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Obama to Meet with Economic Team, Hold News Conference
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President-elect will speak to reporters for first time since winning election -
Live on VOA at 1930 UTC
Watch the News Conference Live on VOANews.com at 1930 UTC (2:30 EST)
US President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle leave University of
Chicago Lab School after parent-teacher conference, 07 Nov 2008 U.S.
President-elect Barack Obama is meeting Friday with economic advisors in
Chicago in the midwestern state of Illinois as he prepares to confront the
country's economic crisis.Mr. Obama's economic team includes past and present
government officials and some high-profile chief executive officers, such as
legendary investor Warren Buffett.Also attending the meeting are former
Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers and former Federal Reserve chairman Paul
Volcker. Both have been mentioned as candidates for treasury secretary. The
president-elect is expected to name his choice soon.After the meeting, Mr.
Obama will hold a press conference - his first since winning the election.Mr.
Obama announced Thursday his chief of staff will be Illinois congressman Rahm
Emanuel, who also served under former President Bill Clinton.In a statement,
Mr. Obama called Emanuel a "good friend" and said he knows no one better at
"getting things done." But House of Representatives Republican leader John
Boehner said the aggressive Democrat is an "ironic choice" for a
president-elect who has promised to make politics more civil.Mr. Obama, a
Democratic senator from Illinois, will be sworn in on January 20. He defeated
Republican Senator John McCain to become the first African-American elected
president.Several U.S. news organizations - the Associated Press, New York
Times and NBC television - announced Thursday that Mr. Obama won the
southeastern U.S. state of North Carolina, which has 15 electoral votes. That
victory gives the president-elect a total of 364 electoral votes - nearly 100
more than needed to win.U.S. President George Bush addressed staffers at the
White House Thursday, thanking them for their work and urging them to do all
they can to help the incoming administration make a smooth transition. Mr.
Bush is to meet with Mr. Obama on Monday in Washington to discuss the transfer
of power.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters, AP and AFP
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Democratic-Led Congress Could Help Swiftly Implement Obama Agenda
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But analysts say no one should expect Democrats to automatically walk in
lock-step with a president of their own party
Expanded Democratic majorities in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives
as a result of Tuesday's election could help President-elect Barack Obama
implement an ambitious agenda next year. But analysts say no one should expect
Democrats to automatically walk in lock-step with a president of their own
party. VOA's Deborah Tate has a look at what kind of relationship to expect
from a Democratic congress and president. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, 05 Nov
2008Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi pledged Democrats' cooperation with
President-elect Barack Obama."Our increased numbers in the House better enable
us to work closely with our new president for a vision for America and a plan
to succeed," said Nancy Pelosi.American University political science professor
Alan Lichtman says there is evidence that when one party controls the congress
and White House, much can get done."History shows if you are a programmatic
president with a big agenda, the best possible thing is to have unified control
of government," said Alan Lichtman. "Franklin Roosevelt, who was elected in
1932 as a Democrat, also came in the midst of a big economic crisis, and he got
a Democratic congress to pass 15 major bills in his first 100 days."But with
that said, Lichtman adds that congressional Democrats will not automatically
'rubber stamp' everything that Mr. Obama proposes. Other analysts agree, noting
that Democrats can be liberal or conservative-leaning or moderate, and divided
by cultural or regional differences. Norman Ornstein (file photo)Norman
Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute says it will be a challenge for
Democratic leaders to constantly deliver enough Democratic votes to pass Mr.
Obama's initiatives, and may at times have to look to the opposition for
support. He says this is especially true in the House, where Democrats will
hold more than 250 of the 435 seats."For democrats to do it all on their own
will require for Speaker Pelosi a very delicate and difficult juggling," said
Norman Ornstein. "That is going to be a tricky process, and I think it will
make it imperative to find some allies on the Republican side."The situation is
much the same with the expanded Democratic majority in the Senate, says Senator
Chris Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat:"The assumption that if you get a certain
number [of Democrats] you can do things automatically, then you don't know this
institution very well," said Senator Dodd. "Even though we have increased
numbers, if you neglect to deal with the other party, you will not achieve
much." Alan Lichtman (file photo)Alan Lichtman of American University says
the key for Mr. Obama is to act immediately, at the start of his administration
when he will enjoy a so-called honeymoon period of political goodwill."I think
it will go six months, and you can get a lot accomplished in six months," he
said. "But the lesson is you've got to strike quickly."Lichtman says Mr.
