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Iran FM Zarif Confirms Nuclear Deal Reached

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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran and the world powers have finally agreed on a long-awaited deal on Tehran’s nuclear energy program, after days of intense talks in Geneva.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton’s spokesman, Michael Mann, also announced a nuclear agreement with Iran.

The Iranian foreign minister added that the nuclear crisis is abating.

The deal was announced on Sunday morning after the intense nuclear talks between Tehran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — plus Germany, originally scheduled to end on Friday, entered into the fifth day.

The interim deal also allows for Iran to continue its activities in its nuclear sites in the cities of Arak, Fordo, and Natanz.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the agreement also stipulates that no additional sanctions will be imposed on Iran due to its nuclear energy program.

Iran will also receive access to USD 4.2 billion in foreign exchange as part of the nuclear deal.

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi, said the agreement recognizes the country’s “enrichment program.”

Araqchi had earlier emphasized that Tehran could not accept any deal that did not recognize Iran’s enrichment right.

The landmark agreement was reached in Tehran’s third nuclear negotiations with the world powers since Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took office in August.

The article Iran FM Zarif Confirms Nuclear Deal Reached appeared first on Eurasia Review.


US, Japan Protest China Air Defense Zone

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The United States has voiced its “strong concern” to China over threats from Beijing to enforce its claims to a set of disputed Pacific islands controlled by Japan but claimed by the People’s Republic.

The White House, State Department and Pentagon all issued statements late Saturday, hours after Beijing threatened to take “defensive emergency measures” against aircraft entering its newly-proclaimed air defense zone. The Chinese edict called on all aircraft to identify themselves before entering the zone, and to obey all orders from Beijing.

The White House called the threat an escalatory development,” while Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called it “a destabilizing attempt to alter the status quo” in the East China Sea. Hagel also said the United States has no plans to change how it conducts military operations in the region.

The islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Daioyu in China, are uninhabited, but surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potential energy deposits.

Earlier Saturday, Japan lodged a strong protest with Beijing that called establishment of the zone “totally unacceptable.” Senior Japanese diplomat Junichi Ihara also criticized China for escalating bilateral tensions over the islands.

In the Chinese statement, which appeared Saturday on a defense ministry website, Beijing said the new rules were effective immediately.

After months of escalating tensions, Japan scrambled fighter jets earlier this month over the East China Sea, after it spotted what it said was an unmanned aircraft flying toward Japan.

Japan annexed the islets in the late 19th century. China claimed sovereignty over the archipelago in 1971, saying ancient maps show it has been Chinese territory for centuries.

The festering China-Japan dispute is one of several maritime controversies pitting China against several Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia.

Beijing has indicated a willingness to negotiate the disputes, but has so far rejected calls for multilateral talks. It has sought separate negotiations with each country.

The article US, Japan Protest China Air Defense Zone appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Is The Dollar Entering Death Throes? – OpEd

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By Paul Craig Roberts

Since 2006, the US dollar has experienced a one-quarter to one-third drop in value to the Chinese yuan, depending on the choice of base.

Now China is going to let the dollar decline further in value. China also says it is considering undermining the petrodollar by pricing oil futures on the Shanghai Futures Exchange in yuan.

This on top of the growing avoidance of the dollar to settle trade imbalances means that the dollar’s role as reserve currency is coming to an end, which means the termination of the US as financial bully and financial imperialist. This blow to the dollar in addition to the blows delivered by jobs offshoring and the uncovered bets in the gambling casino created by financial deregulation means that the US economy as we knew it is coming to an end.

The US economy is already in shambles, with bond and stock markets propped up by massive and historically unprecedented Fed money printing pouring liquidity into financial asset prices. This month at the IMF annual conference, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said that to achieve full employment in the US economy would require negative real interest rates.

Negative real interest rates could only be achieved by eliminating cash, moving to digital money that can only be kept in banks, and penalizing people for saving.

The future is developing precisely as I have been predicting.

As the dollar enters its death throes, the lawless Federal Reserve and the Wall Street criminals will increase their shorting of gold in the paper futures market, thereby driving the remnants of the West’s gold into Asian hands.

PBOC says no longer in China’s interest to increase reserves

According to Bloomberg News published on November 20, 2013, the People’s Bank of China said the country does not benefit any more from increases in its foreign-currency holdings, adding to signs policymakers will rein in dollar purchases that limit the yuan’s appreciation.

“It’s no longer in China’s favor to accumulate foreign-exchange reserves,” Yi Gang, a deputy governor at the central bank, said in a speech organized by China Economists 50 Forum at Tsinghua University yesterday.

The monetary authority will “basically” end normal intervention in the currency market and broaden the yuan’s daily trading range, Governor Zhou Xiaochuan wrote in an article in a guidebook explaining reforms outlined last week following a Communist Party meeting.

The article Is The Dollar Entering Death Throes? – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Egyptians Unite To Repair Houses Of Worship

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By Mohamed Mahmoud

Deacon Michael Habib spoke with sadness about the damage his church in al-Minya province sustained in an attack by a group of armed men in July.

“The aim of this church is, and always has been, to serve the neighbouring villages,” he said. “We had nothing to do with politics and were in fact loved and respected by everyone, so why was the church attacked and burned?”

Over the past four months, about 70 Coptic churches and church buildings have been burned and attacked, according to government statistics. A number of mosques also have been attacked, mainly following the dispersal of the Rabea al-Adawiyah and al-Nahda sit-ins in August.

This prompted Beit el-Aela el-Misriyah, a non-governmental organisation, to launch an initiative to renovate houses of worship damaged in recent acts of violence with support from the government, Al-Azhar, the Coptic Church and private individuals and businesses.

The initiative, launched October 31st, aims to promote tolerance and encourages all Egyptians to help repair damaged houses of worship, the organisation said.

The initiative seeks to raise 300 million Egyptian pounds ($43.5 million) to conduct repair work, which is set to begin in December and is expected to be completed within one year.

A special committee will select the houses of worship to undergo renovation.

‘All Egyptians are brothers’

“The initiative essentially aims to affirm that all Egyptians are brothers in every way, that protecting houses of worship is the responsibility of every Egyptian, and that when a Muslim or Christian house of worship is attacked, all members of both sects participate in renovating it,” said Mahmoud Azab, Beit el-Aela co-ordinator and adviser to Sheikh of Al-Azhar on dialogue.

Accounts have been opened at all Egyptian banks to receive donations, Azab told Al-Shorfa. A number of companies and businessmen have already announced they will make sizable donations, and renovation projects will soon kick off with help from the armed forces, he said.

Beit el-Aela el-Misriyah was co-founded by Al-Azhar and the Coptic Church in Egypt in November 2011, and aims to “preserve Egypt’s social fabric in co-ordination with all relevant government bodies and ministries”, Azab said.

Its membership comprises Muslim and Coptic scholars, representatives of various other Christian communities in Egypt and a number of academics and experts, and its mission is to promote national unity, tolerance and non-violence among all citizens, he said.

“This necessitated that the organisation launch an initiative that brings together the business community, the government and civil society to renovate houses of worship that were damaged during the violence of the past few months and affirm that they are places that teach tolerance and dialogue, and must be preserved,” Azab said.

The foundation has launched other initiatives which promote these values, including an inter-religious dialogue committee, which offers lectures to Muslim and Christian clerics on tolerance, shared Muslim and Christian values and the importance of citizenship in building civilisations.

First phase to begin in December

Bishop Makarios of the Diocese of al-Minya, which suffered the most attacks, recently announced that the first phase of repair work will begin in early December at 10 sites, seven of which are in al-Minya.

The second phase is slated to begin one month after the start of the first, he said.

“This initiative comes at a critical time of the transition phase Egypt is going through,” said initiative co-founder Moataz Abdel-Fattah, a public policy professor at the American University in Cairo.

The initiative’s importance lies in its emphasis on the principles of citizenship and preservation of the role of houses of worship, all of which are essentially public facilities that serve all Egyptians, both morally and materially, regardless of their religion, he said.

