One vacancy for every 10 people

According to the Trades Union Congress there are 10 people for every job vacancy in the UK. This is just an average figure as in some parts of the country, for example in the South-East region of England, there are 60 people looking for the same job. The situation seems desperate as the UK faces the highest unemployment rate since 1998. 

Current unemployment rate indicates that there are 2 million people looking for a job in Britain. The Office for National Statistics will publish more detailed information on the matter this week. Brendan Barber, general secretary of TUC, said that these figures “blow out of the water the government's claim that there are plenty of jobs available for people who are prepared to look". 

Unfortunately, the problem is not over. The British Chambers of Commerce expects the number to jump to 3.2 million by the second half of the year. The director of BCC said that governments should do more so as to help firms struggling with the situation. 

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7945426.stm

Obama gives stem cells a go

A stem cell is a type of cell that can turn into any other type of cell in the human body. Our organs, muscles and even bones were formed out of stem cells when we were just embryos. Many say the researches on the embryonic stem cells can lead to medical breakthroughs; however, it raises ethical questions. 

Former President George W. Bush did not let anybody use government money to support researches on stem cells. Current President Barack Obama decided to lift all the restrictions on the funding of these projects, saying: “The restrictions that President Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem cell research have handcuffed our scientists.” This decision comes as a promise from the current president who said that if elected he would not let politics interfere with any scientific research, and he would reverse the decision of the Bush administration. 

Note that stem cells can also be created without using any embryos. But of course to develop such techniques would require again a huge amount of money, which cannot be raised without any significant support. Therefore several researches welcomed Obama’s decision. Dr George Daley of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute said: "I feel vindicated after eight years of struggle, and I know it's going to energise my research team.” 

But there will always be people who protest against stem cell researches. For example, Dr Robert Evans, a pastor and bioethicist, who expressed his views to BBC early this year: “What it signals is that the human embryo has been denied moral standing and a corresponding right to life. As an evangelical who believes all life is created equal in the image of God, and that we have moral standing from the moment of conception, I would view that as a very chilling decision." 

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7929690.stm

Kenyan government accused of assassinations

Nowadays, there is a human rights group (consortium) in Kenya that holds the government responsible for assassinating many of its own citizens. Oscar Kamau Kingara and his colleague were killed not long ago and this caused a major outcry in the country. Oscar had a foundation that had accused local police of killing thousands of people. The government and the police, obviously, denied any allegations related to their involvement of the murders. 

However, a UN investigator called Philip Alston thinks that the police have definitely something to do with this issue. As he told BBC: “It is extremely troubling when those working to defend human rights in Kenya can be assassinated in broad daylight in the middle of Nairobi. This constitutes a major threat to the rule of law, regardless of who might be responsible for the killings.” Mr Kingara gave evidence to Mr Alston, who released a report on this matter later. In the report Mr Alston wants several officers as well as the attorney general to take responsibility by handing in their resignations as soon as possible. 

One can ask the question why Mr Kingara and his colleague, both regarded as active human rights defenders, had to be assassinated. Mr Kingara’s foundation had published a report in which it had stated that almost ten thousand Kenyan had been killed since 2002 and for that the report had held the police responsible. Later, however, a government spokesman accused the foundation of raising money for the so-called Mungiki, a gang the police previously had a raid against. It should be also mentioned that after the murder of Mr Kingara and his colleague, university students gathered around their car not to release their bodies to the police. 

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7927873.stm

North Korea and UN are on speaking terms again

As there has been some tension between North Korea and the US, the two nations decided to set aside their differences. Meetings are in progress as we speak between the generals of the two countries at the border village of Panmunjom. The idea comes after a tense period: the US provoked the Koreans at the border whereas North Korea was planning to fire a missile. 

Now, these military talks are considered positive as they can lead to reduced tension between the parties as well as greater transparency so that the intentions of both sides will be clear and understandable in the future. Hostilities between the North Koreans and the Americans have existed since the 1950-53 Korean War in which the US backed-up South Korea whereas North Korea was supported by China. 

However, the two Korean countries are still not on speaking terms. Their military officials have had a few discussions lately but, unfortunately, without any success. These talks have taken place in the so-called Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), which is a 4-kilometre wide buffer strip. Recently the US has been accused of crossing the border line in the DMZ without any permission. The US and South Korea denied allegations; meanwhile, a US envoy is about to visit Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul to discuss ways in order to try to deter North Korea from the missile launch and persuade the country to start nuclear disarmament. 

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7918117.stm