Canada-EU industry discussions stalled, overshadowed by United State

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Posted on: Monday, April 22, 2013 21:20
Author: Politic Yahoo UK
Subject: EU-Canada trade talks stalled, overshadowed by U.S.

 

Talks to wrap up a multi-billion-dollar free trade deal between Canada and Europe have stalled, diplomats said, raising concerns the agreement could be put on hold as Brussels switches its attention to a much bigger pact with the United States. The Ottawa-Brussels negotiations to open up access to each others' economies were launched in 2009, and were originally presented as a straightforward bid to reinvigorate growth and generate around $28 billion (18 billion pounds) in trade and new business a year. But diplomats and officials told Reuters wrangling over the amount of beef Canada will be able to export to the EU, and EU demands for greater ability to bid for Canadian government contracts, are bedevilling the final stages of the agreement. "This was supposed to be done in November, then we said February, but now there's no clarity ... No one wants to walk away from this, but it could be put on ice if things remain stuck for a prolonged period," said an EU diplomat. An EU agreement with Canada would be its first with a member of the G7 club of major economies. It would also be one of a new generation of deals that not only remove import tariffs but also harmonise rules on how companies do business across borders. The European Commission's negotiating teams and the EU diplomats who shape such pacts already often work into the small hours and need Canada out of the way to focus on the biggest of the new deals they are facing, with the United States. "Everyone in Brussels is shifting efforts and attention to the United States ... The challenge lies in maintaining the political momentum," said Adrian van den Hoven, a director at the EU's biggest industry lobby Business Europe. Any failure of the Canadian deal could have an impact on the U.S. negotiations, due to start in July. Brussels officials were hoping to use the Ottawa accord to show Washington they were serious about opening up their sensitive agricultural markets to a large, developed economy. An EU-U.S. trade deal, which would encompass half the world's economy and a third of global trade, could increase EU economic output by 65 billion euros ($85 billion) a year, according to a European Commission estimate. TUSSLE OVER BEEF Diplomats say much of the EU-Canada deal is agreed, and at the heart of the final dispute is a Canadian demand to be able to export up to 100,000 tonnes of beef to the EU every year. Canadian beef exports are effectively blocked by the EU at present because they contain hormones. Ottawa argues it needs a large quota to make production of hormone-free beef for Europe economically viable. Irish and French farmers are unhappy with that, and the EU has offered a much lower quota. That means both sides have to seek a compromise, especially as Brussels wants to leave quota space for the beef the United States will seek to export under its free-trade deal. In return for opening up to Canadian beef, German and French companies want to be able to bid for government contracts in the urban transport sector, which would challenge Canadian rail car builder Bombardier's dominant domestic position . The extent of the discord became evident in February, when EU trade chief Karel De Gucht flew to Canada to shake hands on the deal with Canada's Trade Minister Ed Fast. According to people familiar with the exchanges, Fast was unable to agree on the deal because he did not have the authority to do so from his prime minister, Stephen Harper. "De Gucht was ready to sign a deal when he came over, but the Canadians weren't prepared. They were nowhere near ready," said one EU diplomat. Harper has taken a close interest in the Canada-EU talks and one person close to the talks said he had covered one document with handwritten suggestions on how negotiators could proceed. But analysts say he needs more time to sell a deal to his electorate, especially in Quebec, where Bombardier has its base. "Harper and the government is recognising they are going to have to make some sacrifices and spend some political capital to close this," said one Canadian source close to the talks. Asked about the state of play, a spokesman for Fast said negotiations were continuing and a deal would be signed when both sides were ready. "Harper has to add his political weight to get an agreement," said another person close to the talks. "The best scenario would be for both sides to sign the deal at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland in June, but there's no guarantee."

