Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/307074692?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Maldives Green Fund to merge ?scattered? climate ... - Minivan News
Transparency Maldives has called for stronger anti-corruption climate finance safeguards, following the government?s declaration it would establish a ?green fund? that would merge all climate change, conservation, and sustainable development project trust-funds.
President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik?s cabinet proposed a Maldives ?Green Fund? be established, which would merge all the currently established trust funds in accordance with the government?s Biosphere Reserve sustainable development policy.
The purpose for merging the funds would be to enable cost reductions and strengthen operational efficiency for foreign investments for waste management, water management and renewable energy projects.
Shortly following this April 30 announcement, Transparency Maldives called for ?stronger anti-corruption safeguards in climate finance? as part of the civil society recommendations presented to the Minister of Environment and Energy Dr Mariyam Shakeela during the ?NGO Forum on Environment and Sustainable Development 2013? held May 5.
During the NGO forum, Transparency Maldives Chairperson Mohamed Rasheed Bari called on the government to strengthen governance mechanisms by including stronger standards of transparency, accountability and integrity.
Currently, climate funds are ?scattered? because there is no consolidated national governance mechanism with a proper internationally governed governance structure in the Maldives, Transparency Maldives Climate Governance Senior Project Manager Azim Zahir told Minivan News today (May 19).
?In principle establishing a ?green fund? to consolidate climate change mitigation and adaptation money is ?ok? as long as it adheres to international best practices and good governance standards,? said Zahir.
The Environment Ministry had not responded to inquiries at time of press.
No overarching climate policy
?The government lacks an overarching climate change policy,? a civil society source familiar with the challenges facing climate governance in the Maldives, told Minivan News. ?There are no specific goals, which has resulted in project-based, ad hoc and climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives.?
The source explained that conflicting ministerial mandates and unclear rules have created redundancies and left civil servants ?confused?.
?I find it strange the Ministry of Environment does not have a climate change department, considering they are the people in charge of the entire amount of funds,? the source added.
?One person is in charge of massive [amounts] of funds. There is a lack of human resources within the Environment Ministry. Only a couple of people have dominated [climate change projects] since the 1990?s,? claimed the source.
Some people within the ministry working on foreign aid projects write themselves in as project staff as well to in order supplement their ?really low? monthly government salaries of MVR 6000 to MVR 8000 (US$ 389 to US$ 519), alleged the source.
?The same people work on each project, they don?t have new people,? the source claimed.
?These senior civil servants say the Environment Ministry lacks capacity and young people with knowledge and technical skills, however they are not providing training and opportunities [to the newer civil servants].
?They have a complete monopoly on knowledge? which is not being properly diffused, the source added.
Politics and bureaucracy
After the Foreign Ministry has signed a bilateral agreement the funds are transferred to the Finance Ministry, which then allocates the money to the applicable ministry or government agency, according to the source.
Most climate projects were handled under the Ministry of Housing and Environment during former President Mohamed Nasheed?s administration, the source explained. Additionally, the President?s Office also undertook many climate change initiatives and established the Presidential Advisory Council on Climate Change in 2009.
?The council still exists on paper and while some people within the President?s Office said the council members have been changed [following the controversial transfer of power February 7, 2012], no one has been informed if they have been fired. They have no idea what?s going on,? alleged the source.
Additionally, the National Planning Council (NPC) ? chaired by the president and consisting of various ministers and civil society representatives ? was formed in February 2009 to coordinate equitable sustainable development nationwide.
Currently the NPC website states: ?Due to the change of the Government , the work of the National Planning Council is currently under reform. Therefore all proposals and issues submitted to Department of National Planning/ National Planning Council is on hold for the time being.?
Under President Waheed?s government the Ministry of Housing and Environment was split to form two new entities, the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure as well as Energy and Environment.
Due to the these changes and ongoing government instability ?There has been a significant change in the process of how the project [cycle] works,? explained the source.
?For various political reasons ? and the delicate nature of politics since February 2012 ? climate
An additional reason Waheed?s administration ?differs? from Nasheed?s is the current government ?has not been ?very keen? on cooperating with civil society,? alleged the source.
?Previously they behaved really unprofessionally toward certain NGOs, however since the latter half of 2012, the government has started to try and engage NGOs and civil society ? maybe to increase the administration?s legitimacy,? the source continued.
?A positive is the Environment Ministry under Waheed?s administration has been very active. They actually try to do things,? the source noted.
?However, the government consults civil society stakeholders after they?ve already decided everything. They invite NGOs to listen to their opinions, but do not seek their input during the project planning phase,? the source added.
?Ultimately, most [climate finance] problems apply to both administrations, under Nasheed and Waheed,? the source added.
Existing trust funds
?There are three umbrellas ? the Maldives Environmental Management Project (MEMP), the Climate Change Trust Fund (CCTF), the Sustainable Renewable Energy Project (SREP) ? under each there are different components,? Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environment and Social Safeguards Coordinator Ibrahim Mohamed told Minivan News earlier this month.
