Thursday 26 March 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Nigeria wraps up presidential election campaign

Posted:

ABUJA (AFP) - Campaigning wound to a close in Nigerias presidential elections on Thursday, with the two leading candidates delivering their final messages to supporters before the crunch vote.Saturdays election is being seen as the closest race in the countrys history, with President Goodluck Jonathan facing a strong challenge from former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari.Land and sea borders were shut at midnight on Wednesday (2300 GMT) as part of stringent security measures that also include an eight-hour restriction on movement when polling stations are open.Nigeria has a history of election-related unrest and both candidates appeared keen to prevent a repeat of 2011, when 1,000 people were killed in clashes after the results were announced.This time round, fears of Boko Haram suicide attacks and bombings at vulnerable targets, including polling stations, have seen unprecedented calls for vigilance from the security services.Peace dealJonathan and Buhari signed a pledge of non-violence in January and on Thursday repeated their commitment to peaceful elections, with the campaign due to formally end at midnight.Now that the campaigns have come to an end, we meet to renew our pledge for peaceful elections, read a document signed by the two men at a hotel in Abuja and made available to reporters.We therefore call on all fellow citizens of our dear country and our party supporters to refrain from violence or any acts that may in any way jeopardise our collective vision of a free, fair and credible election.The country is almost evenly split between a Muslim-majority north and largely Christian south, with Buhari and Jonathan traditionally pulling support from their respective regions.Acceptance of the result is seen as key to preventing violence and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it had been working with the parties to tone down often violent rhetoric.All this will add up when the elections are through and the results are announced and we see that they conduct themselves in accordance with the pledges and promises that have been made, INEC spokesman Kayode Idowu told AFP.Final messagesJonathan published a thank you message to Nigerians on the front page of many national newspapers, with a 40-page colour pull-out detailing his claimed achievements.But the president recognised the challenge from Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) which could see his ruling party defeated for the first time since the end of military rule in 1999.Right now there are only a few more hours to the election. I cannot recall an election more important than this in the history of our nation and I need your support, the 57-year-old wrote.I need you to vote for me in this election, not just because of me, but so that we consolidate on the progress we have made.Jonathan is campaigning for continuity and has vowed to complete the work he has started in his first four years in office.Buhari, 72, who headed a military government in the 1980s and describes himself as a converted democrat, has for his part pushed an agenda of change.He criticised insecurity, broken infrastructure and growing inequality, vowing action against Boko Haram and corruption, which he said had made Nigeria a laughing stock of the world.Rebuilding the army and other security agencies will... be a top priority of my government. I will ensure that never again will terrorists find a safe haven in Nigeria, he added.He said he would also reunite the more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the group in April last year with their families.INEC on trackThe electoral commission charged with organising the election in Africas most populous nation meanwhile said it was on track for a smooth operation.Some 68.8 million voters out of a total population of some 173 million are registered to vote in Nigeria, which is also Africas leading economy and top oil producer.Ballot papers and election materials, including for the first time handheld readers to scan biometric voter identity cards, had been sent to the countrys 36 states and capital territory.Everything is in place, said the INECs Idowu.The INEC has come under scrutiny for its preparedness, even after the initial February 14 vote was postponed because of military operations against Boko Haram in the northeast.Jonathans PDP voiced concern about the distribution of voter cards and the card-reading technology.But Idowu said the election will be as flawless as humanly possible, and that results would be announced within 48 hours of polls closing on Saturday.In an interview with AFP, Buhari said he did not think the election could be tampered with but warned of consequences if there is foul play.Meanwhile the US said its top diplomat for Africa Linda Thomas-Greenfield will travel to Nigeria to observe the elections, an unusual move for Washington as it closely monitors the countrys extremism crisis.

Tennis: Sharapova stunned in Miami opening match

Posted:

MIAMI (AFP) - World number two Maria Sharapova crashed out of the Miami Open hardcourt tennis tournament on Thursday, beaten 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 by Russian wild card Daria Gavrilova.Sharapova, who has never won the WTA premier level title in Miami despite five trips to the final, was playing her opening match after a first-round bye.The five-time Grand Slam champion endured her worst defeat in the event since she lost in the first round on her debut in 2003.

