PRAGUE, March 19 (Xinhua) — The Czech police must continue to investigate alleged bribe-taking that could have taken place during the talks about buying JAS-39 Gripen fighter planes for Czech Air Force, Supreme State Attorney\’s Office speaker announced on Friday.
Police has already twice stopped the investigation, as it had not found enough evidence to confirm the allegations of corruption voiced not only at home but also in the United States and Britain.
\”The previous investigation did not refute the suspicion that criminal conduct could have been involved,\” State Attorney speaker said. The decision to dismiss the case was unlawful and premature, she noted.
Czech Air force wanted to buy Sweden\’s Saab and Britain\’s BAE Systems in April 2002, but later it decided only to lease 14 of them. British BAE recently paid fines to settle the claims of bribery involving contracts not only with the Czech Republic, but also with Hungary.
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MADRID, March 26 (Xinhua) — Two freight trains collided in the central Avilla province in Spain early Friday, killing a driver on one of the trains, the European News Agency reported.
The collision took place when a freight train struck another cargo train which was waiting for stop signal to enter Arevalo station in northern Avilla, said a spokesman of the rail infrastructure administration.
The driver was killed on the spot, he said.
The rail links between Madrid and Paris was temporarily disrupted due to the accident and the cause was under investigation.
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Related Clinton expects new START deal to be signed soon Russia says new START treaty almost complete UN chief optimistic about new START deal
MOSCOW, March 20 (Xinhua) — Russia and the United States probably will sign a long-awaited new strategic arms reduction treaty (START) in April, the Russian daily Kommersant reported Saturday.
The treaty will be signed in the Czech capital of Prague before Washington hosts the Nuclear Security Summit on April 12-13, a diplomatic source told the newspaper.
After Friday\’s talks between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Yuri Ushakov, deputy head of the Russian government office, said the two sides would \”most probably\” sign the treaty in April in Europe.
Russia and the United States have been working on a new treaty since Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama met last April in an effort to \”reset\” ties that had plunged to an unprecedented low during the final days of the Bush administration.
Despite rounds of negotiations, the two sides failed to reach a pact before the original 1991 START expired in December.
An outline of the new treaty, agreed to by both presidents, includes slashing nuclear warheads to between 1,500 and 1,675 and delivery vehicles to between 500 and 1,000.
The source said negotiators in Geneva are finalizing the document\’s wording, \”taking into account the nuances of Russian and English.\”
He also said the document acknowledges a linkage with planned U.S.missile defense elements in Europe.
Moscow has repeatedly demanded that a link between missile defense and offensive weapons cuts be included in the new START treaty.
Previous reports said Ukraine had suggested the signing to be held in Kiev, a proposal welcomed by Russia, but the source said the United States rejected that suggestion.
http://www.ceshq.com
LONDON, March. 20 (Xinhua) — British Airways (BA) cabin crew started strike on Saturday morning that will cause severe disruptions to flights for the next three days.
BA said that 65 percent of passengers would still be able to reach their destination during the first three-day strike, even though a total of 1,100 BA flights out of the 1,950 scheduled to operate would be canceled.
At Heathrow, more than 60 percent of long-haul flights will operate, thought only 30 percent of short-haul flights are expected to do so, with the help of aircraft leased from rival airlines, BA said.
At Gatwick, all long-haul flights and more than half of short-haul flights are expected to operate as normal, it said.
But uncertainty still exists about just how many BA crew will go on strike after BA said any staff who took part in strike action would lose perks, including heavily-discounted travel fares.
BA said that it is confident it can handle 49,000 passengers on each of Saturday and Sunday, compared with around 75,000 on a normal weekend day in March.
The talks between BA and the Unite Union, which represents the cabin crew, collapsed on Friday. A further four days of strike are set to begin on March 27. Cabin crew is striking over pay and working conditions.
http://www.cne.cc
by David Harris
JERUSALEM, March 31 (Xinhua) — While Britain has given Israel reassurance that the recent passport forgery scandal is a thing of the past, members of the House of Commons are insisting the British government look closely at arms sales to Israel.
Britain maintains relatively warm relations with the Jewish state, but a series of events in recent months suggests some English parliamentarians and grassroots activists are less than happy with the close ties with Israel.
London expelled an Israeli diplomat earlier this month after Britain accused Israeli spies of using fake British identification papers in order to carry out an assassination of a Palestinian Hamas commander in the United Arab Emirates.
A report published this week by the House of Commons Committees on Arms Export Controls took a hard look at Britain\’s weapons sales to Israel. The cross-party group believes it is \”almost certainly\” the case that British weaponry was used during Israel\’s military campaign in Gaza more than a year ago, which left over 1, 400 Palestinians dead.
While members of Parliament are slamming arms sale to Israel, analysts believe a complete embargo on Israel is not likely to be adopted by the British government.
\”POLICY IS TO ALLOW EXPORTS\”
The arms export controls committee\’s report was the latest in a series that question the nature of British arms sales to Israel. It reportedly heard that the government is looking at arms deals on a case-by-case basis with five licenses being halted in the wake of the Gaza war.
However, that is far from satisfactory for organizations such as the London-based Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT). The nonprofit organization submitted a deposition to the lawmakers before they compiled their latest document.
\”The British government has continued to license exports to Israel and is also supplying parts that are then incorporated into weapons and exported by United States suppliers,\” Sarah Waldron, the core campaign coordinator for CAAT, told Xinhua on Wednesday.
\”Britain cannot be sure that those parts are not going to be used in attacks on civilians or attacks on the occupied territories,\” she added.
The organization argued the fact that the British government is studying its licensing policy on \”a case by case basis\” means that the general policy is to sanction exports.
\”It has to be quite an extreme example before they refuse licenses,\” said Waldron.
