UN spotlights five key areas to spur sustainable economic recovery

19 March 2009 – Robust investment into five key sectors, from renewable energy to sustainable transport, could help revive the global economy and boost employment while accelerating the fight against climate change, environmental degradation and poverty, according to the United Nations.

The Policy Brief for a Global Green New Deal, developed by economists and the UN ahead of the G-20 meeting of world leaders in London in early April, highlights the benefits of investing a significant amount of the $3 trillion-worth of global stimulus packages in five areas.

According to a news release issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), these areas include raising the energy efficiency of old and new buildings, as well as renewable energies including wind, solar, geothermal and biomass.

The three other areas are sustainable transport including hybrid vehicles, high-speed rail and bus rapid transit systems; the planet’s ecological infrastructure including freshwaters, forests, soils and coral reefs; and sustainable agriculture including organic production.

“The G-20 meeting needs to be a milestone in terms of focusing investments that address the crises of today and those emerging from climate change, natural resource scarcity and lack of decent employment for close to 2 billion unemployed or underemployed people over the coming decade,” stated UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

“Take energy use in buildings. It can already be cut by 80 per cent in a cost-effective manner using existing technologies,” he noted, adding that additional investments in this sector would not only stimulate the recovery of the construction and allied industries but also generate tens of millions of jobs.

The report also calls for specific measures to help poorer countries reach the anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and green their economies. The measures include an expansion of microcredit schemes for clean energy and the greening of overseas development aid.

“The large-scale stimulus investments planned over the coming months and the next two to four years represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient society – this opportunity must not be lost,” said Mr. Steiner.

Pavan Sukhdev, team leader of the UNEP Green Economy initiative, stressed that these recommendations should be discussed over the next few months by world leaders at every major global forum including the G-20 Summit.

“The sums of money being lined up to stimulate the global economy, unheard of only 12 months ago, will either mortgage the world’s future based on a ‘business as usual’ model or deliver an opportunity to transition to a new and more sustainable path,” he stated.

“That courageous choice needs to be made now and accelerated over the coming weeks and months,” he added.

Comment

In recent days, there has been a financial crisis throughout the world and cause lots of dramatic problems. The government of every nation has faced the hardest situation that they have never had. When they are having no ideas about solving problems, UN gave them a general and clear conception to do first.

There are five key points which this news mentioned. In my opinion, I think these five areas are based on environment protected. It’s seems that saving the tremendous disasters not only focus on the financial parts, but also start improving them from environment and public constructions.

In this irrational age, it shows that the only ways for people to return the prosperous age is to think and do on the basic aspects. As a result, trying to find the new energies and construct the domestic infrastructures could make things better.

All in all, I think the main point to solve the crisis is to increase the welfare of the world. Throw the Wall Street’s selfishness away and look on the basic side.

Purported bin Laden tape calls Gaza offensive a 'holocaust'

"The holocaust of Gaza in the midst of this long siege is an important and historic event and an articulate tragedy which affirms the need for detachment of the Muslims from the hypocrites. It is not right that our condition after what happened in Gaza be like our condition prior to it," the message said

(CNN) -- Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden called Israel's recent offensive in Gaza a "holocaust," according to a purported message from him posted on an Islamist Web site.

Osama bin Laden, in an undated photo, apparently taped a message calling Israel's Gaza offensive a holocaust.

"The holocaust of Gaza in the midst of this long siege is an important and historic event and an articulate tragedy which affirms the need for detachment of the Muslims from the hypocrites. It is not right that our condition after what happened in Gaza be like our condition prior to it," the message said.

Al Qaeda says it wants to liberate the mosque from Israeli control.

The message -- an audiotape played over a still image -- is called "Practical Steps to Liberate Palestine" and it is dated March 2009, according to terrorism analyst Laura Mansfield.

The more than 33 minutes-long tape includes English subtitles, and English and Arabic transcripts were released by As Sahab, al Qaeda's media production center, Mansfield said.
The authenticity of the tape could not be verified.

