Two a penny

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Nearly 60 people have been killed, Manila was blacked out and airline flights were suspended as a powerful typhoon battered the main Philippines island of Luzon.

Television showed houses swept away by swollen rivers, people on rooftops waving for help and throngs stranded along Manila’s submerged main thoroughfares as the storm packing winds of 100 kph (60 mph) dumped 341 mm (13.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo appealed for donations of clothes, blankets, food and water as hundreds of families, perched on rooftops or were trapped in submerged areas, waiting for rescue.5 inches) of rain in six hours. At least 47 people were killed, mostly by drowning, in Rizal province, east of Manila, radio reports quoted the local governor as saying. . Authorities shut down operations at international and domestic airports, stranding thousands of passengers. Eleven more people were killed by collapsing walls and rising floodwaters in the capital area, disaster officials said. Disaster officials declared a “state of calamity” for the capital region and 25 other areas on the main island of Luzon, in order to speed up rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts. An advisory said operations would not resume until Sunday. The typhoon was moving west-northwest and was expected to head towards the South China Sea by Sunday evening or Monday morning, chief weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz told a local radio station. Businesses and commercial shops closed early and local hotels were packed by weary commuters. An average of about 20 typhoons strike the Southeast Asian nation every year. He said the typhoon brought the heaviest rainfall in the country since 1967 after its weather station collected 341 mm of rainfall in six hours on Saturday.

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AFP – France’s top banks are demanding billions of dollars (euros) from the administrator of failed Wall Street investment bank Lehman Brothers, official documents issued on Friday showed.

BNP Paribas is claiming around 1.3 billion dollars, Societe Generale 800 million dollars and Dexia 400 million dollars, according to AFP’s calculations based on documents for the administrator published on the site Epiq Systems. The deadline for claims set by the US bankruptcy court was September 22, more than a year after the shock failure of Lehman Brothers. .

Like other creditors, we are engaged in a procedure to recover our debts, said a spokesman for Dexia who did not however confirm the amount sought.

Lehman’s collapse on September 15, 2008 sowed panic in boardrooms, government offices and households around the world and has come to symbolise the beginning of a steep slump that plunged the global economy into recession.

A spokesman for French insurer Axa, which is seeking 186 million dollars according to the documents issued Friday, said: We suffered a loss.

BNP Paribas – financial crisis – Lehman Brothers – Societe Generale
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BNP Paribas and Societe Generale decline to comment on their own claims

.Russia has moved closer than ever to the United States’ position that Iran should face harsh sanctions unless it makes concessions about its nuclear program.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has indicated he might be ready to take a tougher stance on Iran after a meeting with US President Barack Obama.
There are increasingly urgent efforts by the United States and other major powers to prod Iran into fully disclosing its nuclear program, so all eyes were on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly today.
“[We aim for the] eradication of arms race and elimination of all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons,” he said.
Mr Ahmadinejad says his country is ready to shake all hands that “are honestly extended to us” and he says Iran is committed to building durable peace and security worldwide.
“If Iran does not respond to serious negotiations and resolve this issue in a way that assures the international community that it is meeting its commitments and is not developing nuclear weapons, then we will have to take additional actions,” Mr Obama said.
But momentum seems to be growing towards imposing new sanctions on Iran and the issue dominated today’s talks between Mr Medvedev and Mr Obama.
“Sanctions, serious additional sanctions, remain a possibility. .”
The White House says there is “no daylight” between Russia and the US when it comes to their objectives regarding Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
– Global pressure –
The increased pressure on Iran comes a week before international talks in Geneva about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“Sanctions rarely lead to productive results but in some cases sanctions are inevitable,” Mr Medvedev said.
“Iran should come to the talks on October 1 ready to engage in serious and substantive discussions with a sense of urgency and a review of the practical steps that need to be taken on the nuclear issue,” Senator Clinton said.
In preparation for those talks, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today met with her counterparts from Britain, Russia, China, France and Germany.
Mr Ahmadinejad has already hinted what he will request at those talks.
Mr Ahmadinejad has already hinted what he will request at those talks.
But French President Nicolas Sarkozy has a message for Iran’s leaders.
He says that will test whether the Obama administration is serious about engagement.
Mr Sarkozy has suggested that a December deadline be set for Iran to show progress in talks with world powers.
“If they rely on a passive response from the international community in order to pursue their military nuclear program, they will be making a tragic mistake,” he said.
“Let there be no ambiguity – Iran and North Korea must now know that the world will be even tougher on proliferation.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has made it clear time is running out.
“Britain will insist in future that the onus on non-nuclear states is that in the years ahead it is for them to prove that they are not developing nuclear weapons. We are ready to consider further sanctions,” he said.”

