Greece awaits new round of tax rises and spending cuts | |||
BBC,07:44 GMT, Wednesday, 3 March 2010 Government ministers in Greece are due to meet to agree a third round of tax rises and spending cuts intended to ease the country's financial crisis. A rise in sales tax and petrol and diesel tariffs is expected, as well as a move to scrap the generous holiday bonus paid to civil servants. PM George Papandreou has likened the budget crisis to a "wartime situation". The EU has called for further austerity measures amid fears that Greece's problems could undermine the eurozone. There have already been strikes by trades unions in protest against the Athens government's cost-cutting plans. The socialist government has pledged to reduce Greece's budget deficit from 12.7% - more than four times the limit under eurozone rules - to 8.7% during 2010. It also also seeking to reduce its 300bn euros ($419bn; £259bn) debt.  'Nightmare of bankruptcy' "We find ourselves in a wartime situation, faced with the negative scenarios affecting our country," Mr Papandreou told the parliamentary group of his Socialist Party (Pasok) ahead of the cabinet meeting.
He said that Greece had to avoid "a nightmare of bankruptcy" in which the state would not be able to pay salaries or pensions. Mr Papandreou has used some dramatic phrases to describe Greece's fiscal problems over the past few months, but this was his most alarmist to date, the BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens says. It is believed that sales tax will rise by two percentage points, that petrol and diesel tariffs will be increased for the second time in a month, and that luxury goods will be subject to a special duty. The government is reportedly planning to scrap the annual holiday bonus paid to civil servants, our correspondent says. Trades unions have warned that removing the bonus would be a "declaration of war". Economy Minister Louka Katseli has warned that the measures have to be socially just. Businesses in Greece are likely to react badly to further tax increases, as they see them as being counter-productive, discouraging consumer spending and contributing to a further downward spiral, our correspondent adds. | |||
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Greece, 3rd round of tax rises...[ 698 ]
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
EU: Greece must tighten its belt...[ 697 ]
Greece must make more cuts, not clear how much: EU
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Greece must tighten its belt further to reach this year's deficit-cutting target, but it is not yet clear by how much, the European Commission said.
Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn on Monday discussed with Greek authorities the need for deficit-cutting measures on top of those already taken by Athens.
No bailout plans were discussed, but "both parties understand ... there is a need for additional measures and these should be presented as soon as possible... in order to make sure that the target of 4 percent is reached," Commission spokesman Amadeu Altafaj said Tuesday.
Greece has committed to cutting its budget deficit to 8.7 percent of gross domestic product this year from 12.7 percent in 2009 and to bring the deficit to below the European Union ceiling of 3 percent in 2012.
Altafaj said he "cannot quantify" how far short of the 4 percent target the measures already announced have left Greece.
The size of the gap was still under discussion between Greek and EU experts and "at this point we are waiting for the new measures to be presented."
The ambitious austerity program hopes to calm debt markets that have been demanding increasingly high premiums for lending money to Greece amid concerns that Athens might at some point not be able to service its debt, which stands at more than 120 percent of GDP.
Market concerns persuaded euro zone countries to issue a statement on February 11 declaring that, if the need arose, they would move to safeguard the financial stability of the 16-country euro zone.
But they gave no details of a potential rescue plan and instead put more pressure on Athens to deliver on its austerity plan.
Monday's discussions with Rehn "were about efforts to correct the fiscal situation in Greece. We did not enter (or) elaborate on scenarios of bailouts and things like that," Altafaj said.
The Commission was pleased to see the Greek government was determined to do what was necessary to reach the 4 percent target, he added.
(Reporting by Jan Strupczewski, editing by Dale Hudson)
Woman died. Refused by 19 hospitals [ 696 ]
Lawsuit by family of woman refused by 19 hospitals before death dismissed
OYODO, Nara -02/03/2010- A judge dismissed a lawsuit on Monday by the family of a woman who fell unconscious during childbirth and died after she was refused treatment by 19 hospitals.
Gojo resident Mika Takasaki, 32, died in August 2006, while being transported in search of a hospital.
Takasaki's family -- husband Shinsuke, 27, and surviving son Kanata, 3 -- filed suit against the town and her obstetrician, demanding approximately 88 million yen in damages.
At issue was whether the obstetrician at the town-run Oyodo Hospital was negligent by failing to perform a cranial CT and misdiagnosing a brain hemorrhage as eclampsia and whether her life could have been saved.
The presiding judge acknowledged that Takasaki complained of a headache at the time of the hemorrhage, at around midnight on Aug. 8, 2006. However, he said: "The obstetrician's decision to place priority on getting her to a suitably-equipped medical institution as fast as possible cannot be deemed inappropriate."
Regarding the connection between Takasaki's death and the length of time she spent in the ambulance, the judge ruled that "even if the brain abnormality had been diagnosed, and she had been taken to Nara Medical University at an early stage, surgery would only have begun at around 3:30 a.m., and her chances of survival would have been very slim."
"There are many cases where hospitals for seriously ill patients have to be found at the spur of the moment. It's 'emergency medicine' in name only," the presiding judge said in a comment following the ruling. "The state and local authorities have a duty to protect lives, and I have high hopes that obstetrics and other forms of emergency medicine will be improved."
