Israeli troops yesterday shot dead six Palestinians in two separate incidents, as evidence emerged that an increasingly fragile ceasefire between armed groups loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement and Israel appeared to be in danger of breaking down.The shootings, the most serious violence in months, came a day before today's first anniversary of the outbreak of Israel's war against Gaza in which almost 1,400 Palestinians died - and as allegations have emerged from Israeli human rights campaigners who opposed the war that they are facing concerted attempts to silence them.Three of the Palestinians were killed in an airstrike just inside the Gaza border. According to Israeli officials they had been scouting the area for a possible infiltration operation, but according to Hamas officials and medics they had been searching for scrap metal to salvage.More serious in its implications, however, was the shooting dead of three members of Fatah's armed wing - the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades - in a raid on the northern West Bank city of Nablus, apparently in retaliation for the shooting of an Israeli driving near the settlement at Shavei Shomron. Relatives who witnessed the Nablus shootings said soldiers fired at two of the men without warning. An Israeli army spokesman, Major Peter Lerner, said troops fired after the three men failed to respond to calls to surrender.It also follows the discovery of an improvised explosive device on a busy road leading to the huge Israeli settlement at Modi'in with a letter from an al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades unit claiming responsibility. The two incidents have followed recent warnings from both Israelis and Palestinians that frustration among a younger generation of al-Aqsa members - which signed an amnesty deal with Israel in 2007 - over the lack of progress in the almost moribund peace process was in danger of boiling over.
Israeli troops yesterday shot dead six Palestinians in two separate incidents, as evidence emerged that an increasingly fragile ceasefire between armed groups loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement and Israel appeared to be in danger of breaking down.
The shootings, the most serious violence in months, came a day before today's first anniversary of the outbreak of Israel's war against Gaza in which almost 1,400 Palestinians died - and as allegations have emerged from Israeli human rights campaigners who opposed the war that they are facing concerted attempts to silence them.
Three of the Palestinians were killed in an airstrike just inside the Gaza border. According to Israeli officials they had been scouting the area for a possible infiltration operation, but according to Hamas officials and medics they had been searching for scrap metal to salvage.
More serious in its implications, however, was the shooting dead of three members of Fatah's armed wing - the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades - in a raid on the northern West Bank city of Nablus, apparently in retaliation for the shooting of an Israeli driving near the settlement at Shavei Shomron. Relatives who witnessed the Nablus shootings said soldiers fired at two of the men without warning. An Israeli army spokesman, Major Peter Lerner, said troops fired after the three men failed to respond to calls to surrender.
It also follows the discovery of an improvised explosive device on a busy road leading to the huge Israeli settlement at Modi'in with a letter from an al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades unit claiming responsibility. The two incidents have followed recent warnings from both Israelis and Palestinians that frustration among a younger generation of al-Aqsa members - which signed an amnesty deal with Israel in 2007 - over the lack of progress in the almost moribund peace process was in danger of boiling over.
WASHINGTON -- Federal authorities on Saturday charged a 23-year-old Nigerian man with trying to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day, and officials said the suspect told them he had obtained explosive chemicals and a syringe that were sewn into his underwear from a bomb expert in Yemen associated with Al Qaeda. The authorities have not independently corroborated the Yemen connection claimed by the man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who was burned in his failed attempt to bring down the airliner and is in a hospital in Michigan. But a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said on Saturday that the suspect's account was "plausible," and that he saw "no reason to discount it."Mr. Abdulmutallab's name was not unknown to American authorities. His father, a prominent Nigerian banker, recently told officials at the United States Embassy in Nigeria that he was concerned about his son's increasingly extremist religious views.As a result of his father's warning, federal authorities in Washington opened an investigative file and Mr. Abdulmutallab's name ended up in the American intelligence community's central repository of information on known or suspected international terrorists.
WASHINGTON -- Federal authorities on Saturday charged a 23-year-old Nigerian man with trying to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day, and officials said the suspect told them he had obtained explosive chemicals and a syringe that were sewn into his underwear from a bomb expert in Yemen associated with Al Qaeda.
The authorities have not independently corroborated the Yemen connection claimed by the man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who was burned in his failed attempt to bring down the airliner and is in a hospital in Michigan. But a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said on Saturday that the suspect's account was "plausible," and that he saw "no reason to discount it."
