UN rescinds Iran’s invite to Syria talks

UN rescinds Iran’s invite to Syria talks

By Geoff Dyer in Washington, Borzou Daragahi in Cairo and Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran
©AFP

The UN on Monday withdrew an invitation for Iran to attend this week’s Syria peace talks just 24 hours after it was issued. The decision followed a day of intense diplomatic wrangling which nearly scuppered the negotiations before they had started.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, was forced to withdraw the invitation to Iran after the Syrian opposition threatened to boycott the talks if Iranian officials attended without first publicly committing to a transitional government for Syria.

Although talks involving the Syrian government and opposition members will start on Wednesday in Switzerland after months of painstaking planning, the slim prospects for a diplomatic breakthrough were underlined by the release of a report on Monday which claimed to detail mass killing and torture of opponents by the Syrian regime.

The episode is an embarrassment for Mr Ban. With the UN formally chairing the talks, which are sponsored by the US and Russia, he announced on Sunday that he had received verbal assurances from Iran’s government that it supported the so-called Geneva communiqué, which calls for the establishment of a
transitional government However Iran, the biggest outside backer of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, publicly refused to sign up to any preconditions before attending. Mr Ban faced a boycott threat from the Syrian National Coalition, the main opposition umbrella, and heavy US pressure to rescind the invitation.
“The invitation to Iran was an unacceptable unilateral decision by the UN leadership,” said Oubai Shahbandar, a senior adviser to the Syrian opposition. “Iran is not committed to a transition to a free Syria and has proven through the deployment of Iranian Revolutionary Guard occupational forces and proxy militias in Syria that it is actively working to entrench the Assad regime.”

Following Mr Ban’s decision to withdraw the invitation to Iran, Jennifer Psaki, a US state department spokeswoman, said that “all parties can now return to focus on the task at hand, which is bringing an end to the suffering of the Syrian people and beginning a process toward a long overdue political transition.”
On Monday, a team of three internationally respected war crimes prosecutors released a report that the authors said contained concrete evidence of “systematic torture and killing” by the Syrian regime. It included graphic images showing signs of starvation, beatings and other forms of torture.

The report is based on evidence from a former military photographer who has since defected from Syria. The tens of thousands of pictures of tortured or dead bodies suggest “the killings were systematic, ordered, and directed from above”, wrote Sir Desmond de Silva, former chief prosecutor of the special court for Sierra Leone, Professor David Crane, another former Sierra Leone prosecutor and Sir Geoffrey Nice, former lead prosecutor of ex-Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic.

The lawyers said the evidence would be enough to bring war crimes charges against Syrian government officials. Their investigation was commissioned by a London firm of solicitors on behalf of Qatar’s government, according to CNN and the Guardian, which first published the report.

“This isn’t really news to us,” said a Syrian opposition official, who was not authorised to speak to the media. “We’ve been telling the world about Assad’s notorious torture centres for years. I’m glad the world finally got a look at what that means and glad that the media is doing their job of exposing this crime.”
The crisis over the UN invitation to Iran underscores the fragility of efforts to end Syria’s conflict, ignited nearly three years ago after Mr Assad’s troops repeatedly fired on peaceful demonstrators opposed to his family’s four-decade rule. The protest movement has evolved into an increasingly complicated armed
conflict pitting rebel groups that include al-Qaeda affiliates against the regime and its allies and, lately, against each other.

It also highlights the increasingly prominent role of both sides’ foreign backers. Iran is seeking to build on its successful negotiations with the west over its controversial nuclear programme to enhance its clout on the global stage and in the Middle East.

An increasingly complicated armed conflict is pitting rebel groups in Syria, including al-Qaeda affiliates, against the regime and its allies and, lately, against each other.

Tehran had been sensing it had gained the upper hand by keeping Mr Assad in power so far despite huge regional and international pressure, led by Saudis and Americans, for him to step down and is forcing western powers to acknowledge its role in the region.

“Iran is ready for a deal on Syria now that it feels in a strong position but only if it can negotiate with the US from an equal position so that its interests in the future of Syria are foreseen,” said one reformist politician.
A senior western diplomat in Tehran said: “Priority number one for Iran is not to keep Assad in power; priority number one for Iran is a continued presence in Syria and keeping the link to [Lebanon’s] Hizbollah.”
Saudi Arabia, a pillar of military, financial and diplomatic support for the rebel cause, issued a statement on Monday saying Iran was “not qualified” to attend the talks because it had not endorsed the Geneva communique and “has military forces fighting side by side with the forces of the regime”. Riyadh and its allies
have adamantly refused to allow arch-rival Iran to take part in talks that might increase its regional and international stature.

“The Syrian opposition is under the pressure of Saudi definitely,” said Randa Slim, a specialist at the Middle East Institute, a Washington think tank. “But Iran and Hizbollah’s role in the conflict in the eyes of their constituency is so negative, going to Geneva and sitting in a room with Iran at the table is going to kill any
standing they have left, if any, with the opposition inside Syria.”

