Dienstag, 31. August 2010
Karl Helmut E. Zermin: Hessen: Bouffier zum neuen Ministerpräsidenten gew...
Karl Helmut E. Zermin: Hessen: Bouffier zum neuen Ministerpräsidenten gew...: "Hessen: Bouffier zum neuen Ministerpräsidenten gewählt +++ derNewsticker.de +++"
Montag, 30. August 2010
Remarks by US-President Obama on the Fifth Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana
Remarks by the US-President Obama on the Fifth Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana
Xavier University
New Orleans, Louisiana
1:50 P.M. CDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. It is good to be back. (Applause.) It is good to be back.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: It’s good to have you back!
THE PRESIDENT: I’m glad. (Laughter.) And due to popular demand, I decided to bring the First Lady down here. (Applause.)
We have just an extraordinary number of dedicated public servants who are here. If you will be patient with me, I want to make sure that all of them are acknowledged. First of all, you’ve got the governor of the great state of Louisiana -- Bobby Jindal is here. (Applause.) We have the outstanding mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu. (Applause.) We have the better looking and younger senator from Louisiana, Mary Landrieu. (Applause.)
I believe that Senator David Vitter is here. David -- right here. (Applause.) We have -- hold on a second now -- we’ve got Congressman Joe Cao is here. (Applause.) Congressman Charlie Melancon is here. (Applause.) Congressman Steve Scalise is here. (Applause.)
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, who has been working tirelessly down here in Louisiana, Shaun Donovan. (Applause.) We’ve got our EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson here -- homegirl. (Applause.) Administrator of FEMA Craig Fugate is here. (Applause.) The person who’s heading up our community service efforts all across the country -- Patrick Corvington is here. (Applause.) Louisiana’s own Regina Benjamin, the Surgeon General -- (applause) -- a Xavier grad, I might add. (Applause.) We are very proud to have all of these terrific public servants here.
It is wonderful to be back in New Orleans, and it is a great honor --
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We can’t see you!
THE PRESIDENT: It is a great honor -- (laughter) -- you can see me now? (Laughter.) Okay. It is a great honor to be back at Xavier University. (Applause.) And I -- it’s just inspiring to spend time with people who’ve demonstrated what it means to persevere in the face of tragedy; to rebuild in the face of ruin.
I’m grateful to Jade for her introduction, and congratulate you on being crowned Miss Xavier. (Applause.) I hope everybody heard during the introduction she was a junior at Ben Franklin High School five years ago when the storm came. And after Katrina, Ben Franklin High was terribly damaged by wind and water. Millions of dollars were needed to rebuild the school. Many feared it would take years to reopen -- if it could be reopened at all.
But something remarkable happened. Parents, teachers, students, volunteers, they all got to work making repairs. And donations came in from across New Orleans and around the world. And soon, those silent and darkened corridors, they were bright and they were filled with the sounds of young men and women, including Jade, who were going back to class. And then Jade committed to Xavier, a university that likewise refused to succumb to despair. So Jade, like so many students here at this university, embody hope. That sense of hope in difficult times, that's what I came to talk about today.
It’s been five years since Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. There’s no need to dwell on what you experienced and what the world witnessed. We all remember it keenly: water pouring through broken levees; mothers holding their children above the waterline; people stranded on rooftops begging for help; bodies lying in the streets of a great American city. It was a natural disaster but also a manmade catastrophe -- a shameful breakdown in government that left countless men, and women, and children abandoned and alone.
And shortly after the storm, I came down to Houston to spend time with some of the folks who had taken shelter there. And I’ll never forget what one woman told me. She said, “We had nothing before the hurricane. And now we’ve got less than nothing.”
In the years that followed, New Orleans could have remained a symbol of destruction and decay; of a storm that came and the inadequate response that followed. It was not hard to imagine a day when we’d tell our children that a once vibrant and wonderful city had been laid low by indifference and neglect. But that’s not what happened. It’s not what happened at Ben Franklin. It’s not what happened here at Xavier. It’s not what happened across New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast. (Applause.) Instead this city has become a symbol of resilience and of community and of the fundamental responsibility that we have to one another.
And we see that here at Xavier. Less than a month after the storm struck, amidst debris and flood-damaged buildings, President Francis promised that this university would reopen in a matter of months. (Applause.) Some said he was crazy. Some said it couldn’t happen. But they didn’t count on what happens when one force of nature meets another. (Laughter.) And by January -- four months later -- class was in session. Less than a year after the storm, I had the privilege of delivering a commencement address to the largest graduating class in Xavier’s history. That is a symbol of what New Orleans is all about. (Applause.)