Obama's experience as a U.S. senator - albeit for two years - gives him a
crucial understanding of the legislative process.It is a comment echoed by
Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, where Mr. Obama has been a member and where Vice
President-elect Joe Biden has been chairman."I think with both the president
and vice presidents moving from chairs in our body that these are people from
the beginning who really have a head start on important issues when it comes to
legislation," said Senator Lugar. "Mr. Obama has an ambitious agenda that
includes efforts to improve the economy, find alternative sources of energy,
tax reform, health care reform, and the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq.
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Pentagon Prepares for First Wartime Transition in 40 Years
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Preparations being made to ensure that key officials of new administration are
ready to take control of world's most powerful military the moment Barrack
Obama takes office on January 20
The current presidential transition in Washington is the first during wartime
since 1968, when President Lyndon Johnson handed the reins of power to
President Richard Nixon during the Vietnam War. That is particularly
significant at the Defense Department's headquarters, the Pentagon. VOA's Al
Pessin reports on preparations being made to ensure that key officials of the
new administration are ready to take control of the world's most powerful
military the moment Barrack Obama takes office on January 20. Bryan
Whitman (file photo)Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman took reporters on a tour
of offices set up for the Obama Pentagon transition team."There are actually
three kind of large areas like this," said Bryan Whitman. "We've got computers
set up, telephones set up, basic supplies, ready for folks to commence doing
some work. You know, we're ready at any time."One desk even has a copy of the
Pentagon's specially prepared transition guide, and Whitman says officials are
developing a list of the top few dozen defense issues the new administration
will have to deal with early in its term. "While this country has a long
history of smooth succession of leadership, it becomes essential that we do it
as efficiently and as effectively as we can because we are a nation at war," he
said. The PentagonThe newly renovated offices for up to two dozen people
are on the Pentagon's prestigious outer ring, just down the hall from Defense
Secretary Robert Gates' office, and not far from the suite of the top U.S.
military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen. Whitman expects the Obama transition
headquarters in Chicago to soon provide the names of the first group of
officials who will work in these offices, and who will begin to absorb the
mountain of information they will need to take over thousands of defense
department programs and the control of U.S. forces worldwide."Everyone
recognizes the unique challenges that lie ahead for not just this department,
but in particular for this department, given the fact that we have forces in
combat zones, in harm's way, deployed overseas as part of the global war on
terror," said Whitman. "And I know that there will be Herculean efforts on the
part of this department to ensure that things go as smoothly as possible, so
that on January 20th this should be as seamless as possible."The Obama team
will have much to learn, and eventually the new president could send more than
200 political appointees to the Pentagon, many of them to serve in key policy
and management jobs. Importantly, the new officials will have to know the
details of how the U.S. military works, but they will also have to absorb a lot
of secret information about key issues, including the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, in order to prepare to make policy decisions. Among the most
controversial of those will be how quickly to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.
Mr. Obama has called for the withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops within 16
months of his inauguration. Senior military officers oppose firm timetables,
and say while some drawdowns will come soon, they want future decisions based
on the often-changing conditions on the ground. There are also several major
reviews in progress of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. Chairman of US Joint
Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, 22 Oct 2008The top military officers
appointed by President Bush will remain in place, at least for a while. Senior
them is Admiral Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has at
least one more year on his term in office. The admiral says he is looking
forward to hearing President-elect Obama's ideas, giving his best military
advice and then implementing the new president's decisions.The top U.S.
military officer with direct responsibility for Iraq, and now also for
Afghanistan, will also remain in his post. He is the newly installed chief of
U.S. Central Command, General David Petraeus, who is widely credited with
turning around the war in Iraq during the last year and a half. In an interview
before the election, Petraeus downplayed talk of potential tension with the
president-elect."Whenever there's a transition of administrations, regardless
of who it is that takes office, there's a dialogue that discusses the relative
importance of various missions," said General Petraeus. "There's provision of
input from military leaders, from the Pentagon, on the forces required to
perform different missions, a prioritization process that is necessary because
resources are not unlimited, and so forth. And so there will be that kind of
dialogue and that's what, in fact, the senior leadership in the Pentagon will
look forward to."Some experts believe the new president is not likely to do
anything that might risk reversing the recent progress in Iraq, even if it
means letting some of his campaign promises slide a little bit. " height=190
alt="US Defense Secretary Robert Gates speaks with media prior to meeting of
NATO defense ministers in Budapest, 09 Oct 2008" hspace=2
src="http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1F31AAB:2DA063D257D43931CB575EC321419A2330EB2FA2E66CBB22&";
width=190 vspace=2 border=0> US Defense Secretary Robert Gates speaks with
media prior to meeting of NATO defense ministers in Budapest, 09 Oct 2008One
major question is who will be the Obama administration's secretary of defense.
