Sweden will assume the EU's six-month rotating presidency on 1 July, amid great economic challenges and institutional uncertainty for the 27-nation bloc.If ratification of the Lisbon Treaty is completed this year it could be the last six-month presidency. What are Sweden's priorities as it takes over from the Czech Republic?
Sweden will assume the EU's six-month rotating presidency on 1 July, amid great economic challenges and institutional uncertainty for the 27-nation bloc.
If ratification of the Lisbon Treaty is completed this year it could be the last six-month presidency.
What are Sweden's priorities as it takes over from the Czech Republic?
A senior Tory MEP has become the first to break ranks and voice "real concern" over the inclusion of "extreme Right-wingers" in the new anti-federalist group in the European Parliament. Edward McMillan-Scott said he was unhappy with many of the candidates who would be sitting with the Conservatives in the 55-strong group.He also said it was "humiliating" for the Tories to be "scrambling around" for new members for the group.
Edward McMillan-Scott said he was unhappy with many of the candidates who would be sitting with the Conservatives in the 55-strong group.
He also said it was "humiliating" for the Tories to be "scrambling around" for new members for the group.
I bet their paymasters will go apeshit when they realise what this pandering fop has done. keep to the Fen Causeway
Russia's supreme court has annulled not guilty verdicts handed in February to all suspects in the trial in the murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, according to Russian news agencies. The case will be retried. AFP - Russia's supreme court Thursday annulled innocent verdicts handed in February to all suspects in the murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya and ordered a new trial. "The supreme court has annulled the innocent verdict on the case of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya. The case will be examined again with new jurors," supreme court spokesman Pavel Odintsov told AFP. A jury in February acquitted four men, none of whom had in the first place been charged with shooting dead the reporter nor with ordering the apparent contract killing in her Moscow apartment building on October 7, 2006.
AFP - Russia's supreme court Thursday annulled innocent verdicts handed in February to all suspects in the murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya and ordered a new trial. "The supreme court has annulled the innocent verdict on the case of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya. The case will be examined again with new jurors," supreme court spokesman Pavel Odintsov told AFP. A jury in February acquitted four men, none of whom had in the first place been charged with shooting dead the reporter nor with ordering the apparent contract killing in her Moscow apartment building on October 7, 2006.
The escort girl at the centre of the scandal engulfing Silvio Berlusconi has hit back at the Italian Prime Minister's claims that she was part of an organised "mission" to discredit him. Patrizia D'Addario, 42, claims to have spent the night with the 72-year-old billionaire at his residence in Rome the night Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. Yesterday she rejected comments by Mr Berlusconi that "someone sent her with a very precise aim", repeating her allegations that she stayed overnight at Palazzo Grazioli in exchange for help with a personal building project. "I knew that I would be accused of the worst kind of wickedness but I cannot be attacked because I have always told the truth, and indeed Berlusconi cannot deny the circumstances that I have revealed," she told the newspaper Corriere Della Sera.----There were reports yesterday that Bari prosecutors were in a "race against time" as Mr Berlusconi's centre-right coalition attempted to rush through parliament a law that could ban the use of phone tapping and other recordings.A proposal to ban phone taps in cases other than those involving crimes with minimum prison sentences of ten years was put before parliament last year.
The escort girl at the centre of the scandal engulfing Silvio Berlusconi has hit back at the Italian Prime Minister's claims that she was part of an organised "mission" to discredit him.
Patrizia D'Addario, 42, claims to have spent the night with the 72-year-old billionaire at his residence in Rome the night Barack Obama was elected President of the United States.
Yesterday she rejected comments by Mr Berlusconi that "someone sent her with a very precise aim", repeating her allegations that she stayed overnight at Palazzo Grazioli in exchange for help with a personal building project.
"I knew that I would be accused of the worst kind of wickedness but I cannot be attacked because I have always told the truth, and indeed Berlusconi cannot deny the circumstances that I have revealed," she told the newspaper Corriere Della Sera.
----
There were reports yesterday that Bari prosecutors were in a "race against time" as Mr Berlusconi's centre-right coalition attempted to rush through parliament a law that could ban the use of phone tapping and other recordings.
