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Ceuta and Melilla, fragments of Europe on north Africa's Mediterranean coast, came under Spanish control around 500 years ago.

Madrid says the urban enclaves are integral parts of Spain. They are surrounded by Morocco, which views the Spanish presence as anachronistic and claims sovereignty.

But improving relations were jeopardised in November 2007 by Spanish King Juan Carlos' II first visit to the territories in more than 30 years, which King Mohammed VI strongly condemned.

Spain also controls a scattering of islets along the north African coast, including uninhabited Perejil, which was at the centre of a spat in 2002 when Moroccan soldiers occupied it before being removed by the Spanish army.

More recently, differences over Ceuta and Melilla have not prevented a warming of relations between Morocco and Spain, particularly economic ones. Morocco's premier has advocated "neighbourly" talks on the issue.

With its rebuilt 15th century cathedral, shipyards and a fish-processing plant, Ceuta is viewed by Spain as the more strategically-valuable enclave. The town is a 90-minute ferry ride from mainland Spain.

Melilla, conquered in 1497, is a modern town with a distinctive old quarter.

The enclaves are surrounded by fences, intended to deter illegal immigrants. But Ceuta and Melilla are nonetheless used by many Africans as stepping-stones to Iberia. Many migrants are caught and some drown while attempting to make the sea crossing. People trafficking is common.

After a series of increasingly-desperate attempts by would-be immigrants to surmount the barriers in 2005, Spain and Morocco agreed to deploy extra troops to try to secure the borders.

Ceuta and Melilla are linked to Spain by ferry services to Malaga, Algeciras and Almeria. Borders and defence are controlled by Madrid. Tourism is an important money-earner with duty-free goods being a big draw for visitors.

Sharjah:  Al Qasimi Hospital yesterday conducted four open heart operations in line with a campaign to treat heart conditions in children and the elderly.

The operations, carried out by Emirati and French surgeons, are also a part of the strategic partnership between the Ministry of Health, represented by Al Qasimi Hospital, and a humanitarian initiative to treat one million children and elderly people.

The initiative is held under the patronage of Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union.

Dr Arif Al Nooryani, CEO of Al Qasimi Hospital and consultant at the hospital’s cardiology section, said the initiative, launched in 2002 by Emirates World Heart Group in cooperation with Emirates Humanitarian Hospital, has treated around 2,250 patients from various parts of the world, with 250 operations carried out in the UAE.

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This week, we’re going retro to the golden days of arcade gaming via the latest gadget superhit: the iPad. For those who lived through their teens in the 1980s and 1990s, and those who want to know how it was like before the advent of 3D gaming, it’s time to get nostalgic with the iCade iPad Arcade Cabinet.

What’s special about it?

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Davos: The head of the International Monetary Fund said yesterday some countries that use the euro have the flexibility to boost growth to help shore up the ailing Eurozone economy, which is widely expected to sink back into recession.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Christine Lagarde said the 17 nations that use the euro should not undertake dramatic spending cuts to reduce debts at the same pace or to the same degree.

"Some countries have to go full-speed ahead to do this fiscal consolidation, but other countries have space and room," said Lagarde.

Though conceding there weren’t many of them, Lagarde said it was important those that have the headroom should explore how they can boost growth.

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<span class="articleLocation”>(Reuters) – Shares of E*Trade Financial (ETFC.O) tumbled 10.7 percent after the company reported a surprising loss late on Wednesday, due to higher-than-expected loan provisions in its troubled banking unit and a slowdown in trading levels.

The online brokerage and financial services company’s shares tumbled 11.6 percent, or $1.09, to $8.25 in morning trading

E*Trade reported a net loss of $6.3 million, or 2 cents a share in the fourth quarter, compared with a loss of $24 million, or 11 cents, a year earlier.

Analysts on average expected the company to earn 20 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

The company said it has been transitioning since the second half of 2011 to a new banking regulator, and to bring its programs in line, it took a $15 million writedown to adjust for loans that were currently in foreclosure, and it added $67 million to its reserves.

In total, E*Trade said it set aside $123 million for loan losses in the quarter, compared with $194 million a year earlier.

David Chiaverini, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets, said he had been expecting the company to record $48 million in loan loss provisions.

E*Trade took billions of dollars in losses on risky loans in the mortgage portfolio of its banking unit following the collapse of the U.S. housing market. It has made progress with its debt and credit issues, chalking up its first full-year profit since 2006, but the loan book continues to drag on earnings.

Separately, the company paid about $11 million in the quarter to settle a class-action lawsuit as a result of losses in its mortgage and home equity loans portfolio in 2007.