We see New Orleans in the efforts of Joycelyn Heintz, who’s here today. Katrina left her house 14 feet underwater. But after volunteers helped her rebuild, she joined AmeriCorps to serve the community herself -- part of a wave of AmeriCorps members who’ve been critical to the rebirth of this city and the rebuilding of this region. (Applause.) So today, she manages a local center for mental health and wellness.
We see the symbol that this city has become in the St. Bernard Project, whose founder Liz McCartney is with us. (Applause.) This endeavor has drawn volunteers from across the country to rebuild hundreds of homes throughout St. Bernard Parish and the Lower Ninth Ward.
I’ve seen the sense of purpose people felt after the storm when I visited Musicians’ Village in the Ninth Ward back in 2006. Volunteers were not only constructing houses; they were coming together to preserve the culture of music and art that’s part of the soul of this city -- and the soul of this country. And today, more than 70 homes are complete, and construction is underway on the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music. (Applause.)
We see the dedication to the community in the efforts of Xavier grad Dr. Regina Benjamin, who mortgaged her home, maxed out her credit cards so she could reopen her Bayou la Batre clinic to care for victims of the storm -- and who is now our nation’s Surgeon General. (Applause.)
And we see resilience and hope exemplified by students at Carver High School, who have helped to raise more than a million dollars to build a new community track and football field -- their “Field of Dreams” -- for the Ninth Ward. (Applause.)
So because of all of you -- all the advocates, all the organizers who are here today, folks standing behind me who’ve worked so hard, who never gave up hope -- you are all leading the way toward a better future for this city with innovative approaches to fight poverty and improve health care, reduce crime, and create opportunities for young people. Because of you, New Orleans is coming back. (Applause.)
And I just came from Parkway Bakery and Tavern. (Applause.) Five years ago, the storm nearly destroyed that neighborhood institution. I saw the pictures. Now they’re open, business is booming, and that’s some good eats. (Laughter.) I had the shrimp po’boy and some of the gumbo. (Applause.) But I skipped the bread pudding because I thought I might fall asleep while I was speaking. (Laughter.) But I’ve got it saved for later. (Laughter.)
Five years ago, many questioned whether people could ever return to this city. Today, New Orleans is one of the fastest growing cities in America, with a big new surge in small businesses. Five years ago, the Saints had to play every game on the road because of the damage to the Superdome. Two weeks ago, we welcomed the Saints to the White House as Super Bowl champions. (Applause.) There was also food associated with that. (Laughter.) We marked the occasion with a 30-foot po’boy made with shrimps and oysters from the Gulf. (Applause.) And you’ll be pleased to know there were no leftovers. (Laughter.)
Now, I don’t have to tell you that there are still too many vacant and overgrown lots. There are still too many students attending classes in trailers. There are still too many people unable to find work. And there are still too many New Orleanians, folks who haven’t been able to come home. So while an incredible amount of progress has been made, on this fifth anniversary, I wanted to come here and tell the people of this city directly: My administration is going to stand with you -- and fight alongside you -- until the job is done. (Applause.) Until New Orleans is all the way back, all the way. (Applause.)
When I took office, I directed my Cabinet to redouble our efforts, to put an end to the turf wars between agencies, to cut the red tape and cut the bureaucracy. (Applause.) I wanted to make sure that the federal government was a partner -- not an obstacle -- to recovery here in the Gulf Coast. And members of my Cabinet -- including EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, who grew up in Pontchartrain Park -- (applause) -- they have come down here dozens of times. Shaun Donovan has come down here dozens of times. This is not just to make appearances. It’s not just to get photo ops. They came down here to listen and to learn and make real the changes that were necessary so that government was actually working for you.
So for example, efforts to rebuild schools and hospitals, to repair damaged roads and bridges, to get people back to their homes -- they were tied up for years in a tangle of disagreements and byzantine rules. So when I took office, working with your outstanding delegation, particularly Senator Mary Landrieu, we put in place a new way of resolving disputes. (Applause.) We put in place a new way of resolving disputes so that funds set aside for rebuilding efforts actually went toward rebuilding efforts. And as a result, more than 170 projects are getting underway -- work on firehouses, and police stations, and roads, and sewer systems, and health clinics, and libraries, and universities.
We’re tackling the corruption and inefficiency that has long plagued the New Orleans Housing Authority. We’re helping homeowners rebuild and making it easier for renters to find affordable options. And we’re helping people to move out of temporary homes. You know, when I took office, more than three years after the storm, tens of thousands of families were still stuck in disaster housing -- many still living in small trailers that had been provided by FEMA. We were spending huge sums of money on temporary shelters when we knew it would be better for families, and less costly for taxpayers, to help people get into affordable, stable, and more permanent housing. So we’ve helped make it possible for people to find those homes, and we’ve dramatically reduced the number of families in emergency housing.