Mr Ban caused an uproar on Sunday after inviting Iran to the talks after saying he had received assurances from Tehran that it would play a “constructive and positive role” and that he was “convinced” Iran would accept the Geneva communique’s terms.

However, Iranian analysts and western diplomats say Iran’s position had not changed. “If Mr Ban’s invitation to Iran is based on accepting the Geneva II communique, it means a precondition which is not acceptable to Iran,” said Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader and ultimate decision maker.

Preparations ahead of the talks were further complicated on Monday when Mr Assad told the Agence France-Presse news agency that he would probably run for president this year, defying demands by the Syrian opposition, the west and other Arab states that he step down.

Elections under Mr Assad have been little more than rigged referendums with lopsided results openly mocked by international monitors. Mr Assad came to the presidency with a staggering 99.7 per cent of the vote in 2000, the year his father, Hafez al-Assad, died.

“I see no reason why I shouldn’t stand,” Mr Assad told AFP in an interview published on Monday. “If there is public desire and a public opinion in favour of my candidacy, I will not hesitate for a second to run for election. In short, we can say that the chances for my candidacy are significant.”

மூவர் கும்பலின் மூன்று கொள்கைகள்

எமது தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பு மூன்று முக்கிய அடிப்படைகளை முன்வைத்துத்தான் தனது தேர்தல் விஞ்ஞாபனத்தைத் தயாரித்திருந்தது. அவையாவன-

1.   வன்முறையை விலக்கி முன்னேறல்

 2.   நாட்டைப் பிரிக்காது முன்னேறல்

3.   அதிகாரங்களைப் பகிர்ந்து முன்னேறல்

எமது தேர்தல் கொள்கைகளைப் பெருவாரியான வடமாகாண மக்கள் ஏற்றுக் கொண்டுள்ளார்கள் என்பதில் இருந்து அவர்களின் மனோநிலையை மேன்மைதங்கிய ஜனாதிபதி அவர்கள் புரிந்து கொண்டிருப்பார் என்பதில் எந்தவித சந்தேகமும் இருக்க வேண்டியதில்லை.

ஆகவே வன்முறையைக் களைந்து, நாட்டைப் பிரிவினைக்கு உட்படுத்தாது, அதிகாரங்களைப் பகிர்ந்து கூட்டாக ஒரே நாட்டினுள் வாழ்க்கை நடத்த முன்வந்துள்ள எங்கள் மக்களின் மனோநிலைக்கு இங்கு வருகை தந்திருக்கும் மேன்மை தங்கிய ஜனாதிபதி அவர்கள் மதிப்பளிப்பார்கள் என்று நாங்கள் நம்பலாம்.

எமது தேவைகளைப் புரிந்து இனக் கூட்டுறவுக்கு வித்திடுவார் என்று நம்பலாம். புதியதொரு வாழ்க்கை முறைக்கு வழி கோலுவார் என்று எதிர்பார்க்கலாம்.

பாதணிகளை கழற்றி சிங்கள தேசிய கீதத்திற்கு சி.வி மரியாதை

பாதணிகளை கழற்றி தேசிய கீதத்திற்கு சி.வி மரியாதை
திங்கட்கிழமை, 20 ஜனவரி 2014 01:13 Tamil Mirror

யாழ். தெல்லிப்பழை புற்றுநோய் வைத்தியசாலை திறப்பு விழாவின் நிறைவில் தேசிய கீதம் இசைக்கப்பட்ட போது வடமாகாண முதலமைச்சர் சி.வி.விக்னேஷ்வரன் தனது பாதணிகள் இரண்டையும் கழற்றிவைத்து மரியாதை செலுத்தியதை அவதானிக்க முடிந்தது.

300 மில்லியன் ரூபா நிதியில் 120 கட்டில்களைக் கொண்ட இந்த புற்றுநோய் வைத்தியசாலை ஜனாதிபதி மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷவினால் உத்தியோகபூர்வமாக நேற்று ஞாயிற்றுக் கிழமை திறந்து வைக்கப்பட்டது.

நாட்டில் 5 புற்றுநோய் வைத்தியசாலைகள் இருக்கின்றன. அதில் 5 ஆவதாக யாழ். தெல்லிப்பழை புற்றுநோய் வைத்தியசாலை இருக்கின்றமை குறிப்பிடத்தக்கதாகும்.

