Green groups in Germany say 'no' to Bhopal waste

Development experts and environmentalists in Germany are at odds over a plan to dispose of toxic waste from Bhopal, even though the move is highly welcome in India.

The toxic chemicals in question originate from the site of the 1984 Bhopal disaster in India, which killed thousands of people and contaminated the surrounding area.

Much of the waste dates from before the accident at the Union Carbide pesticide plant. The earth around the site contains somewhere between 25,000 and 50,000 tons of toxins, which are steadily seeping into the groundwater and polluting the water sources of nearby slums.

German technology for disposing toxic waste is supplied by GIZ experts

The German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GIZ), a state-owned service that provides technical expertise to developing countries, has offered in a first step to dispose of 350 tons of the residues at a highly-sophisticated incineration plant in Germany - a move that Indian officials have warmly welcomed because the country has no appropriate disposal facilities of its own.

Eco-objections

The idea, however, has been condemned by environmental groups in Germany, notably Greenpeace and the nature conservancy, BUND.

No one disputes that Germany's high-tech plants are capable of dealing with the waste, but the environmental groups are concerned that accepting the cargo would set a precedent, triggering a kind of toxic waste tourism to Germany.

In fact, the German disposal companies do stand to gain lucrative contracts, worth as much as 1.5 million euros for the first shipment.

The environmental groups insist that the toxic waste needs to be disposed of in the country of origin, despite the lack of proper facilities in India.

Material left behind at the Bhopal plant is just rusting away

"It must be disposed of locally," said Claudia Baitinger, a hazardous waste expert at BUND.

Greenpeace chemicals expert, Manfred Santen, takes the same view: "We do not want highly toxic substances being shipped halfway around the world," he said.

The GIZ rejects this view, saying that the technology is complex, and that building such a facility in India and training the staff would be very costly and take years to complete.

But BUND spokesman, Rüdiger Rosenthal, told Deutsche Welle that the GIZ argument doesn't hold water. "The 350 tons the GIZ intends to take is literally just a drop in the bucket, considering that up to 50,000 tons of earth need to be disposed."

"Since the waste has to be packed in containers for transport to Germany anyway, it could just as well be stored in India until a proper disposal facility is built there," he added.

Ecology versus economics

Survivors are still waiting for the accident site to be cleaned up

The issue has generated an embarrassing clash, pitting technical experts and scientists who want to help developing countries against environmentalists who support the so-called "polluter pays" principle.

Indian environmentalists, for their part, although happy the waste may be leaving, nevertheless support their German counterparts. They think that Dow Chemical, which bought Union Carbide in 2001, should pay for the disposal of the toxic waste, and not the Indian government.

"It is absolutely unacceptable that the Indian government use public funds to pay for cleaning up the mess left behind by Union Carbide," said Greenpeace India spokesman, Rampati Kumar.

They have no problem, however, with the waste being shipped to Germany since India has no suitable disposal facilities.

The gas leak in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh state, killed at least 15,000 people. The waste destined for Germany is not connected to the toxic methyl isocyanate gas that leaked from the plant in 1984, but comes from indiscriminate dumping at the site in the decades prior to the deadly accident.

Author: Gregg Benzow
Editor: Anne Thomas

Cyber crime is Europe's 'big challenge'

Hackers and cyber criminals are seen as a growing threat to Europe's internet security. The EU has announced plans of a new cyber crime center, but experts say it's not enough.

Digital malware, like viruses, trojans and worms, can spread quickly and pose a danger to the nervous system of modern society - the Internet. And the more important the Internet becomes for people and the economy, the more professional, cyber attacks become. The time when viruses were programmed by students and computer nerds looking for a simple thrill is over.

Now, cyber crime is the realm of mafia-like gangs, which international cyber crime as more lucrative than other more traditional, risky forms of crime. They fish for online banking IDs and passwords, they hack into computers and smartphones, or hack profiles on social networks, like Facebook or Twitter.

A million victims a day

The international crime police organization, Interpol, says cyber crime causes about 750 billion euros ($929 billion) damage every year in Europe alone. The European Union estimates that one million of the bloc's citizens fall victim to cyber crime every day.

And it's not just the increasing economic loss that is causing concern, but also the social consequences.

EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmström, says the biggest danger is a feeling of insecurity that's limiting digital life out of a "fear of shopping online, a fear of joining social networks and our everyday internet usage."

