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It's official: Global carbon levels surpassed 400 ppm for entire month

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says level sets new record for world’s atmosphere

An animation showing how carbon dioxide moves around the planet. (Screenshot: NASA/YouTube)

An animation showing how carbon dioxide moves around the planet. (Screenshot: NASA/YouTube)

by Sarah Lazare, Common Dreams

Marking yet another grim milestone for an ever-warming planet, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration revealed on Wednesday that, for the first time in recorded history, global levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere averaged over 400 parts per million (ppm) for an entire month—in March 2015.

“This marks the fact that humans burning fossil fuels have caused global carbon dioxide concentrations to rise more than 120 parts per million since pre-industrial times,” said Pieter Tans, lead scientist of NOAA’s Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, in a press statement. “Half of that rise has occurred since 1980.”

This is not the first time the benchmark of 400 ppm has been reached.

“We first reported 400 ppm when all of our Arctic sites reached that value in the spring of 2012,” explained Tans. “In 2013 the record at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory first crossed the 400 ppm threshold.”

However, Tans said that reaching 400 ppm across the planet for an entire month is a “significant milestone.”

A tweet released by NOAA on Wednesday shows that this development is consistent with rising levels over recent years.

However, zooming to a wider historical lens shows an even more dramatic increase. During pre-industrial times, CO2 levels were at 280 ppm. Scientists have warned that, in order to achieve safe levels, CO2 must be brought down to a maximum of 350ppm—the number from which the environmental organization 350.org derives its name from.

Bill Snape, senior counsel to the Center for Biological Diversity, told Common Dreams, “The fact that we are now firmly over 400 ppm for first time in human history indicates to me that we ought to be moving with much more urgency to fix the underlying problem.”

CAR to sue French soldiers over alleged sex crimes

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Justice minister announces case against soldiers accused of raping children in exchange for food at a refugee camp.

A UN report detailed interviews with six children, aged eight to 15, who approached the French soldiers to ask for food [EPA]

A UN report detailed interviews with six children, aged eight to 15, who approached the French soldiers to ask for food [EPA]

by Al Jazeera

The Central African Republic will take legal action against the French soldiers accused of raping children in exchange for food at a refugee camp, the country’s justice minister has said.

“Legal action will be pursued … These are still very serious acts,” said Justice Minister Aristide Sokambi on Wednesday, insisting his nation was not targeting France but individual soldiers.

Several children – the youngest just nine – allege that 14 soldiers dispatched to the impoverished nation as part of a peacekeeping force sexually abused some of them in exchange for food between December 2013 and June 2014.

“We regret the fact we were not brought into these investigations despite the cooperation agreements we have with France,” Sokambi added.

“So I have instructed the public prosecutor to open a probe and seek the evidence already at the disposal of the French.”

French troops were deployed to the Central African Republic in December 2013 to help African Union peacekeepers restore order after a bout of sectarian violence triggered by a coup.

Hundreds of troops were stationed at Bangui’s M’Poko airport, which was transformed into a giant refugee camp.

Most of the displaced families living amid the abandoned planes had lost everything in the conflict, which pitted mainly Muslim rebels against vigilantes from the majority Christian population.

Paris investigates

Prosecutors in Paris have opened an investigation into the reports, with France’s defence ministry pledging to take “all the measures necessary for the truth to come out”.

The defence ministry has said it immediately launched a probe into the case, sending police investigators to the former French colony on August 1 after receiving the news.

The ministry has denied attempting to cover up a potentially devastating scandal. The allegations were contained in an internal UN report that was leaked to French authorities last summer by a UN official.

If proven, the allegations will not only affect the French army but also the Central African Republic, which is trying to find a way out of a conflict that has killed thousands and displaced nearly 900,000 people.

Many people living in the camp at M’Poko airport had lost their livelihoods to the violence.

Hunger in the camp became so widespread that riots often broke out when food was distributed.

Four arrested in Germany over 'plot against Muslims'

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Three men and a woman held for possession of explosives and for planning attacks on mosques and leading Muslim figures.

A report links the increase in anti-immigrant attacks to the rise of right-wing groups in the country [Reuters]

A report links the increase in anti-immigrant attacks to the rise of right-wing groups in the country [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

German authorities have conducted raids across the country, seizing explosives and arresting four people accused of founding a right-wing group to attack mosques and housing for asylum seekers.

