Chinese police clampdown on anti-government protests
Despite their efforts to block information spreading about the Arab uprisings, anti-government protests have erupted in several cities. But an emphatic show of force by police in Shanghai quickly ended the protest.
It was a similar story in downtown Beijing where lines of police checked passers-by and warned away demonstrators.
A rash of detentions and censorship of online discussions have shown that the Communist Party is concerned about any challenge to its rule.
Residents in Hong Kong, however, enjoy a little more freedom. Some inspired by the so-called Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia took to the streets. Police soon ended the demonstration.
A call for protests a week ago brought out few people. But dozens of dissidents and human rights activists have reportedly been detained or warned to avoid any action which risks social stability.
Irish PM complains about bailout interest rate in US
On a St Patrick’s Day visit to Washington, Ireland’s newly elected prime minister Enda Kenny continued to gripe about the interest rate that the EU and the International Monetary Fund is charging Dublin for its bailout.
In an interview with Bloomberg Television Kenny said it was “unfair” on Ireland’s tax payers calling the 5.8 percent average rate Ireland pays for its loans “too severe.”
He also stressed that there is no chance of Ireland cutting its low corporate-tax rat as part of a bailout package.
Kenny said: “It is grossly unfair to expect the taxpayer to have to pay 100 percent for the reckless lending practices of banks which caused this in the first instance.”
After a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner during his visit, Kenny also said it was possible that Ireland could talk to the US about borrowing money from the Federal Reserve as part of the plan to rescue the Irish banking system.
Berlusconi in new bid to reform Italian justice system
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday put forward plans to reform his country’s justice system just days after being charged with having sex with an underage prostitute.?�Proposals if approved by the cabinet would re-instate parliamentary immunity for the 74-year-old,?�along with all other members of parliament.?�?�Earlier this week, a court ruled Berlusconi should stand trial from April?�6 on charges of having sex with a 17 year-old prostitute known as Ruby.?�Both deny any sexual relationship.?�Sex with a prostitute is not illegal in Italy but those found guilty of having sex with one under the age of 18?�can be?�punished with a jail term.?�Amid calls from the opposition for him to quit, Berlusconi’s?�colourful private life has also come under fire from the Catholic Church.?�But the billionaire premier put on a brave face at the Vatican on Friday.?�He met some of those bishops who have attacked his behaviour in an event marking?�the 82nd anniversary of a treaty that governs relations between the Holy See and Italy.
Six killed in protest crackdown in Syria
Six people are said to have been killed and dozens more wounded in Syria after security forces opened fire on protesters.
Residents say the shooting happened at the Omari mosque in the southern city of Deraa, which has been the focal point of a string of small but unprecedented rallies calling for the end of the ruling Assad regime.
The demonstrations have also reportedly spilled over into nearby towns. Eyewitnesses reported gatherings of hundreds of people. They said they were dispersed by the security forces.
Local sources say ten people have been killed in clashes with the security forces during six days of demonstrations. The ruling Baath Party has banned opposition parties and enforced emergency laws since 1963. But there are now popular calls for political freedom and an end to corruption.
Trauma fears for Japan’s young disaster victims
What they have been through is unimaginable.
Japan’s disasters have robbed many children of everything – their homes, family and friends. And while young survivors’ immediate needs are a priority, the fear is they could face long-term psychological trauma.
!http://www.euronews.net/media/buttons/japan-btn2-en.jpg!”:/tag/japan-disaster/ “Yes, many children as they grow up are going to live with the consequence of the shock of this devastation,” said Hironobu Shibuya, Chief Executive Officer at Save the Children, Japan.
Tests for radioactive contamination may well prove clear but the simple fact they lived near the stricken nuclear plant could be held against them.
“People from Fukushima, especially kids, may face discrimination, just because they are from the region,” said Dr Keiko Yamada at a clinic in the city of Yonezawa.
Around 100,000 children have been displaced by the earthquake and tsunami, according to the Save the Children charity. It says stability and protection are needed to safeguard their physical and emotional well-being.
In Yonezawa, a four-year-old evacuee from Fukushima explained what she experienced:
“The glass in my house was shattered and my friend’s house was damaged and my grandmother’s house, too,” she said.
From problems sleeping to aggression or withdrawal, the symptoms of trauma are varied. As time passes and the world’s attention shifts from Japan, the hope is that its children won’t be forgotten.
Couples kiss during a mass wedding ceremony to mark Valentine’s Day in Taiwan
Around 25 couples tied the knot together on Monday with Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin as the witness for the ceremony. REUTERS/Nicky Loh
Clinton urges Bahrain to allow peaceful protests
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday called on Bahrain to show restraint and “hold accountable” those who used deadly force against anti-government protesters.
Clinton said she told her counterpart Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa of “our deep concerns about the actions of the security forces” in deadly protests.
