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31 October 2014 Last updated at 01:08

1. Russia and Ukraine agree gas supply deal
Russia has agreed to resume gas supplies to Ukraine over the winter in a deal brokered by the European Union.

The deal will also ensure gas supplies to EU countries via Ukraine are secure.
"There is now no reason for people in Europe to stay cold this winter,'' said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
European Union energy chief Guenther Oettinger said he was confident that Ukraine would be able to afford to pay for the gas it needed.
He added that the agreement might be the "first glimmer" of hope in easing tensions between Russian and Ukraine.
We can say to the citizens of Europe that we can guarantee security of supply over the winter.”
Guenther OettingerEU Energy Commissioner
"This is an important step for our shared energy security in the European continent," Mr Barroso said.
The deal follows months of talks between EU officials and the Russian and Ukrainian energy ministers.
The terms include the EU acting as guarantor for Ukraine's gas purchases from Russia and helping to meet outstanding debts.
The total package is worth $4.6bn (£2.87bn), with money coming from the International Monetary Fund as well as the EU. The total includes funds from existing accords with the EU and IMF.
"Unprecedented levels of EU aid will be disbursed in a timely manner, and the International Monetary Fund has reassured Ukraine that it can use all financial means at its disposal to pay for gas," the EC said in a statement.
"Further work with the international financial institutions on financial assistance to Ukraine, also in relation to gas supplies, will still continue. But all three sides are reassured that Ukraine will have the necessary financial means."



2. Migrants who risk everything to reach Europe

30 October 2014 Last updated at 04:56

A growing number of migrants start their journey in Alexandria, Egypt
Of the 23 members of the Bakr family who set sail for Europe on a crowded traffickers' boat in early September, only one is known to have arrived. The body of 14-month-old Malak Raafat Bakr was found off the coast of Italy. The infant girl, whose name meant Angel, was buried in Italian soil.
The relatives who departed with her are believed to be among about 500 people who drowned when traffickers rammed their boat.
Survivors say the migrants had refused to transfer to a smaller ship, fearing it was less sea-worthy. Traffickers ended the argument by sinking their vessel.
For the Bakr family - who are Palestinians - this was the second catastrophe in recent years. Hamas drove them from Gaza in 2007 and seized their business interests. They settled in Egypt but faced many problems so - for the first time - some turned to the traffickers.
"I was completely against it but they kept saying there was no future here, or back home in Gaza," said Atef Bakr, a family elder who stayed behind.
"They had this dream to get to Europe and to have a decent life for themselves and their children."
Mr Bakr, a former colonel in the Palestinian security forces, has the slow speech and reddened eyes of a man crushed by grief. These days he spends his time searching for updates about the disaster and mourning almost two dozen relatives, including his brother, his son and his grandson.
His mother, Amina, sat alongside in a white headscarf, recalling better days in Gaza.
"We used to eat together, drink together, do everything together. We hope to God to be reunited one day. We hope to hear that they are all right," she said, before giving way to tears.
In a bitter irony, most of the dead were strong swimmers as the family were fishermen.
"They used to swim in the sea in all seasons," said Mr Bakr.
"They could deal with rough seas and cold water. They were still young. How could they drown?"
The Bakrs set sail from Damietta in northern Egypt where people smuggling is a growth industry. There are said to be about 20 departure points along the coast.
Atef Bakr: 'They swam very well, so how could they drown?'
"Last year trafficking wasn't organised but now the gangs are getting connected with each other and the business is getting bigger," said Muhammed Al Kashef, a researcher for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).
"The traffickers now have more money and more power," he said. "By next year it will be hard to tackle them."
Mr Al Kashef, who advocates on behalf of migrants and monitors traffickers, says Palestinians, Egyptians, Libyans and Syrians are now involved in the trade.
The key traffickers and brokers are shadowy figures known only by nicknames like Abu Hamada (also called the Doctor and the Captain), and the General.
Migrants pay at least $2,000 (£1,200) and sometimes up to $4,000 per person, depending on the condition of the boat.
The traffickers operate from public places - including harbours alongside tourist beaches - when the coast is clear. Mr Al Kashef says they work between dawn and 5pm to avoid coastguard patrols at night.
When migrants arrive at the departure point they are put on fishing boats that ferry them out to larger vessels in international waters.
They spend two to three days there waiting for the boat to be filled with hundreds of migrants.
When the ship is packed they begin the voyage to Italy.
They are transferred en-route to another vessel that brings them to Italian territorial waters. The traffickers then phone an SOS to the coastguard and dump the migrants in the sea.
More than 3,000 have drowned in the Mediterranean this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration. But the European Border Agency, Frontex, says a record number - 182,156 - have made it to Europe by sea. That is three times the total for 2013. The dramatic increase in arrivals has prompted European nations to plan their biggest ever exercise to detect migrants.
Operation Triton, which will involve more than 20 European countries, is due to begin on 1 November. But the focus will be on border control, not search and rescue. Aid agencies fear that more migrants will now die at sea.

