Web 2.0 Summit 2010: Battle Ground for Facebook and Google

Article first published as Web 2.0 Summit 2010: Battle Ground for Facebook and Google on Blogcritics.

Two web titans Google and Facebook must be preparing their rank and file to head on with their rivals. Rivalry seems to be increasing between Google and Facebook for the domination in commercial internet. Amassing millions of users on the internet the two giants are going to present their new plans in Web 2.0 summit 2010, to be held at Palace Hotel in San Francisco for three days from November 15 to 17.

Titans’ Rivalry

Rivalry developed between Goggle’s search engine and social networking service giant Facebook, as they pursued to attract more number of users claiming information monopoly. It is actually a natural development when the market is limited. But, monopolies always prevent competition, making users deprive of new inventions at cheap costs.

While Google is famous for its instant search results, Facebook became famous in social networking handing several tools for users to interact among themselves. Google introduced a new phase to its search engine offering previews of the sites on the search results page itself. It looks crazy when it is known that many users of Facebook are clinging to their PCs even during their sleep in a bid of updating their conservations on Facebook whenever they get up from sleep. Facebook became an obsession to many younger users.

Google introduced “Google Wave” to make available all of its services on a single platform, but failed, as several such services already occupied the internet space. Eventually, Google had to withdraw from promoting Google Wave further. Official announce was made by Google a few months ago to that effect. Now, Google and Facebook are planning to cross their conventional platforms to win more space in commercial internet.

Google intends to enter social networking arena while Facebook plans to start its own email service dubbed as Gmail-killer within Facebook ranks, as reported by the Reuters news agency, quoting Techcrunch blog. Facebook may also provide “@facebook.com” email addresses to existing Facebook users. Last week, Google began blocking a Facebook feature that automatically imports Gmail contacts to Facebook site. Google says Facebook is not allowing its users to import and export of their information.

Why Google is Left Unpunished?

Article first published as Why Google is Left Unpunished? on Blogcritics.

Google is allowed to simply walk away from the confinement of legal system, though it is repeatedly proved by the European and North American countries that it has infringed upon the privacy laws enacted in their countries. Google’s street view project has come under scrutiny from data protection agencies of several countries since the German data commissioner asked Google last year to audit all the data being collected by Street View cars.

Google’s Revelation

Google then revealed that it had discovered the Street View cars were collecting data of personal details from unsecured networks along with the location of wi-fi hotspots. Google has made an unnamed engineer a scapegoat while accepting the mistake it has done. It simply said a code written by an engineer was mistakenly incorporated into the software of the Street View cars.

The question remains here that how Google thinks it is legal to collect the data pertaining to locations of wi-fi hotspots. Are people having wi-fi connections, which are unsecured, meant to be exploited for having unsecured connections? If a house owner forgets to lock his house, and if a theft occurs, will it mean the thief is not supposed to face punishment? Google is only supposed to map the streets but not wi-fi hotspots.

Purposeful Violation

British conservative MP Robert Halfon rejected this as a mistake and alleged that the Google had done the mistake purposefully and it had collected the data for commercial use. This was denied by Google, without giving details of why the collected data was redirected to be stored on hard disks. It seems Google has a policy of not talking too much. Nobody wants it to talk much but it has to talk when its actions are proved to be detrimental to the privacy and human rights of the internet users.

G20 Seoul Summit Delivers Fake Commitments Once Again

Article first published as G20 Seoul Summit Delivers Fake Commitments Once Again on Blogcritics.

G20 summit held in Seoul on November 11 and 12 has failed to reach a concrete agreement to address the rising fears of currency war. It has also failed to bring out guidelines for curbing trade imbalances as envisaged by the world countries amid discouraging conditions of multi-speed growths for various economies. Fifth communique issued by the G20 countries since the financial and economic crisis broke out in 2008, has repeated its rhetoric of addressing concerns of the most vulnerable, providing social protection, decent work and also ensuring accelerated growth in low income countries (or Least Developed Countries).

Jobs at Heart of Recovery!

The communique said the G20 countries were determined to put jobs at the heart of the recovery which is just a big lie. The leaders of the developed countries and the emerging market economies (EMEs) are not ashamed even a bit to give this empty commitment, where at least 100 million have been stripped of their jobs and 120 million have been pushed into hunger afresh after the unprecedented, worst global economic crisis since the great depression has been unleashed by the greedy global financial conglomerates.

