January 4, 2006

World Media Watch

by Gloria R. Lalumia

BuzzFlash Note: WMW provides BuzzFlash readers foreign views and perspectives that are not usually available from the media here in the U.S. The presentation of these articles from these international publications is not an endorsement of their viewpoints.

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WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR JANUARY 4, 2006

1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--TERROR STALKS INDIA’S PROGRESS (Terrorists are targeting areas at the forefront of India's economic progress. A major tragedy was averted on Monday when police in the information-technology [IT] hub of Hyderabad foiled a plot to trigger bomb blasts by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed [JeM]. … The arrests follow last week's shootout at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science [IISc] in Bangalore, considered India's Silicon Valley. A well-known Delhi professor was killed and several others injured. … Attacking software hubs hits at one of the most international symbols of Indian success and can set off a wave of panic reactions from potential foreign investors as well as multinationals, which can hobble the rapid pace of India's economic progress. Such economic and cultural destabilization can only be the handiwork of international terror outfits that seek out targets that inflict maximum damage to people as well as pass on a symbolic message. After the events of September 11, 2001, economic terrorism has been the hallmark of al-Qaeda attacks whether in Kenya, Bali, Morocco, Turkey or Egypt. … Some observers have also drawn a link between Pakistan's efforts, with the help of China, to ramp up its IT industry and the attacks in India. … However, the predominant thought among security agencies in India is that the top Pakistani establishment, including President General Pervez Musharraf, is for peace - at least for now. It is the middle and lower levels that have long fed off the spoils of a proxy war with India that are the main threat. These will have to be tackled by India independent of Islamabad's ability or predilection to take them on.)

2//The News International, Pakistan--PAKISTAN MAY BUY SIX NUCLEAR REACTORS FROM CHINA (Pakistan is negotiating the purchase of between six and eight nuclear power reactors from China during the next decade in the most ambitious expansion yet of the country’s nuclear energy capability. … Pakistan’s increasing reliance on China as main supplier of its nuclear reactors is likely to raise concerns within the anti-nuclear proliferation lobby in the west. Pakistan emerged at the centre of global concerns about nuclear proliferation in 2004 when it was revealed that AQ Khan, father of its nuclear bomb project, sold nuclear expertise and technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea.)

3//Xinhua Online, China--CHINA SET TO NARROW RICH-POOR GAP (China's economy is likely to be heading for another year of galloping development, but how to make more Chinese people reaping the benefits is still a challenge for the government. … Despite rapid economic progress, growing inequality between the rich and the poor, a very tough job market, higher prices and a grim workplace safety record have been troubling the government, said Li Peilin, a senior sociologist with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. … The government has already announced that it will increase the minimum living allowance for needy people, offer free compulsory education in rural regions, and expand the network of rural co-operative medical care. All the measures show that "fostering a harmonious society" is high on the government's economic agenda, said the experts. However, they said social problems, which have cropped up during robust economic development and industrialization, could not be solved overnight.)

4//Arab News, Saudi Arabia--END OF A LONG QUEST: SAUDI WOMEN GET THEIR OWN IDENTITY AT LAST (It is finally official: A woman can apply for — and receive — her personal ID without the consent of her male guardian. Women are rushing to get their IDs with many of them being motivated by practical reasons rather than simply a desire to proclaim their independence. … This is the end of a long road for Saudi women. They were granted the right to have their own picture ID four years ago. The application for the ID, however, had to be approved by the woman’s male guardian. He had to go in person to the Civil Status Administration to fill out the application and sign a consent form. For many women who have demanded an ID to protect their rights, especially in courts and legal procedures, this condition negated the purpose of the ID.)

