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Polls on Sunday

Apr 17th, 2013
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Polls on Sunday – what’s your beef Bishop Tan

KUALA LUMPUR: Several quarters have questioned the motive and intention of Reverend Bishop Paul Tan to condemn the holding of the coming polls on a Sunday, on May 5.

 

The bishop, according to a news report, had stated that to fix the polls on May 5 was a reflection of the callous insensitivity towards Christians in the country.

 

“This disrespect of the government of the Christian rights is to be denounced. It just proves that the government is not sincere in its 1Malaysia slogan,” he was quoted as saying.

 

An MP pointed out that in the history of Malaysian general elections, voting had been held on a Sunday three times.

 

Previous elections in Malaysia held on Sunday were on August 3rd 1986 and 21st October 1990 as well as 21st March 2004.

 

A prominent blogger pointed out that even in a Christian majority nation abroad, polls were held on a Sunday, citing last week’s election in Venezuela as an example.


Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong when questioning Tan’s motive to condemn the Election Commission (EC) for fixing polling day on a Sunday pointed out in his blog that three of this country’s general elections have been held on Sundays and there were no complaints from citizens of various faiths about having to go out and vote on a Sunday.

 

“With due respect to Reverend Bishop Paul Tan, this is not the first time in our history that GEs (general elections) were held on a Sunday.  Just for the record, there have been THREE previous GEs that were held on SUNDAY too,” Wee wrote.

 

“Just wonder, what has inspired a bishop of Reverend Paul Tan’s standing to make such sweeping statements when there were three previous GEs held on Sunday?” he further wrote.

 

In Christian countries, elections have been held on Sundays.

 

Venezuelans went to the polls to elect their new president on April 14, which fell on a Sunday.

 

The next day, Nicolas Marudo was announced as the country’s president, following the death former president Hugo Chavez on March 5 after a long battle with cancer.

 

Prominent blogger Datuk Ahirudin Attan, popularly known as Rocky Bru, said in his blog that Tan intended to sound harsh when he criticised Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for setting May 5 as polls day and looked ignorant for being unaware of the fact that the Venezuelans had voted on a Sunday.

 

“The Bishop intended to sound harsh. Unfortunately, he was also a little too hasty and, I’d hasten to add, pitifully ignorant. He was obviously not aware that Venezuela, where well over 95 per cent of the population adheres to Christianity had just gone to the polls to elect their new President – on a Sunday,” wrote Rocky.

 

Blogger Eddy Daud had criticised the bishop stating that the country has successfully and  peacefully held three general elections on a Sunday with no complaints whatsoever.

 

He wrote: “Voting on Sunday 5 May 2013 will start at 8.00 am and end at 5.00 pm and you can have your mass in the morning which shouldn’t take that long, and after that plenty of time for your flock to go to vote what.”

 

“So what do you want really Bishop Tan, the polls to be on a Friday? Rest be assured that the very tolerant majority Malaysian Muslims would not complain as they will find time to vote before or after Friday prayers, tak de hal punya (no problem),” he further wrote.

 

Below is a list of several Christian-majority countries which have held their last elections on a Sunday:

 

1) Germany (September 22,  2013)

2) Mexico (July 1, 2012)

3) Belgium (June 13, 2010) 

4) Croatia (December 4, 2011)

5) Argentina (October 23, 2011)

6) Brazil (October 3, 2010)

7) France (April 22, 2012)

8) Spain (November 20, 2011)

9) Sweden (September 19, 2010)

10) Greece (June 17, 2012)

11) Colombia (May 30, 2010)

12) Romania (December 9, 2012)

13) Cyprus (February 17, 2013)

14) Luxemborg (June 7, 2009)

Source: MOLE

Chinese travellers now top spenders

Apr 5th, 2013
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Chinese travellers now top spenders

