wednesday.
General Yury Baluyevsky said U.S. plans to deploy ballistic missiles in eastern Europe, possibly in Poland and Romania, as part of its missile shield presented a certain danger to Russia.
"The very fact of the deployment of the first-line missile defenses in this region is unequivocally intended to neutralize Russia's strategic potential," he said.
Baluyevsky said Russia did not need a new round of the arms race, adding that President Vladimir Putin had also addressed this issue in his May 10 state of the nation address.
"In the next five years, we must significantly increase the procurement of modern aircraft, submarines and strategic missiles for the Armed Forces," Putin said.
He said current research was focused on the development of unique high-precision weapons and warheads "whose trajectory could not be predicted by a potential enemy."
The new weaponry will allow the country to maintain the strategic balance of forces in the world, Putin said.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060524/48570591.html
RTS bourse to start trading oil, oil products, gold on June 8
MOSCOW, May 22 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Trading System, Russia's premier stock market, announced Monday that it would start trading in gold, oil and oil products on June 8.
The announcement comes in the wake of President Vladimir Putin's state of the nation address May 10, when he said Russia, as a leading oil exporting nation, should establish its own oil exchange to trade crude and petroleum products for rubles.
"The first trading in contracts for gold will commence in Russia on June 8," the RTS said in a statement.
The stock exchange also said it would start trading in futures and options on oil and oil derivatives, including Urals brand, diesel fuel, jet fuel and fuel oil. Trade will be in rubles based on prices calculated by the Platts agency. The settlement period for a contract is one month and the minimum security guarantee on a contract is 10% of its overall value.
The derivatives section of the RTS, known by its Russian acronym Forts, will trade futures and options on gold in rubles based on the London Stock Exchange evening fixing rate. The settlement period for a contract is one month and the minimum security guarantee on any contract is 5% of its overall value.
The statement said RTS would collect a 1-ruble commission for each concluded contract.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060522/48434383.html
Party starts Russian language campaign in Kyrgyzstan
BISHKEK, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - A campaign to maintain the official status of the Russian language has been launched in the Central Asian Republic of Kyrgyzstan, a local party said Thursday.
The Kyrgyz authorities announced earlier that the Kyrgyz language would be used in all official spheres from January 1, 2007.
The Commonwealth party said this decision "would affect economic relations with Russia and other members of the CIS [a loose association of former Soviet republics] as it might complicate the exchange of information."
The party, known as a supporter of further integration within the CIS, also said it would boost migration of the Russian-speaking population from Kyrgyzstan and provoke negative attitude toward Kyrgyz laborers abroad.
The party said 500,000 Kyrgyz labor migrants, 10% of the country's population, were currently working in Russia and they provided an inflow of $200-mln a year, according to official information.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060525/48610895.html
Fifth Ukrainian city grants regional status to Russian language
(Recasts, adds details)
KIEV, May 24 (RIA Novosti, Olga Bernatskaya) - Dnipropetrovsk, a major industrial city in Ukraine's eastern region, has made Russian a regional language, a municipal council spokesman said Wednesday.
"The decision was backed by 77 votes out of 107," the spokesman said.
Four other cities in largely Russian-speaking areas in the country's east and south have passed similar resolutions, which have sparked nationwide debate over the status of Russian and calls from the predominantly Ukrainian-speaking west of the country for more measures to protect the Ukrainian language.
City Prosecutor Mykola Gornostayev warned deputies he would contest the decision on the grounds that it breached the constitution and the country's laws.
Presidential press secretary Irina Gerashchenko said earlier that Viktor Yushchenko disapproved of decisions made by the councils and sent a letter to Prosecutor General Oleksandr Medvedko demanding that measures be taken to bring the decisions of the local councils into line with the country's constitution.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060524/48566543.html
Cheney is no Churchill and Putin is no Stalin
By Pyotr Romanov, RIA Novosti political commentator. U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have recently been lecturing Russia on how to run its affairs.
Moreover, Cheney's chilly tones have prompted many political scientists to talk about the prospects of a new Cold War. I don't think they are right. Cheney is not Churchill, and cannot change the course of history. Besides, power in Russia belongs to Putin, not Stalin. Putin's Russia is not going to build a new Berlin Wall. To the contrary, it is increasingly opening its doors to the West, both economically and politically. It is enough to recall its energy projects, and its readiness to discuss any subject despite many differences of opinion with the West. The latter cannot start fighting without an opponent - it takes two to tango.
But there are more important points than that. I have repeatedly read Western comments about the importance of exerting pressure on Russia on the eve of the G8 summit in St. Petersburg on many issues, starting with the Iranian nuclear file and ending with its domestic problems. Such statements show that the U.S. political elite has missed a crucial point - after staying in the U.S. orbit for almost two decades, Russia has restored itself as a planet, and eventually regained its own trajectory. Therefore, the West, and the U.S. in particular, should stop talking to Russia in condescending tones. The manner of talking should be changed, too. This became particularly obvious after the recent lectures of Rice and Cheney, who tried, for the umpteenth time now, to teach what they call true democracy to the Russians. Both looked somewhat comical, like a man yelling something to the train, which has long left the station.
If Washington had analyzed the situation in time, it would have come to a natural conclusion. Russia was not going to be committed to bed forever. It has recovered from the upheaval of the Soviet collapse, and chosen its own road. Moscow is beset with problems but it is ready (psychologically, above all) to resolve its problems on its own. It is grateful for friendly advice and sincere help, but it is emphatically against the preachy tone and importunate advice, all the more so if it contradicts the very nature of Russia and its people. Russia will not change whether the West curses it, complains about it being slow on the uptake, or tries to analyze why the Russians have a peculiar view of the world. Russia did not adopt a Western pattern of democracy in the short period of bourgeois development after the democratic interlude in February of 1917. Today, its political system is not going to be a replica of Western democracy, either.
Some analysts may attribute this fact to Russia's inability to develop the market in earnest, or to value freedom, but this is not the smartest conclusion. It should not be forgotten that pre-revolutionary Russia was moving ahead by leaps and bounds, as many Western experts acknowledge. The German government commission led by Professor Auhagen, which visited Russia in 1914, on the eve of World War I, made a worrisome conclusion for Wilhelm II - once Russia finished its land reform, there would be no country capable of fighting against it. Russia was among the world's leaders in economic growth rates. I recall this fact because a number of experts predict that by 2027-2030 Russia will regain its position among the world's top economies.
It is a myth that the Russians are allergic to a market economy.
The problem of Russian democracy is not simple, either. In order to succeed, a democracy has to absorb the national features and traditions of the Russians. Russian democracy will never be a perfect clone of the Western political system. Russia has another history, and its view of the good and evil, and human rights and freedoms largely differs from that of the West. The recent Council of the Russian People, held recently in Moscow at the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church, was strongly critical of the West for neglecting moral standards. Speakers emphasized that without respect for morality, freedoms of the individual and of speech lead to social degradation. The Catholic Church is of the same opinion. Moreover, I'm sure that the deeply religious founding fathers of the American democracy would not have liked many features of Western life today. Why insist on the Russians following the Western road?
Russia has opted for democracy. There are no serious indications that it will deviate from this strategic direction. But the purely Russian nuances, such as stronger statehood or tougher morality will manifest themselves with time. Finally, as any sovereign state, Russia will be defending its interests in the world arena - the stronger the country, the tougher its policy. There is nothing to be scared of. But it would be logical to expect Russia after some time to have strategic interests near U.S. borders. After all, doesn't Ms. Rice talk today about U.S. strategic interests at the Russian borders? The U.S. is certainly right about globalization.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060510/47934816.html
Putin talks army, xenophobia, family violence to youth movement
SOCHI, May 18 (RIA Novosti) - President Vladimir Putin met Thursday with a pro-Kremlin political youth movement to discuss the problems of Armed Forces recruits, as well as increasing xenophobia and the rights of children.
The meeting with the Nashi ("Ours") movement at the presidential residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi focused in particular on conscripts and their rights in the wake of a string of hazing attacks in the Russian army.
Putin said the conscripts must know their rights and stand up for themselves.
"I fully support what you just said," he said in reply to a Nashi member's question. "People who have come to serve in the army must know their rights."
The highest-profile of the recent hazing incidents involved private Andrei Sychyov, who had to have both of his legs amputated after allegedly being beaten and tortured over the New Year's Eve holidays in his army unit in the south Urals city of Chelyabinsk.
Putin also said the Army needed to raise its prestige, and called on people to treat it with respect.
"We must realize that there can be no country without an army. No army - no Russia," he said.
Putin also called for Russians to recognize that the country's ethnic variety makes it stronger. A string of apparent race-hate attacks in cities across Russia have pushed xenophobia to the top of the political agenda, and brought stinging criticism from the West.
"We complement each other, and it makes us stronger and more effective," Putin said.
He said Russia's richness of different cultures made it unique, and called for people to respect their differences.
"Despite a shared mentality, every region has its peculiarities, and if you go there, you are bound to respect local culture and traditions," he said, adding that such an approach would help reverse current xenophobic trends.
"All these together will not only help to make the problem less acute, but will enable us to forget that it ever existed," Putin said.
Over a thousand people took to the streets of St. Petersburg in mid-April to protest following the fatal shooting of Lamzer Samba, a fifth-year student from Senegal at St. Petersburg State Telecommunications University. Police found a gun bearing a swastika at the scene. Other killings elsewhere in the country include the slaying of a Peruvian student in the central Russian city of Voronezh last October.
On violence against children, Putin said the government and the public had to keep an eye on how children's rights are observed.
"It is a vital issue, because we do not always remember that a child in any society is a highly dependent person," the president said.
But he said the problem persisted both in Russia and many other countries. A number of adopted Russian children have been at the center of abuse and even murder cases, particularly in the United States.
The most notorious incident came in summer 2005, when U.S. citizen Peggy Sue Hilt allegedly beat her adopted two-and-a-half year-old Russian daughter to death in a fit of rage. Hilt pleaded guilty, and the verdict is due on May 25.
"We can see it now in what happens to children adopted by foreigners," Putin said. "In countries where such cases take the most outrageous forms, they come under active public discussion, and we must not be ashamed of making such incidents public either."
Putin said children's rights should be outlined and observed. But he added that Nashi would be unable to deal with family violence on its own, and urged for joint efforts between the public and the authorities.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060518/48309737.html
Russia will not relapse into Cold War era in relations with West - Putin
SOCHI, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will be patiently developing relations with the West and will not return to the Cold War period in their relations, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday.
"We will be building relations with our Western colleagues with patience and calm," Putin said. "As I said [in the state of the nation address] we will not return to the Cold War era."
Putin said he had made it a point in his address to parliament Wednesday that Russia did not seek in its foreign policy or defense strategy a return to the Cold War era.
"We only want normal, reasonable conditions for our foreign political development. We do not need anything else," the president said.
The president's remarks Saturday and his state of the nation address, which focused on the need to strengthen Russia's defense capabilities and improve the demographic situation, were a response to growing criticism in the West of Russia's democratic record and allegedly politically-driven energy policy.
Russia has repeatedly dismissed the charges, saying it only wants to ensure its national interests and in turn accusing Western countries of being prejudiced against Russia.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060513/48077318.html
Putin's address: expectations and risks
MOSCOW. (Alexei Makarkin for RIA Novosti) - Vladimir Putin's state of the nation address fully coincides with the public expectations.
What does an ordinary Russian want? A Russian, whose world is far from politics and debates on Putin's successor or his third term? He wants his family to live a decent life and his country to be a strong power. In effect, these ideas formed the gist of the address.
Russian people are loyal to the government (and actively support the president, as his high rating shows), but the growing economy and skyrocketing oil prices are generating higher expectations. The cash-for-benefits protests of pensioners in the beginning of the past year have made it clear that people no longer want to live "as they did before." They demand a tangible rise in their living standards before too long.
Last year, the president responded to these expectations with his initiative on national projects (about which he spoke at length in his address). This time he has announced a family support program. An oil-and-gas nation, Russia can easily afford to drastically increase childcare allowances. It can go for much more ambitious projects, such as large-scale second child benefit payments.
As for the defense policy, it is important both per se and as a symbol. Russia needs a strong army and an advanced defense industry to position itself as a key player in the world arena, which is able to resist pressure from the U.S. and other sources. In a way, the address is a response to the recent Vilnius speech by Dick Cheney, who lodged many claims with Russia, mostly on the issue of democracy.
If the president wanted to respond in kind, he would have either made excuses for Russia ("we are democrats, after all") or gone conflict ("we don't need your advice"), but he chose neither. His response was asymmetrical. In his address he outlined his vision of Russia's future, which was a diplomatically correct warning to the U.S.
On the other hand, the army and defense industry have traditionally been viewed in Russia as a symbol of a strong power, which is a source of pride. This sentiment was gone from public mentality in the late 1980s, but its revival began several years later and even lead to an idealistic revision of the Soviet years. In his address the president relinquished the Soviet tradition of sacrificing social policy to the defense effort. This is consonant with the attitudes of the public, which does not want a repetition of the guns-before-butter saga.
Understandably, this defense and social programs address is not wholly based on the public demand for a particular socio-economic policy. It was also affected by a serious disappointment in dialog with the West on energy carriers and other issues. The energy dialog will continue, but is not likely to override other aspects of economic policy. Importantly, the government has a considerable flow of money from the oil and gas sector, which enables it to implement large-scale social and economic projects.
Needless to say, the ideas expressed in the address have no failsafe guarantees of success. The role of the West in modern Russian policy is not great, but there are three much more important factors which harbor the main risks.
The first factor is linked with the rampant corruption of Russian bureaucrats and their ability to obstruct any initiative of the supreme authority. Russia has never had a universalist bureaucracy, capable of implementing major projects at the government's initiative or with its active participation, like in post-war France.
The second factor is rooted in clan and group interests, which are very important in Russia today and which can frustrate the conduct of any meaningful economic policy. Under the circumstances, the government's partnership with business in following a "new course" may create better opportunities for "friendly" economic structures.
The third factor depends on world prices on energy carriers. Let's recall that a drop in oil prices upset Gorbachev's equally ambitious plans of "accelerated growth." Russia has just started diversifying its economy. Will it have enough time to complete this process? So far, experts are optimistic, and predicting booming oil prices for another several years. If there is enough time, Russia should make good use of it.
Alexei Makarkin is deputy general director of the Center for Political Technologies.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060512/48040631.html
Beslan terrorist gets life sentence
MOSCOW, May 26 (RIA Novosti) - North Ossetia's Supreme Court Friday sentenced to life imprisonment the sole surviving gunman of those who took hundreds hostage in a bloody siege at a school in south Russia in September 2004.
Nurpashi Kulayev, 26, was found guilty on all counts by presiding judge Tamerlan Aguzarov for his involvement in the Beslan school tragedy, in which 331 people died, including 186 children.
Kulayev is the only survivor of 32 gunmen who took hundreds hostage at school No. 1 in Beslan in the North Caucasus region of North Ossetia on September 1, 2004, the start of the new academic year.
Prosecutors earlier demanded the death penalty for Kulayev, while his lawyers insisted on a life sentence. Kulayev pleaded not guilty.
Aguzarov said Kulayev's plea of not guilty was groundless, as it had been refuted by witness evidence and evidence that Kulayev had given during the preliminary investigation.
"The court ruled that he [Kulayev] as a socially dangerous individual deserved capital punishment," the judge said. "However, based on a decision of the Constitution Court from February 2, 1999 [that imposed a moratorium on the death penalty], this punishment could not be imposed."
Mitigating circumstances found by the court were Kulayev's two children and his lack of previous convictions.
The court also ruled that Kulayev was sane, and had never suffered any mental disorders.
Kulayev will serve his sentence in a high-security penal colony, but has ten days to appeal the verdict.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060526/48649984.html
U.S. woman given at least 25-yrs in Russian adoption killing
MANASSAS, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - A U.S. woman was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison with a possible extension of 10 years for killing her adopted Russian daughter in 2005.
Judge William Hamblin handed the sentence down to Peggy Sue Hilt, 34, in the district court of Manassas, Virginia.
Hilt will serve a mandatory 25 year term, and if after her release her behavior is judged not to meet requirements laid down by the court she will be returned to prison for a further 10 years.
The child, originally named Viktoria Bazhenova, had lived in an orphanage in the Siberian city of Irkutsk before the adoption.
On July 2, 2005, Hilt was visiting her friends in Manassas, where she had arrived from North Carolina, when she called an ambulance to say Nina had stopped breathing. An autopsy showed that the girl had died of heavy blows to the stomach.
Hilt then admitted to having flown into a rage against the child.
According to the case materials, Hilt first shook the baby and then threw her to the floor and started beating her in the stomach. She then picked the girl up and continued the beating.
Medical examinations showed that Hilt was sane, including during the lethal beating.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060525/48616041.html
Montenegro vote does not set precedent for Georgia - Saakashvili
TBILISI, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Thursday that a referendum on independence in Montenegro should not be taken as an example for Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The Montenegro elections commission said earlier that a referendum May 21 produced 55.5% (with 55% required) of votes in favor of Montenegro seceding from its union with Serbia.
"We should not attempt to open Pandora's box, because if we follow this train of thought, we can claim that Tatarstan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, the Basque country, Corsica and many other world regions also have the right for independence," Saakashvili said.
"Yugoslavia is a different matter," he added. "It had a different historical background. The decision on separation of former Yugoslavia involved the UN, NATO and the whole international community. In our [Georgia's ] case, there is a certain group of Russian politicians who are pushing for independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and with all respect to these politicians I do not think their power and influence can be compared with the influence of the forces that decided the fate of Yugoslavia."
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060525/48620267.html
Georgia, Abkhazia must resolve conflict on their own - MP
TBILISI, May 17 (RIA Novosti) - Georgia and its breakaway province of Abkhazia must be given the opportunity to resolve their long-running conflict independently, a deputy speaker of the Georgian parliament said Wednesday.
A bloody conflict between the sides erupted in 1991 after Abkhazia declared independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia cultivates close ties with the breakaway region, has granted citizenship to many residents and maintains peacekeepers in the area.
But Dzhemal Inaishvili, commenting on a new Abkhazian peacekeeping plan, said: "The problem must be addressed by the Georgians and Abkhazians themselves. A third party who is trying to mediate the negotiations is in fact the initiator of the conflict."
He said the mediator was stalling the conflict resolution process in a thinly veiled reference to Russia.
"We have lived with the Abkhazians for thousands of years, and must deal with the problem ourselves," Inaishvili said.
The deputy speaker ruled out that Georgia would ever recognize Abkhazia's independence.
"They [the Abkhazians] know this very well. The longer they refuse to agree to our proposals, the longer the problem will remain unresolved," he said.
Inaishvili said the impasse over the status of the self-proclaimed republic had to be broken peacefully and called on Abkhazia to agree to Georgia's proposals, which would pave the way for Abkhazia enjoying a great degree of autonomy within Georgia.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060517/48260018.html
RTS bourse to start trading oil, oil products, gold on June 8
MOSCOW, May 22 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Trading System, Russia's premier stock market, announced Monday that it would start trading in gold, oil and oil products on June 8.
The announcement comes in the wake of President Vladimir Putin's state of the nation address May 10, when he said Russia, as a leading oil exporting nation, should establish its own oil exchange to trade crude and petroleum products for rubles.
"The first trading in contracts for gold will commence in Russia on June 8," the RTS said in a statement.
The stock exchange also said it would start trading in futures and options on oil and oil derivatives, including Urals brand, diesel fuel, jet fuel and fuel oil. Trade will be in rubles based on prices calculated by the Platts agency. The settlement period for a contract is one month and the minimum security guarantee on a contract is 10% of its overall value.
The derivatives section of the RTS, known by its Russian acronym Forts, will trade futures and options on gold in rubles based on the London Stock Exchange evening fixing rate. The settlement period for a contract is one month and the minimum security guarantee on any contract is 5% of its overall value.
The statement said RTS would collect a 1-ruble commission for each concluded contract.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060522/48434383.html
The Mercury News
Powerful quake kills hundreds in Indonesia
By Irwan Firdaus
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake flattened buildings in central Indonesia early Saturday, killing nearly 450 people, injuring thousands of others and leaving hospitals appealing for help.
The magnitude 6.2 quake struck at 5:54 a.m. near the southwest of the city of Yogyakarta, 250 miles east of the capital, Jakarta, as many people slept, causing death and damage there and in at least two other nearby towns, officials said.
