Colombia, FARC rebels reach agreement on agrarian reform

By Jeff Franks

HAVANA (Reuters) - Colombia and the Marxist-led FARC rebels have reached agreement on the critical issue of agrarian reform, the two sides said on Sunday in what appeared to be a major step forward for the peace process aimed at ending their long war.

They said the accord called for the economic and social development of rural areas and providing land to the people living there, which addresses one of the main issues that led the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, to form in 1964 as a communist agrarian reform movement and launch its insurgency.

Lead government negotiator Humberto de la Calle reminded that the agreement would only take effect if an overall peace accord is achieved, which has been the guiding principal of the talks since the beginning.

"Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed," he said.

But he added it would represent "a historic change, a rebirth of the Colombian countryside."

The government promised to build up services and infrastructure in rural areas as it tries to end the country's long history of social and economic inequality.

"What we have agreed to in this accord will be the beginning of radical transformations in the rural and agrarian reality of Colombia, with equity and democracy," said the joint statement, which was read at the end of the ninth round of the talks that began November 19 in Havana.

The rebels warned that "certain points" in the agrarian reform accord "necessarily will have to be retaken before the completion of the final agreement," but said a path was being opened for "the people to act, to mobilize themselves in defense of their rights."

It was not disclosed how much land would be given out. De la Calle said there would be "an ambitious program of restitution and adjudication of lands" to the rural poor, but that private landowners would not lose their property

"Legal landowners have nothing to fear," he said.

The agreement was the most hopeful development yet in the peace process, but many potential obstacles remain, starting with the next agenda item - the delicate subject of political participation for the FARC.

More than 100,000 people have died and millions have been displaced in the war that is now Latin America's longest-running insurgency and goes on at a low intensity even as the peace discussions continue.

Many Colombians feel the rebels must face justice for war casualties, the use of kidnappings to extort money and involvement in the illicit drug trade, the latter a charge the group has denied.

But criminal charges and jail time could exclude many FARC leaders from taking part in politics.

The rebels have said they are willing to "review" any "error" committed during the war, but have ruled out prosecution by a state they say they legitimately rose up against for persecuting and neglecting its own people.

Other remaining agenda points include the logistics of ending the conflict, the drug trade, compensation for victims and the implementation of the final accord.

President Juan Manuel Santos, who recently hinted that he plans to run for re-election in 2014, has said he wants the talks ended this year.

Santos initiated the peace talks last year on a bet the FARC had been so weakened by the government's 10-year, U.S.-backed offensive against the group that its leaders are ready to negotiate an end to the fighting.

Three previous peace attempts, the last ending in 2002, have failed.

The rebels have been pushed into remote corners of the country but are still able to attack oil and mining operations that are fueling Colombia's economic growth.

The war has diverted billions of dollars from the economy as industry is unable to function at full capacity and the government is forced to spend heavily on troops and weapons.

Even if peace with the FARC is achieved, the government still must deal with a smaller rebel force, the ELN or National Liberation Army, and criminal gangs running drug-trafficking operations.

The ELN, with an estimated 3,000 fighters, has expressed interest in seeking a peace accord similar to the one being pursued with the FARC, but Santos has said it must first release captives who include a Canadian citizen.

Norway and Cuba are serving as guarantors for the Colombia-FARC talks, with Chile and Venezuela as observers.

The discussions are set to resume in Havana on June 11, a government spokesman said.

(Reporting By Jeff Franks; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colombia-farc-rebels-reach-agreement-agrarian-reform-181920896.html

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Obama: Country Will Be 'Shelter from the Storm' for Oklahoma (ABC News)

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Must See HDTV (May 27th - June 2nd)

Need something other than the new season of Arrested Development to watch? Most of the summer shows won't start until June, but AMC is bringing back one of its top series and the NBA and NHL postseasons are providing plenty to watch. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

The Killing
AMC's murder mystery series returns for its third season next weekend. Even though the Rosie Larsen case is over, Linden (is still in Seattle) and investigating an all new case. So, are you in for another ride, or will you be waiting for this one to pop up on Netflix? Check out a quick preview embedded after the break, including a promise the case will be solved this season.
(June 2, AMC, 8PM)

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Robots, drones tested to help Australians with farming

37 minutes ago

David Gray / Reuters

Salah Sukkarieh, professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at the University of Sydney, Australian Centre for Field Robotics, stands next to one of his robotic aircraft in his laboratory in Sydney April 24, 2013.

SYDNEY ? Moving carefully along a row of apple trees, two of Australia's newest agricultural workers check if the fruit is ripe or the soil needs water or fertilizer.

Meet "Mantis" and "Shrimp", agricultural robots being tested to do these tasks and more in a bid to cut costs and improve productivity in Australia's economically vital farm sector, which exported the U.S. equivalent of $38.8 billion of produce in 2012.

Australia is one of the leaders in the field and, with a minimum wage of about $15 U.S. an hour and a limited workforce, has a big incentive to use robots and other technology such as unmanned aircraft to improve efficiency.

