The Czech government has unveiled a new PR campaign to raise awareness of the country's forthcoming presidency of the European Union. The campaign revolves around the sugar cube - a Czech invention - and includes a seemingly innocent slogan. But the phrase is highly ambiguous in Czech, and has left critics wondering what the government is trying to say. The government has defended the campaign which is now running on TV screens and billboards. In it, a handful of Czech celebrities - including the Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech - sit around a table and do amusing things with sugar cubes.
The Czech government has unveiled a new PR campaign to raise awareness of the country's forthcoming presidency of the European Union.
The campaign revolves around the sugar cube - a Czech invention - and includes a seemingly innocent slogan.
But the phrase is highly ambiguous in Czech, and has left critics wondering what the government is trying to say.
The government has defended the campaign which is now running on TV screens and billboards.
In it, a handful of Czech celebrities - including the Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech - sit around a table and do amusing things with sugar cubes.
Accompanying the images is a slogan that translates literally as "we'll make things sweeter for Europe". ... Translators contacted by the BBC suggested the most accurate rendition would be "we'll give Europe a taste of its own medicine".
Translators contacted by the BBC suggested the most accurate rendition would be "we'll give Europe a taste of its own medicine".
Plausible deniability... A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
You can see the spot from this page - there's a blue box in the middle with wmv and mpeg links. A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for an international probe into the conflict over Georgia's breakaway provinces in an interview published Friday. It was necessary to examine the background of the brief war last month when Russian troops entered South Ossetia and penetrated further into Georgia, Steinmeier told the daily Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung on Friday, Sept. 5. "The question of who bears guilt and responsibility is not the priority when people are suffering, have lost their possessions and are forced to flee," he said. "But I have also said that in a second phase, in which we will define our medium and long-term relations with the conflicting parties, the issue of who bears what part of the responsibility for the escalation to the point of a military conflict will play a role. "This cannot be cleared up overnight and probably never completely," the foreign minister told the newspaper.
It was necessary to examine the background of the brief war last month when Russian troops entered South Ossetia and penetrated further into Georgia, Steinmeier told the daily Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung on Friday, Sept. 5.
"The question of who bears guilt and responsibility is not the priority when people are suffering, have lost their possessions and are forced to flee," he said. "But I have also said that in a second phase, in which we will define our medium and long-term relations with the conflicting parties, the issue of who bears what part of the responsibility for the escalation to the point of a military conflict will play a role.
"This cannot be cleared up overnight and probably never completely," the foreign minister told the newspaper.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she was "very satisfied" with the European Union and United States sending a clear message of disapproval to Russia over the Georgia conflict. The EU and US were achieving "results" in backing Georgia and showing Russia that "we do not accept this type of action," Rice said on Friday, Sept. 5, after meeting her Portuguese counterpart Luis Amado in Lisbon.
The EU and US were achieving "results" in backing Georgia and showing Russia that "we do not accept this type of action," Rice said on Friday, Sept. 5, after meeting her Portuguese counterpart Luis Amado in Lisbon.
Nato's early-warning surveillance system has been plugged into Georgia's air-defence network in the first evidence that the US-led alliance is shoring up the country's shattered military.Alliance officials said that the arrangement enabled Nato radar specialists to be linked up to the Georgian radar systems. "It means Nato can now see what the Georgians are seeing through their radars, effectively allowing the alliance to monitor what is going on over Georgian airspace without having military assets in place," one official said.After the war in Georgia last month and the continuing occupation of parts of the country by Russian troops, the move underlined the intention by Nato to provide assistance to the Georgian military. A Nato official said that the combined air surveillance arrangement had been negotiated before the crisis in Georgia. The technical switch-on, linking radars in Georgia to Nato, happened this week however.
Nato's early-warning surveillance system has been plugged into Georgia's air-defence network in the first evidence that the US-led alliance is shoring up the country's shattered military.
Alliance officials said that the arrangement enabled Nato radar specialists to be linked up to the Georgian radar systems. "It means Nato can now see what the Georgians are seeing through their radars, effectively allowing the alliance to monitor what is going on over Georgian airspace without having military assets in place," one official said.
