North Korea to suspend nuclear activities...[ 2754 ]

North Korea Agrees to Nuclear Moratorium

North Korea Agrees to Nuclear Moratorium/© RIA Novosti. Marc Bennetts

22:17 29/02/2012

MOSCOW, February 29 (RIA Novosti)

North Korea has agreed to suspend nuclear activities and allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to monitor compliance, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement on Wednesday.

The announcement, which comes two months after the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in December, opens opportunities for the resumption of six-party talks on the reclusive communist state’s disarmament that the North withdrew from in 2009.

A U.S. delegation recently returned from Beijing after a third exploratory round of bilateral talks between the United States and North Korea. The talks were the first since Kim Jong-il’s youngest son Kim Jong-un succeeded his late father.

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“To improve the atmosphere for dialogue and demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization, the DPRK has agreed to implement a moratorium on long-range missile launches, nuclear tests and nuclear activities at Yongbyon, including uranium enrichment activities,” Nuland said, referring to North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

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“The DPRK has also agreed to the return of IAEA inspectors to verify and monitor the moratorium on uranium enrichment activities at Yongbyon and confirm the disablement of the 5-MW reactor and associated facilities,” she said.

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The report has been confirmed by North Korea’s news agency KCNA, whose report, however, was worded slightly differently, saying that the DPRK agreed to the moratorium “upon U.S. request” and that the moratorium would be in place “while the productive dialogue continues” with the United States.

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Nuland also said her country “still has profound concerns regarding North Korean behavior across a wide range of areas,” but added that the announcement “reflects important, if limited, progress in addressing some of these.”

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“We have agreed to meet with the DPRK to finalize administrative details necessary to move forward with our proposed package of 240,000 metric tons of nutritional assistance along with the intensive monitoring required for the delivery of such assistance,” she said.

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U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton called North Korea’s announcement “the first step in the right direction.”

North Korea has been subjected to several rounds of UN Security Council sanctions since it declared itself a nuclear power in 2005.

The state broke off talks with South Korea, China, the United States, Japan and Russia on its nuclear program in April 2009, after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution condemning its missile tests.

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Konstantin Kosachyov, the first deputy chairman of the Russian lower house’s international committee, said North Korea’s decision will allow the country to come out of international isolation.

“This is the only right decision the new DPRK leadership could have made to get the country out of the international isolation regime, a key to North Korea’s return to the international community,” he said, adding that IAEA inspectors should visit the country.

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Russia Lays down New Warship...[ 2753 ]

Russia Lays down New Warship at Baltic Shipyard

Yantar Shipyard//© RIA Novosti. Igor Zarembo//20:54 29/02/2012

KALININGRAD, February 29 (RIA Novosti)

Construction of a Project 11356 frigate was launched at the Yantar shipyard in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad on Wednesday.

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The Krivak IV class Admiral Makarov frigate is the last in a series of three frigates the shipyard is building under a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry.

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The ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who said that Russia “must have a powerful navy.”

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The first two ships in the series, the Admiral Grigorovich and the Admiral Essen, are at different stages of completion.

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All three warships are expected to be delivered to the Russian Navy in 2013-2014.

In 2011, the Yantar shipyard received a new order for another three Krivak IV class frigates.

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A Krivak IV class frigate carries a 100-mm gun, a Shtil medium-range air defense system, Club-N supersonic anti-ship missiles, two Kashtan point defense systems, two twin 533-mm torpedo launchers, and an anti-submarine warfare helicopter.

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Related News

• Russia to Lay Down New Frigate for Navy
• Russian Navy orders 3 more Krivak IV class frigates
• The Russian Navy Grows from Bottom up
• Kaliningrad shipyard to build three frigates for Russian Navy

That s Greece....[ 2752 ]

That's the true Greek Myth

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The 2 videos is an answer to the anthellenic propaganda that goes on for the last two years by different  mostly German and Dutch media....
 
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Japan, .the Corporate Rehabilitation Law...[ 2751 ]

Fully utilize private-sector wisdom to bail out failed Elpida Memory Inc.

