Spanish Employment Rate At 23 Percent

In Spain's fourth quarter financial report, it was announced that Spain has a gigantic rate of unemployment, nearing close to 23 percent. Unfortunately, this amount looks to be steadily rising, up from a rate of 21.5 percent back in the third quarter of Spain's financial quarter. For comparison, the United States rate of unemployment has taken a steady decline down from nine percent since last year. Along with close to a quarter of the population being without work, officials say that Spain's domestic outcome has fallen 0.3 percent. These results from the most recent budget evaluation are giving more and more signs that steps are needing to be taken to repair Spain's economy.

While their Prime Minister has been making necessary budget cuts and increases in taxes, there is still a need for more efficient means of softening their deficit while not hurting citizens. Over the past year, Spaniards have been taking to the streets to protest the harsh austerity measures made by the government. While it is still being decided what the measures will be best for the Spanish people, the European Union has made the commitment to working towards taking Spain away from the threat of recession. However, it is not just Spain's economy that needs repairing. Over the entire European continent, other countries such as Italy and Greece are bringing down other countries economic condition with their outstanding debt. Hopefully, through efficient measures such as making the Euro currency better and more economic, that the general European economy can be repaired.

-Nate

Sources:
CNN
U.S. Edition
NY Times
Nidata Plus
Reuters

Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, the Italian president from 1992 to 1999 dies at age 93

 

 Oscar at a conference on September 9th 2005.

Oscar Luigi Scalfaro was the president of Italy from 1992 until 1999 for a total of seven years                                    in office. That is a long time for an old man such as himself.  Oscar died at age 93 yesterday. Italy's current president, Giorgio Napolitano, recalled Scalfaro's time as a member of parliament, interior minister and eventually president.

"Scalfaro has been a leading figure of the democratic political life in the various decades of the republic, a perfect example of coherence and moral integrity," Napolitano said in a statement.

Prime Minister Mario had this to say: "He has been a distinguished protagonist of ... Italian political and institutional life and a luminous example of perfect consistency and integrity,"  said Monti in a statement.

Pope Benedict XVI said Scalfaro was an “illustrious Catholic statesman," This is from a news release on the Vatican's website. In condolences sent to Scalfaro's daughter, Pope Benedict XVI said this about the Italian president: " Oscar did his best to promote the common good and the perennial ethical and religious values, that is proper to Italy's historical and civic tradition."

Scalfaro joined Italy's legislature in 1946, soon after the end of World War II, and served as minister and secretary multiple times. In 1992, he became the parliamentary speaker of Italy. Then, a month later, he became president.

Scalfaro remained in that position for a seven-year term, as I said above. He served as president in a time of political instability in Italy as he faced regular calls for new elections and working with several prime ministers, including Giuliano Amato, Romano Prodi and Silvio Berlusconi. By the way, all of them ended up serving additional terms later.

In 1999, Scalfaro handed over the reins to Carlo Ciampi, making him the current president.

                                                                                                                   Jake Grider

Cruise victim may have saved older man

About 4,200 people were on board the Costa Concordia when it collided with rocks on January 13.  Officials said Sunday that they identified a body found a day earlier as that of Erika Fani Soria Molina, a Peruvian. She was not wearing a life jacket. Witnesses and survivors have said that the Peruvian bartender gave her jacket to an elderly man who survived.

17 people have been confirmed dead from the ship. Another 15 are still missing.

Authorities have stopped the search for victims Sunday after the ship jolted slightly and then slowly moved even further, about 4 centimeters over only a period of a few hours.

Officials are particularly concerned for divers who are searching submerged areas of the ship because of all the debris, including heavy items and wires.

The ship's movement renewed fears that the vessel could slide further.

Earthquakes in the region last week also caused fears that the ship could sink deeper into the waters.

The weather is also why recovery operations have stopped until Tuesday or Wednesday, officials said.

In the meantime, there will be no fishing, diving, snorkeling, or other normal use of the water near the wrecked ship, extending the disaster's economic toll.

