Europe
Rich should pay more tax – Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg, the leader of Britain’s junior coalition party and deputy prime minister, has suggested in an interview with the Guardian newspaper that the rich should be asked to pay more tax for a limited period. He said that “to remain cohesive and prosperous as a society” those of “very considerable” wealth should contribute more, saying that greater fairness was part of a “longer economic war”. Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin, whose party is in coalition with Mr Clegg’s, accused him of promoting “the politics of envy” and suggesting “most rich people are contributing far more in tax than other people”. The top 10% of people in Britain pay over half the tax. In his interview, Mr Clegg also hinted at a return to a cabinet post for former Treasury minister David Laws, who resigned just days after the coalition government was formed after admitting he used parliamentary expenses to pay his partner’s rent.
Lufthansa cabin staff to strike
Cabin crew at German airline Lufthansa are to go on strike, possibly as early as Thursday, after wage talks collapsed this week. “We’ll strike tomorrow at the earliest”, said Nicoley Baublies, head of the UFO labour union. The union and the airline have often clashed over the past year over working hours and the challenge from low-cost airlines, which are a factor in Lufthansa’s current difficulties: the loss-making airline has said it will cut 3,500 jobs. The union is seeking a pay rise of 5% for cabin staff for 15 months starting from January this year, after three years of no increases. Shares in the airline fell 1.8% on Wednesday morning trading in Frankfurt.
North America
Hurricane Isaac approaches New Orleans
Thousands of people have fled the US city of New Orleans, Louisiana, as Hurricane Isaac makes its slow approach. Isaac will hit New Orleans exactly seven years after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but it is a much less powerful storm, and the city is now much better protected. New Orleans has closed its new floodgates, which should help protect it from high waters brought by sustained winds of up to 80mph. Isaac has so far killed at least 24 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and has caused significant flooding and damage across the Caribbean. It forced a day’s delay to the start of the Republican party’s congress in Tampa, Florida.
Latin America
Three-person civil union prompts outcry in Brazil
Public Notary Claudia do Nascimento Domingues has accepted a civil union between three people in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, provoking expressions of anger from religious groups and one lawyer to describe it as “absurd and totally illegal”. Ms Domingues said the man and two women should be entitled to family rights and that there is nothing in law to prevent such an arrangement. The three individuals have lived in Rio de Janeiro together for three years and share bills and other expenses via a joint bank account. Ms Domingues said “we are only recognising what has always existed… what we considered a family before isn’t necessarily what we would consider a family today.”
Work to resume on Brazil’s Belo Monte dam
Work will resume on a multi-billion dollar dam project in the Amazon after Brazil’s Supreme Court overturned a previous decision to halt construction. Two weeks ago, a regional federal court had ordered to cessation of construction work, saying local indigenous people hadn’t been properly consulted. If completed, the hydro-electric dam would be the world’s third-largest. The project was approved by the Brazilian Congress in 2005 and has been heavily criticised by environmental campaigners, but the government says it will make Brazil more energy self-sufficient, especially in the Amazon region, which is heavily reliant on fossil fuels.
Middle East and Africa
Archbishop Tutu refuses platform with Tony Blair over Iraq
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has pulled out of a leadership summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, because he refuses to share a platform with Tony Blair. The veteran peace campaigner said Mr Blair’s support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq was “morally indefensible” and it would be “inappropriate” to appear alongside him. Mr Blair’s office said he was “sorry” for the Archbishop’s decision. Other speakers due to appear at the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit include chess grandmaster and Russian opposition politician Garry Kasparov, and former Tesco CEO Sir Terry Leahy.
Assad: military “needs time to win battle”
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said in an interview with pro-government al-Dunya TV that his troops need more time to “win the battle” against rebel forces. He also dismissed as “unrealistic” the idea of creating humanitarian buffer zones within Syria. Opposition activists say the army has launched new offensives across the country to retake control of rebel-held areas, with heavy shelling reported yesterday in Damascus, Aleppo, and the north-western province of Idlib. “The situation on the ground is better now,” said Mr Assad, “but the conclusion is not there yet. That needs some time.”
Asia and Russia
Indian court convicts 32 over Gujarat killings
A court in India has convicted 32 people for involvement in the 2002 religious riots in Gujarat state. The court acquitted 29 others in the case known as the Naroda Patiya massacre. Among those convicted were former minister Maya Kodnani and Babu Bajrangi, a former leader of the militant Hindu group Bajrang Dal. A total of 95 people were killed in the rioting on 28 February 2002 in the Naroda Patiya area of Ahmedabad city. The incident was part of a massive outbreak of religious violence across the country in which 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed. The riots were sparked by the deaths of 60 Hindu pilgrims in a train fire, which Muslims were blamed for starting.
About the Author
