The President of Cuba, Raul Castro (brother of the previous President Fidel Castro), has rejected large-scale market reforms to revive the struggling economy of the country. The state wouldnt control everything anymore in some areas so that more workers are allowed to be self-employed or they can even set up small businesses. The Cuban people expected some measures from the President to get the country out of its deep economic crisis. He answered to that by telling the people that some restriction to start small businesses would be ceased and that the small businesses could also employ staff. Unproductive or under-employed workers would also have to find another job.
I personally think that the President did a good thing when he said that there wouldnt be some major large-scale market reforms to get the economy out of the crisis. Making some major reforms could lead to several people losing their job, more unemployed people, ... This is certainly not helpful for a country that is already in crisis. Those actions would only do the economy more harm. In stead, the Cuban President chose to reduce the role of the state in some areas so that the people would be more free to do what they want for a living. Now that people can start their own small businesses, that will be good for the economy. These businesses can help the country get out of the crisis. Workers can also employ staff, which means that there will be less unemployed workers left on the market. That is stimulating for the economy because these people will receive a salary and with that salary, they can buy new products or even a new house. I think that it is also a good decision that unproductive and under-employed workers need to look for another job. Unproductive workers cost enterprises a lot of money. That money, the enterprise cant use to invest so thats a loss for the economy. In my opinion, these measures will help Cuba get out of its economic crisis.
My article is about a project in Holguin to create bamboo forests. The project
is called Bamboo Biomass and the
coordinator is Raul Figueredo. Raul Figueredo created the project because
bamboo is environmentally friendly and is also a good alternative for wood.
He has chosen bamboo because bamboo is a plant who grows very fast, so it can
provide big volumes in a short time compared to wood.
There have been already 3 centers opened where theyproduce the bamboo-plants and the goal is to
open 10 small centers this year.
I think the idea of Raul Figueredo is a very good idea. Its necessary that we
find an alternative for wood because there is already a lack of wood and its
still growing.
Our planet is already polluted and thats why we have to find an
environmentally friendly solution, and I think Raul Figueredo found that
solution.
The bamboo of this project can be used to make decorations, to make furniture,
for flooring, to make energy by burning the bamboo, so its a great
alternative.
I dont think that bamboo can totally replace wood but it can replace a part of
it and we can go on searching other ways to replace wood. The governments can
also take some measures like rules considering the amount of wood that can be
chopped.I think that there are already
rules like that but there also have to be a good control about that. Many
people just chop wood illegal and that shouldnt be happening so the
governments have to focus more about the control of their own rules.
Bamboo grows faster than wood and it purifies the soil, that causes that the
water resources will also improve. This is a great advantage because in a lot
of countries, the ground and the water is badly polluted.
I dont really see any disadvantages of the Bamboo Biomass project ant I think
every country should take such initiatives like Cuba and Raul Figueredo did.
Lastly, I think that this project brings employment, and for the people of Cuba
thats great news.
Cuba Said
Still Holding Around 100 Political Prisoners
Summary:
The opposition Cuban
Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation assess that the
communistic island Cuba holds more than 100 prisoners. This is still a lot
because the Cuban government had released dozens of political prisoners. These
numbers are written in a new report that has been launched by the Commission of
Human Rights.
The commission regrets that theres no respect for the civil, political and
cultural opinions despite the number of political prisoners are declined from
201 ,in January 2010, to 105 now. And the commission thinks that there will be
no improvement against the opinions of the people. But how come that theres a
decline? Well, last year the government of Raul Castro talked to the Spanish
and Catholic Church officials. This led to the release of some political
prisoners, according to the Commission this was a positive step towards human rights.
41 considered prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International have left prison
for exile in Spain in recent months. But there were 11 prisoners who didnt
accept to leave prison for exile in Spain and 8 other prisoners are free on
probation.
Fariñas, winner of the European Parliaments 2010 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of
Conscience, has been arrested after he and a group protested against the
eviction of a single, pregnant mother of two who had moved into an abandoned
home, accusing them of causing a public disturbance. The pregnant women had
ask for help from the human rights assistant, Fariñas and his companionsreact to her call for help. Fariñas has been
arrested by the police and got away with it, he just got a warning andwithin 6 hours he was released.
Fariñas manifests also by doing a hunger strike, to demand the release of the
most ill political prisoners. After that in February, the political prisoner Orlando
Zapata Tamayo died following an 85-day fast. Fariñas persevered his hunger
strike after that Castros government promised to release 52 prisoners following
the church-state talks. But in the mean time
Havana denies that theyre holding political prisoners.
Opinion:
I think that radical political movements like
the communistic government in Cuba must be disapproved internationally. Its
good that theres a Commision for Human Rights, Amnesty International and
people like Fariñas to protest
against this regime who keep political prisoners.
If you cant have an opinion that doesnt fit to the political regime its
really pity that they might arrest you or even abuse you. I hope that the
regime of Castro brothers falls after a leadership of more than 30 years. The
fact that the world accept dictators raise some questions in my head.
Dictator? Yes, his regime suppresses feeling of the inhabitants and I think the
people need to stand up and demand their rights.
Although the Cuban constitution freedom of expression knows,
laws like national security or the
banning of 'hostile propaganda' are abused to put
dissidents behind bars. I guess its maybe easy to say that people
need to stand up for their rights because of many people support the
communistic regime, but that might be because they do not know any better. If
youve only knew the Castro regime its hard to imagine that there are other
ways to lead a country and with respect for the inhabitants political, social,
economical, civil, preferences.
In the case of Fariñas I would continue to protest and make the people of Cuba
aware that theres a need to change the rule of life. And I would suggest him
to cooperate with international Human Right organizations, so they can put some
pressure on the government and make the world aware of the violation of the
human right in Cuba.
Cuban government outlines steps towards a freer market. For the first time since the Communist revolution 52 years ago, Cubans will be allowed to buy and sell houses and newer automobiles, and they may be able to travel abroad as tourists more freely, under policy changes that are intended to shake up the countrys foundering economy. Cubans lined up at kiosks to buy booklets outlining 313 guidelines approved at a historic Communist Party congress last month. However, this publication lacks many details on what the restrictions, taxes and other potential roadblocks the initiatives might include. But analysts said that simply bringing into the open what had been a black market of house and automobile swaps could be one of the most significant changes to the economy in decades and could inject badly needed cash into the system. In the speeches, President Castro declared that Cuba, hit hard by the global recession, deteriorating sugar market and, the government says, repercussions of the United States economic embargo, must move form an almost entirely state based economy towards one allowing at least a little more free enterprise.
