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Anti-austerity strikes sweep southern Europe
IMF’s Lagarde wants ‘real fix’ for Greece
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After 10 years in power, China’s Prez Hu, Premier Wen bow out
Liu may break into all-male club
France recognises new Syria opposition
Syrian opposition fighters celebrate on the strategic Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain. — AFP
US announces $30 mn more for Syria
Indian woman dies after being refused abortion
Oxford chooses ‘omnishambles’ as word of the year
Clinton seeks deeper military ties between India, Australia
Number of Indian students in US slides again
Mice could replace dogs to sniff out explosives
In Pak, Nitish visits
Taxila, ancient Hindu temples
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Anti-austerity strikes sweep southern Europe
Madrid/Lisbon, November 14 Hundreds of flights were cancelled, car factories and ports were at a standstill and trains barely ran in Spain and Portugal where unions held their first coordinated general strike. In Spain, 81 persons were arrested after scuffles at picket lines and damage to storefronts. Riot police in Madrid fired rubber bullets at protesters. In central Rome, students stoned police in a protest over money-saving plans for the school system. A few dozen protesters, hurling bottles and large firecrackers, clashed with riot police, who fired tear gas and dragged away at least one bleeding protester into a police van, a Reuters witness said. International rail services were disrupted by strikes in Belgium and workers in Greece, Italy and France demonstrated as part of a "European Day of Action and Solidarity". It was the biggest Europe-wide challenge by organised labour to austerity policies that have aggravated recessions and mass unemployment in nearly three years since the start of the euro zone's debt crisis. But it seemed unlikely to force hard-pressed governments to change their cost-cutting strategies. In Portugal and Greece, both rescued with European funds and under strict austerity programmes, the economic downturn sharpened in the third quarter, data showed in Wednesday. Portuguese unemployment jumped to a record 15.8 per cent while next door, in Spain, one in four of the workforce is jobless. Greece's economic output shrank by 7.2 per cent on an annual basis in the third quarter as the debt-laden country staggers towards its sixth year of depression. Close to 26 million people are unemployed in the European Union while governments take aim at spending on treasured universal health care and public schools. "Everybody has to do something to call attention to what's happening," said Esteban Quesada, 58, a hardware store owner in Barcelona who closed his shop to join the protests in Spain's second city. "Things have to change... Money has ended up with all the power and people none. How could this happen?" Spain, Portugal and Greece have all slashed spending on pensions, public sector wages, hospitals and schools. But frustration has mounted as the cuts aggravate the economic downturn. In Spain, most of the savings have been gobbled up to meet higher interest payments on the national debt, swollen by the cost of rescuing banks after a real estate bubble burst. The tax rises and spending cuts are aimed at putting public finances back on a healthy track after years of overspending. In Spain, a decade-long building boom collapsed, leaving airports, highways and high-rise buildings disused around the country. Protesters jammed cash machines with glue and coins and plastered anti-government stickers on shop windows around Spain. Power consumption dropped 16 per cent with factories idled. More than 600 flights were cancelled in Spain alone, mainly by Iberia and budget carrier Vueling. Portugal's flag carrier TAP cancelled roughly 45 per cent of flights. Trains, subways and busses in both countries were severely curtailed, but many retail shops were open as normal. Italy's biggest union, CGIL, called for a work stoppage of several hours across the country. The transport ministry expected trains and ferries to stop for four hours. Students and teachers were set to march. In Greece, which saw a big two-day strike last week as parliament voted to approve new cuts, hundreds of strikers rallied peacfully in central Athens, holding aloft giant Italian, Portuguese and Spanish flags and banners proclaiming "Enough is enough." In France, five trade unions organised marches in more than 100 cities but did not call for a strike. Left-wing critics of Socialist President Francois Hollande said he has failed to address the concerns of French workers who have the same fears as their counterparts in southern Europe. — Reuters
