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BRAZIL SHANTYTOWN DWELLERS JOIN MASS PROTESTS
Thousands of Brazilians who live in shanty towns, or favelas, have joined massive street protests, so far made up mostly of middle and upper classes.
The favela dwellers hope to get some of the problems afflicting them, such as extreme poverty, addressed.
The favela dwellers hope to get some of the problems afflicting them, such as extreme poverty, addressed.
Source: Al Jazeera
KEVIN RUDD SWORN IN AS AUSTRALIA’S PM AGAIN?
CANBERRA, Australia - FOR the second time in his political career, Kevin Rudd was this
morning sworn as Prime Minister of Australia at Government House in
Canberra.
Mr Rudd was joined by key colleagues Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen,
who were sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer respectively.
All three new leaders signed the Oath before Governor-General Quentin
Bryce put ink to the documents, sealing Mr Rudd's return to The Lodge.
- The ceremony came after an extraordinary night in Canberra on Wednesday.
- Within hours of rumours of a petition circulating in the Labor caucus for a special meeting, former Prime Minister Julia Gillard brought the speculation to a head by calling a leadership ballot.
- But it was a ballot she would lose to Mr Rudd, and the resignations of six of her Cabinet ministers came thick and fast.
- The political blood-letting included the resignations of Wayne Swan, Greg Combet, Stephen Conroy, Craig Emerson, Peter Garrett and Joe Ludwig.
- In addition to the new PM, DPM and Treasurer, the spill has reopened the doors to higher office for several Rudd supporters.
- Two others to be promoted were Penny Wong, who will become the first female Leader of the Senate, and Jacinta Collins the deputy.
- Others who may be considered for promotion included Joel Fitzgibbon, Janelle Saffin, Ed Husic and Justine Elliot.
In a speech on Wednesday night, Mr Rudd promised to unite
the Labor Party against the Opposition after holding a press
conference.He said he would take the role with "humility, honour and with an important sense of energy and purpose".
Mr Rudd paid tribute to outgoing Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who
resigned via the Governor General after being bested in a ballot 57-45,
and is expected to follow through on her vow to not contest the upcoming
election.
In his acceptance speech, Mr Rudd said politics had failed the Australian people, having been overwhelmed with negativity.
In his acceptance speech, Mr Rudd said politics had failed the Australian people, having been overwhelmed with negativity.
Source: Sunshine Coastal Daily...More...
FLOODS IN ALBERTA CANADA TO COST CALGARY ECONOMY BILLIONS?
Economists say flooding in Alberta will cost Calgary’s economy billions of dollars and affect the Canadian economy as a whole.
Although the precise economic damage caused by the flooding is hard
to measure, economists say it will be widespread and long-lasting.
One estimate from BMO Capital Markets is that Canada's GDP will be reduced by $2 billion as a direct result of the floods.
Tom MacKinnon, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets, estimates that
direct losses from the flooding will be between $3 billion and $5
billion.
That is at least 10 times higher than the losses incurred
during the floods of 2005.
In Calgary, the floods will cut into retail sales, tourism and industries that service the energy industry.
Todd Hirsch, chief economist at Alberta Treasury Branch, says the
large oil and gas companies headquartered in Calgary are coping.
“Production itself is not being disrupted. No oil and gas comes
through downtown Calgary.
It would be far more disruptive for these
companies financially if it was a refinery or maybe one of their mining
operations went down in the flood,” said Hirsch.
However, three pipelines in the province have been damaged and rail shipments were disrupted for several days.
Hirsch says that he expects economic activity in Calgary to slow in
the short term, but that will be somewhat offset by a boost in spending
to rebuild the city’s infrastructure.
On Monday, Alberta Premier Alison Redford said it would take 10 years
to rebuild the flood-damaged areas of the city and the province. She
pledged an immediate $1 billion in aid toward emergency relief and
reconstruction.
Source: CBC...More...
