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Tony Blair received an unwelcome 55th birthday present from France yesterday. President Nicolas Sarkozy has abandoned his efforts to push the former prime minister's claim to be the first permanent president of the European Union Council from next year. M. Sarkozy, who takes over the rotating EU presidency in July, is now backing the candidature of Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg Prime Minister, according to senior French officials. The French President was once a strong Blair-backer, floating the idea himself last year, but he has bowed to pressure from other EU governments. Some countries are anti-Blair. Others oppose the idea that the new post should go to a political heavyweight, who might try to inflate the importance of the new job. By supporting Mr Juncker's candidacy, M. Sarkozy could be placing himself on a collision course with Gordon Brown, five weeks after he made a speech in Westminster hailing a new Anglo-French brotherhood.
Tony Blair received an unwelcome 55th birthday present from France yesterday. President Nicolas Sarkozy has abandoned his efforts to push the former prime minister's claim to be the first permanent president of the European Union Council from next year.
M. Sarkozy, who takes over the rotating EU presidency in July, is now backing the candidature of Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg Prime Minister, according to senior French officials. The French President was once a strong Blair-backer, floating the idea himself last year, but he has bowed to pressure from other EU governments.
Some countries are anti-Blair. Others oppose the idea that the new post should go to a political heavyweight, who might try to inflate the importance of the new job.
By supporting Mr Juncker's candidacy, M. Sarkozy could be placing himself on a collision course with Gordon Brown, five weeks after he made a speech in Westminster hailing a new Anglo-French brotherhood.
The Anglo Disease in a nutshell. Vampires in action and not even cosncious of their parasitic nature. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Tony Blair's hopes of becoming Europe's first president suffered a setback yesterday after President Nicolas Sarkozy of France indicted that he had withdrawn his support. Elysée sources confirmed that Mr Sarkozy was backing Jean Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg, as the "firm favourite", suggesting he had given up on Mr Blair after resistance from other countries. Mr Sarkozy last year described a possible Blair presidency as a "smart move". However, Britain's failure to join the euro and its opt-outs from European border controls have undermined his case. The former British leader is also regarded in Paris as "burned" by his support for the US-led war in Iraq, especially among Europe's socialist leaders.
Elysée sources confirmed that Mr Sarkozy was backing Jean Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg, as the "firm favourite", suggesting he had given up on Mr Blair after resistance from other countries.
Mr Sarkozy last year described a possible Blair presidency as a "smart move".
However, Britain's failure to join the euro and its opt-outs from European border controls have undermined his case. The former British leader is also regarded in Paris as "burned" by his support for the US-led war in Iraq, especially among Europe's socialist leaders.
Le Figaro goes on to suggest that Javier Solana is favourite for the position of "Foreign Minister" of the European Council. When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
Similarly, the candidacy of Danish Prime Minister, the Socialist Anders Fogh Rasmussen
His socialist friends "do not want to" see the former British prime minister, considered as too Eurosceptic, become head of the EU.
Surely no self-respecting socialist be a friend of that neocon toerag. keep to the Fen Causeway
I'm not sure I understand your "inconvenient facts", by the way. How could her praising Blair be an inconvenient fact for the theory that Royal would portray herself as the French Blair?
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Brussels officials have turned to religious VIPs to help spread the gospel of an environmentally friendly society and increase awareness of climate change in their parishes, as well as promoting tolerance between different confessions in Europe. Twenty high-level representatives - 19 men and one woman - from European Christian, Jewish and Muslim congregations met in Brussels on Monday (5 may) to discuss the sensitive issues of climate change and reconciliation between peoples. The meeting was co-chaired by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Slovenian Prime Minister and current president of the European Council, Janez Jansa, and the president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering. Mr Barroso told a press conference that churches, mosques and temples could all play an important role in identifying and implementing solutions to the challenge of climate change.