In the chaos that followed the quake, rumors of an impending tsunami sent thousands of people on Java fleeing to higher ground in cars and motorbikes. But Japan's Meteorological Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami.
The quake also triggered heightened activity in nearby Mount Merapi volcano, which has been spewing out clouds of hot ash, gas and lava for several weeks, a scientist said.
The death toll rose steadily through the morning and eight hours after it struck, the Indonesian Red Cross put the death toll at 443. Morgue officials and the privately run el-Shinta radio said at least 393 bodies were lying in nine hospitals in the region.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14680826.htm
You call this a relaxing weekend?
By Julie Sevrens Lyons
Mercury News
So you're taking out a small loan to fill the Suburban with gas and heading out of town for some much-needed R & R?
Yeah, good luck, buddy.
Expect ticked-off drivers making obscene hand gestures, crowded hotels and overbooked restaurants. And that's just in San Jose proper.
If you were hoping to wing it and stumble upon a quaint, nearly empty inn without a three-night minimum, AAA has news for you:
``If you had your heart set on something particular, you might find it's not available,'' says Sean Comey, an AAA spokesman. On the other hand, he adds, ``if you just want to get out of Dodge and have some fun, I'm sure you can find something that's going to work for you.''
Might it be the Bates Motel? ``Let's hope not,'' Comey says. Then, in his best ``Psycho'' Anthony Perkins impression, he cackles ``NorMAN!''
Not reassuring.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14672738.htm
Schwarzenegger signs country's toughest fish-farming rules
By Paul Rogers
Mercury News
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed into law new rules giving California the toughest ocean fish-farming regulations in the United States.
The measure, written by State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, is designed to reduce the risk of pollution and harm to marine wildlife from giant floating pens of tuna, halibut, or other species that could result if the aquaculture industry expands to the California coast.
``Ocean fish-farming can now be part of California's future without sacrificing the environment,'' Schwarzenegger said. ``This legislation will lay the groundwork for a new California aquaculture industry to thrive while providing an abundance of healthy food and more jobs.''
The bill was supported by the Ocean Conservancy and other environmental groups. It passed mostly along party lines, with Democrats voting for it and nearly all Republicans voting.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14677587.htm
Bush admits he regrets `tough talk' about Iraq
BY KENNETH R. BAZINET
New York Daily News
WASHINGTON - President Bush admitted Thursday he regrets "tough talk" like telling Iraqi insurgents to "bring it on" and saying he wanted Osama Bin Laden "Dead or Alive."
"I learned a lesson about expressing myself in a more sophisticated manner," Bush said. "In certain parts of the world, it was misinterpreted, so I learned from that."
Answering a question, Bush listed the "bring it on" comment from July 2003 and "Wanted Dead or Alive," as well as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, as mistakes made along the way since the 2003 invasion.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/14672050.htm
Voters can cast ballots early at Registrar's office
NO NEED TO WAIT UNTIL JUNE 6
Mercury News
Registered voters can cast their ballots before Election Day at the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters' office.
Early voting will be open on weekends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 27, June 3 and June 4. Weekdays, early voting is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Registrar's office is located at 1555 Berger Drive, Building 2, San Jose.
For more information, go to www.sccvote.org or call toll-free (866) 430-VOTE [8683].
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14677029.htm
Chavez far outstrips her foes in fundraising for mayoral bid
By Phil Yost
Mercury News
Demonstrating a fundraising prowess that was evident from the beginning of the campaign, Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez has raised much more money than her nearest challengers in the San Jose mayor's race -- and has the most money left in the bank for a last-minute campaign push.
She came within a hair of reaching the June 6 election's spending limits, reporting a total of $708,174 on Thursday. The cap is $708,643.
Chavez has long been considered the campaign front-runner, a status both her fundraising totals and the polls reflect. The mayor's race is considered almost certain to head to a November runoff among the top two vote-getters in the five-candidate field.
Three other candidates are tightly bunched in the money race -- Councilman Dave Cortese, with $511,668; businessman Michael Mulcahy, $432,654; and Councilman Chuck Reed, $413,085. Deputy District Attorney David Pandori has managed $236,445.
Chavez has more than twice as much money unspent as any other candidate -- $265,934.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14672702.htm
Democrats' primary election spending tops $60 million
WESTLY, ANGELIDES ARE NECK AND NECK
By Kate Folmar and Steven Harmon
Mercury News Sacramento Bureau
SACRAMENTO - In the bruising Democratic gubernatorial primary, the two candidates and their allies have burned through more than $60 million -- mostly on a barrage of tit-for-tat negative ads -- while Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been quietly collecting almost $15 million for his re-election.
With just under two weeks left in the nasty primary spat, Controller Steve Westly had spent about $36 million, leaving $3.7 million on hand, according to campaign finance reports that reflect activity through May 20. Most of his campaign cash came from Westly's own personal fortune, earned as an early employee of online auction giant eBay.
Treasurer Phil Angelides' campaign stash is more modest. The former real estate developer has spent nearly $20.7 million so far, and has $2.9 million remaining for the final push. But, Angelides' fortunes continue to be bolstered by a controversial $10 million independent television campaign that is being paid for by supporters.
Reflecting the tightness of the race, both multimillionaire candidates wrote seven-figure checks to their campaigns this week, contributions that were not reflected in the reports. Angelides added $1.5 million to his effort this week. On Thursday, Westly wrote a $2 million check.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14672753.htm
Fox wraps up U.S. trip with L.A. leaders
PETER PRENGAMAN
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Mexican President Vicente Fox wrapped up a U.S. visit Friday that critics slammed as an attempt to influence congressional debate on immigration reform and others praised as recognition of his country's responsibility in a binational problem.
Fox's agenda in a city heavily influenced by Mexican culture included meetings with two fellow proponents of immigration reform, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Cardinal Roger Mahony. Both have been high-profile supporters of marches that brought hundreds of thousands of immigrants to the streets.
After a private meeting with Fox, Villaraigosa said they talked about the economic ties between the two countries. "Our economy is driven by the labor of Mexican immigrants," he said.
Fox said Mexico wants to "develop and enforce migration laws with full respect to human rights and the safety of citizens on both sides of the border." He called for "legal, safe, orderly migration policy that will benefit the security and the prosperity of both of our nations."
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14679321.htm
Sept. 11 memorial foundation leader quits
AMY WESTFELDT
Associated Press
NEW YORK - The head of the foundation that has struggled to raise money for the Sept. 11 memorial quit Friday.
Gretchen Dykstra resigned after serving slightly more than a year as president and CEO of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation. Critics said she has failed to raise enough money - just over $130 million - for a memorial that has been estimated to cost nearly $1 billion.
Fundraising has been suspended while architects and a newly appointed developer make changes to the design so that it can be built for half that amount.
For now, construction also has stopped and new bids are being reviewed.
In her letter of resignation, Dykstra said too many people were taking charge of the protracted battle for control of the memorial.
"Perhaps it would help if there was one less player," she wrote.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14678324.htm
TREES SAVED, BUT ONLY IN PHOTOS
By Mike Cassidy
Mercury News
Audio: Angela Buenning talks about her orchard photography project (RealAudio)
It made for a nice shot.
The abandoned orchard pressed against the low-slung, high-tech buildings of IBM's former campus in South San Jose. The old and the new. The Valley of Heart's Delight and Silicon Valley.
Photographer Angela Buenning took the picture in early 2003 and moved on.
But there was something about that orchard. Something about the 35 acres of trees, sentenced to death. The prune trees had been cast aside as unnecessary. Once part of the economic engine of Santa Clara County, the decrepit trees were in the way by the time Buenning found them. Once producers of plump prunes, now they were silly old fools just taking up space.
Buenning caught herself periodically changing her route, so she could drive past the orchard just off Highway 85 at Great Oaks Boulevard. She found herself thinking about the trees, about how she owed them something, about how she needed to preserve them. Not the way, say, Julia ``Butterfly'' Hill might save a redwood, by taking up residence in it. But in the way she saves things -- by photographing them.
`Got a hold of me'
``I really enjoyed being here,'' Buenning says, standing in the dry, tilled dirt of the orchard. ``The place just kind of got a hold of me.''
Big hold. Soon after discovering the orchard, Buenning knew what she had to do. She would photograph the trees. Every single one. Each an individual portrait. One thousand seven hundred and five.
Buenning has been chronicling the rise and fall of Silicon Valley in photos since 2000 -- whimsical shots of billboards, eerie shots of abandoned server rooms, mournful shots of vacant tilt-up buildings. (See www.angelabuenning.com.) The orchard was a departure, a less industrial, more sentimental view that surprised even Buenning.
But the artist in her had no choice. And so she plotted the exact location of each tree as she went. The graph paper charting the orchard has been worn soft from folding and unfolding.
``It was an endurance project,'' says Buenning, who lives in Palo Alto with Yahoo co-founder David Filo and teaches at Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto.
It was an endurance race, really. Boom or bust, land is currency in Silicon Valley. A large undeveloped tract? Pure gold. And the orchard was in play.
For decades, IBM maintained the land as a working orchard. It was cheaper than fancy landscaping and a chance to keep the old valley alive.
Change arrives
But times change. IBM is gone now, having sold the orchard land to a developer and the buildings to Hitachi, which bought Big Blue's disk-drive division in 2002. A New York company called iStar owns the orchard now. But iStar isn't in the prune-growing business. Its plan for a commercial complex is making its way through the city's approval process.
``I always had the pressure on my mind,'' Buenning says, ``that these trees weren't always going to be here.''
It's hard not to think of the orchard as a dying loved one. There is no doubt about what is to come. Yes, there is time, time to make peace, say goodbye, time to make sure nothing goes left unsaid. Time to etch in your mind or on film the image of who or what you love.
Buenning wanted to remember the trees at the end of life. She shot their portraits only in winter -- naked, gnarled branches against gray, gloomy skies. Hour after hour. Weekend after weekend. Winter after winter. For three years.
Yes, people thought she was nuts. She wondered herself sometimes. But she was determined to finish.
``The fact that the trees were still here, it kind of felt like, OK, I can't let them down.''
In February, she finished. Finished the photography, anyway.
Now Buenning would like to find a public place to install her work. Her vision? A 6-foot-tall by 17-foot-wide wall of small photos of the fruit trees.
Fruit trees, existing side-by-side. Just as they do today.
For now.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14672736.htm
PUC backs peak-hours electricity price plan
LARGE COMPANIES LIKELY TO SEE NEW RATES IN JANUARY
By Sarah Jane Tribble
Mercury News
Large companies across the state lost a battle Thursday to avoid a new electricity rate plan.
The California Public Utilities Commission said it favored a plan that calls for companies to pay more for energy during times of day when electricity is in high demand. Businesses had called the plan an unfair burden.
The new pricing would probably take effect after ongoing discussions where regulators decide what each electric company will be allowed to charge, commission advisers said. Large customers of Pacific Gas & Electric could see prices change by January.
``When the commission makes a decision, we're duty-bound to go forward,'' said PG&E spokesman Jeff Smith.
The vote demonstrates the state's plan to eventually transfer all customers, including residents, to some version of a demand-based pricing plan. The idea is that if electricity costs more during high-demand periods, customers will change their patterns of use and help avoid blackouts.
``People want this choice,'' said Michael Messenger, demand response program manager for the California Energy Commission.
Commissioner John Bohn was the only one of five state regulators to oppose a change in pricing for businesses, and his adviser, Stephen St. Marie, said business will continue to fight the rates. About 5 percent of the 8,000 companies in PG&E's coverage area have already volunteered for the rates.
William Booth, attorney for the California Large Energy Consumers Association, said the pricing would have the biggest impact if used for residents. He argued that demand for electricity is highest during the summer, when millions of home air conditioners switch on. Still, he doesn't expect regulators to force the pricing on residents.
``When it comes to imposing these kinds of programs on residential customers, they pull the punches, they don't do it,'' Booth said.
PG&E already offers a time-of-use rate for consumers and has tested 2,000 customers statewide on a variety of rate programs that charge more for electricity during peak hours.
The utility said people have been willing to use power at different times of day when they see that it saves them money.
``Customers are going to migrate to what's best for them,'' said Andrew Bell, electric rates team leader for PG&E.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14672762.htm
Yahoo, eBay will team up online
By John Boudreau and Michelle Quinn
Mercury News
Google this: Ads from Yahoo on eBay. EBay's PayPal on Yahoo.
Two of the world's biggest Internet companies Thursday announced a plan to blend some of their most popular and powerful services in a bid to outflank Google and Microsoft in the battle for billions of dollars in online spending.
The multiyear alliance will put Yahoo's search bar in front of 200 million eBay users. EBay's PayPal easy-to-use payment service will be featured to shoppers on Yahoo's shopping and other channels.
Image ads sold by Yahoo will appear on eBay auction pages, and eBay's Skype Internet phone calling program could ultimately give Yahoo's 402 million users the ability to click on an ad and talk to a merchant.
Google's search-advertising success has outpaced Yahoo's, and it has been elbowing its way into eBay's comfortable flea-market community through recently unveiled online classified and payment services.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14672706.htm
Man fails to pay for gas; Owner shoots
Associated Press
LIVINGSTON, La. - Deputies arrested a store owner accused of shooting out two tires on a customer's vehicle after the customer said he had no money to pay for gasoline, spokesman Jason Ard of the Livingston Parish Sheriffs Office said Thursday.
The motorist had pumped $36.50 worth of gasoline, then discovered he didn't have the money to pay for it, Ard said. An argument with the store owner followed.
When the motorist tried to leave, the grocery store owner fired a shot that hit one of the customer's tires, then fired a second shot into another tire after the driver pulled back into the parking lot, deputies said.
Deputies booked Nardeep S. Bhullar, 25, the owner of Singhs Grocery, with aggravated assault, criminal damage to property and illegal discharge of a firearm.
Deputies also booked Chaz R. Watkins, 18, of Holden with theft of gasoline, Ard said.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14678439.htm
Woman shoots fireworks at police helicopter
Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. - Deputies have arrested a woman who shot fireworks at a sheriff's helicopter flying overhead. Marjorie Thompson, 44, was annoyed with the loud noise the helicopter was making over her house late Thursday night, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
The woman ran outside with a bottle rocket launcher and started shooting bottle rockets at the aircraft, Florida Today reported.
The helicopter was in the area searching for the suspect of a car theft, authorities said.
The helicopter's pilot, Mike Umbarger, said the craft's flight pattern was never in jeopardy.
Authorities said they caught Thompson in the act of launching the second bottle rocket. She is facing a felony charge of shooting or throwing a deadly missile into an aircraft.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14678442.htm
continued …
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Every One of the Duncan Sixteen is a Hero
The Duncan Sixteen
Back row from left: Mary Francis, Will Covert, James Fain, Josh Tucker, Diane Baker, Carol Ezzel, Huti Reynolds, Hiram Myers, Jon Cantrell and Ivan Hutchcroft. Seated from left: Trent Goss, Joni LeViness, Maureen Haver, Chris McMullen, Katie Heim, and Jennifer Rooks.
Morning Papers - continued
EuroNews
G8 talks open in Russia ahead of July summit
Russia, which is presiding over the Group of Eight industrialised nations for the first time, is hosting talks set to focus on energy disputes and Moscow's long-time request to ease visa procedures.
The meeting, in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, is expected to set the tone for a G8 meeting in July. Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana are among the EU officials attending. Talks are likely to include a range of issues such as the Iranian nuclear crisis, Western concerns over democracy in Russia and the situation in the Middle East.
But top of the agenda are Western worries over energy security. Russian company Gazprom provides a quarter of Europe's gas needs. Brief disruptions of supplies from Russia in January amid a row with its neighbour Ukraine caused dismay among many Europeans.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has increased the Kremlin's control over Gazprom. The EU wants to break the Russian company's export monopoly and has requested access to its pipelines - demands flatly rejected by the Kremlin.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_info&article=360580&lng=1
Palestinian factions start peace talks
Talks have begun between rival Palestinian factions in a bid to end hostilities that have frequently erupted into open conflict. Leaders from the governing Hamas Islamist movement are meeting counterparts of the Fatah group loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
It comes after a week of clashes in Gaza that have left at least 10 people dead. Top Hamas chiefs are taking part via a video link from Gaza. The discussions will also address the financial sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority since Hamas came to power. While the dialogue marks an attempt to tackle the power struggle between Hamas and the more moderate Fatah, which dominated politics for decades, few expect any breakthroughs.
President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to urge Hamas to moderate its views on Israel and sign up to a plan that seeks a negotiated settlement on Palestinian statehood. The US and the EU have suspended financial aid to the Palestinian Authority until Hamas recognises Israel and renounces violence.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_info&article=360578&lng=1
Landmark divorce ruling could open floodgates to thousands of claims
The UK's highest court has found in favour of multi-million Euro settlements for two women involved in high-profile divorce cases. The landmark rulings took into account compensation for the loss of earnings during a relationship, whether children were involved or not. Five judges dismissed an appeal by a multi-millionaire financier who claimed a lower court had awarded his former wife too much money.
In the other ruling they allowed an appeal by an ex-wife who claimed she had not been given enough. The court's decision could have an impact on how much the multi-millionaire Paul McCartney might have to pay Heather Mills, his wife of four years, if they divorce following their separation. The ex-Beatle is estimated to be worth 1.2 billion euros.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_info&article=360530&lng=1
Spanish PM denies immigration crisis
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has defended his government's handling of the current upsurge of illegal immigration into the Canary Islands.
He denied accusations from the conservative opposition Popular Party that the country had become what it termed "a sieve".
"There is no overflow," he told parliament, adding that despite the increased numbers of immigrants in recent weeks the authorities could cope.
Zapatero outlined the measures the government was taking. He also gave details of cooperation with the EU on the issue. Brussels is to set up reception centres in some West African states to deal with those repratriated from the Canaries.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_info&article=360447&lng=1
Iran-India pipeline deal hits pricing hitch
Pakistan, Iran and India are to hold more talks on gas pricing before finalising a deal on building a pipeline that would carry Iranian gas to India, through Pakistan.
Energy officials met for two days in Islamabad to review progress on the controversial 5.5 billion euro project.
It would carry some 150 million cubic metres of gas per day, for 25 years.
The pipeline is vehemently opposed by the United States, which is trying to discourage both India and Pakistan from doing business with Iran.
Pakistan's Petroleum Secretary Doctor Ahmed Waqar said Islamabad had to look at ways of meeting its mounting energy requirements.
He said: "We need energy and Iran is one of the sources of energy and any decision in this regard, I would repeat, has to be taken keeping in view the national interests."
However he said Pakistan was also pursuing another planned pipeline which would run from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan.
Talks will continue in Delhi in July, when it is hoped an agreement on pricing can be reached.
Pakistan envisages itself becoming an energy corridor for China, with its thirsty economy.
In return, it is looking to Bejing to build more nuclear power plants to offset Washington's refusal to extend the Indo-US deal on civilian nuclear energy to Islamabad.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=360495&lng=1
Germany moves closer to higher taxes to close budget gap
Germany's lower house of parliament has voted through a controversial new budget law. Chancellor Angela Merkel's government says it needs the changes in order to raise money to cut the budget deficit.
The law upper house is expected to approve the law next month. It paves the way for Germany's biggest tax increase in 60 years. Value added tax on goods and services will rise from 16% to 19% at the start of next year. Tax loopholes will be closed and the hope is to generate 25 billion euros of extra revenue.
Opposition MP's attacked the measures, but finance minister Peer Steinbruck told them: "What you're doing is like telling people they can go on a diet without any major effort. That's not going to work. Plus, you seem to believe you can promise people that further tax breaks are possible - despite the problematic financial situation."
The VAT increase is Germany's first since 1998. It has been criticised by economists, business groups and the media as unnecessary. Concerns have been expressed that it will reduce domestic consumption which is already weak because of high energy prices and an unemployment rate of over 11%.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=359821&lng=1
World's biggest dam close to completion
After 13 years, the main construction work has been completed on the world's largest hydroelectric project - the Three Gorges Dam in central China. The controversial barrier will create a reservoir covering 660 kilometres and displacing 1.1 million people.
The Chinese government says as well as producing power it will reduce deadly flooding on the Yangtze River but environmental Dai Qin disputes that. She said: "The dam is supposed to prevent floods, generate electricity, improve ship navigation and the lives of the people who've been moved, but the electricity produced will actually be much more expensive as it costs so much to relocate local people."
