EDITORIAL : THE PEOPLE'S DAILY, CHINA

Myanmar marks armed forces day, vows to build peaceful democratic nation

Myanmar official daily on Sunday called for all citizens to cooperate with the Tatmadaw (armed forces) to build a peaceful, modern and developed democratic nation.
"With representatives of parliament elected by the people being convened, a peaceful, modern and developed democratic nation is taking form," the New Light of Myanmar said in an editorial marking the 66th anniversary of Armed Forces Day.
"Today is the time when the Tatmadaw is leading the nation and the people on the way to democracy by serving as a major national force. Measures are being taken to achieve the democracy goal aspired by the people after the seven-step roadmap has been adopted," the editorial noted.
"It is the Tatmadaw that has always stood by the nation and the people in times of emergency," the editorial claimed. "It is the Tatmadaw that has always protected and safeguarded independence and sovereignty wherever the union was on the brink of collapse."
For the past decades, Myanmar has held military parade to mark the armed forces day, but this year, the day was celebrated with the absence of the parade in the new capital Nay Pyi Taw.
Instead, a teleplay "Birthday Gift" to celebrate the armed forces day is scheduled for broadcast Sunday on the state-run Myanmar International channel and Myanmar Radio and Television ( MRTV)-4.
The country's newly elected two-chamber parliament, with 25 percent of seats reserved for nominated military deputies, has been holding first session in Nay Pyi Taw since Jan. 31, following the November 2010 general election, the first multi-party poll in two decades.
On Feb. 4, the parliament elected former Prime Minister U Thein Sein as president, while U Tin Aung Myint Oo and Dr. Sai Mauk Kham were elected as vice presidents.
The parliament has also approved the nomination of 30 ministers submitted by U Thein Sein.

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY YOMIURI, JAPAN

'Hot' water removal going slowly / Flooded steam condensers in reactors hamper workers' efforts

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Steam condensers at the Nos. 2 and 3 reactors of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant are flooded, making it difficult for workers to remove highly radioactive water from inside the turbine buildings, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday.

The turbine buildings house equipment indispensable to carrying out full-scale cooling of the troubled reactors.

Radioactive water has accumulated at the bottom of the buildings.

In the case of the No. 1 reactor, TEPCO could not ascertain when it would be able to completely pump out the water because of a huge quantity of water in the basement of the turbine building.

Referring to radiation of more than 1,000 millisieverts per hour that was detected on the surface of the radioactive water at the No. 2 reactor, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Monday the high level of radiation was caused by water overflowing after coming in contact with nuclear fuel rods that had temporarily melted.

Earlier in the day, TEPCO said the concentration of radioactive substances in the water at the No. 2 reactor's turbine building was about 100,000 times higher than normal in water inside a reactor.

The utility said Sunday morning that the concentration of radioactive iodine-134 detected in water taken the previous day from the basement of the turbine building of the No. 2 reactor was 2.9 billion becquerels per milliliter, or 10 million times the normal concentration.

Later that day, TEPCO corrected that analysis, saying it was highly possible that cobalt-56 was mistaken for iodine-134 when compiling the earlier data. Early Monday, the company again made a correction, saying it should have referred to cesium-134, not cobalt-56.

The concentration of radioactive substances detected at the same place in the No. 2 reactor was 20 million becquerels per milliliter or 100,000 times that of the water inside a reactor, TEPCO said.

There was some good news. TEPCO reported that the spent nuclear fuel rod temporary storage pools at the Nos. 2 and 3 reactors were confirmed to be filled to their capacity Monday.

Despite this, restoration work at the plant is expected to take a long time, observers said.

Referring to the radiation-contaminated water at the basement of Reactor No. 2's turbine building, Edano said the contamination was regrettable but restoration work would continue at the plant while ensuring there was no health risk.

With regard to the Nos. 1 and 3 reactors, where concentrations of radioactive substances are lower than at Reactor No. 2, he said radioactive water that became steam in the reactor containment vessel was condensed or diluted as a result of water spraying.

Reactor No. 1's condenser has a capacity of 1,600 tons while those of the Nos. 2 and 3 reactors are almost twice that at 3,000 tons.

Work to remove radioactive water from the basement of Reactor No. 1's turbine building has started. Additional pumps have been installed to remove the radioactive water, but it remains to be seen when the work can be finished because of the large volume of water.

The condensers at the Nos. 2 and 3 reactors cannot take additional radioactive water because they are already full. TEPCO is looking into the possibility of transferring contaminated water to tanks located at other places. But new pipes will be needed to connect them, TEPCO said.

The amount of radiation in the air in the basements of the turbine buildings amounted to 25 millisieverts per hour at the No. 1 reactor, more than 1,000 millisieverts at the No. 2 reactor and 400 millisieverts at the No. 3 reactor.

The high radiation records at the Nos. 2 and 3 reactors made it difficult to make progress in removing radioactive water.

To help ensure safety in the dark working environment, TEPCO is considering bringing temporary lighting equipment into the basements of the turbine buildings of the Nos. 2 and 3 reactors and dividing workers into several groups so they can work for short periods.

As for pouring freshwater into Reactor No. 2, TEPCO has installed electric-driven pumps inside the turbine building to connect them with a power supply. On Sunday afternoon, water-spraying into the reactor started using water drawn directly from a freshwater tank installed about one kilometer away.

Food safety inspections flawed / Critics say system inconsistent, inequitably applied, lacks oversight

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Dissatisfaction with the system for food safety inspections is spreading among local governments and farmers in areas affected by radioactive emissions from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Under the current system, prefectural governments and municipalities with public health centers decide which crops are to be tested, as well as the sample size, and report the results of the tests to the central government.

However, there is great variation among different local governments' decisions on these points.

Experts have urged the central government to establish uniform standards.