?The idea is that these projects be developed in such a way that the entire nation becomes a biosphere reserve, that?s the overall goal,? he added.
The MEMP umbrella is a US$ 13.88 million World Bank loan, approved in 2008 and set to close in 2014.
?The MEMP is a soft loan in the sense the interest is very less, and this project also has several components,? said Mohamed.
?Only one component is solid waste management, focused in Ari Atoll. Other areas include environmental monitoring, training and capacity building, and a bachelor of environmental science was established at the Maldives National University (MNU),? he continued.
?There is also a renewable energy component to install solar roofing of public buildings on Thinadhoo [Island in Huvadhoo Atoll], so at least 25 percent of their energy will come from solar. That component also has awareness and training on energy efficiency and conservation of energy.
The US$ 9.5 million CCTF picks up where MEMP left off, according to Mohamed.
?Under the CCTF umbrella we have three components: clean energy for climate mitigation, wetland conservation and coral reef monitoring, as well as solid waste management,? Mohamed explained.
?The World Bank is managing the donor money from the CCTF. They don?t finance directly to the government, because they want it to be managed by a reliable, transparent, international fiduciary system.
?The CCTF idea is that the project(s) we develop becomes an exemplary example for other small island states,? he added.
The US$138 million SREP was established in 2012 to generate 16 megawatts of renewable energy on 50 islands in the next five years.
The SREP scheme was directly related to the Scaling-up Renewable Energy Program (SREP) originally planned to be submitted to the World Bank in February 2012, but was not due to the political upheaval that resulted from Nasheed?s controversial resignation February 7, 2012.
Additionally, the Maldives has received Global Environment Facility (GEF) grants totaling US$14,443,426 ? that leveraged US$35,176,820 in co-financing resources ? for 10 national projects, four regional projects, and eight small grants. The project areas focus on climate change, biodiversity, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants, and the ozone layer.
The GEF is an independently operating financial organisation that supports national sustainable development initiatives and addresses global environmental issues by working in partnership with the United Nations, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Asian Development Bank (ADB) as well as civil society organisations and the private sector.
The GEF ?unites? 183 countries with these actors and claims to be the largest public funder of projects to improve the global environment.
?The EU has suggested that the Maldives? government look at one atoll with the potential for populations to move and to live and do more projects there ? such as waste management, clean energy, protection, preservation, adaptation ? all things in one big area, so that these things will be more visible,? said Mohamed.
?If all the components go into one atoll they will become more climate resilient,? he added.
Source: http://minivannews.com/politics/maldives-green-fund-to-merge-scattered-climate-finance-58141
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Japan's KDDI gets HTC J One with microSD slot
HTC flagship comes to Japan with oft-requested removable storage
HTC and Japanese carrier KDDI have announced the HTC J One -- a new variant of the HTC One designed fro the Japanese market. The J One packs much the same internal hardware as its international cousin, but with the addition of a microSD slot, allowing storage to be expanded by up to 64 gigabytes.
The HTC J One also supports FeliCa NFC-based wireless payments and 1Seg digital terrestrial TV broadcasts. (There's a new opaque area below the camera lens which may be part of the internal hardware for one of these two features.)
HTC's also debuting some new accessories alongside the J One. There's a hard shell cover with kickstand, and the HTC J One Mini -- a version of the HTC Mini handset already released in China, or a "phone for your phone," if you prefer.
This isn't the first localized HTC One we've seen with removable storage. Last month a Chinese variant of the phone appeared with a removable back cover, microSD support and dual-SIM capabilities. It isn't clear whether the J One will incorporate a similar removable back, but as HTC's already manufacturing this kind of device for China, we'd bet that's probably what's going on here.
The HTC J One is due to go on sale in Japan from early June.
Source: KDDI via Engadget, YouTube, HTC
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/5Yk4COsag7k/story01.htm
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Monday, May 20, 2013
Why an 87-year-old took on Donald Trump? 'Someone had to'
CHICAGO (AP) ? An 87-year-old woman who alleges Donald Trump cheated her in a bait-and-switch scheme has told jurors she had qualms about suing the developer-turned-TV star given his power and influence.
But during testimony Monday, when she was asked why she nonetheless took Trump to court, Jacqueline Goldberg replied firmly that "Somebody had to stand up to him."
Goldberg says "The Apprentice" star enticed her into buying two condos at Chicago's Trump International Hotel & Tower with an offer to share profits of the entire building.
But she told jurors at the civil trial in Chicago that she felt "conned" when Trump withdrew the profit-sharing plan after she bought the condos.
