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Mayor threatens demolition
of homes in East Jerusalem
Jerusalem, 5 February 2010: After Israel’s attorney general has ordered Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat to evacuate a Jewish settlers' house, which was built illegally in the centre of a predominantly Palestinian neighbourhood, a spokesman for the mayor said Palestinian houses built without permission would also be demolished.

Israel claims the entire city as Israel's eternal capital while the Palestinians insists that East Jerusalem will the future capital of any Palestinian state.
Mayor Barkat is opposed to sharing Jerusalem with Palestinians in any peace agreement.

Rafiq Husseini, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the possible destruction of up 200 Palestinian homes a move, which could seriously undermine the peaceful coexistence of Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem. "No peace process can survive and no negotiations can begin while people's homes are being demolished," he said.

US foreign minister Hillary Clinton described the threat to Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem as provocative.

Pakistan’s President says
local elections will be held
Karachi, 31 January 2010: Pakistan’s President Asif Zardari has confirmed that local government elections would be held within the next four months in the country’s most populous province, Sindh. The announcement ends months of wrangling between Sindh’s two largest parties, the Pakistan People Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) over when and how local elections should be held. Officially the terms of local councils and city nazims (mayors) expired last year – the last local ballots were held in late summer 2005.

A particular point of contention was the replacement of mayors with government-appointed administrators prior to the elections. This is supposedly done to prevent sitting mayors from unfairly influencing the electorate during the campaign. However, the MQM, who is confident of holding on to its strongholds in Sindh’s urban centres, including Karachi, fears that, once administrators are appointed, the government may cancel the elections citing security issues. “The PPP-led provincial government is jealous of the popularity and international recognition of Syed Mustafa Kamal, the MQM mayor of Karachi,” political observers believe.

Opposition to local government elections in Sindh has come from former President Pervez Musharraf’s Pakistan Muslim League (PLM-Q). A spokesman for the party said, while his party would fully take part in any elections, the PPP had caved in to demands from the MQM.

Meanwhile, Pakistan President Zardari has encouraged the further development of Karachi, saying he would like to see the largest city in the world to become a model-city for the region. He directed Karachi’s city administration to produce a satellite map of city and update it regularly to monitor the progress of all developments. “I don’t want to see the progress of these projects on a map. I want to see on my computer children playing in these parks,” the President said.

Zardari also promised to inaugurate himself a new city to be built between Karachi and Hyderabad. The city will be named Zulfiqarabad, in memory of the late Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Japanese voters
reject US base
Tokyo, 26 January 2010: Voters in the Japanese city of Nago, Okinawa have delivered a thumbs-down to a central government plan to relocate US forces in the region.  Base relocation opponent Susumu Inamine beat the incumbent mayor Yoshikazu Shimabukuro 52% to 48% in the poll, which was closely watched by prime minister Yukio Hatoyama, who promised to rethink the plan in light of the result.  Tensions over base relocation have run high in the islands since an accord signed between the two nations in 2006 and the issue has played out poorly in relations between the new administrations of the US and Japan.
 
Backed by the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the New Komeito, Shimabukuro said he would stand firm by the previous LDP government’s decision to relocate US forces on Okinawa and pointed to 1,000 new jobs created in the 60,000 strong city under his mayoralty.  His opponent Susumu Inamine ran with the support of both the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and its Social Democratic Party and People’s New Party coalition allies, as well as the Japan Communist Party.  Both candidates shied away from the national party machines however and sought to concentrate on local issues.  The new mayor was also supported by local residents’ groups while the former mayor was backed by local construction firms which hoped to benefit from the project.

Pakistan’s parties argue
over rule of large cities
Karachi, 18 January 2010: The two largest parties in Pakistan’s Sindh province – the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) – have finally agreed to hold local elections, however, it remains unclear when and how they would be held. While in Sindh, the PPP, Pakistan’s governing party and the MQM, which has its stronghold in Karachi, share power, they disagree over the role of city mayors (nazims). The MQM is in favour of retaining the present system of council-elected mayors, while the PPP wants to replace them with government-appointed administrators.

Since the last local ballots in Sindh were held in 2005, new elections were due last year. But Pakistan’s PPP government, mindful of the popularity of Karachi’s MQM mayor Syed Mustafa Kamal and other city leaders, decided on delaying tactics. Critics have accused the government of wanting to reverse to the British colonial system of governing the country’s large cities. “The PPP leadership fears the independence and power of mayors like Kamal and would prefer the big cities to be governed by appointed administrators,” City Mayors was told. Commentators also said that the government was quite happy to retain nazims in smaller towns and rural communities but not in large population centres.

