Russians Begin Voting in Parliamentary Elections
Voters Russia are casting ballots in parliamentary elections that are expected to favor Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party.
Polling stations opened starting in the Russia's far east.
The voting Sunday comes amid claims of campaign fraud and unprecedented intimidation of observers.
Members of Russia's only independent election monitoring group say their leader Lilya Shibanova was detained for 12 hours Saturday at a Moscow airport.
Customs officials held the Golos monitoring group leader at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport after she refused to hand over her laptop to security officers who said they wanted to inspect the computer for illegal software. Shibanova was released after she handed over the computer.
She told reporters in St. Petersburg Saturday she feared that her organization would not be allowed to properly monitor the elections.
“From my point of view, there is one major threat. The threat is that tomorrow (December 4) we start to do our job and do our best to do our program (of monitoring the elections) and then we hear in the morning that they don't let us in (the polling stations).
But the group says it is determined to go to the polls Sunday.
The airport detention is just the latest incident of intimidation of Golos in the run-up to the elections. On Friday, a Moscow court fined the monitoring group about $1,000 for compiling election law violations and posting them online. Golos, has nearly 5,000 complaints of alleged violations that it has received via text message, e-mail and telephone. Friday night, state-run television aired a program attacking the group.
Golos public relations manager Dmitry Merezhko told VOA that the group will protest the court decision, but not until it is done monitoring the vote.
He said Golos has recently received more public support in response to the media coverage.
The last polling places are scheduled to close at 1700 hours GMT.
Iraqi PM Confirms Assassination Attempt
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has confirmed that a car bomb explosion inside of Baghdad's fortified Green Zone last Monday was an assassination attempt against him.
In a Saturday interview with the Associated Press, Mr. Maliki said preliminary information indicated the blast was supposed to take place as he entered parliament.
Iraqi security officials said Friday the bomber intended to drive his vehicle filled with explosives to a parking lot near the parliament building and detonate the explosives when Mr. Maliki arrived.
However, officials at a checkpoint turned back the driver because he did not have proper credentials. He then detonated explosives, killing at least one person and wounding several others.
The blast took place at a time of heightened concern about Baghdad's ability to handle security after U.S. forces withdraw at the end of the month. Meanwhile, some of the last troops to leave Iraq are back on U.S. soil. On Saturday, loved ones greeted the soldiers as they returned to Fort Hood, Texas.
In violence Saturday, three people were killed in two separate incidents in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Two people were shot dead when unidentified gunmen broke into their house in southern Mosul, while the third person died in the western part of the city.
Islamists, Secularists Protest Outside Tunisian Parliament
Thousands of Tunisian Islamists and secularists gathered near the parliament building in the capital, Tunis, Saturday in rival protests.
Separated by barriers and police, the two sides shouted slogans and waved flags outside the Bardo Palace where a new constitution is being drawn by lawmakers.
The latest round of protests was sparked when a group of hardline Islamists occupied a university campus near the capital earlier this week to demand segregation of sexes in class and for female students to wear a full-face veil.
The moderate Islamist Ennahda party dominates Tunisia's new 217-member assembly, taking the largest number of seats in the country's first democratic polls on October 23. The secular Congress for the Republic placed second with 30 seats and the Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties – or Ettakatol – came in third with 21 seats.
Some secularists say the Islamists want to concentrate all the power in the hands of the prime minister from Ennahda party, which will lead the new coalition government.
The vote, which came nine months after protesters ousted longtime president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, was widely considered free and fair and sparked similar uprisings across the Arab world.
The assembly held its historic opening session last month.
Fire rages on Nassau Bahamas
Firefighters are at this hour working to put out a blaze that has been raging on Bay Street for the past several hours.
So far, the historic Pompey Museum has been destroyed, as has the building west of it, which housed The Balcony nightclub.The fire has jumped across the street to the sourthern of bay street and is now burning in the roof of the building just behind the British American Financial Center.
RTC will have more later on that story.