It will take two more years for all the power generating turbines to be installed at Three Gorges, but in the meantime China is boosting the amount of hydroelectricity it produces and even before the new facility goes on line the annual output will be 85 billion kilowatt hours. When Three Gorges is fully operational, in 2009, that should double.
Beijing has said the almost 20 billion euro dam will be an environmental benefit as the country will burn less fossil fuels to generate power for its rapidly growing economy. Environmentalists worry to cost will be too high if the weight of water in the reservoir does trigger landslides or even earthquakes, as some geologists fear.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=359823&lng=1
Giant Airbus A380 tests London airport facilities
The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, has landed at London's Heathrow airport for the first time. It was the latest in a series of test landings at the airports that the plane will use. It arrived from the Berlin Air Show and along the way flew over the UK plants that produce the wings and other components so that workers could see the fruits of their labours.
Heathrow is spending over 660 million euros on changes to the airport to handle the super jumbo A380. Expanded terminals are needed to process higher passenger loads. The plane is built to carry at least 555 people.
So far Airbus has 159 orders for the A380 from 16 customers, including London-based Virgin which is buying six. Since it made its first flight in April last year the A380 has visited more than 20 airports, including Frankfurt, Singapore and Sydney, Australia carrying test equipment and liquid filled barrels to simulate the full passenger load. Among the dignitaries at Heathrow for the super-jumbo's arrival was the British finance minister Gordon Brown who called it "one of the great commercial success stories of our time".
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=359617&lng=1
EADS announces strong quarterly results as Berlin Air Show opens
The Berlin Air Show is underway with Airbus a big presence.That is not surprising as this year the event is hosting a meeting of ministers of countries that are partners in the Airbus project.
The Russian display is the largest as the country is looking to pick up Western orders, but Airbus' main rival Boeing was a notable absentee.
German economics minister Michael Glos opened the show for trade visitors and celebrated booming times in the local aerospace industry. He said: "This is a very important element in the German economy, especially in the eastern states. In Brandenburg the air and space industries have become important and we are of course proud of the international co-operation."
Part of that international co-operation involves Airbus with the help of which EADS has just been able to announce strong performance in the first-quarter.
Co-chief executives Noel Forgeard said the first-quarter highlighted EADS' powerful momentum, but he added: "We have plenty of ongoing operational challenges."
The company's revenues rose 31% to 9.1 billion euros; pre-tax profit was up 19% at 780 million euros and since January Airbus has delivered 101 planes. It is predicting delivery of a record 430 aircraft this year
EADS, which owns 80% of Airbus, also confirmed its full-year earnings forecast.
However, the companies shares fell after the quarterly figures were released.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=359303&lng=1
Hyundai goes ahead with Czech plant signing despite chairman's arrest
Hyundai has signed a contract to build a one billion euro car plant in the Czech Republic despite uncertainty over the project after the arrest of the South Korean company's chairman Chung Mong-koo on bribery charges. Kia, which is part of the Hyundai group, is building a factory in neighbouring Slovakia.
Government officials said the Czech plant is expected to open in late 2008. It would produce about 300,000 cars and twice as many vehicle transmissions each year and employ 3,500 workers. Carmakers are increasingly turning to eastern European EU members to reduce costs. The average annual salary for a car worker in Germany is 22,000 euros, while in the Czech Republic it is 4,500.
Six months of talks preceded the Hyundai factory contract signing, which has political significance.
The signing - which was moved from Prague to South Korea - comes just two weeks before an election in the Czech Republic.
The ruling left wing party, the Social Democrats, have been trailing in opinion polls. They have built part of their election campaign on their government's success in attracting the Hyundai plant, citing that as proof that foreign investors trust their economic policies. The plant is to be built in the eastern Czech region of Nosovice, but because of the arrest of Hyundai's boss a ground breaking ceremony at the site was postponed.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=359628&lng=1
General Motors cuts 900 jobs in UK
General Motors has confirmed that 900 workers from its Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere Port in the north west of England are to lose their jobs as fewer Astra cars are made there.
At the same time, British Finance Minister Gordon Brown and Trade and Industry Minister Alistair Darling visited the factory to talk with GM bosses about building the replacement for the Astra there, which would mean investment of nearly 150 million euros.
Brown said: "What we are determined to do is everything in our power to ensure that this new investment - which is one of the biggest that could be made in the car industry - comes not only to Britain, but comes to Ellesmere Port."
The unions say the UK plant was targeted, rather than GM's German and Belgian factories, because it is easier to get rid of workers in Britain.
Transport Workers Union leader Tony Woodley said manufacturing in the UK is being "massacred" and he called for help from the government: "If manufacturing matters to the economy of our country, then we've got to produce manufacturing champions. That means putting public money into supporting those companies you want to take advantage of that, you should do it."
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=359470&lng=1
Belarussian ambassador to the EU talks to Euronews ahead of the presidential election
With a presidential election taking place this weekend in Belarus, Euronews has been speaking with Vladimir Senko, the country's ambassador to the European Union
There will be close international scrutiny for the polling. President Alexandre Lukashenko enjoys genuine support from older voters and in the rural sectors of the country, but the European Union has complained about the treatment of his political opponents, some of whom have been arrested.
Western governments have warned Lukashenko of economic sanctions if the elections are not conducted fairly.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=interview&article=349722&lng=1
Portugal's President Cavaco Silva on the European Constitution, EU-US dialogue and freedom of movement
Aníbal Cavaco Silva is Portugal's president having been elected in the first round of voting. An economist and university professor, he was the country's prime minister for ten years, from 1985 to 1995. The centre-right politician now has to work with Portugal's Socialist government.
When EuroNews' Maria Barradas interviewed him, as he prepared to be sworn in, Portugal's new president called for a fresh draft of the European Constitution to be drawn up and spoke out in support of freedom of movement of labour and services.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=interview&article=347189&lng=1
The Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic
Montenegro goes to the polls next month to vote on whether to become independent from Serbia. An interview with the pro-independence Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic. The small Republic of Montenegro has been part of a loose union with Serbia since 2003. Both states have separate government institutions and economic policies and work together on some issues.
On the 21st of May the people of Montenegro will take part in a referendum on whether to keep the union going or to vote for full independence from Belgrade. The Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic sat down with our reporter Valerie Gauriat to talk about this high stakes vote.
EuroNews: "The date of the referendum on the independence of Montenegro is approaching yet more than 30 percent of of the population is against independence, many are undecided and worried about the economy. Won't independence cost Montenegro a lot?"
Milo Djukanovic: "I am confident that in Montenegro we have a clear pro-independence majority and this will be sufficent and we will be able to meet the norms of Montenegro's referendum law. I am also confident that a Montenegro with its independence restored will help the country gain momentum in its European and Euro-atlantic goals."
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=interview&article=356642&lng=1
President Chen: "Taiwan is not a part of China nor is it subordinate to China"
Chen Shui-bian, President of Taiwan, meets EuroNews to talk about his conditions to eventual talks with China, the role of the European Union in the region and Taipei's current efforts to become an observer at the World Health organisation (WHO).
Taiwan is striving to assert its identity as it emerges into the millenium. For over 50 years Taiwan's chief preoccupation has been its relationship with its big brother China, just 180 kilometers away across the Taiwan strait. Beijing considers the island part of its territory and has threatened military action should Taipei ever formally declare independence.
Most Taiwanese are content with the existing situation, representing neither independence or integration...but recognizing a historic and cultural link with the mainland.
Today the Taiwanese can't avoid feeling overshadowed by their giant neighbour with its burgeoning economic power.
Taipei is striving to express its own personality and this sometimes leads to diplomatic tensions...
President of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, (elected in 2000 and re-elected in march 2004 for a second and last mandate) met EuroNews to talk about his conditions to eventual talks with China, the role of the European Union in the region, and Taipei' s current efforts to become an observer at the World Health Organisation (WHO).
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=interview&article=359031&lng=1
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas talks about tensions and prospects for peace
Against a background of continued gun battles between Hamas and Fatah security forces in Gaza City, the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been speaking to Euronews about the problems facing the Palestinian people and the political tensions that created this situation.
He spoke before Friday's clashes and before the discovery of a senior Hamas official trying to smuggle 640,000 euros into Gaza.
While in Strasbourg the Palestinian leader warned EU deputies of a humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian territories, if European financial aid is not restored.
EuroNews: Mr. President, how do you see the situation in the Palestinian territories? Is it realistic to talk about returning to the negotiating table when right now the area is in such crisis?
Mahmoud Abbas: The economic situation is undoubtedly very difficult, even catastrophic. Financial aid to the Palestinian people has been cut off for two months. The important thing now is to find the fastest possible means of restoring that aid.
With regard to the peace process, we call on the Israeli government and the Middle East Quartet - the EU, UN, Russia and the US - to work at getting ourselves and the Israelis back to the negotiating table on the basis of the road map.
And I think a meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister is possible when he returns from Washington, so we can seriously debate this.
EuroNews: What has come from your visit to Strasbourg and what can you say about the EU's position since Hamas came to power?
Mahmoud Abbas: The EU's position with regard to Hamas is clear. That is to say that it cannot deal with Hamas as long as it fails to respond to Brussels' three conditions - that is renunciation of violence, recognition of Israel and respect of agreements concluded with Israel.
That said, I would like to stress an important point: the EU has been given the task by the Quartet of finding a means of getting financial aid to the Palestinian people. And we hope that will be done in the quickest possible time to address the people's needs.
Moreover, the European Parliament in general and the heads of the various political groups in the Parliament were very receptive to the need to continue to help the Palestinian people, because they are aware that the elections were democratic and the outcome is not important. For that reason, the financial aid must continue.
EuroNews: You met with Russia's President Putin at the Black Sea port of Sochi this week. Did that help in the search for answers to the various issues?
Mahmoud Abbas: I think it was a very important and successful visit. My meeting with President Putin was excellent considering the close links between us. We have talked about ways of ending the crisis; Russia has a positive role to play.
We've also talked about direct aid. You know that Russia has given us tens of millions of dollars for projects that Moscow has approved. There's also other aid in kind, things like training on the equipment used by our security forces, and general aid for the people.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=interview&article=359873&lng=1
Michael Moore Today
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
Iran Requests Direct Talks on Nuclear Program
By Karl Vick and Dafna Linzer / Washington Post
TEHRAN, May 23 -- Iran has followed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent letter to President Bush with explicit requests for direct talks on its nuclear program, according to U.S. officials, Iranian analysts and foreign diplomats.
The eagerness for talks demonstrates a profound change in Iran's political orthodoxy, emphatically erasing a taboo against contact with Washington that has both defined and confined Tehran's public foreign policy for more than a quarter-century, they said.
Though the Tehran government in the past has routinely jailed its citizens on charges of contact with the country it calls the "Great Satan," Ahmadinejad's May 8 letter was implicitly endorsed by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and lavished with praise by perhaps the most conservative ayatollah in the theocratic government.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6988
U.S. keeps refusing direct talks with Iran
By Nedra Pickler / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The United States will not negotiate directly with Iran on its nuclear program, President Bush's spokesman said Wednesday, although he left open the door for talks if Tehran proves it has permanently stopped all nuclear weapons activities.
"Until they do that, there is going to be no change in the administration's posture (or) in the president's posture when it comes to one-on-one negotiations," said White House press secretary Tony Snow. "We will continue to use appropriate international forums and work with and through our allies when it comes to dealing with the government in Iran."
Snow repeated the administration's demand that Iran must suspend all uranium enrichment and processing in a verifiable, credible and permanent manner.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7002
Newspaper apologizes for anti-Iran report
Tehran summons envoy to explain Canadian leader's remarks
OTTAWA, Canada (Reuters) -- A Canadian newspaper apologized Wednesday for an article that said Iran planned to force Jews and other religious minorities to wear distinctive clothing to distinguish themselves from Muslims.
The National Post ran the piece on its front page Friday along with a large photo from 1944 that showed a Hungarian couple wearing the yellow stars that the Nazis forced Jews to sew to their clothing.
The story, which included tough anti-Iran comments, was picked up widely by Web sites and by other media.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6998
7 arrested during Wash. anti-war protests
Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Seven people have been arrested while protesting the delivery of military vehicles to the Port of Olympia for shipment to Iraq, authorities said.
Five people were arrested Tuesday for blocking the convoys at a crosswalk, police said. Another man was arrested and accused of trespassing after police said he tried to put a bicycle lock on one of the gates to the port Tuesday.
Another person was arrested Monday for trying to block military vehicles.
The first of about 20 convoys began arriving Monday from Fort Lewis, between Tacoma and Olympia, with vehicles from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
The unit, the Army's first Stryker Brigade Combat Team, has about 4,000 soldiers and is being sent to Iraq next month, said Joseph W. Hitt, a Fort Lewis spokesman.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6999
US Calls Afghan Airstrike Self-Defense
Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan - The U.S. military on Wednesday defended an airstrike earlier this week on a southern Afghan village that killed at least 16 civilians, saying its troops had the right to defend themselves against incoming fire. Meanwhile, a new fire fight in southern Afghanistan, also involving coalition airstrikes, killed at least 24 Taliban militants and five Afghan soldiers Tuesday evening, officials said.
U.S. military spokesman Col. Tom Collins apologized to the families of the civilians killed late Sunday and early Monday, saying "we never wanted this to happen." He said the coalition has offered assistance but didn't disclose any details.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7005
U.S. soldier killed in Iraq
Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. soldier died when his patrol was attacked by small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades in Iraq, the military said Wednesday.
The soldier's convoy was conducting an anti-roadside-bomb operation south of Balad, which is 50 miles north of Baghdad, when Tuesday's attack occurred, the U.S. command said.
The killing raised to at least 2,460 the number of members of the U.S. military who have died since the beginning of the war in 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7004
Rights Group Criticizes U.S. Over 'Outsourcing' in Iraq
By Alan Cowell / New York Times
LONDON, May 23 — Amnesty International on Tuesday assailed the use of military contractors by the United States to detain prisoners, provide security and gather intelligence in Iraq as "war outsourcing," and said the behavior of some contractors had diminished America's moral standing.
"War outsourcing is creating the corporate equivalent of Guantánamo Bay — a virtual rules-free zone in which perpetrators are not likely to be held accountable for breaking the law," Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, said in Washington after the group presented its annual report in London.
In both cities, senior figures of Amnesty International — a private human rights group that has commonly focused on false imprisonment and torture — used the annual report to highlight what they called pressing concerns about the campaign against terrorism.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6991
Vote goes against Wal-Mart
Council OKs using eminent domain to block retailer
San Francisco Chronicle
HERCULES, CA -- The Hercules City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to take the unprecedented step of using eminent domain to prevent Wal-Mart from building a big-box store on a 17-acre lot near the city's waterfront.
The vote caused most of the 300 people who had packed Hercules City Hall for the meeting to break out in cheers and applause.
"The city of Hercules is very unique. People from the outside have to understand that,'' said Hercules Vice Mayor Ed Balico just before the vote.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6997
US House open to narrower Senate bill on decency
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives would accept a narrower Senate bill to boost fines on television and radio stations for decency violations if differences cannot be worked out between the two chambers, a top lawmaker said on Wednesday.
The Senate approved a bill hiking fines to $325,000 per violation from the current $32,500. The House passed a measure that would boost fines to $500,000 and make it easier to fine individuals who violate the decency standards.
The House legislation would also require the Federal Communications Commission, which enforces the decency standards, to consider revoking a broadcaster's license after three violations.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7003
Pentagon Finds China Fortifying Its Long-Range Military Arsenal
By Ann Scott Tyson / Washington Post
China's military buildup is increasingly aimed at projecting power far beyond its shores into the western Pacific to be able to interdict U.S. aircraft carriers and other nations' military forces, according to a Pentagon report released yesterday that outlines continued concerns over China's rising strategic influence in Asia.
Chinese military planners are focusing to a greater degree than in the past on targeting ships and submarines at long ranges using anti-ship cruise missiles, partly in reaction to Taiwan Strait crises in 1995 and 1996 that saw the U.S. military intervene with carrier battle groups, the report said.
The People's Liberation Army "is engaged in a sustained effort to interdict, at long ranges, aircraft carrier and expeditionary strike groups that might deploy to the western Pacific," the report said. Long-term trends in China's development of nuclear and conventional weapons "have the potential to pose credible threats to modern militaries operating in the region," it said.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6990
Rights Under Assault In Iraq, U.N. Unit Says
By Ellen Knickmeyer / Washington Post
BAGHDAD - Human rights in Iraq are being "severely undermined" by growing insecurity, violence and a "breakdown of law and order" caused by militias and criminal gangs, the U.N. mission here said Tuesday.
The human rights update, issued every two months by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq, cited soaring numbers of execution-style killings in Baghdad. Such slayings have increased during a surge of sectarian violence that followed the bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra on Feb. 22.
Baghdad's main morgue -- which handles only the remains of victims of violent or suspicious deaths, not including bombing victims -- issued 1,155 death certificates in April, the U.N. agency reported.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6989
This is not an advertisement
"Avoid the NSA Wiretaps"
http://www.qwest.com/index.html
Memorial Day Observance May 28, 06
The San Jacinto Democratic Veterans Brigade, CODEPINK, and Veterans for Peace are sponsoring a Memorial Day observance, May 28 to 30, to honor U.S. military and all civilian casualties from the ongoing Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
http://gsfp.live.radicaldesigns.org/
Protest Weapons Tests in Nevada, May 28!
"Divine Strake" (link) is the military name for a 700 ton detonation at the Nevada Test Site of ammonium-nitrate-fuel oil (ANFO) bomb to simulate a "low-yeild" bunker-buster explosion. A broad coalition of groups are calling for a protest to support the Western Shoshone Defense Project on May 28.
This test is a hostile gesture during a time of tense international relations between the US and Iran. This test should be opposed in the interests of world peace. To find out more go to
http://disarmamentactivist.org/2006/03/31/did-the-washpost-miss-explosive-story/
There will be a national day of action on Sunday, May 28th at the Test Site You can start getting the word out - we'll send more information as we receive it. For directions to the Nevada Test Site Peace Camp click here.
http://www.vpeaceldf.org/
Map to "Peace Camp"
http://www.shundahai.org/peacemap.jpg
The Impeachment Project
http://www.freewayblogger.com/impeachment_project2.htm
From Three Continents to Duncan, Oklahoma
By Nathaniel Batchelder / Peace House Oklahoma City
From Nigeria, Peru, and at least six of the United States, objectors to Halliburton's global operations traveled to Duncan, Oklahoma, to protest at the corporation's annual stockholders' meeting, Wednesday, May 17th.
Some 150-200 protesters gathered outside the Simmons Center where Halliburton's meetings were held, holding signs and chanting "Shame" while stockholders filed in, and later left the meeting. All morning, a stream of Duncan citizens drove past the protest location to see the protest to the Duncan-based corporation. Many responded to the prominent "Honk For Peace" signs.
A dozen or so Duncan citizens actually joined the protest. Three Duncan ministers came to speak their support for the protest, including 99-year-old Rev. Phil Wahl, longtime advocate of abolition of the death penalty and many other social justice and peace causes.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=653
16 Citizens Attempt Citzens' Arrest of Halliburton CEO at the Shareholder's Meeting
Submitted by davidswanson on Mon, 2006-05-22 15:00. Nonviolent Resistance
By Darla Shelden - OKC Halluburton event organizer
Back row from left: ?Mary Francis, Will Covert, James ?, Josh ?, Diane Baker, Huti Reynolds, Hiram Myers, Jon Cantrell and Ivan Hutchcroft Seated from left:? ? ?Trent Goss, Joni LeViness, Maureen Haver, Chris McMullen, Katie Heim and Jennifer Rooks. Darla Shelden - OKC Halluburton event organizer
DUNCAN- Sixteen people from all over the Heartland attempted a citizens' arrest of David Lesar at the Halliburton Shareholders' meeting in Duncan Oklahoma. They were led by Hiram Myers, an attorney with a nephew deployed in Iraq who felt compelled by his conscience to prepare a legal document outlining Halliburton's violations. Myers stated, "If we the citizens don't hold Halliburton accountable, who will? Certainly not our government or the shareholders".
