SOUTH AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA
The Star, May 19: Motorists, already battling with high car maintenance and repayment costs, face a further onslaught on their incomes when the government hikes the price of petrol by at least 34c a litre.
The inexorable rise in international oil prices, particularly in the last fortnight, must have sent shivers down the spine of every motorist, commuter or traveller in this country. By the end of this month, year-on-year fuel prices will have increased by about 23 percent.
There is a disproportionate impact on the poor. They have to spend a higher percentage of their wages on taxi, rail or bus fares, while the rich spend a lower percentage of their income on fuel for their cars.
To top it all, higher transport costs will soon translate into a few cents more being charged at your local greengrocer.
Chinese demand
Conflict in the Middle East, falling oil stocks in the U.S., strong demand from China and a reluctance by producers to increase supply are said to be the main drivers of the price surge.
Some economists argue that high oil prices have been closely associated with global recessions. They are already predicting lower consumer spending in Europe and the U.S. due to higher fuel costs. This should be a warning to local economic policymakers.
For the consumer, the only real way to save money on fuel is to travel as little as possible.
BRITAIN
The Daily Telegraph, London, May 19: It must have been a gruesome sight: the elite of the Cannes film festival applauding someone even more self-regarding than themselves. Michael Moore, portly archpriest of the anti-Bush cult, premiered his film "Fahrenheit 9/11" at the festival this week.
Many of the claims made in "Bowling for Columbine," his Oscar-winning film about America's gun culture, have unraveled spectacularly under scrutiny. Many American commentators -- including Left-wing ones -- are embarrassed by the crudity of his rhetoric, the unreliability of his "facts" and the gulf between his claim to represent blue-collar America and his personal lifestyle.
Rock-star entourage
Mr. Moore lives on New York's Upper West Side and travels in corporate jets with a rock-star entourage. Asked about this by the Los Angeles Times, he implied that only middle-class journalists were bothered by the contradiction - "the working class just thinks it's cool."
The truth about Moore is that this self-righteous critic of corporate America is one of its most bloated beneficiaries. It is time someone made a film about him -- and someone is. Later this year, a young filmmaker, Mike Wilson, will unveil a documentary entitled "Michael Moore Hates America," in which the self-proclaimed "slob in a baseball cap" will find his techniques turned on himself.
CANADA
Red Deer Advocate, Alberta, May 18: The Manitoba government is enacting a no-nonsense law that calls for strict policing aimed at keeping trashy, high-tech games out of the hands of youngsters. It's a first for Canada to subject all video games to a rating system. It's a move other provinces should take note of and follow.
The Amusement Amendment Act is an attempt to help parents who complain that video games have increasingly become sexually explicit and violent. While British Columbia and Ontario have slapped R ratings on specific video games, those lame-duck policies do not go far enough. Currently on the market ... are games that make violent conflicts now rocking the real world look like child's play.
Heavy hand
If legislation requires a heavy hand to get that message across, then so be it for the sake of the children. There is no room for debate, given the world's current turmoil: Iraqi prisoners being abused; an American having his head hacked off; the limbs of children flying in all directions at the hands of a suicide bomber.
That's the real world that violent video games do not project. Yet such actions are condoned in the name of entertainment. ... To expose a child to a play game of violence can nurture a feeling of numbness and indifference toward the real world. ... To allow violent video games to go unchecked smacks of hypocrisy.
ITALY
Corriere della Sera, Milan, May 17: Something very serious is happening in Nasiriyah. Three days of combat around the Italian base reached its peak in the attack of the Libeccio base, triggering an evacuation.
Italians have the right to know if the so-called "rules of engagement," which our troops stick to, are adequate for the new military situation, or if they represent a way to tie the hands of our soldiers, exposing their weakness to enemy fire with the illusion of safeguarding the "peaceful" character of the mission.
Extremist factions
In the sharing of tasks among the allies, Italy was entrusted at the time to Nasiriyah; their task was to impede the extremist factions from taking over the city.
But now the city is falling into the hands of the extremists.
If our troops must stay in Nasiriyah, it is necessary that the country perceives the dramatic conditions under which they operate.
Our soldiers, we repeat, must be given the means to defend themselves and to attack when necessary. If the government is not prepared to take on this responsibility, then the (Jose Luis Rodriguez) Zapatero line would be better: that is a return home before mourning other victims.
JAPAN
Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, May 17: Power changed hands in India, as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party took a drubbing in the latest general election. The rival Congress Party will take over after an interval of eight years.
What brought about the upset? There may be a variety of causes, but the most important may have been that voters who could not share in the benefits of economic growth turned against the BJP government.
Heavy-handed politics
While many developing countries tended to have dictatorial governments and heavy-handed politics for the sake of economic development, India has seized opportunities for development by building on a free society. ... Developing countries that aspire to be rich have much to learn from the Indian way.
Being thrown out of power, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said he would extend a helping hand as long as the new government's efforts are in the national interests. His words are suggestive of the richness in India's experience in democracy and his confidence in its future.