Ice around Antarctica shrank by almost 20 percent: study

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The ice floating around Antarctica has thinned by nearly 20 percent, according to research published Thursday, depleting the bulwark that prevents the permanent collapse of glaciers covering the southern continent.The study, based on satellite measurements between 1994 and 2012 by the European Space Agency, sheds new light on how Antarctic ice responds to climate change.The report was published in the online version of the journal Science.Ice barriers have an average thickness of between 400 to 500 meters (1,300 to 1,600 feet) and can extend hundreds of kilometers off the coast of Antarctica.If the ice becomes too thin it would allow the permanent glaciers to slip into the ocean and start melting, sharply increasing the rise of ocean levels.Researchers found that the total volume of Antarctic ice changed little between 1994 and 2003, but after that point melting markedly accelerated.Ice in western Antarctica declined throughout the study period. A slight increase in ice thickness was observed in eastern Antarctica before 2003 when rapid melting began, leading to an 18 percent reduction of thickness compared to 1994.Eighteen percent over the course of 18 years is really a substantial change, said Fernando Paolo, a researcher at the University of California, San Diego.Overall, we show not only the total ice shelf volume is decreasing, but we see an acceleration in the last decade.If the rate of thinning continues, the ice shelves could lose half of their volume over the next 200 years, the researchers calculated.For Professor Andrew Shepherd, director of the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at the University of Leeds, the melting trend is a real concern, because such high rates of thinning cannot be sustained for much longer.A study published in December of 2014 showed that the rate of glacier melting had tripled in the Antarctic region that saw the most ice thinning over the last decade.Glaciers in the Amundsen Sea of west Antarctica are losing ice faster than anywhere else on the continent and are the largest contributors to the rise of sea levels, researchers said.Two other studies published in 2014 concluded that the melting of large glaciers in western Antarctica, which have enough water to raise sea levels at least one meter, will accelerate with global warming and the melting is likely irreversible.

US Senate threatens Iran with new sanctions

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Senate voted unanimously Thursday supporting a non-binding measure to slap new economic sanctions on Iran should it violate terms of any nuclear deal it reaches with world powers.In a symbolic measure aimed at building pressure on Tehran amid crunch negotiations over its atomic program, lawmakers voted 100-0 on an amendment introduced by Senate Republican Mark Kirk as part of an ongoing budget debate.It does not carry the weight of law because budget resolutions are not binding legislation, but it signals senators determination to act quickly should Iran fail to meet any requirements of the interim accord now in place, or a possible final agreement.With Thursdays vote, the first on the Senate floor since talks began early last year, the measures author intends to hold his colleagues to account. If we find out that theres further development in the Iran nuclear program, it will allow me to remind 100 senators that they voted with me today, Kirk told AFP.The chambers entire Democratic caucus came on board after a modification of wording that recognized the role of the US president in making a determination about Irans compliance.The Senate Foreign Relations Committee votes April 14 on legislation that would require President Barack Obama to give Congress a say on any final deal reached between Iran and the P51 -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany.Congress would have 60 days to review and, if it chooses, ultimately block the deal. The White House is opposed to such legislation, arguing a presidential signature is sufficient.Kirk and Senate Democrat Robert Menendez have crafted separate legislation that would impose gradual sanctions against Iran should negotiations fail.The text is on hold, to give the talks a chance to succeed, but Senate leadership is committed to a vote if the talks collapse.Talks resumed in Switzerland Thursday between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif.They are racing against the clock to complete the framework of deal by a self-imposed March 31 deadline. A final agreement is due by June 30.Kirk said Pariss hawkish line on Iran -- notably from French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius -- has made the senator a strong ally of the (Francois) Hollande government.France, Kirk added, has continually been the clear-headed, realistic nation throughout this process.

