The French government has refused to grant citizenship to a foreign national on the grounds that he forced his wife to wear the full Islamic veil.

The man, whose current nationality was not given, needed citizenship to settle in the country with his French wife.

The full-face covering has inflamed passions in France

But Immigration Minister Eric Besson said this was being refused because he was depriving his wife of the liberty to come and go with her face uncovered.

Last week, a parliamentary committee proposed a partial ban on full veils.

It also recommended that anyone showing visible signs of "radical religious practice" be refused residence permits and citizenship.

'Integration'

In a statement, Mr Besson said he had signed a decree on Tuesday rejecting a man's citizenship application after it emerged that he had ordered his wife to cover herself with a head-to-toe veil.

"It became apparent during the regulation investigation and the prior interview that this person was compelling his wife to wear the all-covering veil, depriving her of the freedom to come and go with her face uncovered, and rejected the principles of secularism and equality between men and women," he said.

Later, the minister stressed that French law required anyone seeking naturalisation to demonstrate their desire for integration.

Mr Besson's decree has now been sent to Prime Minister Francois Fillon for approval.

The interior ministry says only 1,900 women wear full veils in France, home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority.

In 2008, a French court denied citizenship to a Moroccan woman on the grounds that her "radical" practice of Islam was incompatible with French values.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Greece will face the most stringent monitoring of any European Union country as it attempts to balance its finances over the next few years.

The news came as the European Commission confirmed its support of Greece's plans to reduce its deficit.

EU economic commissioner Joaquín Almunia also launched an infringement procedure to ensure Greek authorities report reliable budgetary statistics.

Prime Minister George Papandreou is seeking support for austerity measures

Greece's deficit is more than four times higher than eurozone rules allow.

Progress reviews

Mr Almunia welcomed the additional fiscal measures taken by Greece.

He said: "We consider that the programme is ambitious, and that the programme in terms of targets is achievable.

"We are endorsing the Greek programme. But at the same time we know that the implementation of the programme is not easy. It is difficult. This deserves support."

However, Mr Almunia acknowledged that tackling the debt was difficult politically and complex technically.

He said that EU officials would monitor carefully the efforts of the Greek programme and would demand extra action if it was not on track to meet the deficit goals.

EU economic ministers will next meet on 16 February. Provided they accept the commission's recommendations, new deadlines will be set for Greece to review progress with officials.

It will have to submit a first report on 16 March, with a second deadline on 16 May.

Nigel Cassidy, the BBC's Europe business reporter, said the reliability of Greece's budgetary statistics was a long-standing issue.

"This was the problem before. Everybody here in Brussels knew Greece was not being very honest with its economic figures but nobody did anything about it," he said.

Fear of contagion

Greece is struggling with its worst economic crisis since joining the euro in 2001.

It has one of the smaller economies in the European Union, but it is being watched closely because of the doubts financial markets have in it.

Its long-term deficit cutting plan aims to reduce the budget shortfall, currently 12.7%, to less than 3% by 2012, but many people in Brussels and beyond remain sceptical.

There are other bigger economies in the eurozone that face the same deficit problems and the fear of contagion is high.

Prime Minister George Papandreou has urged the public to support his programme of tough austerity measures, which includes increases on fuel duty and a public sector pay freeze.

However, public sector workers are planning a strike next week.


'No way out'

Mario Levis, Professor of Finance at Cass Business School, said it was going to be very challenging for the government to achieve its targets.

"To bring the deficit down in the next three years is extremely difficult. Increasing taxes is not enough. They have to increase productivity," he said.

And he added that more may need to be done to get the public on board.

"I think Greeks will appreciate, if it's fully explained to them, the severity of the situation. There's no way out.

"But the prime minister has said there's widespread tax evasion in the public sector... [and] there are not enough measures being announced yet to cut down on tax evasion."

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

A controversial plan to build an immense dam in Brazil's rainforest endorsed this week has attracted a formidable bloc of opponents: ecologists, indigenous Indians and Sting.

The facility, in Belo Monte in the northern state of Para, will be the third-biggest hydroelectric dam in the world once built, after the Three Gorges dam in China and Brazil's existing Itaipu dam.

It will produce 11,000 Megawatts of energy for Brazil's rapidly growing economy, with the project's total cost estimated at 11 billion dollars.

Critics have lashed out at the move, warning it will leave vast environmental devastation in its wake.