Mr. Abdulmutallab's name was not unknown to American authorities. His father, a prominent Nigerian banker, recently told officials at the United States Embassy in Nigeria that he was concerned about his son's increasingly extremist religious views.
As a result of his father's warning, federal authorities in Washington opened an investigative file and Mr. Abdulmutallab's name ended up in the American intelligence community's central repository of information on known or suspected international terrorists.
In the wake of the terrorism attempt Friday on a Northwest Airlines flight, federal officials on Saturday imposed new restrictions on travelers that could lengthen lines at airports and limit the ability of international passengers to move about an airplane. The government was vague about the steps it was taking, saying that it wanted the security experience to be "unpredictable" and that passengers would not find the same measures at every airport -- a prospect that may upset airlines and travelers alike.But several airlines released detailed information about the restrictions, saying that passengers on international flights coming to the United States will apparently have to remain in their seats for the last hour of a flight without any personal items on their laps. Overseas passengers will be restricted to only one carry-on item, and domestic passengers will probably face longer security lines. That was already the case in some airports Saturday, in the United States and overseas.
In the wake of the terrorism attempt Friday on a Northwest Airlines flight, federal officials on Saturday imposed new restrictions on travelers that could lengthen lines at airports and limit the ability of international passengers to move about an airplane.
The government was vague about the steps it was taking, saying that it wanted the security experience to be "unpredictable" and that passengers would not find the same measures at every airport -- a prospect that may upset airlines and travelers alike.
But several airlines released detailed information about the restrictions, saying that passengers on international flights coming to the United States will apparently have to remain in their seats for the last hour of a flight without any personal items on their laps.
Overseas passengers will be restricted to only one carry-on item, and domestic passengers will probably face longer security lines. That was already the case in some airports Saturday, in the United States and overseas.
Here's an open thread for discussing the awesome new TSA in-flight security restrictions that will surely protect us all from future pantsbombers. Just like the war on toothpaste protected us from Mister Sizzly Pants' crotch-launched Christmas fireworks. How'd that loser manage to board a plane in Lagos packing Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), then glide on through to a Detroit-bound Delta Airlines flight? What the hell's PETN? Is it in toothpaste? How did our supposedly tightened post-9/11 flight security system allow this to happen -- despite apparent warning? Incidentally, I took an early morning flight on Delta today from Latin America to the US, among the first international flights subject to a TSA security directive issued this morning. The pre-boarding procedues included the most invasive hand pat-down I've ever had, and a long line of guys with gloves at the gate, going through everyone's hand luggage in more detail than I've ever experienced.As we boarded, the flight attendants announced that all passengers would be prohibited from getting out of their seats (for instance, to go to the toilet) or from using any electronic devices (phones, laptops, games) or having anything on their laps (even a book or a blanket) during the last hour of the flight. I tweeted about it from the plane. Bottom line, the new rules make your fellow passengers farty and crosslegged (ever try not going to the bathroom during the last part of a really long-haul international flight?), the flight attendants seemed to be just as annoyed about the meritless new rules as the passengers, and we were none the safer. The worst part? None of this would have stopped the pantsbomber.
Here's an open thread for discussing the awesome new TSA in-flight security restrictions that will surely protect us all from future pantsbombers. Just like the war on toothpaste protected us from Mister Sizzly Pants' crotch-launched Christmas fireworks. How'd that loser manage to board a plane in Lagos packing Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), then glide on through to a Detroit-bound Delta Airlines flight? What the hell's PETN? Is it in toothpaste? How did our supposedly tightened post-9/11 flight security system allow this to happen -- despite apparent warning?
Incidentally, I took an early morning flight on Delta today from Latin America to the US, among the first international flights subject to a TSA security directive issued this morning. The pre-boarding procedues included the most invasive hand pat-down I've ever had, and a long line of guys with gloves at the gate, going through everyone's hand luggage in more detail than I've ever experienced.
As we boarded, the flight attendants announced that all passengers would be prohibited from getting out of their seats (for instance, to go to the toilet) or from using any electronic devices (phones, laptops, games) or having anything on their laps (even a book or a blanket) during the last hour of the flight. I tweeted about it from the plane. Bottom line, the new rules make your fellow passengers farty and crosslegged (ever try not going to the bathroom during the last part of a really long-haul international flight?), the flight attendants seemed to be just as annoyed about the meritless new rules as the passengers, and we were none the safer. The worst part? None of this would have stopped the pantsbomber.
