Archive | Global Issues

Obama administration prolongs veto on new uranium mines around Grand Canyon

Federal officials said that the administration of President Barack Obama prolonged a veto on new uranium mine close to Grand Canyon by half a year, and it claimed to supports two decades veto on new claims.

The extension keeps in place one million acres defense on public lands near the Grand Canyon National Park to provide federal officials more time to research the impact of the two decades outlaw. A temporary veto, introduced in 2009, was set to end in July.

According to Ken Salazar, an Interior Secretary, like their antecedents, they do not know how future people in the United States will experience, enjoy and benefit from that place. Salazar, which is talking to reporters from the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona on Monday, also said that is one of the several reasons why science, prevention and wisdom must show their protection of the Grand Canyon.

In addition, the outlaw does not close existing uranium mines. Salazar added that the mining claims created before 2009, when a provisional veto was founded, will be permitted to continue. However, no new mining claims will be permitted while the outlaw is in place.

He also added that they will keep on developing uranium in the northern part of Arizona, Wyoming and other areas throughout the U.S. Salazar stated that even though two decades veto on new mining stakes is established, they expect continued progress of existing rights and the organization of new mines over the next two decades.

Salazar’s announcement was instantly condemned as killing jobs for the people in the U.S., and continuing the reliance of the country on foreign energy. On the other hand, Katie Sweeney, the general counsel of the National Mining Association claimed that the outlaw is scientifically unsupportable and puts a worrying instance.

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Greka Oil & Gas agrees to pay $2 M due to oil spills

Greka Oil & Gas, an oil company in Santa Barbara County, agreed to compensate the county of $2 million because of the oil spills and faces a complaint from the federal government.

The California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Coast Region, the California Department of Fish Coast Region and the United States filed the complaint in the federal court against the oil company charging that Greka Oil & Gas breached the federal and state water laws.

According to the lawsuit announced today, Greka Oil & Gas illicitly released crude oil and produced water from its gas and oil manufacture facilities in Santa Barbara County during 21 oil spills between June 2005 and December 2010.

The oil spills resulted from cracked storage tanks, overflowing injection ponds and putrefied pipelines. Oil from each of the spills flowed into close waterways. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, also charges that at 12 facilities, the oil company failed to prepare plans and execute gauges required by the Clean Water Act to respond, contain and prevent spills.

The complaint requests the court to order the company to take all proper action to avoid spills in the future, and to completely employ the prevention requirements of the Clean Water Act for oil pollution. The U.S. and the two agencies in California also seek civil penalties up to the utmost amount approved by law.

Furthermore, the U.S. also seeks the recovery of $2.4 million in costs acquired responding to and leading the cleanup of the oil spills of Greka Oil & Gas. The California Department of Fish and Game also seeks the recovery of its voluntary response damages and costs for mischief caused to natural resources by the oil spills.

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Indonesian people more concerned to growing pollution than fuel energy

Indonesian people were more concerned with regard to the fast growing risk of pollution, than the need of lessening their reliance on fossil fuel energy.

One survey showed that as many as 71 percent of respondents in Indonesia stated that air pollution was the most serious environmental problem at present, while 45 percent cited global warming and 40 percent were most concerned about water pollution.

With the eager assistance of private organizations and foreign donors, the government released huge efforts to encourage an environmental friendly lifestyle to the country, including on issues of conserving energy. However, a recent survey showed poor outcomes for the campaign of the government. Of ten people in the country, only one of every ten is known with issues associated to renewable energy.

The study, which done by GE Energy Indonesia, shows that without help, most of 350 respondents failed to recognize renewable energy sources like biomass, wind, geothermal and solar. More unexpectedly, one of every five respondents misguidedly stated oil-based fuels as renewable energy.

Widhayawan Prawiraatmaja, the company country executive, said that some respondents also make out nuclear, natural gas and coal as renewable sources of energy. Prawiraatmaja also said that for respondents who can properly distinguish sources of renewable energy, solar energy is the most known source they recognize.

In addition, the survey also showed that Indonesian people had a lower standard of understanding when it comes to renewable energy sources than to Vietnamese, Singaporeans and Malaysian. For instance, Vietnamese have more understanding with consumption of energy, compared with Indonesian.

Only 25 percent of the respondents here were capable to distinguish solar as a form of renewable source of energy, while Malaysian people, the rate reaches 59percent, Vietnamese has 58 percent and Singaporean has 55 percent of knowledge with regard to this issue.

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Russia, Italy presidents talk about global problems, bilateral assistance

Giorgio Napolitano, the president of Italy, and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev talked about global problems and bilateral assistance.

The global problems include the situation in North Africa and Middle East. Several local nations have been facing popular complaints, which already triggered the ruling systems in Tunisia and Egypt to fall. Anti-government rallies also occurred in Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, Jordan, Iraq and Algeria.