TCIG and the Civil Service Association discusses Critical Issues
TCIG ‘s negotiating team met with the Civil Service Association (CSA) this morning to discuss the issues that have led to recent strike action by Public Servants.
The CSA outlined their current position on the issues that were previously tabled. However, the meeting was focused on three specific issues which the CSA considered to be critical to its members and both parties agreed to move forward in a positive manner on these issues.
The current financial situation of the TCIG was outlined by its Finance Team, and a number of details were shared with the CSA, with some further data to follow. The difficulty that the Government faces in considering any cost increases before the end of the 2012/2013 financial year end, was outlined.
The CSA made two specific proposals in relation to the three issues discussed and, having been armed with the relevant additional financial and human resource information, will now document the proposals in more detail before sending them to TCIG by Monday 5th December 2011. The TCIG negotiating team agreed to give serious consideration to those proposals, and will endeavor to respond in the week commencing 12th December 2011.
Both parties agreed that the meeting had been very useful and that they would continue to discuss the issues in good faith. The CSA will continue work with the Office of Public Service Management within the coming week to address critical human resource issues.
The TCIG team agreed to see whether it would be possible for the CSA to meet the Governor and/or DfID Minister Alan Duncan early next week.
The CSA confirmed after the meeting that there would not be a strike on Tuesday 6 December.
DDME marks the end of the Huricane Season in the TCI
The Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) marks the official end of the Atlantic Hurricane Season by reminding the Residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) of how blest we were that there were no lives lost, as where there is life there is hope. Though the TCI was threatened on several occasions the territory was impacted Hurricane Irene which resulted in significant flooding across the country but primarily on Providenciales. A number of lessons were learnt from TCIG’s response activities and have subsequently been reviewed for implementation by the beginning of the next Hurricane Season.
The DDME would like to high the team of TCIG professionals that will be participating in the Caribbean Comprehensive Disaster Management Conference in Trinidad and Tobago December 5th-9th. Also represented will be the defending champion TCI Youth Parliament Debaters that will be competing against a regional team selected by a process of elimination. We wish all those participants good luck in representing the TCI.
The DDME encourages all residents of the TCI to continue to remember the importance of being prepared as hazardous events can occur anytime of the year as was noted by the Haiti Earthquake occurring in January.
UN Grim on World Economic Prospects for 2012
United Nations economists have sharply cut their projections for world growth and warned that 2012 will be key to whether the global economy makes a slow recovery or falls back into recession.
In their report, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2012, U.N. economists forecast very low growth, warning that developed economies are on the brink of a downward spiral because of four factors: sovereign debt distress, fragile banking sectors, weak aggregate demand and policy paralysis.
The U.N.’s director of development and policy analysis, Rob Vos, warns the world could be facing a new economic downturn.
“We are at the brink of possible new recession," he said. "Though our baseline still assumes that the global economy may, as we call it in the report, 'muddle through' in the next two years, in the sense that maybe the sovereign debt crisis in Europe can be contained to some extent and also the problems in the U.S. economy will not worsen by much more. But that means that we are still in problems, in the sense that economic growth is very meager, it has slowed down already this year from the recovery we have seen in 2010.”
The International Monetary Fund has recommended fiscal austerity measures to ease the global economic crisis, but the U.N. Assistant Chief for Economic Development, Jomo Kwame Sundaram, cautioned against this approach.
“This turn toward fiscal austerity has exacerbated the downturn throughout the world," said Sundaram. "It is unlikely, of course, that a reversal will have an immediate effect all around, but there is a strong case to be made for further fiscal actions in the near term in order to create the conditions for stronger recovery.”
Sundaram said without collective action on recovery the situation could deteriorate further, especially in Europe where the debt crisis is spreading.
The U.N. recommends strengthening the European Financial Stabilization Fund, which helps troubled eurozone economies. The authors say if the fund could reduce borrowing costs that would lessen pressure on governments under financial stress.