“We call on restraint from the government to keep its commitment to hold accountable those who have utilised excessive force against peaceful demonstrators,” said Washington’s chief diplomat.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon echoed Clinton’s comments, describing the violence as “deeply troubling.”
“It must stop,” Ban told reporters in New York. “Those responsible must be brought to justice.”
Bahrain’s military put tanks onto the streets of the capital Manama to restore order after anti-regime protests in the city’s Pearl Square.
Demonstrators, largely Shia Muslims, want constitutional reform and a greater say in how the country is run.
Bahrain has been ruled by a Sunni royal family since the 18th century, although 70 percent of its population are Shias.
Sex equality ruling ‘may make us all worse off’
Insurance companies have been quick to criticise a ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that will mean they will no longer be able to offer different rates according to clients’ gender.
At present, women generally pay lower car insurance premiums than men as they are statistically less likely to have accidents.
But the EU’s top court ruled on Tuesday morning that “taking the gender of the insured individual into account as a risk factor in insurance contracts constitutes discrimination.”
Unisex premiums will need to be enforced across the European Union from December 21, 2012. Governments and insurers will have until that date to adapt. It’s thought the ruling will have significant consequences for both insurance companies and their customers. In the United Kingdom alone companies will have to raise more than a billion euros to cover themselves against “new uncertainties” in the market, according to one think-tank.
The cost is then expected to be passed on to consumers. For example, a 17-year old female driver may find herself paying around 5,000 euros more in car insurance premiums by the time she has reached 26, a rise of around 25 percent. Men’s premiums meanwhile could fall by around 10 percent, says The Association of British Insurers, in order to make premiums equal.
But men may also suffer later in life as the change in law will also impact on pensions.
Men, whose lives are statistically shorter than women’s, currently enjoy a larger annual pension for the same amount of money invested. This will now have to change, with men’s annuities being reduced to bring them into line with the amount women receive.
EU member states have been allowed to give insurers some leeway in taking gender into account when analysing risk but this was challenged by the Belgian consumer group Test-Achats. The ECJ’s advocate-general agreed with Test-Achats that factoring in gender violated the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the Lisbon Treaty.
UK Conservative MEPs have joined insurers in criticising the ruling, with one calling it “utter madness” and a “setback for common sense.”
Educating tomorrow’s scientists
Science, with all its facts and figures, can be a tough subject to learn and just does not appeal to some. But it can be a lot of fun, and that is the main message of the Science Academy Festival in Paris. It encourages young learners to open their eyes and see the wonders of the world behind the dull textbooks and dry statistics. It also aims to challenge the traditional, negative view of making mistakes.
Livio Riboli-Sasco, Founder and spokesperson of Paris Montagne Association explained: “The idea isn’t simply to say that science is a life opportunity for young people. It’s a way of exploring a scientific approach, of adopting an attitude of questioning things as people do in society.”
Research scientist Fran?�ois Tadd?�i said: “Science is usually taught at school by telling pupils “look these are the facts, now learn them by heart” —how an aeroplane works, how a computer works. But science is also about research, exploring byways and backroads without really knowing where you are. By developing ideas, exploring them, you might trip up and make mistakes, but you learn through these mistakes, you improve and progressively develop new things.”
Reality TV might not seem the most fertile ground for scientific inspiration but one popular show in Qatar is taking the format in an entirely new direction. ‘Stars of Science’ throws together young people from across the Arab world in a fun-filled but challenging environment. We took at how inspiration meets entertainment in Doha.
In each series, 16 young students compete to produce the best scientific invention. It is a challenge both for the students and for the final jury. The top four prizes total 600,000 US dollars. During the show students work with professors and use the facilities at Qatar’s Science and Technology Park, which is also a start-up incubator. The park is run by Qatar Foundation. The country is obviously investing in its educational institutions as well as its students, although in some other Arab countries there is still work to be done.
In South Africa the founders of the ‘Next Einstein initiative’ at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences certainly hope so. Centres of excellence are springing up across Africa, giving new opportunities to tomorrow’s scientists and mathematicians.
On the Cape Peninsula, the absolute southern tip of Africa, some of the Continent’s brightest young minds are at work. The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences is an oasis of maths and science for Africa??�s young people.
Out of 500 applicants from all over Africa, only 50 students are selected for this programme. They all have a degree in physics, mathematics, engineering or computer sciences. At the Institute they are taught by lecturers from all over the world – and are aiming for the heights of intellectual achievement.
Students here have research tools which are not always available at African Universities. The institution also provides networking opportunities, which opens many doors for graduates.
Kurdish protesters clash with police in Turkey
There have been clashes between Kurdish protesters and police in Turkey during demonstrations marking the 12th anniversary of the capture of Kurdish separatist leader Abdullah Ocalan.
Protesters threw missiles during clashes in 12 towns and cities. Police used tear gas and water cannons to break up the crowds, angry about Kurdistan Workers’ Party leader Ocalan’s ongoing imprisonment. At least 30 people were arrested.
