| Economic Growth Strategy hailed at regional conference
EDISON The Corzine administration trumpeted the progress of the governor's Economic Growth Strategy for New Jersey at the first of three regional forums sponsored by the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce's Platform for Progress coalition of business organizations and individuals.
The strategy focuses on fostering private investment and creating more well-paying jobs throughout the state, Gary Rose, head of the state's Office of Economic Growth, said. Rose said the administration is stepping up its pitches to businesses considering relocation to the Garden State and companies thinking about leaving New Jersey. "We've got to market together if we're going to keep jobs in the state," Rose told the 150 or so members of the local business and government communities gathered for the Wednesday afternoon public town-hall style meeting at Middlesex County College.
The Scenario- Human rights in Bangladesh
"A lot of death threats are issued. Journalists are forced to keep quiet. There is a lot of pressure on them from local persons with links to higher authorities who want journalists to keep quiet.(1) 1. Introduction Abuses against human rights defenders in Bangladesh have occurred under successive governments. This report highlights cases which have occurred under the current and previous governments in order to demonstrate the systematic failure of the state to protect human rights defenders and to prevent abuses against them. Amnesty International considers all governments to be responsible for ensuring the promotion and protection of human rights. In the same vein, Amnesty International urges the Government of Bangladesh to bring to an end a cycle of cumulative disregard for human rights in general and for abuses against human rights defenders in particular.
Post Summit, Pakistan media brings up Kashmir issue
While welcoming the declaration at the SAARC Summit in New Delhi condemning terrorism and proposing an economic union, sections of the Pakistani media Thursday sang the Kashmir tune and held India guilty of preventing a rapprochement between South Asian neighbours. The Nation said in an editorial Thursday: 'With Kashmiris suffering under India's oppressive occupation and with Pakistanis in full support and sympathy with them, it is hard to visualise an equation of friendship taking shape in the subcontinent. It forecloses the possibility of lasting peace.' 'The Indians ought to see the raison d'etre of tension between the two countries, which inhibits the growth of normal relations and sincerely work for a just and equitable solution of the problem, if they really want the SAARC to flourish,' the newspaper said.
Transport fiasco in Chile saps Bachelet's popularity
What Michelle Bachelet promised when she was sworn in as Chile's first female president a little over a year ago was social justice and continued economic stability. What Chile faces at the moment, though, is a nagging corruption scandal and chaos in the transportation system in the capital, which have combined to sap her popularity. The corruption allegations, which involve a state sports agency and first emerged late last year, have been a boon to a right-wing opposition tainted by its links to the dictatorship of late general Augusto Pinochet. But the immediate cause of Bachelet's troubles is a costly new integrated subway and bus system that was supposed to be one of the most modern in the world. Instead, commuters in the capital region, which is home to more than one-third of Chile's 16 million people, are wasting hours every day getting to and from work.
The elusive quest for ‘fiscal space’ The World Bank, the IMF and ...
The IFIs and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) have contrasting views on how to increase fiscal space, meaning how to enable governments to spend and invest more. The core of the disagreement is how fiscal space should be viewed. The UNDP views increasing fiscal space as a means to combat poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), so that any assessment of fiscal space would start with calculating the resources necessary to meet the MDGs. The IFIs generally start by analysing the resources already available and then calculate fiscal space. The biggest areas of concern in increasing fiscal space are inflation management; infrastructure expenditure; the impacts of trade liberalisation; and the use of public-private partnerships. Why now? A fiscal space storm In March 2004, presidents Lula of Brazil and Kirchner of Argentina met and signed the Copacabana Act, which calls for high-level cooperation in financing infrastructure.
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