News of Hundreds of thousands march in Brazil protests

Brazil's biggest protests in twenty years intense on The despite government concessions meant to quell the demonstrations, as 300,000 of us took to the streets of Delaware Janeiro and lots of thousands lots of flooded various cities. 

With a worldwide soccer tournament as a scene, demonstrators are also denouncing the over $26 billion of public money which will be spent on the 2014 tournament and 2016 athletic contest, two events meant to showcase a up to date, developed Brazil.

After the concession on transport fares on weekday, activist groups differed over what their next priority got to be. but the competitor’s demands of demonstrators gave the impression to spice up the intensity of Thursday's protests.

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Twenty cents was simply the beginning, scan signs command by several coronations on the Avenida Paulista, the broad avenue in central metropolis, relating the transportation reductions.

Undeterred by the reversal of transport fare hikes that sparked the protests, and guarantees of higher public services, marchers incontestable around 2 international football matches and in locales as various because the Amazon capital of Manaus and also the prosperous southern town of Florianopolis.

The unrest comes six months before associate degree election year and at a time once Brazil, when nearly a decade-long economic boom during which the country's profile soared on the worldwide stage, enters a amount of uncertainty. Economic process of but one % last year, annual inflation of vi.5 % and a loss of penitence for Brazilian assets among international investors have clouded what had been a feel-good era for Brazil.

In the capital, Brasilia, tens of thousands of protesters by early evening marched round the landmark modernist buildings that house Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential offices.

The swelling tide of protests prompted President Dilma Rousseff to cancel a visit next week to Japan, her workplace aforementioned.

The targets of the protests, currently in their second week, have broadened to incorporate high taxes, inflation, corruption and poor public services starting from hospitals and colleges to roads and police forces.

Clinton to Iran of Economic

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held out the possibility on Wednesday that sanctions on Iran could be eased quickly if Tehran worked with major powers to address questions about its nuclear program. Speaking to reporters about protests in Iran triggered by the collapse of the Iranian currency, which has lost 40 percent of its value against the dollar in a week, Clinton blamed the Iranian government - rather than Western sanctions - for the financial troubles. ...

The rial's losses accelerated in the past week after the government launched an "exchange center" to supply dollars to importers of basic goods. Businessmen say the center failed to meet demand for dollars.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says Iranian leaders are to blame for the sinking Iranian economy and rising economic protests.

Clinton says Tehran is responsible for the country’s economic problems and Iran’s currency hitting a record low against the U.S. dollar.

Speaking Wednesday beside Kazakhstan’s foreign minister, Clinton acknowledged that international sanctions have contributed to Iran’s economic woes. But she said the sanctions could be removed quickly if Iran’s government complies with its nuclear obligations.

Clinton said the goal of U.S. policy is to persuade the Iranian regime to negotiate seriously over its uranium enrichment activity.

The U.S. and many other countries suspect an Iranian weapons program. Iran insists its program is peaceful.

Top News of Clinton’s Tax Talk Echoes

Bill Clinton and I disagree on many things, but when it comes to stopping this massive tax hike on Jan. 1, we agree,” said Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. “It’s my sincere hope that President Clinton’s call for action will spur this president to finally lead and prevent the larges tax increase in history, a tax increase that would devastate our already weak economy.

The former president attacked Mr Romney and contrasted his austere budget plans with Mr Obama's stimulus-orientated response to the 2008 financial crisis that saved jobs and the US car industry.

The former president’s comments in an interview this week that Congress “will probably have to put everything off until early next year” when it comes to the question of extending the Bush-era tax cuts are playing well in Republican quarters on Capitol Hill.

Mr Clinton said Mr Obama deserved a second term because of his record in stewarding the economy through a "miserable situation" and "the alternative would be, in my opinion, calamitous for our country and the world.

“Even Bill Clinton came out for it before he was against it,” House Speaker John Boehner said today, echoing the words that Republicans had for Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts when he was running for president.

