Serbian President Boris Tadic has claimed victory in the general election with early results suggesting a big lead for his pro-Western alliance. Mr Tadic said Serbs had chosen the path of integration with Europe but he vowed his new government would not recognise Kosovo as an independent state. Despite its lead, his bloc will have to seek a coalition with other parties. Its ultra-nationalist rivals say they could still muster enough support for a nationalist coalition against him.
Mr Tadic said Serbs had chosen the path of integration with Europe but he vowed his new government would not recognise Kosovo as an independent state.
Despite its lead, his bloc will have to seek a coalition with other parties.
Its ultra-nationalist rivals say they could still muster enough support for a nationalist coalition against him.
Pro-Western forces in Serbia claimed victory on Monday after general elections gave them a mandate to strengthen ties with the European Union. Fears of a nationalist backlash over the newly independent province of Kosovo proved unfounded as Serbians went to the polls on the weekend, with tallies by the electoral commission showing the "For a European Serbia" alliance spearheaded by the Democratic Party (DS) set to secure up to 39 percent of the vote. "The citizens of Serbia have undoubtedly confirmed a clear European path," President Boris Tadic, the flag-bearer of the pro-European forces, told jubilant supporters overnight. "It is necessary to form a government as soon as possible," Tadic said in his DS campaign headquarters.
Fears of a nationalist backlash over the newly independent province of Kosovo proved unfounded as Serbians went to the polls on the weekend, with tallies by the electoral commission showing the "For a European Serbia" alliance spearheaded by the Democratic Party (DS) set to secure up to 39 percent of the vote.
"The citizens of Serbia have undoubtedly confirmed a clear European path," President Boris Tadic, the flag-bearer of the pro-European forces, told jubilant supporters overnight.
"It is necessary to form a government as soon as possible," Tadic said in his DS campaign headquarters.
The European Union is set to breathe a sign of relief as the pro-Western alliance led by President Boris Tadic won Sunday's parliamentary elections, but the country's nationalists have warned that they too can hammer out a coalition government. According to projected election results reported by an independent monitoring group, the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy, Mr Tadic's Democratic Party and its allies gained 38.7 percent of the votes and secured 103 out of 250 seats in the country's parliament - not enough to form a coalition on his own. The Serbian Radical Party of Tomislav Nikolic took 29.1 percent and 77 seats, while outgoing prime minister Vojislav Kostunica and his nationalist Democratic Party of Serbia won 11.3 percent and 30 seats. The Socialists of the late Slobodan Milosevic with 7.9 percent of the votes and 20 seats in the parliament are set to play a decisive role, as parties need to have at least 126 MPs in order to put in place a stable government. Of the some seven million Serbs eligible to vote, 60.7 percent participated in the poll.
...Mr Tadic's Democratic Party and its allies gained 38.7 percent of the votes and secured 103 out of 250 seats in the country's parliament - not enough to form a coalition on his own. The Serbian Radical Party of Tomislav Nikolic took 29.1 percent and 77 seats, while outgoing prime minister Vojislav Kostunica and his nationalist Democratic Party of Serbia won 11.3 percent and 30 seats. The Socialists of the late Slobodan Milosevic with 7.9 percent of the votes and 20 seats in the parliament...
The Serbian Radical Party of Tomislav Nikolic took 29.1 percent and 77 seats, while outgoing prime minister Vojislav Kostunica and his nationalist Democratic Party of Serbia won 11.3 percent and 30 seats.
The Socialists of the late Slobodan Milosevic with 7.9 percent of the votes and 20 seats in the parliament...
So, if one presumes that the Milosevic Socialists are somehow close to the nationalist Nikolic Radical's, they could have 77+20=97 seats compared to the Tadic Democrats 103 parliamentary seats.
That's 200 of the 250 available...what is the disposition of those 50?
And it shouldn't go unremarked, that EU-friendly Tadic has "... vowed his new government would not recognise Kosovo as an independent state."