 

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Lion Air flow accident preliminary experienced aircraft "dragged" through atmosphere

The actual preliminary in whose Indonesian aircraft slipped in to the ocean whilst attempting to property within Bali offers explained exactly how this individual experienced this "dragged" straight down through blowing wind whilst this individual battled in order to restore manage, an individual acquainted with the situation stated. All 108 passengers and crew miraculously survived when the Boeing 737 passenger jet, operated by Indonesian budget carrier Lion Air, undershot the tourist island's main airport runway and belly-flopped in water on Saturday. Officials stress it is too early to say what caused the incident, which is being investigated by Indonesian authorities with the assistance of U.S. crash investigators and Boeing. But initial debriefings, witness comments and weather reports have focused attention on the possibility of "wind shear" or a downdraft from storm clouds known as a "microburst". Although rare, experts say such violent and unpredictable gusts can leave even the most modern jet helpless if they are stronger than the plane's ability to fly out of trouble - with the critical moments before landing among the most vulnerable. "If you have a downdraft which exceeds the performance of the plane, then even if you put on full thrust you will go downhill and you can't climb out," said Hugh Dibley, a former British Airways captain and expert on loss-of-control events. The cause of the crash has potential implications for the reputation of one of the world's fastest-growing airlines, which is fighting to be removed from a European Union safety black list even as it buys record volumes of Airbus and Boeing jets. According to initial pilot debriefings, details of which have been described to Reuters, flight JT-904 was on an eastwards approach to Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport at mid-afternoon on Saturday following a normal flight from Bandung, West Java. The co-pilot, an Indian national with 2,000 hours of relevant flying experience, was in charge for the domestic trip, which was scheduled to last one hour and 40 minutes. HEAVY RAIN As the Lion Air plane was coming in to land, with an aircraft of national carrier Garuda following behind and another about to take off on the runway just ahead, the co-pilot lost sight of the runway as heavy rain drove across the windshield. The captain, an Indonesian citizen with about 15,000 hours experience and an instructor's license, took the controls. Between 400 and 200 feet (122 and 61 metres), pilots described flying through a wall of water, according to the source. Bursts of heavy rainfall and lost visibility are not uncommon in the tropics but the aircraft's low height meant the crew had little time to react. With no sight of the runway lights or markings, the captain decided to abort the landing and perform a "go around", a routine manoeuvre for which all pilots are well trained. But the captain told officials afterwards that instead of climbing, the brand-new 737 started to sink uncontrollably. From 200 feet, well-practised routines unravelled quickly. "The captain says he intended to go around but that he felt the aircraft dragged down by the wind; that is why he hit the sea," said the source, who was briefed on the crew's testimony. "There was rain coming east to west; very heavy," the source said, asking not to be named because no one is authorized to speak publicly about the investigation while it is under way. A passenger on board the jet painted a similar picture of an aircraft getting into difficulty only at the last minute. "There was no sign at all it would fall but then suddenly it dropped into the water," Tantri Widiastuti, 60, told Metro TV. Lion Air declined to comment on the cause of the crash. WRITE-OFF According to the Flight Safety Foundation, bulletins for pilots at around that time indicated a few storm clouds at 1,700 feet (518 metres). A moderate wind blew from the south-southeast but flicked in a wide arc from east-southeast all the way to the west. The source said there was no immediately obvious evidence of pilot or technical error but investigators will pore over the speed and other settings, as well as interactions between the pilots, to establish whether the crash could have been avoided. Both pilots were given urine tests by the Indonesian police and were cleared for drugs and alcohol, the source said. Neither pilot has been named. According to Indonesian media reports, five Lion Air pilots have been arrested for drugs in the past two years, raising questions over whether drug abuse or overwork are widespread. The airline's co-founder has denied this and told Reuters last year he was working closely with authorities to ensure Indonesia's tough drugs laws are obeyed. Delivered in February, the aircraft itself had only had one technical problem: a landing light that had to be replaced. Now lying broken-backed beneath a 15-foot (4.6-metre) sea-wall yards (metres) short of its destination, the $89-million Boeing has been written off. It was on lease from Dublin-based firm Avolon. Pictures of the stricken jet lying in water and the fact that all on board survived brought back images of the "Miracle on the Hudson," in which an Airbus A320 ditched safely in New York after dramatically losing power due to a bird strike. But industry experts say the suspected involvement of wind shear draws far more chilling parallels with the crash of a Delta Air Lines Lockheed Tristar while on approach to Dallas airport in 1985 that killed 134 passengers and crew. Delta Flight 191 led to the creation of new warning systems and better procedures for dealing with low-level wind shear, or sudden changes of wind direction or speed. According to Boeing, the 737-800, its most popular current model, is equipped with a "Predictive Windshear System". On approach, an aural warning says, "Go around, windshear ahead". Nowadays, pilots agree the best strategy for dealing with possible wind shear is to avoid it entirely, said Dibley, who is a senior official at the UK's Royal Aeronautical Society. But if the "wind shear" warning blares out, the automatic response is to cancel the landing and go around again, he said. DELICATE BALANCE Pilots can sometimes prepare for risks, such as a possible loss of the right sort of wind on landing, by keeping a buffer of extra speed to help them get out of trouble, he said. It is a delicate balance as too much speed could make the jet overrun, which in the case of Bali means hitting a road or yet more sea. "If your speed is too slow and you hit a downdraft you will just sink. So one question is how much extra air speed the aircraft was carrying," Dibley said. There was no immediate information on what cockpit signals were available to the crew, how fast the Lion Air jet was flying or what sort of scheduling roster the crew had been flying. Founded by two brothers and travel entrepreneurs, Lion Air has been growing at a record pace to keep up with one of the region's star economies. Last month, it signed a deal with Europe's Airbus for 234 passenger jets worth $24 billion. Two years ago, it signed a deal with Boeing for 230 planes. At the same time, however, Indonesia has been struggling to improve its civil air safety after a string of deadly accidents. In 2007, Lion Air was among a number of Indonesian airlines banned by the EU for lax safety standards. The actual suspend had been gradually raised, beginning last year, however even though it has received 1 deadly incident, Lion Air flow continues to be within the EU's prohibited listing -- the circumstances they have ignored because unjust.