A rebellion which started in mid-February in Libya giants the 40 years ruling of Muammar Gaddafi has already claimed thousands of lives, with the troops of Gaddafi which maintain their combat abilities in spite of the airstrikes of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) against them.

Medvedev, who arrived in Rome, Italy with two days working visit on Wednesday, will attend a military show off on Thursday in central Rome to commemorate 150 years since the union of Italy in 1861 into a united kingdom surrounding the whole Apennine Peninsula.

After the show off, the leader of Russia will take part in a trilateral conference with Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister of Italy, and Joseph Biden, the vice president of the United States. In addition, Medvedev will then meet with Xi Jinping, the vice president of China.

The negotiations of the Russian leader in Italy will concentrate on global and bilateral issues, specifically trades as Italy is the fifth leading partner of Russia after China, Netherlands, Germany and Ukraine in terms of overseas trade. Furthermore, the Russian leader last visited the country last February.

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2 workers at Fukushima Nuclear Plant absorb too much radiation

The government officials and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) reported that two workers at Fukushima Nuclear Plant who had their thyroid glands tested absorbed too much radiation than normal limit.

The two employees of the utility firm who have been working at the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi number one nuclear power plant in the northeast of Japan may have been exposed to radiation surpassing the normal limit of 250 millisieverts.

In addition, the two men employees in their 30s and 40s have been working at the complex of leaking radiation since the earthquake and tsunami last March 11 that triggered the worst nuclear catastrophe. According to a spokesperson of TEPCO, the two workers had been exposed to rising quantities of radiation since the calamities happened, gathering a lot of hundreds of millisieverts.

To comply with the rising catastrophe, the Japanese government increased the authorized limit of radiation that the workers can be exposed to in emergency instances from 100 millisieverts to 250 millisieverts.

Still, the Japanese officials and the power firm said that the two workers who underwent thyroid glands examinations last May 23 had absorbed 7,690 and 9,760 becquerels of radioactive iodine-131, a level ten times higher that of other employees examined. The two workers had been designated to work information at the number three and number four reactors, which involved being inside the control rooms of the reactors as well as outside on the ground of the complex.

The tormented utility company stated that it plans to examine 150 more employees who have been designated to the same work as the two workers reported to exceed the normal limit of radiation. The radioactive materials released during the calamity in Chernobyl, a disaster which draws an amount og parallels with the calamity in Fukushima, keeps on affecting individuals in that region, with toddlres being the most at danger.

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2 World War II veterans receive high school diplomas

After more than six decades, two veterans of World War II finally received their high school diplomas last May 26.

Ted Bosley and Jack Ginther, both of Ithaca, took part in the graduation of Ithaca High School Class of 2011, where they put on their gown and cap, a yellow flower, and received their diplomas like the rest of  the graduating students.

Ginther formerly spoke to students of Ithaca High School and confessed his disappointment for not being capable to received his diploma and attend his own graduation. After that, Tim Lambrecht, teacher in Ithaca High School, stated that he discussed the likelihood to invite Bosley and Ginther to the graduation and he got great enthusiasm from students.

Furthermore, Lambrecht also said that as a teacher, he had been involved in several rewarding stuffs over the years, Michigan Economics Teacher of the Year, Michigan Social Studies Teacher of the Year, 22 league championships, but the graduation with them ranks right up. He added that he had never heard on ovation louder and more passionate in that gym than the one they got.

Bosley, Ginther, and the late Frank Wheeler, who were graduates of the Class of 1945, were not capable to attend their graduation rite as they were drafted into the Armed Services during their high school year. On the other hand, Steven Netzley, the principal of Ithaca High School, said that Frank was Jack’s best friend from high school and he also left during the same period and also went into the Army Services.

In addition, Bosley, 84, stated that during his senior year, he did not distinguish one man who went off to college following the graduation. With 51 percent of the graduating class of 2011 reported to be attending four years college or university.

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California administration plans to shutdown 70 state parks

The administration of Jerry Brown, the governor in Sacramento, California, announced plans to shutdown 70 state parks on Friday.

This shutting down of 70 state parks is an effort to balance the insufficiency of the state’s budget. The parks included in the closing down were Point Cabrillo Light Station, Tomales Bay State Park in San Francisco north, Candlestick Point State Recreation Area in San Francisco, Fort Tejon State Historic Park in Kern County, Palomar Mountain State Park in San Diego County, Salton Sea State Recreation Area nad over 60 other properties.

The officials of the administration also stated on Friday that the shutting down will not initiate until fall at the earliest and will be finished by July 1 next year. Lawmakers of the state passed $33 million in parks slashes previously this year, but Governor Brown has into signed them into decree. Whether the shutting down will be involved in a last state budget this 2011 is still not clear since the spending plan is still being discussed.

In addition, officials of the administration added that they do not mean to change the budget for the parks further. Governor Brown will also announce his amended budget, together with the new state income projections on Monday. Parks are among the most famous service provided by California and have been employed as dealing chips in the past debates with regard to its budget.

