Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

The European Union Times


Posted: 22 Sep 2014 03:55 PM PDT

A top FIFA official says the 2022 World Cup won’t be held in Qatar because of dangers faced by players and fans in scorching temperatures. The Gulf State, which has faced repeated allegations of corruption, says they want to move the event to winter.
The claims were made by Theo Zwanziger, who is a FIFA Executive Committee member. He is adamant that the present plan to stage world football’s biggest event in the summer is not a viable option.
“I personally think that in the end the 2022 World Cup will not take place in Qatar,” the German told Sport Bild on Monday.
“Medics say that they cannot accept responsibility with a World Cup taking place under these conditions,” the former head of the German football association added.
Qatar has repeatedly said that the problem of playing in summer, where temperatures can reach in excess of 50 degrees Celsius, can be overcome by introducing cooling technologies inside the stadiums.
“They may be able to cool the stadiums but a World Cup does not take place only there,” Zwanziger said.
“Fans from around the world will be coming and traveling in this heat and the first life-threatening case will trigger an investigation by a state prosecutor. That is not something that FIFA Exco members want to answer for.”
In May, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said it was a “mistake” to choose Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup.
“Yes, it was a mistake of course, but one makes lots of mistakes in life,” said Blatter, Fifa’s president, in an interview with the Swiss broadcaster RTS. “The technical report into Qatar said clearly it was too hot but the executive committee – with a large majority – decided all the same to play it in Qatar.”
The FIFA supremo, who has been in charge of world football’s governing body since 1998 and is seeking a fifth term in charge of the organization says it was now “probable” that it would be played in the winter rather than the summer due to the heat.
However, this plan has received a lukewarm response from the top European leagues, who are worried the move would hurt them financially; it would clash with domestic seasons around the continent.
“We need more information before accepting the fact that the calendar should be disrupted,” said European Clubs Association vice chairman Umberto Gandini. “We would not be part of something which is not credible.”
FIFA has offered two options: a November-December tournament, which would shut down top European leagues for two months. The other was January-February, though Blatter previously assured IOC President Thomas Bach that the World Cup will not clash with the 2022 Winter Olympics, likely in February.
“There’s obviously some resistance to move to break away from tradition — that’s normal, that’s natural but a lot of people believe this is the World Cup and belongs to the world,” Qatar organizing committee communications director Nasser Al-Khater said. “This could be the first time a World Cup is moved in terms of timings and maybe this becomes the norm for the future and becomes a template that we can move.”
Corruption rampant
In June, the British newspaper The Sunday Times published new allegations that disgraced former FIFA executive committee member, Mohamed Bin Hammam, used his wealth and contacts to buy support for Qatar’s bid to host the World Cup, which they were awarded in Zurich in December 2010.
The paper claimed that Bin Hammam made payments totaling $5 million to senior football officials to seal support for Qatar. The Qatari was also accused of using $1.7million to secure key Asian votes.
This led to UEFA president, Michel Platini, to say that FIFA should hold a new vote if the allegations of corruption against the Gulf state were proved to be correct. Platini had originally voted for Qatar to be given the right to host the tournament.
Aside from the numerous corruption scandals, the oil rich nation has also been accused of treating thousands of migrant laborers, who are building the necessary infrastructure, like slaves.
A report by AFP in February stated that at least 237 Indian migrants lost their lives in Qatar in 2012 and another 218 in 2013 up to December 5, citing figures received via a Right to Information request filed at the Indian embassy in Qatar.
On average, 20 Indian migrants die every month in Qatar. August last year was the most deadly month on record, with 27 fatalities being reported.
Slave-like conditions
Meanwhile, 400 Nepalese workers have died at building sites since construction for the World Cup 2022 got underway in 2010, the Guardian reported. The newspaper did not state when the deaths occurred, but they were backed up by the Pravasi Nepali Co-ordination Committee, a respected human rights organization, which used official sources from Doha.
There were 500,000 Indians estimated to be in Qatar at the end of 2012 – roughly 26 percent of Qatar’s population. Nepalese workers comprise approximately 20 percent of Qatar’s migrant workforce and 16 percent of the total population. The total death toll stemming from the country’s World Cup scramble could in fact be higher, as other migrant groups are also present in the country.
Qatar uses the Kafala system to govern its domestic migrant workers. The system requires that foreign workers be sponsored by an employer who is responsible for their visa and legal status. Human Rights groups have found evidence that the Kafala system is being manipulated, with employers denying migrants’ wages and refusing to grant them an exit visa to leave the country.
“Professional and poor workers alike tell the same stories; they came to Qatar with optimism and good will, only to face despair when their employer decides they are disposable and refuses to pay wages, sacked them without benefits and or refused to sign their exit permit,” said Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
Qatar’s government seems as though it is finally addressing the problems and has now banned midday outdoor work in the summer heat, specifically between 11:30 am and 3:00 pm, from mid-June until the end of August, the hottest months.
The new measures also require companies to set up bank accounts for foreign workers and pay wages electronically within seven days of the due date, or otherwise face sanctions. However, the government did not specify what the penalty would be.
Qatar lawmakers have also agreed to launch an electronic complaint system and to build housing to accommodate up to 150,000 workers, Reuters reports.
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Posted: 22 Sep 2014 03:43 PM PDT