There are also complaints that current radioactivity limits--which were set on a temporary basis in line with the Food Sanitation Law--are too strict for certain crops.

Fukushima Gov. Masaru Hashimoto expressed his frustration with the system Friday when he visited the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry and other government offices. Local governments that are most thorough in their inspection processes are most likely to see restrictions placed on their crops.

"It's ridiculous if honesty doesn't pay," Hashimoto said to reporters.

According to the health ministry, a total of 531 tests for radioactivity in food were conducted in Tokyo and 12 prefectures by Sunday. The largest share was conducted in Fukushima Prefecture, with 185 tests, followed by Ibaraki Prefecture with 117.

Among the 531 cases, radioactive iodine or cesium above the temporary legal limit was discovered in 99 cases.

However, even if the legal limit is exceeded in food from a certain area, it does not necessarily mean distribution of the products in question will be restricted.

The current system allows only for imposition of shipping restrictions on entire prefectures--rather than just on the areas where dubious crops were grown.

For instance, in one prefecture samples of 38 products were tested, and in eight--including spinach--radioactive substances were detected at levels beyond the legal limit. However, as of Sunday no shipping restrictions had been placed on the products. Because the samples all came from one area, the central government was reluctant to apply restrictions to the entire prefecture.

"It's worrying to think consumers might consume products from an area where no inspections [for radioactive contamination] have been conducted," Hashimoto said.

On the other hand, the imposition of restrictions on farm products from all of Fukushima Prefecture means even a city like Aizu-Wakamatsu in the prefecture--which is about 100 kilometers from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant--is included.

"I think it's too loose to impose an across-the-board limit for all of Fukushima Prefecture. Unless specific steps are taken according to the conditions in individual areas, all the farmers in the prefecture will go down," said Koki Yokoyama, a 53-year-old farmer in the prefecture who grows about 10 vegetable crops, including cherry tomatoes and kakina leafy greens.

The provisional safety limits set by the government for radioactivity in vegetables and other farm products have been criticized as too strict.

For instance, the provisional limit for vegetables, excluding tubers and root crops, is 2,000 becquerel (Bq) of radioactive iodine and 500 Bq of cesium per kilogram.

The case of parsley grown in Ibaraki Prefecture, distribution of which has been halted, is held up as an example of the system's failings.

The system does not allow for the fact that, relative to many other crops, parsley is light and has a large surface area, making it likely to have more radioactive material per kilogram than other crops. It also ignores that people usually consume parsley only in extremely small quantities.

"The current limits do not match reality," said an official of the the Fukushima prefectural government's agricultural policy and planning division.

"Currently, samples and tests vary from government to government, and this has resulted in unfairness. Local governments that are more careful about inspections of farm products are hit the ones being hit with restrictions," said Kazuaki Kato, professor emeritus at Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences.

"The central government must expedite efforts to establish uniform standards for tests and set appropriate limits for radioactivity levels to avoid further confusion," Kato said.

Delays plague distribution of overseas aid

Tetsu Okazaki, Junichi Fukazawa, Hideaki Hayashi and Ryoichi Teraguchi / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondents

Help and offers of help have poured in from around the world since a massive earthquake hit northeastern Japan on March 11, but in some cases supplies have not been what devastated areas need or Japanese authorities have not been ready to accept the support.

The Japanese government must respond in a more flexible manner, so that demonstrations of goodwill from abroad will not be wasted.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the government had received offers of support from 133 countries and territories, as well as 39 international organizations, as of 11 p.m. on Friday. They included the dispatch of personnel and aid supplies.

As of Friday, the government had accepted contributions of personnel, including rescue teams, from 21 nations, territories and international organizations. As of Sunday, it had accepted aid supplies from 26.

According to the government, supplies already distributed to disaster areas include 100,000 liters of water, 80 tons of food and 40 tons of clothes and blankets from U.S. forces in Japan. Two thousand blankets and 900 tents from China have also been distributed, as have about 2,500 blankets and 800 sweaters and other pieces of winter clothing from Mongolia.

Many governments indicated their support immediately after the earthquake. However, delays in arranging the shipments slowed the flow of goods in some cases.

The Singaporean government sent 60 tons of aid supplies to devastated areas, including 20,000 bottles of drinking water, 4,400 servings of emergency provisions, 4,350 blankets and 200 mattresses. The government announced it would send these goods on March 11, but they were actually dispatched eight days later on March 19.

"We couldn't send them until we got the green light from the Japanese government," the Singapore Red Cross Society said.

According to a Singaporean government official, that country asked the Japanese government if the supplies could be sent by military plane to transport them efficiently, but the offer was rejected by the Japanese government.

Eventually, they were transported by private plane to Narita Airport, and the Singaporean government hired trucks from a private Japanese delivery company to take the supplies to quake-hit areas.

The European Union also started to prepare aid supplies on March 11 but it did not receive a request of necessary items from the Japanese government until March 15. As it also took time to transport the items, it was not until March 26 that blankets and mattresses actually began to be distributed at disaster sites.

The Indonesian government sent 10,000 blankets. According to an official at the country's national disaster countermeasure bureau, the blankets it initially prepared were not accepted because they were too thin for the cold areas struck by the disaster. The government then prepared thicker blankets, the official said.

The Thai government began working to send 10,000 tons of Thai rice and 5,000 tons of glutinous rice for cooking together with Thai rice so that the rice would suit Japanese people's tastes. However, it has not been sent because "we were told [by the Japanese government] that Japan has enough rice," according to the Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Worried about radiation leaks at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, Ukraine, which experienced the catastrophe of a nuclear meltdown at its Chernobyl power plant, sent one ton of medical supplies, including iodine pills for Ukrainian people living in Japan.

It also sent about 2,000 blankets.

However, the medical supplies were returned to Ukraine by the Japanese government because "the medicine was not certified for use in Japan," according to an Ukraine government official.