3. Solar's Future Looks Brighter

VOA News

October 30, 2014 3:01 PM
 Solar Power Plant in Africa to Supply Europe
Just 0.3 percent of the Saharan Desert's intense solar energy could provide Europe with all the electrical power it needs
Scientists have created a new solar power material they call the “black hole of light” because it can absorb and convert to heat 90 percent of the sunlight it captures.
A team of researchers at the University of California at San Diego developed the silicon boride-coated nanoshell material that can be used in concentrating solar power (CSP) plants, according to a news release.

Researchers said the new material could increase the efficiency of CSPs by about 30 percent.
CSP plants consist of thousands of mirrors, which reflect sunlight at a central tower covered in a light absorbing material. The concentrated light is converted to heat which can power a steam turbine that produces electricity.
CSP power plants work by heating molten salt, which can be stored in thermal storage tanks and continue to produce energy even when it’s dark. This is a big advantage over photovoltaic cells, which stop producing energy at night.
Researchers said one big advantage of their material is its durability: It withstands heat of over 700 degrees Celsius and can survive exposure to other elements. They added that the plants are more efficient at higher temperatures.
Currently, CSP plants have to reapply sunlight absorption material about once a year, meaning the plant is not producing energy during the maintenance.
The UC San Diego team says their material has a longer lifespan, adding they are “close to achieving” a material that will last for “many years.”
CSP plants currently produce about 3.5 gigawatts of energy globally, which is enough to provide electrical power to more than 2 million homes. That number could rise to 20 gigawatts in coming years.
There was also good news about solar power in a report released by Deutsche Bank this week, which said rooftop photovoltaic energy will be as cheap or cheaper than other sources of electricity in 47 U.S. states by as early as 2016.
The report, written by Deutsche Bank’s leading solar energy analyst Vishal Shah, assumes the U.S. will continue a 30 percent tax credit on solar system costs. The credit it due to expire in 2016 as well.
According to the report, even if the tax credit were to be cut by two thirds, solar power would still achieve parity with other forms of electricity in 36 states.
Currently solar power costs the same as other sources of electricity in only 10 states. The report says the amount of electricity from solar panels in the U.S. could be 16 times greater in 2016 than it was in 2008. These trends in solar come at a time of dropping fossil fuel prices, which usually triggers a loss of interest in solar.
Earlier this year the International Energy Agency said concentrating solar power plants could provide 11 percent of the world’s electricity by 2050. Photovoltaic systems could account for another 16 percent, the agency said.
Currently, solar power accounts for less than one percent of the world’s electricity needs.


4. Taylor Swift's role as New York ambassador leaves locals unimpressed

Oct 31 2014 at 12:28 AM

Swift's new gig as New York City's global tourism ambassador is getting a raspberry from locals who've questioned her street cred and mocked videos she made for the city's tourism agency, NYC & Co.
Swift was born and raised in Pennsylvania and moved to Nashville at 14 to pursue country music.
Last year she bought a $US20 million ($21.64 million) apartment in the trendy downtown Manhattan neighbourhood of Tribeca.
In her tourism videos, she explains among other things how to pronounce certain streets and declares her love for the perfect latte.
"A latte is not like a slice of pizza, or a bagel," declared a writer in the Village Voice.
The Daily News called her appointment "absurd."
Brooklyn city councilman, Jumaane D Williams, asked in a tweet, "Of all the past/present talent and celebrities that are actually native NY'ers explain again why #TaylorSwift is our ambassador?"
On The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon quipped, "How could we let a woman who's not even from New York welcome people to the city?"
Others wondered why Jay Z, Jerry Seinfeld or J Lo weren't part of the campaign.
NYC & Co spokesman Chris Heywood defended Swift as the perfect choice for the city's global ambassador.
"She is the No. 1 global pop star in the world right now," he said.
"She is a new New Yorker. She came to New York last spring.
"This is a new approach, all about the wonderment and excitement you have when you first come to New York City."
Swift told David Letterman she couldn't stop raving about New York as "the greatest place ever". Her appointment as global tourism ambassador coincides with the release of her single, Welcome to New York.



5. Michael Bublé to hold concert in Indonesia next year
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Entertainment | Wed, October 22 2014, 1:05 PM

Canadian singer Michael Bublé, 39, will hold his first concert in Indonesia early next year.
Event organizer and Dyandra Entertainment official, Roderick Tjandr, said that the concert would be held on Jan. 29, 2015 at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in BSD City in South Tangerang, Banten.
“In January 2015, Bublé will sing his hit singles, such as "Home", "Everything", "Haven’t Met You Yet" and "To Be Loved and Feeling Good,” Tjandr said in a press release sent to The Jakarta Post.
He said that concert tickets would go on sale Nov. 1. He added that more complete information could be found on the company website at dyandraentertainment.com/michaelbuble.
Bublé, who has recorded five albums, has also won several awards, including four Grammys and multiple Juno Awards. With his 2005 album, It's Time, and his 2007 album, Call Me Irresponsible, he became an international sensation, with the latter album reaching number-one on the Canadian Albums Chart, the UK Albums Chart and the U.S. Billboard 200. (alz)