"Once in awhile we get shown the light, in the strangest of places, if we look at it right" - Hunter/Garcia
BANGALORE, India: Outsourcing is breaking out of the back office. Until recently, the migration of service industry jobs from the West to places like India seemed to obey an unwritten law: Low-skill clerical and programming tasks would leave the developed economies, while high-end careers requiring graduate degrees and commanding six-figure salaries would stay behind. While call centers and software houses closed in the West, often leaving their workers scrounging for employment, professionals in fields like aeronautical engineering, investment banking and drug research likely believed they had nothing to worry about. Quietly, but steadily, that is changing. High-skilled jobs in those very fields, which once epitomized the competitiveness of Western economies, are flowing to India. The pool of jobs once thought to be impossible to outsource is gradually evaporating.
Until recently, the migration of service industry jobs from the West to places like India seemed to obey an unwritten law: Low-skill clerical and programming tasks would leave the developed economies, while high-end careers requiring graduate degrees and commanding six-figure salaries would stay behind.
While call centers and software houses closed in the West, often leaving their workers scrounging for employment, professionals in fields like aeronautical engineering, investment banking and drug research likely believed they had nothing to worry about.
Quietly, but steadily, that is changing. High-skilled jobs in those very fields, which once epitomized the competitiveness of Western economies, are flowing to India. The pool of jobs once thought to be impossible to outsource is gradually evaporating.
NEW YORK: Holly Yasui was far away when a U.S. federal judge in Brooklyn ruled last June that the government had wide latitude to detain noncitizens indefinitely on the basis of race, religion or national origin. The ruling came in a class-action lawsuit by Muslim immigrants held after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But Yasui, an American citizen of Japanese ancestry, had reason to take it personally. Her grandparents were among thousands of Japanese immigrants in the United States who were wrongfully detained as enemy aliens during World War II. And her father was one of three Japanese-Americans who challenged the government's racial detention and curfew programs in litigation that reached the Supreme Court in the 1940s. Now, Yasui, along with Jay Hirabayashi and Karen Korematsu-Haigh, a son and a daughter of the two other Japanese-American litigants, is urging an appeals court in New York to overturn the sweeping language of the judge's ruling last year. The ruling "painfully resurrects the long-discredited legal theory" used to put their grandparents behind barbed wire, along with the rest of the West Coast's Japanese-American population, the three contend in an unusual friends-of-the-court brief that was to be filed Tuesday in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The ruling came in a class-action lawsuit by Muslim immigrants held after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But Yasui, an American citizen of Japanese ancestry, had reason to take it personally.
Her grandparents were among thousands of Japanese immigrants in the United States who were wrongfully detained as enemy aliens during World War II. And her father was one of three Japanese-Americans who challenged the government's racial detention and curfew programs in litigation that reached the Supreme Court in the 1940s.
Now, Yasui, along with Jay Hirabayashi and Karen Korematsu-Haigh, a son and a daughter of the two other Japanese-American litigants, is urging an appeals court in New York to overturn the sweeping language of the judge's ruling last year.
The ruling "painfully resurrects the long-discredited legal theory" used to put their grandparents behind barbed wire, along with the rest of the West Coast's Japanese-American population, the three contend in an unusual friends-of-the-court brief that was to be filed Tuesday in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
LONDON -- The Iranian prisoner crisis revealed a widening schism between Britain and the United States yesterday as U.S. leaders called for tough action and British officials confirmed that they are trying to free their 15 imprisoned sailors by quietly reaching a compromise with Tehran.British officials believe that Iran is not seeking a prisoner exchange or other further bounty in exchange for the sailors, who have been imprisoned for 10 days, and they are hoping the crisis can be resolved peacefully in the next few days. <...> But Britain's delicate diplomatic efforts were set back by U.S. President George W. Bush, who made a statement Saturday in which he characterized the imprisoned sailors as "hostages" -- a phrase that Britain has been carefully avoiding to prevent the crisis from becoming a broader political or military conflict. "The British hostages issue is a serious issue because the Iranians took these people out of Iraqi waters, and it's inexcusable behaviour," Mr. Bush said in response to a reporter's question during a press conference at the Camp David retreat. He had reportedly promised not to raise the issue of the sailors, as British officials worry that the entry of the United States into this crisis could cause it to escalate into an irreconcilable confrontation. Other U.S. officials have been even less amenable to the British approach. John Bolton, who until recently was Mr. Bush's ambassador to the United Nations, has appeared on British TV describing the British approach as "pathetic."
<...>
But Britain's delicate diplomatic efforts were set back by U.S. President George W. Bush, who made a statement Saturday in which he characterized the imprisoned sailors as "hostages" -- a phrase that Britain has been carefully avoiding to prevent the crisis from becoming a broader political or military conflict.
"The British hostages issue is a serious issue because the Iranians took these people out of Iraqi waters, and it's inexcusable behaviour," Mr. Bush said in response to a reporter's question during a press conference at the Camp David retreat.