MADRID: Chinese travellers are the world's biggest tourism spenders, splashing out a record $102 billion on trips abroad in 2012, the UN World Tourism Organisation said Thursday.
The number of Chinese travellers to foreign countries jumped from 10 million in 2000 to 83 million in 2012, the Madrid-based body said in a statement, attributing the spike to China's rising disposable incomes and an easing of travel restrictions.
"Expenditure by Chinese tourists abroad has also increased almost eightfold since 2000. Boosted by an appreciating Chinese currency, Chinese travellers spent a record $102 billion in international tourism in 2012, a 40 per cent jump from 2011 when it amounted to $73 billion," the UNWTO said.
China has now become the largest spender in international tourism, it added, noting that since 2005 the country had overtaken Germany, the United States, Italy, Japan, France and the United Kingdom in travel expenditure.
After China, travellers from Germany and the United States splurged the most on foreign trips, spending around $84 billion each in 2012.
Among other emerging countries, Russians and Brazilians are continuing to travel and spend more.
Russia jumped from seventh to fifth place with a 32-per cent increase in spending to $43 billion, while Brazil moved from the 29th place in 2005 to the 12th with an expenditure of $22 billion last year.
"The impressive growth of tourism expenditure from China and Russia reflects the entry into the tourism market of a growing middle class from these countries, which will surely continue to change the map of world tourism," said UNWTO secretary-general Taleb Rifai.
International tourist arrivals exceeded one billion for the first time last year despite global economic uncertainty and numbers will rise further in 2013, the UNWTO said in January.

Source: MOLE

Pakatan manifesto, promises to be reneged

Mar 1st, 2013
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Pakatan manifesto, promises to be reneged

KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the recently unveiled Pakatan Rakyat manifesto advocates things which have bankrupted Europe and the USA.

 

He said the Pakatan manifesto is all about reducing Government revenue and increasing Government spending and this, he added, is to be achieved by “lowering taxes, reducing the number or tax-payers by raising the tax-free allowances, doing away with tolls, etc.”

 

On the other hand, Dr Mahathir added, the salary bill (of civil servants) would be increased due to the increase in minimum wage, payment for the education of everyone, build and maintain all roads and highways.

 

“With about 1.1 million employees, Government salaries bill is very big.  By increasing the minimum wage to RM1,100.00 not only will those drawing less than the minimum wage get an increase, but those above must also be given wage increases to maintain their status as superiors to those below them.

 

“The salaries of all grades will have to be increased in order to do this.  It is not about raising the salaries and wages of those below the minimum wage only.  This would be in addition to the RM2 billion due to the recent rise of the minimum pay to RM900.00.

 

The foiurth Malaysian Prime Minister also took a dig at Pakatan’s Mentri Besar of Selangor Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim who said that a manifesto is not a promise.

 

Obviously, Dr Mahathir said Pakatan is preparing the renege on its manifesto.

 

“This will not be surprising.  In Selangor the Pakatan Government has failed to honour its promise on free water, allowance for widows and many others.

 

“The Pakatan manifesto is obviously meant to hoodwink the electorate,” he said.

 

Following is the full article. It has also appeared on the New Straits Times (“A manisfesto that hoodwinks voters” – 1 March, 2013):

 

 

The Pakatan Manifesto by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad

 

“Pakatan has unveiled its manifesto.  It is all about reducing Government revenue and increasing Government spending.

 

This is to be achieved by lowering taxes, reducing the number or tax-payers by raising the tax-free allowances, doing away with tolls, etc.  On the other hand the salary bill will be increased due to the increase in minimum wage, payment for the education of everyone, build and maintain all roads and highways.

 

With about 1.1 million employees, Government salaries bill is very big.  By increasing the minimum wage to RM1,100.00 not only will those drawing less than the minimum wage get an increase, but those above must also be given wage increases to maintain their status as superiors to those below them.

 

The salaries of all grades will have to be increased in order to do this.  It is not about raising the salaries and wages of those below the minimum wage only.  This would be in addition to the RM2 billion due to the recent rise of the minimum pay to RM900.00.

 

The cost of education would also increase by more the RM 2 billion due to free education.

 

The repair and maintenance of highways would also run into several billions.

 

Currently the cost of petrol subsidies is about 18 billion.  If petrol price is to be lowered then several more billions would be added to Government subsidy.

 

On the other hand revenues would decrease by several billions when taxes are reduced, lowering the number of people paying taxes and toll-free roads etc. 

 

Revenue will also decrease as higher wages for business sector is bound to reduce profits and therefore taxes to be paid to Government.  Some businesses may have to close down altogether or migrate to other countries.  There will be less investment both foreign and domestic.  And more unemployment.

 

At one time manufactured goods sold in Malaysia carry European brands.  Today they are almost all from Japan, Korea and China.  Except for German cars, all the motor vehicles on the roads are from Asian countries.

