Thursday, 28 February 2013
Transgender ruling
Transgender ruling: A Colorado school's ruling over a transgender child has sparked questions that could affect schools all over the country.
Congress sends Violence Against Women Act to Obama - USA TODAY
Congress sends Violence Against Women Act to Obama - USA TODAY:
 New York Daily News | Congress sends Violence Against Women Act to Obama USA TODAY Anti-violence law has been credited with reducing domestic violence and improving treatment of rape victims. congress-dome. The Capitol dome as seen on Capitol Hill. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, AP) ... In Victory for Obama, House Backs Domestic Violence LawNew York Times After delays and controversy, House approves domestic violence billCBS News House Passes Domestic Violence BillWall Street Journal Washington Post -Reuters -Los Angeles Times all 163 news articles » |
EU report slams Israeli settlements, calls for economic sanctions
EU report slams Israeli settlements, calls for economic sanctions: 
The harshly worded 15-page report provides recommendations tothe 27 member-states for responding to Israel’s activities in theoccupied territories – which the document described as“systematic, deliberate and provocative” – and endorses astrategy that aims at “making it impossible for Jerusalem tobecome the capital of two states.”
Seven of the report’s 10 recommendations propose slapping tougheconomic sanctions on organizations directly involved inconstruction projects in the Jewish settlements, Israeli dailyHaaretz reported. The report also called on the EU’s 27member-states to “prevent, discourage and raise awareness”about doing business with companies that work in the disputedsettlement zones.
It advised EU states to work to ensure that products exported fromthe settlements not receive an unfair advantage through“preferential tariffs,” and to give consumers an opportunityto make an “informed choice” through clear labeling ofproducts’ origins.
The report advocated “closer supervision” of technologicalresearch and development programs between the EU and Israel. Themeasures would work to ensure that “no research grants,scholarships or other technological investments assist settlements,either directly or indirectly,” or be provided to agenciesworking in the settlements.
Haaretz, which obtained a copy of the report, called the sanctions“particularly severe” compared to earlier EU reports.
The annual report, compiled by EU consuls in Jerusalem andRamallah, does not require member-states to implement the measures– the document’s recommendations serve as a guidepost forindividual EU states in dealing with the ongoingIsraeli-Palestinian conflict.
In December, several EU countries, including the UK, France andSweden, summoned their Israeli ambassadors to voicedisapproval of the ongoing construction projects.
The report expressed frustration with Israel for its late-Novemberannouncement of new settlement construction projects, shortly afterthe UN General Assembly voted to recognize Palestine as anon-member observer state – a move strongly condemned by Israel andthe US.
The implementation of the Israeli government’s so-called E-1project “would effectively divide the West Bank into separatenorthern and southern parts,” the report explained, adding thatit would also “prevent Palestinians in East Jerusalem fromfurther urban development and cut off East Jerusalem from the restof the West Bank.”
Israel is “systematically undermining the Palestinianpresence” in East Jerusalem through controversial strategies,including “restrictive zoning and planning, demolitions andevacuations, discriminatory access to religious sites, aninequitable education policy, difficult access to health care, theinadequate provision of resources,” the report said.
Political analysts have said that any attempt to separate EastJerusalem – which the Palestinians declared to be the capital oftheir future state – from the West Bank, home to some 2 millionPalestinians, would effectively terminate any chance of a two-statesolution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War andlater annexed the territory; the international community, however,does not recognize the annexation as legitimate.
In January, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defendedsettlement construction in the West Bank, declaring that“Jerusalem will forever be the united capital of ourland.”
The Palestinians have refused to participate in peace talks withNetanyahu unless he halts all settlement construction.
The harshly worded 15-page report provides recommendations tothe 27 member-states for responding to Israel’s activities in theoccupied territories – which the document described as“systematic, deliberate and provocative” – and endorses astrategy that aims at “making it impossible for Jerusalem tobecome the capital of two states.”
Seven of the report’s 10 recommendations propose slapping tougheconomic sanctions on organizations directly involved inconstruction projects in the Jewish settlements, Israeli dailyHaaretz reported. The report also called on the EU’s 27member-states to “prevent, discourage and raise awareness”about doing business with companies that work in the disputedsettlement zones.
It advised EU states to work to ensure that products exported fromthe settlements not receive an unfair advantage through“preferential tariffs,” and to give consumers an opportunityto make an “informed choice” through clear labeling ofproducts’ origins.
The report advocated “closer supervision” of technologicalresearch and development programs between the EU and Israel. Themeasures would work to ensure that “no research grants,scholarships or other technological investments assist settlements,either directly or indirectly,” or be provided to agenciesworking in the settlements.
Haaretz, which obtained a copy of the report, called the sanctions“particularly severe” compared to earlier EU reports.
The annual report, compiled by EU consuls in Jerusalem andRamallah, does not require member-states to implement the measures– the document’s recommendations serve as a guidepost forindividual EU states in dealing with the ongoingIsraeli-Palestinian conflict.
In December, several EU countries, including the UK, France andSweden, summoned their Israeli ambassadors to voicedisapproval of the ongoing construction projects.
Settlement constructions and the two-state solution
The report expressed frustration with Israel for its late-Novemberannouncement of new settlement construction projects, shortly afterthe UN General Assembly voted to recognize Palestine as anon-member observer state – a move strongly condemned by Israel andthe US.
The implementation of the Israeli government’s so-called E-1project “would effectively divide the West Bank into separatenorthern and southern parts,” the report explained, adding thatit would also “prevent Palestinians in East Jerusalem fromfurther urban development and cut off East Jerusalem from the restof the West Bank.”
Israel is “systematically undermining the Palestinianpresence” in East Jerusalem through controversial strategies,including “restrictive zoning and planning, demolitions andevacuations, discriminatory access to religious sites, aninequitable education policy, difficult access to health care, theinadequate provision of resources,” the report said.
Political analysts have said that any attempt to separate EastJerusalem – which the Palestinians declared to be the capital oftheir future state – from the West Bank, home to some 2 millionPalestinians, would effectively terminate any chance of a two-statesolution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War andlater annexed the territory; the international community, however,does not recognize the annexation as legitimate.
In January, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defendedsettlement construction in the West Bank, declaring that“Jerusalem will forever be the united capital of ourland.”
The Palestinians have refused to participate in peace talks withNetanyahu unless he halts all settlement construction.
‘No shot, no ticket’: Ethiopians decry Israeli birth control policies
‘No shot, no ticket’: Ethiopians decry Israeli birth control policies: 
The birth control vaccination was reportedly a requirement forthe women to immigrate to Israel: “They told me if you don'ttake the shot, we won't give you a ticket, so I took the shot, butI didn't know that it would prevent pregnancies. I didn’tknow,” one woman told RT correspondent Paula Slier.
The gruesome side effects of Depo-Provera are so severe that thedrug is not recommended for most patients.
“We are talking about a contraception that has heavy medicaland mental effects – period irregularities, vaginal bleeding,osteoporosis, alongside mental side effects like depression, moodswings, rage and more,” said Sharon Eliyahu-Chai of theAssociation for Civil Rights in Israel.
At least six organizations – such as Tebeka, an Ethiopian legalaid group – now aim to take the matter to court over alleged humanrights violations.
Last month, the Israeli Health Ministry’s director generalordered gynecologists to cease administration of the drugs, bowingto public pressure after accusations that they had been forcing thebirth control injections on Ethiopian women without theirconsent.
Israeli officials have denied that the birth control program waspart of a plan to reduce the Ethiopian birthrate. The scandal hasworn on, with the organizations involved all pinning blame on oneanother.
For more, watch Paula Slier’s report from Israel.
The birth control vaccination was reportedly a requirement forthe women to immigrate to Israel: “They told me if you don'ttake the shot, we won't give you a ticket, so I took the shot, butI didn't know that it would prevent pregnancies. I didn’tknow,” one woman told RT correspondent Paula Slier.
The gruesome side effects of Depo-Provera are so severe that thedrug is not recommended for most patients.
“We are talking about a contraception that has heavy medicaland mental effects – period irregularities, vaginal bleeding,osteoporosis, alongside mental side effects like depression, moodswings, rage and more,” said Sharon Eliyahu-Chai of theAssociation for Civil Rights in Israel.
At least six organizations – such as Tebeka, an Ethiopian legalaid group – now aim to take the matter to court over alleged humanrights violations.
Last month, the Israeli Health Ministry’s director generalordered gynecologists to cease administration of the drugs, bowingto public pressure after accusations that they had been forcing thebirth control injections on Ethiopian women without theirconsent.
Israeli officials have denied that the birth control program waspart of a plan to reduce the Ethiopian birthrate. The scandal hasworn on, with the organizations involved all pinning blame on oneanother.
For more, watch Paula Slier’s report from Israel.
US prosecutors go all-out against Manning, claim bin Laden benefitted from WikiLeaks
US prosecutors go all-out against Manning, claim bin Laden benefitted from WikiLeaks: 
A military court will examine the case to prove that Al-Qaedadirectly benefitted from access to the classified diplomatic cablesleaked by the 25-year-old soldier. Private Manning was arrested inMay 2010 and accused of leaking the documents to whistleblowingwebsite WikiLeaks.
The new possible witness in the case was identified as ‘JohnDoe,’ and referred to as "the operator who actually collectedthe evidence in Abbottabad and handed it to an FBI agent inAfghanistan,” the Guardian reported.
‘John Doe’ will also be permitted to testify away from themilitary court where the case is being heard, upon theprosecution’s request.
British media has speculated that due to the secrecy surroundingthe testimony, the military officer may be one of those who tookpart in the 2011 killing of Al-Qaeda leader bin Laden.
Col. Denise Lind, the military judge presiding over the case,has yet to rule on whether any evidence associated with bin Ladenshould be allowed in the trial, which is scheduled to begin inJune.
On Tuesday, an army court ruled that Manning would remain in amilitary prison while awaiting trial, following the refusal of aseparate request to dismiss the charges against the allegedwhistleblower.
It was also revealed that Manning wrote a personal statementfrom 24 to 35 pages in length, according to different sources. Inthe document, Manning supposedly explained why he leaked theclassified documents to WikiLeaks.
The US government has attempted to block Manning from readingthe statement, saying that large portions of it are irrelevant tothe court proceedings, the Telegraph reported.
A military court will examine the case to prove that Al-Qaedadirectly benefitted from access to the classified diplomatic cablesleaked by the 25-year-old soldier. Private Manning was arrested inMay 2010 and accused of leaking the documents to whistleblowingwebsite WikiLeaks.
The new possible witness in the case was identified as ‘JohnDoe,’ and referred to as "the operator who actually collectedthe evidence in Abbottabad and handed it to an FBI agent inAfghanistan,” the Guardian reported.
‘John Doe’ will also be permitted to testify away from themilitary court where the case is being heard, upon theprosecution’s request.
British media has speculated that due to the secrecy surroundingthe testimony, the military officer may be one of those who tookpart in the 2011 killing of Al-Qaeda leader bin Laden.
Col. Denise Lind, the military judge presiding over the case,has yet to rule on whether any evidence associated with bin Ladenshould be allowed in the trial, which is scheduled to begin inJune.
On Tuesday, an army court ruled that Manning would remain in amilitary prison while awaiting trial, following the refusal of aseparate request to dismiss the charges against the allegedwhistleblower.
It was also revealed that Manning wrote a personal statementfrom 24 to 35 pages in length, according to different sources. Inthe document, Manning supposedly explained why he leaked theclassified documents to WikiLeaks.
The US government has attempted to block Manning from readingthe statement, saying that large portions of it are irrelevant tothe court proceedings, the Telegraph reported.
Divers find Russian meteorite craters in Chebarkul Lake
Divers find Russian meteorite craters in Chebarkul Lake: 
The underwater hunt for the rare stones was hampered by coldweather and light-obstructing mud stirred up from the bottom. Thedivers used powerful lights and probes to uncover several potentialsites where meteorite fragments may have landed.
On Thursday, a team from Ekaterinburg will join in the search byconducting a magnetic survey of the prospect locations; the initialresults could be ready as early as that evening.
Some fragments of the meteorite were retrieved in theChelyabinsk region, which endured the bulk of the spectacularcosmic event. The biggest meteorite chunk discovered was about 1kilogram. It is hoped that the fragments inside the lake could bemuch bigger, weighing dozens of kilograms.
Videos of the meteorite streaking across Russia’s sky proved tobe not only awe-inspiring for YouTube, but also served a scientificpurpose: Two groups of researchers used the clips to calculate themeteorite’s trajectory.
Colombian astronomers from the University of Antioquia in Medellinare believed to be the first to report their preliminary resultslast week at the scientific publishing website arxiv.org. A similarwork by researchers at the Astronomical Institute of Czech Academyof Sciences came days later on Monday.
Both teams used the proven method of analyzing video footage ofthe meteorite’s descent through a little bit of trigonometry. Thistime, however, the footage was taken by CCTV, car cameras andsmartphones, rather than precisely calibrated observatoryrecorders.
The Russian meteorite was determined to be an Apollo-classasteroid, one of an estimated 5,000 near-Earth bodies orbiting theSun and occasionally crossing the Earth’s orbit. Most of theseobjects are spread out between the orbits of Venus andJupiter.
Russian astronomers will report their findings later in March,but have already confirmed that the results published by theColumbian and Czech researchers correspond with their findings.
The underwater hunt for the rare stones was hampered by coldweather and light-obstructing mud stirred up from the bottom. Thedivers used powerful lights and probes to uncover several potentialsites where meteorite fragments may have landed.
On Thursday, a team from Ekaterinburg will join in the search byconducting a magnetic survey of the prospect locations; the initialresults could be ready as early as that evening.
Some fragments of the meteorite were retrieved in theChelyabinsk region, which endured the bulk of the spectacularcosmic event. The biggest meteorite chunk discovered was about 1kilogram. It is hoped that the fragments inside the lake could bemuch bigger, weighing dozens of kilograms.
Videos of the meteorite streaking across Russia’s sky proved tobe not only awe-inspiring for YouTube, but also served a scientificpurpose: Two groups of researchers used the clips to calculate themeteorite’s trajectory.
Colombian astronomers from the University of Antioquia in Medellinare believed to be the first to report their preliminary resultslast week at the scientific publishing website arxiv.org. A similarwork by researchers at the Astronomical Institute of Czech Academyof Sciences came days later on Monday.
Both teams used the proven method of analyzing video footage ofthe meteorite’s descent through a little bit of trigonometry. Thistime, however, the footage was taken by CCTV, car cameras andsmartphones, rather than precisely calibrated observatoryrecorders.
The Russian meteorite was determined to be an Apollo-classasteroid, one of an estimated 5,000 near-Earth bodies orbiting theSun and occasionally crossing the Earth’s orbit. Most of theseobjects are spread out between the orbits of Venus andJupiter.
Russian astronomers will report their findings later in March,but have already confirmed that the results published by theColumbian and Czech researchers correspond with their findings.
Sea Shepherd anti-whalers now labeled 'pirates' by US fed court
Sea Shepherd anti-whalers now labeled 'pirates' by US fed court: 
Chief judge Alex Kozinski wrote in an 18-page opinion that“you don’t need a peg leg or an eye patch” to be classifiedas pirates.