Among those who joined Myers in leaving the protest pen, which fell under the weight of banners, signs, and chants of "This is What Democracy Looks Like!" were Houston Global Awareness members Katie Heim, Jennifer Rooks, and Maureen Haver. Aware of the risk, they maintain that their acts are part of a proud tradition of non-violent direct action that they hope will impact shareholders in an immediate and powerful way. The sixteen involved in the action were released four hours later after facing criminal trespass charges.
Halliburton is currently under investigations by the Security Exchange Commission, Department of Justice and the Pentagon for bribery, fraud and overcharging no-bid military contracts. Additionally, Halliburton also has business dealings in Iran which are contrary to the U.S. sanctions currently being imposed. It is widely believed that Halliburton moved their shareholders' meeting to Duncan, Oklahoma from Houston, Texas where their meetings in past years have been the target of intense scrutiny, protests, and civil disobedience. Their move appears to have strengthened the resolve of corporate accountability advocates, veterans, and concerned citizens.
To download a copy of Corpwatch's new annual report "Hurricane Halliburton: Conflict, Climate Change, and Catastrophe" please visit the web at http://www.corpwatch.org/downloads/houston2006.pdf
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/10941
Casey's Mother's Day Gift
By Cindy Sheehan
I awakened last Sunday morning with an enormous pain in my heart. Every morning I wake up, as soon as I come to consciousness and figure out where I am, my first thought is of Casey and April 04, 2004, the day he was killed in BushCo's war for corporate profit. Some days, like Mother's Day, are worse than others.
That Sunday morning, I was in Washington, DC -- a city that I love as an exciting, energetic and supportive one -- on the other hand, the corruption seeps into my soul and I can't spend too many consecutive days there. I am also comforted by the constant police presence as I am followed like a hawk by a paranoid force that is afraid I am up to something--which is usually true, but that's beside the point, everything I do is legal--and paranoid that I may expose another t-shirt with the truth written on it.
After breakfast with my sister, a Camp Casey friend from Texas, Randi Rhodes, Susan Hathaway from NYC, and Annie Nelson (Willie's wife), we headed down to Lafayette Park where Code Pink was sponsoring a "Mothers Say No to War" vigil where hundreds of male and female matriots gathered together to loudly, stridently, courageously, reverently, and oftentimes joyfully proclaim to the world and the illicit administration that we have had enough of the world's children being killed for no reason other than to garner obscene profits for the war machine.
We had a wonderful day opening with a prayer/memorial service for all of the people, including innocent Iraqis, that have been lost to Bush's gigantic ego and bottomless greed. At one point, I laid my head in my friend Hillary's lap and sobbed for the chasm of emptiness that is present in my life on a daily basis. Not only do I miss Casey, but I miss my other children. I miss the life we led before Casey was killed: A life that was dominated by the children and their activities. Now I am separated by a dimension from Casey and by distance from my others. I do this so they and the worlds' children won't have to go to war and die for a racket that is as old as time. It is a hard life that I have chosen but sometimes I feel that it has chosen me.
One of my new friends whom I made this weekend is Dr. Patch Adams who is a remarkably cheerful and loving person who has devoted his life to the pursuit of love and laughter. Until I met him, I was wondering who in the heck the gigantic man was in a pink wig and pink flowered dress! When I introduced myself, he put me in a bear hug that fed my heart and soul. We had long conversations about using humor and love to change the world and talked about a "Cindy and Patch Peace Tour."
After Casey's movie mom, Susan Sarandon arrived; we were treated to a surprise guest: Dick Gregory. Dick had been on his way to Cleveland to an engagement when he saw the Code Pink protest on the news and he changed direction and he came to DC to join us. He decided to go on a fast on the way to the event. He asked me what my heart's dream was. I replied: "Troops home, now," without a second thought or a second's hesitation. He said: "So be it, I am fasting until the troops come home!"
After a particularly emotional time, Randi came up to me, crying, and asked: "How do you do this, Cindy?"
Great question. I looked all around me. At my dear friends, Medea Benjamin, Jodie Evans and Gael Murphy who founded Code Pink Alert: Women for Peace and who have been my constant cheerleaders and co-conspirators for peace longer than most people. I saw Hillary and Desiree, two Code Pinkers from Dallas who spent the night with me that first harrowing night in the ditch. I glimpsed Diane Wilson who just got out of a Texas jail after spending six months there for chaining herself to a Dow Chemicals tank. My nearly constant companion on my journeys around the country, Col. Ann Wright, was not too far from me. She resigned her job at the State Department after George Bush invaded Iraq and she runs Camp Casey each time with a competent and loving hand. Tiffany, one of my Camp Casey assistants was running around the park organizing things and wearing a picture of her "brother" Casey around her neck. I saw hundreds of Americans who came from all over our country to show George Bush that we repudiate him and his crimes against humanity.
I looked at Randi with tears streaming down my face. In answer to her question, I replied: "Casey brought all of us together. I am not doing this alone. Casey gave all of you to me to help me through this."
Casey would not allow me do this alone. He has given us the gift of lasting friendships that are not only enriching us but changing the world. He has brought the peace movement together by his unnecessary sacrifice.
George Bush could never meet with me and tell me what noble cause he killed Casey and so many others for: First of all, because war for empire and profit is not noble, secondly because the man is a coward.
The noble cause is peace.
Thank you, Casey, my son and my hero.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=652
The Boston Globe
VA chief tells Congress he's 'mad as hell'
"The employee promptly reported the theft to the local police and to the Department of Veterans Affairs. But it was not until May 16th that I was notified," Nicholson said. "As a veteran, I am outraged."
"It is important to note that the data did not include any of VA's electronic health records," he told the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. But he added: "I can promise you that we will do everything in our power to make clear what is appropriate and inappropriate use of data by our employees."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/05/25/va_chief_vows_accountability_for_id_theft/
Power outage snarls Northeast rail service
Three NJ Transit trains and one Amtrak train were stuck in a tunnel under the Hudson River heading into New York. A fifth train was stuck in a rail tunnel in Baltimore.
Amtrak said it planned to use diesel locomotives to remove them, and was working to restore power along the route.
The outage happened about 8 a.m. along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line, affecting trains from Washington all the way to New York's Queens borough.
Mike Kenny of West Windsor has been commuting to Manhattan for 30 years and said the outage was "shaping up as one of the worst ever."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/05/25/power_outage_snarls_northeast_rail_service_1148563291/
Afghan hunger could exacerbate insecurity: UN
By Robert Birsel May 25, 2006
KABUL (Reuters) - Hunger could haunt millions of Afghans in coming months, with serious implications for security, unless donor countries provide help, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday.
The UN agency has already cut some food-for-work programs and rations for hundreds of thousands of school children. Without more funds, the millions could soon be going hungry.
"Hunger, real hunger, could become a serious issue in coming months," the WFP's Asia director, Anthony Banbury, told a news conference.
"On a humanitarian level, the need for this assistance is very compelling, but there's also a vital strategic consideration ... Real hunger for millions of people could become a source of insecurity."
International forces and the Afghan government are struggling against resurgent Taliban guerillas nearly five years after the hard-line Islamists were forced from power.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/05/25/afghan_hunger_could_exacerbate_insecurity_un/
Let's not lose Afghanistan again
By Tom Lantos May 25, 2006
WASHINGTON
AFGHANISTAN, the launchpad for Al Qaeda's 9/11 terrorist attacks, is slowly sliding toward instability. US and international forces, with their mandate to protect the country, are stretched impossibly thin. And yet Congress is on the verge of making an error that could help to undermine the goal of Afghan peace.
Since American and coalition troops ousted the ruling Taliban, great strides have been made along Afghanistan's path to democracy. After four years of US and international assistance and military involvement, Afghanistan now has a freely elected president and parliament, a nascent national army, and the beginnings of economic development.
But the goal of a stable, peaceful, democratic Afghanistan is still gravely threatened. A resurgent Taliban, increased terrorist attacks, slowed reconstruction and development, and rising opium poppy growth are reversing the tide of success. The risk of losing Afghanistan increases with each passing day. In the last year, deadly attacks have risen by more than 20 percent. Such assaults have killed or injured more US, Afghan, and coalition soldiers, civilians, and aid workers than in the previous three years combined. Heroin production has soared, now constituting nearly half of the Afghan economy, enriching warlords and terrorists alike while fostering government corruption.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/05/25/lets_not_lose_afghanistan_again/
Abbas threatens to call a referendum
By Mohammed Daraghmeh, Associated Press Writer May 25, 2006
RAMALLAH, West Bank --Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday he will call a national referendum on accepting a Palestinian state alongside Israel if Hamas does not agree to the idea within 10 days.
Abbas' surprise announcement was a political gamble that could either help resolve the Palestinians' internal deadlock or lead them into a deeper crisis with the militant Hamas group.
Such a vote would effectively ask Palestinians to give implicit recognition to Israel by accepting a Palestinian state on land occupied by Israel in 1967. Approval of the 18-point plan would provide a way out of the impasse over acceptance of Israel, which has led to an international freeze on aid to the Hamas-led government.
Hamas officials were divided over the idea of a referendum, with several giving their blessing, but others dismissing it as an attempt to undercut the Hamas-led government.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/05/25/palestinian_pm_hamas_fatah_need_platform/
Lawmakers demand FBI return raid files
Capitol Hill search stirs Constitution fight
By Shailagh Murray and Allan Lengel, Washington Post May 25, 2006
WASHINGTON -- In a rare bipartisan action, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and minority leader Nancy Pelosi demanded yesterday that the Justice Department immediately return documents that were seized when federal agents raided the office of Representative William Jefferson as part of a bribery probe.
Pointing out that ``no person is above the law, neither the one being investigated nor those conducting the investigation," Hastert, an Illinois Republican, and Pelosi, a California Democrat, asserted that the Justice Department must cease reviewing the documents and ensure that their contents are not divulged. Once the papers are returned, ``Congressman Jefferson can and should fully cooperate with the Justice Department's efforts, consistent with his constitutional rights," the statement said.
The demands by Hastert and Pelosi further escalated a separation-of-powers conflict between Congress and the White House. The raid last weekend on the office of Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, was the first time in history that the FBI has executed a search warrant on the Capitol Hill office of a sitting lawmaker.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/05/25/lawmakers_demand_fbi_return_raid_files/
Cheney may be called to testify in ex-aide's perjury case
Could be asked about notes on war critic's article
By Toni Locy, Associated Press May 25, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney may be called to testify in the perjury case against his former chief of staff, special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a court filing yesterday.
Fitzgerald suggested that Cheney would be a logical government witness because he could authenticate notes he jotted on an opinion article published July 6, 2003, in The New York Times by former ambassador Joseph Wilson.
Fitzgerald said Cheney's ``state of mind" is ``directly relevant" to what I. Lewis ``Scooter" Libby might have said.
Libby spoke to FBI agents and a US grand jury about how he had learned about CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson's identity and what he subsequently told reporters.
Libby ``shared the interests of his superior and was subject to his direction," the prosecutor wrote. ``Therefore, the state of mind of the vice president as communicated to defendant is directly relevant to the issue."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/05/25/cheney_may_be_called_to_testify_in_ex_aides_perjury_case/
Pearl Jam rocks with power and purpose
By Joan Anderman, Globe Staff May 25, 2006
Remember alternative rock? Intricate arrangements of grungy guitar chords, fuzzily worded but zealously delivered meditations on big problems, acres of corduroy? Such earnest and roiling pleasures have been all but subsumed in the stylish post-punk din, but Pearl Jam is here to remind us just how heady it can be.
Tiring, too. The band's set for a near-capacity Garden audience last night was front-loaded, energy-wise. That's a nice way of saying Pearl Jam seemed to grow weary by the time mid-set rolled around. Frontman Eddie Vedder had consumed much of his bottle of wine, thanks to copious toastings. He swigged and sang for the fans (``Red Mosquito"), the college graduates (``Unemployable"), and Howard Zinn (``Down"), and conceived a clever combination slug in honor of birthday boy Bob Dylan and the ubiquitous grads (``Forever Young").
http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2006/05/25/pearl_jam_rocks_with_power_and_purpose/
18,000 pounds of fireworks seized in N.Y.
May 25, 2006
WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. --Police officers who stopped a truck that was tailgating a fuel tanker on a highway say they made a potentially explosive discovery -- 18,000 pounds of fireworks.
"It would have devastated a quarter-mile radius if they had gone off," Suffolk County Police Department spokesman Robert Boden said Wednesday.
The truck carrying the explosives was found to be dangerously overloaded when it was pulled over Monday for a routine safety check, police said.
A police dog named Nitro -- a German shepherd added to the department's anti-terrorism efforts after the Sept. 11 attacks -- sniffed out the fireworks.
The driver of the truck, whose manifest said it was carrying paper goods, brought the fireworks from Maryland for illegal resale, police said.
State law prohibits the sale or possession of fireworks without a permit. The driver, who was with his adult son, faces multiple summonses for carrying hazardous materials and driving an overweight truck.
To demonstrate how powerful 18,000 pounds of fireworks could be, police exploded about 25 pounds of the sky rockets, Roman candles and other fireworks inside a car at the department's firearms range in Westhampton. The car was destroyed in a massive fireball
http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2006/05/25/18000_pounds_of_fireworks_seized_in_ny/
Explosion levels new home in Middleton
May 25, 2006
MIDDLETON, Mass. --A brand new Colonial on the market for nearly one (m) million dollars blows up in the middle of the night.
Fire officials in Middleton say the explosion may be linked to flooding caused by last week's heavy rains.
No one was in the house and no one was hurt in the blast, which occurred around 3:15 a.m. on Thunder Bridge Road.
Investigators say it appears that a propane tank exploded, blowing out the front wall of the house and collapsing a three-story garage.
Broadcast reports say propane tanks were removed last week after flooding from the nearby Ipswich River. The tanks had reportedly been reconnected yesterday and the gas turned back on.
The four-bedroom, three-bath home had been listed for $929,000 but had not yet been sold. It's now a total loss.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/05/25/explosion_levels_new_home_in_middleton/
Dead horse washes ashore in woman's yard
May 24, 2006
RAVENSWOOD, W.Va. --A dead horse has washed up in Judy Roberts' backyard, and the Jackson County woman is trying to find a way to get rid of the carcass, along with the stench.
Roberts discovered the horse in the Ohio River on Friday. By Sunday, it had shifted onto her property.
"Somebody needs to move it," Roberts said. "It's contaminated the water. And I shouldn't have to live like this."
She can only hope help comes quicker than in Harrison County, where earlier this month a rotting cow carcass was hung up on the tree for several weeks at the West Milford Dam while various government agencies debated whose responsibility it was to remove it.
The cow was hauled away last week through the combined efforts of the Division of Highways and the West Milford and Nutter Fort volunteer fire departments.
Roberts said she has called several agencies -- even Gov. Joe Manchin's office -- and either was told they couldn't help or she got no response.
Roberts said the smell from the horse has gotten so bad, she plans to stay in her home until the problem is resolved.
Manchin spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg said Tuesday night she hadn't heard about the horse. DNR spokesman Hoy Murphy said since the matter doesn't involve wildlife, his office won't get involved.
A call to the Ravenswood Volunteer Fire Department went unanswered Tuesday night.
http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2006/05/24/dead_horse_washes_ashore_in_womans_yard/
Lawyer for nightclub fire defendant asks to withdraw from case
May 25, 2006
PROVIDENCE, R.I. --A lawyer for one of the owners of The Station nightclub wants to drop out of the case.
Attorney Jeff Pine filed a motion today to withdraw as lawyer for Jeffrey Derderian.
He cites "economic and time considerations" in a statement released today.
A Boston lawyer, Anthony Cardinale, is seeing permission from Superior Court Judge Francis Darigan to replace Pine.
Derderian continues to be represented by Kathleen Hagerty and Thomas Dickinson.
Derderian and his brother Michael each face 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the February 2003 fire at The Station nightclub.
Michael Derderian is scheduled to stand trial on July 31. No trial date has been set for his brother
http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2006/05/25/lawyer_for_nightclub_fire_defendant_asks_to_withdraw_from_case/
Top R.I. court orders new trial for man convicted in murder plot
May 25, 2006
PROVIDENCE, R.I. --The Rhode Island Supreme Court ordered a new trial for a man convicted three years ago in a plot to murder a woman who had accused him of rape.
Jose Andujar, of Pawtucket, was convicted in June 2003 of criminal solicitation of murder and sentenced to seven years in prison. He was found guilty of writing a letter from prison to his brother that gave detailed instructions on how to kill a woman.
But the letter never reached his brother, so the Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the conviction and sent the case back to Superior Court for a new trial on the charge of attempted solicitation of murder.
Andujar sent the letter from prison as he awaited trial on sexual assault charges. The note gave detailed advice on how to kill a Westerly woman who had earlier accused Andujar of rape.
The letter was sent to Andujar's brother at a New York City apartment building, but was accidentally placed in the mailbox of the building's landlord. The landlord, who was also a narcotics detective, then contacted the Westerly police.
The Supreme Court said Andujar should not have been convicted of soliciting a murder since his actual request to commit the crime was never received.
The high court also said that prosecutors referred to sexual assault charges against Andujar during his criminal solicitation trial, but never told the jury that he had been acquitted
http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2006/05/25/top_ri_court_orders_new_trial_for_man_convicted_in_murder_plot/
COSATU sees S.Africa "drift toward dictatorship"
By Andrew Quinn May 25, 2006
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's powerful COSATU labor union said on Thursday the country was "drifting toward dictatorship" under President Thabo Mbeki.
In the clearest sign yet of deep political fissures in South Africa's ruling alliance, the Congress of South African Trade Unions said the power struggle involving former Deputy President Jacob Zuma marked the ANC's "worst crisis in years."
"A frightening culture has developed in the ANC of cutting corners and not only to ignore internal democratic processes but to be contemptuous of them," COSATU said in a statement following a meeting of its Central Executive Committee (CEC).
"The main concern of the CEC centers on signs that we may be drifting toward dictatorship."
COSATU is the second member of South Africa's so-called "Tripartite Alliance" to openly criticize Mbeki this week. The South African Communist Party on Sunday declared the Mbeki presidency has become "too overly powerful and concentrated."
http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2006/05/25/cosatu_sees_safrica_drift_toward_dictatorship/
Indonesia puts villagers on home quarantine
May 25, 2006
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Health experts have asked 33 people in a remote Indonesian village to quarantine themselves at home after the H5N1 bird flu virus killed as many as seven members of a family there earlier this month.
Epidemiologists have failed to track down the source of infection in Kubu Simbelang village in north Sumatra and the World Health Organization said this week limited human-to-human transmission between family members might have occurred.
"There are 33 people identified as close contacts. We've asked them to observe home quarantine. That's something they are willing to do to protect themselves and their families," said Dick Thompson, spokesman for the WHO.
Meanwhile, local tests have confirmed an Indonesian child from the city of Bandung died of bird flu, a senior health ministry official said on Thursday.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2006/05/25/indonesia_puts_villagers_on_home_quarantine/
The Jakarta Post
Australia to deploy 1,300 troops; South Korean man shot in Dili
CANBERRA (AP): Australia will send 1,300 troops to East Timor immediately because of the worsening fighting between dismissed soldiers and security forces, Prime Minister John Howard said Thursday.
Howard said the situation in East Timor had deteriorated significantly since he announced the deployment of 130 commandos who arrived at Dili late Thursday and secured the main airport.
"Given the deterioration, we will go ahead without any conditionality with the full deployment and the 1,300 will be in place in a very short order," Howard told reporters.
Australia's deputy chief of defense was on his way to Dili to arrange for the deployment but his aircraft turned back to the northern city of Darwin because of the worsening violence, media reported.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillgen.asp?fileid=20060525173937&irec=0
Locals anxious after Merapi emits plume of hot ash
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
Mt. Merapi expelled a massive batch of hot ash early Tuesday, its second in the past eight days, frightening locals about the potential discharge of toxic gas only a day after many returned home from evacuation centers.
The smoldering volcano belched and groaned before sending a cascade of thick clouds of ash racing down its slopes six times from 7:15 a.m. to 8:40 a.m.
The clouds reached a distance between three and three and a half kilometers from the crater, moving in a southwest direction toward Magelang in Central Java and the western part of Sleman.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.@01&irec=1
PLN begins rotating electricity outages
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
State-owned electricity company PT PLN began to cut its power supply from the Java-Bali power grid system Tuesday after appealing to household and industrial consumers to limit usage during peak hours.
