Monthly Archives: April 2015

Jim Kaucz works on the pen and ink poster depicting scenes from World War I to commemorate the Gallipoli centenary. Photo: Graham Tidy

Planes dogfight over the black devastation of the Western Front. Below them tanks and cannons pound away at vulnerable soldiers, trapped in trenches by shell explosions and poisonous gas. Below that chaos, the heavily defended ridges of Gallipoli and the peace and order of homes left behind.

Australia’s experiences in World War I have been distilled into a richly detailed artwork to mark the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings. Commissioned by Fairfax Media, Anzac 100: Australia and the Great War is by artist Jim Kaucz.

Mr Kaucz took inspiration for the work from the Australian War Memorial, whose head of military heraldry and technology, Nick Fletcher, praised the intricate detail of the work and its overview of the nation’s war experiences.

“There is a lot of complex detail and a huge variety of images examining the war in a small area. This is an image where every time you look at it you can spot a new detail,” Mr Fletcher said.
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“All of the campaigns and theatres [of war] Australia was involved in have been covered,” he said.

Mr Fletcher said many of the visual references – such as a Kodak sign marking the fact this was the first conflict recorded through snapshots as well as by professional image makers, the use of the Australian flag, which had been adopted in its final form in only 1908, and Kitchener’s face on a recruiting poster – were cleverly done.
A detail from Jim Kaucz’s pen and ink artwork.

A detail from Jim Kaucz’s pen and ink artwork.

Mr Kaucz, a retired town planner, started work on the project last November.

Signature features of his “monoliths”, the first of which was created while a student in Edinburgh 45 years ago, include a vertical orientation, a central monolithic structure, ascending spirals and a lithographic quality created by blending heavily stylised pen and ink graphic elements.

He said the vast bulk of the effort involved was the research and the creation of a montage of images that served as the plan for the finished work.

“The final drawing is done in pen and Indian ink,” he said. “It is a very unforgiving medium; there is no room for mistakes.”

Mr Kaucz said the Great War monolith took the viewer on a visual journey from the domestic tranquillity of suburban life (at the bottom right hand side of the picture) through the various theatres of the war to a world laid waste.

Animals, many of which have been conscripted to serve in humanity’s war, feature strongly. They include carrier pigeons being pursued by trained hawks, horses, donkeys and camels and even a German message-carrying dog.

The rise of the killing machines, including tanks, battleships, submarines, aircraft and some of the biggest guns ever built, is also documented.

The human perspective is front and centre with dozens of individual portraits including Turkish and Australian soldiers and leaders from the various sides.

Australian heroes include Simpson, AE2 commander Henry Stoker, Charles Bean, General Harry Chauvel and Monash.

The monolith is crowned by the Leaning Virgin of Albert, a statue on a cathedral in the French province of Picardy.

source:brisbanetimes.com.au

Η μεγαλύτερη πρόκληση που αντιμετωπίζει η Ελλάδα δεν είναι το χρέος, αλλά η ανάκτηση της ανταγωνιστικότητας, δήλωσε ο γερμανός υπουργός Οικονομικών Βόλφγκανγκ Σόιμπλε μιλώντας στο Ινστιτούτο Brookings στην Ουάσινγκτον.

Ο Σόιμπε εκτίμησε ότι το θέμα του χρέους δεν είναι το ουσιώδες σήμερα, αλλά το βασικό είναι να κινηθεί η Ελλάδα με τέτοιο τρόπο ώστε η οικονομία της να γίνει αποτελεσματικότερη. Το να παράσχει ελάφρυνση χρέους δεν θα βοηθήσει στην μακροχρόνια επιτυχία, εκτίμησε.

Η Ελλάδα, πρόσθεσε ο γερμανός υπουργός Οικονομικών, βρισκόταν σε ένα πολλά υποσχόμενο μονοπάτι. Τώρα η νέα κυβέρνηση θέλει να αλλάξει τα πράγματα και πρέπει να μας εξηγήσει πώς οραματίζεται το δρόμο εμπρός.

Ο Σόιμπλε επανέλαβε ότι χώρες που ολοκλήρωσαν το πρόγραμμα έχουν αρχίσει ήδη να δράττουν τους καρπούς των κόπων τους, ενώ σημείωσε ότι κατά την εμπειρία του όλες οι δημοκρατικές κυβερνήσεις επιλέγουν την εύκολη λύση, αν αυτή είναι διαθέσιμη.

Ο ίδιος είπε χαρακτηριστικά ότι εάν κάποιος, το Πεκίνο, η Μόσχα ή η Ουάσινγκτον, βρεθεί να ποσά της τάξης των χρημάτων που δόθηκαν στην Ελλάδα θα ήταν ευπρόσδεκτο. Όμως -πρόσθεσε- αυτό είναι δύσκολο.