"When you ram ships, hurl glass containers of acid, dragmetal-reinforced ropes in the water to damage propellers andrudders, launch smoke bombs and flares with hooks, and pointhigh-powered lasers at other ships, you are, without a doubt, apirate," he said, adding that the group’s actions were the“very embodiment of piracy.”
But Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson says Kozinski's belief thathe is a "pirate" is one-sided and irrelevant.
"That's an opinion, it's certainly not a judgment," hetold AAP. "He didn't mention anything in there about the factthat the Japanese have destroyed one of our ships (the Ady Gil in2010), they've thrown concussion grenades at us, hit us with watercannons and laser beams."
Watson added that contrary to Kozinski's claims, Sea Shepherdhas not rammed a single Japanese whaling vessel.
"The judge obviously has not seen the evidence or the facts;he's just making an opinion based on his own personalprejudices," he said.
Earlier, Japanese whalers from the Institute of CetaceanResearch filed legal action in the US to stop the Sea Shepherd’santi-whaling activism. But District Judge Richard Jones sided withthe activists, leading to a ruling by a three-judge panel of the9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which reversed the originaldecision and criticized Jones.
The ruling will allow Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research topursue legal action in the US against the Sea Shepherd’s activism.Even though whaling is illegal in Australian waters, the SeaShepherd activists have no right to initiate a standoff, Kozinskisaid: “It is for Australia, not Sea Shepherd, to policeAustralia's court orders.”
The US ruling also criticized Jones, stating that he was “offbase” when arguing that the protesters' tactics were nonviolentbecause they did not target people, just ships and equipment:“The district judge's numerous, serious and obvious errorsidentified in our opinion raise doubts as to whether he will beperceived as impartial in presiding over this high-profilecase.”
The case will now be transferred to another judge.
For the past few weeks, the activists’ ships have been in astandoff with Japanese whaling vessels in the Southern Ocean. SeaShepherd activists have also blockaded the Japanese ships fromrefueling at the Sun Laurel tanker ship.
Both sides have accused each other of damaging vessels duringthe standoff. The activists also claimed that the Japanese whalershave been using water cannons and stun grenades against them, andthat Japan has deployed a military icebreaker to threatenthem.
Japan has denied the reports; Australia is currently takinglegal action against the country for its whaling activities.
Sea Shepherd vessels are known for chasing down Japanese whalersto disrupt their annual hunt and prevent the mammals from beingkilled. They set sail from Australia, and try to block or attackJapanese whaling vessels.
Whaling for commercial purposes has been banned for the past 25years, but Japan still sends ships on annual hunts. Tokyo hasargued that such hunts are for scientific research only, which ispermitted by an international treaty, but several media reportshave indicated that the Japanese hunts have no scientificvalue.
Chief judge Alex Kozinski wrote in an 18-page opinion that“you don’t need a peg leg or an eye patch” to be classifiedas pirates.
"When you ram ships, hurl glass containers of acid, dragmetal-reinforced ropes in the water to damage propellers andrudders, launch smoke bombs and flares with hooks, and pointhigh-powered lasers at other ships, you are, without a doubt, apirate," he said, adding that the group’s actions were the“very embodiment of piracy.”
But Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson says Kozinski's belief thathe is a "pirate" is one-sided and irrelevant.
"That's an opinion, it's certainly not a judgment," hetold AAP. "He didn't mention anything in there about the factthat the Japanese have destroyed one of our ships (the Ady Gil in2010), they've thrown concussion grenades at us, hit us with watercannons and laser beams."
Watson added that contrary to Kozinski's claims, Sea Shepherdhas not rammed a single Japanese whaling vessel.
"The judge obviously has not seen the evidence or the facts;he's just making an opinion based on his own personalprejudices," he said.
Earlier, Japanese whalers from the Institute of CetaceanResearch filed legal action in the US to stop the Sea Shepherd’santi-whaling activism. But District Judge Richard Jones sided withthe activists, leading to a ruling by a three-judge panel of the9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which reversed the originaldecision and criticized Jones.
The ruling will allow Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research topursue legal action in the US against the Sea Shepherd’s activism.Even though whaling is illegal in Australian waters, the SeaShepherd activists have no right to initiate a standoff, Kozinskisaid: “It is for Australia, not Sea Shepherd, to policeAustralia's court orders.”
The US ruling also criticized Jones, stating that he was “offbase” when arguing that the protesters' tactics were nonviolentbecause they did not target people, just ships and equipment:“The district judge's numerous, serious and obvious errorsidentified in our opinion raise doubts as to whether he will beperceived as impartial in presiding over this high-profilecase.”
The case will now be transferred to another judge.
For the past few weeks, the activists’ ships have been in astandoff with Japanese whaling vessels in the Southern Ocean. SeaShepherd activists have also blockaded the Japanese ships fromrefueling at the Sun Laurel tanker ship.
Both sides have accused each other of damaging vessels duringthe standoff. The activists also claimed that the Japanese whalershave been using water cannons and stun grenades against them, andthat Japan has deployed a military icebreaker to threatenthem.
Japan has denied the reports; Australia is currently takinglegal action against the country for its whaling activities.
Sea Shepherd vessels are known for chasing down Japanese whalersto disrupt their annual hunt and prevent the mammals from beingkilled. They set sail from Australia, and try to block or attackJapanese whaling vessels.
Whaling for commercial purposes has been banned for the past 25years, but Japan still sends ships on annual hunts. Tokyo hasargued that such hunts are for scientific research only, which ispermitted by an international treaty, but several media reportshave indicated that the Japanese hunts have no scientificvalue.
Coca-Cola HBC says Russia a ‘risky’ developing economy
Coca-Cola HBC says Russia a ‘risky’ developing economy: 
In the company’s opinion, legal ambiguity typical for Russia andNigeria can have a negative influence on its business in theseregions.
According to Coca-Cola HBC, Russia has a large and complexstructure of government and its national, regional and municipalauthorities may take contradicting decisions and propose a varietyof requirements, which may increase the company's costs.
In addition, Russia and Nigeria historically have very highlevels of corruption, and while the Coca-Cola brand is guided by USlaw forbidding corruption abroad, its competition with other marketparticipants can become unequal.
Coca-Cola HBC argued the uncertainty may affect company salesboth directly and indirectly, as the population, dubious about thefuture, will be spending less on non-essential goods likebeverages.
Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company S.A. is the world'ssecond-largest Coca-Cola bottler responsible for the markets ofEastern Europe, CIS, Ireland and Nigeria.
The risks of developing a business in Russia were highlighted byCoca-Cola’s main competitor, PepsiCo. The corporation's annualreport talked about the unstable political situation, civil unrestand other risks in countries like Russia having a possible negativeimpact on PepsiCo’s business and financial results.
According to analyst Darya Pichugina from Moscow basedInvestcafe, a country’s investment climate is individual for eachparticular company, and if Coca-Cola HBC says Russia and Nigeriaare unfriendly to it, they must have a point. “These negativeforecasts can be due to a country’s individual legislationregarding food companies like Coca-Cola. For example, in Russia atax on sparkling beverages was proposed not long ago, a fact thatcan’t be seen positively from Coca-Cola HBC’s point ofview.”
“As for the risk assessment, the risk of investing in Russiadoes exist, but it has a positive side too. Our country is veryattractive to foreign investment as it has a lot of differentindustries still developing, like the food industry or agriculture,and a company can gain a lot by investing in these. So, if it isready for risks, it invests in the Russian economy, if not, itturns to safer places like Germany,” Darya Pichugina toldRT.
“Unfortunately, Russia traditionally has quite a negativeimage for investors that needs to be changed, and that can’t happenin a wink of an eye. Russia and Nigeria have been compared a lot,but if we look at the question more profoundly, Russia’s corruptionis much lower and it also has a much higher level of education andscientific development which can be attractive to investors,”the economist pointed out.
Russia has recently moved up in the ranking for economic freedomcompiled annually by the World Bank where it occupies 112th place.In this list economies are ranked on their ease of doing business,from 1 to 185.
In the company’s opinion, legal ambiguity typical for Russia andNigeria can have a negative influence on its business in theseregions.
According to Coca-Cola HBC, Russia has a large and complexstructure of government and its national, regional and municipalauthorities may take contradicting decisions and propose a varietyof requirements, which may increase the company's costs.
In addition, Russia and Nigeria historically have very highlevels of corruption, and while the Coca-Cola brand is guided by USlaw forbidding corruption abroad, its competition with other marketparticipants can become unequal.
Coca-Cola HBC argued the uncertainty may affect company salesboth directly and indirectly, as the population, dubious about thefuture, will be spending less on non-essential goods likebeverages.
Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company S.A. is the world'ssecond-largest Coca-Cola bottler responsible for the markets ofEastern Europe, CIS, Ireland and Nigeria.
The risks of developing a business in Russia were highlighted byCoca-Cola’s main competitor, PepsiCo. The corporation's annualreport talked about the unstable political situation, civil unrestand other risks in countries like Russia having a possible negativeimpact on PepsiCo’s business and financial results.
According to analyst Darya Pichugina from Moscow basedInvestcafe, a country’s investment climate is individual for eachparticular company, and if Coca-Cola HBC says Russia and Nigeriaare unfriendly to it, they must have a point. “These negativeforecasts can be due to a country’s individual legislationregarding food companies like Coca-Cola. For example, in Russia atax on sparkling beverages was proposed not long ago, a fact thatcan’t be seen positively from Coca-Cola HBC’s point ofview.”
“As for the risk assessment, the risk of investing in Russiadoes exist, but it has a positive side too. Our country is veryattractive to foreign investment as it has a lot of differentindustries still developing, like the food industry or agriculture,and a company can gain a lot by investing in these. So, if it isready for risks, it invests in the Russian economy, if not, itturns to safer places like Germany,” Darya Pichugina toldRT.
“Unfortunately, Russia traditionally has quite a negativeimage for investors that needs to be changed, and that can’t happenin a wink of an eye. Russia and Nigeria have been compared a lot,but if we look at the question more profoundly, Russia’s corruptionis much lower and it also has a much higher level of education andscientific development which can be attractive to investors,”the economist pointed out.
Russia has recently moved up in the ranking for economic freedomcompiled annually by the World Bank where it occupies 112th place.In this list economies are ranked on their ease of doing business,from 1 to 185.
Russian businesswomen are better at dealing with bribes
Russian businesswomen are better at dealing with bribes: 
The survey studied the burden of government regulation andcorruption in 37 Russian regions from 2008 to 2011.
According to Grigory Kisunko of the World Bank, companies withwomen at the helm are less prone to solving their ‘problems’ bygiving bribes, but have to pay with their time in return as theyare more likely to face administrative barriers.
The number of managers, who said that they had to give bribes,decreased during the period. In 2008 every fifth contact with astate institution was corrupt, while in 2011 the figure dropped toone in twelve. In the EU every 20th manager opts for bribing whenit comes to winning bids and avoiding administrativebarriers.
The size of corrupt rents, on the contrary, has increased. "Fewer companies reported paying bribes, but those who pay, paymore," Kisunko stressed.
The report says unofficial payoffs in public contracts has grownfrom 11%in 2011 to 15% now, which means bureaucrats have remainedon the take.
The survey studied the burden of government regulation andcorruption in 37 Russian regions from 2008 to 2011.
According to Grigory Kisunko of the World Bank, companies withwomen at the helm are less prone to solving their ‘problems’ bygiving bribes, but have to pay with their time in return as theyare more likely to face administrative barriers.
The number of managers, who said that they had to give bribes,decreased during the period. In 2008 every fifth contact with astate institution was corrupt, while in 2011 the figure dropped toone in twelve. In the EU every 20th manager opts for bribing whenit comes to winning bids and avoiding administrativebarriers.
The size of corrupt rents, on the contrary, has increased. "Fewer companies reported paying bribes, but those who pay, paymore," Kisunko stressed.
The report says unofficial payoffs in public contracts has grownfrom 11%in 2011 to 15% now, which means bureaucrats have remainedon the take.
Army forced to release documents related to secretive Bradley Manning case
Army forced to release documents related to secretive Bradley Manning case: 
Manning, a 25-year-old Army intelligence specialist, wasarrested in May 2010 and accused of passing hundreds of thousandsof sensitive military documents to the anti-secrecy whistleblowersite while working as an intelligence officer in Iraq. The soldieris scheduled to be formally court-martialed beginning this June andcould be sentenced to life in prison for his role in providingWikiLeaks with privileged material. Since details from thepre-trial motion hearings have been scarce, however, little hasbeen known publically about the government’s prosecution untilnow.
On Wednesday, the Military District of Washington informedmembers of the press that 84 judicial orders and rulings from thepre-trial hearings have been reviewed, redacted and uploaded to a military-run website where they can be viewed“In response to various Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)requests and inquiries from news agencies.” The trove so farincludes minor legal rulings regarding Pfc. Manning’s proposedplea, court orders sent to mental health professionals and otherrulings made by the judge.
The Army says that the seven-dozen documents published onWednesday make up just a small sampling of the more than 500 filesthat have already been either filed by attorneys for both sides inthe matter or the military judge presiding over the case, Col.Denise Lind. In all, those documents total more than 30,000 pages,and the Army says materials will be continuously published onlineas they are prepared for release. They warn the media, however,that “due to the voluminous nature of these documents,” itcould be a long time coming before the rest of the papers arevetted appropriately for publication.
The statement from the military comes just one day after Col.Lind ruled that although Pfc. Manning has been detained for over1,000days, the government did notviolate the speedy trial statute in the military’s Rules forCourts-Martial. Lind admitted to the court that delays in the casehave occurred in part due to the continuous efforts the governmenthas undertaken to audit the trove of documents relevant to thecase, but said the defense was not hindered by the slow-movingtrial. David Coombs, the civilian defense attorney for Pfc.Manning, had unsuccessfully asked the judge to dismiss all chargesagainst his client due to the lingering, nearly three-yearprocess.
Previously, Coombs imploredthe court to free Pfc. Manning by arguing that the treatment hisclient endured while detained in a military brig after beingcaptured was tantamount to torture. Lind agreed, in part, and said112days will be subtracted off of any sentence handed to theofficer. When Coomb’s latest request was declined, however,journalist Ed Pilkington wrote for The Guardian that the government’s absurd quest for totalsecrecy has left Manning to stand trial in an “Alice-in-Wonderlandworld.”
“Lind spent an hour and a half without pause reading out ajudgment that must have stretched to 50 pages, at a rate thatrendered accurate reporting of it diabolically difficult,” hesaid of Lind’s response to Coomb’s last unsuccessful appeal. “Nocopy of the ruling has – then or now – been made available to thepublic, presumably on grounds of national security, even thoughevery word of the document had been read out to the very publicthat was now being withheld its publication.”
“This prosecution, as it is currently conceived, could have achilling effect on public accountability that goes far beyond therelatively rarefied world of WikiLeaks,” Pilkington wrote. Onlyhours later, the Army said they would start releasing courtroomfilings.
