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Top German central banker slams debt crisis steps

Posted: 26 Sep 2011 07:09 PM PDT

Top German central banker slams debt crisis steps

FRANKFURT, Germany: Germany's top central banker warns that efforts to halt the debt crisis in Europe could give countries incentives to run up deficits in the future.

The statements by Bundesbank president Jens Weidmann underlined his differences with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and his fellow board members of the European Central Bank.

Weidmann said in the text of a speech to be delivered in Washington, DC that measures aimed at making financial support from other eurozone governments available to indebted countries means "we risk seeing the propensity for excessive deficits rise even further in the future."

European leaders agreed on the measures July 21 and they are now before national parliaments. The German parliament is expected to vote yes on Thursday. -- AP

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Malaysia hopeful of seat in Unesco education unit

Posted: 26 Sep 2011 11:00 AM PDT

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his wife Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman being received by Malaysians residing in Paris yesterday. — Bernama picture

MALAYSIA'S vast experience in technical and vocational training and its effort in transforming the two sectors has made it a model for developing nations in Unesco to emulate.

Known for its winning formula in making the two sectors an overriding priority, Kuala Lumpur is ready to share its success stories and experiences in technical and vocational skill trainings to many keen members of the 193-member United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

One of Malaysia's many outstanding achievements is its ability to resolve the problem of an estimated 60 per cent of its school leavers who failed to secure places at tertiary level and address the shortage of skilled manpower.

These success stories have driven Malaysia to vie for a seat in Unesco's International Bureau of Education (IBE).

Already, it has pledged US$5 million (RM15 million) to support a slew of Unesco's initiatives, including the Education-for-All programme.

With a place in IBE, Malaysia will be able to play its role not only in the development of new education initiatives, but also directly in the country's capacity-building.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is here to attend Unesco's 187th executive board meeting, will also be lending a hand in pursuing another Malaysian ambition -- securing a place in the World Heritage Committee (WHC).

Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, yesterday held a reception for Unesco members as Malaysia withdraws as member of Unesco's executive board.

He is expected to deliver a speech at a debate session after the opening of the executive board meeting.

Malaysia's permanent delegate to Unesco, Ali Ab Ghani, said Malaysia, which had in June won a place in the Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission, stood a good chance in its current race for a seat in the IBE and WHC, which will be decided between Oct 25 and Nov 10 when the Unesco general convention is convened.

While it believes that a place in the IBE is almost secured, Malaysia acknowledges that in its race for a place in the WHC, it faces strong contenders, namely Japan, Germany, India and Saudi Arabia, which are among the 21 nations vying for the nine available seats.

With its unique strengths, Malaysia believes that although its competitors have enormous funds already channelled to the United Nations' specialised agency to support their candidacy, apart from their expertise, Malaysia, Ali said, had the strong support of no less than 140 countries, which feel that Kuala Lumpur has a lot to offer to the committee, should it win.

This indication, he said was drawn after Malaysia's door-to-door lobbying and intense promotion of not only its cultural and heritage sites -- the Gunung Mulu National Park and Kinabalu Park as well as Penang and Malacca, which are inscribed into the Unesco list -- but also its expertise in the form of its commissioner of Heritage, Datuk Zuraina Majid.

Besides enabling the country's tourism to develop further, a seat in the WHC would also enable Malaysia to play a strong international role in helping to preserve world heritage.

Malaysia has been a member of Unesco since June, 1958.

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Selasa, 27 September 2011