Guinea's New Cabinet Another Step in Political Transition

DAKAR — Guinea’s President Alpha Condé has issued a decree naming a new government without any opposition members.  Although Guineans have had mixed reactions to the announcement, analysts say the reshuffle could be a promising next step in the country’s transition to democracy.

DAKAR — Guinea’s President Alpha Condé has issued a decree naming a new government without any opposition members.  Although Guineans have had mixed reactions to the announcement, analysts say the reshuffle could be a promising next step in the country’s transition to democracy.

Guinea’s President Alpha Condé named a new 35-member Cabinet this week, just a few months after long-delayed legislative elections finally established a National Assembly.

In total, 15 ministers were replaced, while 19 others were either reappointed or named to other positions within the government.  The former prime minister kept his post.

The International Foundation for Electoral System’s chief representative in Guinea, Elizabeth Coté, said the president's move was not that surprising.

“There had been a decree a few weeks ago where the president had asked the prime minister to resign, and all the members of his government, and it’s something that is often seen in francophone countries when there is a new National Assembly.  It’s a time for reshuffling the government, and everybody was actually rooting for an even more intense reshuffle. If anything, they were surprised by the mildness of it," said Coté.

Coté said while the Cabinet has no members from the opposition coalition, most of the president's choices come with strong track records and good reputations.

“I think it's a little bit more professional now, I would say, and less a government of paying back to friends, longtime militants - more of a government, as they call it, of 'mission.'  One could then try to define what that mission is, but that mission is for sure to keep the [ruling] party in place for a second mandate.  But it also will be taking care of business, because I think they do realize as well that they have to show something for this re-election," she said.

President Condé is up for re-election in 2017.  The country has been on a rocky transition to democracy ever since a December 2008 military coup that followed the death of authoritarian President Lansana Conte.

Politics in Guinea, which has a long history of ethnic tensions and human rights violations, has been plagued by violent and often deadly protests, along with allegations of corruption.

Legislative elections, originally supposed to take place by June 2011, were finally held in September 2012.  The creation of a National Assembly was considered by many to be the final step in the transition to democracy, but the country still has a long way to go.

Corinne Dufka is a senior researcher in the Africa division of Human Rights Watch.

“The new government has a lot of work set out for them.  Guineans remain desperately poor and the judiciary remains weak.  The police, which underscores the rule of law, remain very weak, and there are increasing reports of corrupt and non-transparent practices.  So all those issues need to be addressed, and there has to be a strong rule of law for development to happen in Guinea," said Dufka.

Dufka said that the hope is that even without any opposition representation in the new Cabinet, their strength in the newly-elected parliament will allow healthy debate to take place on the issues that matter.

She added that the National Assembly will also help to reduce some of the concentration of executive power over the last several years.

Guineans say they hope that the reshuffling of the government is a sign that the country is finally ready to move forward.

Miriama Sylla, a teacher in Conakry, offers her views.

"People were hoping for a more representative and unified national government, but the most important thing is that the opposition are represented in the parliament.  Hopefully now the debate can leave the streets and continue in the assembly, where both parties exist, and they can work together to bring about change,"said Sylla.

Guinea’s next political test will likely come when the electoral commission holds local and community-level elections, which are supposed to take place during the first term of 2014.

Guinea’s President Alpha Condé named a new 35-member Cabinet this week, just a few months after long-delayed legislative elections finally established a National Assembly.

In total, 15 ministers were replaced, while 19 others were either reappointed or named to other positions within the government.  The former prime minister kept his post.

The International Foundation for Electoral System’s chief representative in Guinea, Elizabeth Coté, said the president's move was not that surprising.

“There had been a decree a few weeks ago where the president had asked the prime minister to resign, and all the members of his government, and it’s something that is often seen in francophone countries when there is a new National Assembly.  It’s a time for reshuffling the government, and everybody was actually rooting for an even more intense reshuffle. If anything, they were surprised by the mildness of it," said Coté.

Coté said while the Cabinet has no members from the opposition coalition, most of the president's choices come with strong track records and good reputations.

“I think it's a little bit more professional now, I would say, and less a government of paying back to friends, longtime militants - more of a government, as they call it, of 'mission.'  One could then try to define what that mission is, but that mission is for sure to keep the [ruling] party in place for a second mandate.  But it also will be taking care of business, because I think they do realize as well that they have to show something for this re-election," she said.

President Condé is up for re-election in 2017.  The country has been on a rocky transition to democracy ever since a December 2008 military coup that followed the death of authoritarian President Lansana Conte.

Politics in Guinea, which has a long history of ethnic tensions and human rights violations, has been plagued by violent and often deadly protests, along with allegations of corruption.

Legislative elections, originally supposed to take place by June 2011, were finally held in September 2012.  The creation of a National Assembly was considered by many to be the final step in the transition to democracy, but the country still has a long way to go.

Corinne Dufka is a senior researcher in the Africa division of Human Rights Watch.

