The Star Online: World Updates
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- Several killed in central Nigeria religious violence
- Italy's brightest look abroad for opportunity
- Syria faces Arab sanctions deadline over monitors
| Several killed in central Nigeria religious violence Posted: 24 Nov 2011 03:20 PM PST JOS, Nigeria (Reuters) - Several people were killed in religious violence in central Nigeria Thursday, prompting the military to impose a 24-hour curfew in one region at the border between the West African country's mostly Muslim north and largely Christian south. Christian and Muslim gangs fighting over ownership of cattle and fertile farmland clashed in Barkin Ladi, an area in the central city of Jos, the capital of Plateau state. Witnesses said they counted at least 10 dead bodies. "The STF (Special Task Force) has imposed 24 hour curfew in Barkin Ladi. No movement to and out of the council. Lives have been lost. House have been burnt. We don't know how many casualties but the loss is enormous," said Charles Ekeocha, spokesman for the STF in Jos, capital of Plateau state. Nigeria has a roughly equal Christian-Muslim population and more than 200 ethnic groups live side by side, largely peacefully, but violence flares up in Plateau and other parts of the "Middle Belt" from time to time. Violence in Plateau can quickly escalate into a series of tit-for-tat attacks. More than 50 people were killed inside a week in September, and hundreds died there early this year. The tensions are rooted in fierce competition for local political power and control of fertile farmland, and local government policies have done little to calm them. The unrest is an unwelcome challenge for President Goodluck Jonathan, who is already dealing with near-daily attacks in the northeast by the Islamist sect Boko Haram. (Reporting by Shuabu Mohammed; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Tim Pearce) Copyright © 2011 Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. | ||
| Italy's brightest look abroad for opportunity Posted: 24 Nov 2011 03:19 PM PST ROME (Reuters) - After working as an unpaid intern for 18 months in Italy, Massimo Fantini decided to try his chances abroad. Within five years he had a good job in a major multinational, had bought a house and had got married. "If I had stayed in Italy, none of this would have been possible," said Fantini, speaking by telephone from New York. "When I talk to my friends who stayed behind, I can hear their frustration. They are losing their energy and their dreams. That is the worst thing you can do to someone," added the 34-year-old accountant. Fantini is one of a growing number of highly qualified young Italians who feel forced to take their skills elsewhere because of the economic turmoil, bureaucratic red tape and deep-seated cultural constraints that weigh on their ageing country. The problem has become so acute that the Italian parliament has passed legislation trying to entice the emigrants to return, but newly installed Prime Minister Mario Monti will have to go much further with the reforms if he hopes to halt the exodus. Italy has a long tradition of emigration, with an estimated 25 million Italians searching work abroad between 1876-1970. Whereas in the past, it was mainly the unskilled and uneducated who packed their bags, now it is well-trained graduates. Although there are no official statistics specifically on university leavers, Italian business lobby Confimpreseitalia estimated in a recent report that 120,000 young Italians moved abroad in 2008/09, 70 percent of whom were graduates. Sergio Nava, a journalist who has written a book and blog tracking what he terms the "la fuga dei talenti" (the flight of the talented), believes the economic crisis that has engulfed Italy in recent months has only made matters worse. "Italy is a country dominated by old men. They give work to people they know and trust, rather than to those with the best qualifications. It is a nightmare for young people," he said. "This is bringing Italy to its knees," he added. NOT MUCH WORK, EVEN LESS PAY Italy has far fewer graduates than most EU countries, with just 19.8 percent of Italians aged between 30 and 34 holding a degree against an EU average of 33.6 percent, according to the European Union statistics office, Eurostat. And yet, Italy had the highest number of jobless graduates for more than six months (58 percent), while average monthly pay for those lucky enough to find work was put at just 1,078 euros ($1,535) in 2009 by AlmaLaurea, a higher education jobs service. By contrast, the average starting salary for graduates in the United States that year was $4,042 (2,610.10 pounds) and $2,800 in Britain. To make matter worse, Italian firms invariably offer graduates a string of short-term, or "precarious" contracts, reserving the perks and job protection for older workers. The lack of work, low pay and shaky contracts means that nearly a third of Italians in their early 30s still live at home with mamma and papa -- a figure that has tripled since 1983 and forced people to delay starting families. "If I went back to Italy I would have to give up most of my independence," said Fantini, who co-founded an association to help other Italian professionals moving to New York. "Do our leaders, who are all in their 60s or older, understand that? Can they put themselves in our shoes?" Monti, 68, was sworn into office on November 16 by Italy's 86-year-old president, Giorgio Napolitano. The average age of his cabinet of technocrats, tasked with digging the country out of a gathering debt crisis, is 63. Calling the young one of Italy's "great wasted resources," Monti promised to free up the economy and reform closed-door guilds - 28 professional bodies that guard their long-standing privileges ferociously, making it hard for bright youngsters to get ahead in a broad range of jobs. ATTACKING THE CARTELS Various governments have tried to take on these wealthy lobbies in the past and have almost always failed, to the despair of graduates who complain that the cartels foster rampant nepotism while strangling competition in key sectors. "Some great talent is leaving Italy because of its medieval approach to hiring people. It is not what you have done, but who you know, or who you have slept with," said Alessandro Capata, a Rome academic actively seeking work abroad. "If you want to work in a supermarket you can find a job. But if you want to be an architect, a dentist or a journalist then you will really struggle. It is a feudal system." Berlusconi had promised to tackle the problem, but Stefano Saglia, the undersecretary for economic development in his administration, acknowledged that little headway was made. "Certainly someone needs to have the courage to carry out a reform," he told Reuters. "Politicians are always frightened of protest ... but perhaps a government of technocrats will have more success because they aren't running after every vote." Saglia co-sponsored a rare cross-party bill in 2010 which offered tax breaks to Italians under 40 who were living abroad to try and lure them home. There is no sign that the measure is having an impact, and all the while Italy is losing out. A study by the Italian Competition Institute estimates Italy lost four billion euros over the past 20 years in terms of revenues from patents that expatriate Italian scientists filed abroad. The Confimpreseitalia business group estimates that Italy's brain drain had cost the country 5.9 billion euros. While graduate emigration is not unique to Italy, the Organisation for Economic Coordination and Development, says very few educated foreigners want to come here, despite the fine weather and great food. In a 2001 survey, it said that only 57,515 graduates from OECD countries worked in Italy, while 395,229 Italians with tertiary education had moved abroad. However, Nava, who has a weekly show on Radio 24 where he interviews Italian expatriates, is convinced that the flows could be reversed, if the government acted decisively. "Many of the people I talk to want to come back. They see that the country is in great difficulty and that there isn't much time to sort things out. But before they return, Italy will have to become a more attractive place to live," he said. (Editing by Giles Elgood) Copyright © 2011 Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. | ||
| Syria faces Arab sanctions deadline over monitors Posted: 24 Nov 2011 03:17 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria faces a Friday deadline to sign an Arab deal allowing monitors into the country or incur sanctions over its crackdown on protests including halting flights, curbing trade and stopping deals with the central bank.
