Hier finden Sie den Blog von Diplom- Betriebswirt Karl-Helmut E. Zermin, Fachmann für Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und Werbung, Journalist, Autor, Blogger, Socialmediamanager und Redenschreiber in Berlin
Dienstag, 31. August 2010
Montag, 30. August 2010
Redendatenbank Speech database: Remarks by US-President Obama on the Fifth Anniver...
Redendatenbank Speech database: Remarks by US-President Obama on the Fifth Anniver...: "Remarks by the US-President Obama on the Fifth Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana Xavier University Ne..."
pebaco blog: In Bensberg schlemmen: Französischer Markt
pebaco blog: In Bensberg schlemmen: Französischer Markt: "Bevor das Wochenende vorbei ist, ein paar (ganz anspruchslose) Schnappschüsse vomBensberger Schlemmerfest - und insbesondere dem Französisch..."
Freitag, 27. August 2010
DasErste.de - [Anne Will] - Killer-Keime im Krankenhaus – wie gefährlich sind unsere Kliniken?
DasErste.de - [Anne Will] -am 29. August 2010 um 21 Uhr 45
Thema bei Anne Will: Killer-Keime im Krankenhaus – wie gefährlich sind unsere Kliniken?
Killer-Keime im Krankenhaus – wie gefährlich sind unsere Kliniken?“ lautet das Thema bei ANNE WILL am Sonntag, 29.8.10, um 21.45 Uhr im Ersten.
Thema bei Anne Will: Killer-Keime im Krankenhaus – wie gefährlich sind unsere Kliniken?
Killer-Keime im Krankenhaus – wie gefährlich sind unsere Kliniken?“ lautet das Thema bei ANNE WILL am Sonntag, 29.8.10, um 21.45 Uhr im Ersten.
Drei Säuglingen starben im Universitätsklinikum Mainz, nachdem sie verunreinigte Infusionen erhalten hatten. Ob diese den Tod verursacht haben, ist noch nicht abschließend geklärt, doch gefährliche Keime in Krankenhäusern sind keine Seltenheit: Nach Schätzungen von Experten erkranken jährlich Hunderttausende Patienten an Infektionen, um die 40.000 sterben. Führt der Kostendruck in den Krankenhäusern zu Sicherheits- und Hygienemängeln, ist das Klinikpersonal zu nachlässig oder braucht es schärfere und einheitliche Hygienevorschriften?
Hierzu werden am 29. August bei Anne Will zu Gast sein:
Jens Spahn (CDU), Gesundheitspolitischer Sprecher der Bundestagsfraktion
Frank Ulrich Montgomery, Vizepräsident der Bundesärztekammer
Alexandra Glufke-Böhm, Fachanwältin für Medizinrecht
Klaus-Dieter Zastrow, Chefarzt für Hygiene
Georg Baum, Hauptgeschäftsführer der Deutschen Krankenhausgesellschaft
Sonntags, 21:45 Uhr im Ersten
Aktuelle Informationen zur Sendung unter www.annewill.de
Hinweis für die Fotoredaktionen: Druckfähiges Bildmaterial aus der aktuellen Sendung finden Sie montags zum Download unter:
German CDU Flugblatt zur Bankenabgabe as pdf (application/pdf-Object)
German CDU Flugblatt zur Bankenabgabe als pdf Datei (application/pdf-Objekt)
Titel: Gute Regeln für einen stabilen Finanzmarkt
Die CDU-geführte Bundesregierung hat das Gesetz zur „Restrukturierung von Kreditinstituten“ auf den Weg gebracht. Damit werden nach der Finanzkrise weitere Konsequenzen für einen stabilen deutschen Finanzmarkt gezogen.
�� Banken, die künftig in Schwierigkeiten geraten sollten, müssen zunächst ein Sanierungsverfahren durchführen. Wenn dieses keinen Erfolg verspricht, greift die Bankenaufsicht ein.
Geschäftsbereiche, die nicht Pleite gehen dürfen, weil sonst dem Finanzmarkt eine gefährliche Kettenreaktion droht, werden aus der Bank herausgelöst. Die anderen Teile werden in die Insolvenz geführt. Spareinlagen der Bürger bleiben über den Einlagensicherungsfonds geschützt.
�� Die Finanzierung dieser Maßnahmen übernimmt ein Fonds, den die Kreditinstitute mit der Bankenabgabe selbst mitfinanzieren. Die jeweilige Höhe der Abgabe bemisst sich nach Größe, Geschäftsrisiken und Vernetzung der Bank. Sparkassen zahlen so in der Regel weniger als Investmentbanken.
„Die Welt“ vom 24. August 2010 nennt das Gesetz „eine der größten Finanzreformen seit Jahrzehnten“.
Wir ziehen die Lehren aus der Finanzmarktkrise: Mit strengen Vorschriften sorgen wir dafür, dass die Prinzipien der Sozialen Marktwirtschaft auch für Kreditinstitute wieder gelten. Wer die Freiheit will, mit riskanten Geschäften hohe Gewinne zu machen, muss künftig für Verluste selbst einstehen!
