International strategies to combat the global financial crisis and climate change are to be top of Germany's agenda at this year's G-8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy. On Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel presented her policy statement for the upcoming G-8 summit in Italy. Government and state heads of the top seven industrialized nations, the United States, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, France, Japan, and Canada, plus Russia are to meet from July 8 to July 10th. "Not back to business as usual" "The G-8 summit will be held against the backdrop of the largest global financial crisis since the 1920s," Merkel stated at the opening of her address to parliament. Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Hypo Real Estate has been Germany's biggest money pit in the financial crisis Germany has to date invested 80 billion euros in stabilising the country's banking and business sectors in one of the world's largest economic stimulus packages.
On Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel presented her policy statement for the upcoming G-8 summit in Italy. Government and state heads of the top seven industrialized nations, the United States, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, France, Japan, and Canada, plus Russia are to meet from July 8 to July 10th.
"Not back to business as usual"
"The G-8 summit will be held against the backdrop of the largest global financial crisis since the 1920s," Merkel stated at the opening of her address to parliament.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Hypo Real Estate has been Germany's biggest money pit in the financial crisis
Germany has to date invested 80 billion euros in stabilising the country's banking and business sectors in one of the world's largest economic stimulus packages.
"Overhang seats," an odd aspect of Germany's complex electoral system, might give Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives an unexpected boost in the upcoming elections. The Social Democrats are itching to change the system but fear doing so might bring down the current government. If analysts are correct, a little quirk in Germany's election system known as "overhang seats" might translate into a big boost for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives in the Sept. 27 general election. Heading for a second term? A confident Merkel at Monday's CDU/CSU party congress. The unexpected advantage is a product of Germany's complex electoral system, which is based on proportional representation with elements of first-past-the-post, relative majority voting. When a German goes to the polls in a general election, he or she gets two votes: one for his or her local constituency representative (the so-called "first vote") and one for the party he or she prefers (the "second vote"). A total of 299 members of parliament are chosen using each of the votes, which means that there are nominally 598 seats in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament.
"Overhang seats," an odd aspect of Germany's complex electoral system, might give Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives an unexpected boost in the upcoming elections. The Social Democrats are itching to change the system but fear doing so might bring down the current government.
If analysts are correct, a little quirk in Germany's election system known as "overhang seats" might translate into a big boost for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives in the Sept. 27 general election.
Heading for a second term? A confident Merkel at Monday's CDU/CSU party congress. The unexpected advantage is a product of Germany's complex electoral system, which is based on proportional representation with elements of first-past-the-post, relative majority voting.
When a German goes to the polls in a general election, he or she gets two votes: one for his or her local constituency representative (the so-called "first vote") and one for the party he or she prefers (the "second vote"). A total of 299 members of parliament are chosen using each of the votes, which means that there are nominally 598 seats in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament.
Iran says Europe is no longer qualified to hold nuclear talks due to its meddling with the post-election protests in the country, with Sweden, as the new EU presidency, calling up officials from the 27-member bloc to discuss the next diplomatic move. The EU has played a significant part in international efforts to make Tehran comply with the world's rules on nuclear power. Three EU states - Germany, France, and the UK - have been leading the negotiations along with the US, Russia and China. Opposition protesters in Iran are calling for a complete re-run of the presidential vote But Iran's military chief of staff Major-General Hassan Firouzabadi on Wednesday (I July) said that the alleged "interference" of Europeans in the riots following the June presidential election means the bloc has "lost its qualification to hold nuclear talks." The statement came after Tehran's action against local employees of the UK embassy, accused by Iranians of meddling with the opposition protests.
Iran says Europe is no longer qualified to hold nuclear talks due to its meddling with the post-election protests in the country, with Sweden, as the new EU presidency, calling up officials from the 27-member bloc to discuss the next diplomatic move.
The EU has played a significant part in international efforts to make Tehran comply with the world's rules on nuclear power. Three EU states - Germany, France, and the UK - have been leading the negotiations along with the US, Russia and China.
Opposition protesters in Iran are calling for a complete re-run of the presidential vote
But Iran's military chief of staff Major-General Hassan Firouzabadi on Wednesday (I July) said that the alleged "interference" of Europeans in the riots following the June presidential election means the bloc has "lost its qualification to hold nuclear talks."
The statement came after Tehran's action against local employees of the UK embassy, accused by Iranians of meddling with the opposition protests.