After the war in Georgia last month and the continuing occupation of parts of the country by Russian troops, the move underlined the intention by Nato to provide assistance to the Georgian military.
A Nato official said that the combined air surveillance arrangement had been negotiated before the crisis in Georgia. The technical switch-on, linking radars in Georgia to Nato, happened this week however.
US military trained Georgian commandos The US military provided combat training to 80 Georgian special forces commandos only months prior to Georgia's army assault in South Ossetia in August. The revelation, based on recruitment documents and interviews with US military trainers obtained by the Financial Times, could add fuel to accusations by Vladimir Putin, Russian prime minister, last month that the US had "orchestrated" the war in the Georgian enclave. The training was provided by senior US soldiers and two military contractors. There is no evidence that the contractors or the Pentagon, which hired them, knew that the commandos they were training were likely be used in the assault on South Ossetia.
The US military provided combat training to 80 Georgian special forces commandos only months prior to Georgia's army assault in South Ossetia in August.
The revelation, based on recruitment documents and interviews with US military trainers obtained by the Financial Times, could add fuel to accusations by Vladimir Putin, Russian prime minister, last month that the US had "orchestrated" the war in the Georgian enclave.
The training was provided by senior US soldiers and two military contractors. There is no evidence that the contractors or the Pentagon, which hired them, knew that the commandos they were training were likely be used in the assault on South Ossetia.
Last Thursday, 28 August, the deputy chief of Russia's General Staff, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, held a news conference in Moscow, where he revealed that Russian troops in South Ossetia had found a passport belonging to an American citizen called Michael Lee White. He displayed a copy to assembled journalists, revealing that the passport was issued in Houston in 2001, and that the owner was a resident of Texas born in 1967. [...] At the time the Russians say he was accompanying Georgian special forces, his family insist that White was in Texas for six weeks caring for his elderly father, and that they can prove it.
US military assistance doesn't start wars.
Ahem. A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
A US navy flagship has steamed into a Georgian port where Russian troops are still stationed, stoking tensions once again in the tinderbox Caucasus region. A previous trip by American warships was cancelled at the last minute a week ago amid fears that an armed stand off could erupt in the Black Sea port of Poti. The arrival of the USS Mount Whitney came as Moscow accused Dick Cheney, the hawkish US vice-president, of stoking tensions during a visit to Tbilisi yesterday, in which he vowed to bring Georgia into the Nato alliance. Russia sees any such move as a blatant Western encroachment on its traditional sphere of influence. Russia's leadership has already questioned whether previous US warships that docked at the port of Batumi, to the south, were delivering weapons to rearm the smashed Georgian military, something Washington has denied.
A US navy flagship has steamed into a Georgian port where Russian troops are still stationed, stoking tensions once again in the tinderbox Caucasus region.
A previous trip by American warships was cancelled at the last minute a week ago amid fears that an armed stand off could erupt in the Black Sea port of Poti.
The arrival of the USS Mount Whitney came as Moscow accused Dick Cheney, the hawkish US vice-president, of stoking tensions during a visit to Tbilisi yesterday, in which he vowed to bring Georgia into the Nato alliance. Russia sees any such move as a blatant Western encroachment on its traditional sphere of influence.
Russia's leadership has already questioned whether previous US warships that docked at the port of Batumi, to the south, were delivering weapons to rearm the smashed Georgian military, something Washington has denied.
A Polish newspaper has reported that a top secret memo confirms the existence of a secret CIA prison in Poland, a claim rejected by the Polish government. Polish prosecutors have obtained a top secret memorandum from either late 2005 or early 2006 showing that a CIA prison existed in Poland earlier in the decade, according to respected Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza. The Warsaw newspaper quoted sources saying that they had seen the document but did not explicitly say that the prison served as a holding center for al-Qaeda terrorist suspects as has been alleged in the American media. The Gazeta reported that according to the document the secret prison was set up after the US and Poland signed an accord in 2002 to combat terrorism.
Polish prosecutors have obtained a top secret memorandum from either late 2005 or early 2006 showing that a CIA prison existed in Poland earlier in the decade, according to respected Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza.
The Warsaw newspaper quoted sources saying that they had seen the document but did not explicitly say that the prison served as a holding center for al-Qaeda terrorist suspects as has been alleged in the American media.