+hello!+
and made it onto a plane in amsterdam without a passport. how the hell did he pull that off this dasy and age?
rick reed redux, from the keystone kops kollege of kemistry. ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
The nephew of Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi is reportedly among eight people killed in continuing clashes between police and protesters. An aide to the leader said on Sunday that Seyyed Ali Mousavi died after being shot by the police, but the claim could not be independently verified as foreign news organisations are barred by the authorities from covering street unrest. Iranian state television, however, confirmed that several people were killed in clashes. Opposition websites said at least four protesters had been killed in the capital Tehran while another four died in a violent crackdown on opposition protests in the northwestern city of Tabriz. "During clashes between security forces and protesters ... at least four protesters were killed in Tabriz and many others wounded," the Jaras website said.
The nephew of Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi is reportedly among eight people killed in continuing clashes between police and protesters.
An aide to the leader said on Sunday that Seyyed Ali Mousavi died after being shot by the police, but the claim could not be independently verified as foreign news organisations are barred by the authorities from covering street unrest.
Iranian state television, however, confirmed that several people were killed in clashes.
Opposition websites said at least four protesters had been killed in the capital Tehran while another four died in a violent crackdown on opposition protests in the northwestern city of Tabriz.
"During clashes between security forces and protesters ... at least four protesters were killed in Tabriz and many others wounded," the Jaras website said.
The nephew of Iran's reformist opposition leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi, was reported to be among at least nine people killed after the streets of Tehran and other cities erupted in violent clashes between security forces and protesters.Ali Mousavi, 35 and a father of two, was reportedly shot through the heart after police opened fire during disturbances in Tehran's Enghelab Square.The authorities tonight tried to assert control over Tehran by reportedly declaring a 7pm curfew and outlawing all gatherings of more than three people, a source inside the capital told the Guardian.
The nephew of Iran's reformist opposition leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi, was reported to be among at least nine people killed after the streets of Tehran and other cities erupted in violent clashes between security forces and protesters.
Ali Mousavi, 35 and a father of two, was reportedly shot through the heart after police opened fire during disturbances in Tehran's Enghelab Square.
The authorities tonight tried to assert control over Tehran by reportedly declaring a 7pm curfew and outlawing all gatherings of more than three people, a source inside the capital told the Guardian.
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Iranian police opened fire on protesters in Tehran on Sunday, killing at least four people, including a nephew of the opposition leader Mir Hussein Moussavi, as vast crowds of demonstrators flooded the streets of cities across Iran and fiercely fought security forces, according to witnesses and opposition Web sites. The protests, taking place on the holiday marking the death of Shiite Islam's holiest martyr, were the bloodiest -- and among the largest -- since the uprisings that followed Iran's disputed presidential election last June, with hundreds of thousands of people thronging Tehran alone, witnesses said. There were reports of hundreds of injured people and numerous arrests.In Tehran, thick crowds marched down a central avenue in mid-morning, defying official warnings of a harsh crackdown on protests as they chanted, "Death to the dictator!" They refused to retreat even as police fired tear gas, charged them with batons and discharged warning shots. The police then opened fire directly into the crowd, opposition Web sites said, citing witnesses. At least four people were killed, the Web sites reported, and photographs circulated of a man with a bloodied head being carried from the scene.
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Iranian police opened fire on protesters in Tehran on Sunday, killing at least four people, including a nephew of the opposition leader Mir Hussein Moussavi, as vast crowds of demonstrators flooded the streets of cities across Iran and fiercely fought security forces, according to witnesses and opposition Web sites.
The protests, taking place on the holiday marking the death of Shiite Islam's holiest martyr, were the bloodiest -- and among the largest -- since the uprisings that followed Iran's disputed presidential election last June, with hundreds of thousands of people thronging Tehran alone, witnesses said. There were reports of hundreds of injured people and numerous arrests.
In Tehran, thick crowds marched down a central avenue in mid-morning, defying official warnings of a harsh crackdown on protests as they chanted, "Death to the dictator!" They refused to retreat even as police fired tear gas, charged them with batons and discharged warning shots.
