World today and Jobless right...and decentralize is the way to solve problems???
Sugar day and participate situation today..
Jobless migrants must get German benefits' Published: 10 Jan 2014 09:49 GMT+01:00 Updated: 10 Jan 2014 09:49 GMT+01:00
Bangkok braces for massive anti-government protests
01-13-2014 10:22 BJ
http://english.cntv.cn/program/newsupdate/20140113/102236.shtml
Bangkok is bracing for a new wave of massive demonstrations on Monday, as protesters plan to create traffic chaos in the latest effort to bring down caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
They aim to block off 20 key intersections in the central capital and already started action late on Sunday. The opposition-led movement accuses Yingluck of acting as a proxy for her scandal-tainted brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and demands Yingluck’s administration to be replaced by a non-elected "people’s council". Yingluck has called for snap elections on February 2, which has been rejected by the protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban.
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Editor:James |Source: CCTV.com
Thailand anti-government protesters begin 'Bangkok shutdown'
January 13, 2014 -- Updated 0645 GMT (1445 HKT)
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- A planned month-long protest intended to force Thailand's Prime Minister from office began Monday with about 50,000 demonstrators laying siege to major intersections in the large and hectic capital city Bangkok.
Protesters occupied seven main intersections, and blocked one government office, said Lt. Gen. Paradon Pattanathabut.
Demonstrators have said they will surround other ministerial houses, and cut off electricity and water supplies at some government offices.
It's all part of a so-called "Bangkok shutdown" orchestrated by the People's Democratic Reform Committee protest group.
On Monday -- Day 1 -- students stayed at home as 140 schools were closed. Residents moved about the city, although in some places protesters stopped cars from crossing blockades.
Though many areas of the city are unaffected, several of the rally sites are in popular tourism areas.
About 20,000 security personnel kept watch throughout the city. But so far, the shutdown has gone without incident.
Urging caution
Rights groups and others have called on Thai authorities and anti-government protesters to respect human rights and avoid violence during the mass demonstrations.
Since the anti-government protests began in November, eight people have died and 470 have been injured, authorities said.
"The situation in Thailand is tense, volatile and unpredictable," said Isabelle Arradon, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific deputy director, last week. "There is a real risk of loss of life and injury unless human rights are fully respected."
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday in New York that he had spoken by telephone with Shinawatra and opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva over the past three days "in an effort to help them bridge their differences."
Ban said he was "very concerned that the situation could escalate in the days ahead," and particularly on Monday.
"I urge all involved to show restraint, avoid provocative acts and settle their differences peacefully, through dialogue," he said.
Vejjajiv has denied being a member of the PDRC protest group, but has appeared on stage and among the crowds at some of their demonstrations.
Travel warnings
In a bid to cool tensions, Yingluck dissolved the nation's parliament in December and called for new elections to be held February 2.
But the move has done little to appease protesters. They have called on the Prime Minister to step down from her caretaker position and be replaced by an unelected "people's council," which would see through electoral and political reforms.
The national Election Commission has urged the government to postpone elections amid the continuing unrest.
Dozens of countries have issued travel advisories amid fears the tensions could erupt into violence.
The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok has urged U.S. citizens to avoid large gatherings in the city and to ensure they have a stock of cash and essential items in case the situation deteriorates.
"While protests have been generally peaceful over the last two months, some have resulted in injury and death," its online warning said. "Even demonstrations that are meant to be peaceful can turn confrontational, and can escalate into violence without warning."
The protest group said that on Monday it would still allow ambulances to pass along the roads it intends to block, and that it would not block access to airports and public transportation.
Ambitious goal
Protest leaders have said they want to rid Thailand of the influence of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the older brother of Yingluck Shinawatra.
That's an ambitious goal in a country where every election since 2001 has been won by parties affiliated with Thaksin Shinawatra, a billionaire who built his political success on populist policies that appealed to Thailand's rural heartland.
Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and has spent most of the time since then in exile overseas. If he returns, he risks a two-year prison sentence on a corruption conviction, which he says was politically motivated.
The recent protests in Bangkok were prompted by a botched attempt by Yingluck Shinawatra's government to pass an amnesty bill that would have opened the door for her brother's return.
That move added fuel for critics who accuse her of being nothing more than her brother's puppet, an allegation she has repeatedly denied.
Opposition to Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra is strongest among the urban elites and middle class, particularly in Bangkok.
Thaksin Shinawatra's traditional support comes from the populous rural areas of north and northeast Thailand.