Titel: Gute Regeln für einen stabilen Finanzmarkt
Die CDU-geführte Bundesregierung hat das Gesetz zur „Restrukturierung von Kreditinstituten“ auf den Weg gebracht. Damit werden nach der Finanzkrise weitere Konsequenzen für einen stabilen deutschen Finanzmarkt gezogen.
�� Banken, die künftig in Schwierigkeiten geraten sollten, müssen zunächst ein Sanierungsverfahren durchführen. Wenn dieses keinen Erfolg verspricht, greift die Bankenaufsicht ein.
Geschäftsbereiche, die nicht Pleite gehen dürfen, weil sonst dem Finanzmarkt eine gefährliche Kettenreaktion droht, werden aus der Bank herausgelöst. Die anderen Teile werden in die Insolvenz geführt. Spareinlagen der Bürger bleiben über den Einlagensicherungsfonds geschützt.
�� Die Finanzierung dieser Maßnahmen übernimmt ein Fonds, den die Kreditinstitute mit der Bankenabgabe selbst mitfinanzieren. Die jeweilige Höhe der Abgabe bemisst sich nach Größe, Geschäftsrisiken und Vernetzung der Bank. Sparkassen zahlen so in der Regel weniger als Investmentbanken.
„Die Welt“ vom 24. August 2010 nennt das Gesetz „eine der größten Finanzreformen seit Jahrzehnten“.
Wir ziehen die Lehren aus der Finanzmarktkrise: Mit strengen Vorschriften sorgen wir dafür, dass die Prinzipien der Sozialen Marktwirtschaft auch für Kreditinstitute wieder gelten. Wer die Freiheit will, mit riskanten Geschäften hohe Gewinne zu machen, muss künftig für Verluste selbst einstehen!
Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel im ARD-Sommerinterview Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel im ARD-Sommerinterview
Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel im ARD-Sommerinterview |
Hauptstadtstudio - Nachrichten zur Bundespolitik aus dem Hauptstadtstudio der ARD
Ulrich Deppendorf und Rainald Becker befragen die CDU-Vorsitzende im "Bericht aus Berlin" am 29. August 2010 um 18.30 Uhr im Ersten
Turbulente Zeiten für Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel: Ein knappes Jahr nach dem schwarz-gelben Triumph bei der Bundestagswahl scheint die Regierungskoalition in einer Sackgasse angelangt zu sein.
Nach öffentlich ausgetragenen Streitereien zwischen den Koalitionspartnern, dem Kraftakt bei der Wahl zum Bundespräsidenten und mehreren Rücktritten innerhalb der CDU wird es für Angela Merkel zunehmend schwerer zu vermitteln und die Koalition auf Kurs zu halten.
Wie lässt sich ein Kompromiss zur Zukunft der Atomenergie und Brennelemente-Steuer finden? Kann sich die CDU mit der Bundeswehr-Reform durchsetzen? Kann die Parteivorsitzende mit ihren Positionen zur Haushaltskonsolidierung überzeugen? Und wie steht es um die Regierungskoalition, nachdem die FDP bei nur noch fünf Prozent im Umfragetief steckt und sich die Frage nach einer schwarz-grünen Zukunft im Bund angesichts der drei Landtagswahlen 2011 immer stärker aufdrängt?
Diesen und anderen Fragen stellt sich Angela Merkel am kommenden Sonntag, 29. August 2010, um 18.30 Uhr im Ersten. Ulrich Deppendorf und Rainald Becker begrüßen sie zum ARD-Sommerinterview im "Bericht aus Berlin".
Die Zuschauerfragen kommen diesmal aus Köln. Drei der Fragen werden in das Interview einfließen.
Presse- und Fotoanfragen bitte an:
ARD-Hauptstadtstudio, Kommunikation, Eva Woyte, Tel.: 030/2288 1100
E-Mail: presse@ard-hauptstadtstudio.de,
www.ard-hauptstadtstudio.de
Hauptstadtstudio - Nachrichten zur Bundespolitik aus dem Hauptstadtstudio der ARD
Ulrich Deppendorf und Rainald Becker befragen die CDU-Vorsitzende im "Bericht aus Berlin" am 29. August 2010 um 18.30 Uhr im Ersten
Turbulente Zeiten für Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel: Ein knappes Jahr nach dem schwarz-gelben Triumph bei der Bundestagswahl scheint die Regierungskoalition in einer Sackgasse angelangt zu sein.
Nach öffentlich ausgetragenen Streitereien zwischen den Koalitionspartnern, dem Kraftakt bei der Wahl zum Bundespräsidenten und mehreren Rücktritten innerhalb der CDU wird es für Angela Merkel zunehmend schwerer zu vermitteln und die Koalition auf Kurs zu halten.
Wie lässt sich ein Kompromiss zur Zukunft der Atomenergie und Brennelemente-Steuer finden? Kann sich die CDU mit der Bundeswehr-Reform durchsetzen? Kann die Parteivorsitzende mit ihren Positionen zur Haushaltskonsolidierung überzeugen? Und wie steht es um die Regierungskoalition, nachdem die FDP bei nur noch fünf Prozent im Umfragetief steckt und sich die Frage nach einer schwarz-grünen Zukunft im Bund angesichts der drei Landtagswahlen 2011 immer stärker aufdrängt?
