jan-2012-International

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Dutch government approves burqa ban
On January 28, 2012, the Dutch government approved a ban on face-covering clothing, such as a burqa, a niqab, a forage cap, or a full face helmet. People going on the streets with one of these now risk being fined for up to 380 euros ($499).

“It is very important that people in an open society meet each other in an open way,” Minister of Interior Affairs Liesbeth Spies said after the cabinet meeting.

In April 2011, France had introduced a burqa ban and become the first European country to ban people from concealing their faces in public in any manner.

IMF seeks $500-billion boost to lending resources
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is proposing to raise its lending capacity by $500 billion to insulate the global economy against any worsening of Europe’s debt crisis.

The Washington-based lender currently has about $385 billion available to lend and wants to lift that to $885 billion after identifying the potential for a $1 trillion global financing gap in the next two years. To incorporate a cash buffer, that means asking its membership for $600 billion.

The Washington-based lender is pushing China, Brazil, Russia, India, Japan and oil-exporting nations to be the top contributors.

Options for raising the IMF’s resources include opening a trust fund or not rolling back a 2009 increase.