Archive for the ‘Top Stories’ Category
Release Date: 05/16/2012Contact Information: Enesta Jones (News Media Only), jones.enesta@epa.gov, 202-564-7873, 202-564-4355
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a new design competition called the Campus RainWorks Challenge to encourage student teams on college and university campuses across the country to develop innovative approaches to stormwater management. Stormwater is a major cause of water pollution in urban areas in the U.S., impacting the health of people across the country as well as tens of thousands of miles of rivers, streams, and coastal shorelines, and hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. The competition will help raise awareness of green design and planning approaches at colleges and universities, and train the next generation of landscape architects, planners, and engineers in green infrastructure principles and design.
Student teams, working with a faculty advisor, will submit design plans for a proposed green infrastructure project for their campus. Registration for the Campus RainWorks Challenge opens September 4, and entries must be submitted by December 14, 2012 for consideration. Winning entries will be selected by EPA and announced in April 2013. Winning teams will earn a cash prize of $1,500 – $2,500, as well as $8,000 – $11,000 in funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure. In 2013, EPA plans to expand Campus RainWorks by inviting students to design and complete a demonstration project assessing innovative green infrastructure approaches on their campus.
“Reducing stormwater pollution requires innovative approaches and America’s college students are incredibly creative and talented,” said Nancy Stoner, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “The Campus RainWorks Challenge will engage students across the country in tackling one of the toughest challenges to clean water and show them the opportunities in environmental careers.”
EPA is encouraging the use of green infrastructure as a solution to help manage stormwater runoff. Green Infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and natural processes to manage stormwater runoff at its source and provide other community benefits, including economic development.. Green infrastructure is increasingly being used to supplement or substitute for single-purpose “gray” infrastructure investments such as pipes, and ponds. The Campus RainWorks Challenge will help encourage the use of green infrastructure projects on college and university campuses to manage stormwater discharges.
More information on the Campus RainWorks Challenge: http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/crw_challenge.cfm
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The Solomon Islands, a former British protectorate in the Pacific, is striving to recover from a civil conflict that brought it to the brink of collapse.
A rival militia group, the Malaitan Eagle Force, staged a coup in June 2000 and forced the then prime minister to resign, saying he had failed to deal with the crisis, which had left up to 100 dead.
An Australian-brokered peace deal was signed in October 2000. But lawlessness continued and an Australian-led peacekeeping force arrived in July 2003.
The force arrested many rebel commanders, collected thousands of illegally-held weapons and oversaw a slow return to order.
The Australian intervention also provided for the appointment of foreign nationals to government posts and included financial assistance; Canberra says it aims to make the country self-sustaining.
But prosperity is elusive. Civil war left the country almost bankrupt, and post-election riots in April 2006 sent some of the advances made since 2003 up in smoke.
According to the World Bank, the Solomon Islands, one of the Pacific region's poorest countries, has been affected by successive global food, fuel and financial crises and in 2009, with the fall in log exports and a major drop in international commodity prices, growth fell to just 1 percent.
Economic hopes have been pinned on the resumption of palm oil production and gold mining.
The Solomon Islands chain consists of several large volcanic islands to the south-east of Papua New Guinea, as well as outlying islands and atolls. The terrain is mountainous and heavily forested.
During World War II the island of Guadalcanal saw some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific theatre as the US battled to wrest control of the territory from Japanese occupiers.
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Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) is strongly positioned as an organisation that promotes platforms which empower key decision makers to emerge as knowledge leaders with its sponsorship of the International Leadership Conference (ILC 2012) to be held at the Regency InterContinental Hotel Bahrain on May 15 and 16, 2012.
Held under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Energy and Chairman of National Oil and Gas Authority, Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, the two-day event has been organised by the Bahrain Management Society.
The theme of the conference is “Enforcing Regional Competitiveness through Leadership, Critical Thinking and Innovation.”
Commenting on Alba’s sponsorship of ILC 2012, the company’s Chief Executive, Laurent Schmitt said, “The success of every organisation lies in how effectively the leadership is able to lead, manage and inspire the workforce to achieve corporate goals and deliver results. Events such as ILC 2012 that Alba is sponsoring provide opportunities to share experiences and to learn of the transformative power of sound leadership.”