 

For decades the Europeans and Americans have been increasing wages and giving perks for their workers.  The prices of their products increased accordingly and could not compete in the market.  They lost the market.

 

But they keep on increasing their high living cost.  Today they are facing an irreversible financial crisis.  Greece, Spain, Portugal and even Italy are on the verge of bankruptcy or have become bankrupt.  Even Britain and France are in financial trouble.

 

The U.S is also in deep financial trouble.  It faces the need to reduce Governmental spending (sequestration) or to increase taxes.

 

Sequestration would mean less money for education, medicare, defence.  The number of teachers would have to be reduced.  Even the control towers at some airports would have to cease operations.  Military bases, weapons and personnel would have to be reduced.  An austerity programme would slow down growth and increase unemployment.

 

Like the Europeans, the Americans do not like to reduce their spending.  They refuse to pay more taxes.  In fact the rich are demanding for tax reduction.

 

The financial crisis in Europe and America is basically due to overspending.  Until they cut back on their spending and increase taxes they will not recover.

 

The Pakatan manifesto advocates the very things which have bankrupted Europe and America.  If Pakatan is responsible it should work out the cost.

 

It is not too difficult to do this as Government employees, their pay and their development and maintenance needs are known.  We know the number of people who will get the pay increase, we know the cost of maintaining educational and health institutions, we know the cost of maintaining roads and highways, we know the cost of development.  Instead of merely commenting, the economists and financiers should work out the incomings and outgoings.  Then the people will understand what the manifesto really represents.

 

But on the other hand Tan Sri Khalid, MB Selangor has said that a manifesto is not a promise.  Obviously the Pakatan is preparing the renege on its manifesto.

 

This will not be surprising.  In Selangor the Pakatan Government has failed to honour its promise on free water, allowance for widows and many others.

 

The Pakatan manifesto is obviously meant to hoodwink the electorate.”

Source: MOLE

Hot air balloon mishap kills 19 in Egypt

Feb 26th, 2013
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Hot air balloon mishap kills 19 in Egypt

CAIRO: A hot air balloon caught fire and exploded over Egypt's ancient temple city of Luxor during a sunrise flight on Tuesday, killing 19 tourists including Japanese and Koreans, sources said.
The balloon which was carrying 21 people was flying at 300 metres caught fire when it caught fire, a security official said.
An employee at the company operating the balloon said the pilot and one tourist survived by jumping out of the basket before it plunged to the ground. Both have been taken to hospital.
The employee, who declined to give her name, told AFP the tourists were from Korea, Japan and Britain, as well as one Egyptian.
Earlier a security official reported 19 people dead but said they were from Hong Kong, Japan, France and Britain.
"This is terrible, just terrible," the employee told AFP by telephone. "We don't yet know what happened exactly or what went wrong," she said.
The balloon had been floating over the west bank of Luxor, one of Egypt's most renowned archaeological sites and home to the famous Valley of the Kings and the grand Temple of Hatshepsut.
The British foreign office could not immediately confirm if any Britons had died in the crash.
"We are aware of reports (that Britons might be among the casualties). We are making inquiries," a foreign office spokesman said.
In 2009, 13 foreign tourists were injured when their hot air balloon hit a phone mast and crashed at Luxor. Sources at the time said the balloon was overcrowded.
The crash comes amid widespread anger over safety standards in Egypt following several deadly transport and construction accidents.