Figures from the EU suggest that 73 percent of all EU households had internet access at the beginning of 2011. And 80 percent of young Europeans keep in touch via social networks.

The number of attacks has risen - even since the EU adopted its first guidelines on "attacks against information systems" in February 2005. The EU Commission is unsatisfied and has now announced plans for a "European Cybercrime Centre" in The Hague.

A total of 55 investigators from the commission and member states will join forces to try to stop cyber criminal activity. The center will have an annual budget of 3.6 billion euros. It will be part of the EU's criminal intelligence unit, Europol, and start operations in early 2013.

Internet expert, Jan Philipp Albrecht, says it's an important first step.

But Albrecht, who is a Greens party member and European Parliament representative, wants more investigators on site.

"Primarily, we need training at police stations in the member states of the European Union. And personnel - not just centralized at The Hague, but everywhere in Europe," said Albrecht.

Individual EU member states have authorities fighting cyber crime, but they differ in terms of budget and personnel. Often, they are unable to stop cross-border crime due to a lack of resources.

EU-wide coordination needed

Udo Helmbrecht, executive director of ENISA, the European Network and Information Security Agency, says there's demand for EU-wide coordination.

"It's certainly a challenge for Europe," says Helmbrecht. If something happens on the ground, such as credit card or data theft, then you need to react locally. But in order to proceed internationally, you need to coordinate."

Initial steps toward collaboration have been made.

In June 2011, with ENISA's support, IT security experts formed the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-EU). It helps to fight new viruses and warn of security lapses. In addition, ENISA is working on a new internet strategy for the EU Commission and performs internet security drills in Europe in a joint effort with American authorities.

"What's lacking is the link between the professional-technical and the political level," Helmbrecht says.

EU parliamentarian Jan Philipp Albrecht agrees there needs to be greater ties between the authorities.

But he warns that it won't be enough if authorities simply discuss new investigative measures and make "flamboyant announcements" or create "a centralized, bloated machinery."

The pressure to act - and act well - looks set to mount if developments in the US are anything to go by. Robert Mueller, director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation recently predicted that cyber attacks would soon overtake international terrorism as the world's biggest security threat. 

Author: Ralf Bosen /sst
Editor: Zulfikar Abbany

Which way is the euro going?

While German author Thilo Sarrazin is touring Germany explaining why Europe doesn't need the euro, other economists are pondering how the euro can be saved. Its future has never been so uncertain.

The second parliamentary election in the past 50 days in Greece will take place on June 17. The country is an economic tinderbox: a new survey or a careless statement by some politician could be enough to prompt Greeks to withdraw their money from their bank accounts even faster than they already have.

"I can imagine that the situation will get worse before the election," said Martin Hüfner, chief economist at Assenagon Investments in Munich. Capital controls will probably then be imposed overnight. "I am certain that people in Athens, at the European Central Bank and in Brussels have long been pondering them," Hüfner told DW.

Not another euro to Athens

Martin Hüfner: The euro's chances are 50:50

Until a new government has been established in Athens that will stick to the requirements of the aid package agreement, no more money should flow in that direction, Hüfner said. Euro partners likewise do not want to help out with further billions until the so-called troika - the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund - confirm that Greece is adhering to austerity policies.

If the next tranche does not arrive, Greece first faces insolvency and then an exit from the eurozone at the end of June. A collapse of banks, a weakening economy and social unrest could be the result. But it doesn't have to come to that. According to Thomas Mayer, chief economist at Deutsche Bank, Greece could run two currencies at the same time for a while. Rather than salaries and pensions, Greeks could receive debentures that they could trade amongst themselves and use to cover their everyday needs. Mayer calls the debentures "geuros" - Greek euros. "That would be one solution for being able to partially separate from the euro. It's probably the lesser of two evils," Mayer said.

Financial markets are meanwhile viewing Greece as the lesser problem for the eurozone, with Spain having long ago tipped the scales. The eurozone's fourth largest economy is suffering from its faltering bank sector, where ever greater problems are revealing themselves after the real estate bubble burst.

Experts mixed over the situation in Spain

Thomas Mayer: Spain has options

"Anyone with common sense would say that Spain should also dip into the bailout fund," Hüfner said. "Interest rates have risen dramatically. The country simply doesn't have any more money." He said Spain would just have to swallow its national pride and accept the situation.