Boehner, an Ohio Republican, says extending the current tax rates for at least another year would help “provide some certainty to job creators.”

The intervention during a whistle-stop round of fund-raising events in New York came as both campaigns intensified their attacks on their respective candidates' records as job creators while in office.

Mr Clinton and Mr Obama were accompanied on Air Force One by the rock star Jon Bon Jovi who performed an acoustic version of his anthem "Living on a Prayer" for guests at the Waldorf Astoria. The three events raised an estimated $3.6m for the Obama campaign.

Mr Clinton's attack appeared to atone for his remark last week that Mr Romney had a "sterling" business record, a verdict that was unhelpful to the Obama campaign which has tried to paint the former boss of Bain Capital management consultants as a rapacious "vulture" capitalist.

Summers, who served as Treasury Secretary under Clinton and as a White House economic adviser to Obama, said today in an appearance on MSNBC: We’ve got make sure that we don’t take the gasoline out of the tank at the end of this year… That’s got to be the top priority. We’ve got to make sure that we keep providing energy to the economy.

Bill Clinton has charged that electing Mitt Romney to the White House this November would be "calamitous" for America and the world, warning that Republican plans for steep spending cuts would stifle the US economic recovery.

China, Japan and South Korea agree to launch a free trade area (FTA

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Sunday that China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) agreed to launch the talks for a free trade area (FTA) within this year.

South Korea, China and Japan will likely announce an agreement to start negotiations on a trilateral free trade agreement this year when their leaders hold summit talks on Sunday, Seoul’s trade chief said on Tuesday.

Wen made the remarks at a press briefing after a trilateral leaders' meeting which was attended by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and ROK President Lee Myung-bak.

Meeting with business editors of print and electronic media in Seoul, Trade Minister Bark Tae-ho said, “Our side agreed on the proposal.”

Calling the agreement as "an important strategic decision", Wen said the three nations should make concerted efforts for the early establishment of the FTA.

The idea for a three-nation free trade pact was raised about 10 years ago and has been studied by academics.

But it is widely viewed that the negotiations will be tough, as the three have to overcome a number of sensitive issues such as the opening of their farming sectors.

The three nations Sunday morning also clinched a deal to promote, facilitate and protect investment. Wen said it will serve as the first important legal document on trilateral cooperation in economic field.

Minister Bark also said the leaders of the three countries are expected to discuss the launch of negotiations among ASEAN and six countries, namely South Korea, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and India, for a regional free trade pact.

Senior officials from the six countries were invited to an ASEAN meeting scheduled for May 17 and 18 to discuss the expansion of the FTA scope, he added.

The issue of the regional FTA will likely be a topic for the ASEAN Plus Three summit in November, he said.

The move by South Korea, China and Japan comes after South Korea and China announced a plan to start official negotiations to conclude a bilateral FTA, stunning Japan, which is reportedly struggling to gain momentum in its push for FTAs with other countries.

He said the three nations promised to seriously implement the deal, so as to "create stable, fair and transparent environment for expanding mutual investment among the three countries, and further deepen economic integration."

The minister also said the nation’s fisheries industry, among other fields, would likely suffer the most in the wake of the free trade agreement while China’s automobile and petrochemical industries will be hit hard by the pact.

The first round of FTA talks between South Korea and China is scheduled to be held on May 14 in Beijing.

Trade experts in Seoul expect that an FTA with China, Seoul’s largest trading partner, would boost the Korean economy through increased trade.

Trade Minister Bark also introduced his Chinese counterpart Chen Deming’s prediction that the FTA with Korea was likely to be concluded within two years.

Bark said he expects concluding the free trade pact to take more than a year.

Romney battles to get back on economic message

Likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney battled to get back on his economic message on Friday after being sidetracked by a debate over gay rights and a reported bullying incident from 1965.

