The unapproved Fiji military dictionary

South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe SaysViolent ProtestsShould End

Sunday March 21, 2010

End violent South African protests - deputy president

By Marius Bosch

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Violent South African protests over housing, jobs and lack of basic services had to end, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said on Sunday, as the country marked the 50th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre.

For the past two months, protests in poor black townships and shantytowns have become an almost daily occurrence with police using water canons and rubber bullets to disperse protesters armed with rocks and stones.

Motlanthe, speaking at the commemoration of the killing of 69 people at Sharpeville black township a half century ago which thrust apartheid onto the world stage, said a lesson could be learned from those protesters who did not burn libraries and loot public facilities.

“They marched peacefully to the police stations to hand over their pass books — the badges of slavery. Therefore, in a democratic era, I urge you to use democratic institutions available to us to voice our grievances and demands,” Motlanthe said.

The massacre of 69 people, many shot in the back by apartheid-era police on March 21, 1960, came after a protest against laws forcing blacks to carry pass books, or identity documents, at all times.

The killing was seen as a turning point in the struggle against apartheid as the African National Congress abandoned non-violent protests and launched an armed struggle against the white-minority government.

Analysts say the protests by poor and unemployed South Africans, many still living in shacks almost 16 years after apartheid ended, could intensify ahead of the soccer World Cup being held in Africa for the first time from June 11-July 11.

The government hopes the World Cup will inject billions of rands into South Africa’s economy after vast amounts have been spent on upgrading infrastructure and building new stadiums.

Bank of America/Merrill Lynch analysts estimate that the World Cup could see about $1.1 billion flowing into the economy.

Motlanthe reiterated that the government aimed to improve the lives of millions of poor South Africans.

“We state that our democratic government undertakes to never ignore the plight of the poor, those without shelter, those without means to an education and those suffering from abuse and neglect,” Motlanthe said.

President Jacob Zuma, who promised to improve the lives of the poor while campaigning for election last April, is facing an uphill battle to deliver on those promises soon after South Africa emerged from its first recession in 17 years.

(Editing by Janet Lawrence)

In Darfur, UN blue helmets support school project with delivery of water

With a large delivery of water in a region often deprived of the precious resource, peacekeepers serving with the joint African Union-United Nations mission in Darfur (UNAMID) today helped with the building of a new school in the conflict-affected region in western Sudan.

Another Long March in the Name of Change

March 21, 2010

Another Long March in the Name of Change

By CARL HULSE
New York Times

WASHINGTON — Forty-five years ago, John Lewis began the third of what became society-shifting civil rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. On Sunday, the anniversary of that famous trek, he joined hands with fellow House Democrats and marched past jeering protesters into the Capitol to remake the nation’s health care system.

“Today we are walking again, and we will be walking into history,” Mr. Lewis, a Georgian, said as the House neared the climax of a marathon health care debate that has stirred partisan passions across the nation and allowed Democrats to claim an achievement that has eluded them for decades. “This is our time.”

Several hours later, Mr. Lewis and 223 other Democrats strode onto the House floor to formally record their yes votes to lift the bill past its main procedural hurdle, brushing aside Republican warnings of political doom and epithets aimed at them over the weekend from a few of the more strident opponents.

When the decisive 216th vote went up on the electronic tally board in the House chamber, Democrats erupted in cheers and reprised the “Yes, we can!” chant from the Obama presidential campaign. Outside, a different cry was heard as the 219-to-212 final vote was announced: Protesters against the bill sang the lyrics “nah, nah, nah, nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye,” suggesting Democrats would be voted out of Congress because of the health care bill.

It was a celebratory, tense, angry, confrontational, momentous Sunday on Capitol Hill as House Democrats, led determinedly by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, finally nailed down the votes for legislation that they said would make it possible for virtually every American to obtain health insurance and medical care. The debate continued into the night, with President Obama and his party confident they had secured victory on the final votes to come.

Love it or hate it, there was no dispute that the health care overhaul was the most significant and far-reaching piece of domestic policy legislation to come before Congress in years.

Republicans clearly hated it.

