AirAsia flight QZ8501 from Indonesia to Singapore missing

Indonesian authorities were searching for an AirAsia aircraft with 155 passengers onboard Sunday after air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane, the airline said.

The plane, Flight QZ8501, left the Indonesian city of Surabaya in the morning and was bound for Singapore, officials said.

Air traffic control lost contact with the Airbus A320-200 at 7:24 Sunday morning Singapore time, the airline said in a statement on its Facebook page.

AirAsia, a budget operation based in Malaysia, is one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines. Contact with the plane was lost about 42 minutes after takeoff, Hadi Mustofa, an Indonesian transportation ministry official, told Indonesia’s MetroTV, according to The Associated Press.

He said the plane had asked for an unusual route before it lost contact and that the weather had been cloudy. The AirAsia flight had been due to arrive in Singapore at 08:30 (00:30GMT).

AirAsia has set up an emergency line for family or friends of those who may be on board. The number is +622 129 850 801.

The company's chief executive, Tony Fernandes, tweeted: "Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. We must stay strong."

"At the present time we unfortunately have no further information regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board, but we will keep all parties informed as more information becomes available," AirAsia said. 

The captain in command had a total of 6,100 flying hours and the first officer a total of 2,275 flying hours, according to the airline. The aircraft had undergone its last scheduled maintenance on November 16, 2014. 

The flight manifest for the Airbus A320-200, with the registration number PK-AXC, released by the Indonesian authorities said there were 155 passengers on board, including one infant and 16 children. 

The breakdown of passenger nationalities are 149 Indonesians, three South Koreans, one Singaporean, one Malaysian, one from the United Kingdom while the seven AirAsia staff on board are made up of six Indonesians and one French.

Read more at: http://english.astroawani.com/news/show/qz8501-indonesian-air-ministry-reveals-passenger-manifest-51087?cp

Murjatmodjo, the Indonesian official, said the plane is believed to have vanished somewhere over the Java Sea between Tanjung Pandan on Belitung island and Pontianak, on Indonesia's part of Kalimantan island.

The Singapore aviation authority said it was informed about the missing plane by Jakarta ground control about half an hour after the contact was lost.

"Search and rescue operations have been activated by the Indonesian authorities," it said, adding that the Singapore air force and the navy also were activated with two C-130 planes.
  

Eric Schultz, a White House spokesman, said that President Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii, had been briefed on the search for the plane, and that “White House officials will continue to monitor the situation.”

Flightradar24, a website that uses a global system of beacons to monitor air traffic, said the aircraft was flying at 32,000 feet over the Java Sea when the aircraft’s signal was lost. The Java Sea separates the islands of Borneo and Java.

_____

Singapore has activated its Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) and has offered help to Indonesian authorities in the search and rescue mission following the disappearance of Indonesian AirAsia aircraft, QZ8501.

RCC is managed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and supported by various agencies, including the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).

Read more at: http://english.astroawani.com/news/show/qz8501-singapore-activates-coordination-centre-assist-sar-51093?cp

_____


Malaysia has deployed three army vessels and a C-130 Hercules to the Belitung area in the search and rescue (SAR) operation to find the missing AirAsia flight QZ5801.

"The Malaysian government has committed and deployed our military assets to assist Indonesia with the search operations. I have been in close contact with my counterparts in both Indonesia, Ignasius Jonan and Singapore, Lui Tuck Yew to lend any available assistance in this time of need.

"We have also established the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) at the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre (ATCC) in Subang to assist with the coordination effort in searching for QZ8501," Malaysian Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai told a media conference today.

Read more at: http://english.astroawani.com/news/show/malaysia-deploys-three-vessels-c-130-belitung-liow-51097?cp

Sources:-

1. http://www.nytimes.com

2. http://www.bbc.com/news

3. abcnews.go.com/International 

4. http://www.foxnews.com

World Top 10 Universities for Research in UK

Rankings published today by Research Fortnight magazine, analysing data from the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), show the top universities in the country for research excellence. Check out which institutions made the top 10 and where they were in 2008.

