VOA News: Africa: West African Leaders Meet Over Guinea Bissau, Mali Challenges

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

West African Leaders Meet Over Guinea Bissau, Mali Challenges Apr 26th 2012, 06:02 West African heads of state and government are scheduled to hold an extraordinary summit Thursday, aimed at finding solutions to the crises in Guinea Bissau and Mali. Sonny Ugoh, the communications director for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said the leaders will review strategies to best respond to what he called the recent unfortunate situations in both Mali and Guinea Bissau. The leaders will meet in Ivory Coast's commercial capital, Abidjan. "They are meeting…to review the developments regarding Mali and Guinea Bissau and to see how they can respond to the latest development there within the context of their positions and within the context of restoring stability and peace to those countries," said Ugoh. "They will be briefed by regional mediators appointed for those countries… and then see how best we can restore normality to those two countries within the contest of promoting regional peace and security." ECOWAS and the international community condemned the military takeover in Guinea Bissau and have demanded an immediate return to constitutional rule. Last week, the coup leaders signed an accord with 24 political parties to form a Transitional National Council, to govern the West African nation for a two-year period.  But, the sub-regional bloc condemned as illegal a proposal by the junta to organize new elections after two years. Ugoh said the West African leaders would decide whether to impose harsh sanctions on the junta, while they considers ways to help resolve the Tuareg fueled security crisis in Mali's north. Since last month's military coup in Mali, the rebels, with help from radical Islamic militants, have seized much of the country's north and proclaimed an independent state they called "Azawad". Tuareg rebels, who refer to themselves as the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), control the cities of Timbuktu, Gao and other areas in the north. ECOWAS has promised to help the newly installed interim president, Dioncounda Traore, to end the Tuareg rebellion. Ugoh urged citizens of both Mali and Guinea Bissau to place confidence in regional leaders' determination to solve the challenges the two West African nations face. "They should be confident that regional leaders are going to provide solutions that will ultimately, contribute to resolving the present crisis that they are experiencing," continued Ugoh. "And which, will bring [to] them a sense of normality… and of course join the rest of the region in the task that we have given to ourselves. And that is working together to advance the cause of development of the region [and] to improve the welfare of the citizens and that of the region, generally." Media files: Reuters_mali_ecowas_230_27march12.JPG clottey-ecowas-summit-ugoh-26april12.mp3 (audio/mpeg)

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VOA News: Africa: Liberian Government Calls for Calm Ahead of Taylor Verdict

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Liberian Government Calls for Calm Ahead of Taylor Verdict Apr 26th 2012, 05:41 The United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone at The Hague is expected to deliver its verdict Thursday against former Liberian President Charles Taylor. He is charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to the Sierra Leone civil war which ended in 2003. Mr. Taylor has pleaded not guilty to all charges, dismissing them as "lies" and claiming to be the victim of a plot by "powerful countries." In advance of the verdict, the Liberian government Wednesday issued a statement urging Liberians to remain calm and peaceful. The statement reaffirms the government's confidence in the international justice system and said it believes the outcome would be accepted by all Liberians "irrespective of our differences". Press Union of Liberia President Peter Quaqua said the atmosphere in Liberia is tense with celebrations being planned both for Mr. Taylor's possible acquittal and guilty verdict. <!--IMAGE-LEFT--> "There is mixed reaction and mixed feelings in the country, and it seems that there are very many people who believe that Mr. Taylor is going to be acquitted. There is also a section of the country that believes that certainly he should be found guilty and punished for the crimes he might have committed in Sierra Leone," he said. Quaqua said Taylor still has many supporters in Liberia. He said the Liberian government's statement Wednesday urging Liberians to remain calm and peaceful is in response to the public's expectation of the expected verdict. "I think what is coming out of the public I'm sure is what the government is responding to. From all indications, we have a segment of the society that this gearing up for celebrations either for or against the acquittal of Mr. Taylor. And therefore I'm sure the government is watching that knowing the kind of person Mr. Taylor is or was in Liberia, probably the government is trying to exercise precaution by calling on citizens to remain calm," he said. Nigerian authorities arrested Taylor in March 2006 when he tried to flee from exile in Nigeria after stepping down as Liberian president three years earlier in a negotiated end to a civil war in his own country. He was transferred to the Special Court for Sierra Leone in Freetown, but in June 2006 a UN Security Council resolution cleared the way for him to be transferred to The Hague, saying his presence in West Africa was an "impediment to stability and a threat to the peace." Some Liberians believe it was President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who gave her blessing for Taylor to be taken to the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone. Quaqua said some Liberians also believe President Sirleaf was pressured by some Western powers. "There are those who believe that Liberia especially had little option because America and the West, especially the international community had put pressure on the government to ensure that Mr. Taylor was handed over," he said. Media files: Reuters_Luis Moreno-Ocampo_3mar11_edited-1.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) ap_netherlands_liberia_charles_taylor_230_05Aug10.jpg RTR2SCCU_TEASE_Liberia_Sirleaf_Nobel_07OCT11.jpg butty-liberia-taylor-verdict-anxiety-quaqua-26april12.mp3 (audio/mpeg)