-Amelia Hernigle

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/29/world/europe/italy-cruise-ship/index.html?hpt=ieu_c2

Fuel Pumping

On January 13^th, an Italian cruise ship called the Costa Concordia sank off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board. The Costa Concordia crashed on the first day of a seven-day cruise around the Mediterranean, so it was carrying a full load of fuel, about 1.9m liters of fuel in 13 tanks.

A civil protection official says there is no risk the Costa Concordia could sink lower, but to be sure, the salvagers must first attach steel moorings to the front of the ship. They must also install a double containment boom around the ship to limit any spill. "Booms are commonly used to reduce the possibility of polluting shorelines and to help make oil recovery easier."

Although there has been no leak so far, the civil protection agency says there is pollution in the water from cleaning chemicals and disinfectants which were aboard the ship.

They are being extra careful, because the area around the ship is part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, which is the largest marine park in Europe. It is home to rare flora and fauna, including tree frogs, finches, and geckos.

Italian Admiral Ilarione Dell'Anna predicts it will take about 28 days to remove all the fuel, without any interruptions.

-Amelia Hernigle

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-16687012

Dutch Teen Completes Historic Solo Sail Around The Globe

While other teens have made similar sea voyages, the Dutch girl is the youngest to do so while sailing alone. In 2010, an Australian named Jessica Watson finished a non-stop, solo voyage just a few days after her 17th birthday.

 It took Laura Dekker, a 16-year-old teen, 518 days to complete her circumnavigation of the entire globe on a sailboat by herself. She sailed into a Caribbean port on Saturday to round off her historic voyage.

The Dutch girl arrived in Sint Maarten around 3 p.m. said her spokesman Anton Van de Koppel to reporters asking what happened. A picture linked from Dekker's official website shows her standing behind a group of children holding a sign that said, "Congratulations Laura Dekker ... Welcome back to St. Maarten," signifying her amazing success at going on this crazy trip.

Sailing journalists have said that her route was less than 21,600 nautical miles, which is the length of the equator and the distance generally used for round-the-world sailing records in most cases.

Dekker states on her website that she traversed about 27,000 nautical miles on her own solo voyage on her 38-foot yacht, which she named Guppy. When Laura started this voyage she was 14 years old. She started on August 21, 2010, in Gibraltar and then headed west across the Atlantic Ocean, through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific, through the Indian Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope, and finally to the end in the Caribbean.

Dutch officials did try to stop Laura both legally and physically but they still failed in the end. They tried to make stop for her own safety as she was not only alone, but she was a minor and they thought she didn't know where she was going. Laura insured everybody that did not think that she could make it all he way, that she could and they should have no fear. Sure enough, she made it, but by the skin of her teeth as the crew that checked  her sailboat afterwards said her main sail was just about to break and she forgot to put fuel in the small emergency motor in case of a sail breaking.

Long story short, she could have died.                                                      -Jake Grider                                                                  

                                                                                                                                               

Will The IRA Return To Violent Tactics?

On last Thursday, the 19th of January, two bombs were set off in Northern Ireland, in a city name Londonderry. Luckily, before the bombs were detonated, a phone call was sent in to Police Services warning of the imminent attack. Thanks to the skill of the local police officers, the civilians located in the building were evacuated before the bomber was able to set off the bomb. The terrorist like traits of this attack point to the Irish Republican Army, otherwise known as the IRA. Before 1997, when the IRA officially accepted a ceasefire which was brought forward by the British government. Furthermore, in 2005, the IRA announced they had completely unarmed themselves.

However, in recent years, splinter groups of the IRA have been carrying out attacks against the British government. They're looking to create a separate, Irish, government which would rule over Ireland, rather than the current British rule. Through using terrorist tactics, as well as other types of strategies, such as attacks on English soldiers. Back in the March of 2009, two unarmed British soldiers were murdered while picking up a pizza from a delivery man. Luckily, the one of the two men guilty of carrying out this attack was convicted and given imprisonment for life. Nevertheless, there is still the constant fear that these splinter groups will continue their violent tactics, rather than accepting the non-violent, negotiating ways of the official IRA.