As the clampdown in Iran continues, the European Union is debating how it can best respond to the war of words Tehran is waging against it: Should it impose new sanctions, restrict visas or even pull out all its 27 ambassadors? But the measures could mainly damage the Iranian opposition. As the war of words between Iran and the West escalates, the European Union is struggling to come up with a way to respond to Tehran's verbal attacks. In a particularly fierce broadside Wednesday, Iranian General Hassan Firouzabadi, who is the country's chief of staff, left no doubts about who Iran's enemies in the West were. In remarks quoted by the semi-official news agency Fars, he singled out Britain, France and Germany, saying they were hostile to Iran and had offended the Islamic nation. Firouzabadi accused the countries of "interference" in Iran's post-election unrest.
As the clampdown in Iran continues, the European Union is debating how it can best respond to the war of words Tehran is waging against it: Should it impose new sanctions, restrict visas or even pull out all its 27 ambassadors? But the measures could mainly damage the Iranian opposition.
As the war of words between Iran and the West escalates, the European Union is struggling to come up with a way to respond to Tehran's verbal attacks.
In a particularly fierce broadside Wednesday, Iranian General Hassan Firouzabadi, who is the country's chief of staff, left no doubts about who Iran's enemies in the West were. In remarks quoted by the semi-official news agency Fars, he singled out Britain, France and Germany, saying they were hostile to Iran and had offended the Islamic nation. Firouzabadi accused the countries of "interference" in Iran's post-election unrest.
But accusations that there was indeed voter fraud are supported by an analysis by professor Ali Ansari of the Iran Institute at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, which was published by the British think-tank Chatham House last week. Ansari compared the official Iranian election results by province with the results of the 2005 election and the 2006 census. These are the highlights. 1) In two conservative provinces voter turnout was more than 100 percent. The Guardian Council itself has confirmed that this was the case in fifty cities, but it called it non-conclusive and went on to ignore it. 2) Compared to 2005 the conservative vote was up 113 percent. This is said to be the result of the high voter turnout, suggesting that a silent conservative majority votes massively for Ahmadinejad. The results don't support this. In this scenario, the provinces with the highest voter turnout should then have shown the best result for Ahmadinejad, but this is not the case. 3) The official results show that president Ahmadinejad, in a third of all provinces, won not just all of the conservative vote but also all of the centre voters, all of the new voters and 44 percent of people who voted for reformist candidates in earlier elections. 4) In 2005, 2001 and 1997, the conservative candidates proved very unpopular in rural areas. It is a myth that people in rural areas tend to vote conservative. It is unlikely that rural provinces that didn't vote conservative in earlier elections suddenly and massively went over to Ahmadinejad.
But accusations that there was indeed voter fraud are supported by an analysis by professor Ali Ansari of the Iran Institute at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, which was published by the British think-tank Chatham House last week. Ansari compared the official Iranian election results by province with the results of the 2005 election and the 2006 census. These are the highlights.
1) In two conservative provinces voter turnout was more than 100 percent. The Guardian Council itself has confirmed that this was the case in fifty cities, but it called it non-conclusive and went on to ignore it.
2) Compared to 2005 the conservative vote was up 113 percent. This is said to be the result of the high voter turnout, suggesting that a silent conservative majority votes massively for Ahmadinejad. The results don't support this. In this scenario, the provinces with the highest voter turnout should then have shown the best result for Ahmadinejad, but this is not the case.
3) The official results show that president Ahmadinejad, in a third of all provinces, won not just all of the conservative vote but also all of the centre voters, all of the new voters and 44 percent of people who voted for reformist candidates in earlier elections.
4) In 2005, 2001 and 1997, the conservative candidates proved very unpopular in rural areas. It is a myth that people in rural areas tend to vote conservative. It is unlikely that rural provinces that didn't vote conservative in earlier elections suddenly and massively went over to Ahmadinejad.
A host of personal scandals dogging Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi threatens to undermine his credibility as the host of the G8 summit in L'Aquila from July 8-10. The gaffe-prone prime minister is no stranger to bad press, but lately, reports in the Italian media about his divorce, womanizing and hedonistic lifestyle have been threatening to overshadow his leadership of the G8 summit.....However, one newspaper poll on the weekend showed that support for the flamboyant Berlusconi was slipping, with the biggest drop among women and practising Catholics - voters likely to disapprove of sexism and philandering.Catholic groups upset over aidCatholic organizations have been among the most vocal of Berlusconi's critics, but not because of a sense of moral outrage. Rather, they're attacking Berlusconi for failing to make good on Italy's promises to developing nations.In an opinion piece written for Britain's Times Online, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development's head of policy, Joanne Green, said that Berlusconi should not be leading the G8.