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VOA News: Middle East: Israel's Military Chief: Iran's Leaders 'Rational,' Sanctions 'Bearing Fruit'

VOA News: Middle East Middle East Voice of America

Israel's Military Chief: Iran's Leaders 'Rational,' Sanctions 'Bearing Fruit' Apr 26th 2012, 03:54 Israel's military chief says he believes Iranian leaders are "rational" people who will hold back from building a nuclear weapon, an assessment in contrast with the Israeli prime minister's more pessimistic view. In an interview with Israeli newspaper Haaretz published Wednesday, Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz says Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "will be making a huge mistake" if he decides to build an atomic bomb. Gantz then says "I do not think he will want to go the extra mile" and describes the Iranian leadership as "very rational." IRAN'S LEADERS: RATIONAL OR NOT? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he would not "bet the security of the world on Iran's rational behavior" because, in his view, that nation is led by a "militant Islamic regime" that can "put their ideology before their survival." He was speaking in an interview with U.S. television channel CNN. Iran says its nuclear activities are peaceful, denying Israeli and Western accusations that it is secretly developing a nuclear weapon capability under cover of a civilian energy program. Israel views a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its existence and refuses to rule out military action to prevent that threat from materializing. But, past and present Israeli officials have engaged in vigorous debate about whether Iran would move from developing to building a nuclear bomb and when Israel should take pre-emptive action. CONTRASTING VIEW ON SANCTIONS In another assessment contrasting with Israel's prime minister, General Gantz told Haaretz that international pressure on Iran to stop sensitive nuclear work is "beginning to bear fruit," both diplomatically and economically. Earlier, Mr. Netanyahu said sanctions are "certainly taking a bite out of the Iranian economy." But, he said Iran has not rolled back or stopped its nuclear program "one iota." The head of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security told VOA that he does not see General Gantz' remarks as showing a disagreement in the Israeli leadership about Iran. ISIS President David Albright said the general's prediction that Iran "will not want to go the extra mile" is essentially a reiteration of Israel's warning to Tehran not to take the final step of building a nuclear bomb. In the Haaretz interview, Gantz said he "agrees" that a nuclear weapon "capability in the hands of Islamic fundamentalists ... is dangerous" and he is preparing for possible military action to deal with that danger "in a credible manner." 'UNANIMITY' IN ISRAELI LEADERSHIP Albright said differences that appear in Israeli leaders' statements "probably do not mean very much because in the end there is unanimity in the Israeli government that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons." He said concerns expressed by some Israeli officials about serious consequences of striking Iran do not mean they will refuse to carry out such an attack if the order comes from the top. Albright also said he believes Israel will not launch a strike before assessing the impact of the latest international sanctions on Iran's behavior. He noted that an EU ban on Iranian oil imports does not fully take effect until July. Albright said he thinks Israel also will wait to see if that pressure "leads Iran to make meaningful concessions" in negotiations with world powers. Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany, known as the P5 + 1, met in Turkey earlier this month for their first talks on the Iranian nuclear dispute in more than a year. The two sides agreed to conduct another round of talks in Baghdad next month. Media files: AP110216034733.jpg (image/jpeg, 0 MB)

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VOA News: Africa: Ghana’s Youth Brainstorm Ways to Tackle Unemployment