.The French parliament has approved a piracy bill that has drawn attention from around the world with its provision to cut illegal downloaders off from the internet.
The bill, which was opposed by consumer groups but had the backing of the music and film industry, is one of the toughest ever drafted in the global fight against the illegal downloading of films, music and computer games.
“The penalties will probably be quite rare, for I believe in the effectiveness of this deterrent,” said culture minister Frederic Mitterrand.
The bill was approved by 258 votes to 131.
Championed by Mr Sarkozy and singer-turned-first lady Carla Bruni, the original anti-piracy law was adopted in May after a stormy parliament battle, but was blocked in June by France’s top legal authority.
An official of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-wing UMP party, Franck Riester, said the first warnings to users falling foul of the new law would be sent at the beginning of next year.
Opponents said it failed to give alleged pirates enough recourse to challenge accusations and argued that web innovations would make it possible for illegal downloaders to avoid detection.
The Constitutional Council objected to a key provision which gave a new state agency the power to shut down web access for up to a year for those who download music and films illegally.
On the third strike, a judge would hand down an internet ban or, as was possible under existing but rarely applied legislation, impose a fine of up to 300,000 euros ($507,000) or a two-year jail sentence.
The new bill shifts the final decision on cutting off web users away from the state agency to the courts.
In Sweden, a similar law, which was closely monitored by France, has led to a sharp drop in illegal downloading although critics predict the effects will be short-lived and argue it is an excessive breach of personal privacy.
Account holders found guilty of “negligence” for allowing a third party to pirate music or films using their web connection would risk a 1,500-euro fine and a month-long suspension.

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French postal unions called on Monday for indefinite strike action at Paris post offices ahead of a nationwide protest against proposed reforms to the country’s state-owned postal service.

The strike action, affecting 185 branches of La Poste in Paris, is a reaction to cost-saving measures that have involved shedding 140 jobs in the last six months.

Why change its status if the aim is not to prepare for a change in its ownership structure? Olivier Besancenot, a postal worker and spokesman of the New Anti-capitalist Party (NPA), told France Inter radio.

Bythem Postal reform in France, Face off aired on 22 September 2009
Unions are fearful that a government plan to change La Poste into a public-limited company may eventually lead to the company’s privatisation. There’s no question of a privatisation, the service will remain 100 percent public, no private funds will enter its capital, he told France Info radio.

French Labour Minister Xavier Darcos denied that any such plans were afoot. .

I perfectly understand the concern of La Poste employees, he added.

La Poste says it needs the government cash injection of 2.

The French government approved the proposals earlier this year, saying the change in status was necessary to prepare for the sector’s liberalisation in 2011 under EU rules. The government plans to inject the funds directly and via state-owned bank Caisse des Depots (CDC).7 billion euros to be in a competitive postion. In the first six months of 2009, profits fell 19% while revenues slipped 2%.

The French postal service is taking steps to streamline its operations and stem the decline in its profits.