Diesen und anderen Fragen stellt sich Angela Merkel am kommenden Sonntag, 29. August 2010, um 18.30 Uhr im Ersten. Ulrich Deppendorf und Rainald Becker begrüßen sie zum ARD-Sommerinterview im "Bericht aus Berlin".
Die Zuschauerfragen kommen diesmal aus Köln. Drei der Fragen werden in das Interview einfließen.
Presse- und Fotoanfragen bitte an:
ARD-Hauptstadtstudio, Kommunikation, Eva Woyte, Tel.: 030/2288 1100
E-Mail: presse@ard-hauptstadtstudio.de,
www.ard-hauptstadtstudio.de
Donnerstag, 26. August 2010
UBS tax evasion spat: Swiss hand over half of data to US HindustanTimes-Print
Geneva, August 26, 2010
First Published: 23:26 IST(26/8/2010)
Last Updated: 23:30 IST(26/8/2010)
Swiss authorities said on Thursday that they had handed over to US authorities data on about half of the 4,450 American clients of Swiss bank UBS who were suspected of tax evasion by an August 26 deadline.
However, the federal finance department indicated that the United States and Switzerland had agreed to prolong the handover into the autumn under a deal to avert Washington's threatened lawsuit against one of Switzerland's biggest banks.
The handover, which marks a softening of Switzerland's coveted banking secrecy, is the cornerstone of an accord the two governments struck in August 2009 on the tax evasion case.
"Within the scope of this administrative assistance, the Federal Tax Administration examined approximately 4,450 UBS client accounts and issued the corresponding conclusive decrees by the prescribed deadline," the finance department said in a statement.
However, data was only physically supplied to the United States "in around half of the cases."
Swiss and US officials were holding talks about "the final stage of the agreement's implementation.
"Both parties are optimistic that the US authorities will receive most of the agreed account information within a reasonable period of time and that the US authorities will definitively withdraw the civil action (John Doe Summons) brought against UBS," the statement added.
The US Internal Revenue Service warned in June it was ready to renew legal action if Switzerland failed to meet the terms of the August 2009 deal obliging UBS to provide the names of customers allegedly dodging American taxes.
US tax authorities started their offensive against UBS in 2008 after questioning a former banker, prosecuting the bank through US courts and forcing it to hand over 300 client names and pay a 780-million-dollar fine.
The IRS subsequently threatened the Swiss bank, which by then was struggling to survive the global financial crisis, with more litigation over another 52,000 suspected tax evaders.
The lawsuit was averted after the Swiss government intervened to negotiate a settlement with Washington, fearing permanent damage to Switzerland's then biggest bank that could have undermined its whole banking system.
The UBS case also sharpened broader international pressure on the country's tradition of banking secrecy, forcing Swiss authorities to narrow its scope in March.
Pakistan: Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments Central Intelligence Agency
Pakistan: Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments
Central Intelligence Agencyents
Pakistan
Central Intelligence Agencyents
Pakistan
Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments
Date of Information: 6/10/2010
| Pres. | Asif Ali ZARDARI |
| Prime Min. | Syed Yousuf Raza GILANI |
| Adviser to the Prime Min. on Information Technology | Sardar Muhammad Latif Khan KHOSA |
| Adviser to the Prime Min. on Interprovincial Coordination | Raza RABBANI |
| Senior Min. | Makhdoom Amin FAHIM |
| Min. of Commerce | Makhdoom Amin FAHIM |
| Min. of Communications | Arbab Alamgir KHAN |
| Min. of Culture | |
| Min. of Defense | Chaudhry Ahmed MUKHTAR |
| Min. of Defense Production | Abdul Qayyum Khan JATOI |
| Min. of Education | Sardar Aseff Ahmed ALI |
| Min. of Environment | Hameed Ullah Jan AFRIDI |
| Min. of Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, & Statistics | Abdul Hafeez SHAIKH |
| Min. of Food & Agriculture | Nazar Muhammad GONDAL |
| Min. of Foreign Affairs | Makhdoom Shah Mehmood QURESHI |
| Min. of Health | Makhdoom SHAHABUDDIN |
| Min. of Housing & Works | Haji Rehmatullah KAKAR |
| Min. of Human Rights | Syed Mumtaz Alam GILLANI |
| Min. of Industries & Production | Mir Hazar Khan BIJRANI |
| Min. of Information & Broadcasting | Qamar Zaman KAIRA |
| Min. of Information Technology & Telecommunications | |
| Min. of Interior | A. Rehman MALIK |
| Min. of Interprovinical Coordination | |
| Min. of Investment | |