Source: MOLE

Australian men swimmers confess to pre-Olympic pranks

Feb 22nd, 2013
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SYDNEY: Australia's much-hyped men's Olympic freestyle swim relay team on Friday owned up to taking sleeping medication banned by the Australian Olympic Committee and then performing stupid pre-Games pranks.
Members of the 4x100m freestyle relay team led by James Magnussen admitted taking Stilnox tablets at a training camp in Manchester and then making random prank calls and knocking on the doors of team mates.
"We have let ourselves down, and the people who have supported us," Magnussen, Eamon Sullivan, James Roberts, Matt Targett, Cameron McEvoy and Tommaso D'Orsogna said in a statement.
"We own up to it ... and are deeply sorry for it."
The six were dubbed the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" before the Games but failed to even make the podium in their event.
"We did take part in a bonding exercise during which members of the relay team took Stilnox... following a day of relay team bonding where we went to the movies and went to dinner," they said.
"We also acknowledge that our actions on the night were stupid."
Recreational users of Stilnox often deliberately try to stay awake, which can induce a "high" and even cause hallucinations.
The swimmers, who will now face an integrity panel, said their behaviour was childish but insisted there was definitely nothing untoward in their actions and none of them was drunk and they were all in bed by 10:30 pm.
They said they did not believe that Stilnox -- which is not an outlawed substance but which the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) had recently prohibited -- had affected their performance in the pool.
Magnussen said he had been feeling under so much pressure and took a Stilnox tablet "to bond with these guys". Only one team member, Roberts, did not take the drug.
"In hindsight it was a ridiculous choice and ridiculous method... but I don't feel it affected my performance," Magnussen told a news conference with the five other swimmers.
The relay team failed to win a medal in London, finishing fourth behind France, the USA and Russia in an event that Australia had hoped would kick off a string of medal-winning performances in the pool.
The failure was part of a lacklustre London showing by the once-dominant Australian swimming team, which delivered its lowest tally in the pool since Barcelona 1992 -- one gold, six silver and three bronze.
It was Australian swimming's first Games without an individual gold medal since the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
The confessions follow the release of two reports into what went wrong in London that found the squad lacked leadership and that toxic incidents such as drunkenness and bullying had gone unchecked.
The AOC banned Stilnox more than three weeks before the Games after ex-swimmer Grant Hackett said he had developed a heavy reliance on the drug, marketed in North America as Ambien, while competing.
AOC secretary general Craig Phillips said it would now consider what action to take, including possible sanctions such as the withdrawal of funding in the lead-up to the Rio Olympics.
"We have in the past removed athletes from Olympic teams," Phillips said.
"We've prevented athletes from being selected on Olympic teams, because they don't measure up to our standards of behaviour," adding that it was too early to say whether this would apply to the six.

Nestle pulls out meals in Italy & Spain as horsemeat scandal grows

Feb 19th, 2013
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PARIS: Swiss giant Nestle has become the latest food company hit by Europe's horsemeat scandal, withdrawing two types of pasta meal from supermarket shelves in Italy and Spain due to contamination.
The news came Monday as German discount chain Lidl pulled ready-made meals from the shelves of its Finnish, Danish, Swedish and Belgian stores as it also confirmed the presence of horsemeat.
Meanwhile the French firm that sparked the Europe-wide food alert, by allegedly passing off 750 tonnes of horsemeat as beef, was allowed to resume production of minced meat, sausages and ready-to-eat meals.
But Spanghero, whose horsemeat found its way into 4.5 million "beef" products sold across Europe, will no longer be allowed to stock frozen meat, France's Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll told AFP.
Nestle, the world's biggest food company, said in a statement that "our tests have found traces of horse DNA in two products," while assuring that there was no public health risk.
"The mislabeling of products means they fail to meet the very high standards consumers expect from us," it added. Therefore the company is voluntarily removing two chilled pasta products, Buitoni Beef Ravioli and Beef Tortellini, from sale in Italy and Spain immediately.
Nestle announced it was also suspending deliveries of all products using beef supplied by German firm HJ Schypke, a subcontractor of JBS Toledo.
A Nestle frozen meat product for catering businesses, produced in France, will also be withdrawn from sale.
Nestle apologised to consumers while assuring that actions being taken to deal with this issue will result in higher standards and enhanced traceability.
Earlier Monday German discount chain Lidl pulled ready-made meals from the shelves of its Finnish, Danish, Swedish and Belgian stores after tests confirmed the presence of horsemeat.
Lidl said last week it had found traces of horse in beef goulash and a tortellini bolognese product sold by its Austrian subsidiary.
Concerns about horsemeat first emerged in mid-January when Irish authorities found traces of horse in beefburgers made by firms in Ireland and Britain and sold in supermarket chains including Tesco and Aldi.
The scandal then intensified when French firm Comigel alerted Findus this month to the presence of horsemeat in the meals it had made for the food giant and which were on sale in Britain.
Since then, supermarket chains have removed millions of "beef" products as tests are carried out to detect horsemeat, which is eaten in many European countries but is considered taboo in Britain and others.
Horsemeat in "beef" ready-to-eat meals had already been confirmed in products found in Britain, Ireland, France, Austria, Norway, the Netherlands and Germany.
With Italy, Spain and Belgium now also tainted by the horsemeat scandal it appears that most of the continent has been affected.
France's DGCCRF anti-fraud office concluded after an initial inquiry that 500 tonnes of Spanghero horsemeat were sent to Comigel, whose frozen meals were sold to 28 companies in 13 European states.
Spanghero's sanitary licence was suspended last Thursday after it was accused of passing off huge quantities of mislabelled meat over a period of six months.
Spanghero on Friday again insisted it was not responsible for the mislabelling that has seen supermarket chains across the continent pull millions of suspect food products from their shelves.
"I don't know who is behind this, but it is not us," said Spanghero boss Barthelemy Aguerre, adding that the accusations were putting his 300 workers' jobs on the line. "I will prove our innocence."
Union leaders at Spanghero had warned that revoking its licence would put the company out of business.
The European Union, seeking to reassure nervous consumers that their food is safe and to end the horsemeat scandal, on Friday agreed the immediate launch of tests for horse DNA in meat products.
All parties have stressed that this is a food labelling issue, not a health issue.
Germany said Monday it planned to tighten checks and sanctions on food production under an action plan to counter the scandal.