The message says it's "clear" some Arab leaders have "conspired" with what it calls the "Zionist-crusader alliance" against the Palestinians in Gaza.

"They are the ones that America describes as the moderate leaders in our world," the message says.

The speaker urged Muslims to help insurgents "liberate" Iraq.

"For those honest in their desire to deliver al-Aqsa mosque, they should back the Mujahideen in Iraq with everything they need in order to liberate Mesopotamia," the message said, alluding to the Jerusalem mosque regarded as the third holiest place in Islam. "And with that they will have defeated the Zionists' biggest ally," referring to the United States.

Then, the fighters should move on to Jordan to "liberate all of Palestine from the sea to the river" from Israel.

When talking about Palestine, the speaker is referring to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River that includes the Jewish state of Israel and the Palestinian lands of the West Bank and Gaza.

In his last purported audio message in January, bin Laden called for a jihad, or holy war, to stop Israel's military campaign in Gaza


Comments:
As we know, The Middle East is the one of conflicted and pendulous areas in the world. This area is the original place for three different religions- Judaism, Islam and Christianity. As a result, having the holiest capital- Jerusalem and being the first religion is the reasons which cause the area full of wars and attacks. Besides, natural resources also play an important role on the behaviors of these countries. The critical point is the ownership of water and oil. Not only all Middle Eastern countries purport having this valuable resource, but the western countries concern about the development of this area.

Recently, some extremist movements have happened in this area against the western power. For instance, Al-Qaeda has attacked civilian and military targets in various countries.Although they have asserted that the things they did is right and the things they encountered is unfair, we still can not deny that they cause a lot of problems after there attacts.

Clinton seeks new relations with Russia

"We will not recognize the breakaway areas of Georgia, we do not recognize any sphere of influence on the part of Russia and their having some kind of veto power over who can join the EU or who can join NATO.” ─Hillary Clinton

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets Russia's foreign minister on Friday, seeking to ease tensions and win help over Afghanistan for the new Obama administration.

No major decisions are expected when she meets Sergei Lavrov for dinner in Geneva but Obama's team hopes to improve relations after a post-Cold War low during George W. Bush's presidency.

When Russia sent tanks and troops into Georgia last year, the Bush administration sought to isolate Moscow, especially in international institutions such as NATO, which suspended ties.
Clinton said on Friday she wanted a fresh start, but said divisions remained on NATO expansion and Russia's relations with its neighbors.

“There are areas where we just flat out disagree and we are not going to paper those over,” Clinton told the BBC. “We will not recognize the breakaway areas of Georgia, we do not recognize any sphere of influence on the part of Russia and their having some kind of veto power over who can join the EU or who can join NATO.”

Criticizing the Bush's administration's “confrontational approach” towards Russia, she said: “How much that contributed to Russian behavior I think is a legitimate question to ask.”

Clinton earlier said in Brussels that Washington was very troubled by the use of energy as a tool of intimidation, a reference to Russia's decision to cut off gas exports to Europe via Ukraine in a contract dispute with Kiev. But she said Russia was an important member of the group of powers seeking to persuade Iran to renounce nuclear weapons.

In a decision likely to help the atmosphere, NATO agreed on Thursday to resume formal ties with Russia in hopes of securing greater support for the alliance's Afghan military campaign.
Clinton met Lavrov as part of the quartet of Middle East peace negotiators in Egypt this week, but these will be one-on-one talks.

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said one of the main tasks of the meeting was to “define the mood” of relations.

“We await with cautious optimism the outcome of these talks,” the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

When Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov met U.S. Vice President Joe Biden last month on the sidelines of a security conference, he said the new U.S. administration had sent good signals on ties but the “the devil is in the detail”.

The Obama administration wants to “press the reset button” and has focused on Afghanistan, missile defence, nuclear disarmament and Iran as areas for possible movement.

The Kremlin says it is ready to widen cooperation and Russian officials believe that unless the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan is contained, Islamist militancy could spread through former Soviet states in Central Asia and reach Russia.