“The new government has a lot of work set out for them.  Guineans remain desperately poor and the judiciary remains weak.  The police, which underscores the rule of law, remain very weak, and there are increasing reports of corrupt and non-transparent practices.  So all those issues need to be addressed, and there has to be a strong rule of law for development to happen in Guinea," said Dufka.

Dufka said that the hope is that even without any opposition representation in the new Cabinet, their strength in the newly-elected parliament will allow healthy debate to take place on the issues that matter.

She added that the National Assembly will also help to reduce some of the concentration of executive power over the last several years.

Guineans say they hope that the reshuffling of the government is a sign that the country is finally ready to move forward.

Miriama Sylla, a teacher in Conakry, offers her views.

"People were hoping for a more representative and unified national government, but the most important thing is that the opposition are represented in the parliament.  Hopefully now the debate can leave the streets and continue in the assembly, where both parties exist, and they can work together to bring about change,"said Sylla.

Guinea’s next political test will likely come when the electoral commission holds local and community-level elections, which are supposed to take place during the first term of 2014.

World Bank Mobilizes $100 Million for CAR

The World Bank Group says it’s providing $100-million in emergency development funds for Central African Republic. It describes the fighting and humanitarian crisis in CAR as a “profound tragedy” that requires “urgent international support.”

• Listen to De Capua interview with Makhtar Diop of World Bank Group

Muslim and Christian armed groups have been fighting since December and are blamed for many civilian killings and looting.

Makhtar Diop, the World Bank Group’s Vice President for Africa, said, “I think for us it’s very important to support one of these failed states, as you call it, fragile states, which are states in a difficult situation for a long time.”

Civilians are bearing the brunt of the crisis.

  “With the recent acceleration of the crisis, I think we are close to one million internally displaced people in Central African Republic. The humanitarian situation is very, very bad. So for us it was very important to react very quickly and try to see how we can help the population in this country to face this cycle of violence and this crisis.”

Not taking action now, he said, would mean it could be very difficult to “restart” the country.

The World Bank Group plans to disburse some of the money quickly. Diop said, “We will try to ensure that some of the functions that are essential now can resume.”
Some of the immediate programs will include Cash for Work or Food for Work programs so people can have some money in their pockets and food for the families. Diop said this is being done “so that we can help the economy function a little bit again.”

The emergency funds will also be used to help pay civil servant salaries, including those who work in education and healthcare.

“Doing that we will be working very closely with various institutions and some of these resources will be channeled through the World Food Program, WFP, to help on the food provision side. And we’ll be also working with FAO to help provide some seeds because if you don’t have the seeds provided to the farmers now – before March or April – we are kind of affecting the next crop and therefore can face [an] even worse economic crisis and humanitarian crisis in the next year.”

Diop said the $100-million dollars will be disbursed throughout the year as grants. In a statement, he said, “We plan to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of CAR in their time of need and beyond.”

Washington Auto Show Highlights New Technologies

WASHINGTON — At this week's annual Washington Auto Show, manufacturers are featuring their standard models along with cars that point to the future, both in terms of propulsion and multi-material body structures.

Besides old concepts, repackaged in newly designed bodies, many manufacturers are showing models that are test beds for new technologies that point to the industry's future.

One model attracting a lot of attention is Toyota’s hydrogen-powered FCV Concept, which may be offered to consumers as soon as next year.

Its fuel cell converts hydrogen’s energy to electricity that charges the car’s battery.  Hydrogen is abundant and cheap, and the only byproduct of its use is clean water.

The head of Vehicle System Design at South Carolina’s Clemson University, Zoran Filipi, says that fuel cells are the long-term environmental solution.

“Recent announcements about this technology becoming available to consumers are great because it’s going to allow for real-world experience, evaluation of this technology, and will prepare us for the future where, at some point, the infrastructure might become available too,” he said.

Toyota claims the car has a range of at least 500 kilometers and that filling the tank takes no longer than refueling a gasoline vehicle tank.

But cars with regular engines, still the most affordable for ordinary consumers, are also becoming more environmentally friendly, especially diesel engines, which are again making their way into the luxury department.

Clemson University professor Zoran Filipi says internal combustion engines, IC for short, are fighting back.

"What we see is that the near term combination of these very advanced IC engine concepts - downsizing, turbocharging, direct injection and 7, 8, 9, 10-speed advanced transmissions, does allow 10, 15 even 20 percent improvement of fuel economy,” he said.

Hybrid engines are also making their way into the luxury car market. U.S. manufacturer Cadillac won this year’s prize for Green Car Technology for its ELR model, with an electric motor for driving and a small turbocharged gas engine for recharging the battery, thus extending its range.

The other new technology on the rise is recycled and composite materials for the car chassis - like BMW’s i3 - whose passenger compartment is completely made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics, making it much lighter.

Filipi says lightweight materials and structures are absolutely critical for vehicles with heavy batteries.