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America & South Korea talk of reviving 2005 nuclear deal with North Korea

SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States and South Korea offered on Saturday to keep their end of a defunct 2005 aid agreement with North Korea, provided Pyongyang took take "meaningful steps" to denuclearize. In a joint statement released as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up his first visit to Seoul, the two sides appeared to put the accent on diplomacy after weeks of threatening rhetoric from Pyongyang. "North Korea must adhere to its international obligations and commitments or face further isolation," the statement said. "We will continue to encourage North Korea to make the right choice. If North Korea does so, we are prepared to implement the commitments under the 2005 Six-Party Joint Statement," it added, referring to the aid-for-denuclearization agreement. "But Pyongyang must prove its seriousness by taking meaningful steps to abide by its international obligations," it said. The United States and its allies believe the North violated the 2005 deal by conducting a nuclear test in 2006 and pursuing a uranium enrichment program that would give it a second path to a nuclear weapon in addition to its plutonium-based program. At a news conference with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Friday, Kerry said the United States wanted to resume talks about North Korea's earlier pledges to halt its nuclear program. But he also stressed that Washington would defend its allies in the region if necessary and pointedly said that Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, "needs to understand, as I think he probably does, what the outcome of a conflict would be." North Korea has issued weeks of shrill threats of an impending war since the imposition of U.N. sanctions in response to its third nuclear test in February. North Korea has repeatedly said it will not abandon nuclear weapons which it said on Friday were its "treasured" guarantor of security. Kerry's visit coincided with preparations for Monday's anniversary of North Korean state founder Kim Il-Sung's birth, a possible pretext for a show of strength, with speculation focusing on a possible new missile test launch. Kerry, who flies to China on Saturday and to Japan on Sunday, told the news conference that if North Korea's 30-year-old leader went ahead with the launch of a medium-range missile, he would be making "a huge mistake."