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Ghana's Youth Brainstorm Ways to Tackle Unemployment Apr 26th 2012, 00:10 More than 50 Ghanaians in their twenties gathered in Accra recently to discuss how to improve youth employment in the country. The World Bank's Chief Economist for Africa, Shanta Devarajan, listened in to the World Bank-sponsored brainstorming session from Washington. Devarajan said some of the most important input he took away from the session was that Ghana's youth see their future jobs coming from the private sector rather than the public arena. This is a slight shift from past generations, he said, who tended to look more toward governments to reduce unemployment by hiring more workers directly. But there is still a role for the government in facilitating private sector job growth, Devarajan added, "in making it easier for the private sector to create jobs," "Most of that involves things like providing infrastructure, providing a regulator environment that makes it conducive to start firms and to set up factories." According to Devarajan, about 90 percent of Ghana's jobs are in the informal sector. These businesses are often family-related, such as a store that someone's parents own or small agricultural operations. Earnings from these jobs are often low and unstable. Devarajan said during the brainstorming session, which mostly sought input from young university graduates, the participants said they want to find jobs in the formal sector that can provide more stability.  And though Devarajan stressed it is hard to predict economic events, he suggested that light manufacturing, such as textiles, garments and small electronics, might offer these types of jobs in the near future. Maclean Arthur, who participated in the event, wrote on a blog targeted at Ghanaian youth, mefirighana.com, that he was skeptical at first, but afterward left the discussion with a "big smile" across his face. "The program brought together a collection of articulate and ambitious youths from diverse backgrounds," he wrote in his post. "They bounced ideas off each other and at the end, they all left the conference room motivated." Brainstorming sessions are also being held in other countries such as Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of a larger program coordinated by the World Bank's Chief Economist office. The program aims to gather input from youth all over Africa for a report on youth employment on the continent, scheduled to be released later this year. Media files: AP_GhanaMarket_25apr12-resizedpx480q100dpi96shp8.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.3 MB) AP_GhanaMarket_25apr12-300.jpg SHRYOCK-04-26-2012-GHANA-EMPLOYMENT-SHRYOCK-DEVARAJAN.Mp3 (audio/mpeg)

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VOA News: Asia: Experts Ask US to Use Caution in Relaxing Sanctions Against Burma

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

Experts Ask US to Use Caution in Relaxing Sanctions Against Burma Apr 25th 2012, 23:56 A House Foreign Affairs subcommittee has held a hearing on U.S. policy towards Burma, at a time when a group of human rights organizations has questioned the decision by President Barack Obama's administration to ease several sanctions against Burma. The United States eased an investment ban, some travel restrictions and other sanctions in early April, after Burma held by-elections in which pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's political party won seats.  The chairman of the House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, Republican Donald Manzullo, expressed cautious optimism about the changes in Burma. "It is my sincere hope that these actions in Burma are the beginning of real, meaningful political reconciliation.  However, let us not lose sight of the reality that Burma has endured 50 years of military dictatorship, and those in power will not give up this power overnight," Manzullo said. Several lawmakers asked the witnesses at the hearing if they believed that the political reforms in Burma are real, lasting and substantial, and what they believe motivated Burma's current military-backed government to take such dramatic steps.  Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell said that 50 years ago, Burma was the richest, most dynamic and most promising country in East Asia.  Campbell said now, Burma is one of the most backward countries in the region, and in the world, and he believes some of the country's leaders realize this. "I think a big motivation is to bring this country into the 21st century, and to move away from a history that has been clouded by violence, repression and a lack of opportunity," Campbell said. The European Union has gone further than the United States, announcing Monday that it will suspend almost all sanctions against Burma except for an arms embargo.  But former congressman Tom Andrews, now president of the group, "United to End Genocide," cautioned that the Burmese government could still undo any positive changes.  Andrews was in Burma after the elections, and he said that away from the capital, there is still military violence against innocent civilians. "Economic pressure has helped to push forward progress in Burma.  Giving away rewards too quickly, in exchange for too little, leave the United States and the international community without leverage," Andrews said. Andrews said he understands very well the desire on the part of the international community to declare Burma a success story.  But he said the U.S. Congress and the Obama administration must choose their steps wisely in the months to come, until all government atrocities against the people of Burma cease. Media files: AP_Burma_Aung_EU_Sanctions_04_23_2012_230.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle Struggles to Prevent Renewed Drug Violence