Since the end of the Gaza fighting in January 2009, British government ministers have made several comments on the issue.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister Ivan Lewis wrote a memorandum to the Commons Committees on Arms Export Controls last July in which he said that 182 examples were looked into. Five of those were cause for concern.
They related to the exports of systems for the Sa\’ar 4.5 class missile boats of Israeli navy.
\”We had credible evidence from a number of sources that this vessel had been used to bombard coastal areas during the Operation, \” wrote Lewis.
ISTANBUL, March 20 (Xinhua) — Turkey announced Saturday to postpone the 29th Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkey Relations in response to the U.S. passage of a \”genocide\” resolution.
Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey said the conference, initially planned to be held in Washington on April 11-14, was postponed due to the approval of an Armenian resolution at the Foreign Relations Committee of U.S. Congress and the following developments.
The semi-official Anatolia news agency reported that the annual conference is organized by Turkish-American Business Council (TAIK) and American-Turkish Council (ATC) every year in April.
TAIK and ATC made the joint postponement decision. The two councils expressed sorrow over the postponement of the conference to a further date.
However, they said that they had full confidence in sound commercial and investment relations between Turkey and the United States.
On March 4, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Relations approved a resolution in support of the Armenian allegations regarding the incidents of 1915.
Turkey is facing hard times in its foreign policy about Armenian issue. In the United States and Sweden, two resolutions have called the killings in 1915 \”genocide.\”
Upon such development, Turkey temporarily recalled its ambassador in Washington Namik Tan to Ankara.
http://www.kphy.com
BRDO PRI KRANJU, Slovenia, March 20 (Xinhua) — Western Balkans nations have ended a conference here with an agreement to adopt a \”culture of dialogue\” in an effort to build greater regional trust, the respective prime ministers of Slovenia and Croatia, Borut Pahor and Jadranka Kosor, announced Saturday.
Seven prime ministers from the Western Balkans signed a joint declaration that reaffirmed their commitment to joining the EU, their respect for European standards and their commitment to pursue the necessary reforms. The declaration also called on the EU to \”maintain the enlargement process high on its agenda\”.
Along with the co-sponsors of Slovenia and Croatia, Nikola Spiric of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Nikola Gruevski of Macedonia, Hashim Thaci of Kosovo, Milo Djukanovic of Montenegro and Sali Berisha, prime minister of Albania, attended the conference, entitled \”Together for the European Union: Contribution of the Western Balkans to the European Future.\”
EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele and Lamberto Zanier, head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), also attended.
At the press conference, Prime Minister Pahor said the leaders discussed, behind closed doors, a variety of problems from EU integration, to inter-regional disagreements and problems pertaining to the fact that certain regional states do not officially recognize each other.
There was speculation in the days preceding the conference that it would be cancelled when Serbian President Boris Tadic indicated he would not attend if Kosovo was recognized as an international state. Consistent with previous events, Serbia, which disputes the legality of Kosovo\’s self-declared independence, boycotted this conference. Bosnia and Herzegovina also does not recognize Kosovo.
Pahor praised the Bosnian prime minister for attending the conference, despite reservations and in spite of the fact that his country does not have diplomatic relations with Kosovo.
\”We need bridges of cooperation, interpersonal respect and a climate of dialogue and then problems become solvable,\” said Kosor, the Croatian co-host. The relationship between Slovenia and Croatia was cited by both hosts as an example for others in the region to follow. Despite a border dispute which led to Slovenia blocking Croatia\’s EU accession process, a model to overcome the impasse was eventually found through bi-lateral discussion.
The leaders in attendance also agreed to set up a similar conference for economic ministers in the region in the near future.
http://www.lersus.com
Italian Prime Minister and President of the \”Popolo della Liberta\” Silvio Berlusconi\’s (C-on stage) addresses supporters during a pre-electoral rally of his ruling center-right partyin Rome. Hundreds of thousands of people marched through the Italian capital Saturday in a massive show of support for embattled Berlusconi ahead of regional elections(Xinhua/AFP Photo)
ROME, March 20 (Xinhua) – - Thousands crowded San Giovanni Square here on Saturday to support Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi\’s centre-right People of Freedom Party at a national rally ahead of next week\’s regional elections.
On March 28 and 29 elections will be held in 13 out of Italy\’s 20 regions for the renewal of local governors and councils. The result is set to be crucial, a test for the governing body.
Voters of the People of Freedom Party came from all over Italy to express their support with flags, banners, posters, music and dances. The capital was completely jammed for several hours, while police helicopters flew over the square.
It was the biggest centre-right rally of the year, closing the electoral campaign. Most members of government were present and Berlusconi introduced the 13 candidates who will be running in next week\’s elections.
Repeatedly appealing to the slogan of the rally, \”Love wins over hatred and envy,\” the premier attacked the opposition and some \”politically\” involved judges whom he believes are leading a campaign against him.
Italy\’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi gestures as he speaks to supporters of the centre-right Popolo della Liberta (PDL People Freedom Party) during a rally in Rome March 20, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Italy\’s political scene has lately been rocked by fierce contrasts.
In some regions centre-right political lists, initially barred from the electoral campaign, have been readmitted by courts just a couple of days ago. The premier thus asked the judges to postpone the vote in the regions interested, including Latium.
Berlusconi condemned the recent telephone tapping where he is allegedly heard putting pressure on top officials to shut down critical television programs.
He described the tapping as \”ridiculous,\” adding they were misused by the judiciary.
\”We don\’t want a country where everyone is spied on but a country where there is freedom and individual rights are respected, \” he said at the rally.
The premier listed all the government\’s accomplishments, recalling that families had been sustained during the crisis and \”no one will ever be left behind by us.\”
The organizers had planned to attract more than a million people. According to the authorities, about 150,000 people were on the square. The supporters\’ enthusiasm was sky-high.
