New York Times in finance talks with Mexican magnate

New York Times in finance talks with Mexican magnate

39 mins ago
AFP

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The New York Times Company is holding talks with Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim about investing in the newspaper to help it ease its financial problems, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Citing unnamed "people familiar with the matter," the newspaper said on its website that the talks might yet fall apart, but one of the options being discussed is a preferred-stock issue.

Under this scenario, the Times Co. would issue Slim preferred stock, which carries no voting right but pays an annual dividend, in return for his investment, the report said.

According to The Journal, the investment would be similar to a loan.

But preferred shares are often convertible into common stock after a defined period, the paper said.

People familiar with the matter said Slim would likely invest several hundred million dollars in Times Co., The Journal added.

Times Co. is planning a special board meeting next week, according to the report.

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区役所に炊き出し隊　生活相談続々、ボランティア集結

2009年1月18日7時31分

　宿泊場所のないホームレスや元派遣労働者ら１００人ほどが連日相談に訪れる名古屋市の中村区役所に、ボランティアが集まっている。

　窓口の列に並ぶ相談者に寄り添うように、ボランティアが生活保護の申請などの手続きを手伝っていた。

　その１人、大阪から来た阪口エキンさん（４０）は「驚いた。大都市の名古屋でこんなことが起きるなんて」。

　ふだんは大阪市西成区で日雇い労働者の支援をしている。「大阪の越冬集会では若者は少ししか見なかったが、愛知は若い人が多い。空きになっている無料宿泊所を開放しないとダメだ」

　臨時の待合所となっている２階ロビーでは「おかわりいかがですかー」という女性の声が響く。

　炊き出しのボランティアを買って出た婦人団体などの人たちだ。８日から豚汁やおにぎりなどを持ち込んでいる。昼前、大きな鍋を抱えてやって来る。

　「支給される昼食がクラッカー菓子１箱と聞いて、衝撃を受けたんです」と中村区の主婦（６５）。同じ中村区の主婦は「『派遣切り』などは政治災害。国民の７割が要らないと言っている定額給付金なんか、ここに使ったらどうなのって思う」。

　しかし、２週間続いている炊き出しも、費用の面から次第に苦しくなっているのが現状という。

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中部空港、定時帰宅で１億円節約　仕事の無駄発見も

2009年1月18日8時4分

　中部空港を運営する中部国際空港は１５日、残業代の抑制のため、グループ企業を含む全従業員に定時退社を徹底する取り組みを始めたことを明らかにした。同社の正社員２７０人だけで少なくとも１億円、残業代が減るという。

　グループ企業まで徹底されると、従業員計約１千人で数億円の残業代節減となる。中部国際空港は、単に残業代を減らすだけでなく、従業員に仕事のむだや改善点を発見させたい考え。例えば、免税店や土産店での販売を手がける子会社では、定時を過ぎて売上伝票の処理が続くことが多いので、処理方法の改善を検討している。

　中部国際空港は旅客便、貨物便の落ち込みで０８年９月中間連結決算で純損益が初の赤字に転落。通期でも赤字になる見通しで、全社的にコスト節減に向けた業務の見直しを進めている。

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Battered Wall St tops Obama inaugural donors: study
Sat Jan 17, 2009 6:11pm EST

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By Kevin Drawbaugh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wall Street may be bruised and battered, but it still donated more money than any other U.S. industry to President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural festivities on Tuesday, a study has found.

The Center for Responsive Politics said executives of finance, insurance and real estate companies and their family members gave $7.1 million to Obama's inaugural committee.

Top donors from the world of high finance included George Soros, Ronald Perelman and David Shaw, the center said.

Bankers and hedge fund managers will mingle with Hollywood stars and Silicon Valley high-technology titans at the swearing-in ceremony for the 44th president, the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue and the balls and parties that follow.

Special access and tickets are reportedly available to those who contributed $50,000 to the inaugural committee or who helped "bundle" larger sums from multiple individual donors, the center said.

The committee refused to accept money from corporations, registered lobbyists, unions or political action committees.