France – strike

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&raquo Hosni is opposed to the barbaric acts perpetrated by Israel, not to the Israeli people who want to live in peace with their neighbours – Ahmed Gamal el-Din Mohammed, communications worker, Cairo
REUTERS – A political storm with accusations of anti-Semitism and censorship stirred up UNESCO election of a new director-general on Thursday, centring on one of the top candidates&rsquo comment that he would burn Israeli books.

Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosni bid for the United Nations culture agency top post has drawn fire from French intellectuals and Jewish organisations, who were joined by press freedom activists before the first round of voting on Thursday.

But at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, backers hailed Hosni as a man of peace who would improve ties with Muslim countries. He has never been controversial, he has always been considered a man of peace.

If we don&rsquot bring in the Muslim world, it will be understood as a signal against them, and that will be difficult for us, Sishir Das, a member of the Malaysian delegation, told Reuters in the UNESCO foyer.

Hosni this year apologised for the comment and some prominent activists such as French Nazi hunter Serge Klarsfeld have accepted his regrets and supported him.

But asked last year about Israeli books in Egyptian libraries, Hosni was quoted as telling a member of parliament:
Let burn these books if there are any, I will burn them myself before you.

Other activists have since piled into the row, accusing Hosni of colluding in censorship and violation of press freedom in Egypt, and pressuring UNESCO members not to vote for him. It difficult to see someone like that as head of UNESCO.

Hosni is culture minister in a country that doesn&rsquot respect freedom of speech, Jean-Francois Julliard, secretary-general of media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, told Reuters. UNESCO declined to comment on the case.

Egypt delegation at UNESCO said Hosni would not comment until after the vote.N.

The outcry creates a difficult situation for governments who like to use top U. posts in diplomatic horse-trading. posts in diplomatic horse-trading.

The United States is reportedly working behind the scenes to prevent Hosni from winning the vote, which starts on Thursday with a first round. Other European countries such as Germany have refrained from taking sides, but diplomatic sources said the controversy could nudge them towards voting for Austrian candidate Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

A painter who has served as culture minister for two decades, Hosni was long viewed as a front-runner. Further rounds could be held in coming days. .

In May, philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, film director Claude Lanzmann and Nobel Peace Price laureate Elie Wiesel published a column in newspaper Le Monde accusing him of anti-Semitism, citing the book-burning quote and others.

anti-Semitism – Egypt – elections – UNESCO
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In 1979, Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, but it has resisted warmer relations

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French parliament members have adopted an amended version of a controversial anti-piracy bill by 285 votes to 225, following an acrimonious debate between supporters of intellectual property rights and advocates of free access to information.

The groundbreaking bill, known as Hadopi — after the French abbreviation for the High Authority for the Distribution of Works and the Protection of Rights on the Internet — allows French authorities to track illegal Internet downloading and suspend services forrepeated offenders.

An earlier version of Hadopi was approved by the French Senate in May after the lower house of parliament approved the bill with 296 votes. A third infringement could result in Hadopi ordering Internet Service Providers (ISP) to suspend Internet access for up to a year, without a trial.

&lsquoThree strikes&rsquo and Internet service is out

Dubbed the three strikes law, the original version handed a specially created administrative body &ndash or Hadopi &ndash the power to issue two warnings to Internet users who illegally download music, videos or software. .

The law was strongly criticised by online civil rights activists and French opposition politicians as well as some members of the ruling UMP party.

Introducing an updated version

But questions over its implementation sparked an heated debate over whether the law constituted a sensible restitution of intellectual property to its rightful owners or an intrusive invasion of privacy rights and denial of access to information.

The new version, known as Hadopi 2, allows for double offenders to be tried in a French court before their Internet service is suspended.

In June, the country’s highest legal authority, the Constitutional Council, ruled that the law was unconstitutional since it allowed the suspension of Internet access without trial and ran contrary to the presumption of innocence provided under French law.