He had reportedly promised not to raise the issue of the sailors, as British officials worry that the entry of the United States into this crisis could cause it to escalate into an irreconcilable confrontation.
Other U.S. officials have been even less amenable to the British approach. John Bolton, who until recently was Mr. Bush's ambassador to the United Nations, has appeared on British TV describing the British approach as "pathetic."
Mr. Bush's ambassador to the United Nations, has appeared on British TV describing the British approach as "pathetic."
I suppose we should see this as a compliment to actual diplomacy. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Unlike the French who always will. Money is a sign of Poverty - Culture Saying
A Pakistani tribal militant group responsible for a series of deadly guerrilla raids inside Iran has been secretly encouraged and advised by American officials since 2005, U.S. and Pakistani intelligence sources tell ABC News. A senior U.S. government official said groups such as Jundullah have been helpful in tracking al Qaeda figures and that it was appropriate for the U.S. to deal with such groups in that context. Some former CIA officers say the arrangement is reminiscent of how the U.S. government used proxy armies, funded by other countries including Saudi Arabia, to destabilize the government of Nicaragua in the 1980s.
A senior U.S. government official said groups such as Jundullah have been helpful in tracking al Qaeda figures and that it was appropriate for the U.S. to deal with such groups in that context.
Some former CIA officers say the arrangement is reminiscent of how the U.S. government used proxy armies, funded by other countries including Saudi Arabia, to destabilize the government of Nicaragua in the 1980s.
ROME (AFP) - Despite projections of a bumper grain crop this year, 33 countries will not have enough food, with Iraq and Zimbabwe among the hardest hit, the UN food agency said Tuesday. Countries with "widespread lack of access to food" include Afghanistan, North Korea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Haiti, Liberia, Mauritania, Nepal, Niger and Sierra Leone, according to the April issue of the Food and Agriculture Organisations "Crop Prospects and Food Situation" report. Hardest hit, with an "exceptional shortfall" in food production and supplies, are Iraq, Lesotho, the Philippines, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, the FAO said. In eastern Africa, millions "still depend on food assistance ... due to a combination of factors including conflict and adverse weather conditions," it said.
Countries with "widespread lack of access to food" include Afghanistan, North Korea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Haiti, Liberia, Mauritania, Nepal, Niger and Sierra Leone, according to the April issue of the Food and Agriculture Organisations "Crop Prospects and Food Situation" report.
Hardest hit, with an "exceptional shortfall" in food production and supplies, are Iraq, Lesotho, the Philippines, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, the FAO said.
In eastern Africa, millions "still depend on food assistance ... due to a combination of factors including conflict and adverse weather conditions," it said.
US agents visit Ethiopian secret jails : Mail & Guardian Online
US agents visit Ethiopian secret jailsAnthony Mitchell | Nairobi, Kenya04 April 2007 09:10CIA and FBI agents hunting for al-Qaeda militants in the Horn of Africa have been interrogating terrorism suspects from 19 countries held at secret prisons in Ethiopia, which is notorious for torture and abuse, according to an investigation by the Associated Press (AP).Human rights groups, lawyers and several Western diplomats assert hundreds of prisoners, who include women and children, have been transferred secretly and illegally in recent months from Kenya and Somalia to Ethiopia, where they are kept without charge or access to lawyers and families.The detainees include at least one United States citizen and some are from Canada, Sweden and France, according to a list compiled by a Kenyan Muslim rights group and flight manifests obtained by AP.Some were swept up by Ethiopian troops that drove a radical Islamist government out of neighbouring Somalia late last year.Others have been deported from Kenya, where many Somalis have fled the continuing violence in their homeland.Ethiopia, which denies holding secret prisoners, is a country with a long history of human rights abuses. In recent years, it has also been a key US ally in the fight against al-Qaeda, which has been trying to sink roots among Muslims in the Horn of Africa.US government officials contacted by AP acknowledged questioning prisoners in Ethiopia. But they said American agents were following the law and were fully justified in their actions because they are investigating past attacks and current threats of terrorism.
Africa aid stalls despite G8 pledgeBy Alan Beattie in London Published: April 3 2007 18:57 | Last updated: April 3 2007 18:57Aid to Africa stalled last year and overall aid spending fell, jeopardising the Group of Eight industrial nations' commitment to double assistance to the continent and add $50bn a year to global aid by 2010.At the G8 summit in Gleneagles in 2005, Tony Blair, UK prime minister, extracted pledges from heads of government to spend $50bn more each year to 2010 on aid, with half the rise going to sub-Saharan Africa.But on Tuesday, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said that - excluding one-off debt relief to Nigeria - African aid from rich countries was static in 2006.Richard Manning, chair of the OECD's development assistance committee, said: "The promises will not be credible unless we begin to see substantial rises in 2007 and 2008." The OECD said overall aid totalled $103.9bn in 2006, a 5.1 per cent fall in real terms. This was exaggerated by one-off relief to Iraq and Nigeria, which boosted the 2005 total and began to drop out of the calculation in 2006. But even excluding such relief, overall assistance fell by 1.8 per cent.