There have not been serious attempts to create jobs throughout the world, instead the jobs are lost every day by the austerity measures in European Union countries and jobless growth in the US. Number of economists and analysts along with Nobel laureate Paul Krugman, have dubbed the growth that we are witnessing as “jobless growth.”

Crisis Contributors

BBC news has quoted Obama as saying there should be no controversy about fixing imbalances “that helped to contribute to the crisis that we just went through.” Obama must have lost his senses or have suffered from short term dementia, let us say. Otherwise, G20’s first communique after the financial crisis, and even subsequent communiqués have acknowledged that the financial conglomerates and their risky, greedy financial business practices have created the worst crisis. There was not a mention of trade imbalances contributing the crisis in G20 communiqués, yet Mr. Obama dared to spell it. If Obama likes to fix imbalances, that is well and good, but this type of miscalculations only contribute to rising trade tensions.

Manmohan Singh Dances to Obama’s Tune in G20 Conference at Seoul

Article first published as Manmohan Singh Dances to Obama’s Tune in G20 Conference at Seoul on Technorati.

The Prime Minister of India has proved that so-called Manmohanamics is nothing but making India subservient to the interests of the western imperialist countries, particularly to those of the US on an international forum, G20. During his speech in G20 conference held at Seoul, South Korea on November 11 and 12, he danced to the tune of the US President Obama on the issue of current account deficits being faced by the US. He gave chorus to the US’ song deviating himself from his colleagues of emerging market economies.

CAD vs. CAS

Manmohan said in the G20 conference, “Major industrialized countries were running unsustainable current account deficits which have to be reduced to manageable levels.” Up to this point, no one needs to object. He then added, “If this is not to have a contractionary impact on the world economy, it must be offset by reducing current account surpluses elsewhere. This rebalancing requires pursuit of appropriately coordinated policies in our countries.” And, there he was, referring to his neighboring developing country, China.

So, Indian prime minister was telling that in order to reduce the trade deficit and hence the current account deficit of the US, China has to reduce its trade surplus and hence of course, its CAD. He is suggesting the China and apparently other surplus countries have to take appropriate measures like coordinated policies, to reduce their surpluses so that deficit countries may be prospered and reduce their trade deficits. That’s what he called rebalancing. Isn’t this the one vigorously being proposed by the US president Obama and its treasury secretary Timothy Geithner? Yes, it is.

Manmohan vs. Montek Singh

Whether Manmohan was aware of it or not, his market economy oriented friend and the Vice Chairman of India’s Planning Commission said on the sidelines of the G20 summit on November 11, "The real issue is given that it is a problem, how do we coordinate policy? I don't think you should be too demanding ... because such policy coordination has never been attempted before."

Brazil Enters Currency War

With announcement of second stimulus dubbed as QE2 of $600 billion by the US’ Federal Reserve, Brazil’s entry into the so-called currency war, the term coined by the IMF director Dominique Strauss Khan. Brazil is the first country to criticize the move by the Federal Reserve, which stated that the second stimulus was aimed to stimulate the slowing GDP growth. It said it would implement the package over next eight years through buying government bonds.

Competitive Advantage

But, Brazil sees the Fed’s move as a step to devalue the Dollar to inflate the competitive advantage of the US’ exports over others. Brazil’s concern is that the money injected into the US’ economy would flow to the emerging market economies (EMEs) seeking higher returns, thereby pushing their currency values that would result into reducing the competitive advantage of exports from the EMEs.

China Cautious

China reacted cautiously on November 5 saying that it would not go on record for or against the Fed’s move, but said the debate highlighted the need for reforming the international financial system. It added it can understand the US concern of slow growth. Chinese central bank officials met regularly with their Fed counterparts, and the Americans gave detailed explanations for the monetary changes, the central bank chief Zhou Xiaochuan said on Friday.

Is Yemeni Girl Student Victim of Terrorist Bomb Plot?

Article first published as Is Yemeni Girl Student Victim of Terrorist Bomb Plot? on Blogcritics.

Arrest of Yemeni girl student aged in her early twenties sparked outrage among Yemeni student community. They believe the girl student was made a scapegoat in the plot. They protested against the arrest of the student and her mother in Sanaa University campus where the student, identified as Hanan Al-Samawi, is pursuing her 5-year engineering degree.