My opinion
I believe that this is a very large step forward for Cubans. For decades they were not able to buy or sell cars manufactured after the 1959 revolution. The housing market wasnt much better, since the revolution there has been no housing market to speak of. In Cuba, people are born in the same house they die in. All of this had as result that many Cubans hardly ever move, and they often are stuck driving crumbling Soviet-era cars bought form state dealers. So it would be a real progress if they are back allowed to buy and sell houses and cars. But just as the New York Times I have my doubts about the real impact these policy changes will have. Especially because the publication lacks many details on what restrictions, taxes and other potential roadblocks the initiatives might include. And if I bear in mind that most of the Cubans are poor, I wonder whether they will able to buy a car or a house even if they want to. Maybe this is what the government is hoping for: to soften restrictions, knowing few people will be able to benefit from them. This way they send out the positive message of being willing to chance when there is actually few risks involved. So my conclusion is that its a good step forward, but that Cubans still have a long way ahead.
The article
handles about the fact that there is a high unemployment rate in Tunesia, during
60 % of the inhabitants are younger than 30 years old. The French newspaper Le
Monde did an investigation about the unemployment ratesand why the higher education system is ill-matched
to the job market.
1/3 of the
people under the age of 30 years old are unemployed. While in 1987 when Ben Ali
started to rule, the future looked bright due to a growth of the economy of 6
%, and there was a big middle class population.
The main reason for the economic instability is that there is no good
repatriation of generated employment. At the coast there is wealth because of
the tourism, but in the center of Tunesia the unemployment rate is 4 times
higher than at the coast.
Despite there is higher education in Tunisia, it doesnt guarantee the people
that they will have work. Since the middle of the nineties the education level
became poor. The reason for this was that Ben Ali didnt invest in education
but in control over the society.
In adjacent states like Morocco and Algeria theres less unemployment when
people did higher education. And this
leads that a lot of young people study in foreign countries like France.
Because Ben
Ali has quitted the political scene, the interviewer goes to 4 Tunisian
students who stays in France and ask them what their vision is on the current
situation. The most of them would like to return to their home country, they
belief that the economy will improve. While one thinks the situation will not change
within 5 years and likes his life in France.
opinion:
At first I
would like to say that I support the demonstrations in the Arabic world. If I
would life in a country with no future prospects, I would also protest against
the political regime or leave my country.
As I think of our own situation in Belgium, we might live in a state without no
government, and we may have big political problems. The country does well
economically and theres generally wealth in comparison with other countries
all over the world.
For the Tunisian people its good that Ben Ali has quitted his political career
and that gives the option to change the current situation. Its historical and
political an important point to change and to give the people a new future.
My suggestion for the Tunisian government is that they should upgrade the
education system, so they can compete with the other countries and become
international player in the world market. And I think theres a lot of
potential because of the youth of the population. Of course this problem will
not be solved within 5 years. I think the current situation probably will hold
on for 10 years. This might be exaggerated, but I think the economical recovery
will go slow. And first a lot of things need to be changed before this
recaptured can be started.
I dont have the same opinion as the students who live in France. I guess
theyre a little bit too enthusiastic. Its wrong to think that because Ben Ali
has left his political position, that there will be soon a drastic change in
the unemployment rate, so would not go back within 5 years. I share the same
opinion of Sami, if I would be a Tunisian student.
In the capital of Tunisia, Tunis, is now dealing with some mayor protests. The civilians want their President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to quit immediately. The demonstrators say that Tunisia cant have a true democracy when the current president remains in charge. The president himself, announced that he would resign in 2014. The civilians are also protesting over corruption, unemployment and high food prices. The protest began when an unemployed graduate set himself on fire, after the police told him he couldnt sell vegetables without a permit. The president has swore that he would take action on food prices.
I personally think that the demonstrators had a good reason to protest. It cant be done that food prices have gone up fourfold in just a few weeks time. If the prices continue to rise, people cant afford to buy food anymore. This will be very bad for the economy. Another negative affect for the economy is that several tour operators have returned their customers back home and cancelled departures to Tunisia. Tourism is the key in the Tunisian economy and its also a very important source of jobs and salary. In Tunisia there has always been censure. Several incidents have already been censured from reaching the people before. Now, with the case of the young Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian people wanted to be heard and they didnt want that this was going to be censured, so they came out on the streets. I believe that the right of free speech applies to each and anyone of us and so I think that its good that theTunisian people stood up for theirs. Following the example of the Tunisians, several other countries had to deal with protests of their inhabitants like there was in Egypt, Algeria, Iraq and now also in Lybia.
The article I
read is about the politics of Tunisia. Since a couple of weeks, there are a lot
of riots and demonstrations because the people wanted the president, Zine
el-Abidine Ben Ali, to hand over the reins.
The people wanted that his authoritarian rule ended and now it seems like they
won because the president handed over the power.
Fouad Mebazaa, the speaker of parliament, will be the interim president until a
new solution is found.
The prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi, wanted to rule the state until there
was a new solution but the people didnt want that because Mohamed Ghannouchi
has the same ideas as Ben Ali and so nothing would change.
I understand the people in Tunisia completely. Ben Ali has had the power for
about 23 years and now, its time that there come some changes. I understand
that the people didnt want Mohamed Ghannouchi as a new interim president
because they realize that nothing will change that way. Mohamed Ghannouchi was
close to Ben Ali and so he has the same ideas and principles.
The people in Tunisia are exhausted but however, they are standing outside,
yelling and screaming because they feel relieved. They argued for several days
on a row, so its pretty normal that they are tired.
You can see the relief in the eyes of the people but theres also an atmosphere
of uncertainty. I think thats normal because the locals dont know how the
future will evolve. I hope that Ben Ali learned his lesson and that he never
comes back to Tunisia. The people in Tunisia were treated badly for too long
and I hope a good president will come who treats the people fair and right.