-Nate

Sources:

• CNN
• The Independent 
• About.com Terrorism
• New York Times
• New York Times

Plans to restore crumbling Colosseum cause rumblings in Rome

The Colosseum, a 2,000-year-old amphitheatre in the heart of ancient Rome has become a symbol of Italy. Plans to restore this historical structure have been a recent topic in the news. 

Diego della Valle, owner of a luxury Italian brand called Tod’s, will sponsor $33 million (25 million euro) to restore the amphitheater in exchange for advertising rights.

But members of the Restorers Association of Italy are unhappy about the plans, because they believe non-specialist restorers are being employed, which could "run the risk of causing irreparable damage to the monument."  The Director of the Colosseum says, however, that the workers employed to do the restorations are in fact "specialized in architectural restoration, they're not just ordinary workmen."

The Secretary General of Europa Nostra, an organization dedicated to protecting cultural heritage in Europe, says that the Colosseum has suffered in recent years from underfunding caused by government cuts and that the revenue from ticket sales only covers the yearly upkeep of the city's ancient sites.  She added, "We at Europa Nostra and anyone dealing with heritage would say that it's wonderful to have private companies and individuals wanting to support heritage at a time when public budgets are being cut."

-Amelia Hernigle

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/06/world/europe/rome-colosseum-restoration-plan-protests/index.html?hpt=ieu_mid

Costa Concordia Rescue

On Monday, January 15, the Costa Concordia cruise ship was hit and sunk in it Italy. A British woman named Rose Metcalf, told her father the scene " felt like the sinking of the Titanic". Rose is a 22 year old dancer who was performing on the cruise ship the day of the sinking. When the ship was hit, Rose was having a cup of coffee. She was performing so she was wearing her dress so she quickly ran to her cabin to change. Her father Mr. Metcalf said Rose was one of the last five people to be rescued from the ship because she was one of the staff. Rose being one of the last people to be rescued, was airlifted to an air base in Tuscany Italy. She thought she was going to have to jump down to the water as it was dark and cold like the Titanic. At least three people were killed and many of the passengers and crew members tried swimming to safety. Mr. Metcalf also stated that Rose, who had been performing on the cruise ship had lost all of her possessions. Even though Rose was safe ans not injured, she still had to get checked by a doctor.


-Edgar Juarez

Greenpeace Ocean Liner Down!

Greenpeace is an environmental campaign based in Europe. One of Greenpeace's cruise liners accidently slid ashore an unseen island called Giglio while on one of its voyages a few days ago. The rocks punched holes in the bottom and side of the ship's huge hull, causing it to partially sink under the water. Luckily, since the ship was resting on the island shoreline, it did not completely submerge. The entire ship would have gone under if not for the shoreline. If the ship went completely under the water, it would be a complete loss of millions of dollars. Fortunately, the ship will just be pulled out of the water and the huge holes will simply be patched. The ship is expected to be back on the water in a matter of weeks.

        Another major problem with this almost-sinking, is that the ship was carrying millions of gallons of fuel oil. If this fuel leaks in to the water around the small island Giglio, it will destroy all fish and marine plant life in that area. Giglio is known for its rare and beautiful fish and marine plants and it would be a catastrophe if it was wiped out. Marine emergency experts are doing everything they can in order to keep this from happening.

                                                                       Jake Grider 1/16/12

More Updates on the Trial of Norway Killer

On the 21st of July, back in 2011, Anders Breivik single handedly committed one of the worst mass-killings in Norway's history. He began by detonating a car bomb which he had prepared prior, which was located in the Norwegian city of Olso. The bomb killed eight, and left many more injured. After he set off the bomb, he took a ferry on the way to Utoya Island, where a summer camp was being held for children, the majority of the them the sons and daughters of the political party, the Labor Party. Dressed as a police officer, he reported that he was going to affirm the security of the people on the island. However, once he was on the island, he opened fire on the children at the camp. He killed over 77 people that day, and now, he may not properly pay for his crimes.