“Freedom dies a little a bit today,” Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said in one of the many harsh Republican condemnations of the measure, which they excoriated for its cost, its deep reach into American lives and what they said was its potential to bankrupt the country and damage its health care system.

Their sentiments were shared by hundreds of Americans hostile to the measure who gathered outside the Capitol. They vented their opposition with chants of “Kill the bill,” booing Democrats and cheering Republicans as they ran the gantlet of protesters on their way to the floor to vote throughout the day.

Representative Barney Frank, the openly gay Massachusetts Democrat who had anti-gay slurs hurled at him by protesters, said the opposition had spiraled badly out of control.

“It is almost like the Salem witch trials,” Mr. Frank said. “The health bill has become their witch. It is a supernatural force, and you get hysteria. There is an anger obviously that goes beyond anything connected to the bill.”

Despite the protests, despite the months of cable television denunciations, despite their warnings that Democrats would be massacred at the polls in November, despite their concerted effort to attack the measure from nearly every conceivable angle, Republicans ultimately found themselves powerless to stop it.

Democrats crossed the threshold for passage just after 4 p.m. Sunday, when Representative Bart Stupak and six other anti-abortion Democrats trooped into a crowded television studio on the third floor of the Capitol to announce they had struck a deal with Mr. Obama on abortion financing restrictions and would back the measure.

At that point, approval of the landmark legislation was simply a matter of time. Later, as Mr. Stupak spoke about the legislation on the House floor, someone shouted “baby killer,” although it was not clear who had made the remark.

The moods of the two parties could not have been more different. Democrats were jubilant; they saw the bill as the culmination of a four-decade fight to expand health coverage, coming as many Americans find themselves with rising insurance costs and declining access to care.

“It is time to put American families back in control of their health care,” Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz, Democrat of Pennsylvania, said as the debate began.

But Republicans were outraged, characterizing the legislation as a major step toward socialism and an aggressive government takeover of the health care system. They said Democrats would rue the day they pushed health legislation through without any Republican support.

“Let’s see who is still here after the American people speak loud and clear in November,” Representative Connie Mack, Republican of Florida, said in a barb aimed at Democrats seated across the aisle.

Outside the Capitol, protesters sought to make their presence known to those inside as they rang bells, blew horns and amplified their angry voices raised against the legislation.

“Nancy Pelosi, you will burn in hell for this,” one woman intoned repeatedly through a bullhorn.

Egging on the crowd, Republicans appeared frequently on a second-floor balcony of the Capitol to give the protesters the thumbs-up and display their own “Kill the bill” signs. Republicans even borrowed a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag from the group to wave above the crowd.

One protester was ejected from the House chamber for shouting against the legislation. He was cheered by some Republicans, a gesture condemned by Democrats, who said Republicans were encouraging disruptions.

Republicans said the protests were simply a reflection of public disgust with both the measure and the procedural hoops Democrats were jumping through to get it to the president’s desk. “The public is on our side,” said Representative Mike Pence of Indiana, the No. 3 House Republican, standing outside the Capitol as the chants rang around him. “The American people are rising up with one voice and saying enough is enough.”

Mr. Lewis said he was not intimidated as he walked to the Capitol with his colleagues, including Ms. Pelosi. In 1965, Mr. Lewis was bloodied and beaten by the police as he marched for civil rights.

“What was so different more than anything else,” he said of Sunday’s walk, “was we had the protection of the Capitol police.”

Today on New Scientist: 22 March 2010

All today’s stories on newscientist.com at a glance, including: where consciousness comes from, how to upgrade fingerprint evidence, and the solar system’s resident glutton

Sierra Leone takes steps to combat drug trafficking and corruption - UN official

Sierra Leone has made considerable progress in its efforts to combat the problems of illicit drug trafficking and corruption, but little has been done to implement programmes to create employment for the youth in the West African country, a senior United Nations official said today.

In Middle East, Ban hails ‘heroism and quiet courage’ of Gazans

Visiting Gaza today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his solidarity with the people of the area, just over one year after the end of the deadly conflict.