5//Canada.com, Canada--MARTIN STEPS UP HAMMER HARPER TOUR (Prime Minister Paul Martin says the second half of the election campaign will be about values -- the difference between his vision of a caring Canada and Stephen Harper's "fend-for-yourself'' society. In other words, the Hammer Harper tour is in full swing. With polls putting the Conservatives in a dead heat with the Liberals, Martin ramped up the rhetoric Tuesday. He used a luncheon speech in Winnipeg to warn that Harper would change the face of Canada -- and not for the better. Martin played up the "clear difference of values that is illustrated by Stephen Harper's goal of a fend-for-yourself Canada and my vision of a country in which we strive together as a society toward a common good.'' … "You want a fundamental difference between Mr. Harper and myself? Well, this is it: I believe that social policy -- the things we do to help each other out and help each other up -- is a window on the kind of country we are, and the kind of country we want to be.'')

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1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong Jan 4, 2006
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HA04Df04.html

TERROR STALKS INDIA’S PROGRESS
By Siddharth Srivastava

NEW DELHI - Terrorists are targeting areas at the forefront of India's economic progress. A major tragedy was averted on Monday when police in the information-technology (IT) hub of Hyderabad foiled a plot to trigger bomb blasts by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

The plots, which included suicide bombings, targeted Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the two states that lead the software and outsourcing boom in the country. Police seized 14 kilograms of explosives and said two arrested terrorists were planning to attack the office of the city's police chief, police headquarters and buildings housing top IT companies.

The arrests follow last week's shootout at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore, considered India's Silicon Valley. A well-known Delhi professor was killed and several others injured.

(SNIP)

Analysts and intelligence reports have been emphasizing that terrorists are likely to attack symbols of India's technological might and economic success. The winter months are the most likely for such attacks to be orchestrated as the usual terrain of operation of terrorists in Indian Kashmir becomes inhospitable because of snow.

Attacking software hubs hits at one of the most international symbols of Indian success and can set off a wave of panic reactions from potential foreign investors as well as multinationals, which can hobble the rapid pace of India's economic progress. Such economic and cultural destabilization can only be the handiwork of international terror outfits that seek out targets that inflict maximum damage to people as well as pass on a symbolic message. After the events of September 11, 2001, economic terrorism has been the hallmark of al-Qaeda attacks whether in Kenya, Bali, Morocco, Turkey or Egypt.

(SNIP)

Bangalore, apart from Hyderabad and Chennai, has been described as a prime target - the garden city of 6.5 million people is home to more than 1,500 technology and back-office outsourcing firms, including global giants such as Intel, Motorola and IBM. The city accounts for a third of India's US$25 billion software and offshoring business that employs more than a million people. Several Indian defense, space and scientific research institutions are also based in the city.

The federal Ministry of Home Affairs warned four years ago that the city could be a prime target of terrorists with installations there such as the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). In December 2004, police unearthed a plot to attack software offices in Bangalore.

Some observers have also drawn a link between Pakistan's efforts, with the help of China, to ramp up its IT industry and the attacks in India. China and Pakistan have enjoyed strong relations that include close military exchanges. With the US having identified India as the only country to match the might of China in the Asian region, analysts say Beijing by default will reach out to Islamabad to curb India, if needed. And in the changed global scenario, economic might counts as much as military strength to win friends and strategic partners.

However, the predominant thought among security agencies in India is that the top Pakistani establishment, including President General Pervez Musharraf, is for peace - at least for now. It is the middle and lower levels that have long fed off the spoils of a proxy war with India that are the main threat. These will have to be tackled by India independent of Islamabad's ability or predilection to take them on.

Officials also say Pakistan is not the only front through which terrorists manage their operations in India, especially in the south, which leads the IT boom. Bangladesh is being seen as an important base, with both the JeM and LeT active in the country, with direct links to Saudi Arabia instead of Pakistan.

2//The News International, Pakistan Wednesday January 04, 2006-- Zil Haj 03, 1426 A.H
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/jan2006-daily/...

PAKISTAN MAY BUY SIX NUCLEAR REACTORS FROM CHINA

LONDON: Pakistan is negotiating the purchase of between six and eight nuclear power reactors from China during the next decade in the most ambitious expansion yet of the country’s nuclear energy capability.