Efforts must be intensified in the days ahead to instil the concepts of tolerance and acceptance of others, Abdel Fattah said, as “these principles are the foundation for building any free, democratic society”.

The article Egyptians Unite To Repair Houses Of Worship appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Bioengineers Aim To 3D-Print Human Hearts In A Decade

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Scientists in Kentucky predict that they’ll be able to use 3D printer technology to create a bioficial human heart in only ten years’ time.

Dr. Stuart Williams is the director of the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, and he thinks his office is only a decade away from what could be one of the biggest medical marvels ever.

Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States and claims around 1 million lives annually, according to recent studies. Dr. Williams has witnessed both of his parents pass away due to the disease, and by 2020 it is expected to be the biggest life-taker on Earth. By then, however, Williams expects to be near the breakthrough point with regards to his most ambitious endeavor yet.

“America put a man on the Moon in less than a decade. I said a full decade to provide some wiggle room,” Williams recently told Wired of his projected progress.

Just as 3D printers have let anyone from hobbyists to industrial designers manufacture objects as of late, Williams says he wants to use that same technology to replicate the most critical of body parts. Designers have already managed to show that 3D printers are capable of churning out fully-functioning firearms, and scientists have already explored with making organs, including a liver and an ear, with that technology. Williams, however, wants to be able to bring to life something with a beat.

“We think we can do it in 10 years — that we can build, from a patient’s own cells, a total ‘bioficial’ heart,” he said to the Courier Journal newspaper.

Speaking to local network WDRB, Williams said, “The term total bioficial heart really started here in Louisville.” In 2007 Williams joined the rank of the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, a joint collaboration between the city’s Jewish Hospital and the University of Louisville, and once there he patented the first method in the world for using fat-derived stem cells for therapeutic use. He’s again exploring what exactly cells are capable of, and could be onto something huge.

“You take tissue from a patient isolate the cells, because we’re all made up of just billions and billions of cells put those cells into a machine, hit a button and it will print out a heart,” he told the station. “Fifty CCs of fat is two golf ball size pieces of fat and there are enough cells in that fat to rebuild basically all of the major blood vessels in the heart.”

“If you think about building an airplane what you do is build individual parts and then assemble… We’re doing the exact same thing with the bioficial heart,” he added to WDRB.

That isn’t to say anyone wanting to do a little Frankensteining of their own can simply fire up their printer and then put together the pieces, of course, but Williams revealed to Wired that the process he’s been playing with isn’t near as expensive as more traditional medical procedures in the realm of heart surgery. He told the Courtier-Journal that making a bioficial heart today could cost upwards of $100,000, plus another 150k in hospital and surgery costs. Even still, though, the paper reported that the $250,000 price-tag would be less than the typical heart transplant, and doesn’t come up with the ongoing costs of anti-rejection drugs that would be required in those cases.

WDRB reported that clinical trials are already being performed on bioficial blood vessels, and Williams believes the 2023 deadline is still within reach.

“There is great interest and support [because] everyone understands this technology will lead to ancillary discoveries and new therapies to treat just part of the heart or part of the circulatory system,” he told Wired.

The article Bioengineers Aim To 3D-Print Human Hearts In A Decade appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Riyadh Relaxed On Oil Market Developments – OpEd

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By Alsir Sidahmed

Two weeks ahead of the regular biannual meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna, Riyadh opted for sending an assuring message that it is not very much concerned with the outburst of the shale oil and gas production in North America. Rather this new development is seen by the Kingdom as an addition to long-term stability of the market.

“The world economy over the long term will need every contribution of every source of energy available,” Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, deputy minister of petroleum and mineral resources declared in Dubai. “The Kingdom welcomes new resources of energy supplies as they are needed.”

The prince added: “We need to make sure that the world economy comes out decisively on a growth pattern and if that can be established I think that the world economic growth will be sufficient to handle growth from all sorts — shale oil, shale gas and tight oil, including renewable.”

The statement is significant as it comes days after OPEC released its World Oil Outlook (WOO) for this year, where it expects that call on the organization’s crude is expected to drop during the five years’ period up to 2018. Call on OPEC crude is expected to drop from 30.3 million barrels per day (bpd) this year to 29.2 million bpd in 2018. And that despite the fact that demand is expected to show incessant rise during this period.

The WOO expects that demand on oil will rise from 89.7 million bpd last year to 92 million bpd to 96.5 million bpd in 2020. And most of that demand will be met by rising supply from OPEC, including the North American shale oil and gas growing production.

The Saudi solid conviction seems to be based on a number of factors. One, as the demand in the United States for foreign oil drops, that in China and India continues to rise, which will more than compensate the decline in demand. Because of this, every new source of supply, including shale oil and gas, is more than welcome.

Moreover, the new fracking revolution that allows the shale oil to reach the market depends on a high level of crude price. The fracking technology has been around for years, but only when crude prices jumped in the past few years producing shale oil would become commercially viable.

In some calculations, the shale oil production is putting a floor of $80 a barrel to continue to worth pumping. That barrel price level, was originally suggested by Riyadh, as a fair price for both producers, consumers and more important to allow for investment in new energies.

However, there is an added reason as far as the Kingdom is concerned. That is, its growing downstream facilities and ability to refine more crude. Last year, Saudi Aramco upgraded its Motiva joint venture with Shell in the United States after investing some $10 billion, adding to the established refinery new units equal to setting up a new one. That is regarded by many in the industry as the first addition to the US refinery market in three decades. The new upgraded refinery is regarded as one of the 10 biggest refineries in the world in terms of ability to refine.

This upgrade to 600,000 bpd is part of an ambitious $200 billion spending program that aims at refining some 8 million bpd within its global refining system within 10 years. Part of that plan is to build refineries in China and Indonesia so as to address the growing Asian market.

In five years’ time, refining capacity is planned to increase by 50 percent in projects that have been identified more or less like the $8.8 billion, 300,000 bpd in Indonesia that is expected to come on-stream in 2018.

There is also the agreement with Sinopec, Saudi Aramco’s largest Chinese customer, who agreed to take a 37.5 percent stake in the Yanbu, Yasref plant. In addition, the two companies are in early talks to add a new refinery in China that can process as much as 300,000 barrels a day.

This drive in a refining program will start to bear fruit as early as 2016 when refining capacity in the Kingdom itself will rise from 2.26 million bpd to 3.46 million bpd.

The aim is to add value, sell directly to the customers and reduce the volatility of crude market.

Email: asidahmed@hotmail.com

The article Riyadh Relaxed On Oil Market Developments – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Sri Lanka: Making Sense Beyond Theatricals – Analysis

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By Col R Hariharan

Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa had spent around SL Rs 14.8 billion (as stated in parliament by Opposition), imported 54 Mercedes Benz cars for guests use, lot of time and energy to make a success of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet (CHOGM) 2013 hosted in Colombo.

The 2013 Summit had all the razzmatazz that goes with such occasions. The main summit was held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall gifted by China. The leaders’ retreat was organised at Waters Edge in the Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte in Colombo. Other venues included Hambantota and Hikkaduwa. Colombo was spruced up; Commonwealth Business Forum met and an international trade fair ‘Reflections’ was organized on the occasion.

President Rajapaksa must be a happy man for having seen the end of the prestigious event that threatened to get out of hand after Channel 4 released another video showing more visuals on Sri Lanka alleged human rights violations that raised the pitch of international protests calling for boycott of the CHOGM. Sri Lanka must be unhappy with the virulence of the Tamil Nadu protests and near unanimous support for it from both national and local political parties for the boycott call. The Indian Prime Minister’s decision to meet their demand half way by deciding to stay away from the Colombo meet distracted international media attention from the prestigious event to the controversial side show.

In keeping with the Summit theme ‘Growth with equity; Inclusive development,’ the final declaration issued of the CHOGM called for ‘equitable’ growth, better education and inclusivity for women, youth and the disabled. It was agreed that achieving growth with equity and inclusivity must be one of the main policy priorities for the Commonwealth, in keeping with its Charter adopted in December 2012.