The Gazeta reported that according to the document the secret prison was set up after the US and Poland signed an accord in 2002 to combat terrorism.
(The most recent edition of the Economist is stunning in that respect) In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
But I read it for the usual reason: you have to know what "they" think and hear.
To be fair, I don't know if I'm more sensitive to it, or if they have completely abandoned their standards (of clearly spearating facts from opinion), but their coverage of politics is increasingly one-sided and partisan under the guise of objectivity. I didn't used to be so annoyed at the Economist all the time. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Part of that was me becoming a little bit more left wing, but my views only changed slightly. Part of it was me becoming much more strongly partisan. But part of it was them. They'd always been clearly biased in favour of neo-liberal economic solutions, but they became more dogmatic, even as the evidence mounted up that they don't pan out the way they're supposed to. They increasingly remind me of diehard socialists unwilling to come to terms with the fact that while a full blown centrally planned publicly owned economy might sound nice in theory, it just doesn't work that well. The same techniques - point to certain successes while ignoring the larger context of problems, and deny the latter as the result of deviations from the True Path.
Plus they've expanded their bias beyond economics into pure partisanship and shilling for the Republicans. Some of that always existed, but there was more balance.
One thing I disagree with you on - they never had a bright line betwee opinion and news - the news articles always wore their opinions on their sleeve.
I was telling Drew the other day that newspapers should be white. Pastel colours are for toilet paper. Which is what the financial press is (and the Economist and the WSJ are salmon in spirit). Too bad our decision makers think they need to read it to (in)form their opinions. A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - While Brussels is home to an estimated 15-20,000 lobbyists, who daily and doggedly attempt to win lawmakers to their clients' point of view, up to now, only around 300 lobbying organisations have signed up to the European Commission's voluntary registry. As of Wednesday (4 September) - a day when across the Atlantic, Jack Abramoff, once one of Washington's most powerful lobbyists, was sentenced to four years in prison for his extensive corrupt practices - in Europe's capital, a total of 303 lobbying groups had filed with the public record of EU lobbyists, or "registry of interest representatives." Commissioner Kallas' spokesperson has warned that the number of lobbying organisations signing up to the registry is 'low' Campaigners for lobbying transparency in Europe have repeatedly argued that it is only because the US has a mandatory registry that characters such as Mr Abramoff - whose network of corruption has now delivered 13 guilty pleas from public officials and lobbyists - can be caught. In Brussels, they warn, lobbying remains too shadowy an activity after the launch of a voluntary registry, which would never bring an Abramoff-style case to light.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - While Brussels is home to an estimated 15-20,000 lobbyists, who daily and doggedly attempt to win lawmakers to their clients' point of view, up to now, only around 300 lobbying organisations have signed up to the European Commission's voluntary registry.
As of Wednesday (4 September) - a day when across the Atlantic, Jack Abramoff, once one of Washington's most powerful lobbyists, was sentenced to four years in prison for his extensive corrupt practices - in Europe's capital, a total of 303 lobbying groups had filed with the public record of EU lobbyists, or "registry of interest representatives."
Commissioner Kallas' spokesperson has warned that the number of lobbying organisations signing up to the registry is 'low'
Campaigners for lobbying transparency in Europe have repeatedly argued that it is only because the US has a mandatory registry that characters such as Mr Abramoff - whose network of corruption has now delivered 13 guilty pleas from public officials and lobbyists - can be caught.
In Brussels, they warn, lobbying remains too shadowy an activity after the launch of a voluntary registry, which would never bring an Abramoff-style case to light.
Tensions between two EU countries, Finland and Slovenia grew to new heights on Thursday (4 September), with Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa delivering an official note of complaint to the Finnish ambassador in Ljublajana over Finnish TV accusations of bribes in relation to a weapons deal. On Monday (1 September) the investigative journalism programme MOT claimed Finnish defence material manufacturer Patria paid a total of €21 million in bribes indirectly to Slovenian officials and to the prime minister in return for arms orders. Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa refuted the claims saying friendly relations with Finland could be a affected The news was broadcast on Finland's national public service broadcaster, YLE. Mr Jansa refuted the claims as being unfounded, saying that MOT could effect the friendly relations between the two countries.