10. University of Leeds
       2008 ranking: 8 

Dropping two places on the previous 2008 ranking, the University of Leeds just manages to make it into the top 10 for research – with 33 departments and 1,149 staff submitted. The University of Leeds also recently featured in Which? University's rankings as one of the top places for student nightlife along with Leeds Beckett University.



_{Data is taken from Research Fortnight}

9. University of Bristol
    2008 ranking: 10

During the course of putting these rankings together, the research of 52,061 academic staff from 154 UK universities was peer-reviewed by a series of panels comprising UK and international experts. The University of Bristol put forward 1,138 staff and 31 departments. Subsequently, 36 per cent of research was judged to be world-leading, putting the institution in the top ten.

8. University of Nottingham
    2008 ranking: 7

The research revealed that three-quarters of universities had at least 10 per cent of their work graded as world-leading, while the top 25 per cent had at least 30 per cent graded to this level. The University of Nottingham fits into the top 25 per cent, with 31.6 per cent of research classed as world-leading. It also makes the top 10 overall; when taking into account the number of staff and departments reviewed, funding allocated and the quality of the overall research.

7. King's College London
    2008 ranking: 11

According to the REF, the quality of research at UK universities was found to have improved significantly since the last exercise in 2008. Reflecting this improvement, King's College London climbed four places in the rankings, moving into the top 10 in seventh place, with 40.2 per cent of research judged to be world-leading.


6. Imperial College London
    2008 ranking: 6

The improvement in the REF results can be seen in the percentage of research outputs judged to be world-leading. According to the figures, across all submissions, 22 per cent were judged at this level, up from 14 per cent in 2008. Furthermore, 50 per cent were judged to be internationally excellent, up from 37 per cent. At Imperial College London, which maintains its position in sixth overall, 44.2 per cent of submissions were considered internationally excellent and a further 46.4 per cent were judged as world class.

5. University of Manchester
    2008 ranking: 4

The University of Manchester just makes it into the top five this year, having slipped a position from 2008. Overall, 1,561 staff and 35 departments were submitted for review, with 35.3 per cent of research judged to be world-leading. Commenting on the results overall, Professor Madeleine Atkins, Chief Executive of HEFCE, said: "UK research has improved from an already strong position in the last exercise, with many universities delivering more ground-breaking work of the highest quality. These achievements demonstrate the huge return on public investment in research."

4. University of Edinburgh
    2008 ranking: 5

Climbing from fifth position in the last exercise in 2008, to fourth this year, the University of Edinburgh maintains its position in the top five overall. Some 1,753 staff and 31 departments were submitted for review, with 37.6 per cent of research judged to be world-leading and a further 44.9 per cent considered internationally excellent.

3. University of Cambridge
    2008 ranking: 2

Dropping from second place in 2008, the University of Cambridge has been ranked third overall for research. 2,088 staff and 32 departments were submitted for review, with 46.8 per cent of research judged to be world-leading and a further 40.4 per cent considered internationally excellent.

2. University College London
     2008 ranking: 3

Climbing from third place in 2008, UCL has overtaken Cambridge and now ranks second overall for research excellence. A massive 2,566 staff – the highest number – and 36 departments were submitted for review, with 42.6 per cent of research judged to be world-leading and a further 39.5 per cent considered internationally excellent.

1. University of Oxford
    2008 ranking: 1

Maintaining its position in the league tables, the University of Oxford holds on to first place overall for research. 2,409 staff and 31 departments were submitted for review, with 48.1 per cent of research judged to be world-leading – the highest out of all institutions reviewed – and a further 39.1 per cent considered internationally excellent.