Romney's drive to keep the focus on President Barack Obama's handling of the fragile U.S. economy took a back seat this week when Obama declared his support for same-sex marriage, a move that energized his liberal base and gave the Democratic incumbent a splash of news coverage.

Obama's decision on gay marriage, after resisting the step for two years, contributed to a big surge in fund-raising for his campaign. Obama hauled in $15 million at a single, star-studded event in Los Angeles where he played basketball on Friday with stars George Clooney and Tobey Maguire.

Far from Hollywood, Romney visited North Carolina, a state that will be central in determining whether he can defeat Obama in the November 6 election.

Romney skirted the same-sex issue in a visit to Charlotte and stuck to the economy, saying Obama represents "old-school liberals" who want to continue to borrow money from countries like China in order to spend it recklessly in Washington.

"This recovery's been the slowest, most tepid since Hoover," said Romney in a reference to Depression-era President Herbert Hoover from the 1930s.

Romney wants to avoid making same-sex marriage a major focus of the campaign because Obama is much more vulnerable on the economy. Polls show a growing number of Americans favor gay marriage, but the slow economic recovery is by far their major concern.

"There will come a day when Romney will need to debate Obama on stage, but we don't need to have that debate now," a Romney adviser said. "We want that debate to be about economy and jobs. And number two, we believe the net results of this will be to our benefit."

A new Gallup survey said 60 percent of Americans reported that Obama's support for same-sex marriage will make no difference to their vote. Twenty-six percent said it would make them less likely to vote for him.

Hillary Clinton to visit China, Bangladesh, India

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to China, Bangladesh and India with modest agenda over bilateral relations with these Asian nations, the State Department said on Thursday.

While in Beijing on May 3-4, the top US envoy and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will join their Chinese co-chairs, Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo, for the fourth round of the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

Politics and other factors have reduced expectations for U.S. relations with India, where Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will spend three days after a rare stop in Bangladesh.

Hopes were high after Congress passed a U.S.-India civilian nuclear agreement in 2008 that the two countries would forge a close military and strategic partnership.

But Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's three-day trip to India, starting Sunday after a weekend stop in Bangladesh, comes amid reduced expectations and political distraction on both sides and a relationship increasingly marked by incremental movement on a variety of issues.
 

The S&ED was created in 2009 to help both nations manage their bilateral relations and promote communication.

"As with earlier S&EDs, this year's event will be a 'whole of government' dialogue that brings together cabinet members and agency heads, as well as other officials and experts, from agencies across both of our governments," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.

 

In addition, Clinton will co-chair with Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong the third US-China High-Level Consultation on People- to-People Exchange (CPE), an event to be held in parallel with the S&ED.

"The CPE aims to enhance and strengthen ties between the citizens of the United States and China in the areas of culture, education, sports, science and technology, and women's issues," Nuland said.

During her stay in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, the secretary will meet with senior government officials and civil society representatives to review "robust" bilateral cooperation across a range of political, economic and security matters, the spokeswoman said.

In Calcutta, capital of India's West Bengal state, Clinton looks forward to meeting state officials and civil society organization representatives.

While in India's capital of New Delhi, she will discuss with Indian government officials about the upcoming US-India Strategic Dialogue to be held in Washington on June 13, Nuland said.

 At a private discussion among friends, the question that we all asked one another was why the US secretary of state was visiting Bangladesh. Like the story of the seven blind men looking at the elephant, each one of us had a view that differed from the other.

So far for such an important visit, the only one who is upbeat is the US ambassador who might be knowing something that neither the government nor the opposition seems to know. It is not that US secretary of state visits Bangladesh regularly. In fact, the last visit of a US Secretary of State to Dhaka was that of George P Schultz in the era of President Ershad.

The way the Bangladesh government spurned the request of Hillary Clinton and President Obama for an honorable exit to Dr Yunus made a lot of people speculate that the US government is very unhappy with the present government of Bangladesh. Many have speculated that she is so angry that she has used her influence to stop the World Bank from funding the Padma Bridge to get back at the prime minister and the Bangladesh government.

