Water and agriculture to be highlighted Thursday, World Water Day
IMPROVING agricultural practices to get “more crop per drop” will be Jamaica’s main focus on World Water Day, which will be observed on Thursday.
Based on the international theme ‘Water and Food Security… the World is Hungry because it’s Thirsty’, the Water Resources Authority (WRA) will this year, examine a number of strategies to boost the water supply to the agricultural sector, in an effort to reduce the country’s dependence on imported food, said WRA Managing Director, Basil Fernandez.
Some of the strategies include public education on water conservation, protection of watersheds, re-use of treated effluent from households and industries, improving farm water use, rainwater harvesting, and ways to improve agricultural practices to produce more crops.
Fernandez said that as Jamaica continues to compete with the global population for food, which involves food importation, the WRA remains committed to sensitising the public about ways to lessen this trend.
“Our ability to produce sufficient food has been severely impacted by large towns and industries along the South Coast of the island,” he adds.
He further noted that some of the areas affected are major agricultural lands, which negatively impact the food industry. He says that the WRA, in collaboration with other agencies within the Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, will be addressing this growing issue to improve the food industry in Jamaica.
Fernandez said World Water Day will provide the agency with an opportunity to educate the different stakeholders about the importance of water resources, and the need for proper management, especially with the onset of climate change, and its present and potential impacts on water resources islandwide.
World Water Day has been observed in Jamaica since 1993.
Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com
Toulouse school killer 'had camera around his neck
The man who killed four people at a Jewish school in Toulouse had a camera around his neck and may have filmed the scene, France's interior minister says.
Claude Gueant said the camera was one clue helping police build a profile, as the manhunt intensifies with the area on the highest level of terror alert.
Police have linked the attack to two shootings last week in which three soldiers of North African descent died.
The same gun and the same scooter were used in all the attacks.
French schools held a minute's silence on Tuesday.
It is the first time in the country's history that "scarlet alert" has been declared.
The measure enables the authorities to disrupt daily life and implement sweeping security measures, including mixed police-military patrols, powers to suspend public transport and close schools.
About 250 investigators are pursuing two main lines of inquiry - an Islamist motive or the far right.
Mr Gueant said "inquiries have taken place regarding soldiers who were kicked out of the army and who might want to seek revenge... who might have expressed neo-Nazi opinions".
"That's one line of inquiry, but it's not particularly preferred over others."
Referring to the reported camera, the minister said: "This is indeed a clue that we have been told about. It's a video camera worn in a harness on the chest and indeed he was seen, a witness said so, with this device."
He added he did not know if the man had filmed everything.
The camera "records wide-angle footage that can then be watched on a computer. I feel that that will reinforce the killer's psychological profile," the minister said.
He went on to describe the killer as "someone who is very cold, very determined, very in control of himself, very cruel".
But there was no sign police were near making an arrest.
Mother's anger
The shootings took place as parents were taking their children to Ozar Hatorah school on Monday.
A teacher and three children were shot dead, and a teenage boy was seriously injured.
The man got off a black Yamaha scooter stolen in Toulouse five days earlier and "shot at everybody who was near him, children or adults", according to local prosecutor Michel Valet.
The dead were Jonathan Sandler, a 30-year-old rabbi and teacher of religion originally from Jerusalem, and his two sons, aged four and five.
The fourth person killed was a seven-year-old girl, Miriam Monsonego, daughter of the head teacher. She died in her father's arms.
All the dead were dual French-Israeli nationals and will be buried in Israel.
Initially, the killer used a 9mm gun, but when it jammed, he switched to a .45 calibre pistol.
Police say the .45 was the same gun used to kill three soldiers in two separate shootings in Toulouse and nearby Montauban last week. All three were of North African or Caribbean origin.
The mother of a girl at the Toulouse school told the BBC she was angry with the authorities, who she said had not taken last week's incidents seriously enough and had "lost time to look for this man".
The BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris says not since the early 1980s have there been lethal attacks like this in France on Jewish targets. And even then, children were never the primary victims, he says.
All the candidates in the French presidential election have suspended campaigning.
--BBC
Diamond Jubilee: Queen to 'rededicate' herself
The Queen has promised to "rededicate myself to the service" of the UK and its people as she celebrates her Diamond Jubilee.
In a speech to both Houses of Parliament, she said the commemoration of her 60 years on the throne was a chance "to come together in a spirit of neighbourliness and celebration".
The Queen also praised Prince Philip for his "constant strength".
A stained glassed window commissioned for the Jubilee was unveiled.
