Villagers give royals a taste of PNG traditional culture

Published on Nov 4, 2012 by australianetworknews

Prince Charles has charmed his hosts in Papua New Guinea by breaking into Pidgin English during a speech in Port Moresby.

He paid tribute to the role played by Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels in World War II and brought greetings from the Queen.

PNG's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said the monarchy was as relevant today as it had ever been.

PNG correspondent Liam Fox reports on the royal tour.

Australian PM ends Burmese isolation

Published on Nov 5, 2012 by australianetworknews

Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard has ended almost three decades of the diplomatic isolation of Burma, becoming the first Australian leader in 28 years to meet her Burmese counterpart.

Jakarta struggling to meet property demand

Published on Nov 5, 2012 by australianetworknews

As Indonesia grows, Jakarta booms.

But the key players insist that this time it's not a property bubble, destined to come to a shuddering halt.

The mega-city is struggling to keep up with the demands of new business as well as poorer people looking for better places to live.

Indonesia correspondent Helen Brown reports from Jakarta.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/australianetworknews/newsline/

FT World: Spain's olive farmers feel the pressure

Published on Nov 5, 2012 by FinancialTimesVideos

The FT's Miles Johnson reports from Andalucía on a an industry squeezed between a supply glut and the impact of the legacy of its property bubble.

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French told to be more competitive

Published on Nov 5, 2012 by Euronews

http://www.euronews.com/ France must dramatically slash its labour costs to become more competitive.

That is the conclusion of a review by French industrialist Louis Gallois.

He wants the people and politicians to "patriotically" back what he calls shock therapy to reverse the country's declining competitiveness.

The Socialist government commissioned the review, but is unlikely to follow its recommendations.

Gallois, the former head of aerospace firm EADS and French state railways, said: "My diagnosis is based on a rather severe decline in French industry, which has experienced an accelerating decline in the last 10 years. I am proposing 22 key measures which I call 'a competitiveness shock' to recover from this huge crisis of confidence."

With French hourly labour costs among the highest in Europe - more than twice what they are in Britain - Gallois wants the government to slash social contributions for employers and employees and to make labour laws more flexible to boost exports and the number of factory jobs.

President Francois Hollande has, however, already ruled out any "shock" measures even though the International Monetary Fund is also urging major reforms by France to boost its competitiveness and economic prospects.

In its annual report on the French economy, the IMF said President Hollande had bolstered his credibility with financial markets with his pledge to cut the public deficit to 3.0 percent of economic output next year from 4.5 percent in 2012.

But it added: "(France's) growth outlook is being overshadowed by a significant loss of competitiveness."

"This loss predates the current crisis, but there is a risk it will get worse if France does not adapt at the same pace as its trading partners in Europe, notably Italy and Spain," the IMF said.

Echoing Gallois, the Washington-based organisation said France should seek to ease its rigid labour regulations, which make it hard for companies to hire and fire workers as business cycles fluctuate, and lighten payroll taxes which are a disincentive to investment.

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Exchange of experiences secures Geogia's agriculture | Global ideas

Published on Nov 5, 2012 by deutschewelleenglish

Climate change and unsustainable agriculture emaciated Georgia's soil. Now, German farmers show their Georgian colleagues how to obtain the precious soil in future. A film by Juri Rescheto

More information on: www.ideasforacoolerworld.org

World's biggest telescope to seek origins of the universe (2:05)

Nov. 5 - Scientists in Chile are eagerly awaiting the opening of the world's most sophisticated telescope next year, which they say will reveal answers to many questions about the origins of the universe. Sitting atop a wind-swept plateau in northern Chile, the $1.3 billion ALMA observatory promises to probe deeper into space than any other telescope. Ben Gruber reports.

Previewing Asia's Stock Futures

Bloomberg's Zeb Eckert previews the stock futures for Japan and South Korea.

Snack Pack: WTI, SPY Puts, Bond Flight to Quality

Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) – Bloomberg’s Stephanie Ruhle, Alix Steel, Dominic Chu and Adam Johnson update the top trading stories of the day. They speak on Bloomberg Television’s “Lunch Money.”