In This Edition

 

EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton says an initiative is underway to open a EU office in Tripoli in order to support the transition in Libya.

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges Turkey and Israel to improve ties and accept a U.N. report on an Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound activist ship.

 

Tourism developers from China and Europe are now working together to revive the ancient Silk Road into a tourism attraction.

 

Environmentalists say Apple uses suppliers in China that are endangering public health by discharging heavy metals and other toxins.

 

 

Hot Issue Reports

 

EU Foreign Policy Chief Comments on Libya and Syria

The European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton says the just-imposed EU embargo on oil import from Syria will increase pressure on Damascus.

 

Ashton made the remarks while attending an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Northern Poland.

 

"We adopted new restrictive measures targeted to try and deprive the regime of its financial revenues. The purpose of that is to put the economic pressure on to achieve the political outcome which is to stop the bloodshed, and to help the people of Syria to achieve their legitimate aspirations."

 

The U.N. estimates some 2,200 Syrians have been killed since anti-government protests erupted in March.

 

On Libya, Ashton says an initiative is underway to open a EU office in Tripoli in order to support the transition in the North African nation.

 

"I have a group on the ground who are making sure that we will be ready to open an office shortly in Tripoli, who are talking with the people there - the representatives of the NTC and also with civil society - to ensure that the support we want to offer is the right support and that we are able to get that there as quickly as possible."

 

Meanwhile, United Nations Special Representative Ian Martin has flied to Tripoli for talks with Libya's National Transitional Council on the country's future.

 

He would continue discussions after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with NTC leaders in Paris a few days ago.

 

World leaders have vowed to free up billions of dollars in frozen assets and offered to help Libya rebuild, while stressing that it is the Libyan people themselves who must lead the way.

 

Libyan Rebels Seek to Restore Order in Capital

Meanwhile, Libyan rebels say they are beginning the process of restoring order in the capital city of Tripoli.

 

The rebel government is now persuading the large number of armed young people on the streets of Tripoli to go home.

 

General Omar Hariri, a military spokesman for the National Transitional Council (NTC), says militia members are being encouraged to return home or enlist in the army.

 

"The rebels, most of them are professionals, engineers, doctors and lawyers. Eventually they will go back to their jobs. These people abandoned everything to join the Jihad against Gaddafi. They will go back to their previous lives. Those who are left will be given a choice to join as regular soldiers. We are open to all possibilities."

 

In the meantime, the rebel leader Mustafa Jalil says the NTC has set up a panel of wise men and tribal leaders to help the process of reconciliation.

 

Jalil's announcement comes just after he returned to Libya from a summit in Paris on the country's future.

 

He also says the rebel council will move to Tripoli next week from its long-held base in Benghazi.

 

At the Paris summit on Thursday, Jalil assured world leaders the rebel government would build a society based on tolerance and respect for the rule of law.

 

In Tripoli, as the fuel shortage is now easing up, an UN official warns water shortages could affect at least 4 million people.

 

Panos Moumtzis is the UN humanitarian coordinator in the country.

 

"The most important and urgent and immediate priority at the moment is the water situation -- the water situation in Tripoli but also in a broader area affecting up to four million people. The situation at the moment with the provision for water remains serious but I want to clarify it's not critical."

 

The UN envoy is now in Libya to help with the distribution of water, kick starting the fuel supply and protecting displaced local people.

 

UN Chief Calls for Turkey and Israel to Improve Ties amid Flotilla Row

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is now urging Turkey and Israel to improve ties and accept a U.N. report on an Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound activist ship.

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated following the U.N. report leaked on Thursday. Turkey has expelled Israel's ambassador and frozen military cooperation after Israel failed to apologize.

 

"Both countries are very important countries in the region. Their improved relationship, normal relationship, will be very important in addressing all the situations in the Middle East, including the Middle East peace process. My only wish is that they should try to improve their relationship and do whatever they can to implement the recommendations and findings of this panel's report."

 

Ban Ki-moon says he will make no comment on the specifics of the report, written by a panel headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer.

 

The report found Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip is legal, but Israel used excessive force when its commandos raided the ship.

 

On May 31, 2010, Israeli commandos raided a humanitarian aid flotilla, Mavi Marmara, heading for Gaza, killing nine Turkish nationals.

 

No New Jobs Added in US in August

For the first time since 1945, the US economy added no net new jobs in August.

 

The key non-farm payroll figures from the Department of Labor showed that the unemployment rate remained unchanged from July at 9.1 percent.

 

The figure follows 10 consecutive months of job additions.

 

The August number was much worse than expected. The predicted figure was an addition of about 70-thousand new jobs.

 

Tony Crescenzi is a market strategist with PIMCO.

 

"One of these things would be to perhaps employ many of these structurally unemployed. There are two million construction workers who were let go in the crisis. And they can't easily get their jobs back because of the problems in the housing market. There won't be any meaningful construction for a while. So perhaps there will be programs announced to get many of these workers employed. This sort of thing if it happens if there is a short term stimulus like that -- that also could provide a long term benefit ..."