Last May, the Center for Constitutional Rights sued the USgovernment over the lack of transparency in the Manning trial.“Public scrutiny plays a vital role in governmentaccountability. Media access to the Manning trial proceedings anddocuments is critical for the transparency on which democraticgovernment and faith in our justice system rests,” CCR LegalDirector Baher Azmy said in a statement when the petition against the Army Court of CriminalAppeals was filed. Additionally, a legal brief urging thegovernment to release documents was filed last September andendorsed by The Associated Press, Atlantic Media, Dow Jones,Gannett, Hearst, CNN, McClatchy, The New York Times, The New YorkDaily News, Reuters, the Washington Post and other mediaoutlets.
Pfc. Manning is expected to testify on Thursday this week whenhe is scheduled to formally offer a plea. He may avoid a lifesentencing by pleading guilty to lesser charges.
Manning, a 25-year-old Army intelligence specialist, wasarrested in May 2010 and accused of passing hundreds of thousandsof sensitive military documents to the anti-secrecy whistleblowersite while working as an intelligence officer in Iraq. The soldieris scheduled to be formally court-martialed beginning this June andcould be sentenced to life in prison for his role in providingWikiLeaks with privileged material. Since details from thepre-trial motion hearings have been scarce, however, little hasbeen known publically about the government’s prosecution untilnow.
On Wednesday, the Military District of Washington informedmembers of the press that 84 judicial orders and rulings from thepre-trial hearings have been reviewed, redacted and uploaded to a military-run website where they can be viewed“In response to various Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)requests and inquiries from news agencies.” The trove so farincludes minor legal rulings regarding Pfc. Manning’s proposedplea, court orders sent to mental health professionals and otherrulings made by the judge.
The Army says that the seven-dozen documents published onWednesday make up just a small sampling of the more than 500 filesthat have already been either filed by attorneys for both sides inthe matter or the military judge presiding over the case, Col.Denise Lind. In all, those documents total more than 30,000 pages,and the Army says materials will be continuously published onlineas they are prepared for release. They warn the media, however,that “due to the voluminous nature of these documents,” itcould be a long time coming before the rest of the papers arevetted appropriately for publication.
The statement from the military comes just one day after Col.Lind ruled that although Pfc. Manning has been detained for over1,000days, the government did notviolate the speedy trial statute in the military’s Rules forCourts-Martial. Lind admitted to the court that delays in the casehave occurred in part due to the continuous efforts the governmenthas undertaken to audit the trove of documents relevant to thecase, but said the defense was not hindered by the slow-movingtrial. David Coombs, the civilian defense attorney for Pfc.Manning, had unsuccessfully asked the judge to dismiss all chargesagainst his client due to the lingering, nearly three-yearprocess.
Previously, Coombs imploredthe court to free Pfc. Manning by arguing that the treatment hisclient endured while detained in a military brig after beingcaptured was tantamount to torture. Lind agreed, in part, and said112days will be subtracted off of any sentence handed to theofficer. When Coomb’s latest request was declined, however,journalist Ed Pilkington wrote for The Guardian that the government’s absurd quest for totalsecrecy has left Manning to stand trial in an “Alice-in-Wonderlandworld.”
“Lind spent an hour and a half without pause reading out ajudgment that must have stretched to 50 pages, at a rate thatrendered accurate reporting of it diabolically difficult,” hesaid of Lind’s response to Coomb’s last unsuccessful appeal. “Nocopy of the ruling has – then or now – been made available to thepublic, presumably on grounds of national security, even thoughevery word of the document had been read out to the very publicthat was now being withheld its publication.”
“This prosecution, as it is currently conceived, could have achilling effect on public accountability that goes far beyond therelatively rarefied world of WikiLeaks,” Pilkington wrote. Onlyhours later, the Army said they would start releasing courtroomfilings.
Last May, the Center for Constitutional Rights sued the USgovernment over the lack of transparency in the Manning trial.“Public scrutiny plays a vital role in governmentaccountability. Media access to the Manning trial proceedings anddocuments is critical for the transparency on which democraticgovernment and faith in our justice system rests,” CCR LegalDirector Baher Azmy said in a statement when the petition against the Army Court of CriminalAppeals was filed. Additionally, a legal brief urging thegovernment to release documents was filed last September andendorsed by The Associated Press, Atlantic Media, Dow Jones,Gannett, Hearst, CNN, McClatchy, The New York Times, The New YorkDaily News, Reuters, the Washington Post and other mediaoutlets.
Pfc. Manning is expected to testify on Thursday this week whenhe is scheduled to formally offer a plea. He may avoid a lifesentencing by pleading guilty to lesser charges.
F-35 program chief lashes out at jet producers
F-35 program chief lashes out at jet producers: 
US Lieutenant-General Christopher Bogdan on Wednesday criticizedLockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney for overcharging the USgovernment and failing to establish a good relationship with thePentagon, Reuters reports.
“I want them both to start behaving like they want to bearound for 40 years,” Bogdan told reporters during a visit toAustralia. “I want them to take on some of the risk of thisprogram, I want them to invest in cost reductions, I want them todo the things that will build a better relationship. I’m notgetting all that love yet.”
The Pentagon has planned to procure a fleet of 2,443 F-35fighter jets over the next 40 years to replace some of its olderaircrafts. But the estimated cost to develop and buy this fleet isaround $382 billion, while operating it will bring the cost to $1trillion during the next four decades.
“Its an unaffordable program at the numbers that we’reusing,” Lieutenant General Terry Robling told Reuters earlierthis month. Bogdan, who heads the program for the F-35 warplanes,has long sought convince Australian lawmakers to buy 100 of thejets, since Australia is a close American ally.
But convincing American allies to purchase the expensivewarplanes is proving difficult, since an F-35 was grounded for thesecond time in two months last week after an inspector discovered acrack on a turbine blade. The military does not know when the planewill be ready to fly again. Additionally, the manufacturersinitially claimed the planes would cost $67 million each – but nowclaim that the cost is $90 million each.
Angered by the manufacturers’ false claims, Bogdan publiclycondemned their actions and asked them to work towards developing abetter relationship with the US government.
“What I see Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney doingtoday is behaving as if they are getting ready to sell me the verylast F-35 and the very last engine and are trying to squeezeevery nickel out of that last F-35 and that last engine,”Bogdan said, who was speaking to reporters at the AustralianInternational Airshow.
Lockheed Martin is the primary defense contractor for the F-35program, while Pratt & Whitney is the sole supplier of F-35engines, making it impossible for the government to turn elsewherefor the parts.
Knowing that the US does not have alternative suppliers may haveprompted the companies to charge such high prices for theirequipment. When Bogdan took over as head of the F-35 program lastSeptember, he called the relationship between Lockheed Martin andthe US military “the worst I’ve ever seen.”
On Wednesday, Bogdan told reporters that the relationship hasimproved “a little bit”, but not nearly at the rate he wants to seethe relationship develop.
And without Australia’s help in purchasing some of the F-35sthat the US military needs, the Pentagon will struggle to buythousands of the 2,443 F-35s alone.
As the US military budget is slated to be cut by nearly $500billion in the next ten years, the F-35 program will becostlier than ever.
Other countries currently paying for the development of the F-35are Birtain, Candada, Italy, Turkey, Denmark, the Netherlands andNorway. If Australia opts out, the cost for the US and its allieswill only rise at a time when the Pentagon could be facing massivebudget cuts that would force the military to reconsider where itspends its money.
US Lieutenant-General Christopher Bogdan on Wednesday criticizedLockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney for overcharging the USgovernment and failing to establish a good relationship with thePentagon, Reuters reports.
“I want them both to start behaving like they want to bearound for 40 years,” Bogdan told reporters during a visit toAustralia. “I want them to take on some of the risk of thisprogram, I want them to invest in cost reductions, I want them todo the things that will build a better relationship. I’m notgetting all that love yet.”
The Pentagon has planned to procure a fleet of 2,443 F-35fighter jets over the next 40 years to replace some of its olderaircrafts. But the estimated cost to develop and buy this fleet isaround $382 billion, while operating it will bring the cost to $1trillion during the next four decades.
“Its an unaffordable program at the numbers that we’reusing,” Lieutenant General Terry Robling told Reuters earlierthis month. Bogdan, who heads the program for the F-35 warplanes,has long sought convince Australian lawmakers to buy 100 of thejets, since Australia is a close American ally.
But convincing American allies to purchase the expensivewarplanes is proving difficult, since an F-35 was grounded for thesecond time in two months last week after an inspector discovered acrack on a turbine blade. The military does not know when the planewill be ready to fly again. Additionally, the manufacturersinitially claimed the planes would cost $67 million each – but nowclaim that the cost is $90 million each.
Angered by the manufacturers’ false claims, Bogdan publiclycondemned their actions and asked them to work towards developing abetter relationship with the US government.
“What I see Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney doingtoday is behaving as if they are getting ready to sell me the verylast F-35 and the very last engine and are trying to squeezeevery nickel out of that last F-35 and that last engine,”Bogdan said, who was speaking to reporters at the AustralianInternational Airshow.
Lockheed Martin is the primary defense contractor for the F-35program, while Pratt & Whitney is the sole supplier of F-35engines, making it impossible for the government to turn elsewherefor the parts.
Knowing that the US does not have alternative suppliers may haveprompted the companies to charge such high prices for theirequipment. When Bogdan took over as head of the F-35 program lastSeptember, he called the relationship between Lockheed Martin andthe US military “the worst I’ve ever seen.”
On Wednesday, Bogdan told reporters that the relationship hasimproved “a little bit”, but not nearly at the rate he wants to seethe relationship develop.
And without Australia’s help in purchasing some of the F-35sthat the US military needs, the Pentagon will struggle to buythousands of the 2,443 F-35s alone.
As the US military budget is slated to be cut by nearly $500billion in the next ten years, the F-35 program will becostlier than ever.
Other countries currently paying for the development of the F-35are Birtain, Candada, Italy, Turkey, Denmark, the Netherlands andNorway. If Australia opts out, the cost for the US and its allieswill only rise at a time when the Pentagon could be facing massivebudget cuts that would force the military to reconsider where itspends its money.
MiniDuke: New cyber-attack 'hacks governments' for political secrets
MiniDuke: New cyber-attack 'hacks governments' for political secrets: 
The governments of at least 20 countries may have fallen victimto a sophisticated new cyber-attack. Security experts believe thehackers are attempting to steal political intelligence.
Computer security firms Kaspersky Lab and CrySyS Lab discoveredthat the malware, dubbed "MiniDuke," targeted government computersin the Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal and Romania along withthink tanks, research institutes and healthcare providers in theUnited States.
“The technical indicators from our analysis show this is anew type of threat actor that hasn't been seen before,” KurtBaumgartner, a senior security researcher with Kaspersky Lab, toldRT.
Although experts avoid speculating on who the attackers may be,Baumgartner clarified that “based on the target victims and thefunctionality of the malware” the objective of MiniDuke’sauthors is “to collect geopolitical intelligence.”
The threat operates on low-level code to stay hidden, and usesTwitter and Google to get instructions and updates. It allegedlyinfected PCs when ‘victims’ opened a cleverly disguised Adobe PDFattachment to an email.
“The high level of encryption in the malware and the flexiblesystem it used to communicate with the C2 via Twitter and Googleindicates this was a strategically planned operation,”Baumgartner said.
The PDF documents were specifically tailored to their targets,according to the researchers. The attachments referred to highlyrelevant topics subjects like “foreign policy,” a “human rightsseminar,” or “NATO membership plans."
When the files were opened, MiniDuke would install itself on theuser's computer.
So far it is only known that the malware then connects to twoservers, one in Panama and one in Turkey, but security researcherssay there are no clear indications of who was behind the onlineattacks.
According to Karpersky Lab the spyware was written in “assemblerlanguage,” a low-level code where each statement corresponds to aspecific command, and is very small in size, only 20 kilobytes.Assembler language codes are written specifically for each systemthey are meant to attack, as opposed to higher-level codes, whichcan infect multiple types of technologies.
The way the malware was created and used indicates that theattackers “have knowledge from the elite, ‘old school’ type of malicious programmers who were extremely effective atcreating highly complex viruses in the past,” Baumgartner says.“MiniDuke’s attackers have combined these skills with the newlyadvanced sandbox-evading exploits to target high-profile victims,which is unique and something we haven’t seen before.”
MiniDuke is a three-stage attack, technology news andinformation website, Arstechnica, explains. First it tricks avictim into opening an authentic-looking PDF document, and theninfected machines start using Twitter or Google “to retrieveencrypted instructions showing them where to report for additionalbackdoors.”
"These accounts were created by MiniDuke’s Command andControl (C2) operators and the tweets maintain specific tagslabeling encrypted URLs for the backdoors,” Kaspersky Lab saidin a statement. “Based on the analysis, it appears that theMiniDuke’s creators provide a dynamic backup system that also canfly under the radar - if Twitter isn’t working or the accounts aredown, the malware can use Google Search to find the encryptedstrings to the next C2.”
Stages two and three are hidden inside a GIF image file which isdownloaded from the command server and “disguised as picturesthat appear on a victim’s machine.”
Eugene Kaspersky, founder and chief executive of Kaspersky Lab,compared the highly-advanced MiniDuke to “malicious programmingfrom the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s”,saying it has the potential to be "extremely dangerous"because it was an "elite, old-school" attack.
"This is a very unusual cyber-attack," the statementemailed to RT read.
"I remember this style of malicious programming from the endof the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s. I wonder if thesetypes of malware writers, who have been in hibernation for morethan a decade, have suddenly awoken and joined the sophisticatedgroup of threat actors active in the cyber world. These elite, “oldschool” malware writers were extremely effective in the past atcreating highly complex viruses," Kaspersky's CEO added.
Neither Kaspersky nor CrySyS is disclosing what the malware doesonce it takes hold of a victim until they have had a chance toprivately warn infected organizations, Arstechnicareported.
According to the technology news and information website, atleast 60 victims have been affected. Kaspersky has identified atleast 23 affected countries, including the US, Hungary, Ukraine,Belgium, Portugal, Romania, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Germany,Israel, Japan, Russia, Spain, the UK, and Ireland.
Revelations about the new malware come two weeks after SiliconValley security firm FireEye discovered security flaws in Readerand Acrobat software.
The governments of at least 20 countries may have fallen victimto a sophisticated new cyber-attack. Security experts believe thehackers are attempting to steal political intelligence.
Computer security firms Kaspersky Lab and CrySyS Lab discoveredthat the malware, dubbed "MiniDuke," targeted government computersin the Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal and Romania along withthink tanks, research institutes and healthcare providers in theUnited States.
“The technical indicators from our analysis show this is anew type of threat actor that hasn't been seen before,” KurtBaumgartner, a senior security researcher with Kaspersky Lab, toldRT.
Although experts avoid speculating on who the attackers may be,Baumgartner clarified that “based on the target victims and thefunctionality of the malware” the objective of MiniDuke’sauthors is “to collect geopolitical intelligence.”
The threat operates on low-level code to stay hidden, and usesTwitter and Google to get instructions and updates. It allegedlyinfected PCs when ‘victims’ opened a cleverly disguised Adobe PDFattachment to an email.
