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| October 27, 2003 |
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World Media Watch by Gloria R. Lalumia BUZZFLASH NOTE: Once again, these are the views and perspectives of the individual papers, not of BuzzFlash or Gloria. They offer BuzzFlash readers a way of reading what other nations are saying about the crisis, whether we like it or not. We repeat: This is not an endorsement of their viewpoints. * * * 1//The Independent, UK--BLAIR WILL IGNORE PUBLIC OPPOSITION TO GM TECHNOLOGY (Tony Blair has signalled that he is ready to ignore the public campaign against GM crops and to proceed with the technology. In language reminiscent of his pronouncements in the run-up to the Iraq war he said that his only interest was in trying "to do the right thing". The Prime Minister's reaction, in the week after the results of the Government's own trials proved that growing at least two GM crops damaged wildlife, has amazed and angered senior officials. They are bewildered that his views seem to have remained unchanged even though a series of reports from his own advisers has progressively demolished the case for the technology.) 2//Channelnewsasia.com, Singapore--IRAN YET TO HALT URANIUM
ENRICHMENT AS IAEA DEADLINE LOOMS (Iran has yet to halt
uranium enrichment in accordance with a landmark pledge
to Britain, France and Germany, the foreign ministry admitted,
adding that it was still looking into the modalities of
halting its controversial work on the nuclear fuel cycle...An
IAEA deadline for the Islamic republic to meet a series
of demands expires this coming Friday, and the UN's nuclear
watchdog's board of governors is to meet to evaluate Iranian
compliance on November 20.) 5//The Moscow Times, Russia--MEDIA STILL FEELS KREMLIN HEAT (Long after the dust settled around the Dubrovka theater, NTV's live coverage of the hostage crisis there continues to rankle President Vladimir Putin, and the ripple effects of the state's displeasure continue to be felt throughout the media establishment... Dubrovka was part of the progression toward suppressed media freedom, but the trajectory was launched well before last October. "The iron desire to control state channels dates from 2000," Kachkayeva said. "Now, nothing bubbles up, nothing boils. Everything is very flat.") * * * 1//The
Independent 26 October 2003 BLAIR WILL IGNORE PUBLIC OPPOSITION TO GM TECHNOLOGY Tony Blair has signalled that he is ready to ignore the public campaign against GM crops and to proceed with the technology. In language reminiscent of his pronouncements in the run-up to the Iraq war he said that his only interest was in trying "to do the right thing". The Prime Minister's reaction, in the week after the results of the Government's own trials proved that growing at least two GM crops damaged wildlife, has amazed and angered senior officials. They are bewildered that his views seem to have remained unchanged even though a series of reports from his own advisers has progressively demolished the case for the technology. In an exchange at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Mr Blair appeared to take issue with the reports, which concluded that genes would inevitably escape from modified crops to create herbicide-resistant superweeds and contaminate organic and conventional produce, that the technology conferred no immediate economic advantages, and that the public rejected it by a majority of nine to one. (SNIP) Mr Blair's comments appear directly to contradict a report in July by his own Cabinet Office which concluded that it could find no economic benefit to Britain or its people from current modified crops. Exasperated officials also point out that Mr Blair seems unable to distinguish between the biotechnology industry as a whole, which has immense potential in developing medicines and industrial products, and the relatively tiny proportion of it devoted to GM agriculture, which employs only about 1,150 people in Britain. Senior officials say that Mr Blair's reponse shows he is still determined to press ahead with the technology despite massive public opposition. (MORE)
IRAN YET TO HALT URANIUM ENRICHMENT AS IAEA DEADLINE LOOMS TEHRAN : Iran has yet to halt uranium enrichment in accordance with a landmark pledge to Britain, France and Germany, the foreign ministry admitted, adding that it was still looking into the modalities of halting its controversial work on the nuclear fuel cycle. "We have agreed to suspend it and we are studying the modalities of a suspension," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told AFP on Sunday. Asked if this meant enrichment activities were still going on in the country, he replied: "Implicitly, yes". Earlier, Asefi had said he believed that a halt to enrichment had been implemented, but then retracted the comment. The acknowledgement that work was still under way came five days after Iran vowed to cooperate with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) demands during an unprecedented joint visit by the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, Jack Straw, Dominique de Villepin and Joshka Fischer. An IAEA deadline for the Islamic republic to meet a series of demands expires this coming Friday, and the UN's nuclear watchdog's board of governors is to meet to evaluate Iranian compliance on November 20. (MORE)