இந்த வைபவத்தில் அமைச்சர்களான மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேன,டக்ளஸ் தேவானந்தா, குழுக்களின் பிரதித்தலைவர் முருகேசு சந்திரகுமார், தமிழ்த்தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பு நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் எம்.ஏ.சுமந்திரன், ஐக்கிய தேசியக்கட்சி நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்களான ஏரான் விக்ரமரட்ண, ஹர்ஷ டி சில்வா, விஜயகலா மகேஷ்வரன், ஐக்கிய மக்கள் சுதந்திர கூட்டமைப்பு எம்.பியான சில்வஷ்டர் அலன்டின், மத்திய மாகாண முதலமைச்சர் சரத் ஏக்கநாயக்க வடமாகாண சபையின் உறுப்பினர்களான அங்கஜன் ராமநாதன், தர்மலிங்கம் சித்தார்த்தன், சுஜிர்தன் வடமாகாண சுகாதார அமைச்சர் பி.சத்தியலிங்கம் ஆகியோரும் பங்கேற்றனர்.

இந்த வைபவத்தில் தேசிய கீதம் இசைக்கப்பட்டபோது அனைவரும் எழுந்து நின்று மரியாதைசெலுத்தினர். பொலிஸ் மா அதிபர் என்.கே. இளங்கக்கோன் உள்ளிட்ட பொலிஸாரும் படைத்தரப்பினரும் தங்களுக்கு உரிய விதிமுறைகளுக்கு அமைவாக மரியாதை செலுத்தினர்.

வடமாகாண சுகாதார அமைச்சர் பி.சத்தியலிங்கம் கைகளை முன்பக்கமாக குவித்துகொண்டிருந்தார். முதலமைச்சர் சி.வி.விக்னேஷ்வரன்  கைகளை வயிற்றுக்கு முன்பாக குவித்துவைத்துகொண்டு நின்றதுடன் அவருடைய பாதணிகள் இரண்டும் கழற்றப்பட்டிருந்தன.

முன்வரிசை கதிரையில் முதலமைச்சர் அமர்ந்திருந்தமையினால் அவர் தனது பாதணிகளை கதிரைக்கு முன்பாக கழற்றிக்கொண்டு அமர்ந்திருக்க வாய்ப்பில்லை. அவ்வாறுதான் அவர் அமர்ந்திருந்தாலும் தேசிய கீதம் இசைக்கப்படும் போது அவர் எழுந்துநின்றமையினால் அவை கதிரையின் அடியில் அல்லது அவருடைய கால்களுக்கு பின்னாலே இருக்கும் என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கதாகும்.
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வாசகர் ஒருவரின் குறிப்பு:

முதலில், வட பகுதித் தமிழ் மக்களின் அத்தியாவசிய தேவைகளில் ஒன்றான புற்று நோய் வைத்தியசாலையை நிர்மாணித்துக் கொடுத்துதவிய, ' 'துணிச்சலின் நிறங்கள் நம்பிக்கை', (Colours of Courrage) நிறுவனத்தினருக்கும், அவுஸ்திரேலிய வைத்தியக் கலாநிதியான திரு. தினேஷ் சீவரத்தினம் அவர்களுக்கும் மற்றுமொரு தொகுதிப் பெரு நிதியைத் தமது கால் நடைப் பிரச்சாரப் பயணத்தின் மூலம் சேகரித்துதவிய திருவாளர்கள் நாதன் சிவகணநாதன் மற்றும் சரித்த உனப்புவ போன்றோருக்கும் எமது சிரம் தாழ்ந்த நன்றிகளும் வணக்கங்களும் உரித்தாகட்டும்!

இப் பாரிய நிர்மாணப் பணியில் அரசின் பங்கு எதுவும் இருக்கிறதா, எனத் தெரியவில்லையாயினும், வைத்தியசாலை அமைக்க அனுமதி வழங்கி அங்குரார்பண நிகழ்வில் பங்கேற்று விழாவைச் சிறப்பித்த ஜனாதிபதிக்கும் ஏனைய தலைவர்களுக்கும் நன்றிக்களும் வாழ்த்துக்களும்!
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இந்நிகழ்வில் விக்கி கூறிய முக்கிய கருத்து:

இன்றைய தினம் இந்தப் புற்று நோய் மருத்துவனையைத் திறந்து வைக்க மேன்மை தங்கிய ஜனாதிபதி அவர்களை அழைத்திருப்பது சாலப் பொருத்தமே. எமது தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பு மூன்று முக்கிய அடிப்படைகளை முன்வைத்துத்தான் தனது தேர்தல் விஞ்ஞாபனத்தைத் தயாரித்திருந்தது. அவையாவன-

1.   வன்முறையை விலக்கி முன்னேறல்

2.   நாட்டைப் பிரிக்காது முன்னேறல்

3.   சமஷ்டி முறைமையை அனுசரித்து முன்னேறல்

என்பனவே அவை.