Further into the breech... Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
Frank Delaney ~ Ireland
Non-governmental Swiss group Berne Declaration is helping a South African community challenge two European patents concerning use of its local plants in medicines. German pharmaceutical company Dr Willmar Schwabe, which holds the patents and makes the highly successful umckaloabo® product based on the plants, has denied any wrongdoing. The dispute, before the European Patent Office in Munich, Germany, involves two species of pelargonium - a type of geranium native to the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Extracts have been in use in Europe for more than 100 years. Dr Willmar Schwabe markets umckaloabo® for coughs and respiratory complaints. The two patent challenges - on the extraction method used and the exclusive use of pelargonium in Aids treatments - are being brought by the community of Alice with the African Centre for Biosafety (ACB). ACB director Mariam Mayat told swissinfo that the community believed that the patents were unlawful and undermined its rights. She was speaking at a media conference in Zurich on Thursday. "The community has since time immemorial had access to these plants and have used the roots to treat in a traditional way various ailments, in humans and animals," she said, adding that the plant was suffering over exploitation.
German pharmaceutical company Dr Willmar Schwabe, which holds the patents and makes the highly successful umckaloabo® product based on the plants, has denied any wrongdoing.
The dispute, before the European Patent Office in Munich, Germany, involves two species of pelargonium - a type of geranium native to the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Extracts have been in use in Europe for more than 100 years. Dr Willmar Schwabe markets umckaloabo® for coughs and respiratory complaints.
The two patent challenges - on the extraction method used and the exclusive use of pelargonium in Aids treatments - are being brought by the community of Alice with the African Centre for Biosafety (ACB).
ACB director Mariam Mayat told swissinfo that the community believed that the patents were unlawful and undermined its rights. She was speaking at a media conference in Zurich on Thursday.
"The community has since time immemorial had access to these plants and have used the roots to treat in a traditional way various ailments, in humans and animals," she said, adding that the plant was suffering over exploitation.
Italy's new interior minister wants to re-impose border controls for travellers from Europe's passport-free Schengen zone as part of security measures to crack down on crime and immigration. The package drawn up by Roberto Maroni, a member of the anti-immigration Northern League, would make illegal immigration a crime punishable by up to four years' imprisonment, according to details published by newspapers on Sunday. The package will be presented at a cabinet meeting this week. It is expected to be one of the first decrees approved by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's new conservative government, which was sworn in on Thursday. One of the most controversial measures favored by Maroni is negotiating a suspension of Italy's obligations under the European Union's Schengen scheme. The accord, between 24 of the 27 member states, lets travellers cross national boundaries without checks. The move is aimed mainly against Romanian immigrants and eastern European Roma people, who have been blamed for crimes in Italy.
The package drawn up by Roberto Maroni, a member of the anti-immigration Northern League, would make illegal immigration a crime punishable by up to four years' imprisonment, according to details published by newspapers on Sunday.
The package will be presented at a cabinet meeting this week. It is expected to be one of the first decrees approved by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's new conservative government, which was sworn in on Thursday.
One of the most controversial measures favored by Maroni is negotiating a suspension of Italy's obligations under the European Union's Schengen scheme. The accord, between 24 of the 27 member states, lets travellers cross national boundaries without checks.
The move is aimed mainly against Romanian immigrants and eastern European Roma people, who have been blamed for crimes in Italy.
One of the most controversial measures favored by Maroni is negotiating a suspension of Italy's obligations under the European Union's Schengen scheme. The accord, between 24 of the 27 member states, lets travellers cross national boundaries without checks. The move is aimed mainly against Romanian immigrants and eastern European Roma people, who have been blamed for crimes in Italy.
The thing that Maroni doesn't seem to understand is that Schengen or no Schengen, Italy cannot really turn away a Romanian citizen because of the freedom of movement for all European citizens. 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
By the way, border checks at the Brennero train station have been taking place, on and off, for years, anyway.
