The European Union told military-run Myanmar on Saturday that its Nov. 7 elections, the first in two decades, will not be considered legitimate in the eyes of the world unless it can ensure the vote is free and fair. christian louboutin The junta announced Friday that it had finally set an election date for the long-awaited polls. Critics say the elections are a sham designed to perpetuate the military’s commanding role in politics. “If these elections are to have legitimacy in the eyes of the people of (Myanmar) and the wider international community, the authorities must ensure that all parties can campaign freely and that the polling process itself is free and fair,” said a statement released by the British Embassy in Yangon on behalf of other EU nations with missions in the country, including France, Italy and Germany. christian louboutin pumps U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a similar statement Friday. Like the EU, Ban called on Myanmar authorities to release all political prisoners, including pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, so they can participate in political activities. christian louboutin black Myanmar has been ruled by the military for nearly 50 years. Suu Kyi’s party overwhelmingly won the last elections in 1990 but was denied power by the military, which has kept the Nobel Peace Prize winner locked away, mostly under house arrest, for 15 of the past 21 years. christian louboutin sandals Her National League for Democracy is boycotting the upcoming elections, saying the rules that govern the vote are undemocratic and unfair. She is effectively banned from being a candidate. Suu Kyi’s party and several others say the scheduling of the elections does not allow enough time to recruit candidates and mount campaigns. Candidate lists must be submitted by the end of this month and campaigning can only begin when the junta announces a campaign period. coach handbags The United States has repeatedly condemned the election process. After visiting with Myanmar officials in May, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Kurt Campbell said the junta’s unwillingness to compromise and reform the electoral process led Washington “to believe that these elections will lack international legitimacy.” cheap handbags outlets

The quake, which experts from the US Geological Survey said hit at 6:54 am (1154 GMT), 110 miles (175 kilometers) southeast of Quito, lasted for about 40 seconds and was felt around the country and in neighboring Peru. coach handbags One person in a southwestern fishing port was injured by a crumbling wall, Ecuador Red Cross spokesman Jorge Arteaga told AFP. “So far that is the only victim,” he said, adding that a handful of buildings including a firehouse had their walls crumble as a result of the quake. The epicenter of the quake was deep, some 210 kilometers under the Amazonian jungle, which Ecuadoran officials said was the reason for the lack of damage above ground. No tsunami was generated. The USGS said the nearest urban center was some 145 kilometers to the west — Ambato — an Ecuadoran city high in the Andes mountains which is home to a volcano of the same name and suffered a devastating quake back in 1949. christian louboutin sandals The Geophysical Institute of Peru said Thursday’s quake was also felt by Peruvians along the border in the Amazonian jungle regions. Sandro Vaca, an expert from the Geophysical Institute of Ecuador, said no aftershocks had been detected during the morning. The USGS revised its estimate of the quake’s magnitude several times, from 6.9 to 7.2 and then back to a 6.9 before finally settling on 7.1. christian louboutin black Ecuadoran experts first put the quake at 6.9 on the Richter scale before revising the magnitude upwards to 7.2. The USGS uses the moment magnitude scale, which measures the amount of movement on the underground fault and the area of the fault that ruptured. christian louboutin pumps

Tharcisse Karugarama told VOA officials of the security agencies have begun a thorough investigation into what he described as a heinous crime perpetrated against unarmed civilians. christian louboutin “It is very unfortunate that anybody, anywhere, (and) for whatever reason should find excuse to throw a grenade among innocent people waiting for their taxis at a very, very busy place where children, young and old, (and) women were gathered and trying to get their taxis back home. I don’t think they have any justification whatsoever to throw a grenade at innocent civilians going about their ordinary business,” he said. Police said a grenade was thrown near the main bus station in the capital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Justice Minister Karugarama described the attack as an act of malevolence. cheap handbags outlets “If anybody has a grudge, any reason whatever to fight the government, they should fight the government through means that would target the government, if that is what they are against. But, throwing hand grenades among (a) very busy population is evil. It is unacceptable and I would condemn it in the strongest terms possible,” Karugarama said. He also called on the security agencies to track down the “evildoers” and bring them to justice. Rwanda’s electoral commission officially declared incumbent President Paul Kagame duly re-elected after saying he won a landslide victory with about 93 percent of the total vote cast. coach bags But, critics say the three opponents failed to provide any significant challenge during the vote. Justice Minister Karugarama said that the perpetrators behind the grenade attack will be apprehended and “neutralized.” Recently, there have been several grenade attacks in the capital Kigali. The government has often blamed opponents for the attacks. coach pureses