“The high level of encryption in the malware and the flexiblesystem it used to communicate with the C2 via Twitter and Googleindicates this was a strategically planned operation,”Baumgartner said.
The PDF documents were specifically tailored to their targets,according to the researchers. The attachments referred to highlyrelevant topics subjects like “foreign policy,” a “human rightsseminar,” or “NATO membership plans."
When the files were opened, MiniDuke would install itself on theuser's computer.
So far it is only known that the malware then connects to twoservers, one in Panama and one in Turkey, but security researcherssay there are no clear indications of who was behind the onlineattacks.
According to Karpersky Lab the spyware was written in “assemblerlanguage,” a low-level code where each statement corresponds to aspecific command, and is very small in size, only 20 kilobytes.Assembler language codes are written specifically for each systemthey are meant to attack, as opposed to higher-level codes, whichcan infect multiple types of technologies.
The way the malware was created and used indicates that theattackers “have knowledge from the elite, ‘old school’ type of malicious programmers who were extremely effective atcreating highly complex viruses in the past,” Baumgartner says.“MiniDuke’s attackers have combined these skills with the newlyadvanced sandbox-evading exploits to target high-profile victims,which is unique and something we haven’t seen before.”
MiniDuke is a three-stage attack, technology news andinformation website, Arstechnica, explains. First it tricks avictim into opening an authentic-looking PDF document, and theninfected machines start using Twitter or Google “to retrieveencrypted instructions showing them where to report for additionalbackdoors.”
"These accounts were created by MiniDuke’s Command andControl (C2) operators and the tweets maintain specific tagslabeling encrypted URLs for the backdoors,” Kaspersky Lab saidin a statement. “Based on the analysis, it appears that theMiniDuke’s creators provide a dynamic backup system that also canfly under the radar - if Twitter isn’t working or the accounts aredown, the malware can use Google Search to find the encryptedstrings to the next C2.”
Stages two and three are hidden inside a GIF image file which isdownloaded from the command server and “disguised as picturesthat appear on a victim’s machine.”
Eugene Kaspersky, founder and chief executive of Kaspersky Lab,compared the highly-advanced MiniDuke to “malicious programmingfrom the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s”,saying it has the potential to be "extremely dangerous"because it was an "elite, old-school" attack.
"This is a very unusual cyber-attack," the statementemailed to RT read.
"I remember this style of malicious programming from the endof the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s. I wonder if thesetypes of malware writers, who have been in hibernation for morethan a decade, have suddenly awoken and joined the sophisticatedgroup of threat actors active in the cyber world. These elite, “oldschool” malware writers were extremely effective in the past atcreating highly complex viruses," Kaspersky's CEO added.
Neither Kaspersky nor CrySyS is disclosing what the malware doesonce it takes hold of a victim until they have had a chance toprivately warn infected organizations, Arstechnicareported.
According to the technology news and information website, atleast 60 victims have been affected. Kaspersky has identified atleast 23 affected countries, including the US, Hungary, Ukraine,Belgium, Portugal, Romania, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Germany,Israel, Japan, Russia, Spain, the UK, and Ireland.
Revelations about the new malware come two weeks after SiliconValley security firm FireEye discovered security flaws in Readerand Acrobat software.
Bernanke’s legacy: Fed set to lose $500 billion
Bernanke’s legacy: Fed set to lose $500 billion: 
A study conducted by investment analysts at New York City’s MSCIInc. suggests that Mr. Bernanke’s efforts to keep the flounderingeconomy in tact on the heels of a recession have proven to befutile and will continue to collapse.
According to Bloomberg News, who contracted MSCI to conduct the study, thepotential losses the Fed could see during the next three years are“unprecedented.” MSCI says the market values of Fed holdingsare likely to shrink by $547 billion during that span.
The group says they concluded as much after using stress-testscenarios designed by the central bank to examine how the value ofsecurities held in the Fed’s portfolio at the end of 2012 willstand up during the next few years. In a situation involvingeconomic contraction and rising inflation, MSCI expects the Fed’sholdings to drop drastically by more than half of a trilliondollars.
Should conditions improve, however, losses may not amount tothat substantial of a figure. If the economy performs “in linewith consensus forecasts of gradually rising growth, inflation andinterest rates,” reports Bloomberg, the mark-to-market lossduring the next few years could amount to ‘only’ $216 billion.Sarah Binder, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, tellsBloomberg that either way she expects a hostile response fromWashington.
“Even if there’s a perfectly logical explanation and thenormalization of the balance sheet is a good thing in the longterm, the headlines will probably generate congressionalscrutiny,” she says. “That’s never a good thing from theFed’s perspective.”
So far, though, the central bank has stayed optimistic. Speakingin Washington on Tuesday, Bernanke told the Senate BankingCommittee that the Fed “remains confident that it has the toolsnecessary to tighten monetary policy when the time comes to doso.” At least one lawmaker, though — Sen. Bob Corker(R-Tennessee) — is skeptical. Hours after Bernanke’s address, hesent a letter to the chairman asking, “Do we have a seriouspolicy problem brewing here, or is this simply an optics problemabout which we should not be concerned?”
Others have reacted positively to Bernanke’s remarks and havesaid his confidence could be a good think. His comments did notaffect the price of oil on Wednesday morning, and the SucdenFinancial Research said that the chairman’s statement may have hadsomething to do with keeping the cost of crude from rising.
"It seems that the optimistic comments from Bernankeovershadowed the political uncertainty of the Eurozone and raisedhopes about a possible rebound in the oil demand for the rest of2013,” the report reads.
Whether Bernanke’s predictions prove to be correct is anotherstory, though. According to the MSCI report, the chairman’spolicies are on track to cause the Fed to lose a substantial lossin a short amount of time. Bernanke says his policy of “crediteasing,” or buying back debt from the Treasury and federal housingagencies, as well as mortgage-backed securities, is key toimproving the economy. As interest rates ride, however, returnsfrom the Fed’s holdings are sharply shrinking.
“The political backlash could be particularly acute giventhat a good portion of the funds that would otherwise be remittedto the Treasury would be transferred to large financialinstitutions in the form of interest paid on reserves,”Laurence Meyer, a former Fed governor and co-founder ofMacroeconomic Advisers LLC in St. Louis, adds to Bloomberg.“This could present a significant communication challenge forthe Fed and adversely impact its reputation.”
Bernanke’s second four-year term as Federal Reserve chairmanexpires next year and he has not announced his plans for thefuture. Speaking to the Senate, however, Bernanke did say that hethinks the Fed should continue with its current policies,regardless of how some economists think it will work.
“To this point we do not seethe potential costs of the increased risk-taking in some financialmarkets as outweighing the benefits of promoting a strongereconomic recovery and more rapid job creation,” Bernankesaid.
Should the “unprecedented losses” predicted by MSCI occur,though, the bank might start to see those risks. The New York Timesreports that losses in the hundreds of billions could mean the Fedwould be unable to move profits to the US Treasury Department forthe first time since the 1930s.
A study conducted by investment analysts at New York City’s MSCIInc. suggests that Mr. Bernanke’s efforts to keep the flounderingeconomy in tact on the heels of a recession have proven to befutile and will continue to collapse.
According to Bloomberg News, who contracted MSCI to conduct the study, thepotential losses the Fed could see during the next three years are“unprecedented.” MSCI says the market values of Fed holdingsare likely to shrink by $547 billion during that span.
The group says they concluded as much after using stress-testscenarios designed by the central bank to examine how the value ofsecurities held in the Fed’s portfolio at the end of 2012 willstand up during the next few years. In a situation involvingeconomic contraction and rising inflation, MSCI expects the Fed’sholdings to drop drastically by more than half of a trilliondollars.
Should conditions improve, however, losses may not amount tothat substantial of a figure. If the economy performs “in linewith consensus forecasts of gradually rising growth, inflation andinterest rates,” reports Bloomberg, the mark-to-market lossduring the next few years could amount to ‘only’ $216 billion.Sarah Binder, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, tellsBloomberg that either way she expects a hostile response fromWashington.
“Even if there’s a perfectly logical explanation and thenormalization of the balance sheet is a good thing in the longterm, the headlines will probably generate congressionalscrutiny,” she says. “That’s never a good thing from theFed’s perspective.”
So far, though, the central bank has stayed optimistic. Speakingin Washington on Tuesday, Bernanke told the Senate BankingCommittee that the Fed “remains confident that it has the toolsnecessary to tighten monetary policy when the time comes to doso.” At least one lawmaker, though — Sen. Bob Corker(R-Tennessee) — is skeptical. Hours after Bernanke’s address, hesent a letter to the chairman asking, “Do we have a seriouspolicy problem brewing here, or is this simply an optics problemabout which we should not be concerned?”
Others have reacted positively to Bernanke’s remarks and havesaid his confidence could be a good think. His comments did notaffect the price of oil on Wednesday morning, and the SucdenFinancial Research said that the chairman’s statement may have hadsomething to do with keeping the cost of crude from rising.
"It seems that the optimistic comments from Bernankeovershadowed the political uncertainty of the Eurozone and raisedhopes about a possible rebound in the oil demand for the rest of2013,” the report reads.
Whether Bernanke’s predictions prove to be correct is anotherstory, though. According to the MSCI report, the chairman’spolicies are on track to cause the Fed to lose a substantial lossin a short amount of time. Bernanke says his policy of “crediteasing,” or buying back debt from the Treasury and federal housingagencies, as well as mortgage-backed securities, is key toimproving the economy. As interest rates ride, however, returnsfrom the Fed’s holdings are sharply shrinking.
“The political backlash could be particularly acute giventhat a good portion of the funds that would otherwise be remittedto the Treasury would be transferred to large financialinstitutions in the form of interest paid on reserves,”Laurence Meyer, a former Fed governor and co-founder ofMacroeconomic Advisers LLC in St. Louis, adds to Bloomberg.“This could present a significant communication challenge forthe Fed and adversely impact its reputation.”
Bernanke’s second four-year term as Federal Reserve chairmanexpires next year and he has not announced his plans for thefuture. Speaking to the Senate, however, Bernanke did say that hethinks the Fed should continue with its current policies,regardless of how some economists think it will work.
“To this point we do not seethe potential costs of the increased risk-taking in some financialmarkets as outweighing the benefits of promoting a strongereconomic recovery and more rapid job creation,” Bernankesaid.
Should the “unprecedented losses” predicted by MSCI occur,though, the bank might start to see those risks. The New York Timesreports that losses in the hundreds of billions could mean the Fedwould be unable to move profits to the US Treasury Department forthe first time since the 1930s.
Scientist presents 'invisibility cloak' in California (VIDEO)
Scientist presents 'invisibility cloak' in California (VIDEO): 
The device more closely resembles a small box than a cloak, butmakes objects behind it appear to completely vanish. Using scienceto bend light around an object, the inventor found a way to concealitems placed behind his device.
Dr. Baile Zhang, an assistant professor of physics at NanyangTechnological University in Singapore, unveiled his invention at aTED conference in Long Beach, Calif, where he explained that heconstructed the invisibility machine “just for fun” after coming upwith the idea in 2010.
But his hobby quickly became known as a technologicalbreakthrough: what the 31-year-old electrical engineer constructedfor ‘fun’ has instilled excitement among those hoping that thetechnology can be used to create a life-sized invisibilitycloak.
“Some guy invented an invisibility cloak… Harry Potter isfinally coming true,” wrote Twitter user @MarissaaRussell.
But creating a life-sized cloak would prove more difficult: Dr.Zhang’s disappearing box was developed by attaching two pieces ofcalcite, a carbonate mineral that can bend light. While it ispossible to create a larger version of his invention, it would notbe feasible to create a garment out of the dense, colorlessmineral.
For now, the scientist is working on creating a larger versionof the invisibility box, one that is “as large as possible”,he told Boing Boing.
Still, the object has become the talk of the conference. AYouTube video shows Zhang placing the ‘cloak’ in front of a Post-itnotepad, causing a section of it to instantly disappear. The boxitself remains near-invisible as it flawlessly conceals the tinyobject.
While Dr. Zhang’s invention has stirred up excitement about theprospect of a life-sized magic trick, he is not the first to workon such an object.
Scientists at London’s Imperial College, Duke University and theUniversity of Texas are working on similar designs. Scientists forthe first time succeeded in “cloaking” an object in 2006, afterwhich the Imperial College researchers laid out their theory forothers to copy. In 2011, a physicist at the University of TexasDallas successfully created a small invention that uses carbonnanotubes to make objects behind it disappear. At Duke, inventorsused metamaterials to create a tiny cylinder that bendselectromagnetic waves and makes objects vanish.
But for those wishing to make themselves disappear in front offriends or family, take note: the illusion only works at a certainangle.
“It’s like the card people in Alice in Wonderland,”Imperial College Professor David Smith told BBC in 2012. “Ifthey turn on their sides you cant see them but they’re obviouslyvisible if you look from the other direction.”
The device more closely resembles a small box than a cloak, butmakes objects behind it appear to completely vanish. Using scienceto bend light around an object, the inventor found a way to concealitems placed behind his device.
Dr. Baile Zhang, an assistant professor of physics at NanyangTechnological University in Singapore, unveiled his invention at aTED conference in Long Beach, Calif, where he explained that heconstructed the invisibility machine “just for fun” after coming upwith the idea in 2010.
But his hobby quickly became known as a technologicalbreakthrough: what the 31-year-old electrical engineer constructedfor ‘fun’ has instilled excitement among those hoping that thetechnology can be used to create a life-sized invisibilitycloak.
“Some guy invented an invisibility cloak… Harry Potter isfinally coming true,” wrote Twitter user @MarissaaRussell.
But creating a life-sized cloak would prove more difficult: Dr.Zhang’s disappearing box was developed by attaching two pieces ofcalcite, a carbonate mineral that can bend light. While it ispossible to create a larger version of his invention, it would notbe feasible to create a garment out of the dense, colorlessmineral.
For now, the scientist is working on creating a larger versionof the invisibility box, one that is “as large as possible”,he told Boing Boing.
Still, the object has become the talk of the conference. AYouTube video shows Zhang placing the ‘cloak’ in front of a Post-itnotepad, causing a section of it to instantly disappear. The boxitself remains near-invisible as it flawlessly conceals the tinyobject.
While Dr. Zhang’s invention has stirred up excitement about theprospect of a life-sized magic trick, he is not the first to workon such an object.
Scientists at London’s Imperial College, Duke University and theUniversity of Texas are working on similar designs. Scientists forthe first time succeeded in “cloaking” an object in 2006, afterwhich the Imperial College researchers laid out their theory forothers to copy. In 2011, a physicist at the University of TexasDallas successfully created a small invention that uses carbonnanotubes to make objects behind it disappear. At Duke, inventorsused metamaterials to create a tiny cylinder that bendselectromagnetic waves and makes objects vanish.
But for those wishing to make themselves disappear in front offriends or family, take note: the illusion only works at a certainangle.
