Exclusive: Bulgarians are flown to Britain, live in packed caravan compounds and pocket just £45 a week to pick fruit for Britain's biggest retailersForeign fruit pickers are taking home as little as £45 a week at a company which provides some of Britain's largest supermarkets with thousands of tonnes of fruit, an investigation by The Independent has found. S&A Produce, which supplies both Tesco and Sainsbury's, employs thousands of eastern Europeans who are given a specific work visa allowing them to work for the company. They are attracted by the prospect of earning up to £200 a week by picking fruit on its farms in Herefordshire and Kent.
Foreign fruit pickers are taking home as little as £45 a week at a company which provides some of Britain's largest supermarkets with thousands of tonnes of fruit, an investigation by The Independent has found.
S&A Produce, which supplies both Tesco and Sainsbury's, employs thousands of eastern Europeans who are given a specific work visa allowing them to work for the company. They are attracted by the prospect of earning up to £200 a week by picking fruit on its farms in Herefordshire and Kent.
After all, don't want to disturb the supermarket's competitiveness by actually paying their producers a living age. keep to the Fen Causeway
Russia continues to react angrily to last week's Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) resolution likening Stalinism to Nazism. "We consider unacceptable the fact that in the OSCE's parliamentary assembly resolution there is an attempt to distort history with political goals," said Russian foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko on Thursday. "This does not contribute to creating an atmosphere of trust and cooperation between the member states of this body," he added. Earlier this week lawmakers from Russia's two chambers of parliament said in a statement that the OSCE resolution was a "direct insult to the memory of millions" of Soviet soldiers who "gave their lives for the freedom of Europe from the fascist yoke." The parliamentary assembly of the 56-nation OSCE passed the resolution last Friday at a meeting in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius by an overwhelming majority.
"We consider unacceptable the fact that in the OSCE's parliamentary assembly resolution there is an attempt to distort history with political goals," said Russian foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko on Thursday. "This does not contribute to creating an atmosphere of trust and cooperation between the member states of this body," he added.
Earlier this week lawmakers from Russia's two chambers of parliament said in a statement that the OSCE resolution was a "direct insult to the memory of millions" of Soviet soldiers who "gave their lives for the freedom of Europe from the fascist yoke."
The parliamentary assembly of the 56-nation OSCE passed the resolution last Friday at a meeting in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius by an overwhelming majority.
PARIS -- Leading European newspaper and magazine publishers on Thursday called on the European Commission to strengthen copyright protection as a way to lay the groundwork for new ways to generate revenue online.The publishers said widespread use of their work by online news aggregators and other Web sites was undermining their efforts to develop an online business models at a time when readers and advertisers are defecting from newspapers and magazines. "Numerous providers are using the work of authors, publishers and broadcasters without paying for it," the publishers said in a letter to Viviane Reding, the European media and telecommunications commissioner. "Over the long term, this threatens the production of high-quality content and the existence of independent journalism." The petition echoes other recent calls from publishers for greater copyright protection as they try to move beyond a business models based largely on advertising and try to generate more revenue from users. Only a handful of newspapers or magazines, including The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times, have had success charging readers to use their sites.
The publishers said widespread use of their work by online news aggregators and other Web sites was undermining their efforts to develop an online business models at a time when readers and advertisers are defecting from newspapers and magazines.
"Numerous providers are using the work of authors, publishers and broadcasters without paying for it," the publishers said in a letter to Viviane Reding, the European media and telecommunications commissioner. "Over the long term, this threatens the production of high-quality content and the existence of independent journalism."
The petition echoes other recent calls from publishers for greater copyright protection as they try to move beyond a business models based largely on advertising and try to generate more revenue from users. Only a handful of newspapers or magazines, including The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times, have had success charging readers to use their sites.
German federal and state authorities agreed on Thursday on a series of anti-terrorism measures ahead of this September's parliamentary elections. Security officials say the terror threat has increased. Authorities say they are taking the threat of possible terrorist violence before the fall elections seriously, although a spokesman for the current chair of the German interior minister's conferences said there is "no concrete evidence of a terrorist plot at present." Still, Deputy Interior Minister August Hanning indicated last week that terrorists could use attacks to try to force Germany to pull its forces out of Afghanistan, where they are engaged in peacekeeping operations. According to the Spiegel Online site, the package of measures resembles stepped-up security that was put into place before the Soccer World Cup that Germany hosted in 2006.