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle Struggles to Prevent Renewed Drug Violence Apr 26th 2012, 00:03 The Golden Triangle, where Burma, Laos and Thailand meet on the Mekong River, has long been known for its shady history of opium smuggling and lawlessness. The region is now a magnet for tourists, lured by its notoriety, scenic resorts and new casinos. But a bloody attack last year on two Chinese boats loaded with millions of dollars of methamphetamines has raised concerns of a resurgence of drug violence. The gunmen killed all 13 sailors and dumped the bodies overboard. Thai police have questioned nine Thai soldiers from an anti-narcotics unit in connection with the crime. China is now working with Laos, Burma and Thailand to coordinate patrols on the Mekong. "The result of cooperation among the four countries since December is that security is heightened, illegal migration reduced, transnational crime is lower, and there is more navigation and more exchange of goods," said Police General Wichean Potephosree, the secretary general of Thailand's National Security Council. Large cargo vessels along the busy Mekong now are allowed armed escorts to ensure safe delivery of goods. But smaller boats are often left on their own. Pilots use knots to appease the mythical Mekong dragon to protect them from accidents. But Lao boatman Porn says the charms are no help against pirates. Last month he was taking frozen chickens to China when his boat was stopped and robbed by men on speedboats armed with M16 rifles. Despite the danger, Porn says he must risk several trips a month. "Because if we don't keep going, doing this work, there will be no income. Because our families still need money. We have to look after them," he said. Many locals say security on the Mekong is getting worse, despite official reassurances. Boatmen will take passengers to casinos in Laos and Burma but refuse to go any further upriver than this island. Tanat Chongpatdee has fished the river for six years. He says since the October attack, fishermen fear going upstream. "Some still dare to go there. But, if they are discovered by the Burmese military they will be followed. If they still continue the soldiers will call to them. If they do not respond, they will be shot (at)," he said. For now, tourists are still flocking to the Golden Triangle to take in its unique location, beautiful views and shady reputation. Many are likely unaware that the region is still struggling to put its notorious history behind it. Media files: DSgoldentriangle_SQ.jpg

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VOA News: Middle East: Activists: Syrian Troops Kill 27 Civilians

VOA News: Middle East Middle East Voice of America

Activists: Syrian Troops Kill 27 Civilians Apr 26th 2012, 00:28 Syrian activists say security forces have killed at least 27 civilians in attacks across Syria, as France called for a small U.N. truce-monitoring team in the country to be expanded rapidly. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says government shelling of the central city of Hama killed at least 12 people on Wednesday. Activists say Syrian troops also shelled the Damascus suburb of Douma, while suspected government snipers in the district killed two people. Elsewhere, the Observatory says Syrian rebels killed three government soldiers in a battle in the southern province of Daraa. Casualty figures could not be independently confirmed. Four more observers joined the unarmed U.N. team trying to monitor the shaky cease-fire in Syria's year-long conflict, expanding it to 15 personnel. Activists say several of them visited Douma on Wednesday, while two remained in Hama and two others kept a base in the nearby city of Homs. All three areas have been centers of the 13-month uprising against autocratic Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said the U.N.-backed truce that took effect on April 12 has been "seriously compromised" by recent violence. He called on the United Nations to significantly expand the observer team in Syria in the next 15 days to the full contingent of 300 personnel authorized by the Security Council. Juppe also said international envoy Kofi Annan's next report on cease-fire compliance to be presented to the Security Council on May 5 will be a "moment of truth." Speaking after meeting Syrian opposition figures in Paris, Juppe said that if the Syrian government keeps defying the truce, France will seek to punish Damascus by drafting a "Chapter Seven" Security Council resolution that could be enforced militarily. Russia and China have twice vetoed Western and Arab-backed Security Council resolutions calling for punitive action against Mr. Assad's government for violently suppressing the revolt. The Syrian government says it is committed to the cease-fire and other elements of Mr. Annan's peace plan, but reserves the right to defend itself against "armed terrorists" whom it accuses of driving the unrest. In other violence on Wednesday, Syrian activists said government troops fired on a bus in the northern province of Idlib, killing four people. Syria's state-run SANA news agency said security forces killed one "terrorist" in Idlib province after stopping an "attempted infiltration" of armed militants from Turkey.  It is unclear if the SANA report was referring to the same incident as the shooting on the bus. Meanwhile, diplomats said the U.N. Security Council plans to appoint Norwegian Major General Robert Mood as head of the full observer team in Syria. Middle East expert Joshua Landis, who lived in Syria, said  that many Syrians do not have faith that the U.N. mission will resolve the unrest. "All the Syrians I know are very distraught.  They are very worried.  Even those who support the regime - and I know a fair number who do - they can't see anything good coming out of this.  They are getting angrier at Bashar. On the other hand, they don't like the opposition," Landis said. The Washington Post said Wednesday that Syria's cash reserves are quickly dwindling as a result of international sanctions. Landis, however, said the international community should not expect Assad to resign, despite mounting economic pressure and the increasing presence of U.N. monitors. "He's gaining a few more days of his life.  The moment he gives up, he's going to be a dead man. He's going to be hung from the yardarm along with a lot of people around him.  So, he's fighting for his life," Landis said. The United Nations estimates that more than 9,000 people have been killed in Syria's crackdown on the uprising, while activist groups put the death toll at more than 11,000. Join the conversation on our social journalism site - Middle East Voices. Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter and discuss them on our Facebook page. Media files: AFP Syria bombed out home 10Apr12 480.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) AFP Syria bombed out home 10Apr12 2301.jpg