(SNIP)

Disclosure of negotiations with China follows the formal start of construction last week of a Chinese-supplied nuclear plant at Chashma in the Punjab. The new Chashma-2 plant is expected to be completed during the next five years and is to be built beside the existing 300 MW Chashma-1, also supplied by China. Pakistan also operates a 125 MW Canadian-supplied reactor in Karachi.

Pakistan’s increasing reliance on China as main supplier of its nuclear reactors is likely to raise concerns within the anti-nuclear proliferation lobby in the west. Pakistan emerged at the centre of global concerns about nuclear proliferation in 2004 when it was revealed that AQ Khan, father of its nuclear bomb project, sold nuclear expertise and technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea.

In an apparent attempt to pacify western concerns about proliferation, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz stressed last week that the country’s nuclear programme was for peaceful purposes. "We have established an effective command-and-control authority to ensure the safety and security of our strategic assets. We have also adopted wide-ranging controls to prevent leakage of nuclear materials," he said.

A senior Western diplomat in Islamabad said Pakistan’s increasing reliance on China may be a reaction to a US offer to sell reactors to India. "This could be meant to tell Washington that Pakistan has other options," he said.

But Lt-Gen (retd) Talat Masood, a commentator on security affairs, said discussions with China had been going on for some time: "Pakistan has a long-term relationship with China and there is a great trust factor," he said.

3//Xinhua Online, China 2006-01-03 08:59:24
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006...

CHINA SET TO NARROW RICH-POOR GAP

BEIJING, Jan. 3 -- China's economy is likely to be heading for another year of galloping development, but how to make more Chinese people reaping the benefits is still a challenge for the government.

Think-tank economists, researchers and President Hu Jintao have spoken of their New Year expectations and concerns.

Powered by domestic economic development and worldwide recovery, China's economy is expected to see stable development this year following a growth rate of 9.8 per cent in 2005.

(SNIP)

The latest figure means China is in another economic circle of fast development.

"The circle is likely to continue due to vibrant buying, investment and foreign trade," said Zhang Liqun, a senior researcher at the State Council Development Research Centre, the central government's think-tank.

At a recent economic discussion, he said the rising number of car and house purchases, the vigour of regrouped State-owned enterprises and foreign investment and trade will mean continuous progress in China's economic development.

(SNIP)

Despite rapid economic progress, growing inequality between the rich and the poor, a very tough job market, higher prices and a grim workplace safety record have been troubling the government, said Li Peilin, a senior sociologist with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

President Hu promised in his New Year address that the government would "make all of its people benefit from reform and development" while maintaining rapid and efficient economic growth.

And the government has been working hard on social harmony, pledging the country will "put people first, foster a socialist harmonious society and give top priority to resolving urgent problems facing the overwhelming majority of the people."

The government has already announced that it will increase the minimum living allowance for needy people, offer free compulsory education in rural regions, and expand the network of rural co-operative medical care.

All the measures show that "fostering a harmonious society" is high on the government's economic agenda, said the experts.

However, they said social problems, which have cropped up during robust economic development and industrialization, could not be solved overnight.

4//Arab News, Saudi Arabia 4 January 2006
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section...

END OF A LONG QUEST: SAUDI WOMEN GET THEIR OWN IDENTITY AT LAST
Maha Akeel, Arab News

JEDDAH, 4 January 2006 — It is finally official: A woman can apply for — and receive — her personal ID without the consent of her male guardian. Women are rushing to get their IDs with many of them being motivated by practical reasons rather than simply a desire to proclaim their independence.

Because of the boom in the stock market, many Saudi women are flocking to the Civil Status Administration with their applications — and with the full support of their male guardians. A source at the Civil Status Administration confirmed that the changes had become official about two weeks ago. In July, Arab News reported that a new regulation for issuing women’s ID cards had been approved and would soon be publicized.