“It’s like the card people in Alice in Wonderland,”Imperial College Professor David Smith told BBC in 2012. “Ifthey turn on their sides you cant see them but they’re obviouslyvisible if you look from the other direction.”
Denim deity: Jesus Jeans defends trademark
Denim deity: Jesus Jeans defends trademark: 
The company’s warnings are anything but subtle, as Virginiaentrepreneur Michael Julius Anton recently found out.
After attempting to trademark his Christian t-shirt and surfaccessory line “Jesus Surfed,” Anton received an email from JesusJeans’ parent company, BasicNet SpA. The letter asked Anton toabandon his application, the Wall Street Journal reported.
"If you do not agree, then Jesus Jeans reserves its right to anaccounting/damages and all other appropriate relief with respect toyour trademark and trademark application," the email read.
Anton aims to fight the infringement claim - and he’s not the firstone to go up against the denim company in court.
Jesus Jeans is currently in the midst of settlement talks with“Jesus Up,” a small business which sells Christian-themedt-shirts.
"The name was so good and easy…when I looked it up and it wasn'ttrademarked, I realized it was truly a gift from the Lord,”Jesus Up founder Jeff Lamont said.
But Jesus Jeans didn’t agree. The company was quick to contactLamont, claiming that his apparel brand infringed on its trademark.BasicNet SpA demanded that he scrap his plans to commercializeJesus Up apparel, and presented evidence at a patent trial. Bothparties have agreed to suspend the trial while they make an attemptat a settlement.
"How anyone can claim the name Jesus for themselves and put atrademark on it is beyond me," Lamont said.
But not every small business has been prepared to fight Jesus Jeans– many have backed down amid fear of lawsuits.
The denim company has previously convinced labels such as “JesusFirst,” “Sweet Jesus,” and “Jesus Couture” to abandon theirtrademark efforts.
But in the true spirit of Jesus, the company insists it hascompassion for the church.
“If somebody – a small church or even a big church – wants touse ‘Jesus’ for printing a few t-shirts, we don’t care,”general counsel for intellectual property at BasicNet, DomenicoSindico, said.
However, he says that the commercialization of such apparel is“a concern.”
After years of fighting to trademark the word “Jesus,” the USPatent and Trademark Office granted BasicNet SpA exclusive rightsto the word in 2007. The company’s trademark on the word “Jesus”covers clothing and sportswear in the US.
But not every country has been so receptive to the controversialbrand. In 2003, Britain’s patent office rejected BasicNet SpA’sapplication, calling the name “morally offensive to thepublic.”
Attempts to trademark the word “Jesus” in other countries such asGermany, Ireland, Turkey, China, Switzerland, Norway, Cuba, andAustralia were also unsuccessful. However, the clothing companyfound a loophole, registering through the European Union as a“Community Trademark,” which makes the brand valid across the EU –including Britain.
Jesus Jeans isn’t the first consumer product to face criticism forits religious connotation. Earlier this month, restaurant chainPret A Manger was forced to withdraw its “Virgin Mary Crisps” afterreceiving a wave of complaints.
The company’s warnings are anything but subtle, as Virginiaentrepreneur Michael Julius Anton recently found out.
After attempting to trademark his Christian t-shirt and surfaccessory line “Jesus Surfed,” Anton received an email from JesusJeans’ parent company, BasicNet SpA. The letter asked Anton toabandon his application, the Wall Street Journal reported.
"If you do not agree, then Jesus Jeans reserves its right to anaccounting/damages and all other appropriate relief with respect toyour trademark and trademark application," the email read.
Anton aims to fight the infringement claim - and he’s not the firstone to go up against the denim company in court.
Jesus Jeans is currently in the midst of settlement talks with“Jesus Up,” a small business which sells Christian-themedt-shirts.
"The name was so good and easy…when I looked it up and it wasn'ttrademarked, I realized it was truly a gift from the Lord,”Jesus Up founder Jeff Lamont said.
But Jesus Jeans didn’t agree. The company was quick to contactLamont, claiming that his apparel brand infringed on its trademark.BasicNet SpA demanded that he scrap his plans to commercializeJesus Up apparel, and presented evidence at a patent trial. Bothparties have agreed to suspend the trial while they make an attemptat a settlement.
"How anyone can claim the name Jesus for themselves and put atrademark on it is beyond me," Lamont said.
But not every small business has been prepared to fight Jesus Jeans– many have backed down amid fear of lawsuits.
The denim company has previously convinced labels such as “JesusFirst,” “Sweet Jesus,” and “Jesus Couture” to abandon theirtrademark efforts.
But in the true spirit of Jesus, the company insists it hascompassion for the church.
“If somebody – a small church or even a big church – wants touse ‘Jesus’ for printing a few t-shirts, we don’t care,”general counsel for intellectual property at BasicNet, DomenicoSindico, said.
However, he says that the commercialization of such apparel is“a concern.”
After years of fighting to trademark the word “Jesus,” the USPatent and Trademark Office granted BasicNet SpA exclusive rightsto the word in 2007. The company’s trademark on the word “Jesus”covers clothing and sportswear in the US.
But not every country has been so receptive to the controversialbrand. In 2003, Britain’s patent office rejected BasicNet SpA’sapplication, calling the name “morally offensive to thepublic.”
Attempts to trademark the word “Jesus” in other countries such asGermany, Ireland, Turkey, China, Switzerland, Norway, Cuba, andAustralia were also unsuccessful. However, the clothing companyfound a loophole, registering through the European Union as a“Community Trademark,” which makes the brand valid across the EU –including Britain.
Jesus Jeans isn’t the first consumer product to face criticism forits religious connotation. Earlier this month, restaurant chainPret A Manger was forced to withdraw its “Virgin Mary Crisps” afterreceiving a wave of complaints.
‘Italy is running into a brick wall and the EU is going with it’
‘Italy is running into a brick wall and the EU is going with it’: 
While the country’s election has provided more questions thananswers, one thing remains clear – Italian voters don’t wantausterity.
“Fifty-seven percent of Italians don’t like the idea ofausterity and they don’t want to do the sorts of things that theEuropean Union wants imposed upon them. That’s causing a hugeproblem,” Young said.
He says the political limbo has left Italy with a deep sense ofuncertainty.
“There is no clear outright winner, there is no cleargovernment…they simply don’t know whether Italy is going to be areliable member of the Eurozone. And if Italy is not going to be areliable member of the Eurozone then there is probably not going tobe a Eurozone,” he told RT.
Young spoke to RT about the wider impact of Italy’s economic andpolitical struggles.
RT: What will happen to the Eurozone if the parties can'tfind a way out of the deadlock and uncertainty remains if there'sanother election?
Patrick Young:
The Euro crisis – the elephant in the room that nobody wastalking about so far this year - is back…and it is back big time.Because ultimately 57 per ent of Italians don’t like the idea ofausterity and they don’t really want to do the sorts of things thatthe European Union wants imposed upon them. That’s causing us ahuge problem.
Because ultimately you have got incredible new parties, likeBeppe Grillo’s Five-Star Movement; you’ve got an incredible wave ofsupport that came back for Mr. Berlusconi, the former PM, and ofcourse now it leads to the worst possible political limbo. There isno clear outright winner, there is no clear government, it is goingto take weeks and ultimately markets despise the idea ofuncertainty.
What they are looking at now is an awful uncertainty, becausethey simply don’t know whether Italy is going to be a reliablemember of the Eurozone. And if Italy is not going to be a reliablemember of the Eurozone then there probably is not going to be aEurozone.
RT:
Italy has operated on shaky coalitions since the end of WorldWar Two - why should another one be any more problematic?
PY:
I think the difficulty right now, and you are absolutelycorrect, - there have been multiple coalitions in Italian historysince the end of WWII. But as for this moment, the divisionsbetween the politicians are huge.
You’ve got essentially Mr. Berlusconi, Mr. Grillo. Theyabsolutely cannot abide each other. I mean, Grillo himself isultimately the anti-Berlusconi candidate.
And at the same time we’ve got [Pier Luigi] Bersani, who justedged victory in the lower house of parliament by three of fourtenths of a percentage point for Mr. Berlusconi; who has gota soft-left in Italian terms reasonably hard-left compared to theUnited States of America mandate…but very shaky one…to moveforward.
And ultimately also a part of this you’ve got finally theblew-in Mr. Monti, technocrat, who the first time he went to thepolls was essentially a huge failure with barely nine percent ofthe vote. These people are not the sort of people who are going tomanage to get together instantaneously and get to agree adeal. Their differences are vast and that’s what is spookingthe markets.
RT:
One thing's clear: Italian voters don't want austerity.President Napolitano says it means 'the bell is ringing for Europeas well'. Will Europe listen?
PY:
This is an incredible problem, because ultimately the dolce vitacannot be paid for under the current economics of the Italiansystem.
Of course we’ve had a number of politicians who have spent thewhole of the last 50 or 60 years in frankly all of Western Europetelling people that government would ultimately be the answer toall of their problems.
That era is over.
We are looking at the era of smaller government, smaller debt,and actually a great deal more capitalism rather than governmentactivity. Italy is running into a brick wall and the EU with it.How is the EU going to react?
Well, ultimately, I think it’s difficult to see how Germanpensioners who are already seeing their libraries being closed inorder to subsidize places like Greece - those people, the Germanswho worked incredibly hard, the Dutch, they are reluctant to wantto go further and subsidize the dolce vita.
RT:
Italy has the second-highest proportionate debt - at 127percent. How big is the danger it'll follow Greece into severe debtcrisis?
PY:
We have to bear in mind the fact that actually day-to-day theItalian government is not in the dire straits of the Greekgovernment. The good thing about Italy is that they pretty muchcover their bills on a day-to-day basis.
The problem is that this dear old dolce vita factor dating back50- 60 years of shaky coalitions that essentially did not want tobite the bullet has led the Italian to have a huge debt mountain.So already there is 110-120 percent of GDP to put it in perspectivethat’s not anywhere near a 150 – 160 per cent that you have got inGreece, at least.
But on the other hand if you compare even to, let’s say, theUnited States of America which has been rather profligate for quitesome time. They are barely reaching 100 percent of GDP, in otherwords a year of economic output. A great many nations one wouldargue should be under around 60 percent.
So, Italy’s problem therefore is that they need to keep sellingthis debt. And what we have already seen in international moneymarkets is that as soon as the Italians came out this week and said‘We’d like to sell few more bounds in order to pay a few morepensions and cover a few more hospitals, etc.’ The money marketsturn round and said ‘Well it’s going to cost you because we don’ttrust your government.’
That is where the problem lies. It’s not a short fuse likeGreece, which is essentially a bankrupt nation. It is a longerfuse. If the Italians cannot keep sustaining the debt they alreadyhave, then they have fundamental problems. And unfortunately with acoalition that’s essentially a coalition from hell, looking at thenegotiations that are now being put together by the president, it’sgoing to be very difficult for Italy to sustain itself in theEurozone but there is some time.
All is not yet lost.
While the country’s election has provided more questions thananswers, one thing remains clear – Italian voters don’t wantausterity.
“Fifty-seven percent of Italians don’t like the idea ofausterity and they don’t want to do the sorts of things that theEuropean Union wants imposed upon them. That’s causing a hugeproblem,” Young said.
He says the political limbo has left Italy with a deep sense ofuncertainty.
“There is no clear outright winner, there is no cleargovernment…they simply don’t know whether Italy is going to be areliable member of the Eurozone. And if Italy is not going to be areliable member of the Eurozone then there is probably not going tobe a Eurozone,” he told RT.
Young spoke to RT about the wider impact of Italy’s economic andpolitical struggles.
RT: What will happen to the Eurozone if the parties can'tfind a way out of the deadlock and uncertainty remains if there'sanother election?
Patrick Young:
The Euro crisis – the elephant in the room that nobody wastalking about so far this year - is back…and it is back big time.Because ultimately 57 per ent of Italians don’t like the idea ofausterity and they don’t really want to do the sorts of things thatthe European Union wants imposed upon them. That’s causing us ahuge problem.
Because ultimately you have got incredible new parties, likeBeppe Grillo’s Five-Star Movement; you’ve got an incredible wave ofsupport that came back for Mr. Berlusconi, the former PM, and ofcourse now it leads to the worst possible political limbo. There isno clear outright winner, there is no clear government, it is goingto take weeks and ultimately markets despise the idea ofuncertainty.
What they are looking at now is an awful uncertainty, becausethey simply don’t know whether Italy is going to be a reliablemember of the Eurozone. And if Italy is not going to be a reliablemember of the Eurozone then there probably is not going to be aEurozone.
RT:
Italy has operated on shaky coalitions since the end of WorldWar Two - why should another one be any more problematic?
PY:
I think the difficulty right now, and you are absolutelycorrect, - there have been multiple coalitions in Italian historysince the end of WWII. But as for this moment, the divisionsbetween the politicians are huge.
You’ve got essentially Mr. Berlusconi, Mr. Grillo. Theyabsolutely cannot abide each other. I mean, Grillo himself isultimately the anti-Berlusconi candidate.
And at the same time we’ve got [Pier Luigi] Bersani, who justedged victory in the lower house of parliament by three of fourtenths of a percentage point for Mr. Berlusconi; who has gota soft-left in Italian terms reasonably hard-left compared to theUnited States of America mandate…but very shaky one…to moveforward.
And ultimately also a part of this you’ve got finally theblew-in Mr. Monti, technocrat, who the first time he went to thepolls was essentially a huge failure with barely nine percent ofthe vote. These people are not the sort of people who are going tomanage to get together instantaneously and get to agree adeal. Their differences are vast and that’s what is spookingthe markets.
RT:
One thing's clear: Italian voters don't want austerity.President Napolitano says it means 'the bell is ringing for Europeas well'. Will Europe listen?
PY:
This is an incredible problem, because ultimately the dolce vitacannot be paid for under the current economics of the Italiansystem.
Of course we’ve had a number of politicians who have spent thewhole of the last 50 or 60 years in frankly all of Western Europetelling people that government would ultimately be the answer toall of their problems.
That era is over.
We are looking at the era of smaller government, smaller debt,and actually a great deal more capitalism rather than governmentactivity. Italy is running into a brick wall and the EU with it.How is the EU going to react?
Well, ultimately, I think it’s difficult to see how Germanpensioners who are already seeing their libraries being closed inorder to subsidize places like Greece - those people, the Germanswho worked incredibly hard, the Dutch, they are reluctant to wantto go further and subsidize the dolce vita.
RT:
Italy has the second-highest proportionate debt - at 127percent. How big is the danger it'll follow Greece into severe debtcrisis?
PY:
We have to bear in mind the fact that actually day-to-day theItalian government is not in the dire straits of the Greekgovernment. The good thing about Italy is that they pretty muchcover their bills on a day-to-day basis.
The problem is that this dear old dolce vita factor dating back50- 60 years of shaky coalitions that essentially did not want tobite the bullet has led the Italian to have a huge debt mountain.So already there is 110-120 percent of GDP to put it in perspectivethat’s not anywhere near a 150 – 160 per cent that you have got inGreece, at least.