 

The total number of unemployed Americans edged up to 14 million last month, almost double the number before the recession.

 

The country's manufacturing sector shed 3,000 jobs last month, and retail trade trimmed 7,800 jobs.

 

Analysts believe that new government measures are badly needed to boost the sagging economy.

 

U.S. President Barack Obama is set to unveil a jobs program in a speech next Thursday that he hopes will help the nation's long-term unemployed.

 

US Aids Flood-stricken North Korea

A plane loaded with a shipment of US emergency aid has arrived in the flood-stricken North Korea.

 

The cargo plane was packed with more than 900-thousand US dollars worth of medical aid, soap, blankets, cooking kits and food.

 

The Boeing 747 belongs to Samaritan's Purse, a US NGO that leads the relief efforts.

 

Melvin Cheatham is a special assistant to the president of Samaritan's Purse.

 

"This is the third time that it has been necessary for Samaritan's Purse to charter a Boeing 747 aircraft to bring relief supplies after torrential rains and flooding. And as an expression of the love and concern of the American people, wanting to help the people of the DPR of Korea during a very difficult time."

 

Samaritan's Purse has pledged 1.2 million dollars in addition to the 900-thousand dollars that the US government has allocated for aid to North Korea.

 

Heavy rain and tropical storms have pounded North Korea in the past few months, displacing nearly 30-thousand people and killing dozens.

 

The World Food Program estimates some 6 million North Koreans will go hungry without help from outside donors.

 

Russian President Seeks Greater Influence in Afghanistan and Central Asia

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says the fate of Afghanistan and surrounding nations should be decided by regional powers, an apparent call for reduced US engagement.

 

Medvedev made the remarks as he attended a four-nation summit involving Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Russia in Dushanbe.

 

"Those partners who help today to solve various problems in the region are, of course, very important and a lot depends on them, but they, after all, are not regional powers. And that's why we must think how we can enforce the cooperation between our states to get a result."

 

Analysts say the remarks appear to mark a new effort by Moscow to exercise greater influence in Afghanistan and Central Asia.

 

Medvedev also announced that a deal will be signed early next year with Tajikistan, to extend the presence of Russian troops in the country by 49 more years.

The United States controls a strategically valuable military air transit base in Kyrgyzstan some 1,000 kilometres north of Kabul that is used to ferry troops in and out of the region.

 

It also provides military assistance to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

 

Still at the summit, Russia showed big interest in joining a project to build a gas pipeline linking Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

 

Medvedev said Russia is also ready to take part in the CASA-1000 electricity transmission project, which could help to transfer electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

 

He said Russia could invest hundreds of millions dollars should relevant countries invite Russia to join in those projects.

 

Tourism Developers to Revive Ancient Silk Road

Tourism developers from China and Europe are now working together to revive the ancient Silk Road into a tourism attraction.

 

A tourism official from China's Xinjiang says at the on-going China-Eurasia Expo in the region's capital Urumqi that they are trying to develop new routes along the Silk Road to exploit its traditions and history.

 

Yigit Ilknur is a tourism official of Turkish Embassy in China.

 

"Because of the silk road and also because of our Asian background of Turkey, China and Turkey will become good partnership."

 

The ancient Silk Road is the only land link between China and Europe some 2-thousand years ago.

 

Over a third of the transportation link of some 7-thouasnd kilometers long runs through today's Xinjiang region.

 

Along with tourism cooperation, China and Turkey have agreed to build an industrial park in Urumqi to boost bilateral trade.

 

Also on the front of trade, the member countries of the Shanghai Economic Cooperation have proposed a free trade agreement within the regional group.

 

The first China-Eurasia Expo is designed to promote trade and investment between western Chinese regions, particularly the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Asian and European nations.

 

It is an upgrade of the annual trade fair in the northwestern city which has been held every year since 1992.

 

Chinese Environmentalists Claim Apple Suppliers Spread Pollution

Environmental activists have accused the Apple company's manufacturers in China of pollution.

 

The environmentalists say Apple is using suppliers in China that are endangering public health by discharging heavy metals and other toxins.

 

Apple says it's committed to social responsibility by using environmentally responsible manufacturing processes.

 

Conrad Mackerron, program director at environmental group 'As You Sow', says the report released by the Chinese groups highlights Apple's history of secrecy.

 

"I can understand the whole idea of secrecy when you have a big product that you're going to launch, but I don't think there is any excuse for not being proactive on social and environmental issues in your supply chain. I think there you really have to step up and be very proactive."

 

Mackerron calls on Apple to be more open about its supply lines.

 

"I think it's kind of disingenuous of Apple to complain that some of the suppliers listed in this report weren't Apple suppliers when they themselves wouldn't confirm who their suppliers are."

 

Apple says it's taking the concerns seriously but it's found discrepancies in the report.