Web inventor gets funds to study his creation

The UK prime minister has promised to fund Tim Berners-Lee’s dream of an institute for web science, says Paul Marks

Pelamis may float

The Edinburgh-based tidal energy manufacturer is considering a float as the wave and tidal energy industry booms
Jane Bradley

The turbine maker Pelamis Wave Power is considering a possible flotation to fund expansion as the wave and tidal energy industry takes to the water.
The Edinburgh-based company, which makes the snake-like wave energy converter, needs to raise up to £50m to fund the next stage of its development, Neels Kriek, the chief executive, said.
Last week, the Crown Estate announced the successful bidders for the world’s first wind and tidal energy commercial leasing round. Ten wave and tidal energy sites will be created around the Orkney islands and the Pentland Firth.
Pelamis is behind the technology to be used at three sites — Marwick Head, West Orkney South and Armadale, which are expected to be running by 2020.
Pelamis’s 180m-long device writhes on the surface of the water. The wave-power drives hydraulic motors which, in turn, power generators.
The company has 16 shareholders, ranging from the global energy firm Statoil Hydro to Swiss venture capitalist Emerald Technology Ventures, and Scottish Enterprise.
Over the past 10 years, a range of investors have put in £45m for research and development. Krieks said that Pelamis’s cash position was strong enough for the next 18 months, but the company would need to fund expansion in 2012.
“We are in talks with our shareholders over the best way to raise funds. A flotation is something we will consider,” said Krieks.
The company, which plans to double its workforce to about 150 by 2020, already has three units at the Aguçadoura wave farm off northern Portugal, and is developing a 26-unit farm at a site in Shetland in partnership with energy firm Vattenfall.

Britain. A breath of foul air

The UK faces £300m in fines after failing to meet EU pollution targets, but Britons also pay the price with heart disease, asthma and cancer
By Nina Lakhani
Sunday, 21 March 2010
More than 50,000 people are dying prematurely in the UK every year, and thousands more suffer serious illness because of man-made air pollution, according to a parliamentary report published tomorrow. The UK now faces the threat of £300m in fines after it failed to meet legally binding EU targets to reduce pollution to safe levels.
Air pollution is cutting life expectancy by as many as nine years in the worst-affected city areas. On average, Britons die eight months too soon because of dirty air. Pollutants from cars, factories, houses and agriculture cause childhood health problems such as premature births, asthma and poor lung development. They play a major role in the development of chronic and life-shortening adult diseases affecting the heart and lungs, which can lead to repeated hospital admissions. Treating victims of Britain’s poor air quality costs the country up to £20bn each year.
Nearly 5.5 million people receive NHS treatment for asthma, and more than 90,000 people were admitted to hospital as a result of the disease in England in 2008/09. US research has found that the lungs of children who live in highly polluted areas fail to develop fully.