A proposal to ban phone taps in cases other than those involving crimes with minimum prison sentences of ten years was put before parliament last year.
If Silvio Berlusconi were to resign as Italian Prime Minister tomorrow the majority of Italians who get their news solely from television would have little or no idea why. Mr Berlusconi owns Italy's three main commercial TV channels and they have played down or ignored the recent scandals surrounding his private life. Even this week's claims that Patrizia D'Addario, an escort girl, spent the US election night with him at his Rome residence in November has gone almost unmentioned. More surprising perhaps is the behaviour of RAI, the state broadcaster.
If Silvio Berlusconi were to resign as Italian Prime Minister tomorrow the majority of Italians who get their news solely from television would have little or no idea why.
Mr Berlusconi owns Italy's three main commercial TV channels and they have played down or ignored the recent scandals surrounding his private life.
Even this week's claims that Patrizia D'Addario, an escort girl, spent the US election night with him at his Rome residence in November has gone almost unmentioned.
More surprising perhaps is the behaviour of RAI, the state broadcaster.
the night Barack Obama was elected President of the United States.
Wha?
You know this Berlusconi story is kind of boring compared to the Sanford freakshow... "Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
After forcing the all female audience to watch a film narrating his prodigious accomplishments throughout the inhabited world, he offered a predawn dinner inundated with butterflies to the point D'Addario describes as indigestion caused by butterflies. The butterflies were not real though- perhaps not on call in October. I was reminded of A.S. Byatt's "Morpho Eugenia" in Angels and Insects.
There's the slow dance as the pianist sings "My Way". She had previously described the dance as being tightly squeezed by a Berlusconi smothered in make-up, de rigueur black shirt, and sporting pumps to compensate his stumpiness.
There is now a video online put up by l'Espresso of a party at Villa Certosa when Russia and Georgia were at war last August. The accompanying article identifies many of the people there, most notably the entrepreneur Tarantini who is at the center of the Bari investigation. Music sung by Simon Le Bon.
On that date, August 11th, the press said Berlusconi was with his family, but in continuous contact with other members of G8 to follow the crisis.
The car belonged to one of the witnesses who confirmed Patrizia D'Addario's testimony. The woman, Barbara Montereale, accompanied Ms. D'Addario on one of her trips to Palazzo Grazioli.
Montereale also attended parties in Sardinia.
Silvio Berlusconi's close supporters deny there will be any fuggi fuggi - rush to the exit - in the wake of highly-publicised scandals surrounding his private life, but senior allies in Italy's centre-right coalition are already contemplating a political future without their long-time leader. Well-placed government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, stress that they do not see the 72-year-old media tycoon and three-time prime minister resigning soon. Yet key ministers are starting to position themselves in the event that more damaging revelations might lead him to step down. "This is a completely new scenario. The sands are shifting," one official said, looking back at the past two months since news broke about Mr Berlusconi's friendship with an 18-year-old would-be model and the subsequent declaration by his wife, Veronica Lario, that she wanted to divorce the man who "frequents minors". [...] Then there are key figures who have largely kept silent or distanced themselves, seeing a future beyond Mr Berlusconi, while hoping any succession will be orderly. Gianni Letta, cabinet under-secretary, is closest to Mr Berlusconi and is effectively acting as prime minister, running affairs as his boss spends time fighting his problems. Giulio Tremonti, finance minister, has the advantage of close ties with the Northern League. Gianfranco Fini, speaker of parliament, is cultivating a respectable statesman image. But like a Middle Eastern potentate who cannot afford to leave the scene, officials note one serious obstacle to resignation, apart from Mr Berlusconi's renowned doggedness. His immunity from prosecution, granted by his large majority in parliament, lasts only as long as he stays in office.
Well-placed government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, stress that they do not see the 72-year-old media tycoon and three-time prime minister resigning soon. Yet key ministers are starting to position themselves in the event that more damaging revelations might lead him to step down.