But it was the Sri Lanka human rights issue that loomed large on the Summit though it was not on the main agenda. In his welcome speech at the inaugural President Rajapaksa keeping in mind the controversy over Sri Lanka’s human rights record said, asked the members to “collectively guard against bilateral agendas being introduced into the Organisation, distorting Commonwealth traditions and consensus. The strength of the Organisation lies in keeping the member countries together, helping one another in a spirit of partnership, making the Commonwealth truly unique.” The President went on to quote Buddha’s words, “Let not one take notice of faults of others or what they have done or not done. Let one be concerned only about what one has done and left undone” to underline his unhappiness at the controversy over the Colombo meet.

Human rights and Sri Lanka rights abuses issues are not new to the CHOGM. Even in the CHOGM 2011 summit at Perth, the same issue had provoked Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to walk out when President Rajapaksa was invited to speak on the last day of the summit. The Canadian Prime Minister had threatened to boycott the 2013 CHOGM at Colombo if the allegations of Sri Lanka’s human rights abuses were not investigated. In keeping with his threat the Canadian Prime Minister chose to boycott the Colombo meet.

But the biggest weakness of the CHOGM is its inability to act upon any constructive suggestions. In fact diversity of the Commonwealth members ensures that serious suggestions never go beyond the talking stage. For instance the report of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) panel appointed at the CHOGM 2009 found that the Commonwealth’s relevance was lost due to the lack of a mechanism to censure member countries who violate human rights or democratic norms.

The EPG made 106 recommendations including the adoption of a Charter for the Commonwealth, the creation of a new commissioner on the rule of law, democracy and human rights to keep track of rights abuses and political repression by Commonwealth member states. However, when the report came up for consideration at the 2011 Summit no real progress was made. One frustrated member of the EPG Sir Malcom Rifkind, former British Foreign Secretary, called it a disgrace. He said the problem of the Commonwealth was “not a problem of hostility or antagonism, it’s more of a problem of indifference.”

Though a Commonwealth Charter based upon the EPG’s observations was finally adopted December 2012, it was a watered down version leaving the proposal for creating a commissioner to “keep track” of human rights abuses of Commonwealth members by the wayside. On human rights it merely reiterated its commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international covenants on the subject. Though it affirmed the commitment to equality and protection and promotion of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights – aspects very relevant to Sri Lanka human rights abuses issue – it went no further than oracular words.

Mauritius Prime Minister Ramgoolam’s decision not to attend the Colombo summit because “there was total lack of accountability during the Sri Lanka ethnic conflict” is a significant one. He said as a result of the boycott, Mauritius would no longer host the next CHOGM. In view of this the CHOGM decided to hold the next summit in Malta. This move would ensure the issue lives on to figure in the next CHOGM as well.

The Indian Prime Minister’s reasons for staying away from the CHOGM have not been made public. However, President Rajapaksa, who received a letter from Dr Manmohan Singh informing of his decision, made light of the absence saying he was satisfied with Indian representation. Answering a specific question whether the Indian Prime Minister’s absence was in response to Tamil sentiments, the President was clear. “He did not say that to me; the letter said something different,” he said.

Despite Rajapaksa’s apparent equanimity in accepting India’s representation, he must be a disappointed man. It is sure to impact his decision making on India-related issues. However, despite his grievances against India, he needs its goodwill to give a hand in shoring up the precarious economic situation as well as to stand by Sri Lanka when it figures again in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Geneva in March 2014. Both UK and the U.S. are now members of the UNHRC and a resolution on Sri Lanka is probably on the cards. British Prime Minister David Cameron has already given notice that unless Sri Lanka carries out a proper investigation of the allegations Britain would be seeking an inquiry by the Rights Commissioner at the UNHRC meeting.

The major stakeholders of the CHOGM have all gained both credits and debits on their performance at the summit. President Rajapaksa as the principal stakeholder has probably notched up few brownie points in his local popularity for becoming the chairperson of the CHOGM till 2014. Beyond that, the country facing serious economic crunch would probably be pondering whether the meet was really worth all the money and effort. This is more so when some of the guests like David Cameron lambasted Sri Lanka for its poor human rights record and highlighted uncomfortable issues Tamils have been complaining about for quite some time.

But the CHOGM has shown that Sri Lanka could have avoided all the unpleasantness had it truly and transparently organised an investigation to disprove the allegations. If that lesson has been learnt, it would have been worth all the effort and money that had gone into the CHOGM.

David Cameron was probably the most vocal critic of Sri Lanka and this should please his expatriate Tamil ‘vote banks’ at home. But realistically, he had done what any leader with a conscience should have done to set right human rights deficiencies. But Commonwealth has never been a vehicle for taking major remedial action directed at individual member. At best a member can be kept out of it. And that option is unlikely to come up for Sri Lanka because whether one likes Rajapaksa’s authoritarian style or not, he has been elected by the people. So logically we can expect Britain to bring up the issue at the UNHRC meet, though how far it would politically invest in the issue is to be seen.

India has unresolved internal issues on how to handle Sri Lanka at the local level than it has with Sri Lanka at the international level. Manmohan Singh government will face this leadership challenge once again in March 2014 when the Congress will be in the thick of the campaigning for general elections 2014. And that could make it tricky thanks to Sri Lanka issue’s linkages to Tamil Nadu politics. The single learning from CHOGM for the Congress would be to strategise management of regional politics better and stick to value based decision making in time. But there may be neither time nor inclination to take it up at this late hour. So we can see another crisis brewing in Tamil Nadu from January 2014 onward when protests come up in increasing decibels. The government has no choice but to see through it successfully to retain its international credibility.

Lastly, for Tamils it is not enough to pillory Sri Lanka government because the Northern Provincial Council has to progress its difficult political and development agenda with the Rajapaksa government. However, we have seen during the CHOGM, the Tamil National Alliance and Chief Minister Wigneswaran did not allow the situation to overtake them. They put across their points soberly and that should allow them some political space. But Tamil Nadu politics has a knack of queering their pitch; hopefully, they would be cautious to ensure that neither Tamil Nadu nor the pro-Eelam Diaspora interfere with their political responsibilities to the people who elected them.

(Col R Hariharan, a retired Military Intelligence specialist on South Asia, served with the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka as Head of Intelligence. He is associated with the Chennai Centre for China Studies and the South Asia Analysis Group. E-Mail:colhari@yahoo.com Blog: www.colhariharan.org)

The article Sri Lanka: Making Sense Beyond Theatricals – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review.

P5+1 And Iran Agree Landmark Nuclear Deal At Geneva Talks

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The P5+1 world powers and Iran have struck a historic deal on Tehran’s nuclear program at talks in Geneva. Ministers overcame the last remaining hurdles to reach an interim agreement, despite strong pressure from Israel and lobby groups.

“This deal means that we agree with the need to recognize Iran’s right for peaceful nuclear energy, including the right for enrichment, with an understanding that those questions about the [Iranian nuclear program] that still remain, and the program itself, will be placed under a strictest IAEA control,”Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told journalists.

Under the agreement, Iran will freeze its nuclear program for six months. It will not build new centrifuges or in some other way expand its nuclear facilities. The nation has also agreed to halt construction of a reactor in Arak for the next 6 months.

Moscow is convinced that the international community and Iran will benefit from the agreement reached in Geneva.

“The totality of factors in general is a plus. Nobody lost. All turned out to be winners. Hopefully, this agreement will be beneficial for the efforts to resolve the Syrian problem in engaging Iran in constructive work to hold the Geneva 2 conference,” Lavrov said.

The IAEA’s ability to monitor Iran’s nuclear program has significantly expanded, Lavrov said adding that he has full confidence that Iran will cooperate in good faith with the IAEA.

“IAEA significantly expanded the opportunities to monitor Iran’s nuclear program. Iran agreed on a number of additional measures beyond those which the agency applies at the moment,” Russian FM said.