It hopes to tap fast-growing Asian neighbors, where the swelling ranks of the middle class increasingly want more varied and better quality food from blueberries to beef.

"The adoption of new technology is going to be crucial for Australia to maintain its competitiveness in terms of the global agricultural sector," said Luke Matthews, commodities strategist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

"If we don't adopt new technology, we can give up on these high-flying ambitions of being the food bowl of Asia."

Agriculture now accounts for 2 percent of Australia's gross domestic product, but the government forecasts it could reach 5 percent by 2050. Its growth is particularly important now the once-booming mining sector is slowing.

Australia is the world's second-biggest wheat exporter and arable farmers are already using specialized technology aimed at improving efficiency, including satellite positioning software to allow farmers to map out land and soil to determine optimal inputs.

Using such technology to optimize the use of fertilizer can boost profitability at grain farms by 14 percent, according to a study by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

Plucky ability

A robot effortlessly plucking fruit is some way off, though a range of simpler tasks are within reach to add to existing technology such as automatic steering of harvesters.

Salah Sukkarieh, professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at the University of Sydney and developer of Mantis and Shrimp, says the next phase aims for robots to do increasingly complex jobs such as watering and ultimately harvesting.

"We have fitted them with a lot of sensors, vision, laser, radar and conductivity sensors ? including GPS and thermal sensors," said Sukkarieh, speaking at his laboratory housing a collection of both ground robots and unmanned air vehicles.

The technology could have the biggest application in horticulture, Australia's third-largest agricultural sector with exports of $1.71 billion in the last marketing year, since a fixed farm layout lends itself better to using robots.

Robots and an unmanned air vehicle that are being developed at the University of Sydney had passed field tests at an almond farm in Mildura, Victoria state, said Sukkarieh.

Propelled by sets of wheels and about the height of a man, the robots were named after the native Mantis shrimp because of the marine crustacean's 16 different color receptors, capable of detecting up to 12 colors. Humans only have four, three of which pick up colors.

This capacity to recognize color already allows the robots to sense whether fruit is ripe.

Reuters

A scientist performs a field test with a 'Hexi-copter' air robot and two ground robots named Mantis and Shrimp, in reference to the marine crustacean's 16 different color receptors, at an almond farm near the Victorian city of Mildura.

The data can then be processed by computer algorithms to determine what action the robot should take. This could be to water or apply fertilizer or pesticides, or to sweep and prune vegetation, and eventually the aim is to harvest the crop.

"If tomorrow we got an apple, orange or tomato farmer that wants a robot to go up and down these tree crops reliably and accurately, we can do that within six months to a year."

"The question is can we make them more intelligent," added Sukkarieh, who also sees the technology being attached to standard farm vehicles and foresees a fully automated horticulture farm within 10 years.

But no robots and apples

Australian farmers, who depend on seasonal labor for jobs such as picking fruit and vegetables, said they would welcome high-tech help.

"Berry picking by a robot would be difficult but if they could produce a robot, I could make a significant saving," said Allan Dixon, co-owner of the Clyde River Berry Farm in New South Wales, who typically takes on five people every year.

To get enough agricultural workers, Australia allows in some labor from neighboring Pacific island countries and East Timor, as well as using backpackers on temporary work visas.

Some fruit farmers remain skeptical.

"Apples will always need to be harvested by hand, due to their fragile nature. They bruise very easily," said Lucinda Giblett, director at Newton Orchards in Western Australia.

"We see no current opportunities offered by agricultural robots. Even as a pruning device, application is very limited," added Giblett.

Goal of supplying Asia

Further productivity gains will be needed if Australia is to reach its target of being the main food supplier to Asia.

A 2011 study by the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics and Sciences said around two-thirds of the increase in the monetary value of agricultural production in the last 50 years in the country was down to gains in productivity

Another survey by the Grains Research and Development Corporation showed 67 percent of respondents in 2011 used auto-steer technology to guide machinery such as harvesters and sprayers, up from 47 percent in 2008.

Obstacles to using more technology remain, however, including the cost of buying or renting equipment and slower growth in research and development spending. Some studies show growth in the use of satellite imagery and soil mapping has stagnated in Australia and the United States in recent years.

Regardless of whether it can meet its targets to supply more food to Asia, Australia is expected to play a big role in global food security by being one of the test beds for new ways to produce food more efficiently in often harsh conditions.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2c6ef171/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Crobots0Edrones0Etested0Ehelp0Eaustralians0Efarming0E6C10A0A840A0A2/story01.htm

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Functional Apple 1 auctioned off for $671.4K, sets new Sotheby's record

With $671,400, you could buy roughly 2,040.7 base-model iPad minis before taxes. One unnamed buyer, however, just laid that amount out for a single Apple 1 from 1976. Auctioned through a Germany-based Sotheby's, The New York Times Bits blog notes the price beats out the firm's $640K record from another unit last November. Interestingly, this current seller refurbished this latest Apple 1 to working condition, after paying only $40K for it privately. We'd be remiss not to mention that the seller also had Steve Wozniak grace it with a signature. You'll find more info at the source, while we wrap our heads around how this makes last summer's auction price of $374.5K look like a relative steal.