“A woman can bring a valid passport with her or another woman with a valid ID who can verify her identity, her family ID, a letter from her employer if she is working and two pictures,” said the source at the Civil Status Administration. The woman proceeds to the women’s section with her documents, submits her application and on the same day or a few days later, she returns for her ID.

This is the end of a long road for Saudi women. They were granted the right to have their own picture ID four years ago. The application for the ID, however, had to be approved by the woman’s male guardian. He had to go in person to the Civil Status Administration to fill out the application and sign a consent form. For many women who have demanded an ID to protect their rights, especially in courts and legal procedures, this condition negated the purpose of the ID.

(SNIP)

For years — and even until now — Saudi courts and legal proceedings require that two men, who do not have to be close relatives, bear witness that a woman is who she claims to be. This very insufficient and outdated method continues to open the door to all kinds of fraud and embezzlement.

In the end, banks demanded that a woman could open an account only if she had a picture ID. If the woman did not have a passport or personal ID card, she had to bring a close male relative to the men’s branch of the bank and he opened the account for her.

The same applied to women wishing to trade in stocks and shares or acquire a stock portfolio. “Every time she wanted to buy or sell, her male guardian had to accompany her. That was very inconvenient and impractical and I think it pushed many women into getting their own IDs,” said Reem Jalaladin of the National Commercial Bank.

5//Canada.com, Canada Tuesday, January 03, 2006
http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=15d9d7f4...

MARTIN STEPS UP HAMMER HARPER TOUR
Tories keep after Liberal scandal

Martin O’Hanlon, Canadian Press

OTTAWA (CP) - Prime Minister Paul Martin says the second half of the election campaign will be about values -- the difference between his vision of a caring Canada and Stephen Harper's "fend-for-yourself'' society.

In other words, the Hammer Harper tour is in full swing.

With polls putting the Conservatives in a dead heat with the Liberals, Martin ramped up the rhetoric Tuesday. He used a luncheon speech in Winnipeg to warn that Harper would change the face of Canada -- and not for the better.

Martin played up the "clear difference of values that is illustrated by Stephen Harper's goal of a fend-for-yourself Canada and my vision of a country in which we strive together as a society toward a common good.''

He warned that Harper would "pull the plug'' on the government's plan to bring in a national child-care program, replacing it with a $25-a-week tax credit -- and held that up as a sign of things to come if the Conservatives are elected Jan. 23.

"What if decades ago, Tommy Douglas and my father and Lester Pearson had considered the idea of medicare and then said, `Forget it, let's just give people 25 bucks a week?'

"You want a fundamental difference between Mr. Harper and myself? Well, this is it: I believe that social policy -- the things we do to help each other out and help each other up -- is a window on the kind of country we are, and the kind of country we want to be.''

Harper-bashing is just half of the Liberal strategy for the campaign's second leg. The other half is a planned avalanche of announcements aimed at burying the daily Tory promise parade.

Martin was to set things in motion Tuesday night with a pledge to kill a hated $975 immigration landing fee. He was to make the announcement in B.C., where large blocs of Asian-Canadian voters could sway several key urban races.

The fee, which was introduced by the Liberals in 1995, was supposed to simply cover costs associated with processing applications, but opponents condemned it as a money grab.

The Liberals plan four other big announcements this week, starting Wednesday with a health-care initiative, followed by foreign affairs, education and the environment.

Martin's anti-Harper strategy is a battle-proven one. In 2004, with the Conservatives leading in the polls, the Liberals scared voters away from the Tory leader by painting him as a hard-liner who would attack medicare, social programs and the Charter of Rights.

The Conservatives aren't exactly turning the other cheek. While Harper stays largely above the fray and presses on with daily policy announcements, his political attack dogs are using TV ads to snap at Liberal heels.

The latest Tory ad shows repeated clips of Martin insisting, Nixon-like, that "the Liberal party is not corrupt,'' as viewers in a diner look on and shake their heads in disgust.

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