Make Big Money with PaidVerts GUIDE – 100% Sure

PaidVerts is an advertising platform that pays you to interact with advertisers. Advertisers purchase ads in our system then deliver those ads to proven valuable users, and provide those users with instant cash incentives to interact with the advertiser. 

Since Paidverts have no self-sponsoring ads , it’s a win-win situation for advertisers and users . You can expect Paidverts to be more profitable earning program than other paid to click network .

1. Sign up on Paidverts Click here . I will support for lifetime  as my referral . ( Please do not join if you’re not willing to spend a dime from your pocket because it gonna to take forever to earn money)

 This is my Referral link

 

” You will receive 8 x 50 BAP ads everyday . Use your BAP wisely “

2. Next ,click on the Paid Ads section . Take a note that Paid Ads will consume a little amount of BAP daily. You will receive 8 X 25 BAP ads and Dollar Ads .

Fill up the Captcha , and you can proceed to the advertiser website.

3. Besides that , Paidverts do offer different variety of games for members to earn more BAP in a short amount of time . Games consist of more in gambling therefore I would not recommend you to try all of them because it’s a win-lose situation , your chances of winning was very slim more like 30% vs 70% . The coinflip method is no longer working 

As Paidverts user earn dollars by Accumulating BAP . Basically the more Bonus Ad Point (BAP) you will receive more ‘higher’ dollar value ads in the ‘Paid Ads’ section . Depends on which BAP group you belongs to . 

The group are those:
Group 01: from 100 to 1599 BAP.
Group 02: from 1600 to 12000 BAP.
Group 03: from 12000 to 24000 BAP.
Group 04: from 24k to 48k BAP.
Group 05: from 48k to 96k BAP.
Group 06: from 96k to 180k BAP.
Group 07: from 180k to 360k BAP.
Group 08: from 360k to 720k BAP.
Group 09: from 720k to 1.5m BAP.
Group 10: from 1.5m to 3m BAP.
Group 11: from 3m to 6m BAP.
Group 12: 6m to 20m BAP.
Group 13: 20m BAP and up.

Click on below image to register

4. If you have very less ads , you can purchase recycle ads or micro ads from your account.

If you have more than 200,000BAP I recommend you to purchase ad filter and recycle ads.

Ad filter block you from getting low value annoying ads .

Follow the BAP you have to set the ad filter . 

200,000 BAP – $0.10

400,000 BAP - $0.20

800,000 BAP - $0.50

1million BAP or more - $0.99

This is my Referral link

Let’s keep this simple . The more BAP you have the higher value dollar ads will be issued to you as each time a dollar ads is issued , the BAP is automatically deducted from your balance ! Buying ads will give you a boost for more Bonus Ad Point .
Every-time you purchase $1 ads , you are eligible to advertise your product / page / affiliates link and receive 3100 BAP instantly ! In the other hand each time $1 dollar ads issue to you , only 2000 BAP will be deducted ! So you get 1100 BAP profit in total ! 

5. Upgrades are not necessary , however you can upgrade to be eligible to receive more dollar ads each time someone purchase bulk ads and you will receive 1% of the value .

Vacation mode is to freeze the ads when you go for vacation or you can’t click ads to prevent BAP consumption . You freeze your account when you’re away and unfreeze them when you’re back . 

• This is my Referral link

 

 

Oxford University Researchers : HIV causing AIDS 'weakening over time'

Oxford University researchers have found that the HIV virus is evolving to become less deadly and less infectious

The rapid evolution of HIV, a human immunodeficiency virus, is slowing its ability to cause Aids, according to a study of more than 2,000 women in Africa.


Scientists at Oxford University have said that research suggests a less virulent HIV could be one of several factors contributing to a turning of the deadly pandemic, eventually leading to the end of AIDS.
"Overall we are bringing down the ability of HIV to cause AIDS so quickly," Philip Goulder, a professor at Oxford University who led the study, told Reuters news agency.