In the article is also mentioned that Ben Ali and his family wanted to go to
France but the French president didnt want them to stay in France and refused
to welcome them. I think that the French president has the right to refuse to
welcome someone in his country. Ben Ali is no longer the president so the
French president is no longer obligated to welcome him.
The games must go on in Egypt and Tunisia. Soccer, obviously, took on less meaning during the recent political upheavals in both countries. But the coincidences remain: Tunisia and Egypt were the first Arab nations to experience apparent political openings in the past few months. The decision to resume league play is a bid, in both countries, for a return to normalcy. In Egypt and in Tunisia soccer fans played a role in anti-government protests for change. They were using their acumen with social media and smartphones to maintain communication, much as they do before, during and after matches.
My opinion
I find it quite funny that while their country is without government and in serious reformation problems, Tunisian people worry about soccer. First it was my opinion that they had more important things to worry about. Like restructuring their country, elect a new president and let everyone cool down. But then it became clear to me, it was not just about the soccer itself, but what it represents. When they take up the treads of the games, it means that everything is as good as normal. That Tunisia is reviving. It also means that the soccer clubs and authorities believe that it is save enough to allow assemble of people and let go of the curfew.
In this way I can understand that is a big deal if the soccer games are allowed again. I find it very remarkable that everything is already becoming more normal after only a few months. Ultimately, it was a huge thing they Tunisian people accomplished, after decades of suppression they were finally able to shed yoke of dictatorship. And a lot of other countries followed their lead. Tunisia really unchained a wave of revolution that frightened many Arabic leaders. With reason, as we see know. This is something to be proud of.
The modern state of Italy
came into force on 17 March 1861 when King Victor Emmanuel II of
Piedmont-Sardinia signed into law a bill in which he took for himself the title
King of Italy.
Italy adopted a new
constitution in 1948 after the traumatic experience of Mussolini's fascism and
the Second World War. Unusually the two Houses of the Italian Parliament
possess the same rights and powers - a particular form of parliamentary
democracy known as perfect bicameralism. However, this is far from being the
only oddity of the Italian political system.
Italy is something of an
aberration in the democratic sweep of Europe. For decades, it somehow combined
the maintenance of the same political party in power with constant changes of
government while, in more recent years, it has witnessed a fundamental
transformation in the pattern of political parties and this process is still in
flux.
Meanwhile, in recent years,
the electoral system has been changed frequently and substantially and the
current version is both immensely complex and hugely controversial.
Politics in Italy is
constantly beset with scandal and corruption and, at times, it has seemed
astonishing that the Italian economic system could be so robust, when the
Italian political system has been so chaotic and I write as a half-Italian.
THE EXECUTIVE
BRANCH
The Italian monarchy was
abolished in a referendum of 1946 (when my mother voted against the retention
of the King) and, under the constitution of 1948, the head of state is the
President of the Republic. He is elected for seven years by a two-thirds
majority of the Parliament sitting jointly with 58 regional delegates.
The Italian President of
the Pepublic heads the armed forces and has powers to veto legislation, disband
parliament and call elections. He nominates the senior Government minister,
called the President of the Council (equivalent to the British Prime Minister).
The current President of the Republic is Giorgio Napolitano who is a former
Communist Party member.
Day to day power is
exercised by the President of the Council who is nominated by the President of
the Republic (one needs to be careful with the term President in Italy) and
confirmed by the Parliament. The current President of the Council is Silvio
Berlusconi.
It is the President of the
Council who proposes the other ministers (formally named by the President). The
Government ministers make up the Council of Ministers. Vice-ministers - called
Sottosegretari (Undersecretaries) - are not formal members of the Council. In
Italy, anyone can be appointed a minister, with no requirement to be a member
of the Parliament or a political party.
THE CHAMBER OF
DEPUTIES
The lower house in the
Italian political system is the Chamber of Deputies. It has 630 members elected
by all Italian citizens older than 18.
617 members are elected by
proportional representation from party lists for each of 26 constituencies.
Lombardy has three constituencies, Piedmont, Veneto, Latium, Campania and Sicily
each have two constituencies, and all the other 13 regions have one. Another
Deputy is elected in the Aosta Valley (a mountainous region in north-western
Italy).
A peculiarity of the
Italian Parliament is the representation given to Italians who are permanently
living abroad (about 2.7 million people). Therefore, as well as the 618
nationally elected Deputies, there are 12 elected in four distinct foreign
constituencies.
The term of office of
Deputies is five years, but the Parliament may be dissolved by the President
before then if it proves impossible to form a stable government (this has
happened six times since the war).
The election system for the
Chamber of Deputies is new and complex. In its newest form, it dates only from
2005; its complexity comes from the fact that it combines a proportional
representation system (a version of which produced so many weak post-war
governments) with a 'prize' for the coalition securing the largest number of
votes (so that the resulting government has a stronger basis than would
otherwise be the case).
To obtain seats, some
thresholds must be surpassed on a national basis as follows:
a minimum of 10% for a coalition (if this requirement is not met,
the 4% limit for single parties apply)
a minimum of 4% for any party not in a coalition
a minimum of 2% for any party in a coalition (however, the first
party in a coalition that rates below 2% is also assigned seats).
As an Italian friend of mine put it: "Look!!!
I fund a party, my mother another one and my father as well. We join together
into a coalition and we get 30 votes (just the votes of the neighbourhood),
rather far from 2%. But, as candidate of the first party, I can claim for a
seat. In Italy everybody can go the Parliament, thats democracy!"
Finally, the coalition or
party that obtains the largest number of seats but is assigned less than 340
seats, is assigned additional seats to reach this number, which corresponds
roughly to a 54% majority. This is the 'prize' and this is the incentive to
form coalitions.
The Chamber of Deputies
actually sits in a palace: the Palazzo Montecitorio.
THE SENATE
The upper house in the
Italian political system is the Senate. It has 315 members elected by all Italian
citizens older than 25.
309 members are elected by
a system of proportional representation system based upon party lists for the
20 regions of Italy.
As mentioned earlier, an
oddity of the Italian Parliament is the representation given to Italians abroad.
Therefore, as well as the 309 nationally elected Senators, there are 6 elected
in four distinct foreign constituencies.