Poor air quality is caused by three key pollutants – nitrogen oxides; particulate matter and ozone – where Britain fails to meet European safety targets.
Britain is Europe’s worst emitter of nitrogen oxides and exposed 1.5 million people to unsafe levels in 2007, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Long-term exposure can cause breathing problems, worsen asthma and bronchitis in children and aggravate allergies. They are by-products of burning fuel, and contribute to acid rain and make plants more susceptible to disease. Despite almost halving emissions since 1990, Britain is widely expected to fall short of the 2010 EU target for nitrogen oxides, which are a precursor to particulate matter (PM), the most dangerous of all pollutants. They play a major role in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults which will affect more people than heart disease by 2020.
Particulate matter is airborne and comes from materials ranging from sulphates, ammonia, carbon and water to mineral dust. Sources include coal burning, exhaust emissions, tyre wear, quarrying and construction. There is no safe level of PM; some people are affected by very low concentrations over a long period. It is also linked to heart disease and cancer.
Reduced coal use in the 1990s led to a 20 per cent reduction in PM, but a big increase in diesel vehicles on the road has seen progress stall since 2000. Eight areas, including Greater London, Swansea, and Yorkshire and Humberside have exceeded 2005 EU limits at least once. Last December, the EU rejected an application from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to give Greater London more time to meet the target after it was unable to prove the city had worked hard to meet the target.
Britain is also doing badly on ozone in the lower atmosphere, a toxin formed from chemical reactions between various air pollutants and sunlight. Ozone concentrations are rising in UK cities, though, generally, rural areas and sunnier climates fare worse. Ozone causes eye and skin irritations, reduces lung function and damages airways and can be deadly; ozone-related summer smog caused an additional 800 deaths in 2003. There is no legally binding EU limit but, in 2007, nearly 90 per cent of the UK population were exposed to levels above WHO recommendations.
The Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) will tomorrow issue damning criticism of the UK’s failure to prioritise air quality despite more than a decade of pressure from scientists and the EU. Ministers from all departments will be told that our air quality is “shameful”, and they must “drive this from the top… and accept responsibility for policies that conflict with air quality”.
The Government will also be asked to explain why millions of pounds have been spent raising awareness about obesity, passive smoking and alcohol, but not air quality – even though the costs to human life and the NHS are similar. The Government will also face pressure to instigate immediate cross-departmental action to address the country’s air quality, in order to meet EU pollution targets, avoid spiralling fines and ultimately reduce the unnecessary deaths and illness that disproportionately affect people from lower socio-economic groups.
Frank Kelly, professor of environmental health at King’s College London, who gave evidence to the committee, said: “We have been banging this drum in the scientific community for 10 years and it now must be taken more seriously by the Government because this really is a damning report…. We must have an immediate major education campaign, because if people had an inkling about the impact of poor air quality on their children, then they would stop sitting outside the school gates in their big cars and would be much more likely to help. Maybe the threat of enormous fines from the EU will finally get the Government’s attention.”
While the air quality in the UK has improved significantly over recent decades because of cleaner fuels, vehicles and improved industrial processes required by national and European laws, these improvements have levelled off or slowed down.
Londoners live with the worst air quality in Britain. Eight million people live amid millions of vehicles and close to several airports. But some policies targeted at improving air quality have been scrapped or delayed since the election of Boris Johnson as Mayor of London. These include plans to charge £25 per day for the biggest, heavy-polluting vehicles, and a westerly extension of the congestion charge.
Professor Kelly said: “Instead of tightening up our policies, they have been dismantled instead.”
Environmental Protection UK, an influential campaign group, condemned what it called the Government’s “wait and see” approach to air quality, which has meant pinning too much hope on the impact of European standards for cleaner vehicles.
Ed Dearnley, the group’s policy officer, said yesterday: “Resources dedicated to air quality have been tiny in comparison to other areas of public health work such as obesity and passive smoking. Defra has struggled to get other departments, such as transport and health, to understand the problem and to act. The failure to get to grips with [more] vehicles on the roads, and the well-intentioned but counter-productive policies that have encouraged more diesel vehicles, means their ‘wait and see’ policy has failed.”
A Defra spokeswoman said the EAC report described fines as “potential” not “expected”. She added that the Government intends to avoid them by asking for more time to meet the limits. “Over the last few years there have been a range of measures introduced which demonstrate close working between departments. These include substantial investment in public transport and incentives through vehicle excise duty for less polluting vehicles,” she said. “Of course, we accept that further measures are needed, and discussion is continuing on some of these.”
In the air: The UK’s clean-up success rate
Where we do well
Britain has never exceeded the EU lead target since it was set in 2007.
The introduction of unleaded petrol in 1986 eradicated the main source of the highly toxic chemical.
Carbon monoxide emissions have decreased by 75 per cent since 1990, largely as a result of catalytic converters in machinery and vehicles.
Britain produced 16,800 tonnes of the cancer-causing benzene in 2007 – a 72 per cent decrease since 1990. The EU target was met well in advance of the 2010 deadline.
Where we fail
Nitrogen oxides levels in some cities are 20 per cent higher than the European average. The 2010 target will not be met unless new national and local strategies are introduced.
Although EU ambient air targets for ozone have been achieved, nearly 90 per cent of the country is exposed to levels considered too high by the World Health Organisation.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons increase risk of cancers. High levels were found in Scunthorpe in 2007, but the rest of the UK meets targets.