Merkel in Moscow for Russian WWII victory celebration

Moscow - German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived Saturday evening in Moscow to participate in Russia's celebrations of the 65th anniversary of victory over Hitler's Germany.

Her airplane landed at the government airport Vnukovo, according to Itar-Tass agency.

Merkel will join Russian leaders and others on the viewing tribune on Sunday to watch the military parade cross Red Square with 10,000 soldiers and heavy Russian military equipment.

For the first time in 65 years, military units from the NATO powers France, Britain and the US are participating in the ceremony.

In an interview with Itar-Tass, Merkel said the invitation to the victory celebrations was a great honor. She said it was not something to be taken for granted, that a German leader would be allowed to participate in this event.

The gesture showed that Russia and Germany had learned from history and could live in peace and friendship, she said.

Five years ago, Gerhard Schroeder was the first German chancellor to be invited to the Red Square victory celebrations.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322669,merkel-in-moscow-for-russian-wwii-victory-celebration.html.

At least eight killed in Russian mine explosions - Update

Moscow - At least eight people were killed late Saturday in twin coal mine explosions in the Kemerovo region of western Siberia, according to Itar-Tass agency.

Another 64 miners remained underground at the Raspadskaya company- operated mine, according to a source in the regional department for emergencies. Some of them had been in radio contact with officials outside.

The eight deaths and 20 injuries occurred in the first explosion, about 23:55 local time.

Up to 356 people were believed to have been working at the mine at the time of the accident, according to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, state agency Ria Novosti reported.

At least 282 miners were able to leave the mine after the explosions.

Twelve ministry rescue teams and rescue workers from nearby Novokuznetsk were trying to reach those stranded by the explosion.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered officials to do everything they could in the rescue efforts.

The explosion destroyed three buildings above ground.

The Raspadskaya coal mine, opened in 1973,is the largest of its kind in Russia with 300 kilometers of shafts. It produces 8 million tonnes of coal a year for domestic needs as well as export to Ukraine and Asia.

In 2007, an accident in a nearby mine in Novokuznetsk claimed 110 lives, the worst mine accident in decades in Russia.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322670,at-least-eight-killed-in-russian-mine-explosions--update.html.

First woman president of Costa Rica commits to environment

San Jose - Laura Chinchilla, Costa Rica's first female president, was inaugurated Saturday, promising transparency in governance and commitment to the environment.

She was sworn in by the leader of the legislative assembly, Luis Gerardo Villanueva, in the open air, before a crowd of 25,000.

The center-right politician Chinchilla, 51, of the ruling National Liberation Party, won the February 7 presidential election with over 46 per cent of the votes. Her closest rival, center-left Otton Solis, took 24 per cent.

The top finisher needed at least 40 per cent to avoid a runoff.

Experts have observed that in a runoff, Chinchilla would have likely struggled against a united opposition.

Drug-trafficking - a growing concern for the small Central American country of 4.5 million that does not have an army - and its associated violence are set to be the main worries for the incoming government.

A political scientist by training, Chinchilla started her political career in the 1990s. She held positions as vice minister and then minister of public security. Since 2002, she has been a member of the Legislative Assembly and was made vice president by outgoing President Oscar Arias in 2006.

She is married to Spanish businessman Jose Maria Rico, with whom she has one son.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322672,first-woman-president-of-costa-rica-commits-to-environment.html.

Tea Party victory: Republican senator dropped by Utah conservatives

Washington- Utah Republicans Saturday dropped Senator Robert Bennett for the party's nomination for November elections, making him one of the first victims of the conservative Tea-Party movement.

According to media reports, Bennett, 76, who has served three terms - 18 years - in the Senate, still was popular among Utah Republican voters.

But his defeat came at the Republican state convention, giving yet another signal of the polarized political climate leading up to the November elections. Conservative Republicans objected to his working with a Democratic senator on health care issues, The Los Angeles Times reported.

In late April, a similar surge of right-wing sentiment forced Florida Governor Charlie Crist, a moderate Republican pilloried for hugging Democratic President Barack Obama, to declare as an independent for the US Senate as a political rival gained steam from the Tea Party movement.