The US software giant Microsoft has announced plans to slash 18,000 jobs from its global workforce in 2015, the largest cuts in the company’s 39-year history.
In a statement on Thursday, the company described the shakeup as part of its strategy to streamline business under new CEO Satya Nadella.
Layoffs represent about 14 percent of the company’s workforce and will be completed by next June.
Nadella, who replaced Steve Ballmer in February, promised the layoff process to be fair.
“My promise to you is that we will go through this process in the most thoughtful and transparent way possible,” he said in a memo to the company’s 125,000 employees worldwide.
Most of the layoffs are expected to be from the integration of the Nokia unit that was acquired earlier this year.
Microsoft says the move is part of a restructuring plan to simplify its operations and align Nokia with its overall strategy.
“Under the Ballmer era, there were many layers of management and a plethora of expensive initiatives being funded that has thus hurt the strategic and financial position the company is in, especially in light of digesting the Nokia acquisition,” said Daniel Ives, an analyst with FBR Capital Markets & Co., adding, “Nadella is using today as an opportunity to make sure that Microsoft is ready and well positioned to embark on its next chapter of growth around mobile and cloud.”
Back in 2009, the company underwent a restructuring plan, and cut 5,800 jobs, which was about 5 percent of its workforce at the time.
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Posted: 22 Sep 2014 03:18 PM PDT

Over 150,000 people have demanded a recount in the Scottish independence referendum after videos purporting to show evidence of vote fraud went viral in the aftermath of last week’s polling.
As we first reported on Friday, several video clips appear to show sporadic examples of potential vote fraud, feeding into existing suspicions that the British establishment was prepared to go to any lengths to prevent Scotland from gaining independence from Westminster.
One clip shows a woman appearing to place a number of ‘yes’ votes onto the no pile, while another example shows bundles of ‘yes’ votes lying on a table designated for ‘no’ votes.
Officials in Dundee denied that any irregularities had taken place, claiming there was, “No need to worry.”
Several Russian election observers working on behalf of the Kremlin also slammed the procedure as fraudulent, including Georgy Fyodorov, the head of the Association for the Protection of Electoral Rights, who asserted that “there were more yes votes during the vote count.” Fyodorov went on to complain that the ‘no’ campaign “resorted to every violation imaginable.”
Russian polling expert Igor Borisov also claimed that the voting procedure was “last century” and that it was “impossible to see what (was) going on at [polling tables]” and that ballot boxes were “lying around… without any protection.”
After the alleged vote fraud videos went viral, online petitions popped up, with tens of thousands rushing to advocate a recount.
A change.org petition started by a Scottish resident demands “a revote of the Scottish Referendum, counted by impartial international parties.” The petition has been signed by over 88,000 individuals.
A separate petition which demands an independent enquiry into vote fraud allegations has topped 62,000 signatures.
Former deputy leader of the Scottish National Party Jim Sillars also took to Twitter to demand an investigation into the allegations.
Officials at the office of the chief counting officer in Edinburgh admitted to the Guardian that the allegations had “grown arms and legs” over the weekend.
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Posted: 22 Sep 2014 02:47 PM PDT

New Zealand’s Prime Minister, John Key, has won an emphatic victory in the country’s general elections, securing a third term in office.
“This is a great night. This is a victory for those who kept the faith,” the leader of the center-right National Party told a cheering crowd in Auckland on Saturday.
“This is a victory for those who refused to be distracted and who knew that a vote for National [Party] was a vote for a brighter future for all New Zealanders,” he added.
With most ballots counted, the 53-year-old’s party won 61 of 121 seats.
Meanwhile, opposition leader David Cunliffe accepted defeat, as he told the Labor Party’s backers that they “will not be able to form a government.”
“It is rare for any government to be defeated while surfing an economic rebound with around a 4 percent growth rate, even though the longer-term problems remain to be addressed,” he said.
Cunliffe added that he would not be resigning despite the poor result.
Under New Zealand’s proportional voting system, the ruling party typically requires to renew its coalition deal with several minor parties to gain a majority in the parliament. However, if the results hold, it would mean the National Party could govern outright.
Key, a former banker, has campaigned on his administration’s record of economic management and has pledged tax cuts. He, however, faces accusations of allowing mass spying on the population.
The allegations were sparked by the publication of a book by investigative journalist Nicky Hagar titled “Dirty Politics” in August. Citing hacked emails, the book showed that government officials in New Zealand conspired to smear their opponents.
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Posted: 22 Sep 2014 02:38 PM PDT