Japanese computer chipmaker Elpida Memory Inc. President Yukio Sakamoto attends a press conference in Tokyo, Monday, Feb. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

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 (Mainichi Japan) February 29, 2012

Private-sector wisdom should be fully utilized to bail out the failed semiconductor manufacturer Elpida Memory Inc., which has gone under and applied for bankruptcy protection under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law.

Elpida, which is the world's third largest manufacturer of semiconductors for memory, fell into a financial crisis following a sharp plunge in the market prices of such products and the yen's steep appreciation. It attempted to rehabilitate itself through a capital alliance with another company, but gave up after failing to raise sufficient operating funds. Its liabilities total 448 billion yen, the largest amount ever incurred by a failed manufacturer.

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Japan had once been dominant in the international semiconductor market, and it became a focus of attention in Japan-U.S. trade friction. In the 1990s, however, manufacturers in South Korea and other emerging economies went on the offensive, causing Japanese manufacturers' market share to decline constantly. Many Japanese manufacturers were forced to merge their semiconductor divisions, and the business of semiconductors for memory was integrated into Elpida.

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Fierce competition for investment in such semiconductor businesses continued. Whenever there was an excess of supply, the market prices of such products plummeted, threatening Elpida's business activity.

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Following the collapse of the Lehman Brothers in 2008, Elpida became the first company to receive an infusion of public funds to rehabilitate itself under the Law on Special Measures for Industrial Revitalization.

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However, its business performance worsened rapidly due to a sharp plunge in market prices and the steep appreciation of the yen, and the period of its rehabilitation under the special measures law is due to end at the end of March.

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Elpida sought to delay the deadline for repaying the public funds and obtain loans from private financial institutions to repay the taxpayers' money it had borrowed under the law. However, its negotiations on fundamentally rehabilitating itself, which is a prerequisite for such measures, did not proceed smoothly.

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Efforts to rehabilitate Elpida under the special measures law, which were led by the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, have come to a deadlock. The government must take it seriously that the failure of Elpida could cost taxpayers a total of 28 billion yen.

The government led the rehabilitation of Elpida on the grounds that the semiconductors for memory sector is an industry indispensable for Japan. However, decisions on what industries are necessary for Japan should be left to the discretion of the private sector that invests funds in various businesses.

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New products, such as smartphones and tablet computers, will continue to hit the market. Those in the private sector are urged to discuss how to ensure that Japanese businesses retain their ability to develop semiconductors for memory that are suitable for such new products and that Japanese companies can utilize them.

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Elpida will aim to rehabilitate itself after its debt workout is completed. However, the failure of the company is expected to contribute to a realignment of the semiconductors for memory industry on a global scale.

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It is possible that an overseas manufacturer will place Elpida under its umbrella. However, South Korean manufacturers that have continued making massive amounts of investments are enjoying an overwhelming share on the global market. 

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We should keep in mind that South Korean manufacturers may become the only suppliers of such semiconductors.

It is necessary to prevent fair competition from being restrained in realigning the industry.

Click here for the original Japanese story

S.Russia , Gas Blast kills 10...[ 2750 ]

S.Russia Residential Gas Blast Death Toll Rises to 10

S.Russia Residential Gas Blast Death Toll Rises to 10/© RIA Novosti. Vladimir Studnev//21:49 28/02/2012

MOSCOW, February 28 (RIA Novosti)

The death toll in Monday’s blast in a residential building in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan has reached 10, a spokesman for the emergency headquarters told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

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A gas blast destroyed the third floor of a nine-story residential building in Astrakhan on Monday and three other sections subsequently collapsed. Fifteen people were injured. Rescuers are continuing to clear the rubble.

The authorities promised to pay one million rubles (about $33,000) to the relatives of those killed in the blast. People whose apartments were damaged will also be paid one million rubles.

Safety violations during repair or a suicide attempt by one of the occupants are thought to have caused the explosion, Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said.

Investigators have opened a case against the building's engineers on fire safety violation charges, the Investigative Committee said.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin paid a surprise visit to the city on Tuesday.