Washington is considering nearly doubling its military presence in Afghanistan and wants to secure alternative supply routes as militants have attacked convoys using routes via Pakistan.
Kyrgyzstan last month decided to close a U.S. military base used to supply the U.S.-led international force in Afghanistan, and on Friday ended similar deals with other coalition members.

The United States and Russia have clashed over a missile shield Washington is planning in Europe to deter any attack from a country such as Iran, and Clinton says she wants to get talks with Russia over the issue on a “serious track”.

The plan to site missiles and a radar tracking station in former Soviet bloc countries Poland and the Czech Republic has angered Moscow, which sees it as a threat.

Commemt:

As we know,Russia has had a tense and poor relationship with the U.S since 1945.In this period,there are some conflicts between this two countries.For instance, Cuban Missile Crisis is a classical case that both powerful entities wanted to be the first leader in the world.

Besides, after The Soviet Union was collapsed into independent nations,they trasform the control of the world into some specific and disputant areas such as eastern European countries and the Middle East.Therefore,there are some points we could observe and have a discussion.

According to this news,we can realize the U.S's position on international affairs between Russia.The U.S not only want to keep the cooperative relationship with Russia,but also want to control some eastern European countries and pushes them joining NATO.

Rights group: Tibetan monk sets himself on fire

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A monk carrying a Tibetan national flag and shouting slogans set himself on fire in south-central China on Friday and then was shot at by police, a human rights group reported.

Tibetans in exile in India mark the new year and protest against Chinese rule.

Police fired three shots at the monk, but it was not known if any hit him or whether he survived, said Matt Whitticase, spokesman for the London-based Free Tibet organization. Whitticase said he based his report on eyewitness accounts.

About 40 minutes before the shooting, around 1,000 monks trying to observe the Monlam Festival had gathered at Kirti Monastery in Aba County, Sichuan Province, said Whitticase.

Some of the worst unrest during Tibetan protests in March 2008 occurred in the same area.
The monks had approached the gates of a prayer hall in defiance of an order by authorities that barred them from observing the Monlam Festival, which is part of the Tibetan new year.

They were prevented from entering the prayer hall and told to go back to their rooms, which they did.

A monk, identified as being in his 20s and going by the single name of Tabe, left the monastery a while later and walked the short distance into town, shouting slogans and holding a self-drawn Tibetan national flag above his head, Whitticase said. The flag contained a picture of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet.

When the monk arrived in town, he doused himself with fuel and set himself on fire, Whitticase said.

The monk was immediately surrounded by armed police, who were not able to get near him because of the flames.

Eyewitnesses said the police leveled guns at the monk and fired three shots. The monk collapsed to the ground, the Free Tibet spokesman said.

After police extinguished the flames, the monk was placed in a van and driven away to an undisclosed location, the witnesses said.

London's Daily Telegraph newspaper noted that Tibetan exile groups said last year that police shot and killed a handful of protesters in Aba County.

he campaigners released graphic photographs of bodies and the names of five alleged victims.
Chinese state media said police wounded "rioters" in self-defense, the newspaper said.

China rejects Tibetan claims of independence or greater autonomy and claims sovereignty over the area.

Comment:
There has been an complicated,controversial and sensitive problem of sovereignty between Tibet and China since 1959.( the spiritual leader-Dalai Lamas was exiled as a roiter in this year)

Apparently,there are some different parts we could discuss according to the reactions of some powers who strongly have an impact on Tibet.

First of all,China is an extreme and direct entity who has asserted that Tibet is a part of China.Why she has insisted on it over half a year is because the Tibetan areas is too huge,almost 1/4 of China.It will be a challenge for developing China when Tibet revolts against her in the future because they can not have a common idea about sovereignty.

Second,what does Tibet think about it?Who can decide the future of Tibet?Absolutely,Dalai Laimas not only is a spiritual idol in their religion,but also have a great influence on their domestic politics.

Quote of this week

Chian reject Tibetan claims of independence or greater autonomy and claims sovereignty over the area.