The idea is that Crime is a national emergency. It isn't. Just as In Wales reported a few weeks ago on England, crime is at an all time low. Italy presently has the lowest homicide rate in the Union and crime statistics for foreigners indicate that it's on par with the Italian population.
So Berlusconi's strategy can be construed as two phases: pass a harsh law which will be thrown out eventually by the Italian supreme court as violating European law. The law will also be challenged in European courts. In the meantime Berlusconi will see to it that his media empire stops talking about crimes committed by Romanians, Bulgarians, Albanians and Rom. Once his news outlets stop splashing crimes all over the front page as they've done for the past two years, the echo effect in the rest of the press will cease. No news, no perception of crime.
And there you go! Berlusconi comes off as a highly effective law and order man. Not bad for a government that works in harmony with the Mafias. (But then they're both in the same racket: private protection.)
The financial daily Sole24Ore did several reports the past week on crime in Italy with a focus on foreigners based on police and ISTAT (Italian National Stats Board) statistics. The conclusion is as above.
It's just whitewashed racism.
The interview is just plain reality check with a couple of well-placed "insults." Travaglio said simply that news in Italy is run by politicians. If there's a noteworthy news item, forty politicians will release declarations so that the day after the political reaction to the news will be frontpaged.
Naturally, Travaglio proved his point today. His interview prompted the "forty political statements" and occupies up to three pages (Repubblica 1-3; la Stampa 1, 4-5; Corriere 1, 5-6).
The Crime? After denigrating Renato Schifani, president of the Senate, Travaglio returned on the well-known facts for those of us who actually read books and trial transcripts, that Renato Schifani and his associate, Senator Enrico La Loggia, were partners in a broker firm with the mafia boss Nino Mandela and had sought to condition the urban regulatory plans of Villabate to advantage the mafia.
So long as it's written in books (or mentioned in blogs as I've done) it doesn't matter. But when it's said on primetime, all hell breaks loose. But what is of note is that no one contests the facts. It's all a symphony of indignation and personal attacks- criminal usage of the media, as B would put it.
The trial transcripts are a great read, especially Mandella's contemptous remarks on what a bawl-baby Enrico La Loggia is.
But, hell, does this sort of shit go down elswhere? If a prominent Senator in the States was linked in no uncertain detail to a mafia boss and an attempted crime that was thwarted by authorities, would he be then elected to a key position in the government without a single word not appearing in the press or on TV? Is it just Italy?
If a prominent Senator in the States was linked in no uncertain detail to a mafia boss and an attempted crime that was thwarted by authorities, would he be then elected to a key position in the government without a single word not appearing in the press or on TV?
See Charles Pasqua in France. Even Chirac, it could be argued, was elected despite being a known crook. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
ROME: Italy's new interior minister wants to re-impose border controls for travellers from Europe's passport-free Schengen zone as part of security measures to crack down on crime and immigration. The package drawn up by Roberto Maroni, a member of the anti-immigration Northern League, would make illegal immigration a crime punishable by up to four years' imprisonment, according to details published by newspapers on Sunday. The package will be presented at a cabinet meeting this week. It is expected to be one of the first decrees approved by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's new conservative government, which was sworn in on Thursday. One of the most controversial measures favored by Maroni is negotiating a suspension of Italy's obligations under the European Union's Schengen scheme. The accord, between 24 of the 27 member states, lets travellers cross national boundaries without checks.
ROME: Italy's new interior minister wants to re-impose border controls for travellers from Europe's passport-free Schengen zone as part of security measures to crack down on crime and immigration.
US Meat retailers can now trace their wares from the ranch to the refrigerator using DNA analysis.IdentiGEN, based in Ireland with US offices in Lawrence, Kansas, says its DNA TraceBack technology can boost consumer confidence, as well as the value of the hamburger, steak, pork cuts and other meat.TraceBack can determine not only where meat came from but whether it's organic or Angus - or whatever the label says, company officials said. Chief executive Don Marvin said it's the first product to offer DNA tracing for the entire meat supply chain."If you see a DNA TraceBack label, believe it," Marvin said. "It's true. It's DNA."The technology - approved by the US Department of Agriculture in October - has been in use in Europe since 2000. British grocer Tesco and Ireland's Superquinn and Dunnes Stores use it.
