Now the Democratic Charter held its first rally today, with some five thousand attending (the more genuine movement will hold its own in two weeks, I may attend). So the far-right usual suspects had to announce protests for the same day, too (insane motto: "Down with the hate of Hungarians"), and naturally, some hundreds went over to attack the Charter-ists.
What followed was the now all too usual routine: attacking opposed protesters, journalists; throwing stones and molotov cocktails at police; trying to stop police charges by demolishing everything on their way; police being caught with their pants down (this time weapons were taken from a police car; later recovered). One new twist was the standoff at the church of a well-known far-right Calvinist pastor, into which a hundred rioters fled.
*Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
The 'congress' became a farce, Le Pen and Strache [the even worse successor of Haider in Austria] didn't come, their protest was banned, and they gathered only a dozen people instead of 1,500. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
KfW, a government bank that administers federal shareholdings and passes out soft loans to home-owners, was dubbed "Germany's dumbest bank" by the mass-circulation newspaper Bild when the scandal broke. The automated payment on Monday went out just hours before Lehman declared itself insolvent. Lehman did not settle the swap with the equivalent in US currency, 500 million dollars, leaving KfW in the queue as a creditor. Quoting banking sources, the German weekly magazine Focus said KfW had asked a Frankfurt law firm, Clifford, to study if it could sack or bring a prosecution against executives responsible for the blunder.
KfW, a government bank that administers federal shareholdings and passes out soft loans to home-owners, was dubbed "Germany's dumbest bank" by the mass-circulation newspaper Bild when the scandal broke.
The automated payment on Monday went out just hours before Lehman declared itself insolvent. Lehman did not settle the swap with the equivalent in US currency, 500 million dollars, leaving KfW in the queue as a creditor.
Quoting banking sources, the German weekly magazine Focus said KfW had asked a Frankfurt law firm, Clifford, to study if it could sack or bring a prosecution against executives responsible for the blunder.
The Turkish Interior Ministry has ordered an investigation into a multi-million-euro embezzlement scandal concerning Deniz Feneri, a German-Turkish charity with links to the ruling AK Party, it emerged late on Friday. The order comes two days after a court in Frankfurt jailed two men convicted of embezzling 16 million euros that had been donated to the charity's German sister organization, intended as aid to poverty- stricken Muslims in Turkey, Pakistan and Palestine.
The order comes two days after a court in Frankfurt jailed two men convicted of embezzling 16 million euros that had been donated to the charity's German sister organization, intended as aid to poverty- stricken Muslims in Turkey, Pakistan and Palestine.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel dug her heels in Friday in a dispute with the European Union and Porsche about state influence over Europe's biggest carmaker, Volkswagen. Her spokesman said Germany would not repeal legislation that grants the state of Lower Saxony veto powers at VW. Only the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, home of luxury carmaker Porsche, has spoken up in favor of the EU. But on Friday it quietly dropped a challenge in the Bundesrat upper chamber to the German legislation.
Her spokesman said Germany would not repeal legislation that grants the state of Lower Saxony veto powers at VW.
Only the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, home of luxury carmaker Porsche, has spoken up in favor of the EU. But on Friday it quietly dropped a challenge in the Bundesrat upper chamber to the German legislation.
Lower Saxony is currently headed by CDU man Christian Wulff, who at present seems to be the most likely man to eventually succeed Merkel. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Some 20,000 anti-globalisation protesters are set to march in Sweden on Saturday in what is expected to be one of the biggest demonstrations ever held in the Scandinavian country, organisers and police said. "This will probably be the biggest demonstration (in Sweden) since the end of World War II," organiser Peter Johansson told reporters at the European Social Forum in the southern Swedish town of Malmo. The four-day forum has requested that police keep a discreet presence at the march, and only a few dozen officers will be visible along the demonstration route, Anders Svensson, who is in charge of protest security, told reporters. "That is one of our demands to police," he said, adding that organisers wanted to avoid a repeat of the 2001 clashes between protesters and officers in the southwestern city of Gothenburg, when 250 people were injured, including three demonstrators shot by police.
"This will probably be the biggest demonstration (in Sweden) since the end of World War II," organiser Peter Johansson told reporters at the European Social Forum in the southern Swedish town of Malmo.
The four-day forum has requested that police keep a discreet presence at the march, and only a few dozen officers will be visible along the demonstration route, Anders Svensson, who is in charge of protest security, told reporters.
"That is one of our demands to police," he said, adding that organisers wanted to avoid a repeat of the 2001 clashes between protesters and officers in the southwestern city of Gothenburg, when 250 people were injured, including three demonstrators shot by police.
Unlike in the case of the Budapest far-righters, methinks even if this is not all scare-mongering and there will be a riot, only a small minority of the protesting total will participate. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Prime Minister promises 'whatever it takes' to save jobs as he brushes off talk of a challenge The Labour party put on a show of closing ranks behind Gordon Brown today as it opened its annual conference in Manchester. The Prime Minister received cheers and a 32-second standing ovation as he came onto the stage at the start of the conference.
The Labour party put on a show of closing ranks behind Gordon Brown today as it opened its annual conference in Manchester.
The Prime Minister received cheers and a 32-second standing ovation as he came onto the stage at the start of the conference.
More than 1,000 people have joined the families and friends of knife and gun crime victims in a protest march across London, converging on Hyde Park. ... Prime Minister Gordon Brown sent a video message of support but it was met with jeers and people shouting "off". Families hit by knife crime, including those of victims killed this year, are rallying for an end to the violence.
...
Prime Minister Gordon Brown sent a video message of support but it was met with jeers and people shouting "off".
Families hit by knife crime, including those of victims killed this year, are rallying for an end to the violence.
that's the kind of thing that make me proud to be european.. and from barcelona...... great people, great music, public transport open all day and all night....
In a word... the best of the cities...
And it did not cost 700 billion dollars!!!! only a fraction
A taste of todays key altyernative groups....self-edited, self-organized and now, thanks to my city, paid and bringing humongous crowds.....
A pleasure I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude
Gordon Brown is set to lead Labour into an election bloodbath so crushing it could take his party a decade to recover, according to the largest ever poll of marginal seats which predicts a landslide victory for David Cameron. Eight cabinet ministers, including the Home Secretary and the Justice Secretary, would be swept away in the rout as the Tories marched into Downing Street with a majority of 146, says the poll, conducted for PoliticsHome.com and exclusively revealed to The Observer. Seats that have been Labour since the First World War would fall. The sheer scale of the humiliation is almost as bad as that endured by the Tories in 1997, suggesting it could take Labour a similar time to claw its way back to power. The party would be virtually extinguished in southern England and left with only its hardcore redoubts in northern England, the Welsh valleys and deprived inner-city areas.
Eight cabinet ministers, including the Home Secretary and the Justice Secretary, would be swept away in the rout as the Tories marched into Downing Street with a majority of 146, says the poll, conducted for PoliticsHome.com and exclusively revealed to The Observer. Seats that have been Labour since the First World War would fall.
The sheer scale of the humiliation is almost as bad as that endured by the Tories in 1997, suggesting it could take Labour a similar time to claw its way back to power. The party would be virtually extinguished in southern England and left with only its hardcore redoubts in northern England, the Welsh valleys and deprived inner-city areas.
And after selling out their base to the money-men in the City, they will deserve every bit of it.
