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Posts Tagged ‘France’

French government bans journalists from saying “Facebook” and “Twitter” on-air

June 7, 2011 Comments off

allheadlinenews

In France, radio and television news anchors are now prohibited from saying the words “Facebook” and “Twitter” on air, unless the terms are specifically part of a news story. The new stipulation comes from a 1992 governmental measure which forbids the promotion of commercial enterprises on news programs.

clearpxl

French news organizations now cannot suggest their audience “follow them on Twitter” or to go to their “Facebook page.”

Instead, they will have to say “find us on social networking websites” or tell viewers to “check out our webpage at this URL to find links to our pages on social networks.”

The French TV regulatory agency Superior Audiovisual Council, or CSA says the French government is simply upholding its laws.

“Why give preference to Facebook, which is Read more…

Categories: France Tags: , , , ,

EU ministers scramble to deal with cucumber crisis

May 30, 2011 Comments off

expatica

EU agricultural ministers Monday struggled to come to terms with a deadly bacteria outbreak suspected of stemming from contaminated cucumbers that has already killed 12 in Germany.

“One problem with Spanish cucumbers, and all of Europe is trembling,” Belgium’s minister Sabine Laruelle said on the sidelines of an informal meeting in Debrecen, eastern Hungary.

At least 12 people have died in Germany following an outbreak of enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) found on imported cucumbers.

And several hundred more are being treated in hospitals for the highly virulent strain of bacteria, which can result in full-blown haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a disease that causes bloody diarrhoea and serious liver damage and which can result in death.

Around Europe, other cases — real or suspected — have been reported in Denmark, Sweden, Britain, the Netherlands, Austria, France and Switzerland, all of them apparently stemming from Germany.

Dutch agriculture minister Henk Bleker said Read more…

Categories: EU Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chinese Citizens Turn to Gold in One of Greatest Booms in Metal’s History

May 25, 2011 1 comment

mineweb

The World Gold Council (WGC) released its quarterly “Gold Demand Trends” report last week and, as always, it was filled with fascinating data on the strength of the global gold market. Gold demand grew 11 percent to 981.3 tons during the first quarter of 2011, worth $43.7 billion at quarter-end’s price levels.
The increase was driven by a significant rise in demand for gold as an investment, up 26 percent from a year ago, as emerging markets look to protect their assets from rising inflation. Demand for gold bars and coins was up 62 percent and 42 percent, respectively.
A slight pullback in prices during the middle of the quarter and “persistent high inflation levels” pushed China into the position as the world’s largest market for gold investment. Chinese citizens devoured nearly 91 tons of gold bars and coins, more than double the amount of a year ago.
This isn’t exactly a new phenomenon in China. From 2007 to 2010, investment demand grew Read more…
Categories: China, GOLD Tags: , , , , , , ,

Europe is facing the worst drought in century

April 26, 2011 Comments off

thewatchers

Traditional Easter fairs in the east and the north of the Netherlands have been cancelled because of the risk of fires posed by the extraordinarily dry weather affecting northern Europe....

Traditional Easter fairs in the east and the north of the Netherlands have been cancelled because of the risk of fires posed by the extraordinarily dry weather affecting northern Europe. In the eastern half of the country, one of Europe’s biggest traders, outdoor family barbecues, smoking and camp fires are a strict no-no.

In the Swiss canton of Zurich, officials began moving trout this week from the river Toess before their habitat dried up. This year threatens to bring “one of the most significant droughts since 1864,” the year when records began in Switzerland. The drought in western Switzerland over the last 12 months is as severe as those recorded in 1884 and 1921. Several cantons have also imposed bans on lighting fire in and close to forests. A grass shortage could also lead to a Read more…

Categories: Droughts, Europe Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Census reveals that 17% of the world is Indian

April 1, 2011 1 comment

guardian

Uttar Pradesh, India
The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has a population of 199,500,000, just under that of Britain, France and Germany combined. Photograph: David Sutherland

 

The first results from India‘s latest census – the second biggest in the world – were released on Thursday, revealing that the country has added 181 million new citizens in the last decade, making it home to 17% of the world’s population.