The Bahrain Management Society, which was established as a non-profit society in 1995, provides a forum for promoting best management practice and professionalism to enhance the development of Bahrain’s managers through workshops, seminars and conferences. It plays an important role in undertaking research in management, production of specialised publications, and adding value to the business community through productive management.
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The medication Aimee Copeland is given leads her to forget each time she falls asleep.
“It’s scary to her,” said her mother, Donna Copeland. She asks where she is and “doesn’t understand.”
Yet Aimee Copeland — who has lost a leg and part of her abdomen to the virulent bacteria and may lose more, including her fingers — is keeping her spirits strong, her father said.
Can I get this flesh-eating bacteria?
“We really don’t see the suffering side of it. We see the miraculous survival,” Andy Copeland said. “I think that’s the story that’s inspired us, that’s the story that’s inspired, I think, the nation at this point.”
On Facebook, he wrote that doctors have used words like “astonishing,” “confounding” and “mind-boggling” to describe the young woman’s recovery.
The master’s student in psychology at the University of West Georgia was out with friends on May 1 near the Little Tallapoosa River, about 50 miles west of Atlanta, when she grabbed onto a homemade zip line. It snapped.
The accident left her with a gash in her left calf that took 22 staples to close.
Three days later, when the pain continued, a friend took her to an emergency room, where she was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis and flown to Augusta for surgery.
She had contracted the flesh-devouring Aeromonas hydrophila. The bacterium is “remarkably common in the water and in the environment,” according to Dr. Buddy Creech, an assistant professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University.
“When it gets into those deeper tissues, it has a remarkable ability to destroy the tissues that surround it in sort of this hunt for nutrition,” he said. “When it does that, those tissues die, and you see the inflammation and the swelling and the destruction that can be very difficult to control.”
In most cases, people contract the bacteria by swallowing them, resulting in diarrhea. Aimee Copeland’s case was much more rare. Her wound became infected, “and the infection (ran) wild,” Creech said.
A blog set up by the University of West Georgia psychology department said Aimee Copeland will suffer the loss of her fingers.
“However, physicians have hope of bringing life back to the palms of her hands, which could allow her the muscle control to use helpful prosthetics. They are awaiting a safe time before embarking on surgery for this.”
Speaking to CNN on Monday, her father said doctors were assessing “day by day, or even hour by hour.”
Copeland has told his daughter that one day, the family will celebrate Aimee Day — when she will be able to breathe on her own. “We’re going to celebrate that day forever for the rest of your life,” he told her. “It’s the day that my daughter was delivered from this horrible, horrible disease.”
If there’s anything to be learned, Andy Copeland said, it’s not to use homemade zip lines.
Aimee Copeland’s parents say that when she wakes up, she expresses concern about finishing her thesis.
In her studies, she has focused on eco-psychology — the idea that harmonizing with nature can be a powerful tool in ensuring one’s psychological health and vitality.
CNN’s Josh Levs, Greg Botelho and Brooke Baldwin contributed to this report.
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Schools which find the most effective ways to help children from poor backgrounds could win £10,000, Deputy Prime Nick Clegg has announced.
The pupil premium was one of Mr Clegg's highest-profile policies during the 2010 general election.
In a speech at a north London primary school, he said the Lib Dems had "won the battle" within the coalition over the payments, ensuring they were properly funded.
He said: "Get this right and we make good on education's progressive promise: to give every child the chance to go as far as their abilities and effort can carry them.
"And we'll achieve something else of lasting importance. We'll prove that teachers do best when Whitehall steps out of the way.
"To that end, I want to strike a deal between the coalition government and our schools and teachers: We'll give you the cash; we'll give you the freedom; we'll reward and celebrate your success.
"But in return we want you to redouble your efforts to closing the gap between your poorer pupils and everyone else.
"We won't be telling you what to do, but we will be watching what you achieve."
In a separate interview Mr Clegg told BBC Breakfast: "This is a very big change to the pupil premium. It's money that's being given to schools and teachers.
"They are then entirely free to use that money as they see fit to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds to get a head-start in life that they deserve."