Ο Βόλφγκανγκ Σόιμπλε χαρακτήρισε τον Γιάνη Βαρουφάκη, που μιλά αργότερα στο Ινστιτούτο Brookings, έμπειρο οικονομολόγο, είπε όμως ότι δεν θα συναντηθεί μαζί του στην Ουάσινγκτον και παραδέχτηκε ότι δεν θα άλλαζε τη θέση του με εκείνη του έλληνα υπουργού Οικονομικών.

Παραδέχτηκε επίσης ότι η Γερμανία απολαμβάνει τα μεγαλύτερα οφέλη από την ευρωπαϊκή ολοκλήρωση και είναι προς το συμφέρον της να υπερασπιστεί το κοινό ευρωπαϊκό νόμισμα, άρα και να δείξει αλληλεγγύη. «Η αλληλεγγύη, όμως δεν είναι δρόμος μονής κατεύθυνσης», συμπλήρωσε.

Πηγή:in.gr

Η Ελλάδα θέλει περισσότερο από όλους να υπάρξει γρήγορα συμφωνία με τους εταίρους της, αλλά το σημαντικότερο είναι να υπάρξει «επιτυχής κατάληξη» και όχι να προσυπογράψει όλα τα αιτήματα των πιστωτών, δήλωσε ο υπουργός Οικονομικών Γιάνης Βαρουφάκης μιλώντας στο Ινστιτούτο Brookings στην Ουάσινγκτον.

Ο Γ.Βαρουφάκης δήλωσε ότι οι διαπραγματεύσεις για την Ελλάδα έχουν διεθνές αντίκτυπο και εξηγώντας γιατί είναι τόσο δύσκολες, είπε ότι ο ίδιος και η κυβέρνηση θέλει περισσότερο από όλους να υπάρξει γρήγορα συμφωνία, γιατί όσο περισσότερο κρατούν, τόσο περισσότερη θα είναι ασφυξία στην οικονομία.

«Τίποτα δεν θα ήταν ευκολότερο από το να υπογράψουμε όσα λέει το μνημόνιο» είπε προσθέτοντας όμως ότι το σημαντικότερο είναι να υπάρξει «επιτυχής κατάληξη» και ότι εάν η κυβέρνηση αποδέχονταν όλα τα αιτήματα των πιστωτών θα ήταν λάθος.

«Γιατί θα ήταν λάθος να βάλουμε απερίσκεπτα την υπογραφή μας στη λογική, τη φιλοσοφία και τις λεπτομέρειες του υφιστάμενου προγράμματος; Διότι αυτό το πρόγραμμα αποτελεί μια συνταγή, μια θεραπεία, που κανένας λογικός άνθρωπος δεν μπορεί να θεωρήσει επιτυχημένη.

»Η επιμονή ότι πρέπει να συνεχίσουμε με τη λογική του, τη φιλοσοφία του και τις πολιτικές του, είναι βέβαιό ότι μεσοπρόθεσμα θα ενισχύσει μια εικόνα την οποία πρέπει να εξαλείψουμε: την εικόνα της Ελλάδας ως ένα απύθμενο πηγάδι, μια εικόνα που αποτελεί μεγάλη απογοήτευση στους διεθνείς εταίρους μας ενώ βουλιάζει το λαό μας σε αφόρητη απελπισία» είπε.

Διαβεβαίωσε δε ότι η ελληνική κυβέρνηση είναι έτοιμη να αναλάβει το πολιτικό κόστος για ορισμένες δύσκολες αποφάσεις που είναι απαραίτητες για να ανακτήσει την εμπιστοσύνη των εταίρων της παγκοσμίως.

Όμως σημείωσε ότι η κυβέρνηση του πρωθυπουργού Αλέξη Τσίπρα δεν θα προσυπογράψει στόχους που γνωρίζει ότι η οικονομία της Ελλάδας δεν μπορεί να πετύχει μέσω πολιτικών που οι εταίροι μας δεν θα έπρεπε να θέλουν να επιβάλουν.

«Δύο είναι στα στοιχεία μιας έντιμης και αποτελεσματικής συμφωνίας: Μια ατζέντα βαθιών μεταρρυθμίσεων που η ελληνική κοινωνία μπορεί να αγκαλιάσει με ενθουσιασμό και ένα μακροοικονομικά λογικό δημοσιονομικό σχέδιο» είπε.

