By
Scott B. MacDonald
Afghanistan – Elections
Scheduled: Afghanistan has long been held up as a model of
a failed state. Invaded and occupied by the Russians, torn
apart by civil war, conquered by the zealots of the Taliban
and their al-Qaeda allies, the central Asian country has
a new constitution and scheduled elections for June 2004.
President Hamid Karzai fought and won a presidential system,
which hopefully the majority of Afghans will have the right
to vote for in June. The new constitution establishes an
Islamic Republic in which the president will rule with the
national assembly. Women are recognized as equal citizens
and will have close to one fifth of the lower-house seats
reserved for them. Two official languages are recognized – Pashtu
and Dari. The president’s powers are extensive, but
are checked by the national assembly, which is given the
right of say in fundamental policies, some monetary matters
and the right to censure ministers.
Argentina
- Argentina’s official unemployment rate
has dropped from 21.5 percent in May 2002 to 14.3 percent
in third-quarter 2003. However, the data is not reliable
because it includes government subsidies to hundreds of
thousands of people who, though they are not working, are
listed as employed simply because they are receiving government
money, Buenos Aires daily Clarin reports.
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Bhutan - At least 50 people -- including 32 soldiers
-- have been killed in southern Bhutan in battles between government
troops and Indian separatist rebels, according to reports on Dec.
17. More than 80 soldiers have been wounded and rebels from India's
eastern state of Assam say 16 of their fighters have been killed
and 50 wounded since fighting started on Dec. 15. The operation is
the first Bhutan’s 10,000-member army has mounted against the
United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) and the National Democratic
Front of Bodoland (NDFB), which have been hiding from Indian troops
inside Bhutan.
India
- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Indian
Defense Minister George Fernandes signed a $1.5 billion
deal on Jan. 20 to sell the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral
Gorshkov to the Indian navy. Russia will refurbish the
carrier before delivery in 2008. India is acquiring 28
MIG-29MK jets for the carrier in the deal as well as unspecified
parts and components for the carrier, likely to include
new missile and radar systems and helicopters.
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