International Herlad Tribune 20130709, International New York Times
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JAY-Z’SALBUM
HIP-HOPMOGUL
MELLOWSABIT
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BUSINESS WITH
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VIEWS
....
THE GLOBAL EDITION OF THE NEW YORK TIMES
TUESDAY,JULY9,2013
GLOBAL.NYTIMES.COM
Lifesavingslost
inSpanishbanks
MasskillingshakesEgypt
areolderandlackformaleducation,and
wereeasilymisledwhenbankofficials
hitontheideaofraisingcapitaland
cleaningdebtsofftheirbooksbygetting
peoplewithsavingsaccountstoinvest
intheirbanksinstead.
Formanyofthesesavers,thefirsthint
oftrouble—andunderstandingthatthey
hadboughtintoriskyinvestments—was
whensomeofthesebanksessentially
failedtwoyearsago.Overnight,they
wereunabletowithdrawtheirmoney.
Soon,theycametounderstandthat
theyhadactuallypurchasedcomplexfi-
nancialproducts,originallydesigned
forsophisticatedinvestors.Theyhad
becomecreditors,andnotonesatthe
headoftheline,either.
Theplightofthesesmall-timesavers,
whocombinedhavenowlostabout¤8
billion,hascapturedheadlinesandleft
thecountrytornaboutwhatshouldbe
doneforthem.Somesaythatnomatter
howunsophisticatedtheywere,they
shouldhaveknownbetter,especially
whentheywereofferedsucharelative-
lyhighinterestrate.Theysignedpages
ofdocumentssayingtheyunderstood.
ButothersaccuseSpain’ssavings
banksoffraud,oftakingadvantageof
theirmostvulnerablecustomerswhen
theyalreadyknewtheywereintrouble
andfacingpossiblebankruptcy.Spain’s
constructionboomcollapsedin2008,
andaccordingtoarecentgovernment
report,thepeaksalesofthesehybridfi-
nancialinstrumentsoccurredthefol-
lowingyear.Inall12casesthathave
madetheirwaytothecourtssofar,
judgeshaveruledagainstthebanks.
MiguelDuran,alawyerwhoisrepre-
sentingMr.Lopezandabout1,800in-
vestors,saidthatalmostallhisclients
werecalledathomeandtoldtoignore
thepagesofformstheyweresigning,as
theywereonlyformalities.
Hesaideventhenameofthepre-
ferredstockstheyweresold,shortened
to‘‘preferentes’’inSpanish,wasde-
ceiving.Hesaidmostoftheirclientsbe-
lievedtheyweregettingagoodratebe-
causethey,aslong-timeclientsofthe
banks,werepreferredcustomers.
MADRID
Smallinvestorssay
theyweredupedinto
riskyinvestmentplans
BYSUZANNEDALEY
ForGonzaloLópez,77,ithasbeenalife-
timeofscrimpingonafactoryworker’s
salary,tryingtosaveenoughtomake
surethathisbrain-damagedsonwould
becaredforevenafterhewasgone.
Heandhiswifeputaside¤68,000,or
$87,500.Butfouryearsago,astheeco-
nomiccrisistookholdhere,abankoffi-
cialcalledMr.Lopezathometosuggest
hemovehismoneyintoanew‘‘product’’
thatwouldgivehima7percentreturn.
‘‘Iaskedisthissafe?’’Mr.Lópezsaid.
‘‘Itrustedhim.Heknewthemoneywas
formyson.’’
Today,Mr.Lópezisoneofabout
300,000Spaniardswho,inthemidstofa
brutalrecession,haveseentheirlife
savingsvirtuallywipedoutinwhatcrit-
icscalladeceptiveandpossiblyfraudu-
lentsalescampaignbybanksthatwere
threatenedbytheimplosionofSpain’s
propertymarket.Many,likeMr.López,
SAMUELARANDAFORTHENEWYORKTIMES
Peoplewipedoutbyriskyinvestments
havebeenprotestinginMadrid.
MANUBRABO/THEASSOCIATEDPRESS
ThesceneoutsidethemorgueinCairoonMonday. TheshootinghasescalatedtheconfrontationbetweenthegeneralswhoforcedoutMr.MorsiandhisIslamistsupportersinthestreets.
armedassailantsfiredonthesoldiers
first.
Atleast51civilianswerekilled,allor
mostofthemshot,andmorethan300
werewounded,doctorsandhealth
workerssaid.Securityofficialssaidat
leastonepoliceofficerdiedaswell.
Themassshootingwasthedeadliest
singleepisodeofviolencesincethe2011
revolutionthattoppledPresidentHosni
Mubarak,Egypt’slongtimeautocratic
leader.Itimmediatelyescalatedthe
nearlyweek-oldconfrontationbetween
thegeneralswhoforcedoutMr.Morsi,
Egypt’s firstdemocraticallyelected
president,andMr.Morsi’sIslamistsup-
portersinthestreets.
Inanearlysignthatthemassshooting
hadundercutimportantsupportforthe
military’sousterofMr.Morsi,thecoun-
try’stopMuslimcleric,GrandImam
Ahmedal-Tayyeb,threatenedtogointo
seclusionuntiltheviolenceended.The
grandimam,whoparticipatedintalks
onapost-Morsitransitionalgovern-
ment,saidinastatementbroadcaston
Egyptianstatetelevision:‘‘Imightbe
forcedtoenterintoaretreatinmyhome
untileveryonetakesresponsibilityfor
protectingthesanctityofbloodandpre-
ventingthecountryfromacivilwar.’’
Mr.Morsi’sIslamistsupporterssaid
thatthegeneralswhoforcedhimouthad
nowshowntheirauthoritariancolors,
usinglethalforcetocrushdissentwhile
holdingcaptivethefreelyelectedpresi-
dent,andhisalliesintheMuslimBroth-
erhoodrenewedvowstodiebeforeac-
ceptinghisouster.AlNour,theonly
Islamistpartythathadbrokenwiththe
BrotherhoodtobackMr.Morsi’smili-
tary’stakeover,calledita‘‘massacre’’
andsuspendeditsparticipationinthein-
terimgovernment,acceleratingthedis-
integrationofEgyptianpoliticsintoa
U.K. BANKERSCOULDFACEPRISONTIME
Thegovernmenthasgivenitsbacking
toanewsetofregulationsthatcould
senderrantbankerstoprison.
CAIRO
51dieasarmyopensfire;
Islamistpartyquitstalks
forinterimgovernment
PAGE14
SPAIN,PAGE4
E.U.keepspressureonAthens
asprotestersreturntostreets
BYDAVIDD.KIRKPATRICK
ANDKAREEMFAHIM
Soldiersfiredonhundredsofsupport-
ersofMohamedMorsi,theoustedpres-
ident,beforedawnMondayasthey
wereprayingoutsidethefacilitywhere
hewasbelievedtobedetained,dozens
ofwitnessessaid.Egypt’smilitarysaid
EGYPT, PAGE8
HARD-LINEISLAMISTS EXITEGYPTTALKS
Anultraconservativepartysaiditwas
suspendingitsparticipationinefforts
toformaninterimgovernment.
ATHENS
BYLIZALDERMAN,
NIKIKITSANTONIS
ANDJAMESKANTER
Eurozonefinanceministersdecidedon
MondaytokeepuppressureonGreece
forreformsbycontinuingtodrip-feed
paymentsofemergencyaid,evenas
Greekstooktothestreetsonceagainto
protesttheausterityplansofagovern-
mentstillwobblyafterskirtingcollapse
lastmonth.
Asmanyas5,000Greeks,including
hundredsofangrypoliceofficersonmo-
torbikes, joinedprotestsonMonday
againstrenewedcallsbyinternational
creditorstocut15,000civilservicejobs,
andtoputthousandsofpublicworkers
onreducedwagesaheadofpossibledis-
missal,inacountrywhereunemploy-
mentalreadytops27percent.
ThemayorofAthenswashospitalized
PAGE8
Withspyingaside,toughissuespersistintradetalks
Europeanofficialshavecalledthepo-
tentialagreementa‘‘once-in-a-genera-
tionprize,’’withtheprospectofadding
hundredsofbillionsofdollarsinyearly
growth,andthousandsofjobs,tothe
still-laggingEuropeanandU.S.econo-
mies.
Butbigdealscomewithbigstakes,
andanalystssaytheyexpectmonthsof
intensenegotiationsasEuropeanand
Americanofficialsrushtocompletea
comprehensiveagreement—underthe
titleoftheTransatlanticTradeandIn-
policy,airlinerights,dataprivacyand
intellectualpropertyareboundtoface
seriousheadwinds.
MichaelFroman,theU.S.traderepre-
sentative,urgedthosetakingpartinthe
talkshereto‘‘thinkoutsideoftheboxas
necessarytomakeprogress.’’
Hesaidbothsideswereenteringthe
talks‘‘witheyeswideopen’’butwith
theknowledgethat‘‘thereisstrong
politicalwillatthehighestlevelson
bothsidesoftheAtlanticdeterminedto
WASHINGTON
TheUnitedStatesandthe
EuropeanUnionseeka
‘‘once-in-a-generationprize.’’
ANGELOSTZORTZINIS/AFP
Municipalworkersfacingoffagainstthe
policeataprotestinAthensonMonday.
BYANNIELOWREY
Negotiationsonwhatcouldbecomethe
largest-everfree-tradedeal,oneencom-
passingnearlyhalfofglobaleconomic
output,startedformallyhereonMon-
daybetweentheUnitedStatesandthe
EuropeanUnion,aseachsidetempo-
rarilyputasideanydifferencesoverthe
revelationofAmericansurveillanceof
Europeanoffices.
vestmentPartnership—beforeadead-
lineoftheendof2014.
