News & Reports 2010-09-12

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In This Edition

US President Barack Obama marks the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, urging Americans to recall the "human capacity for good" that followed the tragedy.

A new report released by a panel of top security experts says Americans still face a "serious and dangerous" threat from al Qaeda nine years after the September 11th terrorist attacks.

There have been calls on world leaders to highlight the issue of water and sanitation 2 during the upcoming summit to review the United Nations' Millennium 3 Development Goals.

And the Japanese government takes measures against the country's chronically 5 high suicide rate.

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Obama Calls for "Sense of Unity 6" upon 9/11 Anniversary

US President Barack Obama has marked the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, urging Americans to recall the "human capacity for good" that followed the tragedy.

In his weekly internet address, Obama also used the occasion to seek for solidarity 7 among Americans.

"On this day, we recall that at our darkest moment, we summoned a sense of unity and common purpose. We responded to the worst kind of depravity with the best of our humanity. So, each year at this time, we renew our resolve against those who perpetrated this barbaric act of terror and who continue to plot against us - for we will never waver in defense 8 of this nation."

Religious controversy 9 has marred 10 this year's commemoration of September 11, followed by a Florida pastor's threat to burn the Koran on the anniversary.

In his address, Obama refrained from mentioning the controversy, but warned against divisiveness rising from religious tensions.

The September 11 attacks were a series of coordinated 11 and audacious suicide attacks by al Qaeda upon the United States.

On that morning, terrorists hijacked 12 four commercial passenger jet airliners 13 and crashed two of them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing 14 about 3,000 people.

New Yorkers Stage Rallies For and Against Proposed Mosque 15 Construction Near Ground Zero

Tension was high in New York on the ninth anniversary of September 11 attacks.

Shortly after the end of an annual remembrance ceremony at so-called Ground Zero, people took to the streets to stage rallies both for and against a proposed Islamic center just two blocks away.

In lower Manhattan, hundreds of supporters of the 13-storey center which will house a mosque, called for religious tolerance 16.

"Well, I'm a Muslim. I've been a Muslim for nearly 35 years, so obviously the topic is very sensitive to me and I'm here to lend my support."

A block away, other groups were gathering 17 to rally against the proposed Islamic center, which they say is insensitive to the families of the victims of the 2001 attacks.

"I think honestly that they don't have the right idea. I don't really understand their reasoning and I really think they're trying to rationalise bigotry 18."

U.S. President Barack Obama said that he recognized "the extraordinary sensitivities" surrounding the September 11 attacks. But he said it should be possible to erect 19 a mosque near the attack site, or a building representing any other kind of religion.

New Report Warns of Dangerous Al Qaeda Threat to U.S.

A new report released by a panel of top security experts says Americans still face a "serious and dangerous" threat from al Qaeda nine years after the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Bruce Hoffman of Georgetown University, one of the authors of the report, warns of a more diverse and expanded threat especially by so-called home-grown U.S. terrorists.

"I think of concern is the fact that there is no single profile of the terrorists threatening the United States today. What we see is an adversary 20 that in essence is drawn 21 from all sectors 23 of society and all walks of life. These include persons born in Afghanistan, Egypt, Pakistan and Somalia, residents in the United States, in many cases naturalized American citizens. But also in the past few years what we've seen increasingly is American citizens themselves. People born in the United States also gravitating, also being summoned to the clarion 24 call of terrorism and in this case Jihad."

Hoffman says parts of the study have found that the United States is still poorly prepared to deal with this danger.

"An important challenge that we discovered is that there is no single government agency responsible for identifying radicalization and interdicting 25 recruitment. The problem is if it's everyone's responsibility, in the end it's no one's."

The report says would-be terrorists are now likely to attempt more frequent and less sophisticated attacks compared to what transpired 26 in 2001. It says preventing such attacks will require greater involvement from state and local public safety officials.

The report was produced by the non-partisan National Security Preparedness Group.

Greek New Cabinet's Meeting Greeted by Vocal 27 Protest

Greece's newly-reshuffled cabinet has held its first meeting in the northern city of Thessaloniki against a backdrop of continuing protests over the government's austerity measures.

Hundreds of workers from labor 28 union groups took to the streets trying to reach the cabinet meeting, as they gear up for a large demonstration 29 during Prime Minister George Papandreou's annual state of the economy speech on Saturday.

Papandreou reshuffled his cabinet this week to appease 30 Greeks who had showed they wanted changes in the government setup. But his finance minister remained in his post.

Papandreou said the cabinet managed to keep the country on its feet under the most difficult conditions of the last decade.

"As we continue to stabilize 31 our economy—and the road is still long— none of us are allowed to relax. In fact, there are more opportunities to move faster on our priorities, such as development, the welfare state, and policies to further develop the advantages this country has."

The annual speech by the prime minister outlines the government's economic program, but unlike previous speeches by leaders, few social handouts 32 are expected this year as Greece struggles through a debt crisis and has instead introduced tough reforms to curb 33 its deficit 34 that have angered the public.

