Word: feb
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...Toyota Tangled" [Feb. 22]: In the late 1950s I traveled frequently to Japan on business. I've never forgotten the morning when I had a meal at my hotel with two executives from General Motors who were in Japan to teach automakers how to build strong engine blocks. The men spoke derisively and arrogantly about Japanese auto quality. I remembered those comments later as Toyota was hailed as great and GM denounced as mediocre. The lesson I learned: Do not ever be satisfied with the status quo. It takes constant effort to maintain quality and reputation...
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's unpopular effort to extend the deployment of the 1,950 Dutch troops in Afghanistan backfired on Feb. 20 when 12 Cabinet members resigned, bringing the government to a standstill. Although Dutch forces account for only 2% of coalition troops in Afghanistan, the move rebuffs President Obama's appeal for increased participation from U.S. allies. Dutch soldiers are expected to withdraw fully by the end of the year...
Turkey's government charged seven high-ranking military officers on Feb. 24 for their alleged roles in a 2003 coup plot. These arrests came two days after as many as 50 former and current military officials were detained as suspected conspirators. Those not charged remained in custody for further questioning. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan denied that the arrests were motivated by tension between the Islamist-leaning administration and the secular military. Two trials from previous rounds of arrests related to the purported coup are still in progress...
Just days before Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's scheduled inauguration on Feb. 25, his defeated rival, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, withdrew her petition to annul the election. She then challenged the government to hold a no-confidence vote, believing that opponents do not have enough support to oust her. The infighting threatens to further destabilize Ukraine's political system, which is still recovering from 2004's Orange Revolution...
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Greece's capital on Feb. 24 to protest government austerity measures designed to dent the national debt. The march was organized by labor unions to coincide with the second 24-hour strike in two weeks, which grounded planes, stopped public transportation and shuttered schools. The recently announced belt-tightening measures include tax hikes and government wage freezes. Greece faces a budget deficit estimated at 12.7% of GDP and the possibility of being the first nation to default among the 16 countries that use the euro...