Blaugustine
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said in an interview that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence was a mistake as was the EU's recognition of it. In an interview with Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on Monday, May 5, Schroeder said the declaration had come too early and was thus wrong. It had created new problems without solving old ones, he said. The European Union had succumbed to pressure from the United States on the Kosovo issue. While recognizing Kosovo may benefit US interests, Schroeder said, it was definitely not in Europe's interests.
In an interview with Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on Monday, May 5, Schroeder said the declaration had come too early and was thus wrong.
It had created new problems without solving old ones, he said.
The European Union had succumbed to pressure from the United States on the Kosovo issue. While recognizing Kosovo may benefit US interests, Schroeder said, it was definitely not in Europe's interests.
there were no good outcomes and the least worst were fairly bloody, but when we remember that the worst outcomes include burning houses, mass refugees and groups of men & boys being herded into woods never to be seen again I'd say I think it's "worked" so far. keep to the Fen Causeway
Maybe it would not have worked anyway, but fanning the flames directly (at the cost of numerous precedents of international law breach) is irresponsible - and is predictably stoking tensions with Russia: but maybe that was the real goal. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
The current situation on the ground was not in a crisis mode.
At that particular moment in time, yes that's true. But the trend was looking bad and there's not many good recent precedents in that area to call on to reassure anybody that the lack of crisis would continue.
So it was a case of do something or do nothing. We've tried "do nothing" in that region before and it didn't work out well. We can argue for ever and a day, and god knows I feel like I have, about what actions might have been for the best, but it comes back to the problem there isn't a best, just a range of "least worst". What we did was amongst the range of least worst. keep to the Fen Causeway
The eight-year presidency of Vladimir Putin will come to an end today according to a carefully scripted scenario as his successor Dmitry Medvedev is sworn into office. Mr Putin is almost certain to be named as Prime Minister tomorrow, and many analysts expect him to continue calling the shots. Mr Medvedev will arrive at the Kremlin at midday local time, where in front of assembled dignitaries and politicians he will swear an oath on the constitution.Most analysts expect Mr Medvedev to continue, at least initially, the domestic and foreign policy course charted by Mr Putin. "There's an expectation among investors that there will be more of the same," said Roland Nash, head of research at Renaissance Capital in Moscow. "Anything that isn't will be a surprise."
The eight-year presidency of Vladimir Putin will come to an end today according to a carefully scripted scenario as his successor Dmitry Medvedev is sworn into office. Mr Putin is almost certain to be named as Prime Minister tomorrow, and many analysts expect him to continue calling the shots.
Mr Medvedev will arrive at the Kremlin at midday local time, where in front of assembled dignitaries and politicians he will swear an oath on the constitution.
Most analysts expect Mr Medvedev to continue, at least initially, the domestic and foreign policy course charted by Mr Putin. "There's an expectation among investors that there will be more of the same," said Roland Nash, head of research at Renaissance Capital in Moscow. "Anything that isn't will be a surprise."
MOSCOW: When Dmitri Medvedev, the president-elect, utters the oath of office Wednesday in the czarist splendor of St. Andrew's Hall, the event will be broadcast throughout the Russian-speaking world as an implicit triumph of the leadership of President Vladimir Putin. Putin, the KGB officer turned head of state who has governed Russia as it regained its footing after a decade of post-Soviet disorder, will have voluntarily left office at the heights of popularity. And Medvedev, his personally selected successor, will be cast as a modernizing figure assuming the presidency of a proud nation freshly saved from poverty and disgrace. The Kremlin then plans to mark the occasion on Friday with a military parade in Red Square of a sort not seen since the Cold War, complete with flyovers of strategic bombers and rumbling columns of tanks. Medvedev will be Russia's third post-Soviet president, and newest source of speculation. He has presented a puzzling self-portrait, at times suggesting that major changes are necessary - including attacking the country's manifest corruption and reducing the bloat of its bureaucracy - and other times insisting he will broadly follow the path chosen by his sponsor.