The police then opened fire directly into the crowd, opposition Web sites said, citing witnesses. At least four people were killed, the Web sites reported, and photographs circulated of a man with a bloodied head being carried from the scene.
Up to three million Shia men and women have flocked to the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala to participate in the annual Ashoura commemorations, despite bomb blasts that left at least seven dead. Tens of thousands security personnel had been deployed for the occasion and city officials on Sunday later claimed that the "day had been a success". Ashoura pilgrims have been targeted in a number of attacks over the past week, killing more than 180 people. On Sunday, at least five pilgrims were killed and 15 others wounded after a blast targeted a religious procession in the northeastern town of Tuz Khormato. Blasts in the capital Baghdad killed two more pilgrims. Sunday's commemorations marked the climax of Ashoura, the yearly mourning period in which Shia Muslims remember the seventh century death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, in a battle against overwhelming odds in the central city of Karbala.
Up to three million Shia men and women have flocked to the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala to participate in the annual Ashoura commemorations, despite bomb blasts that left at least seven dead.
Tens of thousands security personnel had been deployed for the occasion and city officials on Sunday later claimed that the "day had been a success".
Ashoura pilgrims have been targeted in a number of attacks over the past week, killing more than 180 people.
On Sunday, at least five pilgrims were killed and 15 others wounded after a blast targeted a religious procession in the northeastern town of Tuz Khormato.
Blasts in the capital Baghdad killed two more pilgrims.
Sunday's commemorations marked the climax of Ashoura, the yearly mourning period in which Shia Muslims remember the seventh century death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, in a battle against overwhelming odds in the central city of Karbala.
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- Secretive branches of the military's Special Operations forces have increased counterterrorism missions against some of the most lethal groups in Afghanistan and, because of their success, plan an even bigger expansion next year, according to American commanders. The commandos, from the Army's Delta Force and the Navy's classified Seals units, have had success weakening the network of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the strongest Taliban warrior in eastern Afghanistan, the officers said. Mr. Haqqani's group has used its bases in neighboring Pakistan to carry out deadly strikes in and around Kabul, the Afghan capital. Guided by intercepted cellphone communications, the American commandos have also killed some important Taliban operatives in Marja, the most fearsome Taliban stronghold in Helmand Province in the south, the officers said. Marine commanders say they believe that there are some 1,000 fighters holed up in the town. Although President Obama and his top aides have not publicly discussed these highly classified missions as part of the administration's revamped strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, the counterterrorism operations are expected to increase, along with the deployment of 30,000 more American forces in the next year. The increased counterterrorism operations over the past three or four months reflect growth in every part of the Afghanistan campaign, including conventional forces securing the population, other troops training and partnering with Afghan security forces, and more civilians to complement and capitalize on security gains.
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- Secretive branches of the military's Special Operations forces have increased counterterrorism missions against some of the most lethal groups in Afghanistan and, because of their success, plan an even bigger expansion next year, according to American commanders.
The commandos, from the Army's Delta Force and the Navy's classified Seals units, have had success weakening the network of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the strongest Taliban warrior in eastern Afghanistan, the officers said. Mr. Haqqani's group has used its bases in neighboring Pakistan to carry out deadly strikes in and around Kabul, the Afghan capital.
Guided by intercepted cellphone communications, the American commandos have also killed some important Taliban operatives in Marja, the most fearsome Taliban stronghold in Helmand Province in the south, the officers said. Marine commanders say they believe that there are some 1,000 fighters holed up in the town.
Although President Obama and his top aides have not publicly discussed these highly classified missions as part of the administration's revamped strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, the counterterrorism operations are expected to increase, along with the deployment of 30,000 more American forces in the next year.
The increased counterterrorism operations over the past three or four months reflect growth in every part of the Afghanistan campaign, including conventional forces securing the population, other troops training and partnering with Afghan security forces, and more civilians to complement and capitalize on security gains.
