 | | Lone female
CMC member
against quota
for women |
 SHEIKHA
AL JUFAIRI, who made history in 2003 when she won election to
the Central Municipal Council (CMC) from the Airport constituency,
the first woman in the GCC ever to win a municipal election,
is against reservation of seats for women in the CMC as demanded
by many. In an exclusive interview with Qatar Tribune, Sheikha
al Jufairi answered a number of... |
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|  |  | | Yemen´s ´Aborted´ Revolution |
 TOYemenis,
violence in the streets and threats of state collapse are nothing
new. Despite reports portraying the protests in Yemen as something
of a revolution, democratic change has little possibility of
success. President Ali Abdullah Saleh is essentially a figurehead;
whether he stays or goes, the regime of technocrats and thugs
he represents is unlikely. |
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| |  | | SOMERSAULT ON
GAZA WAR REPORT |
| WE have a new verb, "to Goldstone."
Its meaning: To make a finding, and then partially retract it
for uncertain motive. Etymology: the strange actions of a respected
South African Jewish jurist under intense pressure from Israel,
the US Congress and world Jewish groups. Richard Goldstone is
an author of the "Goldstone Report," an investigation
of Israel´s military campaign in Gaza... |
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 | Rebalancing leaves China
with a Q1 trade deficit CHINA recorded a rare trade deficit in the first quarter of the year on the back of domestic economic strength and rising global commodity prices, the customs administration said on Sunday. From January to March, China imported $1.02 billion...
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|
| | Cowboy town Oregon gets
hitched to solar power |
 A
COWBOY grasping the reins of a bucking
bronco has long been the image of this
farm and ranch town. It´s the emblem
of the annual Pendleton Roundup, a celebration
of the city´s colourful past, when pioneers
on the Oregon Trail settled the prairie.
Today, solar panels might just outnumber
cowboys. Rural Pendleton is blazing
an unlikely renewable energy trail,
offering no-interest loans to spark
interest in solar power and a group-buy
philosophy to get better prices. More
than 50 residents installed systems
last year, and the programme was expanded
to more residents and to include businesses
this year. Oregon earned a reputation
for being a green leader years ago...
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| | China exports begin to feel
impact of Japan tsunami |
 ELECTRONICS
and auto makers in China are facing
a severe shortage of components after
Japan´s twin disasters disrupted production,
but the full impact will not be felt
for weeks, analysts say. The earthquake
and tsunami that devastated Japan´s
northeastern coast on March 11 shattered
infrastructure, caused power outages
and forced temporary factory shutdowns
— meaning shipments of key parts to
China also stopped. "As many Chinese
manufacturers have started drawing down
inventories of components, more significant
output loss... shall start showing in
the next couple of weeks," IHS Global
Insight senior analyst Ren Xianfang
said... |
| | Unrest blights Egypt´s tourism
sector, 25% revenue fall seen |
 EGYPT´S
vital tourism industry, crippled by
political turmoil, will suffer a 25
percent drop in revenue in 2011 and
will need until September to get back
on track, the tourism minister said
in an interview on Thursday. An 18-day
popular uprising that forced out president
Hosni Mubarak saw much of Egypt´s economy
grind to a halt and slashed tourism
revenue for February by more than half.
March figures fell by 60 percent from
last year, Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour
said. With its pharaonic antiquities
and year-round warm beaches, Egypt relies
on tourism as its top foreign currency
earner, source of over a tenth of gross
domestic product. It provides... |
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