The report notes that there is much greater pressure on political leaders to make policy decisions based on how they will impact financial markets. Sundaram said this was not the case even 20 years ago.
“It would be inconceivable at that time, let us say in the early 1990s, to think of the political leadership of the world sort of looking behind their shoulders and wondering what markets would say,” said Sundaram.
A more complete report with regional breakdowns will be released in January, but the projections released Thursday include a peek at how some parts of the world are doing.
The U.N. says the United States’ high unemployment rate and low wage growth are holding back demand. This combined with the prospect of prolonged depressed housing prices has raised the risk of a new wave of home foreclosures.
In Asia, economists say growth in China and India is expected to remain “robust,” but GDP growth in China is expected to slow. A fact confirmed by China’s deputy finance minister Thursday when he announced the manufacturing sector had contracted.
In Latin America, Brazil and Mexico are expected to suffer a more visible economic slowdown. While in Africa, the forecast is mixed, more due to political and climate factors than reaction to world markets.
Sarkozy: France Germany ties key to eurozone stability
The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has said France and Germany must come together to ensure stability at the heart of Europe.
In a major speech in the port of Toulon, Mr Sarkozy said he and the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, would meet on Monday to propose measures to "guarantee the future of Europe".
He warned that economic convergence would be long and difficult.
But he promised that France would not give up its sovereignty.
He said the euro could not continue to exist unless eurozone economies pulled together.
Europe had to be "refounded" he said, with France and Germany at its heart to ensure "a zone of stability".
"We must confront those who doubt the stability of the euro and speculate on its break-up with total solidarity.
"France is fighting so that Europe can still make its voice heard in the world of tomorrow," he said.
Stricter financial discipline was needed, he added, with more severe sanctions for countries which did not meet their responsibilities.
Mr Sarkozy also made a robust defence of measures he had already introduced to tackle France's debts.
He said the country had to end doubts about its ability to pay, in order to avoid being targeted by speculators.
Two-speed Europe
Mr Sarkozy said Europe's response to the debt crisis had not been fast enough.
He said Germany and France had agreed that there should be a new European treaty to govern the relations between countries.
However, he rejected German suggestions that national budgets could be approved and regulated in Brussels.
The BBC Paris correspondent, Christian Fraser, says the French president's speech was a sombre assessment of the eurozone crisis and an acknowledgement that eurozone leaders had not worked quickly enough to solve the problems.
Mr Sarkozy has previously expressed the belief that a two-speed European Union is inevitable, arguing that full economic integration will be impossible as the EU expands to more than 30 members.
In a speech in November he said "there will be a two-speed Europe: one speed that moves toward more integration in the eurozone and one speed for a confederation in the EU."
The French president's speech in Toulon comes amid warnings by analysts that France could lose its triple-A credit rating, due to its exposure to the European debt crisis.
Mr Sarkozy will meet the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, in Paris on Friday.
Britain is concerned about the possible impact of a two-speed Europe in which it could be left on the margins along with other countries outside the euro.
European Union leaders will hold a summit in Brussels next week, which is seen by many analysts as a crucial moment in efforts to tackle the debt crisis.
US banks sued over homes seizures
Massachusetts is suing five major banks alleging "illegal" and "deceptive" conduct in the way they seized homes during the financial crisis.
Bank of America, JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and GMAC must pay for the "harm" caused, the writ says.
Martha Coakley, the state's attorney general, said the banks had no legal right to foreclose on "hundreds, if not thousands, of properties".
The banks have expressed disappointment over the move.
Massachusetts' action could potentially de-rail attempts to reach a US-wide settlement against banks accused of hastily calling in debts as the country's property bubble imploded.
Federal and state prosecutors have been negotiating a $25bn (£16bn) deal to resolve the issue over so-called "robo-signing", where banks employed people to sort out foreclosure documents without reviewing homeowners paperwork and circumstances.
Ms Coakley said: "We have two clear goals with this lawsuit - one is to provide for real accountability for the role the banks have played in unlawful and illegal foreclosures, and secondly to provide for real and enforceable relief for the harm that the misconduct has caused."