On the health care front, as a candidate for President, I pledged to make sure we were helping New Orleans recruit doctors and nurses, and rebuild medical facilities -- including a new veterans hospital. (Applause.) Well, we have resolved a long-standing dispute -- one that had tied up hundreds of millions of dollars -- to fund the replacement for Charity Hospital. And in June, Veterans Secretary Ric Shinseki came to New Orleans for the groundbreaking of that new VA hospital.
In education, we’ve made strides as well. As you know, schools in New Orleans were falling behind long before Katrina. But in the years since the storm, a lot of public schools opened themselves up to innovation and to reform. And as a result, we’re actually seeing rising achievement, and New Orleans is becoming a model of innovation for the nation. This is yet another sign that you’re not just rebuilding -- you’re rebuilding stronger than before. Just this Friday, my administration announced a final agreement on $1.8 billion dollars for Orleans Parish schools. (Applause.) This is money that had been locked up for years, but now it’s freed up so folks here can determine best how to restore the school system.
And in a city that’s known too much violence, that’s seen too many young people lost to drugs and criminal activity, we’ve got a Justice Department that's committed to working with New Orleans to fight the scourge of violent crime, and to weed out corruption in the police force, and to ensure the criminal justice system works for everyone in this city. (Applause.) And I want everybody to hear -- to know and to hear me thank Mitch Landrieu, your new mayor, for his commitment to that partnership. (Applause.)
Now, even as we continue our recovery efforts, we’re also focusing on preparing for future threats so that there is never another disaster like Katrina. The largest civil works project in American history is underway to build a fortified levee system. And as I -- just as I pledged as a candidate, we’re going to finish this system by next year so that this city is protected against a 100-year storm. We should not be playing Russian roulette every hurricane season. (Applause.) And we’re also working to restore protective wetlands and natural barriers that were not only damaged by Katrina -- were not just damaged by Katrina but had been rapidly disappearing for decades.
In Washington, we are restoring competence and accountability. I am proud that my FEMA Director, Craig Fugate, has 25 years of experience in disaster management in Florida. (Applause.) He came from Florida, a state that has known its share of hurricanes. We’ve put together a group led by Secretary Donovan and Secretary Napolitano to look at disaster recovery across the country. We’re improving coordination on the ground, and modernizing emergency communications, helping families plan for a crisis. And we’re putting in place reforms so that never again in America is somebody left behind in a disaster because they’re living with a disability or because they’re elderly or because they’re infirmed. That will not happen again. (Applause.)
Finally, even as you’ve been buffeted by Katrina and Rita, even as you’ve been impacted by the broader recession that has devastated communities across the country, in recent months the Gulf Coast has seen new hardship as a result of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. And just as we’ve sought to ensure that we are doing what it takes to recover from Katrina, my administration has worked hard to match our efforts on the spill to what you need on the ground. And we’ve been in close consultation with your governor, your mayors, your parish presidents, your local government officials.
And from the start, I promised you two things. One is that we would see to it that the leak was stopped. And it has been. The second promise I made was that we would stick with our efforts, and stay on BP, until the damage to the Gulf and to the lives of the people in this region was reversed. And this, too, is a promise that we will keep. We are not going to forget. We’re going to stay on it until this area is fully recovered. (Applause.)
That’s why we rapidly launched the largest response to an environmental disaster in American history -- 47,000 people on the ground, 5,700 vessels on the water -- to contain and clean up the oil. When BP was not moving fast enough on claims, we told BP to set aside $20 billion in a fund -- managed by an independent third party -- to help all those whose lives have been turned upside down by the spill.
And we will continue to rely on sound science, carefully monitoring waters and coastlines as well as the health of the people along the Gulf, to deal with any long-term effects of the oil spill. We are going to stand with you until the oil is cleaned up, until the environment is restored, until polluters are held accountable, until communities are made whole, and until this region is all the way back on its feet. (Applause.)
So that’s how we’re helping this city, and this state, and this region to recover from the worst natural disaster in our nation’s history. We’re cutting through the red tape that has impeded rebuilding efforts for years. We’re making government work better and smarter, in coordination with one of the most expansive non-profit efforts in American history. We’re helping state and local leaders to address serious problems that had been neglected for decades -- problems that existed before the storm came, and have continued after the waters receded -- from the levee system to the justice system, from the health care system to the education system.
And together, we are helping to make New Orleans a place that stands for what we can do in America -- not just for what we can’t do. Ultimately, that must be the legacy of Katrina: not one of neglect, but of action; not one of indifference, but of empathy; not of abandonment, but of a community working together to meet shared challenges. (Applause.)