Marialuisa, 80 years old, came all the way from Ferrara, on the Adriatic coast, just to see the premier. \”I like him a lot,\” she told Xinhua, waving a pro-Berlusconi flag. \”He makes me feel safe. Go Silvio!\”
PRAGUE, March 20 (Xinhua) — Czech President Vaclav Klaus met British Prince Charles and his wife Camilla in a private meeting at Prague Castle Saturday.
Klaus praised Britain for taking a reserved stand on the transfer of more powers to the European Union just as the Czech Republic, in a toast at a gala dinner he and his wife hosted in honor of Charles and Camilla.
Klaus said that in the spirit of the British political tradition it is necessary to protect citizens\’ freedom against new collectivism even at present.
\”I am convinced that today, may be even more than ever before, we face the task of protecting human, civic and economic freedom from any new efforts at suppressing them, this time in the name of new collectivist ideologies and isms,\” Said Klaus.
Klaus also said he respects Prince Charles\’s opinion on global warming and environmental movements, but said no doctrine or environmentalism should lead to restricting the freedoms that Britain has traditionally defended.
Prince Charles is known for his strong belief in nature protection. He has supported bio-farming since the 1980s.
This is Prince of Wales\’s fifth visit to the Czech Republic and the first official for the Duchess of Cornwall. Before coming to Prague, Prince Charles and his wife had also visited Poland and Hungary.
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This photo shows the volcano near the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier, the fifth largest glacier in Iceland, as it begins erupting early Sunday morning March 21, 2010.(Xinhua/AFP Photo) STOCKHOLM, March 21 (Xinhua) — A volcano in Iceland\’s southern area of the Eyjafjallajokull glacier erupted early Sunday, the country\’s civil protection agency said.
The eruption took place shortly after midnight. It is for the first time in almost 200 years that a volcano near Eyjafjallajokull, some 120 km east of Reykjavik, capital of Iceland, has erupt.
Despite no immediate report of danger or human casualties, hundreds of local residents were being evacuated for fear of flooding caused by melting glacier waters, the agency said.
The last eruption of a volcano in the same area occurred in the 1820s.
This photo shows the volcano near the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier, the fifth largest glacier in Iceland, as it begins erupting early Sunday morning March 21, 2010.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)
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LONDON, March 21 (Xinhua) — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday spoke of the clear plan the British government has taken throughout the recession to secure recovery, growth and jobs and said he is confident that \”the economy is returning to health. \”
He said that it is business and private enterprise which are the engines of growth and they need a government confident to take bold decisions investing in national infrastructure.
Brown said: \”We\’ve reached a point in our economic recovery where we need decisions that will determine whether it takes root and we can go for growth- creating jobs and prosperity for all- or whether it withers and dies.\”
\”And it needs a government taking the tough decisions and not being reckless and I want to be clear- we have a plan and we are sticking to it,\” he added.
Brown also said that recovery goes \”hand-in-hand\” with steps to rebuild the public finances and spoke of the ambitious deficit- reduction plan which will reduce borrowing by more than 80 billion pounds (128 billion U.S. dollars).
He said the government\’s plan is driven by fairness with fair tax rises, tough measures on efficiency and public sector pay ensuring funding is protected for front line services like schools, the National Health Service and the police.
Brown said the budget is one of the most important for Britain for many years and throughout the economic recession, both he and Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling have been focused on the \”tough decisions\” needed to support \”you, your family, your job and your home.\”
The chancellor will deliver his Budget 2010 statement on Wednesday and said the budget would emphasize measures to encourage private sector investment and secure long-term economic growth and that a rise in VAT was \”not on the table.\”
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? ?France\’s President Nicolas Sarkozy leaves the polling booth before casting his ballot at a Paris polling station in the second round of regional elections March 21, 2010. Sarkozy\’s centre-right UMP party is due to face heavy losses in regional elections on Sunday that could affect the pace of reform as manoeuvring begins before the 2012 presidential campaign.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
PARIS, March 21 (Xinhua) — Besides a record high abstention, the French ruling central-right party has to endure a near-wipeout in the runoff of the regional election on Sunday as initial results showed that the opposition left-wing took over all but one of 22 regions in metropolitan France.
As the latest polls closed doors at 8:00 p.m., exit polls by the pollster the OpinionWay presented that the opposition Socialist-led left-wing finally took over Corsica, just missing Alsace for a \”grand slam.\”
Corsica and Alsace are the only two strongholds of the ruling UMP-led right-wing in 2004\’s regional election.
In the second round, the left-wing parties have won 54.3 percent of the vote, while the UMP, President Nicolas Sarkozy\’s party, just garnered 36.1 percent.
The far-right National Front won 8.7 percent in the runoff, less than the surprisingly good result of 11.42 percent in the first round, but enough to heal the trauma it suffered from the European election last year, during which less than 6 percent of voters cast for it.
? A young girl offers a flower to France\’s President Nicolas Sarkozy (C) and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (L) as they leave a Paris polling station after voting in the second round of regional elections March 21, 2010. Sarkozy\’s centre-right UMP party is due to face heavy losses in regional elections on Sunday that could affect the pace of reform as manoeuvring begins before the 2012 presidential campaign.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
The Greens party, known as Europe Ecologie, garnered 12.18 percent of votes in the first round, taking the third rank only after the leading Socialist and ruling UMP.
As the emerging political power promoted by last year\’s European election, the Greens has agreed to ally with the Socialist in the second round but aims for a bigger role at the future stage.
Compared with the last regional election six years ago, much more voters preferred staying at home than showing their power to reshape regional councilors.