"This is a completely new scenario. The sands are shifting," one official said, looking back at the past two months since news broke about Mr Berlusconi's friendship with an 18-year-old would-be model and the subsequent declaration by his wife, Veronica Lario, that she wanted to divorce the man who "frequents minors".
[...]
Then there are key figures who have largely kept silent or distanced themselves, seeing a future beyond Mr Berlusconi, while hoping any succession will be orderly.
Gianni Letta, cabinet under-secretary, is closest to Mr Berlusconi and is effectively acting as prime minister, running affairs as his boss spends time fighting his problems. Giulio Tremonti, finance minister, has the advantage of close ties with the Northern League. Gianfranco Fini, speaker of parliament, is cultivating a respectable statesman image.
But like a Middle Eastern potentate who cannot afford to leave the scene, officials note one serious obstacle to resignation, apart from Mr Berlusconi's renowned doggedness. His immunity from prosecution, granted by his large majority in parliament, lasts only as long as he stays in office.
Delegates from 75 countries pledging to destroy their stockpiles of cluster bombs are meeting in Berlin for a two-day conference to assess progress since a 2008 ban on the weapons. The event, which brings together 217 participants from 75 countries, is intended to share know-how on the complicated destruction of cluster munition. Delegates are also to discuss a destruction verification process and greater transparency by signatories on how many cluster munitions they hold. Since the Convention on Cluster Munitions was adopted in December 2008 in Oslo, 98 countries have signed the document and 11 have already ratified it. Signatory states have eight years to destroy military stockpiles of cluster weapons, once the convention comes into effect six months after it has been ratified by thirty states.
The event, which brings together 217 participants from 75 countries, is intended to share know-how on the complicated destruction of cluster munition.
Delegates are also to discuss a destruction verification process and greater transparency by signatories on how many cluster munitions they hold.
Since the Convention on Cluster Munitions was adopted in December 2008 in Oslo, 98 countries have signed the document and 11 have already ratified it.
Signatory states have eight years to destroy military stockpiles of cluster weapons, once the convention comes into effect six months after it has been ratified by thirty states.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - One week after EU leaders proposed to make Jose Manuel Barroso European Commission chief for a second time, it is no clearer whether the Portuguese politician is likely to get a majority if put to a vote mid July. Consultations due to take place Thursday (25 July) between the incoming Swedish EU presidency and leaders of the political groups in the parliament have been postponed until 6 July in the hope to get a clearer picture of how each group stands on the matter. MEPs will decide on 9 July whether to put the Barroso issue on vote in the July plenary session A spokesperson for the Swedish presidency said that Stockholm had made the move to "show some flexibility." "The ambience coming from the parliament showed that this was perhaps a good idea," he said, adding that Sweden is hoping the extra time will help opinions on the Barroso candidacy crystallise.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - One week after EU leaders proposed to make Jose Manuel Barroso European Commission chief for a second time, it is no clearer whether the Portuguese politician is likely to get a majority if put to a vote mid July.
Consultations due to take place Thursday (25 July) between the incoming Swedish EU presidency and leaders of the political groups in the parliament have been postponed until 6 July in the hope to get a clearer picture of how each group stands on the matter.
MEPs will decide on 9 July whether to put the Barroso issue on vote in the July plenary session
A spokesperson for the Swedish presidency said that Stockholm had made the move to "show some flexibility."
"The ambience coming from the parliament showed that this was perhaps a good idea," he said, adding that Sweden is hoping the extra time will help opinions on the Barroso candidacy crystallise.
Euractiv tells us (caveat, on the strength of undisclosed "sources") that a "large majority of MEPs" is against holding a July vote on the candidature of José Manuel Barroso for a new mandate as European Commission president. In other words, they want to wait till the new parliament is sworn in in the autumn. This is not yet a declaration of majority intent to oppose Barroso, but it looks as if the EPP (conservative) that backs Barroso, and Council (the governments of the member states) that unanimously proposed his candidature, are going to have a hard time pushing through a quick vote in July.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The Czech social democrat party is discussing the possibility of suspending president Vaclav Klaus' powers if he does not sign the EU's Lisbon treaty. The temporary suspension would require a simple majority of 41 votes in the country's 81-seat senate and would allow caretaker prime minister Jan Fischer to sign the document instead. President Klaus vowed earlier this week that he would be "the last" politician in Europe to sign Lisbon Social democrat senator Alena Gajduskova is leading an "intensive debate" on the subject in her party, the secretary of the senate's constitutional commission, Jan Kysela, told EUobserver. Ms Gajduskova's campaign is linked to president Klaus' refusal to sign off on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which was ratified by the Czech parliament in October 2008.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The Czech social democrat party is discussing the possibility of suspending president Vaclav Klaus' powers if he does not sign the EU's Lisbon treaty.