Lavrov also expressed hope that the step taken by the P5+1 group and Iran to create the prerequisites for the convening a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction conference.

The interim deal will provide the time and space to try to reach a “comprehensive solution” to the nuclear standoff between Tehran and the West, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said.

US President Barack Obama said that temporary nuclear deal is an important first step toward a comprehensive solution to Iran’s nuclear program.

Under the deal Iran has agreed to halt enriching uranium up to 20 percent for 6 months, while enrichment under 5 percent will be continued.

Under the agreement Iran will get access to $4.2 billion in exchange for halting its nuclear program, a Western diplomat told Reuters.

US President Obama is expected to deliver a speech on the historic resolution within the next hour.

The P5+1 and Iran arrived at the historic deal over Iran’s nuclear program at approximately 3:00 AM local time in Geneva.

The article P5+1 And Iran Agree Landmark Nuclear Deal At Geneva Talks appeared first on Eurasia Review.


Expensive Training Programs Don’t Help Kids’ Grades, Behavior

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Many parents spend thousands of dollars on computer-based training programs that claim to help children with ADHD succeed in the classroom and in peer relationships while reducing hyperactivity and inattentiveness. But a University of Central Florida researcher says parents are better off saving their hard-earned cash.

Psychology professor Mark Rapport’s research team spent two years analyzing the data from 25 studies and found that those programs are not producing significant or clinically meaningful long-term improvements in children’s cognitive abilities, academic performance or behavior.

“Parents are desperate for help,” said Rapport, who runs the Children’s Learning Clinic IV at UCF. “If they can afford it, they are willing to spend the money, and some parents even enroll their children in private schools because they offer these cognitive training programs. But there is no empirical evidence to show those investments are worthwhile.”

Rapport initiated the study because many parents of children who have been evaluated at his clinic asked him whether they should invest in the programs. The study is featured in the December issue of Clinical Psychology Review.

His team analyzed published studies sponsored by the companies themselves as well as all independent published studies in the literature – and he drew his conclusions based on analyzing “blinded” studies, meaning studies in which researchers and independent raters used objective measures and did not know which children were assigned to the cognitive training programs as opposed to an inactive placebo condition.

Working memory represents one of the most important core deficits in children with ADHD, and improvements in working memory are associated with improved academic performance, behavior, peer relationships and other intellectual abilities. Surprisingly, although a majority of the cognitive training programs claimed to train this important aspect of brain functioning, closer examination of their training exercises revealed that they actually train short-term memory.

Short-term memory stores information in mind for a brief interval, whereas working memory uses the stored information for accomplishing a wide range of cognitive tasks, such as reading comprehension, mental math, and multitasking.

Rapport said his conclusions do not mean that the computer-based programs cannot become a helpful tool for children with ADHD. If programs can be designed to focus on working memory, it is worth evaluating whether they can help children’s cognitive abilities, academic performance and behavior, he said.

Rapport, who is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, began teaching at UCF in 2000. Early in his career, he worked as a school psychologist in Pinellas County. He was often frustrated that many of the techniques that he and schoolteachers tried would fail to help children with ADHD. As a researcher at three universities prior to coming to UCF, Rapport studied behavioral and pharmacological treatments for children with ADHD.

The Children’s Learning Clinic offers free assessments for typically developing boys ages 8 to 12, as well as for children who are experiencing difficulties with attention, learning, memory or concentration and those suspected of having ADHD. The clinic’s free evaluations include intelligence, academic achievement, activity level and memory assessments.

Co-authors on this study include UCF doctoral students Sarah Orban and Lauren Friedman and Michael J. Kofler, a professor with the University of Virginia’s Department of Human Services.

The article Expensive Training Programs Don’t Help Kids’ Grades, Behavior appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Tomato Packaging Made From Tomatoes?

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(CORDIS) — The tomato is much loved by Europeans – it forms the basis of many recipes, whether fresh or tinned. But what happens to tomato by-product waste? European researchers have come up with a solution to put this waste to good use.

The BIOCOPAC (‘Development of bio-based coating from tomato processing wastes intended for metal packaging’) project is developing a new range of alternative bio-based lacquers for the tinned food industry – using the humble tomato – which will comply with EU Directive 2008/98/EC and decrease waste.

The heat is on for packaging companies who are in a race to adopt eco-friendly packaging. The BIOCOPAC team is confident that its innovative packaging will improve metal can quality and decrease use of plastic containers. At the same time, it will enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to be competitive in the metal packaging sector.

Led by Stazione Sperimentale per l’Industria delle Conserve Alimentari (SSICA) of Italy, the BIOCOPAC consortium is creating bio-based thermosetting lacquer. The team started by analysing and characterising tomato wastes. The focus now is on developing an extraction method and optimising the bio-resin. The partners are using environmentally friendly techniques to extract the bio-resin from tomato peel. The bio-resin is actually cutin – a wax-like water-repellent material found in the walls of various plant cells.

The lacquer for the metal packaging used for food products with chemico-physical properties will also be entirely natural. The final lacquer will be similar to those used traditionally, and usable in industrial plants.

The new lacquers will be designed to meet EU legislation requirements, but the partners will carry out additional tests to ascertain the suitability of their product for food tins and packaging. ‘In this way, at the end of the project, it will be possible to have a complete indication as to the use of the new lacquers in contact with food products and of their economic and environmental benefits,’ said Dr Paolo Brenni of project Salchi Metal Srl, a BIOCOPAC partner, at a 2012 conference.

BIOCOPAC’s research concept is based on an old patent developed by SSICA in the 1940s. This project has the potential to fuel research into other bio-based products, which in turn could deliver effective tools and affordable alternatives for other markets. Ultimately, the research will lead to improved use of Europe’s renewable agri-food resources and support companies’ efforts to become ‘greener’, by providing safe and recyclable metal packaging.

The BIOCOPAC consortium comprises four research centres, four SMEs, and three large enterprises from the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Greece, Liechtenstein and Spain. The collaboration between industrial groups dealing with waste treatment and tomato transformation, and lacquer and metal can producers, will ensure the project’s results fit with industry’s needs. The project, which is funded under the ‘Research for the benefit of SMEs’ theme of the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), is due to end in late autumn 2013.

The article Tomato Packaging Made From Tomatoes? appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Burma: NLD Request Quadripartite Talks On Constitution

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By Ko Htwe

Burma’s leading opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), said it sent letters on Monday to the President, the parliament and the military commander-in-chief, requesting a quadripartite meeting.

NLD spokesman Nyan Win said the party wants to find a solution via political means to its proposal of amending the 2008 constitution.

“According to our public surveys, the majority of people wish to see the constitution amended, and peace will not prevail unless this happens,” he said. “That’s why we are calling for a political discussion on the issue.”

When contacted by DVB, presidential spokesman Ye Htut said he could not comment on the NLD proposal as the letter was yet to arrive at the President’s Office.

“However, generally it has been always maintained, according to the constitution, that any amendments must be initiated by the Union Parliament,” he said.

The NLD made the decision to call for the quadripartite meeting at its Central Executive Committee meeting on 23 November.

The NLD has been conducting surveys among public gatherings in Rangoon and other parts of the country where, it claims, the vast majority of people who answered their questionnaire said they wished to see the constitution amended as opposed to completely rewritten.

The article Burma: NLD Request Quadripartite Talks On Constitution appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Spain Welcomes Agreement On Iranian Nuclear Program

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The Government of Spain said it welcomes the agreement reached on Sunday in Geneva by the European Union, Germany, China, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Russia and Iran on the Iranian nuclear program, which represents an important milestone in the return of relations between the international community and Iran to normality and towards achieving a general agreement that fosters stability and security in the region.

“Spain wishes to congratulate all the parties involved and highlight the role played by the High Representative of the European Union, Catherine Ashton and the team of the European External Action Service in concluding this preliminary agreement which should now be complemented by other more detailed agreements. It also wishes to acknowledge the commitment and courage of the recently elected President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani,” the Spanish government said on its website in a statement

The Government of Spain considers that this agreement shows the success of the double-track approach of dialogue and sanctions, to which our country has been actively contributing. Spain hopes that in the coming weeks the different aspects of the agreement can be put into practice, which will require determination by the parties involved with a view to making further progress towards a final agreement.