| Min. of Kashmir Affairs & Gilgit-Baltistan | Mian Manzoor Ahmad WATTOO |
| Min. of Labor & Manpower | Syed Khursheed Ahmed SHAH |
| Min. of Law & Justice | Zaheeruddin Babar AWAN |
| Min. of Livestock & Dairy Development | Humayun Aziz KURD |
| Min. of Local Govt. & Rural Development | Justice Abdul Razzaq A. THAHIM |
| Min. of Minorities | Shahbaz BHATTI |
| Min. of Narcotic Control | Arbab Muhammad ZAHIR |
| Min. of Overseas Pakistanis | Farooq SATTAR |
| Min. of Parliamentary Affairs | Zaheeruddin Babar AWAN |
| Min. of Petroleum & Natural Resources | Syed Naveed QAMAR |
| Min. of Planning & Development | Makhdoom SHAHABUDDIN |
| Min. of Population Welfare | Firdous Ashiq AWAN |
| Min. of Ports & Shipping | Barbar Khan GHAURI |
| Min. of Postal Services | Mir Israrullah ZEHRI |
| Min. of Privatization | Waqar Ahmed KHAN |
| Min. of Railways | Haji Ghulam Ahmed BILOUR |
| Min. of Religious Affairs | Syed Hamid Saeed KAZMI |
| Min. of Science & Technology | Azam Khan SWATI |
| Min. of Social Welfare & Special Education | Samina Khalid GHURKI |
| Min. of Special Initiatives | Lal Muhammad KHAN |
| Min. of Sports | Mir Aijaz Hussain JAKHRANI |
| Min. of States & Frontier Regions (SAFRON) | Najamuddin KHAN |
| Min. of Textile Industry | Rana Muhammad Farooq Saeed KHAN |
| Min. of Tourism | Pir Aftab Hussain Shah GILLANI |
| Min. of Water & Power | Raja Pervaiz ASHRAF |
| Min. of Women's Development | |
| Min. of Youth Affairs | Shahid Hussain BHUTTO |
| Min. of Zakat & Ushr | Noorul Haq QADARI |
| Governor, State Bank of Pakistan | |
| Ambassador to the US | Husain HAQQANI |
| Permanent Representative to the UN, New York | Abdullah Hussain HAROON |
Posted: May 03, 2007 11:10 AM from CIA
Last Updated: Jun 22, 2010 01:30 PM
Last Reviewed: May 03, 2007 11:10 AM
Land NRW plant Soforthilfe für Kommunen: 300 Millionen Euro mehr in diesem Jahr Pressemitteilungen des Ministeriums für Inneres und Kommunales NRW
NRW plant Soforthilfe für Kommunen: 300 Millionen Euro mehr in diesem Jahr
Pressemitteilungen des Ministeriums für Inneres und Kommunales NRW
Pressemitteilungen des Ministeriums für Inneres und Kommunales NRW
NRW plant Soforthilfe für Kommunen: 300 Millionen Euro mehr in diesem Jahr
Innenminister Jäger: Handlungsfähigkeit der Kommunen durch finanzielle Hilfen sichern
Innenminister Jäger: Handlungsfähigkeit der Kommunen durch finanzielle Hilfen sichern
Die NRW-Landesregierung hat heute (25. August 2010) ihren "Aktionsplan Kommunalfinanzen" vorgestellt.
Danach sollen die Kommunen in Nordrhein-Westfalen noch in diesem Jahr ihren Anteil an der Grunderwerbsteuer von jährlich insgesamt 130 Millionen Euro zurückerhalten, der ihnen seit 2007 vom Land vorenthalten wurde.
Gleichzeitig werden sie nicht mehr mit jährlich 166,2 Millionen Euro an der Konsolidierung des Landeshaushalts beteiligt.
"Mit dem Nachtragshaushalt 2010 wollen wir das Gemeindefinanzierungsgesetz um rund 4 Prozent (300 Millionen Euro) auf insgesamt 7,9 Milliarden Euro aufstocken", sagte Innen- und Kommunalminister Ralf Jäger heute (25.08.) in Düsseldorf.
Vorrangiges Ziel der neuen NRW-Landesregierung sei es, die Handlungsfähigkeit aller Kommunen zu sichern und deren Eigenverantwortung zu stärken. "Die kommunalen Einnahmen müssen dringend verbessert werden. Deshalb haben wir in einem ersten Schritt die Eingriffe der Regierung Rüttgers in die kommunalen Kassen gestoppt", erklärte der Kommunalminister.
Für die Zukunft will die NRW-Landesregierung als Partner der Kommunen die Weichen grundlegend neu stellen: Das nächste wichtige Vorhaben ist der "Stärkungspakt Stadtfinanzen".
Damit will die neue Landesregierung den besonders finanzschwachen Kommunen bei der Bewältigung der Altschulden unter die Arme greifen und sie bei ihren Konsolidierungsbemühungen unterstützen.
"Wir rechnen derzeit damit, dass wir hierfür ab 2011 jährlich 300 bis 400 Millionen Euro werden aufwenden müssen", kündigte NRW-Minister Jäger an.
Diese finanzielle Unterstützung erfordere ein sorgfältiges Konzept mit verlässlichen Kriterien.
"Wir wollen kein Strohfeuer, sondern eine nachhaltige Entschuldung der Kommunen", betonte NRW-Minister Jäger.
Diese Kriterien klärt derzeit ein Gutachten, dessen Ergebnisse Anfang November 2010 erwartet werden. "Dann werden wir wissen, welche Kommunen wie viel Geld aus dem Stärkungspakt bekommen: Alle Kommunen, auch die überschuldeten müssen wieder in der Lage sein, ihren Haushalt ordnungsgemäß zu führen", forderte Jäger.
"Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, brauchen wir entschlossene und zielgerichtete Entscheidungen von Bund, Land und Kommunen", unterstrich der Minister.
Er forderte vom Bund mehr Hilfe für die NRW-Kommunen.