"But it would be overstating it to say HIV has lost its potency - it's still a virus you wouldn't want to have."
Some 35 million people currently have HIV and AIDS has killed around 40 million people since it began spreading 30 years ago.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were approximately 35 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS in 2013. Of these, 3.2 million were children (<15 years old).

But campaigners noted on Monday that for the first time in the epidemic's history, the annual number of new HIV infections is lower than the number of HIV-positive people being added to those receiving treatment, meaning a crucial tipping point has been reached in reducing deaths from AIDS.

The research team studied cases in Botswana and South Africa - two countries badly hit by AIDS - where they enrolled more than 2,000 women with HIV.

The vast majority of people living with HIV are in low- and middle-income countries. According to WHO, sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected region, with 24.7 million people living with HIV in 2013. Seventy-one percent of all people who are living with HIV in the world live in this region.

First the research team looked at whether the interaction between the body's natural immune response and HIV leads to the virus becoming less virulent or able to cause disease.

Previous research on HIV has shown that people with a gene known as HLA-B*57 can benefit from a protective effect against HIV and progress more slowly than usual to AIDS.
 
The scientists found that in Botswana, HIV has evolved to adapt to HLA-B*57 more than in South Africa, so patients no longer benefited from the protective effect.

But the research team also found the cost of this adaptation for HIV is a reduced ability to replicate - making it less virulent.

The scientists then analysed the impact on HIV virulence of the wide use of AIDS drugs.

Using a mathematical model, they found that treating the sickest HIV patients, whose immune systems have been weakened by the infection, accelerates the evolution of variants of HIV with a weaker ability to replicate.

"HIV adaptation to the most effective immune responses we can make against it comes at a significant cost to its ability to replicate," Goulder said. "Anything we can do to increase the pressure on HIV in this way may allow scientists to reduce the destructive power of HIV over time."

Source :-
http://www.aljazeera.com
http://www.aids.gov

 

China Become World Leading Economic Power

 
China and not the United States is viewed as the world's foremost economic power by Europeans, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. Back in 2008, before the financial crisis, a European median of 44 percent considered the United States the leading economic powerhouse worldwide. In that year, 29 percent considered China the world's leader.

China raced into the lead for the first time in 2010, and today, it's viewed as the foremost economic power by 49 percent of Europeans compared to 34 percent for the United States. Interestingly, the shift in perception concerns America's premier European allies - France Germany, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. 

Gross domestic product is a commonly-used economic indicator for measuring the state of a country’s economy. GDP is the total market value of goods and services produced in a country within a given period of time, usually a year. Per capita GDP is defined as the GDP divided by the total number of people in the country. This indicator is generally used to compare the economic prosperity of countries with varying population sizes.

In 2010, China overtook Japan and became the world’s second-largest economy. As of 2012, it was the largest exporter and the second largest importer in the world. However, one reason behind its economic strength lies within its population size. China has to distribute its wealth among over 1.3 billion people. By 2014, China’s per capita GDP was only about one seventh as large as that of main industrialized countries. When compared to other emerging markets, China ranked third among BRIC countries in terms of GDP per capita, followed only by India.

According to projections by the IMF, per capita GDP in China will escalate from around 3,740 U.S. dollars in 2009 to 10,586 U.S. dollars in 2019. Possible reasons for this are the soaring economy and low population growth. China’s economic structure is also undergoing changes. A major trend lies in the shift from an industry-based to a service-based economy. 

 ________________________________________________________________________________

Based on data on 2012-2013 : This statistic shows the quarterly growth of the real gross domestic product (GDP) in China from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter of 2014. In the first quarter of 2014, the growth of the real GDP in China ranged at 7.4 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year. GDP refers to the total market value of all goods and services that are produced within a country per year. It is an important indicator of the economic strength of a country. Real GDP is adjusted for price changes and is therefore regarded as a key indicator for economic growth

In 2013, China ranged among the top three countries with the largest gross domestic product worldwide. Since the introduction of economic reforms in 1978, the country has experienced rapid social and economic development. In 2013, it became the world’s largest trading nation, overtaking the United States. However, per capita GDP in China was still much lower than that of industrialized countries.