Entertainers such as Halle Berry, Samuel Jackson and Sharon Stone donated heavily, as did behind-the-camera moguls including Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Jeffrey Katzenberg, the center said, citing data downloaded from the Presidential Inaugural Committee's Web site.

"While Americans are hoping for real change in Washington, many deep-pocketed donors are hoping money still buys them access and influence," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the nonpartisan money-in-politics watchdog group.

"If history is any guide, these wealthy individuals, as well as the corporations and industries they represent, may more than recoup their investment in Obama through presidential appointments, favorable legislation and government contracts," Krumholz said.

People with Wall Street ties -- 118 of them -- gave $3.6 million; lawyers gave $2.5 million; and donors from the TV, movie and music businesses gave $1.7 million, the center said.

The center's analysis of inauguration donors was posted on its Web site at www.opensecrets.org.

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Gazprom, ENI agree to step up work on South Stream project

16.01.2009, 10.21

MOSCOW, January 16 (Itar-Tass) -- Gazprom and the Italian oil and gas company ENI step up work on the South Stream pipeline project, the Russian gas holding said.

The day before, Gazprom and ENI heads Alexei Miller and Paolo Scaroni during their meeting noted the particular timeliness of the project in the situation of the current crisis of Russian gas transit to Europe across Ukraine.

Particularly important in the situation is the issue of diversification of gas export routes, including the South Stream that will directly link Russia and Europe and consolidate the continent's energy security, the Russian holding noted in its report.

Gazprom and ENI have agreed to step up the work of their joint group on preparation for implementation of the project, it said.

Italy is the second largest Russian gas importer in Europe.

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White phosphorus in Fallujah becomes main lesson of Bush’s presidency
16.01.2009 Source: Pravda.Ru URL: http://english.pravda.ru/world/americas/106964-bush_presidency-0

Who can guarantee that the massacre in Iraq will not repeat in their country? No one. As long as guns beget power, nations will be apprehensive about their neighboring states. The United States has shown how it can kill. Other countries will need to learn how they can protect themselves against this plague. This is one of the main lessons of the George W. Bush’s presidency.

When George Bush was holding his last press conference in the White House, he highlighted the subject of the war in Iraq. Bush acknowledged that his main reason to deploy troops in Iraq was ungrounded, whereas the search for weapons of mass destruction became a great disappointment.

In addition, Bush recollected the episode, for which he was criticized on numerous occasions. On May 1, 2003 Bush announced the end of the major part of the US-led operation in Iraq on board the USS Abraham Lincoln and said that the United States and its allies had achieved victory. "Clearly putting 'Mission Accomplished' on an aircraft carrier was a mistake," he said.

It is worthy of note that the war in Iraq, which took the lives of over 4,200 US servicemen, is the main reason why the Republicans flopped at the congressional elections in 2006. The 43rd President of the USA, who is leaving the White House now, has made several reviews of his politics recently. He particularly said in his interviews that history will have a better understanding of his decisions sooner or later.

Bush’s rating has dropped to 30 percent nowadays – one of the lowest ratings of all US presidents. George W. Bush can be described the worst president in 50 years, media outlets say. Bush responded with saying that presidents can try to avoid making serious decisions to avoid criticism. However, he added, that was not his style of working.

Military experts will continue to analyze the results of the US aggression in Iraq for many years. International relations are still based on the right of the strong, who is allowed to do anything, and no declarations will chill out the determination of an armed state to make the world around comfortable (for this one state only). A dialogue with this state can be possible only if another state is armed to the teeth too. To put it in a nutshell, a country must rely on well-balanced armed forces. Russian politicians of the 1990s assured the nation that the country did not need thousands of tanks, hundreds of fighter jets, bomber planes, etc. They believed that it would be enough for Russia to have strategic troops and professional special operation forces.

The war in Iraq showed that it was a totally wrong assumption to make. Nuclear weapons can guarantee security indeed, but the fate of a country can be solved on the battlefield with the use of good old tanks, fighter jets, battleships and submarines. High-tech wars with self-guided missiles and all-seeing satellites are real in science fiction novels only.