The truth is, there are some wounds that have not yet healed. And there are some losses that can’t be repaid. And for many who lived through those harrowing days five years ago, there’s searing memories that time may not erase. But even amid so much tragedy, we saw stirrings of a brighter day. Five years ago we saw men and women risking their own safety to save strangers. We saw nurses staying behind to care for the sick and the injured. We saw families coming home to clean up and rebuild -- not just their own homes, but their neighbors’ homes, as well. And we saw music and Mardi Gras and the vibrancy, the fun of this town undiminished. And we’ve seen many return to their beloved city with a newfound sense of appreciation and obligation to this community.
And when I came here four years ago, one thing I found striking was all the greenery that had begun to come back. And I was reminded of a passage from the book of Job. “There is hope for a tree if it be cut down that it will sprout again, and that its tender branch will not cease.” The work ahead will not be easy, and there will be setbacks. There will be challenges along the way. But thanks to you, thanks to the great people of this great city, New Orleans is blossoming again.
Thank you, everybody. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)
END 2:16 P.M. CDT
Link to the text from Obamas speech in NewOrleans is:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/08/29/remarks-president-fifth-anniversary-hurricane-katrina-new-orleans-louisi
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Pakflood10
Pakflood10
Video Tags: Pakflood10 
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Courtesy Video | Joint Public Affairs Support Element | Date: 08.25.2010
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Dienstag, 24. August 2010
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Karl Helmut E. Zermin: German Speaker Steffen Seibert: "German Government...
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Montag, 23. August 2010
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ARD-Sommerinterview mit FDP-Chef Guido Westerwelle Interview mit Zuschauerfragen im "Bericht aus Berlin" am 22. August 2010 um 18.30 Uhr im Ersten
München (ots) - Die "politische Wunschehe" zwischen Union und FDP bietet auch ein dreiviertel Jahr nach der Regierungsbildung kein harmonisches Bild.
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Weitere Sendetermine in der Reihe der ARD-Sommerinterviews im "Bericht aus Berlin", sonntags, 18.30 Uhr im Ersten:
29. August 2010: Angela Merkel (CDU)
Pressekontakt:
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E-Mail:
presse@ard-hauptstadtstudio.de,
www.ard-hauptstadtstudio.de
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"Wir sind wegen unserer Glaubwürdigkeit und der Menschlichkeit gefordert", sagt das deutsche Staatsoberhaupt
"Wir sind wegen unserer Glaubwürdigkeit und der Menschlichkeit gefordert", sagt das deutsche Staatsoberhaupt
Berlin: Bundespräsident Christian Wulff hat die Menschen in Deutschland zu Spenden für die Flutopfer in Pakistan aufgerufen. "Jetzt brauchen wir dringend die Hilfe aller derer, die helfen können", sagte der Bundespräsident am Mittwochabend in einem Fernsehinterview zur Flutkatastrophe. Die renommierten Hilfsorganisationen müssten nachhaltig unterstützt werden. "Ich setze auf die Hilfsbereitschaft, die Spendenbereitschaft, die in Deutschland immer eindrucksvoll hoch gewesen ist, nicht nur bei Haiti, nicht nur beim Tsunami, sondern auch bei anderen Katastrophen - wahrscheinlich, weil uns Deutschen in der Geschichte auch häufig geholfen worden ist."
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Nach offiziellen Angaben sind durch diese Naturkatastrophe gut 20 Millionen Menschen in Pakistan obdachlos geworden. Eine Fläche, so groß wie Italien ist überschwemmt. Mindestens 1600 Menschen sind in den Fluten umgekommen.
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UN-Secretary-General Appoints Zachary Muburi-Muita of Kenya Head of United Nations Office to African Union
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| Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York |
Biographical Note
Secretary-General Appoints Zachary Muburi-Muita of Kenya
Head of United Nations Office to African Union
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has today announced the appointment of Zachary Muburi-Muitaof Kenya as the Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union which was established by the General Assembly on 1 July 2010.
Mr. Muburi-Muitabrings to this position many years of considerable diplomatic, political, civil-military and management skills and experience from his work with the Kenyan Government, which he joined in 1982. His involvement in various initiatives related to the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), building blocs of the African Union, will be useful in the United Nations efforts in building stronger ties with the African Union and other sub-regional organizations.
Since 2006, Mr. Muburi-Muita has served as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. In that capacity, Mr. Muburi-Muitaserved as the Vice-President of the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and in January 2010 he was elected President of the United Nations High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation, which oversees the intergovernmental review and policymaking of South-South Cooperation.