The temporary suspension would require a simple majority of 41 votes in the country's 81-seat senate and would allow caretaker prime minister Jan Fischer to sign the document instead.
President Klaus vowed earlier this week that he would be "the last" politician in Europe to sign Lisbon
Social democrat senator Alena Gajduskova is leading an "intensive debate" on the subject in her party, the secretary of the senate's constitutional commission, Jan Kysela, told EUobserver.
Ms Gajduskova's campaign is linked to president Klaus' refusal to sign off on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which was ratified by the Czech parliament in October 2008.
EU laws protects our water and air, but as the Union's environment ministers gather in Luxembourg June 25, no such legislation exists for that other element none of us can live without - the soil.
Lucie Kundra is something of a feminist rebel -- not because she wouldn't take her husband's name when they got married last year, but because she did. She adopted his surname exactly as it was, and in doing so defied centuries of tradition and the wishes of her own mother. That's because she refused to add the customary feminine suffix "ova" at the end, as the Czech language normally dictates; she answers to Lucie Kundra, not Lucie Kundrova. The three letters were a step too far for the 27-year-old charity worker. "I really didn't want 'ova' because [it means] you are owned by your husband," Kundra says. "Language is a huge part of culture and socialization, and if we want to change relations between women and men and promote equal opportunities, this is something we have to deal with." Though still a small minority, more and more young Czech women are grappling with that question as women make further inroads in Czech society and inch closer to parity with men.
She adopted his surname exactly as it was, and in doing so defied centuries of tradition and the wishes of her own mother. That's because she refused to add the customary feminine suffix "ova" at the end, as the Czech language normally dictates; she answers to Lucie Kundra, not Lucie Kundrova.
The three letters were a step too far for the 27-year-old charity worker.
"I really didn't want 'ova' because [it means] you are owned by your husband," Kundra says. "Language is a huge part of culture and socialization, and if we want to change relations between women and men and promote equal opportunities, this is something we have to deal with."
Though still a small minority, more and more young Czech women are grappling with that question as women make further inroads in Czech society and inch closer to parity with men.
Dresden was today removed from Unesco's list of World Heritage Sites because of the construction of a four-lane bridge across the river Elbe just over a mile from the city's historic centre. The Dresden Elbe valley won heritage status in 2004 for its 12-mile stretch of landscape, which incorporates the city centre and features baroque palaces, churches, opera houses and museums. The city has been on Unesco's "red" list for three years because of the bridge. Conservationists say that the four-lane Waldschlösschenbrücke would be a blot on the unique Elbe valley and is sited in a particularly sensitive spot, near the old city, from where it could be seen. Yesterday's decision came at a meeting in Seville of the World Heritage Committee. "Every time we fail to preserve a site, we share the pain of the state party," said María Jesús San Segundo, the ambassador and Spain's delegate to Unesco.
The Dresden Elbe valley won heritage status in 2004 for its 12-mile stretch of landscape, which incorporates the city centre and features baroque palaces, churches, opera houses and museums.
The city has been on Unesco's "red" list for three years because of the bridge.
Conservationists say that the four-lane Waldschlösschenbrücke would be a blot on the unique Elbe valley and is sited in a particularly sensitive spot, near the old city, from where it could be seen.
Yesterday's decision came at a meeting in Seville of the World Heritage Committee. "Every time we fail to preserve a site, we share the pain of the state party," said María Jesús San Segundo, the ambassador and Spain's delegate to Unesco.