The term of office of
elected Senators is five years,
As well as these 315
elected Senators, the Senate includes former Presidents and appointed Senators
for life (no more than five) by the President of the Republic according to
special constitutional provisions.
The electoral system for
the Senate is very similar to the one for the Chamber of Deputies, but it is in
many ways transferred from a national to to a regional basis. Therefore the
thresholds which are different are applied on a regional basis as
follows:
a minimum of 20% for a coalition
a minimum of 8% for any party not in a coalition
a minimum of 3% for any party in a coalition (there is no exception
for the first party in a coalition below this threshold, as in the lower
house)
The coalition that wins the largest number of seats
in a region is automatically given 55% of that region's seats, if it has not
reached that percentage already. In contrast to the situation for the Chamber
of Deputies, there is no mechanism to guarantee a nation-wide majority in the
Senate.
So the real oddity in this
electoral system is the lack of a 'prize' in the Senate. As widely confessed by
Roberto Calderoli (a Senator from the Northern League and the creator of this
electoral law), the new electoral system was written and approved during the
last months of the Berlusconi Government in order to put the new winning
coalition (at that time the Centre-Left coalition was substantially ahead in
the opionion polls) in trouble with a weak majority in the Senate. In Italy,
this electoral law is infamous and well known by everybody for its amusing
'nickname', the "porcata (a rather rude way to say 'a load of rubbish')
and this is the name that television and newspapers often use to refer to it.
The Senate actually sits in
a palace: the Palazzo Madama.
POLITICAL PARTIES
After the end of the Second
World War, Italian politics - and even more so its government was dominated
by a single political party Democrazia Cristiana (DC - Christian-Democrats) for
more than forty years, while the opposition was led by the Italian Communist
Party (PCI). The third important party was the Italian Socialist Party (PSI).
Accordingly, in the period
1946-1992, there were no less than 28 governments and all but two of them were
headed by a Christian Democrat.
Everything changed in the
early 1990s. First, all the governing parties were caught up in a major scandal
called the Tangentopoli and dissolved themselves so that the Christian
Democratic and the Socialist parties ceased to exist. Second, following
referenda of 1993, substantial electoral changes were introduced, shifting the
country from an unstable system of proportional representation to a more stable
additional member system (although the voters had actually expressed a wish for
a majoritarian system similar to the French model [click here]). Third, a
further electoral change provides a 'prize' to the coalition which secures the
largest number of votes in the Chamber of Deputies (which is intended the give
the government a stronger base) which has the effect of encouraging political
parties to join one of two major coalitions.
The results of all these
changes are that, in an effort to maximise votes, simultaneously political
parties are splitting and political power is now contested by two broad
coalitions bringing together most of these (often small) parties:
a Centre-Left one known as the Democratic Party a descendant of
the Olive Tree coalition - which originally consisted of 11 parties
(Democrats of the Left being the largest) and is led by former Communist
Pierluigi Bersani
a Centre-Right one known as the People of Liberty a descendant of
the Pole of Freedoms which originally consisted of 8 parties (notably
Forza Italia, the National Alliance and the Northern League) and is led by
Silvio Berlusconi
In July 2010, supporters of Gianfranco Fini, a
co-founder of the People of Liberty movement, set up their own groups in both
houses of parliament under the name of Future and Freedom for Italy.
Technically this means that Silvio Berlusconi lost his majority in the lower
house, the Chamber of Deputies.
The factionalism of Italian
politics has some echoes of the party political situation in India [click here] but, in
European terms, this situation of a multiplicity of parties and changing
alliances is unique.
THE JUDICIAL
BRANCH
The Constitutional Court of
Italy is the country's supreme court. It is composed of 15 judges: one-third
appointed by the President, one-third elected by the Parliament, and one-third
elected by the ordinary and administrative supreme courts. The Constitutional
Court is a post-war innovation. Its powers, volume, and frequency of decisions
are not as extensive as those of the Supreme Court in the United states
The other senior court is
the Court of Cassation.
Given the conflict and
corruption in the Italian political system, the courts in Italy find themselves
embroiled in political issues in a manner largely unknown elsewhere in Europe.
So it was the courts who
played a major role in provoking the fundamental political restructuring and
realignments of the early 1990s as a result of the exposure of the corruption-based
system called Tangentopoli (Italian for bribeville) that dominated the country
until the 'Mani pulite' ('clean hands') investigation delivered it a (possibly
fatal) blow in 1992. The 'clean hands' operation exposed corruption at the
highest levels of politics and big business. Several former prime ministers
were implicated and thousands of businessmen and politicians were investigated.
CONCLUSION
Perhaps only in Italy could
a business leader (Silvio Berlusconi) create a major political party (Forza
Italia) from scratch and then become Prime Minister while simultaneously owning
the majority of the country's television channels and while still in office
facing substantial corruption charges.
Therefore Italian democracy
remains a work in progress.
We cannot be sure that the
present electoral system will be preserved; we cannot be sure that the present
coalition structures will be unchanged; and much work needs to be done to
reduce corruption and restore voter confidence.
Nowadays
Italy is a republic, this is because the Italian people voted against the
monarchy in a referendum, this all happened in 1946. This was a consequence
after the collapse of the fascist regime, the
monarchy was questioned, especially because of the state of mind of
the royal family at the time of the fascist regime of
Mussolini.
In 1948 a new constitution came in force presided by a new president of the
republic. A president is elected for a term of office for seven years by a
two-thirds majority of the Parliament sitting combined with 58 regional
delegates.
In a Italian political system you have bicameral parliament that consists of
the senate and the chamber of deputies, the lower house in the Italian
political. The members of the chamber of deputies are choosen by the citizens
who are older than 18. In contrast with the senate were the electors need to be
older than 25 years. A weirdness of the parliament is that there is given
representations to Italian people living in a foreign country. The term of
office of Deputies is five years, as well in the senate as in the chamber of deputies.
The Italian politics are characterized by a lot of scandals, for example in the
early nineties Tangentopoli scandal. It
was such a big scandal that even Christian Democratic and the Socialist parties
ceased to exist. This all leaded to some changes in the political scene, shifting the country from an unstable system
of proportional representation to a more stable additional member system. And
another change wasthe providing of a
prize to the coalition which leads to the encouraging of the political
parties to join one of two major coalitions namely a center-right or a
center-left coalition.
