Using carrots and sticks, Beijing is steering an immense push toward wind and solar power, while the U.S. is just starting.

The pace of job losses quickened last month with the American economy shedding 467,000 jobs, as unemployment rose to its highest level in 26 years.

Michael Jackson appeared active in a video -- obtained by CNN -- of his rehearsal two nights before he died. AEG, promoter of Jackson's planned London shows, released the short video of Jackson rehearsing "They Don't Care About Us" on a stage in the Staples Center arena on June 23.

A Lockheed Electra turboprop flying over the Amazon rainforest on Christmas Eve in 1971 broke into pieces in midair, thrusting 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke into a free fall. She dropped 2 miles into the jungle canopy but survived with only minor injuries; the 91 other people on board died. With search crews unable to locate the site, her ordeal was far from over.

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. began a two-day mission that he said was intended to ?reestablish contact? with Iraqi leaders.

Almost 4,000 Marines moved to clear Taliban fighters from the hotly contested Helmand River valley.

Bloody attacks and midnight arrests, combined with a regime growing more tech savvy, have begun to stem the online information flow from dissidents in Iran, activists and human rights officials say. Once emboldened by an ability to dodge the government and spread news, many in the youth-driven protest movement, they say, now fear the consequences.

A new American military operation in southern Afghanistan may ignite further tensions among a weary population, residents and local officials warn.

Une vidéo d'une répétition de la star, tournée le 23 juin, a été diffusée jeudi.

Cinq prévenus ont été renvoyés aux assises pour un procès qui devrait se tenir fin 2009.

Diprivan is a powerful I.V. anesthetic drug used for patients undergoing certain surgeries and diagnostic procedures.

Il est accusé de tentative d'avortement forcé de son ex-compagne.

La cour supérieure de Los Angeles a confié, lundi, la garde de Prince Michael et Paris à la mère du chanteur.

Plus tôt dans la journée, Yemenia avait déjà annoncé l'annulation de son vol prévu à 18 heures.

L'homosexualité vient d'être déclarée légale ce matin par la Haute Cour de Justice de Delhi. Pour la communauté LGBT indienne, cette avancée historique arrive comme une belle surprise. Réactions à chaud pour Têtu de Nitin Karani, un des défenseurs des droits LGBT les plus influents en Inde. en lire plus

Les militants du parti ne mettent pas en avant les thèmes frontistes habituels et se veulent « force de proposition ». en lire plus

Puisque les guichetiers de la RATP, derrière leurs vitres, n'ont plus de tickets à vendre, pourquoi ne pas les occuper à autre chose ? C'est l'idée (saugrenue ? ) qui a germé dans une des têtes pensantes de la direction de La Poste, autre grand service public. Par exemple, à la distribution des recommandés. L'idée est devenue « expérimentation » : elle devrait être mise en oeuvre à partir du 1er septembre en lire plus

Elles se sont récemment développées sur Internet : les boutiques des partis politiques, à l'origine destinées à fournir du matériel de campagne, sont devenues des bric-à-brac où voisinent l'incongru, le moche, le drôle et parfois l'énigmatique. en lire plus

Lors de la visite en France du Premier ministre irakien Nouri al-Maliki au mois de mai, un déjeuner prévu à l'Elysée a été annulé parce qu'il y avait du vin à table, a révélé Le Figaro. Lorsque l'Irakien s'est aperçu que du vin allait être servi, il a demandé à ce qu'il soit retiré, ce que les Français ont refusé. L'obstination impolie des deux côtés a eu raison du déjeuner, finalement annulé. Un camouflet qui est loin d'être une première. Tour d'horizon des plus belles mufleries diplomatiques. en lire plus

Wendell Potter says he is finished defending the insurance industry, which he says is "beholden to Wall Street."

If you thought that America's foreign policy outlook would improve with the election of Barack Obama, you thought wrong. Part of the problem, being residual blowback from previous American sins, is, admittedly, not Obama's fault. But a great deal of it is. When Establishment (...)

The maker of automotive seats and interior electronics Lear announced today that it would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection shortly. The group and its lenders found an agreement on this solution. Lear is the biggest collateral victim of the global decrease of car sales. The group had (...)

I see more and more as our leaving the cities got closer what I saw as a fact the day the idiot ignored all good advice against attacking Iraq and that is an all out war Sunni against Shiite and don't forget the Kurd's and other sects then spreading throughout the middle east. Iraq (...)

This letter represents our sentiments in wishing to express our gratitude for your and Ms. Pelosi's efforts on our behalf. We thank you, our shareholders thank you, and certainly all of us look forward to contributing to your Presidential Library, once you leave office, if we did not (...)

God Bless Karl Malden who came from humble beginnings in Gary, Indiana and demonstrated what hard work could accomplish. He was a member of my church and I remember him when I was a child during Holiday services when he would stand in the balcony with everyone else, no special seating, no (...)