Authorities say they are taking the threat of possible terrorist violence before the fall elections seriously, although a spokesman for the current chair of the German interior minister's conferences said there is "no concrete evidence of a terrorist plot at present."
Still, Deputy Interior Minister August Hanning indicated last week that terrorists could use attacks to try to force Germany to pull its forces out of Afghanistan, where they are engaged in peacekeeping operations.
According to the Spiegel Online site, the package of measures resembles stepped-up security that was put into place before the Soccer World Cup that Germany hosted in 2006.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - MEPs may next week decide when they will vote on Jose Manuel Barroso's bid for a second term as European Commission president. The political leaders of the groups in the European Parliament will meet once more before the summer break to set a preliminary agenda for the September plenary session. Mr Barroso: an October vote could lessen his chances of reappointment EU member states are keen to have the vote take place as quickly as possible and have slated 15 September as a possible date, after their efforts to get a July parliament vote on Mr Barroso were thwarted by a coalition of the Socialists, Liberals, Greens and far-left. Many of the MEPs in the these groups consider Mr Barroso to be too economically liberal and too inactive in the face of the global financial crisis. They argued that a July vote would not have given them enough time to thoroughly discuss his policy intentions for the second term.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - MEPs may next week decide when they will vote on Jose Manuel Barroso's bid for a second term as European Commission president.
The political leaders of the groups in the European Parliament will meet once more before the summer break to set a preliminary agenda for the September plenary session.
Mr Barroso: an October vote could lessen his chances of reappointment
EU member states are keen to have the vote take place as quickly as possible and have slated 15 September as a possible date, after their efforts to get a July parliament vote on Mr Barroso were thwarted by a coalition of the Socialists, Liberals, Greens and far-left.
Many of the MEPs in the these groups consider Mr Barroso to be too economically liberal and too inactive in the face of the global financial crisis. They argued that a July vote would not have given them enough time to thoroughly discuss his policy intentions for the second term.
EU authorities more than doubled their seizure of fake products smuggled into the 27-strong bloc at its external borders last year, with pirate CDs, cigarettes and clothes, mainly from China, dominating the list. According to statistics published by the European Commission on Thursday (9 July), national customs officers are increasingly recognizing and detaining counterfeit products, in co-operation with industry. Fake toys registered the highest increase of counterfeit cases in 2008 In 2008, some 178 million items were seized compared to 79 million in 2007, up 125 percent. There was a 13 percent increase in products registered as breaking intellectual property rights - over 49,000 cases compared to 43,000 in 2007. European producers themselves filed some 13,000 applications to request customs interventions, this way enforcing 80 percent of all investigations.
EU authorities more than doubled their seizure of fake products smuggled into the 27-strong bloc at its external borders last year, with pirate CDs, cigarettes and clothes, mainly from China, dominating the list.
According to statistics published by the European Commission on Thursday (9 July), national customs officers are increasingly recognizing and detaining counterfeit products, in co-operation with industry.
Fake toys registered the highest increase of counterfeit cases in 2008
In 2008, some 178 million items were seized compared to 79 million in 2007, up 125 percent. There was a 13 percent increase in products registered as breaking intellectual property rights - over 49,000 cases compared to 43,000 in 2007.
European producers themselves filed some 13,000 applications to request customs interventions, this way enforcing 80 percent of all investigations.
Germany is in an uproar after the recent revelation that ex-members of the former East Germany's secret service (Stasi) are employed by the current German government. The German Financial Times claims that as many as 17,000 Stasi members are civil servants, mainly in the East of the country. Even one of Chancellor Angela Merkel's personal bodyguards worked for the communist secret police. The East German Ministry for State Security was a highly effective organisation that conducted intelligence operations, throughout Cold War Germany. The term `Stasi', is an abbreviation of the German word for state security, but the repressive administration engaged in more than security activities, working to crush all forms of dissent inside of communist Germany. Over the years, more than 250,000 people were employed by the Stasi, but some argue that perhaps two million people worked with the organisation. The Stasi infiltrated almost every aspect of life in East Germany.