Plans to relocate Korean
government abandoned
Seoul, 13 January 2010: Plans to create a new seat of government in South Korea have been abandoned by the current government on account of economic uncertainty. The government of President Lee Myung-bak instead issued a revised city plan to create a new business and science hub in the planned Sejong City 150km from capital Seoul, by encouraging the country’s largest companies and investors to relocate, alongside its universities. The country’s opposition, as well as ruling party factions, have however vowed to contest the revised plan, which requires significant legislative change to amend the current policy of administrative relocation, passed under the last government.
 
The move follows a 2005 decision by then president Roh Moo-hyun to relocate many of the country’s ministries and agencies to the new special city as part of a programme to promote more regional development outside of the capital, where nearly half the country’s population lives. However, prime minister Chung Un-chan has since talked down the prospect of such a large scale relocation of the seat of government on the grounds that it would be economically unviable. Supporters of the current president Lee Myung-bak also argue that it presented a constitutional danger in having what would ostensibly be two capital cities in one country.
 
If the new plan receives parliamentary approval then it is anticipated that 246,000 jobs will be created in the new city by 2020, with corporate commitments from leading companies already promising to relocate their offices and factories there. The city’s development agency claim that it will by 2020 be a beacon in education, science, industry, green technology and international exchange. The issue is likely to prove divisive among the ruling Grand National Party in the run up to the 2012 presidential elections, with incumbent Lee Myung-bak facing off against popular legislator and opponent of the new policy Park Geun-hye.

Seoul mayor confirms
fight for second term
Seoul, 6 January 2010: South Korea’s political parties are preparing for this year’s local elections which are predicted to become a midterm popularity test for President Lee Myung-bak. The 2 June local elections will decide the chiefs in 16 metropolitan and provincial governments including Seoul, Incheon and the Gyeonggi Province.

Incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has already confirmed his will to run for a second term. His confirmed rivals include ruling Grand National Party three-term lawmaker Won Hee-ryong, Democratic Party legislator Kim Sung-soon, who has served five times as borough office chief in Seoul, and Roh Hoe-chan, former lawmaker and leader of the minor opposition New Progressive Party. More candidates are expected to declare themselves.

Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo, who is serving his second term, also declared in July last year that he will make his third attempt to maintain his post. There is still a question mark over whether Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-su will try to continue his job as governor for the region, which has an estimated population of more than 11 million. (Report by Cho Ji-hyun, Korea Herald)

Afghan president
fires Kabul mayor
Kabul, 5 January 2010: Following pressure from US officials, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has finally sacked Abdul Ahad Sahebi, the mayor of Kabul, who last month was sentenced to jail over corruption charges. After the mayor’s conviction the president initially defended Sahebi, saying he was a clean person and doubting the charges against him.

A spokesman for the president said the new mayor would be Mohammad Younus Nawhandish, a civil engineer. He also told journalists that the sacking had nothing to do with the prison sentence. “The president just wants a new and capable man in the job," he said.

Japanese mayor stands
by eugenicist comments
Tokyo, 29 December 2009: A Japanese mayor has refused to apologise following a series of critical remarks directed at the disabled and ill newborns. Shinichi Takehara, mayor of Akune on Kyushu island in southern Japan, was roundly criticised after eugenicist comments made on his blog and at a lecture to local business managers. The mayor is defiant in the face of the official complaints made against his remarks and even produced a ukelele during the meeting, at which he sang a mocking song against his detractors.
 
The row began with a blog post in November, in which the mayor wrote: “Advanced medical care allows those to live who would once have been weeded out by natural selection. The result: more children going into care.” At a 14 December council meeting however, Takehara refused to issue any kind of retraction, in the face of political criticism by city assembly members: “If I apologize, my activities will be restricted and the issue would be taboo.”
 
Following the broadcast of a TV documentary on neonatal intensive care, the mayor told the 21 December business forum meeting: “In order to establish a vibrant society, we need to delve into the definition of life. Unless we prune it back, our whole society could be ruined,” He added: “If branches decay, we must cut them off.” Takehara’s remarks drew heavy criticism from charities for the disabled, as well as both the city and prefectural (county) assemblies, who claimed that the mayor’s remarks could adversely affect the city, not least in the eyes of parents of disabled children.

Turkey arrests
Kurdish mayors
Ankara, 27 December 2009: At least seven mayors were among some 70 Kurdish politicians arrested by Turkish police over the Christmas period. Anti-terrorism squads in Turkey conducted raids in 11 cities, arresting campaigners and members of the Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), a party banned earlier this month in a controversial judgement by the country’s constitutional court. The judges argued that the DTP maintained closed links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, (PKK). The PKK, which fights for a separate Kurdish homeland, is regarded by the European Union as a terrorist organization.