China remains the most populous country on the planet, with 1.34 billion, but India is closing the gap with 1.21 billion. The additional Indians found by the census are roughly equivalent to the population of Brazil, the fifth largest country in the world. One Indian state alone – Uttar Pradesh – now has a population of 199,500,000 people, just under that of Britain, France and Germany combined.

However C Chandramouli, the census commissioner, told reporters in Delhi that the new count showed Read more…

Categories: India Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

World powers agree to set up contact group to map out Libya’s future

March 30, 2011 Comments off

telegraph

“Participants of the conference agreed to establish the Libya Contact Group,” said a statement issued by Mr Hague, who chaired Tuesday’s meeting of more than 35 countries plus the UN and Nato.

“Qatar has agreed to convene the first meeting of the group as soon as possible,” the statement said.

The group will provide “leadership and overall political direction to the international effort in close co-ordination with the UN (United Nations), AU (African Union), Arab League, OIC (Organisation of the Islamic Conference) and EU (European Union) to support Libya.”

The London conference was called to map out Libya’s future following the fighting between forces loyal to the country’s leader, Muammar Gaddafi, and rebels opposed to his four-decade rule.

Britain, France and the United States had launched military strikes on Libya ten days ago to Read more…

Categories: Libya, NATO Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Is the European Union on the brink of Collapse?

March 26, 2011 Comments off

politiken

Foto: THOMAS BORBERG (arkivfoto)

Foto: THOMAS BORBERG (arkivfoto)

A real risk of disintegration if the EU does not soon display solid internal and external cooperation.

Europe’s external divisions on Libya are as great as its internal divisions on the new Europact.

Over the past few days, EU countries have faced historically difficult decisions without being able to reach agreement.

The indecision has seriously questioned the determination that European countries are able to muster, both in NATO and in the European Union.

The countries seem to have reached agreement on handing over the responsibility for the Libya operation to NATO. The breakthrough has, however, come so late that credibility has already been lost.

For once, Denmark has stood out in a positive light by both sending fighter aircraft to Read more…

Categories: EU Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Libya no-fly zone cost could hit $1 bln in months

March 24, 2011 1 comment

reuters.com

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – The no-fly zone over Libya could end up costing the Western coalition more than $1 billion if the operation drags on more than a couple of months, defense analysts say.

Zack Cooper, a senior analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said the initial cost of eliminating Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s air defenses was likely to be between $400 million and $800 million.

The expense of patrolling the no-fly zone once it is established is likely to be $30 million to $100 million a week, he said.

The U.S. military has no official cost figures yet for the operation, which has been going on less Read more…

Categories: Libya Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Look who’s in line to replace Gadhafi

March 23, 2011 1 comment

www.wnd.com


Anjem Choudary

British cleric Anjem Choudary says al-Qaida and the Muslim Brotherhood have assets on the ground in Libya and are ready to take control if Moammar Gadhafi is removed from power.

The top Muslim cleric accuses the U. S. and French-led coalition trying to topple Gadhafi of working to install a puppet regime, but he says there are al-Qaida operatives in Libya who will stop the West from installing a friendly government.

“Al-Qaida has their own agents and their own people in the region who are propagating their own Islamic ideas and their agenda. At the right time they will make the move, and we will see the emergence of Islam and Shariah in that particular region,” Choudary said.

“The power vacuum is very useful for anyone who has an agenda and an alternative Read more…

Categories: Libya Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Concern about mission creep grows as more bombs fall on Libya

March 22, 2011 Comments off

theglobeandmail.com

Barely 48 hours into the Libyan war, the American general running the air strikes came under fire about mission creep even while insisting that allied warplanes won’t hunt Moammar Gadhafi or back the rebels seeking to oust him.

“I have no mission to attack that person. And we are not doing so. We are not seeking his whereabouts or anything like that,” said General Carter Ham, U.S. regional commander for all of Africa.

Concerns over mission creep continue to be raised around the world – including in Canada – as a new set of strikes hit Triopoli late Monday. On a day in which Canadian CF-18s flew their first missions over Libya and Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Canada had a “moral duty” to participate, all four opposition parties endorsed Canadian involvement in the mission but pressed for details over how long the mission would last, what it would cost, and how it would Read more…

Categories: Libya Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,