Nineteen hurt as blast, then fire bring down New York buildings

Posted:

WRAP-updateNEW YORK, March 27, 2015 (AFP) - Nineteen people were hurt Thursday when three New York buildings collapsed and a blaze tore through another in what preliminary indications suggested was a gas-related explosion.Four people were critically injured after the blast ripped through a commercial and residential building in the popular East Village and then partly collapsed, triggering the collapse of the next-door building, the partial collapse of another and a huge blaze.Dramatic cell phone footage broadcast by TV channel PIX11 showed panicked people running in fear from a sushi restaurant after the explosion.What happened? Oh my God one woman is heard yelling. Bystanders bend over a person lying amid debris.Witnesses several blocks away described hearing a loud bang and thick smoke could be seen wafting high over the Manhattan skyline.It was crazy loud. The windows were shaking, said Philip McElroy, a 23-year-old student, who was visiting a friend two blocks away.There was a lot of smoke and part of the building was blown out.New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the initial impact appeared to have been caused by plumbing and gas work at the site.The incident quickly heightened safety fears, a year after eight people were killed when a gas explosion leveled two apartment buildings in East Harlem in northern Manhattan on March 12, 2014.Our thoughts, our prayers are with everyone of them (the casualties) and of course we are praying that no other individuals are found injured and that there are no fatalities, de Blasio told a news conference.A fire department spokesman raised the number of casualties from 12 to 19, including four people in a critical condition.The department said 121 Second Avenue, scene of the initial explosion, partially collapsed, as did another building, while 123 Second Avenue went entirely and fire ravaged a fourth property.Pommes Frites, a shop selling Belgian-style fries at 123 Second Avenue, said on Twitter it was closed until further notice due to severe damage, but said its staff and customers were safe.Extremely dangerousMore than five hours after the incident, over 200 fire fighters were still working to control pockets of fire, the fire department said.The Red Cross set up an emergency site in a school to support those made homeless, as well as neighbors and family members, de Blasio said.Thick smoke filled the street and emergency workers shut down six blocks on Second Avenue, said an AFP reporter at the scene.Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said staff were on the spot three minutes after the 3:17 pm emergency call.The front of 121 Second Avenue was blown across the street and fire officers performed extremely dangerous searches of 123 and 121, he said.The smell of burning drifted as far as Midtown Manhattan, around 40 blocks farther north.Isaiah Barr, who was listening to music at home several blocks away when he felt a boom, said: I was really scared.Authorities advised New Yorkers to stay at home and keep their windows closed to avoid the affects of smoke exposure.The East Village is one of the most popular areas of New York, home to a large number of students and wealthy professionals, and stuffed with boutiques, restaurants, nightclubs and cafes.Of those critically injured, two have burns to their airways and a third person fell unconscious after the blast, officials said.One East Village hotel offered on Twitter three free nights stay to residents in the immediate vicinity of the affected area on Second Avenue.De Blasio urged people not to speculate until the investigation had been completed but reminded New Yorks 8.4 million residents to act quickly if they smell gas.I will take this occasion to say, as we said many times after the East Harlem tragedy, any time you smell gas you need to call 911 or call (energy company) Con Edison immediately, he said.

Australia farewells former PM Fraser at state funeral

Posted:

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Hundreds of mourners gathered Friday at a state funeral for former conservative prime minister Malcolm Fraser, who came to power in 1975 with Australias greatest constitutional crisis and died last week aged 84.Prime Minister Tony Abbott was to attend the ceremony at Melbournes Scots Church along with former prime ministers Julia Gillard, John Howard and Paul Keating.The church holds only 700 people but the public has been asked to join family and dignitaries with another 1,000 seats provided across the street at St Michaels Uniting Church, where the service will be televised live as it will across the country.Fraser died last Friday after a short illness, just five months after the death of Gough Whitlam, the man he dramatically replaced after the Labor leader became Australias only prime minister to be sacked.He began his term as the countrys 22nd prime minister after the representative of Britains Queen Elizabeth II, Sir John Kerr, dismissed Whitlams government in November 1975.Fraser was appointed caretaker and despite questions about the legitimacy of the dismissal, the Liberal Party man went on to win three elections, serving until 1983 with polices aimed at reducing spending and imposing responsible fiscal management.He was also a strong supporter of human rights who oversaw an upsurge in immigration from Asia and a conservationist who banned whaling in Australia, while helping shape diplomatic and trade relations with East and Southeast Asia before being succeeded by Labors Bob Hawke.The constitutional crisis of 1975 was one of the defining political events of our nation, Abbott said last week.Malcolm Fraser held true to the belief that his actions were in the best interests of Australia. He was determined to turn on the lights and restore Australias economic fortunes.A staunch opponent of apartheid, Fraser was also noted for his strong support of reform in South Africa and for playing a prominent part in Commonwealth efforts to establish an independent Zimbabwe.He formed aid group CARE Australia, established the Australian Federal Police, enacted the nations first Freedom of Information laws and welcomed tens of thousands of Vietnamese boatpeople into the country.Fraser maintained a high-profile after leaving office, lobbying for Australia to have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and serving on Commonwealth observer groups overseeing elections in Pakistan, Tanzania and Bangladesh.More recently, he became an outspoken critic of the Liberal Party, taking a stand on indigenous issues, refugees and the war on Iraq.Born into a wealthy family, he was an Oxford graduate who entered parliament in 1955 and spent 10 years as a backbencher in the government of Robert Menzies.A private burial was to follow the state funeral. He leaves wife Tamie and four children.

