Six In The Morning

Europe Stifles Drivers in Favor of Alternatives

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Published: June 26, 2011
ZURICH — While American cities are synchronizing green lights to improve traffic flow and offering apps to help drivers find parking, many European cities are doing the opposite: creating environments openly hostile to cars. The methods vary, but the mission is clear — to make car use expensive and just plain miserable enough to tilt drivers toward more environmentally friendly modes of transportation.

Cities including Vienna to Munich and Copenhagen have closed vast swaths of streets to car traffic. Barcelona and Paris have had car lanes eroded by popular bike-sharing programs. Drivers in London and Stockholm pay hefty congestion charges just for entering the heart of the city. And over the past two years, dozens of German cities have joined a national network of “environmental zones” where only cars with low carbon dioxide emissions may enter.

Australian government plans to replace tobacco companies' branding with grisly images of the consequences of smoking
Associated Press
guardian.co.uk, Monday 27 June 2011
The tobacco giant Philip Morris has launched legal action against the Australian government over the country's plans to strip company logos from cigarette packages and replace them with grisly images of cancerous mouths, sickly children and bulging, blinded eyes.

The government believes the rules will make the packages less attractive to smokers and turn Australia into the world's toughest country on tobacco advertising. Several cigarette makers have threatened lawsuits, arguing the move illegally diminishes the value of their trademarks. Philip Morris is the first to file a claim for compensation.

Khmer Rouge trial begins despite 'political pressure'
Genocide tribunal for four men in charge when 1.8 million Cambodians died may reveal awkward truths about role of West
By Andrew Buncombe, Asia Correspondent Monday, 27 June 2011
The four most senior former members of the Khmer Rouge regime still alive will go on trial today at a genocide tribunal that has been shaken by allegations that it has buckled under political interference. It is expected the hearing will highlight uncomfortable details about the role of nations such as the US, China and the UK in supporting the Maoist-inspired rebels and even creating the circumstances in which they swept to power.

The trial in Phnom Penh will see four ageing former rebel leaders brought before the court where they will face charges of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and murder.

Libya: Fierce fighting south-west of Tripoli
Rebel forces in Libya have clashed with troops loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi about 80km (50 miles) south-west of the capital, Tripoli.

The BBC 27 June 2011
A rebel spokesman in the Nafusa mountains said there had been heavy fighting on the outskirts of the strategic town of Bir al-Ghanam.

The rebels told the BBC they were making a push for Tripoli.

Meanwhile the International Criminal Court is to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for Col Gaddafi.

A decision by a three-judge panel is expected at 1100 GMT. The ICC's chief prosecutor has also requested arrest warrants for Col Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, and the head of Libyan intelligence, Abdullah Senussi

Eternal triangle fuels Uganda tension

Josh Kron, Kampala June 27, 2011
WITH mass protests rocking the Arab world, riots and violent arrests in Uganda in the past few months have gone largely unnoticed.

The unrest has been driven by rising food and fuel prices, but it has found its focus in two men - President Yoweri Museveni and his main opponent, Kizza Besigye - once close friends and comrades in arms.

Once Mr Museveni's doctor, Dr Besigye may know Uganda's ruler of 25 years - and how to get under his skin - better than any politician.

Women's World Cup kicks off in Germany
Organizers hope the Women's World Cup soccer tournament will increase interest in the sport, but more than half of Germans questioned in a recent poll could not name a single player on the national team.
By Michael Steininger, Correspondent
When host country Germany faces Canada tonight in the second match of the 2011 Women’s World Cup, they'll be playing in front of a sold-out crowd of 70,000 at Berlin’s Olympic stadium.

World soccer's governing body FIFA and Germany's national soccer associations hope that the sixth edition of the tournament will boost the popularity of a sport that is constantly – and often unfavorably – compared to the men’s version.

Sixteen teams compete over a course of four weeks. Reigning champion Germany and the US, both two-time winners of the cup, are favorites to win the trophy again, but there are a number of other contenders.