MOUNTAIN RANGE IN PHILIPPINES DAVAO NOMINATED TO UN’S HERITAGE LIST
MANILA, Philippines - The United Nations is set to
deliberate the addition of a mountain range in the southern Philippines
to its world natural heritage sites list.
The nomination of Mt
Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary was referred for discussion at next
year’s World Heritage Committee meeting, Manila’s foreign affairs
department said in a statement.
The range is home to thousands of endangered species of flora, as well as the Philippine eagle and centuries old bonsai plants.
The foreign affairs
department said the World Heritage Committee of the Paris-based United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) also
asked the Philippine government to formally submit information on the
mountain.
The International Council on Monuments and
Sites and the World Conservation Union will evaluate the nomination of
Mount Hamiguitan, the statement said, adding this occurred during a
session in Phnom Penh, which started on June 16 and will end on June 27.
In 2004, a Philippine law
declared Mount Hamuguitan range a Wildlife Sanctuary. It straddles the
municipalities of Mati, San Isidro and Governor Generoso in Davao
Oriental.
It hosts
endangered plant species, including the Shorea polysperma and Shorea
astylosa trees, and the Paphiopedilum adductum, an orchid variety.
It is home to 341 species of wildlife that are found only in the Philippines, including the Philippine eagle and cockatoo.
The animals are on the red
list of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation
of Nature, an authority on the conservation status of plant and animal
species worldwide.
Because the mountain was
already nominated to the heritage list in 2009, it is on Unesco’s
tentative list of UN World Heritage Sites.
Other UN World Heritage
listed sites in the Philippines include the Tubbataha Reef, the
Cordillera Rice Terraces, the Puerto Princesa Underground River, the
town of Vigan, and local baroque churches.
The UN World Heritage Sites has a total of 967 cultural and natural (or mixed) areas all over the world.
Source: Agencies
DEADLY FIGHTING RAGES IN LEBANON
BEIRUT, Lebanon - At least 15 Lebanese soldiers are now known to have died in clashes between government troops and followers of a Sunni sheikh, who is opposed to the Shia movement Hezbollah and its involvement in the war in Syria.
The clashes which broke out on Sunday between the army and supporters of Ahmad al-Assir continued overnight in Sidon, reported Al Jazeera's Nour Samaha on Monday.
The fighting raged around Abra and the Ain el Helweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, she said.
- Members of the Jund al Sham and Fatah al Islam armed groups have joined the battle, she added, reporting from a village several kilometres away from Sidon. She said clashes had "intensified in both areas mentioned above, with heavy weaponry being used".
- "The sound of explosions and gunfire can be heard several kilometres outside Sidon. The army is preventing anyone from leaving the Palestinian camps which are located in Sidon," she said.
- "Roads are blocked entering into Sidon from the south, preventing people from reaching Beirut. Checkpoints have been erected, some by the Amal movement [pro-Hezbollah party], to prevent people from going through Sidon - they have been turning people back."
- She said masked gunmen had moved to Sidon's seaside road, and there were reports of further sniper attacks.
Source: Al Jazeera...More...
HAZE WORSEN IN MALAYSIA
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - The recent haze that shrouds
part of Malaysia deteriorates throughout the weekend, forcing the
government to declare emergency status in some areas.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister G. Palanivel said Prime
Minister Najib Razak had agreed to declare emergency status in Muar and
Ledang areas with immediate effect on Sunday.The government urged people to stay indoors.
According to the air pollutant index released by the Deparment of
Environment, the industrial town of Muar in the southern Johor state
reached a staggering reading of 746 early Sunday morning.
An air pollutant index of 301 and above would be categorized as "hazardous".
The historical city of Malacca also recorded a "hazardous" reading of more than 400 by noon.
In the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, the sky was shrouded by the haze while a smell of burn filled the air.