China streaked ahead of its western and Asian rivals at the weekend by unveiling the world's fastest long-distance passenger train service.The Harmony express raced 1,100km in less than three hours on Saturday, travelling from Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong province, to the central city of Wuhan. The journey previously took at least 11 hours. The improvement illustrates how China's huge investment in infrastructure is dramatically shrinking the country, yet the economics of the new service, which runs 56 times a day, remain unproven amid a build-it-and-they-will-come approach to transport. "Expressways are not suited for China, which has large numbers of people but little space to spare. China should learn from Japan and Europe." The Harmony express, which reached a top speed of 394km per hour in pre-launch trials, travelled at an average rate of 350km per hour on its debut. This compared with a maximum service speed of 300km per hour for Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains and France's TGV service. In America, Amtrak's Acela "Express" service takes 3½ hours to trundle between Boston and New York, a distance of only 300km.
China streaked ahead of its western and Asian rivals at the weekend by unveiling the world's fastest long-distance passenger train service.
The Harmony express raced 1,100km in less than three hours on Saturday, travelling from Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong province, to the central city of Wuhan. The journey previously took at least 11 hours.
The improvement illustrates how China's huge investment in infrastructure is dramatically shrinking the country, yet the economics of the new service, which runs 56 times a day, remain unproven amid a build-it-and-they-will-come approach to transport.
"Expressways are not suited for China, which has large numbers of people but little space to spare. China should learn from Japan and Europe."
The Harmony express, which reached a top speed of 394km per hour in pre-launch trials, travelled at an average rate of 350km per hour on its debut. This compared with a maximum service speed of 300km per hour for Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains and France's TGV service. In America, Amtrak's Acela "Express" service takes 3½ hours to trundle between Boston and New York, a distance of only 300km.
See DoDo's diary China wants 380 km/h trains from September 2008. La Chine dorme. Laisse la dormir. Quand la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera.
FT HAD to add anti-rail marketista nonsense...
travelled at an average rate of 350km per hour on its debut
The Chinese spokesperson, or his translator, spoke nonsense, too: mixed up average speedand maximum speed on the fly, especially when comparing with high-speed services in other countries. Still, that doesn't change that the line is top in two categories:
Now that marco linked to that diary of mine, I note that in the meantime, China did order trains meant for 380 km/h operation in regular service. The choice is 'interesting' again. As I wrote in Globalisation catches up with rail industry?, number one rail manufacturer Bombardier was a laggard on the high-speed market, because no serious railway wanted to buy a top-speed version of its Zefiro platform until it existed only on the drawing board. But now China did just that, ordering 80 trains in one go. (The only Zefiro so far is a 250 km/h night train -- for China.) *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
By Chuck Liddy | McClatchy Newspapers
KABUL -- When snow covers the mountains north of Kabul and temperatures drop below freezing, many residents of Afghanistan's capital rely on their bukhari stoves to heat their homes. The stoves burn wood, sawdust, diesel fuel and kerosene. Each is made by hand. Most of the stoves are made in a block in north Kabul, and as you approach it, a symphony of noise rises, beginning with a faint staccato that grows into a crescendo of every pitch -- the sound of men working with metal as each component of each stove is carefully made. Young boys rush about, ferrying parts through the 30 or so shops in the market. The men have decades of experience in the craft. Intricate designs are pressed into the sheet metal with rotary presses. Some men use tin snips to cut the razor-sharp metal. Others use hammers and metal chisels. Welds are made with manual soldering irons heated to a glowing red, dipped into the solder, then placed on the seams. Some of the stoves will double as water heaters. They're fitted with water jackets and faucets. Others will do duty as cook stoves. Business was slow but steady on a crisp Sunday morning when the temperature hovered just above freezing. An old man listened to a young boy's spiel but was unconvinced by the boy's earnest offer to fill the water jacket and demonstrate its "quality" watertightness. The man wandered off to listen to another vendor sing the praises of his stove. Farwad Rasooli, 30, pitched his stoves' usefulness. "If you take one of these stoves you will have very good business," he urged. "Take this one with sawdust and this one with a boiler around to make warm water, put a little wood in it, your house, your room will be very warm." With their ornate metalwork and handmade detail, the stoves border on art, all for about 2,000 afghanis, about $40 U.S.
Most of the stoves are made in a block in north Kabul, and as you approach it, a symphony of noise rises, beginning with a faint staccato that grows into a crescendo of every pitch -- the sound of men working with metal as each component of each stove is carefully made. Young boys rush about, ferrying parts through the 30 or so shops in the market. The men have decades of experience in the craft. Intricate designs are pressed into the sheet metal with rotary presses. Some men use tin snips to cut the razor-sharp metal. Others use hammers and metal chisels. Welds are made with manual soldering irons heated to a glowing red, dipped into the solder, then placed on the seams.
