News & Reports 2011-10-16

 Hello and Welcome to News and Reports on China Radio International.

 
In This Edition
 
G20 financial leaders expect the euro area to rely more on itself with bigger bailout fund to avoid contagion and restore confidence on financial markets.
 
The Occupy Movement protests spread around the world with mass demonstrations in Asian and European cities to demand a change to the world's political and financial systems.
 
A demonstration was held outside Iran's UN mission after allegations surfaced that Iran was behind a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador on U.S. soil.
 
Rescue workers reinforce makeshift walls and sandbags around Bangkok as Thailand's capital suffers the worst flood of the past five decades.
 
 
Hot Issue Reports
 
G20 Agree to Maintain Economic Stability
French Finance Minister Francois Baroin says the group of 20 rich and emerging nations would act to maintain economic stability and restore confidence on financial markets.
 
He made the remarks after a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Paris.
 
"We have adopted strong measures in order to obtain economic stability and restore confidence and sustain growth. We will propose to the heads of state a concrete and ambitious plan of action prepared by Canada and India where all the countries will be involved. It was important to stress that we agree to conduct co-ordinated policies including short term measures and medium and long term prospects in some industrialised states that need to sustain growth and global demand."
 
The world's leading economies are keeping pressure firmly on Europe to sort out its debt crisis with that sense of urgency reflected in a communique at the end of the meeting.
 
The statement calls for further work to maximize the capacity of the current European bailout fund in order to address contagion of the debt crisis.
 
But efforts by some countries to increase the IMF's war chest to fight the crisis ran into resistance from the United States and others.
 
The make or break moment in the two-year-old crisis that has spread far beyond starting point Greece could come at a summit of EU leaders next weekend.
 
The French finance minister said leaders at the summit will agree "decisive" measures to tackle the eurozone debt crisis.
 
Occupy Movement Hits London
Meanwhile, thousands of protesters marched in European cities on Saturday as part of a global protest to demand a change to the world's political and financial systems.
 
Police in Rome fired tear gas to disperse protestors who smashed bank and shop windows. Protests were also held in London, Frankfurt, Athens and Madrid, where the protest movement began five months ago.
 
In London, protestors rallied around the financial center to voice what they called government-backed corporate greed.
Our London correspondent Tu Yun reports.
 
The movement started on Wall Street, New York. Now it comes to the Stock Exchange in London.
 
Demonstrators are challenging the country's financial system and the way the government is dealing with the financial crisis, which the demonstrators say were caused by the greed of the one percent rich people.
 
A protester, who would only identify herself as Annie, says she's lost everything in a way when housing market crashed.
 
"The value of my house bottomed down and never recovered. I'm 45 years old and I have to start my life over again. I lost everything, thanks to the bankers. I've had enough of this."
 
Britain's undergoing deep spending cuts totaling more than 80 billion pounds, affecting thousands of households. But the failed banks are getting bailout worth hundreds of billions.
 
Protesters say the public is sold out.
 
"If we re-introduce the Tobin tax at 0.05%, that would raise at least 100 billion pounds year. That's enough to wipe off the government deficit within two years. We don't need any public spending cuts. What we need is social justice."
 
Demonstrators have been trying to approach and set up a protest camp in the square that's home to the London Stock Exchange. But all the entries are blocked by the police.
 
Some protesters say they will stay for as long as possible.
 
"Our revolution starts somewhere. People have to come out on the streets, and talk, and make their voices heard. We can't just sit at home and take it anymore."
 
Smaller demonstrations have taken place in other cities across the country, including Manchester, Birmingham, and Edinburgh.
 
For CRI, I'm Tu Yun reporting from London.
 
Anti-capitalism Movement Spreads to Asia
The Occupy Movement protests have spread from the US to Asia with anti-capitalism demonstrations held in Seoul, Hong Kong and Manila.
 
The message of the Occupy Wall Street movement is resonating in the Asian cities, where protesters say the rich-poor gap is widening due to economic policies.
 
In South Korea's capital Seoul, dozens of protesters gathered in front of the country's Financial Advisory Service to express their solidarity with the Occupy movement.
 
The protesters urged the government to enact policies that support victims of what they called "greedy" financial institutions.
 