Corporateinterestsandindividual
countrieshavestartedmaneuveringin
effortstobrokerspecialcarve-outs,ex-
clusionsor inclusions.Negotiations
oversensitiveareaslikeagricultural
brieflySundaynightafterworkersas-
saultedhimasheleftameetingtodis-
cussmunicipallayoffs,andthemayorof
Greece’ssecond-largestcity,Salonika,
threatenedtoquitonMondayrather
GREECE, PAGE17
TRADE, PAGE4
WORLDNEWS
Popelamentsmigrantdeaths
OnthetinyislandofLampedusainthe
Mediterranean,PopeFrancisusedhis
firstofficialtripoutsideRometodraw
attentiontothethousandswhoperish
duringtheperilouscrossingfrom
NorthAfricatoEurope,condemning
the‘‘globalizationofindifference’’
showntothevictims.
SPORTS
VIEWS
Yu Hua
WhiletheChineseCommunistParty
nowpromotesfilialpiety,itignoresits
ownhistoryofsuppressingitand
blamesindividualbehaviorforthe
breakdownofethicalnorms.
PAGE7
LessonsforCairofromJakarta
Securityforcesseldomsubmiteasilyto
thewillofpeople,buttherearelessons
EgyptcouldlearnfromrecentAsian
history,particularlyfromIndonesia,
MichaelVatikiotiswrites.
PAGE4
Syrianexilegroupshaken
Inanewsetbackforthemainexile
oppositiongroup,itsprimeminister,
GhassanHitto,hasresigned,justtwo
daysafterthegroupelectedanew
presidentasittriedtounifyandarm
therebelsfightingthegovernmentof
PresidentBasharal-Assad.
PAGE6
BUSINESS
Acareerpaththatendsathome
FormanyAmericanmothers,the
careergoalisnotthecorporatecorner
office,butratherflexiblehoursandthe
abilitytoworkathome.
PAGE8
Panic,thenarushfortheexits
AsmoothflightacrossthePacific
OceanendedindisasterastheAsiana
jetapproachedtherunwayatSan
Franciscoatatoo-lowlevel.
Investigationsareunderwayto
determineexactlywhathappenedina
crashthatkilledtwoteenagers.
PAGE15
Dellfoundergetsbigboost
Abigadvisoryfirmhasurgedinvestors
inthecomputercompanyDelltoaccept
a$24.4billionleveragedbuyoutoffer
fromMichaelS.Dell,itsfounder.
FRANKAUGSTEIN/THEASSOCIATEDPRESS
Notcoasting
AndyMurrayhasnointentionofrestingonhisWimbledonlaurels,
althoughhemadetimeMonday,above,tovisittheBritishprimeminister.
PAGE5
PAGE12
PAGE15
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2
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TUESDAY,JULY9,2013
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE
PAGETWO
Fightingfatinthedesert
Turningup
thevolume
onrights
inasituationinwhichitistornbetween
pursuingquietdiplomacy,inorderto
beabletokeepthelinesofcommunica-
tionopenwiththeBahrainigovern-
ment,orspeakingoutpubliclywiththe
riskofBahrainbreakingoffanydia-
logueonhumanrights.TheBahraini
governmentalreadycanceledavisitby
JuanE.Méndez,theUnitedNations’
specialrapporteurontortureandother
cruel,inhumanordegradingtreatment.
Yetifhumanrightsarepartof
Europe’sidentity,surelyEurope’sdip-
lomatsshouldhavenoqualmsabout
speakingoutintheirdefense.Thatis
whatMarkusLöning,Germany’shu-
manrightsenvoy,believes.
Mr.Löninghasbeenaconsistentad-
vocateofpublicdiplomacy.Hetolda
meetingoftheEuropeanParliament
PanelonHumanRights(fulldisclo-
sure:Thiswriterwasmoderatingit)
thatMs.Ashtonmustspeakoutloudly
andconsistentlyabouthumanrights.
Mr.Löning’sconcernisthattheEuro-
peanUnionisfailingtodefenditsvalues
despitebelievingthemtobeuniversal.
‘‘Ifwedon’ttakehumanrightsseriously
allthetime,wewillnotbeseriouspart-
nersonotherissues,either,’’hesaid.
SeveralofficialsfromtheEuropean
ExternalActionService,whichisled
byMs.Ashton,alsoattendedthehear-
ing.Theysaidthatquietdiplomacy
wascrucialforbuildinguptrustand
confidencewithleadersinnondemo-
craticcountries.Itwasalsotheonly
wayofmakingprogressincountries
goingthroughimmensepoliticaltrans-
formation,likeEgypt.
AdiplomatwiththeExternalAction
ServicesaidMs.AshtonandMr.Lam-
brinidishadspentmanyhourstalking
toEgypt’sleadershipabouttheneedto
promoteandprotecthumanrightsbe-
forePresidentMohamedMorsiwas
oustedbythemilitarylastweek.
Despitetherecentwavesofunrest,
detentionsanddeaths,aswellthreatsto
closenongovernmentalorganizations,
Ms.Ashton’spolicywastokeeptalking
behindcloseddoors,thediplomatex-
plained.Itwouldbecounterproductive
tobreakoffcommunicationsortomake
loudstatements,thediplomatsaid,
speakingontheconditionofanonymity,
acommonpracticefordiplomats.
Thereisanotherreasonforthissi-
lence.Europeangovernmentsareun-
derimmensepressurefromlobbyists
andindustrytogosoftlyonhuman
rights.Criticismmightjeopardizelu-
crativecontracts.
InGermany,forexample,industry
grumbleswheneverChancellorAngela
Merkelcriticizesthehumanrights
policiesofRussiaorChina.
Humanrightsexpertsbelievethat
suchgrumblingisstrategicallyflawed
becausewithouthumanrights,there
willbenolong-termstability.Before
theArabSpring,Westerngovernments
wereaccusedofmakingastrategic
mistakeinsupportingtheauthoritari-
anregimesintheregion,favoringthe
statusquooverhumanrights.
TheEuropeanBankforReconstruc-
tionandDevelopmentandtheWorld
BanknowarguethatWesterngovern-
mentsandcompaniesactcontraryto
theirowninterestsiftheybowtoau-
thoritarianregimes.Panderingto
habitsofcorruptionandbypassingcivil
societymovementsbotheffectivelyun-
derminestabilityinthelongrun,the
organizationsargue.
ThisleavestheEuropeanUnionwith
abigchallenge:howtoencouragehu-
manrightsbeforeitistoolate.Inthe
caseofBahrain,Ms.Ashtonseemscon-
sciousoftimepressure.Butisherquiet
diplomacytherightanswer?Experts
aredivided.
howmanycaloriescouldbeburnedin
theprocess.Themallsarealsoopening
theirhallstwohoursbeforeandafter
shoppinghours,forthosewhowant
theirexercisefreeofconsumerism.
‘‘Mallwalkingistheperfectworkout,
alongsidecontrolledtemperatures;it
providesacleanandsafeenvironment
toexercise,’’apromotionalbrochurefor
‘‘StepIntoHealth’’reads.
Themallwalkprogramispartofa
broaderefforttoencourageQataris‘‘to
walk10,000stepsandmoreadayina
noncompetitive,recreationalandsocial
way.’’
Theorganizershastentoreassure
peoplethatmallwalkingneednotbe
strenuous.‘‘Unlikemostcommunityex-
erciseprograms,StepIntoHealthisnot
aboutworkingupasweat,’’theysay.
Thewalkingroutesandspeedsthey
haveoutlinedarenotlikelytodothat—
althoughtheywillallowplentyoftime
forwindowshoppingalongtheway.
AttheHyattPlazamall,thedesig-
natedroute(ithappenstogobyevery
shop)is1,200stepslongandshould
burn70calories.Therecommendeddu-
rationis12minutes,ratherclosertoan
amblethanapowerwalk.
Thesponsorsoftheeffortarepartof
theAspireZoneFoundation,agovern-
mentalorganizationthat,amongother
things,ispromotingprofessionalsports
inQatarandisinvolvedinpreparations
forthe2022WorldCup.FIFA,theworld
soccergoverningbody,stunnedmany
whenitawardedtheevent,usuallyheld
insummer,toQatar.Theprospectof
stagingworld-classsoccerinbone-melt-
ingheatpromptedtwoproposalsstill
underdiscussion:changingtheWorld
Cuptowinter,orair-conditioningallof
about250,000.Sincemostofthemigrant
workersareconstructionandother
manuallaborers,obesityratesamong
citizensarelikelytobefarhigherthan
overallfiguressuggest.
Thefirstmallwalktwoweeksagowas
pronouncedabigsuccessbythegovern-
ment-controllednewsmedia,withsome
1,000peopleshowinguptotakepart—
encouragedbyhandoutsofpedometers
(freetoanyonewhoregistersforStep
IntoHealth),andfreerafflesofiPhones,
laptopsandotherQatari-sizebaubles.
Afterthatinitialoutpouringofin-
terest,however, therewasrelatively
littlefollow-up—acommonphenome-
non,aseverygymmanagerknows.
Soonafter,theparticipatingmallswere
nearlyasemptyinthoseshopping-free
hoursasever.
Therewasnosmallamountofskepti-
cismamongmallshoppersonerecent
night.
‘‘Walkingatthemall?’’askedAbdul
Aziz,aretiredhotelierstrollingpur-
posefullybutwithonlyretailintentat
theHyattPlaza. ‘‘We’redoingthat
already.’’
KhalidYazidy,29,agovernmentem-
ployee,said:‘‘Personally,Ithinkthey
wantpeopletospendmoretimeatthe
mallssotheycanspendmoremoneyat
themalls.They’resaying:‘Don’tgo
outside.Spendmore.’’’
MohammadSalek,a15-year-oldwho
attendsaBritishprivateschoolhere,
saidhedidnotseeanyneedtowalk
more,becausehewasdevout.‘‘When
youarepraying,youburn880calories,’’
hesaid,addingthatthatwasifyou
countedallfivetimesaday.