Police arrested three men and a woman accused of leading the group during raids by some 250 investigators on homes in Saxony and four other states, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Prosecutors allege the four helped found the “Oldschool Society” (OSS) group and were planning to attack asylum-seeker housing, mosques and well-known members of the Islamic community in Germany.

The four arrested, identified only as Andreas H, 56, Markus W, 39, Denise Vanessa G, 22, and Olaf O, 47, in line with German privacy laws, are being held on terrorism charges and are also accused of having procured explosives.

The statement identified Andreas H and Markus W as the group’s president and vice president.

The North Rhine-Westphalia state interior ministry said Olaf O was from the western city of Bochum and had been under observation since November as “a leading member of the OSS”.

“According to current investigations, it was the group’s goal to conduct attacks in smaller groups inside Germany on well-known Salafists, mosques and asylum-seeker centres,” the statement said.

“For this purpose the four arrested procured explosives for possible terror attacks by the group.”

Inquiries made by the Associated Press news agency to an apparent cell phone number and email address for the group were not immediately returned.

Attack plans

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the Oldschool Society appeared to be a newly formed group.

Rhineland-Palatinate interior minister Roger Lewentz, at the same news conference, held up what appeared to be the group’s logo – a white skull on black background framed by bloody butcher’s cleavers with lightning bolts resembling the runes of the Nazi SS.

“The SS rune is in there – that’s not for nothing,” Lewentz said.

Prosecutors said they are still trying to determine whether the group had concrete attack plans and refused to comment beyond their written statement.

There have been conflicts in recent years between far right groups and the Muslim community in North Rhine-Westphalia that have escalated into violent street fights.

In 2013, authorities said they foiled a plot to assassinate a high-ranking member of a far-right party in the state.

Right-wing groups have been a renewed focus for German intelligence agencies after it came to light that a neo-Nazi group calling itself National Socialist Underground, or NSU, allegedly killed eight Turks, a Greek and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007. It is also believed to be behind two bombings and 15 bank robberies.

De Maiziere said statistics released Wednesday showed a sharp increase of 22.9 percent in violent crimes by right-wing extremists in 2014 to 1,029, three times the number in 2013.

Anti-Semitic attacks have also reportedly increased.

The report suggested the rise could be linked to months of non-violent anti-Islam protests by a group calling itself Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West, or PEGIDA.

IPL: Chris Gayle leads Kings XI rout

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Royal Challengers Bangalore's Chris Gayle celebrates after competing his 100 runs during IPL 8 match against Kings XI Punjab in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Photo: Shailendra Bhojak, PTI

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Chris Gayle celebrates after competing his 100 runs during IPL 8 match against Kings XI Punjab in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Photo: Shailendra Bhojak, PTI

Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), riding high on a hurricane century by Chris Gayle, handed out a massive 138-run defeat to a spiritless and spineless Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League match and moved into the fourth spot with their fifth win in 10 outings here on Wednesday.

It was a hiding of sorts as RCB piled up 226 for three which left visiting skipper George Bailey ruing his decision to field after winning the toss, and under pressure, the visitors collapsed to 88 in 13.4 overs as pacemen Mitchell Starc (4 for 15) and Sreenath Aravind (4 for 24) sliced through the line-up.

Gayle struck a brilliant 117 off 57 balls, with seven fours and 12 sixes.

For Kings XI Punjab, runners-up last season, but looking like ragtag team, it was their fifth consecutive defeat in 10 matches, leaving them at the bottom of the eight-team league with just four points with little hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.

RCB, with a massive total on the board, bowled well even as the Kings XI batsmen, barring Axar Patel (40 not out, 21b, 5×4, 2×6) showed little or no determination to even make a fight of it, much less win the game.

The early dismissals of openers Manan Vohra (2) who replaced Virender Sehwag, and Murali Vijay (2), took the wind out of Kings XI sails.

It was a regular procession thereafter before Axar Patel used the long handle, but to little effect as wickets fell in a heap at the other end.

RCB, thus, recorded their biggest IPL victory (in terms of runs), beating their previous best of 130-run win over Pune Warriors in 2013, at this very venue when Gayle smashed his highest T20 score of 175.

Earlier, it was all about Gayle and his 14th T20 century as he led a merciless onslaught on the Punjab bowlers who were made to look ordinary while the home batsmen rained 18 sixes and 14 boundaries on a balmy night when the rains stayed away.

The visiting attack had no answer to first Gayle, who was let off when on 27 with Bailey unable to get to a skier off Sandeep Sharma in the third over of the innings.

The lapse proved costly as Gayle showcased his brute power as well as a fine sense of timing to gallop to his century.

