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Magyarország
2015. IV. 16. Csepreghy április 15-én bejelentette, hogy az Európai Bizottság felfüggesztette a gazdaságfejlesztési operatív program első három prioritásának kifizetéseit, ide tartoznak az innovációs pályázatok, a gazdaságfejlesztés és az üzleti infrastruktúra fejlesztése. Számos alkalommal, rendszerszerűen fideszes vállalkozókra szabták a pályázatokat, amelyek során "az összes elképzelhető hibát" elkövették - mondta Varju, DK-alelnök. Tizennégy millió forintot fizettek egy olyan vizsgálatért, amely hatszázezret ért, egy esetben négyszeres áron vettek présgépet, egy másikban pedig az ár 44-szeresét fizették ki egy szoftverért - hozott példákat. Lényegesen túlárazták a projekteket, a ,,bebukott pályázatok" során elköltött pénzek 46 százalékkal a paci ár felett vannak. Minden második forintot indokolatlanul fizettek ki és szabálytalanul használtak fel, nincs olyan visszaélés, amit ne követett volna el a kormány - állította. (Forrás: MTI)
2015. IV. 13. Jegyzőkönyv az Országgyűlés Nemzeti összetartozás bizottságának üléséről: meghallgatás a Nemzetstratégiai Kutatóintézetről. (Forrás: Parlament): http://tinyurl.com/zp58efg
Erdély
2015. IV. 20. Megtartotta tizenkettedik kongresszusát a Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség (RMDSZ). Újabb négy évre Kelement választotta elnökévé az RMDSZ, a Kolozsváron tartott 12. kongresszusán. Az RMDSZ „újratervezés” jelszóval rendezett kongresszusán Kelemen programbeszédében a társadalomszervezés erősítésére helyezte a hangsúlyt. „Az etnikai képviselet terén nincs alternatívája az RMDSZ-nek. Nem újabb és újabb pártokra van szüksége a közösségnek, hanem nyitott, befogadó és mindig megújulni képes szövetségre" - mondta az RMDSZ újraválasztott elnöke. Semjén miniszterelnök-helyettes, a KDNP elnöke szerint Erdélyben a magyar összefogás a történelem erkölcsi és politikai parancsa. „Nem fogadható el semmi, ami az RMDSZ-t gyengíti, mert az erős erdélyi magyar képviselet letéteményese a Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség”. Hozzátette, az RMDSZ-ben megvan az a képesség, hogy integráljon mindenkit, akit csak lehet. Beszédében kiemelte, hogy „egy ilyen kongresszuson fontos nem csak az udvariasság, hanem az egyenes beszéd is. Nem gondoltuk annak idején, hogy 2015-ben még mindig probléma lehet a kétnyelvű táblák ügye, a magyar himnusz ügye, szimbólumaink használata. Hozzátette, hogy „az erdélyi magyarság soha nem kért, olyat amire ne lenne példa az Európai Unióban. Visszautasítjuk, hogy az erdélyi magyar törekvéseket összemossák a rasszizmussal, szélsőséggel. (Forrás: NemzetiRegiszter)
Great Britain
20 April 2015 EU to launch military operations against migrant-smugglers in Libya. Emergency meeting in Luxembourg also results in decision to boost maritime patrols in Mediterranean and broaden search-and-rescue mandate (Source: The Guardian): http://tinyurl.com/pytammy
14 April 2015 Jurassic Park in real life: The race to modify the DNA of endangered animals and resurrect extinct ones (Source: The Independent): http://tinyurl.com/pm8wnmt
13 Apr 2015 'Pope Francis effect' leads to exorcism boom. Dioceses in the UK, Italy, Spain and elsewhere have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of people claiming to be possessed and have responded by training more priests in the dark arts of how to perform exorcisms. A week-long exorcism conference, held this week at the Pontifical University of Regina Apostolorum in Rome and endorsed by the Vatican, is being attended by around 160 Catholic priests from around the world, who insist that demonic possession is very real. "Pope Francis talks about the Devil all the time and that has certainly raised awareness about exorcisms" - said Father Truqui, a Mexican priest trained as an exorcist. "But all Latin Americans have this sensibility – for them, the existence of the Devil is part of their faith." Italy has also witnessed a sharp rise in demand for exorcisms. The diocese of Milan recently increased the number of exorcist priests from five to 12, and the diocese of Rome doubled its team of resident exorcists to 10. Father Truqui, 47, is the chief exorcist for the diocese of Chur, a city in eastern Switzerland, and claimed to have taken part in around 100 exorcisms. "Symptoms include obsessive behaviour. I once treated a woman who combed her hair eight hours a day, and a man who was obsessed with masturbating – he did it every day, many times." "Some people are mentally ill and do not need exorcism. But others do and there are some classic signs – people who speak in ancient tongues, for instance. Other people have supernatural strength when they are in a state of possession – it might take four men to hold down a slightly-built woman. In some cases, people are able to levitate." (Source: The Telegraph): http://tinyurl.com/ot79r3b
Poland