MOSCOW: When Dmitri Medvedev, the president-elect, utters the oath of office Wednesday in the czarist splendor of St. Andrew's Hall, the event will be broadcast throughout the Russian-speaking world as an implicit triumph of the leadership of President Vladimir Putin.
Putin, the KGB officer turned head of state who has governed Russia as it regained its footing after a decade of post-Soviet disorder, will have voluntarily left office at the heights of popularity. And Medvedev, his personally selected successor, will be cast as a modernizing figure assuming the presidency of a proud nation freshly saved from poverty and disgrace.
The Kremlin then plans to mark the occasion on Friday with a military parade in Red Square of a sort not seen since the Cold War, complete with flyovers of strategic bombers and rumbling columns of tanks.
Medvedev will be Russia's third post-Soviet president, and newest source of speculation. He has presented a puzzling self-portrait, at times suggesting that major changes are necessary - including attacking the country's manifest corruption and reducing the bloat of its bureaucracy - and other times insisting he will broadly follow the path chosen by his sponsor.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson has urged Irish farmers to refrain from linking next month's vote on the Lisbon Treaty to ongoing world trade talks. "I don't think the Doha talks should get mixed up with the Lisbon Treaty or any referendum on it. Rejecting the treaty would not be in Ireland's interests, it wouldn't be in Europe's interests," said Mr Mandelson on Tuesday (6 May). The commissioner, who represents the EU in the global trade liberalisation negotiations known as the Doha talks, has come under increasing fire from Irish farmers, who say he will undermine their interests during the negotiations. The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has delivered up the threat of a No vote in next month's referendum to both the commissioner and the Irish government if their interests are not defended in the talks.
The Irish government's official campaign in favour of the EU's Lisbon Treaty has been dealt a blow following the decision by a major union to speak out against the document. The Technical Engineering and Electrical Union on Monday (5 May) urged its 45,000 members to vote against the treaty in the referendum next month. General secretary of the TEEU Eamon Devoy took the stance on the back of recent judgements by the EU's highest court which he said had shown that the pendulum had "swung against workers' rights and in favour of big business. "In the circumstances, it would be foolish to provide the institutions of the European Union with more power," he added, according to the Irish Independent.
06.05.2008 - 09:28 CET | By Renata Goldirova EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission has dropped its plan to table a piece of legislation granting more powers to the EU's judicial body, Eurojust, after being wrong-footed by a group of 14 member states. Austria, Belgium, Estonia, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands have come together to table their own proposal - seen as a move to put a lid on anything too ambitious by the commission. Under the proposal, all national members would enjoy a minimum four-year-long, renewable mandate as well as a minimum set of powers, including the possibility to "undertake an investigation or prosecution of specific acts" and to "set up a joint investigation team". In addition, they would have "full access" to a number of national databases such as registers on national criminal records and on arrested persons, investigation registers and DNA registers.
After years of warnings, and a spell of hot weather that did nothing to improve the stink of tons of uncollected trash around Naples, the European Commission filed suit against Italy on Tuesday, charging that it had failed to meet its obligation to collect and dispose of its rubbish. "The piles of uncollected rubbish in the streets of Campania graphically illustrate the threat to the environment and human health that results when waste management is inadequate," Stavros Dimas, the European Union's environment commissioner, said in Brussels, referring to the southern region around Naples. "Italy needs to give priority to putting in place effective waste management plans." The suit, filed before the European Court of Justice, is aimed at pressing Italy to take more serious action against a problem that has enraged southerners, embarrassed national pride and influenced recent national elections. If the court rules against it, Italy could face substantial fines, more than a dozen years after Naples faced the first of its regular trash crises.
After years of warnings, and a spell of hot weather that did nothing to improve the stink of tons of uncollected trash around Naples, the European Commission filed suit against Italy on Tuesday, charging that it had failed to meet its obligation to collect and dispose of its rubbish.
"The piles of uncollected rubbish in the streets of Campania graphically illustrate the threat to the environment and human health that results when waste management is inadequate," Stavros Dimas, the European Union's environment commissioner, said in Brussels, referring to the southern region around Naples. "Italy needs to give priority to putting in place effective waste management plans."