Testifying last week, Trump denied the allegations. He also told reporters that Goldberg was in fact trying to rip him off.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/woman-trump-somebody-had-stand-him-170047295.html
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ACN Named as Finalist in 2013 American Business Awards
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ACN Inc. was named a finalist? in the Motivational, Best Twitter Feed, Best Facebook Page, and Best Tradeshow or Convention Categories of the 2013 American Business Awards, and will ultimately be a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie? Award winner in the program.
The American Business Awards are the nation?s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations ? public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.
The American Business Awards will be presented at two awards events: the ABA's traditional banquet on Monday, June 17 ? in Chicago for the first time, after 10 years in New York; and the new product & technology awards event on Monday, September 16 in San Francisco.
More than 3,200 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Most Innovative Company of the Year, Management Team of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Executive of the Year, among others.
ACN Co-Founder Tony Cupisz said, ?We are excited to be recognized among this elite group of companies. We strive to be the best company we can and to be recognized in four categories is very rewarding.?
Finalists were chosen by more than 140 business professionals nationwide during preliminary judging in April and May. More than 150 members of nine specialized judging committees will determine Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging, to take place May 13 ? 24.
Details about The American Business Awards and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.????
About ACN Inc.
Founded in 1993, ACN is the world's largest direct seller of telecommunications, energy, and other essential services for residential and business customers. ACN provides the services people need and use every day including Home Phone Service, Wireless, Energy, Television, Home Security and Automation, High Speed Internet and Computer Support. ACN operates in 23 countries with offices located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For information on ACN's home-based business opportunity, visit http://www.acninc.com.
About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. A fifth program, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, will debut this year. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.
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Source: http://www.businessforhome.org/2013/05/acn-named-as-finalist-in-2013-american-business-awards/
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Mars rover Opportunity examines clay clues in rock
May 18, 2013 ? NASA's senior Mars rover, Opportunity, is driving to a new study area after a dramatic finish to 20 months on "Cape York" with examination of a rock intensely altered by water.
The fractured rock, called "Esperance," provides evidence about a wet ancient environment possibly favorable for life. The mission's principal investigator, Steve Squyres of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., said, "Esperance was so important, we committed several weeks to getting this one measurement of it, even though we knew the clock was ticking."
The mission's engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., had set this week as a deadline for starting a drive toward "Solander Point," where the team plans to keep Opportunity working during its next Martian winter.
"What's so special about Esperance is that there was enough water not only for reactions that produced clay minerals, but also enough to flush out ions set loose by those reactions, so that Opportunity can clearly see the alteration," said Scott McLennan of the State University of New York, Stony Brook, a long-term planner for Opportunity's science team.
This rock's composition is unlike any other Opportunity has investigated during nine years on Mars -- higher in aluminum and silica, lower in calcium and iron.
The next destination, Solander Point, and the area Opportunity is leaving, Cape York, both are segments of the rim of Endeavour Crater, which spans 14 miles (22 kilometers) across. The planned driving route to Solander Point is about 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometers). Cape York has been Opportunity's home since the rover arrived at the western edge of Endeavour in mid-2011 after a two-year trek from a smaller crater.
"Based on our current solar-array dust models, we intend to reach an area of 15 degrees northerly tilt before Opportunity's sixth Martian winter," said JPL's Scott Lever, mission manager. "Solander Point gives us that tilt and may allow us to move around quite a bit for winter science observations."
Northerly tilt increases output from the rover's solar panels during southern-hemisphere winter. Daily sunshine for Opportunity will reach winter minimum in February 2014. The rover needs to be on a favorable slope well before then.
The first drive away from Esperance covered 81.7 feet (24.9 meters) on May 14. Three days earlier, Opportunity finished exposing a patch of the rock's interior with the rock abrasion tool. The team used a camera and spectrometer on the robotic arm to examine Esperance.
The team identified Esperance while exploring a portion of Cape York where the Compact Reconnaissance Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter had detected a clay mineral. Clays typically form in wet environments that are not harshly acidic. For years, Opportunity had been finding evidence for ancient wet environments that were very acidic. The CRISM findings prompted the rover team to investigate the area where clay had been detected from orbit. There, they found an outcrop called "Whitewater Lake," containing a small amount of clay from alteration by exposure to water.
"There appears to have been extensive, but weak, alteration of Whitewater Lake, but intense alteration of Esperance along fractures that provided conduits for fluid flow," Squyres said. "Water that moved through fractures during this rock's history would have provided more favorable conditions for biology than any other wet environment recorded in rocks Opportunity has seen."
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project launched Opportunity to Mars on July 7, 2003, about a month after its twin rover, Spirit. Both were sent for three-month prime missions to study the history of wet environments on ancient Mars and continued working in extended missions. Spirit ceased operations in 2010.
JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. For more about Opportunity, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/rovers and http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov . You can follow the project on Twitter and on Facebook at: http://twitter.com/MarsRovers and http://www.facebook.com/mars.rovers .
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/nasa/~3/LelUYtxz7xM/130518100641.htm
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