The drop in supply is due to malfunctions in several power plants that are expected to take at least two weeks to repair.
"At 8 a.m., we had to cut our electricity supply by 240 megawatts (MW) and at 2 p.m. by 250 MW," Mulyo Adji, PLN general manager of electricity supply and control for Java and Bali, said Tuesday.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.A02&irec=2
Soeharto in unstable condition
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Former president Soeharto's health remained unstable Tuesday as doctors attempted to halt renewed internal bleeding.
Head of the team of doctors treating him, Mardjo Soebiandono, said bleeding was found in the area where his gastrostomy feeding tube was inserted, but it was stopped through the use of drugs.
The team performed an endoscopy in the evening at South Jakarta's Pertamina Hospital and found blood clots around the tube, which they planned to treat with drug therapy.
He added the 84-year-old was in pain and very weak due to severe blood loss. "He had been bleeding since Monday night. His hemoglobin dropped to 8.2 grams per deciliter, while the normal hemoglobin level is between 13 to 15 grams per deciliter."
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.@03&irec=5
Two siblings believed to have bird flu
Abdul Khalik and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Bandung
One of two new suspected bird flu patients from the same family in Bandung, West Java, died Tuesday, leading to speculation that a new cluster has surfaced.
The two, a 10-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man, were admitted to Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung on Monday evening, but the girl's condition worsened and she died at 2:50 p.m on Tuesday.
The siblings, residents of Cileunyi in Bandung regency, exhibited symptoms associated with bird flu and had known contact with dead chickens.
"They had high fevers and lower respiratory infections, which made it hard for them to breathe," said Djatnika, the deputy head of the hospital's bird flu team.
Blood samples taken from the two, he said, have been sent to a Health Ministry laboratory. Local tests, however, are not considered definitive and need confirmation from a World Health Organization (WHO)'s internationally accredited laboratory.
A previous bird flu cluster in West Java was identified earlier this year in Indramayu, where several members of the same family died. As well as a new one in Medan found last week, health authorities have pinpointed five bird flu clusters around the country.
But new cases of bird flu have continued to emerge. On Monday, a man from a North Sumatra village, who belonged to a bird flu cluster believed to total eight infections from one family, died. Local tests also confirmed two more bird flu infections in the country.
While the government put the total cases of bird flu here at 43, with 33 fatalities, WHO put the figure at 41 cases, with 32 fatalities.
The ASEAN Foundation, one arm of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has said it is time to turn to technology for help.
The foundation proposes using information and communications technology (ICT), particularly short message service (SMS), to prevent further outbreaks of the disease.
The idea is based on the successful application of ICT in Thailand and Vietnam to stop new bird flu cases in both humans and animals at village level. The foundation is now applying ICT for the same purpose in Laos and Cambodia.
The foundation's executive director, Apichai Sunchindah, said Thailand and Vietnam had been successful in dealing with bird flu through the use of information technology.
In Thailand, he said, one million volunteers -- equipped with cellular phones or computers -- were deployed at village level. They filed their reports via e-mail or text message to a central terminal for the government to follow up.
"With this system, people are involved and the government can map out the spread of bird flu to take sufficient measures," Sunchindah said on the sidelines of an international symposium on ICT for social development in Jakarta on Tuesday.
While Indonesia is struggling to contain bird flu, there have been no reports of new cases in Thailand or Vietnam this year, winning them praise from international communities.
Professor Felix Librero from the University of the Philippines, who has conducted intensive research on the use of text messages to pass on information to fight bird flu, and managing director of Malaysia's Southbound Sdn. bhd. Chin Saik Yoon, both agreed the method would work in Indonesia.
There are about 60 million cell phone users in the country.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.A03&irec=4
Employment growth and changing market demands
Winarno Zain, Jakarta
Indonesia's epidemic of social conflict has spread into the industrial relations area. If the tensions between employers and employees cannot be managed properly, the effect on employment growth could be serious. As the cost of labor rises as a relative share of production costs and peaceful industrial relations become rarer and rarer, it is not surprising that industries are turning to machines over labor in manufacturing.
This movement away from labor means it will be extremely difficult for industries to absorb all the new workers coming to the market at the current projected gross domestic product growth rate. This means even if investment picks up later in the year, the unemployment rate of 10.3 percent will persist for some time to come.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20060524.E02&irec=3
Fed Cup team gets OK for Israel tie
Abdul Khalik and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Foreign Ministry has given its approval for the Fed Cup women's tennis team to compete in the World Group II playoff in Israel in mid-July despite the absence of diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv.
The decision removes the threat of the Indonesian Tennis Association (Pelti) being penalized for defaulting the tie, which would have included a US$5,000 fine, reimbursement of the costs incurred from its cancellation and a temporary ban from competition.
"Since the match is organized by the International Tennis Federation and has nothing to do with Indonesian bilateral relations with Israel, it is possible for Indonesia to play in Israel," Foreign Ministry spokesman Desra Percaya told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.@02&irec=3
Rude reception for 'Gus Dur' in W. Java
A group of demonstrators disrupted a planned address Tuesday by former president Abdurrahman Wahid at an interethnic and religious discussion in Purwakarta, West Java. The demonstrators -- claiming to be from several right-wing militant groups -- rudely demanded he step down from the podium, Gus Dur's daughter Zannuba "Yenny" Arifah Chafsoh Rahman said. The situation nearly became violent when members of Abdurrahman's Nahdlatul Ulama youth wing confronted the demonstrators. Abdurrahman's official website (www.gusdur.com) cited Sona Maulida Roemardhie, organizer of the event, as claiming the demonstrators were led by Asep Hamdani, the head of the local chapter of the Islam Defenders Front.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.@04&irec=6
GAM establishes political party
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) formally announced the establishment of a new political party Tuesday and appointed two independent candidates to take part in the next direct gubernatorial elections in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.
The decision came at the end of a three-day meeting which focused on discussing the political programs of the former separatist group.
However, GAM representatives would not divulge the name of the party nor the identities of the candidates.
"We cannot announce our independent candidates because we are still waiting for the results of the bill deliberation," Zaini Abdullah, formerly GAM's foreign minister in exile, told the media about the ongoing deliberation of the Aceh governance bill in the House of Representatives.
Speculation about the identities of the candidates centers on Hasbi Abdullah and Muhammad Nazar of the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA).
The meeting was attended by about 100 GAM figures, including former top executives in exile Malik Mahmood Al Haytar and Bakhtiar Abdullah, who returned to Aceh earlier this year after many years abroad.
Other foreign representatives came from the United States, Norway, Malaysia, Denmark, Canada, Australia and Sweden. They joined members from North Sumatra, Java and 17 other areas in the archipelago.
The meeting also decided the GAM would only nominate its independent candidates in the upcoming regional elections and not through a coalition with other parties.
"As soon as the Aceh administration bill is approved in line with the Helsinki agreement, we will disclose the names of our candidates," said Sofyan Dawood, a spokesman of the Aceh Administration Transfer Commission.
"The most important thing here is that the main points were discussed in the framework for the establishment of the local political party," Malik Mahmood said.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.A05&irec=8
Structural and cultural conflict within NU
Suratno, Jakarta
In his article in The Jakarta Post's May 8 edition, titled Is NU shifting toward intolerance?, Herdi Sahrasad says that Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has begun to depart from its original character toward religious intolerance.
To support his argument, the writer presents evidence such as the NU Central Board's support for the Indonesian Ulema Council's (MUI) fatwas, which have declared Ahmadiyah heretical and ban pluralism, liberalism and secularism. The NU executive board also joined Muslim hard-liners and political parties in supporting the enactment of the pornography bill.
In my opinion, it is too simple to say, based only on what has been announced by its central board, that NU is shifting toward intolerance. NU is more than just an organization (jam'iyyah) of structural and administration management processes.
To understand NU, we must look at its elements - the Nahdliyin (the faithful members), its Pesantren (boarding school) tradition and its cultural tradition, including its young intellectuals. To see only the face of NU, its central board, is to judge a book by its cover.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20060524.F01&irec=1
President says IMF debt to be repaid in 2 years
Tony Hotland and Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Mataram/Jakarta
President Yudhoyono confirmed the government's intention Tuesday of repaying ahead of schedule Indonesia's multibillion dollar debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which would be done in two stages and within two years.
"I have talked to Bank Indonesia and I think it's about time we paid. We will repay our $7.8 billion debt to the IMF in two years," he said during a visit to Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara, on the island of Lombok.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailbusiness.asp?fileid=20060524.L02&irec=1
Developing a (new) culture
Budi W. Soetjipto, Jakarta
A company's corporate culture is what determines its success. On the other hand, the business environment is becoming more turbulent. To ensure its success, a company must be flexible enough to ride such a dynamic environment.
However, a company cannot be flexible unless its culture is also flexible. The question is, how flexible can a firm's corporate culture be? To answer this question we must first understand that corporate culture encompasses norms and values that may take years to develop.
The longer the period, the stronger the culture. Additionally, the development of a business' corporate culture in the earlier stages may frame the development in later stages. Therefore, corporate culture is historical in nature, and that makes a strong culture, characterized by a long history and a strong framing, inflexible.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailsupplement.asp?fileid=20060524.R01&irec=0
The San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle launches podcast for Filipinos
First posted 04:53pm (Mla time) May 25, 2006
By Erwin Lemuel Oliva
INQ7.net
Subscribe to Breaking News alerts, send ON EXTRA BREAKING to 2207 for Globe, or send EXTRA BREAKING to 386 for Smart.
ANOTHER Filipino-oriented podcast has emerged, this time from US-based newspaper The San Francisco Chronicle.
The podcast, dubbed Pinoy Pod, is a weekly program that features interviews, news and information about the Filipino experience in Northern California and the Philippines, according to the US newspaper’s website.
People can download or listen to the Pinoy Pod at HYPERLINK www.sfgate.com/blogs/podcasts.
A podcast is a radio show that one can listen to or download from the Internet. It can be played on one's computer or downloaded to a portable digital music player, such as the popular iPod.
The first episode highlights Joey Ayala’s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner in Filipino, and the subsequent interview with him on why he translated the American anthem into Filipino.
The first episode also features famous Filipino stand-up comedian Rex Navarette who uses Filipino culture as a basis for his sketches.
The podcast episodes are mainly in English but the Filipino language will in the future be used to reach more Filipinos, the podcast’s proponents said.
Pinoy Pod is a product of the San Francisco Chronicle's Filipino journalists deputy managing editor Leslie Guevarra, editorial writer and columnist Pati Poblete, podcast producer Benny Evangelista, business reporter and Pinoy Pod producer Ben Pimentel, reporter Cicero Estrella and copy editor Michelle Louie.
Pinoy Pod will include topics on arts, culture, entertainment, business and political and social issues. It will run from 10 to 20 minutes, and will be updated Tuesdays.
According to the San Francisco Chronice, this is the first time a major American newspaper is offering a podcast for Filipinos.
http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=7&story_id=76973
Some students feel left in the lurch
Simone Sebastian, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Two weeks ago when a judge struck down California's exit exam, 17-year-old Salvador Rodriguez thought he would be graduating from high school in June with his friends.
But the state Supreme Court's decision Wednesday to reinstate the exit exam has thrown Salvador's diploma in limbo, again.
The Richmond High School senior has taken the exam twice, but doesn't know if he passed his most recent try.
"I'm anxious, nervous. There's a lot on my shoulders," said Salvador, who dreams of attending UC Berkeley. "In a way, it'd be cool to let us graduate, but that wouldn't be the honest answer. I'd rather earn my way there."
About 47,000 students across California have not yet passed the exit exam. It is not known how many of those students had earned enough credits and were on track to graduate next month.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/25/MNG53J1KQV1.DTL
California wines beat the French -- again Taste-off proves California wines age best, too
Even after 30 years of aging, state's Cabernets still tops
Who says California wines don't age?
The French do. Repeatedly.
Yet Gaul is biting its tongue today after California smoked France Wednesday in a cross-continental tasting of wines that have matured in cellars for three decades. The California Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines placed first through fifth, followed by four wines from France's hallowed Bordeaux region and then another California Cab.
Sacre bleu!
Make that red, white and blue.
The occasion marked the 30th anniversary of "The Judgment of Paris," a tasting by French and British judges that pitted California against Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignons on May 24, 1976.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/25/MNGRBJ1OS530.DTL
Testimony: Cheney angered over envoy's column on war
Prosecutor says issue is key to Libby's focus on CIA agent's husband
R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Washington -- Vice President Dick Cheney was personally angered by a former U.S. ambassador's newspaper column attacking a key rationale for the war in Iraq, and he repeatedly instructed his former chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, to "get all the facts out" related to the critique, according to excerpts from Libby's 2004 grand jury testimony released late Wednesday by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald.
Libby also told the grand jury that Cheney raised as an issue that the former ambassador's wife worked at the CIA and that she allegedly played a role in sending him to investigate the Iraqi government's interest in acquiring nuclear weapons materials. That issue formed the basis of former ambassador Joseph Wilson's published critique.
In his evening court filing, which included the formerly secret testimony, Fitzgerald did not assert that Cheney instructed Libby to tell reporters the name and role of Valerie Wilson, Joseph Wilson's wife. But he said Cheney's interactions with Libby on that topic were a key part of the reason that Libby allegedly made false statements to the FBI about his conversations with reporters around the time her name was disclosed in news accounts.
"The state of mind of the vice president as communicated to defendant (Libby) is directly relevant to the issue of whether defendant knowingly made false statements to federal agents and the grand jury regarding when and how he learned about Ms. Wilson's employment and what he said to reporters regarding this issue," Fitzgerald said.
The prosecutor also left open the possibility that Cheney will be called as a witness during Libby's trial, scheduled to begin next year, and denied an assertion last week by Libby's lawyers that Cheney would not be called.
Fitzgerald was appointed in late 2003 to investigate the disclosure of Valerie Wilson's name to the media. His probe has led to a series of disclosures about efforts by the White House to rebut Joseph Wilson's published critique, but no official has been directly charged with leaking Valerie Wilson's name.
Instead, Libby was accused of making false statements, obstruction of justice and perjury, mostly based on his statements that he did not confirm Valerie Wilson's employment at the CIA and alleged involvement in Joseph Wilson's trip when he was talking with two journalists. Libby has denied wrongdoing.
Fitzgerald has sought to build a case that Libby was preoccupied with the task of rebutting Joseph Wilson's July 2003 column, which accused the White House of twisting intelligence to support its invasion of Iraq -- and that this preoccupation stemmed from Cheney's own intense focus on Wilson's assertions. Wednesday's court filing included Libby's March 5, 2004, testimony when he recalled that he and Cheney discussed Wilson's article on multiple occasions each day after it appeared.
Cheney saw it as attacking his own credibility, Libby said.
"He wanted to get all the facts out about what he had or hadn't done, what the facts were or were not. He was very keen about that and said it repeatedly. Let's get everything out," Libby testified.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/05/25/MNGSDJ21111.DTL
INSECURITY
Bugged by phone companies
Database debate helping one local telecom provider
Privacy promises draw more to Working Assets
Ryan Kim, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, May 25, 2006
While some telephone companies have taken it on the chin lately over allegations of sharing customer phone records with the government, one San Francisco telecommunications business is benefiting from the controversy.
Working Assets, a small long-distance and wireless provider known for its contributions to progressive causes, has enjoyed an increase in subscriptions and added attention lately because of its public promises of customer privacy and its vocal opposition to any sharing of phone records with the National Security Agency.
The company said it signed up more than 1,000 long-distance and wireless customers last week after the NSA phone database story broke, triple what it normally does in a week.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/25/BUGK8J1JRI1.DTL&type=tech
Hurricanes may bring flying FEMA trailers
Even big winds treat them like tuna cans
Chad Heeter
Sunday, May 21, 2006
I'm standing on the coast, staring not at the Gulf of Mexico, but inland, into the nothingness that used to be Waveland, Miss. Where once homes, a library and City Hall stood, there's only rubble, ghostly slabs of concrete, sun-bleached pants, nightgowns and curtains eerily draped high in the trees, and a single, green minivan crumpled like an aluminum can. Oh yes, and then there are the "travel trailers" -- supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- that sit on tombstonelike slabs and house many of the residents who remain in this small town.
Now your basic travel trailer is great for a family vacation to Yellowstone, but as protection against a storm? Even when tethered to the ground (and some of these aren't), trailers can rock back and forth in relatively mild winds and be heavily damaged in your ordinary thunderstorm. But in Waveland, where Katrina hit with devastating Category-4 force nearly nine months ago -- and, far more important, it's only a week or so before the new hurricane season begins on June 1 -- these trailers shelter hundreds of families.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/05/21/ING7CISDH11.DTL
Some skeptical Libya's Khadafy is really changing
Critics say shifty leader's move a ploy to gain America's help -- and money
Jonathan Curiel, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Before he was murdered by agents of Moammar Khadafy, before toughs kidnapped him from his Cairo hotel room and silenced him forever, Mansour El-Kikhia wrote a trenchant book about the Libyan leader that aptly described Khadafy as a "quick learner and a survivor ... a master of the art of manipulation. Central to his complex personality is his unpredictability, which at times, when combined with his ability to manipulate, provides for a dangerous domestic and international Libyan policy."
The dangers of that policy are evident today, according to Human Rights Watch, which keeps a laundry list of grievances against Khadafy's regime, including arbitrary detention of women and girls in "social rehabilitation" facilities, the jailing and killing of government opponents, and the lack of a free press and political parties.
For years, the United States subscribed to this view of Libya, as one of the most vile, repressive, brutal states in the world.
How quickly foes can become friends.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/05/21/ING8IISS4G1.DTL
continued …
G8 talks open in Russia ahead of July summit
Russia, which is presiding over the Group of Eight industrialised nations for the first time, is hosting talks set to focus on energy disputes and Moscow's long-time request to ease visa procedures.
The meeting, in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, is expected to set the tone for a G8 meeting in July. Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana are among the EU officials attending. Talks are likely to include a range of issues such as the Iranian nuclear crisis, Western concerns over democracy in Russia and the situation in the Middle East.
But top of the agenda are Western worries over energy security. Russian company Gazprom provides a quarter of Europe's gas needs. Brief disruptions of supplies from Russia in January amid a row with its neighbour Ukraine caused dismay among many Europeans.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has increased the Kremlin's control over Gazprom. The EU wants to break the Russian company's export monopoly and has requested access to its pipelines - demands flatly rejected by the Kremlin.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_info&article=360580&lng=1
Palestinian factions start peace talks
Talks have begun between rival Palestinian factions in a bid to end hostilities that have frequently erupted into open conflict. Leaders from the governing Hamas Islamist movement are meeting counterparts of the Fatah group loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
It comes after a week of clashes in Gaza that have left at least 10 people dead. Top Hamas chiefs are taking part via a video link from Gaza. The discussions will also address the financial sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority since Hamas came to power. While the dialogue marks an attempt to tackle the power struggle between Hamas and the more moderate Fatah, which dominated politics for decades, few expect any breakthroughs.
President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to urge Hamas to moderate its views on Israel and sign up to a plan that seeks a negotiated settlement on Palestinian statehood. The US and the EU have suspended financial aid to the Palestinian Authority until Hamas recognises Israel and renounces violence.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_info&article=360578&lng=1
Landmark divorce ruling could open floodgates to thousands of claims
The UK's highest court has found in favour of multi-million Euro settlements for two women involved in high-profile divorce cases. The landmark rulings took into account compensation for the loss of earnings during a relationship, whether children were involved or not. Five judges dismissed an appeal by a multi-millionaire financier who claimed a lower court had awarded his former wife too much money.
In the other ruling they allowed an appeal by an ex-wife who claimed she had not been given enough. The court's decision could have an impact on how much the multi-millionaire Paul McCartney might have to pay Heather Mills, his wife of four years, if they divorce following their separation. The ex-Beatle is estimated to be worth 1.2 billion euros.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_info&article=360530&lng=1
Spanish PM denies immigration crisis
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has defended his government's handling of the current upsurge of illegal immigration into the Canary Islands.
He denied accusations from the conservative opposition Popular Party that the country had become what it termed "a sieve".
"There is no overflow," he told parliament, adding that despite the increased numbers of immigrants in recent weeks the authorities could cope.