The gaffe-prone prime minister is no stranger to bad press, but lately, reports in the Italian media about his divorce, womanizing and hedonistic lifestyle have been threatening to overshadow his leadership of the G8 summit.
....
However, one newspaper poll on the weekend showed that support for the flamboyant Berlusconi was slipping, with the biggest drop among women and practising Catholics - voters likely to disapprove of sexism and philandering.
Catholic groups upset over aid
Catholic organizations have been among the most vocal of Berlusconi's critics, but not because of a sense of moral outrage. Rather, they're attacking Berlusconi for failing to make good on Italy's promises to developing nations.
In an opinion piece written for Britain's Times Online, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development's head of policy, Joanne Green, said that Berlusconi should not be leading the G8.
An Italian man says an aspiring model embroiled in a scandal involving Silvio Berlusconi asked him to pose as her boyfriend after she had met the PM.Domenico Cozzolino said his supposed relationship with Noemi Letizia was organised after the prime minister attended her birthday party in April. "I believe someone put her up to it," the reality TV contestant, 21, told the magazine, Diva e Donna. Mr Berlusconi has been under pressure to explain his ties with Ms Letizia.
An Italian man says an aspiring model embroiled in a scandal involving Silvio Berlusconi asked him to pose as her boyfriend after she had met the PM.
Domenico Cozzolino said his supposed relationship with Noemi Letizia was organised after the prime minister attended her birthday party in April.
"I believe someone put her up to it," the reality TV contestant, 21, told the magazine, Diva e Donna.
Mr Berlusconi has been under pressure to explain his ties with Ms Letizia.
Silvio Berlusconi has been caught up in a fresh scandal after it emerged that he had dinner with a judge who will rule on whether the law which gives the prime minister immunity from criminal prosecution should be allowed. Mr Berlusconi pushed the controversial law through parliament shortly after being elected prime minister for a third time in general elections last year. It guarantees immunity from prosecution for Italy's four most senior office holders while they are in power -- himself as prime minister, the Italian president and the speakers of both parliamentary chambers.
Mr Berlusconi pushed the controversial law through parliament shortly after being elected prime minister for a third time in general elections last year.
It guarantees immunity from prosecution for Italy's four most senior office holders while they are in power -- himself as prime minister, the Italian president and the speakers of both parliamentary chambers.
Italy - The wrong way round
You are a senior judge on the Constitutional Court, about to give a ruling on the constitutionality of a bill giving the Prime Minister immunity from prosecution during his period of office. Do you thresh out the arguments in the public court hearing? Or do you invite the Prime Minister to dinner with his Justice Minister for a private chat? Peter Gomez takes up the story, which has led many, including Antonio di Pietro, to call for the resignation of the two judges:-The escort cars arrived, one just after dinner, one just before. Quietly, they drove down the steep descent to the parking lot of a an elegant block of flats hidden in parkland near via Cortina d'Amezzo in Rome. It was in this way that the neighbours of the Consitutional Court judge Luigi Mazzella were able to witness the prelude to one of the most worrying, and politically embarrassing meetings organised by the Berlusconi government. A meeting between the Prime Minister and two of the highest judges in the Court which, a few weeks from now, will decide whether or not to throw out the Alfano law, which makes it impossible to bring the prime minister to trial while he remains in office.
Irony will have it that if the Carlucci law is to pass (I doubt it ever will) that site could be banned because it is anonymous. The Carlucci law pretends that it may be applicable throughout the inhabited universe.
Were the law to pass as is, I too would have to reveal my identity (not that I really care) at Eurotrib although Eurotrib is not an Italian site. Frankly I don't know how they could enforce it but I doubt the problem crossed the mind of the haughty aged showgirl, Ms. Carlucci, as she hasn't one. Mouth and high heels, yay, but narry a brain.
As for the prospected wiretap law, there are provisions against blogs. All blogs are equated to news sources and therefore must have a certified news director who has civil responsability of content. All blogs will have the same obligations as news sources.
The idea, which is already underway, is to sue blogs and the small independant press to silence.
They call it freedom.