Latest data presented that the participation rate reached 50.5 percent in the runoff, higher than the historical low of 46 percent in the first round but still well below the record-high 65 percent in the 2004 regional election.
TRIPOLI, March 21 (Xinhua) — Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates arrived on Sunday night in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, the first leg of a North African tour that aims to boost energy ties with the country\’s major oil suppliers.
Besides Libya, Socrates, who is accompanied by a high-level delegation of officials and businessmen, will travel to Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.
In Tripoli, Socrates will meet with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and General Secretary of the General People\’s Committee al- Baghdadi al-Mahmudi. Talks are expected to explore means of balancing the trade balance between the two sides, which is in favor of Libya, one of Portugal\’s major oil suppliers, by 296.8 million euros.
Portuguese Minister for Economy Jose Vieira da Silva said Socrates\’ meetings will focus on promoting relations in energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and food industries.
Da Silva, who is accompanying the Portuguese premier, said the tour aims to broaden existing economic ties with Algeria and Tunisia, promoting neighborhood ties with Morocco, and bring more Portuguese companies to Libya.
On Monday, Socrates will head to Algeria where he will meet with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and will take part in a seminar on renewable energy.
Algeria\’s state-owned oil and gas corporation, Sonatrach, and Galp Energia, Portugal\’s leading oil and natural gas company, had an agreement under which 61 percent of Galp\’s natural gas is sourced from Sonatrach in the form of piped natural gas. Algeria is also one of Portugal\’s main oil suppliers.
http://www.minamik.com
MOSCOW, March 22 (Xinhua) — A passenger plane with an eight-member crew on board made an emergency landing at an airport near Moscow on Monday, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.
All eight aboard were hospitalized after the plane, a Tu-204 flying in from Egypt, made the emergency landing at Moscow\’s Domodedovo airport, Itar-Tass said. Two of them were in grave condition.
The Moscow region\’s emergency department said the plane which was making a technical flight from the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada to Moscow landed about 1.5 km away from the runway.
\”The airliner fell down in the woodland belt area, fell apart, but there was no fire or blast aboard the aircraft,\” the department\’s press service said.
The cause behind the emergency landing was being investigated, but bad visibility and engine failure were most likely to blame, said Itar-Tass.
Earlier media reports said the plane crashed.
http://www.chinacourse.com
LONDON, March 31 (Xinhua) — The Mayor of London Boris Johnson unveiled the artist and design chosen to create a tallest tower in the UK on Wednesday, which would act as a spectacular new visitor attraction in the Olympic Park
The stunning artwork, to be entitled \”The Arcelor Mittal Orbit\”, will ensure the Olympic Park remains an unrivaled visitor destination following the 2012 Games, providing the key Olympic legacy Mayor of London Boris Johnson envisioned for the East End.
Boris Johnson said, \”long after the Games over our aim is to have a stunning spectacle in east London that will be recognized around the world. I\’m thrilled that when visitors from every corner of the globe plan trips to our must see attractions they will now eagerly include the Arcelor Mittal Orbit.\”
Standing at the tower, it will offer unparalleled views of the entire 250 acres of the Olympic Park and London\’s skyline from a special viewing platform. Visitors will be able to take a trip up the statuesque structure in a huge lift and will have the option of walking down the spiraling staircase.
The dark red 115-meter tower was designed by Turner Prize- winning artist Anish Kapoor. Anish Kapoor said, \”I am deeply honored to be invited to undertake this challenging commission. I am particularly attracted to it because of the opportunity to involve members of the public in a particularly close and personal way. It is the commission of a lifetime.\”
The 19.1 million pound cost tower will stand in the southern part of the Olympic Park between the Stadium and Aquatics Center and will open in time for the 2012 Games.
After completion, the Olympic Park Legacy Company will take ownership and run the visitor attraction.
http://www.gtrip.net
? ?France\’s President Nicolas Sarkozy leaves the polling booth before casting his ballot at a Paris polling station in the second round of regional elections March 21, 2010. Sarkozy\’s centre-right UMP party is due to face heavy losses in regional elections on Sunday that could affect the pace of reform as manoeuvring begins before the 2012 presidential campaign.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
by Zhang Xin
PARIS, March 21 (Xinhua) — France\’s regional election ended Sunday night, with initial results showing the ruling UMP party has lost all but one of 22 regions to the left wing in metropolitan France.
The result was widely considered a loud alarm of public rejection of the current central administration.
The Socialist-led left-wing hailed the victory \”unprecedented,\” but it is still hard to tell to what extent the left unity can use the strong local base to bring out a credible candidate to challenge the ruling right in the 2012 presidential vote.
DEFEAT — REFLECTION OF PUBLIC DISAPPOINTMENT
During the last poll before the presidential election, left-wing parties have won 54.3 percent of the vote, against 36.1 percent for the ruling UMP party and 8.7 percent for the far-right National Front, according to OpinionWay polling institute.
The Greens party, known as Europe Ecologie, garnered 12.18 percent of votes in the first round, taking a third place only after the leading Socialist and ruling UMP.
As the emerging political power promoted by last year\’s European election, the Greens has agreed to ally with the Socialist in the second round.
Public disappointment with the ruling party was understandable as the country\’s unemployment rate hit 10 percent, the highest in a decade, and the public deficit was expected to reach 8.2 percent of GDP in 2010.
As Stephane Rozes, a political analyst, told France 24 TV Station in a recent interview that the current economic difficulties challenging the ruling party played into the hands of the left wing, which was considered better at addressing local needs.
REFORM OR NO REFORM, QUESTIONS FOR SARKOZY
Ambitious on pushing forward national reforms on retirement, education and carbon tax, President Nicolas Sarkozy is facing increasing obstacles and declining approval rate.