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VOA News: USA: Illegal Immigration Not an Issue for Legal Immigrants in New York

VOA News: USA USA Voice of America

Illegal Immigration Not an Issue for Legal Immigrants in New York Apr 25th 2012, 23:08 <!--AV--> Immigration has been a contentious issue in a number of U.S. presidential primaries, especially in states with high concentrations of undocumented immigrants. It was not a factor in New York, however, which is home to millions of legal immigrants. The state's Republican voters Tuesday gave their support to presumptive nominee Mitt Romney, who took a tough stance on illegal immigration in earlier primaries.   Legal immigrants in New York shared their thoughts about illegal immigration.     Mudassa Khan came to the United States from Pakistan as a teenager and now owns an electronics store in New York City. He said his family waited 12 years for legal permission to immigrate, but he sympathizes with those who immigrate illegally. "There has to be some desperation there in order for them to do something like that," she said. Khan said illegal immigration is not an issue among South Asian immigrants in the neighborhood where his store is located, but he recognizes the dilemma posed by illegal immigrants. "I'm not even for giving them a legal status over here, but there has to be something in between in order for us to keep it a fair game," he said. But defining fairness is controversial. Critics say illegal aliens violate the law, take jobs away from Americans and must be deported.  Filipino-American immigration attorney J.T. Mallonga disagrees. "You can't deport all 12 million, nor can you jail all 12 million. But at this point in time, there is no avenue for them to address their legal residency issues," said Mallonga. A bill before the U.S. Senate called the DREAM Act proposes a path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants who finish high school or serve in the military. But many Republicans oppose it, including presidential contender Romney. "I like people coming here legally. And so I will secure the border with a fence, make sure we have enough border patrol agents to secure that fence, and I will also crack down on employers that hire people who are here illegally," said Romney. The Obama administration has deported a record number of illegal aliens, about 400,000 per year. A new study by the Pew Hispanic Center indicates that the number of illegal Mexican immigrants in the United States is declining. Even if immigration remains a volatile issue in an election year, though, Khan doesn't expect much to change. "I've seen that in a lot of elections. They make a topic of it. When it comes down to doing something about it, nothing has been done. I think they'll use this to get some votes, again, and when the election is over, they'll probably forget about it and nothing major will happen," he said. And in New York, it's not likely to affect who wins the presidential race. Even Republicans concede that the state's millions of legal immigrants likely will vote for Obama's reelection. Media files: us_immigrants_Illegals_ny_fedynsky_230_25april2012.jpg US-Immigrants_and_Illegals_WEB_VERSION4x3-fixed-x264-Platform_YTHQFull__065407.mp4 (video/mp4)

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VOA News: Economy: Central Bank Says US Economy Expanding 'Moderately'