Although the flooding was concentrated in northwestern Pakistan when it began two weeks ago, it has spread southward in recent days to inundate areas of Sindh and southern portions of Punjab. cheap handbags outlets Those regions are heavily agricultural, and the destruction of millions of acres of crops could lead to a food shortage, development officials say. The power shortages that plague the country could also worsen after a major natural gas field was submerged in floodwaters Tuesday. As the impact from the flooding spreads to nearly every corner of Pakistan, there is concern here that the disaster could ultimately lead to civil unrest. coach bags Already, 14 million people have been affected by the flooding, and the Pakistani government has conceded that it does not have the resources to tackle the crisis. But officials say they have been disappointed by the relatively small amounts of international assistance that have been offered. coach pureses “If you look at the scale of the damage and compare that to the pledges we have received, so far there’s a big asymmetry,” said Sakib Sherani, the government’s principal economic adviser. “Several billion dollars will be required just to feed and house the population temporarily. So clearly, the international community needs to step up.” The christian louboutin up to $40 million, more than any other country, and has flown in six helicopters from neighboring to assist with rescue and relief efforts. But Pakistan has asked for more, seeking dozens of additional choppers to reach stranded victims. Aid groups say that they, too, are hitting their capacity and that they will need more funds to help those whose homes or livelihoods have been destroyed. christian louboutin pumps The international aid organization Oxfam called Tuesday for a “gear shift” in the global response to the flooding, saying the reaction has lagged compared with similar crises. “The world must not leave these people stranded,” said Neva Khan, Oxfam’s Pakistan country director. “This is a mega-disaster and it needs a mega-response.” christian louboutin black

More than 200,000 people died when the Japanese cities were hit on 6 and 9 August 1945 as the war came to an end. coach handbags The 65th anniversary of the attacks was marked with a ceremony at the Peace Garden on St Peter’s Square. Manchester developed links with the two Japanese cities after being declared a Nuclear Free City in 1980. Councillor Mark Hackett, Lord Mayor of Manchester, laid a wreath in memory of the victims. “I am honoured to be leading the ceremony to remember the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, one of the saddest anniversaries of the 20th Century,” he said. christian louboutin sandals “I hope the ceremony allows us all to reflect on the real cost of all conflicts and honour the ordinary men, women and children who have so needlessly died.” Tomihisa Taue, the Mayor of Nagasaki, will visit Manchester in November as part of a series of events marking the 30th anniversary of the city’s nuclear-free status. He is due to launch a new peace and justice trail through the city centre and a photographic exhibition at the People’s History Museum. christian louboutin black

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare bill into law, providing government-sponsored health insurance for Americans 65 and older and younger people with disabilities. coach handbags Although every senior in the United States grew up without Medicare, most Americans today accept this single-payer, government-created and government-administered system as one of their rights as citizens, much like the right to vote. Yet before we reach the age of 65, most of us don’t have a clue how Medicare works. We only know it’s there. christian louboutin sandals Misunderstandings about the Medicare program surfaced during recent discussions over the administration’s sweeping health reform bill that finally passed in March. Unclear on the concept, elders in some states vented outrage against the Obama administration, whose bill included Medicare changes, for “meddling” in “their” Medicare. christian louboutin pumps Others, also unclear on the facts, protested a provision in the bill that would have reimbursed physicians for time-consuming conversations with patients and family regarding the patient’s wishes at the end of life. Mistakenly condemning these as “death panels,” they raised loud and confusing voices, and the provision was removed from the bill. christian louboutin black But the uninformed ranters remain. To help clarify confusion, here are a few basic facts.