La Crimée, c'est un petit bout de terre, steppes arides au Nord et montagnes au Sud, une péninsule verte et bleue sur la Mer noire. C'est aussi un paradis perdu, fiché à jamais dans la mémoire de milliers de Tatars, peuple de Crimée déporté il y a 65 ans par Staline en Russie et en Asie [...]

Photo credit: jurvetson This past Friday the House of Representatives in USA voted yes to the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, a cap-and-trade energy bill, by a vote of 219 to 212. This historic climate change bill will require limits on pollution responsible for man-made climate change and it will help USA [...]

Click here to enlarge. Note: You will need Flash installed to view the scorecards. Berlin, Germany ? G8 countries have so far failed to take sufficient action to protect the world against climate change. The latest G8 Climate Scorecards report shows that Germany, followed by the UK and France, is performing better than the rest of the rich nations? group. Italy and Japan are in a lower medium ranked group. Canada, the USA and Russia are lagging behind, despite the USA moving up one rank. The report carried out by Ecofys for WWF and Allianz SE ranks the top eight industrialized countries and five major developing countries according to their climate change policy. Only five months ahead of crucial climate talks in Copenhagen, the 2009 edition of the annual WWF-Allianz G8 climate scorecards shows that while some efforts had been made, action remains insufficient to set the world on a low carbon economy course. The report states the lack of a clear leader among the ranked nations and while Germany has slightly improved, countries such as Canada and Russia have completely failed to pass the test. In the foreword of the report, James Leape, the head of WWF and Allianz board member Joachim Faber urged the nations to take action now and help seal a good deal in Copenhagen. ?While there might be a bailout possibility for the financial system, no amounts of money will save the planet once climate change crosses the danger threshold,? Mr. Leape and Mr. Faber wrote. ?It is therefore crucial to limit the rise of global temperature to below two degrees compared to pre-industrial levels.? The G8 Climate Scorecards 2009 measure countries? performance and trends in areas such as development of greenhouse gas emissions since 1990, the distance to their Kyoto-targets, their share of renewable energies and the efficiency of their climate policies. The evaluation is based on their progress and improvement made since 1990, is looking at the current status of emissions and the intended policies for the future. According to the report, Germany, the United Kingdom and France have already achieved their Kyoto targets - but their long-term climate performance is not adequate to limit the global temperature rise below two degrees Celsius. Climate initiatives so far planned or announced by the Obama-administration have helped the USA climb from the last rank to seventh place. Canada and Russia which are at the bottom of the rank either do not have political plans to change this development or do not implement them. Within the framework of the global WWF-Allianz partnership, Allianz in its position as an international finance service provider supports the G8 Climate Scorecards to better understand the consequences of climate change. That is vital for the investment and regulatory framework conditions that have to be adapted to the consequences of climate change as well as for the development of new climate compliant products and financial solutions. Joachim Faber, board member of Allianz SE says: ?A low carbon future holds growth potential for G8 countries as well as for emerging nations. Future investments and product development therefore require a sustainable political framework.?

Brasília, Brazil ? Conservationists worry that further deforestation will follow from Brazil now allowing squatting on Amazon land ? regulations that encompass parcels equal to the combined size of Germany and Italy. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva late last week signed into law new land regulations covering 67 millions hectares that are occupied without proper ownership documentation. However, some mechanisms inserted by the National Congress into this law open the way for possible fraud and do not contain strong enough conservation guidelines, which could lead to further cutting down of the Amazon. Concerned with these consequences of the law, Brazilian NGOs, including WWF-Brazil, conducted intense lobbying to push President Lula to veto the added mechanisms. WWF-Brazil supports the land regulation and believes it is essential to ensure property to family scale farmers dwelling in the region, if enforced with social and environmental responsibility. But some aspects of the law may lead to an inappropriate occupation of Amazon?s lands. For example, the provision allowing the selling properties of more than 400 hectares after three years could stimulate the market for land in the region without necessarily improving the production of food or guarantees against deforestation. Overall, the law does not establish preventive actions against future land occupation and deforestation, said Claudio Maretti, WWF-Brazil's Conservation Director. The new law also includes: ? Expanding the maximum size of areas that can be legalized and regulated, from 100 to 1,500 hectares ? Rejecting government inspection of land ? Allowing lands exceeding 400 hectares to be sold to someone else just three years after being legalized, which will stimulate the land market in Amazon "We need to sensitize lawmakers and the government in order to bring Brazil to a position of leadership concerning sustainable development,? said Denise Hamú, WWF-Brazil's CEO. While WWF-Brazil applauded Lula?s decision to prohibit the transfer of Amazon's public lands to private companies and the indirect exploitation through an intermediary, the government still needs to clarify how it will prevent deforestation on these areas. "The debate about climate changes and the struggle against deforestation ? the main cause of greenhouse gas emissions of Brazil -- is a global concern, and we are witnessing several natural catastrophes in the country?, Maretti said. ?We need actions to encourage an environmentally responsible economy, more protection to the Amazon forest and benefits to local communities, as the creation of sustainable use reserves and real concession of the use to those who live in the reserves.?