France – Internet – law – music – music industry – piracy – software – video
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Hadopi 2 will now move to the upper house, or Senate, for its approval before its gets signed into law

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The International Criminal Court for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague has convicted French national Florence Hartmann, and a previous employee of the ICTY, for being in contempt of the Tribunal by disclosing confidential information in knowing violation of a court order.

Hartmann, who previously worked for Le Monde as a journalist, will not receive a jail term, but must pay a fine of 7,000 euros to her long-term employer.

The confidential information Hartmann disclosed was in a 2007 book she wrote about the working of the ICTY called Peace and Punishment: The Secret Wars of Politics and International Justice and several articles she wrote, notably for Paris Match magazine..

In passing judgement, presiding Judge Bakone Justice Moloto said, The chamber finds the accused guilty of [.] knowingly and wilfully interfering with the tribunal’s administration of justice&hellip.. This&hellip impacts upon the tribunal ability to exercise its jurisdiction to prosecute and punish serious violations of humanitarian law as prescribed by its mandate. He was uncertain about their next step, saying, It very likely that we will appeal, but we have not made a final decision yet.

Appeal

them spoke to Hartmann’s lawyer, Guenael Mettraux, shortly after the conviction.

When discussing the verdict, Mettraux was bullish but somewhat resigned. We have 15 days to decide according to court procedure. We were hoping and expecting an acquittal, but I have to say, we are not completely surprised. He said, We are disappointed.

Mettraux reported that Hartman herself has suffered a lot of disappointment, but she is strongly of the view that our case has merit [&hellip] and that it is for the betterment of journalists.

Mettraux reported that Hartman herself has suffered a lot of disappointment, but she is strongly of the view that our case has merit [&hellip] and that it is for the betterment of journalists.

Previous prosecutions

them also spoke to a spokesperson for the ICTY, Nerma Jeliacic, who said, This case is attracting the international media&hellip but there has been a precedent of other journalists and even lawyers being convicted for similar transgressions. The ICTY acknowledged that some information included in her work was in the public domain but said that a decision remains confidential until a Chamber explicitly decides otherwise.

However, human rights organisations, journalist groups and advocacy groups have been up in arms, arguing that Hartmann indeed did stay within the public domain. This key issue of precedent is quite clearly the crucial point for the ICTY and why it feels justified in its ruling.

The trial could not come at a worse time for the Hague or for the ICTY itself, as they attempt to assert their relevance and increase their clout.

Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based media advocacy group, went so far as to say before the verdict that, The right to free expression about cases handled by international courts depends on the ICTY verdict. . It could be argued that cases such as this just serve as a distraction to the true nature of the bodies&rsquo work.

ICTY – international justice

.Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, best known for work inspired by sexually explicit cartoons, will star next in a series of major exhibitions at the Palace of Versailles.
During an event to promote the launch of a show by French pop artist Xavier Veilhan, Versailles museum director Jean-Jacques Aillagon told that Murakami had been chosen to appear in 2010.
Last year, Murakami was the only visual artist in Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
The 47-year-old Japanese artist’s work draws on the look of manga comic books – perhaps most famously in the 1997 statue Hiropon, which depicts a large chested girl skipping over a “rope” of spurting breast milk.
Last year’s equivalent exhibition at Versailles – a massive exhibition of American pop artist Jeff Koons’ work – faced a legal challenge from a French aristocrat and heir of the palace’s original resident Louis XIV.
Murakami has a global cult following, but his brash and colourful style may raise the hackles of some of the more traditionalist French gallery visitors. .
Prince Charles-Emmanuel de Bourbon-Parme felt the “pornographic” exhibition dishonoured his family’s illustrious past, but he failed to get it banned.
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In all, eight giant works have been installed in the palace, just south-west of Paris, for a show that will run from September 13 to December 13

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AFP – Salvadoran police Thursday arrested a man suspected of involvement in the murder a day earlier of a high-profile Franco-Spanish journalist who had been investigating violent drug gangs.