The accusation of Hanan’s colleagues that the she was made scapegoat seems credible for the following reasons.

1. Yemeni authorities said the student was a medical student, whereas the student is actually an engineering student in Sanaa University in Yemeni capital Sana’a.
2. Yemen police arrested the student after tracing through her telephone number left with Cargo Company. It is highly impossible that any bomb plotter would leave his/ her telephone number and ID cart when he/she sending bombs abroad with a view to blow up the aircraft in the air. It is quite illogical.
3. The neighbors of the students house in a poor area stated that the family is pious but never appeared that they could be a part of a terror plot.
4. Colleagues of the student say Hanan is not known to be a participant of any religious or political activities.
5. Though the cargo planes originated from Yemen, they stopped at more than one stops before reaching U.K. and Dubai where the bombs were uncovered.
6. Investigators are still attempting to retrace the routes of the cargo planes, which mean the originating points of the bomb plot are not credibly established.

Google’s Evil Intentions Become Visible as UK MPs Grill

Article first published as Google’s Evil Intentions Become Visible as U.K. MPs Grill on Blogcritics.

Google’s explanation about its wi-fi data collection that it collected erroneously the emails and passwords has been rejected by the UK MPs, during a two-hour parliamentary debate on privacy. Google has always maintained that the personal data in error because of code being mistakenly included in the street view software. This statement itself demonstrates that Google is not ready to accept what it has done.

Privacy Debate

That is why a Conservative MP Robert Halfon has stated, "I find it hard to believe that a company with the creative genius and originality of Google could map the personal wi-fi details, computer passwords and e-mail addresses of millions of people across the world and not know what it was doing." It is impossible to believe that Google did not know what it was doing, given Google’s leadership in cyber technology. It is pretending innocence to escape the consequences of its wrong doing.

Robert added, “My own feeling is that this data was of use to Google for commercial purposes and that is why it was done.” Yes, Robert was true about Google’s intentions. It has everything to with commercial interests. There could be more than that also, given the accusations from some quarters that CIA and Google are secretly related on intelligence issues, though the facts are yet to be established.

Google’s Denial

Google has a long history of denying the facts of its evil intentions. Google accepts its market leadership in communication technology but pretends innocence when it is confronted with the facts of its intentions over cyber dominance, that too through illegal methods.

India Succumbs to US Pressure, Accedes CSC Pact for Nuclear Liability

This article has appeared first on Technorati.com

As Obama visit to India is approaching, attempts to dilute nuclear damage liability bill passed by the Indian parliament are speeded up from the US side. India signed on October 27 an international treaty on civil nuclear liability under pressure from the US.

Domestic Law

Indian Parliament approved recently in August ‘nuclear damage liability bill’ with both ruling and opposition parties taking a unified stand supporting it. Though initial draft did not envisage any liability on suppliers of nuclear material and equipment, the final bill placed liability on suppliers too. However, there are several intermediary conditions to bring into effect the liability on the supplier countries or firms, while the bill places immediate liability of $320 million on the operator country i.e. India.

Imperial US

The US companies are averse to paying liabilities even though they supply substandard and damaged material and equipment due to which nuclear damages may occur. They fear that they will be forced to pay compensation as the US pressured BP to pay a whopping $32 billion for its oil spill in Gulf of Mexico. During deliberations between the ruling and opposition parties regarding passage of nuclear damage liability bill, the US companies lobbied heavily not to place any liability obligations on supplier countries, particularly the US and Japan. But the pressures did not work, as the Indian people were outraged against Bhopal gas leak judgment.

At the same time, the world witnessed two disastrous accidents on which the whole world has its attention, on what the outcome would be. One was the biggest ever oil spill in American history, in the offshore American west coast in Gulf of Mexico. The other one was that thirteen Chilean miners were not yet rescued from a collapsed mine whose videos and photos were published on every media on daily basis.

Germany’s Immigration Dilemma

Germany has been skeptical of its immigration policy recently as per the statement of the Chancellor Angela Merkel. She said, “Germany’s attempts to create multicultural society have failed.” One of her party colleagues said, “Multikulti is dead.” A board member of the German central bank Thilo Sarrazin went too far by saying, “Muslims have become burden to the German society.” He alleged that no immigrant group other than Muslims was so strongly connected with claims on the welfare state and crime. Interestingly, he received widespread support after his statement, and his book on the same subject received good readership.