Weeks before the election, he announced a pause in his reform plan in 2011. Days before the election, he ruled out a large-scale cabinet reshuffle.
However, as the runoff went on, it is hard for the ruling party to ignore the historical low turnout rate and great power of the opposition.
? A young girl offers a flower to France\’s President Nicolas Sarkozy (C) and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (L) as they leave a Paris polling station after voting in the second round of regional elections March 21, 2010. Sarkozy\’s centre-right UMP party is due to face heavy losses in regional elections on Sunday that could affect the pace of reform as manoeuvring begins before the 2012 presidential campaign.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
GENEVA, March 22 (Xinhua) — Swiss regulators will take Swisscom mobile back to court to seek reinstatement of a monopoly- related fine, the Swiss government said on Monday.
Switzerland\’s Federal Administrative Court dismissed a monopoly-related fine totaling 333 million Swiss Francs (313.2 million U.S. dollars) on March 9.
During its annual press conference on Monday, the Swiss competition commission (COMCO) announced it would appeal the decision, thereby bringing the case to the Federal Tribunal, Switzerland\’s highest court.
COMCO instituted the fine following an investigation into Swisscom mobile\’s pricing practices, stating it overcharged other mobile network providers for using its network between April 2004 and May 2005.
The Federal Administrative Court agreed with COMCO in their March 9 ruling, confirming that Swisscom mobile had dominated the mobile market, though the court overruled COMCO\’s fine.
Swisscom mobile continues to hold the dominant position in the Swiss market, followed by France Telecom\’s Orange and Denmark\’s Sunrise.
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MADRID, March 22 (Xinhua) — Spanish Minister of Defense Carme Chacon visited on Monday the Spanish military contingent currently helping earthquake survivors in Haiti, ministry sources said.
Chacon will meet Haitian President Rene Preval and lay a floral wreath on the ruined site of Hotel Christopher, where a Spanish UN Police inspector died in the earthquake striking on Jan. 12.
The Spanish troops are stationed in the town of Petit Grove, about 68 kilometers southeast of the Haitian capital Port au Prince.
The approximately 450 Spanish troops have been carrying out medical, rescue and reconstruction missions since their arrival by the military vessel \”Castilla\” in early February.
So far they have vaccinated 10,000 people, reopened a local maternity hospital, repaired a local power station and assured water supplies.
The Spanish mission in the country ends on May 4, and the minister of defense has no intention of prolonging it.
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PARIS, March 22 (Xinhua) — Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, the rival of present President Nicolas Sarkozy, will create a party on his own behalf, sources close to the politician announced Monday.
\”On Thursday and over the weeks to come, Dominique de Villepin will present the French people with another program, an alternative for 2012,\” right-wing lawmaker Francois Goulard, also Villepin\’s supporter, made the statement through local radio France Inter.
Speaking on the day following the ruling UMP\’s heavy defeat in Sunday\’s regional election, the party member criticized that it\’s simply because of the unpopular president that they lost the regional campaign.
Goulard said though the new party had no name yet, the following Thursday announcement would provide platform for a formal party launch in June.
After the creation of a Villepin Club last year, the career diplomat Villepin, who served as prime minister between 2005 and 2007, never stopped his ambitious goal for the 2012 presidential election.
Sarkozy\’s unity accused the 55-year-old rival of trying to smear him by writing his name to an eye-catching hoax list involved in defalcating arms sales commission.
Early this year, Paris court cleared de Villepin from the case, but public prosecutors said they would appeal against the verdict and continue to badger with the politician to the end of 2010 or the beginning of 2011.
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Backgrounder: Major terrorism attacks in Russia linked to Russia\’s North Caucasus
Backgrounder: Basic facts about Republic of Dagestan
Special Report: Twin blasts rock Moscow subway
MOSCOW, April 1 (Xinhua) — Security has been beefed up to an unprecedented level in Moscow after Monday\’s twin suicide bombings in the city\’s subway.
Related ?Two blasts kill 12 in southern Russia\’s Dagestan Death toll rises to 39 Medvedev vows to fight terrorism Blasts-hit Moscow subway line resumes operation ?Russia to track down terrorists: Putin On Wednesday, the number of police on patrol was more than doubled at major subway stations, airports, railway stations, underpasses, schools, hospitals and theaters. They made more frequent inspections and cross-questioned suspicious passengers.
Reporters saw that police officers were screening passenger luggage with metal detectors at the entrance of the Lubyanka subway station, and sniffer dogs were patrolling the platform.
According to the police, a total of 180 sniffer dogs were patrolling the Moscow metro stations on Wednesday.
The police have also increased roadblocks on highways leading into the city and are keeping their eyes open on migrants from southern provinces.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Wednesday ordered the government to strengthen security on national transport in response to recent terrorist attacks.
\”I have signed a decree today, ordering to build a complex system to guarantee security on transport,\” Medvedev told the Security Council as quoted by the Interfax news agency.
According to the decree, priority should be put on public transport such as trains and buses to effectively prevent terrorist attacks.
The president also ordered the Security Council to draw up relevant programs that would equip key transport hubs with tighter security by the end of next March, and establish a complex transport security system nationwide by 2014.
\”It is difficult to prevent such terrorist attacks and provide security on transport,\” Medvedev said earlier at an emergency meeting.
\”It is necessary to tighten what we did earlier, to look at the problem on a national scale, not only relating to a certain populated area or a type of transport. Obviously, what we have done before is not enough,\” Itar-Tass quoted the president as saying.
Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin said the ministry would implement security checks in all transport facilities, especially the metro, airports, railway stations and seaports.
\”Vulnerable transport facilities are being spotted and assessed. We will draw up a plan to protect each of them from illicit intervention,\” Levitin said.