The haze, an annual phenomenon largely attributed to the smoke from
forest fires in Sumatra, Indonesia brought in by the southwestern
monsoon winds, is especially heavy this year, triggering dangerous air
pollutant readings in Singapore and part of Malaysia.
The Malaysian government has called for regional cooperation against the hazardous weather.
Source: Agency
MEDICAL STUDENT GANG-RAPED IN MANIPAL INDIA
MANIPAL, India - A 22-year-old medical student was allegedly abducted and
gang-raped by three people when she was on way to her flat from the
college library late Thursday, a police official said Friday.
“We have registered a criminal case against unidentified people and
have made some headway in the investigation on the basis of the
information the victim gave in her complaint and after questioning one
of the college security guards,” Udupi Superintendent of Police MB
Boralingaiah said.
- The incident occurred when the victim, a fourth-year student of the Kasturba Medical College, was waiting to hire an auto outside the Manipal University campus gate to return to her flat from the library around 11.30pm.
- “The victim said in the complaint that she was abducted by the accused, driven to an isolated spot and gang-raped after midnight. Though she managed to reach her flat later, she gave the complaint early Friday,” Boralingaiah said.
- The victim’s family, who lives in the neighbouring state of Kerala, have been informed about the incident. She is currently recovering from injuries on her hands and neck.
- Meanwhile, amid allegations of rape, two minor girls were found dead and a third is battling for her life in West Bengal, police said Friday, but they ruled out the possibility of sexual offence in two cases.
- A student who had checked into a hotel in Nadia district’s Mayapur died Thursday of excessive bleeding. Following her death, the family lodged a complaint of rape. Police however ruled it out.
- According to police, the 17-year-old girl, a resident of Kalna in Burdwan district had come to Mayapur Wednesday with three male friends without informing her parents. On Thursday morning, she was taken to Krishnagar Sadar Hospital in Nadia district by her friends where doctors declared her dead.
In another incident in North 24-Parganas, a 12-year-old girl was found
strangulated to death Thursday in her house with her clothes torn apart,
prompting her family to suspect rape.
In yet another incident in Gaighata again in the district, an
eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped and now is battling for life in a
city hospital with critical injuries.
Members of civil society, and rights 
organisations Friday marched in
large numbers through the streets of Kolkata protesting atrocities on
women and a spate of rape cases recently.
organisations Friday marched in
large numbers through the streets of Kolkata protesting atrocities on
women and a spate of rape cases recently.
Poets, painters, authors, film and theatre personalities, singers, and
social activists walked alongside thousands of common people decrying
the incidents of sexual violence and the “insensitive” reactions of the
Trinamool Congress regime of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. A number of rape victims and their families from various corners of the state also took part.
- The gang-rape and murder of a college girl from Kamduni village in North 24-Parganas district June 7 acted as the trigger for the mammoth rally.
- Chief Minister Banerjee visited the village Monday, but ended up shouting at women protesting against the incident and seeking to talk to her. An enraged Banerjee screamed “shut up” at the women and called them Maoists and CPI-M activists, drawing flak from the civil society, media and the opposition.
Source: Agency
THE CYBER SECURITY OASIS IN ISRAELI DESERT
Jerusalem Venture Partners General Partner Gadi Tirosh discusses cyber security in Israel with Carol Massar on Bloomberg Television's "Lunch Money."
Source: Bloomberg
PHILIPPINES TO LAUNCH LONG TOURIST VISA
MANILA, Philippines - Starting next week, foreigners
wishing to stay longer in the Philippines can do so by applying for a
six-month-long tourist visa.
In a statement, Immigrations
Commissioner Ricardo David(right photo) said the Long Stay Visitor Visa Extension
(LSVVE) project intends to spur tourist arrivals in the country by
giving foreigners the privilege to prolong their stay without the need
to visit the immigration office.
Currently, the Bureau of
Immigration (BI) allows foreign tourists to stay in the country 
for a
maximum of two months. The visa is extendable.
for a
maximum of two months. The visa is extendable.