Germany Chancellor said that her government needed skilled people to keep the German economy’s growth pace faster. At the same time, she cautioned against unskilled people as they come to Germany for social benefits. While Angela’s invitation to skilled people was economically oriented, her rejection of unskilled people was socially oriented. Maybe the Chancellor has to understand that the economic prizes are always associated with social costs in unequally developed societies. Inviting economic fruits but denying social costs is something equal to rejecting that a coin has two sides.

Urgent Need

A leading German demographer Reiner Klinghoiz, director of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, said Germany desperately needed immigrants and it should ease restrictions on immigration to provide the skilled workers, from engineers to computer experts to ensure the future economic success, as per Reuters. He informed that immigration to German had come to a virtual halt in the last two years.

Though Germany has three million unemployed, Mr Klinghoiz said Germany could not wait ten years for those on unemployment to become trained engineers. Klinghoiz said further that Germany had an annual influx of 200,000 immigrants but in the last two years had seen a net exodus of 15,000. Restrictions like language tests had stopped migrations from Turkey almost completely, he added. German Chamber of Industry and Commerce was quoted as saying Germany lacked about 400,000 skilled workers and it sought more immigration. (Here is a useful link)

Kudos to Arundhati, You are a Ray of Hope!

Article first published as Kudos to Arundhati, You are a Ray of Hope! on Technorati

Arundhati Roy deserves Kudos. She deserves accolades for her brave statement defying Indian state’s warning that she would face criminal charges, for her support to the national aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Arundhati Roy, a booker prizewinner, had been actively supporting social movements of the poor, ever since she came to limelight after winning booker prize in 1997.

Arundhati Roy and a leader of the Kashmir movement Syed Ali Shah Geelani were threatened with facing a case of sedition by the Delhi Police with support from Union Home Ministry. The legal opinion sought by the Union Home Minister favored registering a case against them under Section 124-A of Indian Penal Code that states, “whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the State” can be sentenced to five year rigorous imprisonment.

Arundhati Roy spoke at a seminar on “Azadi (independence) – The Only Way” along with S A S Geelani and pro-Maoist writer Varavara Rao held on October 21 in Delhi. She said in her speech, “Kashmir has never been part of India.” She was true when her statement was taken in terms of the wishes of the people in Kashmir.

If not, why Shaik Abdullah was kept in jail for 17 years for asking the Nehru Government to implement its promise of ‘plebiscite’? Why the people of Kashmir had continuously been on warpath against Indian Government? Why the police, para-military and military forces had continuously been stationed in Kashmir? Why hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri youth had been killed by the Army since the eruption of freedom struggle in 1989? Why even women including housewives, students and employees are coming to streets to shout “Go India, go back”?

Defense Ties May Deepen During Obama Visit to India

Article first published as Currency War to the Fore in G20 Ministerial Meeting on Blogcritics.

The US President Barack Obama is visiting India in second week of November. He is bringing several business people along with him while coming to India. Along with lobbying for contracts of billions of dollars, Mr. Obama has aimed at convincing India to be its strategic military partner in the region to secure its interests.

Relations

The relations between India and the US have only been speeded up since 1990 when USSR, the cold war alley for India, collapsed and India began opening up of its market to foreign MNCs, under the stewardship of the then Finance Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. The improvement of relations acquired faster pace in BJP’s coalition government except a brief period of sanctions regime after India’s 1998 nuclear tests under BJP rule, which was lifted in late 2001, maybe partly as a result of September 11 attacks. And that pace increased further in Congress’ coalition government.

Strategic Partnership

The Strategic Partnership Agreement was reached between India and the US in March 2000 while Bill Clinton was in office. The raising presence of China militarily as well as economically and somewhat, though not on full scale, economic resurgence of Russia necessitated then for the US to take the relations with India to the top level. The US needs a reliable partner that too a strategic partner, in the region to counterweight the increasingly assertive China.

After two devastating wars of Bush administration, this necessity was multiplied in terms of the interests of the US. America's new relationship with India has come as a broad security, political, technological, and economic arrangement on par with America's relationship with Europe or NATO. The US was even talking about sharing roles in joint space missions. The ex-president of the US, Bush and his first secretary of state, Collin Powel have once talked, back in 2004, of India’s common interests in securing their positions in sea lanes from the Persian Gulf to Malacca Islands. India has already been patrolling with its navy.