Deutsche Bank's Thomas Mayer does not see the situation as so oppressive. "Spain has options," he said. "On the one hand, Spain could take loans at 6.5 or seven percent on the market in order to recapitalize its banks." Spain has spent more in the past. If that still proved to be too much, the country could take advantage of European aid to restructure the banks later. Spain would then only have to accept conditions for the banking sector, and not for the entire economy, Mayer told DW.

While Spain is still making a fuss, there is no doubt anymore that the bailout strategy up to now, which lopsidedly relies on spending restraint, has failed. Most eurozone countries are moving further and further into a recession. A shrinking economy means lower tax revenues and an even higher debt ratio.

Flexible fiscal rules

Dennis Snower: Flexible rules needed

"Europe needs flexible fiscal rules," Dennis Snower, president of the Kiel Institute for World Economics, wrote in the Sunday edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Those countries affected by recession should be given the flexibility to boost their economies through government expenditures and tax cuts, Snower said. He added they could also draw on the EU's structural funds and the European Investment Bank.

Hüfner goes so far as to propose an additional investment budget for states in crisis. This would have to comprise at least 1 percent of the country's GDP, making both euro bonds and project bonds unnecessary. The markets would fund national programs once it became clear they improve the situation, he says.

But there's no getting around a political union to ensure the euro's long-term existence. Hüfner urged EU governments to gradually acquire legitimization for a "common currency with all consequences." Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl said a popular vote on the euro would fail, so it shouldn't take place. The diagnosis may have been correct, but the conclusion isn't," he said. "We need the people's support."

Collapse of the eurozone?

Which way to go?

The chance that the euro will fail stands at fifty-fifty, Hüfner says. Perhaps states will have to return to their national currencies - a move Thomas Mayer strongly discourages. The common currency union's reversal costs would be enormous and as far as currencies are concerned "Europe would fall back into regionalism. Even then, there would be no real independence in monetary policies," Mayer said. Europe would again become dependent on everything happening outside of Europe, he warned. "There would be little chance of individual countries disconnecting at least their currencies," Deutsche Bank's outgoing chief economist said.

Splitting the currency union into a northern and a southern zone is also not realistic, Hüfner said: "That is a construction that is not feasible politically. Germany and France would most probably have to separated." And then, he concludes, political cooperation in Europe would become very difficult - if not impossible.

Author: Danhong Zhang / als / db
Editor: Simon Bone

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15991251,00.html

Iranian conservatives jockey for position

The new Iranian parliament has confirmed Ali Larijani in his post as chairman. The move marks another victory for conservative rivals of President Ahmadinejad, who is facing his last year in office.

It was a clear victory for Ali Larijani, a conservative critic of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was re-elected in his post as temporary speaker for the country's parliament by a vote of 173 to 275. The job is provisional as the Iranian constitution requires that two-thirds of the delegates of the newly elected parliament get the official confirmation of their election first.

But traditionally, whoever wins the provisional election to the post of parliamentary chairman usually keeps the post for the entire legislative period. Not only that, but Larijani's opponent Gholam Ali Hadad Adel has announced that he will no longer stand against him.

Conservative power struggle

It's a bitter defeat for Haddad Adel, a close adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, though Larijani also has close relations with religious leader.

Former parliamentarian Rajabali Mazrouei said he believes the fact that two conservatives vied for control of the parliament indicated a power struggle within the conservative camp.

"For the reformers, there's no real difference between the two candidates," said Mazrouei, a reformer who left Iran after the controversial presidential election of 2009.

"Larijani's victory clearly shows that more and more conservative politicians want to distance themselves from Ahmadinejad," he added. "They want to have as little to do with this government as possible."

Two months ago, the president personally had to face questions from the parliament - a first in Iranian history. The delegates accused Ahmadinejad of making serious mistakes, particularly in economic policy.

Larijani leads an alliance of conservatives that swept parliamentary elections in March, and whose members are becoming more vocal in their criticism of the president. Larijani has been engaged in a tense power struggle with him for years - he stood against the then virtually unknown Ahmadinejad in the presidential election of 2005, only to be soundly beaten.

