European officials and diplomats are working to establish the scope and control of the EU's future foreign policy, including a new European diplomatic service. Assuming the union's new Lisbon Treaty is eventually ratified by all 27 member states, then 1 January 2009 should see a very different Europe facing the world. Two new posts should bring new coherence in Europe's global role: A permanent European Council president chairing leaders' summits; A new foreign policy chief - a "high representative" - to unify much of the EU's external policies through a new European diplomatic corps. Outsiders will finally know which telephone number to call in an international crisis.
European officials and diplomats are working to establish the scope and control of the EU's future foreign policy, including a new European diplomatic service.
Assuming the union's new Lisbon Treaty is eventually ratified by all 27 member states, then 1 January 2009 should see a very different Europe facing the world.
Two new posts should bring new coherence in Europe's global role:
Outsiders will finally know which telephone number to call in an international crisis.
The Irish government has launched its campaign in favour of the EU treaty with the new prime minister, Brian Cowen, calling for a "yes" vote in next month's referendum. "It would be a very backward step to resign from the strategic political positioning we have established in 35 years of (EU) membership," Mr Cowen said on Monday (12 May). "It would have very serious implications." The government push comes as the most recent poll, by the Sunday Business Post, put the "yes" camp in front with 38 percent, the "no" side on 28 percent and "don't knows" at 34 percent. This represents a better showing for the "yes" side than two weeks ago, when a poll by the same newspaper put the yes and "no" vote at 35 and 31 percent, respectively. The undecided remained static.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU has stepped up pressure on Moscow and Tbilisi to avoid any further escalation of tension over Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Foreign ministers from five EU member states - Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden - travelled to Georgia on Monday (12 May) following Russian claims that Georgia is preparing to invade Abkhazia. Slovenia's Dmitrij Rupel, speaking on behalf of the EU presidency, described the situation in the Caucasus region as "a cause for concern" and asked the two countries to "do their best to prevent any destabilisation." In addition, Mr Rupel reiterated the union's "full commitment to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia" and to "a peaceful resolution" of the frozen conflicts.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday that pressure from Washington over the stationing of US anti-ballistic missiles on Polish soil was a pure negotiating tactic. "Unofficial and informal mutterings" were more "an element of the negotiations than a serious standpoint," Tusk was quoted by the Polish Press Agency as saying in Warsaw. Washington was pushing for an end to the political negotiations by mid-July, Gazeta Wyborcza reported Tuesday. Warsaw should send a signal before the summer holidays that the missile-defence shield would be set up in Poland, the newspaper report said, citing sources close to the negotiations. If Poland wasn't prepared to host the missiles, the United States would have to find another location for them, the report said. The Polish standpoint remained unchanged, Tusk said ahead of a trip to Latin America.
"Unofficial and informal mutterings" were more "an element of the negotiations than a serious standpoint," Tusk was quoted by the Polish Press Agency as saying in Warsaw.
Washington was pushing for an end to the political negotiations by mid-July, Gazeta Wyborcza reported Tuesday.
Warsaw should send a signal before the summer holidays that the missile-defence shield would be set up in Poland, the newspaper report said, citing sources close to the negotiations.
If Poland wasn't prepared to host the missiles, the United States would have to find another location for them, the report said.
The Polish standpoint remained unchanged, Tusk said ahead of a trip to Latin America.
AMSTERDAM: As a young executive at Procter & Gamble, Jan Bennink regularly brought home large packets of diapers, poured water over them, then cut them open to check on the absorbency of the material inside. The workaholic Dutchman later prospered as a top executive at Danone, the French food giant, before moving to a struggling Dutch baby food maker, Numico, and turning that company around. Though his career reads like a business school case study, Bennink became famous in the Netherlands not for his boardroom success, but for cashing in stock options, performance shares and bonuses worth around €80 million, or $124 million, when Danone snapped up Numico for €12.3 billion last year. The compensation created such a public furor among the egalitarian Dutch that the government is backing an unusual law that takes a first crack at curbing such windfalls. The legislation, drafted by the finance minister, Wouter Bos, was sent to Parliament on Tuesday, where it is expected to pass in time to come into force next year.
AMSTERDAM: As a young executive at Procter & Gamble, Jan Bennink regularly brought home large packets of diapers, poured water over them, then cut them open to check on the absorbency of the material inside.
The workaholic Dutchman later prospered as a top executive at Danone, the French food giant, before moving to a struggling Dutch baby food maker, Numico, and turning that company around.
Though his career reads like a business school case study, Bennink became famous in the Netherlands not for his boardroom success, but for cashing in stock options, performance shares and bonuses worth around €80 million, or $124 million, when Danone snapped up Numico for €12.3 billion last year.