Zapatero outlined the measures the government was taking. He also gave details of cooperation with the EU on the issue. Brussels is to set up reception centres in some West African states to deal with those repratriated from the Canaries.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_info&article=360447&lng=1
Iran-India pipeline deal hits pricing hitch
Pakistan, Iran and India are to hold more talks on gas pricing before finalising a deal on building a pipeline that would carry Iranian gas to India, through Pakistan.
Energy officials met for two days in Islamabad to review progress on the controversial 5.5 billion euro project.
It would carry some 150 million cubic metres of gas per day, for 25 years.
The pipeline is vehemently opposed by the United States, which is trying to discourage both India and Pakistan from doing business with Iran.
Pakistan's Petroleum Secretary Doctor Ahmed Waqar said Islamabad had to look at ways of meeting its mounting energy requirements.
He said: "We need energy and Iran is one of the sources of energy and any decision in this regard, I would repeat, has to be taken keeping in view the national interests."
However he said Pakistan was also pursuing another planned pipeline which would run from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan.
Talks will continue in Delhi in July, when it is hoped an agreement on pricing can be reached.
Pakistan envisages itself becoming an energy corridor for China, with its thirsty economy.
In return, it is looking to Bejing to build more nuclear power plants to offset Washington's refusal to extend the Indo-US deal on civilian nuclear energy to Islamabad.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=360495&lng=1
Germany moves closer to higher taxes to close budget gap
Germany's lower house of parliament has voted through a controversial new budget law. Chancellor Angela Merkel's government says it needs the changes in order to raise money to cut the budget deficit.
The law upper house is expected to approve the law next month. It paves the way for Germany's biggest tax increase in 60 years. Value added tax on goods and services will rise from 16% to 19% at the start of next year. Tax loopholes will be closed and the hope is to generate 25 billion euros of extra revenue.
Opposition MP's attacked the measures, but finance minister Peer Steinbruck told them: "What you're doing is like telling people they can go on a diet without any major effort. That's not going to work. Plus, you seem to believe you can promise people that further tax breaks are possible - despite the problematic financial situation."
The VAT increase is Germany's first since 1998. It has been criticised by economists, business groups and the media as unnecessary. Concerns have been expressed that it will reduce domestic consumption which is already weak because of high energy prices and an unemployment rate of over 11%.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=359821&lng=1
World's biggest dam close to completion
After 13 years, the main construction work has been completed on the world's largest hydroelectric project - the Three Gorges Dam in central China. The controversial barrier will create a reservoir covering 660 kilometres and displacing 1.1 million people.
The Chinese government says as well as producing power it will reduce deadly flooding on the Yangtze River but environmental Dai Qin disputes that. She said: "The dam is supposed to prevent floods, generate electricity, improve ship navigation and the lives of the people who've been moved, but the electricity produced will actually be much more expensive as it costs so much to relocate local people."
It will take two more years for all the power generating turbines to be installed at Three Gorges, but in the meantime China is boosting the amount of hydroelectricity it produces and even before the new facility goes on line the annual output will be 85 billion kilowatt hours. When Three Gorges is fully operational, in 2009, that should double.
Beijing has said the almost 20 billion euro dam will be an environmental benefit as the country will burn less fossil fuels to generate power for its rapidly growing economy. Environmentalists worry to cost will be too high if the weight of water in the reservoir does trigger landslides or even earthquakes, as some geologists fear.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=359823&lng=1
Giant Airbus A380 tests London airport facilities
The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, has landed at London's Heathrow airport for the first time. It was the latest in a series of test landings at the airports that the plane will use. It arrived from the Berlin Air Show and along the way flew over the UK plants that produce the wings and other components so that workers could see the fruits of their labours.
Heathrow is spending over 660 million euros on changes to the airport to handle the super jumbo A380. Expanded terminals are needed to process higher passenger loads. The plane is built to carry at least 555 people.
So far Airbus has 159 orders for the A380 from 16 customers, including London-based Virgin which is buying six. Since it made its first flight in April last year the A380 has visited more than 20 airports, including Frankfurt, Singapore and Sydney, Australia carrying test equipment and liquid filled barrels to simulate the full passenger load. Among the dignitaries at Heathrow for the super-jumbo's arrival was the British finance minister Gordon Brown who called it "one of the great commercial success stories of our time".
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=359617&lng=1
EADS announces strong quarterly results as Berlin Air Show opens
The Berlin Air Show is underway with Airbus a big presence.That is not surprising as this year the event is hosting a meeting of ministers of countries that are partners in the Airbus project.
The Russian display is the largest as the country is looking to pick up Western orders, but Airbus' main rival Boeing was a notable absentee.
German economics minister Michael Glos opened the show for trade visitors and celebrated booming times in the local aerospace industry. He said: "This is a very important element in the German economy, especially in the eastern states. In Brandenburg the air and space industries have become important and we are of course proud of the international co-operation."
Part of that international co-operation involves Airbus with the help of which EADS has just been able to announce strong performance in the first-quarter.
Co-chief executives Noel Forgeard said the first-quarter highlighted EADS' powerful momentum, but he added: "We have plenty of ongoing operational challenges."
The company's revenues rose 31% to 9.1 billion euros; pre-tax profit was up 19% at 780 million euros and since January Airbus has delivered 101 planes. It is predicting delivery of a record 430 aircraft this year
EADS, which owns 80% of Airbus, also confirmed its full-year earnings forecast.
However, the companies shares fell after the quarterly figures were released.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=359303&lng=1
Hyundai goes ahead with Czech plant signing despite chairman's arrest
Hyundai has signed a contract to build a one billion euro car plant in the Czech Republic despite uncertainty over the project after the arrest of the South Korean company's chairman Chung Mong-koo on bribery charges. Kia, which is part of the Hyundai group, is building a factory in neighbouring Slovakia.
Government officials said the Czech plant is expected to open in late 2008. It would produce about 300,000 cars and twice as many vehicle transmissions each year and employ 3,500 workers. Carmakers are increasingly turning to eastern European EU members to reduce costs. The average annual salary for a car worker in Germany is 22,000 euros, while in the Czech Republic it is 4,500.
Six months of talks preceded the Hyundai factory contract signing, which has political significance.
The signing - which was moved from Prague to South Korea - comes just two weeks before an election in the Czech Republic.
The ruling left wing party, the Social Democrats, have been trailing in opinion polls. They have built part of their election campaign on their government's success in attracting the Hyundai plant, citing that as proof that foreign investors trust their economic policies. The plant is to be built in the eastern Czech region of Nosovice, but because of the arrest of Hyundai's boss a ground breaking ceremony at the site was postponed.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=359628&lng=1
General Motors cuts 900 jobs in UK
General Motors has confirmed that 900 workers from its Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere Port in the north west of England are to lose their jobs as fewer Astra cars are made there.
At the same time, British Finance Minister Gordon Brown and Trade and Industry Minister Alistair Darling visited the factory to talk with GM bosses about building the replacement for the Astra there, which would mean investment of nearly 150 million euros.
Brown said: "What we are determined to do is everything in our power to ensure that this new investment - which is one of the biggest that could be made in the car industry - comes not only to Britain, but comes to Ellesmere Port."
The unions say the UK plant was targeted, rather than GM's German and Belgian factories, because it is easier to get rid of workers in Britain.
Transport Workers Union leader Tony Woodley said manufacturing in the UK is being "massacred" and he called for help from the government: "If manufacturing matters to the economy of our country, then we've got to produce manufacturing champions. That means putting public money into supporting those companies you want to take advantage of that, you should do it."
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_eco&article=359470&lng=1
Belarussian ambassador to the EU talks to Euronews ahead of the presidential election
With a presidential election taking place this weekend in Belarus, Euronews has been speaking with Vladimir Senko, the country's ambassador to the European Union
There will be close international scrutiny for the polling. President Alexandre Lukashenko enjoys genuine support from older voters and in the rural sectors of the country, but the European Union has complained about the treatment of his political opponents, some of whom have been arrested.
Western governments have warned Lukashenko of economic sanctions if the elections are not conducted fairly.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=interview&article=349722&lng=1
Portugal's President Cavaco Silva on the European Constitution, EU-US dialogue and freedom of movement
Aníbal Cavaco Silva is Portugal's president having been elected in the first round of voting. An economist and university professor, he was the country's prime minister for ten years, from 1985 to 1995. The centre-right politician now has to work with Portugal's Socialist government.
When EuroNews' Maria Barradas interviewed him, as he prepared to be sworn in, Portugal's new president called for a fresh draft of the European Constitution to be drawn up and spoke out in support of freedom of movement of labour and services.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=interview&article=347189&lng=1
The Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic
Montenegro goes to the polls next month to vote on whether to become independent from Serbia. An interview with the pro-independence Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic. The small Republic of Montenegro has been part of a loose union with Serbia since 2003. Both states have separate government institutions and economic policies and work together on some issues.
On the 21st of May the people of Montenegro will take part in a referendum on whether to keep the union going or to vote for full independence from Belgrade. The Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic sat down with our reporter Valerie Gauriat to talk about this high stakes vote.
EuroNews: "The date of the referendum on the independence of Montenegro is approaching yet more than 30 percent of of the population is against independence, many are undecided and worried about the economy. Won't independence cost Montenegro a lot?"
Milo Djukanovic: "I am confident that in Montenegro we have a clear pro-independence majority and this will be sufficent and we will be able to meet the norms of Montenegro's referendum law. I am also confident that a Montenegro with its independence restored will help the country gain momentum in its European and Euro-atlantic goals."
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=interview&article=356642&lng=1
President Chen: "Taiwan is not a part of China nor is it subordinate to China"
Chen Shui-bian, President of Taiwan, meets EuroNews to talk about his conditions to eventual talks with China, the role of the European Union in the region and Taipei's current efforts to become an observer at the World Health organisation (WHO).
Taiwan is striving to assert its identity as it emerges into the millenium. For over 50 years Taiwan's chief preoccupation has been its relationship with its big brother China, just 180 kilometers away across the Taiwan strait. Beijing considers the island part of its territory and has threatened military action should Taipei ever formally declare independence.
Most Taiwanese are content with the existing situation, representing neither independence or integration...but recognizing a historic and cultural link with the mainland.
Today the Taiwanese can't avoid feeling overshadowed by their giant neighbour with its burgeoning economic power.
Taipei is striving to express its own personality and this sometimes leads to diplomatic tensions...
President of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, (elected in 2000 and re-elected in march 2004 for a second and last mandate) met EuroNews to talk about his conditions to eventual talks with China, the role of the European Union in the region, and Taipei' s current efforts to become an observer at the World Health Organisation (WHO).
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=interview&article=359031&lng=1
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas talks about tensions and prospects for peace
Against a background of continued gun battles between Hamas and Fatah security forces in Gaza City, the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been speaking to Euronews about the problems facing the Palestinian people and the political tensions that created this situation.
He spoke before Friday's clashes and before the discovery of a senior Hamas official trying to smuggle 640,000 euros into Gaza.
While in Strasbourg the Palestinian leader warned EU deputies of a humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian territories, if European financial aid is not restored.
EuroNews: Mr. President, how do you see the situation in the Palestinian territories? Is it realistic to talk about returning to the negotiating table when right now the area is in such crisis?
Mahmoud Abbas: The economic situation is undoubtedly very difficult, even catastrophic. Financial aid to the Palestinian people has been cut off for two months. The important thing now is to find the fastest possible means of restoring that aid.
With regard to the peace process, we call on the Israeli government and the Middle East Quartet - the EU, UN, Russia and the US - to work at getting ourselves and the Israelis back to the negotiating table on the basis of the road map.
And I think a meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister is possible when he returns from Washington, so we can seriously debate this.
EuroNews: What has come from your visit to Strasbourg and what can you say about the EU's position since Hamas came to power?
Mahmoud Abbas: The EU's position with regard to Hamas is clear. That is to say that it cannot deal with Hamas as long as it fails to respond to Brussels' three conditions - that is renunciation of violence, recognition of Israel and respect of agreements concluded with Israel.
That said, I would like to stress an important point: the EU has been given the task by the Quartet of finding a means of getting financial aid to the Palestinian people. And we hope that will be done in the quickest possible time to address the people's needs.
Moreover, the European Parliament in general and the heads of the various political groups in the Parliament were very receptive to the need to continue to help the Palestinian people, because they are aware that the elections were democratic and the outcome is not important. For that reason, the financial aid must continue.
EuroNews: You met with Russia's President Putin at the Black Sea port of Sochi this week. Did that help in the search for answers to the various issues?
Mahmoud Abbas: I think it was a very important and successful visit. My meeting with President Putin was excellent considering the close links between us. We have talked about ways of ending the crisis; Russia has a positive role to play.
We've also talked about direct aid. You know that Russia has given us tens of millions of dollars for projects that Moscow has approved. There's also other aid in kind, things like training on the equipment used by our security forces, and general aid for the people.
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=interview&article=359873&lng=1
Michael Moore Today
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
Iran Requests Direct Talks on Nuclear Program
By Karl Vick and Dafna Linzer / Washington Post
TEHRAN, May 23 -- Iran has followed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent letter to President Bush with explicit requests for direct talks on its nuclear program, according to U.S. officials, Iranian analysts and foreign diplomats.
The eagerness for talks demonstrates a profound change in Iran's political orthodoxy, emphatically erasing a taboo against contact with Washington that has both defined and confined Tehran's public foreign policy for more than a quarter-century, they said.
Though the Tehran government in the past has routinely jailed its citizens on charges of contact with the country it calls the "Great Satan," Ahmadinejad's May 8 letter was implicitly endorsed by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and lavished with praise by perhaps the most conservative ayatollah in the theocratic government.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6988
U.S. keeps refusing direct talks with Iran
By Nedra Pickler / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The United States will not negotiate directly with Iran on its nuclear program, President Bush's spokesman said Wednesday, although he left open the door for talks if Tehran proves it has permanently stopped all nuclear weapons activities.
"Until they do that, there is going to be no change in the administration's posture (or) in the president's posture when it comes to one-on-one negotiations," said White House press secretary Tony Snow. "We will continue to use appropriate international forums and work with and through our allies when it comes to dealing with the government in Iran."
Snow repeated the administration's demand that Iran must suspend all uranium enrichment and processing in a verifiable, credible and permanent manner.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7002
Newspaper apologizes for anti-Iran report
Tehran summons envoy to explain Canadian leader's remarks
OTTAWA, Canada (Reuters) -- A Canadian newspaper apologized Wednesday for an article that said Iran planned to force Jews and other religious minorities to wear distinctive clothing to distinguish themselves from Muslims.
The National Post ran the piece on its front page Friday along with a large photo from 1944 that showed a Hungarian couple wearing the yellow stars that the Nazis forced Jews to sew to their clothing.
The story, which included tough anti-Iran comments, was picked up widely by Web sites and by other media.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6998
7 arrested during Wash. anti-war protests
Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Seven people have been arrested while protesting the delivery of military vehicles to the Port of Olympia for shipment to Iraq, authorities said.
Five people were arrested Tuesday for blocking the convoys at a crosswalk, police said. Another man was arrested and accused of trespassing after police said he tried to put a bicycle lock on one of the gates to the port Tuesday.
Another person was arrested Monday for trying to block military vehicles.
The first of about 20 convoys began arriving Monday from Fort Lewis, between Tacoma and Olympia, with vehicles from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
The unit, the Army's first Stryker Brigade Combat Team, has about 4,000 soldiers and is being sent to Iraq next month, said Joseph W. Hitt, a Fort Lewis spokesman.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6999
US Calls Afghan Airstrike Self-Defense
Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan - The U.S. military on Wednesday defended an airstrike earlier this week on a southern Afghan village that killed at least 16 civilians, saying its troops had the right to defend themselves against incoming fire. Meanwhile, a new fire fight in southern Afghanistan, also involving coalition airstrikes, killed at least 24 Taliban militants and five Afghan soldiers Tuesday evening, officials said.
U.S. military spokesman Col. Tom Collins apologized to the families of the civilians killed late Sunday and early Monday, saying "we never wanted this to happen." He said the coalition has offered assistance but didn't disclose any details.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7005
U.S. soldier killed in Iraq
Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. soldier died when his patrol was attacked by small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades in Iraq, the military said Wednesday.
The soldier's convoy was conducting an anti-roadside-bomb operation south of Balad, which is 50 miles north of Baghdad, when Tuesday's attack occurred, the U.S. command said.
The killing raised to at least 2,460 the number of members of the U.S. military who have died since the beginning of the war in 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7004
Rights Group Criticizes U.S. Over 'Outsourcing' in Iraq
By Alan Cowell / New York Times
LONDON, May 23 — Amnesty International on Tuesday assailed the use of military contractors by the United States to detain prisoners, provide security and gather intelligence in Iraq as "war outsourcing," and said the behavior of some contractors had diminished America's moral standing.
"War outsourcing is creating the corporate equivalent of Guantánamo Bay — a virtual rules-free zone in which perpetrators are not likely to be held accountable for breaking the law," Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, said in Washington after the group presented its annual report in London.
In both cities, senior figures of Amnesty International — a private human rights group that has commonly focused on false imprisonment and torture — used the annual report to highlight what they called pressing concerns about the campaign against terrorism.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6991
Vote goes against Wal-Mart
Council OKs using eminent domain to block retailer
San Francisco Chronicle
HERCULES, CA -- The Hercules City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to take the unprecedented step of using eminent domain to prevent Wal-Mart from building a big-box store on a 17-acre lot near the city's waterfront.
The vote caused most of the 300 people who had packed Hercules City Hall for the meeting to break out in cheers and applause.
"The city of Hercules is very unique. People from the outside have to understand that,'' said Hercules Vice Mayor Ed Balico just before the vote.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6997
US House open to narrower Senate bill on decency
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives would accept a narrower Senate bill to boost fines on television and radio stations for decency violations if differences cannot be worked out between the two chambers, a top lawmaker said on Wednesday.
The Senate approved a bill hiking fines to $325,000 per violation from the current $32,500. The House passed a measure that would boost fines to $500,000 and make it easier to fine individuals who violate the decency standards.
The House legislation would also require the Federal Communications Commission, which enforces the decency standards, to consider revoking a broadcaster's license after three violations.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7003
Pentagon Finds China Fortifying Its Long-Range Military Arsenal
By Ann Scott Tyson / Washington Post
China's military buildup is increasingly aimed at projecting power far beyond its shores into the western Pacific to be able to interdict U.S. aircraft carriers and other nations' military forces, according to a Pentagon report released yesterday that outlines continued concerns over China's rising strategic influence in Asia.
Chinese military planners are focusing to a greater degree than in the past on targeting ships and submarines at long ranges using anti-ship cruise missiles, partly in reaction to Taiwan Strait crises in 1995 and 1996 that saw the U.S. military intervene with carrier battle groups, the report said.
The People's Liberation Army "is engaged in a sustained effort to interdict, at long ranges, aircraft carrier and expeditionary strike groups that might deploy to the western Pacific," the report said. Long-term trends in China's development of nuclear and conventional weapons "have the potential to pose credible threats to modern militaries operating in the region," it said.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6990
Rights Under Assault In Iraq, U.N. Unit Says
By Ellen Knickmeyer / Washington Post
BAGHDAD - Human rights in Iraq are being "severely undermined" by growing insecurity, violence and a "breakdown of law and order" caused by militias and criminal gangs, the U.N. mission here said Tuesday.
The human rights update, issued every two months by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq, cited soaring numbers of execution-style killings in Baghdad. Such slayings have increased during a surge of sectarian violence that followed the bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra on Feb. 22.
Baghdad's main morgue -- which handles only the remains of victims of violent or suspicious deaths, not including bombing victims -- issued 1,155 death certificates in April, the U.N. agency reported.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6989
This is not an advertisement
"Avoid the NSA Wiretaps"
http://www.qwest.com/index.html
Memorial Day Observance May 28, 06
The San Jacinto Democratic Veterans Brigade, CODEPINK, and Veterans for Peace are sponsoring a Memorial Day observance, May 28 to 30, to honor U.S. military and all civilian casualties from the ongoing Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
http://gsfp.live.radicaldesigns.org/
Protest Weapons Tests in Nevada, May 28!
"Divine Strake" (link) is the military name for a 700 ton detonation at the Nevada Test Site of ammonium-nitrate-fuel oil (ANFO) bomb to simulate a "low-yeild" bunker-buster explosion. A broad coalition of groups are calling for a protest to support the Western Shoshone Defense Project on May 28.