For Labour, shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said: "Nick Clegg has got a nerve talking about social mobility. His government has cut education spending by the biggest amount since the 1950s.
"More than half of head teachers say they will be forced to use the pupil premium to plug holes in their budget."
Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the positive tone of the speech, but he said the awards would not "have a massive impact on performance".
Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Introducing competition for funding amongst our schools is quite unacceptable. All schools must be fully resourced to provide the first class education service we need."
Martin Johnson, deputy general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: "The coalition government's austerity policies, with its attack on the jobs, pay and conditions and benefits of the less well-off, are increasing the [education] gap.
"The real answer to the achievement gap lies in new economic, industrial and regional policies, not in education policies based on dodgy stats and cheap gimmicks."
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For a few fleeting minutes Monday, the Mets considered an unorthodox idea. With closer Frank Francisco reeling, they discussed the possibility of dividing his role between him and three other pitchers—a closer by committee.
But then the Mets decided on something even more radical by the standards of the 2012 baseball season. They decided to stick with their closer, at least for a little while longer.
After blowing two ninth-inning leads over the weekend in Miami, Francisco was shaky again in the Mets’ 3-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. He allowed a run on two hits and one walk in the ninth inning, but this time, he preserved the lead and earned his ninth save.
It wasn’t a confidence-inspiring performance, but the Mets will take it.
Getty Images
Closer Frank Francisco after getting ejected from Sunday’s game.
“This guy has a history of closing,” Mets manager Terry Collins said before the game. “We brought him here for a reason. We talked about doing a couple things different today, and we’ll see what the outcome is.”
The shelf life of a major-league closer has seemingly never been shorter. Already this season, 14 teams have changed closers. And while nine did so because of injuries, five demoted their closers after early-season struggles.
All it takes is a few ninth-inning debacles for fans to get antsy. And teams aren’t all that much more patient. Increasingly, the urge is to try someone else—anyone else.
The problem with that approach is it doesn’t necessarily improve the state of a bullpen. And as the Mets saw in Miami, it can lead to a revolving door.
After Marlins closer Heath Bell got off to a dreadful start, manager Ozzie Guillen temporarily used two other relievers to close games. Then he went back to Bell, who was booed off the mound after giving up two runs Sunday.
“What you end up doing is experimenting, and I’m not into experimenting,” Collins said. “You put in Jon Rauch today and he gives up a single and a double. ‘Well, he’s not the answer.’ So all you’re doing is creating a bigger mess than what you really have. Let’s just see if we can fix the problem first.”
Francisco, who signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Mets last winter, has blown two saves, been charged with three losses and entered Monday with an 8.56 ERA. But his fielding-independent pitching mark—which measures performance based only on the factors a pitcher can directly control—was much better, at 4.23.
He’s had some legitimate issues on the mound, but the Mets believe they are correctable. After reviewing video of Francisco’s recent outings, the Mets think he may be tipping his pitches. It’s a problem Francisco had last season and was able to fix by modifying his setup.
“Sometimes you think it’s nothing, but it can be a huge deal,” Francisco said. He thanked Collins for sticking with him. “I think he’s doing the right thing, because I believe,” Francisco said. “First, I believe in God, and then I believe in me. I think I can do the job.”
The Mets’ faith will only last so long. As Collins noted Sunday, they have other options. Rauch has closing experience and entered Monday with a 2.93 ERA in 17 appearances. Bobby Parnell has been their best right-hander in the bullpen, entering Monday with a 2.25 ERA in 16 appearances.
On Monday night, after Milwaukee’s Corey Hart singled off Francisco to drive in Ryan Braun with one out, Collins got Rauch up in the bullpen. Francisco walked the next batter, Taylor Green, but struck out Brooks Conrad and got George Kottaras to fly out to right field to end the game.
The closer’s job remains his—for now.
“He said if it doesn’t work, he’ll understand,” Collins said. “But in his mind, he truly believes he’s actually making good pitches, which we have seen by the video that they were good pitches. Patience may prevail for a short time.”
Write to Brian Costa at brian.costa@wsj.com
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The Kingdom of Morocco is the most westerly of the North African countries known as the Maghreb.
Strategically situated with both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines, but with a rugged mountainous interior, it stayed independent for centuries while developing a rich culture blended from Arab, Berber, European and African influences.