Italy's parliament yesterday gave final approval to a controversial law which criminalises illegal immigration and legalises unarmed vigilante patrols by citizens. The law was assured an easy final passage by being tied to a confidence vote, so that MPs in the ruling coalition were virtually obliged to vote for it. ... The letter, signed by Andrea Camilleri, the Sicilian writer, and the Nobel prize-winning dramatist Dario Fo among others, said: "The Berlusconi government, using security as a pretext, has imposed... laws the like of which we have not seen in this country since the passing of the Fascist Race Law." The letter claimed that "irregular" immigrants could be barred from marrying Italians and from registering the birth of their children, "so the children... shall for their entire lives be the children of unknown parents... Not even Fascism went that far."
... The letter, signed by Andrea Camilleri, the Sicilian writer, and the Nobel prize-winning dramatist Dario Fo among others, said: "The Berlusconi government, using security as a pretext, has imposed... laws the like of which we have not seen in this country since the passing of the Fascist Race Law." The letter claimed that "irregular" immigrants could be barred from marrying Italians and from registering the birth of their children, "so the children... shall for their entire lives be the children of unknown parents... Not even Fascism went that far."
He oversaw the modernisation of Spain and secured its entry into the EU; he ruled for 13 years before falling from view in a 1996 political scandal. But now Felipe Gonzalez, the charismatic former Socialist prime minister is once more stalking the land and being spoken of as a challenger to Tony Blair in the race to become the first "President of Europe". The post doesn't actually exist yet, and won't unless Irish voters approve the Lisbon Treaty in a second referendum in October. The powers that go with the job are still ill-defined, and candidates are unlikely to emerge until the treaty is ratified. Accordingly, Mr Gonzalez says he is not standing and doesn't aspire to the job.But for a politician who never in his long career took an uncalculated step, actions speak louder than words. Mr Gonzalez's third-term Socialist government collapsed in sleaze in 1996, and his standing suffered after the "dirty war" in which government-sponsored death squads targeted Eta Basque separatists. His personal involvement was never proved, and time has laundered his reputation. Mr Gonzalez has stepped decisively from the shadows to centre stage and is, despite professing lack of interest, positioning himself perfectly.
He oversaw the modernisation of Spain and secured its entry into the EU; he ruled for 13 years before falling from view in a 1996 political scandal. But now Felipe Gonzalez, the charismatic former Socialist prime minister is once more stalking the land and being spoken of as a challenger to Tony Blair in the race to become the first "President of Europe".
The post doesn't actually exist yet, and won't unless Irish voters approve the Lisbon Treaty in a second referendum in October. The powers that go with the job are still ill-defined, and candidates are unlikely to emerge until the treaty is ratified. Accordingly, Mr Gonzalez says he is not standing and doesn't aspire to the job.
But for a politician who never in his long career took an uncalculated step, actions speak louder than words. Mr Gonzalez's third-term Socialist government collapsed in sleaze in 1996, and his standing suffered after the "dirty war" in which government-sponsored death squads targeted Eta Basque separatists. His personal involvement was never proved, and time has laundered his reputation. Mr Gonzalez has stepped decisively from the shadows to centre stage and is, despite professing lack of interest, positioning himself perfectly.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - With parliament looking increasingly likely to postpone a July vote on the nomination of the next commission president, there is a risk of having a lameduck executive for a further three to four months. The Socialists, Liberals, Greens and far-left have all indicated that they think a mid-July vote on whether Jose Manuel Barroso should be president for a second time is too soon. Mr Barroso - an autumn vote could scupper his chances of a second term in office "It is quite clear there is not a majority for voting in favour," said Socialist leader Martin Schulz on Thursday (2 July). Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Liberals has, unlike Mr Schulz, not explicitly ruled out a vote in July, but said "substantive issues" had to be discussed first.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - With parliament looking increasingly likely to postpone a July vote on the nomination of the next commission president, there is a risk of having a lameduck executive for a further three to four months.
The Socialists, Liberals, Greens and far-left have all indicated that they think a mid-July vote on whether Jose Manuel Barroso should be president for a second time is too soon.
Mr Barroso - an autumn vote could scupper his chances of a second term in office
"It is quite clear there is not a majority for voting in favour," said Socialist leader Martin Schulz on Thursday (2 July).
Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Liberals has, unlike Mr Schulz, not explicitly ruled out a vote in July, but said "substantive issues" had to be discussed first.