Tensions between two EU countries, Finland and Slovenia grew to new heights on Thursday (4 September), with Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa delivering an official note of complaint to the Finnish ambassador in Ljublajana over Finnish TV accusations of bribes in relation to a weapons deal.
On Monday (1 September) the investigative journalism programme MOT claimed Finnish defence material manufacturer Patria paid a total of €21 million in bribes indirectly to Slovenian officials and to the prime minister in return for arms orders.
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa refuted the claims saying friendly relations with Finland could be a affected
The news was broadcast on Finland's national public service broadcaster, YLE.
Mr Jansa refuted the claims as being unfounded, saying that MOT could effect the friendly relations between the two countries.
It might be a good place for a stag party or cheap weekend away but would you go all the way to Hungary just to get your teeth seen to? One company reckons it is the answer to shelling out hundreds or even thousands of pounds on treatment in the UK. The Hungarian Dentist Travel Company is spending the next week touring the country with a tent as their consultation room. Their first stop is a farm in Lincoln, where the company is based. Patient Malcolm Bramell said: "If I had a tooth implant it would cost £2,100 privately in Lincoln. I am with the NHS but they don't do implants here. I'm here to see how much it would cost if I went to Hungary.
It might be a good place for a stag party or cheap weekend away but would you go all the way to Hungary just to get your teeth seen to?
One company reckons it is the answer to shelling out hundreds or even thousands of pounds on treatment in the UK.
The Hungarian Dentist Travel Company is spending the next week touring the country with a tent as their consultation room.
Their first stop is a farm in Lincoln, where the company is based.
Patient Malcolm Bramell said: "If I had a tooth implant it would cost £2,100 privately in Lincoln. I am with the NHS but they don't do implants here. I'm here to see how much it would cost if I went to Hungary.
'Dental tourism' is pretty strong here for two decades now: first Austrians, then Germans too, then Italians and French. That now Britons are part of it only means that the travel sphere grew further. I am guessing that the transport (and customs) integration of the EU and low-budget airlines had the main roles in this. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
BRUSSELS: After the crisis over Georgia, new divisions have emerged within the European Union over whether to offer Ukraine a clear signal that it might one day join the 27-nation bloc. The Russian military action in August increased pressure on the EU to increase its engagement in Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova to shore up pro-Western forces there. But the Georgian conflict has reignited a vigorous debate within the EU on whether the bloc can continue to expand to include more nations that border Russia. A test of the EU's commitment to its Eastern neighbors comes Tuesday in Évian, when President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, which holds the EU rotating presidency, leads talks with Ukraine on behalf of the bloc. The meeting will have an added sense of urgency following the collapse of the government in Ukraine this week. The two sides expect to reach broad consensus on a new agreement dealing with ties between the EU and Ukraine. But several EU countries, including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, want to make clear that this will not lead, automatically, to EU membership talks. By contrast, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Baltic States, Sweden and Britain are pressing for language stating that Ukraine has a clear European future.
BRUSSELS: After the crisis over Georgia, new divisions have emerged within the European Union over whether to offer Ukraine a clear signal that it might one day join the 27-nation bloc.
The Russian military action in August increased pressure on the EU to increase its engagement in Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova to shore up pro-Western forces there. But the Georgian conflict has reignited a vigorous debate within the EU on whether the bloc can continue to expand to include more nations that border Russia.
A test of the EU's commitment to its Eastern neighbors comes Tuesday in Évian, when President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, which holds the EU rotating presidency, leads talks with Ukraine on behalf of the bloc. The meeting will have an added sense of urgency following the collapse of the government in Ukraine this week.
The two sides expect to reach broad consensus on a new agreement dealing with ties between the EU and Ukraine. But several EU countries, including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, want to make clear that this will not lead, automatically, to EU membership talks. By contrast, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Baltic States, Sweden and Britain are pressing for language stating that Ukraine has a clear European future.