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Coal battles to help keep strength inside PEOPLE vitality combine

4 months after pledging to lead the United States on a path to sustainable energy, President Barack Obama faces a turning point on electricity generated from coal, one of the dirtiest of fuels. The White House was expected this week to finalize a rule to reduce emissions from all new coal-fired plants. But mixed signals on whether it will be enacted have led environmentalists to prepare litigation to force action. The rule was due to be finalized April 13. But the Environmental Protection Agency, in charge of crafting and implementing the rule change amid some hefty opposition from the coal industry, told AFP this week that there is no timeline for completing it. The uncertainty underscores the difficulty in achieving the downsizing of coal-fired electricity that environmentalists say is needed to address climate change. Rather than being phased out, politically powerful coal, backed by dedicated support from coal-state lawmakers on Capitol Hill, is clinging to its place in the energy mix, pushing back against the Obama administration's measures and promoting new infrastructure to boost coal exports. Last month, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia organized a campaign to pressure Obama to amend the power-plant rule to ease the requirements for new plants. Even without the new rule, coal use has been on the decline domestically. The share of coal-fired power in the US energy mix dropped from 48.5 percent in 2007 to 37.4 percent in 2012. During the same period, natural gas, which emits about half as much carbon as coal, increased from 21.6 percent to 30.4 percent. Natural gas has benefited from more competitive prices, thanks to the phenomenal rise of shale gas supplies, and the tougher environmental regulations on coal. Still, experts disagree on the prospects for the industry. "We suspect in the coming years there is likely to be lots of headline risk for carbon. But we see very little real restrictions likely," said a recent report from Jefferies that urged investors to buy coal industry equities. But Divya Reddy, an analyst at risk consultant Eurasia Group, predicted the long-term role of coal will "erode" as new environmental rules take effect. Even so, government experts say coal will be a major part of the mix for decades to come. The Energy Information Administration projects US coal use will increase four percent between 2011 and 2040. "We expect eventually gas prices are going to start edging back up," said Alan Beamon, director of the EIA's office of Electricity, Coal, Nuclear and Renewable Analysis. "And so some of the old coal plants will eventually recapture some of the market they used to serve." There are signs that coal is already recovering some of its market share, thanks to a doubling of natural gas prices in the past year. Coal producer Peabody Energy said demand "rebounded sharply" in the second half of 2012 and predicted higher coal consumption in 2013. The political battle has also extended to coal exports, which in 2012 approached historic highs. Emerging economies like China and India are huge coal consumers and Japan and some European countries are turning to coal to offset nuclear closures. Coal miners are pushing to build new transport and port facilities to expand exports, but those ideas are running into stiff environmental opposition. Advocacy group Friends of the Earth urged rejection of proposed sites in the Pacific Northwest, arguing "the dangers of coal exports affect our communities, health and entire planet." Four ports have been proposed in Oregon and Washington states. "The confidence is relatively high that one or more will be built," said Bob Hodge, editor of IHS Energy Publishing. But a Eurasia Group note pointed to an "uptick in noise" surrounding the controversial projects and predicted a "lengthy approval process."

 

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America tells N-Korea new missile launch would be "huge mistake"

SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned North Korea on Friday it would be a "huge mistake" to test launch a medium-range missile and said the United States would never accept the reclusive country as a nuclear power. Addressing reporters after talks with South Korea's president and leaders of the 28,000-strong U.S. military contingent in the country, Kerry also said it was up to China, North Korea's sole major ally, to "put some teeth" into efforts to press Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Kerry, like other U.S. officials, played down an assessment from the Pentagon's intelligence agency that the North already had a nuclear missile capacity. The United States, he said, wanted to resume talks about North Korea's earlier pledges to halt its nuclear programme. But he also stressed that Washington would defend its allies in the region if necessary and pointedly said that Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, "needs to understand, as I think he probably does, what the outcome of a conflict would be". North Korea has repeatedly said it will not abandon nuclear weapons which it said on Friday were its "treasured" guarantor of security. Kerry's visit coincided with preparations for Monday's anniversary of North Korean state founder Kim Il-Sung's birth date, a possible pretext for a show of strength, with speculation focusing on a possible new missile test launch. Kerry, who flies to China on Saturday and to Japan on Sunday, said that if North Korea's 30-year-old leader went ahead with the launch, "he will be choosing, wilfully, to ignore the entire international community". "I would say ahead of time that it is a huge mistake for him to choose to do that because it will further isolate his country and further isolate his people, who frankly are desperate for food, not missile launches." SHRILL RHETORIC The North has issued weeks of shrill threats of an impending war following the imposition of U.N. sanctions in response to its third nuclear test in February. Kerry said the threats were "simply unacceptable" by any standard. "We are all united in the fact that North Korea will not be accepted as a nuclear power," he said. Kerry later told U.S. executives in Seoul that China, as an advocate of denuclearisation, was in a position to press for a change in the North's policy. "The reality is that if your policy is denuclearisation and it is theirs as it is ours, as it is everybody's except the North at this moment ... if that's your policy, you've got to put some teeth into it," he told the gathering. But North Korea showed little inclination for further talks. Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party, said Pyongyang would never abandon its nuclear programme. "The DPRK will hold tighter the treasured sword, nuclear weapons," it said, referring to the country by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS North Korean state television showed footage of newscasts from other countries depicting the trajectory a North Korean missile launch might take. It also showed preparations for the Kim Il-Sung birthday festivities, including floral tributes, and a stadium of thousands of school children of the Korean Children's Union, each wearing a red scarf and saluting and marching in unison. Speculation has mounted of an impending medium-range missile test launch in the North after reports in South Korea and the United States that as many as five medium-range missiles have been moved into position on the country's east coast. Officials in both countries believe the North is preparing to test-launch a Musudan missile, whose range of 3,500 km (2,100 miles) or more would put Japan within striking distance and may threaten the island of Guam, which houses U.S. military bases. The North has been angry about annual military drills between U.S. and South Korean forces, describing them as a "hostile" act. The United States dispatched B52 and B2 stealth bombers from their bases to take part. Hours before Kerry's arrival, a U.S. lawmaker quoted a report by the U.S. Defence Intelligence Agency, one of the 17 bodies that make up the U.S. intelligence community, as saying it had "moderate confidence" that North Korea had developed a nuclear bomb that could be fitted on a ballistic missile. But Kerry poured cold water on the report said it was "inaccurate to suggest that the DPRK has fully tested, developed capabilities" as set down in the document. South Korea's Defence Ministry said it did not believe North Korea could mount a nuclear warhead on a missile. A U.S. official had earlier suggested that Washington's greatest concern was the possibility of unexpected developments linked to Kim Jong-un's "youth and inexperience". Asked if war seemed imminent, he replied: "Not at all." South Korean President Park Geun-hye, meeting officials from her ruling Saenuri Party before her talks with Kerry, struck a conciliatory note by suggesting Seoul should at least listen to what North Korea had to say. "We have a lot of issues, including the Kaesong industrial zone," local media quoted her as saying. So should we not meet with them and ask: "Just what are you trying to do?'" The president was referring to North Korea's closure this week of the jointly run Kaesong industrial park, with the loss of 53,000 jobs. Kerry said the United States would not object to the South talking to the North. He also did not rule out the possibility of U.S. aid someday flowing to the North, but suggested this could only happen if Pyongyang undertook real denuclearisation. Kerry sounded upbeat about resolving a dispute between the United States and South Korea over a civil nuclear cooperation agreement that expires next year, saying he thought a compromise could be found by Park's visit to Washington next month. South Korea is believed to want the right to reprocess its spent nuclear fuel, which would allow it to deal with a mounting stockpile of nuclear waste. However, this could also allow it to produce bomb-grade fissile material, a step Washington is loathe to see it take in part because of its nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea. "We are ... very concerned at this time about not having any ingredients that could alter our approach ... to either of those," he said. But Kerry added that he was "confident that one option or another will be able to come to fruition (with South Korea) by the time that President Park comes to Washington." (Additional reporting by Ju-min Park in SEOUL, Sui-Lee Wee in BEIJING, John Ruwitch in SHANGHAI, and Patricia Zengerle, Mark Hosenball and Jeff Mason in WASHINGTON; Writing by Ronald Popeski and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Nick Macfie and Jon Hemming)