“We might actually see a future with multi-material body structures - steel, aluminum, carbon fiber - all being used for the same vehicle, and a lot of welding replaced by gluing,” he said.

Filipi says that there is also active research on bio-based and biodegradable composites for automotive interiors that can take us to a sustainable future.

Judging by the models exhibited at this year’s Washington Auto Show, cars of the future will be increasingly cheaper to drive while their environmental impact will continue to drop.

NEW DELHI — India is hoping for a financial revival after economic growth slipped to decade-low levels in the last two years

NEW DELHI — India is hoping for a financial revival after economic growth slipped to decade-low levels in the last two years.  But there are few signs of a return of the robust growth that catapulted India into the ranks of the world's fastest growing economies.


Gurdet Singh, who farms about 100 acres of fertile land in Wazidpur village in northern Punjab state, a prosperous agricultural region, plans to buy a bigger, new tractor to ease his work on the farm.

He says his two tractors have become old and require a lot of repair.  Singh even hopes to buy a car after he pays off the loans for the tractor.

The automobile sector, which witnessed a huge slowdown in the last two years as the economy slumped to a decade low, is pinning its hopes on consumers like Singh in the country’s vast rural areas.

Vishnu Mathur, who heads the Society of Automobile Manufactures of India, says that while demand in urban areas for passenger cars continues to be sluggish, the upbeat rural economy provides a silver lining.

“The recession we have been seeing is largely an urban phenomenon," Mathur noted. "The monsoons have been good and the harvest season is now round the corner, so if we have a good harvest, then I am sure there will be a further buoyancy coming out of the rural market.”
      
The optimism in the automobile industry signals that the worst could be over for the Indian economy, which is expected to clock growth of less than five per cent  when the 2013 fiscal year ends in March. 

Experts are pointing to the so-called “green shoots.” The farm sector, which sustains two thirds of the country, has posted healthy growth. The rupee, which lost more than 20 per cent of its value versus the dollar last year, has recovered some ground and stabilized.  Exports have revived.

Rafique Ahmed, head of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations, says exports are being boosted by a cheaper rupee and better global economic conditions.

“The prospects are good. Our rupee has helped us," Ahmed said. "Secondly the market also has stabilized in Europe and America and even in ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries it is better. So, exports should grow in a positive tone…slowly it will come to double digit.”

But even as growth is widely expected to pick up from the low point it hit last year, economists say it is unlikely to climb back to the heady numbers which had put India among the world’s fastest growing economies. Just three years ago (2011), India’s economy expanded by more than nine per cent.

Now the expectations are much more modest. Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has said growth will accelerate to more than six per cent in 2014, and return “step-by-step” to its potential of eight percent.

Economists say the key to boosting India’s economy is to revive confidence among investors, both domestic and foreign. Worried by lack of reforms and bureaucratic roadblocks, private investment has reduced to a trickle. Most businesses are now waiting on the sidelines for the outcome of national elections to be held by May.

Chief economist at credit ratings company, CRISIL, in Mumbai, D.K. Joshi, says the pace of economic recovery critically hinges on the outcome of those polls.

“If you get a fragile mandate and a coalition of not so like minded people, under these conditions sustaining high growth is very difficult," Joshi explained, "and if you get a decisive mandate and you get one single political party who is able to push the projects much faster, it will lift the sentiment of the private sector.  If those things happen, we do believe growth can lift to a little over six and a half percent.”

The decade-long spell of high growth which India experienced until 2011 had catapulted millions of people into the middle class and created new jobs which the country needs for its huge, young population. But economists are not so sure that India can achieve that again.

As President Obama prepares to give a key annual address to the nation

WASHINGTON — As President Obama prepares to give a key annual address to the nation, he faces political problems that have hurt his approval ratings. Experts say he may get some political help over the next year, as a gradually improving U.S. economy helps heal the battered housing sector and reduces unemployment.

Severe problems in the housing sector contributed to the recession that threw millions of Americans out of work and out of their homes.

Without jobs, they could not pay mortgages, so banks evicted families and tried to sell houses to recover the loan money. A glut of unsold homes pushed down prices, hurting homeowners, banks, and the overall economy.

But now the economy is growing again, and home sales are up, according to RealtyTrac Vice President Daren Blomquist, who spoke to VOA via Skype. "We saw a great bounceback in the housing market in 2013 in terms of prices, home price appreciation, and sales," he said.

Blomquist said prices rose as investors bought houses, and families got back into the market, though he expects the market to improve more slowly this year.

The president may talk about gains in the housing market and the improving unemployment situation in this year's State of the Union speech.

When he took office, unemployment centers were busy and the jobless rate was headed above 10 percent.
It took years for the unemployment rate to fall to the current 6.7 percent, which still leaves more than 10 million people out of work.  Four million of them have been jobless for six months or longer, which is worse than previous recessions.

But recent economic reports show growth, construction, manufacturing, consumer confidence and other important measures mostly improving. They also show the jobless rate heading down in the future.

