LED Lighting News

READ: Beijing’s problem child

READ: China has just about had it with North Korea

“I think it’s plausible that North Korea is trying to see if they can divide some of the six parties because they realize that the Chinese are looking for talks primarily and I think they realize that the U.S. wants conditions for talks.”

The U.S. has previously stated that concrete movement on North Korea’s U.N. obligations to de-nuclearize were a pre-condition of talks. She said the feeling in Washington, however, was that the U.S. was not rushing towards talks.

“I think that China, meanwhile, wants to inflict limited pain on North Korea to get them to cease provocations and to get back to talks and to frankly stop making China lose face,” she said.

China — which committed as many three million troops to secure North Korea during the Korean War in the 1950s — is Pyongyang’s closest ally but has grown increasingly impatient with its Stalinist neighbor, repeatedly urging it to rejoin the six-party negotiations.

READ: Why Korean War still matters

Kleine-Ahlbrandt said there was a sense that North Korea had overplayed its hand.

“This escalation and brinkmanship wasn’t done with any of the calibration that we’re used to seeing during the Kim Jong Il era, which managed to (provoke) but gave China the ability to maintain its position,” she said.

Nevertheless, she said the sense in China was that North Korea was a wayward child and had to be brought into line and part of this could be urging the United States to adopt a more flexible position on talks.

“Their (China’s) anger over North Korea is very different from our anger,” she added. “Beijing believes that North Korea’s insecurity needs to be alleviated, not intensified.”

Lee Jung-Hoon, Associate Professor of International Relations at Yonsei University in Seoul, said the fact that other six-party members were talking with each other — notably the United States and South Korea and most recently China and the United States — was making Pyongyang apprehensive.

“They’ve been taken aback by this series of summit meetings,” Lee said. “They don’t want to be pushed into a corner and I think that’s what they’re feeling at this juncture especially since Xi Jinping has been very adamant about the de-nuclearization of North Korea.”

He said that recent rhetoric coming out of North Korea showed the regime to be increasingly desperate.

“I do believe that the regime is extremely unstable and insecure, therefore it’s making all these frantic efforts,” Lee said. “Even them wanting to hang on to nuclear weapons is an act of desperation as well — they believe it’s the only thing that would ensure the regime’s survival.”

China is currently banking on its provinces bordering North Korea — known as the Three Northeast Province — becoming a new economic zone and is plowing billions into infrastructure development in the region.

Lee said China believes that part of the reason that the zone has not been as successful as planned has been due to North Korea.

“To develop that whole region is something that China very much wants to kick-start,” he said. “Now there are voices within China raising the question, ‘Why are we holding onto this relic regime which is going against China’s national interests?’”

“I don’t’ think we’re looking at a major overhaul of China’s North Korea policy but I think they are beginning to think of the possibility of ‘what if?’ and how will this play out as far as China’s economic development is concerned.”

Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_world/~3/NGxugxG5YD4/index.html

.cnn_html_media_utility::before{color:red;content:’>>’;font-size:9px;line-height:12px;padding-right:1px}
.cnnstrylccimg640{margin:0 27px 14px 0}
.captionText{filter:alpha(opacity=100);opacity:1}
.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:visited,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:link,.captionText a,.captionText a:visited,.captiontext a:link{color:outline:medium none}
.cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{margin:0 auto;padding-right:68px;width:270px}
]]>

Riot police take positions during a protest in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Tuesday, June 18. Demonstrations began in response to plans to increase fares for Brazil’s public transportation system but have broadened into wider protests over economic and social issues plaguing the country.

Hidden in the peaceful multitudes are bands of rowdies, leaving rubble in their wake, including this store in Sao Paulo on June 18.

Students gather at Praca da Se in Sao Paulo on June 18.

A press car burns in front of Sao Paulo City Hall on June 18.

An unidentified person carries a television out of a store in Sao Paulo on June 18.

People walk in Rio de Janeiro on June 18.

Riot police form a line outside the Government Palace in Sao Paulo, on Monday, June 17.

Protesters set a fire outside the Tiradentes Palace in Rio de Janeiro during a protest on June 17.

A riot officer holds a position in downtown Rio de Janeiro on June 17.

Thousands participate in the protest in Rio de Janeiro on June 17.

Piles of trash burn in the streets of Rio de Janeiro on June 17.