The raids took place in cities across the southeast of the country as well as in Istanbul and the capital, Ankara. The ban on the DTP, which led to days of unrest in Kurdish areas of Turkey, was opposed by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

Osman Baydemir, a leading DTP member and mayor of Diyarbakir, the main city in southeast Turkey, condemned the arrests. “We have a message to give to this government: don't categorize us as hawks and doves. We, all the mayors and members of parliament, who have not been taken to custody will be outside the court tomorrow. Either you take us in, too, or you release our friends. He added that a day will come when the government will find no one to shake hands with," the mayor told a crowd of people. (Report by VoA News and local journalists)

Japanese city pioneers
anti-suicide procedure
21 December 2009: The city of Kurihara in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan is attracting interest from other municipalities on account of the pioneering anti-suicide policies of its mayor, Isamu Sato.  The city government has made substantial cuts to Kurihara’s suicide rate, once nearly double the national rate, by aligning counselling for the depressed with economic packages to alleviate debt.  “People are driven to suicide because they are struggling in their daily lives. And I'd like people to know that even a little city in rural Japan can take steps to effectively tackle the problem.” said Sato.

Kurihara’s pioneering approach has been to recognise that many suicides in Japan occur because struggling citizens feel they can’t cope on account of tight finances. Therefore rather than concentrate solely on counselling the depressed, the city has provided much-needed lower interest bridging loans to struggling farmers, as well as financial counselling.  The city’s suicide rate has fallen from 48.6 per 100,000 in 2005 to 27.5 in 2007, with a further reduction anticipated for this year, despite an overall rise in the national rate.  The policy is now being closely studied by other Japanese cities, such as Adachi City in Tokyo, where officials are now pro-actively identifying the at-risk for early intervention to stave off suicides.

Kabul City Hall
in total disarray
Kabul 15 December 2009: Kabul’s city government is in total disarray after the deputy mayor Wahibuddin Sadat has been arrested for allegedly misusing his authority. The arrest comes five days after his boss, the mayor, was sentenced to four years in jail. Sadat was taken into custody at Kabul airport as he returned from Mecca. No further details have been released by the police.

Sadat's arrest comes five days after an Afghan court convicted Kabul mayor, Abdul Ahad Sahebi, of awarding a contract without competition and sentenced him to four years in jail. He was also ordered to repay more than $16,000 involved in the contract.

Mayor Sehebi, who has appealed against the conviction, is refusing government orders to give up his post and claims he is being targeted as part of a political vendetta. The government departments involved in the case have so far failed to agree on who should enforce the court's ruling. Neither the courts nor the police say they have the ability to seize Sehebi and send him to jail and he is still receiving police protection at city hall.

The mayor was the first high-profile Afghan politician to be convicted since a task force was ordered by Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, to target government officials suspected of criminal activity. The solicitor general's office is also looking into claims that Sehebi failed to account for millions of US dollars that were meant to pay for reconstruction projects. (Report by Al Jazeera English)

Kabul mayor refuses to resign
despite corruption sentence
Kabul, 11 December 2009: Despite being convicted for corruption and sentenced to four years in prison, Kabul mayor Abdul Ahad Sahebi refuses to resign. A city spokesman said the mayor was free until the courts decided whether to allow an appeal. Speaking to the press, the mayor blamed a conspiracy against him for the court’s decision.

The charges against the mayor involve a contract, which the city awarded without competitive tendering. In addition to four-year prison sentence the mayor was ordered to repay the US$16,000 involved in the contract.

A representative from Afghanistan’s attorney general’s office expressed surprise that the mayor had gone back to City Hall and was allowed to give a press conference. "As far as the the attorney general, Abdul Ahad Sahebi is not mayor of Kabul."

Right-wing alliance wins
Mumbai mayoral election
Mumbai, 1 December 2009: India’s ruling centre-left Congress Party has failed to have its candidate elected Mayor of Mumbai. Instead Shraddha Jadhav from the right-wing Shiv Sena party in alliance with the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the fight for one of the most important jobs in Indian local government. Shraddha Jadhav takes over from Shiv Sena mayor Shubha Raul whose two-and-half-year term ended.

Prior to the vote, the Congress Party, which together with its allies commands 109 seats on Mumbai’s municipal council, sounded confident of winning the ballot. "We are very much sure of winning the seat of mayor,” a Congress spokesman predicted. However when it came to voting, the party was let down by some of its friends on the council, while Shiv Sena-BJP coalition could muster all its supporters. At the end Shraddha Jadhav received 114 votes with Congress candidate Pricilla Kadam on 95. Shiv Sena has been ruling the Mumbai municipal corporation for the past 15 years.