The surprise and un-preparedness of the Bangladesh government was amply reflected by its reaction or the lack of it to the visit. Normally for such an important visit, the government should have reacted very enthusiastically. The reasons are obvious. The US has the power to turn Bangladesh into a middle income country quicker than the ruling party expects. It is the biggest market for our RMG exports that have given Bangladesh a good measure of economic success already.

The upcoming visit of Hillary Clintonto Bangladesh More . . . . .

Clinton urges China to protect human rights

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has called on China to protect human rights amid a dispute over the status of a blind dissident who has appealed to Washington for help.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton cautioned China to protect human rights Thursday, in remarks that rejected Beijing's criticism of the U.S. for getting involved in the case of a blind dissident whose fate overshadowed the opening of annual talks between the powerful countries.

Clinton told the opening of annual talks with China on foreign policy and economic issues that the U.S. believes "all governments have to answer our citizens' aspirations for dignity and the rule of law and that no nation can or should deny those rights."

Clinton's comments Thursday came after a blind Chinese dissident who took refuge in the U.S. Embassy appealed to Washington for more help. He said later from his hospital room in Beijing that he fears for his family's safety unless they are all spirited abroad.

Her comments came as the dissident, Chen Guangcheng, pleaded for more help from Washington. The blind, self-taught lawyer took refuge in the U.S. Embassy after escaping house arrest, but left Wednesday to get treatment for a leg injury at a Beijing hospital. He initially said he had been assured that he would be safe in China, but hours later he said he fears for his family's safety unless they are all spirited abroad.

China already demanded an apology from the U.S. even before Chen balked at a deal in which he would remain in his homeland. Now that he wants to leave, the case could overshadow talks in which Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner are to discuss foreign policy and economic issues with their Chinese counterparts.

ADDS U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT LEGAL ADVISOR HAROLD KOH AT LEFT In this photo released by the US Embassy Beijing Press Office, blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng is wheeled into a hospital by U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, right, and an unidentified official at left, in Beijing Wednesday May 2, 2012. At left is U.S. State Department Legal Advisor Harold Koh.

China's President Hu Jintao said at the opening of the talks that China and the United States "must know how to respect each other" even if they disagree.

U.S. officials verified that account. But they adamantly denied his contention that one American diplomat had warned him of a threat from the Chinese that his wife would be beaten to death if he did not get out of the embassy. They also denied his claim that American officials have left the hospital where he is being treated for a leg injury suffered in his escape.

"I think we'd like to rest in a place outside of China," Chen told the AP, appealing again for help from Washington. "Help my family and me leave safely."

"There were U.S. officials in the building," the spokesman told reporters. "I believe some of his medical team was in fact with him at the hospital." He said U.S. officials would continue visiting Chen while he was there.

It is not clear how the U.S. could be party to an agreement on Chen's safety inside China when it has no power to enforce the conditions of his life there.

Saudi Women Can Vote In National Election.