Spearhead Mitchell Johnson, bowling at some speed, leaked 43 runs in his four overs while left-arm spinner Axar Patel went for 51.

Only seamer Anureet Singh, though wicketless, looked the part, conceding just 25 runs in four overs.

Gayle and skipper Virat Kohli (32) laid the platform with a 119-run partnership for the first wicket in just 11.2 overs before the innovative de Villiers joined the Jamaican to heap more misery on Punjab bowlers.

Along with de Villiers, Gayle, who completed 3,000 runs in IPL, added 72 runs before offering a tame return catch to Patel.

The South African then took over and though he lost Dinesh Karthik (8), picked up some easy runs in the company of young Sarfaraz Khan (11 not out) to ensure RCB a winning total.

(IANS)

Gram Panchayat elections scheduled on May 29 and June 2

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Gram Panchayat

Bengaluru: The State Election Commission (SEC) on Tuesday announced that elections to 5,844 gram panchayats (GPs) in the State will be held in two phases on May 29 and June 2.

The first phase of polling on May 29 will see 15 districts voting and the second phase on June 2 will have the remaining 15 districts voting. Counting of votes for both phases will be on June 5. The first phase of the election will be notified on May 11 and the second phase on May 15.

Out of a total of 6073 gram panchayats only 5,844 are going to polls since the terms of 229 gram panchayats are either scheduled to end only in August 2015 or notified for changes or under legal scrutiny.

The state government has made voting compulsory recently by amending the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act. While the amended law has received the assent of the Governor, the government has said there will be no penalty on those who violate the compulsory voting clause.

Elections will be held on a non-party basis and a total of 94,458 GP members will be elected by an electorate of 2.81 crore during the two phases of polling. Fifty per cent of the seats are reserved for women. Polling will not be held in 229 GPs as their tenure will end after August 2015.

During the first phase, on May 29, polling will be held in 15 districts—Mysuru, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Kodagu, Mandya, Chamarajnagara, Udupi, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Haveri, Bagalkote, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad and Gadag.

During the second phase, on June 2, polling will be held in the remaining 15 districts—Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Shivamogga, Tumakuru, Bidar, Ballari, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur and Koppala.

(Agencies)

Rupee breaches 64 against dollar for first time in 20 months

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BLACK-MONEY

The rupee breached the 64 per dollar mark to hit its lowest in 20 months on Thursday. It last traded around these levels in September, 2013.

At the day’s low, the rupee hit 64.25 per dollar, down 71 paise or over 1 per cent against Wednesday’s close of 63.54 per dollar. It is now on course to for a sixth straight day of fall.

Experts say sustained capital outflows in equities and bonds have pressured the rupee, which was the best-performing emerging market currency in 2014.

Foreign institutional investors have sold a total of around Rs 13,500 crore in the last 14 sessions (excluding the Sun Pharma-Daiichi deal). They have also been net sellers in the debt market too. FIIs seem to be pulling out money from India over tax notices demanding a Minimum Alternate Tax on capital gains made during previous years.

“I think the real reason is MAT, which has created a sort of fear in the minds of FIIs… The strangest part is the demand has been raised for last seven years, which has not made a good impression,” said currency expert AV Rajwade.

Increased demand for dollar from importers and banks also weighed on the rupee, forex dealers said.

Traders told Reuters that the uptick in non-deliverable forwards traded in Singapore was hitting sentiment for the rupee and prompting custodian banks to sell the currency. The one-month non-deliverable forex (NDF) was at 64.35/35 versus Wednesday’s close of 64.02.

Most emerging Asian currencies lost ground on Thursday as a global bond rout lifted government bond yields across the region.

As of 2:45 p.m., the rupee traded at 64.16 per dollar. The Sensex was down 205 points to 26,513, while the Nifty traded 72 points lower at 8,025.

(Agencies)

11 killed in West Bengal firecracker factory blast

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Police said all the victims were staff members of the factory where the blast occurred shortly before 10 pm last night.

Firecracker Factory

Midnapore: At least 11 people were killed and four others injured in an explosion in a firecracker factory at Pingla in West Midnapore district, the police said on Thursday.

“So far 11 bodies were recovered. Four others were injured and hospitalised,” district Superintendent of Police Bharati Ghosh told PTI.

On the reason behind the blast, she said, “We are looking into it. Probably something went wrong during manufacturing of crackers.”