Comparedwithjust70forawalkin
themall?Hardtoargueagainstprayer.
DOHA, QATAR
BAHRAIN
AHRA
Gulf of
Bahrain
Gulf
Qatartriesmallwalking
to promotefitnesswhen
theweather’s scorching
QATAR
Doha
DDD
BYRODNORDLAND
Qatariofficialshavebeenrackingtheir
brainstofindawaytoaddresstheir
country’sepidemicofobesity.
Theyhavebuiltsportsfacilities,parks,
andasplendidcornicheinthecapital
withaseasidepromenadeandparkour
stations;hostedfunrunswithheftycash
prizes;setupfreebodymassindexand
bloodpressuremonitoringstations.
Anythingmoneycanbuytocoaxtheir
citizens—saidtobefirst-richestinthe
worldandsixth-fattest—outofasedent-
arylifestyle,theyseemtohavebought.
Theonlythingis,evenQatar’sgreat
wealthhasnotbeenabletodoanything
abouttheweather,andinacountry
wherehighstop40degreesCelsius(104
Fahrenheit)foralargepartoftheyear,
gettinganyonetogooutandwalk,let
alonedooutdoorsports,isalostcause.
Abouttheonlypedestriansinthesum-
mer,whentemperaturesareevenhigh-
er,areexpatriates.
Nowthesportshealthauthorities
haveintroducedanewprogramthat
aimstoreachQatariswheretheylive,
oratleastwheretheyshop—thecli-
mate-controlledshoppingmall.
Fouroftheemirate’smajormallsare
participatingintheprogram,called
‘‘StepIntoHealth:WalkMore,Walkthe
Mall,’’postingmapsandwalking
routes,alongwithinformationabout
Judy
Dempsey
SAUDI
ARABIA
50km
IRAQ
LETTERFROMEUROPE
IRAN
PAK.
KUWAIT
BERLIN
WhenCatherineAshton,the
EuropeanUnion’sforeignpolicychief,
andStavrosLambrinidis,herhuman
rightsenvoy,recentlyvisitedtheGulf
stateofBahrain,therewerehighhopes
fromdemocracyactiviststhatboth
wouldspeakoutaboutthatcountry’s
humanrightsrecord.
Duringthetwo-dayministerialmeet-
ingwiththeGulfCooperationCouncil,
hostedbyBahrain,Mr.Lambrinidis
spentmuchtimediscussinghuman
rightswithofficialsandnongovern-
mentalorganizations.
HealsovisitedJawPrison,where
manyactivistsarebeingheldforpar-
ticipatinginpro-democracydemon-
strationsthatwerecrushedin2011by
theBahrainigovernment.Despitethe
meetings,democracyactivistscriti-
cizedtheE.U.officials.Intheirview,
theydidnotspeakoutloudlyenough
againstBahrain’s
suppressionofhu-
manrights.
Thedisputeover
Ms.AshtonandMr.
Lambrinidis’svisit
confirmsthedi-
lemmafacingthe
EuropeanUnionand
itsmembergovern-
ments:Howcanhu-
manrights—sup-
posedlyatthecenterofEurope’s
foreignpolicy—bestbepromoted?
Ontheonesidearediplomatslike
Ms.Ashton,whobelieveinquietdiplo-
macy.Ontheotherarehumanrights
organizations,whichfavoramuch
morevocalstance.
InherremarksaftertheGulfCooper-
ationCouncilmeeting,Ms.Ashtonput
tradebeforehumanrights.Eventhen,
thecommentsaboutBahrain’srecord
onhumanrightswerecautious.‘‘Wedo
havehonestandopendiscussionson
issues,forexampleonhumanrights,’’
Ms.Ashtonsaid.‘‘Wemayhavediffer-
entperspectivesattimes,butwe’re
abletohavethathonestdialogue.’’
Maryamal-Khawaja,whoisacting
presidentoftheindependentBahrain
CenterforHumanRights,saidshewas
extremelydisappointedwithMs.
Ashton’spublicstatement.
‘‘Theregimebarelyreceivedaslap
onthewrist,’’saidMs.Khawaja,whose
father,Abdulhadial-Khawaja,wassen-
tencedtolifeinprisonforhisrolein
thedemocracydemonstrationsof2011.
Thiswasallthemoredisheartening,
sheadded,becausehundredsofactiv-
istsremainedbehindbars,torturewas
common,andsocialmediawereunder
strictsurveillance.
AnewreportbytheEuropeanUnion
InstituteforSecurityStudies,basedin
Paris,saidtheBahrainiprimeminister,
KhalifabinSalmanal-Khalifa,whohas
beeninpowersince1971,showedno
willingnesstochange.‘‘Bahrainis
caughtbetweenreformsitisnotwilling
toundertakeandanuprisingitisunable
tosuppress,’’wroteFlorenceGauband
BoukjaKistemaker,thereport’sauthors.
ThishasplacedtheEuropeanUnion
N
OMAN
SAUDIARABIA
500km
Qatar’sdozenorsogiantstadiums.
OfficialsassociatedwithAspireand
theStepIntoHealthprogramwerenot
availableforcomment,despitere-
peatedrequests.
Obesityisatouchysubjectinthe
emirate.DatafromtheInternational
AssociationfortheStudyofObesity
showthatQatarhasthehighestobesity
ratesintheMiddleEast.About34per-
centofQatar’smenand45percentofits
womenareobese,definedasabody
massindexofmorethan30.
Thosefigures,however,onlybeginto
tellthetale.Theyarebasedontheemir-
ate’stotalpopulationofabout1.9mil-
lion,butmostofthosearemigrant
workers.Qataricitizensnumberonly
‘‘Ifwedon’t
takehuman
rightsserious-
lyallthetime,
wewillnotbe
seriouspart-
nersonother
issues,either.’’
JudyDempseyiseditorinchiefofStra-
tegicEuropeatCarnegieEurope.
(www.carnegieeurope.eu)
jdempsey@iht.com
TOMORROW:
E-MAIL:
EDOUFORTHENEWYORKTIMES
ManyoftheTurkswhoparticipatedinprotestshavebeengatheringnightlyinparksaroundIstanbullikeAbbasaga,above,totalkaboutwaystoorganizeagainstthegovernment.
KatrinBennholdonherhus-
bandas‘‘singlemother’’andhowit
changedeverything.
Afterrallies,Turkey’sparksgivevoicetodissent
IN OUR PAGES
✴
100,75,50YEARSAGO
havetakentowhattheycall‘‘people’s
forums’’tocreateadifferentplatform
fordissent.
Theforums,anunprecedentedexer-
ciseingrass-rootsdemocracyinacoun-
trywithnotraditionofpublicassembly,
arenotaffiliatedwithanypoliticalparty.
Organicallyevolving,andwithnolead-
ership,theyaimnottoformanewpolit-
icalpartybuttostructureanewpolitical
system.Attheveryleast,participants
say,theyareawaytokeepupthepres-
sureonMr.Erdogan’sadministration.
Thoseattendingthemsayaheavy-
handedresponsetotheprotests—the
butinsteadferventlywavedtheirhands
intheair,followingasignlanguagenow
commonintheseforums.Crossedarms
mean‘‘no’’ordisapproval;armsmoved
inarotatingmotionmean‘‘wrapitup’’
forthosewhospeaktoolong.Theges-
tures,adoptedfromthoseusedat
matchesbyafanclubforalocalsoccer
team,areusedtoavoiddisturbingthe
publicduringthelate-nightforums.
ManyofthespeakersinIstanbuland
thecapital,Ankara,havewithheldtheir
namesasthepolicecontinuetotrack
downprotesters.Morethan75people
havebeenformallychargedwithviolat-
ingthelawonpublicprotestsduringthe
riots,HumanRightsFoundationofTur-
key,basedinIstanbul,saidinareport
latelastmonth.
Alsolastmonth,theTurkishMinistry
ofCommunicationcontactedTwitter
andFacebook,seekingcopiesofmes-
sagesthatusersinTurkeyexchanged
duringprotests—arequestthatboth
companiesdeclined,newsreportssaid.
TheTransportationMinistryplannedto
formaspecialunittomonitorsocialme-
diaforcrimescommittedonline,apro-
governmentnewspaper,YeniSafak,re-
portedlastweek.
TwitterandFacebookarestillthe
maintoolsof informationexchange
amongprotesters,whohaveaccused
Turkey’smainstreamnewsmediaof
censorshipandfailingtoadequately
covertheuprising.Soabout200people
whoconvergedonagreenslopeinKug-
ulu,orSwan,ParkinAnkarawavedtheir
handsforUnverCoskun,anelectronics
engineer,whenhesuggestedreaching
outtotheelderlytoinformthemabout
politicalconversationsonsocialmedia
sites. ‘‘Weneedtosafeguardballot
boxes,linkwithotherforums,create
listsofvolunteerswhowouldcontactel-
derlypeopleorothersthatdonotusethe
Internet,’’Mr.Coskunsaid.
OnMonday,thegovernorofIstanbul
re-openedtothepublicGeziPark,
whichisinthecity’sTaksimSquareand
wasatthecenteroftheantigovernment
protests,butwarnedthathewouldnot
allowittobecomeapointformore
demonstrationsoroccupation,Reuters
reported.Theparkhadbeencordoned
offsinceJune15.
Mr.Erdoganisstillpopularamong
conservativeMuslims,whoseehimasa
saviorfromtheruleoftheelitistsecu-
larists,andofficialsofhispro-Islamic
JusticeandDevelopmentPartyhave
dismissedcriticismsofautocraticorre-
ligiouslyorientedgovernmentpolicies.
Theyhavelabeledtheprotestersinter-
nationallydrivenconspirators,oreven
terrorists.