“As I became aware of the mounting global water crisis, I realized that it represented a clash of cultures ? between a culture that values water as a shared sacred source of all life and a corporate culture that regards water as a commodity to be bought and sold.” Quote from Shalini Kantayya, director of A [...]

Photo credit: Darwin Bell ?Would you like a bag with that??, asks the girl at the grocery store check-out. You glance at the couple of items purchased, and think of the walk home. She sees you hesitating and adds ?It?s okay; these plastic bags are biodegradable. In fact, they?re made of corn!? ?Perfect!?, you think. Or [...]

Oslo, Norway ? Norwegian fisheries regulators in a landmark decision have banned all fishing of the critically endangered European eel starting in 2010 and cut 2009 catch quotas by 80 percent. The Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries also has announced that all recreational fishing of European eels would stop on July 1st, as stock of the eels hit historically low levels and continue to decline. The decision represents a major conservation decision that is a model for proper fisheries management, according to WWF-Norway. ?The Minister of Fisheries is making an important, and the only right choice, and is showing international leadership in fisheries management,? said Rasmus Hansson, WWF-Norway CEO. ?Norway?s Fisheries Minister, Helga Pedersen, has used every occasion to point out that Norway is the best in the world on fisheries management, and by making bold moves like this they have probably earned the title.? The European eel is listed as critically endangered in Norway and on the IUCN Redlist. Stocks are at historically low levels with spawning levels at between one and five percent from their 1970 level, with only the Atlantic area seeing higher levels. In the Baltic Sea, including Kattegat and Skagerrak, indices show a sharp decline in young yellow eel stocks since 1950. As early as 1999, The International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) stated that the eel stock was outside safe biological limits, and that the fishery was unsustainable. Yet, fishing has been ongoing for decades, despite scientific advice. ?A total fishing ban is the strongest measure the fisheries management can use, and when a species is critically endangered one must use the strongest and most efficient measures. This protection should have been implemented many years ago, and we are hoping that the long-overdue protection is not too late,? Hansson said. A successful rebuilding strategy for the eel, both in Norway and the EU, will have a substantial impact on eel numbers in Norwegian waters. Consequently, Norway has a great responsibility in influencing both the management and the research that is being undertaken in Europe. In Europe, fishing for eel continues, despite the very severe and depleted state of the stock. ?WWF urges Ms Pedersen to fight for the EU taking similar bold measures in their fisheries management, and WWF will fight to stop the eel fishery in the EU,? Hansson said.

A la suite de la publication du récit d?Anna Miquel sur la mort de Philippe de Dieuleveult, « Les crocodiles du Zaïre » (N°4 de XXI), le Parquet de Paris a décidé le 25 mai d?ouvrir une enquête préliminaire afin d?éclairer les conditions de la disparition de l?animateur-vedette de la « Chasse [...]

The key moral imperative of the Synthesis Report is ?Inaction is inexcusable?. In December 2009 the governments of the world will discuss their responses to the climate emergency facing the planet. Civilized, educated , humanitarian people dread the outcome which is likely to be grossly deficient. However in March 2009 2,500 participants (mostly climate science [...]

The Australian Green senator Christine Milne, the first female leader of a political party in Tasmania’s history, delivered this speech to the Australian National Press Club this past week. Key quote from the speech: “The truth is the climate nightmare is real and happening now. We are destroying the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu and the snow caps. [...]

Bakchich publie un document confirmant la responsabilité des sondes Pitot dans le crash du vol AF447 Rio-Paris - SAGA AERONAUTIQUE / une, France, Médias, Thales, Aviation, aéronautique, Airbus, Avion, Air France, bakchiche, crash, accident

Les révoltes continuent en Iran, les réformistes tentent de reprendre le pouvoir aux conservateurs. - ASIE / Iran, Religion, une3, Révoltes, Révolution, Mohammad Khatami, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ali Khamenei, Mollah

La mairie d'Hénin-Beaumont (Pas-de-Calais) passera-t-elle entre les mains du FN et de sa tête de liste Steeve Briois ? Réponse ce dimanche - NOS FIERS ÉLUS / France, Jean-Marie Le Pen, une2, Marine Le Pen, Parti Socialiste, Elections municipales, Bruno Mégret, élections européennes, Carl Lang, Front National , Bruno Gollnisch, Elections législatives

Un « débat relancé » avec équilibre et rigueur. - L'Ecole, les enseignants

Parce que… - C'est du lourd / Pakman / burqa

Guy Birembaum revient dans "Ligne jaune" (Arrêt sur images) sur l'attentat de Karachi. Avec Nicolas Beau de Bakchich - VIDÉOS / France, Affaires, Nicolas Sarkozy, Corruption, Terrorisme, une3, Médias, Pakistan, DGSE, Jacques Chirac, Mediapart, DCN, attentats, Karachi, Claude Thévenet

N° 3 de notre nouvelle série d'articles : une sélection aussi régulière que possible d'articles de critique des médias parus sur le Web. - Dans la presse écrite (ou sur la toile)