Morocco was a French protectorate from 1912 to 1956, when Sultan Mohammed became king. He was succeeded in 1961 by his son, Hassan II, who ruled for 38 years. He played a prominent role in the search for peace in the Middle East, given the large number of Israelis of Moroccan origin, but was criticised for suppressing domestic opposition.
A truth commission set up to investigate human rights violations during Hassan's reign has confirmed nearly 10,000 cases, ranging from death in detention to forced exile.
After his death in 1999 Hassan was succeeded by his son, who became King Mohammed VI and was seen as a moderniser. Mohammed VI introduced some economic and social liberalisation, and in 2011 he revised the constitution in response to "Arab Spring"-style protests. However, the monarch still retains considerable power and can veto most government decisions.
Morocco has expressed interest in becoming a member of the European Union, its main trade partner, but there appears to be little enthusiasm for this within the bloc.
To the south, the status of Western Sahara remains unresolved. Morocco annexed the territory in 1975 and a guerrilla war with Algerian-backed pro-independence forces ended in 1991. UN efforts have failed to break the political deadlock.
To the north, a dispute with Spain in 2002 over the tiny island of Perejil revived the issue of the sovereignty of Melilla and Ceuta. The small enclaves on the Mediterranean coast are surrounded by Morocco and have been administered by Madrid for centuries.
Morocco has been given the status of non-Nato ally by Washington, which has praised its support for the US-led war on terror. After deadly suicide bombings in Casablanca in 2003, Morocco launched a crackdown on suspected Islamic militants.
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Capital Management House (CMH), the Bahrain based Islamic investment bank, announced that it has distributed the regular quarterly dividend, calculated at 10% per annum, to GCC investors of the Bank’s Aircraft Leasing Investment Company for the first quarter of the year ended 31 March 2012.
CMH’s aircraft leasing company was created in January 2011 and has been structured around a transaction concluded with Emirates Airlines, one of the world’s leading carriers, which consists of the acquisition of a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft from the airline and an agreement whereby it has been leased back to Emirates.
The deal, which was undertaken in partnership with Novus Aviation and Muzun Partner Ltd., builds on opportunities in the regional aviation sector, which has shown to be resilient, and on the leasing sub-segment where strong returns can be achieved and where further growth, both in absolute and relative terms, is expected to continue in light of the Middle East’s position as one of the fastest growing travel hubs in the world.
“We are again pleased to announce another quarter of solid dividends for investors in Capital Management House’s aviation leasing company.” said Mr. Mohamed Aljasim, Chief Investment Officer of CMH.
“This investment continues to generate healthy returns for the Bank and our co-investors. The aviation sector is a growth industry with great potential and we are pleased to have been able to capitalize on that growth. We continue to look for opportunities in this sector and others that will enable us to acquire assets that are both income-yielding and provide for medium to long-term upside potential.”
Mr. Aljasim continued: “CMH also invests in other growth sectors and those that are of fundamental importance to the development of Bahrain and the regional economies. To date, the Bank has made significant investments in: Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy, Power, Financial Services, Real Estate and Capital Markets. Notable among these is the Bank’s stake in Al Dur Power & Water, which has recently launched commercial operations in February 2012 in Bahrain and was formally inaugurated by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain on the 30th of April 2012, underscoring the highly strategic nature of the project.”
Al Dur is the single largest independent producer of Power and Water in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is capable of producing 1,234 MW of power and more than 218,000 m3 per day of the highest quality water in the GCC today. This is equivalent to approximately one-third of the Kingdom’s peak power needs and one-third of the water requirements of Bahraini industry, business and citizens.
The Bahraini Electricity and Water Authority (‘EWA’) is the sole off-taker of the plant output as stipulated in a 25-year Power and Water Purchase Agreement.
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China has denied reports its military forces are preparing for war amid tensions over a disputed territory in the South China Sea.
But its intentions are far from clear – and the competing interests of maritime agencies and the military mean its next step is hard to predict, our analyst adds.
On Friday, several hundred protesters demonstrated at the Chinese embassy in Manila, calling for China to withdraw its ships from the shoal.