Football: Klinsmann adds ex-coach Vogts to US braintrust

Posted:

CHICAGO (AFP) - Berti Vogts, who played on Germany s 1974 World Cup winning team and coached their 1996 European championship squad, was named a national team technical advisor Thursday by the United States Soccer Federation.US national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann was captain of the 1996 European trophy winners guided by Vogts, who gave Klinsmann advice on a less formal basis at last year s World Cup, when the Americans went out in the round of 16.We had a fantastic experience with Berti during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Klinsmann said. His knowledge and experience is a tremendous asset for us.The move comes in the wake of a 3-2 loss Wednesday at Denmark and Klinsmann saying he wanted to ensure young European-based talents Julian Green and DeAndre Yedlin, struggling for playing time at Hamburg and Tottenham respectively, had US team support.Vogts will oversee player development in Europe, including scouting work, improving club relationships and identifying talent.In a 14-year career that saw him help Borussia Moenchengladbach to five Bundesliga crowns and two UEFA Cups, Vogts also earned 96 caps for Germany and played 19 matches over three World Cups, famously marking Dutch star Johan Cruyff in a 2-1 German win in the 1974 World Cup final.Vogts guided Germany to 66 wins, 24 draws and 12 defeats from 1990-98. He has also guided the national teams of Scotland (2002-04) and Nigeria (2007-08) and managed Azerbaijan from 2008-2014.

Football: Klinsmann adds ex-coach Vogts to US braintrust

Posted:

CHICAGO (AFP) - Berti Vogts, who played on Germanys 1974 World Cup winning team and coached their 1996 European championship squad, was named a national team technical advisor Thursday by the United States Soccer Federation.US national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann was captain of the 1996 European trophy winners guided by Vogts, who gave Klinsmann advice on a less formal basis at last years World Cup, when the Americans went out in the round of 16.We had a fantastic experience with Berti during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Klinsmann said. His knowledge and experience is a tremendous asset for us.The move comes in the wake of a 3-2 loss Wednesday at Denmark and Klinsmann saying he wanted to ensure young European-based talents Julian Green and DeAndre Yedlin, struggling for playing time at Hamburg and Tottenham respectively, had US team support.Vogts will oversee player development in Europe, including scouting work, improving club relationships and identifying talent.In a 14-year career that saw him help Borussia Moenchengladbach to five Bundesliga crowns and two UEFA Cups, Vogts also earned 96 caps for Germany and played 19 matches over three World Cups, famously marking Dutch star Johan Cruyff in a 2-1 German win in the 1974 World Cup final.Vogts guided Germany to 66 wins, 24 draws and 12 defeats from 1990-98. He has also guided the national teams of Scotland (2002-04) and Nigeria (2007-08) and managed Azerbaijan from 2008-2014.