The juridical branch comprise the Constitutional Court and the Court of
Cassation. The Constitutional court of Italy is consist of 15 judges: one-third
appointed by the President, one-third elected by the Parliament, and one-third
elected by the ordinary and administrative supreme courts. Both courts were
involved with political scandals in the past like Tangentopoli scandal.
Also Silvio Berlusconi is accused of corruption. So a lot of work needs to be
done to reduce corruption and restore voter confidence.
My opinion:
I found it
interesting that the political system is totally different of here in Belgium.
I thought actually that in the most part of Europe it was the same system, but
its the opposite. Off course the system raises some questions, if you see that
theres so much corruption. I could not imagine that this would happen in
Belgium, if this would happen here, the country would be in a total chaos and
the people would stand up and manifest in the streets. And so far I remember there
were some protest against Berlusconi, which I think is good but I think that
the Italian citizens could do more. Maybe I know less about Italy, the policy,
the government and its people to judge this article.
Of course theres a long way to go because a lot of things should be changed in
their system I think, like the fact that Italians who live in a foreign country
can be elected for the chamber of deputies and the senate is wrong. These
people dont live in Italy and in my opinion theres a need to be in touch with
your countryby living there. You need
to know what takes place in the citizens their minds.
What I do know from the newspapers of Italy is mainly the scandals that
Berlusconi has caused. I personally think that he is unprofessional and an
embarrassment to an otherwise superb country. When the earthquake hit he went
to the camp where people were living and pretty much said ''it will be like a
nice little camp out'', not to mention the incident of him pretending to do
that woman from behind... Also his meeting with Barack Obama, the president of
the United States, Berlusconi described Barack Obama as "young, handsome,
and tanned". I'm sure that's not how you're supposed to act
as a political leader. So I would suggest the Italian citizens to abandon
Berlusconi and choose a total new political government or regime.
Tensions rose between Italy and its European Union partners over how to handle an influx of immigrants from North Africa, prompting the Italian interior minister to question the utility of the European Union. At a meeting in Luxembourg, European Union interior ministers said they would not recognize the temporary permits that Italy had said it planned to issue to scores of immigrants who have arrived since January. These permits were intended to allow them free travel within Europe. France and Germany rejected Italys plan. This made Italys interior minister, Roberto Maroni wonder if it makes sense to stay in the European Union.
My opinion
In this matter I must agree with France and Germany. Once the immigrants possess this permit, they can travel through Europe freely, without any kind of control system. Europe has to swallow already so much immigrants and it is very hard to keep track of everyone. With these permits this problem will only enlarge.
However I understand Italy as well. Since the begin of the riots in North African, they have had to manage an influx of immigrants. Of course it is very hard for Italy to provide first care and shelter from all of them. Imagine having to provide it on long term. So I agree that all those immigrants cant stay in Italy. So Europe will have the come up with a solution. Perhaps they can start by verifying whether none of the immigrants in Italian can return to his or her country. Of course I understand that this will not be possible in the majority of the cases. So if its not possible there has to be some kind of plan.A plan to divide the immigrants all over Europe. Then they can establish a permit. However this permit needs to be accompanied by some rules. These rules will make it possible to keep track of the whereabouts of the immigrants. They should not just go up in the air and become someone elses problem.
Nowadays Italy is a republic, this is because the Italian people voted against the monarchy in a referendum, this all happened in 1946. This was a consequence after the collapse of the fascist regime, the monarchy was questioned, especially because of the state of mind of the royal family at the time of the fascist regime of Mussolini. In 1948 a new constitution came in force presided by a new president of the republic. A president is elected for a term of office for seven years by a two-thirds majority of the Parliament sitting combined with 58 regional delegates. In a Italian political system you have bicameral parliament that consists of the senate and the chamber of deputies, the lower house in the Italian political. The members of the chamber of deputies are choosen by the citizens who are older than 18. In contrast with the senate were the electors need to be older than 25 years. A weirdness of the parliament is that there is given representations to Italian people living in a foreign country. The term of office of Deputies is five years, as well in the senate as in the chamber of deputies. The Italian politics are characterized by a lot of scandals, for example in the early nineties Tangentopoli scandal. It was such a big scandal that even Christian Democratic and the Socialist parties ceased to exist. This all leaded to some changes in the political scene, shifting the country from an unstable system of proportional representation to a more stable additional member system. And another change wasthe providing of a prize to the coalition which leads to the encouraging of the political parties to join one of two major coalitions namely a center-right or a center-left coalition. The juridical branch comprise the Constitutional Court and the Court of Cassation. The Constitutional court of Italy is consist of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the President, one-third elected by the Parliament, and one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative supreme courts. Both courts were involved with political scandals in the past like Tangentopoli scandal. Also Silvio Berlusconi is accused of corruption. So a lot of work needs to be done to reduce corruption and restore voter confidence.
My opinion:
I found it interesting that the political system is totally different of here in Belgium. I thought actually that in the most part of Europe it was the same system, but its the opposite. Off course the system raises some questions, if you see that theres so much corruption. I could not imagine that this would happen in Belgium, if this would happen here, the country would be in a total chaos and the people would stand up and manifest in the streets. And so far I remember there were some protest against Berlusconi, which I think is good but I think that the Italian citizens could do more. Maybe I know less about Italy, the policy, the government and its people to judge this article. Of course theres a long way to go because a lot of things should be changed in their system I think, like the fact that Italians who live in a foreign country can be elected for the chamber of deputies and the senate is wrong. These people dont live in Italy and in my opinion theres a need to be in touch with your countryby living there. You need to know what takes place in the citizens their minds. What I do know from the newspapers of Italy is mainly the scandals that Berlusconi has caused. I personally think that he is unprofessional and an embarrassment to an otherwise superb country. When the earthquake hit he went to the camp where people were living and pretty much said ''it will be like a nice little camp out'', not to mention the incident of him pretending to do that woman from behind... Also his meeting with Barack Obama, the president of the United States, Berlusconi described Barack Obama as "young, handsome, and tanned". I'm sure that's not how you're supposed to act as a political leader. So I would suggest the Italian citizens to abandon Berlusconi and choose a total new political government or regime.