Thosemeetingintheparkshopeto
findawaytobeheard.‘‘Westoodto-
gether,listenedtoeachother,’’said
FatmaOzdogan,24,anarchitectwho
joinedtheAbbasagaParkforum.‘‘From
nowon,theParliament,politicalactors,
willbeobligedtolistentothevoiceof
theirpeople.Theprotests,andnowthe
forums,willbethegamechangerinTur-
key’spoliticallife.’’
ISTANBUL
1913ChinaAgreestoRussiaTreaty
PEKING
DavidatJaffaGate,themainentrance
totheOldCity.Theexplosionkilledfour
Arabs,andinjuredeighteenothersas
wellasaBritishpoliceman.Thebuswas
reducedtowreckage,withfragmentsof
ithurledseveralhundredyardsbythe
explosion.Ambulancesweresummoned
whilethetroopsofaScottishregiment
clearedtheangryArabcrowdsatthe
bayonetpoint.ThreeJewsandaJewish
womanwhoarebelievedtobetheper-
petratorsoftheoutragewerearrested.
BYSEBNEMARSU
Morethanathousandpeoplesatquietly
inastoneamphitheaterataparkhereon
arecentmildsummerevening,keenly
listeningtodozensofTurkswhotookthe
floor,onebyone,tospeaktheirminds.
‘‘Ihaveneverdonethisbefore,talk-
ingtosomanypeople,’’MugeCevik,a
computerengineer,saidtimidlyasshe
stoodonastagebarelylightedbystreet
lampsatAbbasagaPark,treescastinga
shadowovertheaudience.
Therecentanti-governmentriots,
whichbeganwithasit-inatanIstanbul
parkscheduledfordemolitionandgrew
toencompassthegrievancesofmillions
ofTurksdisillusionedwiththeirgovern-
ment,havelargelyfadedafteranin-
tensecrackdownaboutthreeweeks
ago.Now,Turkey’sparkshavebecome
safeplacestogatherandspeakfreely,
withpeoplearrivingeacheveningin
dozensofparksnationwidetodiscuss
whathappensnext.
Theirmovementisdrivenbyconcern
aboutwhatcriticsofPrimeMinisterRe-
cepTayyipErdogancallhisautocratic
tendencies,thegrowinginfluenceofre-
ligioninstateinstitutions,andgovern-
mentintrusionsintoprivatelife,like
legislationtoregulatealcoholuse.
Turkey’s oppositionparties are
widelyviewedasineffectual,andinthe
absenceofcredibleinstitutionalopposi-
tion,thelargelyyouthfuldemonstrators
TheHouseofRepresentatives
votedto-day[July8]agreeingtothecon-
clusionofthetreatywithRussia,oncon-
ditionthatthetreatyshallrefertoouter
Mongoliaonly.ThePremiersucceededin
breakingdowntheoppositionbyapas-
sionateappealtotheMembers,inwhich
hewarnedthemthattheywouldbeheld
responsibleforthecalamityofwarwith
Mongolia,supportedbyRussia,ifthe
conclusionoftheagreementwerere-
fused.TheChineseGovernmentwasina
stateapproachingpanicbecauseofthe
continuedwarlikeactivitiesinMongolia
andthereportedoccupationofTsitsihar,
inManchuria,byRussiantroops.Not
onlythePremierbutotherrepresenta-
tivesoftheCabinetpleadedwiththe
Memberstoagreetotheconclusionof
theproposedtreatywithRussia,andthus
preventthelossofMongoliaentirely.
‘‘We stoodtogether,listened
toeachother.’’
1963PeronistsWeaker,IlliaAhead
BUENOS AIRES
ArturoIlliatodaypiled
upacommandingleadinreturnsfroma
Presidentialelectionyesterday[July7]
thatdealtasharpsetbacktofollowersof
formerdictatorJuanPeron.However,
themarginofMr.Illia,candidateofthe
people’sRadicalparty,wasnotenough
toguaranteehimanabsolutemajorityin
the476-seatelectoralcollege,whichwill
meetJuly31tochoosethenewPresi-
dent.Despitehisbigleadoverhis
nearestrival,Mr.Illialackedthe51per
centmajorityneededtowin.Blankbal-
lots,whichwereorderedcastbyPeron-
istleaders,totaled1,354,839—farbelow
asimilarPeronistprotestvotein1960.
Failureoftheblank-ballotcampaignwas
thebiggestsurpriseoftheelection.
policeusedteargas,watercannonsand
rubberbulletstodispersecrowds,and
fourpeopledied—hasunitedthemde-
spitepolitical,sectarian,ethnicandso-
cialdifferences.
‘‘Thosewithorwithoutheadscarf,
MarxistorCommunist,believerornot
—wewalkedalltogether,andshould
continuetostandforeachother,’’saida
manwearingablackT-shirt,speaking
onanotherrecenteveningtoacrowdof
nearly100menandwomeninOrtanca
ParkinFerikoy,anIstanbulneighbor-
hood.‘‘Iamhereonbehalfofrevolution-
aryMuslims,andwearedeterminedto
ruinthegovernment’sgame,endtheir
exploitationofpiouspeople.’’
Thoseinthecrowddidnotapplaud,
1938BritishTroopsinJerusalem
JERUSALEM
Britishtroopswithfixed
bayonetsandarmedwithasupplyof
handgrenadestookoverthepolicingof
Jerusalemtoday[July8]afteranother
bomboutrageincreasedthetensionbe-
tweenArabsandJewstothepointofan
openclash.Abombwasthrownatabus
crowdedwithArabsneartheTowerof
Printed in
ATHENS
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DUBAI
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FRANKFURT
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GALLARGUES
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INDIA
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ISLAMABAD
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ISTANBUL
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JAKARTA
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KARACHI
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LAHORE
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MADRID
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NEPAL
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TUESDAY,JULY9,2013
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THE GLOBAL EDITION OF THE NEW YORK TIMES
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TUESDAY,JULY9,2013
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE
WorldNews
EUROPE
Prosecutors
seektolift
immunity
inCzechcase
Withspying
aside,tough
issuespersist
intradetalks
TRADE,FROMPAGE1
PARIS
stayfocusedandgetthisdoneonone
tankofgas.’’
TherevelationthattheUnitedStates’
NationalSecurityAgencyhasbeen
secretlytrackingEuropeanofficesin
Washingtonovershadowedthestartof
thetalks,however.
SeveralEuropeanleadersexpressed
outrageatthereportofsuchbugging,
basedoninformationsuppliedbythe
formergovernmentcontractorEdward
J.Snowden,whoremainsinlegallimbo
inaMoscowairport.
France,inashowofdeepdiscontent,
hadcalledforpostponementofthe
tradetalks.ChancellorAngelaMerkel
ofGermanycriticizedwhatshesaid
werethe‘‘ColdWar’’tacticsofAmeri-
canespionageagencies.
TheEuropeanParliamentvotedto
launchaninvestigation,andparallelne-
gotiationsonsecurityandsurveillance
concernsbeganMondayaswell,cover-
ing‘‘dataprotectionandprivacyrights
ofE.U.citizens,’’Europeanofficialssaid
inastatement.
Buttheadvancedandcloselyinter-
linkedeconomiesoneithersideofthe
Atlanticbothdesperatelyneedashotin
thearm,stillsufferingfromlowgrowth
ratesandhighunemploymentinthe
wakeoftherecession.
Indeed,theInternationalMonetary
Fundseestheeuro-zoneeconomycon-
tractingagainthisyear,withthebroad-
erEuropeanUnionscarcelygrowing.
TheoutlookisbetterintheUnited
States,butnotmuch.
Thefundseesgrowthofabout1.9per-
cent.
Thathasraisedhopesforaquickdeal
thatmightbolster tradebetween
EuropeandtheUnitedStates,leading
tomorejobsandstrongerbusinesses.
‘‘Weareconvincedthatthisdealis
goodforEurope,’’KareldeGucht,the
Europeantradecommissioner,saidata
newsconferenceMonday.
‘‘Weareconvincedthatthistrade
agreementwillresultinmorejobsand
moregrowth—andthatwillhelptoget
usoutoftheeconomiccrisis.
‘‘Thatwouldbegoodnewsfor
Europe,butalsoaverygoodmessage
forthewholeworldeconomy.’’
Onemajorstudyfoundthatacompre-
hensivetradeandinvestmentdeal
couldboosttheE.U.economybyabout
BYDANBILEFSKY
CzechprosecutorsaskedParliamenton
MondaytostripformerPrimeMinister
PetrNecasofhisimmunityfromprose-
cution,arequestlawenforcementoffi-
cialssaidwasapreludetocharginghim
withcorruption.
Mr.Necaswouldbethehighest-level
officialtofacecorruptionchargesinthe
countrysincethefallofcommunism.A
bookish,churchgoingfatheroffourwho
cametopowerin2010promisingto
cleanupacultureofcronyismandcor-
ruption,hewasforcedtoresignlast
monthafterpolicechargedhischiefof
staffwithbriberyandabuseofoffice.
Thechiefofstaff—JanaNagyova,a
closeconfidanteoftheprimeminister—
isaccusedoforderingthesecretservices
tospyonMr.Necas’sestrangedwife,
whomheisdivorcing.Ms.Nagyovahas
alsobeenchargedwithofferingbribesin
theformofpostsatstate-ownedcompa-
niestothreemembersofParliamentwho
opposedagovernmentausterityplan.
Prosecutorssaidtheywereexamin-
ingwhetherMr.Necashadlinkstothe
briberyscheme,whichsomeanalysts
andsupportersofMr.Necashavedis-
missedastheroutinetradingofpolitical
favorsratherthanacriminalact.
Mr.NecassaidonMondaythatno
agreementhadbeenmadewiththe
threelawmakers,andthatinanycase
politicalagreementscouldnotbecon-
sideredcrimes.
‘‘ItisnotcleartomewhatIshouldbe
chargedwith,’’hesaidinastatement.