The annual growth rate of China’s GDPhad constantly been above nine percent until 2011. According to projections of the IMF, the annual GDP growth will slow down further until 2019. Rising domestic wages and the competitive edge of other Asian and African countries are seen as main reasons for the stuttering in China’s economic engine. One strategy of the Chinese government to overcome this transition is a gradual shift of economic focus from industrial production to services.

Another major challenge lies in the massive environmental pollution that China’s reckless economic growth has caused over the past decades. China’s development has been powered mostly by coal consumption, which resulted in high air pollution. To counteract industrial pollution, further investments in waste management and clean technologies are necessary. In 2012, only 1.59 percent of GDP was spent on pollution control. Surging environmental costs aside, environmental issues could also be a key to industrial transition as China placed major investments in renewable energy and clean tech projects. The consumption of green energy skyrocketed from 0.8 million metric tons of oil equivalent in 2003 to 42.9 million in 2013. 

 

 Source :
1. http://www.statista.com/

Russian pundit attacks Tony Abbott over ‘cynical’ MH17 plot

 
Russia’s top rating news program has launched an extraordinary attack on Prime Minister Tony Abbott and hinte¢d he is part of a “cynical” and “deliberate” western plot to blame Russia for the MH17 tragedy.
The attack aired on Russian state channel ORT at the top of its national evening news bulletin in a special report by Mikhail Leontyev, a well known pundit with close links to the Kremlin. It comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin joins other leaders in Brisbane this weekend for the G20 summit.

“We know that at the summit in Brisbane Australian Prime Minister Abbott is threatening to ask our President some tough questions about the Malaysian Boeing. Let’s try to help him,” Mr Leontyev said.
The report then showed what Mr Leontyev said were photos taken by a non-Russian low-orbit satellite and obtained by ORT. Mr Leontyev said the photos showed a Ukrainian Mig 29 fighter jet shooting an air-to-air missile at the exact time and place MH17 was shot down. He said this was consistent with Russia’s preferred version of events that a Ukraine military jet shot down MH17.

He said that there was no evidence for the claim raised by Abbott that MH17 was struck by a ground-to-air Buk missile fired by pro-Russian separatists. “There was most likely no Buk and no launch,” he said.

Mr Leontyev then returned to the satellite photos and addressed western leaders. “Gentlemen, you have these photos or others. Why wont you show them to us? Show your cards. Because at the moment we have every reason to believe that state crimes have been committed by those who deliberately and cynically destroyed the plane and by those who deliberately and cynically are hiding that fact, even though they have all the information.”

The broadcast is the first time Russian state television has covered the conversation between Mr Abbott and Mr Putin in Beijing this week where Mr Abbott said he had evidence that MH17 was shot down by a ground-to-air missile launcher operated by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, which returned to Russia after the accident. Mr Abbott asked Mr Putin for compensation and an apology.

 ____________________________________________________________________________

BRISBANE, Australia — President Obama edged closer to describing Russia’s military incursions in Ukraine as an invasion, saying on Sunday that the Western campaign to isolate Moscow would continue, though additional sanctions were unnecessary for now.

Speaking to reporters at the end of the annual meeting of the Group of 20, an organization of 19 industrial and emerging-market countries along with the European Union, Mr. Obama said the Russians were supplying heavy arms to separatists in Ukraine in violation of an agreement Russia signed with Ukraine a few weeks ago.

 

“We’re also very firm on the need to uphold core international principles,” he said, “and one of those principles is you don’t invade other countries or finance proxies and support them in ways that break up a country that has mechanisms for democratic elections.”