Special operation forces proved to be unable to find Saddam Hussein and rescue their servicemen from captivity. The majority of prisoners of war were freed after Baghdad had been stormed.

It was money, but not laser-guided bombs that put a stop to the Iraqi war. Top US military politicians do not conceal nowadays that the generals of the Iraqi Republican Guard were bribed at a crucial turning point. Tommy Franks, the Commander of the United States Central Command, said in an interview with Defence News that he was receiving letters from Iraqi generals in which they were saying: “Now we are working for you.” The US dollar turned out to be a lot more attractive to Iraqi generals than their heroic death in fierce battles for their motherland.

The Iraqi aviation had about 200 warplanes after the battle for Kuwait in 1991. However, none of them performed a flight. The vanished MiG-25 planes were subsequently found disguised in a desert: all of them were ruined with sand.

The United States disregarded the public opinion of the whole world. It seemed in February 2003 that the whole planet stood up against a new war in Iraq. However, Washington accomplished its goal: it destroyed the country and killed its leaders.

George W. Bush may talk about his mistakes as much as he wants to. He made the USA a nation of barbarians who come to other countries bringing white phosphorus along.

Vladimir Anokhin

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Russia, Ukraine, Europe and gas
15.01.2009 Source: Pravda.Ru URL: http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/106956-russia_ukraine-0

The comedy drama with the Russian natural gas and the Ukrainian gas transmission system continues. The Russian gas has been lost somewhere in the middle of Ukrainian nowhere, whereas the Ukrainian administration continues to blame Russia and itself for what has been happening in the country lately. Ukraine can not purchase gas at market prices, and Russia can not sell it at a sacrifice. Europe suffers most from the crisis in severe weather conditions and dreams about cheap natural gas from Asia, which Russia has already bought over their head.

Ukraine began to steal Russia’s natural gas in the very beginning of the New Year since the country had not signed the contract with Russia’s gas giant Gazprom for 2009. As a result, European customers of the Russian gas had to face severe problems against the background of the unusually cold winter of 2009.

It seemed that Mirek Topolanek, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, the chairing EU state at the moment, and the head of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, did their best to settle the conflict and inundate Europe with gas. However, the fuel did not make it there. Ukraine violated a number of agreements and did not let Russian specialists access its gas transmission objects.

Ukraine apparently suffers from a very serious political crisis. Spokespeople for the nation’s authorities were trying to explain the current state of affairs with contradictory statements. Naftogaz, Ukraine’s natural gas corporation, said that it had no technical gas to pump the fuel from underground reservoirs, and so the country asked for it from Russia. “We have no technical capability to pump gas from underground reservoirs. Lend us your gas, and we will settle accounts with you,” Naftogaz chairman Oleg Dubina said. It is worthy of note that the word ‘dubina’ literally translates from Russian as ‘crack-head’.

On the one hand, Ukraine did not let the Russian gas reach its European customers. On the other hand, Ukrainian top officials stated that the amount of gas, which the country had accumulated (stolen), would be enough for a whole year, not just for one day of pumping.

Oleg Dubina eventually acknowledged that it was up to Ukraine , not Russia, to provide the technical guarantee for the gas transit, as Kiev previously said. Gas Princess Yulia Tymoshenko calculated possible losses from such an initiative and rejected her recent statement to strike a mean blow on her prime rival in the distribution of the Russian gas – Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.

Now, as it turns out, the Russian gas in the Ukrainian gas transmission system is not enough to pump it through. However, as it was mentioned above, Ukraine’s gas reserves were more than enough to achieve the goal. It is not known what stops Ukraine from executing its obligations as a gas-transiting nation, but it is obvious that the country does not abide by its contractual obligations.

Yulia Tymoshenko had to have an unpleasant meeting with the Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico on Wednesday morning. Tymoshenko made the official delegation wait for an hour, which disturbed both the Slovak officials and the Slovak media. Fico told Tymoshenko that his nation was in a critical situation, for the nation’s gas reserves were enough for less than two weeks. He added that Europe was not interested in the problems of relations between Russia and Ukraine. Europe is only interested in the resumption of the gas transit, he said.