BENALMÁDENA, Spain: Few Spaniards would sacrifice their annual summer vacation. But while Spain's beaches are still busy, shops and restaurants at its resorts are ominously quiet as the country's economic crisis envelops the tourism industry. After 50 years of uninterrupted growth, Spain's overbuilt and relatively expensive resorts seem ill-placed to cope with a downturn, at a time of increasing competition from cheaper, less-crowded destinations like Croatia and Turkey. "In 48 years, I have never seen losses like this; tourism bosses I'm talking to have never suffered so much," said Domenec Biosca, president of Spain's Association of Tourism Directors and Experts. He said that in many parts of the country, tourism was already in deep recession, as both Spaniards and foreigners travel less distance, stay less time and spend less money.
BENALMÁDENA, Spain: Few Spaniards would sacrifice their annual summer vacation. But while Spain's beaches are still busy, shops and restaurants at its resorts are ominously quiet as the country's economic crisis envelops the tourism industry.
After 50 years of uninterrupted growth, Spain's overbuilt and relatively expensive resorts seem ill-placed to cope with a downturn, at a time of increasing competition from cheaper, less-crowded destinations like Croatia and Turkey.
"In 48 years, I have never seen losses like this; tourism bosses I'm talking to have never suffered so much," said Domenec Biosca, president of Spain's Association of Tourism Directors and Experts.
He said that in many parts of the country, tourism was already in deep recession, as both Spaniards and foreigners travel less distance, stay less time and spend less money.
And it is indeed foregners, not Spaniards, that vacation in Benalmádena or in September... A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
The European Union should fully liberalise its electricity and gas markets, pursuing a controversial goal set by its executive last year, according to a report today by the International Energy Agency (IEA). The EU's executive European Commission proposed dividing ownership of gas and electricity supply from pipelines and grids in a drive to help new market entrants and force down prices. But European Union energy ministers yielded to pressure from France and Germany at a June summit, giving giant energy companies easier alternatives to being broken up. The European Parliament, which has powers of co-decision alongside the energy ministers, stuck firm to the Commission's initial preference for full ownership unbundling of electricity networks but agreed to compromise on gas.
The European Union should fully liberalise its electricity and gas markets, pursuing a controversial goal set by its executive last year, according to a report today by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The EU's executive European Commission proposed dividing ownership of gas and electricity supply from pipelines and grids in a drive to help new market entrants and force down prices.
But European Union energy ministers yielded to pressure from France and Germany at a June summit, giving giant energy companies easier alternatives to being broken up.
The European Parliament, which has powers of co-decision alongside the energy ministers, stuck firm to the Commission's initial preference for full ownership unbundling of electricity networks but agreed to compromise on gas.
what's not to love? ~Government budget deficits are not nearly as dangerous as the deficits we have created in vital and complex natural systems.~ Naomi Klein.
MADRID - Spain has taken a first step toward amending its restrictive law on abortion, a government minister said yesterday, moving to fill one of the last big gaps in a drive for sweeping social change in this traditionally Roman Catholic country. Equality Minister Bibiana Aido said the law must be changed because Spain's 17 semiautonomous regions apply it unevenly. Seeking Recommendations A panel of 13 lawyers, doctors and other experts has been appointed to come up with recommendations for the Socialist government on how to amend the current law, Equality Minister Bibiana Aido told reporters.She said she expects a bill to be presented to Parliament in the first six months of 2009, but could not specify whether it would provide for abortion on demand up to 12 to 14 weeks into a pregnancy, as demanded by abortion rights campaigners. The current law, which dates from 1985, allows abortion in the first 12 weeks in case of rape, 22 weeks in case of fetal malformation, and at any time if a psychiatrist certifies that the mother's physical or mental health is endangered.The vast majority of the roughly 100,000 abortions carried out in Spain each year fall into the latter category, according to the Association of Accredited Abortion Clinics. Abortion foes call it a loophole that is grossly abused.
MADRID - Spain has taken a first step toward amending its restrictive law on abortion, a government minister said yesterday, moving to fill one of the last big gaps in a drive for sweeping social change in this traditionally Roman Catholic country.
Equality Minister Bibiana Aido said the law must be changed because Spain's 17 semiautonomous regions apply it unevenly.
Seeking Recommendations
A panel of 13 lawyers, doctors and other experts has been appointed to come up with recommendations for the Socialist government on how to amend the current law, Equality Minister Bibiana Aido told reporters.