All over Italy, women have demonstrated against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi but the demonstration was not intended to bring political changes. They were about the frustrations that the Italian have concerning the role that women have in Mr. Berlusconis Italy. They also have a deep pessimism about the future of the country because there will be a growing divide between the needs of the country and the concerns of the government. The demonstrators want a country where women can live in dignity and not a country where theres no capacity of growth because that is a country that goes backward.
Its a great initiative that several women organize a demonstration for more respect towards women. There are a lot of women all over the world who dont get the respect that they deserve just because of their gender. The sex scandal of Mr. Berlusconi and the way he treats women were the reasons for this demonstration. I think it is not done for a Prime Minister to have sex parties with escort girls. Berlusconi is also accused for having paid sex with Ruby, an underaged illegal fugitive from Morocco. After these incidents, Mr. Berlusconi also used his power as the Prime Minister of Italy, to get Ruby out of jail after she was arrested for theft. As the Prime Minister of a country, you have to stay neutral and you cant use your powers for personal profit. Thats what Berlusconi has done and I think its only fair that he has to come to court for his actions. I hope this sends a signal to all the people in the world that they have to show some more respect towards women and not to see them only as a toy. So, Hooray to the demonstrations for more respect towards women!
The article
is about the sex scandals of the prime minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi.
There were already a lot of rumours
associated with sex scandals in the past but the prime minister doesnt seem to
care about that. Berlusconi also laughed away his last sex scandal with a
17-year-old girl.
It seems that Berlusconi doesnt take count of the other, negative side of
those rumors because for the first time in his long and successful career, some
people doesnt agree with him anymore. A part of the people is turning their
backs against him and that group contains mostly women. People dont tolerate
the behavior of the prime minister anymore and there is a petition started on
the internet against him.
Berlusconi tries to prove his innocence by saying he never paid for sex in his
whole life. I personally think that this is a poor argument to prove youre
innocent.
I also think that people should go against the behavior of Silvio Berlusconi.
With people I mean not only women but also men.
What the rumors tell, doesnt testify a lot of respect towards women. A
minister should give the right example and should have a good behavior but
Berlusconi doesnt seem to care about that.
Besides, Berlusconi is an 74-old men, I dont think that a behavior like that
is suitable. I think that Berlusconi will lose a lot
of votes at the next elections, and I personally think thats fair.
Berlusconi does his job right and he is a great minister and a great leader but
his behavior outside politics is not acceptable. There are plenty of other good
candidates who want to be prime minister and who have a good attitude, inside
and outside politics.
I would like to come back to the latest sex scandal. Its forbidden to do
sexualactions with a minor. Berlusconi
just laughs that rumor away in staid of proving that he didnt do that. For me
its clear that Berlusconi had paid the girl for sex in that way. When you are
really innocent, you try to prove that the rumour is fault but you just dont
laugh about it. I think that Berlusconi should get a punishment and that the
rumors about his life should definitely be investigated to see if he also did
other thinks that are forbidden.
Greeces economy is in desperate trouble. This situation began several years ago and is caused because Greece couldnt pay its debts anymore. They thought that, when they joined the euro, all their problems would end, but however, they expanded. The first time Greece applied to enter the European Union, it was refused because its debts and inflation were to high. Greece lied about its figures to get in the European Union. The fault that Greece made, was that it borrowed money and used it to raise salaries instead of paying its enormous debts. Now, Greece is in a vicious circle.
Its a stupid thing that the Greek government did, borrowing money from the banks and other countries. I think that the money should have been used to pay its debts and not to raise the salaries or fund their pension system. This system is the most generous one in the world. That conflicts with their debts. Any intelligent person would first pay his debts and after that, spend his money on other things. It is also because Greece can pay its debts that several other countries in the European Union had financial problems. These countries lent money to Greece and because of that, they came into trouble themselves. I personally think that the E.U. didnt make its homework before they let Greece enter the Union. Otherwise, they would have discovered that Greece had financial problems and that they lied about their figures. In the future, there has to be an more profound research on the countries who want to enter the European Union so that problems like these wont take place anymore in the future. My conclusion for this is that I think its both the fault of Greece and the European Union that the financial problems of Greece arent solved yet.
Almost a year after it adopted sweeping austerity measures as a condition of an international rescue package, Greece has failed to get a grip on its public finances. This increases the fears that the country may have restructure its mountain of debt.
In 2010 the deficit of Greece was 10,65 per cent of gross domestic product. This deficit exceeds the 9,6 per cent target that was set last fall by the government and the European Commission.European finance ministers have sought to ease Greeces plight by extending the maturity period of its loans and agreeing to reduce the interest rate it has to pay. Portugal and Irelands deficits also exceededthe percentages set last fall. Spain was a good student, its deficit was slightly lower than forecasted.
My opinion
I believe that its a good thing, the support given to the countries in need by the European Commission and International Monetary Fund. The outer world sees Europe as one country, the good and the bad things. So it is positive to show that the other member states are very capable to help a brother in need. This fact also shows that only a few countries experience trouble and not the entire Union. This is particularly important to keep on attracting foreign investors to invest in our enterprises and economy.
Although I believe it was a good decision to help the member states in need, I believe that some rules should be attached to the given loan. For the repayments, duration of the loan and other conditions. This clearly was the case with Greece. However, now Greece could not live up to the agreement, there should be consequences, along with the measures to ease, proposed by the European finance ministers. Nevertheless these consequences should not get them into more debt. Perhaps they can draw up some agreement to pay a fine when the country has restored its economy. Al these fines will at last make a fund for economical emergencies. In the future this fund could serve to advance member states in financial or economic trouble. But in general it is my opinion that Europe has handled the economic crisis well. All of the countries survived, didnt they!?
The country Greece
has plans to build a gigantic wall along the border with Turkey to keep
immigrants out.The wall will
measure about 128 miles.
A Greek minister says that the wall is necessary because last year Brussels
had to send border guards to keep illegal immigrants out and that this is the
only solution to prevent such an immigrant crisis. Theres also mentioned that
the people who live in Greece dont want any more immigrants than presently.
There are some people who are partisans but there are also critics. They say
that the wall will be a symbol of division on several levels.