US Meat retailers can now trace their wares from the ranch to the refrigerator using DNA analysis.
IdentiGEN, based in Ireland with US offices in Lawrence, Kansas, says its DNA TraceBack technology can boost consumer confidence, as well as the value of the hamburger, steak, pork cuts and other meat.
TraceBack can determine not only where meat came from but whether it's organic or Angus - or whatever the label says, company officials said. Chief executive Don Marvin said it's the first product to offer DNA tracing for the entire meat supply chain.
"If you see a DNA TraceBack label, believe it," Marvin said. "It's true. It's DNA."
The technology - approved by the US Department of Agriculture in October - has been in use in Europe since 2000. British grocer Tesco and Ireland's Superquinn and Dunnes Stores use it.
Creekstone Shouldn't Use Test for Mad Cow, U.S. Says (Update1)| Bloomberg | 09.05.2008
Creekstone Farms Premium Beef LLC, the Kansas-based meat producer, shouldn't be allowed to test beef for mad-cow disease on its own because it could hurt the U.S. cattle industry, a government lawyer told an appeals court. ``They are creating a false assurance'' because the test Creekstone wants to use can't show that meat is completely free of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease, Justice Department attorney Eric Fleisig-Greene told the court at a hearing today in Washington.
``They are creating a false assurance'' because the test Creekstone wants to use can't show that meat is completely free of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease, Justice Department attorney Eric Fleisig-Greene told the court at a hearing today in Washington.
Shouldn't this be under "World" ? keep to the Fen Causeway
Yes. 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
Millions of pounds worth of soft fruit and vegetables are likely to be left to rot in fields this summer because of a shortage of foreign pickers caused by the falling value of the pound and new restrictions on the number of seasonal labourers allowed to enter Britain, farmers' leaders have warned. As the harvesting season for the UK's £3.5bn horticulture industry gets under way this month, growers are fighting a losing battle to recruit enough labourers from across the European Union to pick more than 50,000 tonnes of strawberries, raspberries and other soft fruits being cultivated for the domestic market.With thousands of workers from Poland and other eastern European countries returning home to profit from their own booming economies, the reluctance to join the annual picking bonanza is being held up as evidence of Britain's dwindling attraction as a destination for migrants willing to accept low wages or undertake unskilled jobs. A mixture of rising aspirations among the once plentiful supply of foreign labour and Whitehall red tape is being blamed for a "heartbreaking" situation where thousands of tonnes of produce could go to waste.
Millions of pounds worth of soft fruit and vegetables are likely to be left to rot in fields this summer because of a shortage of foreign pickers caused by the falling value of the pound and new restrictions on the number of seasonal labourers allowed to enter Britain, farmers' leaders have warned.
As the harvesting season for the UK's £3.5bn horticulture industry gets under way this month, growers are fighting a losing battle to recruit enough labourers from across the European Union to pick more than 50,000 tonnes of strawberries, raspberries and other soft fruits being cultivated for the domestic market.
With thousands of workers from Poland and other eastern European countries returning home to profit from their own booming economies, the reluctance to join the annual picking bonanza is being held up as evidence of Britain's dwindling attraction as a destination for migrants willing to accept low wages or undertake unskilled jobs. A mixture of rising aspirations among the once plentiful supply of foreign labour and Whitehall red tape is being blamed for a "heartbreaking" situation where thousands of tonnes of produce could go to waste.
These are the issues that France needs to pay attention to when it encouraged the tescofication of its food supply industry.