Some 500 square kilometers (190 square miles) of land will be inundated, and indigenous communities living along 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the Xingu River feeding it will be displaced from their traditional territories.

The British singer Sting brought the issue to international attention last year when he invited a high-profile Brazilian Indian, Raoni, on stage to denounce the dam during a concert in Sao Paulo.

"It's a project that only benefits companies. Despite all they say, it's not 'clean energy:' it generates methane gas, which provokes climate change, and it will displace 30,000 residents," Antonia Melo of the Xingo Vivo Movement that groups 150 indigenous and social groups opposed to the dam told AFP.

The region's bishop, Erwin Krautler, counts among the fiercest opponents.

"The project completely underestimates the consequences that will be irreversible. (President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva) promised to speak with the population, but there was no dialogue," he said.

The state prosecutor's office has also raised questions over the project, which would see the local population double with the arrival of 85,000 job seekers, who would contribute to deforestation.

But the federal government, which has already had two other dams built on the Madeira river in the Amazon, insists the new dam meets environmental criteria.

"This is without any doubt the strictest environmental license in history. The company (that clinches the tender) will have to spend 800 million dollars in compensation," notably over the loss of native lands, Environment Minister Carlos Minc said.

Energy specialist Adriano Pires said "Belo Monte will ensure clean energy production" at a time when Brazil is facing a five percent increase in energy consumption due to its economic expansion.

"In Germany, which is always cited as an example, 10 percent of the energy comes from renewable sources, whereas in Brazil, hydroelectric plants produce 90 percent of the electricity. We can't give up on this because Belo Monte is important."

Source: www.yahoo.com.sg

By Alvin Teo
EchoAlvin@gmail.com

It was constructed in 1961 and for the 28 years that it stood strong, the 140 km concrete wall split an entire nation into two, separating thousands of Germans.

The Berlin wall separated the communist East Germany from the Democratic West and represented the mutual fear and distrust between two opposing ideologies during the cold war period after World War 2.

On November 9th 1989 when a West German television channel announced that East Germany has opened it boarders to everyone, hordes of ecstatic East Germans passed through border checkpoints into West Germany. On June 13th 1990, the East German Military officially started dismantling the wall unifying the country once more.

The fall of the wall was a significant moment for many because it wasn’t only concrete blocks that we torn down. Symbolically it represented the fall of Soviet Russia and the triumph of Democracy.

The other side of the wall which East Germans saw for 28 years

Now a section of the wall consisting of 4 concrete panels has arrived in Singapore to remind all Singaporeans of its important role in history and its impact on human culture. However the wall isn’t kept in a museum hidden from those without an admission ticket. The Berlin Wall is closer than you might think.

Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Mr Robert Hefner managed to secure 4 panels of the wall. 7 years ago Mr Hefner married MeiLi, a Singaporean, and started to visit Singapore regularly. Soon Mr and Mrs Hefner were thinking of a home for the wall instead of keeping it inside a warehouse. Their good friend Mr George Yeo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, then suggested exhibiting it at Bedok Reservoir. Being near Temasek Polytechnic it can inspire young Singaporeans who study there as well as mesmerize the many runners and joggers at the reservoir.

After visiting the site twice, Mr Hefner and MeiLi decided to loan the Wall to Singapore on a long-term basis and this is how the new attraction came to be at its current location.

The wall "is such an important part of history and culture and we want to share it with all the Singaporeans... we want to promote friendship and freedom”, said Mrs Hefner when asked why she decided to exhibited the wall in Singapore.

For Singaporeans who are not old enough to understand the significance of the Berlin Wall, they can still appreciate the wall for its artistic value.

The 4 concrete panels showcase 2 graffiti paintings done by a German artist called Dennis Kaun who, weeks before weeks before the fall of the wall, painted 2 kings called “the Kings of Freedom”.

The smiling king in red is the Jester King who represents happiness and joy.

The Jester King

The other king in blue is the Blindfold King which portrays the communist East German government who was blind to the people’s needs.

The architecture that houses and surrounds the 4 panels was the winning design submitted by three undergraduate architecture students from NUS back in 2008.

Mr Hefner, who saw the entire structure for the first time since its arrival in Singapore, had this to say, "I like it very much, I think it’s terrific!"

There are already plans to open up a Bistro near the wall to serve as an extension to the installation. Therefore residents, students and joggers can enjoy a meal while admiring the grandeur of the wall.