VOA News: Economy Economy Voice of America

Central Bank Says US Economy Expanding 'Moderately' Apr 25th 2012, 20:49 The U.S. central bank says the American economy is growing "moderately" and that the country's high unemployment rate could fall below 8 percent late this year. After a two-day meeting of its chief policy makers in Washington, the Federal Reserve refrained Wednesday from adopting new stimulus measures to boost the economic fortunes for the world's largest economy. The bank said it expects that economic growth will "remain moderate" over the coming months and then "pick up gradually." The central bank said it is keeping its benchmark lending rate at the historically low level of zero to a quarter of a percentage point, and it expects to maintain the same interest rate at least through late 2014. The bank said the country's labor market has improved, even though the jobless rate, 8.2 percent in March, remains high. But Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said at a news conference that policy makers now think that as the economy improves, the jobless rate could fall to a range of 7.8 to 8 percent late this year and improve even more in the next two years. "Looking ahead, the committee anticipates the unemployment rate will decline gradually over the next several years, reflecting the moderate pace of economic growth. Specifically, [the policy makers'] projections for the unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of this year have a central tendency of 7.8 to 8 percent, declining to 6.7 to 7.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014," said Bernanke. Bernanke also said that if the U.S. economy should falter, the Federal Reserve will not hesitate to take new action to boost it, as it has the last couple years. "So we have been very accommodative. And we remain prepared to do more as needed to make sure that this recovery continues and that inflation stays close to target. So in particular, we'll continue to assess, you know looking at the economic outlook, looking at the risks, whether or not unemployment is making sufficient progress towards its longer-run, normal level and whether inflation is remaining close to target," said Bernanke. "And if appropriate, and depending also on assessment of the costs and risks of additional policy action, we remain entirely prepared to take additional balancing actions if necessary to achieve our objectives." Bernanke said consumer spending and business investment have grown, but the bank described the country's housing market as "depressed." The central bank said that overall inflation expectations "have remained stable," at about 2 percent, and that increased energy costs will have only a temporary effect. In recent weeks, there have been mixed signals about the American economy, with some pointing to modest growth and better times, and others emphasizing how sluggish the recovery has been from the recession that engulfed the country in 2008 and 2009. Nearly 13 million American workers remain unemployed, with many of them jobless for extended periods. The jobless rate has fallen in recent months, but is considerably above the 5 percent level that is more normal in the U.S. Still, many U.S. corporations have reported sharply higher profits. The world's most valuable company, U.S.-based technology giant Apple, said Tuesday its quarterly profits almost doubled during the first three months of the year. This was attributed largely to continued demand for the company's popular iPhones.   The state of the U.S. economy is the prime issue in the presidential election campaign, heading to the November contest. The presumptive Republican nominee, one-time venture capitalist Mitt Romney, has called for less government regulation and lower taxes to sharply boost the economy. He said that President Barack Obama, a Democrat, deserves no credit for recent gains in the economy and that any advances have occurred despite, not because of, his policies. Obama frequently has told supporters that the economy is improving, although not as fast as he would like. He has noted that the country's businesses have filled more than 600,000 new jobs since the first of the year. He says the country cannot afford to weaken government controls designed to curb corporate excesses that contributed to the economic downturn, the worst in the United States in seven decades. Media files: apUSeconomyconsumerconfidence25apr2012-resizedpx480q100shp8.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.3 MB) apUSeconomyconsumerconfidence25apr2012-resizedpx480q100shp8Tease.jpg

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VOA News: USA: Manufacturer Adapts Factory Plant for Disabled Workers

VOA News: USA USA Voice of America

Manufacturer Adapts Factory Plant for Disabled Workers Apr 25th 2012, 20:21 <!--AV--> The sewing machines at the Peckham factory in Lansing, Michigan, churn out 300,000 garments a month for the American military, from long underwear to fleece jackets. About 1,200 employees work two shifts a day to meet production deadlines. That's not an unusual feat, except that 85 percent of the sewers and other workers at Peckham live with what staff here call a "significant" disability. Workers have blindness, deafness, emotional trauma or other mental illnesses. "We employ a lot of people that either cannot work a full work week or their disability just doesn't allow them to do the job," says Director of Manufacturing Ed Terris. Peckham is a nonprofit organization dedicated to training and employing people with disabilities. It makes use of what's called "assistive technology" - the process of enhancing technology to allow disabled people to interact with it. Productive use of disabled workers Each worker here also gets a mentor to help maximize his or her goals, not only at work but in the rest of life, as well. "With the wraparound services that we provide and the coaching and training, and the assistive technology that we employ, we give people opportunities to do this type of work that they may not be able to experience in a typical working environment," said Terris. Terris points to a worktable where Chuck Ayotte sits. Ayotte is legally blind but employed by Peckham to trim loose thread from fleece jackets, which eventually will go to troops in Afghanistan. Ayotte can work at the plant because Peckham developed equipment that allows disabled people like him to operate machinery. He feels for loose threads along the seams of the jacket and places the thread next to an air hole, which sucks the thread in and safely shaves it off. "You could put your finger right here in the machine and you can't cut yourself," Ayotte said. Large workforce that is untapped There are 20 million disabled Americans between the ages of 18 and 64, the years during which most people work. But nearly 80 percent of these lack fulltime, year-round employment. Advocates for the disabled say that's partly because employers don't make accommodations for disabled workers in the workplace. Greta Wu, senior vice president of Human Services at Peckham, said chronic unemployment can be a worst-case scenario for many people living with disabilities. "You don't get to work, you don't get to enjoy that you are contributing to the society," she said. "But when you do have work your self-confidence is built up, your self-esteem is increased, you feel good about yourself." Amy Rose Heyboer, who has suffered from Attention Deficit Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for much of her life, came to Peckahm three years ago. Employee is role model Before she found Peckham, mental illness caused Heyboer, who is in her 20s, to move from job to job. It took a toll on her, she said, both emotionally and financially. "Back when my employment status was not as great as it was now, I just thought that it was something wrong with me," said Heyboer. "That I'm not doing my job right because I'm not motivated, because I'm lazy, because I'm a procrastinator, because I am no good at this. So that was self-esteem issues for sure," she said. Heyboer's supervisors here quickly moved her from one assignment to another, though, to keep her attention from wandering. Now she's supervising other workers. "It really started to turn with me that this may not be my fault," she said. "This place was really pivotal in that because there are other people here who do recognize that 'Okay, she's having issues, but it's not her fault. How can we adjust it so that it works for her?' And that's really nice." Peckham is funded in part by a federal government program that buys products and services from nonprofits that hire the disabled. Advocates for the disabled say that unless more companies change their hiring practices and workplace environments, millions more disabled will remain shut out of the American workforce. Media files: voa_michigan_diasbled_workers_230_25april2012.jpg Michigan_Diasbled_Workers_-_web_version_4x3-fixed-x264-Platform_YTHQFull__147534.mp4 (video/mp4)