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IMF’s Lagarde wants ‘real fix’ for Greece Kuala Lumpur, November 14 The IMF expects a "real fix" for Greece that puts its debt on a sustainable path as quickly as possible, Lagarde said, showing no signs of backing down in a clash with the EU over how Athens can bring its debt down to a sustainable level. "Obviously, from the IMF's perspective, we expect a real fix, not a quick fix, and that means clearly a debt that is sustainable as quickly as possible," Lagarde told a news conference in Malaysia at the start of a visit to Asia that will also take her to the Philippines and Cambodia. Euro zone finance ministers have suggested Greece, where the euro zone debt crisis began, should be given until 2022 to lower its debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio to 120 percent, but Lagarde has insisted the existing target of 2020 should remain, in an unusually public airing of disagreement. The IMF is pushing back at having to return to Athens every few months to renegotiate terms of Greece's bailout, which was frozen by elections and slow reforms. The IMF has pressed Europe to restructure Greece's official debt owed to euro zone nations to reduce the country's debt burden more aggressively. One option is to further lower the interest rate on loans made to Greece and extend the repayment time until the economy is healthy again. Lagarde said that all of Greece's international partners shared the same goal of ensuring the terms of the country's bailout package were put on track and the country could access financial markets as quickly as possible. The IMF chief limited questions on Greece to one during the news conference, saying she wanted to focus on her visit to Southeast Asia where economic growth has been driven by domestic demand and has remained resilient despite the global slowdown.— Reuters
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After 10 years in power, China’s Prez Hu, Premier Wen bow out
Beijing, November 14
Bidding farewell at the end of the week-long 18th Party Congress here today, Hu, who is credited to have improved Sino-Indian relations in the last decade, said: "The Congress elected a new Central Committee of the Party and replaced older leaders with younger ones". The Congress which met at Beijing's cavernous Great Hall of the People concluded after electing over 300 members to the Central Committee, the main policy making body of the world's largest political party with 82.3 million members. Much on the expected lines, all top leaders including Xi, 59, Li Keqiang, 57, who is officially projected to succeed Wen as Premier as well as several senior leaders, including the lone woman, Lui Yandong, 67 were elected to the new Central Committee. The new Central Committee in turn would elect tomorrow a 25-member Politburo which will then choose the all-power Standing Committee, whose numbers were yet to be revealed. The outgoing Standing Committee, forming the basis for Party's policy of collective leadership consisted of nine members including Hu and Wen. Hu and Wen would relinquish the party posts tomorrow but the two leaders would continue in office as Chinese President and Premier respectively, till March next year. On the face of it, the leadership transition in the faction-ridden 92-year-old Communist Party went off smoothly as the party leaders successfully purged the supporters of hard-line Maoist leader Bo Xilai in the run up to the Congress. Bo, disgraced by the scandal involving his wife Gu Kailai in the murder of the British national Neil Heywood, stated to be agent of UK's intelligence service MI6 is currently awaiting trial after he was expelled from the party. Bo, who made a strong bid to revive the old Maoist ideology playing up on the growing rich-poor divide, was the frontrunner for the Standing Committee few months ago. The scandal which shook the party in the run up to the Congress helped the leadership headed by Hu which adhered to Deng Xiaoping's reformist ideology strongly opposed to the revival of Mao ideology. Other hopefuls for the top leadership who were inducted into the Central Committee included Wang Qishan, Liu Yunshan, Liu Yandong, Li Yuanchao, Wang Yang, Zhang Gaoli, Zhang Dejiang and Yu Zhengsheng and two top military officials, Fan Changlong and Xu Qiliang. In China, the Command structure of the 2.3 million strong military is part of the Communist Party. The conclusion of the Congress formally marked the end of Hu and Wen era which brought mixed results for China. While the country catapulted to the position of the second largest economy next only to the United States, the sudden rise of China and its growing military might evoked widespread concerns especially in the neighbourhood. Hu's era was largely credited to have brought out improvement in Sino-India relations though the border issue is yet to be solved. Barring the stapled visas issue for residents of Jammu and Kashmir, which China stopped after strong objections from India, Beijing focused on improving ties bringing "strategic equilibrium" to its otherwise pro-Pakistan policy. — PTI