 

Tropical Storm Lee Brings Heavy Rains to US South Coast

Strong winds and heavy rain pelted the American state of New Orleans early Saturday morning as Tropical Storm Lee makes it way to the Louisiana coast.　

 

The slow-moving storm is expected to make landfall later on Saturday and could bring downpours in some areas over the weekend.

 

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal warned that heavy rains, substantial winds and tidal surges from the Gulf of Mexico could produce flash flooding in parts of New Orleans throughout the Labor Day holiday weekend.

 

Jindal has declared a state of emergency for Louisiana.

 

"I'd encourage people even as we go into a holiday weekend pay close attention to your local news, pay close attention to your local officials as these conditions get updated. This is going to be a slow moving storm, there's going to be a lot of rain and that water is going to accumulate."

 

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour made a similar ruling for seven coastal counties.

 

Nearly half of the oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut down, while BP, the largest oil producer in the region, has evacuated all personnel.

 

Lee is expected to have a minimal long-term impact on the Gulf of Mexico oil patch, which provides about a third of the nation's oil production and about 12 percent of its natural gas.

 

Meantime, another Hurricane, Katia, is now out in the Atlantic Ocean. It is too soon to tell if Katia could endanger the United States.

 

A week earlier, Hurricane Irene slammed the U.S. East Coast with high wind, torrential rains, tidal waves and flooding, causing massive destruction to roads and houses while leaving 7 millions of households without power.

 

Nigerian Residents Recover from Floods

Residents in the Nigerian town of Ibadan have been counting the cost of recent flash flooding, which swept through the area last month and washed away buildings.

 

The flooding problems, which hit the country's southwest region, are thought to have claimed at least 102 lives in all.

 

In Ibadan, about 130 kilometres north east of Lagos, heavy rains made a local dam overflow, sending water crashing through the informal settlements surrounding the town.

 

Oguntola Gabriel, Director of Quality Control at the Ibadan Water Corporation, says the amount of water was overwhelming and could not be held back.

 

"Nobody actually expected that so much water would come. At the time, the dam gate, the embankment was raised to contain any event like that. But all of a sudden, we found out that the wall could not contain it, because the water was too much."

 

The water also damaged three bridges in the area, trapping people in their neighborhoods.

 

Homes lay in tatters and personal belongings have been left strewn in the streets.

 

Those who have lost their homes are now seeking refuge at a camp in Ibadan, where Red Cross officials are helping with the relief effort.

 

Nigeria's emergency agency has warned that rains will be heavier this year than last year.

 

Last year, some 500-thousand people were displaced nationwide by floods in Nigeria.

 

World's Largest Electric Gadget Fair in Berlin

The IFA consumer electronics trade fair, the world's largest of this kind, is now showing new tablets and interactive TV in Berlin.

 

Over 440 exhibitors are taking part in this year's event.

 

Many testers seem impressed with Sony's latest tablet computer.

 

"It's very good I think. It's very fast and a very good experience for me."

 

Sony is already late to the game with its first tablet, more than a year and a half after Apple launched the iPad and almost a year since Samsung came out with the GalaxyTab.

 

This year's IFA is also showing the so-called "Smart TV", which integrates TV and the internet.

 

Viewers are able to access the internet through TV and can create their own individual program lists.

 

Some older testers say they are happy to see new technologies that are relevant to their daily lives.

 

"It is interesting for me to see what amazing progress has been made in consumer sector. But also in the sector of modern electronics. For an old man it's a really great experience."

 

The 51st IFA trade fair will run until Wednesday.

 

China Daily: Excessive Workload, Not Computer Use, Ruins Children's Handwriting

 

Schools in China have been told to run more classes in calligraphy because computer use and text messaging are ruining children's handwriting skills.

 

Students from the third to sixth grades should have at least one class every week. Older students will be offered optional lessons and after-school activities.

 

Calligraphy, or "Shufa" in Chinese, lies at the core of Chinese culture and it used to greatly influence the future of students, academics and even imperial officials in ancient times.

 

An editorial in the "China Daily" applauds the new guidelines from the ministry of education, saying calligraphy is an important part of China's traditional culture and it could also be a way for students to get a respite from the increasing pressure of school works.

 

However, instead of only blaming the poorer handwriting skills of students on modern technologies, the article says it is the obviously excessive homework that makes students have to scribble it. It is impossible for them to practice calligraphy as a work of art.

 

The editorial argues that actually both teachers and students are aware of the value of good handwriting, but due to the pressure of exams, they are unlikely to take calligraphy training seriously.

 

The article argues that whether or not students can eventually learn something from the new compulsory module depends on the education department's determination to reduce the workload in schools, giving students more free time and a lighter mind.

 

The editorial says reducing the workload in schools is difficult in China considering that the country's students still face enormous pressure from the college entrance exam. The article suggests that giving handwriting some points in written exams could be feasible and effective.