Cuban president: More private enterprise will be allowed

Senin, 02 Agustus 2010

Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Cuban President Raul Castro said Sunday that his government would allow more private businesses and make it easier for those businesses to hire workers, as the socialist economy struggles to get back on its feet and shed up to one million redundant state jobs.

The government "agreed to broaden the exercise of self employment and its use as another alternative for the employment of those excess workers," Castro said during a biannual session of the National Assembly.

He went on to say that the government would eliminate "numerous" prohibitions to the granting of licenses for private businesses and to the sales of some products, as well as "make the contracting of a work force more flexible."

In exchange, those businesses will pay taxes on income and sales, and pay contributions for employees, he said.

The measures "constitute a structural and conceptual change in the interest of preserving and developing our social system to make it sustainable in the future," Castro said.

The decision was part of a series of measures approved by the Council of Ministers to reduce "the considerably inflated payroll in the state sector," he added.

Earlier this year, Castro said that more than one million state jobs, out of a total of 5.1 million, could be redundant.

The government has launched a few, small free-market reforms.

In April, for example, barbershops were handed over to employees, who pay rent and taxes but charge what they want. Licenses have also been granted to private taxis.

For a couple of years, fallow land in the countryside has been turned over to private farmers. The more they produce, the more they earn. Not surprisingly, output is up.

In his speech, Castro also mentioned for the first time the release of political prisoners that started last month.

"The Revolution can be generous because it is strong," he said.

The Catholic Church and Spain negotiated the release of 52 prisoners jailed in 2003 as part of a crackdown on people the government accused of receiving money from the enemy government in Washington.

So far, 21 prisoners have been released and flown abroad.

Castro did not give details about why Cuba agreed to free the "counterrevolutionaries" or if he expected any gesture in return.

Former President Fidel Castro did not make an appearance despite expectations that he might.

Church plans Quran-burning event

(CNN) -- In protest of what it calls a religion "of the devil," a nondenominational church in Gainesville, Florida, plans to host an "International Burn a Quran Day" on the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

The Dove World Outreach Center says it is hosting the event to remember 9/11 victims and take a stand against Islam. With promotions on its website and Facebook page, it invites Christians to burn the Muslim holy book at the church from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

"We believe that Islam is of the devil, that it's causing billions of people to go to hell, it is a deceptive religion, it is a violent religion and that is proven many, many times," Pastor Terry Jones told CNN's Rick Sanchez earlier this week.

Jones wrote a book titled "Islam is of the Devil," and the church sells coffee mugs and shirts featuring the phrase.

Muslims and many other Christians -- including some evangelicals -- are fighting the initiative.

The church launched a YouTube channel to disseminate its messages.

"I mean ask yourself, have you ever really seen a really happy Muslim? As they're on the way to Mecca? As they gather together in the mosque on the floor? Does it look like a real religion of joy?" Jones asks in one of his YouTube posts.

"No, to me it looks like a religion of the devil."

The Islamic advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations called on Muslims and others to host "Share the Quran" dinners to educate the public during the monthlong fast of Ramadan beginning in August. In a news release, the group announced a campaign to give out 100,000 copies of the Quran to local, state and national leaders.

"American Muslims and other people of conscience should support positive educational efforts to prevent the spread of Islamophobia," said CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper in the release.

The National Association of Evangelicals, the nation's largest umbrella evangelical group, issued a statement urging the church to cancel the event, warning it could cause worldwide tension between the two religions.

"The NAE calls on its members to cultivate relationships of trust and respect with our neighbors of other faiths. God created human beings in his image, and therefore all should be treated with dignity and respect," it said in the statement.

Dove's Facebook page, set up for the September event, has more than 1,600 fans.

"Eternal fire is the only destination the Quran can lead people to, so we want to put the Quran in it's [sic] place -- the fire!" the page says.

But another Facebook group with more than 3,100 fans says it stands "against the disrespect and intolerance that these people have for the Muslim people" and encourages people to report Dove's page to Facebook.

Targeting another group it calls "godless," the Dove center is also hosting a protest against Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe, who is openly gay, on Monday at Gainesville's City Hall. The group previously fought -- unsuccessfully -- to derail Lowe's election campaign.

"We protest sexual perversion because the Bible protests it. ... What is acceptable to today's leadership becomes acceptable to tomorrow's society," the church says in its blog entry about the event.

Lowe and other government figures and media outlets received e-mails from the church about the event, The Gainesville Sun reported. Lowe isn't concerned with Monday's event.

"I've got other things to do," he said, The Sun reports.

On the outreach center's front lawn, alongside a sign reading "Aug. 2 Protest, No Homo Mayor, City Hall," stands not just one, but three signs bearing the slogan "Islam is of the Devil."