Aparna Mathur, who researches the economy at the American Enterprise Institute, said, "The long-term trend suggests we are heading in the right direction. We might reach pre-recession [unemployment]  levels of five percent over the next couple of years “

Many economists say presidents usually get too much blame when the economy goes badly - and too much credit when things go well.

The chief economist for the Associated General Contractors, Ken Simonson, said it is mostly private business, rather than the government, that drives the economy. But he said things have gotten better on Obama's watch. "I'm sure that he will take credit for the sharp drop in unemployment rates that we have seen in recent months and for the gradual, but always positive, change in jobs over the last three and a half years."

Simonson pointed out, though, that the president's Republican rivals certainly will be quick to offer a rebuttal -- and point out that the jobless rate remains higher than what most Americans view as normal.

ABG Malaysia violent man , Then Turned Second Wife

ABG Malaysia violent man , Then Turned Second Wife



illustrationKuala Lumpur - A Malaysian man on trial for raping a 13-year -old boy . Worse , this man then he married young and making a second wife .
Riduan Masmud ( 40 ) that berprofesi as the manager of the restaurant was found guilty by a local court on charges of rape . Similarly, as reported by The Star , Friday ( 01/24/2014 ) .
Follow- rape occurred in February 2013 and in a parked car near Kionsom Waterfall, Inanam . Victims of rape are still sitting in high school when the incident .
Verdict on this case will be read in next week's conference called .
The time to make a scene , thus Riduan married in May 2013 and his sacrifice . Because she was married , then sacrifice a wife second .
Riduan is the father of four children aged between 2 years to 17 years.


Novi Christiastuti Adiputri - detikNews

Remuneration for Men Marry Lesbian Women Rise of Taipan Hong Kong USD 1.5 T

Remuneration for Men Marry Lesbian Women Rise of Taipan Hong Kong USD 1.5 T

 

Novi Christiastuti Adiputri - detikNews

Teeth and the father ( SCMP )Hong Kong - The competition was held conglomerate Hong Kong for a man who managed to marry the daughter lesbians continue to be held . Although the reward was increased two -fold to reach the HK $ 1 billion or equivalent to Rp 1.5 trillion , not one man who managed to captivate Gigi Chao .
" I think the amount of money offered my father will not be able to attract the attention of a guy that I think is interesting , " said Gigi told local media , the South China Morning Post ( SCMP ) , Saturday ( 25/01/2014 ) .
His comments came after his father's teeth , well-known Hong Kong businessman named Cecil Chao raising the reward is doubled . Started in 2012, Cecil Cho offered a reward of HK $ 500 million for every man who is able to win the hearts of his daughter .
As a same-sex lover , Gigi itself already have civil marriages with his female lover . Still, tens of thousands of people responded to the offer of Dental father , although none of whom managed to steal the hearts of women 33 years .
To the public , Cecil Chao has always stressed that her daughter is still single. In response to this , the latest in an exclusive interview with the SCMP , Dental respond to his concerns .
" First , I am concerned with the term ' dowry ' is used , because it is well known that the dowry death into human rights issues in India and I do not want people to be surprised mendengari this news , " he said .
" Secondly , I think the money offered my father would not be able to attract the hearts of men that I value interesting . Instead , I will be very happy to make friends with any man who is willing to donate the money that much for my foundation , Faith in Love , as long as they do not mind because I already have a wife . Thirdly and lastly , thank you Dad , I love you , "said Gigi .
Gigi admitted, he understands his father's effort to find a husband for her . But according to him , this does not interfere with his relationship with his father . Gigi said , the act of making his father who has been with him for 9 years , Sean Eav be confused .
Dental repeatedly asked his father to stop the contest . But he could not do much because at this time he lived with his father separately . Until now , the assistant Dental continues to receive a call from the men who want to propose .

Follow a variety of interesting information today on " Reporting Afternoon " Trans TV at 16.30 pm
( NVC / nwk )

Jokowi : Normalization Cisadane Need , Not Sodetan

Jokowi : Normalization Cisadane Need , Not Sodetan

Mulya Nurbilkis - detikNews( Photo : Mulya Nurbilkis / AFP )Jakarta - After meeting with Vice Governor of Banten Rano Karno and some officials in Tangerang, Banten , Jakarta Governor Jokowi finally decided to reject the idea of ​​the Ciliwung - Cisadane sodetan . This is because of the condition of the river is more appropriately addressed by way of normalization or dredging .
" Once we came to the field and see the real conditions that exist in Cisadane . Now obviously here the water already in the river mouth . Sodetan So if there is going to create problems in the city and district of Tangerang , " said the mayor 's office Jokowi in Tangerang , Banten , Saturday ( 25/01/2014 ) .
Jokowi see the condition of the sluice 10 is located not far from the office of the Inspectorate Tangerang City . He saw the floodgates with Vice Governor of Banten Rano Karno , Ahmed Zaki Iskandar Tangerang regent and mayor of Tangerang Arief Rahadiono Wismansyah .
This decision was taken after seeing and hearing conditions Cisadane explanation Tangerang mayor Arief . In his explanation , Arief explained that the condition Cisadane now very worrying . Water pumps can not function optimally .
After hearing Arief , Jokowi then understand that this time is the normalization required . "If ya do not know the field . Now ya all. Cisadane not need normalization sodetan , " said Jokowi .
However , Jokowi re- emphasize development and normalization sodetan Cisadane is the authority of the central government , in this case the Ministry of Public Works .
" It's not in the governor's authority but the Minister of Public Works . Later together we deliver to the Minister of Public Works that the most important is the Ciliwung and Cisadane normalization , " he concluded .