But on the other hand if you compare even to, let’s say, theUnited States of America which has been rather profligate for quitesome time. They are barely reaching 100 percent of GDP, in otherwords a year of economic output. A great many nations one wouldargue should be under around 60 percent.
So, Italy’s problem therefore is that they need to keep sellingthis debt. And what we have already seen in international moneymarkets is that as soon as the Italians came out this week and said‘We’d like to sell few more bounds in order to pay a few morepensions and cover a few more hospitals, etc.’ The money marketsturn round and said ‘Well it’s going to cost you because we don’ttrust your government.’
That is where the problem lies. It’s not a short fuse likeGreece, which is essentially a bankrupt nation. It is a longerfuse. If the Italians cannot keep sustaining the debt they alreadyhave, then they have fundamental problems. And unfortunately with acoalition that’s essentially a coalition from hell, looking at thenegotiations that are now being put together by the president, it’sgoing to be very difficult for Italy to sustain itself in theEurozone but there is some time.
All is not yet lost.
Cop found not guilty of assault despite video proof
Cop found not guilty of assault despite video proof: 
Municipal Judge Patrick Dugan ruled on Tuesday that JonathanJosey, an ex-cop let go from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvaniapolice department last year, is not guilty of assault. Josey, a19-year veteran of the force, was fired over the incident, whichwas video recorded on a camera phone and quickly spread virally onthe Internet.
Judge Dugan says he was “troubled” by the footage, butrefused to let the clip be introduced into the court as evidencebecause it failed to accurately depict a chaotic and volatilescene.
“This is not a social-media contest; this is not a trial byvideo,” he said in the courtroom, according to The PhiladelphiaDaily News. “This was a violent, fast-paced, real-lifesituation.”
In the video clip, Josey is seen approaching 39-year-old AidaGuzman during Philly’s annual Puerto Rican Day parade and sluggingher with a right hook to the face. Josey said he did notintentionally strike the woman, who was left bloodied in theincident, and was simply trying to knock a beer bottle from herhand. The video, said Judge Dugan, “didn’t tell the wholestory.”
"We were confident all along that once we had the opportunityto present the facts and circumstances of the incident in acourtroom, as opposed to the court of social media, that JonathanJosey would be vindicated," defense lawyer Fortunato Perri Jr.tells a local NBC affiliate.
Attorneys for the plaintiff disagree, though, and say they mayfile civil charges against the officer.
“It’s obvious from looking at the video that this was anintentional act,” Guzman's attorney Enrique Latoison tells CBSPhilly. “The officer took three steps towards my client and thenslugged her in the face.”
Latoison tells reporters that he plans to speak with US JusticeDepartment officials in hopes having federal civil-rights chargeslobbed against the defendant. Of concern, the attorney said, is howwilling the court was to dismiss video footage of the incident.
"Understand, if this can take place on camera, ask yourself,what could take place off of camera?" Latoison said. He alsotook issue with Josey’s defense, in which the officer described theentire altercation as unintentional. After striking Guzman, though,the officer reportedly put his elbow forcibly in her back andcuffed her so tightly that her wrists were bruised as a result.
“If you… accidentally hit someone and you were repentant anddropped to your knees, you are immediately going to act in a way toshow that you’re sorry, to show that you’re remorseful, to showthat it’s an accident,” Latoison adds to CBS.
Charges against Guzman were dropped after the assault and themayor of Philadelphia later issued a public apology. Now that theofficer is off the hook, though, Josey says he wishes to rejoin thepolice department that he served on for nearly two decades.
"Being a cop in this city is something I've wanted to dosince I was 5 years old," Josey told reporters. "I hadnothing else that I wanted to do. So, getting back to doing what Ido best . . . is what I'm looking forward to."
“I'm sure Jon Josey is looking forward to getting back towork and doing what he does best, which is to protect and serve thepeople of Philadelphia," his attorney added.
In the wake of the news, Latoison tells NBC news that his client“feels like she got beat on again,”
"What took place today is an injustice to Miss Guzman, it wasan injustice to the Puerto Rican and Spanish community," hetold WPCI News. "The Spanish community was portrayed as beingscary, lawless, people that were creating a mob situation."
District Attorney Seth Williams has issued a statement sayingthat he respects the judge’s ruling but does not agree with it.Josey had previously landed in hot water after he shot and killed aman attempting to rob a convenience store while off duty in 2010.He was exonerated in that case.
Municipal Judge Patrick Dugan ruled on Tuesday that JonathanJosey, an ex-cop let go from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvaniapolice department last year, is not guilty of assault. Josey, a19-year veteran of the force, was fired over the incident, whichwas video recorded on a camera phone and quickly spread virally onthe Internet.
Judge Dugan says he was “troubled” by the footage, butrefused to let the clip be introduced into the court as evidencebecause it failed to accurately depict a chaotic and volatilescene.
“This is not a social-media contest; this is not a trial byvideo,” he said in the courtroom, according to The PhiladelphiaDaily News. “This was a violent, fast-paced, real-lifesituation.”
In the video clip, Josey is seen approaching 39-year-old AidaGuzman during Philly’s annual Puerto Rican Day parade and sluggingher with a right hook to the face. Josey said he did notintentionally strike the woman, who was left bloodied in theincident, and was simply trying to knock a beer bottle from herhand. The video, said Judge Dugan, “didn’t tell the wholestory.”
"We were confident all along that once we had the opportunityto present the facts and circumstances of the incident in acourtroom, as opposed to the court of social media, that JonathanJosey would be vindicated," defense lawyer Fortunato Perri Jr.tells a local NBC affiliate.
Attorneys for the plaintiff disagree, though, and say they mayfile civil charges against the officer.
“It’s obvious from looking at the video that this was anintentional act,” Guzman's attorney Enrique Latoison tells CBSPhilly. “The officer took three steps towards my client and thenslugged her in the face.”
Latoison tells reporters that he plans to speak with US JusticeDepartment officials in hopes having federal civil-rights chargeslobbed against the defendant. Of concern, the attorney said, is howwilling the court was to dismiss video footage of the incident.
"Understand, if this can take place on camera, ask yourself,what could take place off of camera?" Latoison said. He alsotook issue with Josey’s defense, in which the officer described theentire altercation as unintentional. After striking Guzman, though,the officer reportedly put his elbow forcibly in her back andcuffed her so tightly that her wrists were bruised as a result.
“If you… accidentally hit someone and you were repentant anddropped to your knees, you are immediately going to act in a way toshow that you’re sorry, to show that you’re remorseful, to showthat it’s an accident,” Latoison adds to CBS.
Charges against Guzman were dropped after the assault and themayor of Philadelphia later issued a public apology. Now that theofficer is off the hook, though, Josey says he wishes to rejoin thepolice department that he served on for nearly two decades.
"Being a cop in this city is something I've wanted to dosince I was 5 years old," Josey told reporters. "I hadnothing else that I wanted to do. So, getting back to doing what Ido best . . . is what I'm looking forward to."
“I'm sure Jon Josey is looking forward to getting back towork and doing what he does best, which is to protect and serve thepeople of Philadelphia," his attorney added.
In the wake of the news, Latoison tells NBC news that his client“feels like she got beat on again,”
"What took place today is an injustice to Miss Guzman, it wasan injustice to the Puerto Rican and Spanish community," hetold WPCI News. "The Spanish community was portrayed as beingscary, lawless, people that were creating a mob situation."
District Attorney Seth Williams has issued a statement sayingthat he respects the judge’s ruling but does not agree with it.Josey had previously landed in hot water after he shot and killed aman attempting to rob a convenience store while off duty in 2010.He was exonerated in that case.
Kerry 'mistaken' if thinks that he pushes Syrian rebels towards dialogue
Kerry 'mistaken' if thinks that he pushes Syrian rebels towards dialogue: 
They need to hear it very loudly and clearly, that ‘a dialogueis the only way out’. Anything else Kerry is trying to do ‘willlead in the wrong direction’, Mohamad added.
US Secretary of State John Kerry signalled Washington'sreadiness to support the Syrian rebels during a meeting with hisRussian counterpart in Berlin - ahead of Thursday's so-calledFriends of Syria meeting in Rome. The speech was about possiblemilitary and humanitarian assistance for the Syrian opposition. ButDr. Ali Mohamad doubts that yet another new face in Americanpolitics will make a difference in Syria.
RT: John Kerry says this time will be different,pledging more support to the Syrian rebels. How much aid do youthink there will be?
Ali Mohamad: The real question should be “How much aid isleft to be done? What more can the US and its allies give to therebels?”. They are giving them shelter in neighboring countries,they are giving them free passage to enter those countries, theyare giving them (even though not directly through the US, but vialocal or regional proxis) arms, weapons, all kinds of explosivesand political recognition. What more can Kerry offer?
RT: What do you think Kerry means by more supportthen?
AM: What I think is Mr. Kerry is trying to prepare thecoalition for the next step, which should be a dialogue. If hethinks that by giving them even more political recognition andpromising more support on the notion he can push them towardsbetter readiness for a dialogue - he is definitely mistaken. Theyneed to hear it very loudly and clearly, that a dialogue is theonly way out. Anything else Kerry is trying to do will lead in thewrong direction.
RT: John Kerry says the U.S. is seeking ways to speedup a political transition in Syria, admitting the time has passedfor President Assad to leave power. What do you make of thisstatement?
AM: They have been putting a lot of pressure on thisregime change and the balance on the ground did not change based onthat. They have tried every possible way, including Mr. Obamacalling for Assad to step down more than a year ago and this didnot work. Mr. Kerry thinks that he has a magic solution to convinceAssad rather than push him to leave power. We don’t know what hemeans by that, but I assure you it will also not work. What Mr.Kerry needs to do is to give a clear and loud statement that it’sonly dialogue that is the way out. And his allies and actually thecoalition, given the precedent that Clinton created, shouldunderstand this. And this is the only message that Syria needsKerry to give.
RT: This “only dialogue” method has been somethingthat Russia has been pushing for from the beginning. Why the changeof heart in Washington, why haven't they taken the same approach asused in Libya for example?
AM: There are many factors in this, mainly though becausethe Syrian army did not act the way Washington expected it to act.It remained united, it remained strong, it remained acting on theground and it remained behind the Syrian foreign policy. There areother factors including the growing influence of Islamists andradical extremists and even straight Al-Qaeda offspring are therein Syria and also in Libya and the events with the US ambassador inLibya was also a very big event. There are many factors, but thenumber one factor that is determining factor is that this struggleis marked by the unity and the strength of the Syrian army.
They need to hear it very loudly and clearly, that ‘a dialogueis the only way out’. Anything else Kerry is trying to do ‘willlead in the wrong direction’, Mohamad added.
US Secretary of State John Kerry signalled Washington'sreadiness to support the Syrian rebels during a meeting with hisRussian counterpart in Berlin - ahead of Thursday's so-calledFriends of Syria meeting in Rome. The speech was about possiblemilitary and humanitarian assistance for the Syrian opposition. ButDr. Ali Mohamad doubts that yet another new face in Americanpolitics will make a difference in Syria.
RT: John Kerry says this time will be different,pledging more support to the Syrian rebels. How much aid do youthink there will be?
Ali Mohamad: The real question should be “How much aid isleft to be done? What more can the US and its allies give to therebels?”. They are giving them shelter in neighboring countries,they are giving them free passage to enter those countries, theyare giving them (even though not directly through the US, but vialocal or regional proxis) arms, weapons, all kinds of explosivesand political recognition. What more can Kerry offer?
RT: What do you think Kerry means by more supportthen?
AM: What I think is Mr. Kerry is trying to prepare thecoalition for the next step, which should be a dialogue. If hethinks that by giving them even more political recognition andpromising more support on the notion he can push them towardsbetter readiness for a dialogue - he is definitely mistaken. Theyneed to hear it very loudly and clearly, that a dialogue is theonly way out. Anything else Kerry is trying to do will lead in thewrong direction.
RT: John Kerry says the U.S. is seeking ways to speedup a political transition in Syria, admitting the time has passedfor President Assad to leave power. What do you make of thisstatement?
AM: They have been putting a lot of pressure on thisregime change and the balance on the ground did not change based onthat. They have tried every possible way, including Mr. Obamacalling for Assad to step down more than a year ago and this didnot work. Mr. Kerry thinks that he has a magic solution to convinceAssad rather than push him to leave power. We don’t know what hemeans by that, but I assure you it will also not work. What Mr.Kerry needs to do is to give a clear and loud statement that it’sonly dialogue that is the way out. And his allies and actually thecoalition, given the precedent that Clinton created, shouldunderstand this. And this is the only message that Syria needsKerry to give.
RT: This “only dialogue” method has been somethingthat Russia has been pushing for from the beginning. Why the changeof heart in Washington, why haven't they taken the same approach asused in Libya for example?
AM: There are many factors in this, mainly though becausethe Syrian army did not act the way Washington expected it to act.It remained united, it remained strong, it remained acting on theground and it remained behind the Syrian foreign policy. There areother factors including the growing influence of Islamists andradical extremists and even straight Al-Qaeda offspring are therein Syria and also in Libya and the events with the US ambassador inLibya was also a very big event. There are many factors, but thenumber one factor that is determining factor is that this struggleis marked by the unity and the strength of the Syrian army.
Rape victim might be expelled from university for speaking out against attacker
Rape victim might be expelled from university for speaking out against attacker: 
Landen Gambill, a sophomore at the University of North Carolina,said the university sent her an e-mail informing her that she wasbeing charged with an Honor Code violation for “intimidating” heralleged rapist by speaking about her assault and the school’streatment of the case. Such a violation could lead to her expulsionfrom the university – even though she never revealed her allegedrapist’s name publicly.
“Obviously, I’m afraid. I never meant to make anyone mad atme [by speaking out],” Gambill told the Huffington Post.“I’m mostly surprised at just how crazy it is, that they’rewilling to charge me with something just because my rapist isfeeling uncomfortable.”
Gambill claims she was raped and stalked by her ex-boyfriend,who is a fellow UNC student. She claims to be traumatized from thesexual assault and that reporting it to the university only madethings worse.
“If I had known what would happen to me through this system,I don’t know if I would have made the same decision again,” shetold the Daily Tar Heel in late 2012. Gambill claims the universityhandled her case inappropriately and that school officials blamedher for the assault.
“They were not only offensive and inappropriate, but theywere so victim-blaming,” she said. During her Honor Courttrial, in which Gambill attempted to press charges against herattacker, she was asked why she didn’t simply break up with herboyfriend when she noticed him being abusive. The court also usedher past suicide attempt against her, allegedly implying that shewas “emotionally unstable”.
In the end, the alleged rapist was never charged or punished,and still attends UNC.
“It’s incredibly clear that those people had no idea whatsexual assault is, what consent is,” Gambill told the Daily TarHeel.
Distraught about the school’s handling of the case, Gambilljoined 64 other students and teachers and filed a legal complaintwith the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights,claiming that UNC administrators underreported cases of sexualassault on campus and handled such cases inappropriately.
Gambill has also spoken up about the school’s handling of hercase, which she considers a grave injustice against her. Speakingin front of media representatives and at rallies, the young womanhas brought the issue into the national spotlight.