Απαντώντας στο ερώτημα γιατί η Ελλάδα είναι η μόνη που εξακολουθεί να αντιμετωπίζει προβλήματα, σε σχέση με τις άλλες χώρες που μπήκαν σε πρόγραμμα, ο κ. Βαρουφάκης εξήγησε ότι αυτό ήταν γιατί δεν πέρασαν τόση λιτότητα.

Η Ελλάδα όχι μόνο πέρασε από μία περίοδο λιτότητας χωρίς προηγούμενο σε περίοδο ειρήνης, αλλά, όπως συμπλήρωσε, πέρασε από μία «πυραμίδα» ανάπτυξης, σε μία «πυραμίδα» λιτότητας (from ponzi growth to ponzi austerity) και οι δύο βασισμένες σε ένα μη βιώσιμο δανεισμό.

Κατά τις διαπραγματεύσεις, συμπλήρωσε ο Γ.Βαρουφάκης, δεν επιδιώκουμε να επιβάλλουμε τις απόψεις μας, αλλά ζητάμε την ευκαιρία, πρώτον, να ακουστούμε και, δεύτερον, για το χρόνο και την ευχέρεια να λάβει χώρα αυτός ο διάλογος.

Πρέπει να πείσουμε τους εταίρους μας, ειδικά από τη Βόρεια Ευρώπη, ότι δεν θα επιστρέψει στην σπάταλη το παρελθόντος. Και εκείνοι πρέπει πείσουν εμάς ότι μιλούν σοβαρά για την επανεκκίνηση επενδυτικών προγραμμάτων, είπε.

Πηγή:in.gr

The search area for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 will be expanded by another 60,000 square km in the Indian Ocean if the jetliner is not found by May, officials said Thursday, affirming their commitment to not give up until it is located.

Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said that Malaysia, Australia and China, which are leading the hunt for the Boeing 777 that went missing on March 8 last year, are “committed to the search.”

“If the aircraft is not found within the 60,000 square km, we have collectively decided to extend the search to another 60,000 square km within the highest probability area,” he said. However, searchers are hopeful that they can find the plane in the current search area, he said.

The announcement removes some ambiguity about the future of the search as it was never made clear what would happen if the plane is not found. It will also come as a solace to the relatives of the victims, who are holding out the hope of recovering the bodies.

Liow said the two areas together would cover 95 percent of the flight path of the plane, which went missing while on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. Most of the passengers were Chinese. It dropped off the radar, and investigators using satellite data later figured out that it made a series of turns and headed in a completely opposite direction from where it was going before crashing into the Indian Ocean.

“We are confident we are searching in the right area,” Australian Deputy Prime Minister and transport minister Warren Truss said at the news conference, alongside Liow. “We are confident we have the best search equipment … if the plane is in the area we will find it.”

“Australia and Malaysia have been sharing the cost and we will continue to do that,” he said. “We are confident we will be able to fund whatever is necessary.”

In the first phase, a total of 120 million Australian dollars ($93.6 million) was spent by the two countries, split equally, and Liow said the next phase is estimated to cost A$50 million ($39 million).

The lower cost is because the equipment has already been purchased.

The two ministers said they expect the second phase to take the rest of this year. But it is likely to be hindered by bad weather as winter sets in soon in the southern hemisphere, where seasons are opposite that of the northern hemisphere.

A statement issued after the meeting said the ministers also agreed on plans for recovery activities, including securing evidence, in the event the aircraft is found, but gave no details.

In late January this year, Malaysia’s government formally declared the plane’s disappearance an accident and said all those on board were presumed dead. A comprehensive report into the disappearance found no significant anomalies in the flight, except that the battery of the locator beacon for the plane’s data recorder had expired more than a year before the jet vanished.

That still does not explain what caused the plane to veer so off course in what has become aviation’s biggest mystery that continues to confound experts and investigators alike. At the same time, the relatives of the dead have got no closure and many still believe that their loved ones may be alive amid a host of conspiracy theories including one that the plane was hijacked and landed somewhere safely.

One theory also has the plane flying west to Maldives. Truss said the plane may have had enough fuel to reach Maldives but it would have been impossible for it to be in the reported area in daylight and not be seen by anyone. Also, the flight path to Maldives would be inconsistent with satellite and radar data. “It is not considered a likely possibility,” he said.

China’s transport minister Yang Chuantang said China may contribute vessels and other assets in the next search phase.

“We will marshal some physical assets including vessels to participate in the search,” he said. “We will not waver in our commitment to continue the search until we find the plane and resolve the mystery.”

source:thehindu.com

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble ruled out further concessions to Greece, saying it’s up to the Greek government to commit to the reforms needed to release aid rather than give false hopes to its people.