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Liu may break into all-male club Beijing, November 14 Liu 67, a well connected princeling and outgoing Politburo member in charge of health, education, science and sports and previously part of a policy body in-charge of Tibet could get selected for all powerful nine-member Standing Committee which would be unveiled tomorrow. While announcing the names of some top leaders who got "elected" to the Central Committee today at the just concluded 18th Communist Party Congress, state-run Xinhua news agency also flashed her name prominently, sparking expectations that she could be first woman leader to make it to China's highest policy making body. The Congress concluded its week-long session today and the main leaders would be announced tomorrow. Many party watchers say that Liu has a good chance to get into the exclusive leadership club to create history. Born in Jiangsu, Liu whose father was a vice-minister of agriculture in the past was said to have been initiated into party by former president Jiang Zemin's foster father. She is the wife of Yang Yuanxing, also 'princeling' who runs his own technology company. Like present President Hu Jintao, she studied at Tsinghua University and worked as his deputy in the party's youth league. She later did her masters degree in sociology from Renmin University of China. She rose to prominence through the influential United Front Work Department and at the last party congress in 2007 in which she was made a Politburo member in charge of health, education, science and sports. From the days of its founder Mao Zedong, the 82 million members strong Communist Party of China (CPC), which is the longest party to be in power has remained a male bastion, with few woman taking up top positions even though the lot of the women improved under its rule.— PTI
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France recognises new Syria opposition
Beirut, November 14 Six Gulf Arab states recognised the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces on Monday and France followed suit the next day, unlike its European partners. President Francois Hollande's decisive posture on Syria recalled that of his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy on Libya last year, when France led calls for NATO action to protect civilians which effectively helped Libyan rebels topple Muammar Gaddafi. The European Union bans arms sales to Syria, but Hollande said the question of arming rebels would be examined when the coalition formed a transitional government. Paris had previously ruled this out, fearing arms could reach Islamist militants. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the formation of the coalition, which supersedes the widely discredited Syrian National Council as the face of the Syrian opposition, was an important step, but did not offer it full recognition or arms. "We have long called for this kind of organisation. We want to see that momentum maintained," Clinton told reporters in the Australian city of Perth. "As the Syrian opposition takes these steps and demonstrates its effectiveness in advancing the cause of a unified, democratic, pluralistic Syria, we will be prepared to work with them to deliver assistance to the Syrian people." Suhair al-Atassi, a vice president of the new coalition, said that once it had proved it represents "revolutionary forces" on the ground, there would be no excuse for Western powers not to provide some form of military backing. "The ball now is in the international community's court," she told Reuters in an interview in Dubai, blaming Western reticence to arm the rebels for the rise of extremism in Syria. "There is no more excuse to say we are waiting to see how efficient this new body is. They used to put the opposition to the test. Now we put them to the test," she declared. Meanwhile, rebel fighters today killed at least 18 soldiers as they overran a military post near Syria's northeastern border with Turkey, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The clashes, which also left an unknown number of soldiers wounded, took place near Ras al-Ain, a border town that the opposition fighters seized on Friday, said the Britain-based watchdog. It also said that some soldiers managed to flee the area, located in the province of Hasakeh. — Reuters
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US announces $30 mn more for Syria
Perth: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today said the US would provide an additional $30 million in humanitarian aid to Syria, bringing the total US aid to the war-torn nation to $200 million.
