CZYTANIE 3 EN [#36]

The Swiss government has recommended the purchase of thirty-six F-35 fighter jets from the US company Lockheed Martin, angering anti-armaments groups who are now calling for another plebiscite on the issue. The decision to replace the country’s ageing fleet of military planes was narrowly approved in such a vote last year, but critics of the deal maintain that neutral Switzerland has no need for cutting-edge fighter jets. The decision to buy the jets from Lockheed instead of one of the European firms has also been seen as a rebuff to the EU at a time of strained relations between Bern and Brussels.

1. The decision to purchase the fighter jets …

Tunisia’s President, Kais Saied, extended his suspension of parliament until further notice, raising concerns about the future of the Arab world’s only real democracy. Last month Mr Saied dismissed the prime minister and assumed executive authority, actions that his opponents call a coup. But the president, who was elected on a promise to clean up corruption, has widespread support.

2. We learn from the text that President Kais Saied …

Last month Facebook held its first virtual faith summit. It has also set up its own internal “faith partnership” team. On the tech side, one of its new initiatives is a prayer tool. It allows users to pray for each other and then click an “I prayed” button. The prayer posts will also be used to personalize ads on the platform. So does the spiritual side represent “the best of Facebook”, or is it just that there’s money in religion? Anytime Facebook rolls out something new, you know it’s because they’re hoping… to eventually sell you something, somehow.

3. In the text, the author …

Paul Rusesabagina, a manager of a hotel in Kigali, sheltered 1,268 Tutsis when clashes between his fellow ethnic Hutus and Tutsis started. But then, Rusesabagina became critical of Rwanda’s autocratic new Tutsi ruler Paul Kagame, and from exile he helped found an opposition party. This later set up an armed wing, which launched terrorist attacks. Rusesabagina denied ordering or even knowing about them. Nevertheless, the regime holds him responsible; last year, its agents kidnapped him and he was put on trial.

4. Paul Rusesabagina was taken to court for …

No wonder that Republican leaders in the House do not want to convene truth and reconciliation commission to scrutinize the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The House Republicans’ attempts to muddy the waters over the events, and Trump’s role in the riots, likely contribute to the waning of their voters’ concerns. We saw these efforts at the House oversight hearing, but they followed earlier endeavours to downplay the violence and cast doubt on the insurrectionists’ identities. No doubt, House Republicans’ stalling of Democrats’ effort to create the commission has helped keep the issue out of the headlines. No bipartisan inquiry, no media spotlight to keep the issue alive.

5. According to the author, the Republicans are trying to ...

For over half a century, the Dutch have been the tallest people in the world. But according to the latest government statistics, they are now shrinking. The statisticians say the shrinkage is partly the result of immigration, but their report notes that even among people with two Dutch-born parents and four Dutch-born grandparents, growth in the height has stalled in the case of men since the 1980s, and fallen in the case of women.

6. The statistics show that …

Around a quarter of Tory MPs have second jobs with firms whose activities range from gambling to private health care, making about £5m in extra earnings annually. It has been revealed that 90 out of 360 Tories have extra jobs on top of their parliamentary work, compared with 3 from Labour. They are overwhelmingly older and 86% are men. The row over “egregious lobbying” by the veteran backbencher, Owen Paterson, on behalf of companies that paid him £100,000 annually, has focused attention on moonlighting by MPs. Steve Barkley, the cabinet Office Minister, rejected the idea of banning second jobs, saying it could stop MPs getting experience of the outside world.

7. We learn from the text that ...

Nearly 9,000 Marines have not gotten any COVID-19 vaccination shots with most not filing for an exemption despite a Nov. 28 mandatory deadline, according to statistics provided by the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps reported Monday that 5% of the force had not gotten even one shot before the deadline passed. Without an excuse many are now in jeopardy of being booted from the service.

8. Some Marines risk being discharged because …

In an unexpected move, China’s parliament delayed imposing a requirement that Hong Kong uphold an anti-sanctions law. The bill, passed in June, mandates the punishment of firms that comply with sanctions against Chinese companies or officials.

9. In its latest policy move in Hong Kong, China has …

Medical mistakes are frequent in U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) hospitals, although they have dropped since the DoD began tracking them in its Tricare program report. Until recently, patients who fell victim to a military surgeon's mistake had little chance for compensation. A provision in the Defense Authorization Act ended the 70-year ban on suing the DoD for medical malpractice. In 2019 Donald Trump signed the Military Medical Accountability Act, allowing soldiers to file medical malpractice claims against the DoD. However, the law does not let servicemen sue medical facilities at bases overseas, though they may file administrative claims against the DoD under the Military Claims Act.