Kiev then put forward a “remarkable” solution of the problem. Ukraine wanted Russia to give away over 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas during the first three months of 2009 with no payment in return whatsoever. “They offered us to give away $700 million to resume the transit,” Gazprom chairman Aleksei Miller said.

Prime ministers of Moldavia , Bulgaria and Slovakia arrived in Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin. Afterwards, the officials left for Gazprom’s headquarters and then to President Medvedev. Ukraine’s negligence causes serious damage to the three countries: school classes have been canceled there because of cold, many enterprises had to stop working because of the fuel shortage.

Putin said that Ukraine must provide technical conditions for the transit. “We can hear our Ukrainian colleagues saying that there are problems, but those are not our problems, but the problems of the transit country,” Putin said.

Putin described the current conflict as a “dispute about the deliveries, conditions and prices of natural gas shipments to Ukraine .” He added that Russia’s European partners became hostages of the dispute and urged the European Commission to show adequate influence on Kiev.

Russia has already suffered the damage of 1.1 billion dollars since the beginning of the year because of the gas conflict with Ukraine.

“The country can not lose such money. We’ve run out of gifts. The funds must be collected from those guilty of the current situation,” President Medvedev said. He put forward a suggestion to hold an emergency gas forum in Moscow January 17 and invited Ukraine ’s Viktor Yushchenko to participate.

In the meantime, the EU Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, said that Russian and Ukrainian gas companies may have to deal with lawsuits filed against them by their European partners. The official urged the feuding parties to look for alternative ways of fuel deliveries and did not say a word of whether he was going to show pressure on the Ukrainian administration.

As for the alternative ways and sources of fuel deliveries, things look black. Gazprom overbought the natural gas of Asian countries. In addition, gas reserves of Azerbaijan, for example, would be enough for Turkey only at best.

Sergei Balmasov, Vadim Trukhachev

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DA urges people to avoid peanut butter products

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press Writer Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 21 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Federal health authorities on Saturday urged consumers to avoid eating cookies, cakes, ice cream and other foods that contain peanut butter until authorities can learn more about a deadly outbreak of salmonella contamination.

Most peanut butter sold in jars at supermarkets appears to be safe, said Stephen Sundlof, head of the Food and Drug Administration's food safety center.

"As of now, there is no indication that the major national name-brand jars of peanut butter sold in retails stores are linked to the recall," Sundlof told reporters in a conference call.

Officials are focusing on peanut paste, as well as peanut butter, produced at a Blakely, Ga., facility owned by Peanut Corp. of America. Its peanut butter is not sold directly to consumers but distributed to institutions and food companies. But the peanut paste, made from roasted peanuts, is an ingredient in cookies, cakes and other products that people buy in the supermarket.

"This is an excellent illustration of an ingredient-driven outbreak," said Dr. Robert Tauxe, who oversees foodborne illness investigations for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So far, more than 470 people have gotten sick in 43 states, and at least 90 had to be hospitalized. At least six deaths are being blamed on the outbreak. Salmonella is a bacteria and the most common source of food poisoning in the U.S., causing diarrhea, cramping and fever.

Officials said new illnesses are still being reported in the outbreak investigation.

The Kellogg Co., which listed Peanut Corp. as one of its suppliers, has recalled 16 products. They include Austin and Keebler branded Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, and some snack-size packs of Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies and Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies. Health officials said consumers who have bought any of those products should throw them away.

Peanut Corp. has recalled all peanut butter produced at the Georgia plant since Aug. 8 and all peanut paste produced since Sept. 26. The plant passed its last state inspection this summer, but recent tests have found salmonella.

Health officials are focusing on 30 companies out of a total of 85 that received peanut products from the Georgia plant. Sundlof said Peanut Corp. is a relatively small supplier on the national scene.

The Midwest supermaket chain Hy-Vee Inc. of West Des Moines, Iowa, said Saturday it was voluntarily recalling products made in its bakery departments with peanut butter because they had the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. The recall covered seven states: Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota.