The article Spain Welcomes Agreement On Iranian Nuclear Program appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Grand Bargain Or Raw Deal? – OpEd

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Many elderly Americans are close enough to poverty’s edge that Social Security cuts of any size could push them over the brink.

By Peter Hart

Following the government shutdown drama, politicians in Washington appear hopelessly divided, according to conventional wisdom.

Fair enough. But there’s at least one area where many politicians from both of the major parties agree — and many of the TV talking heads and newspaper pontificators are with them, too. Social Security, they insist, “needs” to be cut.

For the last few years, after a major standoff, the usual Beltway pundits have been talking about something they like to call the “grand bargain.”

That sure sounds like a good thing. Who doesn’t love a bargain? Well, here’s the question you should ask yourself: Who’s actually getting one? It’s more likely than not that the savings aren’t headed your way.

In Washingtonspeak, a “grand bargain” means some kind of budget deal where everyone is forced to give a little in order to reduce the budget deficit and tackle the country’s debt. To get Republicans to agree to raise more revenue (i.e., taxes), Democrats have to agree to some spending cuts.

As with most things, the devil’s in the details. There’s essentially unanimous Republican opposition to raising taxes on the wealthy. That makes authentic bargaining tough. And on the other side, the cuts are intended for programs like Medicare and Social Security, key elements of the safety net and perhaps the most popular government spending programs.

Medicare and Social Security are remarkably successful in helping keep seniors and others in need out of poverty. But “households relying on (Social Security) for a significant share of their income often live dangerously close to the poverty line,” according to the Economic Policy Institute. That means cuts of any kind could jeopardize their living standards.

Pundits and journalists cheer this talk of a “bargain,” and they praise politicians — especially Democrats — who have the “courage” to back such cuts.

For the past few decades, politicians and pundits have ginned up a “crisis” over Social Security’s finances. At this point, you can say almost anything about Social Security and get away with it.

Right now, yet another wave of scare stories about Social Security has soaked the media. 60 Minutes recently did a segment about the allegedly rampant fraud in the Social Security disability system. But back in reality, disability benefits are difficult to collect, and the program is watched very closely for signs of cheating.

The Washington Post ran a big story about the problem of people collecting benefits for their deceased loved ones. Front-page news in the nation’s capital — but if you read closely, you would discover that we’re talking about 0.006 percent of the checks.

So long as the media can keep churning out this misleadingly alarmist Social Security coverage, more politicians will talk up the idea of “fixing” the program. When you hear them say this, you should know that they mean cutting benefits.

Be on the lookout: When the TV talking heads and politicians all agree that it’s time to strike a “grand bargain” to “protect” or “fix” Social Security, check the fine print. Someone’s getting a bargain, but it’s probably not you.

Peter Hart is the activism director of Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting. www.fair.org

The article Grand Bargain Or Raw Deal? – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

UN Security Council Condemns ‘War Crimes’ Committed By Lord’s Resistance Army

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Reiterating its strong condemnation of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and its use of children in armed conflict, the Security Council today demanded that the group immediately cease all hostilities, release all abductees, and disarm and demobilize.

Issuing presidential statement the Council urged the United Nations Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), the UN political and peacekeeping missions in the region, and the Organization’s other relevant presences, to enhance their support for the implementation of the UN Regional Strategy to address the threat and impact of the activities of the LRA. It called on the international community to support the implementation of the Strategy where possible.

The LRA, notorious for carrying out massacres in villages, mutilating its victims and abducting boys for use as child soldiers and forcing girls into sexual slavery, was formed in the 1980s in Uganda and for over 15 years its attacks were mainly directed against Ugandan civilians and security forces, which in 2002 dislodged it. It then exported its activities to Uganda’s neighbours, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan.

The 15-member body reiterated its strong support for the African Union Regional Cooperation Initiative against the LRA, commending the “significant” progress by the African Union Regional Task Force. It urged all regional Governments to fulfil their commitments under the Initiative and provide basic provisions for their security forces.

Welcoming steps taken to deliver an enhanced, comprehensive and “more regional” approach to the humanitarian situation, the Council underlined the primary responsibility of States in the LRA-affected region to protect civilians. In that context, it welcomed efforts by the DRC, South Sudan, Uganda and the CAR, in coordination with the African Union, to end the LRA threat, urging additional efforts from those countries, as well as others in the region.

Further, the Council expressed serious concern that the increased security vacuum in the CAR continued to negatively affect counter-LRA operations. As LRA attacks have reportedly taken place outside the Task Force’s principal area of operations, it emphasized the need for strong coordination among the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA), the Task Force, and the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic (MISCA) in the context of protecting civilian activities and counter-LRA operations.

Regionally, the Council encouraged the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) to reinforce efforts to address the LRA through improved responsiveness to imminent civilian threats, training and capacity-building of the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) and implementation of the disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, reintegration, and resettlement programme to encourage further LRA defections.

In addition, the Council urged MONUSCO and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to enhance their cooperation with the Regional Task Force to coordinate operations, patrols and protection of civilians strategies, and to provide logistical support within their existing mandates and resources. It took note of reports of an LRA base in the disputed enclave of Kafia Kinga, on the border of the Central African Republic, and between South Sudan and Sudan.

The article UN Security Council Condemns ‘War Crimes’ Committed By Lord’s Resistance Army appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Oxfam: Geneva Peace Conference On Syria Conflict ‘Must Not Be Talks For The Sake Of Talks’

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In response to news that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will convene January 22 in Geneva an international conference on Syria, Nigel Timmins, who is heading up Oxfam’s response to the Syria Crisis, said, “This announcement is long overdue. The international community now needs to make sure that the proposed date does not slip. Today’s announcement could mark a critical step in bringing an end to the daily killings, displacement, and suffering taking place in Syria.”

According to Timmins, “these must not be talks for the sake of talks – they must be backed up by measures that will make a real difference to those ordinary Syrians who have been suffering for so long. This must include a halt to armed violence and allowing those in need to access aid. The international community must help make this a reality by pressing for a ceasefire and halting the transfer of arms and ammunition to the country.”

In the opinion of Timmins, “The talks themselves must be inclusive if they are to have any chance of success, all parts of Syrian society must be adequately represented, including non-military actors who will be crucial in the rebuilding and reconstruction of their country.”

“With more than 100,000 people killed and millions displaced and living as refugees in neighboring countries, the Syrian people cannot wait any longer,” Timmins said.

The article Oxfam: Geneva Peace Conference On Syria Conflict ‘Must Not Be Talks For The Sake Of Talks’ appeared first on Eurasia Review.


Europe Funds Safety Of Nuclear Neighbours

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By Keith Nuthall

The European Parliament has backed a proposed €631 million ($851 million) program to support nuclear safety outside the EU, calling for neighbouring countries to be given priority.

In a series of amendments approved on 20 November, the parliament said that said countries would get preferred funding if they fall into either of two categories: that they want to join the EU and are already getting ‘pre-accession assistance’; or if they are eligible for ‘European neighbourhood instrument’ spending.

The money will come under an EU ‘instrument for nuclear safety cooperation’, being spent from 2014 to 2020, which will have 5.8% more at 2011 prices than the outgoing 2007-13 program it replaces.

The money will support projects that “support the promotion of a high level of nuclear safety, radiation protection and the application of efficient and effective safeguards of nuclear material in third countries…” The parliament added a commitment that this work should ensure “that nuclear material is used only for the civilian purposes for which it is intended.”

The MEP piloting the amendments through the parliament is rapporteur Jan Kozłowski, a Polish Christian Democrat. He stressed “the importance of providing priority access… two candidate, potential candidate and [neighbouring] beneficiaries, especially [given] one candidate, one potential candidate and nine neighbourhood countries have or are planning the construction of research and production nuclear reactors.”