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VOA News: Asia: Bo Xilai Remains Popular in Megacity He Once Oversaw

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

Bo Xilai Remains Popular in Megacity He Once Oversaw Apr 25th 2012, 20:05 Disgraced politician Bo Xilai is still a hugely popular figure on the streets of Chongqing, the city he served as Communist party secretary for more than four years. But not everyone in the city is sorry to see him gone. A hazy fog hangs over the Jialing and Yangtze rivers, which converge in Chongqing. This once sleepy inland port has exploded in recent decades into one of the world's biggest municipalities, with some 30 million people. <!--AV--> Bo Xilai left his mark on the city with policies that drew attention across China. Many residents, like English translator Pan, say they were dismayed when they heard he had been fired. "First, I was shocked. Then, I felt that it's a pity. I personally still like him, no matter what he did. I think he was a good leader," she said. She is not in the minority. Salesman Chen thinks 99 out of 100 Chongqing residents would say they like Bo. He thinks the former leader is a victim of political struggles, but he doesn't want to talk about it. This taxi driver, who did not give his name, said authorities sent an effective message to his supporters when they put down a small pro-Bo demonstration. "Who dares to do it? No one dares. No one is brave enough," he said. Two of Bo's signature campaigns for Chongqing involved colors. One was "sing red" - which encouraged people to sing nostalgic Communist songs. Blogger Alan Zhang says the campaign was coercive. "For example, if your department does not participate in a red song program, it is considered a political act. So that means your political achievements are not good.  If a school does not participate, then it may have a negative affect on whether its students get chosen to join the Party. It was very fanatical," he said. The other campaign was "strike black" - a crackdown on organized crime in which police arrested some 5,000 people. "This created the social phenomenon that those who were suspected of being gangsters were indeed gangsters, and then tomorrow, anybody could be called a gangster because it was not specific or legal. Ordinary people could suffer and it could bring a feeling of oppression for city residents," said the blogger. Independent academic Wang Kang calls Bo "brave and decisive" but says the former leader's political methods would have pulled China back into the chaos of the Mao Zedong era. "If Bo Xilai were to enter the Politburo standing committee, China's highest level of power, then I believe there would have been the possibility of having a second Cultural Revolution in China. A reign of terror would have been hard to avoid," he said. Before leaving Beijing, VOA asked the Chongqing government for an interview. While a spokesman agreed to meet for tea, he refused to speak on the record. Media files: ap_china_bo_xilai_03Mar12-resizedpx480q100shp8.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) ap_china_bo_xilai_230_03Mar12.jpg China_Bo_Popularity_FOR_WEB_SD-fixed-x264-Platform_YTHQFull__830427.mp4 (video/mp4)

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VOA News: Economy: Manufacturer Adapts Factory Plant for Disabled Workers