 

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Update Issue: G8 ministers condemn North Korea "in strongest terms"

Feed: Politic Yahoo UK
Posted on: Thursday, April 11, 2013 20:08
Author: Politic Yahoo UK
Subject: G8 ministers condemn North Korea "in strongest terms"

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Foreign ministers from the G8 group of rich countries condemned "in the strongest possible terms" North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile technology on Thursday and called for more humanitarian aid to help civilians in Syria. North Korea's threats of war and Iran's nuclear programme topped the agenda of the foreign ministers' talks in London but little substance came out of their private meetings with members of Syria's opposition on the sidelines of the gathering. In a communiqué issued after the meeting, foreign ministers from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia urged North Korea to "refrain from further provocative acts". "They condemned DPRK's (North Korea's) current aggressive rhetoric and confirmed that this will only serve to further isolate the DPRK," it said. Actress Angelina Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, also addressed the ministers, urging more action to prevent sexual violence against women in conflict zones. Leaders of the Syrian National Coalition were present on the sidelines. During a lunch meeting on Wednesday, they asked global powers for more humanitarian aid, according to a U.S. official. The United States, which on February 28 said it will for the first time give non-lethal aid to Syrian rebel fighters and more than double its aid to Syria's civilian opposition, has so far chosen not to provide arms to the rebels. In the final statement, the ministers themselves "called for greater humanitarian assistance and for improved and safe access to the Syrian people by humanitarian agencies in co-ordination with all parties to the conflict". (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed, Writing by Maria Golovnina; editing by Stephen Addison)

 

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Margaret Thatcher: Teil Jingle Climbs Graphs

Baroness Thatcher's death is propelling the song Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead towards the top of the charts. Those who consider the former prime minister's demise a cause of celebration have launched a campaign to get the song to Number One. The Judy Garland version of the song is already at the top of the Amazon download chart, with Ella Fitzgerald's take on it at number four. Garland's is also currently number two in the iTunes chart. A Facebook group set up to encourage people to buy the song and take it all the way now has almost 5,000 members. One called Pat Cross said it was a "small way to register your protest against M Thatcher and the damage she did to so many lives". Anti-Thatcher graffitti in Londonderry The song, written by EY Harburg and composed by Harold Arlen, featured in the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Midweek placings released by the Official Charts Company show it is now at number 10, having sold more than 10,000 copies. In death, as in life, Lady Thatcher has divided the nation with many hailing her huge contribution to British life but others celebrating her demise. Critics angry at her legacy who claim she destroyed communities with some of her more controversial policies have held parties. There have been demonstrations in Bristol, Brixton and Glasgow and on Tuesday night crowds also gathered in Belfast to celebrate. Australian foreign minister Bob Carr has also caused controversy by claiming Lady Thatcher made "unabashedly racist" comments after she left office. Mr Carr, who has a Malaysian-born wife, said she told him Australia could end up like Fiji "where the Indian migrants have taken over". Lady Thatcher died on Monday, aged 87 Speaking to ABC in China, he said: "I recall one conversation I had with her in her retirement where she said something that was unabashedly racist. "She warned Australia ... against Asian immigration, saying that if we allowed too much of it we'd see the natives of the land, the European settlers, overtaken by migrants." He added: "I couldn't believe it. "It reminded me that despite, yes, her greatness on those big questions, the role of the state, the evil nature of the communist totalitarianism, there was an old-fashioned quality to her that was entirely out of touch and probably explained why her party removed her in the early 90s." Mr Carr's opposite number in Australia, Julie Bishop, called his comments graceless and has demanded he immediately apologise. "His decision to make these claims after her death is a crude attempt to slur the reputation of one of the 20th century's most outstanding leaders," she said.

 

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