Höchste Priorität habe die Aufstockung des Bundesanteils bei den sozialen Leistungen für die Kosten der Unterkunft und Heizung bei HartzIV.
Auch bei den großen Aufgabenblöcken der Eingliederungshilfe für behinderte Menschen, der Grundsicherung im Alter und der Hilfe zur Pflege müsse der Bund die Kommunen entlasten, so NRW-Minister Jäger.
"Die Finanzlage der Kommunen ist so dramatisch wie nie zuvor. Die Talsohle ist noch nicht durchschritten. Wir nehmen nicht länger hin, dass Länder und Kommunen diese stetig steigenden finanziellen Lasten für eine erforderliche Grundversorgung allein stemmen müssen", sagte der Kommunalminister Jäger.
Außerdem will die Landesregierung nach den Worten Jägers die in diesem Jahr anstehende Evaluation des Solidarpaktes für Verbesserungen nutzen:
"Strukturschwache Regionen in Ost und West müssen die Chance haben, von diesen Geldern zu profitieren. Solidarleistungen müssen gerecht verteilt werden nach der Bedürftigkeit und nicht nach der Himmelsrichtung", meinte Jäger.
Sorgen bereiten dem Kommunalminister auch die aktuellen Diskussionen in der Gemeindefinanzkommission des Bundes um die Abschaffung der Gewerbesteuer.
"Die Landesregierung sieht zur Gewerbesteuer keine vernünftige Alternative. Wir sollten die Gewerbesteuer erhalten, sie aber auf eine breitere Grundlage stellen, um sie dadurch weniger konjunkturanfällig machen", erklärte Jäger.
Es sei überhaupt nicht einzusehen, dass Unternehmen und Gewerbe die Gewerbesteuer zahlen müssten, während die freien Berufe wie beispielsweise Rechtsanwälte und Steuerberater hiervon ausgenommen seien.
Informationen zur Finanzsituation der NRW-Kommunen
Die Summe der Kassenkredite aller Kommunen im Land liegt inzwischen bei etwa 19,5 Milliarden Euro. Damit hat sie sich seit 2005 bis heute fast verdoppelt - trotz der zwischenzeitlich besten Steuerjahre in der Geschichte.
90 Prozent der Kommunen in NRW können in diesem Jahr ihren Haushalt nicht mehr strukturell ausgleichen:
139 Kommunen - jede dritte in NRW - sind 2010 im Nothaushalt.
Derzeit sind neun Kommunen überschuldet.
Bis 2013 würden, wenn niemand gegensteuert, voraussichtlich 27 Kommunen dazukommen.
Redendatenbank Speech database: Renz Sicherheitstechnik in Pfullingen
Redendatenbank Speech database: Renz Sicherheitstechnik in Pfullingen: "Renz Sicherheitstechnik in Pfullingen"
Redendatenbank Speech database: Brig. Gen. Mike Nagata, deputy commander - Office ...
Redendatenbank Speech database: Brig. Gen. Mike Nagata, deputy commander - Office ...: "Brig. Gen. Mike Nagata, deputy commander - Office of the Defense Representative to Pakistan, briefs the media at the Pentagon Press Briefing..."
Mittwoch, 25. August 2010
The Anarchic Republic of Pakistan | The National Interest
The Anarchic Republic of Pakistan | The National Interest
The Anarchic Republic of Pakistan
From the issue
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August 24, 2010
THERE IS perhaps no other political-military elite in the world whose aspirations for great-power regional status, whose desire to overextend and outmatch itself with meager resources, so outstrips reality as that of Pakistan. If it did not have such dire consequences for 170 million Pakistanis and nearly 2 billion people living in South Asia, this magical thinking would be amusing.
This is a country that sadly appears on every failing-state list and still wants to increase its arsenal from around 60 atomic weapons to well over 100 by buying two new nuclear reactors from China. This is a country isolated and friendless in its own region, facing unprecedented homegrown terrorism from extremists its army once trained, yet it pursues a “forward policy” in Afghanistan to ensure a pro-Pakistan government in Kabul as soon as the Americans leave.
For a state whose economy is on the skids and dependent on the IMF for massive bailouts, whose elite refuse to pay taxes, whose army drains an estimated 20 percent of the country’s annual budget, Pakistan continues to insist that peace with India is impossible for decades to come. For a country that was founded as a modern democracy for Muslims and non-Muslims alike and claims to be the bastion of moderate Islam, it has the worst discriminatory laws against minorities in the Muslim world and is being ripped apart through sectarian and extremist violence by radical groups who want to establish a new Islamic emirate in South Asia.
Pakistan’s military-intelligence establishment, or “deep state” as it is called, has lost over 2,300 soldiers battling these terrorists—the majority in the last 15 months after much U.S. cajoling to go after at least the Pakistani (if not the Afghan) Taliban. Despite these losses and considerable low morale in the armed forces, it still follows a pick-and-choose policy toward extremists, refusing to fight those who will confront India on its behalf as well as those Taliban who kill Western and Afghan soldiers in the war next-door. An army that has received nearly $12 billion in direct military aid from the United States since 2001, and has favored-nation status from NATO, still keeps the leaders of the Afghan Taliban in safe refuge. Pakistan’s civilians, politicians and intellectuals are helpless; they cannot make the deep state see sense as long as the West continues its duplicitous policies of propping up the military-intelligence establishment in opposition to popular society while demanding that the Pakistani civilian government wrest back control of the country.