Several opinion columns have called for Secretary Gates to be retained, but at
a news conference in April he indicated he is not interested."The circumstances
under which I would do that are inconceivable to me," said Secretary
Gates.Gates says he wants to retire to the western United States with his wife,
but there are hints he might stay for a period of time if asked. There is also
much speculation about who might get the job if he leaves. That all should be
settled soon, as the Obama transition team gets down to business and begins to
figure out who to send to those freshly prepared offices in the Pentagon.
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Rights Group Accuses Congo Rebels of Killing Civilians
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Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior researcher on the DRC for Human Rights Watch says
her organization has evidence renegade General Laurent Nkunda's rebels carried
out the alleged killings
United
Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate halt to
fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where clashes between
rebels and government forces have displaced tens of thousands of people over
the past week. Mr. Ban's statement,
issued Thursday through his spokesperson, came a day before the
secretary-general attends an emergency summit on Congo in Nairobi.
Meanwhile, the
U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch has accused Congolese Tutsi rebels of war
crimes for the alleged killing of numerous civilians in the town of Kiwanja.
Anneke Van Woudenberg is senior researcher on the Democratic Republic of Congo
for Human Rights Watch. She told VOA her organization has
evidence rebels loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda are responsible for
the killings.
"Human
Rights Watch has document that in the town of Kiwanja, a town that is some 70
kilometers north of Goma, that on November 4th and November 5th,
there was fighting between the Tutsi rebels of General Nkunda and local Mai-Mai
rebels, and in those particular battles numerous civilians were killed. But
more worryingly we documented that after the battles were over that the rebel
forces of General Nkunda ordered some 30,000 people to leave the town, and then
went door to door attempting to find collaborators, killing many people in the
operation in what clearly was a violation of international humanitarian law,"
she said.
But
General Nkunda's rebels denied killing innocent civilians. The group said it
was only going after pro-Congolese government militia.
Van
Woudenberg said the rebels have told similar stories in the past.
"What
we know is that when combat finished and they asked the population to leave the
town that they then killed numerous individuals, many of whom were civilians
who they assumed were collaborators of the Mai-Mai. But I do think it's
important
to remind everyone that these are indeed war crimes. Once combat is over, once
individuals are no longer armed, they cannot be executed in this style and in
this format, and especially people who never had anything to with the combat,"
Van Woudenberg said.
She
did not rule out recommending General Nkunda's name to the International
Criminal Court for possible war crimes prosecution.
"Human
Rights Watch, of course this is not the first time that we have documented
crimes either by the troops of General Nkunda or indeed by many other armed
groups in eastern Congo. What I think it's crucial is that further
investigations are carried out, and indeed we've very much urged judicial
authorities either from the International Criminal Court or from national
jurisdictions to urgently look at what happened and to ensure that actors not
just from these killings that happened in Kiwanja but from other towns as well
over the past few years are held to account and are arrested," she said.
United
Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Thursday called for an immediate halt to
fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Mr. Ban's statement,
issued Thursday through his spokesperson, came a day before the
secretary-general attends an emergency summit on Congo in Nairobi.
Van Woudenberg hoped the international community would heed
the Secretary General's call to support MONUC, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in
the DRC, and which has been criticized for doing little to protect civilians.
It's certainly clear that from the
events of the past few days that U.N. peacekeepers did not come to aid of
civilians in Kiwanja. But of course this is a peacekeeping force that is
largely stretched out across this huge country, and I think it is absolutely
urgent that U.N. member states, specifically the European Union heed the call
of the Secretary General. He has requested additional troops for the U.N.
peacekeepers. So far that request has fallen on death ears. I really hope that
the Secretary General's call is answered and that over the weekend and also
early next week international leaders would put forward additional help for
this beleaguered U.N. mission," Van Woudenberg said.