Until Friday, American officials had always skipped the annual ceremony, fearing their presence would renew the debate over whether the United States should apologize for the World War II bombings, which together killed more than 200,000 people in explosions so intense that many victims were vaporized, leaving only ghostly shadows on walls, while others died in agony from burns and radiation sickness. coach handbags Such a debate would probably be politically divisive in the United States and could even drive a wedge between America and Japan, one of Washington’s closest allies. American officials have long defended the bombings as having shortened the war and avoided an invasion, which they say would have cost untold thousands of American and Japanese lives. But many Japanese see the attacks as the epitome of the indiscriminate slaughter of modern warfare, and a principal reason for Japan’s postwar pacifism. In interviews this week, political leaders here, including aging survivors of the bombing, sought to allay such concerns, saying they had no intention of asking the president to apologize. Instead, they said they would feel some measure of solace if a visit to their city could help Mr. Obama realize his vision of a denuclearized world. christian louboutin sandals “There is no point in apologizing now, after 65 years,” said Akihiro Takahashi, 79, the former head of the and a bombing survivor. “We want President Obama to see with his own eyes what really happened here. This will give him stronger willpower to eliminate nuclear weapons.” Calls for Mr. Obama to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki have spread in Japan not only since his Prague speech but also after he. Speculation has focused on his November visit, which will coincide with a gathering here of other Nobel Peace laureates. During a visit to Washington in January, Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba of Hiroshima extended an invitation to Mr. Obama. In a speech on Friday at the ceremony, Mr. Akiba praised the president’s “powerful influence” in pushing for nuclear disarmament. christian louboutin black A new sense of hope that the world’s nuclear powers, and particularly the United States, may finally share a desire to rid the world of nuclear weapons seems to have permeated this city. In front of City Hall, a large sign proclaimed Hiroshima to be part of an “Obamajority.”

The new measures strike hard at Iran’s financial, energy, trade and transport sectors. Regarding finance, EU companies are now prohibited from providing insurance to Iranian companies, which impairs the movement of cargos to and from Iran. The EU has also frozen the assets of many Iranian banks. A new US law mandates sanctions on any foreign bank that does business with a US-sanctioned Iranian bank. Washington’s goal is to give foreign banks a choice of doing business either in the US or the Iranian market. Most will sprint from Iran. christian louboutin pumps Regarding energy, US measures expose any foreign company that exports petroleum to Iran to punishment, playing off Iran’s need to import more than 30 per cent of its gasoline needs. EU businesses are also now banned from new investment in the sector. Most European energy companies have already left Iran, but now the path back is blocked. On trade, EU governments and companies are now prevented from providing new medium or long-term trade financing to Iran. Finally, on transport, Iran’s state shipping line has been sanctioned and Iranian cargo planes are banned from Europe. christian louboutin These sanctions will definitely hurt Tehran. The cost of doing business will rise for Iranian entities involved with foreign markets. Iran’s hydrocarbon production is now locked into a downward trajectory, as high quality western technology is off-limits. Given that oil exports currently account for roughly half of Iran’s budget revenue, a production decline will sting. The Iranian regime is surprised at how hard it has been hit. Tehran has in the past reacted to sanctions with defiance. This time it has mixed harsh rhetoric with calls for a resumption of diplomacy in the autumn. There is a rare public debate in the Iranian press over the extent to which sanctions will hurt. Furthermore, Iran intends to embark within months on an ambitious programme to eliminate subsidies, which now cost roughly $70bn annually. That could be destabilising and Tehran will probably seek to avoid economic trouble on the foreign and domestic front simultaneously. coach pureses Washington and Brussels should move fast, before Iran adjusts to its new situation. The first challenge is to craft a common position on what kind of Iranian nuclear programme can be tolerated. Without this, the west will have no bottom line. First, Iran must agree to strict limits on the amount of low enriched uranium it can stockpile, as that material can be used to make a bomb. Second, the west must insist on very intrusive inspection rights. Finally, Iran must clarify credible allegations that it is taking steps to make nuclear weapons. Russia and China would be very likely to agree to this stance. The west should stop insisting that Iran suspend uranium enrichment. Based on my discussions with Iranian leaders and elites across the political spectrum, Tehran will continue to refuse. But the west’s offer on the rest of Iran’s programme should be non-negotiable; Iran will try to chip away at every element and must be confronted with an unswerving position. If Iran accepts, it would receive the plethora of benefits currently on offer, including help obtaining light water reactors, permission to renew its civil aviation fleet and assistance with its energy sector. If Tehran refuses, the US, EU and other nations should impose even harsher sanctions. coach bags