But following the defeat in March's parliamentary election, the president will struggle to push through his domestic and economic programs - particularly the reduction of gasoline subsidies - in the final year of his second tenure. Constitutional restrictions also bar Ahmadinejad from standing in next year's election.

It was a bitter defeat for Hadad Adel, an advisor to the Ayatollah

Loyal son of the revolution

Larijani, on the other hand, the son of a grand ayatollah from an influential family, is one of the current favorites in next year's election. The 53-year-old is considered a loyal son of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, and has held a number of important positions, including director of state TV broadcasting, culture minister, head of the Supreme National Security Council, chief negotiator on the nuclear question, and now parliamentary chairman.

Larijani is now pushing for the abolition of the presidential system in favor of a parliamentary government. When the ayatollah supported the introduction of a parliamentary system in a speech in October 2011, he received strong backing from Larijani.

The re-elected parliamentary chairman said he believes the president should not be elected directly by the people but by the country's elite. Whether those in power will consider such a major constitutional change depends on Iran's international situation, according to Mazrouei.

"If they decide that an election is necessary to demonstrate their legitimacy to the world, they will stay with the current system," he said. "In that case, I don't think he will stand for election again, following his experience in 2005."

Author: Shabnam Nourian / bk
Editor: Sean Sinico

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15987655,00.html

Five smart iPhone apps for recent graduates

Congratulations, graduates! You should be proud of your scholastic accomplishments. But just because you graduated from high school or college, does not mean you are done learning. Life is a constant learning adventure. Keep your brain fresh and look sharp at your interviews by keeping up your education with the help of these iPhone apps.

Vocabador

The vocabulary you exercise every day in text messages to friends is not the acceptable vocabulary for emailing your new boss. If you need to brush up on your word choices and find some new words to spruce up your language, the Vocabador app ($1.99) for iPhone is an entertaining place to start. Vocabador is the app-solutely coolest way to brush up on your vocab. Train through three levels of difficulty: lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight.

Grammar Girl App

Just cannot get enough grammar? You will love the Grammar Girl app ($1.99) for iPhone, which is filled with quick and dirty tips to improve your writing. That means you can impress your boss with stellar emails and perfect proposals. This savvy app is a modern and educated lady’s best friend. With the app, you get access to Grammar Girl’s weekly shows plus a direct line to send your best grammar questions answered by Grammar Girl herself.

Awesome Note

All those inane excuses you used on your teachers for missing class are not going to fly with your new boss. And late assignments don’t just mean a demotion in your grade; at work they can cost you your job. Stay on the fast track to a promotion by keeping yourself organized with the Awesome Note app for iPhone ($3.99). Use this handy app to create your to-do list, take notes, and sync important dates with your iOS calendar.

Sullivan’s List

Do you want to go on an excellent adventure before you hit the daily grind of the real world? Check out the Sullivan’s List app ($2.99) for some unique inspiration. This iPhone app has 100 of the best events around the world. It is essentially a bucket list of worldly fun in iPhone app form. Pick the events you want to hit from the amazing photography and add them to your travel list. After all, have a little bit of fun... you earned it.

I Can Do It 2012 Calendar

The transition from school to work life is not an easy one. Make sure you get your daily dose of inspiration with the I Can Do It 2012 Calendar app ($3.99). Each day, you will get a new positive thought and affirmation to start off on the right foot. You can even email your favorite daily inspiration notes to friends who may also need a pick me up.

http://www.appolicious.com/education/articles/12065-five-smart-iphone-apps-for-recent-graduates

Swimming Pools Are Public Toilet Bowls for Many: Survey

Suggestion: Don't swim near anyone looking this relieved. (ThinkStock)If you're taking a refreshing dip in a pool with four other people, odds are one of you is urinating. This is not gross-out myth, but cold, depressing fact from a recent survey conducted by the Water Quality & Health Council, a scientific research group sponsored by the American Chemistry Council. 

The survey, conducted in April, asked nearly 1,000 adults whether they urinate in pools. One in five bravely admitted their mistakes. And those are the ones who admitted it. 

Building's amazing balcony pools 
We may act like potty-trained adults on land, but something about a body of water, even a small one, opens our natural floodgates and, according to doctors, puts us all at risk. 

"No matter how easy it is to pee anonymously in the pool, swimmers should avoid doing so," says public health expert and WQHC chairman, Dr. Chris Wiant. 