‘‘Sofar,alltheinformationwehave
showsthatthiswholecaseisabout
criminalizingpoliticaldecisions.Ire-
fusethisapproach.Ifinditunaccept-
ableandIshallnotacceptit.Iamready
todefendmyself.’’
JindrichSidlo,acommentatorfor
HospodarskeNoviny,aleadingeco-
nomicnewspaper,saidonMondaythat
goingaheadwithchargesinthecase
wouldturnCzechpoliticsupsidedown.
‘‘Ifthispoliticaldealisbribery,thenthis
wouldbeendofpoliticsintheCzechRe-
publicaswehaveknownitforthepast
20years,’’hesaidbytelephonefrom
Prague.
ButIvoIstvan,thechiefprosecutorin
thecase,saidthatusingastatejobtoen-
ticealawmakertoresigndidconstitute
bribery,nodifferentthanofferinga
briefcasefullofmoney.
‘‘IfamemberofParliamentdoesnot
actinthepublicinterestinordertobe
awardedastatejob,wecanspeakabout
politicalcorruption,’’Mr.Istvansaid.
‘‘WeneedtoaskifParliamentisaplace
whereparliamentariansvoteaccording
totheirconscienceoraccordingtowhat
itcanbuythem.’’
Theparliamentarycommitteethat
dealswithimmunityisscheduledtodis-
cussthecaseonJuly17,withavoteby
thefullParliamentexpectedtotake
placeinSeptember.Analystssaiditwas
difficulttopredicttheoutcome.
PresidentMilosZemanhasappointed
JiriRusnok,aleftistformerfinance
minister,toreplaceMr.Necas.Mr.Ze-
manisexpectedtoapproveMr.Rus-
nok’scabinetonWednesday,withavote
ofconfidenceinParliamenttofollow
within30days.
ALESSANDRATARANTINO/THEASSOCIATEDPRESS
PopeFrancisgreetingmigrantsMonday. OnarrivingattheislandofLampedusa,thepopethrewawreathintotheseainmemoryofthevictimsofcrossingsfromNorthAfrica.
Popelamentsmigrantslostatsea
receptionorsolidarity?’’
Onarrivingattheisland,Francis
threwawreathofwhiteandyellow
flowersintotheseatocommemorate
thevictimsofacrossingthatinrecent
yearshasbeenattemptedbytensof
thousands,usuallyatthehandsofun-
scrupulous traffickers, traveling in
overcrowdedandunseaworthyfishing
vessels.Afterthepopeprayedforthe
dead,dozensoffishingboatsthathad
accompaniedhisshiptotheisland’s
mainportsoundedtheirhorns.
Newarrivalsontheisland,about75
miles,or120kilometers,northofTunisia,
arefedandfingerprinted,thenseparated
intothreegroups:economicmigrants,
whocouldberepatriatedaftertheir
casesarereviewed;asylumseekersand
minors,whoaresentonafterafewdays
todetentioncentersonthemainland.
Butthatisonlyiftheyactuallygetto
Lampedusa.Humanrightsorganiza-
tionssayabout1,500peoplelosttheir
livesintheMediterraneanin2011.Last
year,around500peoplewerereported
deadormissingatsea,accordingtothe
OfficeoftheU.N.HighCommissionerfor
Refugees.
Whilepraisingvolunteerassociations,
lawenforcementofficialsandresidents
oftheislandfortheassistancetheyhave
providedtothemigrants,thepopeblas-
tedthe‘‘globalizationofindifference’’
thatiswidespreadamongtoomanyoth-
ers.We‘‘haveforgottenhowtocry’’for
migrantslostatsea,andto‘‘takecareof
eachother,’’thepopesaidinhishomily.
OfficialsinLampedusasaidthatthey
hopedthepope’svisitwouldbringlong-
soughtattentiontowhattheyseeasa
humanitariandisaster.
‘‘Thisislandisthesettingofoneofthe
mostepochaldramasofourtime,butitis
ignored,’’saidGiuseppinaNicolini,the
mayorofLampedusa.‘‘Thenumbersof
thoselostatseaarethoseofawar,buta
silentwarthatnoonespeaksofexcepta
fewblogsthatnoonereads.’’
Inatelephoneinterview,Ms.Nicolini
spokeoffishingboatscrammedwith
500people,orrubberdinghiesbuiltto
carry20carryingfivetimesasmany.
‘‘Manyofthelandingsarebecauseof
rescueoperations,’’shesaid.
Lastweek,theU.N.HighCommis-
sionerforRefugeessaidthatanesti-
mated7,800migrantsandasylum
seekershadlandedonthecoastsofItaly
inthefirstsixmonthsofthisyear,most
fromLibya.Basedoninterviewswith
thosewhoreachedEurope,therefugee
agencyhasrecordedsome40deathsin
theMediterraneanin2013,thoughthe
peakseasonforcrossings, typically
fromMaytoSeptember,isfarfrom
over.
Inhisfirstfourmonthsinoffice,Pope
Francishasshownapropensitytoby-
passVaticanprotocol,andmajorshake-
upsareintheworksatinstitutionslike
thescandal-plaguedVaticanbank.This
trip,too,caughtmanybysurprise,an
unexpecteddecisiontakenafterthe
popehadbeen‘‘profoundlymovedby
therecentwreckinvolvingaboattrans-
portingmigrantsfromAfrica,’’theVat-
icansaidinastatementJuly1.
Thepopehasalsoshown,andthistrip
hasconfirmed,thathewantsasimpler
church,whichshunsworldlinessandin-
steadministerstothepooranddispos-
sessed.
AttheendoftheMass,thearchbishop
ofAgrigento,FrancescoMontenegro,
describedLampedusaastheislandof
‘‘hopeanddeath,’’a‘‘reefandalight-
house,’’thatfortoomanyhadbecomea
tomb.Itshouldbeaconstantreminder
toallpeoplethat‘‘justiceanddignity
shouldnotbesuppressed,’’headded.
Beforethefinalbenediction,Pope
FrancissaidthatLampedusashouldbe
‘‘alighthouseinalltheworld,tohave
thecouragetoreceivethosewhoare
lookingforabetterlife.’’
ROME
Francisdrawsattention
to thousandswhodie
tryingto reachEurope
BYELISABETTAPOVOLEDO
PopeFrancistraveledonMondayto
Lampedusa,thetinyMediterraneanis-
landthathasbecomeagatewayto
Europeforthousandsofdesperate
asylumseekersandmigrants,aswellas
anunknownnumberofotherswhohave
diedduringtheperilouscrossingfrom
NorthAfrica.
Itwasthepope’sfirstofficialtripout-
sideRome,andheusedittodrawatten-
tiontoacontinuinghumanitarianprob-
lem,whilechidingtheworldforits
indifference.
‘‘Thesebrothersandsistersofours
weretryingtoleavedifficultsituations
tofindalittleserenityandpeace;they
soughtabetterplaceforthemselvesand
theirfamilies,butinsteadtheyfound
death,’’thepopesaidinthehomilyata
Massattendedbysome10,000atalarge
sportsfield.‘‘Howmanytimesdothose
whoseekthisnotfindunderstanding,
‘‘We areconvincedthatthis
tradeagreementwillresult
inmorejobsandmore
growth.’’
¤119billion,or$150billion,ayear.It
couldalsoboosttheU.S.economybyan
annual$122billion.
Corporationsandgovernmentcoffers
wouldnotbetheonlythingstobenefit,
thestudyfound.
AnaveragefamilyoffourintheEuro-
peanUnionmightseeanadditional¤545
indisposableincome,thestudyfound.
AnAmericanfamilymightbenefittothe
tuneof$841.
‘‘Thisisaonce-in-a-generationprize,
andwearedeterminedtoseizeit,’’Dav-
idCameron,theBritishprimeminister,
saidlastmonthatameetingwithU.S.
PresidentBarackObamaandother
leadersattheGroupofEightsummit
meetinginNorthernIreland.
ThesimilarityoftheU.S.andEuro-
peanworkforces,corporatestructures
andlegalsystems—andthedepthand
breadthoftheexistingbusinessand
tradetiesbetweenthetwoeconomies—
haveeasedthewayforanambitious
dealontariffs,regulationsandotheris-
sues.
Butentrenchedinterestshavestarted
lobbyinginearnestbehindthescenes.
Forinstance,Francehassaiditwill
pushtoretainitssubsidiesforitsdo-
mesticfilmindustry.
Andfarmandfoodsafetystandards
areexpectedtobeamajorsticking
pointinthenegotiations.Genetically
modifiedcrops—whichEuropeoften
abhorsandtheUnitedStatesproduces
billionsofdollars’worthayear—are
justoneissue.
OnMonday,publicinterestgroups
alsoraisedconcernsthatthenegoti-
ationswouldweakenconsumerprotec-
tionstandards,andthatcorporatein-
terestsweretoostrong.
‘‘Wearehighlyskepticalthatan
agreementfocusedonregulatory‘har-
monization’willserveconsumerin-
terests,workers’rights,theenviron-
ment, andotherareasofpublic
interest,’’saidalargecoalitionofAmer-
icanandEuropeanconsumergroups.
‘‘Itcouldleadtolowerstandardsand
regulatoryceilingsinsteadoffloors,’’
thelettersaid,callingfornegotiating
textstobereleasedtothepublic.
ButU.S.andEuropeanofficialshave
putinmonthsoflegworkonthenegoti-
ations,andexpectationswererunning
highastalksformallybegan.
‘‘Wewillworkhardtogetaresult,’’
saidMr.DeGucht,theEuropeantrade
commissioner.
‘‘Wewillofcoursemeetalotofprob-
lemsandstumblingstones,butifwe
reachanagreement,itwouldbeahis-
toricone—soletusworknow.’’