Hundreds rally in Mali to call for ousted president's return

Posted:

BAMAKO (AFP) - Hundreds of supporters of exiled former Malian president Amadou Toumani Toure, who was overthrown in a military coup in 2012, called for his return on Thursday in rallies held in several cities.The gathering in the capital Bamako drew more than a thousand people, according to an AFP reporter at the scene, many of them wearing t-shirts emblazoned with a picture of Toure, who is known by his initials ATT.Smaller crowds also gathered in the central city of Mopti and the northern city of Gao, witnesses said.ATT must be allowed to come back without any trouble... for the sake of peace and national reconciliation, said one of the organisers, Oumar Toure.Ex-president Toure, who came to power in 2002, fled to Senegal after being overthrown by a military junta in 2012 just as he was preparing to end his final term in office.He was accused by the soldiers of failing to tackle an Islamist insurgency in the north of Mali.The coup led by Amadou Sanogo toppled what had been heralded as one of the regions most stable democracies and precipitated the fall of northern Mali to Al-Qaeda-linked groups until a French-led military operation in 2013 forced them out of the towns.The government of current President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has sought to prosecute Toure for high treason.

Flooding in Chilean desert region kills seven

Posted:

COPIAPO (AFP) - Flash floods in a normally bone-dry region of northern Chile killed seven people and left 19 missing, officials said Thursday, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency and send in the army.The downpour began late Tuesday in the Atacama region, home to the worlds most arid desert, and lashed the area for hours, turning riverbeds that had been dry for years into torrents.Desperate residents scrambled onto the roofs of their houses or fled to high ground to escape the floodwaters, which turned the streets into rivers that swept up nearly everything in their path.The interior ministry declared a state of emergency late Wednesday and invoked a constitutional clause transferring power from the regional government to the military.The weather forced state copper company Codelco, the worlds largest copper producer, to temporarily halt operations in Atacama and the neighboring region of Antofagasta.As Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo urged residents to evacuate, the army declared a curfew for the Atacama region and the city of Antofagasta.A total of 2,400 soldiers and police have been deployed to the disaster area.About 40,000 people were left without electricity and as many or more without potable water.President Michelle Bachelet said the downpour -- equivalent to at least 10 times the previously drought-hit regions average annual rainfall -- had caught authorities off-guard.The prior assessment was that there was an enormous drought so rain would not necessarily be a catastrophe. It is very difficult to plan for because there was no way to know, said Bachelet, who flew into the disaster zone late Wednesday.Obviously today theres a realization that once the emergency is over, defenses will need to be built up to prevent these things from happening in the future.One of those killed in the flooding was a 34-year-old man who was electrocuted, the interior ministry said. Another, a 35-year-old man, was killed by a water tank that collapsed.Both died in Antofagasta, a port city of about 380,000 people.Two more victims were killed when they were swept away by rushing water in Atacama.Three more bodies were found later Thursday, the interior ministry said, without giving details.The heavy rains had eased by Thursday morning, but emergency workers were still scrambling to deal with the aftermath.Classes were cancelled so emergency shelters could be set up in schools.Officials said 800 people had sought refuge in emergency shelters in Atacama and 680 in Antofagasta.Floods also cut off hundreds of residents in remote areas.Social media networks were rife with messages from people trying to get in touch with their loved ones, but communications were cut off for much of the affected area.As the brown waters of the Copiapo river began to recede, residents of the regional capital started returning to their houses, trying to salvage what belongings they could as they shoveled through the muck left behind.Flights were delayed at the Calama and Antofagasta airports, hubs for the areas mining operations.Chile, the worlds largest copper producer, is responsible for about one-third of total global output, or 5.6 million tonnes per year.Codelco said operations were still suspended at its relatively small Salvador Division mines, but were slowly resuming at four other mines.Mining firms Anglo American and Antofagasta Minerals also suspended operations at some deposits in the flood-hit region.The area had seen years of drought, with the last major flood in 1997.The floods in the north came as southern Chile battled devastating wildfires exacerbated by a severe drought.Part of southern Chile was also on orange alert because of an increase in activity at the Villarrica volcano, just weeks after it erupted and forced thousands of people to evacuate.