Hundreds of dignitaries, including Prime Minister David Cameron, his deputy Nick Clegg, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, assembled for the speech, which was greeted with a standing ovation.
The Queen responded to tributes made to her in both Houses of Parliament earlier this month.
'Ingenuity and tolerance'
These "humble addresses" were officially presented to her by Commons Speaker John Bercow and Lords Speaker Baroness D'Souza.
Speaking in Westminster Hall, the Queen paid tribute to the British virtues of "resilience, ingenuity and tolerance", and to the Duke of Edinburgh, whom she called her "constant strength and guide" over the decades.
She said: "During these years as your Queen, the support of my family has, across the generations, been beyond measure.
"Prince Philip is, I believe, well-known for declining compliments of any kind. But throughout he has been a constant strength and guide."
Reflecting on the ancient setting for her address: "We are reminded here of our past, of the continuity of our national story and the virtues of resilience, ingenuity and tolerance which created it.
"I have been privileged to witness some of that history and, with the support of my family, rededicate myself to the service of our great country and its people now and in the years to come."
The Queen also looked back at the only other monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee, Queen Victoria, in 1897.
She said: "So, in an era when the regular, worthy rhythm of life is less eye-catching than doing something extraordinary, I am reassured that I am merely the second sovereign to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee."
Ahead of the speech, House of Commons Speaker John Bercow praised the Queen for presiding over an increase in diversity in public life during her reign, describing her as a "kaleidoscope Queen of a kaleidoscope country in a kaleidoscope Commonwealth".
'Close affinity'
The tradition of both houses of Parliament making addresses to the monarch and the sovereign replying dates back to the 16th Century.
Such events have been staged in Westminster Hall since George V's Silver Jubilee in 1935.
To mark the occasion, the Queen was presented with the specially commissioned stained glass window as a gift by members of both Houses of Parliament.
Consisting of up 1,500 pieces of glass, it has been paid for personally by members of both Houses and designed by British artist John Reyntiens.
In her speech, the Queen praised the "remarkable sacrifice and courage of our armed forces", adding: "Much may have indeed have changed these past 60 years but the valour of those who risk their lives for the defence and freedom of us all remains undimmed."
Members of the Royal Family have begun touring the Commonwealth to mark the Diamond Jubilee, with Prince Harry recently returning from a trip to Belize, the Bahamas and Jamaica.
The Queen said: "These overseas tours are a reminder of our close affinity with the Commonwealth, encompassing about one-third of the world's population.
"My own association with the Commonwealth has taught me that the most important contact between nations is usually contact between its peoples.
"An organisation dedicated to certain values, the Commonwealth has flourished and grown by successfully promoting and protecting that contact."
Few people are accorded the honour of addressing both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall. Among those to have done so in recent times include US President Barack Obama and Pope Benedict XVI.
The Queen addressed Parliament in 1977 and 2002 when she marked her Silver and Golden Jubilees respectively.
She also opens Parliament every year, delivering a speech outlining the government's legislative agenda.
The Queen's Speech will take place this year in early May, a change from its normal date in the autumn following changes to the parliamentary calendar by the coalition government.
The Queen began her Diamond Jubilee tour of the UK in Leicester earlier this month. Celebrations will come to a head in June during a four-day series of events.
--BBC
Deadly explosions in series of attacks on Iraqi cities
At least 38 people have been killed in a series of co-ordinated attacks across Iraq, officials say.
Two car bombs in the predominantly Shia city of Kerbala are reported to have killed at least 13 people.
Another car bomb near police headquarters in the northern city of Kirkuk killed seven people, according to hospital sources.
The attacks come ahead of next week's Arab League summit to be held in the capital, Baghdad.
Security forces in Iraq have been placed on high alert ahead of the summit.
The attacks also coincide with the ninth anniversary of the beginning of the US-led invasion of Iraq.
The summit is seen as the country's debut on the regional stage following the withdrawal of US troops in December.
It is widely thought that the attacks are intended to undermine confidence in the government at a crucial time, says the BBC's Peter Biles.
Elsewhere, there were attacks in a number of other Iraqi towns.
There are also reports of a car bomb blast in the capital, Baghdad, which is said to have killed at least two people, and of an attack outside the foreign ministry, as well as attacks in Hilla and Latifiya in the south of the country.
Apple to pay dividend and buy back shares
Apple has said it will use its cash to start paying a dividend to shareholders and to buy back some of its shares.
The technology giant said it would pay a quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share from July.