This test is a hostile gesture during a time of tense international relations between the US and Iran. This test should be opposed in the interests of world peace. To find out more go to
http://disarmamentactivist.org/2006/03/31/did-the-washpost-miss-explosive-story/
There will be a national day of action on Sunday, May 28th at the Test Site You can start getting the word out - we'll send more information as we receive it. For directions to the Nevada Test Site Peace Camp click here.
http://www.vpeaceldf.org/
Map to "Peace Camp"
http://www.shundahai.org/peacemap.jpg
The Impeachment Project
http://www.freewayblogger.com/impeachment_project2.htm
From Three Continents to Duncan, Oklahoma
By Nathaniel Batchelder / Peace House Oklahoma City
From Nigeria, Peru, and at least six of the United States, objectors to Halliburton's global operations traveled to Duncan, Oklahoma, to protest at the corporation's annual stockholders' meeting, Wednesday, May 17th.
Some 150-200 protesters gathered outside the Simmons Center where Halliburton's meetings were held, holding signs and chanting "Shame" while stockholders filed in, and later left the meeting. All morning, a stream of Duncan citizens drove past the protest location to see the protest to the Duncan-based corporation. Many responded to the prominent "Honk For Peace" signs.
A dozen or so Duncan citizens actually joined the protest. Three Duncan ministers came to speak their support for the protest, including 99-year-old Rev. Phil Wahl, longtime advocate of abolition of the death penalty and many other social justice and peace causes.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=653
16 Citizens Attempt Citzens' Arrest of Halliburton CEO at the Shareholder's Meeting
Submitted by davidswanson on Mon, 2006-05-22 15:00. Nonviolent Resistance
By Darla Shelden - OKC Halluburton event organizer
Back row from left: ?Mary Francis, Will Covert, James ?, Josh ?, Diane Baker, Huti Reynolds, Hiram Myers, Jon Cantrell and Ivan Hutchcroft Seated from left:? ? ?Trent Goss, Joni LeViness, Maureen Haver, Chris McMullen, Katie Heim and Jennifer Rooks. Darla Shelden - OKC Halluburton event organizer
DUNCAN- Sixteen people from all over the Heartland attempted a citizens' arrest of David Lesar at the Halliburton Shareholders' meeting in Duncan Oklahoma. They were led by Hiram Myers, an attorney with a nephew deployed in Iraq who felt compelled by his conscience to prepare a legal document outlining Halliburton's violations. Myers stated, "If we the citizens don't hold Halliburton accountable, who will? Certainly not our government or the shareholders".
Among those who joined Myers in leaving the protest pen, which fell under the weight of banners, signs, and chants of "This is What Democracy Looks Like!" were Houston Global Awareness members Katie Heim, Jennifer Rooks, and Maureen Haver. Aware of the risk, they maintain that their acts are part of a proud tradition of non-violent direct action that they hope will impact shareholders in an immediate and powerful way. The sixteen involved in the action were released four hours later after facing criminal trespass charges.
Halliburton is currently under investigations by the Security Exchange Commission, Department of Justice and the Pentagon for bribery, fraud and overcharging no-bid military contracts. Additionally, Halliburton also has business dealings in Iran which are contrary to the U.S. sanctions currently being imposed. It is widely believed that Halliburton moved their shareholders' meeting to Duncan, Oklahoma from Houston, Texas where their meetings in past years have been the target of intense scrutiny, protests, and civil disobedience. Their move appears to have strengthened the resolve of corporate accountability advocates, veterans, and concerned citizens.
To download a copy of Corpwatch's new annual report "Hurricane Halliburton: Conflict, Climate Change, and Catastrophe" please visit the web at http://www.corpwatch.org/downloads/houston2006.pdf
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/10941
Casey's Mother's Day Gift
By Cindy Sheehan
I awakened last Sunday morning with an enormous pain in my heart. Every morning I wake up, as soon as I come to consciousness and figure out where I am, my first thought is of Casey and April 04, 2004, the day he was killed in BushCo's war for corporate profit. Some days, like Mother's Day, are worse than others.
That Sunday morning, I was in Washington, DC -- a city that I love as an exciting, energetic and supportive one -- on the other hand, the corruption seeps into my soul and I can't spend too many consecutive days there. I am also comforted by the constant police presence as I am followed like a hawk by a paranoid force that is afraid I am up to something--which is usually true, but that's beside the point, everything I do is legal--and paranoid that I may expose another t-shirt with the truth written on it.
After breakfast with my sister, a Camp Casey friend from Texas, Randi Rhodes, Susan Hathaway from NYC, and Annie Nelson (Willie's wife), we headed down to Lafayette Park where Code Pink was sponsoring a "Mothers Say No to War" vigil where hundreds of male and female matriots gathered together to loudly, stridently, courageously, reverently, and oftentimes joyfully proclaim to the world and the illicit administration that we have had enough of the world's children being killed for no reason other than to garner obscene profits for the war machine.
We had a wonderful day opening with a prayer/memorial service for all of the people, including innocent Iraqis, that have been lost to Bush's gigantic ego and bottomless greed. At one point, I laid my head in my friend Hillary's lap and sobbed for the chasm of emptiness that is present in my life on a daily basis. Not only do I miss Casey, but I miss my other children. I miss the life we led before Casey was killed: A life that was dominated by the children and their activities. Now I am separated by a dimension from Casey and by distance from my others. I do this so they and the worlds' children won't have to go to war and die for a racket that is as old as time. It is a hard life that I have chosen but sometimes I feel that it has chosen me.
One of my new friends whom I made this weekend is Dr. Patch Adams who is a remarkably cheerful and loving person who has devoted his life to the pursuit of love and laughter. Until I met him, I was wondering who in the heck the gigantic man was in a pink wig and pink flowered dress! When I introduced myself, he put me in a bear hug that fed my heart and soul. We had long conversations about using humor and love to change the world and talked about a "Cindy and Patch Peace Tour."
After Casey's movie mom, Susan Sarandon arrived; we were treated to a surprise guest: Dick Gregory. Dick had been on his way to Cleveland to an engagement when he saw the Code Pink protest on the news and he changed direction and he came to DC to join us. He decided to go on a fast on the way to the event. He asked me what my heart's dream was. I replied: "Troops home, now," without a second thought or a second's hesitation. He said: "So be it, I am fasting until the troops come home!"
After a particularly emotional time, Randi came up to me, crying, and asked: "How do you do this, Cindy?"
Great question. I looked all around me. At my dear friends, Medea Benjamin, Jodie Evans and Gael Murphy who founded Code Pink Alert: Women for Peace and who have been my constant cheerleaders and co-conspirators for peace longer than most people. I saw Hillary and Desiree, two Code Pinkers from Dallas who spent the night with me that first harrowing night in the ditch. I glimpsed Diane Wilson who just got out of a Texas jail after spending six months there for chaining herself to a Dow Chemicals tank. My nearly constant companion on my journeys around the country, Col. Ann Wright, was not too far from me. She resigned her job at the State Department after George Bush invaded Iraq and she runs Camp Casey each time with a competent and loving hand. Tiffany, one of my Camp Casey assistants was running around the park organizing things and wearing a picture of her "brother" Casey around her neck. I saw hundreds of Americans who came from all over our country to show George Bush that we repudiate him and his crimes against humanity.
I looked at Randi with tears streaming down my face. In answer to her question, I replied: "Casey brought all of us together. I am not doing this alone. Casey gave all of you to me to help me through this."
Casey would not allow me do this alone. He has given us the gift of lasting friendships that are not only enriching us but changing the world. He has brought the peace movement together by his unnecessary sacrifice.
George Bush could never meet with me and tell me what noble cause he killed Casey and so many others for: First of all, because war for empire and profit is not noble, secondly because the man is a coward.
The noble cause is peace.
Thank you, Casey, my son and my hero.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=652
The Boston Globe
VA chief tells Congress he's 'mad as hell'
"The employee promptly reported the theft to the local police and to the Department of Veterans Affairs. But it was not until May 16th that I was notified," Nicholson said. "As a veteran, I am outraged."
"It is important to note that the data did not include any of VA's electronic health records," he told the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. But he added: "I can promise you that we will do everything in our power to make clear what is appropriate and inappropriate use of data by our employees."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/05/25/va_chief_vows_accountability_for_id_theft/
Power outage snarls Northeast rail service
Three NJ Transit trains and one Amtrak train were stuck in a tunnel under the Hudson River heading into New York. A fifth train was stuck in a rail tunnel in Baltimore.
Amtrak said it planned to use diesel locomotives to remove them, and was working to restore power along the route.
The outage happened about 8 a.m. along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line, affecting trains from Washington all the way to New York's Queens borough.
Mike Kenny of West Windsor has been commuting to Manhattan for 30 years and said the outage was "shaping up as one of the worst ever."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/05/25/power_outage_snarls_northeast_rail_service_1148563291/
Afghan hunger could exacerbate insecurity: UN
By Robert Birsel May 25, 2006
KABUL (Reuters) - Hunger could haunt millions of Afghans in coming months, with serious implications for security, unless donor countries provide help, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday.
The UN agency has already cut some food-for-work programs and rations for hundreds of thousands of school children. Without more funds, the millions could soon be going hungry.
"Hunger, real hunger, could become a serious issue in coming months," the WFP's Asia director, Anthony Banbury, told a news conference.
"On a humanitarian level, the need for this assistance is very compelling, but there's also a vital strategic consideration ... Real hunger for millions of people could become a source of insecurity."
International forces and the Afghan government are struggling against resurgent Taliban guerillas nearly five years after the hard-line Islamists were forced from power.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/05/25/afghan_hunger_could_exacerbate_insecurity_un/
Let's not lose Afghanistan again
By Tom Lantos May 25, 2006
WASHINGTON
AFGHANISTAN, the launchpad for Al Qaeda's 9/11 terrorist attacks, is slowly sliding toward instability. US and international forces, with their mandate to protect the country, are stretched impossibly thin. And yet Congress is on the verge of making an error that could help to undermine the goal of Afghan peace.
Since American and coalition troops ousted the ruling Taliban, great strides have been made along Afghanistan's path to democracy. After four years of US and international assistance and military involvement, Afghanistan now has a freely elected president and parliament, a nascent national army, and the beginnings of economic development.
But the goal of a stable, peaceful, democratic Afghanistan is still gravely threatened. A resurgent Taliban, increased terrorist attacks, slowed reconstruction and development, and rising opium poppy growth are reversing the tide of success. The risk of losing Afghanistan increases with each passing day. In the last year, deadly attacks have risen by more than 20 percent. Such assaults have killed or injured more US, Afghan, and coalition soldiers, civilians, and aid workers than in the previous three years combined. Heroin production has soared, now constituting nearly half of the Afghan economy, enriching warlords and terrorists alike while fostering government corruption.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/05/25/lets_not_lose_afghanistan_again/
Abbas threatens to call a referendum
By Mohammed Daraghmeh, Associated Press Writer May 25, 2006
RAMALLAH, West Bank --Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday he will call a national referendum on accepting a Palestinian state alongside Israel if Hamas does not agree to the idea within 10 days.
Abbas' surprise announcement was a political gamble that could either help resolve the Palestinians' internal deadlock or lead them into a deeper crisis with the militant Hamas group.
Such a vote would effectively ask Palestinians to give implicit recognition to Israel by accepting a Palestinian state on land occupied by Israel in 1967. Approval of the 18-point plan would provide a way out of the impasse over acceptance of Israel, which has led to an international freeze on aid to the Hamas-led government.
Hamas officials were divided over the idea of a referendum, with several giving their blessing, but others dismissing it as an attempt to undercut the Hamas-led government.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/05/25/palestinian_pm_hamas_fatah_need_platform/
Lawmakers demand FBI return raid files
Capitol Hill search stirs Constitution fight
By Shailagh Murray and Allan Lengel, Washington Post May 25, 2006
WASHINGTON -- In a rare bipartisan action, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and minority leader Nancy Pelosi demanded yesterday that the Justice Department immediately return documents that were seized when federal agents raided the office of Representative William Jefferson as part of a bribery probe.
Pointing out that ``no person is above the law, neither the one being investigated nor those conducting the investigation," Hastert, an Illinois Republican, and Pelosi, a California Democrat, asserted that the Justice Department must cease reviewing the documents and ensure that their contents are not divulged. Once the papers are returned, ``Congressman Jefferson can and should fully cooperate with the Justice Department's efforts, consistent with his constitutional rights," the statement said.
The demands by Hastert and Pelosi further escalated a separation-of-powers conflict between Congress and the White House. The raid last weekend on the office of Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, was the first time in history that the FBI has executed a search warrant on the Capitol Hill office of a sitting lawmaker.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/05/25/lawmakers_demand_fbi_return_raid_files/
Cheney may be called to testify in ex-aide's perjury case
Could be asked about notes on war critic's article
By Toni Locy, Associated Press May 25, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney may be called to testify in the perjury case against his former chief of staff, special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a court filing yesterday.
Fitzgerald suggested that Cheney would be a logical government witness because he could authenticate notes he jotted on an opinion article published July 6, 2003, in The New York Times by former ambassador Joseph Wilson.
Fitzgerald said Cheney's ``state of mind" is ``directly relevant" to what I. Lewis ``Scooter" Libby might have said.
Libby spoke to FBI agents and a US grand jury about how he had learned about CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson's identity and what he subsequently told reporters.
Libby ``shared the interests of his superior and was subject to his direction," the prosecutor wrote. ``Therefore, the state of mind of the vice president as communicated to defendant is directly relevant to the issue."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/05/25/cheney_may_be_called_to_testify_in_ex_aides_perjury_case/
Pearl Jam rocks with power and purpose
By Joan Anderman, Globe Staff May 25, 2006
Remember alternative rock? Intricate arrangements of grungy guitar chords, fuzzily worded but zealously delivered meditations on big problems, acres of corduroy? Such earnest and roiling pleasures have been all but subsumed in the stylish post-punk din, but Pearl Jam is here to remind us just how heady it can be.
Tiring, too. The band's set for a near-capacity Garden audience last night was front-loaded, energy-wise. That's a nice way of saying Pearl Jam seemed to grow weary by the time mid-set rolled around. Frontman Eddie Vedder had consumed much of his bottle of wine, thanks to copious toastings. He swigged and sang for the fans (``Red Mosquito"), the college graduates (``Unemployable"), and Howard Zinn (``Down"), and conceived a clever combination slug in honor of birthday boy Bob Dylan and the ubiquitous grads (``Forever Young").
http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2006/05/25/pearl_jam_rocks_with_power_and_purpose/
18,000 pounds of fireworks seized in N.Y.
May 25, 2006
WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. --Police officers who stopped a truck that was tailgating a fuel tanker on a highway say they made a potentially explosive discovery -- 18,000 pounds of fireworks.
"It would have devastated a quarter-mile radius if they had gone off," Suffolk County Police Department spokesman Robert Boden said Wednesday.
The truck carrying the explosives was found to be dangerously overloaded when it was pulled over Monday for a routine safety check, police said.
A police dog named Nitro -- a German shepherd added to the department's anti-terrorism efforts after the Sept. 11 attacks -- sniffed out the fireworks.
The driver of the truck, whose manifest said it was carrying paper goods, brought the fireworks from Maryland for illegal resale, police said.
State law prohibits the sale or possession of fireworks without a permit. The driver, who was with his adult son, faces multiple summonses for carrying hazardous materials and driving an overweight truck.
To demonstrate how powerful 18,000 pounds of fireworks could be, police exploded about 25 pounds of the sky rockets, Roman candles and other fireworks inside a car at the department's firearms range in Westhampton. The car was destroyed in a massive fireball
http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2006/05/25/18000_pounds_of_fireworks_seized_in_ny/
Explosion levels new home in Middleton
May 25, 2006
MIDDLETON, Mass. --A brand new Colonial on the market for nearly one (m) million dollars blows up in the middle of the night.
Fire officials in Middleton say the explosion may be linked to flooding caused by last week's heavy rains.
No one was in the house and no one was hurt in the blast, which occurred around 3:15 a.m. on Thunder Bridge Road.
Investigators say it appears that a propane tank exploded, blowing out the front wall of the house and collapsing a three-story garage.
Broadcast reports say propane tanks were removed last week after flooding from the nearby Ipswich River. The tanks had reportedly been reconnected yesterday and the gas turned back on.
The four-bedroom, three-bath home had been listed for $929,000 but had not yet been sold. It's now a total loss.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/05/25/explosion_levels_new_home_in_middleton/
Dead horse washes ashore in woman's yard
May 24, 2006
RAVENSWOOD, W.Va. --A dead horse has washed up in Judy Roberts' backyard, and the Jackson County woman is trying to find a way to get rid of the carcass, along with the stench.
Roberts discovered the horse in the Ohio River on Friday. By Sunday, it had shifted onto her property.
"Somebody needs to move it," Roberts said. "It's contaminated the water. And I shouldn't have to live like this."
She can only hope help comes quicker than in Harrison County, where earlier this month a rotting cow carcass was hung up on the tree for several weeks at the West Milford Dam while various government agencies debated whose responsibility it was to remove it.
The cow was hauled away last week through the combined efforts of the Division of Highways and the West Milford and Nutter Fort volunteer fire departments.
Roberts said she has called several agencies -- even Gov. Joe Manchin's office -- and either was told they couldn't help or she got no response.
Roberts said the smell from the horse has gotten so bad, she plans to stay in her home until the problem is resolved.
Manchin spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg said Tuesday night she hadn't heard about the horse. DNR spokesman Hoy Murphy said since the matter doesn't involve wildlife, his office won't get involved.
A call to the Ravenswood Volunteer Fire Department went unanswered Tuesday night.
http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2006/05/24/dead_horse_washes_ashore_in_womans_yard/
Lawyer for nightclub fire defendant asks to withdraw from case
May 25, 2006
PROVIDENCE, R.I. --A lawyer for one of the owners of The Station nightclub wants to drop out of the case.
Attorney Jeff Pine filed a motion today to withdraw as lawyer for Jeffrey Derderian.
He cites "economic and time considerations" in a statement released today.
A Boston lawyer, Anthony Cardinale, is seeing permission from Superior Court Judge Francis Darigan to replace Pine.
Derderian continues to be represented by Kathleen Hagerty and Thomas Dickinson.
Derderian and his brother Michael each face 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the February 2003 fire at The Station nightclub.
Michael Derderian is scheduled to stand trial on July 31. No trial date has been set for his brother
http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2006/05/25/lawyer_for_nightclub_fire_defendant_asks_to_withdraw_from_case/
Top R.I. court orders new trial for man convicted in murder plot
May 25, 2006
PROVIDENCE, R.I. --The Rhode Island Supreme Court ordered a new trial for a man convicted three years ago in a plot to murder a woman who had accused him of rape.
Jose Andujar, of Pawtucket, was convicted in June 2003 of criminal solicitation of murder and sentenced to seven years in prison. He was found guilty of writing a letter from prison to his brother that gave detailed instructions on how to kill a woman.
But the letter never reached his brother, so the Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the conviction and sent the case back to Superior Court for a new trial on the charge of attempted solicitation of murder.
Andujar sent the letter from prison as he awaited trial on sexual assault charges. The note gave detailed advice on how to kill a Westerly woman who had earlier accused Andujar of rape.
The letter was sent to Andujar's brother at a New York City apartment building, but was accidentally placed in the mailbox of the building's landlord. The landlord, who was also a narcotics detective, then contacted the Westerly police.
The Supreme Court said Andujar should not have been convicted of soliciting a murder since his actual request to commit the crime was never received.
The high court also said that prosecutors referred to sexual assault charges against Andujar during his criminal solicitation trial, but never told the jury that he had been acquitted
http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2006/05/25/top_ri_court_orders_new_trial_for_man_convicted_in_murder_plot/
COSATU sees S.Africa "drift toward dictatorship"
By Andrew Quinn May 25, 2006
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's powerful COSATU labor union said on Thursday the country was "drifting toward dictatorship" under President Thabo Mbeki.
In the clearest sign yet of deep political fissures in South Africa's ruling alliance, the Congress of South African Trade Unions said the power struggle involving former Deputy President Jacob Zuma marked the ANC's "worst crisis in years."
