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The car industry hits the brakes
The auto industry is one of the hardest-hit victims of the global financial crisis. Tens of thousands of jobs are at stake worldwide. Detroit's once-mighty GM is on the brink of collapse, while in France, Renault employees fear job cuts.
From the US to Asia, and everywhere in between, the auto market is floundering. Several factors have contributed to the industry's plight: the petrol price hike in the summer of 2008, the credit crunch, declining consumer confidence, the increasing cost of materials, and new environmental standards – all of which entail an overall rise in production costs.
But for Detroit's "Big Three", which have shed a total of 150,000 jobs since 2005, the roots of the decline run back almost a generation. Following the oil crises of 1973 and 1979, Japanese auto manufacturers took the US market by storm with more reliable and fuel-efficient models. Soon, Toyota had become the number-two selling auto brand in the US.
Detroit manufacturers were slow to rein in spiralling costs. After much bargaining with trade unions, cost-cutting deals were finally fleshed out in 2006, though they are unlikely to see any effects on the bottom line before 2010. Nor will US carmakers be in a position to meet market demands for more fuel-efficient cars before then.
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Global capitalism on the brink?
Billion-dollar bailout schemes and major bankruptcies have sent taxpayers and traders reeling with shock as global banking systems teeters on the brink of collapse. Is this the end of global capitalism as we know it?
Caring: humanitarian reports around the world
A magazine reporting from the field about humanitarian aid workers. The programme airs on Thursdays, alternating with Beyond Business, at 10:15 am (GMT+2).
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Last modification: 30/01/09
FRANCE 24 Special reports
Special reports, investigations and hard-hitting coverage from FRANCE 24's reporters on the spot. Watch the weekly show 'Reporters' for more on Fridays at 10:15 am and 6:15 pm (GMT+2).
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The Tigers' fall
A 25-year separatist conflict ended on May 18, when Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse declared victory against the Tamil rebel group LTTE, claiming that the elusive Tamil rebel chief Prabhakaran was killed in combat with the military.
Beginning in the late 1970s, the ethnic conflict between Sri Lanka's majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils lasted nearly three decades.
Based in Jaffna in the north of the island, the secessionist Tamil group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled a small territory nearly independent of government control for many years. Citing oppression by the Sinhalese and wanting an independent homeland or "Eelam", the Tamil group's elusive and radical head Vellupillai Prabhakaran ensured years of deadly civil conflict in Sri Lanka from 1983 onwards.
The group was held responsible for several assassinations, including former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 and Sri Lankan president Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993. The rebel group pioneered the use of women suicide bombers, the suicide belt and also using women and children in combat.
The LTTE was declared a terrorist organisation by various countries including the United States and the European Union.
In 2002, Norwegian mediation saw a landmark peace deal between the government and the rebels, but a year later the LTTE pulled out.
In 2008, Sri Lanka then launched an all-out military campaign against the Tigers and declared military victory on May 18, 2009, crushing the dream of 'Tamil Eelam'.
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Latest update: 23/09/2008
In the papers
FRANCE 24 journalists present a daily round-up of the world's newspapers.
The Times (
Dawn
Pakistani newspaper Dawn says that fingers are already pointing at
The Indian Express (India). Expats in Pak ask if it’s time to say goodbye
Indian newspaper The Indian Express has a photo showing the depth of the crater left by the bomb attack outside the Marriott Hotel in
Le Figaro
Liberation
Latest update: 11/12/2008
- Afghanistan - Gordon Brown - NATO - Pakistan - press - terrorism - USA - Yemen
In the papers
FRANCE 24 journalists present a daily round-up of the world's newspapers.
Pakistan's 9/11 - The Bangkok Post (Thailand)
Saturday’s terrorist attack on the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistani capital Islamabad has dominated many of Sunday’s papers. The Bangkok Post has a poignant picture taken before the bombing with the caption “on the wings of hope”. It shows a peace activist freeing doves in front of parliament in Islamabad to celebrate newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari's parliamentary speech, just hours before the blast.
Islamabad bombing is the latest in a long list of recent attacks - The Independent (UK)
British newspaper The Independent on Sunday pointed out that Saturday’s bombing is the latest of recent attacks. The article goes on to list a dismal string of attacks, including the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December 2007.
Pakistan on the brink - The Daily Times (Pakistan)
Liberal English-language Pakistani newspaper The Daily Times says that it’s vital for Zardari to get a grip on the war against terrorism. Journalist and author Ahmed Rashid says Pakistan is "at the centre of a gathering firestorm engulfing south and central Asia in the most volatile confrontation since 9/11". The article says that Pakistan's military has been caught off guard by the dramatic growth of the Taliban in the country. The Taliban, Rashid argues, are now a regional problem. He says a new UN Security Council mandate is needed for a major regional diplomatic initiative. Rashid adds that the Western coalition also needs to embark on a massive public information campaign which demonstrates that it is trying to solve regional problems rather than warmongering.