Embassies need concrete info on aid supplies

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Arranging for aid supplies from overseas takes a great deal of time, a senior Foreign Ministry official said recently in explanation of the confusion surrounding such provisions.

"We have to respond to requests from disaster sites and make preparations so aid supplies can be handled smoothly," the official said. "Furthermore, transportation is limited, so it takes a lot of time to make the necessary arrangements," he said.

The official also said there was sometimes no space to store foreign aid supplies, and evacuees tend to prefer Japanese food if they have a choice.

According to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, the central government declined the Thai government's offer to send rice because Japan has more than 3 million tons in stock. There also was not great demand for donated rice at disaster sites, the ministry said.

An official at a Latin American nation's embassy in Tokyo said the country offered food and water immediately after the earthquake, but the Japanese government requested financial aid instead.

The Japanese government said it would take time to make arrangements based on demands from disaster areas, the embassy official said.

Donated food and other items have already arrived at some foreign embassies in Tokyo, which may be at a loss as to what to do with the supplies.

One embassy official spoke for many foreign missions when saying: "If we received more concrete information from the Japanese government regarding what supplies are needed in specific areas, we could support them more efficiently."

TV, newspaper industry leader Ujiie dies

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Seiichiro Ujiie, representative director and executive chairman of NTV and director and counselor of Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, died Monday morning from multiple organ failure. He was 84.

Ujiie joined The Yomiuri Shimbun in 1951, and held positions including chief of the economic news department, managing director of advertising and chief officer of advertising.

Later, he moved to NTV, and became president of the commercial broadcaster in 1992. He became chairman and chief executive officer of NTV in 2001, and later also served as chairman of the NTV board.

For 10 consecutive years from 1994, NTV achieved the quadruple crown of annual ratings, beating its four competitor commercial networks in the Kanto region in the prime time, golden time, daylong and nonprime time slots.

Ujiie also served as chairman of the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters in Japan for four terms from 1996.

He served in a variety of other posts, including chairman of the Police Renewal Meeting, a government-appointed council for police reform, and as a member of an information technology strategy group that advised former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.

He also was head of the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.

Ujiie, who was on close terms with former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, carried a lot of weight in political and business circles.

He worked hard to promote cultural exchange with France. In 2001, he was named Legion D'honneur Chevalier (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by France, and the Institut de France made him a member of its Academy of Fine Arts.

Last year, Ujiie was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in recognition of his contributions to developing the broadcasting industry and improving news reporting.

A wake and funeral to be held for Ujiie will be for family members only.

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY GUARDIAN, UK

German elections: Green shoots

Unless Merkel can engineer a recovery, the German government faces a period of weakness when Europe needs German strength

Europe has seen many examples of electorates delivering the order of the boot to governments that have led them into recession and financial misery. Weekend state-level election results in Germany, however, suggest that voters who stayed in work and funds throughout the recession are just as unimpressed with the parties of power as those who have fared far worse.
In the prosperous state of Baden-Württemberg, where the local economy is growing by an enviable 5.5% and unemployment is a mere 4.3%, voters this weekend threw out Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right CDU for the first time in half a century. In its place, they handed power to what is likely to become Germany's first Green party-led state coalition. Meanwhile in Rheinland-Pfalz, the CDU could not muster enough support to oust a tired state government led by the unpopular centre-left SPD; here again, a strong Green performance tipped the balance against Mrs Merkel's party.
These are sensational results, particularly by German standards. The humiliation for the CDU is a huge one, with the loss of Baden-Württemberg following hard upon a bad defeat in Hamburg last month. The Green success is the third great step in the party's electoral history, following election to the Bundestag in 1983 and to coalition government in 1998. The results are a mixed bag for the SPD, which will be a party of government in both states even though its vote fell in both. But the real loser is Mrs Merkel's junior coalition ally, the liberal FDP. Its poor showing will increase the pressure on its leader Guido Westerwelle, the current foreign minister. None of this is immediately threatening to Mrs Merkel's government (the next federal election is not due until 2013). Yet it will revive talk about the CDU exploring other coalition options, including even with the Greens.
It is not hard to see these elections as a verdict on the manoeuvrings on the nuclear power issue in the wake of the Fukushima reactor crisis – the CDU was punished and the Greens rewarded for Mrs Merkel's shameless U-turn this month – and also to suspect that such a combination of events will not operate with such potency in 2013. Yet the FDP's collapse poses a long-term threat to Mrs Merkel's preferred strategy, while the Green surge and the SDP doldrums point to possible realignment on the left. Mrs Merkel remains a skilful wielder of power. She has no obvious rival since the fall of her defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. Yet unless she can engineer a recovery of direction and fortune for one of the federal government coalition parties in the next two years, the German government faces a period of greater weakness at a time when Europe could use a period of greater German strength.

Libya: Narrowing the options

Today in London a large gathering of foreign ministers will be attempting to resolve some of the contradictions

The decision to intervene in Libya has been weighed down from the beginning by a heavy load of the euphemisms, ambiguities, and hypocrisies which so often accompany the resort to violence in international affairs. The keenest advocates of action, France and Britain, had to formulate their proposals to the United Nations in narrowly humanitarian terms in order to convince some doubtful nations that they would not pursue regime change directly, and to manoeuvre others, like Russia and China, into a position where they would have looked like reactionary allies of Gaddafi if they had vetoed the resolution which was eventually adopted.