The suit, filed before the European Court of Justice, is aimed at pressing Italy to take more serious action against a problem that has enraged southerners, embarrassed national pride and influenced recent national elections. If the court rules against it, Italy could face substantial fines, more than a dozen years after Naples faced the first of its regular trash crises.
ATHENS: A rash of refugees from Africa, southern Asia and the Middle East has been crossing the Aegean Sea and besieging a cluster of craggy Greek islands. Local officials have called for the central government to declare a state of emergency on the tiny island of Leros, after the Greek coast guard picked up more than 200 refugees, half of them minors, over the weekend. The immigrants, Pakistanis, Ethiopians, Iraqis and Somalis, said they had reached Greece by boat from Turkey. Some were sent to reception centers across the country, while others were released after requesting political asylum, the authorities said.
ATHENS: A rash of refugees from Africa, southern Asia and the Middle East has been crossing the Aegean Sea and besieging a cluster of craggy Greek islands.
Local officials have called for the central government to declare a state of emergency on the tiny island of Leros, after the Greek coast guard picked up more than 200 refugees, half of them minors, over the weekend.
The immigrants, Pakistanis, Ethiopians, Iraqis and Somalis, said they had reached Greece by boat from Turkey.
Some were sent to reception centers across the country, while others were released after requesting political asylum, the authorities said.
Re, Greece, I will note the closing two paragraphs of the story:
Criticism of Greece was already mounting for its treatment of immigrants and for turning down applicants for political asylum. Last month, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said the Greek system was so flawed that other European countries should not return asylum seekers to Greece. Officials in Athens have denied the United Nations accusations, contending that Greece, one of the European Union's smallest and poorest nations, should not be saddled with the union's immigration responsibilities.
Officials in Athens have denied the United Nations accusations, contending that Greece, one of the European Union's smallest and poorest nations, should not be saddled with the union's immigration responsibilities.
After three years' debate, the so-called "Return directive" should be voted by the European Parliament in June. In September 2007, the GUE/NGL called for its rejection in the Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee. The only political group in the EP to vote against it then, the Group maintains this position today. The GUE/NGL opposes the directive because: the time limits for administrative detention, 18 months, are unacceptable; the protection of vulnerable people needs to be improved; the possibility of a long re-entry ban, up to 5 years, may create a threat to asylum rights; the EU should give priority to legislation on legal migration, essential for a more comprehensive EU migration policy.
The Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council, chaired by Dragutin Mate, Slovenian Minister of the Interior and President of the JHA Council, managed to harmonise the compromise text of the Return Directive in the political trialogue with the European Parliament in Strasbourg today. The trialogue was conducted with Manfred Weber, Member of the European Parliament and European Parliament's rapporteur for the Return Directive, with MEPs from other political groups and with representatives of the European Commission. Minister Mate explained: "As one of its main goals concerning the return policy, Slovenia chose the conclusion of negotiations with the European Parliament on the proposal for a return directive in the first reading. The negotiations were important, as they represented a test of the co-decision procedure in the area of migration policy and the strengthening of the process of setting up a joint EU migration policy."
Minister Mate explained: "As one of its main goals concerning the return policy, Slovenia chose the conclusion of negotiations with the European Parliament on the proposal for a return directive in the first reading. The negotiations were important, as they represented a test of the co-decision procedure in the area of migration policy and the strengthening of the process of setting up a joint EU migration policy."
The proposal for the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on common standards and procedures in the Member States for returning illegally staying third-country nationals has been discussed in EU institutions at various levels for almost three years. Germany and Portugal achieved important progress in negotiations, and the February Justice and Home Affairs Council reaffirmed the Presidency's mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament. The Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council intensively resumed negotiations with the European Parliament and during the first political trialogue achieved a compromise on most articles and completed the harmonisation today on the remainder of the text. The proposal of the Directive is aimed at the unification of return standards and procedures and equal treatment of all third-country nationals staying in the Member States illegally. In this way the same level of rights and obligations of third-country nationals would be achieved and abuses of procedures avoided in the Member States with more favourable procedures. Minister Mate concluded by saying that the discussion so far showed that the Member States wanted to adopt an instrument which would enable an effective and just return policy, hence "... we can now optimistically expect that the compromise text will be adopted by the EU Council so that the European Parliament can approve it as soon as possible."