Chinese urban growth could
be good for the environment
Beijing, 21 November 2009: Urbanisation in China has now reached an unprecedented rate as its economy continues to encourage settlement in cities.  A report by the World Resources Institute has found however that rising population rates in cities could actually help mitigate against climate change with lower emissions and more energy efficiency, if managed urbanisation is guided by the right policies. By 2025, one billion people will live in China’s cities, with 221 cities of one million or more residents, in contrast to the nine such cities in the US. This urban expansion will be akin to 10 new New York Cities in terms of population growth and construction of new buildings.

The growth of Chinese cities has been a relatively recent phenomenon, with 44 per cent now living in cities compared to 20 per cent in 1980. Of the cities projected to grow by 2025, 23 will have populations of more than five million, while two new megacities of more than 20m residents will be created. 

The study however challenges the assumption that population growth in cities inevitably leads to a corresponding rise in CO2 emissions, pointing out that Tokyo (8m) emits less than Santiago (5m) on account of its advanced transit network. The challenge therefore is to ensure that sufficient urban transit is built into new development in order to mitigate against the negative effects of population growth by discouraging car use.

Furthermore, urban homes of the future will require more energy efficient construction materials, while the consumers who reside in them will require smarter appliances along the same lines. The study claims that the Chinese government is already utilising emerging technologies to ensure that future products do not raise CO2 levels and encouraging consumer activity in this market through subsidies, though infrastructure financing remains a challenge.

Mayor welcomes the expansion of
Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem
Jerusalem, 18 November 2009: Nir Barkat, the Mayor of Jerusalem, welcomed the Israeli government’s decision to expand the Gilo settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. In a statement, which also criticises US special Middle East envoy George Mitchell, the mayor said he strongly objected to demands to halt construction in Jerusalem. “We will allow construction for Jews, Muslims, and Christians in any part of Jerusalem without prejudice," he said.

While a spokesman for US Secretary of State said that the US government was deeply disappointed by the Israeli decision to approve the construction of 900 new units in mostly Arab East Jerusalem despite objections by the United States and the Palestinians, Mayor Barkat argues that Israeli law does not discriminate between Jews, Muslims, and Christians or between eastern and western Jerusalem. “The demand to halt construction by religion is not legal in the United States or in any other free place in the world."

Israel annexed East Jerusalem following the 1967 Middle East war in a move that is not recognized internationally. Israel insists East Jerusalem is part of Israel and rejects efforts to restrict building there. Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future state they hope to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Most foreign embassies, including America’s, are based in Tel Aviv.

Israel's decision to build additional housing units in Gilo was condemned by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Suicide bomber kills
anti-Taliban mayor
Islamabad, 9 November 2009: A Taliban suicide bomber has killed 13 people including the Mayor of Peshawar and wounded dozens of others in north-western Pakistan. The bombing occurred near a crowded market on the outskirts of the city and was aimed at the anti-Taliban mayor Abdul Malik.

The slain mayor was once a Taliban supporter, but he switched loyalty to the government recently and mobilized villagers to form a tribal militia against militants in his area.  Since turning against the militants more than a year ago, Abdul Malik had survived several attempts on his life.  He had stopped near the cattle market, says an eyewitness, to meet his friends when the bomber struck.

The eyewitness says that a young man in his early 20s walked up to the mayor and blew himself up as soon as a security guard tried to check his identity.  He says the powerful explosion immediately killed most of the people, including the anti-Taliban mayor.

Taliban militants have repeatedly struck in different parts of Pakistan, killing scores of civilians and security forces.  Authorities believe the violence is retaliation for the ongoing military offensive in South Waziristan, where extremists linked to al-Qaida and Taliban have set up bases.  Late last month, a powerful car bombing in Peshawar left more than 100 people dead, all of them civilians. (Report by Ayaz Gul, VoA)

14 Philippine mayors
on illegal drugs watch
Manila, 20 October 2009: The chairman of the Philippines’ Dangerous Drugs Board, Vincente Sotto, announced that 14 mayors were placed under scrutiny because of their alleged involvement in illegal drugs. City Mayors learnt that two of the mayors were from Metro Manila.

But Sotto tried to alleviate fears that involvement with illegal drugs was widespread in local government. “There is no cause of alarm at present because the 14 mayors comprise less than one per cent of the total number of municipal and city mayors in the Philippines.” The country has more than 1,500 mayors.

Sotto added that in addition to local government officials the list also included police officers and media celebrities. "We are closely monitoring all those on the list and if they are proven guilty of the allegations, we will put them behind bars," he told reporters. He also disclosed that the Philippines had the third-highest number of shabu - an amphetamine derivative – laboratories in the world.