Schaeuble, speaking in a Bloomberg Television interview in New York on Wednesday, said that another debt restructuring wasn’t up for discussion now, and that Greek demands for war reparations from Germany were “completely unrealistic.”

“It’s entirely down to Greece,” said Schaeuble, 72. While some kind of restructuring might be on the agenda in 10 years, “today the issue for Greece is reforming its economy in such a way that it becomes competitive at some point.”

Greece’s plight is deepening with no end in sight to the standoff with creditors over releasing the final installment of bailout aid, which has been stalled since the January election of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s anti-austerity government. Standard & Poor’s cut Greece’s rating Wednesday to CCC+ from B-, citing the country’s deteriorating outlook.

Greek 10-year bond yields surged and bank stocks plunged to their lowest level in at least 20 years on Wednesday after Die Zeit newspaper reported the German government was working on a plan to keep Greece in the euro area if the country defaulted, triggering a halt to European Central Bank funding. The Athens Stock Exchange Index dropped 0.8 percent at the start of trading Thursday and bond yields were little changed.

“We don’t have such plans, and if we were working on them — because ministry staff are taking just about everything into consideration — then we would definitely not talk about it,” said Schaeuble. “It makes no sense to speculate about it.”

June 30 deadline

With a monthly bill of about 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) for pensions and salaries and repayments to its international creditors looming, Greece is targeting next week’s meeting of euro-area finance ministers in Riga, Latvia, as a deadline for unlocking the funds.

While Schaeuble said earlier Wednesday that “no one” in the euro region expects a resolution of the standoff by the Riga meeting on April 24, he softened his tone in the interview, saying that the end of the program on June 30 was the only deadline that mattered.

“If Greece wants support, we will give this support as in recent years, but of course within the framework of what we agreed,” he said. While the decisions ultimately lie with Greece, “whatever happens: we know that Greece is part of the European Union and that we also have a responsibility for Greece and we will never disregard this solidarity.”

U.S. warning

Greece and its creditors need to reach an agreement to avoid events such as a Greek exit from the euro, which would cause “an enormous amount of disruption and hardship,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew said in an interview.

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis plans to meet Lew on Friday after attending a White House reception Thursday on the occasion of Greek independence 194 years ago.

Germany has repeatedly dismissed Greek demands for reparations for the country’s occupation and atrocities committed during World War II. The Greek government most recently cited a sum of 278.7 billion euros, almost equivalent to Germany’s entire budget for this year. Schaeuble added his voice to those saying the demand doesn’t advance the goal of stabilizing Greece.

“This has been ruled on so many times by the international courts that the revival of this discussion can only lead to raising hopes with the Greek people that are completely unrealistic,” he said.

Schaeuble, who is in his second term as finance minister in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, the biggest contributor to Greece’s 240 billion-euro bailout and one of the foremost advocates of budget cuts and economic reforms in return, is due to attend the International Monetary Fund’s spring meetings in Washington this week.

Asked if he planned to meet Varoufakis during his trip, Schaeuble said that he would “surely” see him the following week in Riga.

“He meets many people and so do I, but perhaps we’ll meet,” said Schaeuble. “If we meet, we’ll talk, of course. Sure, no problem.”

source: ekathimerini.com

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew urged Greece and its international creditors to reach an agreement on steps that need to be taken to avoid the nation’s exit from the euro and any resulting crisis.

“There’s no doubt that if this leads to a crisis such as Greece leaving the eurozone, it will cause an enormous amount of disruption and hardship in Greece,” Lew said in an interview Wednesday. “Even if the contagion risk is much less now than it was, say, in 2012 and earlier, it would not be a good thing in a world economy just recovering from a deep recession to have that kind of uncertainty introduced.”

Lew will meet Friday with Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis during semiannual International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Washington. Some European officials, including German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, are skeptical whether there is enough time to work out a deal warranting a disbursement from the 240 billion-euro ($256 billion) international bailout.

Speaking about China’s planned Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Lew said he was encouraged by conversations he had with Chinese officials during last month’s trip to Beijing. Lew indicated that the U.S.’s resistance to joining may fade at some point, though the current question is whether China can ensure the bank operates in a way that enhances economic opportunities.

“We haven’t foreclosed any options for the future,” he said. “We’ve made clear to China and to the international financial institutions that we very much look forward to being able to collaborate.”

Lew reiterated his call for other economies to strengthen and said the strong dollar reflects the relative pace of expansion of the world’s largest economy compared with others.

“I certainly don’t want the U.S. economy to get weaker,” he said. “We have the good fortune of having the stronger economy. The other economies need to get stronger.”

source:ekathimerini.com