Democrats are bracing for losses in November's congressional elections amid public dissatisfaction with the uncertain economy and Obama's health care reform.

Much of that discontent is channeled through the Tea Party movement, a nationwide grassroots organization with enough muscle to force moderate Republicans to the right on issues. The movement claims to be the legacy of the Boston Tea Party, a protest during the American Revolution against taxation without representation.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322676,tea-party-victory-republican-senator-dropped-by-utah-conservatives.html.

Two-thirds of US Senate backs landmine ban

Washington - Sixty-eight Senators have drafted a letter to US President Barack Obama urging support for an international treaty banning landmines, according to a copy of the letter made public Saturday.

The number is one more than the 67 votes that would be needed to adopt such a treaty in the 100-member body, indicating a bipartisan effort rare in a Washington polarized by health care reform and financial stimulus.

A similar letter was being circulated in the lower House of Representatives to put added pressure on Obama for approval.

In the letters, legislators note the effectiveness of the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.

"In the 10 years since the Convention came into force, 158 nations have signed including the United Kingdom and other ISAF partners, as well as Iraq and Afghanistan which, like Colombia, are parties to the Convention and have suffered thousands of mine casualties," the Senators wrote.

"The Convention has led to a dramatic decline in the use, production, and export of anti-personnel mines."

The letter, circulated by Senators Patrick Leahy and George Voinovich, a Democrat and a Republican, was made public by the US Campaign to Ban Landmines.

In November, the White House said its policy was under review and for the time being, there were no plans to join the pact.

The United States, China and Russia are among a handful of countries that have refused to join the accord. The Bush administration maintained the mines were essential for national security.

The United States has not used or produced landmines in the 12 years since the treaty has existed but continues to keep stockpiles, which would be prohibited under the treaty. It is the only NATO member nation that has not joined the pact.

Landmines left over from wars are blamed for thousands of deaths and injuries in the last decade. The United States is the world's largest contributor to humanitarian landmine cleanup programs. Since 1993, the United States has given 1.3 billion dollars to landmine removal programs.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322684,two-thirds-of-us-senate-backs-landmine-ban.html.

15 killed in Mogadishu clashes

At least 15 people have been killed and dozens more injured during fresh fighting between the Ahlu Sunna and al-Shabab fighters in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

The recent clashes started on Saturday night in the southern sector of the city, near the Bakara Market area.

The clashes came one week after two powerful explosions claimed the lives of around 50 people and left over 120 others injured in a mosque al-Shabab officials used for delivering speeches.

Both pro-Somali government forces and the al-Shabab fighters have been preparing for a possible confrontation over the control of Mogadishu in recent days.

Somalia has been grappling with years of deadly civil war since the 1991 ouster of Mohammad Siad Bare, the military leader, who headed the country's central government.

Nearly half of Somalia's 3.8 million people are in dire need of foreign food aid, as the country has lacked an effective government for the past 20 years.

Last month, a report by the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia linked the continuing civil strife in the Horn of Africa country to the transitional government's “weakness”.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125907§ionid=351020501.

Assad: Israel no peace partner

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says no "viable peace" with Israel can be achieved in the Middle East since the regime does not seek peace.

Speaking in Turkey on the possible resumption of mediated talks with Israel, Assad told reporters at a joint conference with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul on Saturday, "As for peace, we spoke about peace; you may ask what peace we are referring to as there is no peace, no peace process or viable partner."

Turkey mediated four rounds of indirect talks between Israel and Syria in 2008. The talks stalled following Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip at the turn of 2009 which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians.

"Peace, as it appears, is not a demand of the Israelis, but we are committed to this mediation and Turkey's role, but we also emphasize the fact that Israel is not a partner, at least at the present stage, and I do not think they were a partner in the past either," Reuters quoted the Syrian leader as saying.

"Israel is not ready for mediation because it knows that a successful mediation will bring peace, and the Israeli side does not want peace," added Assad in Istanbul during his two-day visit to Turkey.

For his part, Gul said Damascus had expressed its readiness to resume the talks a number of times, but the proposal had not been reciprocated by Tel Aviv.

"To tell the truth we have not heard from Israel. Of course, it is their decision to make," the Turkish President said.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125906§ionid=351020206.