Saudi Women Can Vote In National Election, King Says

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, considered a reformer by the standards of his own ultraconservative kingdom, decreed on Sunday that women will for the first time have the right to vote and run in local elections due in 2015.
It is a "Saudi Spring" of sorts.
For the nation's women, it is a giant leap forward, though they remain unable to serve as Cabinet ministers, drive or travel abroad without permission from a male guardian.
Saudi women bear the brunt of their nation's deeply conservative values, often finding themselves the target of the unwanted attention of the kingdom's intrusive religious police, who enforce a rigid interpretation of Islamic Shariah law on the streets and public places like shopping malls and university campuses.
The decision to give the women the right to vote and run in municipal elections may not be enough to satisfy the growing ambition of the kingdom's women who, after years of lavish state spending on education and vocational training, significantly improved their standing but could not secure the same place in society as that of their male compatriots.
That woman must wait four more years to exercise their newly acquired right to vote adds insult to injury since Sunday's announcement was already a long time coming – and the next local elections are in fact scheduled for this Thursday.
"Why not tomorrow?" asked prominent Saudi feminist Wajeha al-Hawaidar. "I think the king doesn't want to shake the country, but we look around us and we think it is a shame ... when we are still pondering how to meet simple women's rights."
The announcement by King Abdullah came in an annual speech before his advisory assembly, or Shura Council. It was made after he consulted with the nation's top religious clerics, whose advice carries great weight in the kingdom.
It is an attempt at "Saudi style" reform, moves that avoid antagonizing the powerful clergy and a conservative segment of the population. Additionally, it seems to be part of the king's drive to insulate his vast, oil-rich country from the upheavals sweeping other Arab nations, with popular uprisings toppling regimes that once looked as secure as his own.
In contrast, King Abdullah in August withdrew the Saudi ambassador from Syria to protest President Bashar Assad's brutal crackdown on a seven-month uprising that calls for his ouster and the establishment of a democratic government.
The United States, Saudi Arabia's closest Western ally, praised the king's move.
"Muslim women in our Islamic history have demonstrated positions that expressed correct opinions and advice," said the king.
Abdullah became the country's de facto ruler in 1995 because of the illness of King Fahd and formally ascended to the throne upon Fahd's death in August 2005.
The king on Sunday also announced that women would be appointed to the Shura Council, a currently all-male body established in 1993 to offer counsel on general policies in the kingdom and to debate economic and social development plans and agreements signed between the kingdom with other nations.
The question of women's rights in Saudi Arabia is a touchy one. In a country where no social or political force is strong enough to affect change in women's rights, it is up to the king to do it. Even then, the king must find consensus before he takes a step in that direction.

India ready for a Slut Walk?

Is India ready for a Slut Walk?

Indian daughters imbibe from their parents, even in a new India where years of economic boom have thrown up a trendy, affluent youth with a kind of freedom unknown to many of their parents. Dress appropriately, don’t make eye contact with strangers (especially men) and be at home before sunset.

India had its first Slut Walk in Bhopal city in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday to denounce the idea that women entice men and invite trouble with their attire, a belief seemingly held by many Indian judges as well.

The first Slut Walk was initiated by Canadians in April in response to a comment made by a Toronto police official.

“I’ve been told I’m not supposed to say this — however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised,” said Michael Sanguinetti to a personal safety class at York University.

Clinton pushes India.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

pushes India on nuclear law, market access

Urged India to open markets faster and resolve questions on a civilian nuclear accord that US companies hope could mean billions of dollars in new business that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

US-Indian talks with a polite Clinton opened high-level firm push New Delhi to get moving on key economic issues promised and delivered.

Clinton said in her opening remarks at the meeting, the latest in a series of talks aimed at deepening political and economic ties between the United States and the world's second most populous country.

The global economic slowdown has driven US and European companies to look for sales in emerging markets like India.

Clinton's visit will cover a range of bilateral issues including counter-terrorism cooperation, an issue thrown into stark relief by last week's deadly triple bomb attack on India's financial capital Mumbai.

She will brief Indian leaders on US plans to draw down troops in Afghanistan -- which New Delhi fears may mean a hasty US exit. 

Clinton did not mention Pakistan in her opening statements, but did underscore that Washington and New Delhi have a common challenge in confronting the threat of militant violence.

On top of the list is civilian nuclear cooperation, which despite a landmark 2008 accord has yet to overcome Indian legal and regulatory obstacles which could open the doors to US nuclear energy companies such as General Electric and Westinghouse, the US-based arm of Japan's Toshiba.

The United States was disappointed when India rejected US bids for an $11 billion fighter aircraft contract in April, but still hopes US companies can benefit as New Delhi forges ahead with one of the world's biggest arms purchase programs.

"The United States expects to continue developing and selling the world's most competitive products," Clinton said.