India Malaria Deaths Underreported –The Lancet

Article first published as India Malaria Deaths Underreported on Blogcritics.

British medical journal The Lancet published a report on Thursday, October 21, 2010, that concluded WHO estimates of malaria deaths in India are hugely underestimated. It said WHO numbers are misleadingly low. According to the World Health Organization, about 15,000 die of malaria (5,000 early child hood and 10,000 thereafter) die each year in India. Whereas the survey funded by the US National Institutes of Health, Canadian Institute of Health Research and Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute put the figure at as high as 205,000 each higher, nearly 13 times more estimates than that of ‘WHO.‘

Deaths at Home

The Lancet said most deaths in rural India take place at home rather than at health centers. So, it argues, most cases are undiagnosed due to absence of health personnel. The cases of malarial deaths reported by Indian government are centered primarily in a few states, called high-malaria states; Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and the states in the northeast India.

Malaria deaths in India are prevalent in tribal areas due to unavailability of health care facilities. With no lab test facilities and meager if not nil transport facilities force the tribal people remain at home leaving them untested for malaria fever. They get treatment from uncertified rural medical practitioners who offer general treatment for every fever case.

Andhra Pradesh Case

Andhra Pradesh, one of the four southern states is considered one of the wealth states in India. Five years back, the opposition leader and the leader of regional political party TDP, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, toured tribal areas in North and Central Andhra regions and brought to light how the tribal people villages were reeling under the wave of malaria fever that left unattended until then. A local vernacular daily “Andhra Jyothi” also published several reports of malaria deaths in interior regions that were left unreported.

India's Supreme Court Lashes Out at Government Wastage of Grain

Article first published as India's Supreme Court Lashes Out at Government Wastage of Grain on Technorati.

Supreme Court once again came heavily upon the attitude of the government towards wastage of grains outside the government warehouses even as millions of people are reeling under hunger and poverty. The court asked the central government to ensure no more waste of food grains and all the targeted beneficiaries are adequately supplied.

Court vs. Govt.

 

Justice Dalveer Bhandari, hearing the Public Interest Litigation filed by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), asked the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Prasaran, attending for the government, not to go by percentage regarding wastage of grain when Parasaran said the wastage was only 0.07 lakhs but not 0.7 lakhs. He also said he had figures for two states, Punjab & Haryana, viz. 67,539 tonnes almost ten times to that of national figure projected by the government. Even 7,000 tonnes wastage was huge that cannot be allowed, the other judge in the bench Justice Depak Verma added.

It may be recalled that the Supreme Court had asked the government for distribution of the grain kept outside the warehouses due to lack of space, to the poor as it was getting decayed. The agricultural minister Sharad Powar responded orally it was not possible, but agreed to look into the matter. The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went further saying the courts couldn’t interfere in the policy decisions of the government, a comment refused by the apex court telling it did not ask their opinion and it only asked them to deal properly with the question of hungry poor and wastage of grain.

Welfare State System at Stake in European Austerity Measures

Article first published as Welfare State System at Stake in European Austerity Measures on Blogcritics.

As a result of austerity measures, proposed as part of the bailout package offered by the IMF and European Union, the workers throughout the European Countries are increasingly joining in strike actions. Ever since the Greece debt crisis surfaced, the European governments as well as financial analysts and economists talked and wrote about the need of maintaining fiscal discipline and reducing deficits and debts. The IMF has been the one that is pressurizing the European nations, particularly the countries under monitory union to implement austerity measures like spending cuts, jobs cuts and tax increases.

Greece to Hungary

When George Papandreou’s new socialist government came to power in Greece and revealed that the Greece’s budget deficit was actually 12.7 (again modified to 13.6 percent by Eurostat in April) percent of GDP, more than twice the previously published figure by the previous government, the market began to panic. Doubts rose whether Greece could meet its debt commitments in time.

The problem was aggravated with the top three credit rating agencies –Fitch, Moody’s and S&P- went on to threaten investors by downgrading sovereign debt ratings of Greece, Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Hungary. By the end of April 2010, Greece’s government debt was downgraded to junk status. Weather the actual situation led to downgrading or downgrading prepared the ground for the so-called fiscal discipline measures remains a matter of concern.