Video: Safety tips for summer swimming 
It is easy isn't it? Maybe that's because many of us were taught as kids that chlorine counteracted any accidents. Technically, that's mostly true. If pool operators maintain proper chlorine and pH levels, most waterborne germs are killed on contact. 

But 54 percent of public pools tested by the WQHC last year failed to provide the proper chlorine levels and 47 got low marks for pH balance. You can blame poor pool maintenance, but frequent urinators don't help. 

"Anything foreign that gets in the pool consumes disinfectant and makes the pool less capable of catching the next bug," Dr. Wiant tells Yahoo! Shine. So while chlorine is working overtime to clean up someone's mess, it's weakened by the time more serious bacteria dives in. 

That comes from the germs we carry on our body even before we get into to the water. While only one in five of us cop to peeing in the pool, seven in 10 say they don't shower before they swim. As much as a cold pre-swim shower ruins that first dip feeling, Wiant makes a good case for why it's crucial. 

(You may want to stop eating lunch right now, before reading on.) 

The additional bacteria we carry on skin, in particular sweat and traces of fecal matter (yes even on adults),gets mixed in the pool. "If disinfectant isn't right, bacteria is allowed to grow in pools, so someone accidentally consumes a mouthful of water like we all do when we're swimming and suddenly they're subject to serious bacteria like E.coli or salmonella." 

The high risk offenders, according to the Center for Disease Control, are those water recreational parks, a dangerous combination of packs of young swimmers and lots of accidental gulps. One targeted study by Georgia's Division of Public Health found that e.Coli infected at least 26 people at one water park in the summer of 1998, ultimately resulting in one fatality. Another study found the parasite Cryptosporidium survives even well-chlorinated water parks, posing a potentially fatal threat to those with lowered immune systems. 

But small private pools and large public ones are also potential health hazards, depending on how they're maintained. The CDC notes a rapid rise in gastro-intestinal illnesses borne from dirty swimming pools across the country in the past two decades. 

Short of getting pool maintenance certification or sweating out an unbearable summer, what can you do? 

The first step is to be a good pool Samaritan. Take it to the restroom, folks, and emphasize lots of bathroom breaks for your kids. Another important to-do: always shower before getting in the pool. If you've done your part, you still can't trust your blissfully clueless fellow swimmers. 

6 signs you shouldn't swim there 
To find out of your pool is safe, look for some tell-tale signs of bacteria. 

"Check if you see the bottom," says Dr. Wiant. "If a pool is clear it's likely very clean and balanced, but if it's it cloudy or the sides are slimy, those are signs that bacteria is prevalent and the pool isn't filtering out germs the way it should." 

Hyper-vigilant swimmers can also purchase pool test strips at any drug store and do their own scientific assessment. "They're easy to use," he adds, "just crack one open and dip it in the pool and you'll be able to tell right away if the pool is clean." 

Another signal it's time to get out of the pool: burning, stinging eyes. Although it's not seriously harmful, when "urine combines with chlorine it becomes an irritant," Wiant says. So if you find yourself squinting in pain after a dive, ask yourself why that person doing the backstroke in the next lane looks so relaxed. It's not that nice of a day. 

Related: 
Do chlorinated pools cause cancer? Swimming 101: the rules for kids and parents Keeping your kids safe in their own backyard Portable pool safety

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/swimming-pools-public-toilet-bowls-many-survey-193700688.html

SpaceX Dragon capsule splash-lands back on Earth

The first journey of a privately built spacecraft to the International Space Station has come to an end. SpaceX's Dragon capsule has splashed down into the Pacific Ocean as intended.

The unmanned spacecraft parachuted safely into the ocean off the California coast on Thursday as planned.

"Dragon is in the water," NASA said after the US company reported the landing at 11:42 a.m. Eastern time (1542 GMT), two minutes ahead of schedule and six hours after it left the International Space Station (ISS).

The capsule delivered food and clothing to the ISS during its nine-day trip. The Dragon was the first non-governmental craft to successfully dock at the ISS.

The mission has been acclaimed by NASA and US leaders as a success. It opens up the possibility for private companies to take supplies - and one day perhaps astronauts - to the ISS.

The end of the US space shuttle program has forced astronauts to rely on Russia to get back and forth between Earth and the ISS.

ncy/jm (AP, dpa, AFP, Reuters)

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15991160,00.html