World's biggest food firms embroiled in horsemeat scandal

Feb 19th, 2013
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World’s biggest food firms embroiled in horsemeat scandal

PARIS: The world’s biggest food company, Swiss-based Nestle, and the world’s top beef producer, JBS of Brazil, were Tuesday the latest in a long list of firms to be caught up in Europe’s spiralling horsemeat scandal.

Their involvement in the fast-moving drama marked another milestone in a scandal that has seen supermarket chains across Europe pull from their shelves millions of “beef” products that are thought to contain horsemeat.

Nestle announced it was removing two ready-to-eat meals — beef ravioli and beef tortellini — from supermarket shelves in Italy and Spain after tests found traces of horse DNA in the products.

A Nestle frozen lasagne product made for the catering business was also being withdrawn from sale in France and Portugal because traces of horsemeat were found in them.

The firm insisted there was no food safety issue but said the tainted products breached the one per cent threshold the British Food Safety Agency uses to indicate likely adulteration or gross negligence.

The horse DNA was found in products made with meat supplied by German firm H.J. Schypke, Nestle said in a statement late Monday.

JBS of Brazil, which used H.J. Schypke as a subcontractor, meanwhile said in a statement that it would stop buying European meat until confidence is restored in the European beef supply chain.

It sought to distance itself from the scandal, saying Schypke was “not in any way part of the JBS Group” and adding that “no case of co-mingling of species has been identified in products produced in or at JBS factories.”

Schypke on Tuesday denied any wrongdoing.

“We buy all raw materials already chopped up, fresh or frozen, from certified suppliers. … We would like to point out expressly that H.J. Schypke has at no time purchased horsemeat,” it said.

The firm said it greatly regretted the current case and vowed to carry out genetic tests on raw meat in future.

German authorities meanwhile announced on Tuesday that 24 out of 360 official tests carried out on meat had revealed traces of horsemeat.

“It’s too early to assign blame unilaterally… the authorities are working in the federal states to work out who should take responsibility,” consumer affairs ministry spokesman Holger Eichele told reporters.

But he said the authorities would eventually be able to tell who were the main culprits and co-culprits once the tests of ready meals and inspections of slaughterhouses and food production centres were complete.

On Monday, German discount chain Lidl pulled ready-made meals from the shelves of its Finnish, Danish, Swedish and Belgian stores as it also confirmed the presence of horsemeat.

The French firm that sparked the Europe-wide food alert, by allegedly passing off 750 tonnes of horsemeat as beef, was on Monday allowed to resume production of minced meat, sausages and ready-to-eat meals.

But Spanghero, whose horsemeat found its way into 4.5 million “beef” products sold across Europe, will no longer be allowed to stock frozen meat, officials said.

Upholding that ban means it cannot act as middleman between slaughterhouses and food-processing companies, the situation which allegedly allowed it to change labels on horsemeat from Romania and sell it on as beef.

The firm’s sanitary licence was suspended last Thursday after it was accused of passing off huge quantities of mislabelled meat over a period of six months.

On Tuesday, a source close to the investigation told AFP that authorities had raided Spanghero’s headquarters in southern France.