The country that alone was capable of providing the military muscle to enforce the resolution, the United States, insisted for domestic political reasons that its unavoidable leadership role be disguised behind a screen of Nato machinery. That led to much posing and obstruction by Nato members pursuing other agendas, especially France with its idea of European military autonomy and Turkey with its pretensions to be seen again as a protector and spokesman for the Middle East as a whole. In the ensuing confusion, valuable time was lost, time which could, for instance, have been used to intervene earlier against Gaddafi's forces threatening Misrata, Libya's third largest city and the main stronghold of the uprising against the regime in the west of the country. Now those forces are in the city, from which it will be hard to dislodge them without causing unacceptable civilian casualties.
Today in London a large gathering of foreign ministers and other representatives will be attempting to resolve some of the contradictions which they themselves have created, while a smaller group of the countries forming the steering committee for what is now a Nato operation will also be meeting. The main issue before them is to decide at what point Nato action ceases to be about protecting civilians from Gaddafi and begins to be about prosecuting a war on behalf of Libyan insurgents who appear unable to take and hold ground on their own.
The rebels have been their own worst enemies in this regard. Three military commanders seem to be functioning independently, if not as rivals, while the regular troops who defected in the west of the country have not been committed to operations in an organised way. Undisciplined charges by pick-up trucks are not a strategy. The political coherence of the National Transitional Council has, meanwhile, reportedly been at times very strained.
Russia, Turkey, and perhaps also Italy and Germany, have made up their minds that the line between civilian protection and regime change has already been crossed. Anglo-French tactics can be criticised, but surely there should be no disagreement that the worst possible outcome in Libya would be partition, with a Gaddafi-held zone holding on for months or years. The objection to the Russian and Turkish positions is that they make such an outcome more likely. The critical question is whether the people of western Libya want Gaddafi or not. If they do not, and that is the way the limited evidence certainly points, then policies like immediately winding down the military effort or facilitating a ceasefire will merely give Gaddafi a second wind, unless there are other, relatively peaceful levers that could then remove him, which seems far from guaranteed.

The emerging compromise may be that for a few more days the current rules of engagement, allowing ground attacks on military assets not directly or actively threatening civilians, will continue in force but then a narrower interpretation will prevail. That gives Nato planes a slender window to tip the military balance further against Gaddafi. Thereafter it may well get much more difficult, and, if it does, some countries may have much to answer for.

 

 

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY NEW YORK TIMES, USA

President Obama on Libya

President Obama made the right, albeit belated, decision to join with allies and try to stop Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi from slaughtering thousands of Libyans. But he has been far too slow to explain that decision, or his long-term strategy, to Congress and the American people.

On Monday night, the president spoke to the nation and made a strong case for why America needed to intervene in this fight — and why that did not always mean it should intervene in others.

Mr. Obama said that the United States had a moral responsibility to stop “violence on a horrific scale,” as well as a unique international mandate and a broad coalition to act with. He said that failure to intervene could also have threatened the peaceful transitions in Egypt and Tunisia, as thousands of Libyan refugees poured across their borders, while other dictators would conclude that “violence is the best strategy to cling to power.”

Mr. Obama could report encouraging early progress on the military and diplomatic fronts. Washington and its allies have crippled or destroyed Colonel Qaddafi’s anti-aircraft defenses, peeled his troops back from the city of Benghazi — saving potentially thousands of lives — and allowed rebel forces to retake the offensive.

Just as encouragingly, this military effort that was galvanized internationally — the United Nations Security Council authorized “all necessary measures” to protect civilians in Libya — will soon be run internationally. Last weekend, the United States handed over responsibility for enforcing the no-flight zone to NATO. And the alliance is now preparing to take command of the entire mission, with the support of (still too few) Arab nations.

To his credit, Mr. Obama did not sugarcoat the difficulties ahead. While he suggested that his goal, ultimately, is to see Colonel Qaddafi gone, he also said that the air war was unlikely to accomplish that by itself.

Most important, he vowed that there would be no American ground troops in this fight. “If we tried to overthrow Qaddafi by force,” he said, “our coalition would splinter.” He said “regime change” in Iraq took eight years and cost thousands of American and Iraqi lives. “That is not something we can afford to repeat in Libya.”

Instead, he said the United States and its allies would work to increase the diplomatic and military pressure on Colonel Qaddafi and his cronies. A meeting on Tuesday with allies and members of the Libyan opposition is supposed to develop that strategy along with ways to help the rebels build alternate, and we hope humane and competent, governing structures. That needs to start quickly.

To hold their ground and protect endangered civilians, let alone advance, the rebels will likely need air support for quite some time. Mr. Obama was right not to promise a swift end to the air campaign. At the same time, he should not overestimate the patience of the American people or the weariness of the overstretched military.

And as Washington reduces its military role, others, inside and outside NATO, will need to increase theirs. Within NATO, unenthusiastic partners like Germany and Turkey need to at least stay out of the way even if they continue to stand aside from the fighting.

The president made the right choice to act, but this is a war of choice, not necessity. Presidents should not commit the military to battle without consulting Congress and explaining their reasons to the American people.

Fortunately, initial coalition military operations have gone well. Unfortunately, it is the nature of war that they will not always go well. Mr. Obama needs to work with Congress and keep the public fully informed. On Monday, he made an overdue start on that.

Looks Like a Duopoly

AT&T and Verizon Wireless have emerged from a 15-year consolidation spree with almost two-thirds of American cellphone subscribers. Now AT&T wants to take this a step further. It is proposing to gobble up the No. 4 carrier, T-Mobile, in a $39 billion deal. The Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission must review the deal with much skepticism and block it if needed.

As proposed, the acquisition would leave two companies with nearly 80 percent of the market and a weak third national carrier, Sprint, without the scale to compete effectively. In an industry where lack of spectrum imposes an enormous barrier to entry, cellular telephony in the United States could become an anticompetitive duopoly.

AT&T argues that there is plenty of competition in most markets where national carriers compete with regional companies like MetroPCS or Leap Wireless. It says that falling prices are proof that competition is vibrant.