40-year-old Ahn Jin-geol is one of the protesters.
 
"Governments and financial markets are plundering the people and making the lives of people harder. We're here to band together with citizens of the world and urge the government to withdraw its policies supporting rich conglomerates, big banks, and financial speculators."
 
In Hong Kong, around 200 protesters gathered outside the stock exchange in the heart of the financial district.
 
One activist named Tom Grundy said the staggering rich-poor gap in Hong Kong is one example of the flawed global financial system.
 
"Hong Kong, it seems, is microcosm for what is happening around the world in that we're heavily reliant on the financial sector here and yet at the same time, and it's no coincidence, we have amongst the biggest rich, poor gaps in the world."
 
In Manila, dozens of activists marched to the U.S. Embassy in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
 
The protesters were prevented by local authorities from approaching the embassy gates.
 
They held placards and streamers, expressing support for the growing Occupy Wall Street movement, and echoed the U.S. protesters' disdain for the global financial system.
 
Occupy Wall Street, a movement which was started last July, has spread across the U.S., with meet-ups being posted in social networking sites to condemn economic inequalities and widespread poverty.
 
Pro-Gaddhafi Forces & NTC Battle on the Streets of Tripoli
A gun battle has taken place between hundreds of revolutionary soldiers and Moammar Gaddhafi loyalists in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.
 
The confrontation was the first of its kind in more than two months.
 
It began when a group of loyalists carrying the green flag that symbolizes the ousted leader's regime appeared on the streets of Tripoli's Abu Salim neighborhood, which houses the notorious prison of the same name.
 
Ahmed Alkigly is a revolutionary fighter.
 
"The fighters came from all over Tripoli and they arrested two from the pro-Gaddhafi faction. The rest of them escaped."
 
A fighter from the Zintan brigade said several Gadhafi supporters apparently planned a protest but drew fire because they were armed. The pro-Gadhafi forces then fled and were pursued by revolutionary forces, prompting fierce street battles.
 
Latest reports say a total of 15 supporters of Gaddafi were arrested following the exchange of gunfire.
 
Abu Salim prison has been a symbolic area for Gaddafi supporters. In September, over 1,200 bodies of prisoners were discovered in the area. They were considered to have been killed by Gaddafi's forces in the 1996 Abu Salim massacre.
 
The violence in the capital, which has been relatively calm since the then-rebels seized control in late August, underscored the difficulty Libya's new rulers face in restoring order as Gaddhafi remains on the run.
 
Meanwhile, in Sirte, revolutionary soldiers also met with strong resistance from the loyalist fighters, reportedly as a result of Gaddafi's latest incitement of reprisal on a foreign radio.
 
Sirte, hometown of Libya's decades-long ruler, is now one of a couple of Gaddafi forces redoubts in the country, the other being Bani Walid.
 
Anti-Iran Group Protests Iran's Alleged Plot to Kill Saudi Ambassador to US
An anti-Iran group has performed a mock-stoning of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad outside Iran's UN mission after allegations surfaced that Iran was behind a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador on U.S. soil.
 
The group members threw shoes and fake stones at a giant puppet that resembled the Iranian leader.
 
Chris DeVito, the Outreach Director for Iran 180, the group behind the event, explained the group's motives.
 
"We're here today because we are outraged like most Americans are at the discovery of this plot to attack the Saudi ambassador here on American soil. We're here because this is one of the only places, the only place in the United States where Iran has a diplomatic presence."
 
US authorities said on Tuesday that they had broken up a plot by two men linked to Iran's security agencies to kill Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir in Washington. One was arrested last month while the other was believed to be in Iran.
 
Salvage Crews Pump Oil from Stranded Ship
New Zealand salvage crews are racing against time to pump fuel from the container ship Rena, which is stuck on Astrolabe Reef near the city of Tauranga.
 
Bad weather is forecast for early next week, raising the likelihood that the ship will break up and release more fuel into the ocean.
 
Large cracks have opened up on both sides of the ship's hull and there have been concerns the ship's stern may break away.
 
It's been 11 days since the ship hit the reef, and salvage workers were fitting platforms on the side of the ship to enable them to have a level workspace.
 
It is believed there are still more than 1,300 tonnes of oil on board the ship while about 330 tonnes have leaked into the ocean.
 
