French President Nicolas Sarkozy has unveiled a 26bn-euro ($33bn; £23bn) stimulus plan to help France fend off financial crisis. The measures include a 1bn-euro loan for carmakers and 5bn euros of new public sector investments. The plan amounts to 1.3% of France's gross domestic product and should boost its economic growth by 0.6% in 2009. It will also increase the budget deficit to 3.9% of GDP from the previously forecast 3.1%. This is above the 3% ceiling demanded by the European Commission, but the rules have been eased to help members of the European Union tackle the crisis. About 20bn euros will be added to the public debt.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has unveiled a 26bn-euro ($33bn; £23bn) stimulus plan to help France fend off financial crisis.
The measures include a 1bn-euro loan for carmakers and 5bn euros of new public sector investments.
The plan amounts to 1.3% of France's gross domestic product and should boost its economic growth by 0.6% in 2009.
It will also increase the budget deficit to 3.9% of GDP from the previously forecast 3.1%.
This is above the 3% ceiling demanded by the European Commission, but the rules have been eased to help members of the European Union tackle the crisis.
About 20bn euros will be added to the public debt.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission on Wednesday (3 December) announced that low-income Europeans are set to win new financing for solar panels attached to their homes, better insulation in their walls and fit their windows with double-glazing, but ultimately no new funds have been attached to the proposal. As part of its proposed stimulus package to boost the union's wilting economy, the EU executive said it would co-finance national and local schemes investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy measures in poor households. But despite the fanfare, there will be no new EU spending. The move is simply a rule change that potentially unblocks obstacles to existing funds being spent on such refurbishments. "There is no additional EU spending," regional policy spokesperson Dennis Abbott told EUobserver.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission on Wednesday (3 December) announced that low-income Europeans are set to win new financing for solar panels attached to their homes, better insulation in their walls and fit their windows with double-glazing, but ultimately no new funds have been attached to the proposal.
As part of its proposed stimulus package to boost the union's wilting economy, the EU executive said it would co-finance national and local schemes investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy measures in poor households.
But despite the fanfare, there will be no new EU spending. The move is simply a rule change that potentially unblocks obstacles to existing funds being spent on such refurbishments.
"There is no additional EU spending," regional policy spokesperson Dennis Abbott told EUobserver.
Home energy efficiency is good for the economy in the short term (construction work), in the long run (lower energy spending) and is good for the environment too (less waste of resources). It should be a non brainer to do this on a large scale. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
The fingerprints and DNA samples of more than 857,000 innocent citizens who have been arrested or charged but never convicted of a criminal offence now face deletion from the national DNA database after a landmark ruling by the European court of human rights in Strasbourg.In one of their most strongly worded judgments in recent years, the unanimous ruling from the 17 judges, including a British judge, Nicolas Bratza, condemned the "blanket and indiscriminate" nature of the powers given to the police in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to retain the DNA samples and fingerprints of suspects who have been released or cleared.The judges were highly critical of the fact that the DNA samples could be retained without time limit and regardless of the seriousness of the offence, or the age of the suspect.The court said there was a particular risk that innocent people would be stigmatised because they were being treated in the same way as convicted criminals. The judges added that the fact DNA profiles could be used to identify family relationships between individuals, meant its indefinite retention also amounted to an interference with their right to respect for their private lives under the human rights convention.The case provoked an expression of disappointment from the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, and the promise that a working party, including senior police officials, will report back to Strasbourg by next March on how the government will comply with the judgement.
The fingerprints and DNA samples of more than 857,000 innocent citizens who have been arrested or charged but never convicted of a criminal offence now face deletion from the national DNA database after a landmark ruling by the European court of human rights in Strasbourg.
In one of their most strongly worded judgments in recent years, the unanimous ruling from the 17 judges, including a British judge, Nicolas Bratza, condemned the "blanket and indiscriminate" nature of the powers given to the police in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to retain the DNA samples and fingerprints of suspects who have been released or cleared.
The judges were highly critical of the fact that the DNA samples could be retained without time limit and regardless of the seriousness of the offence, or the age of the suspect.
The court said there was a particular risk that innocent people would be stigmatised because they were being treated in the same way as convicted criminals. The judges added that the fact DNA profiles could be used to identify family relationships between individuals, meant its indefinite retention also amounted to an interference with their right to respect for their private lives under the human rights convention.
The case provoked an expression of disappointment from the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, and the promise that a working party, including senior police officials, will report back to Strasbourg by next March on how the government will comply with the judgement.