Prior to his appointment in 2006 as Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mr. Muburi-Muita served his Foreign Service in numerous roles, including as High Commissioner to the United Republic of Tanzania, and previously Principal Counsellor at the Kenya Embassy in Israel, Head of the Middle East Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Head of the Americas Division, Senior Assistant Secretary and Acting Head of the Asia and Australasia Division. He has also served in various capacities in Kenya’s missions abroad, including in the Netherlands and the Sudan. Between 1998 and 2001, he was seconded to the faculty of the National Defense College.
Mr. Muburi-Muita was educated at the University of Nairobi, the University of Khartoum and Oxford University. Mr. Muburi-Muita was born in 1957 and is married with three children.
* *** *
* This supersedes Press Release BIO/3796 of 11 September 2006.
For information media • not an official record
Efforts to Promote Direct Negotiations between Israel, Palestinians Nearing ‘Turning Point’, Top United Nations Official Tells Security Council
Security Council
6372nd Meeting (AM)
Efforts to Promote Direct Negotiations between Israel, Palestinians Nearing
‘Turning Point’, Top United Nations Official Tells Security Council
Assistant Secretary General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco Briefs;
Says Direct, Meaningful Talks Only Avenue to Comprehensive, Sustainable Solution
“We are nearing a turning point in the efforts to promote direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians,” Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco told the Security Council today, expressing the United Nations conviction that direct and meaningful talks was the only avenue to a comprehensive, sustainable solution to the decades-old conflict.
Since May, he noted in the briefing to the 15-member body, parties had been engaged in seven rounds of proximity talks, mapping out areas of mutual interest and laying out their respective priorities. The parties were now holding internal discussions with a view to deciding whether to enter into direct talks, he said, urging leaders on both sides to seize the opportunity and engage in a path of decisive progress towards a two-State solution within a realistic time frame.
To support them in that work, the United Nations remained in close contact with Quartet partners, he said, adding that success would require sustained regional and international support. The United Nations was ready to support that process, and strong leadership from both parties to make progress at the negotiating table and realize the aspirations of both peoples would be required.
Also crucial was the continuation of the parallel process of Palestinian State-building, sustained regional and international support and the pursuit of a comprehensive regional peace, as envisaged in the Madrid terms of reference, Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
Successful talks also depended on an enabling climate on the ground, with parties adhering to Road Map commitments and international law obligations, he said. The partial moratorium on settlement building in the West Bank should continue beyond its scheduled 26 September expiration and extend to all settlement activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
On the occasion of the Muslim month of Ramadan, he said Israeli authorities had removed three obstacles to movement in the West Bank, extended operation hours of some checkpoints and slightly eased access to Jerusalem for Friday prayers on the Temple Mount. With 500 remaining obstacles to movement throughout the West Bank, access should be expanded. He also expressed concern at the increased demolition or dismantlement of Palestinian-owned structures in “Area C” that had affected 212 people.
During the reporting period, Israeli security forces had conducted 313 incursions into the West Bank, he said, which had led to the shooting death of one Palestinian on 22 July. Overall, 15 Palestinians had been injured and 162 Palestinians arrested, while three Israeli soldiers had been injured. There were 22 incidents of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, which had led to seven Palestinian injuries.
He said that on 15 August the Palestinian Authority had issued a report taking stock of the two-year State-building agenda and observing substantial progress in building sound institutions and a stable society. But, he added, without “significant” additional external financing, the Authority would face a serious liquidity crisis in September, with difficulties paying August salaries. Financing to date of $507 million fell almost $200 million short of the budget.
In Jerusalem, the comparative restraint in recent months had been eroding, he said, as announcements of construction, demolitions and evictions had resumed. That had included Israeli settlers’ forcible takeover of a building housing nine Palestinian families on 29 July. Further, the situation of the four lawmakers from the Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform bloc also remained unresolved, with the trial of one postponed until November. He called on Israeli authorities to find a positive resolution to that unsustainable situation.
Turning to the impact of the new Israeli policy on Gaza, he said the volume and variety of supplies entering Gaza continued to increase in the reporting period, with the weekly average of 1,006 imported truckloads representing an almost 30 per cent increase over the average from the last reporting period and an 80 per cent increase over the 2010 weekly average before the policy change. He welcomed the Israeli decision to allow 100 million New Israeli Shekels in cash into Gaza, as well as the exchange of the 31.5 million worth of spoiled New Israeli Shekel bank notes since mid-July, as an important step in alleviating Gaza’s immediate liquidity crisis.