By Alan Beattie in London
Published: April 3 2007 18:57 | Last updated: April 3 2007 18:57
Aid to Africa stalled last year and overall aid spending fell, jeopardising the Group of Eight industrial nations' commitment to double assistance to the continent and add $50bn a year to global aid by 2010.
At the G8 summit in Gleneagles in 2005, Tony Blair, UK prime minister, extracted pledges from heads of government to spend $50bn more each year to 2010 on aid, with half the rise going to sub-Saharan Africa.
But on Tuesday, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said that - excluding one-off debt relief to Nigeria - African aid from rich countries was static in 2006.
Richard Manning, chair of the OECD's development assistance committee, said: "The promises will not be credible unless we begin to see substantial rises in 2007 and 2008."
The OECD said overall aid totalled $103.9bn in 2006, a 5.1 per cent fall in real terms. This was exaggerated by one-off relief to Iraq and Nigeria, which boosted the 2005 total and began to drop out of the calculation in 2006. But even excluding such relief, overall assistance fell by 1.8 per cent.
Granma: More than three billion people in the world condemned to premature death from hunger and thirst
THAT is not an exaggerated figure, but rather a cautious one. I have meditated a lot on that in the wake of President Bush's meeting with U.S. automobile manufacturers. The sinister idea of converting food into fuel was definitively established as an economic line in U.S. foreign policy last Monday, March 26 .... I believe that reducing and moreover recycling all motors that run on electricity and fuel is an elemental and urgent need for all humanity. The tragedy does not lie in reducing those energy costs but in the idea of converting food into fuel. It is known very precisely today that one ton of corn can only produce 413 liters of ethanol on average, according to densities. That is equivalent to 109 gallons. ... Some people will be asking themselves why I am talking of hunger and thirst. My response to that: it is not about the other side of the coin, but about several sides of something else, like a die with six sides, or a polyhedron with many more sides. I refer in this case to an official news agency, founded in 1945 and generally well-informed about economic and social questions in the world: TELAM. It said, and I quote: "In just 18 years, close to 2 billion people will be living in countries and regions where water will be a distant memory. Two-thirds of the world's population could be living in places where that scarcity produces social and economic tensions of such a magnitude that it could lead nations to wars for the precious `blue gold.' "Over the last 100 years, the use of water has increased at a rate twice as fast as that of population growth. "According to statistics from the World Water Council, it is estimated that by 2015, the number of inhabitants affected by this grave situation will rise by 3.5 billion people. ...
"In just 18 years, close to 2 billion people will be living in countries and regions where water will be a distant memory. Two-thirds of the world's population could be living in places where that scarcity produces social and economic tensions of such a magnitude that it could lead nations to wars for the precious `blue gold.'
"Over the last 100 years, the use of water has increased at a rate twice as fast as that of population growth.
"According to statistics from the World Water Council, it is estimated that by 2015, the number of inhabitants affected by this grave situation will rise by 3.5 billion people. ...
Frank Delaney ~ Ireland
By the way, have you seen a scientific study on Bush Encroachment?.. Just an academic joke... Yet, it is a serious Finnish study for Namibia. Though not entirely environmentally responsible.
Given the EU energy white paper, we have met the enemy, and it is us. "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
China boost for Sudan military By Mure Dickie in Beijing Published: April 3 2007 19:16 | Last updated: April 3 2007 19:16China has offered to expand military co-operation with Sudan, although tempering its support by calling for Khartoum to be more flexible on a United Nations plan to end fighting in the African nation's western region of Darfur.The mixed signals from Beijing reflect a desire to maintain close relations with the Sudanese government, despite western allegations that such moves stand in the way of international efforts to broker a peace deal.In a meeting in Beijing, Cao Gangchuan, Chinese defence minister, told Haj Ahmed El Gaili, Sudan's joint chief of staff, that military relations had been "developing smoothly". The Chinese side set great store by the traditional Sino-Sudanese friendship, state media quoted Mr Cao as saying. "[We] are willing to further develop military co-operation between our two countries in all areas."
By Mure Dickie in Beijing
Published: April 3 2007 19:16 | Last updated: April 3 2007 19:16
China has offered to expand military co-operation with Sudan, although tempering its support by calling for Khartoum to be more flexible on a United Nations plan to end fighting in the African nation's western region of Darfur.
The mixed signals from Beijing reflect a desire to maintain close relations with the Sudanese government, despite western allegations that such moves stand in the way of international efforts to broker a peace deal.
In a meeting in Beijing, Cao Gangchuan, Chinese defence minister, told Haj Ahmed El Gaili, Sudan's joint chief of staff, that military relations had been "developing smoothly". The Chinese side set great store by the traditional Sino-Sudanese friendship, state media quoted Mr Cao as saying. "[We] are willing to further develop military co-operation between our two countries in all areas."
SAN FRANCISCO - A freelance videographer who has been jailed longer than any other journalist in U.S. history for refusing to testify to a grand jury is expected to be freed, his attorneys said Tuesday.