Kozłowski said the proposed new instrument was “more transparent, flexible and simplified,” than the outgoing program. However, he said there were shortcomings in that its spending needed to better promote economic development, as well as nuclear safety. Underlining the “significance of this industry as an important source of energy,” Kozłowski stressed “the need to maintain its economic development, while respecting fully the highest safety standards in the production of nuclear energy. In times of economic hardship further improvement of the sound financial management and the best possible use of EU financial resources should be sought,” he added.

As a result, the regulation as amended by parliament lays down more detail on how the instrument’s money should be spent. It says this should “include a substantial element of knowledge transfer (expertise sharing, support for both existing or new education and training program in the area of nuclear safety)…”

Also, regulatory bodies should be supported “to ensure their independence, competence and development and for investment in human resources.” And cooperation between the EU and non-EU countries should be funded where it builds “expertise, experience and skills development, accident management procedures and accident prevention, strategies for responsible and safe management of used fuel and decommissioning strategies.”

Meanwhile the parliament has tried to ensure that the program does not duplicate efforts made by other international organisations and governments. An amendment said the EU and its member states would “ensure proper coordination and cooperation with multilateral and regional organisations and entities,” including the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and UN bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The proposal, as amended, will now be considered by the EU Council of Ministers, representing member states, which will have the final say.

The article Europe Funds Safety Of Nuclear Neighbours appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Belíndia: Brazil And Education – Analysis

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By Tarique Smith

Protests Continue

After Brazil realized decades of steady improvements in its literacy, performance this year is declining once again. This is a troubling development in a country of nearly 200 million, approximately 13.2 million of whom can neither read nor write Portuguese, the country’s official language. Adding to the widespread dismay with the public education system expressed by many of the country’s citizens, earlier this year teachers went out on strike in response to the municipality of Rio de Janeiro’s consideration of the proposed Lei do Plano de Cargos, Carreiras e Remunerações, or the Law of the Plan of Space, Careers, and Salaries, which once in operation would reduce teacher pay by a quarter. In Brazil’s two largest cities, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, protesting educators marched downtown with signs proclaiming “Respect the teacher!” and “We are going to fight!” [1] These are the largest nationwide protests since the mass mobilizations of last summer. [2] The educators are expected to continue protesting until the proposed law is modified or completely voided.

On the government’s part, President Dilma Rousseff launched in 2011 the initiative Ciências Sem Fronteiras (CSF), or Science without Borders, with the goal of sending large numbers of Brazilian university students abroad to attend more advanced educational programs. Since its inception, more than 100,000 Brazilian students have attended institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and a host of other countries. Obviously, both the government and the populace want to see change in the quality of education in Brazil and, with this embarrassing increase in illiteracy within the country, the need is ever more pressing.

Education for Some

The government initiative CSF has been praised by both Brazilians and the global community alike. The Brazilian government sees the idea as a form of “modern diplomacy,” as these students will be spread throughout the developed world, making connections and representing their country, while at the same time learning priceless technological skills. By 2013, just two years after the program was launched, there are already more than 43,000 Brazilian students who have studied or are studying in American universities, highlighting the program’s importance in strengthening the South American nation’s international relations. [3] The program is also perfect for Brazil, which as it modernizes and tries to attain resources from the deep-sea, pre-salt oil reserves found off its coast, will require the services of many able professionals. CSF will allow more Brazilians to avail themselves of the opportunity for education abroad, while increasing the country’s image worldwide.

The program, while a sound idea, still does not fully address the country’s education problem. Most of its best universities are heavily concentrated in the country’s South and Southeast. As such, most of the students accepted into the CSF program will tend to be from these areas, and so the cycle will continue wherein other regions could be left behind, unable to effectively compete. Furthermore, CSF only aids students pursuing education at the university level, and does nothing to address lower levels of education.

Brazil’s educational woes start at the basic level, in primary schooling institutions. Education at this level is compulsory in Brazil, but free education is often subpar. Any family that wants their child to have a chance at going to a respectable university must pay for a private school, in preparation for a test (called the Exame Nacional de Ensino Médio, or ENEM) that all students must take in order to establish at which universities they are eligible to study. The cost of these private schools is out of the economic reach of many, if not most, Brazilian citizens, and as such they have little hope of being eligible to study at any of the coveted federal university schools, which have the lion’s share of able professors, job opportunities, and resources.

What’s more, federal universities are free for those that study there. Private universities in Brazil require the family or student to pay for tuition. This means that only those who study at the expensive private primary and secondary schools as youths have a feasible chance to study for free at a well-respected institution. This inequality of opportunity continues the cycle of illiteracy and classism, as only the nation’s wealthy have the means to pay the yearly substantial costs of private education. While Brazil has recently introduced its own form of Affirmative Action in the hopes of combatting this cycle, the amount of spaces set aside for cotistas, or those that are seen as benefiting from the Affirmative Action quota system, hardly dents the cycle of poverty and lack of education that grips the nation.

Belíndia

Education in Brazil consumes 5.6 percent of the country’s GDP, more than the United States (5.5 percent) and equal to Austria’s investment in its education. [4] Given the` significant budget that Brazil’s educational system enjoys, it is baffling that the South American giant nevertheless ranked, amongst 21 countries, in second-to-last place for the respect afforded its professors, as measured by arecent poll carried out by the Varkey Gems Foundation. Likewise, Brazil, in a recent UNESCO study, was placed at 88th amongst 127 countries in educational quality. The United States, by comparison, ranked 33rd in the same study. [5] It is puzzling that a country that invests so much in its educational system yields so few returns. For this and other reasons, Brazil has the onerous nickname of Belíndia. This is a term coined in the 1980s by Brazilian economist Edmar Bacha, referring to how Brazilians have to pay Belgian-level taxes, yet have access to only Indian-level services. [6] Brazil has one of the most comprehensive and complex tax systems in the world. Due to the system’s malfunctions, it takes more than 105 days for the average entrepreneur to open a business in Brazil, one of the lengthiest time spans in the world. Yet this high tax revenue has never translated to progress. Historically, Brazil has been a country of vast differences, but it must be asked how a country can house successful global companies like Embraer and Petrobrás while at the same time suffering from a continuing increase in illiteracy and failing education standards. Common answers to these questions are corruption and a bloated government bureaucracy, but the Brazilian government still fails to address them.

You’re not Smart Enough to be from Here

An interesting part of Brazil’s educational woes revolves around the regionalized nature of illiteracy patterns in the country. Brazil is so immense that, for administrative purposes, it is divided into five regions by the government: The North, the Northeast, the Southeast, the South, and the Mid-West. Vast differences exist between these, with the South and Southeast together holding the majority of the nation’s wealth and population, while the other regions are less developed, less populated, and less affluent. Of the 20 most prestigious universities in Brazil, just three are outside of these two most advantaged regions. [7] This problem becomes graver as it becomes clear that the degree to which proper housing accommodations are available for students varies immensely among the regions. Few Brazilian universities, for example, have dormitories. The few schools that do have “on-campus” housing are trade schools located deep within Brazil’s territories, further from Brazil’s urban centers. Brazilian students usually commute to school from their parents’ or relatives’ homes, therein making students outside of the two wealthy regions disproportionately in want of access to reputable higher learning. The Northeastern state of Bahia, for example, has about 15,000,000 inhabitants, or about 7.5 percent of Brazil’s population. Nevertheless, only one university, the Federal University of Bahia, is among the top ranking national institutions. On the other hand, the Southern state of Rio Grande do Sul has three of the top 20 universities in the country, even though it holds less of Brazil’s population than Bahia. While the location of universities has little to do with illiteracy in the country, it nonetheless underlines how regionalized adequate education can be within Brazil. One of these universities in Rio Grande do Sul is even in the top five of the nation’s rankings. It is no surprise, then, that the region with the lowest illiteracy rate is the South, with only 4.4 percent of the population over 15 years old unable to read or write. Next is the Southeast, with a 4.8 percent share.

