DTN News: Pakistan TODAY May 27, 2010 ~ FACEBOOK Targeted And Obama's Effigy Burned

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY May 27, 2010 ~ FACEBOOK Targeted And Obama's Effigy Burned

Source: DTN News By Roger Smith

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 27, 2010: Recently, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) banned access to Facebook, YouTube and more than 450 links, including restricted access to Wikipedia in view of what it called "growing sacrilegious content". A Facebook page that fueled rage and protest in Pakistan was gone from the popular online social networking service on Friday but the popular social networking service said it remained blocked in that country.

In Peshawar on May 26, 2010. Pashtun men take part in a protest against Facebook last week blocked the popular social networking site Facebook indefinitely because of an online competition to draw Islam's prophet. Any representation of the Prophet Mohammad is deemed un-Islamic and blasphemous by Muslims.

Pakistani Muslims shout slogans and wave placards as they protest against Facebook in Lahore on May 26, 2010.

Pakistani protestors burn an effigy of US President Barack Obama as they protest against Facebook in Lahore on May 26, 2010.

Pakistan is to lift a ban on Facebook and YouTube in the next few days, after blocking the websites over 'sacrilegious' content, the country's interior minister said. When a Facebook user decided to organise an 'Everyone Draw Mohammed Day' competition to promote 'freedom of expression', it sparked a major backlash among Islamic activists in the South Asian country of 170 million.

Islam strictly prohibits the depiction of any prophet as blasphemous and the row sparked comparison with protests across the Muslim world over the publication of satirical cartoons of Mohammed in European newspapers in 2006.

DTN News: Russian Airlines Face EU Ban From 2012 Over CO2 Emissions

DTN News: Russian Airlines Face EU Ban From 2012 Over CO2 Emissions *Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti (NSI News Source Info) BRUSSELS, Belgium - August 24, 2009: The European Union has placed some 100 Russian air carriers, including Aeroflot, on a list of airlines that could be banned from European airports unless they reduce their environmental impact from 2012. The full list of nearly 4,000 airlines was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on Saturday. In accordance with a newly-introduced EU law, from January 1, 2012 all airlines operating in Europe will have to limit their carbon dioxide emissions or face penalties. The European Commission said that the list "is based on data provided by Eurocontrol using records of flight plans." Experts say air transport produces two percent of all manmade carbon dioxide emissions and 13 percent of CO2 from transport.

During the Soviet era, Aeroflot was the Soviet national airline and the largest airline in the world. Since the dissolution of the USSR, Aeroflot has been transformed from a state-run enterprise into a semi-privatised airline which ranks amongst the most profitable in the world. Aeroflot is still considered the de facto national airline of Russia. Aeroflot has embarked on a fleet modernisation program, extensive route restructuring, and an image overhaul, in order to bring the airline up to world standards. The airline joined SkyTeam in April 2006.

During the Soviet era Aeroflot was synonymous with Russian civil aviation. It became the first airline in the world to operate sustained regular jet services on 15 September 1956 with the Tupolev Tu-104.

In January 1971 the Aeroflot Central Administration of International Air Traffic was established within the framework of IATA, and became the industry's sole enterprise authorised to operate international flights. Abroad, the airline was known as Aeroflot Soviet Airlines. In 1976 Aeroflot carried its 100 millionth passenger.

Its flights were mainly concentrated around the Soviet Union, but the airline also had an international network covering five continents: North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. The network included countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Cuba, Mexico and the People's Republic of China. Since the 1970s some transatlantic flights were flown using Shannon Airport in Ireland as an intermediate stop, as it was the westernmost non-NATO airport in Europe.

DTN News: European Union Names Airlines That Could Face Europe Ban

DTN News: European Union Names Airlines That Could Face Europe Ban

*Source: DTN News / AFP

(NSI News Source Info) BRUSSELS, Belgium - August 24, 2009: The European Union on Saturday published a list of nearly 4,000 airlines that it says should reduce their impact on the environment from 2012 or face being banned from European airports. Pollution from aircraft emissions currently represent three percent of European emissions. The EU adopted the policy in January despite opposition from the majority of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) member countries and companies belonging to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). A new European law is due to come into force soon. (Pollution from aircraft emissions currently represent three percent of European emissions) Under the new law, from January 1, 2012 all airlines -- both European and non-European -- operating within Europe would have to limit CO2 emissions or face penalties. Airlines will have to start monitoring their emissions from January 2010, in line with plans submitted this year. Carbon dioxide is widely considered a major greenhouse gas which is seen as contributing to climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a scientific body which assesses climate change, says air transport produces two percent of all carbon dioxide emissions from humans and 13 percent of CO2 from transport. The list was published in the Official Journal of the European Union.