எமது தேர்தல் கொள்கைகளைப் பெருவாரியான வடமாகாண மக்கள் ஏற்றுக் கொண்டுள்ளார்கள் என்பதில் இருந்து அவர்களின் மனோநிலையை மேன்மைதங்கிய ஜனாதிபதி அவர்கள் புரிந்து கொண்டிருப்பார் என்பதில் எந்தவித சந்தேகமும் இருக்க வேண்டியதில்லை. ஆகவே வன்முறையைக் களைந்து, நாட்டைப் பிரிவினைக்கு உட்படுத்தாது, அதிகாரங்களைப் பகிர்ந்து கூட்டாக ஒரே நாட்டினுள் வாழ்க்கை நடத்த முன்வந்துள்ள எங்கள் மக்களின் மனோநிலைக்கு இங்கு வருகை தந்திருக்கும் மேன்மை தங்கிய 

ஜனாதிபதி அவர்கள் மதிப்பளிப்பார்கள் என்று நாங்கள் நம்பலாம். எமது தேவைகளைப் புரிந்து இனக் கூட்டுறவுக்கு வித்திடுவார் என்று நம்பலாம். புதியதொரு வாழ்க்கை முறைக்கு வழி கோலுவார் என்று எதிர்பார்க்கலாம். எம்மத்திக்கு அவரைக் கொண்டுவந்த ஏற்பாட்டாளர்களுக்கு நாம் நன்றி சொல்லக் கடமைப்பட்டுள்ளோம்.

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குறிப்பு: தெல்லிப்பளை புற்று நோய் வைத்தியசாலை திறப்பு விழாச் செய்தியை வெளியிட்ட Global Tamil News Web,அச்செய்திக் குறிப்புக்கு, `மஹிந்தவும் விக்கியும் ஒரே மேடையில் மோதல்` என தலைப்பிட்டிருந்தது.
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செய்தி தொகுப்பு  ENB

புனர்வாழ்வு புல்லுருவிகளுக்கே! போராடும் மக்களுக்கு அல்ல

புனர்வாழ்வு புல்லுருவிகளுக்கே! 

போராடும் மக்களுக்கு அல்ல!

MOD ponders rehabilitating NPC member Ananthi

January 14, 2014, 9:22 pm 
By Shamindra Ferdinando


The Defence Ministry is seriously considering accommodating Northern Provincial Council (NPC
member Ananthi Sasitharan at a rehabilitation facility to prevent her from propagating separatist
sentiments. She represents the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK), the dominant partner of five-
party Tamil National Alliance (TNA) led by R. Sampanthan, MP.

She was elected to the NPC last September.

A senior Defence Ministry source told The Island that those who hadn’t been arrested/surrendered
at the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009 missed the government rehabilitation project. Ananthi
was among those who had avoided rehabilitation , the official said, adding that a decision would
be made soon.

Ananthi is the wife of Sinnathurai Sivakumar alias Elilan in charge of LTTE political section in the
Trincomalee District. The Defence Ministry alleged that Sivakumar had been masquerading as a
political activist during the Norwegian arranged Ceasefire Agreement (CFA).

Ambassador Stephen J. Rapp in charge of the Office of Global Criminal Justice received a
briefing from Ananthi during his recently concluded visit to Sri Lanka. Since her election to the
NPC, Ananthi toured Canada, the US, India, Germany, Denmark and Norway, where she met
government officials and LTTE activists.

Asked whether the government was planning to hunt for those who had managed to avoid
rehabilitation, the official said perhaps Ananthi wouldn’t have adopted such a hostile stance
towards the government and the military if she had undergone rehabilitation.

The government has released over 11,000 LTTE cadres in batches following rehabilitation over
past four years. The release of LTTE personnel took place under the supervision of the
International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The project was funded by several countries,
including the UK, the Netherlands and Japan.

The spokesman admitted that the detention of Ananthi at a rehabilitation facility could trigger strong
protests from the international community ahead of the forthcoming UNHRC session in Geneva as
well as the TNA. However, the government was of the opinion that Ananthi would continue to
undermine post-war reconciliation process unless she underwent rehabilitation, he said.


TNA councillor to resist Lanka govt plans for rehabilitation
PTI

Reacting to the possibility of being sent to a Sri Lankan government—run rehabilitation camp
meant for LTTE detainees, a TNA woman councillor of the northern provincial council has said she
would resist the move.

Speaking to local media, Ananthi Saseetharan said that putting her under rehabilitation would
require her arrest and any attempt to do so would have international repercussions for the
government.

Saseetharan said she was never a member of the LTTE but wanted justice for her husband and
several others who had disappeared during the three-decade ethnic conflict.

The Island, an English language daily close to the government reported that the Defence Ministry
was seriously considering accommodating Saseetharan, the wife of a former senior LTTE
member, at a rehabilitation facility to prevent her from propagating separatist sentiments.

The newspaper quoted a senior Defence Ministry source as saying that those who had not been
arrested or surrendered at the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009 missed the government’s
rehabilitation programme and Saseetharan was among those who had avoided rehabilitation.