“The judicial phase began this afternoon with investigations, searches and on-site interviews,” the source said.

A union representative said investigators spoke to four employees.

Concerns about horsemeat first emerged in mid-January when Irish authorities found traces of horse in beefburgers made by firms in Ireland and Britain and sold in supermarket chains including Tesco and Aldi.

The scandal then intensified when French firm Comigel alerted Findus earlier this month to the presence of horsemeat in the meals it had made for the food giant and which were on sale in Britain.

Since then, supermarket chains have removed millions of “beef” products as tests are carried out to detect horsemeat, which is eaten in many European countries but considered taboo in Britain.

Horsemeat in “beef” dishes has now been confirmed in products found in Britain, Ireland, France, Austria, Norway, The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium.

Source: MOLE

Obama stakes second term on ambitious reform

Feb 13th, 2013
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Obama stakes second term on ambitious reform

WASHINGTON, Feb 12, 2013 (AFP) – President Barack Obama Tuesday wagered his second term on an ambitious bid to strengthen America at home by reigniting its economic engine, cutting gun murders and fixing immigration. 

 

Focusing his State of the Union address squarely on domestic priorities, Obama dealt in passing with churning foreign policy crises, including North Korea’s new nuclear test and Iran’s unsolved nuclear brinkmanship. 

 

And as he ends an era of draining land wars abroad, Obama announced plans to halve US troop numbers in Afghanistan within a year, though vowed the global pursuit of terror suspects would go on. 

 

Praising American steadfastness during testing economic times, Obama grasped for a note of optimism, while vowing to restore the middle class. 

 

“Together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and can say with renewed confidence that the state of our union is stronger,” Obama said, in a speech punctuated by 68 ovations, delivered from the House of Representatives. 

 

The address, before a huge national audience, was Obama’s best chance to sell his second term plans in a bitterly divided nation and to stave off the domestic lame duck status all second term presidents dread. 

 

Divided Washington must fix its gaping budget deficit, Obama said, describing billions of dollars in automatic spending cuts due to crash into the economy on March 1 as “a really bad idea.” 

 

He slammed Republican ideas to adjust retirement benefits and health care for seniors as “even worse.” 

 

“A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs — that must be the North Star that guides our efforts,” Obama said, seeking to turn promises of a more equitable economy made in his election campaign into reality. 

 

Obama’s message was unapologetically tailored to a domestic American audience, as he insisted that government investment must bankroll jobs growth. 

 

“He will be about revitalizing the middle class and (easing) a sense of insecurity that has swept through much of the nation,” said Princeton University professor Julian Zelizer. 

 

But Republicans wasted no time in trying to thwart Obama’s plans. 

 

“President Obama? He believes … that the economic downturn happened because our government didn’t tax enough, spend enough and control enough,” said rising star Senator Marco Rubio, giving the Republican rebuttal speech. 

 

“As you heard tonight, his solution to virtually every problem we face is for Washington to tax more, borrow more and spend more.” 

 

Obama was at his most passionate when making the case for measures to stem gun violence, following the killings of 20 kids at a Connecticut elementary school in December. 

 

“If you want to vote no, that’s your choice,” he cried, drawing lawmakers to their feet in an emotional tribute to victims of gun crime. 

 

“These proposals deserve a vote.” 

 

Looking on in the House gallery with First Lady Michelle Obama were the parents of Hadiya Pendleton, a teenager shot in a random shooting not far from the president’s Chicago home days after she took part in his inaugural parade. 

 

Obama also announced the return of 34,000 of the 66,000 US troops remaining in Afghanistan by next February, ahead of a full withdrawal in 2014. 

 

“This drawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over,” he said. 

 

In a brief diversion abroad, Obama said North Korea’s nuclear test Tuesday would only further its isolation, and promised to stand by Asian allies, strengthen missile defense and lead the world in a firm response. 

 

Obama said “Iran must recognize that now is the time for a diplomatic solution” to a nuclear showdown, ahead of new talks with world powers this month. 

 

Arguing Al-Qaeda was a “shadow” of its former self, Obama pledged to help nations like Yemen, Libya, and Somalia provide for their own security, and help allies like France fighting extremists in Mali. 

 

Breaking new ground, Obama announced the start of formal talks between the United States and the European Union on a trans-Atlantic trade pact and previewed a new plan to thwart cyber attacks on US infrastructure. 