“The symbolism of that Wall is profound and we hope that the visitors will come here, will see it as an icon for reflection about history, about the human condition, about how we treat fellow human beings." Said Mr George Yeo during the unveiling ceremony of the Wall at Bedok Reservoir park.

By Alvin Teo
EchoAlvin@gmail.com

“Roads are meant for vehicles. Cyclists should keep to designated areas” said 27 year old motorist, Mr Win Lee when asked by the Straits Times about his close shave with cyclists on the road where he had to skid to a halt to avoid hitting a cyclist.

Cycling as a form of daily commute has been on a steep rise over recent years, be it as an economical solution amidst the economic downturn, a healthier and faster way to get to work or a more environmentally friendly form of transport. More people are ditching their cars or public transport for the convenience and sensibilities of a 2 wheeled metal frame.


Mr Mohan Mirwani, director of Treknology, a chain of bicycle shops in Singapore, says that sales of hybrid bicycles have increased about 5 to 10 percent year on year over the past 2 to 3 years. A sales person from L&T bicycles, a famous bicycle shop in Bedok, who did not want to be named, noted an increase in Mountain bike sales over the past year.

Unfortunately with the increase in the number of cyclists on the road, it inevitably leads to the increase of cycling related accidents.

Between January and September 2009, 15 cyclists died from road accidents. For the whole of 2008 the number of cycling related accidents on the road was 22, just 1 less than the number of motoring accidents.

However whose fault is it? Drivers like Mr Win Lee are quick to point their fingers at reckless cyclists while many other cyclists complain of inconsiderate drivers who furiously honk at them or speed right past them.

2 weeks ago in parliament, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Mesagoes Zulkifli said cyclists were found to be at fault in more than half of the accidents involving bicycles.

“I was cycling to school one afternoon somewhere in the Khaki Bukit area. When I was cycling across a junction (that had no traffic light), a van that did not bother to stop and look just turned into the junction. If I had not stop in time I’m confident that I would have been killed”, recalls Mr Alfred Lau. Not only did the van driver not stop for Mr Lau, he also winded down his window to shout at him.

Therefore it seems like both car drivers and cyclists are both at fault for cycling related accidents on the road and without proper statistics it is hard to tell where the fault lies more with.

One thing everyone can agree upon is that pointing fingers will not decrease the accident rate of cyclists. What are some possible solutions to this problem?

With the threat of big motor vehicles, many cyclists choose the safety of pavements. However cyclists by law are not allowed to cycle on pavements as they are considered vehicles and would be a danger to pedestrians. Therefore the true designated area for all cyclists is on the tarmac along with their 4 wheeled motorised counterparts.

Tampines GRC members ushering in the first cycling town in Singapore

Currently Tampines is set to be the only town in Singapore to be ‘cyclist friendly’. From the 1st of March onwards, cyclists in Tampines would be allowed to share pavements and walkways with pedestrians. This comes after a 2 year trail to see if both cyclists and pedestrians can coexist peacefully on the pavements.

Therefore should more districts around Singapore follow Tampines’s example?

26 year old Miss Karin Tijin, a Public Relations Officer, seems to think so, “If the cyclists are careful and not speed, I think it’s a good idea to allow them to cycle on the pavements. It will save them from the horrors of the road because I’ve had so many friends complain about stupid drivers who almost knock into them”.

But now everyone is as accommodating as Miss Tijin. Many pedestrians on forums such as this: http://comment.straitstimes.com/showthread.php?t=27948 are strongly against the idea of allowing cyclist to share pavement space with pedestrians. Many feel that inconsiderate cyclists pose a threat to the elderly and the young.

Cycle lanes were another possible solution proposed by many cyclists on forums. The idea was inspired from London, a car congested city like Singapore with lanes at the left side of the road designated specially for cyclists. This is both law abiding and adds to the safety of cyclists.

However, the LTA tells the Straits Times that it needs to “ensure our roads are optimally utilised to meet the diverse needs of all road users and pedestrians”. This basically means that with the introduction of cycling lanes, it will cut down the space for drivers therefore it is not feasible.

It seems like there are still no clear cut answers as to where cyclists should be allowed.
By law they would have to stay on the roads but many fear for their safety as they are no match for inconsiderate drivers who don’t want them there.

If they are on the pavements pedestrians complain about the dangers cyclists pose.

Where or not there will be a proper place for cyclists in the future will be of continuous debate. The only safety measure that can be put in place now is for everyone to be considerate be it on the road or on the pavements.