Sunday, 19 April 2015 Poland summons U.S. ambassador over FBI head's Holocaust remarks. The article by FBI director Comey, published in the Washington Post earlier this week, prompted an outcry in Poland and drew condemnation in the media and from politicians. A foreign ministry spokesman said on his Twitter account that the U.S. ambassador would be summoned to the ministry over the article, and that Poland would demand an apology. Comey said in the article: "In their minds, the murderers and accomplices of Germany, and Poland, and Hungary, and so many, many other places didn’t do something evil. They convinced themselves it was the right thing to do, the thing they had to do." Poland says the passage wrongly implied it was complicit in the Nazi genocide of European Jews. Poland's ambassador to the United States said in a statement the remarks were "unacceptable", adding that he had sent a letter to Comey "protesting the falsification of history, especially ... accusing Poles of perpetuating crimes which not only they did not commit, but which they themselves were victims of." Shortly after Poland's announcement, U.S. Ambassador in Warsaw Mull told reporters he would attend a meeting at the foreign ministry on Sunday afternoon. "Suggestions that Poland, or any other country apart from the Nazi Germany was responsible for the Holocaust are wrong, harmful and offensive" - he added, speaking in Polish. "I think that Comey's wider message was that there were many people in the world that aided the Nazi criminals, or there were people who did not respond sufficiently, ... also in the United States." Poland is one of the United States' closest European allies, and bilateral relations have been strengthened by the conflict in Ukraine and related tensions with Russia. Polish politicians have repeatedly called for an increased U.S. military presence in the region. (Source: Yahoo): http://tinyurl.com/lqqohcg
Vatican
PHOTO The faithful gather inside St. Peter's Basilica as Pope Francis celebrates an Armenian-Rite Mass to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, at the Vatican Sunday, April 12, 2015. http://tinyurl.com/peo2xfu
Európai Unió
2015. IV. 16. Hivatalos döntést hozott szerdán az Európai Bizottság, amelyben arra az álláspontra helyezkedik, hogy a Google amerikai internetes vállalat visszaél a keresőszolgáltatások piacán élvezett fölényével, hogy saját kereskedelmi szolgáltatását juttassa előnyhöz. Vestager, versenypolitikai biztos elmondta, hogy a domináns piaci helyzet önmagában nem jogellenes, ám a bizottság úgy véli, hogy az amerikai vállalat az egyik piacon, a keresőszolgáltatások versenyében élvezett elsőségét arra igyekszik felhasználni, hogy egy másik piacon, az internetes kiskereskedelem területén versenyelőnyhöz jusson.Brüsszel szerint azzal, hogy a Google a Google Shopping találatait kiemelt helyen szerepelteti a keresési találatok között, eltereli a fogyasztókat versenytársaitól, potenciálisan megkárosítva a vásárlókat és korlátozva a versenyt. A Google-nek tíz hete van, hogy hivatalosan válaszoljon az Európai Bizottság állításaira. Ha a bizottság végül úgy dönt, hogy bírságot szab ki a Google-ra, az az uniós jog értelmében a 66 milliárd dolláros forgalmú vállalat bevételeinek 10 százalékát is elérheti. A brüsszeli testület egy másik, ettől független részletes vizsgálatot is elindított a Google ellen, amellyel azt szeretné feltárni, hogy az Android operációs rendszerrel kapcsolatos megállapodások révén korlátozta-e a versenyt, vagy visszaélt-e piaci helyzetével a mobileszközök operációs rendszereinek piacán.A bizottság azt gyanítja, hogy a Google, cserébe azért, hogy a készülékgyártók rendelkezésére bocsátja az Androidot, amit azután ők a termékeikre telepíthetnek, kikötötte, hogy csak saját alkalmazásait lehet előtelepíteni az androidos készülékekre, illetve a nyílt forráskódú operációs rendszert nem lehet úgy továbbfejleszteni, hogy az versenytársat jelenthessen az eredeti terméknek, vagy az operációs rendszerben, és ezzel kizárólagosságot biztosított saját applikációinak. Ennek a vizsgálatnak nincs jogilag kötelező határideje. (Forrás: MTI)
Australia
April 16, 2015 Researchers believe a biological revolution enabling humans to experience everlasting youthfulness is coming (Source: News): http://tinyurl.com/o6qfu9w
USA
April 15, 2015 Japan jets scramble at Cold-War levels as Chinese and Russian incursions increase (Source: Yahoo): http://tinyurl.com/lc4zfbt
April 14, 2015 U.S. finds first case of lethal bird flu in commercial chicken flock. A flock of 200,000 hens in Wisconsin is the first commercial U.S. chicken operation to become infected with a lethal strain of bird flu, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said, widening the impact of a virus that has killed hundreds of thousands of turkeys this year. The chickens were at an egg-laying facility in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, between Madison and Milwaukee, and represented the state's first case of the H5N2 flu The discoveries have prompted major overseas buyers, including China and Mexico, to restrict imports of U.S. poultry and eggs in the $5.7 billion export market. Producers such as Tyson Foods Inc have strengthened biosecurity measures to keep the disease off farms. Migratory ducks are believed to be spreading the virus as they travel to northern states after spending the winter farther south, veterinarians have said. Last week, the Agriculture Department reduced its forecasts for poultry exports by nearly 6 percent from March due partly to bird flu outbreaks.No human cases of the flu have been detected. (Source: Yahoo): http://tinyurl.com/kvx36a8