She said she expects a bill to be presented to Parliament in the first six months of 2009, but could not specify whether it would provide for abortion on demand up to 12 to 14 weeks into a pregnancy, as demanded by abortion rights campaigners. The current law, which dates from 1985, allows abortion in the first 12 weeks in case of rape, 22 weeks in case of fetal malformation, and at any time if a psychiatrist certifies that the mother's physical or mental health is endangered.
The vast majority of the roughly 100,000 abortions carried out in Spain each year fall into the latter category, according to the Association of Accredited Abortion Clinics. Abortion foes call it a loophole that is grossly abused.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Italy's plan to fingerprint Roma people has received a green light from the European Commission, with Brussels' experts suggesting that the controversial measures are not discriminatory or in breach of EU standards. A commission spokesman told journalists on Thursday (4 September) that the practice proposed by Italian authorities earlier this year is only aimed at identifying persons "who cannot be identified in any other way" and excludes the collection of "data relating to ethnic origin or the religion of people." Italy plans to fingerprint only people who cannot be identified in other way The centre-right government of Silvio Berlusconi sparked protests from human rights organisations and several in the European Parliament after announcing its plan to fingerprint Roma people - including children - as part of a census of Roma camps. Some critics of the move compared it to the policies of Benito Mussolini, the country's fascist leader during the Second World War.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Italy's plan to fingerprint Roma people has received a green light from the European Commission, with Brussels' experts suggesting that the controversial measures are not discriminatory or in breach of EU standards.
A commission spokesman told journalists on Thursday (4 September) that the practice proposed by Italian authorities earlier this year is only aimed at identifying persons "who cannot be identified in any other way" and excludes the collection of "data relating to ethnic origin or the religion of people."
Italy plans to fingerprint only people who cannot be identified in other way
The centre-right government of Silvio Berlusconi sparked protests from human rights organisations and several in the European Parliament after announcing its plan to fingerprint Roma people - including children - as part of a census of Roma camps.
Some critics of the move compared it to the policies of Benito Mussolini, the country's fascist leader during the Second World War.
Chinese airline Hainan may challenge a bid by Lufthansa to buy Brussels Airlines, with the Asian firm already in talks to snap up Belgium's Charleroi airport. German carrier Lufthansa remains the favourite bidder for Brussels Airlines, but some shareholders in the Belgian company believe the offer is too low and are looking at other partners, such as British Airways and Hainan, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Friday Late last week, Lufthansa said it was in "constructive negotiations" to acquire a 45 percent stake in Brussels Airlines for €65 million, expecting to close the deal within the next few weeks. The remaining stake was then to be taken over after two years. But shareholders in Brussels Airlines believe the carrier is worth at least €200 million. Brussels Airlines is the heir to the bankrupt Sabena, with a 30 percent share having been taken over in 2006 by Richard Branson's Virgin Express.
Chinese airline Hainan may challenge a bid by Lufthansa to buy Brussels Airlines, with the Asian firm already in talks to snap up Belgium's Charleroi airport.
German carrier Lufthansa remains the favourite bidder for Brussels Airlines, but some shareholders in the Belgian company believe the offer is too low and are looking at other partners, such as British Airways and Hainan, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Friday
Late last week, Lufthansa said it was in "constructive negotiations" to acquire a 45 percent stake in Brussels Airlines for €65 million, expecting to close the deal within the next few weeks. The remaining stake was then to be taken over after two years.
But shareholders in Brussels Airlines believe the carrier is worth at least €200 million. Brussels Airlines is the heir to the bankrupt Sabena, with a 30 percent share having been taken over in 2006 by Richard Branson's Virgin Express.
Nato peacekeepers in Bosnia have raided the home of a retired colonel suspected of having close links to Ratko Mladic, who is wanted on charges of war crimes. Troops entered the house of Petar Jesic in the town of Rogatica, 50km east of Sarajevo, at dawn on Thursday and searched it for several hours, Derek Chappell, a Nato spokesman said. "We have very strong evidence that he has been and continues to be an active member of the support network of Ratko Mladic," Chappell said. Jesic, who the spokesman said had "very close connections with many Bosnian Serb army leaders", was questioned along with his wife and mother-in-law.
