In Romania-Day of the Romanian Army
Events:
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1648 - The Treaty of Westphalia is signed, ending the Thirty Years War and radically shifting the balance of power in Europe.
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1760 - George III becomes King of Great Britain
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1838 - Georges Bizet, French composer is borned
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1861 – The Toronto Stock Exchange is created.
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1900 – The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal
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1944 – The Romanian Army liberates Carei, the last Romanian city under Axis Powers' occupation.
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1944 – Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history, takes place in and around the Philippines between the Imperial Japanese Navy and the U.S. Third and U.S. Seventh Fleets.
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1945 – The Republic of China takes over administration of Taiwan following Japan's surrender to the Allies.
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1955 - The first domestic microwave oven was sold by Tappan
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1984 – Katy Perry, American singer is born.
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1990 - The first transplant operation of a lung from a live
donor to a recipient is performed by Dr.
Vaughn A. Starnes, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California.
A mother was the living donor to her 12-year-old daughter.
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2007 – The first Airbus A380 passenger flight, operating for Singapore Airlines, with flight number SQ 380, flying scheduled service between Singapore and Sydney, Australia.
Headlines
Washington (CNN) -- President Obama has declared a national
emergency to deal with the "rapid increase in illness" from the H1N1
influenza virus.
"The 2009 H1N1 pandemic continues to evolve.
The rates of illness continue to rise rapidly within many communities
across the nation, and the potential exists for the pandemic to
overburden health care resources in some localities," Obama said in a
statement.
"Thus, in recognition of the continuing progression
of the pandemic, and in further preparation as a nation, we are taking
additional steps to facilitate our response."
The president signed the declaration late Friday and announced it Saturday.
Calling
the emergency declaration "an important tool in our kit going forward,"
one administration official called Obama's action a "proactive measure
that's not in response to any new development."
Another
administration official said the move is "not tied to the current case
count" and "gives the federal government more power to help states" by
lifting bureaucratic requirements -- both in treating patients and
moving equipment to where it's most needed.
United Nations (CNN) -- Nearly 40 percent of North Koreans
are starving, and a shortfall in international aid means that a
fraction of those people will receive food donations, a U.N. rights
expert said.
The World Food Programme will be able to reach
fewer than 2 million of the communist country's 9 million hungry
people, said Vitit Muntarbhorn, the U.N. special human rights
investigator for North Korea.
Aid has been limited by global
reaction to North Korea's recent nuclear and missile tests and the
government's priorities are misguided, he said.
"The country is
not poor, and yet the money is not spent on the people," Muntarbhorn
told reporters Thursday after delivering his latest report before the
U.N. General Assembly. "People should be entitled to a fair share of
the budget and the benefits from trade in terms of access to
sustainable development."
North Korea's exports amounted to
several billion dollars last year. The country also has a greater
abundance of natural resources than its southern neighbor, Muntarbhorn
said.
He urged the U.N. Security Council to step up as North Koreans face worsening conditions.
The United Nations regards the North Korean government as one of the
most restrictive and repressive in the world. The Security Council has
slapped the reclusive nation with multiple sanctions, though the United Nations does not tend to intervene in a country's humanitarian affairs.
"Let's make good use of the international system," Muntarbhorn urged. "I need the Security Council."
Muntarbhorn, who has been denied access to North Korea
for six years, described a downturn of human rights in that society,
saying that North Koreans live in constant fear of abduction, arrest,
abuse and even public execution.
He reported that women continue
to be highly discriminated against -- they are barred from trading and
are forced to wear skirts and dresses even while bicycling as necessary
transportation.
Freedom of information also remains restricted.
Communication has progressed somewhat, now that cell phones are legal
-- even to the non-elite -- but Muntarbhorn said phones are not
permitted near the border. Possessing a computer is illegal for North
Koreans.
Currently, there is no U.S. aid going into North Korea,
though the World Food Programme is allowed access under the watch of
North Korean military. According to North Korean military rules, food
organizations must announce their visit a week before arrival.
The
North Korean constitution recently was amended to acknowledge human
rights, and references to communism were removed, Muntarbhorn said.
However,
he said, the government has replaced communism with "their own brand of
socialism," which ranks government authority very high and regular
citizens very low.
"We can feel that the reference to human right is somewhat undermined," he said.