Methinks this is a delaying tactic to enable them to come up with a way of circumventing Europe's decision keep to the Fen Causeway
Relatives of Jean Charles de Menezes stood before his inquest jury in protest yesterday wearing T-shirts saying: "Unlawful killing, your legal right to decide."On the day the jury were sent out to consider their verdict after 35 days of evidence about the fatal shooting of De Menezes by police, the dead man's cousins withdrew from the hearing.Earlier this week the coroner, Sir Michael Wright, told the jury he was not going to allow them to consider unlawful killing as one of their verdict options. He said unlawful killing was tantamount to accusing an individual or individuals of murder or manslaughter and was not a verdict that would be available to them.He also said it was not available should they consider that the death occurred as a result of a series of decisions and mistaken beliefs on the part of the Metropolitan police as an organisation. He left the jury with two verdicts to consider: lawful killing and an open verdict. Wright told the jurors just as they sat down yesterday that lawyers for the De Menezes family would no longer be present at the hearing. "You will notice Mr Mansfield and Miss Hill and their instructing solicitors are no longer in their places," Wright said. "The evidence and legal submissions are now all over and we have all had their assistance throughout these very important stages. But I understand that from this point they will no longer be here. There's absolutely no difficulty about that. No disrespect is meant by it to anyone."Seconds later Vivian Menezes Figueiredo, Alessandro Pereira, Patricia da Silva Armani and Erionaldo da Silva stood up and removed their coats to unveil their T-shirts. They walked slowly and in silence from their seats at the back of the courtroom towards the jury. Standing in line, they waited 30 seconds in full view of the jury before filing out of the court.
Relatives of Jean Charles de Menezes stood before his inquest jury in protest yesterday wearing T-shirts saying: "Unlawful killing, your legal right to decide."
On the day the jury were sent out to consider their verdict after 35 days of evidence about the fatal shooting of De Menezes by police, the dead man's cousins withdrew from the hearing.
Earlier this week the coroner, Sir Michael Wright, told the jury he was not going to allow them to consider unlawful killing as one of their verdict options. He said unlawful killing was tantamount to accusing an individual or individuals of murder or manslaughter and was not a verdict that would be available to them.
He also said it was not available should they consider that the death occurred as a result of a series of decisions and mistaken beliefs on the part of the Metropolitan police as an organisation. He left the jury with two verdicts to consider: lawful killing and an open verdict.
Wright told the jurors just as they sat down yesterday that lawyers for the De Menezes family would no longer be present at the hearing. "You will notice Mr Mansfield and Miss Hill and their instructing solicitors are no longer in their places," Wright said.
"The evidence and legal submissions are now all over and we have all had their assistance throughout these very important stages. But I understand that from this point they will no longer be here. There's absolutely no difficulty about that. No disrespect is meant by it to anyone."
Seconds later Vivian Menezes Figueiredo, Alessandro Pereira, Patricia da Silva Armani and Erionaldo da Silva stood up and removed their coats to unveil their T-shirts. They walked slowly and in silence from their seats at the back of the courtroom towards the jury. Standing in line, they waited 30 seconds in full view of the jury before filing out of the court.
A man dies at the hands of the police and nobody is respoinsible, nobody is to be blamed. The police testimony showed that they lied fer chrissakes !! keep to the Fen Causeway
I'm glad I'm not one of the jurors. I'd be furious.
The German military commissioned its first spy-in-the-sky satellite system on Thursday, Dec. 4 enabling it to peek through clouds or the darkness of night at any spot on the planet. The synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) system uses five satellites that bounce radar pulses off the earth. Sophisticated computers convert the returning signals into a picture of the ground that can resolve features just 50 centimeters in width. Germany is to share the data with France, which operates Helios II military satellites that photograph the ground in the daytime. The 350-million-euro ($445-million) German system, code- named SAR-Lupe, became operational in the summer and was officially handed over to the military Thursday by the builders, OHB System. The ground station is in the town of Grafschaft. Defense officials said Germany will be able to take radar pictures of any place at about 10 hours' notice, the time it takes for a satellite to arrive overhead and for the picture to be compiled.
The synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) system uses five satellites that bounce radar pulses off the earth. Sophisticated computers convert the returning signals into a picture of the ground that can resolve features just 50 centimeters in width.
Germany is to share the data with France, which operates Helios II military satellites that photograph the ground in the daytime.