On Friday, data showed Greece's budget deficit for the last eight months fell 32 percent ahead of the government's target of 26.5 percent, but still below the 39.5 percent target for the end of the year.

The finance ministry 35 said the target would be met.

Merkel: Germany Will not Cut Aid for Developing Countries

German Chancellor 36 Angela Merkel says her country will not reduce its aid for developing countries even as the financial crisis continues to weigh down on Germany's economy.

Merkel made the comments in Berlin after a meeting with former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan who now heads the Kofi Annan Foundation.

"Germany will not cut development aid despite the crisis. However, it is also about the way in which the money is used. This can only be successful with cooperation between those who are giving the money with those who are receiving it."

Annan was in the German capital to discuss with Merkel the UN's Millennium Development Goals to end poverty, which are to be achieved by 2015.

The meeting comes ahead of a United Nations Millennium Development Goals Summit in New York from September 20th to 22nd.

Stockholm Statement Urges MDGs Summit to Highlight Water, Sanitation

There have been calls on world leaders to highlight the issue of water and sanitation during the upcoming summit to review the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, MDGs.

Import Increase Indicates China's Growing Domestic Demand

China's imports leapt in August, suggesting growing domestic demand in the world's largest emerging economy.

Figures from the General Administration of Customs indicate that imports jumped 35 percent in August compared with a year earlier, while the annual export growth slowed to 34 percent in the same month.

Martin Hennecke is Associate Director of Tyche, a financial consulting company based in Hong Kong.

"The import figures have surprised on the upside, so that's just showing again that Chinese consumption is very strong. And we have been saying for a while that the Chinese economy is not as export dependent as is generally being perceived by many western observers."

Hennecke says the big increase in imports may ease U.S. political pressure on the Chinese government to further appreciate the yuan.

"If you have very strong import figures, that could tend to ease the pressures somewhat that the U.S. is giving China to let the renminbi appreciate."

The yuan climbed on Friday to its highest level 6.7625 against the dollar since it was de-pegged from the U.S. currency in June.

Hong Kong Customs Seizes Ivory Smuggling 37

Hong Kong Customs officers have seized 384 illegal ivory tusks 38 worth almost 1.5 million U.S. dollars from two containers shipped to the city.

The consignment 39, which was declared as 277 packages of dried anchovies 40, came from Tanzania.

Albert Chan is head of the Ports and Maritime 41 Command at Hong Kong Customs.

"A bad smell came out when the sacks were opened, and they thought that the customs officers would not look carefully because of the dirty condition of the goods. What they don't know is Hong Kong has very responsible customs officers."

Chan said smuggling was a serious offence and that customs would continue to crack down on any smuggling activities.

Two males aged 1 46 and 48 were arrested, and a follow-up investigation 42 is still underway.

International trade in elephant ivory, except for designated quotas 43, has been outlawed 44 since 1989.

Japanese Leaders Participate in Suicide Prevention Campaign

The Japanese government is getting serious about reducing its high suicide rate as the world marks International Suicide Prevention Day.

Japanese cabinet ministers have taken to the streets to hand out flyers to raise awareness 45 of the issue. Even Prime Minister Naoto Kan stopped by to give encouragement to his ministers.

While the Japanese government has made suicide prevention week a yearly event, this is the first time ministers and the nation's leader have participated.

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates among industrialized countries.

Its Ministry of Health and Welfare says more than 32,000 Japanese have committed suicide in the past year.

The World Health Organization ranks Japan as first among women and second among men in suicide rates among G-8 countries.

Kaoru Saito, head of the Japanese government's suicide prevention planning office, explains the reasons for the high rates.

"The Japanese have a tendency to take failure very seriously. Even without talking about religion, people should talk about how it's necessary to talk about trying again if you fail, or about not worrying so much about failing."

Suicide rates in Japan have never fallen below 30,000 people a year for the past 12 years despite the Welfare Ministry's annual suicide prevention campaigns.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan has just created a suicide prevention task force to study the issue.

France Telecom Hit by a Fresh Wave of Suicides

A senior French union official says five employees of France Telecom have committed suicide in the past 15 days, rekindling 46 memories of a spate 47 of suicides that rocked the company last year.

Sebastian Crozier is head of the CFE-CGC union at France Telecom.

"The people who committed suicide left messages. The partners of these people have blamed the company. Enquiries are under way so that the origins of these dramatic acts can be known and identified."

A France Telecom spokesperson confirmed the deaths, which did not occur in the workplace, but declined to be interviewed or offer further details.

A union official said 23 France Telecom employees had killed themselves this year compared with 19 in 2009.

The company has placed a renewed emphasis on worker happiness and based some of its managers' pay on so-called social criteria 48, such as the level of absenteeism and overall satisfaction of their employees.

Suicides at France Telecom, which is 27 percent owned by the French government, have made headlines around the world this year and raised concern among politicians. The company has more than 180,000 employees, with 100,000 in France.