Nato peacekeepers in Bosnia have raided the home of a retired colonel suspected of having close links to Ratko Mladic, who is wanted on charges of war crimes.
Troops entered the house of Petar Jesic in the town of Rogatica, 50km east of Sarajevo, at dawn on Thursday and searched it for several hours, Derek Chappell, a Nato spokesman said.
"We have very strong evidence that he has been and continues to be an active member of the support network of Ratko Mladic," Chappell said.
Jesic, who the spokesman said had "very close connections with many Bosnian Serb army leaders", was questioned along with his wife and mother-in-law.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU capitals should create a united front in order to beef up their position vis-a-vis major energy suppliers such as Russia, the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggested on Thursday (4 September). "Many EU member states prefer to maintain their bilateral relationships with supplier countries, which may affect the strength of the EU to act as a single entity," IEA chief Nobuo Tanaka said, labelling the current fragmented approach "perhaps the weakest policy area." Russia's actions in Georgia in August have only heightened concerns about European energy security "In the long run, it means they [EU states] will lose out," Mr Tanaka stressed. Russia supplies the 27-nation bloc with a third of its oil and 40 percent of its natural gas - a dependence expected to rise significantly in the future.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU capitals should create a united front in order to beef up their position vis-a-vis major energy suppliers such as Russia, the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggested on Thursday (4 September).
"Many EU member states prefer to maintain their bilateral relationships with supplier countries, which may affect the strength of the EU to act as a single entity," IEA chief Nobuo Tanaka said, labelling the current fragmented approach "perhaps the weakest policy area."
Russia's actions in Georgia in August have only heightened concerns about European energy security
"In the long run, it means they [EU states] will lose out," Mr Tanaka stressed.
Russia supplies the 27-nation bloc with a third of its oil and 40 percent of its natural gas - a dependence expected to rise significantly in the future.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The final shape of an EU security mission to Georgia and broader EU-Russia relations will top the agenda of an EU foreign ministers' meeting in France this weekend. The possibility of relaxing sanctions against Belarus and prospects for a new Ukraine treaty will also come up for debate. The 14th century palace complex will host the EU meeting The EU is keen to send over 200 personnel to Georgia under its European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) umbrella and has already begun recruiting for a chief of staff, political advisers and logistics officers. "The participants must have negotiating skills and the ability to work professionally in a stressful and diverse environment," the job advertisement says, asking for availability on "15 September 2008 at the latest," with deployment on the ground envisaged before 15 October. It remains uncertain if the unit will be composed of EU-badged policemen or soldiers however, if it will stand alongside OSCE monitors or be part of an OSCE-led team and if it will have access to the Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The final shape of an EU security mission to Georgia and broader EU-Russia relations will top the agenda of an EU foreign ministers' meeting in France this weekend. The possibility of relaxing sanctions against Belarus and prospects for a new Ukraine treaty will also come up for debate.
The 14th century palace complex will host the EU meeting
The EU is keen to send over 200 personnel to Georgia under its European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) umbrella and has already begun recruiting for a chief of staff, political advisers and logistics officers.
"The participants must have negotiating skills and the ability to work professionally in a stressful and diverse environment," the job advertisement says, asking for availability on "15 September 2008 at the latest," with deployment on the ground envisaged before 15 October.
It remains uncertain if the unit will be composed of EU-badged policemen or soldiers however, if it will stand alongside OSCE monitors or be part of an OSCE-led team and if it will have access to the Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
SALES of new cars are forecast to continue to plunge over the next year after manufacturers announced the worst August figures for 42 years. UK registrations fell last month by nearly 19 per cent on a year ago as drivers postponed buying new cars because of fears over the economy. The fall in Scotland was even more marked, with sales down 21 per cent to 4,578 and traders predicting a disappointing" September, when new number plates usually boost sales.
UK registrations fell last month by nearly 19 per cent on a year ago as drivers postponed buying new cars because of fears over the economy.
The fall in Scotland was even more marked, with sales down 21 per cent to 4,578 and traders predicting a disappointing" September, when new number plates usually boost sales.