Protesters clash with riot police in front of Rio de Janeiro’s Legislative Assembly building on June 17.

Protesters clash with riot police on June 17.

A riot police officer receives help after clashing with protesters on June 17.

A protester receives assistance after being shot in the leg in Rio de Janeiro on June 17.

Two men look at smashed ATMs in Rio de Janeiro on June 17.

People stand atop the National Congress building in Brasilia, Brazil, on June 17.

Thousands stand in the gardens of the National Congress in Brasilia during a protest on June 17.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

Are you witnessing the protests in Brazil? Share your images and videos with CNN iReport.

Sao Paulo, Brazil (CNN) — After a chorus of cries for social justice echoed through the streets of Brazil for days, protesters called for a time out Wednesday. Despite the anticipated lull in street marches, the government will beef up security with the deployment of elite police officers and firefighters.

The protests, which started over a hike in bus fares, have had some effect.

A handful of states have passed laws to lower the price of a city bus ticket since protests began, and politicians elsewhere showed signs of bending to the public pressure Tuesday, saying they may also notch fares back down.

Read: Who does the World Cup benefit?

But reducing the price would come at a cost, Sao Paulo’s mayor said after a meeting with Free Fare representatives.

Are you there? Share photos or video, but stay safe

“It actually reminded me of Carnival in Rio,” protester Fernando Jones said. “All along the avenue, people supporting the cause kept switching their lights on and off in their offices and shouting their support from the windows.”

Path of rubble

But hidden in the peaceful multitudes were bands of rowdies, who kicked down doors and broke windows; looted shops, tipped over cars and set them on fire.

It left a trail of rubble down the protest routes.

Amandeep Gill woke up to the smoldering aftermath Tuesday morning.

The American, who lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, took video of smashed store fronts as he arrived at his workplace and posted it to CNN iReport.

Smoke rose out of looted shops. Across the street, a row of ATMs stood bashed, with their electronic guts hanging out.

His colleagues saw the trouble ignite the night before from their office window, they told him.

“They witnessed a car set on fire in front of our building,” Gill said. “They told me they were worried that the building would catch on fire.”

While asking police to back off from peaceful protesters, Dilma has condemned “isolated and minor acts of violence,” telling police to confront them “with vigor.”

Gill’s colleagues in Rio won’t let vandalism keep them off the streets.

Read: Brazil wins Confederations Cup opener

Shasta Darlington reported from Sao Paulo; Mariano Castillo wrote from Atlanta; CNN’s Micheal Pearson, Marilia Brocchetto and Ben Brumfield also contributed to this report.

Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_world/~3/8otLATrWZ2E/index.html

CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson explains what’s happening, and why.

What are we talking about?

The Taliban have opened an office in Qatar with an eye toward beginning talks there with Afghan and U.S. officials to end the fighting in Afghanistan. U.S. officials are expected to meet Thursday with Taliban representatives in Doha, but Afghanistan said Wednesday it won’t participate.

What’s gone wrong?

Taliban talks announced

Who’s saying what?

Karzai says there are “contradictions between acts and statements of the U.S. in regard to the peace process.” He says that the Taliban are emphasizing a continuation of the fighting and that “foreign powers” — read Pakistan — “are behind the opening of the Taliban office” in Qatar.

The Taliban, which angered Afghan officials by flying their flag and provocatively calling themselves the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, say they’re “fighting to bring an end to the occupation” by NATO forces.

Is the peace process over?

It’s unlikely — everyone has something to gain from a successful negotiation. The United States would get a dignified exit for most of its forces and an agreement on a long-term presence in Afghanistan. Karzai would get the legacy he craves as a peacemaker, and the Taliban would get a say in how the country is run.

President Barack Obama said we should expect “bumps in the road” and warned that this would be “a difficult process.” And this is not the first time Karzai has stalled things.

But this is not a good start. Compromise seems to be in short supply.

What about the killing of 4 U.S. soldiers by the Taliban?

It is worrying that this came hours after the Taliban statement Tuesday. Is it coincidence or backlash? Some Taliban field commanders are unhappy with their representatives in Qatar, and behind the scenes, those close to the Taliban fear an uptick in violence near Kabul.