Thousands of pro-independence activists, determined to continue their fight for Scottish statehood, have launched a new campaign called ‘the 45 percent’, despite losing Thursday’s referendum.
The campaign draws its name from the 44.7 percent of the Scottish electorate who voted ‘Yes’ to independence. Although the ‘No’ campaign secured a narrow majority at 55.3 percent, the appetite for a split remains strong.
While it ultimately failed to win the referendum, the ‘Yes’ movement vastly outperformed pro-union activists in its employment of social media. The 45 percent want to sustain the momentum of this grassroots online movement.
Several Facebook pages have rapidly accrued thousands of likes, while #the45 and #wearethe45 are trending on Twitter. A 45 ‘Twibbon’ has replaced the blue ‘Yes’ sticker prominent on supporters’ accounts throughout the campaign.
Still at a disparate and formative stage, with multiple parties and grassroots organizations in its orbit, the 45 percent movement has coalesced around the shared cause of keeping independence on the agenda.
“The British establishment would love nothing more than for the 45 percent to disappear,” reads one page.
“The 45 percent will only grow stronger.”
Initially appealing for crowd funding in order to launch and support food banks, and to create campaign merchandise, the page calls for ideas and input from its supporters, reflecting its grassroots character.
“This idea is a work in progress and will be of course open to suggestions,” it reads. Organizers have procuredthe45percent.org domain name and @Scotlands45 Twitter handle.

A key figure in the grassroots campaign for independence is former MSP Tommy Sheridan, whose speaking tour, ‘Hope Over Fear’, visited dozens of meetings in the run up to the referendum. As a prominent socialist voice in Scotland, Sheridan has sought to pave a way forward for the movement.
“Over the last couple of days I have been inundated with thousands of Facebook and Twitter messages from disappointed ‘Yes’ supporters looking for a way forward,” Sheridan told his Facebook followers.
“I am encouraged so many have decided to become politically involved and stay politically engaged. Leaving politics to the politicians is a recipe for poor governance.”
Sheridan urged ‘Yes’ supporters to back candidates in local and national elections who support independence and called for another referendum in March 2020. He said the Scottish National Party (SNP) were the most likely candidates to deliver on this.
“Let’s punish the reactionary and dishonest ‘No’ parties at the ballot box next May,” said Sheridan. “Let’s punish the shameful Labour Party in particular for siding with the bankers, bosses, billionaires and millionaires to try and crush our dream of a new and better Scotland with an avalanche of fear and lies.
“We have youth, energy and hope on our side. Hope can triumph over Fear in 2020,” he added.
Supporters of the 45 percent have been accused of issuing abusive comments against supporters of the union and of anti-English sentiment. Others have said the group should disband and accept the outcome of the referendum.
Differentiating itself from the clashes in Glasgow’s George Square on Friday night, in which 11 were arrested, the 45 percent called on its supporters to avoid getting involved.
The group was present on a demonstration through Dundee on Sunday, and has plans for another on September 27 through Dumbarton.
“Although we have to accept the vote this time, this march is to let people know change is coming, Scotland and the UK will never be the same again,” the Facebook event reads.
“Let’s unite and be part of a brand new political movement, open to all of us who want change, we all know Westminster won’t deliver on any new powers for Scotland, we won’t stop till we are heard.”
‘English votes for English laws’
Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron is hosting a summit of senior Conservative MPs at his official residence to discuss plans for further Scottish devolution, without giving Scottish MPs unfair influence over English law.
As part of a settlement to keep Scotland in the union, Cameron has pledged a raft of new powers for the Scottish parliament. In the process, he has clashed with members of his own party, who feel England would suffer a democratic deficit as a result.
Downing Street says more powers will be handed to Scotland’s Holyrood parliament regardless of whether there is an agreement over so-called ‘English votes for English laws’.
The launch of an English parliament is among the suggestions for solving the imbalance, as is the pursuit of a more federal system in the UK. Cameron will also have to consider demands from the Welsh Assembly for greater regional autonomy.
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Posted by Roberto Abraham Scaruffi at 08:19