The 350-million-euro ($445-million) German system, code- named SAR-Lupe, became operational in the summer and was officially handed over to the military Thursday by the builders, OHB System. The ground station is in the town of Grafschaft.
Defense officials said Germany will be able to take radar pictures of any place at about 10 hours' notice, the time it takes for a satellite to arrive overhead and for the picture to be compiled.
Germany is to share the data with France
Interesting... In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
France and Germany are also jointly operating the Graves radar, which is a ground-based satellite tracker. They've used it to strong-arm the US administration into no longer disclosing the position of all non-US spy satellites as part of a "debris watch" program (by threatening to disclose the orbits of US spy satellites in retaliation). Pierre
Angela Merkel defended Germany's strategy for economic rescue, and predicted a tough EU climate change meeting later in December. Germany expects tough negotiations when EU leaders meet on December 11 and 12 to decide on measures to combat the global financial crisis, as well as a climate-change package, Chancellor Angela Merkel said. Addressing the lower house of parliament, Merkel said the proposals by the EU Commission for a 200 billion euro ($252 billion) stimulus package were a step "in the right direction." She dismissed claims that Europe's largest economy was not doing enough to deal with the crisis, saying Germany would not be drawn into "a competition for subsidies and the spending of billions" in state aid.> Berlin's contribution to the EU scheme is a 32 billion euro stimulus package over the next two years which is expected to result in a 50 billion euro boost to consumption and investment, she said.
Germany expects tough negotiations when EU leaders meet on December 11 and 12 to decide on measures to combat the global financial crisis, as well as a climate-change package, Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
Addressing the lower house of parliament, Merkel said the proposals by the EU Commission for a 200 billion euro ($252 billion) stimulus package were a step "in the right direction."
She dismissed claims that Europe's largest economy was not doing enough to deal with the crisis, saying Germany would not be drawn into "a competition for subsidies and the spending of billions" in state aid.>
Berlin's contribution to the EU scheme is a 32 billion euro stimulus package over the next two years which is expected to result in a 50 billion euro boost to consumption and investment, she said.
The Royal Navy will have to wait up to two years longer for its £4bn aircraft carriers under cost-cutting plans being finalised by John Hutton, defence secretary. The decision to push back one of the government's sacrosanct defence equipment programmes represents a sharp reversal. Ministers have always insisted the two ships would be in service by 2014 and 2016.According to industry insiders, the Ministry of Defence is considering two options: delaying the in-service date of the first carrier by 12 months or delaying the second ship by up to two years. Mr Hutton's willingness to delay such an important programme underlines the severity of the cash crisis facing the MoD. He has expressed determination to make the department "live within its means" while prioritising support for frontline troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.He is expected to stress that investment will not stop and there will be no impact on jobs. The delay, intended to spread costs, will also help synchronise the project with the expected delivery in 2017 of the F-35 Lightning II or Joint Strike Fighter, the aircraft being built to fly from the ships.
The Royal Navy will have to wait up to two years longer for its £4bn aircraft carriers under cost-cutting plans being finalised by John Hutton, defence secretary.
The decision to push back one of the government's sacrosanct defence equipment programmes represents a sharp reversal. Ministers have always insisted the two ships would be in service by 2014 and 2016.
According to industry insiders, the Ministry of Defence is considering two options: delaying the in-service date of the first carrier by 12 months or delaying the second ship by up to two years.
Mr Hutton's willingness to delay such an important programme underlines the severity of the cash crisis facing the MoD. He has expressed determination to make the department "live within its means" while prioritising support for frontline troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He is expected to stress that investment will not stop and there will be no impact on jobs. The delay, intended to spread costs, will also help synchronise the project with the expected delivery in 2017 of the F-35 Lightning II or Joint Strike Fighter, the aircraft being built to fly from the ships.
Forget about moving traffic from cars to trains. In particular, forget every silly notion of cargo transport on rails. Do not mention it. Remember to kick important investments in public transit systems around Copenhagen farther down the road, like the necessary rail ring. Talk much, do little. Remember also to spin thoroughly to the friendly press (read: Berlingske [Berlingske Tidende, bought-and-paid-for advertisement for the Conservatives pretending to be a newspaper - Jake]), by leaking parts of the plans before they've been approved by the coalition, so the press can help make the government appear to have a vision. And so we can beat the last contrarians on Christiansborg [in Parliament - Jake] in line.
And this is from a paper I stopped reading because half the time they sound like they represent the industry despite the fact that they're published by a labour union...
- Jake If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.