Perry's Ice Cream Co., based in Akron, N.Y., said it was recalling select ice cream products containing peanut butter because of the PCA investigation. Its recall covered New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.

The outbreak has triggered a congressional inquiry and renewed calls for reform of food safety laws. For example, the FDA lacks authority to order a recall, and instead must ask companies to voluntarily withdraw products.

"Given the numerous food-borne illness outbreaks over the past several years, it is becoming painfully clear that the current regulatory structure is antiquated and ill-equipped to handle these extensive investigations," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who chairs a panel that oversees the FDA budget.

Seattle-area lawyer William Marler, who specializes in food safety cases, said the government shouldn't wait for the results of more tests to request recalls.

"At least 30 companies purchased peanut butter or paste from a facility with a documented link to a nationwide salmonella outbreak," said Marler. "The FDA has the authority actually, the mandate to request recalls if the public health is threatened. Instead, the FDA has asked the companies to test their products and consider voluntary recalls. It is just not enough."

Health officials in Minnesota and Virginia have linked two deaths each to the outbreak and Idaho has reported one. Four of those five were elderly people, and all had salmonella when they died, although their exact causes of death have not been determined. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the salmonella may have contributed.

An elderly North Carolina man died in November from the same strain of salmonella that's causing the outbreak, officials in that state said Friday.

The CDC said the bacteria behind the outbreak — typhimurium — is common and not an unusually dangerous strain but that the elderly or those with weakened immune systems are more at risk.

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企業の大量解雇急増　08年４―11月の「30人以上」1800件に

　企業が30人以上の従業員をまとめて解雇した件数が2008年4―11月の8カ月間で1882件となり、07年度1年間の1593件を上回ったことが厚生労働省の集計でわかった。昨年秋以降、雇用環境は急激に悪化しており、今年度の大量解雇件数は最近のピークである02年度（3531件）に迫る可能性もある。

　1カ月間に自己都合を除いて30人以上の離職者が出る場合、事業主は事前に公共職業安定所（ハローワーク）に離職者数を届け出なければならない。届け出の対象は正社員の解雇や、正規と同じように働く直接雇用の非正規社員で主に契約更新されない場合。

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札幌北洋、公的資金申請へ　新金融強化法で初、数百億円を軸に

　北海道が地盤の北洋銀行を傘下に抱える札幌北洋ホールディングスは17日、公的資金の注入を金融庁に申請することで最終調整に入った。金融機関に公的資金を予防的に注入する新しい金融機能強化法に基づく措置で、早ければ今年度中にも注入を受ける。注入額は数百億円を軸に詰める。金融市場の混乱が今後も続くと判断、公的資金による資本増強で将来の損失に備え、貸し出し余力を高める。

　同法に基づく申請方針が表面化したのは今回が初めて。金融機関に公的資金を予防的に注入するのはほぼ2年ぶり。第二地方銀行最大手で、財務体質が比較的健全な同社が申請すれば、有力地銀各行が追随する可能性もある。今回の金融危機で欧米各国は公的資金を既に注入しており、日本でも金融安定化策が本格的に動き出す。

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希少金属の代替研究にプラチナなど３種追加　経産省

　経済産業省は2009年度から、デジタル家電製品などの生産に不可欠なレアメタル（希少金属）の代替材料の開発や使用量の削減の研究対象にプラチナなど 3種類を追加する。既に開発を進めているインジウムなどだけでなく、価格が高騰するプラチナなども代替材の開発が必要と判断した。

　追加するのは(1)プラントや自動車などの排ガスを浄化するための触媒に使うプラチナ(2)液晶ディスプレーに使用されるガラスを研磨するセリウム(3)テレビなどの蛍光材に用いるテルビウム――の3種類。

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法人登記簿、代表者住所を原則非公開に　政府検討　悪用を懸念

