World View: European High Court Clamps Down on 'Benefit Tourism'

World View: European High Court Clamps Down on 'Benefit Tourism'

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

  • Vladimir Putin causes scandal with shawl for Xi Jinping’s wife
  • European high court clamps down on ‘benefit tourism’
  • African football (soccer) federation expels Morocco over Ebola fears

Vladimir Putin causes scandal with shawl for Xi Jinping’s wife

Vladimir Putin puts blanket on Peng Liyuan, Xi Jinping's wife (Reuters)
Vladimir Putin puts blanket on Peng Liyuan, Xi Jinping’s wife (Reuters)

Russia’s president Vladimir Putin grabbed the spotlight on Tuesday atthe Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, when he put ashawl around the shoulders of the apparently chilly Peng Linyuan, theglamorous wife of China’s president Xi Jinping. Peng accepted theshawl gracefully, but then took it off and accepted a coat provided byher assistant.

The gesture appears to have triggered a scandal, because it appears toshow that Xi was being inattentive to his wife, and it also appearsthat Putin was hitting on Xi’s wife. News of the gesture floodedChinese web sites, as well as many international web sites. However,Chinese censors immediately clamped down, and within hours there wasbarely a trace of the story remaining in China. Russia Today andThe Atlantic

European high court clamps down on ‘benefit tourism’

As Britain’s prime minister David Cameron campaigns to limit freedomof movement of EU citizens between different countries, the EU’shighest court, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has made a rulingthat’s viewed as undercutting Cameron’s campaign. The court ruledthat Germany could refuse to provide unemployment benefits to amigrant from another country under certain conditions. The case wasbrought by a Romanian woman who moved to Germany solely to receivewelfare benefits, and then refused to take any of the jobs that wereoffered to her. Furthermore, since the woman didn’t have “sufficientmeans of support” for herself and her 10-year-old son, she could bedeported back to Romania.

Freedom of movement between nations is a core principle of theEuropean Union. Cameron has proposed that Britain be permitted to puta cap on the number of EU citizens from other countries that couldmove to Britain each year. As we reported last week, Germany is threatening Britain with EUexpulsion if Cameron implements the migrant cap. Cameron’s oppositionis now saying that Cameron’s proposal is no longer needed, because
Cameron says that the ruling is a step in the right direction, andthat he’ll unveil his proposals by the end of the year. The Local (Germany) and Daily Mail (London)

African football (soccer) federation expels Morocco over Ebola fears

Morocco had been scheduled to host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nationsfootball (soccer) tournament from January 17 to February 8, but hasrepeatedly asked that the competition be postponed 6-12 monthsbecause of a fear that large crowds of visitors would bring Ebola toMorocco. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has just asrepeatedly said that the dates of the tournament cannot be changed.So on Tuesday, Morocco confirmed that it will withdraw from hostingthe tournament. At the same time, the CAF expelled Morocco from itsmembership.

There’s been a scramble the last few weeks to find an alternate venuefor the tournament, which is now only two months away. Possiblereplacements being discussed are Algeria, Angola, Egypt and Nigeria.Sun News (Lagos)and BBC

KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Russia, China, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping,Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC, Peng Liyuan,Britain, David Cameron, European Court of Justice, ECJ,Romania, Germany, European Union,Confederation of African Football, CAF, Africa Cup of Nations,Morocco, Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Nigeria
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