There’s a risk that hard-liners will undermine leaders they don’t trust in these talks. That’s true in most peace negotiations. Some think representatives in Qatar will do Pakistan’s bidding and want out of the fight now. Others may fight long after the majority agrees to peace.

Is there a grand bargain to be had?

International representatives close to the process in the past have told me not to rule it out. A bargain, where the Taliban accept U.S. bases in Afghanistan beyond the 2014 pullout date and where they agree not to attack them, is possible. The same people also say don’t hold your breath, this has been a long time coming.

What are the demands?

The Taliban must renounce al Qaeda. In the past, the Taliban have demanded that all foreign troops leave the country and have asked for specific percentages of representation in the Afghan political and military structures. They also want their prisoners released from U.S.-controlled detention.

Taliban officials have said in the past that theirs is a national struggle and that al Qaeda has an international agenda. However, they would take support where they could get it. The demand to renounce al Qaeda has been made to the Taliban since their first tentative “talks” in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 2008.

Which Taliban are we talking about?

The Taliban of Mullah Omar, the Afghan leader or the Emir of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan before September 2001. His right-hand man, Tayyab Agha, heads the Taliban mission in Qatar. Other principal Taliban and Afghan opposition factions include the Haqqani faction, the TTP or Pakistani Mehsud faction and the Hekmatyar faction in the North East.

Those close to Mullah Omar’s Taliban say the vast majority of Taliban support him.

International representatives close to the process say that while that may be true, powerful groups like the Haqqanis could continue an insurgency even if Mullah Omar makes peace with Kabul.

Why would the Taliban talk now?

The civil war that the Taliban had all but won in 2001 has gone into remission with the presence of international forces. If the Taliban were to fight for the whole country again, they may not do so well.

The civil war bubbles beneath the surface, and should it resurface, the former northern warlords who have profited from the U.S. presence would make a Taliban fight for supremacy much harder. In short, they may get a better deal at the table than on the battlefield.

Why has it taken so much time to get talks going?

Karzai on several occasions felt bypassed by backdoor U.S. conversations with the Taliban in Qatar. He reportedly blocked progress. The Taliban also walked out on talks when Taliban prisoners at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay were not released as they had expected.

Where is Mullah Omar, and why’s that important?

He is widely believed to be in Pakistan, unable to move freely without Pakistan’s approval. That’s what his supporters believe, although Pakistan has denied it. Pakistan wants a say in Afghanistan’s future. If Afghanistan drifted toward Pakistan’s archenemy India, its sphere of influence would be upset.

What influence will Pakistan have on the talks?

Agha, Mullah Omar’s representative, could not have established an office in Qatar and be in a position to talk to Afghans and Americans without Pakistan’s permission. That’s the understanding of some in the Taliban, at least.

Karzai and U.S. officials have long accused Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, of supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan. The ISI denies that.

What hiccups can we expect?

Karzai says the next talks must be in Afghanistan. That is unlikely to sit well with Pakistan.

But just to get to this point has been very difficult. For the talks to work, all sides will need to be committed.

Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_world/~3/ibon9Jd5Az8/index.html

READ: ‘Arab Idol’s’ first contestant from Gaza grabs spotlight

When he arrived at a hotel for the tryouts, he was late and had to jump over a wall and evade security to enter the venue.

“There was a man who gave me his number — who sacrificed his place for my sake when he heard my voice,” Assaf recalls.

“I still ask myself how all this happened.”

Nicknamed “The Rocket,” Assaf’s on a fast track to stardom, but the patriotic Palestinian also wants to inspire his people.

“Anybody who has hope for a better future, and who has dreams and ambitions to make his dreams a reality, will make it,” he says confidently.

“Arab Idol” Executive Producer Alex Meouchy couldn’t be happier about the effect the show’s having.

“I’m very proud of the success of the show,” he says. “I’m very proud that we were able to achieve something that all of the Arab world was able to unite around.”

Broadcast on the MBC1 network, the show’s stellar ratings have increased all season long. “Arab Idol” is now considered a sensation.

On the show, contestants, regardless of their religious or cultural background, sing songs from all over the region. Meouchy explains how the diversity on display has made the show even more popular:

“An Egyptian (contestant) would come and say I want to sing in Lebanese (dialect),” he says, “and I want to sing in Gulf dialect and it’s really quite beautiful how … the unity of the Arab world was shown in the show through the power of songs and entertainment.”