Her husband Sinnathurai Sivakumar alias Elilan was the LTTE’s political commissar in the eastern
port district of Trincomalee. He was among the top LTTE leaders killed during the final battle.

Saseetharan had met the visiting US Ambassador at large on criminal justice Stephen J Rapp
when he toured the Tamil—dominated Sri Lankan north last week.

The government has released the 11,000 surrendered LTTE members after rehabilitation and feels
that Saseetharan would not be espousing the separatist cause if she were to go through the process.

She had been elected to the northern provincial council in the landmark election held last September.

இலங்கை மத்தியதர வர்க்கத்தின் சராசரிப் பொருளாதார வாழ்நிலை!

குறிப்பு (1)

அ) சராசரியாக இலங்கையின்  மத்திய தர உழைக்கும் மக்களின் மாதாந்த உழைப்புச் சக்திக்கான பேர விலையை மேற்கண்ட ஆதாரத்தின் அடிப்படையில் ( 100 அந்நிய நாணயம் எனக் கொள்ளலாம்.)

ஆ) இதை உழைப்பு நேரத்தில், மேற்கத்தேய குறைந்த பட்ச ஊதிய அளவில் , அளவிட்டால் சராசரியாக மேற்குலக அளவுகோலில் இதனை 10 மணி நேர கூலியாகக் கொள்ளலாம்.

இ) ஆனால் இந்தக் கூலிக்கு அவன்/ள் உழைக்கும் இலங்கைக் காலம் 170-200 மணி நேரமாகும்.

உ) மேற்கத்தேய கூலி அடிமைத்தனத்தின் அளவு கோலில் பார்த்தால் கூட இங்கே சராசரியாக 150 மணி நேர உழைப்பில்,  ஊதியம் அளிக்கப்படாத உபரிச் சுரண்டல் நிகழ்கின்றது.

ஊ) இதுதான் உலகமயமாக்கல்.

குறிப்பு (2)

உலகப் பொதுப்போக்கைச்சார்ந்து இலங்கையிலும் வாழ வழியற்ற நிலைக்கு மத்திய வர்க்கம் தள்ளப்பட்டுள்ளது.

குறிப்பு (3)

சித்தாந்த,வர்க்க,அரசியல் ஊசலாட்டங்கள் எந்தளவு இருப்பினும் இறுதியாக பாட்டாளிவர்க்க அணியில் இணைவதே இவர்களுக்கு உள்ள ஒரே ஒரு விமோசனமாகும்.

புதிய ஈழப்புரட்சியாளர்கள் 

இலங்கை மத்திய தர உழைக்கும் மக்களின் சராசரி பொருளாதார வாழ்நிலை.

A Growing Taste for U.S. Fast Food in India

January 8, 2014
A Growing Taste for U.S. Fast Food in India
By NEHA THIRANI BAGRI

People eating at a McDonalds outlet in New Delhi on Oct. 4, 2011.
Manan Vatsyayana/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

MUMBAI — India has long had a reputation as being unfriendly to foreign businesses, but when it comes to fast food, international chains are being warmly welcomed by a young, upwardly mobile population.

In the past few months, Taco Bell, Krispy Kreme, Burger King and McDonald’s have either announced plans to expand in India or have opened new outlets around the country. Krispy Kreme was the latest to open a new store with its first outlet in Delhi last month, adding to its five branches in Bangalore.

Despite the country’s economic troubles, the average middle-class Indian consumer’s spending power is steadily increasing, with more people, particularly women, entering the workforce. In addition, Indians’ increased exposure to international cuisine through the media and travel makes the country a desirable
destination for international food chains looking to expand globally.

“In India today, I think people are acquiring new tastes rather than changing their tastes, because it takes a whole generation to actually change tastes,” said Pinakiranjan Mishra, partner and national leader for retail and consumer products at Ernst & Young India. “As more and more people acquire money, there are a lot
of new consumers who are experimental in nature.”

According to a study done by analysts at Technopak, a management consulting firm in Gurgaon, the Indian market for chain restaurants was an estimated $2.5 billion in 2013 and is expected to grow to $8 billion in 2020, driven by the growth of what is known as quick-service, or fast food, restaurants.

“The Indian market is growing at a slower pace than what China has done but the potential is as large,” said Saloni Nangia, president of Technopak. “India also has a young age profile, many more people eating out and international influences coming in. Some of the international brands could replicate, to some extent,
the China story in India.”

Burger King, the world’s second-largest burger chain behind McDonald’s, has joined with Everstone Group, an India-focused private equity and real estate firm, to bring the restaurant chain in India. The first branch is expected to open in the first half of 2014.

The agreement with Everstone Group is Burger King’s latest attempt at finding an Indian partner, after talks with the developer DLF and the retailing conglomerate Future Group failed several years earlier.