Smallinvestors,lifesavingslost,saytheyweredupedbybigbanks
keeper,buthehaslostalmostallofhis
clientsastheirbusinessescollapsed.He
hasonlyoneclientleft,whopayshim
about€1,400amonth.Butbythetime
Mr.Margueshaspaidhisincometax
andhealthinsurance,whichiscompuls-
oryinSpain,andsomebasicslikehis
electricitybill,thereareonlyabout€400
leftforthecoupletoliveon.
‘‘Wehavebeenlikethisforalongtime
anditisveryhard,’’Mr.Marguessaid.
‘‘Ireallyneedmymoney.Ineeditnow.’’
Butsomeexpertssaythatthesmall-
timeinvestorsmayjustbeoutofluck.
FedericoSteinberg,aneconomistwith
ElcanoRoyalInstitute,apolicyre-
searchorganization,believesthatthe
crisishasexposedalackofsophistica-
tionaboutmoneyamonghiscountry-
men,whoputthemselvesinthehands
oflocalbankerswithoutunderstanding
thatthebanksdidnotalwayshavetheir
customers’bestinterestsatheart.
Hesaidhethoughtsomeofthese
bankersshouldmaybegotojail.Some
areunderinvestigation,butnotincon-
nectionwiththisdisaster.
Butheiswaryofanypushtorepay
theinvestors.‘‘Thereisnomoney,’’he
said.‘‘Thatisthestoryhere.Itisthe
taxpayerwhowouldhavetopay. I
wouldhavetopay.’’
TheSpanishprimeminister,Mariano
Rajoy,hassaidlittleonthesubject,
thoughatarecentmeetingofhispolitic-
alpartyofficialshesaidthegovernment
was‘‘doingeverythingpossible,within
thelimitspermittedbyEuropeanlegis-
lation,toresolveaproblemthatwedid
notcreate.’’
Inrecentweeks,thegovernmenthas
setupanarbitrationsystemforBANKIA
SPAIN,FROMPAGE1
Inthelasttwoyears,theSpanish
bankingsectorhasbeenrestructured
andbailedoutbytheEuropeanUnion.
Mostofthesavingsbankshavebeen
mergedorabsorbedintothecountry’s
sturdierbanks.
Butmostofthoserescuedwerebigin-
ternationalbanksandinvestors,notthe
smalltimerswhoweresteeredinto
theseriskyinvestments—andwho,like
Mr.López,havelostabout88centson
thedollar.
‘‘Ihavesuchsenseofimpotence,’’Mr.
Lópezsaid.‘‘Andanger.Itishardtobe-
lievethatitisallgone.’’
Amongtheunhappiestinvestorsare
thosewhohadtheirmoneyintheseven
failedsavingsbanksthatweremerged
intoBANKIA,anewnationalizedbank.
Lastmonth,thebankexchangedtheir
hybridproductsforsharesinthenew
bank,discountingthemby38percentas
dictatedbythetermsofthebailout.But
oncetheseshareswentontheopenmar-
ket,theirvaluedroppedprecipitouslyto
18percentoftheiroriginalvalue.
Hundredsoftheseshareholdershave
takentoprotestingeveryThursdaynight
inthePuertadelSolhere,infrontofa
BANKIAbuildingthatstillbearsthesig-
nageofthenowdefunctCajaMadridsav-
ingsbank.Theychantaccusationsof
fraud,theirangeranddespairclosetothe
surface.Someareunemployed,behindin
theirmortgagepaymentsorscrapingby
onstatepensions,badlyinneedofthe
cashtheyhadpainstakinglysaved.
CarmenBabiano,52,andFrancisco
Margues,55,comeeveryweek,though
payingthesubwayfaretogetthereis
hardforthem.Mr.Marguesisabook-
SAMUELARANDAFORTHENEWYORKTIMES
ProtestingoutsideaBankiaofficeinMadrid;thesignsays‘‘justiceandpunishment.’’‘‘Ihavesuchsenseofimpotence,’’onemansaid.
shareholderswhobelievetheywerede-
frauded.Arbitratorswilldecidewhether
suchinvestorsactuallyunderstoodwhat
theywerepurchasing,bydetermining,
forinstance,theirdegreeofliteracy.But
someconsumeradvocateswarnthatthe
arbitrationsystemmayprovideredress
inonlythemostegregiouscases.
Already,nearly134,000shareholders
haveaskedforarbitration.Butmany
othersplantoturntothecourts.They
saytheywillfileindividualclaimsas
Spaindoesnothaveaclassactionsys-
tem.Inthedozencasesthathave
alreadymadetheirwaytothecourts,
theinvestorshavebeensuccessful.
TheCamañofamilyhopesthatthey,
too,willprevailincourt.TomásCa-
maño,64,hadspent18yearsasthedoor-
manatasavingsbankwhenhetookthe
adviceofabankemployeeheknewwell
andpouredallhissavingsintothepref-
erentes.Hisdaughter,27,whowentto
workwhenshewas16yearsold,alsoin-
vestedthemoneyshehadsaved—
morethan$60,000.Shehassincelosther
jobintherecessionandlivesathome
withherparents,allofthemrelyingon
Mr.Camaño’s¤1,600monthlypension.
Atonepoint,Mr.Camañowentback
tothebanktoconfrontthesaleswoman
whohadsteeredhimtotherisky
products.‘‘Isaid,‘Haveyounoshame?
Yousaidtherewasnorisk.’’’
‘‘Iwascarryinganumbrella,’’Mr.Ca-
mañosaid.‘‘Idon’tknowhowIdidn’t
hitherintheheadwithit.’’
RachelChaundlercontributedreporting.
....
TUESDAY,JULY9,2013
|
5
THE GLOBAL EDITION OF THE NEW YORK TIMES
AMERICAS ASIA
WORLDNEWS
BRIEFLY
Americas
Deadlyblast
underscores
debateover
oiltransport
NEWYORK
Formergovernorwhoquit
inscandalseeksnewoffice
EliotSpitzer,whoresignedasgovernor
ofNewYorkfiveyearsagooverapros-
titutionscandal,isre-enteringpolitical
life,witharunfortheNewYorkCityof-
ficeofcomptrollerandahopethat
votersarereadytolookpasthisprevi-
ousmisconduct.
Mr.Spitzer,aDemocrat,saidhewas
eagertoplungebackintopoliticsand
believedthathecouldtransformtheof-
tenoverlookedcityofficeintoanew
modelforgovernmentaccountability
andshareholderactivism.‘‘I’mhopeful
therewillbeforgiveness,Iamaskingfor
it,’’hesaidbytelephoneSunday.
Mr.Spitzer,anaggressivewatchdog
overWallStreetwhenheservedasat-
torneygeneralofNewYork,saidhe
wantedtotransformthecomptroller’s
officeintoarobustagencythatwould
notmerelymonitorandaccountforcity
spending,asitdoesnow,butconduct
regularinquiriesintotheeffectiveness
ofgovernmentpoliciesinareaslike
education.
OTTAWA
BYIANAUSTEN
Fivepeoplewereconfirmeddeadand40
weremissingMondayafterrunaway
railroadtankcarsfilledwithoilderailed
andexplodedinasmallQuebectown,
thepolicesaid.
Thederailmentandexplosions,which
tookplaceinLac-Méganticataround
1:15a.m.onSaturday,underscoredade-
bateintheefforttotransportNorth
America’soilacrosslongdistances:Isit
saferandlessenvironmentallydestruc-
tivetomovehugequantitiesofcrudeoil
bytrainorbypipeline?
OnMonday,firefighterswerework-
ingtostopoilspillingintotheChaudière
RiverwhichfeedsintotheSt.Lawrence,
TheAssociatedPressreported.Float-
ingbarriersweresetuptotrytostop
theoilfromheadingdownstream.The
Quebecgovernmentissuedastatement
sayingtheleakwas‘‘serious,butunder
control,’’TheA.P.said.
VisitingthetownonSunday,Prime
MinisterStephenHarpercompareditto
a‘‘warzone.’’Lt.MichelBrunetofQue-
bec’sprovincialpolicetoldreporters,
‘‘weknowtherewillbemoredeaths.’’
Fires,whichincineratedatleast30
buildingsinthecenterofLac-Mégantic,
atouristtownof6,000peopleabout150
miles, or 240kilometers, east of
Montreal,limitedtheworkofaccidentin-
vestigators,aswellasattemptstosearch
forsurvivorsandtheremainsofvictims.
TheMontreal,MaineandAtlantic
Railwaysaidthetrainhadbeenparked
outsideLac-Méganticforthenightwith
nocrewmembersonboard.Itslocomot-
ivehadbeenshutdown,‘‘whichmay
haveresultedinthereleaseofairbrakes
onthelocomotivethatwasholdingthe
traininplace,’’itsaidinastatement.
Therailwaydidnotrespondtofurther
questions,butReuters,quotingcom-
panyofficials,saidtheoilaboardthe
trainhadcomefromtheBakkenoil
fields that stretchthroughNorth
DakotaandMontana.
TheBakkenoildeposits,whichareof-
tendrilledthroughhydrofracking,have
becomeamajorsourceofoilfortherail-
roadstomovebecausethedepositslack
directpipelinelinks.Canada’soilsands
producers, frustratedbyalackof
pipelinecapacity,arealsoturningto
trainstoshiptheirproducts.
ThemovetorailcomesastheObama
administrationcontinuestoweighan
application for theKeystoneXL
pipeline,whichwoulddeliversynthetic
crudeoilandbitumen,anoil-containing
substance,fromAlbertatorefinerieson
WASHINGTON
JohnKerry’swifeupgraded
tofairconditionfromcritical
TeresaHeinzKerry,thewifeofSecre-
taryofStateJohnKerry,whowashos-
pitalizedovertheweekendafterappar-
entlysufferingaseizure,wasupgraded
tofairconditionfromcriticalonMon-
day,theStateDepartmentsaid.
‘‘Sheisundergoingfurtherevalu-
ationandSecretaryofStateJohn
Kerry,herson,andotherfamilymem-
bersremainwithMrs.HeinzKerryat
thehospitalinBoston,astheyhave
beensinceshebecameill,’’GlenJohn-
son,aspokesmanforMr.Kerry,saidin
astatement.