Yahoo boosts share buyback plan by $2 billion

Posted:

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Yahoo on Thursday told US regulators that it will spend another $2 billion buying back shares as the pioneering US Internet search firm continues an effort to re-invent itself.The new share repurchase program approved by the California-based companys board of directors will expire at the end of March 2018, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.About $726 million remained in a $5 billion buyback program authorized in late 2013, and Yahoo will spend the remaining money by the end of next year, the filing indicated.Yahoo executives have repeatedly stressed their intent to buy back shares and pay dividends with revenue flooding into company coffers from early investment in Chinese online commerce colossus Alibaba.Buying back shares also tends to bolster stock prices of public companies.Yahoo bought a 40 percent stake in Alibaba in 2005 for $1 billion in a move credited to Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang.Yahoo announced in January that it is spinning off its stake in the Chinese Internet giant, in a move that sidesteps taxes.The strategy aims to deliver more cash for shareholders than an outright sale of the $40-billion stake by avoiding a hefty tax bill, and is meant to help refocus Yahoo under chief executive Marissa Mayer.Yahoos board authorized creation of an independent investment company called SpinCo to hold the Alibaba shares. SpinCo would be totally owned by Yahoo shareholders.

NFL: League eyes Germany, Mexico games, more in London

Posted:

PHOENIX (AFP) - National Football League officials are looking at staging regular-season games in Germany and Mexico and adding more games in London in a bid to boost global growth.According to a posting on the NFLs website, the league is building the roots of a season-ticket fan base in London with an eye to going from three to four Wembley Stadium games next year and targeting 2017 for games in Germany and Mexico.Mark Waller, NFL International executive vice president, said the league likely would have staged four regular season games in London this year were it not for England hosting the Rugby World Cup in September and October, the first two months of the NFL campaign.But Waller also said the NFL was on track for a potential team in London by 2022 as all three 2015 games are sold out.In addition, 40,000 fans bought tickets for all three of this years Wembley games, most of them people from the London area who did the same last year -- buying habits the NFL sees as the start of the season-ticket support an England NFL club would need.The NFL is looking at staging the 2017 Pro Bowl all-star game in Brazil and studied venues in the Mexico City area earlier this month, according to the report, which also named Frankfurt and Dusseldorf as most likely to host a German NFL regular-season contest with Berlin and Munich also being considered.In addition, the league is examining the feasibility of staging a portion of a teams pre-season training camp and possibly some pre-season scrimmages in Mexico.Regarding China, the report said the NFL focus in on media rights, especially digital rights with the league seeking an online content distributor.The work were doing now is to ask, How do we accelerate the agenda in Mexico, Canada and China? Those would be our next stage, Waller said. After those, where should be our focus? I think weve concluded that Brazil and Germany are the next two frontier markets.

Airlines scramble for new cockpit rules after crash

Posted:

PARIS (AFP) - Airlines and policy makers rushed to mandate two crew members be in the cockpit at all times following revelations that the co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings flight deliberately crashed the plane when left alone at the controls.British low-cost carrier easyJet was the largest company to announce a change in policy Thursday after French prosecutors said co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked out the pilot before slamming the Airbus A320 into a mountain on Tuesday.Similar announcements in the wake of the French Alps crash that killed all 150 people on board came from the Canadian government, Icelandair and Norwegian Air Shuttle.Germanys aviation association BDL said it too wanted to introduce a two-person cockpit rule among its members, while Lufthansa said the measure would be discussed at an industry meeting on Friday.The second person could be a flight attendant if the pilot or co-pilot has to exit the cockpit in flight.Thomas Hesthammer, head of flight operations at Norwegian Air Shuttle, Europes third-largest low-cost carrier, said the Alps disaster was the trigger for his companys change of procedure.We have been discussing this for a long time but this episode speeded things up, he said.Icelandair said it too had been spurred to act by the shock revelations about the final minutes of Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 from Barcelona to Duesseldorf.Canada also ordered all its airlines to always have two people in the cockpit, in an emergency directive the government said was mandatory and effective immediately.If youre carrying passengers, this is going to apply to you, Canadas Transportation Minister Lisa Raitt said. You have to have two crew members in the flight deck at all times.Canadas flagship carrier Air Canada, Westjet and charter airline Air Transat had already said they were putting the policy in place in response to the Germanwings crash.In Europe, any other airlines that follow suit will do so voluntarily because European air safety regulations -- unlike those in the United States and now Canada -- are currently silent on the subject.The European Aviation Safety Agency rules dont require that the pilot be replaced by a crew member when he leaves the cockpit, said an agency spokesman.Pilots, however, are expected to stay at the controls, except for trips to the bathroom or a break during long-haul flights.Nothing prevents a company from putting in place its own procedure that is tougher than the regulations, said Frode Lenning, an official at Norways civil aviation authority.No guaranteeAmerican regulators at the Federal Aviation Administration already require a crew member sit in the locked cockpit if one of the planes pilots needs to go the toilet or take care of another physiological need.Investigators suspect the Germanwings pilot left the flight deck to relieve himself, putting 28-year-old Lubitz in charge.A two-person cockpit policy is relatively rare in Europe, with easyJets Irish rival Ryanair, Finlands Finnair and Spanish carrier Iberia among the few who said they already adhered to it.Carsten Spohr, who heads Germanwings parent company Lufthansa, claimed the policy was not just unusual in Europe. In the world there are few companies that do that.Experts point out that even for airlines who impose a strict rule of two, there are no guarantees against the erratic actions of a crew member causing a tragedy.In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks airlines had been particularly focused on the terrorist threat, with many companies adopting systems that lock a cockpit door to prevent attackers from taking control of civilian aircraft.Lubitz is not believed to have been part of a terrorist plot, German and French authorities said, but the young first officers motives remain a mystery.Neighbours and fellow flying club members described him as a friendly guy-next-door type who enjoyed jogging with his girlfriend.The Germanwings crash was the deadliest on the French mainland since 1974 when a Turkish Airlines plane went down, killing 346 people.