Germany is in an uproar after the recent revelation that ex-members of the former East Germany's secret service (Stasi) are employed by the current German government. The German Financial Times claims that as many as 17,000 Stasi members are civil servants, mainly in the East of the country. Even one of Chancellor Angela Merkel's personal bodyguards worked for the communist secret police.
The East German Ministry for State Security was a highly effective organisation that conducted intelligence operations, throughout Cold War Germany. The term `Stasi', is an abbreviation of the German word for state security, but the repressive administration engaged in more than security activities, working to crush all forms of dissent inside of communist Germany. Over the years, more than 250,000 people were employed by the Stasi, but some argue that perhaps two million people worked with the organisation. The Stasi infiltrated almost every aspect of life in East Germany.
A Bulgarian politician won a seat in the EU parliamentary elections in June and was due to be sworn in next week. On Friday, however, she announced that she won't be going and plans instead stay in her current job. Meglena Kuneva decided to remain the European Commissioner for Consumer Protection instead of taking her seat in the parliament. Kuneva's term as commissioner ends in October but she would have had to resign from that position in order to be sworn in to the new parliament next week. "I have taken my decision ... I will complete my term as commissioner," she told a news conference in Sofia. In the European parliamentary elections on June 7, Kuneva was elected as deputy for the liberal NMSP party of former Bulgarian King Simeon Saxe Coburg, which is part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. Kuneva said this decision came after talks with European Commission President Jose Manuel Borroso and Bulgaria's prime minister-designate, Boyko Borisov.
Meglena Kuneva decided to remain the European Commissioner for Consumer Protection instead of taking her seat in the parliament.
Kuneva's term as commissioner ends in October but she would have had to resign from that position in order to be sworn in to the new parliament next week.
"I have taken my decision ... I will complete my term as commissioner," she told a news conference in Sofia.
In the European parliamentary elections on June 7, Kuneva was elected as deputy for the liberal NMSP party of former Bulgarian King Simeon Saxe Coburg, which is part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.
Kuneva said this decision came after talks with European Commission President Jose Manuel Borroso and Bulgaria's prime minister-designate, Boyko Borisov.
The global recession is causing Britain to face hard choices about its future military role in the world - putting at risk plans to build new aircraft carriers and heralding consequences for everything from operations alongside the US in Afghanistan to whether the UK remains nuclear-armed. The start of the first full-scale official review of Britain's defense forces in more than 10 years was announced on Tuesday. It came within days of three of Britain's most influential independent research institutes forecasting that the £34 billion (about $54 billion) defense budget will be seriously cut. The question of whether to support a £76 billion ($124 billion) program to replace Britain's aging Trident nuclear weapons system also looms large. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), warned that the UK cannot afford much of the defense equipment it plans to buy, questioned the value of renewing the submarine-launched Trident nuclear deterrent, and said it was "delusional" to think the UK could act alone without closer European defense cooperation. The squeeze is likely also to have implications for Afghanistan. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has refused to send substantial reinforcements despite appeals from President Barack Obama for more assistance from NATO allies.
The start of the first full-scale official review of Britain's defense forces in more than 10 years was announced on Tuesday. It came within days of three of Britain's most influential independent research institutes forecasting that the £34 billion (about $54 billion) defense budget will be seriously cut.
The question of whether to support a £76 billion ($124 billion) program to replace Britain's aging Trident nuclear weapons system also looms large.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), warned that the UK cannot afford much of the defense equipment it plans to buy, questioned the value of renewing the submarine-launched Trident nuclear deterrent, and said it was "delusional" to think the UK could act alone without closer European defense cooperation.
The squeeze is likely also to have implications for Afghanistan. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has refused to send substantial reinforcements despite appeals from President Barack Obama for more assistance from NATO allies.
EUROPEAN patients, taxpayers and national treasuries are being fleeced of billions of euros because of the big pharmaceutical companies' elaborate campaigns to delay the marketing of cheaper generic drugs, the European Commission says. "There is something rotten in the state [of the pharmaceutical industry]," said Neelie Kroes, the Competition Commissioner, unveiling the findings of an 18-month inquiry. "Makers of original medicines are actively trying to delay the entry of generic medicines on to their markets."
"There is something rotten in the state [of the pharmaceutical industry]," said Neelie Kroes, the Competition Commissioner, unveiling the findings of an 18-month inquiry. "Makers of original medicines are actively trying to delay the entry of generic medicines on to their markets."