 

Despite criticism he ignored the slaughter of nearly 70,000 people in Syria, Obama vowed to keep up pressure on Bashar al-Assad’s regime and said he would stand firm in defense of Israel, which he will visit next month. 

 

He tried to shame Congress into action on climate change. 

 

“We can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science — and act before it’s too late,” Obama said. 

 

In line with a long-time policy goal, Obama said former Cold War foes Russia and the United States should join to further reduce nuclear arsenals. 

 

Domestically, Obama said he wanted a bill to reform the broken immigration system to give illegal immigrants a path to citizenship within months. 

 

Hitting campaign mode, Obama will travel to North Carolina, Georgia and his hometown of Chicago to sell his speech this week.

Source: MOLE

Britain shapes good citizens with a gentle 'nudge'

Feb 3rd, 2013
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Britain shapes good citizens with a gentle ‘nudge’

LONDON: It’s a riddle faced by cash-strapped governments the world over — how can people be persuaded to make decisions that leave them healthier and happier, while saving taxpayers’ money at the same time?

In Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron has set up a team to test out the theory that a gentle prod in the right direction can go a long way.

Nicknamed the “nudge unit”, the Behavioural Insights Team has been quietly reshaping a swathe of policies to coax Britons into behaving — whether that means paying their taxes on time, saving energy or quitting smoking.

By tinkering here and adjusting there, the nudge unit claims that it will have saved Britain £300 million ($483 million) over the next five years — taking even its director David Halpern by surprise.

“We’re steadily surprised by how well it works,” Halpern told AFP in an interview at Cameron’s Downing Street residence, where the 12-strong team has been based since its creation in 2010.

“There’s more demand than we can meet. We’ve had pretty much every government department coming to us saying, ‘Can you help us with this policy?’ — and we’re getting a lot of requests from other governments.”

The nudge unit’s favourite tactics involve making it easier for people to do what the government wants it to do — and, perhaps less obviously, telling people what their peers are doing.

In one of its most successful examples, the team began sending letters to late taxpayers which casually mentioned that most people in their town had already paid.

This psychological trick boosted payments by 15 per cent, adding £30 million to the government’s coffers in a year.

“We’re very social creatures. When you see other people doing things, you tend to do the same,” Halpern explained.

In another experiment, the team looked at how to encourage people to save energy by insulating their attics — something that 40 per cent of homeowners have yet to do, despite years of government subsidy schemes.

Research revealed that for many Britons the main obstacle wasn’t the cost — it was that they used their attics to hoard junk they were too lazy to clear out.

“So we started offering a loft clearance scheme,” said Halpern. “Once we did that, we got a three-fold increase in uptake.”

Other governments are so interested in the nudge unit that it has begun selling its expertise abroad, helping Australia’s New South Wales state and another undisclosed government to set up their own.

Inspired by behavioural economists such as Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, the US duo who turned “nudge” into a political buzzword with their 2008 book of the same name, Cameron set up the unit immediately after coming to power almost three years ago.

He is not the only world leader to embrace the theory. Thaler has advised several governments including Denmark and France, while Sunstein held a senior post in US President Barack Obama’s administration until last August.

There are countless international examples of nudges. Famously, Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands dramatically cut spillages in its men’s toilets by etching fake insects into the urinals, giving passengers something to aim at.

But Britain has taken the idea a step further by setting up a government office dedicated to the art of nudging, a move Halpern said was heavily influenced by the feeble state of the British economy.

“When there’s no money around, these approaches start to look especially attractive,” he told AFP.

But the use of nudge theory by governments has been met with suspicion from some corners.

One Australian columnist described it as a toxic import that should not be welcomed by New South Wales.

“Instead of democratic debate and argument, it opts for subliminal psychological techniques and manipulation,” Frank Furedi argued in The Australian.

British critics have also suggested that nudging is a sneaky form of state intervention — and one that does not sit easily with Cameron’s Conservative party, which often derides interference by the nanny state.

The nudge unit denies that there is anything underhand about its techniques.

“Almost all policy is about understanding how people behave and trying to encourage them to behave differently,” argued Halpern’s deputy, Owain Service.

The nudge unit says it simply encourages people to make good decisions for themselves — and Halpern happily admits that this doesn’t always work.