Days after news about the federal complaint against UNC brokeout, Gambill received the e-mail that threatened to expel her. Thee-mail said that her attacker filed a complaint against the youngwoman for creating an intimidating environment for him -- eventhough his identity remains publicly unknown.
If charged, Gambill could be expelled while her alleged rapistremains at UNC.
“This type of gross injustice is the reason why UNC studentsare speaking out and demanding answers,” Gambill told Jezebel.“The reason why I’m so vocal about this isn’t because I justwant justice for my case. I want to make sure no one else has to gothrough this if they want to report an assault to theuniversity.”
Landen Gambill, a sophomore at the University of North Carolina,said the university sent her an e-mail informing her that she wasbeing charged with an Honor Code violation for “intimidating” heralleged rapist by speaking about her assault and the school’streatment of the case. Such a violation could lead to her expulsionfrom the university – even though she never revealed her allegedrapist’s name publicly.
“Obviously, I’m afraid. I never meant to make anyone mad atme [by speaking out],” Gambill told the Huffington Post.“I’m mostly surprised at just how crazy it is, that they’rewilling to charge me with something just because my rapist isfeeling uncomfortable.”
Gambill claims she was raped and stalked by her ex-boyfriend,who is a fellow UNC student. She claims to be traumatized from thesexual assault and that reporting it to the university only madethings worse.
“If I had known what would happen to me through this system,I don’t know if I would have made the same decision again,” shetold the Daily Tar Heel in late 2012. Gambill claims the universityhandled her case inappropriately and that school officials blamedher for the assault.
“They were not only offensive and inappropriate, but theywere so victim-blaming,” she said. During her Honor Courttrial, in which Gambill attempted to press charges against herattacker, she was asked why she didn’t simply break up with herboyfriend when she noticed him being abusive. The court also usedher past suicide attempt against her, allegedly implying that shewas “emotionally unstable”.
In the end, the alleged rapist was never charged or punished,and still attends UNC.
“It’s incredibly clear that those people had no idea whatsexual assault is, what consent is,” Gambill told the Daily TarHeel.
Distraught about the school’s handling of the case, Gambilljoined 64 other students and teachers and filed a legal complaintwith the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights,claiming that UNC administrators underreported cases of sexualassault on campus and handled such cases inappropriately.
Gambill has also spoken up about the school’s handling of hercase, which she considers a grave injustice against her. Speakingin front of media representatives and at rallies, the young womanhas brought the issue into the national spotlight.
Days after news about the federal complaint against UNC brokeout, Gambill received the e-mail that threatened to expel her. Thee-mail said that her attacker filed a complaint against the youngwoman for creating an intimidating environment for him -- eventhough his identity remains publicly unknown.
If charged, Gambill could be expelled while her alleged rapistremains at UNC.
“This type of gross injustice is the reason why UNC studentsare speaking out and demanding answers,” Gambill told Jezebel.“The reason why I’m so vocal about this isn’t because I justwant justice for my case. I want to make sure no one else has to gothrough this if they want to report an assault to theuniversity.”
DHS official to resign after hundreds of illegal immigrants released from jails
DHS official to resign after hundreds of illegal immigrants released from jails: 
Gary Mead, the executive associate director for the HomelandSecurity Department’s immigration enforcement and removaloperations, told colleagues this week that he will resign at theend of April. An email circulated to his co-workers was obtained bythe AP, who broke the story on Wednesday.
According to the AP, Mead sent the email to his Immigration andCustoms Enforcement (ICE) coworkers on Tuesday evening, only hoursafter news first broke that hundreds of detainees held in DHSimmigration jails were being released in advance of looming budget cuts all butcertain to impact a number of federal departments.
Within an hour of the AP's story, ICE spokesperson GillianChristensen called reports of Mead's resignation "inaccurate and misleading." Mead'sretirement, she said, has been long planned for the end ofApril.
When the story first broke, Christensen told the AssociatedPress that immigrants in jails across the US were being"placed on an appropriate, morecost-effective form of supervised release” due in part tothe sequester budget cuts expected to save the country over $1trillion during the next decade. The detainees in question, shesaid, would not be those “whopose a significant threat to public safety."
Following news of the decision, House Homeland SecurityCommittee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said the decision“reflects the lack of resourceprioritization," and personally wrote to ICE Director JohnMorton to call the maneuver "indicative of the Department [of HomelandSecurity]’s weak stance on national security."
“All I can say is look, we’redoing our very best to minimize the impacts of sequester,”Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a pressbriefing Monday. “But there’sonly so much I can do. I’m supposed to have 34,000 detention bedsfor immigration. How do I pay for those?” Under budget cuts,Napolitano said her department “would not be able to maintain the 34,000detention beds as required by Congress."
The announcement of Mead’s resignation comes only two days afterword of the scandal first got wind. He didn’t act fast enough tothwart attacks from critics, however, who took two differentarguments in assaulting the decision to put hundreds of non-violentoffenders back on the street. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio)said to CBS News that the decision was “outrageous,” adding, “I can’t believe that they can’t find thekind of savings they need out of that department short of lettingcriminals go free.” Others took the opposite stance,attacking DHS for detaining hundreds of illegal immigrants forreasons that now suddenly don’t matter.
“The people being releasedtoday are people ICE could have released months – or in some cases,years – ago,” Mohammad Abdollahi, member of the Dreamer-ledNational Immigrant Youth Alliance, said to the Huffington Post.
“It shouldn’t take amanufactured crisis in Washington to prompt our immigrationagencies to actually take steps towards using government resourceswisely or keeping families together,” Carolina Canizales ofUnited We Dream added to the New York Times.
As the scandal intensified, even the White House tried todistance itself from ICE’s policies. "This was a decision made by career officialsat ICE without any input from the White House, as a result offiscal uncertainty over the continuing resolution, as well aspossible sequestration," White House press secretary JayCarney said Wednesday.
Gary Mead, the executive associate director for the HomelandSecurity Department’s immigration enforcement and removaloperations, told colleagues this week that he will resign at theend of April. An email circulated to his co-workers was obtained bythe AP, who broke the story on Wednesday.
According to the AP, Mead sent the email to his Immigration andCustoms Enforcement (ICE) coworkers on Tuesday evening, only hoursafter news first broke that hundreds of detainees held in DHSimmigration jails were being released in advance of looming budget cuts all butcertain to impact a number of federal departments.
Within an hour of the AP's story, ICE spokesperson GillianChristensen called reports of Mead's resignation "inaccurate and misleading." Mead'sretirement, she said, has been long planned for the end ofApril.
When the story first broke, Christensen told the AssociatedPress that immigrants in jails across the US were being"placed on an appropriate, morecost-effective form of supervised release” due in part tothe sequester budget cuts expected to save the country over $1trillion during the next decade. The detainees in question, shesaid, would not be those “whopose a significant threat to public safety."
Following news of the decision, House Homeland SecurityCommittee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said the decision“reflects the lack of resourceprioritization," and personally wrote to ICE Director JohnMorton to call the maneuver "indicative of the Department [of HomelandSecurity]’s weak stance on national security."
“All I can say is look, we’redoing our very best to minimize the impacts of sequester,”Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a pressbriefing Monday. “But there’sonly so much I can do. I’m supposed to have 34,000 detention bedsfor immigration. How do I pay for those?” Under budget cuts,Napolitano said her department “would not be able to maintain the 34,000detention beds as required by Congress."
The announcement of Mead’s resignation comes only two days afterword of the scandal first got wind. He didn’t act fast enough tothwart attacks from critics, however, who took two differentarguments in assaulting the decision to put hundreds of non-violentoffenders back on the street. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio)said to CBS News that the decision was “outrageous,” adding, “I can’t believe that they can’t find thekind of savings they need out of that department short of lettingcriminals go free.” Others took the opposite stance,attacking DHS for detaining hundreds of illegal immigrants forreasons that now suddenly don’t matter.
“The people being releasedtoday are people ICE could have released months – or in some cases,years – ago,” Mohammad Abdollahi, member of the Dreamer-ledNational Immigrant Youth Alliance, said to the Huffington Post.
“It shouldn’t take amanufactured crisis in Washington to prompt our immigrationagencies to actually take steps towards using government resourceswisely or keeping families together,” Carolina Canizales ofUnited We Dream added to the New York Times.
As the scandal intensified, even the White House tried todistance itself from ICE’s policies. "This was a decision made by career officialsat ICE without any input from the White House, as a result offiscal uncertainty over the continuing resolution, as well aspossible sequestration," White House press secretary JayCarney said Wednesday.
‘Medical stocks are down by 90 percent’: Greece accuses pharma giants of slashing imports
‘Medical stocks are down by 90 percent’: Greece accuses pharma giants of slashing imports: 
Pfizer, Roche, GSK and AstraZeneca are among the producers thegovernment says have either stopped providing certain medicines tothe debt-stricken country, or plan to do so, according to the UK’sGuardian newspaper. Pfizer and Roche admit that they have done so,but GSK and AstraZeneca deny that they have reduced supplies sofar.
"It's a disgrace. The government is panic-stricken and themultinationals only think about themselves,” said DimitrisKarageorgiou, secretary of the Panhellenic PharmaceuticalAssociation.
As the news has spread, patients with prescriptions forantibiotics, statins and other medicines totalling over 200 brandnames, began queuing outside pharmacies.
“I would say supplies are down by 90%,” saidKarageorgiou.
“The companies are ensuring that they come in dribs and drabsto avoid prosecution. Everyone is really frightened. Customers tellme they are afraid of losing access to medicationaltogether.”
But the multinationals say the government’s own lack ofregulation has created this crisis, which has been more than twoyears in the making.
Under the current system, individuals in Greece buy medicinesfrom pharmacies, and are later reimbursed by the state, with thestate setting the prices the drug stores can charge. In the wake ofthe country’s financial crisis, the government ordered itspharmacies to sell drugs at much lower prices, to cut down its ownbudget expenditure.
But as Greek prices are now 20 percent below the next-cheapestcountry in Europe, this has created an incentive for pharmacists tosimply re-sell drugs to other countries in the EU, creating a“parallel trade”. The health ministry estimates that over 25percent of all drugs entering Greece are then re-exported.
Pharmaceutical companies have already lowered their prices forthe Greek market, but are now saying that the re-export is startingto eat into their profits in other European countries.
They also point out that as well as paying less, Greek insurancefunds and hospitals owe €1.9 billion to drug manufacturers.
"We are insisting that the public hospitals fulfil theircontracts and this is something we do in any country … We arewithholding medicines until they meet their obligations," saidDaniel Grotsky, a Roche spokesman.
The Swiss company is owed €200 million. Grotsky said Roche isstill supplying individual pharmacies, and only drugs wherealternatives are available have been held back.
Frouzis Konstantinos, of Novartis, another drug giant, says thegovernment needs to pay up its existing debt, and stop squeezingthe profit margins of pharmacies.
"The government needs to correct these wrong prices to avoida surge of exportation,” he told the Guardian.
But this is unlikely.
Under the austerity budget the state’s allocation for medicineshas fallen from €3.7 billion in 2011 to €2.44 last year, and thenumber for 2013 is likely to be even lower.
Instead, the government has banned exports of more than 60 drugsaltogether, and says it will levy fines of between €2,000 and€20,000 on those pharmacies that re-export illegally.
Pfizer, Roche, GSK and AstraZeneca are among the producers thegovernment says have either stopped providing certain medicines tothe debt-stricken country, or plan to do so, according to the UK’sGuardian newspaper. Pfizer and Roche admit that they have done so,but GSK and AstraZeneca deny that they have reduced supplies sofar.
"It's a disgrace. The government is panic-stricken and themultinationals only think about themselves,” said DimitrisKarageorgiou, secretary of the Panhellenic PharmaceuticalAssociation.
As the news has spread, patients with prescriptions forantibiotics, statins and other medicines totalling over 200 brandnames, began queuing outside pharmacies.
“I would say supplies are down by 90%,” saidKarageorgiou.
“The companies are ensuring that they come in dribs and drabsto avoid prosecution. Everyone is really frightened. Customers tellme they are afraid of losing access to medicationaltogether.”
But the multinationals say the government’s own lack ofregulation has created this crisis, which has been more than twoyears in the making.
Under the current system, individuals in Greece buy medicinesfrom pharmacies, and are later reimbursed by the state, with thestate setting the prices the drug stores can charge. In the wake ofthe country’s financial crisis, the government ordered itspharmacies to sell drugs at much lower prices, to cut down its ownbudget expenditure.
But as Greek prices are now 20 percent below the next-cheapestcountry in Europe, this has created an incentive for pharmacists tosimply re-sell drugs to other countries in the EU, creating a“parallel trade”. The health ministry estimates that over 25percent of all drugs entering Greece are then re-exported.
Pharmaceutical companies have already lowered their prices forthe Greek market, but are now saying that the re-export is startingto eat into their profits in other European countries.
They also point out that as well as paying less, Greek insurancefunds and hospitals owe €1.9 billion to drug manufacturers.
"We are insisting that the public hospitals fulfil theircontracts and this is something we do in any country … We arewithholding medicines until they meet their obligations," saidDaniel Grotsky, a Roche spokesman.
The Swiss company is owed €200 million. Grotsky said Roche isstill supplying individual pharmacies, and only drugs wherealternatives are available have been held back.
Frouzis Konstantinos, of Novartis, another drug giant, says thegovernment needs to pay up its existing debt, and stop squeezingthe profit margins of pharmacies.
"The government needs to correct these wrong prices to avoida surge of exportation,” he told the Guardian.
But this is unlikely.
Under the austerity budget the state’s allocation for medicineshas fallen from €3.7 billion in 2011 to €2.44 last year, and thenumber for 2013 is likely to be even lower.
Instead, the government has banned exports of more than 60 drugsaltogether, and says it will levy fines of between €2,000 and€20,000 on those pharmacies that re-export illegally.
New York man dies in police custody, family suspects he was killed
New York man dies in police custody, family suspects he was killed: 
The estate of Richard Metcalf tells WIVB News that they havefiled a notice of claim against Erie County and the Depew, New YorkPolice Department. Metcalf, 35, died in November after suffering amassive heart attack while in the custody of the Erie CountySheriff's jail division.
"I want to get to the bottom of it. I want to know the truth.I want to know what happened. I think his mother and I deserve toknow what happened,” the victim’s father, Richard Metcalf, Sr.,tells WIVB.
The younger Metcalf was in police custody at the time of hisdeath because he had been arrested days earlier by a Depew policeofficer called to respond to a burglary in progress. He was shotwith a Taser during the ordeal and taken to the Erie County MedicalCenter shortly after due to an elevated heart rate, but was thentransported to a holding center. Once back in a cell, police say hestarted acting erratically.
"He was spitting blood at the officers as they were trying tode-escalate the situation,” Holding Center SuperintendentThomas Diina told WIVB. “It was reported that he was pokinghimself with a fork, raking his face across the bars in front ofhis cell in order to get his mouth bloody so that he could spit atthe officers.”
Metcalf’s family disputes that claim, though, and suspects foulplay.