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? France\’s President Nicolas Sarkozy leaves the polling booth before casting his ballot at a Paris polling station in the second round of regional elections March 21, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
PARIS, March 22 (Xinhua) — French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday announced plans to reshuffle his cabinet following the heavy defeat his ruling party suffered in Sunday\’s regional election.
According to a statement from the Elysee Palace, Budget Minister Eric Woerth was named to replace Xavier Darcos as the new labor minister, while Darcos was ousted from the cabinet for his bad showing in the regional election.
Francois Baroin, former Interior Minister, was nominated as new Budget Minister. He is reported as ex-President Jacques Chirac\’s man.
Marc-Philippe Daubresse, member of the National Assembly, was to charge the Ministry of Youth and Solidarity. The 56-year-old lawmaker represents France\’s Nord Department and is member of the ruling UMP.
Georges Tron, an ally of Sakozy\’s rival Dominique de Villepin, was announced to serve as Secretary of State for Public Service.
During Sunday\’s runoff of the regional election, the opposition left-wing parties was estimated to have won 54.3 percent of the vote, while Sarkozy\’s party, just garnered 36.1 percent.
Losing all but one of the 22 regions in the mainland to the opposition, the ruling party is enduring massive pressure as the public and opposition parties blame the policies and reforms taken by the current government.
The Elysee later announced that Sarkozy would make a statement on Wednesday about the cabinet reshuffle, the first after the birth of the new government.
Before the decisive regional election, Sarkozy\’s personal approval rating has fallen at 36 percent, its lowest point.
A latest poll by Ipsos published Monday on the weekly magazine Le Point showed that over 58 percent of French people said they didn\’t want Sarkozy to run for a re-election in 2012.
Related:
Ruling UMP loses to left-wing amid high abstention in France\’s regional election
PARIS, March 21 (Xinhua) — Besides a record high abstention, the French ruling central-right party has to endure a near-wipeout in the runoff of the regional election on Sunday as initial results showed that the opposition left-wing took over all but one of 22 regions in metropolitan France.
As the latest polls closed doors at 8:00 p.m., exit polls by the pollster the OpinionWay presented that the opposition Socialist-led left-wing finally took over Corsica, just missing Alsace for a \”grand slam.\”?? Full story
http://www.tbogg.com
LONDON, March 22 (Xinhua) — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday set out plans to ensure superfast broadband for every home, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the process.
In a speech in London on Monday, Brown pledged a \”radical\” package of internet-led measures — coupled with funding to be announced in Wednesday\’s Budget — to transform Britain by 2020.
Some 30 million pounds (45 million U.S. dollars) will be allocated to create an Institute of Web Science. Brown said this will help place Britain at the cutting edge of research on the semantic web and other emerging web and internet technologies and ensure that government is taking the right funding decisions to position Britain as a world leader.
\”And we will invite universities and private sector web developers and companies to join this collaborative project,\” he added.
The plan also included a personalized webpage \”Mygov\” for accessing services available within four years in a bid to reduce the cost of face-to-face contacts with officials.
Brown said it was vital that Britain was at the forefront of new technology, adding that \”I want Britain to be the world leader in the digital economy which will create over a quarter of a million skilled jobs by 2020; the world leader in public service delivery where we can give the greatest possible voice and choice to citizens, parents patients and consumers; and the world leader in the new politics where that voice for feedback and deliberative decisions can transform the way we make local and national policies and decisions.\”
The Cabinet Office will establish a new Digital Public Services Unit, which will be charged with ensuring that departments achieve rapid progress on transferring and transforming services to online channels.
It will ensure that the \”immense opportunities that Britain\’s digital future offers us are available to all — not just to some. \”
During the speech, Brown also said: \”Each week I record a podcast and use twitter most days. Number10.gov.uk carries out daily conversations with more than 1.7 million followers. There have been almost 2 million views of our images on flickr and 4.3 million views of our films and videos on YouTube.\”
\”But we can do much more. Today, we are launching a brand new Number 10 iPhone application that will bring news, video and audio from the downing street website to potentially millions of users completely free of charge,\” he said.
http://www.chinacourse.com
MOSCOW, April 1 (Xinhua) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has made a surprise visit to the restive North Caucasus republic of Dagestan to discuss recent terrorist attacks emanating from the region, news agencies reported on Thursday.
\”We must broaden the range of counter terrorism measures and make them more efficient and tougher. (Terrorists) must be punished,\” said Medvedev as quoted by the Interfax news agency.
The president, who arrived at the regional capital of Makhachkala by helicopter, will chair a meeting of heads of North Caucasian republics and territorial units of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Interior Ministry.
The visit by Medvedev, accompanied by FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov and Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev, came a day after 12 people, including nine police officers, were killed in two blasts in the Dagestani town of Kizlyar.
Bortnikov and Nurgaliyev briefed the Russian head of state on the situation in the North Caucasian republic after the bomb attacks.
On Monday, two female suicide bombers killed 39 in attacks on the Moscow subway system, which the authorities have linked to militants from the North Caucasus.
Earlier on Thursday, the Investigative Committee of Russian Prosecutor General\’s Office announced the establishment of a permanent terrorism investigative group in Dagestan combining staff from the Investigative Committee, the Interior Ministry and FSB.
Russia\’s North Caucasus republics, particularly Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia, have been plagued by violence, particularly against law enforcement officers, which local rebels see as representing the Russian authorities.
http://www.gemuhope.com
BRUSSELS, March 22 (Xinhua) — European Union (EU) on Monday newly appointed its ambassador to Afghanistan, as a further step to strengthen coordinated EU action on the ground, working in close cooperation with other international actors.
Vygaudas Usackas, former Lithuanian Foreign Minister, was named special representative and head of the delegations in Kabul, taking up office from 1 April 2010.