Filed under: Desktops, Misc, Apple

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U.S. broadcast TV ratings slide pressures ad rates at "upfronts"

By Lisa Richwine and Liana B. Baker

(Reuters) - U.S. broadcast networks head into their biggest ad-selling season this week, competing with streaming services like Netflix, battling online players for ad dollars, and fending off hits starring zombies and duck hunters on cable.

The increased competition will force ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC to settle for their lowest average rate hikes in three years during the "upfront" selling season, Wall Street analysts say.

During the upfronts, networks preview shows for their fall schedules, trying to persuade advertisers to buy billions of dollars worth of commercial time in advance.

The broadcasters still command premium ad prices because they reach an audience that is far bigger than the viewership of any single cable channel. Upfront rates likely will rise by 6 percent on average, as the broadcasters book about $9 billion worth of ad inventory during the upfronts, Barclays Capital estimates.

While 6 percent is well ahead of the 1.3 percent annual inflation rate, it is lower than the rich gains networks enjoyed in recent years. Upfront ad rates increased by 7.5 percent last year, and by 11.1 percent the previous year.

"For the networks, they probably feel very challenged that they have more competitors and are facing lower ratings," said Mark Fratrik, chief economist at media research firm BIA/Kelsey.

"Advertisers have many more places to go to, so broadcasters are probably a little reticent of trying to push stronger (rates), even with this stronger economy," Fratrik added.

Viewers' biggest distraction is cable TV, which is churning out more hits that lure eyeballs from the Big Four. AMC's zombie thriller "The Walking Dead" and the A&E reality show "Duck Dynasty" haul in broadcast-sized audiences. "Walking Dead" averaged 10.7 million viewers this season, more than all but the top 12 shows on broadcast TV.

Online video players such as Hulu and Google Inc's YouTube are jockeying for ad dollars, and viewing hours are growing on Netflix, the streaming service that is making a big push into original programming with shows like political thriller "House of Cards."

Plus, networks don't yet get full credit in Nielsen ratings for the viewers who catch their favorite shows online.

So far this season, combined prime-time ratings on the four broadcasters declined 7.5 percent, the biggest year-over-year decline in six years, according to Nielsen data provided by Horizon Media and based on live viewing and those who record and watch the show the same day.

ADVERTISERS PUSH FOR LOWER RATES

Advertisers intend to use the reduced numbers of eyeballs to push for lower rate increases in the annual scrum. Network executives have countered in recent years that they still deliver the largest numbers of viewers at any one time.

Broadcasters also are home to the biggest sporting events, which draw premium ad dollars because viewers tend to watch them live without skipping commercials.

CBS, the ratings leader in total viewers, is projected to score the largest uptick, 6.5 percent, Barclays forecast, followed by ABC with 6 percent, Fox with 5.5 percent, and NBC with 5 percent.

"I am extremely bullish about the upfront marketplace," CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves said on a May 1 conference call.

Moonves' network leads in the advertiser-coveted 18- to 49-year-old age group, lifted by February's Super Bowl broadcast. Without the Super Bowl, CBS' same-day ratings for total viewers fell 5.7 percent.

Fox's audience plunged 16.7 percent this season, pulled down by the dwindling audience for the once-unbeatable singing competition "American Idol."

NBC, in the ratings basement for years, gained ground in the fall but faltered in the new year when its popular singing competition "The Voice" went on hiatus. Its season-to-date ratings are about flat. ABC's audience declined 9 percent.

COULD BE WORSE

Despite these challenges, a 6 percent rate hike still represents a healthy gain, analysts say, showing that demand for ad time on broadcast TV remains the preferred platform for advertisers to reach a large audience.

"Despite some of the chatter out there, TV advertising is holding up really well," Morningstar analyst Michael Corty said.

And if the networks do not like the rates they are seeing during the upfront season, they can hold back inventory and sell it later on the last-minute "scatter" market.

To better compete with the one-hour cable hits such as the "Homeland" security thriller and the "Game of Thrones" fantasy series, the networks are offering their own dramatic fare, hoping to get viewers to tune in every week to catch the latest twist in a running story.

Fox has already picked up legal drama "Rake" starring Emmy winner Greg Kinnear, and NBC has ordered supernatural drama "Believe" from "Lost" creator J.J. Abrams.

Among the other upcoming new shows, ABC has a drama based on S.H.I.E.L.D., the Marvel comics intelligence agency, and produced by "Avengers" movie director Joss Whedon.

"Everyone is still looking for that next drama," said Darcy Bowe, director at media agency Starcom USA. "It's still sort of the gold standard by which prime time television is upheld."

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Edited by Ronald Grover and Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-broadcast-tv-ratings-slide-pressures-ad-rates-023217510.html

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