Continue reading the main story

Mr. Obama, who met President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia at an economic meeting in Beijing last week and again at the summit meeting here this weekend, said he warned him that if the Russians did not change course in Ukraine, “the isolation that Russia is currently experiencing will continue.” He described the exchanges as typically “businesslike and blunt.

The president’s words were among the toughest he has used about Russia’s actions during the Ukraine crisis. But after meeting with European leaders to discuss next steps, it was unclear whether the allies had the stomach for another round of sanctions. “At this point, the sanctions that we have in place are biting plenty good,” he said.

Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine spilled over into the Group of 20 meeting. Mr. Putin got a chilly reception from several leaders, including from Prime Minister Tony Abbott of Australia and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, who told him, “I guess I’ll shake your hand, but I have only one thing to say to you: You need to get out of Ukraine.”

Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain also condemned Mr. Putin’s actions, saying the Russian leader was at a “crossroads.”

“If he continues to destabilize Ukraine, there’ll be further sanctions, further measures, and there will be a completely different relationship between European countries and America on the one hand, and Russia on the other,” Mr. Cameron said during a news conference in Brisbane.

Mr. Putin himself put a positive spin on events, saying before leaving Brisbane that virtually every issue discussed had been helpful — even the issue of new sanctions over Ukraine — and that he was leaving early only because he had a long flight home.

“Our work took place in a very constructive spirit and produced results,” he told reporters, according to a transcript on the Kremlin website.

Ukraine was not a topic for the broad meetings but had come up repeatedly during his one-on-one sessions with other world leaders. Mr. Putin said he had gotten across his point of view that sanctions hurt both those who impose them and those who are targeted.

The foreign ministers of the European Union plan to meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss the sanctions and the situation in Ukraine, where sightings of suspected Russian military convoys have fueled speculation that a new rebel offensive is near.

“It might sound strange to you, but I think there are good hopes for being able to settle this situation,” Mr. Putin said, without delving into specifics. He did express surprise, however, that the Ukrainian government in Kiev was moving to sever all financial ties with the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, calling it “an economic blockade.”

“Why are the authorities in Kiev now cutting off these regions with their own hands? I do not understand this,” he said, adding that this was not the right way to go about saving money. “I do not think this is a fatal blow, though,” he added.

Mr. Putin denied that he was leaving early because he had been singled out for criticism at the summit meeting, attributing his departure to his work ethic. The flight from Brisbane to Vladivostok was nine hours, then he needed another nine to reach Moscow, he explained.

“We still have to get home and be ready for work on Monday,” the president said. “It would be nice to be able to sleep for four or five hours.”

The summit meeting was also shadowed by concerns about the state of the military campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, which Mr. Obama has said is at too early a stage to say whether the United States and its coalition allies are winning.

Mr. Obama denied reports that he had ordered a formal review of the strategy against the militants in Syria. He said that while the White House was constantly reviewing its tactics in both Syria and Iraq, the basic elements of the strategy remained in place.

Rebuffing a growing chorus of skeptics of his strategy, the president said the United States would never make “common cause” with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria in the campaign against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, because that would alienate the country’s Sunni Muslim population.

“We have communicated to the Syrian regime that when we operate, going after ISIL in their air space, that they would be well advised not to take us on,” Mr. Obama said. “Beyond that, there’s no expectation that we are in some ways going to enter an alliance with Assad. He is not credible in that country.”

At the same time, he said, the United States was not exploring ways to remove Mr. Assad from office — a recognition that the campaign against the Islamic State fighters had given Mr. Assad breathing room. Any lasting political settlement in Syria, he said, would have to involve Iran and Turkey, as well as the Assad government’s primary patron, Russia.

While Mr. Obama continued to rule out the use of American ground troops in the campaign — and said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, had not recommended using them, either — he said there were cases in which troops might be necessary. After declining to speculate about those scenarios, he did just that.