And Tesco will just fly in all their soft fruit from Egypt, y'know, the place where there are food riots going on. Just like their flowers from Kenya. keep to the Fen Causeway
The PAC has always had a productivist goal (it was designed that way), and agro-business and big retail have always worked hand-in-hand in France to squeeze the smaller producers - and the laborers. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
And Tesco will just fly in all their soft fruit from Egypt, y'know, the place where there are food riots going on. Just like their flowers from Kenya.
Sure, if you look at a £4:00 bunch of flowers in bare terms, it's unlikely that more than £1:50 is transport. So even doubling the cost of transport won't push the flowers out of economic viability.
But doubling the cost of transport across the whole economic sphere renders huge portions of the transport industry as currently configured non-viable. People will simply cease to operate in the way they do currently because the margins become nonsensical. Large warehousers like supermarkets will cease their 800 mile round trips between sorting centres etc etc, localism will predominate. So flowers become a casualty of the entire rationale unravelling rather than being priced out of the market. keep to the Fen Causeway
And the fact that the pound is worth about 20% less than last year makes the shitty wages and conditions a lot less bearable. keep to the Fen Causeway
Germany urges higher food import standards Germany believes China, India and the US should be forced to adopt higher environmental and health standards if they want to export food products to the European Union, says Horst Seehofer, Germany's farm minister. His comments echo calls by Paris for new EU barriers to free trade in response to rising global demand for food. Michel Barnier, France's farm minister, last month called for curbs on "free-market liberalism", a view reflected by Mr Seehofer: "We need more market liberalisation, but under fair conditions." "This does not mean more protectionism. We do not want to isolate the EU but to apply EU standards in other parts of the world," he told the Financial Times, adding that new standards should be agreed among industrialised and emerging economies in the World Trade Organisation. Alistair Darling, UK chancellor, will on Monday fire the opening salvo in what threatens to be a major row with France and Germany over the future of Europe's Common Agricultural Policy, which he claims is exacerbating the world food crisis. Mr Darling will urge fellow EU finance ministers to support the dismantling of the CAP, claiming it is costing consumers in Europe billions of pounds a year in higher food bills, while hurting farmers in the developing world. Mr Seehofer dismissed such assertions as "complete rubbish". Rather, political change and greater farming efficiency in the developing world were needed. "The developing countries need to be able to produce more food [for themselves]. They also need political reforms, better education and less corruption. Steps are also needed against big landowners that think only of maximising profits and not feeding the local population," he said. Mr Seehofer signalled that Berlin might veto likely proposals from the European Commission to lift a ban on US exports to the EU of poultry products that are processed to lower standards than apply in the European bloc. Mr Seehofer said the EU had very high standards on "the environment, on water, on health and social issues, that are also expensive for our farmers to implement. The EU should move step-by-step to ensure that third-world countries also have to meet these standards if they want to export to the EU." He said this idea was broadly in line with France's proposals on a "European preference" in farm products to reflect higher EU standards. Poorer developing countries would not be affected, but the US, China, India and Latin America would, he said.
Germany believes China, India and the US should be forced to adopt higher environmental and health standards if they want to export food products to the European Union, says Horst Seehofer, Germany's farm minister.
His comments echo calls by Paris for new EU barriers to free trade in response to rising global demand for food. Michel Barnier, France's farm minister, last month called for curbs on "free-market liberalism", a view reflected by Mr Seehofer: "We need more market liberalisation, but under fair conditions."
"This does not mean more protectionism. We do not want to isolate the EU but to apply EU standards in other parts of the world," he told the Financial Times, adding that new standards should be agreed among industrialised and emerging economies in the World Trade Organisation.
Alistair Darling, UK chancellor, will on Monday fire the opening salvo in what threatens to be a major row with France and Germany over the future of Europe's Common Agricultural Policy, which he claims is exacerbating the world food crisis.
Mr Darling will urge fellow EU finance ministers to support the dismantling of the CAP, claiming it is costing consumers in Europe billions of pounds a year in higher food bills, while hurting farmers in the developing world.