The region with the highest illiteracy rate in the country is also the second most populous: the Northeast. With 16.7 percent of the adult populace unable to read or write, the number far dwarfs the second highest—the North region—at 10 percent. [8] In fact, the Northeast holds 54 percent of Brazil’s illiterate population, and was also the area that witnessed the highest growth of illiteracy from 2012-2013. The Northeast state of Alagoas has the worst ranking: only 8 percent of the populace is exposed to adequate teaching. Santa Catarina, a southern state, has the best national rankings. More than 50 percent of the population is competent in a number of specialized fields, such as mathematics. [9] The Mid-West region remained firmly in the middle amongst the performance of different regions, with 9.2 percent of the populace registered as illiterate. [10] These huge regional discrepancies play on themselves and create vicious cycles. The Northeast is poor because it is illiterate, but due to the lack of adequate management of education, it is therefore illiterate because it is poor.

The illiteracy problem is a chronic one that must be addressed. To try and remedy the imbalance, the Governor of the Northeastern state of Pernambuco, Eduardo Campos, pledged to transfer all revenues from the recent pre-salt oil findings discovered off Brazil’s coast to fund education for the people of his state. [11] Still, this procedure does not fundamentally answer the question of how these funds will be used. Brazil already invests enough into education, and still this yields few results. Perhaps it is not prudent to allocate additional funds, but instead to find better use of the existing resources that are necessary to usher in concrete changes. For Pernambuco, it is especially important that education standards improve in the near future: Despite being one of the most populous cities in Brazil, Recife is one of the most dangerous in the federation. James Ferrer, a Professor of Business and International Affairs at George Washington University who was once a deputy U.S. Ambassador in Brazil, says that the education in Brazil “has a long way to go…[y]ou have teachers in the North and Northeast that have not gone through proper schooling themselves.” In his opinion, room for improvement is not necessarily in funding, but in management: “You have teachers in the North and Northeast that have not gone through proper schooling themselves.”

“Brazil has come a long way,” says Dr. Robert Maguire, the director of the Brazil Initiative at the Elliott School at George Washington University, “In recent years… [Brazil] has made progress.” And Dr. Maguire is right. Certainly, there have been positive developments in recent years, such as cash-transfer programs like the Bolsa Família Program, which stipulates that children must have schooling in order for families to qualify for aid. Due to this initiative, school attendance has skyrocketed, but whether quality has improved is less certain. It is evident that attendance has not raised learning to an appropriate level. “Have they [Brazilian schools] been up to par?” Dr. Maguire questions. As Brazil’s testing has shown, they unfortunately have not.

Class as Usual

Brazil invests more than most countries in education, but still has lamentably suffered an increase in its illiterate population, a contradictory and puzzling outcome. The nation has staffed many mega-corporations, yet it still needs to send its students abroad in order to efficiently compete on a global scale. It is with this in mind, perhaps, that one of its own economists christened the country as “Belíndia,” and the intricacies of what this meant in the 1980s still seem at play in 2013, a year before the second-largest democracy in the Western Hemisphere will host the World Cup. Education, according to Brazil’s Constitution is “a right for all,” but this guarantee has not yet applied to quality.  However, there is still room for hope. As Dr. Maguire says best, “Brazil had been the most unequal country in the world. That is starting to change…These things do not happen overnight.” Complex issues such as these take time to remedy. Brazil has been a modern democracy for less than 40 years. It is perhaps imprudent to expect such sweeping change in a generation. Until change happens, however, there are likely to be many more protests, and fewer Northeasterners are likely to be studying abroad.

Tarique Smith, Research Associate at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs

References

[1] Costa, Ana, Rodgrigo Berthone, and Ruben Berta. O Globo, “Reunião com professores estaduais para retomar negociação da greve é adiada Leia mais sobre esse assunto em http://oglobo.globo.com/rio/reuniao-com-professores-estaduais-para-retomar-negociacao-da-greve-adiada-10321346

[2] Jen, Bruno. O Povo Online, “Rio se torna praça de guerra em protesto de professores.” Last modified 10 2, 2013. Accessed November 22, 2013. http://www.opovo.com.br/app/opovo/brasil/2013/10/02/noticiasjornalbrasil,3139489/rio-se-torna-praca-de-guerra-em-protesto-de-professores.shtml.

[3] Brasil , Agência. Terra Networks Brasil, “EUA é o país que mais recebe bolsistas do Ciência sem Fronteiras.” Last modified 08 14, 2013. Accessed November 22, 2013. http://noticias.terra.com.br/educacao/eua-e-o-pais-que-mais-recebe-bolsistas-do-ciencia-sem-fronteiras,28db7a5568870410VgnCLD2000000dc6eb0aRCRD.html

[4] Bizzott, Márcia. BBC Brasil, “Investimento do Brasil em educação sobe e alcança média da OCDE.” Last modified 06 25, 2013. Accessed November 22, 2013. http://www.bbc.co.uk/portuguese/noticias/2013/06/130625_educacao_brasil_ocde_mb_cc.shtml.

[5] Pinho, Angela. Folha de São Paulo, “Brasil fica no 88º lugar em ranking de educação da Unesco.” Last modified 03 01, 2011. Accessed November 22, 2013. http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/saber/882676-brasil-fica-no-88-lugar-em-ranking-de-educacao-da-unesco.shtml.

[6] Nogueira, Paulo. Diário de Centro do Mundo, “O Brasil é a Dinamália, a mistura da Dinamarca com a Somália.” Last modified 02 02, 2013. Accessed November 22, 2013. http://www.diariodocentrodomundo.com.br/sobre-a-dinamalia-antiga-belindia/.

[7] Pati, Camila. Editora Abril, “As 20 melhores universidades do Brasil, segundo a Folha.” Last modified 09 09, 2013. Accessed November 22, 2013. http://exame.abril.com.br/carreira/guia-de-faculdades/noticias/as-melhores-universidades-do-brasil-segundo-a-folha

[8] Junior, Cirilo. Terra Networks Brasil S.A., “IBGE: analfabetismo cresce pela primeira vez desde 1998.” Last modified 09 27, 2013. Accessed November 22, 2013. http://noticias.terra.com.br/educacao/ibge-analfabetismo-cresce-pela-primeira-vez-desde-1998,e5e1e55448c51410VgnVCM3000009acceb0aRCRD.html

[9] Cruzeiro Do Sul, “Nordeste tem pior posição em pesquisa sobre aprendizado.” Last modified 06 26, 2013. Accessed November 22, 2013. http://www.cruzeirodosul.inf.br/materia/482415/nordeste-tem-pior-posicao-em-pesquisa-sobre-aprendizado

[10] O Globo, “Índice de analfabetismo para de cair e fica em 8,7%, diz Pnad.” Last modified 09 27, 2013. Accessed November 22, 2013. http://g1.globo.com/educacao/noticia/2013/09/indice-de-analfabetismo-para-de-cair-e-fica-em-87-diz-pnad.html

[11] O Globo, “Eduardo Campos destina 100% dos royalties para educação em PE.” Last modified 05 01, 2013. Accessed November 22, 2013. http://g1.globo.com/economia/noticia/2013/04/campos-sanciona-100-dos-royalties-para-educacao-em-pe.html

The article Belíndia: Brazil And Education – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review.

A Bad And Morally Indefensible Deal – OpEd

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By Jack David

The announcement that the P-5+1 (the five U.N. Security Council members plus Germany) reached a nuclear deal with Iran has just been made. A few details of the deal have been announced and there likely will be others. But what has been reported so far is sufficient to conclude, as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said of the draft deal reported two weeks ago, that “this is a very, very bad deal.”

The Iranian “concessions” thus far announced are unimpressive: Iran will stop enriching uranium beyond 5 percent; it will install no additional centrifuges; it will convert the 100 pounds or so of 20 percent enriched uranium which quickly can be converted to weapons-grade uranium to something harder to convert to weapons-grade uranium. Iran has not agreed to dismantle any of the thousands of centrifuges it has installed and continues to operate; to send any of its 20 percent enriched uranium out of the country; to close the nuclear facilities which will soon provide it with plutonium with which to make nuclear weapons; to stop its testing of long-range missiles; or to cease its support of terrorist activities by Hezbollah and others.

