ITALY

ITALY
La Repubblica, Rome, April 19: The slightly mocking smile (Mafia boss Bernardo) Provenzano wore while being arrested and the details that have come to light about his life have raised much interest about his dysfunctional handling of power.
His power did not show through the average instruments used by those that rule, but instead it spread in subterranean and unseen ways, as if he pulled many invisible strings. So strong was the fear he relied on to do this that nobody in 43 years ever dared to betray him.
A second trait of the way he handled power was that he was a stranger to the material benefits of his doings.
Austere management
Provenzano was forced into ... austere management of his power, but it did not seem to bother him.
But the manner in which he managed the power he had proves that he was very capable of adapting to the circumstances. Fortunately, police have now put an end to his sharp and cunning management of an execrable criminal organization.
EGYPT
The Egyptian Gazette, Cairo, April 17: The weekend attacks on churches in the coastal city of Alexandria have revived talk about an alleged sectarian strife. The attacks, which left one Copt dead, came a couple of days before the Copts celebrated the Palm Sunday. They were carried out on Friday, which is a sacred day for the Muslims.
So, religious sentiments on both sides run high. Whether the attacks were timed to exploit and agitate these feelings or not will be determined after the current investigations into the incidents.
Sectarian sedition
It is preposterous to conclude that such condemnable attacks would stoke up sectarian sedition in Egypt whose Muslims and Christians have long co-existed in harmony. Still, it would be a self-deception to underestimate the impact of such acts on the relationship between both sides.
A lesson, which should be made from a series of sectarian problems, is that handling these problems should not be left alone for police. Muslim and Coptic clerics as well as educational institutions and the media have to work hard to disseminate tolerance and nip in the bud any bid to foment religious sedition.
JAPAN
Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, April 17: Despite continued calls from the United Nations Security Council to desist, Iran is pushing ahead with its nuclear development program. No matter how much Tehran argues its nuclear intentions are peaceful, if Iran ignores the United Nations, international society will not support it.
International society must keep up diplomatic efforts to defuse the situation. Iran is a major oil producer, so talks of economic sanctions tend to sound hollow. What is needed is a combined, well-planned effort. Russia and China especially, who have close relations with Iran, should work with the international community to ensure peace.
Inclusive approach
Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, the United States has enforced its own sanctions against the country, calling Iran a "state that sponsors terrorists." But such pressure alone is not the only way. We should consider an inclusive approach, one that seeks to bring Iran into the fold with the rest of international society.
The United States is already having a hard time establishing security in Iraq. Washington has said it intends to negotiate with Iran, which wields some influence over Shiite Muslims, to encourage a peaceful solution in Iraq. With the nuclear dispute having reached an impasse, we must also encourage a breakthrough via such a channel of dialogue.
BRITAIN
The Times of London, April 19: The visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Washington will be a difficult diplomatic encounter. Mr. Hu has chosen first to meet the high priests of capitalism at Boeing and Microsoft, where he may find more support than in the U.S. capital during an election year.
There is much frivolous debate over whether this is an "official" visit or a "state" visit. Let us all be clear, this is an "important" visit that will highlight the economic dependence of the two countries and their potential political estrangement. At this time in history there is no more important relationship, and no relationship more vulnerable to avoidable misunderstandings.
Trade surplus
Those misunderstandings are more likely to emanate from Congress than the White House. Few would dispute that the Chinese trade surplus with the United States is large and that the semi-fixed exchange rate adopted by Beijing (at about eight yuan to the dollar) probably undervalues the Chinese currency. And yet no sane economist is calling for a sudden, radical revaluation or any immediate float. There are certainly areas, particularly in intellectual property rights, where the Chinese could and should act with more vigour on the letter and the spirit of international rules. China is prospering from a globalisation that brings with it certain obligations to the global community.
But the sort of vigour favoured in Congress is much less appealing. It is the existence of a sizeable trade imbalance that has prompted outcry, not the subtler explanations as to why this state of affairs might occur. In an echo of sentiments expressed against Japan two decades ago, protectionist forces in both parties on Capitol Hill have endorsed measures, such as retaliatory tariffs on Chinese goods, if the yuan is not revalued massively, which could lead only to a cruelly destructive trade war. Congressmen, too, have obligations to the global community.