\”My primary task is to lead the EU action plan on Afghanistan and Pakistan,\” said the newly-appointed ambassador. \”I see that as a big challenge and a big task.\”
Usackas said the main challenge is to make a contribution for a stable and secure environment and an agreed task to provide possible assistance to strengthening in good governance.
The EU expects that Afghanistan will act swiftly and decisively to deliver on the promises made to its people. Through Action Plan, the EU continues to provide long-term assistance to Afghanistan in institution building and civilian capacity programs, including at sub-national level.
\”We all know the problems that people in Afghanistan face with corruption and we are looking forward to working with the Afghan government to support them in the direction of better governance, healthier political environment, and also to support their steps in reconciliation and integration,\” he said.
Usackas said what he would like to accomplish and what I would like to see very much is a more stable Afghanistan, a country which is not anymore a source of international terrorism, a country which has a more diversified economy.
\”In that context it will be also important to work with enabling countries, especially Pakistan, which has a very important role to play to support Afghanistan, as well as to promote cooperation with other countries too,\” Usackas added.
http://www.tbogg.com
BRUSSELS, March 22 (Xinhua) — After the European Parliament, the European Union (EU)\’s council of ministers Monday approved a proposal for a regulation intended to facilitate the movement of non-European nationals with a long-stay visa, or so-called \”D\” visas, within the Schengen area.
Those nationals, such as entrepreneurs, students and researchers, will be able to move freely within a European country other than the host country for up to three months in any six- month period.
To date, these persons were not allowed to travel without a visa to other Schengen states during their stay, even if they had legitimate reasons for doing business, conferences or visits. Neither could they transit through the other states without a visa when returning to their country of origin.
The new rules also stipulate that long-term visas shall have a period of validity of no more than one year. If a member state allows an alien to stay for more than one year, the visa shall be replaced, before the expiry of its period of validity, by a residence permit.
As far as security aspects of the Schengen area are concerned, the new provisions oblige member states considering the issuance of a long-stay visa to consult the Schengen Information System ( SIS) in the same way as they need to do when considering the issuance of a residence permit.
In case the third-country national concerned is a person for whom an alert has been issued for the purpose of refusing entry, the member state shall first consult that member state which issued the alert and shall take account of its interests.
The residence permit shall be issued only for substantive reasons, notably on humanitarian grounds or by reason of international commitments.
http://www.minamik.com
ROME, March 22 (Xinhua) — Rome\’s centre-right mayor Gianni Alemanni inaugurated on Monday a control center aimed at monitoring over 6,000 security cameras and enhancing local authorities\’ cooperation in tackling criminality and disorder.
According to a statement by Rome\’s City Hall, the surveillance chamber, hosted at the police\’s headquarters, will monitor for 24 hours a day the circuit of cameras recently installed across the city to control sensitive public areas including museums, monuments, parking places, public transports and stations. At present 1,300 cameras are operating and another 5,396 will be fixed in coming weeks.
The security center serves as a crisis unit for the coordination of local authorities, including the police, civil protection and firemen in case of emergencies and disorder. The goal is to have a more rapid and resilient response to Rome\’s cases of urban violence, crime, decay and building abuses.
The new security center was praised by the authorities as an important move placing Rome at the same level of Europe\’s big capitals.
\”Our final aim is to intensify territorial control through an increase in video-surveillance and coordination among public authorities and firms,\” said Alemanno.
The surveillance chamber is part of the \”Pact for a Safe Rome\” undersigned by the mayor in July 2008. The centre-right municipality of the capital, following Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi\’s government agenda, has heavily cracked-down on criminality and urban disorder by intensifying controls and safety measures.
http://www.lersus.com
? The Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupts in southern Iceland early March 21, 2010. The volcano erupted overnight, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate the area and diverting flights after authorities declared a local state of emergency, officials said on Sunday. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
STOCKHOLM, March 22 (Xinhua) — The volcanic activity in south Iceland is increasing slowly, according to reports reaching here from Reykjavik on Monday.
Scientists who flew over the eruption zone Eyjafjallajokull on Monday afternoon local time estimated that the lava flow from the crater is spreading out over a larger area and the eruption is becoming more forceful, said the Icelandic electronic newspaper Iceland Review.
The Icelandic Coast Guard flew with the team of scientists over Eyjafjallajokull and the Fimmvorduhals mountain pass, it said.
\”Visibility was limited to begin with but then the weather cleared up and the scientists could see the eruption clearly. The lava is flowing down a canyon south of the craters on the pass and clouds of steam rise up from where the lava melts ice and snow,\” the report said.
Seismologist Kristin Waagfjord, who was onboard the plane, said while the eruption was still small, disturbances are growing and there is nothing to indicate that the volcanic activity is declining.
? The Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupts in southern Iceland early March 21, 2010. The volcano erupted overnight, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate the area and diverting flights after authorities declared a local state of emergency, officials said on Sunday. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
\”The eruption appears to have been increasing since 9 am this morning. We are probably looking at signs of increased lava flow,\” he was quoted as saying by the Iceland Review.
A group of scientists had to turn around on their way to the source of the eruption earlier Monday due to stormy weather conditions and poor visibility. They were hoping to collect samples, the report added.
Early Sunday, a volcano in Iceland\’s southern area of the Eyjafjallajokull glacier erupted, some 120 km east of Reykjavik, capital of Iceland. Hundreds of local residents were being evacuated for fear of flooding caused by melting glacier waters.
The last eruption of a volcano in the same area occurred in the 1820s.
http://www.marconimedical.com
Special Report: Twin blasts rock Moscow subway
Backgrounder: Major terrorism attacks in Russia linked to Russia\’s North Caucasus??