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EU Leaders Discuss Global Financial Crisis
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Among ideas discussed: giving IMF much larger role in stabilizing financial
system
European leaders are meeting in Brussels Friday to discuss a joint strategy for
tackling the global financial crisis ahead of next week's meeting in Washington
on the issue. Lisa Bryant has more for VOA from Paris.Current European Union
president, France, is taking the initiative on the meeting, as it pushes for
quick action to tackle the global financial meltdown. The Agence France-Presse
news agency (AFP) reports French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants concrete
proposals to reform the financial system within 100 days after next week's
meeting in Washington that gathers the world's top 20 economies. There is also
talk of giving the International Monetary Fund a much larger role on
stabilizing the financial system. French European affairs minister Jean-Pierre
Joyet spoke to reporters before Friday's meeting. Joyet said international
leaders have an historic occasion to define new rules and organizing methods of
the world financial system. Friday's EU meeting, he said, would agree on a
calendar and work method, and common support for a greater role by the
IMF.Governor of the European Central Bank French Jean-Claude Trichet (L) and EU
foreign policy chief Javier Solana arrive for an informal working lunch meeting
of EU heads of state and governments in Brussels, 07 Nov 2008But European
leaders are far from united on what is needed to tackle the financial crisis,
as Center for European Reform analyst Katinka Barysch points out. "Within the
European Union you have quite significant differences at the moment between the
governments on what the longer term reaction to the crisis should be," said
Barysch. "And Sarkozy, who is called a hyperactive president, is coming up
with a wealth of proposals about what the EU should do and most of them are
being shot down as soon as they emerge."In particular, European governments are
divided over just how much the government should intervene to regulate the
financial system. Those divisions are also likely to be reflected during next
week's summit, with the outgoing Bush administration more cautious about a
fundamental overhaul of the system. Analysts also believe little action is
likely until a new US administration under President-elect Barack Obama takes
office.
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Rice: Creation of Palestinian State Coming
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But US secretary of state cautions that Israel's plans for more West Bank
settlements are hurting negotiations
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the creation of a Palestinian
state is approaching, but cautioned that Israel's plans for more West Bank
settlements are hurting negotiations.U.S. Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice is
presented with a gift by Palestinian Pres. Mahmoud Abbas, 7 Nov. 2008Rice spoke
Friday after meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West
Bank.Rice has acknowledged that an Israeli-Palestinian agreement will not be
reached by a target date of year's end, but said efforts will continue in the
administration of president-elect Barack Obama next year.Rice has been also
meeting with several Israeli leaders, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak
today. Rice will return to the West Bank for more talks Saturday. She is now in
Israel and will fly to Jordan this evening for dinner with Jordan's King
Abdullah. She will hold meetings Saturday and Sunday in Egypt with other envoys
of what is known as the Mideast Quartet -- Russia, the U.N. and the E.U. --
negotiating regional peace, as well as the foreign ministers of several Arab
nations. In violence Friday, Israeli military officials said suspected
Palestinian militants fired two rockets from the Gaza Strip into southern
Israel, but did not cause any damage or casualties.
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India's Technology Industry Fears Cuts in Outsourcing from US
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During campaign, Senator Barack Obama said he will give incentives to companies
creating jobs at home, stop giving tax breaks to those shipping jobs overseas
Many in India cheered Barack Obama's victory in the U.S. presidential election.
But India's technology and outsourcing sector is watching cautiously to see if
a new U.S. administration will implement policies that will cut down
outsourcing from American companies. Anjana Pasricha has a report from New
Delhi. Billboard of an information technology company at BangaloreIT.biz
in Bangalore, India, 06 Nov 2008Over the last decade, Indian companies have
flourished as overseas companies outsource work such as sales calls, technical
help desks, accounting and software development to India. The country's huge
pool of English-speaking graduates and software engineers work at a fraction of
the wages paid in the West, helping to cut down the cost of doing business. But
there is some uncertainty if work will continue to flow from American companies
at the same pace under a new U.S. administration. During his campaign, Senator
Barack Obama said he will give incentives to companies that create jobs at
home, and stop giving tax breaks to those that ship jobs overseas. Indian
finance minister, P. Chidambaram, remains optimistic that India's outsourcing
sector will not be impacted. "A comment here or a comment there about
outsourcing etc. should not bother us," he said. "Once he is in office, he will
realize that in an interconnected world, countries have to work
together."However, some industry analysts fear that U.S. businesses, already
battling an economic crisis, will reduce work sent to countries like India.