“If we discover that ISIL had gotten possession of a nuclear weapon,” Mr. Obama said, “and we had to run an operation to get it out of their hands, then yes, you can anticipate that not only would Chairman Dempsey recommend sending U.S. ground troops to get that weapon out of their hands, but I would order it.”

Mr. Obama’s comments came at the end of a hectic weeklong trip to Asia that produced a landmark climate-change agreement with China, progress on a number of trade negotiations and a return visit for the president to Myanmar, during which he admonished its military-dominated government that it needed to keep the reform process on track.

“If you ask me, I say that’s a pretty good week,” he said. “I intend to build on that momentum when I return home tomorrow.”

Reviewing his trip, the president appeared particularly proud of the pact between the United States and China to develop a common position on additional reductions in carbon emissions before the next round of global climate talks in Paris in 2015.

The president said there was “no excuse” for both developed and developing nations not to come together “to achieve a strong global climate agreement next year.”

With the American economy currently outperforming those of Europe and Japan, Mr. Obama came into this meeting with a stronger hand than he has had in previous meetings. Administration officials said they had succeeded in pushing a message of growth-oriented policies into the leaders’ communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.

The communiqué is usually more balanced between the virtues of growth and austerity. But, Mr. Obama said, “all the G-20 countries announced strategies to increase growth and put more people to work.”

Europe : Reduce 40% Geenhouse Gas Emissions by 2030, Boost Renewables

European Union leaders meeting in Brussels have agreed on a new target for the reduction of greenhouse gases by 2030. Members also reached a deal on increasing the proportion of renewable energy used.

European Union leaders have reached what they described as the world's most ambitious climate change targets for 2030, paving the way for a new UN-backed global treaty next year.

The 28 leaders on Friday finally overcame divisions at an EU summit in Brussels to reach a deal including a commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent compared to 1990 levels.


They also agreed on 27 percent targets for renewable energy supply and efficiency gains, despite of reservations from some member states about the cost of the measures.

 "Deal! At least 40 percent emissions cut by 2030. World's most ambitious, cost-effective, fair EU 2030 climate energy policy agreed," EU president Herman Van Rompuy tweeted.

The EU wanted to agree on the targets ahead of a summit in Paris in November and December 2015, where it is hoped the world will agree to a new phase of the Kyoto climate accords which run until 2020.

The agreement puts the EU "in the driving seat" ahead of the Paris conference, European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso said.



Environmental groups said the deal did not go far enough to cut global warming.


The climate deal builds on the EU's targets for 2020 of a 20 percent cut in greenhouse gases, blamed for global warming, a 20 percent boost in renewables such as solar and wind power and a 20 increase in energy efficiency.

While the new 40 percent target for greenhouse gases and 27 percent for renewables agreed on Friday were as expected, a 30 percent goal for an increase in energy efficiency set in July by the Commission was watered down to 27 percent.

Environment group Greenpeace said the EU had "pulled the handbrake on clean energy".

"These targets are too low, slowing down efforts to boost renewable energy and keeping Europe hooked on polluting and expensive fuel," it said British-based humanitarian group Oxfam called for targets of 55 percent in emissions cuts, 40 percent for energy savings and 45 percent for renewables.

Individual concerns

The talks stretched into the early hours on Friday as Poland made the case for protections for its coal industry. Other states also sought to tweak the guideline text on global warming to protect economic interests regarding issues such as nuclear power and cross-border power lines.

An existing goal that envisaged a 20-percent cut by 2020 is already close to being met, in no small part as a result of the collapse of communist-era industry in Eastern Europe since 1990.

The agreement comes ahead of a global summit in Paris next year, which will involve industrial powers from Asia, North America and the rest of the world.

 Source : ALJAZEERA

Mayank2u Cheat : New Technique

FRAUD FRAUD FRAUD

Be aware when entering maybank website... Pls do not response if see these pages appear after keyin your username and password.

The way to avoid it after get this pages is only format your devices.

The way to avoid it after get this pages is only format your devices.