It will buy back up to $10bn (£6.3bn) of its own shares starting in the company's next financial year, which begins on 30 September 2012.
At the end of last year, Apple revealed it had $97.6bn in cash. It expects to use $45bn over the next three years.
It is the first time Apple has declared a dividend since 1995.
"We have used some of our cash to make great investments in our business through increased research and development, acquisitions, new retail store openings, strategic prepayments and capital expenditures in our supply chain, and building out our infrastructure," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in a statement.
"You'll see more of all of these in the future.
"Even with these investments, we can maintain a war chest for strategic opportunities and have plenty of cash to run our business. So we are going to initiate a dividend and share repurchase programme."
Apple shares have surged to about $600 in recent days, making it the world's most valuable company, with a stock market value of more than $500bn. Ten years ago, the shares were trading at about $10.
Booming sales of iPhones and iPads have helped the firm build up its huge cash pile.
"This is consistent with what we, and I think most, expected them to do, which is to address shareholder concerns around the huge cash stockpile while retaining enough of a reserve to keep a wide range of strategic options on the table," said John Jackson from CCS Insight.
"This, plus the buyback, should continue to bolster the soaring share price."
Shares in Apple ended Monday trading up 2.7%.
Australia passes controversial mining tax into law
The Australian Senate has pushed through into law a 30% tax on iron ore and coal mining companies.
The tax will raise A$10.6bn ($11.2bn, £7bn) over three years from major companies including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xtrata.
Strong demand for raw materials from China and India has lead to a resource boom in Australia.
The mining tax is aimed at distributing the benefits of that revenue to other segments of the economy.
It comes into effect on 1 July.
Opposing views
"This important reform will provide a revenue stream to ensure that businesses in particular that are not in the fast lane of the resources boom get some tax relief," Treasurer Wayne Swan told Parliament.
The government wants to use the funds, amongst other things, to reduce Australia's company tax rate from 30% to 29%.
The measure passed through the upper house Senate with backing the ruling Labor party and the Greens party, in a success for Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
However, the conservative opposition coalition is against the mining tax, saying it will drive investment overseas and cost thousands of jobs in Australia.
Political upset
The Australian government originally announced a 40% mining tax in May 2010, but that set-off intense opposition from the mining companies.
That opposition was central to the Labor party's decision in June to replace Kevin Rudd as prime minister with Ms Gillard.
She then negotiated a 30% tax with the mining giants.
The government also won support for the tax by promising A$6bn in spending on infrastructure such as roads, rail and ports.
It also agreed to raise the amount paid to people's retirement savings to 12% of their salary by 2020, up from the current 9%.
Deutsche to challenge EU over NYSE Euronext ruling
Deutsche Boerse is to legally challenge the European Commission's decision to block its planned merger with stock exchange rival NYSE Euronext.
The two companies called off their merger last month after Brussels objected to the deal on competition grounds.
Deutsche Boerse said on Monday that "several aspects" of the Commission's decision were "incorrect".
It is taking the matter to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
The ECJ is the highest court in Europe for cases involving the interpretation of European Union law.
The proposed deal between Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext would have created the world's largest stock exchange operator.
However, the Commission said it would have created a "near monopoly" in European financial derivatives.
Deutsche Boerse runs the main German stock market in Frankfurt.
NYSE Euronext runs the New York Stock Exchange, and a number of exchanges in Europe including Paris, Lisbon and Amsterdam.
Mets owners settle Bernard Madoff lawsuit
The owners of the New York Mets baseball team have agreed to pay $162m (£102m) to settle a lawsuit which accused them of being "wilfully blind" to Bernard Madoff's Ponzi fraud.
The civil case against Mets' owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz was brought by Irving Picard, trustee for Madoff's victims.
Mr Wilpon and Mr Katz will not have to pay any money for at least three years. Both denied any wrongdoing.
Madoff was jailed in 2009.
The New York-based investment-fund owner was found guilty of orchestrating a $20bn fraud, which used the funds of new joiners to pay long-term members.
Mr Wilpon and Mr Katz had invested with Madoff for 25 years, insisting that they did so in "good faith", and had no knowledge of the fraud.
The settlement was announced just as the case was due to go to court in New York.
Mr Katz said: "We are very pleased to have this behind us.
"We have done everything in good faith. The settlement itself bears that out."
Egypt in mourning for Coptic Pope Shenouda's funeral
Big crowds are expected in the Egyptian capital for the funeral of Coptic Pope Shenouda III, who died on Saturday.