Several months ago, a court appointed psychiatrist deemed Breivik mentally insane, and that he has paranoid schizophrenia. He also determined, that in Anders' mind, he believes he can choose who lives or dies. Because of these diagnostics, Breivik may be able to avoid going to prison. Instead, he would go to a mental institution, where he has the possibility to be released eventually in his life. Fortunately, at the request of many of the victim's families, he will undergo more tests, to reaffirm that he is actually mentally insane. Hopefully, he will be able to punished for his heinous crimes.

-Nate

Sources:

• CNN
• RIANOVOSTI
• NY Times
• BBC
• BBC

Chechen Rebel Assault Kills Around 8, Wounds More

Yesterday, on Sunday January 9th, in a clash between Russian soldiers and Chechen rebels, four Russian men were killed, as well as around four to five of the insurgents. The assault began after Russian troops had confirmed the location of an insurgent camp, in a forested region in Vedensky, a district in Chechnya. As the officers advanced on the location, the fortifications that the bandits had set up had been discovered by officers. Trip wires, hidden by the thick snow and deep fog, set off explosives which detonated as the officers moved forward. The majority of casualties came from these mines, while the rest as well as the injuries occurred in the following fire fight. 

These attacks are a prime example of the Russian governments reaction to the increasing violence happening in the south-eastern region around Caucasus. Chechen rebels have been to blame for the majority of violent attacks happening in Russia. Ever since a war which occurred between the Russian government and Chechnya, relations have been violent. Terrorists from that region have been to blame for countless assaults not only in that region, but as well as more established areas of Russia, including the main airport Moscow. Since then, Russian officials have been tracking down insurgents and eliminating their camps and establishments.

-Nate Kling

Sources:

• Infoplease
• RTT News
• Upfront News
• BBC News

Picasso painting stolen from Greek gallery

Four works of art were attempted to be stolen from the Athens National Gallery on Monday.  The robbery, which police said only took seven minutes, occurred just before 5:00.  The robbers got in by forcing open a balcony door at the back of the gallery.

Police said that the guard was confused and distracted because alarms had been going off in different parts of the building earlier in the day, but no one was there.  This time, when the guard heard the alarm, he saw the shadow of a person and ran after him.  The thief dropped a painting before he escaped, which was called Mondrian's Landscape.

The robber got away with three works of art: a Picasso painting called Woman's Head, a Mondrian painting, and a sketch by Italian artist, Guglielmo Caccia.  Picasso's Woman's Head was given to Greece in 1949 by the artist himself in honor of the country's success against Nazi Germany.  All three artworks were stripped from their frames.

The police also said that the robbery happened on the closing day of an exhibition called Unknown Treasures, which included artwork by Rembrandt and German artist Albrecht Duerer.  Museum officials have not yet determined the worth of the stolen artwork, but closed the gallery on Monday as a result of the theft.

-Amelia Hernigle

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16470459

Rolls Royce sales shoot 31%

              Rolls- Royce is a mainly British car manufacturing company that was founded by Charles Stewart Rolls, who co-founded the company with Henry Royce in 1904. The company would later go on to become the definition of the highest quality in any type of car. For example a car that was extremely luxurious and was the best it could be, even if it was not an actual Rolls-Royce, was called a Rolls.

Rolls -Royce’s sales have shot up from sales in 2010.  The total amount of cars sold in 2011 rose 31%. On Monday Rolls-Royce posted its best results in its 107-year-history with 3,538 cars. That comes to a total cost upwards of £200,000 or $308,000. This growth in sales may be due to surging demand in Asia: China now joins the United States as the BMW-owned marque's most significant markets.

Andrew Ball, the CEO of Torsten Muller-Otvos Rolls Royce dealership, had this to say, "We had an outstanding year in 2011 and we should take a moment to reflect on this Great British success story."