Minus the one-time charges, E*Trade would have likely earned just under 17 cents a share, Richard Repetto, an analyst at Sandler O’Neill Research, said in a note to clients.

Daily client trades at the brokerage were down 7 percent from a year ago as investors pulled back from choppy markets. E*Trade also said its net interest margins would fall below its earlier forecasts in 2012 due to the ongoing soft interest rate environment.

While Repetto said he believes E*Trade management “is doing all the right things,” he downgraded the stock to “hold” from “buy” due to the difficult trading environment and net interest margin compression.

Goldman Sachs cut E*Trade to “neutral” from “buy,” while Macquarie cut its price target for the firm to $8 from $10, and BMO Capital Market cut its price target to $8 from $9.

(Reporting By John McCrank in New York; Editing by Derek Caney and Maureen Bavdek)

Burma, also known as Myanmar, was long considered a pariah state, isolated from the rest of the world and with an appalling human rights record.

The generals who ran Burma stood accused of gross human rights abuses, including the forcible relocation of civilians and the widespread use of forced labour, including children.

The largest ethnic group is the Burman people, who are related to the Tibetans and the Chinese. Burman dominance over Karen, Shan, Rakhine, Mon, Chin, Kachin and other minorities has been the source of considerable ethnic tension and has fuelled intermittent separatist rebellions.

Military offensives against insurgents have uprooted many thousands of civilians. Ceasefire deals signed in late 2011 and early 2012 with rebels of the Karen and Shan ethnic groups suggested a new determination to end the long-running conflicts.

A largely rural, densely forested country, Burma is the world's largest exporter of teak and a principal source of jade, pearls, rubies and sapphires. It is endowed with extremely fertile soil and has important offshore oil and gas deposits. However, its people remain very poor.

The economy is one of the least developed in the world, and is suffering the effects of decades of stagnation, mismanagement, and isolation. Key industries have long been controlled by the military, and corruption is rife. The military has also been accused of large-scale trafficking in heroin, of which Burma is a major exporter.

Among others, the EU, United States and Canada have imposed economic sanctions on Burma. Of the major economies, only China, India and South Korea have invested in the country.

Burma is festooned with the symbols of Buddhism. Thousands of pagodas throng its ancient towns; these have been a focus for an increasingly important tourism industry.

But while tourism has been a magnet for foreign investment, its benefits have so far hardly touched the people.

Release Date: 11/04/2011Contact Information: Stacy Kika, kika.stacy@epa.gov, 202-564-0906 or 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are collaborating to conduct a study on the potential for solar power generation on the former Kerr McGee Chemical Facility site in Columbus, Miss. As part of the RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative, EPA is investing approximately $1 million for projects across the United States aiming to revitalize abandoned sites while protecting people’s health, the environment and providing economic benefits to local communities, including job creation.

“The RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative is not just about using these sites for energy production but using these sites to re-energize communities,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “These studies are the first step to transforming these sites from eyesores today to community assets tomorrow.”
The former Kerr McGee facility is one of 26 sites that will be analyzed for the potential development of wind, solar, biomass, or geothermal at 26 sites. The analysis will determine the best renewable energy technology for the site, the optimal location for placement of the renewable energy technology on the site, potential energy generating capacity, the return on the investment, and the economic feasibility of the renewable energy projects. The 26 sites are located in Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Georgia, Mississippi, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New Mexico, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, California, Arizona, Oregon, and Washington.

Renewable energy projects of this nature have been successful in the past. There have been over 20 renewable energy projects built on contaminated sites and more are currently underway. For example, in 2010, a six megawatt solar array was constructed on the Aerojet General Corporation Superfund site in Sacramento County, Calif. This solar farm is being used to power the cleanup. Also in 2010, the 10 megawatt Exelon City Solar installation, which is the largest urban solar power plant in the United States, was built on a brownfield site in Chicago

Some of the sites under consideration for renewable energy projects have completed cleanup activities, while others may be in various stages of assessment or cleanup. Renewable energy projects on the sites will be designed to accommodate the site conditions.

Superfund sites are the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites identified by EPA for cleanup. Brownfields are properties at which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence of contaminants. Contaminated lands can be ideal locations for developing renewable energy projects because they often can leverage existing utility infrastructure, and this redevelopment may be allowed under existing zoning.

In September 2008, EPA launched the RE-Powering America’s Land initiative to encourage development of renewable energy on potentially contaminated land and mining sites. EPA partnered with NREL to do an initial screening to determine sites that may be used for renewable energy projects.

More information on the RE-Powering America’s Land initiative:

http://www.epa.gov/renewableenergyland/

More information on NREL: http://www.nrel.gov/

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