Bruce Anderson, manager of the salvage operation, says authorities are trying to monitor the environmental damage caused by the oil leak.
 
"They've been able to open up the man hole in five ports, and then they've been able to start testing whether that's a safe environment."
 
On shore, nearly 1,000 dead birds have been recovered and a wildlife facility is caring for 110 injured birds.
 
Around 3,000 volunteers are on their hands and knees, meticulously cleaning beaches.
 
The ship's captain has already been charged with operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk.
 
The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail.
 
Italian PM Wins Confidence Vote
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has survived a confidence vote in Parliament, with his narrow majority triggering concerns about ineffective governance amid Italy's economic crisis.
 
Berlusconi's conservatives won in a 316-301 vote in Parliament's lower house.
 
Berlusconi has been weakened by sex scandals and criticized for his handling of the Italian economy.
 
He has been facing repeated calls for his resignation from his political rivals, labor unions and parts of the business community.
 
Gianfranco Rotondi, a member of Berlusconi's ruling coalition, said the confidence vote has better positioned the government to tackle the country's problems.
 
"These have been difficult years, and we trust we will finish the legislation mandate completing the part of the program which fits the current needs of the country. It seems to me that the parliament is aware of this, although the numbers could be very narrow."
 
But Jean-Leonard Touadi, a member of the opposition Democratic Party, said he did not believe the vote was a "success" for Berlusconi.
 
"We have very huge, very huge number of problems, economic problems, problems of financial stability, that we cannot afford with a government looking for a vote every day to pass these agreements."
 
Three ratings agencies have downgraded Italy's public debt, citing the country's political gridlock and low growth prospects as key reasons.
 
Italy is under pressure to come up with growth-promoting measures to avert being dragged into Europe's widening sovereign debt crisis.
 
Bangkok Businesses Remain Open Despite Rising Flood Waters
Rescue workers have reinforced makeshift walls and sandbags around Bangkok as Thailand's capital suffers the worst flood of the past five decades.
 
Bangkok residents are struggling to maintain a semblance of normalcy in their daily lives.
 
A market selling amulets remained open despite the floods, but shop owners say they are counting their losses.
 
Duangkampa Tanchareon, a shop owner, said business must continue despite several warnings.
 
"It is necessary to keep doing my business. I don't know what else to do. But inside it is all flooded, there is a lot of damage."
 
Business has slowed down, as city residents become more focused on hunkering down for a possible emergency.
 
"The economy is bad, I couldn't sell much anyway. Usually I earn at least 3,000 Baht or 97 US dollars, but nowadays I earn less than a thousand. I'm already in a lot of trouble."
 
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has sought to reassure Bangkok's 12 million people that they should largely evacuate ahead of floods that have covered a third of the country since July, killing at least 289 people and causing about $3 billion in damage.
 
Yemen Protesters Urge UN Resolution on Saleh's Departure
Thousands of protesters have rallied in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, where they have called on the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution backing a Gulf-brokered initiative for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to hand over power.
 
Protester Najeeb Abdulla voiced their demands.
 
"We call upon the international community to issue international sanctions against President Saleh and his sons and those with him, and freeze their money, and send his file to the International Criminal Court, because Ali Abdullah Saleh does not understand. If he understood any other language, he would have stepped down or resigned long ago".
 
Diplomats said Britain has been drafting a resolution on Yemen in consultation with France and the United States to present to the UN Security Council.
 
A U.N. special envoy left Yemen earlier this month after a fruitless two weeks trying to mediate between Saleh's government and the opposition.
 
Clashes between security forces siding with protesters and soldiers loyal to Saleh killed more than 100 people a month ago, but have all but abated as all sides await moves by the Security Council.
 
Protesters first took to the streets in January to demand reforms and an end to Saleh's grip on power in the impoverished country.
 
The Security Council issued a statement on Yemen in late June voicing "grave concern" and supported mediation efforts by Gulf countries.
 
Shanghai Masters
At the Shanghai Masters, third seed David Ferrer came from a set down on Saturday to defeat fellow Spaniard, while British Andy Murrey easily passed Japanese Kei Nishikori. From Shanghai, Yunfeng reports.
 