MOSCOW, April 1 (Xinhua) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made a surprise visit Thursday to the restive North Caucasus republic of Dagestan promising a tough response to recent terrorist attacks emanating from the region.
The president, who arrived at the regional capital of Makhachkala by helicopter, chaired a meeting of the heads of North Caucasian republics and territorial units of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Interior Ministry.
Medvedev, who vowed that \”(terrorists) must be punished,\” told the conference he wanted broader counter terrorism measures that were also \”more efficient and tougher.\”
\”We have twisted the heads off the most hateful bandits. But this is not enough, by all accounts. Anyway, we will track down and punish all of them. This is the only way we will act,\” said Medvedev, referring to recent operations conducted in the region that eliminated several militant leaders.
The Russian head of state also listed five main points for the fight against terrorism in the North Caucasus region, following recent consecutive bomb attacks in Moscow and the Dagestani town of Kizlyar that have claimed more than 50 lives in total.
\”These measures include the strengthening of law enforcement agencies, the Interior Ministry, the Federal Security Service and the courts,\” Medvedev was quoted as saying by news agencies.
\”We must deliver pinpoint, lightning strikes against terrorists, kill them and destroy their hideouts. We must help those who decided to leave the terrorists\’ ranks. We must develop the economy, education, culture. We must strengthen the moral and spiritual aspects,\” he said.
\”Only if we put all these components together will we succeed,\” he said.
The visit by Medvedev, accompanied by FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov and Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev, came a day after 12 people, including nine police officers, were killed in two blasts in the Dagestani town of Kizlyar.
On Monday, two female suicide bombers killed 39 in attacks on the Moscow subway system, which the authorities have linked to militants from the North Caucasus.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Wednesday it was possible the same group was behind both attacks.
Bortnikov told Thursday\’s conference the masterminds behind both blasts had been identified and were being sought.
\”The theory that the terrorist attacks were committed by particular gangs connected with the North Caucasus has been confirmed. We personally know the masterminds of the terrorist attacks. A search operation is being conducted,\” Bortnikov said.
The FSB chief also said an unspecified number of people had been detained and were being interrogated.
\”We will not stop and will bring this job to an end, whatever this costs us,\” Bortnikov said.
MOSCOW, March 23 (Xinhua) — Russia and the United States will sign a new nuclear arms reduction treaty in early April, a senior Russian lawmaker said Tuesday.
\”The treaty will be signed definitely before the Washington nuclear security summit (on April 12-13),\” said Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia\’s parliament.
Margelov confirmed that the new treaty would be signed before April 12 in Eastern Europe. \”Russia and the United States are half a step from agreeing the time and venue for signing the treaty,\” he told Ekho Moskvy radio.
Also on Tuesday, Nikolai Makarov, chief of the General Staff of Russia\’s armed forces, said Washington had been refusing to reflect a link between strategic offensive and defensive weapons in the new treaty.
\”The treaty is about 95 percent prepared, but individual aspects have yet to be negotiated, including U.S. consent to include the issue of missile defense in the treaty, a matter of crucial importance for us,\” said Makarov in an interview with local newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta published Tuesday.
The new pact must contain such a provision in view of U.S. plans to deploy elements of its missile defense system in Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, said Makarov.
He said the possibility and time of signing the new treaty would depend on the sides\’ readiness to heed each other\’s interests.
Russia and the United States have been working on a new arms control deal since Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama met in April last year, in an effort to \”reset\” their ties, which plunged to an unprecedented low during the final days of the Bush administration.
Despite rounds of negotiations, the two sides failed to reach a deal to succeed the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-1) before it expired in December 2009.
An outline of the new treaty, agreed by both presidents, includes slashing nuclear warheads to 1,500-1,675 and delivery vehicles to 500-1,000.
http://www.pq365.com
LONDON, March 23 (Xinhua) — Britain plans to expel an Israeli diplomat over the use of forged British passports in the suspected Mossad assassination of a Hamas commander, local media reported Tuesday.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband was scheduled to address lawmakers in the House of Commons over the issue, following the conclusion of an investigation into the use of false British documents.
A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Britain will expel one Israeli diplomat.
Mahmoud Al Mabhouh, a senior commander of a Hamas military wing, was found slain in his Dubai hotel room on Jan. 20.
The Foreign Ministry last month called in Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor over the issue. Miliband said that during the meeting the British made clear to Prosor how seriously they took allegations of the fraudulent use of passports.
Prosor was called to the Foreign Office again on Monday.
Police in Dubai have accused Israel\’s Mossad spy agency of involvement in the assassination and have identified at least 26 suspects from the alleged hit squad that traveled to Dubai on fake identities and forged European and Australian passports.
The Foreign Ministry said 12 Britons are now known to have had their identities stolen by the alleged Israeli hit squad.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in al-Mabhouh\’s killing.
Related:
Applications for Mossad jobs rise following Dubai hit
JERUSALEM, March 2 (Xinhua) — As Dubai police are digging out every clue of the January assassination of top Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, Mossad, the Israeli spook shop Dubai police claimed as behind the assassination, seems enjoying a surge on the application for its jobs.
Career options in Mossad received an unprecedented popularity since the Dubai assassination, Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot reported.? Full story
Foreign investigators to visit Israel over Dubai killing of Hamas commander
JERUSALEM, March 1 (Xinhua) — Several Australian police officers are slated to visit Israel soon in an investigation related to the recent assassination of a senior Hamas commander in Dubai, reported local daily Ha\’aretz on Monday.
With consent from the Israeli side, two to three Australian investigators will arrive in the Jewish state in the coming days, where they are expected to question several dual nationals whose names have been connected to the January killing of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a hotel room in the Persian emirate, according to the report. Full story
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