Sameer Sain, co-founder and managing partner at Everstone Group, said Burger King was an appealing investment because it could thrive even in a bad economy, as people will still go out to eat but not at expensive restaurants.

“There has been some slowdown in growth,” he said, “but it continues to remain a very good opportunity in the long term.”

Meanwhile, McDonald’s is expanding in India with the introduction of the McCafe, a coffeehouse-style chain. In October, Hardcastle Restaurants, the licensee for McDonald’s in South and West India, announced the opening of the first McCafe in Mumbai.

“Currently we are seeing consumer sentiment to be weak, and our same-store sales have been negative this quarter,” said Amit Jatia, vice chairman at Hardcastle Restaurants, said in December. “But I don’t think you can form your long-term strategy based on an immediate event. Any brand looking to enter the Indian
market should not be looking at only this year to make their judgment call.”

Customers at a Dunkin' Donuts store in New Delhi on Sept. 11, 2013. It is one of the American fast food chains that have been entering india in the past few years.

In the nearly two decades since international fast food chains like McDonald’s first entered the Indian market, the customer profile and demographic for fast food restaurants in India has dramatically changed.

As India has one of the youngest populations in the world, with nearly 65 percent of the population under 35 years of age, more young professionals are eating fast food in urban India. In Mumbai, nearly 40 percent of the people eating out are young adults, Mr. Jatia said.

“Earlier, you would see quick-service restaurants being used for occasions and celebrations,” said Mr. Jatia. “Today, the weekend and family business continues, but working adults are using the sector far more than in the past. We’ve now also become an option for young professionals with disposable income to use
us for a meal on a weekday.”

As India has one of the youngest populations in the world, with nearly 65 percent of the population under 35 years of age, more young professionals are eating fast food in urban India. In Mumbai, nearly 40 percent of the people eating out are young adults, Mr. Jatia said.

As an increasing number of young adults in India take to American-style fast food meals, health experts worry about the possible toll on public health.

Dr. Sailesh Mohan, senior research scientist and associate professor at Public Health Foundation of India, criticized the aggressive advertising and marketing that portrays fast food restaurants as “the cool place to eat,” saying that they target impressionable children and young people.

“This is detrimental to long-term lifestyle choices and will have implications for the next generation vis-à-vis the increased burden of chronic diseases on the youth,” said Dr. Mohan.

Health experts aside, international fast food chains have not encountered much opposition in India, especially compared to big-box foreign retailers like Wal-Mart. Experts in the retail and consumer field say that this is largely because unlike Wal-Mart, international fast food chains are not seen as replacing existing
eateries.

“Both Wal-Mart and McDonald’s have a very positive impact on the value chain, but the perception is different,” said Ms. Nangia of Technopak. “People think that big-box retail chains can impact the local companies. While that’s not true, that’s the perception and that’s what the political posturing in the country is.”

Yet foreign chains will find that operating in India has its challenges. Like every good business, restaurants need to know their customers, which in India means no beef products, as in McDonald’s case, or no egg, as in Krispy Kreme’s case.

“The first major challenge for new entrants in the market is menu differentiation and menu creation,” said Mr. Sain of Everstone Group. “You have to come up with a good sense of taste and localization without compromising your core product.”

The supply chain also presents a challenge, he said, as there are no existing cold chain networks or national suppliers that can deliver across different locations for various products.

“A lot of international players want to come in but when they come and check the scene on the ground, they realize that it’s not that easy,” said Mr. Sain. “There’s a lot of hard work ahead for Burger King and for anyone who wants to come in, a lot of capital you have to invest, a lot of ‘roll up your sleeves and get down
into the execution of the business’ that is required.”

However, analysts argue that international chains opening in India today are much more likely to succeed than a few years ago.

“The initial entrants such as McDonald’s have done a lot of the hard work — they had to create a market, educate people, change their menus to adapt to Indian taste, create a supply chain network,” said Mr. Mishra of Ernst & Young. “The people who are coming in now can learn from those mistakes and successes, so that is a big advantage.”

A version of this article appears in print on 01/09/2014, on page B3 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Fast-Food Chains Ride Wave of Growing Middle Class in India.

Israel unveils plans for more settler homes

Israel unveils plans for more settler homes

Proposed units in occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem draw criticism from Netanyahu's own coalition partners.
Last updated: 10 Jan 2014 21:12 Al jazeera

Israel has announced plans to build 1,400 new homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The country's Housing Ministry said on Friday that it planned to construct 801 housing units in the West Bank, another 600 in East Jerusalem, and re-issue tenders for 582 units in East Jerusalem, all on land seized during the 1967 Six Day War.

The announcement enraged some of the coalition partners of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, as well as Palestinians, who want the land for their future state and who have accused Israel of lacking a commitment to peace negotiations.

This is a bad idea which Yesh Atid will do all it can to ensure remains just an idea that will not be implemented.