David said, “Through this long stay visa, we expect lesser crowding from our visa extension applicants.”
David said that according to data, many
foreign tourist who had visited the country in 2012 had opted to stay
longer or beyond the period of their visa.
He added that from January to
December last year, the Bureau of Immigrations visa extension office
had processed and approved 172,055 applications for extension of stay.
He said the number of approved visa extensions in 2012 was 13 per cent higher than the 151,913 applications in 2011.
“Our country remains a
favourite tourist destination. Many foreign visitors are opting to stay
here longer not only for vacation or to visit our tourist attractions
but also to explore business and investment opportunities,” David said.
Apart from the long stay visa extension project, he said the immigration department also plans to use a new visa sticker that will replace the wet stamp currently used to validate extension of stay in the passports of foreign tourists.
Apart from the long stay visa extension project, he said the immigration department also plans to use a new visa sticker that will replace the wet stamp currently used to validate extension of stay in the passports of foreign tourists.
- He said the new visa sticker will prevent the proliferation of fake visa extension stamps. David said the sticker has security and tracking features that cannot be copied.
- “It will also speed up transactions in our visa section, allow more efficient tracking of records and faster detection of forged and tampered stamps,” he added.
- According to David, the projects were initiated after meetings between the BI, Department of Tourism and Department of Foreign Affairs on what policy reforms can be initiated to further attract more foreign visitors to the country.
- The tourism department aims to increase the volume of tourist arrivals to 10 million by 2016.
Source: Agency
GREECE HIT WITH GENERAL STRIKE OVER STATE TV CLOSURE
ATHENS, Greece - Public services ground to a halt in Greece on Thursday as
unions launched a 24-hour general strike in protest over the
government's decision to shut down public broadcaster ERT as part of
sweeping cost-cutting measures.
Trains and ferries stood still,
hospitals were operating on emergency footing and government offices
were shut across the country as part of the action.
Air traffic controllers were due to participate in a two-hour work
stoppage starting from 1200 GMT and no newspapers were published, with
journalists on an indefinite strike because of the government's shock
move.
The socialist and moderate leftist parties supporting the
coalition government had called the decision on ERT "unacceptable" and a
government source said late Wednesday that Prime Minister Antonis
Samaras would confer over the issue with his coalition partners.
"The prime minister, who always seeks dialogue, will telephone the
political leaders for a meeting in the coming days," the government
source said.
Samaras had defended the closure, saying earlier on
Wednesday: "We are eliminating a hotbed of opacity and waste... We are
protecting the public interest."
The broadcaster's television and
radio stations were abruptly pulled off air late Tuesday and its nearly
2,700 staff suspended as part of the conservative-led coalition
government's deeply unpopular austerity drive.
Source: The Economic Times
THE MOST EXPENSIVE CLUB SANDWICHES IN THE WORLD?
LONDON, United Kingdom – Geneva has knocked Paris out of the top spot this
year as the most expensive city in which to order a club sandwich, to
make it the priciest travel destination in the world.
That’s according to Hotels.com, which released its second annual Club
Sandwich Index (CSI), a barometer that ranks the most expensive cities
around the globe based on the price of a room-service club sandwich –
the most common hotel menu staple around the world.
- According to their number crunching, the average club – a double-decker of bacon, chicken, lettuce, tomato and mayo – from a three to five-star hotel in Geneva clocks in at about US$30.45 (RM95.70).
- The index averages the price of a sandwich across 30 hotels in each city. Overall, 840 hotel menus across the globe were canvassed.
- Results of this second annual survey also reveal that on the whole, prices seem to be falling. While the most expensive sandwiches hail from Geneva at US$30.45 this year, that price tag is lower than last year’s Paris average of US$33.10, deemed the most expensive for 2012.
- This year, the average double-decker at a Paris hotel clocked in at US$27.45.