On central court, David Ferrer had a lovely victory. Apparently he was more eager to win the game as he started powerfully giving good serves and returned serve quite well.
 
Although having a sluggish beginning, Feliciano Lopez answered Ferrer with excellent serves. The two went to tie break into he first set, with Lopez being a little bit luckier to win.
 
But the Valencia resident didn't give any more chance to the No. 28-ranked Lopez as he defeated the left-hander in two hours and 11 minutes. The final score 6-7, 6-3, 6-3.
 
In his previous two matches the Spaniard beat Juan Carlos Ferrero and edged Andy Roddick. Ferrer good performances this week have earned him the fifth spot at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London next month.
 
In another semifinal game, Andy Murray overpowered Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-0 in under an hour.
 
Murray is meeting David Ferrer in the Shanghai Masters final.
 
Murray has beaten Ferrer twice this year. One in last week's semifinals of the Japan Open in Tokyo and the other in the semifinals of the Australian Open in January.
 
The fourth-ranked Murray has now won 24 of his last 25 matches and is vying to win his third tournament in as many weeks.
 
For CRI this is Yunfeng.
 
China Daily: Invest in Education to Secure the Futureinuous Learning, the Key to Education
 
Ningshaan, an impoverished county in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has put the country's richer regions to shame with its spending on free education.
 
Its revenue was only 30 million yuan or less than $5 million US dollars last year. The money was nothing compared with the country's top 100 counties, each of which had an annual income of dozens of billion yuan on average.
 
But the poor county has spent nearly 40 percent of its tiny revenue on free 15-year education, covering kindergarten to senior middle school.
 
By doing so, Ningshaan became the first among the country's hundreds of poverty-stricken counties to offer this kind of free education.
 
An editorial in the China Daily effusively praised the policy and said the county has set a good example for the whole country, especially economically developed regions.
 
The newspaper notes that two years ago some lawmakers proposed that China should expand its compulsory education from the current 9 years to 12 years.
 
But the Ministry of Education responded by saying it wouldn't consider putting the extension on its agenda for the time being.
 
The editorial says now it's time for the government to spend more money on education as better and longer education is an essential part of a citizen's social welfare.
 
It further points out that rural education should be given particular attention as children there have lagged far behind their urban counterparts for years.
 
The newspaper warns that the gap between urban and rural regions will widen if the government does't invest heavily in rural education.
 
It urged the government to take the bold steps to secure the future because a well-educated nation will bring about long-term economic and social benefits.
 
The newspaper concludes by saying if a poor county can do it, then surely the nation can.
 
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Effective Management Urged for Outdoor Activities
 
Fourteen hikers were found earlier this week, having been missing for about two weeks on a mountain in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. Their disappearance had prompted intensive search-and-rescue efforts by local authorities.
 
The hikers have made a casual apology for the trouble they had caused.
 
The incident has caused a great deal of debate in the Chinese media about the management of the country's emerging adventure activities.
 
A commentary in the Beijing Times says it's inappropriate for the adventurers to waste public resources in their rescue.
The article notes that the hikers had deliberately shunned supervision by local authorities when they began the adventurous hiking trip.
 
Unfortunately, their thrill-seeking activities resulted in the search-and-rescue mobilization of hundreds of people and the deep anxiety of their families.
 
The newspaper says the incident should serve as a warning for the country's adventurers to better prepare and coordinate their activities and keep other people's wellbeing in mind.
 
In recent years, adventure activities have been emerging in China along with the burgeoning middle class. Most of the expeditions are organized on a volunteer basis via the Internet but with no effective supervision.
 
Last December, one policeman died while looking for 18 missing college students, who made an adventurous trip up Huangshan Mountain of the eastern Anhui Province.
 
The Beijing Times says now it's necessary for the government to impose effective management on adventurers' activities.
The newspaper echoes China Daily, saying authorities should firstly draw up detailed rules supervising and regulating outdoor activities.
 
Meanwhile, all adventure activities should be reported to relevant authorities so they can check the qualifications and equipment of participants before approving the activity.
 
In addition to this, the two newspapers propose the establishment of professional commercial rescue service to alleviate the burden on state-owned rescue service when incidents happen.
 
In conclusion, the newspapers say that while people can enjoy their adventures they must not waste public rescue resources and put the lives of others at risk.