This season even featured the show’s first Kurdish contestant, Parwas Hussein.

Even the show’s panel of judges, made up of music superstars of the Arab world, prefers to be positive.

“We are the real leader now,” explains head judge Ragheb Alama, known as the “Elvis of Lebanon.” “People are talking to us and watching us. You know, today, two (regional) presidents called me and talked to me about this program, about the contestants.”

“You cannot imagine how this makes me feel that we are the real medicine,” says Alama, “the real smile between the sad environments.”

Perhaps it’s all summed up best by former Lebanese contestant Ziad Khoury.

“We’re sending a message and unifying the Arab people,” the beaming 25-year-old says. “A message of happiness and peace.”

Here, they’ve decided to focus on excellence rather than extremism, to highlight music instead of misery.

Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_world/~3/x1RiXcWbfgs/index.html

Three women were injured in a blast in central Edgware Road just over a year ago. One, age 55, had 20% of her body burned and was said to have suffered “life-changing” injuries, London’s Evening Standard newspaper reported at the time. The other two also suffered burns.

Another woman suffered whiplash injuries a month later when a cable box blew up in north London.

In November, a cyclist who was knocked off her bike after a cable pit exploded to the west of the city was reportedly taken to a hospital, but no details of her injuries were given.

Asked about instances of exploding sidewalks, UK Power Networks said there had been “relatively few cases” where its equipment has developed a fault.

It has about 100,000 cable boxes and 36,000 kilometers (22,369 miles) of cables under the city’s streets.

“We regularly inspect, maintain and reinforce our network to ensure that London maintains its position as the most reliable electricity network in Britain,” the company said in a statement.

“Underground equipment can always develop a fault, but most of the time it has no external impact. Some events have involved gas or third party damage and were not necessarily just caused by an electrical fault.”

UK Power Networks said it was sending teams out to inspect thousands of cable boxes and pits each year and investing tens of millions of dollars over the next several years to ensure they are safe.

The Health and Safety Executive said it had been informed of about 45 incidents involving boxes or cable pits owned by UK Power Networks since August of last year.

Not all of them caused an explosion, it said.

In some cases, passersby have seen smoke or flames come out of a manhole cover or from link boxes in the sidewalk, according to the government reports.

In other instances, the cover for a cable pit has been blown off, damaging nearby cars or buildings.

UK Power Networks distributes more than a quarter of the United Kingdom’s electricity, serving about 8 million customers in London, the southeast and east of England.

It is owned by the Cheung Kong Group, a Hong Kong-based multinational conglomerate. It also operates electricity distribution businesses in Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

CNN’s Alexander Felton contributed to this report.

Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_world/~3/IirB9fNt0QU/index.html

Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_world/~3/JTebddRfvIc/index.html

Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_world/~3/17VBUvsBhxY/index.html

The dolphin died off the shore in Dadonghai, a resort in Hainan Province, due to injuries to its tail, likely from a collision with a fishing boat, according to state news agency Xinhua.

The injured dolphin was found on a beach Sunday. A witness surnamed He said the animal was still alive when tourists start to take pictures with it, according to local portal news hinews.cn.

Photos on China’s microblogs showed that tourists — instead of helping the dolphin — were lifting and mistreating it before rescuers arrived. One of the pictures showed a man flexing his muscles in front of a group of swimmers holding up the dolphin soon went viral on the social network sites.

Irritated netizens criticized harshly for the tourists’ cruelty. A writer posting by the name @Justin_joe called the tourists “a group of animals.”

Netizen outrage after Chinese tourist defaces Egyptian temple

“China is now filled with people lacking moral values, ignorance, and decreasing civility of the citizens,” added @Jiangxiangsiyi.

While many showed their anger, others say Chinese netizens have overreacted to the incident.

“I think people have focused on the wrong thing. They don’t care when people die, but to care about dolphin,” wrote @Woaijialin.

China instructs its citizen on how to behave abroad

Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_world/~3/IeZRwhJ1v8w/index.html

Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_world/~3/rXkdQ7c8pQE/index.html

Are you there? Share your story on CNN iReport, but please remember to stay safe.

Istanbul (CNN) — Turkish protesters are giving their government the silent treatment.

Hundreds of men and women stood silently Tuesday in Istanbul’s Taksim Square emulating the performance artist whose quiet protest Monday night quickly gained him the nickname “Standing Man.”