Follow a variety of interesting information today on " Reporting Afternoon " Trans TV at 16.30 pm
( bil / nwk )

Argentina to ease foreign exchange controls after peso slump

Argentina to ease foreign exchange controls after peso slump
Cristina Fernandez, Dec 2013 The economy has grown during Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's presidency, but inflation has soared
Continue reading the main story   
Related Stories

    Argentine peso fall worst since 2002
    Argentina restricts online shopping
    Argentina profile

Argentina is to relax its strict foreign exchange controls, a day after the peso suffered its steepest daily decline in 12 years.

Cabinet chief Jorge Capitanich said the country would reduce the tax rate on dollar purchases and allow the purchase of dollars for savings accounts.

The measures would take effect from Monday, he said.

On Thursday, the peso fell 11% against the dollar, its steepest fall since the country's 2002 financial crisis.

The central bank had been acting to support the waning currency amid a loss of investor confidence in the country. But the bank abandoned this policy on Thursday, sparking the peso's fall.

Despite efforts to support the economy, inflation has soared and many analysts expect it to reach about 30% this year.

That erodes confidence in the peso, prompting investors to put their money into US dollars rather than the sinking domestic currency.
Continue reading the main story   
Analysis
image of Andrew Walker Andrew Walker BBC World Service Economics correspondent

Behind Argentina's current economic strains there lurk problems with the balance of payments and inflation.

The official figure for price rises is around 11%, but independent economists reckon it's more than twice that.

One reason this affects the exchange rate is that Argentines want to protect their finances by getting their hands on dollars, which means selling pesos.

A more flexible peso could well weaken further. This might help by making Argentine businesses more competitive, but the cost could be even higher inflation.

Taking a step even further back, this episode fits into a persistent pattern of relative economic decline for Argentina.

A century ago, the country was richer - in per capita terms - than France or Germany. Now Argentina is about half their level.

Mr Capitanich said the government would reduce the tax rate on dollar purchases to 20% from the current 35%.

He said: "This decision reflects the government's belief that in the context of a floating exchange rate, the price of the currency - that is, the dollar - has reached an acceptable level for the objectives of economic policy."

BBC economics correspondent Andrew Walker said: "Argentina seems to be moving towards a more flexible exchange rate system, which could mean further weakness for the peso.

"That would help the country's competitiveness, but the danger is that it could aggravate what is already a serous inflation problem."

Concerns about Argentina hit financial markets around the world amid worries that other emerging economies are struggling. The currencies of Turkey, Russia, South Africa, and Mexico fell against the dollar.

The FTSE Emerging Markets index fell more than 1% in morning trading on Friday. Shares in investment firm Aberdeen Asset Management, which has exposure to emerging markets, fell almost 6%, the biggest casualty on the FTSE 100.
Restrictions

Under the presidency of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Argentina has introduced a number of restrictions on transactions with foreign currency.

This week, it introduced new restrictions on online shopping as part of efforts to stop foreign currency reserves from falling any further.

Anyone buying items through international websites must sign a declaration and produce it at a customs office, where the packages have to be collected.

The government now limits tax-free purchases to two a year.

Argentina's reserves of hard currency dropped by 30% last year, making support for the peso increasingly unaffordable.

In 2002, millions of Argentines saw their incomes and living standards collapse amid a crisis that included a government default on international debts and 41% inflation.

5.5 magnitude Earthquake in Iran kills 1 and injures 30 people Other People

5.5 magnitude Earthquake in Iran kills 1 and injures 30 people Other PeopleNovi Christiastuti Adiputri - detikNews


Homes damaged by the earthquake ( azernews.az )Tehran - An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale that struck southern Iran casualties. Reported at least one person was killed and about 30 others were injured as a result of this earthquake .
As reported by Reuters on Thursday ( 01/02/2014 ) , this earthquake triggered damage to some buildings . Even the flow of electricity in Hormozgan province was cut off by the quake .
This earthquake occurred near the town of Bastak , within 1207 kilometers of Tehran , on Thursday ( 2/1 ) morning local time . When an earthquake occurs , people running into the streets in fear .
Local authorities said that rescue workers have been deployed to the location of the earthquake to evacuate if necessary . Failure has been restored .
Of the 30 injured were hospitalized , 14 of whom have been discharged after medical treatment menjalni .
Iranian territory is quite often hit by earthquakes , especially because it was there on top of a cross slab and earth fault . The worst earthquake occurred in 2003 , which killed 26 thousand people . The 6.6 magnitude quake leveled the historic city of Iran , Bam .