Now there is a serious and deadly overlap—Pakistan’s extremists are determined to topple the political system and the deep state. The army is not oblivious to this reality, but it seems unwilling or unable to tackle the real issues at hand. “This is nothing but a creeping coup d’état by the forces of darkness, a coup that will spare no one,” wrote analyst Kamran Shafi in the Dawn newspaper this summer. “It is them against everyone else—an Islamic Emirate of Pakistan is the goal,” he added.
The deep state is failing its own people, who are in turn becoming more traumatized by the incessant violence, the lack of justice or security, and the perennial economic crisis. This only leads the civilian government to be even more inept, inconsequential and incapable of improving governance.
THE MOTHER of all insurgencies is taking place in the seven tribal agencies of Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, and North and South Waziristan in the northwest-frontier region where the Pakistani Pashtun tribes—under the nomenclature of the Pakistani Taliban—are at war with the state. Amnesty International recently said that 4 million Pakistanis in this and adjoining regions are living under Taliban rule. Every time the army claims to have cleared one agency, the Taliban rebound in another with a vengeance.
Also operating from these northern bases are a dozen groups from Kashmir, Karachi and Punjab which were once trained by the military’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to fight in Indian Kashmir. They have now turned against their former handlers. The Pashtun Taliban have joined with their more sophisticated, better educated urban comrades to plan horrific acts of terrorism in Pakistani cities. Together they want to overthrow the state and establish an extremist Islamic system.
The Pakistani Taliban do not just kill police and soldiers in their barracks or even innocent civilians in mosques. On June 8 they launched a brazen attack on a convoy of trucks carrying NATO war materials for troops in Afghanistan in heavily populated northern Punjab—torching 50 vehicles. There is now talk of the Taliban shutting down Karachi port, where 80 percent of NATO supplies arrive. The public fear is that the army is losing control of the country as the extremists become ever stronger, ever more daring and ever more capable.
If local tribesmen even attempt collaboration with the state, deadly reprisals ensue. In the supposedly “Taliban-free” Mohmand Agency, people received U.S.-donated foodstuffs on July 8. The next day, while tribal elders gathered to discuss helping the army combat the Taliban, two suicide bombings killed over 100 people and wounded another 115.
Since 2004, the area has been hemorrhaging people. Out of a total population of 3.5 million, more than 1 million have fled the tribal agencies while another half a million left during the recent fighting only to become internally displaced refugees in nearby towns.
Karl Helmut E. Zermin: News & Broadcast from the Word Bank in Washington:...
Karl Helmut E. Zermin: News & Broadcast from the Word Bank in Washington:...: "News & Broadcast from the Word Bank in Washington: here Pakistan: Floods
Pakistan: Floods
Pakistan: Floods
News & Broadcast from the Word Bank in Washington: here Pakistan: Floods
News & Broadcast from the Word Bank in Washington: here Pakistan: Floods
Pakistan: Floods | ||
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| August 25, 2010—Pakistan’s deadly floods have affected more than 14 million people, with some estimates putting the figure considerably higher. The affected area covers 132,421 km, including 1.4 million acres of cropped land. Continuing rains have caused additional flooding and hindered relief activities. The Bank has committed $1 billion in support of Pakistan's recovery. World Bank Pakistan Country Director Rachid Benmessaoud discusses the unfolding disaster and coordination of a response.
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Redendatenbank Speech database: Überschwemmungen in Pakistan - Rede der US-Außenmi...
Redendatenbank Speech database: Überschwemmungen in Pakistan - Rede der US-Außenmi...: "Amerika Dienst: Überschwemmungen in Pakistan Rede der US-Außenministerin Hillary Clinton • US-AUßENPOLITIK (19. August 2010) Überschwem..."
Dienstag, 24. August 2010
NASA Images Show Anatomy of Pakistan Flood Disaster
NASA Images Show Anatomy of Pakistan Flood Disaster
08.20.10
ASTER image from Aug. 18, 2010, shows the extent of flooding in and around the city of Sukkur in Pakistan's Sindh Province. The Indus River, Pakistan's longest, snakes vertically through the image. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team› Full image and caption
NASA's CloudSat captured the early genesis of the Pakistan flooding on July 28, 2010. Image credit: NASA/JPL-The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University› Full image and caption
This image pair shows perspective views of the flooding in Pakistan, taken approximately one year apart by the MISR instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team› Full image and caption
AIRS false-color before and after images of the flooding in southern Pakistan and Sindh Province, taken July 9, 2010 (left), and Aug. 10, 2010 (right). Image credit: NASA/JPL› Full image and caption
Surface emission data from AMSU, part of the AIRS instrument suite aboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft, are used to estimate how much of the land surface has been flooded in Pakistan. Image credit: NASA/JPL› Full image and caption
In late July 2010, flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains began across several regions of Pakistan. According to the Associated Press, the floods have affected about one-fifth of this country of more than 170 million. Tens of thousands of villages have been flooded, more than 1,500 people have been killed, and millions have been left homeless. The floodwaters are not expected to recede fully before late August.