For more than five hours, Erdem Gunduz had stared toward a portrait of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish state, whose likeness adorns the side of the Ataturk Cultural Center in the square.

Police eventually moved in to arrest many of those who had joined him, but it was unclear Tuesday whether Gunduz was in custody.

Woman labeled ‘icon’ of Turkey protests: It’s not about me

Konuk, 45, told CNN that police put him on a bus with up to 20 other people who had joined Gunduz, but that Gunduz was not among them.

“I was just standing. They arrested a man who was just standing,” he said. “That is absurd.”

People, alone or in pairs, continued to arrive and stand silently at the square throughout the day Tuesday. Some held hands in a quiet show of solidarity, and a few supporters even took to putting sunscreen on the faces of some protesters.

But police once again arrived in large numbers and took the placid protesters away in vans.

The hushed tableau came two days after police swept into Taksim Square and neighboring Gezi Park to clear out anti-Erdogan protesters.

The demonstrators tried to return to the park Sunday, only to be driven back by police.

Tear gas abates, music fills Turkey’s Gezi Park

Root of protests

The unrest began in Istanbul in late May, when a small group of people turned out to protest government plans to bulldoze Gezi Park, the city’s last green space, and replace it with a shopping mall housed inside a replica of 19th century Ottoman barracks.

Protesters said the plans represented a creeping infringement on their rights in a secular society.

Is Istanbul safe for tourists?

U.N. concerns

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Tuesday expressed concern about the tactics used by security forces against demonstrators.

“I am particularly concerned about allegations of excessive use of force by police against peaceful groups of protesters as this may have resulted in serious damage to health,” she said in a statement issued from Geneva.

“Reports that tear gas canisters and pepper spray were fired at people from close range, or into closed spaces, and the alleged misuse of rubber bullets, need to be promptly, effectively, credibly and transparently investigated,” Pillay said, noting that “the atmosphere is still clearly highly combustible.”

And Human Rights Watch said Monday that the Turkish government’s response to weekend protests was excessive. “The police assault on a peaceful crowd in Gezi Park and tear gas use in confined spaces showed a dangerous disregard for the well-being — and indeed the lives — of protesters and bystanders,” said Emma Sinclair-Webb, senior Turkey researcher for the rights group.

“The repeated police violence against people who are dissatisfied with government policies has deeply polarized Turkey. The government urgently needs to change police tactics and issue a clear signal for restraint.”

But Erdogan defended the police approach.

“The police forces have passed the democracy test,” he said Tuesday, according to the semiofficial Anadolu Agency news service.

He described the use of tear gas on protesters as an “incontestable right of police” and the demonstrations as “an unprincipled, immoderate movement that is based on lies and deception,” Anadolu reported.

Trade unions had tried on Monday to put fresh pressure on Erdogan by mounting a nationwide strike. But a crowd that marched on Taksim Square dispersed when faced with riot squads backed by water cannon.

Letters from Turkey, with pride

‘There is a level of desperation’

While the protests are unlikely to threaten the rule of Erdogan, who is credited with overseeing a decade of economic growth, they are raising questions about what critics say is an increasingly authoritarian style of governing.

iReport: Wedding in the midst of teargas

Some demonstrators have shifted to protesting in their local neighborhoods in the city, putting up barricades. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in confrontations between police and protesters is turning uglier.

“Now it feels like there is a level of desperation,” said Clare Murray, who was vacationing in Istanbul from New York for the past week. “The police seem more comfortable with using aggression.”

Since Saturday night, 116 people have been detained during protests in Ankara and 242 people have been detained in Istanbul demonstrations, said Huseyin Aslan, general secretary of the Progressive Lawyers Association.

Erdogan has accused outsiders of taking advantage of the protests over the park. On Sunday, thousands of his supporters gathered at a rally a few miles from Taksim Square, waving flags and singing songs at a rally that was widely viewed as a re-election rally for the prime minister.

Journalist Karl Penhaul and CNN’s Gul Tuysuz reported from Istanbul, and journalist Ian Lee reported from Ankara. CNN’s Salma Abdelaziz, Arwa Damon and Joe Duran in Istanbul, Antonia Mortensen in Ankara and Tom Watkins in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_world/~3/OO-CMts9sls/index.html