"A frightening culture has developed in the ANC of cutting corners and not only to ignore internal democratic processes but to be contemptuous of them," COSATU said in a statement following a meeting of its Central Executive Committee (CEC).
"The main concern of the CEC centers on signs that we may be drifting toward dictatorship."
COSATU is the second member of South Africa's so-called "Tripartite Alliance" to openly criticize Mbeki this week. The South African Communist Party on Sunday declared the Mbeki presidency has become "too overly powerful and concentrated."
http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2006/05/25/cosatu_sees_safrica_drift_toward_dictatorship/
Indonesia puts villagers on home quarantine
May 25, 2006
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Health experts have asked 33 people in a remote Indonesian village to quarantine themselves at home after the H5N1 bird flu virus killed as many as seven members of a family there earlier this month.
Epidemiologists have failed to track down the source of infection in Kubu Simbelang village in north Sumatra and the World Health Organization said this week limited human-to-human transmission between family members might have occurred.
"There are 33 people identified as close contacts. We've asked them to observe home quarantine. That's something they are willing to do to protect themselves and their families," said Dick Thompson, spokesman for the WHO.
Meanwhile, local tests have confirmed an Indonesian child from the city of Bandung died of bird flu, a senior health ministry official said on Thursday.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2006/05/25/indonesia_puts_villagers_on_home_quarantine/
The Jakarta Post
Australia to deploy 1,300 troops; South Korean man shot in Dili
CANBERRA (AP): Australia will send 1,300 troops to East Timor immediately because of the worsening fighting between dismissed soldiers and security forces, Prime Minister John Howard said Thursday.
Howard said the situation in East Timor had deteriorated significantly since he announced the deployment of 130 commandos who arrived at Dili late Thursday and secured the main airport.
"Given the deterioration, we will go ahead without any conditionality with the full deployment and the 1,300 will be in place in a very short order," Howard told reporters.
Australia's deputy chief of defense was on his way to Dili to arrange for the deployment but his aircraft turned back to the northern city of Darwin because of the worsening violence, media reported.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillgen.asp?fileid=20060525173937&irec=0
Locals anxious after Merapi emits plume of hot ash
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
Mt. Merapi expelled a massive batch of hot ash early Tuesday, its second in the past eight days, frightening locals about the potential discharge of toxic gas only a day after many returned home from evacuation centers.
The smoldering volcano belched and groaned before sending a cascade of thick clouds of ash racing down its slopes six times from 7:15 a.m. to 8:40 a.m.
The clouds reached a distance between three and three and a half kilometers from the crater, moving in a southwest direction toward Magelang in Central Java and the western part of Sleman.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.@01&irec=1
PLN begins rotating electricity outages
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
State-owned electricity company PT PLN began to cut its power supply from the Java-Bali power grid system Tuesday after appealing to household and industrial consumers to limit usage during peak hours.
The drop in supply is due to malfunctions in several power plants that are expected to take at least two weeks to repair.
"At 8 a.m., we had to cut our electricity supply by 240 megawatts (MW) and at 2 p.m. by 250 MW," Mulyo Adji, PLN general manager of electricity supply and control for Java and Bali, said Tuesday.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.A02&irec=2
Soeharto in unstable condition
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Former president Soeharto's health remained unstable Tuesday as doctors attempted to halt renewed internal bleeding.
Head of the team of doctors treating him, Mardjo Soebiandono, said bleeding was found in the area where his gastrostomy feeding tube was inserted, but it was stopped through the use of drugs.
The team performed an endoscopy in the evening at South Jakarta's Pertamina Hospital and found blood clots around the tube, which they planned to treat with drug therapy.
He added the 84-year-old was in pain and very weak due to severe blood loss. "He had been bleeding since Monday night. His hemoglobin dropped to 8.2 grams per deciliter, while the normal hemoglobin level is between 13 to 15 grams per deciliter."
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.@03&irec=5
Two siblings believed to have bird flu
Abdul Khalik and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Bandung
One of two new suspected bird flu patients from the same family in Bandung, West Java, died Tuesday, leading to speculation that a new cluster has surfaced.
The two, a 10-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man, were admitted to Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung on Monday evening, but the girl's condition worsened and she died at 2:50 p.m on Tuesday.
The siblings, residents of Cileunyi in Bandung regency, exhibited symptoms associated with bird flu and had known contact with dead chickens.
"They had high fevers and lower respiratory infections, which made it hard for them to breathe," said Djatnika, the deputy head of the hospital's bird flu team.
Blood samples taken from the two, he said, have been sent to a Health Ministry laboratory. Local tests, however, are not considered definitive and need confirmation from a World Health Organization (WHO)'s internationally accredited laboratory.
A previous bird flu cluster in West Java was identified earlier this year in Indramayu, where several members of the same family died. As well as a new one in Medan found last week, health authorities have pinpointed five bird flu clusters around the country.
But new cases of bird flu have continued to emerge. On Monday, a man from a North Sumatra village, who belonged to a bird flu cluster believed to total eight infections from one family, died. Local tests also confirmed two more bird flu infections in the country.
While the government put the total cases of bird flu here at 43, with 33 fatalities, WHO put the figure at 41 cases, with 32 fatalities.
The ASEAN Foundation, one arm of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has said it is time to turn to technology for help.
The foundation proposes using information and communications technology (ICT), particularly short message service (SMS), to prevent further outbreaks of the disease.
The idea is based on the successful application of ICT in Thailand and Vietnam to stop new bird flu cases in both humans and animals at village level. The foundation is now applying ICT for the same purpose in Laos and Cambodia.
The foundation's executive director, Apichai Sunchindah, said Thailand and Vietnam had been successful in dealing with bird flu through the use of information technology.
In Thailand, he said, one million volunteers -- equipped with cellular phones or computers -- were deployed at village level. They filed their reports via e-mail or text message to a central terminal for the government to follow up.
"With this system, people are involved and the government can map out the spread of bird flu to take sufficient measures," Sunchindah said on the sidelines of an international symposium on ICT for social development in Jakarta on Tuesday.
While Indonesia is struggling to contain bird flu, there have been no reports of new cases in Thailand or Vietnam this year, winning them praise from international communities.
Professor Felix Librero from the University of the Philippines, who has conducted intensive research on the use of text messages to pass on information to fight bird flu, and managing director of Malaysia's Southbound Sdn. bhd. Chin Saik Yoon, both agreed the method would work in Indonesia.
There are about 60 million cell phone users in the country.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.A03&irec=4
Employment growth and changing market demands
Winarno Zain, Jakarta
Indonesia's epidemic of social conflict has spread into the industrial relations area. If the tensions between employers and employees cannot be managed properly, the effect on employment growth could be serious. As the cost of labor rises as a relative share of production costs and peaceful industrial relations become rarer and rarer, it is not surprising that industries are turning to machines over labor in manufacturing.
This movement away from labor means it will be extremely difficult for industries to absorb all the new workers coming to the market at the current projected gross domestic product growth rate. This means even if investment picks up later in the year, the unemployment rate of 10.3 percent will persist for some time to come.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20060524.E02&irec=3
Fed Cup team gets OK for Israel tie
Abdul Khalik and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Foreign Ministry has given its approval for the Fed Cup women's tennis team to compete in the World Group II playoff in Israel in mid-July despite the absence of diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv.
The decision removes the threat of the Indonesian Tennis Association (Pelti) being penalized for defaulting the tie, which would have included a US$5,000 fine, reimbursement of the costs incurred from its cancellation and a temporary ban from competition.
"Since the match is organized by the International Tennis Federation and has nothing to do with Indonesian bilateral relations with Israel, it is possible for Indonesia to play in Israel," Foreign Ministry spokesman Desra Percaya told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.@02&irec=3
Rude reception for 'Gus Dur' in W. Java
A group of demonstrators disrupted a planned address Tuesday by former president Abdurrahman Wahid at an interethnic and religious discussion in Purwakarta, West Java. The demonstrators -- claiming to be from several right-wing militant groups -- rudely demanded he step down from the podium, Gus Dur's daughter Zannuba "Yenny" Arifah Chafsoh Rahman said. The situation nearly became violent when members of Abdurrahman's Nahdlatul Ulama youth wing confronted the demonstrators. Abdurrahman's official website (www.gusdur.com) cited Sona Maulida Roemardhie, organizer of the event, as claiming the demonstrators were led by Asep Hamdani, the head of the local chapter of the Islam Defenders Front.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.@04&irec=6
GAM establishes political party
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) formally announced the establishment of a new political party Tuesday and appointed two independent candidates to take part in the next direct gubernatorial elections in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.
The decision came at the end of a three-day meeting which focused on discussing the political programs of the former separatist group.
However, GAM representatives would not divulge the name of the party nor the identities of the candidates.
"We cannot announce our independent candidates because we are still waiting for the results of the bill deliberation," Zaini Abdullah, formerly GAM's foreign minister in exile, told the media about the ongoing deliberation of the Aceh governance bill in the House of Representatives.
Speculation about the identities of the candidates centers on Hasbi Abdullah and Muhammad Nazar of the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA).
The meeting was attended by about 100 GAM figures, including former top executives in exile Malik Mahmood Al Haytar and Bakhtiar Abdullah, who returned to Aceh earlier this year after many years abroad.
Other foreign representatives came from the United States, Norway, Malaysia, Denmark, Canada, Australia and Sweden. They joined members from North Sumatra, Java and 17 other areas in the archipelago.
The meeting also decided the GAM would only nominate its independent candidates in the upcoming regional elections and not through a coalition with other parties.
"As soon as the Aceh administration bill is approved in line with the Helsinki agreement, we will disclose the names of our candidates," said Sofyan Dawood, a spokesman of the Aceh Administration Transfer Commission.
"The most important thing here is that the main points were discussed in the framework for the establishment of the local political party," Malik Mahmood said.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060524.A05&irec=8
Structural and cultural conflict within NU
Suratno, Jakarta
In his article in The Jakarta Post's May 8 edition, titled Is NU shifting toward intolerance?, Herdi Sahrasad says that Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has begun to depart from its original character toward religious intolerance.
To support his argument, the writer presents evidence such as the NU Central Board's support for the Indonesian Ulema Council's (MUI) fatwas, which have declared Ahmadiyah heretical and ban pluralism, liberalism and secularism. The NU executive board also joined Muslim hard-liners and political parties in supporting the enactment of the pornography bill.
In my opinion, it is too simple to say, based only on what has been announced by its central board, that NU is shifting toward intolerance. NU is more than just an organization (jam'iyyah) of structural and administration management processes.
To understand NU, we must look at its elements - the Nahdliyin (the faithful members), its Pesantren (boarding school) tradition and its cultural tradition, including its young intellectuals. To see only the face of NU, its central board, is to judge a book by its cover.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20060524.F01&irec=1
President says IMF debt to be repaid in 2 years
Tony Hotland and Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Mataram/Jakarta
President Yudhoyono confirmed the government's intention Tuesday of repaying ahead of schedule Indonesia's multibillion dollar debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which would be done in two stages and within two years.
"I have talked to Bank Indonesia and I think it's about time we paid. We will repay our $7.8 billion debt to the IMF in two years," he said during a visit to Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara, on the island of Lombok.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailbusiness.asp?fileid=20060524.L02&irec=1
Developing a (new) culture
Budi W. Soetjipto, Jakarta
A company's corporate culture is what determines its success. On the other hand, the business environment is becoming more turbulent. To ensure its success, a company must be flexible enough to ride such a dynamic environment.
However, a company cannot be flexible unless its culture is also flexible. The question is, how flexible can a firm's corporate culture be? To answer this question we must first understand that corporate culture encompasses norms and values that may take years to develop.
The longer the period, the stronger the culture. Additionally, the development of a business' corporate culture in the earlier stages may frame the development in later stages. Therefore, corporate culture is historical in nature, and that makes a strong culture, characterized by a long history and a strong framing, inflexible.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailsupplement.asp?fileid=20060524.R01&irec=0
The San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle launches podcast for Filipinos
First posted 04:53pm (Mla time) May 25, 2006
By Erwin Lemuel Oliva
INQ7.net
Subscribe to Breaking News alerts, send ON EXTRA BREAKING to 2207 for Globe, or send EXTRA BREAKING to 386 for Smart.
ANOTHER Filipino-oriented podcast has emerged, this time from US-based newspaper The San Francisco Chronicle.
The podcast, dubbed Pinoy Pod, is a weekly program that features interviews, news and information about the Filipino experience in Northern California and the Philippines, according to the US newspaper’s website.
People can download or listen to the Pinoy Pod at HYPERLINK www.sfgate.com/blogs/podcasts.
A podcast is a radio show that one can listen to or download from the Internet. It can be played on one's computer or downloaded to a portable digital music player, such as the popular iPod.
The first episode highlights Joey Ayala’s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner in Filipino, and the subsequent interview with him on why he translated the American anthem into Filipino.
The first episode also features famous Filipino stand-up comedian Rex Navarette who uses Filipino culture as a basis for his sketches.
The podcast episodes are mainly in English but the Filipino language will in the future be used to reach more Filipinos, the podcast’s proponents said.
Pinoy Pod is a product of the San Francisco Chronicle's Filipino journalists deputy managing editor Leslie Guevarra, editorial writer and columnist Pati Poblete, podcast producer Benny Evangelista, business reporter and Pinoy Pod producer Ben Pimentel, reporter Cicero Estrella and copy editor Michelle Louie.
Pinoy Pod will include topics on arts, culture, entertainment, business and political and social issues. It will run from 10 to 20 minutes, and will be updated Tuesdays.
According to the San Francisco Chronice, this is the first time a major American newspaper is offering a podcast for Filipinos.
http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=7&story_id=76973
Some students feel left in the lurch
Simone Sebastian, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Two weeks ago when a judge struck down California's exit exam, 17-year-old Salvador Rodriguez thought he would be graduating from high school in June with his friends.
But the state Supreme Court's decision Wednesday to reinstate the exit exam has thrown Salvador's diploma in limbo, again.
The Richmond High School senior has taken the exam twice, but doesn't know if he passed his most recent try.
"I'm anxious, nervous. There's a lot on my shoulders," said Salvador, who dreams of attending UC Berkeley. "In a way, it'd be cool to let us graduate, but that wouldn't be the honest answer. I'd rather earn my way there."
About 47,000 students across California have not yet passed the exit exam. It is not known how many of those students had earned enough credits and were on track to graduate next month.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/25/MNG53J1KQV1.DTL
California wines beat the French -- again Taste-off proves California wines age best, too
Even after 30 years of aging, state's Cabernets still tops
Who says California wines don't age?
The French do. Repeatedly.
Yet Gaul is biting its tongue today after California smoked France Wednesday in a cross-continental tasting of wines that have matured in cellars for three decades. The California Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines placed first through fifth, followed by four wines from France's hallowed Bordeaux region and then another California Cab.
Sacre bleu!
Make that red, white and blue.
The occasion marked the 30th anniversary of "The Judgment of Paris," a tasting by French and British judges that pitted California against Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignons on May 24, 1976.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/25/MNGRBJ1OS530.DTL
Testimony: Cheney angered over envoy's column on war
Prosecutor says issue is key to Libby's focus on CIA agent's husband
R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Washington -- Vice President Dick Cheney was personally angered by a former U.S. ambassador's newspaper column attacking a key rationale for the war in Iraq, and he repeatedly instructed his former chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, to "get all the facts out" related to the critique, according to excerpts from Libby's 2004 grand jury testimony released late Wednesday by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald.
Libby also told the grand jury that Cheney raised as an issue that the former ambassador's wife worked at the CIA and that she allegedly played a role in sending him to investigate the Iraqi government's interest in acquiring nuclear weapons materials. That issue formed the basis of former ambassador Joseph Wilson's published critique.
In his evening court filing, which included the formerly secret testimony, Fitzgerald did not assert that Cheney instructed Libby to tell reporters the name and role of Valerie Wilson, Joseph Wilson's wife. But he said Cheney's interactions with Libby on that topic were a key part of the reason that Libby allegedly made false statements to the FBI about his conversations with reporters around the time her name was disclosed in news accounts.
"The state of mind of the vice president as communicated to defendant (Libby) is directly relevant to the issue of whether defendant knowingly made false statements to federal agents and the grand jury regarding when and how he learned about Ms. Wilson's employment and what he said to reporters regarding this issue," Fitzgerald said.
The prosecutor also left open the possibility that Cheney will be called as a witness during Libby's trial, scheduled to begin next year, and denied an assertion last week by Libby's lawyers that Cheney would not be called.
Fitzgerald was appointed in late 2003 to investigate the disclosure of Valerie Wilson's name to the media. His probe has led to a series of disclosures about efforts by the White House to rebut Joseph Wilson's published critique, but no official has been directly charged with leaking Valerie Wilson's name.
Instead, Libby was accused of making false statements, obstruction of justice and perjury, mostly based on his statements that he did not confirm Valerie Wilson's employment at the CIA and alleged involvement in Joseph Wilson's trip when he was talking with two journalists. Libby has denied wrongdoing.
Fitzgerald has sought to build a case that Libby was preoccupied with the task of rebutting Joseph Wilson's July 2003 column, which accused the White House of twisting intelligence to support its invasion of Iraq -- and that this preoccupation stemmed from Cheney's own intense focus on Wilson's assertions. Wednesday's court filing included Libby's March 5, 2004, testimony when he recalled that he and Cheney discussed Wilson's article on multiple occasions each day after it appeared.
Cheney saw it as attacking his own credibility, Libby said.
"He wanted to get all the facts out about what he had or hadn't done, what the facts were or were not. He was very keen about that and said it repeatedly. Let's get everything out," Libby testified.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/05/25/MNGSDJ21111.DTL
INSECURITY
Bugged by phone companies
Database debate helping one local telecom provider
Privacy promises draw more to Working Assets
Ryan Kim, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, May 25, 2006
While some telephone companies have taken it on the chin lately over allegations of sharing customer phone records with the government, one San Francisco telecommunications business is benefiting from the controversy.
Working Assets, a small long-distance and wireless provider known for its contributions to progressive causes, has enjoyed an increase in subscriptions and added attention lately because of its public promises of customer privacy and its vocal opposition to any sharing of phone records with the National Security Agency.
The company said it signed up more than 1,000 long-distance and wireless customers last week after the NSA phone database story broke, triple what it normally does in a week.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/25/BUGK8J1JRI1.DTL&type=tech
Hurricanes may bring flying FEMA trailers
Even big winds treat them like tuna cans
Chad Heeter
Sunday, May 21, 2006
I'm standing on the coast, staring not at the Gulf of Mexico, but inland, into the nothingness that used to be Waveland, Miss. Where once homes, a library and City Hall stood, there's only rubble, ghostly slabs of concrete, sun-bleached pants, nightgowns and curtains eerily draped high in the trees, and a single, green minivan crumpled like an aluminum can. Oh yes, and then there are the "travel trailers" -- supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- that sit on tombstonelike slabs and house many of the residents who remain in this small town.
Now your basic travel trailer is great for a family vacation to Yellowstone, but as protection against a storm? Even when tethered to the ground (and some of these aren't), trailers can rock back and forth in relatively mild winds and be heavily damaged in your ordinary thunderstorm. But in Waveland, where Katrina hit with devastating Category-4 force nearly nine months ago -- and, far more important, it's only a week or so before the new hurricane season begins on June 1 -- these trailers shelter hundreds of families.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/05/21/ING7CISDH11.DTL
Some skeptical Libya's Khadafy is really changing
Critics say shifty leader's move a ploy to gain America's help -- and money
Jonathan Curiel, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Before he was murdered by agents of Moammar Khadafy, before toughs kidnapped him from his Cairo hotel room and silenced him forever, Mansour El-Kikhia wrote a trenchant book about the Libyan leader that aptly described Khadafy as a "quick learner and a survivor ... a master of the art of manipulation. Central to his complex personality is his unpredictability, which at times, when combined with his ability to manipulate, provides for a dangerous domestic and international Libyan policy."
The dangers of that policy are evident today, according to Human Rights Watch, which keeps a laundry list of grievances against Khadafy's regime, including arbitrary detention of women and girls in "social rehabilitation" facilities, the jailing and killing of government opponents, and the lack of a free press and political parties.
For years, the United States subscribed to this view of Libya, as one of the most vile, repressive, brutal states in the world.
How quickly foes can become friends.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/05/21/ING8IISS4G1.DTL
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