Gay and lesbian couples across the Bay Area rejoiced following news that a federal judge overturned Proposition 8, which had banned same-sex marriage in California. cheap handbags outlets Advocates planned for jubilant rallies this evening across about a dozen Bay Area cities and suburbs. Beverly Hickock and her wife were celebrating with ice cream at their El Cerrito home after learning about the ruling on television. “I’m delighted,” said Hickock, 90. “I was hoping for this.” Hickock and her wife, Doreen Brand, 82, met in 1990. They were among 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who were married in the short window between June 2008, when same-sex marriage became legal in California, and November 2008, when voters banned it with the passage of Proposition 8. Their marriage has remained legally intact these two years, but the couple have friends who are waiting to get married. Hickock came out as a lesbian in 1941 and never imagined she would see such cultural changes in her lifetime. coach bags “It never occurred to me. In those days, you had to hide it and be ashamed. You were a second-class citizen,” Hickock said. “This is a very important civil rights act.” Marriage clerks throughout the region scrambled to find out if they would have to issue licenses to same-sex couples today. coach pureses

Mr. Fini’s supporters were expected to decide Tuesday evening to abstain from the vote, along with members of a centrist opposition party and a handful of other lawmakers. But even though an immediate showdown between Mr. Berlusconi and Mr. Fini’s rebel lawmakers seems to have been averted, political tensions remain high and early elections — the government’s mandate is set to end in 2013 — loom on the horizon as an increasingly possible scenario. coach pureses Once a staunch ally of Mr. Berlusconi and co-founder of the People of Liberty party, Mr. Fini has gradually distanced himself from the prime minister and his personality-driven leadership style. Mr. Fini was expelled from the party last week. At a news conference Friday, he criticized Mr. Berlusconi for “having not exactly a liberal concept of democracy” and for governing with the “business logic” of a chief executive “which has nothing to do with our democratic institutions.” Lawmakers with his new group, called Future of Liberty for christian louboutin, said that they would remain loyal to the government and the electoral platform that it presented in 2008. “But on the rest, we will have free hands,” said Fabio Granata, one of Mr. Fini’s supporters. Italian newspapers Tuesday quoted the prime minister as saying that he would ask to go to the polls at the first sign that his government had been weakened by the break with Mr. Fini. Only the president of the republic can dissolve Parliament and call elections. “I will not allow myself to be worn down,” Mr. Berlusconi told senators from his party at a dinner Monday, the Italian news media reported. The vote on Wednesday will call on a justice undersecretary, Giacomo Caliendo, to resign after becoming entangled in a corruption inquiry. christian louboutin pumps He is the fourth cabinet member to have been asked to resign in recent months. Over the past few years, Mr. Fini has moved from the far right toward more moderate political conservatism in his ambition to position himself as the most viable alternative to Mr. Berlusconi in the party leadership. The break with Mr. Berlusconi came after months of skirmishes and rising frustrations between the two men. But political commentators say that Mr. Fini has little to gain by bringing down the government. Mr. Fini’s followers, and the center-left opposition, “have no interest in forcing new elections because they have to buy time so that they can organize themselves,” said Roberto D’Alimonte, a political science professor at the University of Florence. christian louboutin black