The compensation created such a public furor among the egalitarian Dutch that the government is backing an unusual law that takes a first crack at curbing such windfalls. The legislation, drafted by the finance minister, Wouter Bos, was sent to Parliament on Tuesday, where it is expected to pass in time to come into force next year.
Pity the put-upon American chief executives. Let us count their burdens: Heavy expectations from impatient boards of directors. Intensified pressure from shareholders, unions and competitors. Onerous scrutiny from regulators. And zero job security. The tenure of chief executives, those richly compensated princes riding herd on America's publicly traded companies, ranks among the shortest of any professional group.
Heavy expectations from impatient boards of directors. Intensified pressure from shareholders, unions and competitors. Onerous scrutiny from regulators. And zero job security.
The tenure of chief executives, those richly compensated princes riding herd on America's publicly traded companies, ranks among the shortest of any professional group.
And lest you think they are being ironic, let me assure you that that is not the case.
- Jake Ceterum censeo Chicago esse delendam
Really, they do. "The womb that spawned that thing is fertile yet"
Not that the penalty for being bounced is too harsh. Robert Nardelli walked away from Home Depot with a $207 million severance package last year after failing to lift a sagging share price. Nardelli, a protégé of Jack Welch at General Electric who left Home Depot after a rocky six years, was quickly snapped up to run Chrysler.
Mr Sherlock! Hold the shit please.
The two American military attachés who were expelled from Russia early this month, days ahead of the Victory Day martial parade on Red Square, had made an uninvited visit to a military aviation factory in Siberia that Russia regards as strategic, several American officials said. The unannounced visit occurred in late March at the Novosibirsk Aviation Production Association in the Name of V.P. Chkalov, a plant that manufactures Sukhoi-34 fighter-bombers, known as Fullbacks by NATO designation. The two officers involved, a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and U.S. Navy lieutenant commander, appeared at the factory's gates and were subsequently questioned by the surprised local authorities, three American officials said. The Russian government later asked for them to leave the country, a request the United States honored. Both the United States and Russia have provided very little information about the reasons behind the expulsions. But the more detailed account of the officers' travels and the Russian reaction appeared to undercut in part the assertion last week by Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the attachés had fallen victim to simple tit-for-tat retaliation for two Russian diplomats expelled from the United States.
The two American military attachés who were expelled from Russia early this month, days ahead of the Victory Day martial parade on Red Square, had made an uninvited visit to a military aviation factory in Siberia that Russia regards as strategic, several American officials said.
The unannounced visit occurred in late March at the Novosibirsk Aviation Production Association in the Name of V.P. Chkalov, a plant that manufactures Sukhoi-34 fighter-bombers, known as Fullbacks by NATO designation. The two officers involved, a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and U.S. Navy lieutenant commander, appeared at the factory's gates and were subsequently questioned by the surprised local authorities, three American officials said.
The Russian government later asked for them to leave the country, a request the United States honored.
Both the United States and Russia have provided very little information about the reasons behind the expulsions. But the more detailed account of the officers' travels and the Russian reaction appeared to undercut in part the assertion last week by Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the attachés had fallen victim to simple tit-for-tat retaliation for two Russian diplomats expelled from the United States.
appeared to undercut in part the assertion
ie the US lied - big surprise... In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
ROME: Premier Silvio Berlusconi stressed the need for economic growth and reform of Italy's aging institutions as he outlined his government's plans on Tuesday before a confidence vote in parliament. Berlusconi sought to restore optimism about the future for Italians, who have been gripped by a sense of malaise and showed little confidence in their politicians. But in his first address to legislators since his election victory last month, he also expressed a need for urgency, saying: "Italy has no time to waste." "This country must get back on its feet," Berlusconi said, using his electoral slogan. "It has all the potential to start a new path and get into a new era, which must be one of growth." The address was uncharacteristically moderate for the 71-year-old media magnate, and won applause even from some of the opposition members. Berlusconi's conservative Cabinet is expected to easily win confidence votes Wednesday in the lower house and Thursday in the Senate, as his forces have comfortable control of parliament.
ROME: Premier Silvio Berlusconi stressed the need for economic growth and reform of Italy's aging institutions as he outlined his government's plans on Tuesday before a confidence vote in parliament.
Berlusconi sought to restore optimism about the future for Italians, who have been gripped by a sense of malaise and showed little confidence in their politicians. But in his first address to legislators since his election victory last month, he also expressed a need for urgency, saying: "Italy has no time to waste."
"This country must get back on its feet," Berlusconi said, using his electoral slogan. "It has all the potential to start a new path and get into a new era, which must be one of growth."