French soldiers unprepared for Taliban ambush - The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail has investigated the deaths of a group of French troops killed in August during an ambush by the Taliban. The newspaper says it has obtained a secret NATO report which states that French soldiers didn’t have enough bullets, radios and other crucial equipment. The insurgents, on the other hand, were dangerously well prepared. Ten soldiers were killed. It was one of the deadliest ambushes against international forces since 2001. Journalist Graeme Smith says it’s the latest troubling sign that insurgents are mastering the art of guerilla war.
Yemen calls for help in fight against terrorism - The National News (United Arab Emirates)
UAE daily The National News reports that Yemen has issued a plea for help from the international community. It comes after last week’s bomb blast at the US Embassy that killed 17 people. Yemen’s foreign minister has said the country can not battle militants without more help from the United States. Washington currently gives Yemen about 45 million US dollars a year. Recent violence has slowed down development, crippled tourism and damaged the state’s reputation.
Latest update: 12/05/2008
- press
In the papers
FRANCE 24 journalists present a daily round-up of the international press.
The Irrawaddy ( Burma published in Thaïland)
The Irrawaddy, Burma and South East Asia’s news magazine, uses a cartoon to criticize the military junta’s handling of Cyclone Nargis and its decision to go ahead with a referendum at the weekend amid widespread devastation.
Le Figaro (France)
“Limits to the right to interfere”
“Les limites du droit d’ingérence”
Le Figaro’s editorial column strongly attacks Burma’s military junta for not letting international aid teams into the country. The columnist describes how leaders celebrated their referendum results and continue to export rice each day to Bangladesh as people in their own country die of starvation.
The Nation (Thailand)
“Redemption time for Asean and Burma”
The Nation highlights how important it is for members of Asean leaders not to be associated with what it describes as Burma’s “thugs”. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is currently working with the World Bank and the UN on long-term rehabilitation projects for Burma. According to the article, however, some of its member countries, such as Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, are suspiciously quiet about the situation.
Libération (France)
“Debate over Justice’s provocative clip”
“Un clip provocateur de Justice fait débat »
A music video posted online by French electro duo Justice has been causing controversy in the French Press. Libération features an article about the group’s choice of footage for its latest single, Stress. Showing a group of hooligans on a violent suburban rampage, it has been banned by some French television companies. There are currently debates over whether the clip is designed to be provocative, to denounce violence in France’s suburban areas, or if it is simply racist. At any rate, it has served as a strong publicity campaign for the group – there have been over one million hits on MySpace, YouTube and DailyMotion, since the video was posted.
El Mundo (Spain)
“Psychological secrets on the art of seduction”
« Secretos psicologicos del arte de la seduccion »
The Science section of El Mundo describes the style of the world’s different seducers. Depending upon genetics and early relationships with teachers, family and friends, most people fit into one of nine categories.
Latest update: 06/04/2008
Montenegrins vote in first presidential poll since 2006
Voters across Montenegro are flocking to polling stations in the country's first presidential election since the tiny Balkan nation split from Serbia in 2006.
Montenegrins voted for a president on Sunday in an election that amounts to a popularity test for the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists, which has held all positions of power for almost two decades.
Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) and close at 9 p.m. About 490,000 people in the small Adriatic state are entitled to vote.
Opinion polls show incumbent Filip Vujanovic, an ally of popular Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, could get the required 50 percent to clinch the largely ceremonial post in the first round, on a platform that stresses experience and continuity.
"We must devote ourselves to a better life, to new values, to a Montenegro within the EU," Vujanovic said in his final rally this week.
The former Yugoslav republic of some 650,000 people voted to end its loose union with neighbour Serbia in 2006, and has since enjoyed strong growth, faster progress towards the European Union and a positive image as a booming tourism destination.
The West says Montenegro's main challenges are weak institutions and endemic corruption, partly blamed on the DPS's continuous rule over a closely knit society that prefers getting things done through personal ties and political patronage.
Nebojsa Medojevic, Vujanovic's main rival in the race, has focused his campaign on these concerns. He accuses the DPS of systematic graft and has sought to win over voters with pledges to fight corruption and review suspicious privatisations.
"We must have an administration which is not stealing from its own state," Medojevic told supporters last week. "We are sending the message that we want changes."
The other challenger, Andrija Mandic, is wooing the votes of Montenegro's 25 percent Serb minority by promising closer ties with Belgrade and Moscow.
"I guarantee Montenegro will never slap itself and Serbia in the face by recognising Kosovo's independence," he said of the former Serbian province, which seceded in February with Western backing over the objections of Serbia and Russia.
A foreign analyst speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity said Vujanovic's likely win shows Montenegrins prefer to play it safe.
"If the DPS were to lose, a lot of people believe they will lose their jobs," the analyst said. "When people are still poor and living on the edge, these things influence their choices."