Microsoft Corp. may have made a mistake by settling antitrust charges with the European Union last year after losing an EU court ruling. The software maker didn't know it was one vote away from winning. Judges voted 7-6 against Microsoft on Sept. 17, 2007, according to two people with direct knowledge of the outcome. They declined to be identified because EU court votes are confidential. It should have appealed to try to end the European Commission's case for once and for all, said Toan Tran, an analyst at Morningstar Inc. in Chicago. The close vote may indicate that EU courts aren't a rubber stamp for commission decisions. Knowledge of the split may influence U.S. technology companies facing antitrust probes, such as Intel Corp. and Qualcomm Inc., in their legal battles.
Judges voted 7-6 against Microsoft on Sept. 17, 2007, according to two people with direct knowledge of the outcome. They declined to be identified because EU court votes are confidential. It should have appealed to try to end the European Commission's case for once and for all, said Toan Tran, an analyst at Morningstar Inc. in Chicago.
The close vote may indicate that EU courts aren't a rubber stamp for commission decisions. Knowledge of the split may influence U.S. technology companies facing antitrust probes, such as Intel Corp. and Qualcomm Inc., in their legal battles.
A tiny autonomous archipelago off Finland could soon add to the EU's Lisbon Treaty woes. The Aland Islands, which lie between Sweden and Finland, have yet to vote on the EU's reform treaty - and a No would further undermine its legal credibility. Irish voters rejected the treaty in June. Under the act of autonomy with Finland, the islands - home to just 27,000 people - have the right to vote separately on EU treaties.
The Aland Islands, which lie between Sweden and Finland, have yet to vote on the EU's reform treaty - and a No would further undermine its legal credibility. Irish voters rejected the treaty in June.
Under the act of autonomy with Finland, the islands - home to just 27,000 people - have the right to vote separately on EU treaties.
Looking at the Wikipedia summary of Ratification, the treaty could still conceivably be defeated by Gibraltar (UK), Åland (Finland) and Cyprus</snark>. ... (and I don't really expect Finland to fail because of Åland)
Beppe Grillo's Blog
Quinto Vicentino and Torri di Quartesolo are two small municipalities that have won the battle against the American Army. The doubling of the United States Military base in Vicenza has ground to a halt. The two municipalities have managed to halt the construction of the new barracks to house the military personnel. There is an existing regional law that limits the number of buildings that may be erected in agricultural areas. If the planned 215 houses had been built for the American soldiers, the remaining residents would not have been able to build anything more for the next 10 years. Kambiz Razzaghi, Works Manager in charge of the construction works for the new Dal Molin military base, has said that: "Yes, Quinto is dead". So the Americans are homeless, at least for the time being. What they are thinking of doing is spreading themselves out throughout the area, in small enclaves in a number of the Vicenza municipal districts. Ten houses here, another fifteen there, and some housed in the various Bed and Breakfast establishments in the Veneto Region. The municipalities are the fulcrum of the lever that will eventually raise up the whole of Italy. This was proven in the Val di Susa, in Campania and now in Vicenza. It is impossible to lie to those who see what is happening with their own eyes. The new Dal Molin military base would turn Vicenza into one of the biggest targets in the whole of Europe in the event of a war against the United States. This would, after all, be the biggest military base in Europe, from which it would be possible to despatch bombers loaded with atomic bombs. There is no valid reason for setting up a base such as this. On 5 October 2008 Vicenza is scheduled to hold a Municipal Referendum regarding the construction of this base. The quorum for this referendum is 35,000 voters. I will be there to lend my support. My hope is that, at some stage in the future, Kambiz Razzaghi will say that: "Yes, Dal Molin is dead". There is yet more good news from Vicenza, namely the Dal Molin 2.0 plan submitted by the "Vicenza, 5-star municipality" Civic List plan, submitted by Davide Marchiani. According to this plan, a solar energy farm would be set up in place of the military base. Vicenza would score around one billion, three hundred million Euro over a period of 20 years. This would mean free electricity for 25 thousand of the 43 thousand families. The project is illustrated in detail in the attached document, which can be downloaded. Therefore, I hereby invite the people of Vicenza to support the project and the residents of other municipalities to copy it. They may never surrender, but neither will we.
(my bold)
this is very heartening... ~Government budget deficits are not nearly as dangerous as the deficits we have created in vital and complex natural systems.~ Naomi Klein.
