Saturday, July 12, 2008
By Katherine Spencer
Al Akhbar (Lebanon)
The Lebanese press is bursting with views on the agreement by the country’s feuding politicians to form a government of national unity.
Pro-opposition daily Al Akhbar says the decision was forced by this weekend’s summit for the Mediterranean Union in Paris. It goes on to say that more negotiations are needed and that compromises will have to be reached by all parties if the coalition is to survive for long.
An-Nahar (Lebanon)
For the pro-majority newspaper An-Nahar, the new government is itself a mini-parliament wherein one can find all the contradictions of the Lebanese political landscape.
Le Monde (France)
Moving on to France now, where a Moroccan woman married to a Frenchman has been denied citizenship because she wears a burqa. The story was broken by French daily newspaper Le Monde, which asks whether the burqa is compatible with French citizenship.
The Council of State ruled that the woman’s radical practice of Islam was incompatible with French core values, notably equality between sexes. In an editorial, the newspaper suggests the Council of State’s decision has reopened the debate about Islam in France and how the Republic recognises citizens' right to religious freedom as set out in the country’s constitution.
The Independent
"Return of the Ivory Trade"
British daily The Independent warns that the UN is poised to legalize ivory sales to China, sparking fresh fears for the future of elephants.
Although the ivory trade was banned 19 years ago to save the African elephant, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe were given permission by other members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) to opt out on the grounds that their elephant populations were either stable or increasing.
Cites gave permission for ivory from these four countries to be auctioned off in 1999 to approved countries with rigorous provisions against illegal trading. Now another auction from these same countries is being planned – but this time China is seeking approved buyer status.
Because of the scale of demand in China, the Environmental Investigation Agency – which provided much of the evidence on which the original ivory ban was based in 1989 – argues that if these new legal imports go ahead, they will “provide a gigantic cover for illegal ivory to be sucked in.”
Bangkok Post (Thailand)
This editorial focuses on the forthcoming Beijing Olympic Games, due to start in just 27 days. It starts off talking about the successes and failures of past games. Sydney in 2000 was an example of getting it right while Athens in 2004 was plagued by logistical hurdles.
The article says that while all the flights and hotels are booked ahead of the Beijing Games, one major problem continues to deprive the organizers of sleep. “The games are under a cloud; specifically, a pall of smog blanketing Beijing and other major cities at two or three times the level allowed by the World Health Organization.”
The world’s top marathon runner, Ethiopia's Haile Gebreselassie, suffers from asthma and will not be taking part. If things stand as they are, it's unlikely any new records will be set in the endurance events.
However, it’s not just the air quality that’s causing concern. An unpleasant pollution triggered by algae has left parts of the harbour where the sailing events will take place covered in a foul-smelling green slime.
But the editorial praises the Chinese for taking firm action to tackle these last-minute problems and ensure the air quality at its 31 Olympic venues is up to scratch on the day.
From July 20, the Bangkok Post says that more than a million cares will be ordered off the roads. Power plants will have to slash emissions and building sites wind down, while factories will be closed altogether.