- According to the sandwich index, if you’re looking for a more affordable vacation, however, consider New Delhi, where the same sandwich at a starred hotel will cost US$9.11.
- The CSI comes the same week as a TripAdvisor index, which named Oslo in Norway the most expensive travel destination in the world based on the cost of a one-night hotel stay, cocktails, dinner and taxi rides for two people.
- Oslo clocked in at No. 3 on the club sandwich index.
- Here are the results of the 2013 Club Sandwich Index:
- 1. Geneva US$30.45; 2. Paris US$27.45; 3. Oslo US$26.72; 4. Stockholm US$23.12; 5. Copenhagen US$22.33; 6. Rome US$22.26; 7. Tokyo US$20.70; 8. London US$20.65; 9. Sydney US$20.53; 10. Hong Kong US$19.80.
Source: AFP
HUMAN TRAFFICKING STILL ALARMING IN PHILIPPINES
MANILA,
Philippines - Vice-President Jejomar Binay, chairman emeritus of the
Inter-Agency Council Against Human Trafficking (IACAT) dentifying a major cause of human trafficking
are, Poverty, ignorance, and crime provide the mix that breeds the modern
plague. So long as these three things exist, the problem (of human trafficking)
will remain (in the Philippines).
Although the Philippines was removed from Tier 2 Watchlist in the report of
the Global Trafficking in 2012, the Philippines remains a source, destination
and transit country of 
human trafficking, Binay warned.
human trafficking, Binay warned.
“Men, women and children continue to be subjected to forced labour in
factories, construction sites, fishing vessels, agricultural plantations,
mines, quarries, and private homes, where many trafficked women and girls
suffer sexual abuse, rape and physical violence,” he added.
If the Philippines land in the Tier 3 Watch List, it would mean the
withholding of US non-humanitarian assistance amounting to $250 million to the country’s campaign.
Without Binay giving details of poverty alleviation meant to stop human
trafficking, recent developments have also shown that the campaign against
human trafficking has remained strong.
In 2010, world boxing champion, congressman Manny Pacquiao joined the
crusade against human trafficking.
He called for strong legislation and a “budget allocation for an all-out war
against human trafficking”.
- “I sympathise with the victims of human trafficking (that target overseas Filipino workers or OFWs). Somehow, I am also an OFW because I train and earn money abroad,” he explained.
- Despite their growing number, non-government organisations have been encountering “alarming levels” of human trafficking cases, revealed Susan Ople of the Blas Ople Policy Centre.
- Even the beleaguered 22 year-old Visayan Forum has continued its campaign against human trafficking despite the investigation of its head, Cecilia Flores-Oebanda for alleged misuse of P210 million of funds from the USAID.
Source: Agency
3.5 MILLION HOMELESS AND 18.5 VACANT HOMES IN USA?
The National Economic and Social Rights Initiative along with Amnesty
International are asking the U.S. to step up its efforts to address the
foreclosure crisis, including by giving serious consideration to the
growing call for a foreclosure moratorium and other forms of relief for
those at risk, and establishing a housing finance system that fulfills
human rights obligations.
New government census reports have revealed disturbing information
that details the cold, 
hard numbers of Americans who have been deeply
affected by the state of our economy, and bank foreclosure practices:
hard numbers of Americans who have been deeply
affected by the state of our economy, and bank foreclosure practices:
In the last few days, the U.S. government census figures have
revealed that 1 in 2 Americans have fallen into poverty or are
struggling to live on low incomes. And we know that the financial
hardships faced by our neighbors, colleagues, and others in our
communities will be all the more acutely felt over the holiday season.
Along with poverty and low incomes, the foreclosure rate has created
its own crisis situation as the number of families removed from their
homes has skyrocketed.
Since 2007, banks have foreclosed around eight million homes. It is
estimated that another eight to ten million homes will be foreclosed
before the financial crisis is over.