Follow a variety of interesting information today on " Reporting Afternoon " Trans TV at 16.30 pm

Germany’s AAA Credit Rating, Outlook Maintained at Fitch

Fitch Ratings today affirmed Germany’s credit rating at AAA with a stable outlook, citing a decline in the debt level of Europe’s biggest economy.

“Germany continues to have the components of a declining public debt path,” Fitch said in a statement. “The economy is growing, the budget position is relatively favorable and nominal interest rates are low.”

Standard & Poor’s on Jan. 10 affirmed Germany’s AAA credit grade and the stable outlook for the rating. Germany had the outlook for its Aaa rating lowered to negative by Moody’s Investors Service in July 2012.

Bond markets often disregard rating and outlook changes. France’s 10-year yield, which was 3.08 percent when S&P removed its top rating in January 2012, tumbled to a record low 1.66 percent last year. The rate was 2.42 percent at the market close yesterday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government plans to eliminate the federal budget deficit in structural terms -- adjusted for one-time effects and economic swings -- this year and stop adding new debt from 2015.

To contact the reporters on this story: Rainer Buergin in Berlin at rbuergin1@bloomberg.net; Mariajose Vera in Munich at mvera1@bloomberg.net

Blueberry Muffin's Uncanny Canine Look

Blueberry Muffin's Uncanny Canine Look

January 24, 2014 – A California teenager got more than she bargained for when she reached for a blueberry muffin and got a piece of art ... sort of.
Kaelin Bell, 14, noticed that the blueberries on the muffin's top were positioned just so that they looked like the face of her pet Chihuahua, Chico.
Bell couldn't eat the muffin anymore and decided to take a picture of it next to her dog for comparison before freezing it for safe keeping.
She posted the photo to her blog where it received more than 250,000 views. It went viral after the website Buzzfeed shared it.
"My dad is wondering if we'll be able to sell it, but, so far, no one has offered to buy it," Bell said.

How to Earn Money on YouTube

You’ve probably heard stories about regular people earning money on YouTube and thought, “Hey, I can do this too!” While earning thousands of dollars probably isn’t realistic, you can start earning money quickly, especially if you have a strong subscriber base. Follow this guide to get your videos monetized and start earning revenue off of those YouTube ads.
Set up and build your YouTube channel. Your channel is your personal presence on YouTube. Each YouTube account has one channel attached to it. A YouTube account is the same as a Google account, and creating a YouTube account will grant you access to other Google products, such as Gmail and Drive.

1    Create your account or use your existing one. Add keywords to help people find your channel. You can add keywords by navigating to the Advanced section of your Channel Settings. Make sure that your keywords are relevant to your content.
    Your user name can also work for or against you. If it’s short, easy to remember, and original, people will be more apt to remember you. However if you are using an existing account, just stay with it. It doesn't help if you keep changing accounts.

Add content. Try to upload content that is high quality, and isn't super long. (This option can vary depending on what type of content you decide to upload) Also try to upload regularly and stay consistent with your uploads.

2    Even if your content isn't great at first, keep at it. Practice makes perfect. Try to make each video better than the last. You will often learn as you go.
    Improve your content by either using a better camera or trying better editing software or techniques. Also try to improve the way things are filmed. Use a tripod, have a friend help you or light your scenes better. It all helps for a better end product which in turn helps you get a better audience.
    By uploading regularly you can help hold an audience. People are more likely to subscribe if you add content on regular schedule, and maintain that schedule as much as possible.
    Make sure to tag your videos with key words that describe the content, as well as an eye-catching description. These will help drive people to your video from YouTube searches.

3
Gain an audience. Building an audience is key to increasing your monetization. You need people to watch your ads in order to make any money off of them. There is no one secret to getting more subscribers, just make the best content that you can and they will come to you.

    Keep uploading content and try to get people hooked. Send your video out on Twitter and Facebook. Share it with people. Distribute it elsewhere on the internet. Subscribers are essential to becoming a partner.
    Interact with your viewers by responding to comments and making occasional videos directly related to viewer comments and questions. Connecting with your community will bring more members into that community.

4
Monetize your videos. In order to start earning money on your videos, you’ll need to enable monetization. This means you are allowing YouTube to place ads in your video. This also means that you acknowledge that there is no copyrighted material in your video.

    You can monetize a video as it uploads by clicking the Monetization tab and checking the “Monetize with Ads” box.
    To monetize a video after it has been uploaded, open your Video Manager and click the “$” sign next to the video that you want to monetize. Check the “Monetize with Ads” box.