Much of the work is farmed out by clients in the banking, financial services
and insurance sector - many of which are hit hard by the financial
meltdown.Others are optimistic that any slowdown in outsourcing will be short
lived. The president of Business Process Industries Association of India, Samir
Chopra, says eventually economic pragmatism will prevail, ensuring that
outsourcing continues to flourish. "There is a little bit of uneasy wariness in
this entire process, but it going to be very short term. Eventually what would
take over is the economics of the business ... they would have to necessarily
outsource to reduce the absolute cost of doing business. So outsourcing
definitely would bounce back," said Chopra. Nearly 400 of the world's 500
largest companies outsource some work to India - and a large chunk of this
comes from U.S. clients. Rapid expansion in recent years has helped the
technology and outsourcing sector's earnings to grow to $50 billion annually.
But in recent months, growth has begun to slow, and many IT and outsourcing
companies expect lower profits this year.
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Future US First Lady Seeks to be Role Model
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Biographer describes Michelle Obama, 44, as a trailblazer who is a very
committed wife and mother
On January 20, Michelle Obama will become the nation's first African-American
first lady. As VOA's Kent Klein tells us, it will be the latest in a series of
barriers she has broken. Michelle Obama (27 Oct 2008 file photo)Michelle Obama,
44, her husband Barack and their daughters Malia and Sasha, are about to move
into the most prestigious home in America: The White House. But it is not the
first time Mrs. Obama has been a pioneer.When she was a child in Chicago, her
family moved into what had been an all-white neighborhood.Liza Mundy, who has
written a biography of the incoming first lady, says they were not welcome."So
one of her first experiences as a young girl would have been experiencing
greater economic opportunity for her own family, a nicer neighborhood, nicer
home, but also witnessing the fact that white families were moving away from
hers, even as they were moving up in the world," Mundy said.Later, Michelle
Obama was among the first African-American students to attend prestigious
Princeton University, despite resistance from some students and alumni. From
there, she went on to Harvard University Law School and a career at a top
Chicago law firm, where she met her future husband.President-elect Barack Obama
stands on stage along with his wife Michelle and daughters during election
night gathering in Grant Park, Chicago, 04 Nov 2008The wife of the soon-to-be
first African-American U.S. president is very conscious of her status as a role
model and how her family is perceived."What a symbol that it will show to so
many young boys and girls out there, particularly kids of color, who have never
seen themselves in a major way," Mrs. Obama said. Biographer Liza Mundy says
the Obama family's move to the White House will help redefine the image of
African-Americans."Just to see such a lovely family in the White House, I
think, in terms of Americans' mindsets and the images and stereotypes that
people have of African-Americans, seeing them, I think, will expand everyone's
sense of possibility and, hopefully, erase stereotypes," Mundy said. During the
campaign, however, Michelle Obama occasionally was the target of critics. Some
questioned her patriotism after she made this comment about her husband's
success."For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my
country," she said.After some in the media criticized the comment, her husband
Barack Obama issued a warning."If they think that they're going to try to make
Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should be careful. These folks should
lay off my wife," he said. Michelle Obama is an advocate for working families,
especially military families, and might make that her cause as first lady.
Mrs. Obama might also campaign for more national service on behalf of young
people.Close friend Angela Acree says Michelle Obama's true passion is raising
her daughters."I think she defines herself by what is most important to her,"
she said. "And I think at this point in her life, it's raising the girls so
that they are comfortable, safe and happy."Mrs. Obama says she wants her
daughters to have as normal a childhood as possible."Part of it is keeping
their worlds very much their own," she said.Biographer Liza Mundy says the
incoming first lady works hard to keep her children first."She's at every
soccer game; she's at every ballet lesson, every ballet performance," Mundy
noted. "He [Barack Obama] is at every ballet performance, because she requires
it. So she is a very committed parent."Even though she is a trailblazer,
Michelle Obama seems to relish her most traditional roles: those of wife and
mother.
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World's Youngest King Admits He Doubted Ability to Reign
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5th Druk Gyalpo calls ascension to throne a matter of destiny, promises to work
tirelessly to serve people his entire life
As many as one of every 12 Bhutanese gathered in a stadium Friday to hear a
rare address to the nation from their new king. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman
was there for the speech by the world's youngest monarch and has this report
from Thimpu, the capital of the small Himalayan nation of Bhutan. Largest known
gathering of Bhutanese fete their new king in the National Stadium, 07 Nov
2008It is believed to be the largest-ever gathering of Bhutanese in one spot.