The row began early last month when the Philippines said its naval ship had found eight Chinese fishing vessels at the shoal, which is claimed by both sides.
A number of Chinese and Philippine fishery and coastguard ships remain stationed at the shoal, with both sides refusing to withdraw.
The shoal itself, called Huangyan Island by China, is a series of rocks and reefs more than 100 miles (160km) from the Philippines and 500 miles from China.
China claims sovereignty over a large U-shaped area of the South China Sea, bringing it into dispute with several neighbouring countries. In recent months, it has grown more assertive over the issue.
Manila has asked China to settle the issue at the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).
On Saturday, Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr – speaking at the start of a visit to China – called on countries in the region to settle their claims through international law.
"We don't take a side on the various claims over the South China Sea," he said.
"But we do, given our interest in the South China Sea, given the fact that a large proportion of our trade travels through it, … call on governments to clarify and pursue those claims and accompanying maritime rights in accordance with international law including the UN Law of the Sea Convention."
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Fato número 1: Os governos europeus estão entre os maiores detentores de ouro do planeta. Fato número 2: As enormes dívidas contraídas por alguns desses governos estão alimentando uma crise política na Europa e turbulência nos mercados ao redor do mundo.
Esses dois fatos levam a uma pergunta óbvia por parte de muitos investidores: por que esses governos não vendem ouro para pagar suas dívidas?
Seria ótimo se fosse assim tão simples.
Para começar, nem mesmo os europeus possuem tanto ouro assim. As necessidades de empréstimo e subsequentes dívidas de países como Itália, França e Espanha são tão grandes, dizem os analistas, que liquidar suas reservas de ouro não adiantaria muito para equilibrar suas contas no longo prazo.
“Se eles vendessem seu ouro, não sei se isso melhoraria muito sua classificação de crédito”, diz Kenneth Rogoff, professor de economia da Universidade de Harvard que tem estudado as reservas oficiais de ouro.
Também as realidades políticas e do mercado tornariam difícil para os europeus confiar em um milagre dourado, dizem os especialistas. Para começar, há o risco de que tentar vender o ouro ou usá-lo como garantia para empréstimos poderia ser visto no mercado como sinal de desespero — o que poderia elevar os custos dos empréstimos por tornar os credores ainda mais cautelosos, anulando assim o objetivo visado.
Mas alguns investidores ainda precisam ser convencidos de que o ouro não é a cura para todos os males que a Europa está buscando. Afinal, os governos, bancos centrais e instituições financeiras multilaterais como o FMI possuem cerca de 18% do ouro do mundo, segundo o Conselho Mundial do Ouro, uma associação do setor. A Itália possui mais ouro do que qualquer outro país excluindo os Estados Unidos e a Alemanha, diz o Conselho. A França ocupa o 4o. lugar e Portugal, o 12o. Até mesmo a Grécia, a terra do rei Midas, está entre os 30 maiores detentores de ouro, bem à frente de países ricos como a Austrália e potências emergentes como o Brasil, que está na 47a. posição.
E com o preço do ouro perto de bater um recorde em termos nominais — a cotação aumentou 17% só este ano — o valor dessas reservas disparou nos últimos anos. As atuais reservas de ouro da Itália, agora avaliadas em US$ 134 bilhões, teriam alcançado apenas US$ 21 bilhões no final de 2000.
O outro lado da moeda, no entanto, é que o ouro da Itália representa apenas cerca de 6,7% do seu PIB. A reserva de Portugal é proporcionalmente maior, correspondendo a mais de 9% do seu PIB. Mas vender esse ouro mal faria um arranhão na dívida pública de Portugal, que representa 93% do PIB, segundo dados do FMI.
Além disso, membros da União Europeia aceitaram restrições à utilização de suas reservas de ouro quando lançaram a moeda comum. O tratado do euro proíbe os países de financiar operações governamentais através da venda de ouro de posse dos bancos centrais — que é onde a maioria dos países europeus guarda suas reservas — segundo Natalie Dempster, diretora de assuntos governamentais do Conselho Mundial do Ouro .
Usar o ouro para financiar operações governamentais “simplesmente não é uma opção”, diz ela. O ouro, acrescenta Dempster, fica guardado principalmente para proteger o euro.
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