5
Setup Google AdSense. You can setup Google Adsense for free at the AdSense website. Click the Sign Up Now button to begin creating your account. You must be 18 years or older to create your own account. If you are younger than that, you will need an adult to help you.

    You need either PayPal or a bank account and a valid mailing address as well as other information so AdSense can verify who you are and who to send the money to. You only gain money per ad click and a smaller amount per view but it adds up over time. This is why having an audience is key.

6
Check your analytics. Once you have some videos online, monetized, and being viewed, you can check out the analytics on them to see how they are performing. Click the Analytics option in your Channel menu. Here you can view estimated earnings, ad performance, video views, demographics and more.

    Use these tools to see how your content is resonating with your audience. You can change your content or your marketing if you’re finding that you aren’t attracting the users that you want to.

7
Market your videos elsewhere. Don't put your videos just on YouTube! Start a blog, make a website or post them on other video or social media sites. The more views it gets, the better. By sharing the link or embedding the video on the internet, you are increasing the chance of it getting noticed and of you making money.
8
Become a YouTube partner. YouTube Partners are YouTube members who have monetized videos with a large number of viewers. Partners gain access to more content creation tools, and can win prizes for the number of viewers they have. Partners also get access to much more community support and tips.

    You can apply for YouTube partnership at any time through the YouTube Partner page. In order to gain access to the most powerful Partner programs, you need to have 15,000 cumulative watch hours for your channel over the last 90 days.

9
tie up with other popular video channels and put your mark there so that their subscribers may know your existence and thus you increase your


Tips

    Upload content regularly.
    Make videos with good content as well as quality.
    Use key words so people see your video.
    Put time and effort into editing your videos.
    Don't let trolls or lack of a good camera stop you, practice makes perfect.
    Make videos based on what's popular on the Internet.
    Take some time thinking what will your videos be about.
    Make sure you add tags when uploading videos.
    Try to find a niche.
    Create social networking site accounts (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and advertise for yourself!
Warnings

    Some people may leave mean comments to bring you down. Don't let them discourage you.
    Partnerships with YouTube for most people do not earn very much. Unless you have a huge success, don't plan on a job free life.
    Copyrighted content can get your videos taken down, and possibly banned.
    If any of your videos contain copyrighted content (i.e - music that you didn't make, content from movies, etc) you have less of a chance of getting into the partner program.

Make Tea Sandwiches

Want to make some classic sandwiches to go with your tea? Follow these easy steps to learn how to make 3 different kinds of delicious tea sandwiches.

 Ingredients
Smoked Salmon Sandwich

    4 slices white bread with crusts removed
    4 slices smoked salmon
    2 tbsp mayonnaise
    2 tbsp chopped dill
    Juice and zest of half lime
    1 cucumber thinly sliced lengthwise

Egg salad sandwich

    4 slices traditional pumpernickel bread
    3 hard boiled eggs chopped
    2 tbsp mayonnaise
    1 tsp Dijon mustard
    2 tbsp chives, chopped
    2 tbsp crispy bacon bits
    Salt and pepper

Avocado Shrimp Sandwich

    4 slices whole wheat pumpernickel bread
    8 shrimps cooked peeled and chopped
    1 tbsp mayonnaise
    1 tbsp coriander chopped
    1 ripe avocado peeled and mashed
    2 tbsp melon juice
    Salt and pepper
    Pinch of cayenne

Celebrating 10 years of shared success

Ten years ago we launched AdSense to help publishers earn money by placing relevant ads on their websites. I can still remember the excitement and anticipation as AdSense went live that first day.
Our small team huddled together in a cramped conference room, and right away we saw that publishers were as excited about AdSense as we were.
Fast-forward 10 years, and AdSense has become a core part of Google’s advertising business. The AdSense community has grown to include more than 2 million publishers, and last year alone, publishers earned more than $7 billion from AdSense. AdSense is a community that thrives because of all the content creators we are so fortunate to partner with. Their stories inspire us to do our part to make AdSense great.

On this occasion, it’s especially inspiring to hear the stories of partners who have been with us since the very beginning—like a retiree in New Zealand who was able to pursue her dream of writing about her garden, a tech support expert in Colorado who can spend more time with his kids, and a theme park reviewer who now sends employees around the world to test and review rides—all thanks to money earned from AdSense.

As part of our 10th anniversary celebration, we hope you’ll tune into our live Hangout on Air today at 10 a.m. PDT (5 p.m. GMT) on the AdSense Google+ page. I look forward to joining several of our partners to share stories from the early days of AdSense, talk about how we’ve all grown since then, and discuss the future for publishers and online advertising. And if you want even more 10th anniversary celebration, just visit our AdSense 10th anniversary page at any time.

Sourche

20 Top Predictions for Life 100 years from Now

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Although predictions about the future are fun to read, their record for accuracy is generally pretty poor.

Last week we asked readers for their predictions of life in 100 years time. Inspired by ten 100-year predictions made by American civil engineer John Elfreth Watkins in 1900, many of you wrote in with your vision of the world in 2112.