Christian Poveda, 54, was found dead close to his vehicle on a road north of the capital San Salvador on Wednesday. An autopsy later confirmed he had been shot in the face four times, police and doctors said.Poveda was killed just weeks before the release of his latest documentary on violent drug gangs that blight the country.

The late filmmaker Christian Poveda spoke to them about shooting La Vida Loca in June.

Investigators said it was not clear if Poveda was the victim of a robbery, or was killed by members of the gangs whose lives he had meticulously documented. He had been filming in La Campanera, a suburb of El Salvador’s capital where gangs known as maras pervade.

We can’t link his death to any particular hypothesis, said Marco Tulio Lima of the police department’s homicide division.

Police said Thursday they had arrested a person suspected of involvement in Poveda’s murder.

Others said robbery appeared not to have been a motive, since Poveda’s car, cameras and recording equipment remained untouched close to his body, along with spent nine-millimeter bullet shells.

Ascencio said the suspect was detained in the area where the killing occured, about 15 kilometers (nine miles) northeast of San Salvador between the towns of Apopa and Tonacatepeque, but did not provide details.

A person has been detained, and we are investigating to determine whether he has any relation to what happened, National Police chief Carlos Ascencio told reporters. He was married to a Salvadoran woman.

Born in France to a family of Spanish origin, Poveda covered El Salvador’s 1980-1992 civil war and moved here permanently in 2003.

La Vida Loca, his film about the Mara 18 gang, whose heavily-tattooed members engage in drug trafficking and extortion, is set for release in Europe on September 30.

La Vida Loca, his film about the Mara 18 gang, whose heavily-tattooed members engage in drug trafficking and extortion, is set for release in Europe on September 30.

The most probable thing is that he was the victim of one of the gangs he was investigating, a murky underworld that even the local authorities have no handle on, said Jean-Francois Julliard, head of Reporters Without Borders.

But his work appeared to have earned him disfavor among some gangs and death threats had been issued against him, according to local media. .

El Salvador’s President Mauricio Funes, a former journalist who knew Poveda, said he was dismayed by the death, which he strongly condemned.

He said the crime should be cleared up as quickly as possible and those responsible put behind bars, while urging Salvadorans to unite to combat the scourge of gang violence.

The murder has shaken the country, Funes said, adding that the filmmaker was presenting to the world an objective view of gang life.

He had contact with extremely dangerous active gang members, Escalante said.

Attorney General Astor Escalante warned that Poveda may have been cut down by people similar to those he portrayed in his documentaries. The cruel hand of violence has taken him from us.

It is a sad loss, said Juan Jose Dalton of the Foreign Correspondents Association of El Salvador.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists lauded Poveda’s powerful inside look into youth violence in one of Central America’s most dangerous regions, and urged authorities to carry out a prompt and exhaustive inquiry into his murder.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists lauded Poveda’s powerful inside look into youth violence in one of Central America’s most dangerous regions, and urged authorities to carry out a prompt and exhaustive inquiry into his murder.

The French foreign ministry described him as a great professional who did not hesitate to take great risks in the service of freedom of information.

In Spain, organizers of the San Sebastian Film Festival paid tribute to Poveda, where La Vida Loca was first presented last year.

The festival organizers condemned Poveda’s murder and said the best tribute that can be done is to see the film.

Poveda spent 16 months filming in La Campanera to show the drugs deals, thefts, killings and police raids that fill the daily lives of the maras, gangs who have multiplied in several Central American countries in recent years.

In an interview with in 2008, Poveda said he wanted to draw attention to what he considers a social phenomenon and not just a problem of delinquency.

Alain Mingan, a journalist and friend, paid tribute to a great professional, widely respected in the world of photojournalism and documentary-making.

He wanted to show what remained of humanity in this world of violence, and he has paid the price for it.

The French embassy said his remains would be transferred to Alicante, southern Spain, where his family lives.

assassination – cinema – El Salvador – murder – police – shootings