The announcement of more suicides comes at a time of tense relations between the government and trade unions which are organizing large-scale protests against plans to increase the retirement 49 age.

Gas Explosion Kills at Least 4 in Neighborhood Near San Francisco

A ruptured 50 gas line has caused an explosion to rip through a neighborhood near the U.S. city of San Francisco, killing at least four people and likely more.

Fifty-two people have been injured, with three people suffering critical burns in the blaze that enveloped 51 the middle-class neighborhood in hills overlooking San Francisco, the bay and the airport.

Fire officials say at least 38 homes have been destroyed and dozens more seriously damaged.

Chris Johns is President of Pacific Gas and Electric.

"Unfortunately, there is a lot of different ways to speculate as to what could have caused it, and we are trying to find that out, and we are trying to get in so we can get some evidence to give us some insight on that. And I know that's frustrating 52 for people. It's frustrating for us."

The company said on Friday that a damaged section of a 30-inch steel gas pipeline 53 had been isolated 54, and the gas flow had been stopped.

Spanish Miners in Underground Strike over Pay and Aid

Fifty Spanish coal miners 500 meters underground are staging the ninth day of a strike over unpaid 55 wages and government aid.

Their ordeal 56 is unfolding at the Guardo mine near Palencia in northwestern Spain—one of the few areas in the country where coal is still mined.

An estimated ten-thousand Spanish families depend on coal mining.

But the industry must now struggle to compete with gas-powered electrical utilities and renewable energies.

Tons of coal have accumulated over the past 18 months without being delivered to power stations that have closed since March 2009. The stations stopped buying the fossil fuel earlier this year.

The miners say they have not been paid for two months and that their real complaint is with the government's failure to subsidize utilities to enable them to use Spanish rather than imported coal, which tends to be cheaper.

"One month you get the salary, and the next month you may also get it, but the following month you don't. And it's not only about the past few months, it's also about the future of mining."

The miners also deny they are using a mining drama in Chile in which 33 men have been trapped underground for a month as a way to call attention to their cause.

China Daily: Clean-fuel Vehicles are a Necessity

Ministry of Industry and Information officials have estimated that more than 200 million motor vehicles will be on the road in China in 2020.

Now motor vehicles are the main source of pollution in about 10 percent of Chinese cities that suffer from serious air pollution, according to environmental officials.

An editorial in "China Daily" says the amount of exhaust fumes 57 from 200 million automobiles 59 should be grave enough to send a chill up our spines 60.

China became the world's largest auto 58 market last year when more than 13.6 million vehicles were sold.

The editorial notes that economic incentives 61 have driven many regions to build auto factories. They count on this sector 22 to be the driver for their economic growth. But blind investment in the industry has created overcapacity. China can now produce more than 31 million vehicles every year by 2015, a large number for any nation.

In conclusion, the editorial says it is important to increase the use of renewable energy, energy efficient and clean-fuel vehicles as a necessary investment for China's future.

Beijing News: Gov't Must Change Mindset about Emissions 62 Reduction

Local governments have been rushing to make last-minute efforts to meet the central government's emissions reduction target to cut energy intensity 63 by 20 percent from 2005 to 2010.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's energy intensity decreased by 15.61 percent between 2006 and 2009. But in the first half of 2010, it grew by nearly 0.1 percent.

With just four months remaining to meet the 2010 goal, several provincial 64 governments have taken temporary measures to limit electricity consumption at steel and cement plants. Some local governments have even gone so far as limiting residential 65 power use.

An opinion piece in the "Beijing News" says authorities should recognize that energy conservation and emissions reduction efforts are a chronic 4 war rather than a lightning battle. It notes that although China has vowed 66 to cut its carbon intensity by 40 percent-45 percent by 2020 from the 2005 level, it will not realize the goal this year. Even if local governments were to fulfill 67 this year's target using temporary measures, the editorial questions whether such a move would constitute a success in energy conservation and emissions reduction, and whether it should be a pattern to be repeatedly applied 68.

The editorial points out that because the country's economic stimulus 69 package has caused a capital inflow in high energy-consumption and emissions-producing industries, it will be difficult to realize the target set five years ago. Therefore, the editorial calls for flexibility 70 in meeting the goal, warning that a broad approach would harm local economies.

Moreover, the editorial stresses that local authorities should change their mindsets in making do with emissions-reduction targets. Instead, it suggests that they should make all-out efforts to eliminate outdated 71 capacity.

0912 weather for 07am

Before we go, a quick look at the weather,

Beijing is Sunny day with a high of 31, cloudy tonight and low of 19

Shanghai is shower and high of 29, falling to 24

Elsewhere around the world

Bangkok Sunny of 32

Tokyo cloudy 32

Vientiane Sunny 29

New York Sunny 25

Toronto cloudy at 22

Sydney Sunny at 21

Wellington light rain at 14

Perth Sunny 17

Cairo Sunny at 34

Morovia Sunny at 27

And finally Nairobi will be Sunny at high of 25 degrees