The address was uncharacteristically moderate for the 71-year-old media magnate, and won applause even from some of the opposition members.
Berlusconi's conservative Cabinet is expected to easily win confidence votes Wednesday in the lower house and Thursday in the Senate, as his forces have comfortable control of parliament.
On another note indiscrete cameras caught him exchanging adolescent love notes with two of his cute deputies. Veronica is going to be pissed off.
On a serious note, two Rom camps were assaulted in Naples yesterday and last night by angry crowds over an attempted baby kidnapping by a young Rom girl. Berlusconian zeitgeist.
LONDON - The largest biorefinery in the European Union should be up and running in the first half of next year, consuming a substantial chunk of Britain's exportable wheat surplus, the head of UK biofuels firm Ensus said.Ensus chief executive Alwyn Hughes told Reuters the plant, which the company is building in Wilton, northeast England, will make bioethanol and a protein rich animal feed co-product from about 1.2 to 1.3 million tonnes of British wheat. "We are well into construction now and we will be producing ethanol and animal feed in Q1, Q2 next year," he said in comments released on Monday. Britain traditionally has an exportable wheat surplus of about 2.5 million tonnes. The plant will the first major bioethanol plant in Britain, producing around 330,000 tonnes of the biofuel, far larger than the current leader, a British Sugar facility in eastern England with an annual capacity of around 55,000 tonnes. It will also produce 350,000 tonnes of animal feed.
LONDON - The largest biorefinery in the European Union should be up and running in the first half of next year, consuming a substantial chunk of Britain's exportable wheat surplus, the head of UK biofuels firm Ensus said.
Ensus chief executive Alwyn Hughes told Reuters the plant, which the company is building in Wilton, northeast England, will make bioethanol and a protein rich animal feed co-product from about 1.2 to 1.3 million tonnes of British wheat. "We are well into construction now and we will be producing ethanol and animal feed in Q1, Q2 next year," he said in comments released on Monday. Britain traditionally has an exportable wheat surplus of about 2.5 million tonnes. The plant will the first major bioethanol plant in Britain, producing around 330,000 tonnes of the biofuel, far larger than the current leader, a British Sugar facility in eastern England with an annual capacity of around 55,000 tonnes. It will also produce 350,000 tonnes of animal feed.
Ensus chief executive Alwyn Hughes told Reuters the plant, which the company is building in Wilton, northeast England, will make bioethanol and a protein rich animal feed co-product from about 1.2 to 1.3 million tonnes of British wheat.
"We are well into construction now and we will be producing ethanol and animal feed in Q1, Q2 next year," he said in comments released on Monday.
Britain traditionally has an exportable wheat surplus of about 2.5 million tonnes.
The plant will the first major bioethanol plant in Britain, producing around 330,000 tonnes of the biofuel, far larger than the current leader, a British Sugar facility in eastern England with an annual capacity of around 55,000 tonnes.
It will also produce 350,000 tonnes of animal feed.
Outputs: 330 thousand tonnes of ethanol + 350 thousand tonnes of animal feed
By the law of conservation of mass, this will produce at least 600,000 tonnes of waste products. 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
Scene One - Camera sweeping across plains of grain, then following jolly looking lorries carrying the bounty through healthy village roads with smiling patrons raising a pint in their passing.
Another sweep through the modern stainless steel plant, past the safety inspector with her clipboard and a lens flare off the glittering pure effluent water trickling into the village steam.
And look!!! There's Helen's pony tied to the corral adjacent to the elementary school, and as the crane shot pulls us back and above, we see gleeming truck loads of refined fuel for our cars. Only a few will notice the CEO's Porsche passing them on the blind corner of the cute country road. Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
Frank Delaney ~ Ireland
ScienceBusiness » Critics of biofuels under no obligation to be accurate
This week sees the start of another of those green initiatives that set out to meet the environmentalists' demands to "do something about climate change". As from today, under something called the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), transport fuels sold in the UK have to contain 2.5 per cent biofuel. Just two weeks before it was due to come into effect, and after companies had committed themselves to spending billions to meet the RTFO, Greenpeace, aroused by reports of shippers wanting to grab at US subsidies by shipping biofuels to and fro across the Atlantic, suddenly decided that it didn't like the idea. ... Sustainable energy is a hot area for investors these days. The Carlyle Group, for example, has invested in a bunch of businesses including Ensus. This startup company, with both a chairman and CEO who spent years developing their engineering skills in ICI, before that bastion of the chemical sector evaporated, is spending £250 million building a plant on Teesside to turn wheat into bioethanol. What can they be thinking of? Wheat? Should that be going into loaves of bread? ... The point of the story is that Ensus has backed up its sales pitch, and the all important business plan, with a detailed sustainability analysis, and one that it has thrown to the wolves, in the shape of a bunch of expert scientists. ... It is for someone else to tell if Ensus really does have a strong case. The point is that it is irresponsible of groups like Greenpeace to flail around indiscriminately knocking a whole industry. If the EU had heeded the organisation's warnings, then a bunch of investors could have kissed goodbye to their money. Companies cannot turn investment strategies on and off just because a bunch of greenies have had second thoughts. After all, they were the ones pushing for transport to do its bit for climate change. Let's hope that they don't put off too many investors. More important, let's hope that Brussels ignores their shrill screams. The first wave of biofuels may not be perfect, but, as Alwyn Hughes says, you cannot have a more efficient second generation process without building a first generation.