The complaint claims the banks violated Massachusetts law with "unlawful and deceptive" conduct in the foreclosure process, including unlawful foreclosures, false documentation, robo-signing, and deceptive practices related to loan modifications.
'It's taken too long'
A statement from the state attorney general's office said: "The single most important thing we can do to return to a healthy economy is to address this foreclosure crisis.
"Our suit alleges that the banks have charted a destructive path by cutting corners and rushing to foreclose on homeowners without following the rule of law. Our action today seeks real accountability for the banks illegal behaviour and real relief for homeowners."
In October 2010, major banks temporarily suspended foreclosures following revelations of fraudulent documents processed by banks.
Ms Coakley said banks have had more than a year to "show accountability for this economic mess," and have failed to do so. "It's taken too long," she said.
Citigroup said it would defend its actions vigorously. Bank of America said it wanted a collaborative resolution to the issue.
JP Morgan said in a statement that it was disappointed the lawsuit was filed while negotiations were ongoing about a broader settlement.
GMAC said it was unhappy that Massachusetts "elected not to continue a more constructive path that could help borrowers in the state, but rather has chosen to use the court process."
Wells Fargo said it disagreed with Ms Coakley that it had not kept a promise to modify loans.
Citigroup said it had not yet reviewed the lawsuit, but the bank believed it had operated appropriately and in compliance with existing laws.
Obama Presses Senate Republicans on Tax-Cut Extension
President Barack Obama on Wednesday made another visit to an important 2012 election state seeking support for his economic policies, while back in Washington Democrats and Republicans in Congress continued negotiations on how to pay for an extension of expiring tax breaks for Americans.
Mr. Obama has returned repeatedly to Pennsylvania, a state he won in the 2008 presidential election and which political analysts say remains crucial to his strategy for winning a second term.
His stop in Scranton, Pennsylvania was his eighth there this year. With a visit to New Hampshire last week, it marked his latest effort to pressure Congress to extend and expand tax breaks scheduled to expire at the end of this year.
President Obama and Democrats control the Senate, where a key procedural vote is expected later this week, say extended payroll tax cuts should be paid for by a permanent surtax on Americans earning $1 million or more.
Republicans generally continue to oppose increasing taxes. However, they are also seeking to avoid political damage that would result from voting against preserving a tax break that would help middle class families, especially during the Christmas holiday.
In Scranton, Mr. Obama sought to keep the pressure on Republicans, chiding them for votes in October that blocked his $447 billion jobs bill, which contained the payroll tax extension.
Republicans, he suggested, care more about opposing tax increases for the wealthy than keeping and expanding a tax break that will help middle class families.
"How is it that they can break their oath when it comes to raising your taxes, but not break their oath when it comes to raising taxes for wealthy people. That doesn't make any sense. I hope that they don't want to just score political points, I hope that they want to help the economy. This cannot be about who wins or loses in Washington, this is about delivering a win for the American people, that is what this is about," he said.
In 2008, President Obama won Pennsylvania by a 10 percent margin over Republican nominee John McCain, but U.S. economic difficulties have hurt his approval ratings there, and the White House hopes to improve that as the 2012 election campaign heats up.
On Capitol Hill, negotiations continued on how to pay for the payroll tax extension. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Congressman John Boehner, spoke of the need to find common ground.
"There is no debate though about whether these extensions ought to be paid for. The president has called for them to be paid for. Democrats here have called for them to be paid for. So, if in fact we can find common ground on these extensions I think you can take to the bank that they will be paid for," he said.
On troubled efforts to bring deficit spending and debt under control, and disagreements between President Obama and Republicans, Boehner said there was a need for a balanced solution but said there is still "room between us" on what that means.
President Obama's day on Wednesday also included a stop in New York City and three events to raise money for his 2012 re-election campaign, ticket prices ranged from $1,000 to the $35,800 maximum permitted under federal fundraising rules.