NASA's CloudSat satellite captured the genesis of the flooding event as it flew over the region on July 28, 2010. At that time, a large area of intense thunderstorms covered much of Pakistan. Between July 28 and 29, up to 400 millimeters (16 inches) of rain fell from these storm cells, triggering flooding along the Indus and Kabul Rivers. Storms with similar structures to this one have become common this summer as tropical monsoon moisture, coupled with a strengthening La Nina (which has different effects around the world), dominate this region's weather patterns.
The top portion of the second image, from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft, reveals the bright white cloud tops of the cluster of thunderstorms. The blue vertical line shows CloudSat's path at the time the MODIS image was acquired. CloudSat's path cut through a large thunderstorm cell in the northern section of the country.
The Cloudsat data are shown in the bottom portion of the first image. As seen in the top half of the bottom image, CloudSat classified the majority of the clouds present at the time as deep convective (cumulonimbus) clouds, typical of thunderstorms. The bottom half of the lower image shows the 3-D vertical structure of the storm along the satellite's flight path, revealing its heavy precipitation. CloudSat measured the cloud heights along the radar's flight path at around 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) in the areas of deepest convection.
The next pair of images was taken by the vertical-viewing camera on the Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) instrument aboard NASA's Terra spacecraft. The image on the left was taken Aug. 8, 2009, while the one on the right is from Aug. 11, 2010. These false-color views display the instrument's near-infrared, red and green bands as shades of red, green and blue. The colors distinctly highlight the contrast between water and vegetation on the river banks, since vegetation appears bright in the near-infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The region of southern Pakistan shown here includes the Sindh Province. The Indus River, Pakistan's longest, can be seen snaking across the image from lower left to upper right. The feature near the bottom and left of center is Manchhar Lake. Water appears as shades of blue and cyan, though sediment content can add a tan color, as seen in the upper right. Clouds appear white. In the image from 2009, the Indus is typically about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) wide. In contrast, in the 2010 image, the river is around 23 kilometers (14 miles) wide in spots, and flooding is very evident in much of the surrounding region, particularly in the Larkana District west of the river.
A different before-and-after perspective of the floods is provided by the next pair of false-color images, taken by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft using its four visible and near-infrared channels. These images also show southern Pakistan and the Sindh Province. The Indus River appears to enter from the upper right and winds its way southwestward toward the lower left. The image at the left was taken before the flooding on July 9, 2010, while the right-hand image was taken on Aug. 10, 2010.
The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft provides the next image, a cloud-free view over the city of Sukkur, Pakistan, taken on Aug. 18, 2010. Sukkur, a city of a half million residents in southeastern Pakistan's Sindh Province, is visible as the gray, urbanized area in the lower left center of the image. It lies along the Indus River, which snakes vertically from north to south through the image and forms the basis for the world's largest canal-based irrigation system. As reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation, Sukkur is one of the few urban areas in the region that has so far escaped widespread destruction from the flooding, which has affected an estimated 4 million people in the province. Relief camps have sprung up across the city to house some of these displaced people. The land along the Indus River in this region is largely agricultural, and the flooding has taken a heavy toll on the region's crops and fruit trees.
The final image was created with data from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument, which flies on NASA's Aqua spacecraft as part of the AIRS instrument suite. It shows how surface emissivity-how efficiently Earth's surface radiates heat-changed in the affected region over a 32-day period between July 11 and August 12. Surface emission, in this case in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum, depends strongly on what type of surface is present. For dry land, surface emission is high-measuring close to 1 (land radiates heat very efficiently); while for water, it is quite low-measuring less than 0.5 (water tends to retain heat better than land). The image shows that the emission dropped over this time span by up to 0.4 in large areas surrounding the Indus River, indicating that these areas are almost completely underwater.
Scientists can use this technique to estimate how much of the land surface has been inundated. A significant advantage is that the technique works both day and night, and under both clear and cloudy conditions.
For more information about CloudSat, see: http://cloudsat.atmos.colostate.edu/ and http://www.nasa.gov/cloudsat . For more on MISR, visit: http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov/ . For more on AIRS, see: http://airs.jpl.nasa.gov . For more information on ASTER, see: http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ .
Alan Buis 818-354-0474
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Alan.buis@jpl.nasa.gov
2010-274
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Alan.buis@jpl.nasa.gov
2010-274
NASA Earth Observatory Natural Hazards
NASA Earth Observatory: Natural Hazards
August 13, 2010
Share this imageForest fires burning in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada, threatened air quality hundreds of kilometers away in mid-August 2010. This true-color image shows the smoke on the afternoon of August 19. The fires are marked with tiny red dots on the left side of the image. A plume of dense brown smoke extends from the fires in British Columbia, across Alberta and into Saskatchewan. A second, thinner plume flows south from Saskatchewan and into Manitoba, Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
On August 20, the Saskatchewan Health Ministry warned the public that the smoke would lower visibility and degrade air quality in parts of the province for a few days, reported the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News. Residents were advised to stay indoors while the heavy smoke was in the air.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image in two consecutive overpasses on the afternoon of August 19.
Reference
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News. (2010, August 20). Public warned as B.C. smoke rolls into Sask. Accessed August 20, 2010.
NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. Caption by Holli Riebeek.
- Instrument:
- Terra - MODIS
Previous Image in this Event
August 13, 2010 Fires in British Columbia, Canada
View all images of this event
- the Earth Observatory is part of the EOS Project Science Office located at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Dispute before the start: Jewish settlements are a major point of contention between Israelis and Palestinians Fortune 500 Global
Dispute before the start: Jewish settlements are a major point of contention between Israelis and Palestinians
Source: AP
Fortune 500 Global
HB RAMALLAH / WASHINGTON . Although Israel and the Palestinian government said a participation to the meeting in early September in Washington.
However, negotiators Saeb Erekat threatened a breakdown of the talks , Israel should be self-imposed moratorium following the end of the housing in the West Bank to resume .
The temporary building freeze end on 26 September from . I
In Washington, to be resumed under the auspices of U.S. President Barack Obama’s direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians after nearly two years of break.
Source: AP
Fortune 500 Global
HB RAMALLAH / WASHINGTON . Although Israel and the Palestinian government said a participation to the meeting in early September in Washington.
However, negotiators Saeb Erekat threatened a breakdown of the talks , Israel should be self-imposed moratorium following the end of the housing in the West Bank to resume .
The temporary building freeze end on 26 September from . I
In Washington, to be resumed under the auspices of U.S. President Barack Obama’s direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians after nearly two years of break.
Currently, both sides negotiate indirectly via the U.S. envoy George Mitchell.
The Palestinians demand as a condition for the resumption of direct meeting a freeze of settlement activity .
Israel rejects conditions.
The Palestinians appealed on Friday made up the invitation text of the Quartet of U.S. , European Union , Russia and UN.
This refers to previous statements in which such a stop is also required. By contrast Israel spoke of a request from the U.S., the condition would not called.
Even Hillary Clinton had said at the formal announcement of the summit, that there were no conditions .
Originally, Abbas had also said before a meeting would have a clear agenda to be negotiated. Palestinian critics accused the president , therefore, to be articulated . "Now he has not yet, " said political commentator Hani al – Masri told Reuters on the initial conditions. "It damages the credibility of the President and the leadership."
The radical Islamic Hamas could however benefit from the situation. It holds the power in the Gaza Strip. Abbas has said that the international community has exerted massive pressure on him to take part in direct talks.
Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Israel and the Palestinians on Saturday to conclude the peace talks in the set time frame of one year.
Possible solutions to the key of the outstanding issues had been worked out in earlier negotiations , said the Chancellor Angela Merkel n Berlin.
It now applies to muster the political will and show the necessary willingness to compromise . This was also in the interest of stability throughout the region.
The negotiation of a two had been broken off in the penultimate year of the Palestinians after the start of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Tags: chancellor angela merkel, barack obama, angela merkel, israelis and palestinians, invitation text
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Monday, August 23rd, 2010 at 3:33 am
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German Speaker Steffen Seibert: "German Government is currently based on fuel tax "
German Speaker Steffen Seibert: German Government is currently based on fuel tax
Fortune 500 Global
BERLIN (Dow Jones) – The fuel tax is to play according to the plans of the Federal Government for a contribution to the energy savings package on a central role. However, it remains to be seen whether a different solution may also come into play . ( Reuters photo
Fortune 500 Global
BERLIN (Dow Jones) – The fuel tax is to play according to the plans of the Federal Government for a contribution to the energy savings package on a central role. However, it remains to be seen whether a different solution may also come into play . ( Reuters photo
The planned for this volume of EUR 2.3 billion was to be dealt with in the Budget Support ", with which the Cabinet on 1 September will deal , government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Friday.
"Currently, we are assuming that this is a fuel tax , but there is also the parallel negotiations, " he said at a press conference in Berlin. "It will be decided until the meeting of the Cabinet, which of the two solutions comes to fruition, or whether possibly the negotiations will continue, "said Steffen Seibert.
When asked whether additional charges were excluded on the possible fuel tax addition for the economy, he said only , the see of the government to be adopted energy may also happen that the term would be extended from nuclear power plants, "and then join as other issues at .
A spokeswoman for the Federal Environment Ministry, said at the same press conference, this issue should the terms of the coalition agreement are met. "As currently foreseen, must be present if the term extension is room for an additional of profits , " she demanded. The Union Group Chairman Volker Kauder had previously spoken out against a further burden the energy industry.
To an open letter from business leaders and other public figures to Chancellor Angela Merkel ( CDU ), which require such "courage and realism for Germany’s energy future , "said Seibert : " The Chancellor sees this ad a perfectly permissible discussion. "
However, Seibert pointed back the charge that the proposed energy will harm the economy.
"One of the intentions of the energy is to find an energy mix that makes this more industrial land to create companies with business and the prosperity to which we have accustomed us, "he said. The federal government would " an energy of reason on its feet , "and the energy is propagated should be safe, clean and affordable.
- By Andreas Kissler , Dow Jones Newswires
+49 (0)30 2888 4118, andreas.kissler @ dowjones.com
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Tags: nuclear power plants, parallel negotiations, reuters photo, angela merkel, chancellor angela merkel
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Saturday, August 21st, 2010 at 1:06 pm
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