Many of the "strange, almost impossible" predictions made by Watkins came true. Here is what futurologists Ian Pearson (IP) and Patrick Tucker (PT) think of your ideas.

1. Oceans will be extensively farmed and not just for fish (Jim 300)
IP: Likelihood 10/10. We will need to feed 10 billion people and nature can't keep up with demand, so we will need much more ocean farming for fish. But algae farming is also on the way for renewable energy, and maybe even for growth of feedstock (raw materials) or resource extraction via GM seaweed or algae.

PT: Good chance. According to Dennis Bushnell, chief scientist at the Nasa Langley Research Center, saltwater algae that's been genetically modified to absorb more nitrogen from the air than conventional algae could free up to 68% of the fresh water that is now tied up in conventional agriculture. This water could go to thirsty populations. Read more

Are Parnormal Skeptics Conducting a Modern-Day Witch Hunt?

type='html'>Brendan O'Neill says that the hounding of the medium "Psychic Sally" is becoming a modern-day witch-hunt. 

Once upon a time, the great and the good, usually men of the cloth, hunted and persecuted women who were believed to have mystical powers. Today, the great and the good, usually men of science, go after women who don’t have mystical powers but who claim to. Decent society once hounded witches; now it hounds pseudo-witches.

So it is with Sally Morgan, otherwise known as “Psychic Sally”, former adviser on supernatural matters to Princess Diana, self-styled communicator with the dead, and now hate-figure-in-chief to the rationalist, sceptical set. Judging from the slurry of ridicule dumped on Morgan by certain writers and activists over the past year, you could be forgiven for thinking she was single-handedly responsible for the spread of stupidity in modern Britain. She “preys” on her “vulnerable audiences”, we are told, talking “a load of crystal balls”, making the “gullible” and “lonely” believe in stuff that isn’t true. Some serious science writers even want to institute annual Sally-bashing get-togethers for clever, scientifically minded people, to which Morgan will be invited, so that she can perform her tricks, but obviously she won’t turn up and then she can be mocked even more! What larks! Read more

UFO Contact in Argentina: The Amelia Case

type='html'>Guillermo D. Gimenez explores the Amelia Case, a UFO contact incident, which took place in Necochea, Argentina.

On February 4, 1988 a strange circle measuring over a meter and a half in diameter, covered in fungi, was found at a private residence located across from the Miguel Lillo Park of the city of Necochea. The grass within the circle was much darker and overgrown than usual.

Mr. Basilio Lichowski, 63, noticed the strange circle in his summer home. “The first thing that surprised me was to see toadstools at this time of the year. Nothing like it had ever happened before, and I tore one out to show my wife, who pointed out how strange it all was.”

The perfect outline of the circle should be stressed. According to Lichowski himself, “it’s as though someone had used a compass to draw it.”

The couple has spent summers in Necochea for over 20 years. They reported no strange sounds in the night, nor did anything unusual attract their attention. But things weren’t over yet. Read more

The Lies of Fatima

type='html'>The apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fatima in origin had nothing to do with prophecies or, indeed, the Virgin Mary, says Philip Coppens. However, he says, through a series of manipulations, the Church created one of the most elaborate lies, which formed the backdrop of major political events.

In the last two centuries, the Church has made apparitions of the Virgin Mary an evermore important part of the Christian religious experience and doctrine. Some critics argue the popularity of the Catholic Faith is largely maintained by the popularity of the Virgin Mary. The so-called “Marian Era”, i.e. the period when the Virgin Mary began to appear and offer messages to those that saw her, began in the early 19th century, with a series of apparitions, of which Lourdes is no doubt the most famous. But the most intriguing apparition occurred in the early 20th century, in the Portuguese hamlet of Fatima.
The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared at Fatima six times, starting on May 13, 1917, with a final apparition on October 13, 1917, when she performed a great sun miracle, “which all shall see so that they may believe”. On the second or third apparition, the three young witnesses were allegedly given three secrets by the Virgin Mary. Two secrets were revealed in subsequent years, but the so-called “Third Secret of Fatima” was kept secret by the Vatican for almost a century. As a result, there was endless speculation about the nature and its importance. Rightfully so, as the Second Secret was linked with major political events of the 20th century. But what if all of these “secrets” were fabricated by the Vatican, for political and religious reasons?

The Secrets of the Virgin Read more

How to Report Paranormal Activity

type='html'>If you experience paranormal activity, here's a guide to reporting it to investigators.

Reporting paranormal activity is a touchy subject in an evolving society where some folks want the experiences to just go away and some seem to enjoy the intrusion and actually promote its continuation.

The paranormal is never black or white - but the two extremes might be a family who has encountered odd circumstances in a new residence and have actually become afraid of the events - to a more public venue like a restaurant or hotel which seems to draw patrons who choose to get up close to those seemingly otherworldly events. Read more