News Clipping 2011.06.23

1.       How’s the Weather?

The New York Times     June 16, 2011

Jacob Magraw

LATELY, the Sun has been behaving a bit strangely. In 2008 and 2009, it showed the least surface activity in nearly a century. Solar flare activity stopped cold and weeks and months went by without any sunspots, or areas of intense magnetism. Quiet spells are normal for the Sun, but researchers alive today had never seen anything like that two-year hibernation.

Now that the Sun is approaching the peak of its magnetic cycle, when solar storms — blasts of electrically charged magnetic clouds — are most likely to occur, no one can predict how it will behave. Will solar activity continue to be sluggish, or will solar storms rage with renewed vigor?

2.      Under pressure, Syria's Assad pledges reforms

Los Angeles Times   June 20, 2011

The embattled president mentions a possible change in the constitution to allow political parties, but opponents say he offers no concrete steps toward democracy.

In his first public address in over two months, Syrian President Bashar Assad, facing international and domestic pressure for rapid change, promised to open the country's political system and allow for a change of the constitution, but he unveiled no concrete new reforms and continued to blame unspecified foreign conspiracies for the violence perpetrated by his security forces.

The speech Monday fell far short of internal Syrian and international demands for a dramatic opening-up of one of the world's most tightly controlled police states. Critics said the vision he outlined ultimately failed to include concrete steps toward the democracy that protesters demand.

3.      175 killed from China floods; more than 1.6 million evacuated

CNN        2011.06.20

Beijing (CNN) -- At least 175 people have died from flooding this month in southern and eastern China, the country's Ministry of Civil Affairs said Monday.

Another 86 people are missing from the flooding that began with rainfall on June 3. The ministry said 13 provinces have been affected, more than 1.6 million people have been evacuated, and the direct economic losses has reached 32.02 billion yuan ($4.9 billion).

The flooding has destroyed at least 8,400 houses in Zhejiang province alone, a provincial agency said.

4.      Stocks mixed after delay on Greek debt deal

Associated Press      June 20, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks indexes were mixed in early trading Monday after European leaders failed to agree on releasing more financial aid to Greece.

In order to get the aid, Greece has to agree to more budget cuts, which has been causing unrest and political upheaval there. The Greek government faces a confidence vote on Tuesday.

Prime Minister George Papandreou's newly-reshuffled government is expected to prevail in the confidence vote, and officials say they expect Greece to get its next installment of emergency loans in July. If Greece defaults on its debt, it could trigger losses for the banks that hold Greek bonds and more turmoil in financial markets.