The United States has reportedly agreed to provide Iran with $7 billion in sanctions relief. This relief doubtless will help Iran in many ways, not least the “right” to continue the dangerous nuclear-weapons development and terrorist-support activities which it has long maintained. It will not be in the least surprising, as more details of the deal are announced, to learn of other benefits provided to Iran to induce it to agree . . . to something – anything.

The U.S., by pressing forward with this very, very bad deal has further eroded its dwindling international credibility. No country in the Middle East will perceive U.S. agreement to this deal as anything but further evidence of its weakness, further evidence that the U.S. is content to undermine its historical alliances, expressions to the contrary notwithstanding.

In defending the deal, the United States (and perhaps others among its P-5+1 partners) doubtless will point to the fact that it is only an interim step and that Iran has agreed to allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to visit its still-operating facilities. Given Iran’s long history of preventing IAEA inspectors to do their jobs and its long history of flouting its obligations regarding its nuclear program, the value of this Iranian promise should be discounted to zero.

In a speech in Tehran this past week to a crowd of thousands that was was broadcast live, Iranian Supreme leader Khamenei attacked the U.S., France, and Israel, saying that “Zionist officials cannot be called humans, they are like animals,” that “the Israeli regime is doomed to failure and annihilation,” that the “Zionist regime” is the “rabid dog of the region.”

The deal the U.S. and its partners just struck with Iran is a “very, very bad deal” as a practical and a political matter. In the context of Khamenei’s contemporaneous statements and the background of so many other statements of similar stripe, it is also morally indefensible.

Jack David is a Senior Fellow and a Member of the Board of Trustees at Hudson Institute.

This article was published at National Review Online and reprinted with permission.

The article A Bad And Morally Indefensible Deal – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

A Bad Nuclear Deal With Iran Could Lead To War – OpEd

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By James Phillips

The deal that the Obama Administration struck at the Geneva talks yesterday amounts to a flawed agreement that risks reducing sanctions pressure on Iran over next six months in return for easily reversible Iranian pledges, some of which Iran has given before but subsequently reneged on. The deal requires Iran to curb some, but not all, of its nuclear activities over the next six months in return for about $7 billion in sanctions relief.

Significantly, Iran is not required to comply with U.N. Security Council sanctions that require a total suspension of uranium enrichment. Instead, Iran is allowed to continue enriching uranium to 3.5 percent levels, ostensibly for its nuclear power reactor at Bushehr, despite the fact that Russia already has committed to fuel that facility.

Another problem is that the interim deal, which creates a six-month window for further negotiations, may hinder Washington’s ability to reach an acceptable final deal. The Obama Administration has been stung by strong criticism from Congress and from U.S. allies who fear that it has squandered its bargaining leverage by easing sanctions in return for marginal concessions from Iran that will not reduce the long-term threat of an Iranian nuclear breakout.

To force Tehran to make the necessary deeper concessions in a final deal, more—not fewer—sanctions are required. But Iran has warned that any further sanctions will prompt it to abandon the agreement. Despite that warning, a bipartisan coalition in Congress has announced that it will impose more sanctions.

The Administration claims that the easing of sanctions will be reversible if Iran defaults on its obligations, but as long as Iran keeps the talks alive, it will be difficult to re-impose the sanctions without being accused of sabotaging negotiations.

As columnist Charles Krauthammer has warned, there is concern that “A President desperate to change the subject and a Secretary of State desperate to make a name for himself” will succumb to “a sucker’s deal” with Iran.

The Administration has resisted bipartisan congressional efforts to impose new sanctions on Iran. White House spokesman Jay Carney has warned that additional pressure on Iran could derail diplomatic negotiations and put the U.S. on a “march to war.”

But as Heritage Foundation Senior Fellow Peter Brookes has noted: “On the contrary, not being tough enough on Iran—whether with new sanctions or at the Geneva talks—may actually propel the simmering crisis toward armed conflict despite intentions to do otherwise.”

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has claimed that the deal has recognized Iran’s “right” to uranium enrichment, although that language did not appear in the agreement. This sets the stage for Iran to back out of the deal in the future, claiming that the West reneged on its commitments.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the deal as a “historic mistake” and warned that Israel “has the right and duty to defend itself by itself.” This is a signal that Israel could take preventive action to protect itself against Iran’s nuclear threat in the future.

Britain’s Sunday Times reported that Israeli and Saudi officials secretly have met to discuss cooperation against Iran, with Saudi Arabia agreeing to allow Israeli warplanes to cross Saudi airspace to attack Iran’s nuclear sites.

Recently, one of Netanyahu’s closest associates, former national security adviser Yaakov Amidror, told the Financial Times that Israel had the military capability to set back Iran’s nuclear program “for a very long time” and that there was “no question” that Netanyahu would act unilaterally if necessary.

If such a preventive strike occurs, Iran likely would strike back against both Israel and the U.S. In plain English, this means war.

The article A Bad Nuclear Deal With Iran Could Lead To War – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

US-Iran Deal Not Likely To Affect Syrian Revolution – OpEd

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By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed

Leaders of the Syrian revolution are not correct in claiming that the Syrians would have to pay the price of the US-Iran Geneva deal.

In my opinion, Syria will be the last to face the consequences of this temporary agreement. In just six months nothing would transpire to shake up the revolutionaries. Nothing is likely to happen after six months thanks to the lack of earnestness on the Iranian side or because of the likely US Congressional pressure against the deal.

Even if a permanent accord is hammered out after six months, Syrians and their revolution will be the last to be affected. It is because the Syrian revolution is homegrown and not imported from abroad. The revolution is comparable with what is happening in Afghanistan where the destruction of the Taleban movement and establishment of a substitute government in Kabul is a totally imported idea, which is not likely to last beyond the exit of the US forces. In Syria, on the contrary, the situation is totally different. The Syrian war is the result of popular opposition to Assad’s regime.

Even if the moral support these forces are getting is stopped, then the struggle will continue and there are remote chances of Assad regime’s survival. I have no doubt about the fall of Assad’s regime. This is not just wishful thinking or based on a possible withdrawal of Iranian support or due to the growing Gulf support to the revolutionaries.

The main reason is that the regime has lost its relevance. The military-supported political system has crumbled. It is thriving on Iranian support. It cannot hold out for long. Syrians no longer consider Assad senior or his son as their national leaders. Most of them have now realized that Assad is the leader of a tiny sect.

It is impossible to believe that a regime rejected by Sunnis, constituting more than 70 percent of the country’s population, could survive.

In the current scenario, it is unlikely that the Assad’s regime will survive. It now maintains authority only in a few pockets. When we say that the regime’s survival is impossible, it does not mean there is a suitable national alternative available. This is another debate.

Whether Iranians and the US agree or not Syria will be the last to be influenced by this deal. The eventual ousting of Assad’s regime will deal a major blow to Iran and would weaken it in its negotiations and Iran will have to grant more concessions. In the past Iran used to depend on its proxies to implement its agendas.

The most prominent among those proxies was the Assad regime to pressure on the West with intimidation and blackmailing. The second proxy was the Hezbollah. That is why we should not mix up the Syrian revolution and the US- Iranian negotiation in Geneva because there is no relation between the two events even though developments in Syria are significant for the region. A submissive Iran has been demanding negotiations because it has been groaning under sanctions and it is looking for ways to survive. Iran’s promises could be false or true, we don’t know. However, the US administration has rushed into believing in promises made by Rowhani.

Apparently, Iran has no other choice. It’s economy is in tatters and that is why it wanted to get rid of the sanctions so as to get some breathing space. Most likely it may revert to its old ways and go ahead with its nuclear ambitions later.

Email: Alrashed.arabnews@gmail.com

The article US-Iran Deal Not Likely To Affect Syrian Revolution – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

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