I personally think that there are already a lot of immigrants in Greece, but this
is not always a bad thing. There is however a certain limit, where it has to
stop. I understand that the people dont want any more immigrants because that
would take away the real culture and atmosphere of Greece. The amount of
immigrants should be limited because its not the intention to have more immigrants
than real Greece people.
However, I think that the idea of building a wall is a little bit exaggerated.
The critics are right, it will lead to division on several levels and I think a
lot of people wont be happy with that.
For example on the level of belief, some people will think that this is an
anti-Muslim-matter or a anti-Turkish-matter.
The number of illegal immigrants entering Greece from Turkey increased
five-fold so its clear that there have to come some measures and solutions in
Greece.
I think that a wall could lead to a Third World War, so building a wall is
definitely out of the question. I think the government of Greece has the
responsibility to take some good decisions. The government can for example take
more measures to prevent that illegal immigrants can enter Greece such as more
border controls.
The Greek tourism industry is anticipating a double-digit increase in foreign visitor arrivals this year, but the big wager remains whether this will translate into a corresponding rise in revenues capable of boosting the countrys GDP. Institute of Tourism Research and Forecasting (ITEP) chairman Prof. Dionyssis Hionis told ANA-MPA that a 4.5 percent increase in tourism revenue is forecast for 2011, representing a 1pct increase in GDP, with all that entails for a rise in employment, although it is still early to make specific predictions.
At this time, early bookings in hotels have posted a 3 percent increase over last year, although, he added, in the good years for Greek tourism early bookings approached 25 percent
Hionis also anticipated that the unrest in Egypt will also give a boost to the tourist wave to Greece, with tour operators already preparing for that.
Hellenic Hotels Federation president Andreas Andreadis also anticipated a substantial increase in tourist arrivals of a high single-digit or low double-digit percentage. He added that early bookings from Britain have marked a 7-9 percent increase over last year, while interest was also high from such countries as Russia, France and Italy.
Tourism bookings rise
Expedia on Monday sent optimistic messages over this years tourism trends in Greece, saying figures available, so far, for April, May and June are very encouraging, with significant reservations recorded for April and November. Speaking to reporters during a news conference, the international travel agencys officials in Athens said a government decision to lower Vat rates for hotels resulting in slightly reduced room prices has positively contributed to the attractiveness of Greek tourism.
Expedia said it would continue promoting Greece through news letters, its website and through online and offline marketing policies.
The travel agency said room reservations for Greek hotels, through special promotional offers, accounted for 43 percent of total reservations.
Specifically, package reservations for Greek islands were up by 50 percent in 2010, compared with last year, with visitors mainly coming from the US (36 percent), Italy, the UK, France and Germany.
Greek hotel room prices, booked through Expedia in 2010, were unchanged compared with 2009, although they fell slightly in the last quarter of the year, with this decline expected to be continued in 2011.
IN ISRAEL
Greek tourist destinations were promoted at the 17th International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) in Tel Aviv, Israel. The tourism trade fair took place between Feb. 8-9, offering fertile ground for the promotion of Greeces tourism market for Israeli tourists.
Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA) officials have also hinted at the possibility of greater tourism arrivals in the country due to the current turmoil in North Africa. Tourist arrivals from Israel posted an impressive 200-pct increase in 2010, corresponding to 250,000 tourism arrivals in Greece.
Summary:
This year Institute of Tourism Research and Forecasting (ITEP) anticipates that the tourism in Greece will increase because of a double-digit of foreign visitors. They estimate a 4,5 % increase of tourism revenues this year. This would be great for the Greek economy because the rising of4,5 % tourism income conforms to an expansion of 1 % in GDP and this lead to more occupation in this sector. Nowadays early booking hotels notice that there are 3 % more booking comparedto last year. But we may not be positive, because when the tourism was on their best in Greece, they obtained 25 % early bookings. Hionis also thinks that through the problems in Egypt the tourism in Greece will rise. Hellenic Hotels Federation president Andreas Andreadis says theresespecially interest from countries like Britain, Russia, France and Italy for the early bookings. If we look to the sales figures there are good expectations for the months April, May and June. This might be a consequence of the lower VAT rates on hotels and this had a positive influence to the appeal of the Greek tourism sector, because the price of the rooms declined and this trend will continue in 2011. At a trade fair in Israel, Greece promoted his country to the Israelites. In 2010 theyve noticed a dazzling growth of 200 % tourists from Israel who visited Greece.
My opinion:
Im glad that Greece will do better in 2011, because 2010 was a dramatic year for them due to the economical crisis, negative reports about the countrys debts and the effects of the Icelandic volcanic ash which affected flights in and out of the country.. Tourism has been one of the most important pillars of development for Greece, Ive heard that one in five persons living in Greece is directly or indirectly employed in the tourist sector.The improvement of visitors from foreign countries will give a major boost to the economy and to the people who have suffered under the consequences of an almost bankrupt Greece. For us, in Belgium its tempting to go on holiday to Greece because ofthe cheaper hotels, good weather and nice Mediterranean food. Certainly now the taxes on hotels are declined, I think this is a very good step of the government, it helps to attract people to visit the country and certainly those people whore sensitive to price changes. I find it good that they dont only aim their target on the European market but also on countries in Asia like Israel. If you see by doing some trade fairs in Israel leads to an increase of 200 % in one year! And this is corresponding to 250,000 tourism arrivals in Greece, if I would be the Greek government I would do more trade fairs in Israel and in the adjacent States. So they can exploit the tourism sector as much as possible. I do hope that in the interests of the Greek population and the European level of prosperity the tourism will do better in 2011 and gives us hope towards the future.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Irans most powerful economic, social and political institution, has moved aggressively after the contested 2009 presidential election to tighten its grip on society. The Guards where initially meant as an elite military force. But its broad mandate, to protect the revolution, has allowed it to reach far beyond its military capacity. Since the post-election protests, senior Guards officials have been moved into many important government positions. The Guards have taken over a majority share in the nations telecommunications monopoly. This takeover has amplified concerns in Iran over what some call the rise of pseudogovernment, prompting members of Parliament to begin an investigation into the deal. A private firm was excluded from the bidding one day before shares went on sale, and a company affiliated with the elite force won the bidding.