But these smaller rivals hardly represent significant competition. They can’t provide a nationwide seamless network and must rely on costly roaming arrangements. They lack the scale to deploy extensive high-technology 3G and 4G networks. And as big carriers tie up the best smartphones in exclusive deals, the smaller carriers have been left out of the booming data market. Even Sprint and T-Mobile may have insufficient spectrum to challenge the leaders. In recent years, they have lost many subscribers.

As for the claim of falling prices, that is hard to measure because charges are often shrouded in bundles that tend to penalize all but the heaviest users. The government’s index for wireless telephone services shows prices plummeting at double-digit annual rates from the late 1990s until 2001. But as consolidation gathered pace over the last decade, the price decline slowed dramatically.

This doesn’t mean that AT&T’s proposed purchase of T-Mobile should be rejected. But the hurdle must be high: the F.C.C. and the Department of Justice must ascertain that the arrangement does not reduce competition any further. In fact, for the acquisition to be deemed in the public interest, it should ideally lead to more competition.

AT&T could be required to sell chunks of its network or divest swaths of spectrum. Regulators could impose conditions like mandatory data roaming on the AT&T network or a commitment to provide nondiscriminatory access to data from third parties on its wireless network.

It is uncertain whether regulators could write conditions that would ensure strong enough rivals emerged to stand up as competitors to the two wireless giants. If they can’t, they should not let the deal go through.

That’s What They Think About the Voters

Something strange and sleazy is going on in Suffolk County. But the two politicians at the center of it — County Executive Steve Levy and District Attorney Thomas Spota — have apparently decided that the public doesn’t have a right to know what’s happening.

On Thursday, Mr. Levy abruptly announced that he wasn’t running for a third term, saying he wanted “to tackle other challenges.” But then he said, almost as an aside, that “questions” had been raised about his campaign fund-raising and that he was surrendering his $4 million war chest to the authorities.

Then Mr. Spota had a statement. He said a 16-month investigation had uncovered “serious issues” with Mr. Levy’s fund-raising, but he didn’t say what they were. He assured everyone that Mr. Levy had not “personally” profited and claimed that the issue was now resolved because Mr. Levy had forfeited the cash. Mr. Spota also said that he could have sought Mr. Levy’s resignation, but decided not to.

Is this really something for Mr. Levy and Mr. Spota to decide and then cover up between themselves?

These aren’t the first questions raised about Mr. Levy’s fund-raising. At a trial of a former county legislator, one witness — a convicted tax evader whom Mr. Levy (an old friend) had recommended for $85,000 in county title-insurance work — said Mr. Levy had traded contracts for campaign cash. Mr. Levy dismissed the charge, claiming that “desperate defendants often fabricate claims.”

Mr. Levy still has nine months in office and Mr. Spota has two and a half years until he is up for re-election. The voters who gave them their jobs have a right to know what is going on. Mr. Spota needs to disclose what “serious issues” he found in Mr. Levy’s fund-raising and explain why he decided not to indict him. Mr. Levy must explain his role in this mess from start to finish. That’s a challenge he can’t walk away from. 

It Will Take More Than a Few Regrets

Sightings are reported of that rarest of Washington species — Republican moderates. If only.

The Republicans in question are Senators Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. The four voted in lockstep with the rest of their caucus in support of the House Republicans’ ludicrous and destructive budget-slashing bill. But then they put out word that they did not much like it that the bill had eliminated one popular and valuable government program: funds for family planning.

Mr. Brown, possibly remembering the voters back home, was the first to say that the family planning cut “goes too far.” The other three then added their asterisks to their G.O.P. budget fealty.

Ms. Snowe and Ms. Collins once creatively worked the middle ground. In recent years all we’ve heard is how they’d like to reach across the aisle, but somehow the time or the deal or the we’re not sure what else isn’t right.

They, as well as Mr. Brown and Ms. Murkowski, certainly could have voted no in the first place and — who knows? — struck a spark for the art of compromise. Still, we would like to believe that this is the start of something big: a rejection of scorched-earth polarization and the beginning of a serious discussion of the role and responsibility of government in tough budget times.

The real test will come soon. Will they reject their leadership’s calls for drastic cuts and draconian balanced-budget amendments so that the government can continue to operate? True moderates do not shut the government’s doors for the sake of ideology or cynical political gain.

 

 

 

 

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY USA TODAY, USA

Our view: Teacher's hajj needn't be a federal case

In August 2008, nine months into her job as a math teacher in Berkeley, Ill., Safoorah Khan made an extraordinary request: three weeks off in December for a pilgrimage to Mecca, known as the hajj in her Muslim faith.

OPPOSING VIEW: Accommodate teacher's religion
The school board said no — not an unreasonable reply to a relatively new employee whose leave would occur at a critical time, the end of a semester. Khan quit, went on the pilgrimage and lodged a religious discrimination complaint. The Justice Department has now intervened on Khan's behalf against the school board.
So what could have been a teachable moment has instead turned into yet another federal lawsuit.
The nation's civil rights laws require that employers make reasonable accommodations for workers' religious beliefs unless they create an "undue hardship." That's as it should be. But the law doesn't say any accommodation, and workers have responsibilities, too.