Cameron, Miliband open UK election campaign with TV grilling

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - British Prime Minister David Cameron and his main election rival Ed Miliband faced a prime time television grilling Thursday, kicking off a tight race for the May 7 election.A snap Guardian/ICM poll of viewers showed 54 percent believed Cameron of the Conservatives had put in the strongest performance compared to 46 percent for Labour leader Miliband.The two politicians were questioned separately and had no exchanges, after months of wrangling over the format failed to deliver a head-to-head debate between them.Commentators say Camerons Conservatives did not want one in the belief that a lacklustre performance in TV debates during the 2010 election campaign contributed to their failure to win outright.Both leaders faced tough questioning by veteran interviewer Jeremy Paxman which left Cameron looking uncomfortable, while Miliband took a more combative approach in response.When asked if he was up to the job of being prime minister, Miliband, who has struggled with a geeky media image, hit back: Am I tough enough? Hell yes, Im tough enough.Cameron, meanwhile, was questioned about where austerity cuts would fall, his plans to hold a referendum on Britain leaving the European Union and his disclosure this week that he would not stand for a third term.You are going to have to make this huge choice in 42 days time, he said.What I have learnt in the last five years is that nothing you want to do will work without a strong and growing economy.The two leaders also faced questions from members of the public in the studio audience.The Conservatives and Labour are currently neck-and-neck in the polls on 34 percent, according to an average calculated by the UK Polling Report website.

Afghan leader 'cautiously optimistic' over Pakistan

Posted:

NEW YORK (AFP) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Thursday he was cautiously optimistic about improved relations with Pakistan, which he considers integral to peace efforts with the Taliban.Ghani has made rapprochement with Pakistan a key policy since being elected as Afghanistans second president since the US-led toppling of the Pakistan-backed Taliban regime in 2001.Despite facing criticism at home for his efforts, he defended the policy as key to peace while addressing an audience in New York on his maiden presidential visit to the United States.Im cautiously optimistic that weve begun a process of fundamental transformation, he told the Council on Foreign Relations in response to a question about Afghan-Pakistani ties.Ghani, who said both countries were working to end 13 years of hostilities, believes improved relations with Pakistan are key to denying support for Afghan Taliban insurgents.Without sanctuary, a long-term rebellion is impossible. When sanctuaries end, peace breaks out. Thats what happened in Central America and Latin America, thats what has happened in Africa, he said.Pakistani support has been seen as crucial in recent moves to persuade the Taliban to talk to Kabul, as well as in denying them safe havens on Pakistani soil.The Taliban say they will not negotiate while foreign troops remain on Afghan soil.Ghani cited a Taliban massacre at a school in the Pakistani city of Peshawar in December that killed 153 people, mostly children, as helping to bring the two governments closer together.Terrorists neither require passports nor recognize nationalities, Ghani said.Im hopeful that we will have sufficient wisdom not to sink but to swim together, he added.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)