Mr Seehofer dismissed such assertions as "complete rubbish". Rather, political change and greater farming efficiency in the developing world were needed.
"The developing countries need to be able to produce more food [for themselves]. They also need political reforms, better education and less corruption. Steps are also needed against big landowners that think only of maximising profits and not feeding the local population," he said.
Mr Seehofer signalled that Berlin might veto likely proposals from the European Commission to lift a ban on US exports to the EU of poultry products that are processed to lower standards than apply in the European bloc.
Mr Seehofer said the EU had very high standards on "the environment, on water, on health and social issues, that are also expensive for our farmers to implement. The EU should move step-by-step to ensure that third-world countries also have to meet these standards if they want to export to the EU."
He said this idea was broadly in line with France's proposals on a "European preference" in farm products to reflect higher EU standards. Poorer developing countries would not be affected, but the US, China, India and Latin America would, he said.
I've quoted the whole article, because it's all quite important. If the precedent can be created for CAP, then the same logic can apply to the rest of trade. Go, go, go! In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
MOSCOW: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reshuffled the Russian government Monday in his first major action since leaving the Kremlin, bringing in some high-profile figures from his presidency but leaving prominent ministries unchanged. The hawkish Sergei Ivanov, once seen as a possible successor to Putin as president, was named deputy prime minister -- a step down from his previous position as first deputy premier. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin retained their posts. The ministry of energy and industry was split into two separate Cabinet positions, the most major structural change to the new government. (...) In all, Putin announced 24 positions, eight of them new. Among the new appointments were Igor Sechin and Igor Shuvalov. Sechin, formerly Putin's powerful deputy chief of staff, will have oversight of industrial development programs as a deputy prime minister, and apparently will remain chairman of the state-controlled oil company Rosneft. Shuvalov, meanwhile, will be one of two first deputy prime ministers. He was a top Putin policy aide who attained prominence when Russia hosted the Group of Eight summit in 2006. Also Monday, Medvedev named Nikolai Patrushev, head of the KGB-successor Federal Security Service, as head of the Russian security council. Alexander Bortnikov, formerly the head of the agency's economic security division, becomes the new head of the service known by the initials FSB. The corruption-tainted telecommunications minister, Leonid Reiman, was not reappointed. A Swiss arbitration tribunal ruled in 2006 that Reiman is the true owner of a Bermuda-based fund that once controlled much of Russia's telephone industry. Reiman, a longtime Putin associate, denied any ownership of the IPOC fund, but the revelations have been seen as evidence of high-level corruption in the Kremlin.
The hawkish Sergei Ivanov, once seen as a possible successor to Putin as president, was named deputy prime minister -- a step down from his previous position as first deputy premier.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin retained their posts.
The ministry of energy and industry was split into two separate Cabinet positions, the most major structural change to the new government.
(...)
In all, Putin announced 24 positions, eight of them new.
Among the new appointments were Igor Sechin and Igor Shuvalov. Sechin, formerly Putin's powerful deputy chief of staff, will have oversight of industrial development programs as a deputy prime minister, and apparently will remain chairman of the state-controlled oil company Rosneft.
Shuvalov, meanwhile, will be one of two first deputy prime ministers. He was a top Putin policy aide who attained prominence when Russia hosted the Group of Eight summit in 2006.
Also Monday, Medvedev named Nikolai Patrushev, head of the KGB-successor Federal Security Service, as head of the Russian security council.
Alexander Bortnikov, formerly the head of the agency's economic security division, becomes the new head of the service known by the initials FSB.
The corruption-tainted telecommunications minister, Leonid Reiman, was not reappointed. A Swiss arbitration tribunal ruled in 2006 that Reiman is the true owner of a Bermuda-based fund that once controlled much of Russia's telephone industry.
Reiman, a longtime Putin associate, denied any ownership of the IPOC fund, but the revelations have been seen as evidence of high-level corruption in the Kremlin.