One of the signs -- one reading "Islam" on one side, "Devil" on the other -- was vandalized. On its blog last week, the church said the sign will be replaced.

"This is private property and vandalism is a crime here in America," the blog says. "In Islam, many actions that we consider to be crimes are encouraged, condoned or sheltered under Islamic teaching and practice, though. Another reason to burn a Quran."

Allen 'satisfied' with dispersant use in Gulf oil disaster

(CNN) -- Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who is overseeing the federal response to the BP oil spill, said Sunday that he is "satisfied" with the amount of dispersants that have been used to clean up the disaster, saying crews have used them only when needed.

Allen's comments were in response to new documents released by a congressional subcommittee that indicate Coast Guard officials allowed BP to use excessive amounts of chemical dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico.

BP used the chemicals to break up oil after the April 20 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion sent millions of gallons of crude gushing into the Gulf.

Allen noted that the decision to use the dispersants does not rest with BP; rather, "it's a decision by the federal on-scene coordinator," he said in describing a "very disciplined process."

Despite a federal directive restricting the use of dispersants, the Coast Guard routinely granted exemptions, said Rep. Edward J. Markey, chairman of the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee.

In May, the Environmental Protection Agency, along with the Coast Guard, ordered the oil giant to stop surface application of the chemicals during the oil spill except in rare occasions, according to a House subcommittee on energy and environment.

In rare cases, exemptions had to be requested, documents show.

"BP carpet bombed the ocean with these chemicals, and the Coast Guard allowed them to do it," Markey said in a statement Saturday. "After we discovered how toxic these chemicals really are, they had no business being spread across the Gulf in this manner."

Allen dismissed Markey's allegations during a conference call with reporters Sunday.

"I'm satisfied that we only use them [dispersants] when they're needed," he said.

Allen said field commanders on a case-by-case basis have decided to use dispersants when oil has been spotted by surveillance aircraft and no other method of cleaning it up is available in the area.

"We're going to accept some impact on the water column" rather than having the oil reach the beach, he said.

The Coast Guard approved more than 74 exemptions in 48 days, Markey said. In one instance, Coast Guard officials allowed the oil giant to use a larger volume of dispersants than it had applied for, he said.

Dispersants are "a toxic stew of chemicals, oil and gas, with impacts that are not well understood," Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said in the letter to Allen.

BP issued a statement Sunday saying it has worked closely with the EPA and the Coast Guard over the use of dispersants "since the very beginning" of the disaster.

"Furthermore, we've complied with EPA requests regarding dispersants which are an EPA-approved and recognized tool in fighting oil spills," the statement said.

Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer, said Sunday that the oil company is funding research into the long-term effects of the spill, including the use of dispersants.

"Right now we haven't seen anything that shows us to be concerned, but we're going to keep looking," he said.

Markey said the findings are based on an analysis by the Energy and Environment Subcommittee.

"The use of dispersant is always a difficult decision, with environmental trade-offs that must be taken seriously into consideration," EPA spokesman Brendan Gilfillan said Sunday. "As a result, its use in response to the BP spill was subject to numerous strict conditions once it quickly became apparent that BP wanted to use it in unprecedented quantities and in novel ways."

BP's use of disperants peaked at 70,000 gallons on May 24, the EPA said. It was after that the EPA ordered the halt on its use, except for rare occasions. From the time that directive was issued, dispersant use dropped 72 percent, Gilfillan said.

Initially, the EPA was not involved in the day-to-day decisions about which exceptions were granted, but that changed in late June.

"While EPA may not have concurred with every individual waiver granted by the federal on-scene coordinator, the agency believes dispersant use has been an essential tool in mitigating this spill's impact, preventing millions of gallons of oil from doing even more damage to sensitive marshes, wetlands and beaches and the economy of the Gulf coast," Gilfillan said.

Allen said Sunday that he and EPA administrator Lisa Jackson talk daily about dispersant use, saying "we haven't ignored EPA's guidelines."

Markey said the subcommittee also found contradictions on how much chemical dispersant was being used. On other occasions, BP used more than the amount approved by the Coast Guard, Markey said in his letter.

The report brings into question the total amount of dispersants used in the Gulf. BP says it has used 1.8 million gallons to break up oil flowing from the Deepwater Horizon's ruptured well.

"The validity of those numbers are now in question," Markey said.

Meanwhile Sunday, Allen announced that the first of two efforts to seal the ruptured well once and for all could begin as early as Monday night.

The "static kill" -- when mud and cement are poured into the well from above -- had been previously delayed while debris that collected during Tropical Storm Bonnie can be cleared out.

Suttles said that the more likely start for the static kill will be Tuesday.

"I do have a lot of confidence we'll be successful," Suttles said.