Clinton made the announcement in Western Australia, where she is attending an annual summit with US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and their Australian counterparts. Clinton was asked today whether there was any way the US would follow France and recognise the opposition as sole representatives and perhaps provide lethal aid. "The US was deeply involved in the work that went on leading up to and at Doha. Now we want to see that momentum maintained. Specifically, we urge them to finalise the organisational arrangements to support the commitments that they made in Doha." "As the Syrian opposition takes these steps and demonstrates its effectiveness in advancing the cause of a unified, democratic, pluralistic Syria, we will be prepared to work with them," she said. — AP
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Indian woman dies after being refused abortion
London, November 14 Irish authorities have launched a probe into the death of Savita Halappanavar, who was 17-week pregnant when she suffered a miscarriage and septicaemia at University Hospital Galway last month, The Irish Times reported today. Her husband, Praveen Halappanavar, an engineer at Boston Scientific in Galway, said she asked several times over a three-day period that the pregnancy be terminated. Having been told she was miscarrying, and after one day in severe pain, Savita asked for a medical termination. This was refused, he says, because the foetal heartbeat was still present and they were told, "this is a Catholic country". The dead foetus was later removed and Savita was taken to the high dependency unit where she died of septicaemia on October 28. Abortion is illegal in the Republic of Ireland. The incident has reignited the debate over women's rights to abortion in the country. Ireland Prime Minister Enda Kenny himself said he was awaiting the findings of the probe into the death. — PTI
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Oxford chooses ‘omnishambles’ as word of the year London, November 14 'Omnishambles' has been crowned the Oxford University Press' top term for this year. It is defined as "a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterised by a string of blunders and miscalculations". With institutions like the BBC in meltdown, the EU struggling to deliver a budget, and PR gaffes from the Government including Andrew Mitchell's row with policemen, many in Britain might not argue with the choice of phrase, the Daily Mail reported. Oxford University Press annually tracks how the English language is changing and chooses a word that best reflects the mood of the year. Coined by writers of BBC TV's satirical television show 'The Thick of It,' omnishambles has been applied to everything from government PR blunders to the crisis-ridden preparations for the London Olympics. Oxford University Press lexicographer Susie Dent said the word was chosen for its popularity as well as its "linguistic productivity". "A notable coinage coming from the word is 'Romneyshambles', a derisive term used by the British press after US presidential candidate Mitt Romney expressed doubts about London's ability to host a successful Olympics'," Dent said. "Omnishambles was chosen over shortlisted terms including 'mummy porn', the genre exemplified by the best-selling '50 Shades' book series and 'green-on-blue,' military attacks by forces regarded as neutral, as when members of the Afghan army or police attack foreign troops," she said. "The Olympics offered up finalists, including the verb 'to medal,' 'Games Maker', the name given to thousands of Olympic volunteers, and distance runner Mo Farah's victory dance, 'the Mobot," she added. The publisher typically chooses separate British and American winners. This year's American champion is 'gif,' short for graphics interchange format, a common format for moving images on the Internet. The editors said 'gif' was being recognised for making the crucial transition from noun to verb, 'to gif': to create a gif file of an image or video sequence, especially relating to an event. And, inevitably, to share it online. Cute kittens, Olympic champions, President Obama have all been the subject of a 'gif'. — PTI
linguistic productivity *
It is defined as ‘a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterised by a string of blunders and miscalculations’ *
Oxford University Press annually tracks how the English language is changing and chooses a word that best reflects the mood of the year *
Coined by writers of BBC TV's satirical television show 'The Thick of It,' omnishambles has been applied to everything from government PR blunders to the crisis-ridden preparations for the London Olympics
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Clinton seeks deeper military ties between India, Australia Melbourne, November 14