Few new employees would expect to get three weeks off — particularly at a crucial time of year, and particularly when the job gives them three months off every summer. And few would quit if they didn't get their way, then turn around and charge their employer with discrimination. In fact, to recover damages, such workers must show that the employer made the workplace so intolerable that a reasonable person would be compelled to quit. That's a high hurdle.
The sad part of this controversy is that some common sense on all sides might have averted a trip to federal court. As U.S. society becomes more diverse, employers need to show a healthy respect for all religions, including Islam. Across the country, employers have learned that they can't routinely deny requests for Muslims or other workers to wear religious head coverings, such as scarves. Courts have also ordered employers to provide leaves of up to two weeks for workers to attend the Worldwide Church of God's Feast of Tabernacles. At the same time, workers need to understand that certain jobs require the kind of flexibility that Khan failed to demonstrate.
Yes, all able-bodied Muslims who can afford it are supposed to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, once in their lifetimes during a prescribed eight-day period that falls at a different time each year. And, according to her lawyer, Khan, 29, believes she had to make the pilgrimage as soon asshe was financially able. But even Muslim scholars disagree on what's required and when.
Knowing she would want to go on Dec. 1, 2008, couldn't Khan have told her prospective employer before she took the job? When she asked for unpaid leave, Khan said she might be able do the eight-day hajj plus travel in less time but sought three weeks "to be on the safe side." Shorter would have been safer.
As for the school, the then-superintendent denied Khan's request in a letter, saying the leave wasn't related to her "professional responsibilities" and wasn't specified by the union contract. Perhaps, in a show of goodwill, the board could have offered Khan an opportunity to go the following year, when the hajj overlapped with the Thanksgiving holiday and the school would have had more time to prepare for her absence.
Religious freedom is a proud part of America's heritage. But teachers also have a responsibility to their communities and their students. When those conflict with religious beliefs, my-way-or-the-highway attitudes shouldn't be part of the lesson plan.

Opposing view: Accommodate teacher's religion

The Muslim pilgrimage, or hajj, commemorates the trials of the Prophet Abraham and his family. According to the Traditions of the Prophet Mohammed, Muslims must make the pilgrimage at the earliest opportunity in their lives because those who delay might be unable to go later, dying as sinners. Safoorah Khan, a teacher in Berkeley, Ill., takes her religion seriously.

OUR VIEW: Muslim teacher's leave request needn't turn into federal case
Once Khan could afford the pilgrimage, she told the Berkeley Board of Education in mid-2008 that it was a religious requirement to make the pilgrimage as early in life as possible. The hajj fell in mid-December of 2008. Khan explained she wanted 15 school days off (19 days counting weekends), but that she'd return sooner if necessary.

In response, the board didn't ask Khan why her religion required her to go that December. The board didn't ask Khan how soon she could be back. The board didn't say Khan's absence would harm her students. The board just said such leave was not authorized by the collective bargaining agreement. End of discussion.

Ironically, the board gave longer leaves to two other teachers during the same period (one from Nov. 3, 2008, to Feb. 6, 2009, and the other from Nov. 22, 2008, to Feb. 15, 2009) for secular reasons. In fact, the board regularly gives teachers leaves for secular reasons. There's no harm to students because the school district has excellent substitute teachers. If Khan's leave had been approved, she would have familiarized the substitute teacher with her classroom, students and lesson plans.
Khan resigned so she could make the required pilgrimage. As expected, an excellent substitute teacher filled in for Khan, and everything worked out just fine for Khan's students.
Because Khan was out of a job, she filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which turned the case over to the Justice Department. After a lengthy investigation, the department asked the board to rehire Khan. The board refused to talk, perhaps expecting Khan to just go away.
Justice filed a federal suit on Khan's behalf, leveling the playing field between David and Goliath, between Khan and the school board. Many good cases don't get filed because the little guy doesn't have the resources to challenge powerful corporations and governmental bodies. Next time an employee needs a religious accommodation, hopefully the Berkeley board will be willing to talk. 

 

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY MIRROR, SRILANKA

Showdown time for cricket’s biggest show

A politically divided Sri Lanka, will be united and one in heart and mind as the biggest cricket show on earth reaches its showdown time with millions in most continents watching it live on television. Will it be Sri Lanka versus India or New Zealand taking on Pakistan in Saturday’s ICC Cricket World Cup final? If not, will it be Sri Lanka having to battle Pakistan with India playing host? These are the questions that will be asked before the finalists book their places.

But whatever has to be said or asked, the purists cannot be expected to run away from the fact that cricket, whether it’s a World Cup or not, is not so much about sport anymore. Gone are the days when World Cup Cricket was played in the true spirit of sportsmanship apart from an occasional on-field hiccup and the environment was about people and players.

Sadly this World Cup, right or wrong, may have to overcome the ignominy of going down in history as one of the most lackluster international events where the military might of a country out-did its team creating a war-like environment.

We will however leave the complicated matters to the so-called experts and for the moment focus on the four teams that have struggled to come this far. Take the case of New Zealand and Pakistan. Few people gave them even a boundary-line chance and now here they are at the threshold of becoming the top two teams in world cricket. None of the teams came to be as psyched up as they were and their rivals today and tomorrow will have to play at their brilliant best to get into the final. Or will they, Pakistan and New Zealand oblige the pundits by falling at the post.

It is hard to imagine though that this would be the case from a team like Pakistan which have now proved they got five of the most effective wicket-taking bowlers and New Zealand which have got the most vibrant of fielders to stop any run machine.

There is no doubt that India with its powerful batting line-up numbering seven potential century makers would be difficult to beat. They have seldom had it so good .

But what of Sri Lanka? Unlike that bulldozing team of 1996, they have yet to be tested under the most trying situations which is the most vital requirement that makes a champion team. For Sri Lanka to win the World Cup from now on either their rivals will have to play badly or the individuals that keep the team afloat will have to continue rowing.

Sri Lanka’s performance against England can in no way be taken as champion stuff. The pitch would have been to their liking but the bowling they faced was mere schoolboy stuff to say the least. When Arjuna Ranatunga lifted the World Cup in 1996, in the presence of Pakistan’s then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, he was truly a champion with a champion team for whom national pride was the only motivating force.

 Kumar Sangakkara and his team have been given the best of everything. There's no room for excuses.