This approach to resolving one part
of the financial crisis means many, many families are living without
adequate and secure housing. In addition, approximately 3.5 million
people in the U.S. are homeless, many of them veterans. It is worth
noting that, at the same time, there are 18.5 million vacant homes in
the country.
The stark realities that persist mean that millions of families will
be facing the holidays in temporary homes, or homes under threat, and
far too many children will be wishing for an end to the uncertainty and
distress their family is facing rather than an Xbox or Barbie doll.
Housing is a basic human need and a fundamental human right. Yet
every day in the United States, banks are foreclosing on more than
10,000 mortgages and ordering evictions of individuals and families
residing in foreclosed homes.
The U.S. government’s steps to address the
foreclosure crisis to date have been partial at best.The depth and severity of the foreclosure crisis is a clear
illustration of the urgent need for the U.S. government to put in place a
system that respects, protects and fulfills human rights, including the
right to housing. This includes implementing real protections to ensure
that other actors, such as financial institutions, do not undermine or
abuse human rights.- There is a link available at the Amnesty International website for anyone who is interested and would like to join the call on the Obama administration and Congress to urgently step up efforts to address the foreclosure crisis, including by seriously considering the growing call for a foreclosure moratorium and other forms of relief, and establishing a housing finance system that fulfills human rights obligations.
Source: Real News 24
THOUSAND FLEE AS GERMAN DAM BUSTS
Thousands of people have been evacuated to safety in eastern Germany after a dam burst on the swollen River Elbe and farmland was flooded in an attempt to spare towns, with meteorologists forecasting more rain.
In Magdeburg, one of the oldest cities in eastern Germany and a regional capital, about 23,000 people were asked to leave on Monday as water levels in the Elbe rose to a record 7.48 metres - about 5 metres above 
normal and surpassing the level reached during devastating floods in 2002.
normal and surpassing the level reached during devastating floods in 2002.
There have been at least a dozen deaths as a result of floods that have hit Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic over the past week.
Officials said more than 8,000 people were evacuated from towns and villages around Aken, south of Magdeburg.
- A dam at the confluence of the River Elbe and the River Saale south of Magdeburg burst despite attempts to stabilise it. A dyke was also breached, and a crisis unit said the high waters were likely to put further pressure on dykes in the coming days.
UN LAUNCHES RECORD APPEAL FOR VICTIMS OF SYRIA WAR
BEIRUT, Lebanon – The United Nations warned yesterday half of all
Syrians would need humanitarian aid by the end of 2013, and launched
what it said was the biggest emergency appeal in history to cope with
the civil war crisis.
“Syria as a civilisation is unravelling,” said the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, announcing the call for
some US$5 billion (RM15.4 billion) before the end of the year.
The joint statement by UN agencies coincided with heavy fighting on
numerous fronts, as rebels attacked an air base in northern Syria while
forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad sought to capitalise on their
own recent gains.
Clashes continued on the Golan Heights, close to the ceasefire line
between Israel and Syria, a day after rebels briefly seized the sole
crossing between the two foes.
- Austria, a major contributor to a UN monitoring mission in the Golan, announced on Thursday it was withdrawing from the area because of the violence, jeopardising an operation that has helped keep the Israeli-Syrian war quiet for four decades.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has backed the Syrian government since the start of the unrest in March 2011, said Moscow was ready to replace the Austrian peacekeepers.
- A UN spokesman said however the four-decade-old agreement on the mission in the Golan did not allow permanent US Security Council members such as Russia to send troops.
- Highlighting the scale of the crisis, UN humanitarian agencies in Geneva said 10.25 million Syrians would need aid by the end of the year at a cost of US$5 billion.
- “The funds we are appealing for are a matter of survival for suffering Syrians and they are existential for the neighbouring countries hosting refugees,” Guterres said.
- The appeal comprises US$2.9 billion for refugees, US$1.4 billion for humanitarian aid and US$830 million for Lebanon and Jordan, the biggest recipients of Syria.
Source: The Malaysian Insider...More...