Some of the stoves will double as water heaters. They're fitted with water jackets and faucets. Others will do duty as cook stoves. Business was slow but steady on a crisp Sunday morning when the temperature hovered just above freezing. An old man listened to a young boy's spiel but was unconvinced by the boy's earnest offer to fill the water jacket and demonstrate its "quality" watertightness. The man wandered off to listen to another vendor sing the praises of his stove.
Farwad Rasooli, 30, pitched his stoves' usefulness. "If you take one of these stoves you will have very good business," he urged. "Take this one with sawdust and this one with a boiler around to make warm water, put a little wood in it, your house, your room will be very warm."
With their ornate metalwork and handmade detail, the stoves border on art, all for about 2,000 afghanis, about $40 U.S.
More Chinese rich people join the trend to pursue American permanent residency by making investments in the United States. But they may be victimized by financial traps set up by domestic immigration agencies and foreign investment organizations, local expert warned. Qi Lixin, chairman of Beijing Entry & Exit Service Association, said the number of applicants for the US EB-5 visa through investment almost doubled in 2009, from around 500 last year to over 1000 this year. The main reasons for them to do so are to provide a better education environment for their children and to look for further business opportunities. "Only people with personal assets of over 10 million yuan can afford investment immigration," Qi said. The EB-5 visa for Immigrant Investors provides a method of obtaining a green card for foreign nationals who invest money in the United States. Applicants should invest at least $500,000 in certain investments or regional centers with high unemployment rates. "There usually exists a hidden problem for EB-5 visa applicants. As far as I know, there are more than 70 US regional center programs attracting investors in China. They said they can return customer's money in five years' time," Qi said, "But if losses occur, which side can assure Chinese applicants to get their $500,000 back on time? The domestic agency, or foreign investment organization?"
Qi Lixin, chairman of Beijing Entry & Exit Service Association, said the number of applicants for the US EB-5 visa through investment almost doubled in 2009, from around 500 last year to over 1000 this year. The main reasons for them to do so are to provide a better education environment for their children and to look for further business opportunities.
"Only people with personal assets of over 10 million yuan can afford investment immigration," Qi said.
The EB-5 visa for Immigrant Investors provides a method of obtaining a green card for foreign nationals who invest money in the United States. Applicants should invest at least $500,000 in certain investments or regional centers with high unemployment rates.
"There usually exists a hidden problem for EB-5 visa applicants. As far as I know, there are more than 70 US regional center programs attracting investors in China. They said they can return customer's money in five years' time," Qi said, "But if losses occur, which side can assure Chinese applicants to get their $500,000 back on time? The domestic agency, or foreign investment organization?"
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has published new draft rules for village elections, allowing villagers to fire officials who don't perform as promised. When village elections were rolled out nationwide in 1998, to improve local officials' responsiveness to local concerns, some Chinese reformers hoped they would open the door to democracy in rural townships and urban districts. However, elections have been frozen at the most basic level. The new rules allow for one-fifth of villagers with voting rights, or one-third of village representatives, to impeach a village chief, according to the draft published on the legislature's website, www.npc.gov.cn. He or she would be dismissed if a majority of those attending a meeting made up of at least half the village vote to do so.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has published new draft rules for village elections, allowing villagers to fire officials who don't perform as promised.
When village elections were rolled out nationwide in 1998, to improve local officials' responsiveness to local concerns, some Chinese reformers hoped they would open the door to democracy in rural townships and urban districts.
However, elections have been frozen at the most basic level.
The new rules allow for one-fifth of villagers with voting rights, or one-third of village representatives, to impeach a village chief, according to the draft published on the legislature's website, www.npc.gov.cn.
He or she would be dismissed if a majority of those attending a meeting made up of at least half the village vote to do so.