The proposal of the Directive is aimed at the unification of return standards and procedures and equal treatment of all third-country nationals staying in the Member States illegally. In this way the same level of rights and obligations of third-country nationals would be achieved and abuses of procedures avoided in the Member States with more favourable procedures. Minister Mate concluded by saying that the discussion so far showed that the Member States wanted to adopt an instrument which would enable an effective and just return policy, hence "... we can now optimistically expect that the compromise text will be adopted by the EU Council so that the European Parliament can approve it as soon as possible."
(my emphasis throughout) When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
BBC News has seen the conclusions of research commissioned after the devastating floods of 2007. The study finds "the risks posed by natural hazards are already rising and are predicted to rise further".
The study finds "the risks posed by natural hazards are already rising and are predicted to rise further".
The catalyst for this investigation was the near-loss of a major power switching station at Walham, near Gloucester, in July last year. It provides electricity for 500,000 homes and businesses in Gloucestershire and acts as a key relay for supplies to south Wales. Only with emergency work supported by the military was the floodwater kept inches away from overwhelming the plant.
It provides electricity for 500,000 homes and businesses in Gloucestershire and acts as a key relay for supplies to south Wales.
Only with emergency work supported by the military was the floodwater kept inches away from overwhelming the plant.
BUDAPEST -- Ostensibly, a rock concert sparked it, reminding us that culture is not the exclusive province of liberals, certainly not here in Europe. A young woman (who knows whether she was just intending to make trouble) walked into a ticket office in the traditionally Jewish 13th District in this Hungarian capital several weeks ago and asked about Hungarica, an obscure extremist far-right band. The woman said the ticket agents called her a fascist and threw her out. The agents said that she spouted anti-Semitic abuse when told the office didn't handle that event. A little later somebody tossed a Molotov cocktail outside the office. Then a blogger, Tamas Polgar, with the screen name Tomcat urged neo-Nazis to rally at the ticket office, and about 30 turned up on April 7 along with 300 counterdemonstrators. Tomcat called for a second rally, four days later, and about 1,000 more extremists were met that time, across police barricades, by 3,000 antifascists, including the beleaguered Hungarian prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany, and the former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder.
The woman said the ticket agents called her a fascist and threw her out. The agents said that she spouted anti-Semitic abuse when told the office didn't handle that event. A little later somebody tossed a Molotov cocktail outside the office. Then a blogger, Tamas Polgar, with the screen name Tomcat urged neo-Nazis to rally at the ticket office, and about 30 turned up on April 7 along with 300 counterdemonstrators. Tomcat called for a second rally, four days later, and about 1,000 more extremists were met that time, across police barricades, by 3,000 antifascists, including the beleaguered Hungarian prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany, and the former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/arts/design/07anti.html?_r=1&8dpc&oref=login I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
Ostensibly, a rock concert sparked it, reminding us that culture is not the exclusive province of liberals
Whoever suggested it was ? Indeed, many of the more established "higher" arts receive much of their cachet (english use) from their elitist status of appealing principally to the more conservative and regressive elements of society.
Hitler was a fine patron of classical music. Mussolini loved Opera. Stalin was very encouraging to composers of properly "revolutionary" (ie staid and reactionary, music.
Punk music in the UK quickly spawned an offshoot brand of confrontational music called Oi!! that had overtones of racism and white power.
But it's typical of that lazy right-wing journalism typical of the NYT to suppose that "chattering" classes and "librhuls" are the root cause of such degenerative and time wasting activities as "art". keep to the Fen Causeway