Describing Australia and the Asia-Pacific region as a key focus of America's expanding engagement in the region, Clinton, now on a visit here, said that both India and Australia should work closely together, Sydney Morning Herald reported. The US Secretary of State, in the course of her address to the Australia-United States Ministerial (AUSMIN) meeting in Perth, referred to India as the “world’s largest democracy and a dynamic emerging economy”. She said “we would welcome joint Australia-India naval vessel exercises in the future and we're eager to work together in the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Co-operation". She said the US had made a strategic priority of encouraging India to play a larger role in world affairs. After the meeting, the US announced setting up of a powerful radar station and space telescopes in Australia as part of Washington's moves to refocus its priority towards Asia. The transfer of C-band radar will considerably increase the capacity to monitor space debris in this part of the world. On the topic of Indian Ocean, the US Secretary of State said, “Increasingly, these waters are at the heart of the global economy and a key focus of America's expanding engagement in the region - what we sometimes call our pivot to Asia". However, the report noted, Clinton did not make any elaborate comments on China and spoke briefly on it. "We look for ways to support the peaceful rise of China, to support China becoming a responsible stakeholder in the international community," she said. "And (we) hope to see gradual but consistent opening up of Chinese society and political system that will more closely give the Chinese people the opportunities that we in the United States and Australia are lucky to take for granted," the US leader said. Last month, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard released the 'Australia in the Asian Century' White Paper, a roadmap which showed how Australia could be a winner in the Asian century. The White Paper laid out an ambitious plan to ensure Australia would emerge stronger over the decades ahead, by taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the Asian century. During her visit to India last month, Gillard had also expressed her commitment to continue joint naval exercises. Gillard had said Australia was open to other forms of military cooperation including exchanges and training. "Our defence relationship is underdeveloped indeed. We have stronger defence ties with China than we do with India. So naval exercising is good way of taking the relationship forward given our shared interest in the Indian Ocean," Gillard said. Clinton further said the US has always had a presence in the region and considers itself a Pacific power and that presence would only get stronger. "In the 21st century, it's important that we make absolutely clear that we are here to stay," she said. Talking about India's growing importance, Clinton said, "It's exciting to see the developments as the world's largest democracy and a dynamic emerging economy begins to contribute more broadly to the region". She said that with Australia surrounded by the Pacific and Indian Oceans, it was no surprise foreign investment was booming in the country. "The oil, the natural gas, the iron ore produced here flows through the trade routes to the entire world," she said. — PTI
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Number of Indian students in US slides again Washington, November 14 During 2011-12, the Chinese student enrolments increased by 23 per cent in total and by 31 per cent at the undergraduate level, according to the 2012 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange released yesterday. The report finds that the number of international students at colleges and universities in the US has increased by 6 per cent to a record high of 7,64,495 in the 2011-12 academic year, while the US students studying abroad increased by 1 per cent. This year, international exchanges in all 50 states contributed $22.7 billion to the US economy. Overall, China sent the maximum number of 1,94,029 students in 2011-12 as against 1,57,558 during the previous year. While China registered an increase in enrolments in American universities, the number dropped for those coming from India by 3.5 per cent to 1,00,270 students. “The number of Indian students in the US in 2011-12 dropped 3.5 per cent compared to the previous year, marking two consecutive years of decline. India had been the leading place of origin for international students in the US from 2001-02 through 2008-09,” the report said. In 2000-01 there was a surge in enrolments from India, with an increase of 30 per cent, followed by two more years of strong growth (12 per cent in 2002-03 and 7 per cent in 2003-04), the report said. However, the increases tapered off in 2004-05 and then decreased slightly in 2005-06, before resuming much larger increases in 2006-07 and for the next two years. “In 2009-10, the increases levelled off, and China became the top sender and it remains at that position. Students from India make up approximately 13.1 per cent of the total foreign student population in the United States,” the report said. In 2011-12, only 13 per cent of the Indian students were enrolled for undergraduate studies, whereas a majority of them (58.9 per cent) are graduate students and 26.7 per cent on OPT (optional practical training). According to Open Doors, nearly three-fifths of the total Indian students are enrolled in science, engineering or mathematics courses, while the focus in China is on business management. Higher education is among the United States’ top service sector exports, as international students provide revenue to the US economy and individual host states for living expenses, including room and board, books and supplies, transportation, health insurance, support for accompanying family members, and other miscellaneous items. — PTI