Yair Lapid, Israeli finance minister and Yesh Atid party leader

But even Netanyahu's largest coalition ally, the centrist Yesh Atid party, has criticised Friday's move.

"This is a bad idea which Yesh Atid will do all it can to ensure remains just an idea that will not be implemented," Yair Lapid, who also serves as Israel's finance minister, said.

In a statement, Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, said: "The recent announcement shows Israel's clear commitment to the destruction of peace efforts and the imposition of an apartheid regime."

He called the announcement a "test" of the US administration's ability to hold Israel accountable for its attempts to derail peace efforts.

John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has made multiple trips to Jerusalem since peace talks resumed in July 2013 after a three-year deadlock.

Kerry recently condemned Israel's practice of establishing settlements on occupied territory, calling them "illegitimate".

"Let me emphasise that the position of the United States is that we consider now, and have always considered, the settlements to be illegitimate," Kerry said at a November 2013 press conference.

'Bad idea'

Friday's announcement followed a pattern whereby Israel issues new building permits shortly after releasing Palestinian prisoners.

A group of 26 Palestinians were freed at the end of December 2013 under terms of an agreement brokered by Washington as part of ongoing peace negotiations.

Anti-settlement watchdog, Peace Now, said Israel has planned to build about 5,349 new homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since direct peace talks resumed.

"Netanyahu says that he is in principle in favour of a two-state solution but he has said in previous instances that the locations of these housing units would in any case be part of Israel - no matter what the outcome of a peace accord," Al Jazeera's Tom Ackerman, reporting from Jerusalem, said.

Previous peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine fell apart in 2010 due to a dispute over settlement construction and resumed talks have made very little progress.

More than 500,000 Jewish settlers currently live in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Most countries consider Israel's settlements to be illegal.

Unemployment in Europe Remains Stubbornly High

Unemployment in Europe Remains Stubbornly High
By DAVID JOLLY
Published: January 8, 2014

PARIS — Europe’s labor market remained stagnant in November, official data showed Wednesday, suggesting the region’s economy will continue treading water in the new year.

The unemployment rate in the euro zone remained at 12.1 percent, a level it has held since April, Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics agency, reported from Luxembourg.

The jobless rate was in line with economists’ expectations. It had risen from just under 10 percent in early 2011 to the current record level. Eurostat had previously reported that the rate hit 12.2 percent this summer, but that figure has been revised.

For the full European Union, made up of 28 member states, the jobless rate was unchanged at 10.9 percent. Eurostat estimated that 26.6 million across Europe were unemployed and seeking work, 19,000 more than in October.

More than five years after the global financial crisis erupted, Europe’s economy remains on fragile footing. Consumers are wary of spending, lending to businesses is contracting, and investment, not surprisingly, is weak.

Richard Barwell, an economist in London with Royal Bank of Scotland, estimated before the jobless data were released that the euro zone’s gross domestic product grew by just 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013. That would be equivalent to a 0.8 percent annualized rate.

Mr. Barwell forecasts that the euro zone will manage quarterly growth of about 0.3 percent in the first quarter of the new year.

There have been some hopeful signs in Europe lately, including a survey of purchasing managers by Markit Economics, which showed output near the highest it has been for two-and-a-half years. Ireland met strong demand upon its return to the international bond market Tuesday after exiting its bailout.

Among the lowest unemployment rates in Europe were in Austria, with 4.8 percent, and Germany, with 5.2 percent. Among the highest was Spain at 26.7 percent. In Greece, which is several months behind in its reporting, the rate was 27.4 percent.

There were 17 euro zone members for the period when the data were tabulated. Eurostat will begin including information for the newest member, Latvia, which joined at the start of the year, in the January data.

The report arrived on the eve of a policy meeting of the European Central Bank’s Governing Council. The central bank in November surprised markets by cutting its benchmark interest rate to 0.25 percent from 0.5 percent, and economists say it is too soon to expect the bank to move on rates again this week.

But the jobless data, and the danger of deflation, will be important topics for discussion in Frankfurt. Consumer prices in the euro zone rose in December at an annual rate of only 0.8 percent, Eurostat reported on Tuesday — far below the E.C.B.'s inflation target of 2 percent.

Outgoing Singh under pressure to deliver on reform pledge

India’s reform agenda:

What Singh could tackle before the election

● Reduce wasteful fuel subsidies so as to cut the fiscal deficit, without reducing productive capital expenditure.
● Introduce a nationwide goods and service tax (a value added tax) to replace the complicated different indirect taxes that vary dramatically from state to state.
● Clear roadblocks to domestic coal mining, and develop cost-effective transportation infrastructure so as to reduce dependence on imported coal.
● Reform India’s labour laws to make it easier for companies to lay off workers and encourage companies to take on long-term employees.
● Cut red tape to make it easier for companies to do business.