This week sees the start of another of those green initiatives that set out to meet the environmentalists' demands to "do something about climate change". As from today, under something called the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), transport fuels sold in the UK have to contain 2.5 per cent biofuel.
Just two weeks before it was due to come into effect, and after companies had committed themselves to spending billions to meet the RTFO, Greenpeace, aroused by reports of shippers wanting to grab at US subsidies by shipping biofuels to and fro across the Atlantic, suddenly decided that it didn't like the idea.
...
Sustainable energy is a hot area for investors these days. The Carlyle Group, for example, has invested in a bunch of businesses including Ensus. This startup company, with both a chairman and CEO who spent years developing their engineering skills in ICI, before that bastion of the chemical sector evaporated, is spending £250 million building a plant on Teesside to turn wheat into bioethanol.
What can they be thinking of? Wheat? Should that be going into loaves of bread?
The point of the story is that Ensus has backed up its sales pitch, and the all important business plan, with a detailed sustainability analysis, and one that it has thrown to the wolves, in the shape of a bunch of expert scientists.
It is for someone else to tell if Ensus really does have a strong case. The point is that it is irresponsible of groups like Greenpeace to flail around indiscriminately knocking a whole industry. If the EU had heeded the organisation's warnings, then a bunch of investors could have kissed goodbye to their money.
Companies cannot turn investment strategies on and off just because a bunch of greenies have had second thoughts. After all, they were the ones pushing for transport to do its bit for climate change. Let's hope that they don't put off too many investors. More important, let's hope that Brussels ignores their shrill screams. The first wave of biofuels may not be perfect, but, as Alwyn Hughes says, you cannot have a more efficient second generation process without building a first generation.
As Jérôme says, famine is a market solution. Auferre, trucidare, rapere, falsis nominibus imperium; atque, ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.
Because obviously, investors losing their investments is so much more of a problem than people not being able to eat the food.
Er, yes. Of course.
The only surprise is why more people don't understand that this is exactly how it works.
INTERVIEW-Largest EU biorefinery to come onstream H1 2009 | Markets | Reuters
Ensus, a start-up company which was acquired last year by two U.S. private equity funds, the Carlyle Group and Riverstone, has a contract to sell all the bioethanol produced in Wilton to oil major Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research) while Glencore will supply grain and take the animal feed, Hughes said. ... He said the animal feed, which is more suitable for cattle than pigs and chickens because of its high fibre content, should displace imported South American soymeal. "That will reduce the pressure on deforestation," he said.
He said the animal feed, which is more suitable for cattle than pigs and chickens because of its high fibre content, should displace imported South American soymeal.
"That will reduce the pressure on deforestation," he said.
So the claim that they will reduce deforestation by replacing soy oilcake looks like greenwashing to me. When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
The plant is expected to supply one-third of UK demand for ethanol under Britain's Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) which mandates that 5 percent of motor fuel should come from renewable resources by 2010.
By the way, if the EU's target is behind the RTFO, I don't know why Greenpeace is complaining to the UK rather than to the European Commission. 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
If Belgium vanishes one day, it will be because of little towns like this one, where Flemish politicians are riding a new wave of nationalism and pushing for an independent state. Liedekerke has only 12,000 inhabitants, but its elected council has caused a stir by insisting on the "Flemish nature" of the town. Not only must all town business and schooling take place in Flemish, true throughout Flanders, but children who cannot speak the language can be prohibited from holiday outings, like hikes and swimming classes.
Liedekerke has only 12,000 inhabitants, but its elected council has caused a stir by insisting on the "Flemish nature" of the town. Not only must all town business and schooling take place in Flemish, true throughout Flanders, but children who cannot speak the language can be prohibited from holiday outings, like hikes and swimming classes.
Oh, not again!
I thought the Belgium.Is.Doomed narrative had died out when the Belgians ot their government a few months ago. 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