Shinsuke Takasaki, who dabbed at his eyes as the ruling was read, showed some understanding of the verdict: "The ruling was a disappointment and I want to apologize to Mika, but the court gave an intelligent opinion."
Shinsuke has called repeatedly for the reform of obstetric care. After launching his lawsuit, he'd become a target for online attacks and libel. But he kept returning to court in the hope that he could tell their son that "because of mommy, maternity care became better."
While disappointed at the result, Shinsuke says he has hopes in light of the judge's additional remarks.
"I felt the burden of Mika's life upon me again. I think I'll be able to explain it to Kanata, I hope the medical world responds quickly and carries out urgent reform of the natal care system," he said.
Attorney Hirotoshi Ishikawa added: "The claim was not sufficiently upheld. However, we have not considered whether to appeal."
Kimiaki Nishiura, head of Oyodo Hospital, said: "As well as high hopes for the improvement of the emergency natal care system, I will work hard to improve all our care."
Click here for the original Japanese story
(Mainichi Japan) March 2, 2010
NASA, The latest Image of the Day [ 695 ]
The Crab Nebula, the result of a supernova noted by Earth-bound chroniclers in 1054 A.D., is filled with mysterious filaments that are are not only tremendously complex, but appear to have less mass than expelled in the original supernova and a higher speed than expected from a free explosion. The Crab Nebula spans about 10 light-years. In the nebula's very center lies a pulsar: a neutron star as massive as the Sun but with only the size of a small town. The Crab Pulsar rotates about 30 times each second. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Hester, A. Loll (ASU)
Τρίτη, 2 Μάρτιος 2010 7:00:00 πμ
Chile : Looting after earthquake [ 694 ]
Chile extends curfew to quell looting after earthquake | ||||||||
| Suspected looters caught in Chile BBC,13:44 GMT, Tuesday, 2 March 2010A curfew in Chile's second city, Concepcion, has been extended until midday (1500 GMT) as troops struggle to contain looting after the earthquake. Dozens of people were arrested after looters fought over goods and set fire to a department store, officials say. The authorities have announced the setting up of a special air route to deliver aid from the capital, Santiago, to Concepcion, 430km (270 miles) away. Saturday morning's 8.8-magnitude earthquake killed at least 723 people. The deteriorating security situation in Concepcion comes despite the influx of thousands of troops to reinforce local police.
Many of the city's 500,000 inhabitants are short of food and have seen their water and electricity supplies cut off. But lorry after lorry loaded with water, food and mattresses is being held up by the military until the curfew is lifted, reports the BBC's Andy Gallacher from the checkpoint on the outskirts of Concepcion. The main highway in the region is twisted and bent out of shape, but the route remains open, our correspondent says. Security seems to be the biggest issue holding up rescue efforts, he adds. Some residents quoted by the Reuters news agency said they were organising groups to defend their property. President Michelle Bachelet, condemning "pillage and criminality", has sent 7,000 soldiers to the region. "I want to call to the people's conscience. We must all work together," she said. Meanwhile, rescuers searching the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in the city in which dozens are feared trapped say they have heard signs of life and are attempting to reach survivors. Coastal destruction Reports are beginning to emerge of the scale of the devastation in other areas.
A BBC team that reached the town of Curico, between Santiago and Concepcion, found widespread destruction. Up to 90% of the mud-and-wood buildings in the town's historic centre had been destroyed, and a hospital badly damaged, our reporters said. However, food and water was being distributed and the situation was comparatively calm, they added. Some coastal towns and villages were hit by giant waves after the earthquake. In the fishing village of Constitucion, the mayor said the seafront and centre had been "completely destroyed". The government admits that its attempts to provide aid swiftly have been hampered by damaged roads and power cuts. The air bridge between Santiago and Concepcion will help the authorities send more than 300 tonnes of aid, including 120 tonnes of food, to the worst affected area of the country. Communication problems International aid has begun arriving. Neighbouring Argentina is flying a field hospital over the Andes to Chile and has pledged half a million litres of much-needed drinking water.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva flew to Santiago and offered his nation's support, while US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will arrive shortly. Earlier, Mrs Clinton said President Bachelet had initially told her Chile could cope with the disaster, but when the scale of it became apparent she changed her mind. The Chilean government had requested field hospitals, water purification units and satellite phones, she added. "One of their biggest problems has been communications," Mrs Clinton told reporters. "They can't communicate into Concepcion and some of the surrounding areas."
After touring the disaster zone, President-elect Sebastian Pinera said the situation was worse than he had expected. "When we have a catastrophe of this magnitude, when there is no electricity and no water, the population... starts losing the sense of public order," he said. About two million Chileans are believed to have been affected by Saturday's earthquake, the seventh most powerful on record and the worst disaster to befall Chile in 50 years. The epicentre of the quake was 115km (70 miles) north-east of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital Santiago. About 1.5 million homes in Chile have been damaged. Most of the collapsed buildings were of older design - including many historic structures. One US risk assessor, Eqecat, has put the cost of repairing the damage at between $15bn and $30bn (£9.8bn - £19.6bn) or 10-20% of the country's gross domestic product. | ||||||||
sense of public order 