Globalization
15 April 2015 Will a volcanic eruption destroy humanity? Scientists warn that world must begin preparing for explosive global catastrophe. Scientists at the European Science Foundation estimate there is a 5-10% probability of a large explosive volcanic eruption by the end of the century. They warn it could have global impacts that will devastate human society and send humanity back to a state that existed pre-civilisation. Experts have called upon world leaders to spend £2 billion a year to monitor volcanic activity and to increase the ability to respond. Such an eruption would be of a similar size to the explosion of Tambora on Sumbawa, Indonesia in 1815, which killed around 100,000 people at the time. The ash cloud thrown out from this eruption reached more than 43 km into the atmosphere and triggered temperature changes that led to widespread famine and epidemics. The report, which was presented at the general assembly of the European Geosciences Union in Vienna, examines the main geohazards facing the world including earthquakes, drought, asteroid strikes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, avalanches and wildfires. By comparison, the volcanic eruption in 79AD of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii in Italy was around VEI5. Mount St Helen's explosion in 1980 was also VEI5. The report states that there has been around 20 eruptions greater than VEI5 since 1500 with only the Tambora eruption reaching VEI7. However around 75,000 years ago the explosion of a supervolcano at the site of Lake Toba on Sumatra in Indonesia was one of the world's largest known eruptions - rated VEI8. It caused a global volcanic winter that lasted around 10 years and has been linked to 1,000 years of cooling. Some evidence suggests around this time human populations fell to some of their lowest levels ever, clinging on in just a few isolated groups. The report says that eruptions on this scale occur between once every 45,000 years to once every 714,000 years, but such an eruption could kill up to a tenth of the world's population. 'Events on the scale of the Toba eruption 74,000 years ago could return humanity to a pre-civilisation state,' warned the scientists. A volcanic eruption of a similar size to Laki eruption that hit Iceland in 1783 could have global impacts according to the new report. Although the volcano was only rated at VEI 5 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, it had a profound reach. The eruption itself caused 9,350 deaths in Iceland and only caused moderate damage. However, during the eight months that it erupted, it emitted huge amounts of sulfuric aerosols, ash and other gases. This caused 'one of the most important climatic and socially repercussive events of the last millennium', according to the scientists at the European Science Foundation. In Iceland an estimated 20–25% of the population died in the famine and from fluorine poisoning after the fissure eruptions ceased. Around 80% of sheep, 50% of cattle, and 50% of horses died because of dental and skeletal fluorosis from the 8 million tons of hydrogen fluoride that were released. There is evidence that the Laki eruption also weakened African and Indian monsoon circulations, reducing precipitation over areas in Africa. The resulting famine that afflicted Egypt in 1784 caused nearly one sixth of the country's population to die out. In Britain the summer of 1783 was known as the 'sand summer' because of the ash fallout and an estimated 25,000 people died due to breathing problems. Extreme weather hit much of Europe, North America and the Gulf of Mexico for several years in the aftermath of the eruption, says the report. (Source:Mail): http://tinyurl.com/n2zgq9g
Space
20 April 2014 Mysterious 'supervoid' in space is largest object ever discovered, scientists claim A supervoid has been discovered in the universe which is too big to fit into current models (Source: The Telegraph): http://tinyurl.com/nvxzdpw
14 Apr 2015 Statue of Liberty-sized asteroid on collision course to hit Earth, experts fear. This is twice the size of the meteor that exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in February 2013, which injured 1,500 people and damaged more than 7,000 buildings. The impact of the larger 2012 TC4 asteroid, predicted to near Earth on October 12 2017, could be even more devastating. Dr Györgyey-Ries, astronomer at the University of Texas' McDonald Observatory, told space blog astrowatch.net: "We could see an airburst maybe broken windows, depending on where it hits. (Source: Express): http://tinyurl.com/mn7e534
14 April 2015 Extreme geohazards: reducing the disaster risk and increasing resilience: a community science position paper (Source: European Science Foundation): http://tinyurl.com/lheemnv
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