VOA News: Economy Economy Voice of America

Manufacturer Adapts Factory Plant for Disabled Workers Apr 25th 2012, 20:21 <!--AV--> The sewing machines at the Peckham factory in Lansing, Michigan, churn out 300,000 garments a month for the American military, from long underwear to fleece jackets. About 1,200 employees work two shifts a day to meet production deadlines. That's not an unusual feat, except that 85 percent of the sewers and other workers at Peckham live with what staff here call a "significant" disability. Workers have blindness, deafness, emotional trauma or other mental illnesses. "We employ a lot of people that either cannot work a full work week or their disability just doesn't allow them to do the job," says Director of Manufacturing Ed Terris. Peckham is a nonprofit organization dedicated to training and employing people with disabilities. It makes use of what's called "assistive technology" - the process of enhancing technology to allow disabled people to interact with it. Productive use of disabled workers Each worker here also gets a mentor to help maximize his or her goals, not only at work but in the rest of life, as well. "With the wraparound services that we provide and the coaching and training, and the assistive technology that we employ, we give people opportunities to do this type of work that they may not be able to experience in a typical working environment," said Terris. Terris points to a worktable where Chuck Ayotte sits. Ayotte is legally blind but employed by Peckham to trim loose thread from fleece jackets, which eventually will go to troops in Afghanistan. Ayotte can work at the plant because Peckham developed equipment that allows disabled people like him to operate machinery. He feels for loose threads along the seams of the jacket and places the thread next to an air hole, which sucks the thread in and safely shaves it off. "You could put your finger right here in the machine and you can't cut yourself," Ayotte said. Large workforce that is untapped There are 20 million disabled Americans between the ages of 18 and 64, the years during which most people work. But nearly 80 percent of these lack fulltime, year-round employment. Advocates for the disabled say that's partly because employers don't make accommodations for disabled workers in the workplace. Greta Wu, senior vice president of Human Services at Peckham, said chronic unemployment can be a worst-case scenario for many people living with disabilities. "You don't get to work, you don't get to enjoy that you are contributing to the society," she said. "But when you do have work your self-confidence is built up, your self-esteem is increased, you feel good about yourself." Amy Rose Heyboer, who has suffered from Attention Deficit Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for much of her life, came to Peckahm three years ago. Employee is role model Before she found Peckham, mental illness caused Heyboer, who is in her 20s, to move from job to job. It took a toll on her, she said, both emotionally and financially. "Back when my employment status was not as great as it was now, I just thought that it was something wrong with me," said Heyboer. "That I'm not doing my job right because I'm not motivated, because I'm lazy, because I'm a procrastinator, because I am no good at this. So that was self-esteem issues for sure," she said. Heyboer's supervisors here quickly moved her from one assignment to another, though, to keep her attention from wandering. Now she's supervising other workers. "It really started to turn with me that this may not be my fault," she said. "This place was really pivotal in that because there are other people here who do recognize that 'Okay, she's having issues, but it's not her fault. How can we adjust it so that it works for her?' And that's really nice." Peckham is funded in part by a federal government program that buys products and services from nonprofits that hire the disabled. Advocates for the disabled say that unless more companies change their hiring practices and workplace environments, millions more disabled will remain shut out of the American workforce. Media files: voa_michigan_diasbled_workers_230_25april2012.jpg Michigan_Diasbled_Workers_-_web_version_4x3-fixed-x264-Platform_YTHQFull__147534.mp4 (video/mp4)

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VOA News: Asia: New Documentary Focuses on Aftermath of Bhopal Disaster

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

New Documentary Focuses on Aftermath of Bhopal Disaster Apr 25th 2012, 18:55 One of the world's worst industrial disasters struck Bhopal, India in the early morning hours of December 3, 1984 when a pesticide plant owned by Union Carbide leaked methyl iso-cyanate gas. A cloud of lethal gas drifted over the city of more than 900,000 people, exposing many to contamination. <!--AV--> At least 10,000 people died, many within hours from the initial effects of coughing, vomiting, severe eye irritation and loss of breath. Movie director, writer, and cinematographer Van Maximilian Carlson's new documentary film "Bhopali" focuses on the aftermath of the catastrophe and how survivors are coping health-wise and in their fight for justice against Union Carbide along with its parent company, Dow Chemical.  The 27-year-old Los Angeles-based director spent three months during 2009 in Bhopal for the 25th anniversary of the disaster. The movie combines stories of survivors, focusing on older people still affected and handicapped children who need help. Carlson said those who lived through the disaster suffered direct exposure to the gas and have passed genetic defects on to their children. Problems include "malformed limbs, things like respiratory conditions, eye issues and constant infections and lower immune systems," he said. The water supply remains contaminated "three kilometers from the Union Carbide factory and the contamination has spread," according to Carlson.  While the government trucks in water from reservoirs, Carlson said the water in the affected communities "runs out really quickly." Another issue is the "continual fight to attempt to get some form of help from the government or corporations responsible," he said. "Bhopali" includes interviews with activists, former Union Carbide employees, local and national government officials regarding corporate responsibility. Although unsuccessful in contacting the chemical companies as litigation continues, Carlson said the movie is getting noticed. "Bhopali" won the 2011 Best Documentary and Audience Awards at the Slamdance Film Festival. Media files: AP_India_Bhopal_Protest_03dec11_230.jpg Bhopali-fixed-x264-Platform_YTHQFull.mp4 (video/mp4)

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