　政府は株式会社などの法人登記簿に記載した代表者の住所について、正当な利用目的がない限り非公開とする制度改正を検討する。登記簿は手数料を払えば閲覧や謄本の取得が可能。経済界から個人情報の悪用を懸念する声があがっており、図書館での公開情報に基づく昨年11月の元厚生次官の襲撃事件なども考慮した。

　全国の法務局が保管する法人登記簿は会社名や所在地、代表者の氏名と住所などを記載。政府内では「会社を被告とする訴訟手続き」などの理由がない限り、住所は非公開とする案を検討している。どういう場合に閲覧を認めるかの制度設計は、法務省や法相の諮問機関である法制審議会などで詰める。早ければ 2009年度の会社法改正も視野におく。

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海運大手、軒並み減益　今期経常益

　世界的な物流停滞で海運大手3社の2009年3月期業績が一段と悪化する。日本郵船の連結経常利益は6％増益予想から一転、前期比1割減の1800億円前後の見通し。商船三井は1割減の2700億円前後と従来予想を下回り、川崎汽船も32％減の850億円前後と予想より減益幅が拡大する公算が大きい。ばら積み船運賃の国際指標であるバルチック海運指数も急落している。

　経常減益になるのは商船三井が03年3月期以来6期ぶり、郵船と川崎汽船は07年3月期以来2期ぶり。資源や工業製品の運搬需要減少が鮮明で、業績は曲がり角を迎えた。

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18:26 GMT, Thursday, 15 January 2009
UN accuses Israel over phosphorus
Fire at the UN compound in Gaza City (15 January 2009)

The head of the UN aid agency in Gaza has accused the Israeli military of firing what was believed to be white phosphorus shells at its compound.

John Ging told the BBC that in spite of discussions with the Israeli liaison, "three rounds that emitted phosphorus" hit a corner of the Gaza City facility.

Israel's military said all weapons it used complied with international law.

Phosphorus shells are legal to use as a battlefield obscurant, but are banned from use where civilians may be harmed.

Human Rights Watch says it has observed "dozens and dozens" of white phosphorus shells being fired by Israel at the Gaza Strip - a heavily populated civilian area where its use is prohibited.

Palestinian medical officials said they had treated large numbers of casualties with unusual burns that were extremely painful to treat and could be consistent with exposure to white phosphorus (WP).

The Israeli military has declined to comment on specific munitions used during the 20-day offensive, but said any its weapons were used in compliance with international law.

There is no way independently to explain the contradiction between both sides' reports, as Israel has prevented international journalists from entering Gaza since its offensive began on 27 December.

'Relentless bombardment'

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Ging, director of operations in Gaza for the UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), said the area surrounding its compound had been under "relentless artillery and tank bombardment all night and all day".

Some rounds, Mr Ging said, had struck a part of the compound where about 700 residents of nearby blocks of flats were taking shelter. Three people were injured in the bombardment.

"Then an hour later, in spite of our protests and real-time discussions with the Israeli liaison, three rounds that emitted phosphorous struck the other corner of the compound," he added.

The compound is Unrwa's main distribution hub in Gaza and Mr Ging said the shells set alight part of a warehouse in which there were stored thousands of tonnes of food and medicine, and the workshop area.

The fires then threatened to engulf five fuel tankers, which had been due to be sent out that morning, but could not leave because it was too dangerous outside.

"When the fires broke out, five of our brave staff dashed down there and moved the trucks out of the area, so we avoided a massive explosion," he said.

Mr Ging told CNN the fire was very difficult to extinguish because the smoke from WP becomes toxic if water is used.

Following the incident, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon - in Israel to push for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip - expressed his "outrage" and demanded a full explanation from the Israeli government.

"The defence minister said to me it was a grave mistake and he took it very seriously. He assured me that extra attention will be paid to UN facilities and staff and this will not be repeated," Mr Ban said.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the compound had been targeted after militants had opened fire from there.

"It is absolutely true that we were attacked from that place, but the consequences are very sad and we apologise for it," he said. "I don't think it should have happened and I'm very sorry."

'Indiscriminate'

White phosphorus sticks to human skin and will burn right through to the bone, causing death or leaving survivors with painful wounds which are slow to heal.