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Mice could replace dogs to sniff out explosives London, November 14 The security firm called 'Tamar Group' is the brainchild of former Israeli special forces officers, who claim that their breakthrough could transform the homeland security market. Boaz Hayun, CEO of the group, was quoted by Daily Mail as saying that mice were eventually chosen over dogs because of their keen noses and diminutive size. “Our system takes animals and turns them into biological sensors, using specially-trained laboratory mice and measuring their reactions to outside stimuli. “They are placed at the entry point in a security checkpoint or installation, and when they detect something that appears suspicious, the sensor records their physical reactions and communicates it to a computer that analyses the data and alerts the security personnel,” he said. Israeli experts said that the “mice have a highly developed sense of smell, more than that of dogs and are less intrusive and intimidating than the canines”. The idea of training mice as bomb-sniffers started in 2000-2001 and a small technological display of the mechanism was recently undertaken during a December, 2010 national exhibition. Israeli experts placed the specially-trained mice in groups of four in special booths outside a Tel Aviv shopping mall where more than 1,000 people passed through including 20 test subjects carrying suspect material...and the sniffer mice came through with flying colours. The mice are placed in specially made checkbooths linked to advanced computers and seconds after they nab a culprit, the alarm goes through computers in a whiff. The sniffer mice have been found to be easily trained to smell out drugs, money and even remainders of pesticides and agricultural produce and were found to outdo even full body scanners and other detection machines. The company now said it has a prototype of the system ready and may begun marketing it next year. — PTI
Sense of smell highly developed *
Israeli experts said that the “mice have a highly developed sense of smell, more than that of dogs and are less intrusive and intimidating than the canines” *
The sniffer mice have been found to be easily trained to smell out drugs, money and even remainders of pesticides and agricultural produce
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In Pak, Nitish visits Taxila, ancient Hindu temples Islamabad, November 14 Kumar is on a week-long trip to Pakistan. His entourage includes Rajya Sabha MP NK Singh. As he visited Taxila, 32 km northwest to Islamabad, he drew in it parallels to Nalanda, the great centre of ancient learning in his own state Bihar. “A visit to Taxila is always overpowering. It is a journey three thousand years old in time, to a place which was a great centre of learning and intellectual pursuits with somewhat parallel of its kind situated at Nalanda in the state of Bihar,” Kumar wrote in the visitors’ book at Taxila. The city that dates back to the Gandhara period, also houses the ruins of the Gandhara city which was regarded as an important Hindu and Buddhist centre. “Nalanda and Taxila may be separated by geography, but they are linked by history as ancient centres of knowledge and it is this bond of knowledge we shall aspire to revive. Anyone coming from Bihar a visit to Taxila will always be emotive and overpowering. I can’t be an exception,” he wrote. Kumar then drove to the revered Katasraj temples in Punjab province and witnessed the restoration of its centuries old holy pond, that has recently been completed. He expressed hope that the restoration of the ancient shrine would go a long way in strengthening cross-cultural relations between the two countries. The temples at the Katasraj site were built by Hindu kings around 1,000 years ago. The temples and the ancient pond were restored on the Pakistan government’s intervention recently after media reports highlighted that the sacred pond was drying up because of excessive use of groundwater in the region by a cement factory. “More than 1,000-year-old Katasraj temples and its restoration in recent years is an excellent example of our cultural links and the deep desire to restore that spirit of cultural oneness,” he wrote at the visitors’ book at the site. Last night, President Asif Ali Zardari hosted a special Diwali dinner for Kumar and his delegation and pitched for “friendly, cooperative and good neighbourly relations” with India. Welcoming Kumar and his delegation, Zardari extended greetings for Divali and said such parliamentary exchanges between the two sides were highly encouraging and would contribute to the deepening of people-to-people contacts. Speaking at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Kumar also shared his experiences of governing Bihar and achieving a much talked about turnaround in the condition of the state. Kumar said the steps he had taken to control law and order situation and provide governance at the grassroots level were the main factors that helped bring a turnaround in Bihar. He said he had made it clear that “the guilty would not be spared”. — PTI
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Pak Prez Zardari asks all political forces to work for democracy Ethnic new year celebrated in Nepal Hamas commander killed in Israel strike Indian awarded top education prize |
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Beijing, November 14
France became the first Western power to recognise a fledgling Syrian opposition coalition fully, stepping out beyond the United States, which said on Wednesday the body must first show its clout inside Syria.
Six Gulf Arab states recognised the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces on Monday and France followed suit the next day, unlike its European partners.