Chelsea rout Blackburn to top Premier League; Spurs lose to Stoke
(CNN) -- Frank Lampard scored twice as Chelsea went back to
the top of the English Premier League with a 5-0 thrashing of Blackburn
at Stamford Bridge in Saturday's evening kickoff.
Chelsea
bounced back in style from their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa to open up a
two-point lead over champions Manchester United who visit fierce rivals
Liverpool on Sunday.
The Blues dominated from the start against
Blackburn and went ahead midway through the opening half as Gael Givet
turned the ball into his own net after a Nicolas Anelka cross.
Chelsea
should have been further ahead at the interval but four goals in 15
minutes early in the second half settled the one-sided affair.
England
midfielder Lampard finished off a fine move to score his first league
goal in open play since last April. Michael Essien scored the third
with a thumping drive before Ryan Nelsen brought down Didier Drogba to
concede a penalty.
Lampard duly converted and Drogba headed the fifth, his eighth of the season in the 63rd minute.
Lampard said that his team were determined to make amends for last week's defeat.
"We wanted to bounce back and we've done it in style today," he told ESPN.
"It was a determined performance and we've shown a little bit of what we're about."
Earlier,
Tottenham Hotspur fluffed a chance to move level on points with
Manchester United when they were beaten 1-0 at home by determined Stoke.
Postal strike hangover could hit Christmas
Both sides in dispute agree to talks with the TUC tomorrow as union warns 150m items of mail may need to be cleared
Striking postal workers in Bristol on Friday. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
The union representing Britain's striking postal workers increased the pressure on Royal Mail
management yesterday when it warned there would be a backlog of at
least 150m letters and packets if this week's three-day strike went
ahead.
The huge volume – up to five times the estimated backlog
so far – could take weeks to clear and place acute pressure on the
postal system before Christmas. The claim came as both sides agreed to
hold talks tomorrow at the TUC following an invitation from its general
secretary, Brendan Barber, who helped resolve the last national strike
in 2007.
"I have had a number of conversations with Brendan
Barber and I'm very pleased we seem to have found a sensible and
positive way forward," said the Royal Mail chief executive, Adam
Crozier.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said 65m letters
and packets had to be cleared after last week's two-day strike. The
Royal Mail put the figure at around 30m. Mark Higson, Royal Mail's
managing director, said workers would start clearing the backlog this
week. It has hired 30,000 temporary staff to cope with the demand over
the festive period, which has led to claims the recruits will be used
as strike breakers.
Yesterday, Royal Mail reiterated its concerns
about the impact of the strike. There are fears a number of major
customers are switching to alternative carriers. "We are obviously
upset at losing any business and will be doing our level best to win it
back," Higson said.
But in a move that will dismay the government
– which has appealed for both sides to back down – the union warned of
weeks of national strikes unless there was progress. Kevin Slocombe,
its head of communications, drew comparisons with the strikes of 2007,
that were staggered over two months and saw 200m letters delayed. The
pile-up, he said, took almost eight weeks to clear.
"We are now
entering the Christmas period, when the system comes under intense
pressure," he said. "At the end of three days of industrial action we
would expect to see 150m letters and packets piling up. It's inevitable
that if there is no progress there will be further strikes."
He
dismissed claims that the 30,000 temporary workers – double the number
usually taken on – could handle the backlog. "They're not trained to
deliver so it will really only have a limited effect."
There are
fears that Britain is entering months of industrial unrest, as bus
drivers, binmen and firefighters follow the postal workers' lead and
protest at changes to their pay, shift patterns and working conditions.
British Airways and London Underground staff are also considering
strike action over pay disputes.
The Unite union representing
BA's 14,000 cabin crew could ballot members this week over a Christmas
strike. BA announced plans this month to cut 1,700 jobs, enforce a
two-year pay freeze and reduce the cabin crew on its 57 Boeing 747s
from 15 to 14. Willie Walsh, the chief executive of BA, is refusing to
back down.
The RMT rail union is also balloting 10,000
London Underground workers for Christmas strike action after being
offered a 1.5% pay rise from April next year, with an additional rise
linked to the retail prices index. RMT leader Bob Crow said: "The offer
is unacceptable."
Several thousand drivers with FirstGroup, the
bus and rail company, will strike tomorrow against a pay freeze. The
action will threaten services on routes in Essex, Yorkshire, Wigan,
Bolton and Bury.