Arab foreign ministers warned in Cairo that unless Syria agreed to let the monitors in to assess progress of an Arab League plan to end eight months of bloodshed, officials would consider imposing sanctions on Saturday. Under a November 2 Arab League initiative, Syria agreed to withdraw troops from urban centres, release political prisoners, start a dialogue with the opposition and allow monitors and international media into the country. Since then hundreds of people, including civilians, security forces and army deserters, have been killed as the unrest which the United Nations says has claimed at least 3,500 lives since March continued unabated. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based opposition group, said at least 47 people were killed in Syria on Thursday, including 16 soldiers and 17 army deserters, mostly around the rebellious city of Homs and near the town of Rastan to the north. The violence has prompted former ally Turkey to bluntly tell President Bashar al-Assad to step down and led France to propose "humanitarian corridors" in Syria to help transport medicines or other supplies to civilians in need. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said he would discuss the idea with the Arab League but a source at the 22-member body said the proposal was not brought up at the Cairo meeting. "In the case that Syria does not sign the protocol ... or that it later violates the commitments that it entails, and does not stop the killing or does not release the detainees ... (Arab League officials) will meet on Saturday to consider sanctions on Syria," the Arab ministers said in a statement. They said possible sanctions, which were not intended to affect ordinary Syrians, included suspending flights to Syria, stopping dealings with the central bank, freezing Syrian government bank accounts and halting financial dealings. They could also decide to stop commercial trade with the Syrian government "with the exception of strategic commodities so as not to impact the Syrian people," the statement said. Syria's economy is already reeling from the eight months of unrest, aggravated by U.S. and European sanctions on oil exports and several state businesses. "HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS" After months in which the international community has seemed determined to avoid direct entanglement in a core Middle East country, the diplomatic consensus seems to be changing. The Arab League suspended Syria's membership two weeks ago, while this week the prime minister of neighbouring Turkey - a NATO member with the military wherewithal to mount a cross-border operation - told Assad to quit and said he should be mindful of the fate of fallen dictators such as Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Libya's deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi. France became the first major power to seek international intervention in Syria when it called for "humanitarian corridors" in Syria to alleviate civilian suffering. A Western diplomatic source said the French plan, with or without approval from Damascus, could link Syrian civilian centres to the frontiers of Turkey and Lebanon, to the Mediterranean coast or to an airport. Its aim would enable transport of humanitarian supplies or medicines to a population that is suffering. Juppe insisted the plan fell short of a military intervention, but acknowledged that humanitarian convoys would need armed protection. "There are two possible ways: That the international community, Arab League and the United Nations can get the regime to allow these humanitarian corridors," he told French radio. "But if that isn't the case we'd have to look at other solutions ... with international observers." Asked if humanitarian convoys would need military protection, he said: "Of course... by international observers, but there is no question of military intervention in Syria." "MOST DANGEROUS PHASE" The Syrian Observatory said 15 army deserters were killed in clashes with the military west of Rastan and in raids by security forces. Eleven military and security personnel were killed by army deserters in the city of Houla, it said. Alongside the mainly peaceful protests, armed insurgents have increasingly attacked military targets in recent weeks. State media have reported the funerals of 34 soldiers and police in the last four days. Since the outbreak of the uprising officials have blamed armed groups for the violence and say 1,100 members of the security forces have been killed. "The Syrian crisis may or may not have entered its final phase, but it undoubtedly has entered its most dangerous one to date," the International Crisis Group said. "Many in Syria and abroad are now banking on the regime's imminent collapse and wagering that all then will be for the better. That is a luxury and optimism they cannot afford." Washington repeated an appeal on Wednesday for U.S. citizens to leave Syria: "The U.S. Embassy continues to urge U.S. citizens in Syria to depart immediately while commercial transportation is available," the embassy said on its website. Assad, 46, seems prepared to fight it out, playing on fears of a sectarian war if Syria's complex ethno-sectarian mosaic shatters and relying on support of senior officials and the military to suppress the protests, inspired by Arab uprisings which toppled the leaders of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen. However many experts say Assad, who can depend mainly on the loyalty of two elite units dominated by his Alawite minority community, cannot maintain current military operations without cracks emerging in the mainly Sunni Muslim army. (Additional reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis in Amman, Dina Zayed, Marwa Awad and Ayman Samir in Cairo, John Irish in Paris; Editing by Jon Hemming) Copyright © 2011 Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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