In my opinion the governments of any country should try to interfere as little as possible in its economy, because we believe in the principles of a competitive market situation. Of course for some markets, as public transport, it is vital that the government is involved. However if we examine the electricity market, lets say of Belgium, it becomes clear that because of the monopoly the prices rise, which is negative for the consumers. And Belgium is a developed country. The situation much worse in Iran, I believe. Its an unstable country where a lot of the economy is in the hands of the government. This makes it hard for civilians to become self-employed, or to get promoted or even just get a long term job. Their income is obviously irregular, doubtful and questionable. If they would earn more and with regularity, they can provide an education for their children, so they get better jobs and the chicken-and-egg situation turns to the positive. This way eventually the living standard will improve. Which can only be positive for the development of the country.
According to me it was wrong to prevent the private firm of bidding on a majority share in the nations telecommunications monopoly.Not just for Iran, but for any country. All interested persons should be given the opportunity to bid on their object of interest. If the Guards where so eager to own the majority share, they could have outbid the private firm.
This matter shows that Iran is not willing to improve, or at least some institution arent. Its government wants to stay in control of the economy. Its pity the Guards reacted this way, otherwise they could have send a positive signal to the outer world, to show improvement. Now they haven only confirmed what we already knew.
Iran: Arab Unrest Propels Iran as Saudi Influence Declines
Arab Unrest Propels Iran as Saudi Influence Declines
Summary of the article :
Because of the revolts in the Arabic world, Iran has strengthen their
position (they have send some warships through the Suez Canal it was the
first time since the revolution in 1979 they passed the Suez Canal and Egypts
new military leaders didnt stop them.) While Iran their position is strengthen, its
rival Saudi Arabia has became weaker. King Abdullah started a policy to head
of the unrest in the country by announcing new invests in welfare for the
people. But the main reason why there is unrest in Saudi Arabia that theyre
enclosed by the countries whore very unstable at the moment and also because
of the uprising of the Shiit majority while the leader is a Suni. Also the
partnership of Saudi Arabia with the United States, could lead to some
resistance of the people of course Iran could be the big winner in this
situates. Some people think that Saudi Arabia have to worry, that the region is
ripe for Iranian exploitation. And Iran has shown in the past that its capable
to take advantages of the regional instability.
Even though the circumstances can change for Iran, for instance when popular
political movements take the control. But the troubles in the Arabic world have
also removed the attention from Irans nuclear program and this leads to
disturbance of attentiveness of the international movements. Irans influence
grows each day, since 11th of September theyve beaten the Taliban
in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq this leads to a bigger force of
Iran. The country could also gain force through the growing assertiveness of
the Shiites. Shiites have been discriminated by the Sunnis; a good example is
Bahrain where 70% Shiites are discriminated by the Sunni rulers. Since last
week, they began a public protest where they ask for democracy. First the
government used lethal force to try to stop the opposition, and 7 people were
killed. Now the government wants to speak with the huge numbers of Protestants,
but they want that the government retrieves and the people also rejected the
Irans type of Islamic government.
But at the end the main question is, will Iran maintain to increase their
influence in the Arabic World or will another movement?
My opinion:
It seems clear to me that the Arabic world need to be reconstructed by a
government chosen by its people. Whether its a Shiit or a Suni, the people
need to vote for those ones who are representative for their country, whatever
the religion or origin is. But my opinion is also that Iran could form a treat
for the Arabic world. Its dangerous and frightening to see that one country
could dominate the thinking and actions of a part of the world. And I also
think that it is best for the Arabic world that big countries like the United
States dont interfere too much because this could lead to an anti Western
reaction of the people and this could lead to a positive reaction of the
citizens to radical movements (like Hezbollah, Hamaz, ). Thats why I think the
United States should only say something about the protection of the human
rights, not about how they should lead a country. So the transition of a new
policy could happen peaceful without any bad influences from the outside.
But I guess there are also treats from inside, Im concerned that the
discrimination could separate the citizens. Like here in Belgium, we have two
different parts Wallonia and Flanders, and my opinion is that its a little bit
comparable with the Shiites and Sunnis in Saudi Arabia. The population can come
along but the problem is that the leaders of the politic parties drift the two
races apart. And this leads to discomforts, disagreement, riots, that makes it
hard to lead or rule a country. So in this case I would recommend the people to
vote for a moderate, mixed government, were both races are representative. And
as far as Im concerned I think that if the people would vote for a moderate,
mixed government, were both races are representative that Iran would have no
shot to dominate and rule the Arabic World.
This
article is about the nuclear program of Iran. This nuclear plan is one of the
most important and alarming cases in the world in terms of nuclear weapons.
America and Europe believe that Iran is developing one or even more nuclear
weapons while Iran claims that their nuclear program has as main goal
generating electricity and also providing fuel. International inspectors have
said in May that Iran has enough nuclear fuel to make 2 nuclear weapons, what
is very alarming.
There have already been several attempts to engage Iran diplomatically but Iran
refused to cooperate every time.
I personally think that the nuclear plan of Iran contains the building nuclear
weapons. Iran is acting suspicious and they also refused several investigations
concerning their nuclear plan. Each time they refused to give the inspectors
the information that they need to examine their plan.
When they have nothing to hide, why dont they just cooperate?
Its necessary that the world pays attention to this matter, and goes against
this nuclear plan all together. Obama took already several attempts to
negotiate with Iran, and thats a good thing, but its important that all
countries do something like this. When every country takes measures like this,
the pressure on Iran is higher and so we can reach more in this way.
We have to stop Iran, because nuclear weapons are very dangerous and should not
be made in our world. Iran would have a lot of power when they are in
possession of nuclear weapons and we have to prevent that!
I dont understand why Iran is making this sort of bombs or weapons because you
cant reach a lot when you are fighting. When you have a goal and you want to
reach that goal, the best thing to do is talking and negotiating, not fighting.
Im really scared that this can lead to a World War 3, and that the rest of the
world wont have a chance against such powerful weapons.
Its clear to me, we have to prevent it and try to stop Iran and their nuclear
plan, before its too late.
The country Greece
has plans to build a gigantic wall along the border with Turkey to keep
immigrants out. The wall will
measure about 128 miles.