In Leeds, 600 binmen are starting their eighth
week of industrial action. The city council has had to bring in private
contractors to shift the waste, at a cost of almost £500,000 so far.
Unrest
may spread as other councils introduce employment changes, required by
extensions to the Equal Pay Act. Nearly 80% of the 325 councils in
England and Wales have reached agreements, but delays at the others
hold out the prospect of further strike action.
On Friday, Fire
Brigades Union members in South Yorkshire voted in favour of five
eight-hour strikes to be held this week over potential job losses.
Firefighters on Merseyside have also voted for local strikes, while
those in Essex are taking action below strike level.
Crews in
Warwickshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Derbyshire, Cornwall, Lancashire,
Leicestershire and Surrey are balloting members over industrial action
in response to proposed "efficiency savings" pushed by the Audit
Commission and the government. A battle is shaping up in London, where
the union is opposing changes to shift patterns. The industrial unrest
is the worst in the fire service since the national strike of 2002.
"There is a real possibility that these issues could result in national
action being taken," said Matt Wrack, general secretary of the FBU.
Hopes
that this week's postal strike will be abandoned now hinge on talks at
either the TUC or at the conciliation service, Acas. Royal Mail has
said it will attend Acas only if the union drops this week's strikes.
It accused the union of reneging on a deal last week.
"We felt we
had reached an agreement with the CWU on Tuesday," Higson said. "We are
calling on them to say they will come in and sign that agreement. We
are asking the CWU to live up to the obligations they made."
But the union said it refused to sign after receiving a letter from management which it said undermined the deal.
At
the heart of the dispute is a new contract between postal workers and
Royal Mail management, signed two years ago, which brought in sweeping
changes to pay and working conditions. "Since 2007 we've been
attempting to implement the agreement and they've been trying to
frustrate it," Higson said.
The union denied this and said it did not want to take further strike action.
Nokia could seek up to $1 billion for iPhones: analysts
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Apple faces the possibility of having to pay
Nokia up to $1 billion for the technologies used in iPhones sold so far
if it loses a lawsuit brought by Nokia, analysts said.
The world's top cellphone maker Nokia filed the suit in the United
States on Thursday, saying Apple had infringed 10 patents in
technologies like wireless data transfer, a key factor in the success
of iPhone, and accusing Apple of trying to hitch a "free ride" on
Nokia's technology investment.
Apple, a latecomer to the cellphone industry, has won 15 percent
share of the smartphone market, but it has limited intellectual
property assets compared with rivals, when all vendors work under
cross-licensing agreements.
Neil Mawston at Strategy Analytics said Apple could have to pay
Nokia anything between $200 million and $1 billion for patents used in
34 million iPhones shipped so far.
In the last quarter alone Apple sold 7.4 million iPhones for an average sales price of $566, according to Strategy Analytics.
The analysts said Nokia has a case to claim such sums as it is one
of the key patent holders in mobile technologies, alongside Qualcomm
and Ericsson.
"It is almost inconceivable that someone can produce a mobile phone
without using Nokia patented technologies," said Ben Wood, research
director at CCS Insight.
An Ericsson spokesman said on Friday the company has a licensing deal with Apple.
Nokia said in its court filing it had made several price offers to
Apple on per patent and on portfolio basis, but the U.S. firm had
declined those.
15 PCT ROYALTY RATE
The analysts said top vendors who have been in the industry for a
long time usually pay a few percent of their revenue as royalties, but
new entrants pay around 15 percent of the sales price of 3G phones to
patent holders. For older 2G technology the rate is clearly lower.
"Intellectual property licensing costs create a significant barrier
for late entrants into the mobile phone space. As a result they become
net payers to the big established players such as Ericsson, Motorola,
Nokia and Qualcomm," CCS Insight's Wood said.
Nokia said all iPhones -- the original GSM model, and the following 3G models -- use its patented technologies.
"This issue has the hallmarks of the iPhone name and the deal Apple
struck with Cisco for the use of this name. They wanted it, and needed
it, in the same way they need Nokia's technologies," said Steven
Nathasingh, managing director of research firm Vaxa Inc.
Cisco sued Apple for trademark infringement in 2007, after Apple
unveiled its iPhone, a name claimed by the network equipment maker. The
lawsuit was short lived, and settled within a month for an undisclosed
amount and an agreement that both companies were free to use the
"iPhone" trademark. Continued...