In another loft insulation scheme, Britons were offered discounts if they clubbed together with their neighbours.

“People really liked the idea, but they didn’t actually have that conversation with their neighbours,” Halpern laughed. “It might work in a country other than the UK, where people talk to their neighbours a bit more.”

Source: MOLE

West sees Algeria as solution, not problem

Jan 24th, 2013
by admin.
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West sees Algeria as solution, not problem

PARIS: International anger over the handling of a hostage crisis that left 37 foreigners dead subsided as quickly as it erupted because western powers see Algeria as part of the solution to the region’s problems, not the problem, analysts say.

Initial reaction over the storming of the In Amenas gas plant by the Algerian army ranged from incandescence in Japan to tetchy, implied criticism from Britain and, in milder form, the United States.

When they weren’t spluttering with indignation about not being consulted, officials in London and Washington were letting it be known that offers of special forces and technology that might have helped ensure a less blood-splattered denouement to the crisis had been rebuffed.

As the crisis unfolded tragically over the weekend, a sense of piqued irritation with what was perceived as the Algerians’ shoot first, ask questions later approach lingered.

But by Tuesday, everyone was singing from a different hymn sheet, one written by France, which knows better than most just how jealously its former colony defends its right to decide what happens on its own soil.

“I’d advise anyone thinking of criticising (Algeria) to think twice,” said French Interior Minister Manuel Valls, and it seems Paris’s allies were listening.

“This would have been a most demanding task for security forces anywhere in the world,” British Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament. “And we should acknowledge the resolve shown by the Algerians in undertaking it.”

According to Peter Cross, who runs the Paris-based Middle East Tactical Studies (METS) consultancy, it was inevitable that France’s determination to do nothing to endanger Algeria’s tacit support for its military intervention in neighbouring Mali would prevail.

“It is logical that they would lean on countries like Japan,” Cross told AFP. “It is French soldiers who are on the ground in Mali, their money that’s being spent, their reputation that is on the line.”

Jon Marks, an associate fellow of Britain’s Chatham House think-tank, said the governments involved quickly woke up to the potentially huge ramifications of how narrowly they had avoided a much bigger disaster.

As the supplier of 25 per cent of Europe’s natural gas, Algeria has an importance that goes beyond its role as a bulwark against Islamist militants on and around its doorstep.

“There was definitely a collective calming down as governments took a step back and thought about the fallout from having so many dead in an extremely strategic source of energy for Europe,” Marks added.

“Governments are very uneasy about being over dependent on (gas) supplies from Russia and it can’t all come by boat from Qatar,” he said.

Everyone is going to have to deal with Algeria
As well as realising that alienating Algeria could potentially be self-defeating, western governments have also belatedly accepted that the strongarm tactics employed by the Algerians ensured an outcome that could have been a lot worse.

“It is a bit rich for outsiders, like Britain for example, to suggest the SAS could have done better when they would have had no knowledge of the terrain or the facility,” Cross argued.

Chatham House’s Marks agrees. “The reality is that there was a potentially catastrophic situation and a lot of people got out and the plant was not blown up.”

France has benefited already from Algeria’s decision to grant use of its airspace for bombing raids in Mali and its hopes of neutralising Islamist groups based in northern Mali could hinge on the degree of support it gets from Algiers in the coming months.

By tightening its border with Mali, Algeria could feasibly deny under siege Mali-based Islamists the kind of escape route that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda enjoyed by being able to slip out of Afghanistan into the tribal areas of Pakistan.

Military experts have also highlighted the extent to which groups like Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) need huge amounts of petrol to retain the mobility that makes them such a difficult target in northern Mali’s desert expanses.

If Algiers can cut off the supply of fuel at source, the war against AQIM and its allies could be won without a single shot being fired in anger, one theory goes.

That approach, which was discussed by Algeria, Libya and Tunisia in talks last month, remains to be proven, but the importance attached to Algeria’s unrivalled knowledge of the Islamist groups aspiring to create an Africa-wide emirate is not in question.

As Cross puts it: “Nobody knows the peoples of the Sahel better than (Algerian intelligence) the DRS. Even if there is no question of them getting involved publicly with what France is doing in Mali, intelligence cooperation is indispensable.

“This is not over. Goodness knows when it will be over and until it is, everyone is going to have to deal with Algeria.”

Source: MOLE

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