FERNANDO POE CANDIDACY RATTLES BUSINESSMEN News that movie star Fernando Poe Jr. may run for president in next year's election has rattled the business community. "I think the business community is concerned that political parties are fielding candidates for president not on the basis of capability and proven track record but on the basis solely of popularity and 'winnability,'" said Jose Cuisia, Philamlife Insurance group chairperson and former central bank governor. Donald Dee, president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, said the financial markets reacted negatively to efforts of the political opposition to draft Poe to be its presidential candidate in May, because "no one understands what his plans are for the country.'' Raul Concepcion, founding chairperson of the Federation of Philippine Industries, said Poe was "a good family man with no vices and could relate well to the masses" did not have the capabilities needed to steer the economy back on track, manage a bloated bureaucracy, implement reforms, and push the country's interests in international forums. "The Philippines would be severely handicapped if our president would use the first few years of his term to learn economic, administrative and diplomatic skills," he said. "We can't afford this at this point because our country's problems in the past have piled up and we can't tarry any longer to solve them." Concepcion said political parties should be concerned with the country's future and put a premium on a candidates' qualifications rather than on popularity. The unpredictable election season has also thrown a wildcard into economists' forecasts for the economy next year, raising doubt over whether it can ride on the coattails of a US recovery. (SNIP) "Because of the election, there is going to be a lot of uncertainty, so there might be holding back on investments," said Luz Lorenzo, economist at ATR Kim Eng Securities. "Exports would benefit from a US recovery, and there may be a pickup in consumer spending." Last month, international credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service cut the outlook on four of the Philippines' key ratings to negative from stable, citing rising economic and political risk ahead of the elections and after a failed mutiny by junior military officers in late July. President Macapagal-Arroyo has helped ease uncertainty over the elections by reneging on an earlier pledge not to run for election in May, but analysts said her decision would open the way for more vicious attacks from her political opponents. There are also renewed worries over the government's budget deficit, which is showing signs of bulging again after Macapagal administration had success in controlling it earlier this year. (MORE)
JORDANIAN BECOMES JAZEERA DIRECTOR AMMAN (AFP) - The Qatari-based satellite TV Al Jazeera's board on Saturday appointed Baghdad bureau chief Waddah Khanfar as the station's new director general, television sources told AFP. "The nomination is part of an administrative and professional drive and means that Al Jazeera will now adopt a more moderate and professional policy," one of these sources told AFP in Amman. "These reforms would also affect some controversial programmes which were aired by Al Jazeera," the source said. Khanfar, a 35-year-old Jordanian, will replace Adnan Al Sharif who has been Al Jazeera's interim director general since June. (SNIP) He was the first Arab journalist to interview the US civil administrator of Iraq, Paul Bremer. Over the years some Al Jazeera programmes ruffled nerves in several Arab capitals prompting governments to shut down Al Jazeera offices after participants criticised Arab leaders. According to the sources, Al Jazeera is trying "to avoid insults as well as praise" of Arab governments, in a bid to bolster its objectivity.
MEDIA STILL FEELS KREMLIN HEAT Long after the dust settled around the Dubrovka theater, NTV's live coverage of the hostage crisis there continues to rankle President Vladimir Putin, and the ripple effects of the state's displeasure continue to be felt throughout the media establishment. How journalists should balance their responsibility to inform the public in crisis situations with their responsibility to give law enforcement authorities space to do their jobs remains the subject of a sensitive, ongoing debate. Unlike its state-controlled rivals Channel One and Rossia, NTV aired images of the special forces' raid on the building on Oct. 26. The channel was accused of jeopardizing the rescue mission since the terrorists inside were known to be watching the broadcast, although NTV sources insist that the footage was shown only several minutes later. (SNIP) The amendments to the election law, which took effect this summer and restrict what journalists can report, is part of that, but the legacy of the hostage crisis also factors in, he said. "What role TV should play in crises [like Dubrovka] is a big discussion, because it's a situation without a precedent," Shuster said. "It was a tragedy and I understand the dimensions of the tragedy, but in terms of how people should be informed, it's a complex question." (SNIP) Beyond his criticism of NTV, Putin took issue there with what he saw as press freedom in its present incarnation. "The press should be free, but it must be free only if it has its own base for economic development," he said. "If an outlet is completely monopolized by two or three moneybags, then it's not press freedom, but freedom to defend corporate interests." Asked how he would respond to critics who accuse him of restricting freedom of speech in Russia, Putin said: "Very simply. We have never had freedom of speech in Russia, so I don't really understand what could be stifled. It seems to me that freedom is the ability to express one's opinion, but there must exist certain boundaries, as laid out in the law. And the law ... is itself a limit on the freedom of everyone -- each citizen, each corporation, each media outlet." Anna Kachkayeva, a television analyst for Radio Liberty, said she found it stunning that Putin could say there has never been free speech, since he, as president, is the chief guarantor of the Constitution, which lays out that very right. "How can he say that?" she said. "Is he saying he doesn't guarantee this right? Or he never did? Or that the Constitution isn't legally binding?" (SNIP) Dubrovka was part of the progression toward suppressed media freedom, but the trajectory was launched well before last October. "The iron desire to control state channels dates from 2000," Kachkayeva said. "Now, nothing bubbles up, nothing boils. Everything is very flat." (SNIP) The outlook is bleak, Shuster said, and it won't get better after the March 2004 presidential election is over. "It's easier for the powers that be to live like this. They don't have to respond to difficult questions." As a result, "news coverage has become poor. Programs have become light," he added, noting that "infotainment" has become an industry buzzword. (MORE) | |||||
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