His supporters, known as "red shirts," plan to hold demonstrations in various places in Thailand, but not the capital or south of the country, on Sunday. They support the holding of elections on February 2.
An EU Commission statement referring to a lawsuit at the European Court and seen by the Süddeutsche Zeitung states Germany can not deny Hartz IV unemployment benefits to immigrants who come to the country without a job.
The statement was made in the case of a 24-year-old Romanian woman and her son who have lived in Germany since 2010. The woman's local job centre in Leipzig refused to give her Hartz IV and she took the legal action.
It questions whether a regulation in Germany which excludes immigrants from the EU who are not seeking work from claiming the benefit is compatible with EU law.
Later on Friday a spokeswoman for the EU Commission denied it was putting pressure on Germany to handout benefits to unemployed immigrants.
"Allegations that the Commission is urging Germany to grant every unemployed EU citizen in the country welfare are, of course, completely wrong,"
But if the European Court follows the Commission's recommendation, Germany will have to considerably improve access to payments for immigrants, even if they are not actively looking for a job.
The Commission said Germany must judge each claimant on their individual circumstances, Dorothee Frings Professor of Social Law at the Lower Rhine University told the Süddeutsche.
“The right to claim Hartz IV has to be checked even for immigrants who are not actively seeking work,” she said.
Meanwhile a poll for broadcaster ARD on Friday showed two thirds of Germans supported immigration to the country of skilled workers.
A second poll for ARD showed that record number of Germans believe that being part of the European Union is a good thing for the country, amid creeping euroscepticism among many of its neighbours.
Forty percent of those asked said membership of the 28-nation bloc reaped benefits, marking the highest level ever recorded in the DeutschlandTrend poll.
Some 19 percent, on the other hand, saw it as leading to disadvantages.
http://www.cities-localgovernments.org/committees/dal/news.asp?id_news=54&L=ENhttp://www.worldurbancampaign.org/2013/10/special-session-towards-habitat-iii/
World Urban Campaign Chair Nick You speaks about participation in the Habitat III process.
In a Special Session entitled “Towards Habitat III” at the EcoCity Summit in Nantes, France, a panel including UN-Habitat Executive Director Dr. Joan Clos, World Urban Campaign Chair and Co-Chair, Nicholas You and Prof Eugenie Birch, as well as Ana Milena Joya Camacho, a representative from the Mayor’s Office in Medellin, Colombia gathered to discuss the key issues for the Habitat III conference to be held in 2016.
Dr. Clos discussed the importance of the Habitat III conference and the challenges of creating an inclusive conference with a balanced regional representation. Nicholas You noted that in discussing problems and challenges and putting forth solutions in preparation for Habitat III, we must work together and ensure that Habitat III is inclusive.
Professor Birch suggested that organizations can become involved in the process by joining the WUC. We will not be able to address the issues, she said, unless we have multi-sectoral partnerships to do it. Birch emphasized that the Campaign recognizes innovations, and can promote and establish these through its solutions platform.
Ms. Camacho extended an invitation to the audience to the Seventh World Urban Forum (to take place in April 2014 in Medellin). She described Medellin’s transformation from a city of fear to a city of hope, emphasizing the importance of public spaces and transport systems that have improved the quality of life for residents. She noted that urbanization without innovation is not possible, and highlighted the importance of the Forum towards the Habitat III conference. In order to have a successful Forum, she suggested that it is vital to get people involved, particularly women and young people.
Dr. Clos left the audience by suggesting that individuals can get involved towards Habitat III through activism, as ‘City Changers’, and by working towards better urban planning.
http://www.unhabitat.org/documents/docs/kigaliconference/Habitat_III_Vision.pdfJobless migrants must get German benefits'
Published: 10 Jan 2014 09:49 GMT+01:00
Updated: 10 Jan 2014 09:49 GMT+01:00
https://www.facebook.com/UNHABITATUpdated: 10 Jan 2014 09:49 GMT+01:00
China suddenly blocks The Guardian website
For unknown reasons, the official website of British newspaperThe Guardian was blocked in China. However, the newspaper has not published any material during the recent several days that the Communist Party of China could find "dangerous."
On January 6, the newspaper published a small article on riots in one of the districts in the country. Nevertheless, according to editors, the article could not serve a reason to block the website in the country.
Earlier, the Chinese Internet that has the largest audience in the world - more than 590 million users - blocked the websites of Bloomberg and The New York Times.
It is worthy of note that it was The Guardian and The Washington Post that Edward Snowden handed over most of his secret information.
It is worthy of note that it was The Guardian and The Washington Post that Edward Snowden handed over most of his secret information.
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