Mrs.HeinzKerry,74,grewsickwhile
stayingatthefamily’svacationhome
onNantucketonSunday.Anambu-
lancewassummonedtothehouse
around3:30p.m.andleftshortlyafter-
wardforNantucketCottageHospital.
BySundayevening,doctorshadstabi-
lizedher,butherconditionwasjudged
tooseriousforthesmallfacilityonNan-
tucket.Shewasflownalongwithmed-
icalpersonnelonherownprivateplane
toBostonandtransportedtoMas-
sachusettsGeneralHospital.
RICHARDPERRY/THENEWYORKTIMES
Challengingtherules
Maj.KamaljeetSinghKalsi,anAmericanSikhandadoctorwhoearnedaBronzeStarinAfghanistan,wagedatwo-yearcampaignthatin2009
resultedinthearmygrantinghimaspecialexceptiontowearabeardandturban.NowheisworkingtomakeiteasierforotherSikhstoenlist.
global.nytimes.com/us
Terroronjet,thenascrambleforexits
secondsbeforethecrash.TheSouth
KoreanTransportMinistrysaidthepi-
lot,LeeKang-guk,hadonly43hoursof
experienceflyinga777.ItwasMr.Lee’s
firsttimepilotinga777intotheSan
Franciscoairport,anAsianaspokes-
womansaid.
‘‘Fornow,thisitselfshouldnotbecited
asifitwerethecauseoftheaccident,’’
saidChangMan-hee,asenioraviation
policyofficialattheTransportMinistry.
‘‘Mr.Leehimselfwasaveteranpilotgo-
ingthroughwhateverypilothastowhen
switchingtoanewtypeofplane.’’
Inadramaticmoment-by-moment
account,theN.T.S.B.’schairwoman,De-
borahA.P.Hersman,suggestedthat
crewmembershadlittleinklingofthe
impendingcrashuntilaboutseven
secondsbeforeimpact,whenoneis
heardonacockpitrecordercallingfor
anincreaseinspeed.Thecallcametoo
late.Threesecondslater,analarm
soundedawarningthattheplanewas
abouttostall,Ms.Hersmansaid.One
andahalfsecondsbeforeimpact,thepi-
lotsadvancedthethrottlestogetmore
powerinanattempttoavertacrash.
Butbeforetheplanecouldgainaltitude,
ithittheseawall,snappingoffitstail
sectionbeforeskiddingtoastopand
catchingfire.
Ms.Hersman’scomments,delivered
atanewsbriefing,werebasedonpre-
liminarydataprovidedbytheBoeing
777’scockpitvoicerecorderandflight
datarecorder.Otherdatafromaprivate
firm,FlightAware,indicatedthatasthe
planelostforwardspeed,itdescended
muchfasterthannormal.
Ms.Hersmanemphasizedthatinves-
tigatorscouldnotyetdrawanyconclu-
sionsaboutthecauseofthecrash.But
shedidnotindicateanysignofame-
chanicalmalfunctionandfocusedalmost
exclusivelyontheactionsofthepilotsas
theypreparedforlanding.‘‘Everything
isonthetablerightnow,’’shesaid.‘‘Itis
tooearlytoruleanythingout.’’
Saturdaywasclear,withlightwinds,
nowindshearandvisibilityofupto10
miles,or16kilometers,Ms.Hersman
said.Air-trafficcontrollershadcleared
theAsianaflightforavisualapproach
—meaningnoguidinginstruments
wereneededtolandtheplane.
OnSunday,hospitalofficialssaidthat
nearlyallofthemostgrievouslyinjured
passengershadbeenintherearofthe
plane,includingsixpeopleincritical
conditionwithspinalinjuries,paralysis
andheadinjuries,andafewwithwhat
wasdescribedas‘‘roadrash’’asifthey
hadbeendragged.
Itwasnotclearwherethetwogirls
whodiedwereseatedontheplane;both
bodieswerefoundonthetarmac.Oneof
thebodies,foundonthegroundtotheleft
sideoftheplane,mayhavebeenrunover
byafiretruckoranotheremergencyve-
hicleinadditiontoherinjuriesfromthe
crash,RobertJ.Foucrault, theSan
MateoCountycoroner,saidonSunday.
Mr.Foucraultsaidhisexamination
wasnotcomplete,sohecouldnotcon-
firmthatwasthecase.
Theflighthadacrewof16,including
fourpilotswhoswitchedoffduringthe
flightintwo-manrotations.Koreanoffi-
cialssaidthemainpilotatthetimeof
thelandingwasLeeJeong-min,49,who
hadmorethan12,000hoursofoverall
flightexperienceand3,220hoursinBoe-
ing777s.Thepilotatthecontrols,Lee
Kang-guk,46,hadalmost10,000total
flyinghours,withjust43ofthemin777s,
Koreanofficialssaid.
Ms.Hersmansaidthatanelectronic
systemcalledaglideslopeindicator,
whichkeepsplanesattheproperdescent
angle,hadbeenturnedoff,butthatthe
crewshouldhaveknownthis,andthat
othertoolswereavailabletothepilots.
‘‘Pilotshaveavailabletothemanum-
berofoptionsforhowtogettheplanein
ontherightspeed,ontherightap-
proach,ontherightpath,’’Ms.Hers-
mansaid.
Anothertool,knownasalocalizer,
whichallowsplanestolineupalongthe
centeroftherunway,wasoperating,as
weretheairport’sredandwhitelights
thatvisuallyguidepilotstotherunway.
PilotscanalsouseonboardGPS-
basedequipmenttoguidetheirap-
proachtotherunway.
Airlineshadbeentoldthattheglide
slopesystemwasoutofservice,and
manycarriers,includingAsiana,had
beenlandingforweeksonthatrunway
withoutdifficulty,theofficialsaid.Air
trafficcontroltapesindicatethatthe
controllerclearedtheplaneforavisual
approach,forwhichthesystemwasnot
necessary.
Someexpertssaidthatpilotsoften
havelittleopportunitytopracticeland-
ingswithouttheaidofsuchtechnology,
particularlyoninternationalflightsinto
large, technologicallyadvancedair-
portslikeSanFranciscoInternational.
Still,giventhattheweatherwasideal
andtheguidelightswereon,makinga
visuallandingshouldnothavebeendif-
ficultformostcommercialpilots,avi-
ationexpertssaid.
SAN FRANCISCO
Pilot hadonly43hours
ofexperienceflying
Boeing777,airlinesays
BYNORIMITSUONISHI,
CHRISTOPHERDREW,
MATTHEWL.WALD
ANDSARAHMASLINNIR
Thenearly11-hourtripacrossthePa-
cifichadgonesmoothlyasAsianaFlight
214approachedSanFranciscoInterna-
tionalAirport—anuneventfulflightfor
the291passengers,includingdozensof
Chineseteenagerswhowerearriving
forasummercamptostudyEnglish
andtourcolleges.
Butfromseat30K,BenjaminLevy
knewsomethingwaswrong.Outside
hiswindow,astheplaneapproachedthe
airportwhereMr.Levy,afrequenttrav-
eler,knewthereshouldhavebeentar-
mac,therewasinsteadaterrifying
sight:thewatersofSanFranciscoBay.
‘‘Thepilotputthegasfullsteam,and
wetippedbackup—hewentfullthrottle
toregainabitofaltitude,’’Mr.Levysaid
fromhishomeonSunday,adayafterhe
survivedthecrashlandingthatkilled
two16-year-oldgirlsamongthegroupof
Chinesestudentsandinjured180ofthe
passengersarrivingfromSouthKorea.
‘‘Weweresoclosetothewater,thewa-
tergotsprayedup.Therewerewallsof
waterbesidethewindow—beforewe
startedhittingearth.’’
Whenthescreamingceasedinsidethe
Boeing777,theplanerestedonitsbelly,
itstailandenginesshearedbythecrash.
TheheadoftheNationalTransporta-
tionSafetyBoardsaidSundaythatthe
pilotscameintooslowly,tooktoolongto
realizeitandtriedtoabortthelanding
ANCHORAGE,ALASKA
10diewhenairtaxicrashes
at smallairportinAlaska
Anairtaxihascrashedatasmall
Alaskaairport,killingall10peopleon
boardandleavingtheaircraftengulfed
inflamesbeforefirefighterscouldget
toit,theauthoritiessaid.
ThedeHavillandDHC3Otterairtaxi
crashedjustafter11a.m.Sundayatthe
airportinSoldotna,acommunityonthe
KenaiPeninsulaabout60miles,or100
kilometers,southwestofAnchorage.
‘‘Wedohave10fatalities,unfortunately,
ninepassengers,onepilot,’’saidClint
Johnson,aNationalTransportation
SafetyBoardinvestigator.
(AP)
‘‘We haveanexplosionoftight
oilproductioninCanadaand
theUnitedStates,andmost
ofitismovingbytrain.’’
theGulfCoast.Ananalysisofthe
pipelineplanfortheU.S.StateDepart-
mentconcludedthatifthepipelinewas
rejected,oilsandsproducerswouldin-
steadturntorailwaysforshipmentsto
theUnitedStates.
BoththeCanadianNationalRailway
andtheCanadianPacificRailwayhave
extensiverailnetworksintotheUnited
Statesandhavebeenpromotingwhat
theindustryoftencallsa‘‘pipelineon
rails’’toservetheoilsands.MarkHall-
man,aspokesmanforCanadianNation-
al,saidtherailwaymoved5,000car-
loadsofcrudeoiltotheUnitedStates
fromCanadain2011, increasedthat
amountto30,000carloadsin2012and
‘‘believesithasthescopetodoublethis
businessin2013.’’