A service will be held at St Mark's cathedral, followed by burial at St Bishoy monastery in the Nile Delta.
Shenouda, 88, was the spiritual leader of Egypt's Copts - who make up 10% of the country's population - for decades.
Tens of thousands of mourners have paid their respects to the pope, whose body has been on display in the cathedral.
Copts - the Middle East's largest Christian community - have been given time off work to prepare for Tuesday's funeral.
A national day of mourning has been declared for the funeral.
World tributes
Tens of thousands of people queued to see Pope Shenouda in the past two days.
Dressed in embroidered vestments and a golden mitre, and holding a gold-tipped staff, his body was laid in a coffin before being placed on a ceremonial throne.
The holy pope was able to gain the love of even those who held different opinions and I believe this will be a difficult thing to replace," said a mourner named as Samir.
"But God protects the Church and he will find a suitable patriarch."
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says the massive crowds bear witness to the huge love and respect for Pope Shenouda.
He was seen as a leader who did his best to protect Coptic Christians at a time when Islamism was on the rise, our correspondent says.
But his deep conservatism -including opposition to divorce - was not always popular with younger Christians.
The first challenge for the new leader of the Church will be to reassure Copts of their place in a country whose largest political party is now the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, our correspondent adds.
There is no timetable yet for the selection of his successor, who will be elected by a conclave of senior bishops.
Tributes have come in from around the world, with Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI offering prayers and US President Barack Obama praising Pope Shenouda as an "advocate for tolerance and religious dialogue".
Egypt's military rulers expressed the hope on their Facebook page that his wish of "preserving the unity of Egypt and the unity of its social fabric" would be achieved.
And a senior Muslim cleric, the Grand Imam of the prestigious al-Azhar university, Ahmed al-Tayeb, expressed sorrow and said he "greatly remembers his vision towards Jerusalem and its history".
Russia joins Red Cross call for daily truce in Syria
Russia has joined the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in calling for a daily two-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Syria.
In a statement, the foreign ministry called on the government "and all armed groups who oppose it" to agree to ceasefires "without delay".
Russia has twice vetoed Western-backed draft resolutions on Syria at the UN Security Council.
Its call came hours after clashes erupted in part of the Syrian capital.
The head of the ICRC, Jakob Kellenberger, had travelled to Moscow to discuss a ceasefire arrangement with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The organisation says a daily pause in fighting is needed to evacuate the wounded from the worst affected areas and allow in food and medicine.
Mr Kellenberger said Russia's support for its appeal was "very important" and that he noted it with "satisfaction and gratitude".
"The most important issue for us is to ensure humanitarian ceasefires as soon as possible," Russian media quoted him as saying.
He said the prospect of more Syrian cities being subjected to the intense military bombardment seen in Homs earlier this year was "absolutely unacceptable".
'Concrete results'
Russia is a key ally of Syria and, along with China, has thwarted attempts to agree to a UN resolution condemning President Bashar al-Assad's actions.
In its statement, Moscow said it supported the ICRC's demands and urged the Syrian authorities to give the organisation "access to all detained persons in Syria following the protests".
The BBC's Daniel Sandford in Moscow says the announcement could be interpreted as a hardening of Russia's public position on Syria, though Moscow has been calling for a permanent ceasefire on both sides for months.
ICRC spokeswoman Victoria Zotikova told AFP news agency the organisation hoped to see "concrete results of such meetings on the ground in the coming days and weeks".
The UN says more than 8,000 people have been killed in the year-long uprising, while tens of thousands of people have fled their homes.
Overnight, the Syrian capital, Damascus, experienced some of its heaviest fighting since the uprising began.
Witnesses said machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades were heard from the heavily guarded district of al-Mezze, where several security buildings are located and which has seen several large anti-government protests.
Syrian TV said three "terrorists" and a security force member had been killed, while the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four rebel fighters had died.
State television said that in addition to the dead, several people on both sides were injured.
The latest incident follows bomb blasts in Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo over the weekend in which nearly 30 people died and scores were wounded.
On Monday, a team of experts representing the joint UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan arrived in Syria to press his proposals for a ceasefire and monitoring.
A spokesman for Mr Annan told AFP news agency the group were experienced in "peacekeeping and mediation" and would stay in Syria "for as long as they are making progress to reach agreement on practical steps to implement Mr Annan's proposals".
Mr Assad is trying to quell an increasingly armed rebellion that sprang from a fierce crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy protests a year ago.
He insists his troops are fighting "armed gangs" seeking to destabilise Syria.