However, imports into Gaza were still far below the weekly average of truckloads before the 2007 closure, he said, noting that the current easing could not meet Gazans’ longer-term rehabilitation needs. To achieve that, the Quartet had called on 21 June for a solution that ensured the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza; addressed Israel’s security concerns; and promoted Palestinian unity based on the Palestine Liberation Organization commitments and the reunification of Gaza and the West Bank under the legitimate Palestinian Authority. While welcoming Israel’s approval of 11 United Nations construction projects in Gaza, he voiced concern at implementation bottlenecks if approval procedures were not streamlined. He looked forward to continued dialogue with Israeli authorities to facilitate smooth implementation.
Urging Palestinian parties to resolve internal disputes and restore a reliable electricity supply to Gaza, he also noted that 4 August marked 1,500 days since the capture of Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit. He expressed much regret that international calls for his release, immediate humanitarian access and completion of a prisoner exchange agreement had not been heeded. During the reporting period, Palestinian militant groups had fired six rockets and three mortars from Gaza into Israel, causing no injuries. Israeli Security Forces had conducted 11 air strikes and 11 incursions into Gaza, resulting in the deaths of three militants, as well as injuries to two militants, 22 civilians and five policemen. He urged calm and full respect by all parties of international humanitarian law.
He said he was disappointed to report lack of progress in intra-Palestinian reconciliation within the framework of the Egyptian-mediated proposal, in spite of mediation visits to Gaza by prominent independent Palestinian figures. He urged Palestinian factions to work together to overcome Palestinian internal divisions. In a positive development, on 11 August, several prisoners had been released in Gaza as a humanitarian gesture for the start of Ramadan, in parallel with a release of prisoners in the West Bank.
Drawing attention to the Secretary-General’s announcement on 2 August of the launch of a panel of inquiry on the flotilla incident of 31 May, which he called an “unprecedented development”, he said the panel would examine and identify the facts, circumstances, and the context of the incident, as well as recommend ways of avoiding future incidents. For the conduct of its work, the panel would decide what steps it would take and would work with the national authorities. “It is not designed to determine individual criminal responsibility,” he added.
He said that the Secretary-General had thanked the leaders of the two countries — Turkey and Israel — for their spirit of compromise. The Panel was composed of former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Geoffrey Palmer, as Chair; former President of Colombia, Álvaro Uribe; an Israeli panel member, Joseph Ceichanover; and a Turkish panel member, Özdem Sanberk.
He added that the Secretary-General had expressed his hope that the Panel would fulfil its mandate in light of the Council’s presidential statement on the matter (see Press Release SC/9940 of 1 June) and with the fullest cooperation of the relevant national authorities of the two countries. The Panel had convened in New York for two full days on 10 and 11 August, and its members had met with the Secretary-General, who had outlined the nature of the task he envisaged for them. The Secretary-General had stated his hope that the agreement on the Panel would impact positively on the relationship between Turkey and Israel, as well as the overall situation in the Middle East.
The Panel would begin its substantive discussions on how it would conduct its work, said Mr. Fernandez-Taranco, adding that the panel members would meet again in early September. They would strive to produce for the Secretary-General an interim report on 15 September. Under the chairmanship of Justice Jacob Turkel, the Israeli Commission tasked with examining the maritime incident of 31 May had continued its work and heard the testimonies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Defense Ehud Barak and Army Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi during the week of 9 August. On 12 August, the Turkish Government had announced the establishment of a national commission of inquiry on the 31 May events.
Elsewhere in the region, he said that, while the situation in the occupied Syrian Golan had remained stable, amid ongoing settlement activity, there had been several serious incidents. On 2 August, five rockets had been fired towards Eilat, Israel, and Aqaba, Jordan, killing one Jordanian civilian and injuring three others. He urged countries concerned to cooperate in bringing those responsible for that “act of terrorism” to justice.
As the Council had already been briefed, another serious incident had occurred on the Blue Line in an exchange of fire on 3 August between the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces, he said. That incident had been the “most serious one since the adoption of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006)”. An investigation by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was under way and the Council would be briefed on its outcome accordingly.
Expanding on the situation in Lebanon, he said that, throughout the month, aerial overflights of Lebanon’s territory had continued, almost daily, constituting a violation of resolution 1701 (2006) and of Lebanese sovereignty. On 20 July, the Prime Minister of Lebanon had asked the Council to extend UNIFIL’s mandate for a further period of one year, without amendment. (The Security Council has scheduled a meeting on 30 August to consider renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate, which is due to expire on 31 August).
He said that some significant political had security developments had also taken place in Lebanon during the reporting period. On 31 July, Lebanon’s President Michel Suleiman had hosted a joint meeting in Beirut with the King of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad. Also, the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, had conducted an official visit to Lebanon from 31 July to 2 August, including a tour of villages in the South of the country. Those visits, signalling a strong commitment by Lebanon’s Arab neighbours to the maintenance of calm in that country, had taken place against a background of growing tension generated by speculation, rumours and allegations regarding potential indictments by Lebanon’s Special Tribunal.