That will be followed by a final "bottom kill" after a relief well intercepts the crippled well -- a step that Allen estimated Sunday to begin a minimum of five to seven days after the static kill is complete.

Officials: More than 1,100 dead in Pakistan flooding

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- The devastating floods in Pakistan have killed more 1,100 people, Pakistani government officials told CNN on Sunday.

Another 30,000 people were stuck on their rooftops and in higher areas as they tried to escape rushing floodwaters, a United Nations official said Sunday.

"We've got the government sending boats and helicopters to try to reach people and bring them to safety at the same time as trying to deliver emergency relief," said Nicki Bennett, a senior humanitarian affairs officer for the U.N.

Damaged roads and bridges have made rescuing stranded residents difficult, she said, noting that even a U.N. warehouse where the organization stores food, blankets, soaps and bucks is partially underwater.

"As we are trying to reach people, we have to battle with the ongoing access problems," she said.

The rescue and recovery efforts of the Pakistan flooding could become more complicated as weather officials predict more monsoon rains starting Monday.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department said Sindh, Punjab, Kashmir, eastern parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and eastern parts of Balochistan would receive monsoon rains. Areas along the Indus River would be badly affected due to extremely high flood conditions.

The number reflects those killed only in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, previously known as the North West Frontier Province, said spokesman Mian Iftikhar Hussain.

Flooding has also been reported in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. Twenty-five deaths were recorded there Friday, Hussain said.

A Pakistani Red Crescent official told CNN that the number of people affected by the floods has risen to nearly 2.5 million people, with infrastructure receiving major damage.

Rushing water also has washed away thousands of acres of crops, government buildings, businesses, schools, bridges and homes, officials said.

The United States will assist in relief efforts by bringing in 50,000 meals, rescue boats and helicopters, 12 pre-fabricated steel bridges and water filtration units, the embassy in Islamabad said.

According to Geo TV, 150 people are missing in a northwestern province and 3,700 homes were swept away. Forty-seven bridges in Sawat have been destroyed or damaged.

Geo TV also said 3,000 are in a camp in Nowshera and are without enough water and food. Displaced residents are unhappy with the government response, Geo TV said. Trains have also been delayed, frustrating commuters.

"They have made this a joke," a commuter told the network. "There are young children here but there is no water, nor is there any seating, they have taken our ticket money yet after every few minutes they change the train timings. They are playing a game of lies and deceit."

Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik visited Kyhber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday and found tourists and local residents trapped because of the heavy floods, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

President Asif Ali Zardari said all available resources would be used to help those stranded by the waters, the APP reported.

Many of the victims died when flood waters swept away hundreds of mud houses in parts of Swat Valley and the districts of Shangla and Tank, according to Bashir Ahmed Bilour, a provincial minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Hussain said flooding has cut off the Swat Valley and the districts of Shangla and Peshawar. There is no way to get to these areas by road, he said.

The Pakistani Air Force has been helping with rescue efforts, spokesman Tariq Yazdanie said in an interview on Pakistani TV. The recent torrential rains have broken all previous records of rainfall in the country, he said.

The United Nations said there is a need for help in providing emergency shelter, food, drinking water and sanitation facilities. Its agencies are geared to help with these issues.

The European Commission is providing 30 million euros ($39 million) to help the people affected by the flooding.

U.S. Embassy officials in Pakistan said the United States has committed $10 million to support flood relief priorities, four inflatable rescue boats, two water filtration units that can fulfill the daily water requirements of up to 10,000 people, and

12 pre-fabricated steel bridges to temporarily replace damaged bridges.

U.S. officials have also provided more than 51,000 halal meals (military rations tailored for people of Islamic faith) and another 62,000 will arrive Sunday.

In addition, the U.S. provided helicopters to support the Ministry of Interior's rescue operations.

The same weather system is also responsible for flooding in bordering Afghanistan, where 65 people have died and 61 were injured since Thursday, according to Abdul Matin Adrak, head of disaster management for Afghanistan.

The flooding started Thursday and continued for more than six hours. Rescue teams were able to access all the flooded villages using ministry of defense helicopters. Food and equipment was donated and transferred to the affected people by ISAF and Afghan Security forces.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Greg "Boomer" Roberts, adviser to the Afghan Air Force, told CNN Sunday morning that the Afghan air force rescued about 2,000 villagers who were stranded. Roberts accompanied the air force during their rescue mission in the Kunar province -- a known insurgent stronghold.

"They knew they could accomplish their mission. When we came into the area and the Taliban made their presence known, they continued ... and picked up 2,000 people who were definitely overcome by the floods. And they did it right there in full view of the Taliban.

"There's not a doubt in my mind that some of the folks we picked up are Taliban," he said, adding that most were probably looking for employment with the organization.

He said the rescue mission is the type of move that could sway people away from the Taliban and toward the Afghan government