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY HINDU, INDIA

Padding up for better ties

Irrespective of whether ‘cricket diplomacy' between New Delhi and Islamabad gets third-time lucky — Zia-ul Haq tried it in 1987 and Pervez Musharraf in 2005 — Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must be commended for sticking his neck out and inviting Pakistan's President and Prime Minister to Mohali to share in an event that will be watched by hundreds of millions of people in the subcontinent and around the world on Wednesday. Since the high-excitement World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan coincides with the resumption of full spectrum dialogue after a hiatus of 27 months, much is being read into the invitation, which has been received in Pakistan with guarded optimism amid talk of a possible high-level interaction on non-cricketing issues as well. But even if nothing tangible comes out of it, the sight of the two premiers sitting side-by-side cheering their teams and applauding good efforts from either side makes for powerful imagery. Cynics on both sides of the border have sought to dismiss this latest edition of cricket diplomacy as a non-starter, given the general impression that neither Prime Minister carries much weight within the government he heads. In Pakistan, Dr. Singh is viewed as a man isolated in his advocacy of better relations with Islamabad and some have interpreted the invitation as an attempt by the telecom-scam-cum-WikiLeaks-bruised premier to deflect attention from the damage caused to his image.

Whatever happens on the cricket field on Wednesday, there can be no denying the feel-good factor Dr. Singh's invitation and the Pakistan President's reciprocal gesture of pardoning a long-incarcerated Indian prisoner have generated. The Facebook generation seems to have caught on to the spirit; creating a ‘Together We Shall Win' link that is already celebrating the subcontinent's half-a-chance at winning the cup and deciding to cheer together irrespective of which team goes on to Mumbai for the final. Since this is the generation for whom today's policymakers are supposed to be making decisions, the sentiment ought to be celebrated even if history is replete with instances of bilateral relations souring on one pretext or another, including non-inclusion of Pakistani players in the IPL teams last season. A U.S. Embassy cable, accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaKs and published on March 15, reported former National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan's embarrassingly frank observation that the Prime Minister was isolated within his own inner circle on the question of how to deal with Pakistan. On this crucial issue, it is Dr. Singh who is right and he must be supported in staying the course. Non-engagement with Pakistan is not a real option for India; and engagement, if it is to be meaningful, must necessarily encompass dialogue on outstanding issues.

Unintended boosters

The Economic Survey 2010-11 makes the fairly obvious point that it is necessary to get the micro-foundations of the economy right for macroeconomic development. Among the key economic problems affecting the micro or unit level is of course inflation, which has remained persistently high for the greater part of this year. The RBI has recently raised its inflation target for 2010-11 by one percentage point to eight per cent. Food inflation, after showing signs of moderating, has climbed back to double digits. One of the key tasks is to understand how inflation, especially food inflation, affects the poor particularly severely. Not all segments are partaking of the fruits of economic growth in the same measure. While the average Indian may be better off — per capita incomes have risen by about 7 per cent — some sections of the people are worse off because their nominal incomes have hardly grown and inflation has negated whatever growth there has been. Moreover, despite the high real GDP growth, many in the bottom quintile of India's rural population, whose expenditure on food accounts for 67 per cent of their spending, are bound to be worse off.

The case for comprehensive policies to support inclusive growth and providing safety nets to the poor has never been stronger. It is certain that the relatively high inflation will accompany the expected high economic growth well into the medium term. In an insightful analysis the Survey points out that some undoubtedly beneficial developments have the unintended consequence of stoking inflation. Financial inclusion is on top of the agenda because it aims at encouraging particularly rural households that hold their savings in cash to deposit them with banks. Once the previously dormant money gets into a bank or a mutual fund, it automatically gets lent to other people, increasing the total money supply in the system. There is evidence from around the world that monetisation of the economy and the roping in of more and more people into formal financial systems add to the pressure on prices. Integration with the global economy can also create inflationary pressures. In India and other emerging economies the purchasing power parity (PPP) is low to begin with, but once industrialisation gathers pace, the PPP correction has to become smaller. This happens partly because of exchange rate changes but more substantially because the prices of basic non-traded goods and unskilled labour that ruled low catch up with the prices in the developed world.

 

 

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY DAWN, PAKISTAN

Judicial reform

THE National Judicial (Policymaking) Committee`s directions to the country`s courts to decide cases instituted after Jan 1, 2009 by March 31, 2012 should be welcomed. Pakistan`s judicial system is notoriously sluggish, and this directive, coming from a body headed by the chief justice himself, should provide impetus to the country`s legal system to deliver justice within a reasonable time frame. For while suo motu action and judicial activism may have benefits, the actual business of the courts — dispensing justice in a timely manner — must take precedence over all other matters. As reported in this paper, the committee feels that as far as the disposal of cases is concerned, the National Judicial Policy 2009 has been a success. While this may be true to an extent, the stakeholders need to address the `root causes` behind the decay of the judicial system while reform must be a continuous process.

Cases have been known to drag on for decades in this country while there is a massive backlog in the district judiciary; one figure suggests there are over a million cases pending in the lower courts. People have also languished in jail for years as their trials are endlessly prolonged. So while 2009`s judicial policy may have delivered results, much more remains to be done. Among the reasons cited for delays in the resolution of cases is corruption within the lower judiciary, as well as frivolous filings. Yet legal experts point out there is also a major shortage of qualified judges in Pakistan. This shortage needs to be addressed as currently, judges are severely overburdened. If this flaw is not removed, parallel `justice-dispensing` mechanisms will continue to proliferate. Looking at the issue holistically, the country`s judicial infrastructure must be revamped so that justice is accessible. Of course, this is not an overnight process. Steps have been taken in the right direction; now it is a matter of staying on course and dealing with issues pragmatically.

However, as many observers point out, though justice must be swift it must certainly not be hurried. Some say there has been too much attention on the disposal of cases in a `speedy` manner; care must be taken so that decisions are not made in haste just to meet certain targets. Actual justice needs to be seen to be done. While political cases are important, those disputes that affect citizens directly — over property, inheritance, petty crimes etc. — need to be dispensed with within a reasonable time frame and must not be allowed to fester. As one legal expert put it, the dispensation of justice must be a national priority.