Also, in his 2009 budget, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger projected to get rid of the 220 of 278 parks of the state t save over $143 million. The list of Schwarzenegger involved some of the most famous properties of the system like Emerald Bay State Park in Lake Tahoe and Will Rogers State Park in Los Angeles. Those slashes had gone by the time that the lawmakers reached a last budget agreement with Schwarzenegger, and no parks were shut down.

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Several Congress members see pictures of bin Laden’s death

Several Congress members already saw the pictures of Osama bin Laden as evidence that the most terrible leader of al-Qaeda was really dead.

On Wednesday, Republican Senator James Inhofe told Eliot Spitzer of CNN that he saw almost 14 pictures of Osama’s body, most taken at the leader’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The senator also said that there were also pictures taken on a naval vessel from which Osama was buried at the sea after the raid of the U.S. forces on May 2.

Senator Inhofe described the pictures as pretty horrible because of a picture of Osama’s brains that hand out on the eye socket of al-Qaeda’s leader. Oklahoma senator added that the wound either entered or exited an ear. There are also a lot of individuals have demanded evidence that the terrorist leader was really killed.

In addition, Senator Inhofe, which is Senate Armed Services Committee’s member, also added that Osama was really in the picture. He stated that bin Laden is gone and he is only a history now. On the other hand, Senator Bill Nelson, D-Florida, told Susan Candiotti, the national correspondent of CNN, that he will see the pictures on Thursday morning at the headquarters of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Langley, Virginia.

Members of House and Senate committees that deal with military and intelligence matters have been requested to see the pictures in the following days, but they will not be permitted to have any copies of the pictures. Senator Nelson is Senate Intelligence Committee member.

While Senator Inhofe stated that at least some of the pictures must be published, but not all his colleagues in congress agree including Senator Nelson. Representative Steny Hoyer, the House minority whip said last week that he supported the decision of President Barack Obama to keep those pictures under wraps.

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Al-Qaeda affirms Osama’s death, vengeance to all Americans

al-Qaeda affirmed that their leader, Osama bin Laden, was really dead and promised vengeance to all Americans.

The terrorist group said on Friday that happiness of people in the United States will turn to sorrow. This was the preliminary statement by the terrorist network since Osama was killed in a U.S. raid on his hideout in Pakistan.

The statement, which is written in a common style of al-Qaeda and in the name of group’s General Command, appeared typically meant to bolster followers that the notorious group was still together. The statement released was dated Tuesday, the day after the demise of Osama. Its legitimacy cannot be independently verified, but it was posted on militant websites on Friday by the al-Fajr Center, the online media distribution network of al-Qeada.

The statement said that the blood of the holy warrior ruler, Osama bin Laden, God bless him, is too valuable to them and to all Muslims to go in vain. The statement also said that they will stay, in God’s will, a pest following the people of the U.S. and their agents, chasing them inside and outside their nation. Soon, in God’s will, their contentment will turn to sorrow and their blood will be mixed with their tears, the statement added.

The affirmation from the terrorist group must take away uncertainty among all but the most reactionary scheme theorists that Osama, in fact, is dead. Earlier Friday, several member of radical Islamic groups complaint in many cities in Pakistan against the raid done by the special forces of the U.S. Lots of people chanted “Osama is alive” and exploded the U.S. for defying the dominion of their country. The statement also opens the way for al-Qaeda to pick its successor next to Osama.

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Department of Interior to pull out gray wolves in endangered species list

The Department of Interior reported on Wednesday that the gray wolves in many Western states, such as Utah, will be pulled off from the list of endangered species.

Moreover, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services will replace a 2009 regulation removing wolves in eth Northern Rocky Mountains, which include Montana and Idaho, and some areas of Utah, Washington and Oregon.

Congress also led the move in its 2011 acquirer’s bill passed last April. The regulation will take effect on Thursday. Ken Salazar, the secretary of the Department of Interior, said that like other iconic species like the bald eagle, brown pelican and whooping crane, the revival of the gray wolves are another triumphant story of the Endangered Species Act.

Salazar also said that the biological revival of gray wolves show years of work by wildlife managers, scientists, tribal, their country and stakeholder partners to take the populations of gray wolves back to healthy levels.

In addition, the states and the Fish and Wildlife Services will keep on monitoring the populations of gray wolves and collect information for no less than five years under a post-removing monitoring plan. U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, stated that the removing does not go far enough.

He also stated that while he surely appreciates the moving forward of the Department of Interior with removing the gray wolves in some areas of the country, they fell short to include the whole state of Utah, even areas of the state where the populations of gray wolves exist.

Hatch added that he will be conferring this matter with the agency, in conference with the Department of Natural Resources and Division of Wildlife Resources of Utah, in an attempt to increase the delisting across all of Utah.

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