 The booming Rolls-Royce sales came days after Bentley, its long time sales enemy, posted a 37% rise in global sales. Bentley, a Volkswagen-owned company, based in Crewe, in northern England, in 2011 sold more than 7,000 cars, with prices starting at £133,000 or $208,000.

Reporters are still looking for information on this story and are developing a more detailed explanation as they learn more about it. 

 Jake Grider

Iran nuclear crisis: EU moves towards crude oil ban

In November, the US, Canada and the UK announced new sanctions against Iran because it was reported that Iran had carried out tests related to the "development of a nuclear device".

Recently in the Gulf, Iran has been having naval exercises to test-fire missiles.  These exercises took place near where around 20% of the world's traded oil passes.  Even though this happened, Iran denies that it is trying to develop a nuclear weapons program.

There will be an EU foreign ministers' meeting on January 30, when they will hope to decide on an embargo of oil from Iran. However, even if sanctions are adopted at this meeting, it may be several months before they will go into effect. Oil prices on international markets went up after hearing news of this possible agreement.

According to the BBC, Iran gets more than half of its revenue through the export of crude oil.  If Europe stops buying it, Iran will have to turn to countries in Asia to buy it.  These countries will most likely demand a discount.

Last week President Obama signed a bill into law that cut-off foreign companies that do business with Iran's central bank from the US financial system.

It is believed that this is what needs to be done to try to control Iran economically. A US State Department spokeswoman said, "These are the kinds of steps that we would like to see not just from our close allies and partners in places like Europe but from countries around the world." 

-Amelia Hernigle

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16418589

Body Found near Queen Elizabeth's estate in Sandringham

             The body of a 15 to 23 old white woman was found on Queen Elizabeth II's own estate in Sandringham on Wednesday.  Police were alerted on Sunday to the remains of the woman, found by a member of the public near the village of Anmer, in the English county of Norfolk. Anmer is a small town near King's Lynn and lies within the bounds of the Queen's 20,000- acre estate. The woman has not yet been identified as police were hoping to further explain their investigation if they knew exactly who the woman was. As they still do not know who she is, they can not further their investigation. They will continue to search for her identity. They expect results by Friday.

             The body had been sitting on the Queen's estate for approximately one to four months and was not a very pleasant discovery at all. Officials will continue their investigations until Thursday at least to gather up any additional information that will help their finding of the killer or killers. One of the Buckingham Palace spokesmen told CNN on Tuesday, "It is a private residence, we cannot confirm whether or not the queen has been informed or not, the spokesman said, referring to the murder investigation".  The Sandringham House, which is at the heart of the estate, is where the Queen's royal family usually gathers to celebrate Christmas. Since as far back as 1862, it has been the private home of four generations of British monarchs, It is also one of two private residences used by the queen as well as part of the estate is a 600-acre country park open to the public.  

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57_8tHloSKM

Jake Grider

Two Men Convicted in Racial Murder

On April 22, 1993, Stephen Lawrence and his friend Duwayne Brooks were waiting for the bus on Well Hall Road, in Britain. Lawrence left the bus stop to quickly see if a bus was coming. Duwayne called out to Stephen, asking if a bus was coming, and Lawrence was quickly surrounded by a group of about 5 other men, all white. One of the people in the group stabbed Stephen, and the group then ran away down another street. Brooks ran away, telling Lawrence to follow them, and they both fled. Stephen, bleeding heavily, ran over 100 yards, until he finally collapsed. It is believed that he died on the scene, where there is now a memorial dedicated to him.

Now, over eighteen years later, two men have been convicted for Lawrence's murder. It is believed that the detective leading the investigation back in the 90's neglected the case due to racism. However, Stephen's parents   led their own private investigation, and thanks to new evidence, two men, Gary Dobson and David Norris are finally being condemned for their crimes. While it's unfortunate that these men haven't been properly tried until now, this failure brought up many important changes in police investigations and trials. They can now be considered less racist, as well as more efficient.

-Nate

Sources:
BBC News
Archive.Official Documents
NY Times