Meanwhile a sense of urgency of fiscal consolidation was instilled through print, audio and visual media into the minds of the people. The markets and the people were so prepared by the frequent media news and analyses that everyone from common person to top investors began to believe that some drastic measures were inevitable.

Aid (Debt) Package

The run up for the announcement of the joint aid package by the EU and IMF for Greece as well as the Euro Zone was a big fiasco that equaled the stage plays scripted by the great “Bard of Avon.” Greece Prime Minister Papandreou repeatedly requested for a guarantee from the EU to prevent the rising sovereign debt costs. On one hand, Germany hesitated to announce any package; the reason said was that it feared it would have to bear major part of the aid package and that it would have to face severe opposition from its people. On the other hand, bond yields demanded by the investors to invest in Greece debt, peaked to more than 22 percent (on 2-year note) at one point.

Curious Case of Mobile Phones Lifting Poverty

Article first published as Curious Case of Mobile Phones Lifting Poverty on Technorati.

Last year a cinema was released in Hollywood named, “A curious case of Benjamin Button” that won nomination for Oscar awards. It tells the story of Benjamin Button, who starts aging backward. He takes birth as an old man and dies as an infant. One can understand that such things are only possible in movies. It is quite unnatural. Winning nomination for best picture category is another surprise.

Yesterday, on October 14, a UN study revealed a curious case of Cell phones. It said mobile phone could improve the livelihoods of poorest people in developing countries. UNCTAD, United Nations Conference on Trade And Development said in its information economy report “Mobiles have spawned a wealth of micro-enterprises, offering work to people with little education and few resources.” It advised Governments to monitor how poor people were using mobile phones and design policies to build on that.

This is a curious case of mobile phones lifting poverty instead of policies of the government that enable poor to have honorable employment. The UNCTAD’s suggestion is somewhat like tail wagging the dog. Mobile phones are no doubt a revolutionary invention that enables people to get information faster than before.

But, what information is shared by poor people through mobile phones? Small business people can order products and get them next day. Previously land phone did the same job. Transport facilities in the poorest areas of the least developed countries have not yet been developed as pointed out by the same report. And, the small business people are not poorest people, and they are placed above poverty line in developing and LDC nations.

Currency War between China and the West

Article first published as Currency War between China and the West on Blogcritics.

“Currency War” is the term coined by the IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Khan during the annual meetings of IMF and WB in Washington, D.C that began on October 8. The meetings will be concluded on October 10. Mr. Strauss Khan latter backed down from his comment saying “war was probably too strong a word.”

Tensions on Rise

Tensions have been rising over China’s Yuan policy ever since the US President depicted China as “currency manipulator,” during his earlier days in office. Western countries along with some emerging economies are of the view that China is deliberately manipulating Yuan’s value not allowing it to appreciate. They opine, China is following various means to keep Yuan value low, like buying dollars and other forex currencies, pegging it to the dollar etc… IMF managing director also shares this view and called several times on China to allow Yuan to appreciate to correct global economic and trade imbalances.

Not Fair

Lower Yuan value is making Chinese products more competitive in the global trade, due to which China is able to amass trade surplus in hundreds of billions of dollars, according to the developed economies. China disagrees with the west’s contention and says that it is not responsible for the problems faced by the Western countries. China says the developed countries have many problems created by themselves that require immediate attention. It is not fair for the west to attack Chinese Yuan Policy without reforming their financial regulatory laws, due to which the western states are not in a position to control the “too-big-to-fail” (or “too-important-to-fail” according to the IMF) financial conglomerates, China says.

Australian Envoy Tries to Downplay Racial Email Scandal

Article first published as Australian Envoy Tries to Downplay Racial Email Scandal on Blogcritics.
 

     It is another manifestation of racism, rampant in Australia. Racial attacks on Indian students have been recorded high in number in Melbourne, Victoria of Australia for last two to three years. Indian students studying in Melbourne are also high in number as compared with other cities in Australia. So, Victoria police are expected to be more sensitive towards racial issue that has been haunting the state. But, the Victorian police have proved otherwise.

Email Scandal

     Top Victorian Police officials are caught in a sting operation conducted by an Australian newspaper “the Herald Sun,” joking about a video that showed an Indian passenger travelling on the roof a train being electrocuted when he was contacted with high-tension wire. The video was circulated by Victorian police officers joking, “It could be a way to fix Melbourne’s Indian student problem.”