By law, Chinese employers are required to contribute to a state-administered retirement pension plan for their employees, who will be eligible for the benefits after paying a monthly premium for an accumulated 15 years. This arrangement, which appears to offer recipients necessary protection, is not always well-received by both sides of the employment equation. One reason is that it is difficult for highly mobile workers to get benefits because in most cases their retirement pension accounts are currently not allowed to be transferred from region to region. Many employees withdraw their deposits when they move to a different province, and they would sometimes rather have their employers pay this part of their income up front just to avoid bureaucratic hassles. Today, The Beijing News reports that the State Council announced at yesterday's session that starting January 1st, 2010, retirement pension recipients will be allowed to transfer their accounts between provinces and prefecture-level cities after they find employment elsewhere. The time during which the employee paid his/her dues in different areas will be accumulated. The new policy makes it clear that the migrant workers from rural areas will also be eligible for the change. In addition, the minimum retirement pension of "enterprise employees" (to be distinguished from government employees) will be raised by approximately 10 percent, which will translate into an average 120 yuan monthly income gain for pensioners.
By law, Chinese employers are required to contribute to a state-administered retirement pension plan for their employees, who will be eligible for the benefits after paying a monthly premium for an accumulated 15 years. This arrangement, which appears to offer recipients necessary protection, is not always well-received by both sides of the employment equation.
One reason is that it is difficult for highly mobile workers to get benefits because in most cases their retirement pension accounts are currently not allowed to be transferred from region to region. Many employees withdraw their deposits when they move to a different province, and they would sometimes rather have their employers pay this part of their income up front just to avoid bureaucratic hassles.
Today, The Beijing News reports that the State Council announced at yesterday's session that starting January 1st, 2010, retirement pension recipients will be allowed to transfer their accounts between provinces and prefecture-level cities after they find employment elsewhere. The time during which the employee paid his/her dues in different areas will be accumulated. The new policy makes it clear that the migrant workers from rural areas will also be eligible for the change. In addition, the minimum retirement pension of "enterprise employees" (to be distinguished from government employees) will be raised by approximately 10 percent, which will translate into an average 120 yuan monthly income gain for pensioners.
My bold. La Chine dorme. Laisse la dormir. Quand la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera.
MOGADISHU: A helicopter dropped a $4 million (R30m) ransom payment yesterday onto the deck of a Chinese coal ship hijacked by Somali pirates, a pirate source said. The De Xin Hai was carrying 25 crew and about 76 000 tons of coal from South Africa to India when it was seized in an attack about 1 100km east of the Horn of Africa. It was the first known seizure of a coal ship, and Indian coal traders warned at the time that this might encourage gangs to seize other coal ships. Experts say a higher risk of pirate attacks could disrupt an expected increase in the volume of South African coal heading to India.
MOGADISHU: A helicopter dropped a $4 million (R30m) ransom payment yesterday onto the deck of a Chinese coal ship hijacked by Somali pirates, a pirate source said.
The De Xin Hai was carrying 25 crew and about 76 000 tons of coal from South Africa to India when it was seized in an attack about 1 100km east of the Horn of Africa.
It was the first known seizure of a coal ship, and Indian coal traders warned at the time that this might encourage gangs to seize other coal ships. Experts say a higher risk of pirate attacks could disrupt an expected increase in the volume of South African coal heading to India.
The North African branch of al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of two Italians in Mauritania earlier this month. Al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb said in an audio message broadcast on the Al-Arabiya television news channel that they had kidnapped the Italians on December 19 because of Italy's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Italian media has named the couple as Sergio Cicala, 65, and his wife Philomene Kabouree, 39, who is from Burkina Faso and has dual Italian and Burkina Faso citizenship.
The North African branch of al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of two Italians in Mauritania earlier this month.
Al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb said in an audio message broadcast on the Al-Arabiya television news channel that they had kidnapped the Italians on December 19 because of Italy's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Italian media has named the couple as Sergio Cicala, 65, and his wife Philomene Kabouree, 39, who is from Burkina Faso and has dual Italian and Burkina Faso citizenship.
At least 10 Afghan civilians, including eight school children, have been killed by Western forces in the country, President Hamid Karzai has said.Mr Karzai said the deaths occurred during an air strike in Eastern Kunar province two days ago. Kunar governor Sayed Fazlullah Wahedi told the Reuters news agency officials could not visit the area "because of the presence of the Taliban".
At least 10 Afghan civilians, including eight school children, have been killed by Western forces in the country, President Hamid Karzai has said.
Mr Karzai said the deaths occurred during an air strike in Eastern Kunar province two days ago.
Kunar governor Sayed Fazlullah Wahedi told the Reuters news agency officials could not visit the area "because of the presence of the Taliban".