The international convention on the use of incendiary weapons says it should not be used where there is a possibility of hitting civilians. An Israeli military spokesman said it was investigating the reports, but reiterated earlier assurances about the legality of its weaponry.

"The Israeli military may be using legal weapons, but it is using the weapons in an illegal manner"
Marc Garlasco
Human Rights Watch

Israel denies banned weapons use

Weapon on the edge

Q&A: White phosphorus

Eyewitness: Gaza's medical crisis

White phosphorus is permitted on the battlefield to make smoke screens to allow troops to move undetected, and also to impede infrared anti-tank weapons.

But its use in the densely populated areas of central Gaza City would be "unlawful", as it dispersal would be indiscriminate and could put civilians at risk, says Human Rights Watch military analyst Marc Garlasco.

"The Israeli military may be using legal weapons, but it is using the weapons in an illegal manner," Mr Garlasco told the BBC News website.

He said he had observed dozens and dozens WP shells used by the Israeli army over Gaza since 27 December, both ground-burst shells and air-burst, scattering distinctive burning lumps of phosphorus which left white smoke trails.

"We are absolutely certain this is white phosphorus, this is the singular, unique visual signature of white phosphorus on the battlefield. Not only have I seen it for myself but I have checked with US artillery," Mr Garlasco added.

Mr Garlasco also examined a press photograph which showed a burning lump of matter in the UN compound. He said it "definitely appeared" to be WP, but that the photo was not detailed enough to say with complete certainty.

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Israel: Stop Shelling Crowded Gaza City
Effect of 155mm Artillery Indiscriminate in Populated Areas
January 16, 2009

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The Dangers of White Phosphorus in Gaza

Marc Garlasco and Fred Abrahams explain why Human Rights Watch opposes the use of white phosphorus in dense urban areas.

Marc Garlasco and Fred Abrahams explain why Human Rights Watch opposes the use of white phosphorus in dense urban areas.

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UNOSAT: Damage Assessment Overview For Gaza City - Update 1
UNOSAT: Damage Assessment Overview For Gaza City - Update 1

Firing 155mm shells into the center of Gaza City, whatever the target, will likely cause horrific civilian casualties. By using this weapon in such circumstances, Israel is committing indiscriminate attacks in violation of the laws of war.
Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch

(Jerusalem, January 16, 2009) - Israel's use of heavy artillery in residential areas of Gaza City violates the prohibition under the laws of war against indiscriminate attacks and should be stopped immediately, Human Rights Watch said today. A Human Rights Watch researcher on the Israel-Gaza border on January 15, 2009, observed Israel's repeated use in the center of Gaza City of 155mm artillery shells, which inflict blast and fragmentation damage up to 300 meters away.

"Firing 155mm shells into the center of Gaza City, whatever the target, will likely cause horrific civilian casualties," said Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. "By using this weapon in such circumstances, Israel is committing indiscriminate attacks in violation of the laws of war."

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Israel yesterday shelled the relief organization's main compound in Gaza City, wounding three people. UNRWA believes that white phosphorus used in the attack set part of the compound on fire. Up to 700 city residents had fled there in the morning to seek refuge after intense fighting in the area. The Human Rights Watch researcher also witnessed ground-burst 155mm white phosphorus strikes in Gaza City.

"We warned the Israelis hour by hour through the night of the vulnerabilities here as the shells came closer and closer, and shrapnel was coming into the compound on a regular occasion," John Ging, UNWRA's Gaza director of operations, told the media. "Nonetheless, we have now been subjected to these direct hits."

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert apologized for the attack, but said Israeli forces had come under fire from the UN compound. "It is absolutely true that we were attacked from that place, but the consequences are very sad and we apologize for it," he said.

The death toll from yesterday's military operations remains unknown, but media reports quoted Gaza health officials as saying that 70 people had died (the reports make no distinction between civilian and combatant casualties). As of January 14, 1,013 Palestinians had died, including 322 children and 76 women, according to the Gazan Ministry of Health. An additional 4,560 Palestinians reportedly have been wounded, including 1,600 children and 678 women.

