Students marching against tuition fees met with ‘total policing’ tactics

London, UK

“Amid chants of “No ifs, no buts, no education cuts” and a variety of disparaging remarks about the educational backgrounds of much of the cabinet, a history student, Mohamed, 21, said the protests were part of a movement to raise public awareness. “It’s an exciting opportunity for justice and fairness. Together we have the power to change things,” he said. He was protesting against the “privatisation” of the education system as well as the hike in tuition fees, which are set to rise to a maximum of £9,000 a year at England’s universities next year, he added.”

Read more.

Why the €1 Trillion Deal to Save Europe Has Fallen Apart

Condensed article from Foreign Policy Magazine.

“DEAL BREAKER”

It all sounded so promising. In the early morning hours on Oct. 27, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy emerged from a day of edge-of-their-seats negotiations and announced a historic plan to pull the continent’s economy back from the brink of disaster.

The agreement… had three parts: 

1. Investors — mostly European banks — would write off half of the face value of the Greek bonds they held, a particularly toxic ingredient in Europe’s debt crisis.

2. The banks would raise capital to the tune of 100 billion euros, removing some of the uncertainty over the shaky sovereign government debt on their books.

3. And the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) — the continent’s 625 billion-euro bailout fund — would be bolstered to 1 trillion euros in order to protect other vulnerable economies from imploding the way Greece’s had. 

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for the expectations from last week’s summit to come crashing down to Earth, and loudly.

The result has been significant market turmoil as three developments essentially unraveled the summit’s achievements.

First, in a surprise move, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou announced he would hold a national referendum to seek broad-based popular support for the measures agreed upon last week. This baffled other European leaders, who were under the impression that Papandreou and his government had already signed off decisively on the deal. It also cast major uncertainties over the willingness of the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (let alone countries like China) to lend to Greece ahead of the referendum — which is still pending a vote in Greece’ parliament — thereby increasing the risk that the country could run out of money this month to pay some bills.

Second, some banks that hold Greek debt started expressing reservations about the agreed-upon 50 percent debt reduction — a haircut they had initially hoped to keep to 21 percent.

Third, the European Central Bank (ECB) has proved less than fully effective in stabilizing the interest rates on debt issued by other European economies, particularly that of Italy. Despite purchases by the ECB, the interest rate on Italian 10-year bonds has broken above 6 percent, more than double the level considered safe… While it is not clear whether it is an issue of willingness or ability on the part of the ECB to stabilize markets, the disappointment has added to market jitters.

Read full article.

Saudi woman to be lashed for defying driving ban

A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a woman to 10 lashes for breaking the country’s ban on female drivers.

The woman, identified only as Shema, was found guilty of driving in Jeddah in July.

Women2drive, which campaigns for women to be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, says she has already lodged an appeal.

In recent months, scores of women have driven vehicles in Saudi cities in an effort to put pressure on the monarchy to change the law.

The sentence comes two days after the Saudi leader King Abdullah announced women would be allowed to vote for the first time in 2015.

Two other women are due to appear in court later this year on similar charges, correspondents say.

Source

Saudi Women Given Right to Vote

JEDDAH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will allow women to stand for election and vote, the king announced on Sunday, in a significant policy shift in the conservative Islamic kingdom.

In a five-minute speech, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud said women will also take part in the next session of the unelected, advisory Shura Council, which vets legislation but has no binding powers.

“Because we refuse to marginalise women in society in all roles that comply with sharia, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior ulama (clerics) and others… to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from the next term,” he said in a speech delivered to the advisory body.

“Women will be able to run as candidates in the municipal election and will even have a right to vote.”

Women’s rights are regarded as a litmus test for the government’s appetite for social and political reform. Saudi Arabia adheres to a strict version of Islamic law that enforces the segregation of the sexes.

“This is great news,” said Wajeha al-Huwaider, a Saudi writer and women’s rights activist. “Women’s voices will finally be heard.

“Now it is time to remove other barriers like not allowing women to drive cars and not being able to function, to live a normal life without male guardians.”

The king did not address the issue of women being allowed to drive. Although there is no written law against women driving, they are not issued licences, effectively banning the practice.

Women in Saudi Arabia must also have written approval from a male guardian — a father, husband, brother or son — to leave the country, work or even undergo certain medical operations.

After entering the Shura Council chamber leaning heavily on a cane, King Abdullah, who is thought to be 87 or 88, read only a section of a longer prepared statement that was later released in full by the authorities.

The part he did not read included reference to Saudi foreign policy including the kingdom’s continued support for a Gulf-brokered plan for a power transition in Yemen.

Read More