10. Soldiers who fell victim to medical malpractice while serving abroad may now …

The EU has published plans to curb logging and the use of woods as an energy source, and to plant three billion trees in a drive to meet its ambitious climate targets. Sounds harmless, right? Wrong. For Sweden, where 70% of land is covered by woodland and where forestry accounts for 10% of all jobs, the plans could be “devastating”. The EU’s strategy breeds a misunderstanding of forestry. For starters, it views trees as a carbon sink that must stay untouched. Yet, a responsibly managed forestry industry can help cut carbon emissions by providing alternatives to energy-intensive materials like steel or plastic.

11. The author of the text …

Observers from the Organisation of American States (OAS) have found no evidence of serious irregularities in Peru’s presidential election, which ended in a razor-thin victory for the leftist Pedro Castillo, and triggered claims of fraud from the right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori. However, the OAS also called for “candidates not to be proclaimed winners until all the challenges have been resolved”. Castillo has 50.13% of the vote, to Fujimori’s 49.87%. Fujimori spent a year in jail in 2019 on charges of illegal campaign contributions, and is facing the prospect of prison. Were she to be declared president, however, she would have immunity.

12. OAS observers have suggested withholding the announcement of the results because …

As the U.S. was preparing for its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the State Department began to remove around 100,000 online documents in order to protect Afghan identities. John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghan reconstruction, told reporters that the State Department has requested some reports be taken down from SIGAR’s site, too. “I understand the concern that Afghans mentioned in the reports might be threatened by retaliation. But I’m not sure how modifying the site now would protect them. The State Department never described any specific threats to individuals contained in our reports. How can removing the data now help, with many of those documents already disseminated worldwide?”

13. According to John Sopko, the State Department …

Friends with Benefits

For decades, cronyism has provided a well-trodden path to success in Indian business. State-owned banks provided cheap financing for firms whose success often depended on winning official approvals. If a business enterprise got into trouble, the taxpayer frequently ended up having to shoulder losses. There are plenty of gifted businesspeople in India. But personal connections, not competition, has been the surest route to riches, even after the partial dismantling of the ‘licence raj’ – the system of licences, regulations and red tape – nearly three decades ago.

A new era of Indian capitalism may be thriving. For the first time a large number of struggling magnats face the prospect of their businesses seized from them. The fate of 12 troubled large companies is due to be settled within weeks; another 28 cases are set to be resolved by September. Between them, these firms account for about 40% of loans that banks themselves think are unlikely to be paid. For enforcing bankruptcy procedures that are usually dodged by those with connections, the Indian government of Narendra Modi deserves much credit. Yet the job is far from done.

Consider first the system that is under assault. Industries such as power generation, telecoms and infrastructure require large chunks of capital and lots of interactions with the government. That attracted plenty of entrepreneurs whose key competence was using their connections with officials, in order both to win the necessary permits and to secure financing from state-owned banks. Many barons could count on ministers to put in a word with an uncooperative banker. Some held political office themselves. If things went wrong, a banker would frequently extend repayment periods indefinitely. Moreover, overburdened courts were unequal to the task of enforcing contracts.

This system is under assault from various angles. The first and significant one is a reformed bankruptcy code that makes the seizure of businesses easier. A new set of dedicated courts, backed by a cadre of bankruptcy professionals, is on hand to help banks seize assets and sell them to fresh owners. To focus the minds of both bankers and borrowers, if no deal can be made within nine months – a jiffy by Indian legal standards – the firm is shut down and its equipment sold for scrap. This is the point in the process now being reached by the first dozen firms that do not repay their loans.

Another threat to the magnats is the grievous state of the state-owned banks. Their losses have ballooned. The authorities, tired of providing financial aid for banks, are forcing them to recognise which loans are unlikely to be repaid, and to initiate bankruptcy proceedings in double-quick time. Though their governance is dreadful, at least these banks are no longer able to hide the extent of their problems.

To ensure permanent change, the system will require deeper reforms, though. If wholesale ministerial corruption is reportedly much reduced, there is still little clarity over how political parties are financed. They will spend something like $5bn between now and federal elections expected in spring, little of which will be publicly accounted for. To loosen the political-crony bonds further, it would help to end the system whereby parties can raise funds through anonymous donations.

Reforming the state-owned banks is the most important task of all. Their financial reports are where you find 70% of loans and nearly 100% of problems. Ensuring banks make commercial decisions can only realistically be achieved by privitising all of them. Privatised banks would also be free to pay salaries to attract talented staff. The bosses at state-owned banks currently earn under $50,000 a year, peanuts even by Indian executive standards bankruptcy and it shows.

A decent financial system is the best defence against cronyism. Sadly, this kind of reform still seems to be anathema to Mr Modi. He has made a start on tackling the barons. But if he is to conduct a revolution in Indian capitalism, he must do more.