An estimated 50,000 people spent Friday in the national stadium celebrating the
coronation of Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.The traditional three cheers came
after the 28-year-old king, in a rare public speech by a Bhutanese monarch,
acknowledged that when his father passed on the responsibilities to him two
years ago he had serious doubts as to whether he was capable to shoulder the
responsibilities. The Fifth Druk Gyalpo reviews military troops and police at
celebration marking his coronation, 07 Nov 2008The Fifth Druk Gyalpo or King of
the Land of the Thunder Dragon, calls his ascension to the throne a matter of
destiny. But he says he will work tirelessly to serve the people his entire
life.His speech and the festivities were aired on national television, which
normally does not broadcast during most of the day. During the day of
celebration in the 2300 meter high capital, traditional dances and songs were
performed as the king and other members of the royal family watched. One of
the king's gifts arrives in the national stadiumAlthough the young king told
his Buddhist subjects he is wanting for nothing and has no material desires, in
accordance with tradition, he was presented with a number of gifts. Among them:
several satchels of coins, nine bags of cereals, five bales of textiles and a
number of animals, including three elephants, several sheep, a pair of yaks,
two horses and a mule. During the afternoon, the Fifth Druk Gyalpo, whom many
here already refer to as "The People's King," left his reviewing stand to
mingle with the crowd. Bhutanese handed him white ceremonial scarves which he
placed around the necks of his subjects. The monarch, partly educated in the
United States and England, becomes Bhutan's first sovereign under the Himalayan
nation's written constitution, signed less than four months ago. Female police
officers marching at National Stadium during Coronation celebration, 07 Nov
2008The country also held its first national democratic elections this year,
making it the world's youngest democracy, another reform introduced by the new
king's father, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The Fourth Druk Gyalpo, who himself was
given the Raven Crown at the age of 17, came to international prominence for
envisioning the development concept of "Gross National Happiness" for the
former feudal and isolated state.
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South Korean Fortunetellers Gather For Peek at Tomorrow
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One soothsayer tells VOA's Kurt Achin signs point to improved relations between
Seoul, US and global financial recovery after February 4
A major power transition is under way in the United States, and the global
economy is reeling from the ongoing financial crisis. So who knows what the
future will bring? Perhaps South Korea's fortunetellers do. They held a
conference this week in Seoul where, as VOA's Kurt Achin reports, many take
traditional means of divining the future quite seriously. A South Korean woman
consults a street fortune teller, who appears to be giving her bad news, in
central Seoul (file photo)A lot of people have questions about the future -
things like whether the markets will go up or down, or whether there will be
war or peace in some of the world's hot spots.The answer could lie in the shape
of a mountain landscape - or the shape of President-elect Barack Obama's face -
or, in a 1,000-year-old Chinese chart of the planets' movements.Those are just
a few tools of the trade for fortune tellers here in South Korea. Lee
Sang-hyun is one of several hundred who attended a fortune tellers' conference
Friday in Seoul. He says he has been divining the future for 20 years, but the
tradition is much older.He says "Yuk Hak," the Korean style of Asian fortune
telling, has influenced Korean habits and thought for more than 1,000
years.Fortune telling is never far away in modern Seoul life. The city has
dozens of fortune telling cafes, offering a glimpse of the future alongside
your cappucino. Plastic tents, just large enough to fit a fortune teller and a
customer or two, are a common sight on downtown sidewalks.Lee says Korean
fortune tellers choose from a variety of specialties.He says there is
"gung-hap," which is the art of matching personality types. Or "poong-su" -
similar to the Chinese "feng shui" - for reading the landscape. There is the
face reading art of "kwan-sang." Or, there is "saju" - the art of reading
palms and studying the month, day, and hour you were born for clues of
destiny.Some of the fortune tellers at Friday's conference, not surprisingly,
made predictions. Choi Wan-young has spent 35 years practicing the "joo-yuk" -
the study of basic elements like earth, fire, and water.He says signs point to
an improvement in relations between South Korea and the United States.
Moreover, he says, a global financial recovery will start soon after February
4.Bae Kum-san is the chairman of the Korean Fortuneteller's Commission. He has
some good news, and some bad news, for North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.North
Korean leader Kim Jong Il (l) talks with soldiers as Kim inspects a female
military unit, 11 Oct 2008 (frame grab distributed by South Korea's Yonhap news
agency) He says Kim Jong Il, widely believed to be recovering from a stroke,
will be fine until the year 2010. After that, says Bae, he will be "not so
fine."Fortune tellers like Bae have no shortage of clients. Koreans frequently
consult them when they are getting married, moving residence, running for
public office, or starting a new job. In fact, fortune telling was one of the
few industries that truly thrived during the 1997 financial crisis here in
South Korea.
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