Disassembly of a springfield trapdoor

German workers reinforce pay claims with strikes
Germany’s efforts to maintain economic growth are been undermined by strikes and worsening industrial relations. Thousands of public sector workers took to streets across the country in the latest in a series of protests over wages. They are pushing for a 6.5 percent salary increase. One woman taking part in rally in Cologne said: “Yes, we are angry because we are always working and have to work much harder now with fewer people, so we want more money.” A man at the same demonstration said: “Those who are working, don’t get the money, but those on the top, they get all the money in their pockets. I am against this.” The country’s largest public service union called on its members to strike after pay negotiations collapsed last week. The action hit transport, causing problems for commuters in several cities. There were similar stoppages earlier this week and more protests are expected in the coming days. Pay talks are set to resume on March 12. More about: Germany, Protest, Public transport, Strike

March against violence in FYR Macedonia
Thousands of activists, celebrities and intellectuals have marched in the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia calling for an end to the worst inter-ethnic violence in a decade. Over the past fortnight there has been a spate of clashes between the Slavic-speaking majority and ethnic Albanians, who make up at least a quarter of the population. More about: Albania, Ethnic minorities, Macedonia, Protest

UK inflation dips
Inflation in Britain edged down in February to the lowest level in over a year. It was at an annual rate of 3.4 percent from January’s 3.6 percent. That extended a decline from September’s three-year high of 5.2 percent. The British central bank and the government see lower inflation as crucial for the UK’s fragile economic recovery to gather pace. The theory is that easing inflation will allow hard-pressed consumers to increase spending this year and boost the UK economy. Britain’s consumers have cut back spending sharply in recent years as price rises outpaced meagre wage growth and the government’s tax increases and spending cuts are also hurting household budgets. The Bank of England forecasts that consumption should pick up later this year as it predicts inflation to fall below its two percent target by the end of 2012. But the drop in the headline inflation rate in February was slightly smaller than economists had forecast, highlighting the risk that price pressures will not fade as quickly as hoped. The Office for National Statistics said a drop in prices for housing, electricity, recreation and culture pushed overall inflation down, while a record rise in prices of alcoholic beverages contributed most to the increase in costs of living. In a sign that underlying price pressures are fading as well, core inflation – which strips out volatile components such as food and energy – fell to 2.4 percent, the lowest since November 2009. More about: Bank of England, English economy, Inflation, United Kingdom

French working class rally for their presidential hopeful
Thousands of people have turned out to rally in support France’s far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon. Some 30,000 people joined in a march at Paris’ Place de la Nation. Melenchon – who’s a staunch anti-capitalist -has verbally attacked France’s political elite, a move analysts say is helping him shake up the campaign. Opinion polls show he’s surpassed the symbolic 10 percent mark, with only five weeks to go before the first round of voting on 22nd April. More about: 2012 French presidential election, Communism, france 2012, French politics, Paris

French ‘master of comics’ artist Moebius dies
One of France’s best-known cartoonists, Jean Giraud – also known as Moebius – has died in Paris at the age of 73 after a long fight against cancer. The comic-book artist and designer was revered in a country where cartoons are held in high artistic regard, but his work also found fame in Japan and the United States. Moebius was perhaps best known for the Western series Blueberry, which he co-created. Its main character starts out as a committed racist before becoming an enemy of all types of discrimination. The Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, whose book “The Alchemist” was illustrated by the cartoonist, wrote on Twitter that “the great Moebius died today, the great Moebius lives on”. More about: Art, Death, France

Al-Qaeda kills American teacher in Yemen
An American working as a teacher in Yemen has been shot by al-Qaeda. ?�He was killed in an attack by two men on a motorcycle in the city of Taiz, 200 kilometres?�south of the capital Sanaa.?�The man had been working in a Swedish language school.?�There has been an increase in violence, particularly linked to al-Qaeda, since the uprising in Yemen.?�Following?�33 years in charge, Ali Abdullah Saleh handed power over to new president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has vowed to be tougher?�on?�al-Qaeda. ?�Militant groups?�have taken?�advantage of the leadership problems, seizing some?�control in different?�provinces of the country. More about: Al-Qaeda, Assassination, Attack, Islamists, Yemen

Greek debt deal: what it means
If Greece had not achieved its bond swap deal the eurozone’s financial system could have been destabilised and the euro undermined. So vital was it to Greece’s financial future that the Athens government said it would use “collective action clauses” a legal means to enforce the deal on all holders of its outstanding debt that is regulated by Greek law. Major banks and pension funds have supported the debt swap but when they trade in their bonds for new ones it means they will take losses of as much as 75 percent on the value of their investments. With the deal Greece will get out of repaying over 100 billion euros of the money it borrowed. The European Central Bank was exempt from participating in the bond swap. Bank President Mario Draghi defended that on Thursday saying it was in the “public interest”. He added the ECB has a “duty to do everything to protect the taxpayers’ money that it was entrusted with.” Draghi also said there is no ‘Plan B’ for Greece to leave the eurozone if the bond swap and second bailout fail. He said: “To have a ‘Plan B’ means to admit defeat, and we don??�t want to be defeated.” More about: ECB, Economic recovery, Greece, Greek debt

Closing the science gender gap
For too long, scientific research has been dominated by men. Women are still under-represented in many disciplines and rarely get the top scientific jobs. What are the reasons for this inequality, and what needs to be changed so that women in science can stand on their own two feet? We look for answers in this week’s ‘Futuris’. More about: Education, Research, Science, Women’s rights Is International Women’s Day useful in improving women’s rights? A Javascript enabled browser that accepts cookies is required in order to participate in the poll. yes (30%)  no (63%)  i don't know (7%)  // pollTS[0]) { pollTS = cookie; cValid = true; }; }; warning.parentNode.removeChild(warning); if(cookie && cValid) { for(var i = 1; i < pollTS.length; i++) { votes += parseInt(pollTS[i], 10) || 0; }; var total = 0; for(var i = 1; i < pollTS.length; i++) { per = pollTS[i] > 0 ? Math.round(pollTS[i] / (votes / 100)) : 0; if(total + per > 100) { per = 100 - total; total = 100; } else { total += per; }; output[output.length] = '' + questions[i - 1] + ' (' + per + '%) '; }; pollHTML += "" + output.join("") + ""; }; if(!cookie) { pollHTML = ' yes no i don’t know'; }; if(pollHTML) { content.innerHTML = pollHTML; }; })();// ]]>

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi suspends campaign
Myanmar’s leading opposition figure, Aung San Suu Kyi, had cut short her election campaign after falling ill. She has returned home to Yangon to recuperate but she will still be a candidate in next week’s by-elections as the country aims to move towards democracy after years of military rule. More about: Aung San Suu Kyi, Legislative election, Myanmar, Myanmar politics