On 14 August, he continued, the alleged leader of Fatah al-Islam, Abdel al-Rahman Awadh, and his associate, Abu Bakr Mubarak, were killed in an ambush set in the Bekaa Valley by the intelligence branch of the Lebanese Army. Fatah al-Islam, a radical Islamist group, had become notorious as a result of a three-month-long conflict against the Lebanese Army in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared in 2007.
He said that the Lebanese Parliament had met today and considered a draft law granting some civil rights to Palestinian refugees. That had followed a month of intense debates over the scope and applicability of the law. The United Nations had urged all political parties to improve the legal regime applicable to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, without prejudice to their right of return.
The United Nations had also been working closely with the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee on several pending issues pertaining to the situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, such as restrictions on access to the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp and the situation of Palestinians with no official identification papers, he reported. While the camp’s reconstruction was progressing, he remained concerned about the shortfall in funding requirements for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), both for the camp’s reconstruction and the Agency’s general fund. It was imperative that the generous financial contributions of donors towards basic social services such as health and education not be cut back and for the reconstruction of Nahr el-Bared to continue.
The meeting, which was called to order at 10:11 a.m., adjourned at 10:34 a.m.
* *** *
For information media • not an official record
Karl Helmut E. Zermin: UN fordert mehr Pakistan-Hilfen
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Swiss Life Holding AG (WKN 778237, ISIN CH0014852781): Swiss Life mit Gewinnplus auch dank der AWD - Deutsches Anleger Fernsehen
Swiss Life Holding AG (WKN 778237, ISIN CH0014852781): Swiss Life mit Gewinnplus auch dank der AWD - Deutsches Anleger Fernsehen
8.08.10 / 12:27, Abrufe gesamt: 59 
8.08.10 / 12:27, Abrufe gesamt: 59
Swiss Life mit Gewinnplus auch dank der AWD
Bewertung:
In Vontobel Blickpunkt Schweiz blicken wir börsentäglich zu den Eidgenossen. Wir berichten über die Top-Story am Züricher Finanzmarkt und analysieren den SMI.
Swiss Life legte Zahlen vor. Im ersten Halbjahr verbuchte der Lebensversicherer einen Gewinn von 269 Millionen Schweizer Franken. Das ist ein Plus von 56% im Vergleich zum Vorjahr. Die Bruttoprämien lagen bei 12,24 Milliarden Schweizer Franken. Zu der guten Bilanz trugen auch die Zahlen der deutschen AWD Holding bei.
Bundespräsident Christian Wulff empfing am 16. August 2010 Philip D. Murphy, Botschafter der USA, zu einem Gespräch im Schloss Bellevue.
Bundespräsident Christian Wulff empfing am 16. August 2010 Philip D. Murphy, Botschafter der USA, zu einem Gespräch im Schloss Bellevue.
Der Bundespräsident: Bundespräsident Wulff empfängt US-Botschafter Murphy 2010
Berlin, 16.08.2010
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Der Bundespräsident: Bundespräsident Wulff empfängt US-Botschafter Murphy 2010
Berlin, 16.08.2010
Foto: Kühler, Bernd
Bundespräsident Christian Wulff empfängt Philip D. Murphy, Botschafter der USA, zu einem Gespräch im Schloss Bellevue.
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DasErste - Morgenmagazin: Versicherungen: Zuschläge bei Ratenzahlung sind oft überhöht
Versicherungen: Zuschläge bei Ratenzahlung sind oft überhöht
Das Erste - ARD-Morgenmagazin von 18. August 2010
Das Erste - ARD-Morgenmagazin von 18. August 2010
Wer Versicherungen, bei denen die Prämie im voraus fällig wird, in Raten zahlt, muss mit erheblichen Zuschlägen rechnen. Doch inzwischen können die Versicherten überhöhte Zuschläge von den Gesellschaften zurückfordern.
Quelle: WDR
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Defense.gov News Article: U.S. Helicopters, Cargo Planes Continue Pakistan Aid
U.S. Helicopters, Cargo Planes Continue Pakistan Aid
Compiled from U.S. Embassy Islamabad Reports
WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2010 – Four U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters arrived today and U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo aircraft began transporting international aid within Pakistan as part of the continued U.S. humanitarian assistance in support of flood relief from the monsoon floods.