Unlikepipelineproposals,however,
theescalationofrailmovementsofoil,
includinglightoilshipmentsfromthe
Bakkenfieldsaswellasfromsimilarun-
conventional,ortight,oildepositsin
Canada,isnotcoveredbyanyregular
governmentorregulatoryreview.
‘‘Wehaveanexplosionoftightoilpro-
ductioninCanadaandtheUnited
States,andmostofitismovingby
train,’’saidAnthonySwift,alawyer
withtheNaturalResourcesDefense
CouncilinWashington.‘‘Butthispro-
cesshashappenedwithoutduedili-
gence.’’
KeithStewart,aclimateandenergy
campaignerwithGreenpeaceCanada,
criticizedrailwaysinCanadaandthe
UnitedStatesforcontinuingtouseolder
oiltankcarsthathesaidwerefoundto
beunsafemorethan20yearsago.
Areportin2009bytheU.S.National
TransportationSafetyBoardabouta
CanadianNationalderailmentinIllinois
calledthedesignofthosetankcars‘‘in-
adequate’’andfoundthatit‘‘madethe
carssubjecttodamageandcatastrophic
lossofhazardousmaterials.’’Television
imagessuggestedthatthesurviving
tankcarsontheLac-Mégantictrain
wereoftheolderdesign.
Mr.Hallman,thespokesmanforCa-
nadianNational,didnotrespondto
questionsaboutthesafetyoftankcars
ortheconsequencesoftheLac-Mégant-
icderailmentforrailoilshipmentsin
general.However, hesaid, ‘‘this
tragedynotwithstanding,movementof
hazardousmaterialbyrailnotonlycan
be,butisbeing,handledsafelyinthe
vastmajorityofinstances.’’EdGreen-
berg,aspokesmanforCanadianPacific,
declinedtocomment.
WASHINGTON
BinLadenraidrecordssenttoC.I.A.
RecordsabouttheU.S.NavySEAL
raidonOsamabinLaden’shide-out
wereorderedpurgedfromPentagon
computersandsenttotheCentralIn-
telligenceAgency,wheretheycouldbe
moreeasilyshieldedfromeverbeing
madepublic.Thetransferappearsto
havesidesteppedrulesgoverningfed-
eralrecordsandcircumventedthe
FreedomofInformationAct.
(AP)
ChristopherDrewandSarahMaslinNir
reportedfromNewYork,andMatthew
L.WaldfromWashington.SominiSen-
guptacontributedreportingfromSan
Francisco;MichaelSchwirtz,RaviSo-
maiya,JadMouawadandMei-YuLiu
fromNewYork;DavidBarbozafrom
Shanghai;andChoeSang-hunfrom
Seoul.JackBeggcontributedresearch.
LESSONSLEARNEDFROMASIANACRASH
Safetyexpertshavebeenshakingtheir
headsinwonderathowsomanypeople
survivedthefieryaccident.
PAGE14
BRIEFLY
Asia
InCongress,partisangridlockandharshconsequences
matic,across-the-boardspendingcuts
wouldneverhappen,theyhappened
anywaybecauseofinaction.
‘‘OnehundredpercentofCongress
opposedit,andwe’redoingit,’’said
RepresentativePeterWelch,Democrat
ofVermont.‘‘That’sasignofadysfunc-
tionalinstitution.’’
Atthistimein2011,Congresshad
passed23lawsonthewaytowardthe
lowesttotalsincethosenumbersbegan
beingtrackedin1948.Thisyear,15have
beenpassedsofar.
Legislationfavoredbytheleft,like
newgun-safetymeasures,hasstartedin
theSenateandhasoftenfounderedbe-
foreitreachedtheHouse.Billspushed
byconservativestorestrictabortionand
relaxregulationstoencourageoiland
gasproductionhavepassedtheHouse
buthavegonenowhereintheSenate.
LegislationthathasreachedPresi-
dentBarackObama’sdeskthisyearhas
oftenbeensmall-boreandceremonial,
liketheauthorizationofacommemor-
ativecoinbill.
‘‘Congresshasalwayshadthishabit
ofgoingtothebrinkandthenpassing
something,butinthelastmonths,some-
thinghaschanged,’’saidJustinDraeger,
thepresidentoftheNationalAssoci-
ationofStudentFinancialAidAdminis-
trators,whichhasbeenpressingfor
compromiseonstudentloans.‘‘Recent
examplesofcongressionalinactionhave
leftuspessimistic.I’mnotsayingit’sim-
possible,butit’snotlookinggood.’’
The113thCongressstillhasachance
topassthemostsignificantoverhaulof
May1tokeepairtrafficcontrolopera-
tionsworkingbecause,onMarch1,Con-
gressfailedtostopacross-the-board
spendingcutsfromhittingtheFederal
AviationAdministration.
Theupsideofinactionisitsimpacton
deficitspending.Totaldiscretionary
spendinginthefiscalyearthatends
Sept.30willbeabout$70billionbelow
thepreviousyear’s—thefirstsuchdrop
sincefiscal1996,anotheryearofsharply
dividedgovernment.InJune,thefeder-
algovernmentshed5,000jobs,accord-
ingtojobsdatareleasedonFriday.
IfCongressdoesnotchangecourse,
nondefensespendingatitsannualdis-
cretionwillreach3percentoftheecon-
omyby2018,alevelnotseensince1962,
whenrecordsbeganbeingtracked,con-
gressionalbudgetaidessaid.
HouseleadersblametheSenate:
HouseRepublicansdidpassastudent
loanbillthatwouldhaveatleastameli-
oratedtheriseininterestrates.Con-
versely,SenateDemocratsblamethe
House:TheSenatehastwicepassed
majorfarmlegislationwithbroadbipar-
tisansupport,alongwithapostalover-
haulbill,andatleastitwantstogointo
formalnegotiationsonabudget.
‘‘Iwishwehadapresidentwhodidn’t
makenewswhenhejusttalkstoamem-
berofCongress,’’saidRepresentative
TimGriffin,RepublicanofArkansas.
Thesecretaryofagriculture,TomVil-
sack,pushedbackhardonthatline.
‘‘Withallduerespecttothosewhowant
toshiftresponsibility,’’hesaid,‘‘there-
sponsibilityhereisclear.’’
WASHINGTON
BYJONATHANWEISMAN
Despitefinger-pointingnewsconfer-
encesandradioaddressesbyboth
partiesonCapitolHill,Congressletin-
terestratesdoublelastweekonfeder-
allysubsidizedstudentloans.Eleven
daysearlier,acoalitionofDemocrats
andconservativeRepublicansinthe
Housescuttledthelatestattemptata
farmbill,doomingfornowdisasteras-
sistanceforlivestockproducersstillaf-
fectedbylastyear’sdrought.
CongressreturnedMondaywitha
majoroverhaulofimmigrationpending
intheHouse,thefarmbilllyingina
heapandnewfiscaldeadlineslooming
whenthegovernmentrunsoutof
spendingauthorityonSept.30and
reachesitsborrowinglimitshortly
thereafter.ThePostalService,mean-
while,continuestolosemillionsofdol-
larseverydayasameasuretorescue
theagencyfoundersintheHouse.
Thereisnoguaranteethatanyof
theseissueswillbedealtwith.
Eveninsomeoftheworstyearsof
partisangridlock,adeadlinehasmeant
somethingtoCongress—until2013.
Drop-deaddateshavecomeandgone
thisyear, causingreal-worldcon-
sequences.OnJan.1,taxrateswentup
notonlyforaffluentfamilies,butalsofor
virtuallyallworkerswhenlawmakers
lookedtheotherwayandletapayroll
taxcutexpire.OnMarch1,afterleaders
frombothpartiesdeclaredthatauto-
BEIJING
Ex-railministerinChinagets
suspendeddeathsentence
LiuZhijun,aformerrailwaysminister,
wasgivenasuspendeddeathsentence
Mondayforbriberyandabuseof
power.
TheofficialXinhuaNewsAgency
saidMr.Liu,whowasstrippedofhis
positioninFebruary2011,wassen-
tencedtodeathwithatwo-yearre-
prievebyBeijingNo.2Intermediate
People’sCourt.Suchsentencesaretyp-
icallycommutedtolifeinprisonifthe
inmateshowsgoodbehavior.
ThecourtfoundMr.Liu,60,whoover-
sawhigh-profilebullettraindevelop-
ment,guiltyofusinghispositiontohelp
about11businessassociateswinpromo-
tionsandprojectcontractsandaccept-
ing64.6millionrenminbi,or$10.5mil-
lion,inbribesbetween1986and2011.
(AP)
MICHAELREYNOLDS/EPA
SecretaryofAgricultureTomVilsackhas
placedtheblamesquarelyonCongress.
thenation’simmigrationlawssince1986,
butfornow,atleast,itappearsdead-
locked.Evensayingthatlawmakers
havepassed15lawsmaybeoverstating
it.Thefirsttwo—raisingtheFederal
EmergencyManagementAgency’sbor-
rowingauthorityafterHurricaneSandy
andapprovingabroaderhurricane-re-
liefbill—weresupposedtobeonebill,
buttheyhadtobesplitintwobecause
HouseRepublicanleadersrefusedtoput
thefullpackageupforavoteforfearof
partydivisions.
Thethirdlawraisedthegovern-
ment’sstatutoryborrowinglimitand
helpedprodtheSenatetopassabroad
budgetblueprint.ButsincetheSenate
passeditsbudgetmorethan100days
ago,Republicanshaverefusedtoallow
HouseandSenatenegotiatorstotryto
reachacompromisebudget.
Anotherbillwassignedintolawon
BEIJING
PolicesaidtoopenfireonTibetans
AtleastsixTibetanswerewounded
whenChineseparamilitarypoliceof-
ficersopenedfireonacrowdtryingto
commemoratetheDalaiLama’sbirth-
dayinDaofuCounty,Sichuan
Province,Tibetanadvocatessaidon
Monday.
(AP)
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