January 8, 2014 7:20 am
Outgoing Singh under pressure to deliver on reform pledge
By Amy Kazmin in New Delhi

Announcing his plans to leave the public stage after India’s imminent parliamentary elections, Manmohan Singh, the 81-year-old prime minister, insisted he would use the final few months of his tenure to push the country’s stalled economic reform agenda as best he could.

“Reform is not an event, it is a process,” he said on Friday. “So long as we are in power, we will continue to push the cause of reform wherever there is scope for it, and if circumstances permit us to go forward.”

Many Indians dismiss such talk as little more than wishful thinking, saying the premier has no political capital, or energy, left – and that the system will now be bogged down in inertia, as the bureaucracy awaits its new political masters after an election that must take place by May at the latest.

“It’s a dead end situation for the government, and it’s been that way for some time,” said one New Delhi-based economist, who asked not to be identified. “His stock is extremely low, and his ability to push any initiative right now is truly limited.”

But others insist that Mr Singh, and the Congress-led government, could still use their final months in power to take tough decisions that would stabilise precarious public finances, and help revive confidence – and restart the stalled investment cycle.

“In some senses, the prime minister is now liberated,” said Sanjaya Baru, who served as Mr Singh’s media adviser during his first term. “He said he is not going to seek another term, and the party is unlikely to win the next election. This gives him some space to act.

“It’s like a dying man suddenly becomes energetic before death.”

But many Indians have already written off Mr Singh’s decade-long tenure in office as a lost opportunity to push economic and governance reforms that could make it easier to do business, encourage domestic and foreign investment, and put India on a trajectory of higher economic growth.

In recent years, India’s investor sentiment has soured and growth has slowed – the result of slow decision-making, overlapping and conflicting regulations, and confused policies.

At the start of 2013, about $285bn worth of proposed investments in crucial infrastructure projects like power, coal mining, natural gas and roads were all stalled due the government’s institutional gridlock.

In June, New Delhi established an urgent task force to assess large-scale projects – involving investments of $170m and above – and obtain the necessary clearances for them to proceed. As of mid-December, the task force said it had approved 122 projects worth about $65bn.

Industry groups, and investors, expect Mr Singh’s administration to keep pushing on project clearances until the end. “It’s a small step forward,” said Rohini Malkani, chief economist of Citigroup. “It’s not going to result in growth recovering sharply, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.”

In another sign that it had not yet given up the ghost, the government in December abruptly removed the environment minister, Jayanthi Natarajan, who was seen as a major obstacle to large-scale investments, due to her reluctance to make decisions on controversial projects. Her replacement, Veerapa Moily,
promptly vowed to expedite decision-making in the ministry.

India’s reform agenda: What Singh could tackle before the election

● Reduce wasteful fuel subsidies so as to cut the fiscal deficit, without reducing productive capital expenditure.
● Introduce a nationwide goods and service tax (a value added tax) to replace the complicated different indirect taxes that vary dramatically from state to state.
● Clear roadblocks to domestic coal mining, and develop cost-effective transportation infrastructure so as to reduce dependence on imported coal.
● Reform India’s labour laws to make it easier for companies to lay off workers and encourage companies to take on long-term employees.
● Cut red tape to make it easier for companies to do business.

“There has been quite a bit of movement and that gives us a lot of hope,” said Chandrajit Banerjee, director-general of the Confederation of Indian Industry, which has asked that the investment threshold for projects to be referred to the special task force be reduced by half – to $85m.

“You cannot expect major legislative reforms to happen in this period, but it would be important if they can push forward on the clearance of projects which has started happening.”

He said the administration was also now drafting the “implementing regulations” of two crucial new laws, the new companies act, and the land acquisition act, already passed by parliament. The nitty-gritty details of these rules are likely to have a major impact on business and sentiment.

“It would be very important to ensure that these rules are in keeping with the best interests of industry and investors,” Mr Banerjee said. “This can easily be done.”

Among India’s pending legislative agenda is a major overhaul of the archaic tax system, including the adoption of a new value added tax, but there is little optimism that tax reform – which requires opposition consent – will be rolled out before the election.

Other crucial challenges include the need to reduce fuel subsidies to stabilise the government’s precarious finances, without curbing capital expenditure. Most believe Mr Singh will be constrained by the Congress party, now increasingly being directed by 43-year-old Rahul Gandhi, as he prepares to lead the party in
a bitter electoral battle.

“If there is any change to be made, or action to be taken, its coming from Rahul’s side,” said the New Delhi-based economist. “The PM has not been in a decision-making role for a long, long time.”

Yet India’s big business groups insist they have not lost hope that Mr Singh will use whatever time he has left to take tough decisions that would help strengthen India’s macroeconomic foundations.

“If this government is still in the business of governing, they would take decisions,” said YK Modi, a past president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. “Mr Singh is still the prime minister until May or June. He can do wonders in the next four months.”