Electricity conservation

THERE can be little argument that the country will witness electricity shortfalls in the months to come. The government, it seems, already has a plan under way to combat this. A senior government official told this newspaper on Sunday that the water and power ministry has forwarded a summary to the prime minister proposing a return to the two-day weekend and advancing Pakistan Standard Time by an hour. The measures are targeted at conserving electricity in primarily the commercial and business spheres. Dawn

However, there is a need for clarity and consensus on the issue. First, resetting the clock and mandating two weekly holidays has been tried before, by this and the previous government. Has any real effort been made to quantify the gains netted in terms of power conservation? The official told that the additional day off per week is expected to save about 300MW and lead to fuel savings in transportation. Altering PST is expected to save another 400-500MW per day. What are these estimates based on? The government needs to share the information so that the public can gauge the significance of the savings. Second, the government must review its capacity to implement the laws and practices that allow savings in electricity through such means. The theory is that retail and commercial outfits will cease activity by sundown — which would have been advanced by an hour — thus saving the energy that would have been used after nightfall. However, this depends entirely on the government`s ability to ensure that such activities do indeed cease at sundown. If, due to poor implementation of the law, businesses extend their hours of operation, the electricity conserved will be minimal. Third, there is a need to balance the gains against any losses that may be suffered by the business community, and indeed all workplaces, by having in place a five-day week. What is needed is a general agreement that there are more pros than cons in the proposed measures. If the government wants to go ahead with these proposals, it must provide concrete data to earn the support of the citizenry.

Why now?

WITH the federal cabinet`s approval on Monday for the review of the Bhutto murder case and the prime minister`s institution of a committee under the law minister to begin proceedings, the past has once again come to haunt the country. The fact remains that while the PPP`s wish to reopen a controversial case that saw the execution of its founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto is very understandable, this is perhaps not the right time to do so — given the myriad challenges Pakistan faces on multiple fronts. In fact, few would disagree with the PPP that the country`s first elected prime minister was tried in controversial circumstances and that the verdict pronounced led to nothing short of the `judicial murder` the party claims it was. The term was, in fact, used in this context by Dorab Patel, one of Pakistan`s most eminent jurists.

The Supreme Court bench that heard the final appeal was short of two judges. In the seven-man bench, three judges acquitted Bhutto. Yet, in spite of the split decision, the military junta executed him, violating the pledges it had given to a number of foreign governments that it would not kill a man who, despite his many faults, was considered to be Pakistan`s most popular leader and credited with giving a voice to the downtrodden. A retrial, especially at a time when executive-judicial ties are under great strain, will merely add to the wounds of a nation already traumatised by terror. The way this government has bungled the Benazir Bhutto case should also make the PPP think twice. The best tribute the party can pay to its founder is to uphold his principles and follow his egalitarian philosophy in the formulation and implementation of its policies. ZAB should be allowed to rest in peace.

 

 

 

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY STAR, BANGLADESH

Violence after road death

RMG workers' mindlessness

It seems that we have been endlessly caught up in the vicious cycle of death and destruction. The latest incident occurred on Dhaka-Gazipur highway when an RMG worker was killed after being run over by a passenger bus and the inevitable followed. Dozens of vehicles were smashed and many shops damaged. And the three major road links saw massive tailbacks. While we have all the sympathy for the dead and the injured, we find the automatic violent reaction rather incomprehensible. The grief is only but natural but the anger vented on hapless passers by and business establishments cannot be condoned.

And it is quite coincidental that a large number of RMG manufacturing factories straddle the main highways, and indeed in Dhaka city they are situated alongside the major roads, making movements on these extremely hazardous. And this brings us to the fundamental question of how to put an end to this.

First and foremost, it is essential to bring to book the culprit driver to book, and do so quickly. We have hardly come across news of an offending driver punished for running over a person. This is time to legislate mandatory minimum punishment for causing death due to negligent driving. And we feel that the situation calls for speedy disposal of road accident-related cases. The role of the police is no less important in ensuring that speed limits are maintained, particularly near the crossings and built up areas. And equally important is the role of the management who must encourage their workers to desist from violence in such an eventuality. 

A splendid invention!

Local research must be patronised

In a country where incidents of acid attacks are highest in the world, where thousands die and thousands more are permanently disabled by burn injuries ever year, the news of a Bangladeshi scientist's invention to sooth such wounds is heart-warming.

Dr. Azam Ali, based in New Zealand, has invented a bio-based wound dressing which cures severe wounds more effectively and 40 percent faster than any other medicine currently available. The scientist has expressed hope that, due to the availability of natural raw materials in Bangladesh, the product has bright prospects in our country and talks are on with a local pharmaceutical company concerning launch of the product here.

Ali's winning the Bayer Innovation of the Year Award for 2010 -- along with Hawaii-based Dr. Maqsudul Alam's jute genome sequencing, USA-based Dr. Ahmed Salahuddin's cyclone prediction technology and USA-based Dr. Anis Rahman's winning of the NASA Innovator Award, all in the last few years -- obviously raises questions about the state of scientific research in our own country. While there is potential, as is proven by Ali's local public university background, significant inventions have been few and far between. The reason lies in the failure to patent our inventions, due to lack of funding, specifically, government sponsorship. Related to this is the little value placed upon scientific research in our country, resulting in our own brains seeking and finding research opportunities abroad where their work is supported by foreign governments and academic institutions.

Market development opportunities, favoured access to export markets, abundant supply of skilled labour and high quality, low cost of manufacturing makes the pharmaceutical industry in Bangladesh a budding one with great potential, but without research and innovation, its growth remains restricted. We hope that the government will rightly value and patronise scientific research for human development and betterment.