Sectarianism in Iraq stoked by Syrian war
By ,
BAGHDAD — A recent tide of sectarian tensions that erupted into the worst violence seen in Iraq in five years is testing the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose ability to contain the crisis could hinge on a conflict raging beyond his control in Syria.
The prospect of a regional power shift driven by the bloody civil war next door, where a mostly Sunni rebel movement is struggling to topple the Shiite-dominated regime, has emboldened Iraq’s Sunni minority to challenge its own Shiite government and amplified fears within Maliki’s administration that Iraq may soon be swept up in a spillover war.
Most people expect to be worse off than parents in retirement – except Chinese
Survey finds Chinese optimistic about their retirement years, while French, Germans and Spanish are pessimistic
A "squeezed generation" of middle-aged Europeans are convinced they are going to be poorer in retirement than their parents, according to a global survey that found the Chinese the most confident about their future and the French, Germans and Spanish the most pessimistic.
Americans are the most sure they will enjoy their retirement, the British are among the most likely to worry about being lonely, while individuals in Eastern European countries are uniformly morose about their future.
In the first major survey of its kind to include China, pension provider Aegon interviewed 12,000 employees in 12 countries on a wide range of financial planning issues. It found increasing levels of gloom among workers in the developed world, who have lost secure pensions and feel ill-prepared for retirement. Most expect to be worse off in retirement than the current generation of pensioners, while having to support adult children who have not been able to find jobs in the globally-depressed employment market.
MEDIA
Press freedom - and its limitations
Western democracies, like the US, are seen as safe havens for press freedom. Yet, the ongoing AP scandal suggests that surveillance of journalists is no taboo. What is the situation in Germany?
There had been a serious information leak, causing nothing less than a threat to US citizens - that's how US Secretary of Justice Eric Holder justified US government surveillance of Associated Press (AP) journalists. Surveillance in this case meant the collection of telephone records, allowing for the localization of the journalist's confidential sources.
Among the media, this has caused considerable outrage - both in the US and abroad, including Germany. The German journalist's association (DJV) has condemned the surveillance as an "act against freedom of the press." After all, without the - often anonymous - sources, investigative reporting would be close to impossible. At the same time, however, there is little fear that German journalists might be in for something similar.
Najib rewards base as Chinese sidelined
May 17, 2013 - 11:03AM
Daniel Ten Kate
BANGKOK: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak stocked his cabinet with party stalwarts ahead of a leadership test after a poor showing by his coalition's ethnic Chinese partners led to its narrowest election win since independence.
Mr Najib tapped leaders of his ruling United Malays Nasional Organisation for key positions before party polls later this year that will determine whether he stays on as Prime Minister. He also gave posts to the heads of Malaysia's biggest bank, a corruption watchdog and a Hindu rights group. Two of the new line-up are Chinese, compared with more than a dozen previously.
Lesotho court rules princesses can't be chiefs
Lesotho's top court has upheld a law that bars princesses from succeeding their fathers as traditional chiefs, a decision activists say dealt a "serious blow" to women's rights and gender equality.
Constitutional court judge Ts'eliso Monaphathi ruled the current law was not discriminatory, as it allowed for the wives of a chief to become his successor.
"Only a male first-born of the chief may take up the chieftainship failing which if the chief has no other son the wife of the chief may take over the chieftainship," said Monaphathi.
"This shows that women are not discriminated against but have to be in a certain position to take over the vacant position."
'People of corn' protest GMO strain in Mexico
Mexico has 59 strains of native corn. While the country has some GMO corn as well, activists are concerned about expanding its reach.
Everywhere in Mexico, from the megalopolis of Mexico City to the smallest farming community, the squeaking, creaking sounds of a tortillería churning out corn tortillas can be heard.
Corn is the most important staple of the Mexican diet. Corn tortillas of many varieties – white, yellow, blue – figure into every meal of the day. The grain works its way into the national cuisine in endless other ways: The large kernels of hominy corn in rich pozole soup, as the base for spicy tamales, in sweet breads, and in hot, thick atole drinks.
It’s native to Mexico, where some 59 indigenous strains of corn exist.
Which is why an emerging debate over whether to allow growers to cultivate genetically modified corn has heated up. Opponents of GMO corn have urged the Mexican government to ban GMO. To draw attention to their cause, on Thursday four local Greenpeaceactivists climbed a 335-foot monument on Mexico City’s busy Reforma Avenue and dropped a banner reading "No GMO" on the iconic Estela de Luz tower in protest, according to a Greenpeace spokeswoman.
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