Associated Press/AP Online
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union will hold high-level security talks
on Friday to assess what additional anti-terrorism measures to take in the
wake of the bombings in Madrid, the Irish prime minister announced Monday.
Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said proposals would include a "solidarity clause" committing nations to help each other in response to terror attacks, the appointment of a special EU official to coordinate counterterrorism operations in Europe, improved intelligence sharing and closer cooperation with non-EU nations to combat terrorism at a global level.
"The callous and cowardly attacks on 11 March served as a terrible reminder of the threat posed by terrorism to our society," Ahern said in a statement.
"We condemn utterly those who planted the bombs that wrought such destruction and cost so many lives last Thursday.
"The attacks in Madrid were an attack against the very values on which the Union is founded."
Ireland currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.
EU justice and interior ministers will discuss the proposals Friday.
The EU foreign ministers will continue the debate the following Monday, before the packages goes to an EU summit, scheduled for March 25-26. All the meetings will be at EU headquarters in Brussels.
NATOMAS BASIN HCP TO BE CHALLENGED: Conservation groups are warning
that that they plan to sue the USFWS for approving thousands of acres
of development north of Sacramento, California without "safeguarding
threatened wildlife species says ENS 10/24. The National Wildlife
Federation, Sierra Club and local environmental groups charge that
development in the Natomas Basin is destroying habitat for the
Swainson's hawk and giant garter snake and the current habitat
conservation plan "does not contain adequate mitigation measures to
protect the threatened species." The current HCP is similar to one
that was rejected by a federal court in 2000 and "this 'destroy the
habitat now, fix the problem later' approach has got to stop" said NWF.
ORCA REUNIFICATION NOW ON: Plans to reunite a 4-year orca now living
"off the British Columbia coast, with his pod in American waters,"
appear to be moving forward after the NMFS agreed to free up $100,000
for the relocation says the Seattle Post-Intelligencer 10/27. Although
Luna has lived most of his life alone off the coast of Vancouver
Island, officials are very concerned that he is lonely and becoming
increasingly sociable with humans, some of whom have "tried pouring
beer down his blowhole and brushing his teeth" (P-I 10/24). With time
running out, one plan is "to capture Luna as soon as possible and hold
him in the Strait of Juan de Fuca until his pod swims by, which could
happen any time from November to January, and another is to take him
into "protective custody" and wait for spring.
Unless a federal court overrules a deal between the Interior Department and the State of Utah, the Bureau of Land Management will give up its right -- and abandon its duty -- to protect millions of acres of Redrock canyonlands and other historic Western lands. The agreement pertains to public lands managed by the bureau that are so wild, so unspoiled that they would qualify for consideration by Congress as permanently protected wilderness areas. Until now, the agency has served as the caretaker of these remaining remnants of wild American landscape, first identifying "wilderness quality" areas under its jurisdiction and then taking steps to ensure that mining, drilling and other companies don't get their hands on these lands before Congress can act.But in April, Interior Secretary Gale Norton agreed to surrender -- permanently -- the agency's authority to identify these wilderness areas. Not only that, by revoking a handbook that agency staff has used as a guide to protecting wildlands, the agreement puts at least 6 million acres of remarkable Utah landscapes at risk, including Fisher Towers, Cedar Mesa and the Book Cliffs. NRDC and our partner groups are challenging this agreement in court. If the agreement is allowed to stand, it will lead to more drilling, more mining and more roads in wildlands not just in Utah but across the American West.
SPAMMED IF YOU DO, SPAMMED IF YOU DON'T
Breadfruit Trees Endangered by Climate Change and Western-Style Diet
The breadfruit tree, which has long provided a dietary staple to
residents of South Pacific islands, is in severe decline, experts
say, threatened by climate change and, of all things, Spam.
Breadfruit trees, with their shallow roots, are particularly
vulnerable to storms and cyclones, which have been on the rise in
recent years, a trend many attribute to global warming; the trees are
also susceptible to rising sea levels and the infiltration of salt
water into the soil and water table. At the same time, Pacific
islanders, who have cultivated breadfruit trees for at least 3,000
years, have lately turned instead to processed foods such as Spam,
leading not only to a drop in the overall number of trees and the
disappearance of many local varieties, but also to increasing rates
of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in the region.
straight to the source: London Independent, Kathy Marks, 26 Oct 2003