The four helicopters are part of the contingent of 19 helicopters urgently ordered to Pakistan last week by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. They bring to 11 the total number of U.S. military aircraft in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, two Air Force C-130 aircraft from the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing in Afghanistan flew to the Pakistani air force base Chaklala in Rawalpindi this morning in response to a Pakistani government request to pick up and transport international relief supplies stored there for delivery to flood-stricken areas. These flights are scheduled to continue daily to assist with getting out urgently needed relief supplies. An estimated 52,000 pounds of relief supplies were delivered today to Sukkur for distribution by Pakistani government and military authorities.
To date, the United States has pledged to provide about $76 million in assistance to flood-affected populations in Pakistan. Support includes both financial assistance and the immediate provision of urgently needed supplies and services, drawing on unique U.S. capabilities and resources.
U.S. military helicopters have rescued 3,555 people and transported 436,340 pounds of emergency relief supplies in spite of bad weather. In addition, within 36 hours of the initial flooding on July 29, the United States began delivering thousands of packaged meals to Pakistan from U.S. stocks in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region. In all, 436,944 meals that conform with Islamic law were provided to civilian and military officials in Pakistan for distribution to Pakistanis in need.
Two shipments of heavy-duty, waterproof plastic sheeting to be used in construction of temporary dry shelter arrived in Karachi over the past two days. The 770 rolls bring the number of sheeting materials rolls brought to Pakistan to 1,870, an amount expected to help in providing shelter for 112,000 people. Some 14,000 blankets were brought along with the sheeting last week.
“Our experience has shown that plastic sheeting is urgently needed for temporary shelters, and we know it is urgently needed in Sindh as the flood waters continue to move south,” said U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson. “It will be supplied along with locally purchased materials that can be easily moved when people are able to return home.”
The sheeting material will provide dry shelter for 46,800 people in Sindh province. The cargo is immediately being sent to a logistics hub in Sindh and will be distributed by local and international organizations.
Other U.S. contributions to date include:
-- A month’s emergency food rations to more than 307,000 people through a partnership with the World Food Program.
-- About $11.25 million for the United Nations Refugee Agency, $5 million for the International Committee of the Red Cross, $3 million to the World Health Organization and $4.1 million for Save the Children.
-- A total of 436,944 meals delivered to civilian and military officials in Pakistan within 36 hours of the initial flooding via U.S. Air Force airlift, a contribution of about $3.7 million.
-- Emergency relief items totaling about $4 million delivered to the National Disaster Management Authority. The items include: 18 Zodiac rescue boats, six water filtration units, 10 water storage bladders, 30 concrete-cutting saws and 12 pre-fabricated steel bridges. A 25-kilowatt generator was provided to the Frontier Scouts-KPk to support their flood relief efforts.
Defense.gov News Article: Family Matters Blog: Military Children to Get Improved Schools
Defense.gov News Article: Family Matters Blog: Military Children to Get Improved Schools
Family Matters Blog: Military Children to Get Improved Schools
By Heather Forsgren Weaver
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2010 – Summertime, with students and teachers gone, is often the time that schools go through major makeovers. The local public high school in my neighborhood in Virginia and the middle school near my vacation home at the New Jersey shore have been completely transformed.
For schools run by the Department of Defense Education Activity, though, makeovers and modernization efforts will begin this October. The work is needed because the buildings are getting older, and many no longer meet Defense Department standards, Russ Roberts, the activity’s chief logistician, told U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden.
Carden wrote about the activity’s plans to spend $3.7 billion over the next five years to renovate schools worldwide in an article for American Forces Press Service, “Modernization Ahead for Defense Department Schools.”
Of the activity’s 191 schools, 134 do not meet the department’s standards. But because the standards to which the schools are held were established in 2005, it has been difficult for the officials to barter for needed funds, Roberts added. The program will start with those 134 schools.
“We’re ecstatic to have the resources we need to improve the conditions of our school facilities,” Russ Roberts, chief logistician for the activity, said. “Most of our schools were built in the 1970s or before, and cannot hold the technologies. It’s important for us that we can continue to deliver the quality education our military children deserve.”
Kevin Kelly, the activity’s associate director for finance and business operations, said one reason the renovations will help is that many schools only have one electrical outlet in each room. That means computers can’t be put in the classrooms “because we’re overloading our electrical systems,” Kelly added.
Sometimes it will be necessary to start from scratch, Kelly said, which will allow the activity to build “green” buildings.
“It’s all about the children,” Roberts said. “Their parents sacrifice so much for our nation and we owe their children a quality education.”
Military parents should know, too, that this isn’t a one-time effort. Roberts said the activity will continue to manage a school replacement and upgrade program once this wave of renovation and construction is complete.
To comment on this blog, visit the Family Matters blog website.
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