The attacks on Gaza City occurred after the Israel Defense Force (IDF) had warned Gaza's residents to flee to city centers. According to the Israeli government, on January 3, the IDF began broadcasting warnings that told people, among other things, that "For your own safety, you are required to leave your homes immediately and move to the city centers." Despite these warnings, the IDF has launched attacks against the Gaza city center, causing civilian casualties.

"Israel warned civilians to go to city centers and later shelled the center of Gaza City with a weapon that should never be used in densely populated areas," Garlasco said.

According to media reports and aid groups, Israeli forces yesterday also fired upon a hospital and an international media center. The World Health Organization (WHO) told Human Rights Watch that Israeli shells had struck the al-Quds hospital in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, setting it on fire. The fire was extinguished, but about 100 patients had to be evacuated. Between 150 and 500 patients were in the hospital at the time, WHO said.

Israeli fire also hit the al-Shurouq tower, which houses media outlets such as Reuters, al-Arabiyya Television, and al-Hayat newspaper, causing substantial damage and wounding at least two journalists, including one who worked for the Abu Dhabi television channel. Media organizations had provided the Israeli military with the GPS locations of all their offices. Israeli forces told the media that they had come under fire from the building. It is not clear if Israeli forces hit the building using artillery or tank shells.

Human Rights Watch is unable to conduct full investigations into alleged laws of war violations by either side because of Israel's continuing denial of access to Gaza.

Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have also violated the laws of war by continuing to fire unguided Qassam and Grad rockets at population centers in Israel. A Human Rights Watch researcher on the Gazan border yesterday saw the firing of a Qassam rocket that hit outside Sderot, causing no injuries. Such rockets have killed three Israeli civilians and injured at least 78 since December 27.

International humanitarian law, or the laws of war, prohibits indiscriminate attacks. Indiscriminate attacks are of a nature to strike military objectives and civilians or civilian objects without distinction. Examples of indiscriminate attacks are those that are not directed at a specific military objective or that use weapons that cannot be directed at a specific military objective. Prohibited indiscriminate attacks include area bombardment, which are attacks by artillery or other means that treat as a single military objective a number of clearly separated and distinct military objectives located in an area containing a concentration of civilians and civilian objects.

The expected lethal radius for a 155mm high explosive projectile, such as the artillery the IDF is currently using in Gaza City, is reportedly between 50 and 150 meters and the expected casualty radius is between 100 and 300 meters. IDF officials have previously said that the error radius for a 155mm shell is usually 25 meters. Therefore, if the IDF fires shells as close as 100 meters to populated areas, it greatly increases the likelihood of civilian casualties.

In Human Rights Watch's June 2007 report "Indiscriminate Fire: Palestinian Rocket Attacks on Israel and Israeli Artillery Shelling in the Gaza Strip," Human Rights Watch made the following recommendations to Israel concerning the use of artillery in densely populated areas of Gaza. Human Rights Watch called upon Israel to:

* Cease artillery attacks using weapons such as 155mm artillery in situations and locales where the degree of weapon targeting accuracy and the shells' casualty radius do not allow for attacks that can discriminate between civilians and combatants.
* Cease artillery attacks in or near populated areas that are likely to cause civilian harm that is excessive compared to the expected military advantage.
* Ensure that all artillery attacks are directed at a genuine military objective, and not overly expansive conceptions of "area denial" that are inconsistent with international humanitarian law. Cease any attacks as soon as it becomes known that they are not being directed at a genuine military objective or are not distinguishing between combatants and civilians.
* Ensure, in cooperation with Palestinian counterparts, that effective communications mechanisms are in place to relay promptly information on attacks threatening civilian harm, and take appropriate measures to reduce the threat to civilians when such information is provided.
* Collect and analyze data regarding Palestinian civilian casualties from artillery shelling in order to assess the harm to civilians caused by the use of artillery in particular locales and situations, and thus to base targeting decisions on a proper weighing of foreseeable civilian harm.