     The NDTV news web site reported on October 9, 2010 that some of the highest rankings officers had been implicated in the scandal that also involved pornographic material. At least fifteen officers will be dealt with disciplinary hearing in the coming weeks, Herald Sun report was quoted as saying by the NDTV news. The emails probed by Ethical Standards Department’s Operation Barrot contain pornographic, homophobic, racist and violent material.

Downplaying

     After the Australian High Commissioner to India, Peter Varghese, was handed a demarche by the Indian foreign ministry on Saturday, he condemned the incident as “offensive and unacceptable.” But, he went on to say that the incident involved two police officers, neither of them were senior police officers. He added that he did not think we should tar the entire Victorian police with the action of two police officers.

Has Unfair Downgrading by Rating Agencies Exaggerated Europe Debt Crisis?

Article first published as Has Unfair Downgrading by Rating Agencies Exaggerated Europe Debt Crisis? on Blogcritics.

The IMF expressed concerns over high vulnerability of sovereign balance sheets to growth shocks, releasing its semi-annual “Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR)” today, September 5, 2010. The report said the recent sovereign debt crisis in Europe highlighted increased vulnerabilities of banks and sovereign balance sheets emanating from the Euro crisis. Though mature economies are transitioning from temporary support to self-sustaining private demand, the policy makers must stick with fiscal tightening and regulations unless private demand becomes more self-sustainable.

The IMF is still not ready to advocate the withdrawal of fiscal support, (termed nicely as “temporary support” in the report) unless the “still-impaired financial sector” is proven to be out of risk from its toxic mortgage debt assets. Until then Fiscal tightening measures have to be continued, and of course, without caring for working class people’s protests and agitations, at the cost of budget spending for the people.

Government Role in Recovery
 

The IMF report acknowledged the role of the governments in recovery from the financial crisis. It said in its report, “To a large extent, the apparently modest capital needs of U.S. banks reflect the large scale of government-sponsored enterprises and other government interventions without which those needs would have been substantially higher. This highlights the extent to which risk has been transferred from private to public balance sheets, as well as the need to address the burden placed on public institutions.”

Even as recognizing this, the IMF looks for self-sustaining private demand where private demand is still based on temporary support from the government. The governments need to interfere where private firms that are “too-important-to-fail,” (referring “too big to fail”) fail to deliver, but private firms do not come to rescue the government from the difficulties of maintaining fiscal discipline and from lacking funds for social welfare measures. Even then, the governments are inclined to resort to spending cuts, withdrawal of welfare measures, wage freezes, benefit cuts and so on.

CWG Village Threatened with Used Condoms

Until now, the Commonwealth Games organizers have faced criticism for shortcomings in arrangements made at the venues of CWG and Athletes’ village. Now the blame turns to the athletes who complained on quality of arrangements in Athletes’ village for another reason.

Somehow, the Indian authorities could regain the tarnished image with the amazing cultural performance on the inaugural day, but it remains to be seen how they are going to resolve the problem of clogged drains.

Clogged Drains

Now the authorities are facing somewhat a peculiar problem. The village has been provided with at least 8,000 free condoms to prevent unwanted infections. Four thousand condoms are said to be picked up already, within four days of the beginning of the event. The problem is not about scarcity of condoms but with used condoms.

The used condoms are flushed in the toilets into the drains choking the drainage system in the village. The CWG authorities are happy that the condoms are being used, but worried that they are not able to find an easy way to clear the clogged drains.

Accolades

Once the games are begun the organizers won applauds for winning race against time in making quick arrangements. The army built the collapsed foot over bridge within four days. Inaugural session concluded with everyone’s satisfaction. Indian athletes are performing well placing India at the second place in medals tally.

No Berlusconi Day in Italy

No Berlusconi day was observed in Italy on 2nd October 2010. The people were angry over the corruption scandals erupted recently. Thousands of protestors marched across Italy to express their denial of the leadership of their Prime Minister Berlusconi.

Italian Prime Minister was accused of subverting justice system in his favor. No-B day was observed once last year on December 5, 2009 protesting against sexual scandals unleashed to an extent that his wife Veronica declared she was giving divorce to her husband.

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