Police said all the victims were staff members of the firecracker factory where the blast occurred shortly before 10 pm last night. The fire has been put out.

(PTI)

Key posts vacant as government wants to 'grab' land from common people: Rahul Gandhi

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Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Stepping up his attack on the Modi government, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today questioned why it was keeping the posts of RTI commissioner, Lokpal and Chief Vigilance Commissioner vacant.

Gandhi also reiterated his “suit-boot” barb, saying the government kept the posts vacant as it wanted to “grab” land from common people on behest of its “industrialist friends”.

“Our government fought for transparency. The appointments to the post of RTI commissioner, Lokpal and CVC are not being done by the government and the posts are lying vacant.

“That’s because the ‘suit-boot ki sarkar’ wants to grab land from the people on the behest of its few industrialist friends and give entire power to them,” he told reporters outside the Parliament.

His attack came on a day Congress President Sonia Gandhi accused the government of making a “blatant U-turn” on the issue of transparency and charged it with “deliberately” keeping the posts of Chief Information Commissioner, CVC and Lokpal vacant.

“Information delayed is information denied. This is simply not acceptable. Protecting wrongdoers cannot be part of any government ethos,” she said, recalling Modi’s promises of transparency and good governance.

(PTI)

Bengaluru: Lokayukta files FIRs against Yeddyurappa, Kumaraswamy

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This Nov. 2007 photo shows Kumaraswamy and Yeddyurappa coming out of Raj Bhavan after meeting the then Governor Rameshwar Thakur. File Photo: Bhagya Prakash K, The Hindu

This Nov. 2007 photo shows Kumaraswamy and Yeddyurappa coming out of Raj Bhavan after meeting the then Governor Rameshwar Thakur. File Photo: Bhagya Prakash K, The Hindu

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Lokayukta Police has filed FIRs against former Chief Ministers B S Yeddyurappa and H D Kumaraswamy in a land denotificaton case, charging them under the Prevention of Corruption Act and several IPC provisions, including criminal conspiracy and cheating.

Both leaders have been accused of denotifying land at Matadahalli Layout in R T Nagar here, with Vimala, the mother-in-law of Kumaraswamy, and her son T S Channappa, also being named in the FIRs, Lokayukta Superintendent of Police Sonia Narang said here.

Sections 13 (i) (c) and (d) and 13 (ii) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, pertaining to criminal misconduct by public servants have been invoked against Yeddyurappa and Kumaraswamy, Narang said.

Denotification is a process of returning government land acquired for a project to private parties.

The process gathered pace after Kumaraswamy put up the files, and the land was denotified by Yeddyurappa as Chief Minister in 2010, social activist Jayayakumar Hiremath, who is the complainant, charged.

JDS leader Kumaraswamy, predecessor to Yeddyurappa, had headed a BJP-JDS coalition government.

Yeddyurappa had denotified one acre and 11 guntas (1/40th of an acre) of land, which was originally owned by Thimmareddy, Nagappa and Muniswamappa, Hiremath charged.

He also alleged that Bangalore Development Authority had acquired the land for forming a layout Mathadahalli for which it issued the preliminary notification in 1976.

The land was taken into possession in 1988 after final notification and compensation paid to land losers subsequently, Hiremath said.

Besides these, charges under Sections 401 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 418 (cheating with knowledge that wrongful loss may ensue to person whose interest offender is bound to protect), 420 (cheating), and 120 B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code have also been slapped against them.

(PTI)

I still watch Salman Khan’s movies; No benefit for me if he is punished, says victim

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abdullah-rauf-shaikh

Mumbai: “Compensation matters more than conviction,” say the victims of the 2002 hit-and-run case in which Bollywood star Salman Khan has been sentenced to five years in jail.

Abdullah Rauf Shaikh, who lost a leg in the accident, said, “Nobody came to visit me in the last 13 years. I am forced to do petty jobs to support my family and face a lot of problems.” “However, I have no hard feelings for him (Salman).

I still watch his movies,” he said, adding they were not pressurised by anyone. “Compensation matters more than conviction, my health and work suffered,” Shaikh said.

“If Salman is punished, I will not be benefited in any way as neither my leg will heal nor my problems would go away. Instead if they compensate us then we do not have any problem,” he said, recalling that he was 22 years old when he lost his leg in the incident.

The wife of Nurullah Mehboob Sharif, who died in the accident, said, “We were told we will get a compensation of Rs 10 lakh, but what will we do of that amount at this time of inflation.” She said that she would be benefited if her son gets a job.

(PTI)

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