Voice of Bihar

France is to cut 54,000 military and civilian defence jobs as part of a root-and-branch reform of the sector, under government plans.

President Nicolas Sarkozy is proposing to create a smaller and more mobile army he believes will be better equipped to respond to new threats.

His strategy is also expected to place an emphasis on a stronger European Union defence policy.

Officials say there is no plan to scrap France’s nuclear deterrent.

Mr Sarkozy will present the proposals to military officials on Tuesday, in a paper called the White Book on Defence and Homeland Security.

It is the first major review of France’s military organisation since 1994.

‘Unpredictable’ world,

The review is expected to propose boosting spending on technology and intelligence, while cutting personnel.

Bruno Tertrais, a member of the expert panel who drew up the changes, hailed the document as “revolutionary”.

“For the first time in centuries, France does not base its defence policy on the hypothesis of a major military conflict in Europe,” he told the French AFP news agency.

“There is a very strong emphasis on intelligence, recognising that the world may not be more dangerous than it was in 1994 when we did the previous white paper, but it seems more unpredictable.”

Under the plans, the number of combat-ready troops would be reduced from 50,000 to 30,000.

As well as placing more emphasis on EU co-operation, Mr Sarkozy is also expected to propose moving closer to Nato command.

France withdrew from Nato’s military structure in 1966 in protest at the dominance of US commanders.

But Mr Sarkozy indicated earlier this year that France may return to the organisation’s military command.

The proposed new military strategy will be discussed in parliament later this month.

Beijing Olympic chiefs are introducing an official cheer for patriotic spectators to spur on Team China at the Games, Chinese media reports.

The authoritative, four-part Olympic cheer, accompanied by detailed instructions, will be promoted on TV, in schools and with a poster campaign.

It involves clapping twice, giving the thumbs-up, clapping twice more and then punching the air with both arms.

The cheer is accompanied by chants of “Olympics”, “Let’s go” and “China”.

The Beijing Olympic Organising Committee has hired 30 cheering squads who will show spectators how it is done at Games stadia, reports Xinhua state media.

‘Civilized cheering’

A committee official said the simple chants and gestures were designed to help spectators cheer for their favourite athletes in a smooth, civilized manner.

The Ministry of Education is also arranging special training sessions in schools for the 800,000 students who are expected to attend the Games.

Li Ning, president of the Beijing Etiquette Institute, told the Beijing News that the cheer was in line with general international principles for cheering, while at the same time possessing characteristics of Chinese culture.

Security was tight as the Olympic torch began passing through China’s mainly Muslim Xinjiang region, on a highly sensitive part of its trip to Beijing.

Police were out in force as the flame left People’s Square in the capital, Urumqi, on its run around the city.

The torch will spend three days in the region, which is home to around eight million Muslim Uighur people.

Ties between Chinese authorities and the Uighurs are tense. Officials fear separatists could target the relay.

The relay has been moved forward by a week, in an apparent attempt to avoid unrest. The torch’s visit to another potential hotspot, Tibet’s main city, Lhasa, has also been moved up.

Terror allegations

In Urumqi, very tight security was put in place ahead of the relay.

Police carried out vehicle checks and set up checkpoints in the normally busy city. Firecrackers were banned and many local people asked to stay away, reports said.

People entering People’s Square had to pass through metal detectors while police searched their bags, AFP news agency reported.

The majority of the crowd that gathered in the square were Han Chinese, the agency said.

Many Uighurs resent the large-scale influx of Han Chinese settlers into the resource-rich region.

Some groups are fighting to establish an independent Islamic nation, leading to periodic violence in Xinjiang.

Beijing accuses the groups of links to al-Qaeda and this year claims to have foiled at least two Xinjiang-based plots targeting the Olympic Games.

But human rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of using the alleged terror links as a way of cracking down on the independence movement.

Security was tight as the Olympic torch began passing through China’s mainly Muslim Xinjiang region, on a highly sensitive part of its trip to Beijing.

Police were out in force as the flame left People’s Square in the capital, Urumqi, on its run around the city.

The torch will spend three days in the region, which is home to around eight million Muslim Uighur people.

Ties between Chinese authorities and the Uighurs are tense. Officials fear separatists could target the relay.

The relay has been moved forward by a week, in an apparent attempt to avoid unrest. The torch’s visit to another potential hotspot, Tibet’s main city, Lhasa, has also been moved up.

Terror allegations

In Urumqi, very tight security was put in place ahead of the relay.

Police carried out vehicle checks and set up checkpoints in the normally busy city. Firecrackers were banned and many local people asked to stay away, reports said.

People entering People’s Square had to pass through metal detectors while police searched their bags, AFP news agency reported.

The majority of the crowd that gathered in the square were Han Chinese, the agency said.

Many Uighurs resent the large-scale influx of Han Chinese settlers into the resource-rich region.

Some groups are fighting to establish an independent Islamic nation, leading to periodic violence in Xinjiang.

Beijing accuses the groups of links to al-Qaeda and this year claims to have foiled at least two Xinjiang-based plots targeting the Olympic Games.

But human rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of using the alleged terror links as a way of cracking down on the independence movement.