World Oil Prices Falling Sharply

 
World oil prices dropped to their lowest levels in more than a year Thursday as Saudi Arabia, one of the world's largest oil producers, showed no signs of cutting its production to ease the glut in the global supply.

Riyadh earlier in the week cuts its official crude oil selling price for the fourth month in a row, signaling it is looking to keep its world market share and compete on pricing with other big producers.

The price for Brent crude from the North Sea fell to as low as $91.55 a barrel, it lowest point since June 2012, before recovering by more than $2 a barrel.

A sweet grade of oil traded in the United States, West Texas Intermediate, dropped below $90 a barrel, its lowest point since April 2013, although it marginally recovered in later trading on November contracts.

Analysts predict oil prices could fall further as long as production in major drilling areas across the world is not trimmed.

World oil prices have been falling for several months as Libyan oil production has resumed and the value of the U.S. dollar is at a four-year high against other currencies. The strong U.S. dollar makes oil more expensive for weaker currencies, which in turn cuts demand for oil.

Recent turmoil across the Middle East has scrambled long-held political alliances among some of the group’s most important members. The U.S. shale-oil boom is robbing OPEC of one of its best customers and contributing to a glut of non-OPEC oil sloshing into world markets. And breakneck economic growth in Asia—which buoyed oil prices amid downturns in the U.S. and Europe—is slowing.

All of this has helped drive global prices sharply lower since the summer. In the past, OPEC has typically moved collectively—in such situations to boost prices, either slashing output or threatening to do so. Many inside and outside the organization doubt whether the group can do much amid its current disarray.

The drop in prices is particularly worrying for OPEC producers in Latin America and Africa that depend on oil revenue to support high spending, as well as Iran, where trade is crimped by international sanctions.
Lower prices may not worry many Western nations. Industrialized oil-consuming countries have long criticized OPEC as acting to keep crude prices high to line OPEC governments’ coffers.

But the OPEC disunity also threatens a global safety net. OPEC members—which pump more than a third of the world’s daily supply—have acted in the past to keep a lid on prices amid big supply disruptions, as they did ahead of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

OPEC members are sitting on unused pumping capacity of some 3.8 million barrels a day, equivalent to 4% of global oil supplies, according to the International Energy Agency—spare capacity that could generally be called upon quickly in a pinch.

 “If there is a supply crisis, OPEC is the only group that can stand up and respond,” said John Hall, chairman of British consultancy Alfa Energy.

As the boom in U.S. oil production has curbed American fuel imports, OPEC members have relied more on customers in Asia. But with growth in Asia’s economies and oil demand leveling off, OPEC members have started competing against each other for market share, often leading to price competition.

Last month, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait both cut their October prices for Asian buyers, according to Gulf oil officials and traders, effectively undercutting the U.A.E., a Persian Gulf neighbor and fellow OPEC member. In the past, such cuts would have been taken collectively among Arab Gulf OPEC members.

“There is a price war within OPEC,” said Amy Myers Jaffe, executive director of energy and sustainability at the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis. “It is the most fractured I have ever seen OPEC.”

Like the situation in the US, falling oil prices are also a double-edged sword for Britain’s economy and investors. Although George Osborne, the Chancellor, is less reliant on tax revenues from the North Sea than some of his predecessors, prices are approaching the point when many of the developments planned offshore west of Shetland by international oil companies could be placed on ice. 

A sharp drop-off in domestic oil production and associated tax receipts from the North Sea would give Mr Osborne an unwelcome hole to fill in the government’s public finances heading into next year’s general election. However, falling oil prices will help to keep inflation low. 

For Britain’s motorists the current declines have been good news that has trickled through to the price of petrol on forecourts. A litre of unleaded petrol in the UK has fallen a few pence over the past month to an average of around 127.21p on average, a figure last seen in 2011, just before Mr Osborne raised the value added tax on fuel to 20pc, from 17.5pc