"My personal opinion is that he was severely beaten. There'sno other explanation. There's no other logical explanation forthat. If you can imagine your child like that after you just sawhim,” his father told the network last year while holding backtears.
After officers in the holding cell composed Metcalf, he wastaken once again to the medical center where he died shortlyafter.
The estate of Richard Metcalf tells WIVB News that they havefiled a notice of claim against Erie County and the Depew, New YorkPolice Department. Metcalf, 35, died in November after suffering amassive heart attack while in the custody of the Erie CountySheriff's jail division.
"I want to get to the bottom of it. I want to know the truth.I want to know what happened. I think his mother and I deserve toknow what happened,” the victim’s father, Richard Metcalf, Sr.,tells WIVB.
The younger Metcalf was in police custody at the time of hisdeath because he had been arrested days earlier by a Depew policeofficer called to respond to a burglary in progress. He was shotwith a Taser during the ordeal and taken to the Erie County MedicalCenter shortly after due to an elevated heart rate, but was thentransported to a holding center. Once back in a cell, police say hestarted acting erratically.
"He was spitting blood at the officers as they were trying tode-escalate the situation,” Holding Center SuperintendentThomas Diina told WIVB. “It was reported that he was pokinghimself with a fork, raking his face across the bars in front ofhis cell in order to get his mouth bloody so that he could spit atthe officers.”
Metcalf’s family disputes that claim, though, and suspects foulplay.
"My personal opinion is that he was severely beaten. There'sno other explanation. There's no other logical explanation forthat. If you can imagine your child like that after you just sawhim,” his father told the network last year while holding backtears.
After officers in the holding cell composed Metcalf, he wastaken once again to the medical center where he died shortlyafter.
Vatican policies ‘catastrophic in their implications’
Vatican policies ‘catastrophic in their implications’: 
Failure to deal with these issues, as well as other“symptomatic” failures, is partly the reason why Pope Benedict XVIis stepping down, Porteous Wood argues.
RT: One of the growing allegations right now is thatthere is some sort of influential gay network operating within theVatican. What do you think? If there is anything behind that? Isthat why the pope is leaving, or is there no mileage in that atall?
Keith Porteous Wood: I think, it is symptomatic of thefact that he has lost control, which that whole episode over hisbutler showed that very strongly. But, I think there are severalother important factors playing as well. I’m certainly aware of twomajor issues over child abuses that are going to come up and aregoing to be very, very hard for the Vatican to swallow. Because itis not like it is the child abuse, bad though that is, is the issue- it is actually that the finger of blame is going to be pointed atthe Vatican for having obstructed justice and all the secret filesthat it won’t release.
So, that is going to look very, very bad, and I think peoplewill get less and less tolerant about that. And the Vatican hasshown no real sign of actually coming to terms with this, ofputting its hands up and really atoning for its past sins, andbeing much more open and dealing more properly with victims andactually getting the people who perpetrated these crimes turnedover to the police.
RT: It begs the question: why not? Why have they notdone that?
KPW: The Vatican has forever been an organizationthat is only interested in its own power and preserving its ownreputation and its own finances - it has always been thus. But withthe kind off communications we have today, they can’t get away withthat any longer. And the stronger regulatory powers as well - thatis also coming around to hit them quite big time on moneylaundering. I mean, there have been rumors for ages about the waythe internal banking of the Vatican works. In fact, they could noteven get the credit cards working in their museums. It's sohumiliating, and so symbolic of the complete breakdown of thesystem.
They just can’t get away with that any longer either. And it isvery interesting that his grace, even though he was right at theend, that Cardinal O’Brien from the UK said that he thought it wasabout time that priests should be allowed to marry, which may alsobe behind some of the child abuse problems. I think the time hascome: the church has to make up its own mind, it is not for me totell it, but I think an awful lot of people are thinking it is timethey ought to be much more open to modern thinking over issues likethese, and also their obsession with contraception is so damagingin the third world to women, to women’s health, to overpopulation.That is something that is so quiet and not talked about, but it iscatastrophic in its implications.
RT: What does the Church need to do now, to change allthe negative things you’re talking about?
KPW: The outgoing pope has to pad the college ofcardinals with people who are not more conservative then he is, soit is going to be pretty hard. But if they’ve got any sense theyshould look and see that the vast majority of Catholics don’tactually agree with all the positions of the sensitive socialissues. And I think, they actually need to look at their owncongregation, and start taking some signs from that, and be muchmore sensible over issues like contraception, homosexuality,abortion - all those kinds off things - and actually be open tosecular justice on matters such as child abuse and moneylaundering.
Failure to deal with these issues, as well as other“symptomatic” failures, is partly the reason why Pope Benedict XVIis stepping down, Porteous Wood argues.
RT: One of the growing allegations right now is thatthere is some sort of influential gay network operating within theVatican. What do you think? If there is anything behind that? Isthat why the pope is leaving, or is there no mileage in that atall?
Keith Porteous Wood: I think, it is symptomatic of thefact that he has lost control, which that whole episode over hisbutler showed that very strongly. But, I think there are severalother important factors playing as well. I’m certainly aware of twomajor issues over child abuses that are going to come up and aregoing to be very, very hard for the Vatican to swallow. Because itis not like it is the child abuse, bad though that is, is the issue- it is actually that the finger of blame is going to be pointed atthe Vatican for having obstructed justice and all the secret filesthat it won’t release.
So, that is going to look very, very bad, and I think peoplewill get less and less tolerant about that. And the Vatican hasshown no real sign of actually coming to terms with this, ofputting its hands up and really atoning for its past sins, andbeing much more open and dealing more properly with victims andactually getting the people who perpetrated these crimes turnedover to the police.
RT: It begs the question: why not? Why have they notdone that?
KPW: The Vatican has forever been an organizationthat is only interested in its own power and preserving its ownreputation and its own finances - it has always been thus. But withthe kind off communications we have today, they can’t get away withthat any longer. And the stronger regulatory powers as well - thatis also coming around to hit them quite big time on moneylaundering. I mean, there have been rumors for ages about the waythe internal banking of the Vatican works. In fact, they could noteven get the credit cards working in their museums. It's sohumiliating, and so symbolic of the complete breakdown of thesystem.
They just can’t get away with that any longer either. And it isvery interesting that his grace, even though he was right at theend, that Cardinal O’Brien from the UK said that he thought it wasabout time that priests should be allowed to marry, which may alsobe behind some of the child abuse problems. I think the time hascome: the church has to make up its own mind, it is not for me totell it, but I think an awful lot of people are thinking it is timethey ought to be much more open to modern thinking over issues likethese, and also their obsession with contraception is so damagingin the third world to women, to women’s health, to overpopulation.That is something that is so quiet and not talked about, but it iscatastrophic in its implications.
RT: What does the Church need to do now, to change allthe negative things you’re talking about?
KPW: The outgoing pope has to pad the college ofcardinals with people who are not more conservative then he is, soit is going to be pretty hard. But if they’ve got any sense theyshould look and see that the vast majority of Catholics don’tactually agree with all the positions of the sensitive socialissues. And I think, they actually need to look at their owncongregation, and start taking some signs from that, and be muchmore sensible over issues like contraception, homosexuality,abortion - all those kinds off things - and actually be open tosecular justice on matters such as child abuse and moneylaundering.
Fracking lobbyists try to 'withdraw' fraudulent, failed petition
Fracking lobbyists try to 'withdraw' fraudulent, failed petition: 
The petition was filed by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association(COGA) and signed by 55 local business owner in the Fort Collinsarea. Or at least that’s what the lobbyists claimed.
After the city's lawmakers voted 5-2 to ban hydraulic fracturinginside city limits on February 19, three businesses listed amongthe signatories voiced their curiosity about how their names, insome cases misspelled, ended up on a petition they neversupported.
Further investigation revealed that almost half of thesignatures were fabricated or signed on behalf of business ownersand not their businesses. Some signatories claimed they neverendorsed fracking, knew nothing about the petition, or were misledand didn’t know they were signing it as an individual.
The signatures were collected by EIS Solutions, an energyconsulting firm based hundreds of miles away in Grand Junction.
An EIS Solutions spokesman said the company “went topains” to ask the people if they could speak on behalf of theirrespective business, while the COGA spokesperson said people“obviously knew” what they were doing when they signed the‘Vote NO on the Fort Collins Fracking Ban’ petition.
The owner of Anders’ Auto Glass business, Tamara Olivett,obviously didn’t.
“I don’t even know what fracking is,” Olivett toldcoloradoan.com.
COGA was quick to announce that they acknowledged some“mistakes in the collection of signatures.” In several casesCOGA was even unable to identify signatories in order to contactthem to verify their intentions.
Citing these mistakes in an email to the Fort Collins citycouncil, COGA's president and CEO said the lobby group wanted to“withdraw that petition from the record.”
But once a petition is part of the public record, it can’t bewithdrawn or removed.
“We’re not giving it back,” said Rita Harris, FortCollins' deputy city clerk.
The petition was filed by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association(COGA) and signed by 55 local business owner in the Fort Collinsarea. Or at least that’s what the lobbyists claimed.
After the city's lawmakers voted 5-2 to ban hydraulic fracturinginside city limits on February 19, three businesses listed amongthe signatories voiced their curiosity about how their names, insome cases misspelled, ended up on a petition they neversupported.
Further investigation revealed that almost half of thesignatures were fabricated or signed on behalf of business ownersand not their businesses. Some signatories claimed they neverendorsed fracking, knew nothing about the petition, or were misledand didn’t know they were signing it as an individual.
The signatures were collected by EIS Solutions, an energyconsulting firm based hundreds of miles away in Grand Junction.
An EIS Solutions spokesman said the company “went topains” to ask the people if they could speak on behalf of theirrespective business, while the COGA spokesperson said people“obviously knew” what they were doing when they signed the‘Vote NO on the Fort Collins Fracking Ban’ petition.
The owner of Anders’ Auto Glass business, Tamara Olivett,obviously didn’t.
“I don’t even know what fracking is,” Olivett toldcoloradoan.com.
COGA was quick to announce that they acknowledged some“mistakes in the collection of signatures.” In several casesCOGA was even unable to identify signatories in order to contactthem to verify their intentions.
Citing these mistakes in an email to the Fort Collins citycouncil, COGA's president and CEO said the lobby group wanted to“withdraw that petition from the record.”
But once a petition is part of the public record, it can’t bewithdrawn or removed.
“We’re not giving it back,” said Rita Harris, FortCollins' deputy city clerk.
P5+1 eases nuclear demands on Iran, offers sanctions relief
P5+1 eases nuclear demands on Iran, offers sanctions relief: 
A new proposal finalized during the Wednesday meeting in Almaty,Kazakhstan would require Iran to suspend - but not completely closedown - operations at its underground uranium enrichment facility inFordo. It would also create a set amount of 20-per-cent-enricheduranium for Iran to stockpile.
The offer marks a new turn in the long term of negotiationsbetween world powers and Iran, which previously had made starkdemands on the Islamic Republic. The P5+1 - the United States,Russia, France, Britain, China and Germany - are now only askingfor scaled down operations in Iran's nuclear program, which somegovernments allege is aimed at developing a nuclear bomb.
Iran would also now be able to keep enough enriched uranium toproduce medical isotopes at a research facility in Tehran.
The group asked Iran to allow International Atomic Energy Agencymonitors to visit its facilities more often in exchange for thesuspension of selected current sanctions and a moratorium on newones.
However, Hillary Mann Leverett, CEO of Strategic Energy andGlobal Analysis, a Washington-based political risk consultancy,told RT this part may be only an empty gesture.
"Everyone knows the United States has very little that it cangive on sanctions," she said. "President Obama essentiallyceded his foreign policy on this issue to the US Congress; almostall of those sanctions are written into US law. They are notsomething President Obama can give away."
In any case, the European Union's embargo on Iranian oil was notbrought up for negotiation at the meeting, though the P5+1 wouldreportedly consider easing restrictions on Iran's gold andpetrochemicals trades, as well as those on its banks.
But, after all, it may not matter in the long run, Mann Leveretttold RT. "There's not much the US can give on sanctions, and inthe meantime Iran is becoming more and more self-sufficient in arange of issues so that it's not vulnerable to suchsanctions."
Said Jalili, Iran's chief negotiator at the meetings, called thetalks "positive" in comments to the press in Almaty. Headded that some of the offers coming from Western governmentslooked “more realistic than those presented in the past and madean effort to approach the positions of Iran.”
Mann Leverett explained what Jalili might have been getting at:"The critical issue for the Iranians, and I think this is wherethey perceived a slight - and I stress slight - movement on the USside, is in the recognition of their rights: their sovereign andtheir treaty-based rights to enrich uranium."
Jalili stressed that Tehran saw "no justification" forshutting down the Fordo facility.
Next, Iranian and EU officials are set to meet in Istanbul onMarch 18 for negotations that will include experts on nucleartechnology.
A new proposal finalized during the Wednesday meeting in Almaty,Kazakhstan would require Iran to suspend - but not completely closedown - operations at its underground uranium enrichment facility inFordo. It would also create a set amount of 20-per-cent-enricheduranium for Iran to stockpile.
The offer marks a new turn in the long term of negotiationsbetween world powers and Iran, which previously had made starkdemands on the Islamic Republic. The P5+1 - the United States,Russia, France, Britain, China and Germany - are now only askingfor scaled down operations in Iran's nuclear program, which somegovernments allege is aimed at developing a nuclear bomb.
Iran would also now be able to keep enough enriched uranium toproduce medical isotopes at a research facility in Tehran.
The group asked Iran to allow International Atomic Energy Agencymonitors to visit its facilities more often in exchange for thesuspension of selected current sanctions and a moratorium on newones.
However, Hillary Mann Leverett, CEO of Strategic Energy andGlobal Analysis, a Washington-based political risk consultancy,told RT this part may be only an empty gesture.
"Everyone knows the United States has very little that it cangive on sanctions," she said. "President Obama essentiallyceded his foreign policy on this issue to the US Congress; almostall of those sanctions are written into US law. They are notsomething President Obama can give away."
In any case, the European Union's embargo on Iranian oil was notbrought up for negotiation at the meeting, though the P5+1 wouldreportedly consider easing restrictions on Iran's gold andpetrochemicals trades, as well as those on its banks.
But, after all, it may not matter in the long run, Mann Leveretttold RT. "There's not much the US can give on sanctions, and inthe meantime Iran is becoming more and more self-sufficient in arange of issues so that it's not vulnerable to suchsanctions."
Said Jalili, Iran's chief negotiator at the meetings, called thetalks "positive" in comments to the press in Almaty. Headded that some of the offers coming from Western governmentslooked “more realistic than those presented in the past and madean effort to approach the positions of Iran.”
Mann Leverett explained what Jalili might have been getting at:"The critical issue for the Iranians, and I think this is wherethey perceived a slight - and I stress slight - movement on the USside, is in the recognition of their rights: their sovereign andtheir treaty-based rights to enrich uranium."
Jalili stressed that Tehran saw "no justification" forshutting down the Fordo facility.
Next, Iranian and EU officials are set to meet in Istanbul onMarch 18 for negotations that will include experts on nucleartechnology.
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