1 The pain of Ukraine (Mahir Ali in Khaleej Times) Ethnicity and linguistic affinity are not the only
significant factors in Ukraine. It is all too easy to forget that during the
disintegration of the Soviet Union and the disappearance of its Eastern
European sphere of influence, the West broadly sought to assuage Moscow’s fear
that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) would sooner or later
swallow up the buffer states. It has signally failed to live up to that
promise.
For
Ukraine, there’s no getting away from Russia. At the same time, there is no
reason why close ties with Moscow must necessarily be sacrificed in the
interests of a closer relationship with the EU. It should be able to have it
both ways without splitting up or being forced to choose between Vladimir Putin’s
dictates and those of the International Monetary Fund — although the latter may
come as a bigger shock.
Whether
the presidential election now scheduled for May will provide the scenario for a
happy ending to Ukraine’s travails remains to be seen. The potential exists,
despite the far-right involvement in the protests of the past few months.
However, a hands-off approach by not just Russia but the EU and the US may
yield the least undesirable result.
After
all, a truly democratic Ukraine requires all-round non-interference — and the
possibility of fraternal relations with all of the nation’s neighbours. Last week’s
bloodshed on the Maidan was disgusting, although not entirely one-sided. One
cannot help wondering, though, whether heavyweight boxer Vitali Klitschko might
be an appropriate contender for the presidential crown — not only because the
US doesn’t approve of his ascendancy, but because he may be a suitable match,
in one ring or another, for the martial arts aficionado who governs Russia with
an iron fist.
2 US ranks low on work-life balance (Kathryn
Roethel in San Francisco Chronicle) Americans work
longer hours, have fewer vacation days and leisure hours, and spend as much or
more time cooking, cleaning and caring for family as their
international counterparts. This is according to the 2013 Better Life
Index, compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development,
a nongovernmental organization in France that tracks economic and social data
from its economically developed member countries.
Compared with 36 other
nations, the US is the only country that does not have a national paid leave
policy for mothers and fathers after a baby is born. That factor played a big
role in the county's low work-life balance rating, the index authors said.
Maternity leave in the US is typically unpaid and generally 12 weeks long,
which is shorter than average for Index countries. In Denmark, the country with
the top work-life balance rating, both moms and dads can take up to a year off
after a baby is born, and in some circumstances, the entire leave is paid.
The good news is poor
work-life balance in the US doesn't seem to translate into poor quality of life
overall. Americans were in the top half of the pack in the "life
satisfaction" ranking, and the US was No. 1 in after-tax
household income.
Here are the key numbers:
The US ranked 28, out of 36, on the index list of countries with the best
work-life balance. Denmark was No. 1, and Canada, New Zealand, Brazil and most
European countries all outrank the US. Eleven per cent of Americans reported
working more than 50 hours per week, which the index deems "very long
hours." Nine percent of people in all Index countries said they worked
very long hours, but in Denmark, the country with the best work-life balance
rating, only 2 percent of workers put in this many hours on the job.
3 India growth seen stuck below 5% (Anant Vijay
Kala in The Wall Street Journal) India’s economic
expansion was likely stuck below 5% for the fifth consecutive quarter in the
three months ended Dec. 31, indicating that the country is still struggling
despite a few recent encouraging economic indicators.
Gross domestic product in
the last quarter of 2013 grew 4.9% from a year earlier, according to a poll of
16 economists by The Wall Street Journal. It grew 4.8% and 4.4% in the
preceding two quarters. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
is scheduled to announce the GDP data at 5.30 p.m. on Friday.
India’s pace of economic
expansion has halved to a decade-low of 4.5% in the last fiscal year from about
9% till two years before that. Overburdened infrastructure, rising
borrowing costs, bureaucratic red-tape and uncertainty over tax policies have
spooked consumers and corporations in Asia’s third largest economy.
The news hasn’t been all
bad though. Over the last two years, India has taken a series of measures,
including allowing more foreign investment, to boost growth. Meanwhile
inflation has eased and the country’s current account deficit has narrowed in
recent months, helping create some optimism about India. Meanwhile improving
demand in the US, Europe and Japan as well as a weakening rupee have helped
Indian exports.
Any rebound, however,
will likely be delayed at least until after national elections expected in May
as investors are waiting for clarity on the economic policies of the next
government. Executives and economists are worried that an unstable
coalition government, which is looking increasingly likely, would delay the
much-needed revamping of regulations which restrict business.
Th
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