Tony Blair faces disappointment in his bid to become the European Union's powerful new president after losing support among continental leaders. The former prime minister's key backer, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, is said to have "changed his mind" about Mr Blair's suitability for the post. Without Mr Sarkozy's support, Mr Blair's candidacy - which is unofficially backed by Gordon Brown and the British government - is effectively doomed.Sources in Brussels now say the favourite for the job is Felipe Gonzales, Spain's charismatic socialist former prime minister, whose government collapsed in a sleaze scandal in 1996.Europe's leaders are just beginning the complex horse-trading that will end in the appointment of an EU president and "high representative" - effectively the union's foreign minister - once the Lisbon Treaty has been finally fully ratified.
The former prime minister's key backer, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, is said to have "changed his mind" about Mr Blair's suitability for the post.
Without Mr Sarkozy's support, Mr Blair's candidacy - which is unofficially backed by Gordon Brown and the British government - is effectively doomed.
Sources in Brussels now say the favourite for the job is Felipe Gonzales, Spain's charismatic socialist former prime minister, whose government collapsed in a sleaze scandal in 1996.
Europe's leaders are just beginning the complex horse-trading that will end in the appointment of an EU president and "high representative" - effectively the union's foreign minister - once the Lisbon Treaty has been finally fully ratified.
More than 20,000 gathered on Saturday in Srebrenica to bury newly identified victims of the massacre there. Fourteen years after some 8,000 Muslim men and boys died, experts are still working to identify all the remains. A mass funeral ceremony was held just outside the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica on Saturday in a ritual that has been repeated on this date for the past six years. More than 20,000 gathered for the burial of 534 newly identified victims on the 14th anniversary of the wartime massacre in the Bosnian town. The victims' caskets were carried by mourners from hand to hand to their graves following a prayer at a cemetery just outside the eastern town. Those buried Saturday were just some of victims of the estimated 8,000 Muslim men and boys who were victims of the Srebrenica massacre of July 1995. They were killed by members of the Bosnian Serb army under the command of Ratko Mladic, an indicted war criminal, as well as irregular Serbian units.
A mass funeral ceremony was held just outside the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica on Saturday in a ritual that has been repeated on this date for the past six years.
More than 20,000 gathered for the burial of 534 newly identified victims on the 14th anniversary of the wartime massacre in the Bosnian town.
The victims' caskets were carried by mourners from hand to hand to their graves following a prayer at a cemetery just outside the eastern town.
Those buried Saturday were just some of victims of the estimated 8,000 Muslim men and boys who were victims of the Srebrenica massacre of July 1995. They were killed by members of the Bosnian Serb army under the command of Ratko Mladic, an indicted war criminal, as well as irregular Serbian units.
MPs want to be sure the Met is not trying to hide embarrassing payments to officers by reportersThe Metropolitan Police could face a new House of Commons inquiry into whether officers are routinely paid by journalists to obtain confidential information about celebrities and suspects, in a fresh twist to the tabloid phone-hacking scandal. The home affairs select committee will meet on Tuesday to decide whether to launch a full inquiry into how private information such as criminal and DVLA records have been obtained by private investigators, who have then sold them on to journalists. Three Labour members of the committee - Martin Salter, Karen Buck and Ann Cryer - have written to its chairman, Keith Vaz, calling for an inquiry and for assurances that the Met's decision last week not to reopen its own inquiry into phone hacking arranged by News of the World staff was not influenced by any fear of embarrassing revelations over backhanders that were paid to police officers.
The Metropolitan Police could face a new House of Commons inquiry into whether officers are routinely paid by journalists to obtain confidential information about celebrities and suspects, in a fresh twist to the tabloid phone-hacking scandal.
The home affairs select committee will meet on Tuesday to decide whether to launch a full inquiry into how private information such as criminal and DVLA records have been obtained by private investigators, who have then sold them on to journalists.
Three Labour members of the committee - Martin Salter, Karen Buck and Ann Cryer - have written to its chairman, Keith Vaz, calling for an inquiry and for assurances that the Met's decision last week not to reopen its own inquiry into phone hacking arranged by News of the World staff was not influenced by any fear of embarrassing revelations over backhanders that were paid to police officers.
Opponents of European integration have had their hand strengthened with the recent election of right wing members from Britain, and combined with other nationalists will be a bloc that cannot be ignored. Amid the bland blue, grey and white neutrality of the debating chamber, a collection of mini-Union Jacks on a collection of tables stand out. The members sitting with flags are from the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) which wants to leave the European Union - until now seen as existing on the fringes. But since the European elections in June, hardline euroskeptics are taking center stage. Britain's Conservative Party has carried out a promise to leave the main center-right grouping in the European Parliament, and form its own alliance, with politicians from across Europe opposed to deeper political union. Even allowing for different strands of euroskepticism, opponents of deeper EU integration have never been so numerous or prominent.
Amid the bland blue, grey and white neutrality of the debating chamber, a collection of mini-Union Jacks on a collection of tables stand out.
The members sitting with flags are from the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) which wants to leave the European Union - until now seen as existing on the fringes.
But since the European elections in June, hardline euroskeptics are taking center stage.
Britain's Conservative Party has carried out a promise to leave the main center-right grouping in the European Parliament, and form its own alliance, with politicians from across Europe opposed to deeper political union.
Even allowing for different strands of euroskepticism, opponents of deeper EU integration have never been so numerous or prominent.
Less than a week after Lithuanians celebrated one thousand years of their country's history, the Baltic state marks another historic occasion: the inauguration of its first female president. Dalia Grybauskaite has been sworn into office at the Lithuanian parliament or Seimas on Sunday after winning a landslide election victory in May. The 53-year-old, who ran as an independent candidate, won 69 per cent of the vote. The inauguration ceremony is to be followed by a holy mass at Vilnius cathedral, a military parade and a gala concert. The former European Union financial planning and budgets commissioner got her new job because voters decided her EU experience and a reputation for straight talking was vital at a time when Lithuania is facing a sharp economic downturn. Soon after her victory, Grybauskaite said her main diplomatic efforts would be towards the "development of a balanced foreign policy" and "helping to democratise the neighbourhood".
Dalia Grybauskaite has been sworn into office at the Lithuanian parliament or Seimas on Sunday after winning a landslide election victory in May. The 53-year-old, who ran as an independent candidate, won 69 per cent of the vote.
The inauguration ceremony is to be followed by a holy mass at Vilnius cathedral, a military parade and a gala concert.
The former European Union financial planning and budgets commissioner got her new job because voters decided her EU experience and a reputation for straight talking was vital at a time when Lithuania is facing a sharp economic downturn.
Soon after her victory, Grybauskaite said her main diplomatic efforts would be towards the "development of a balanced foreign policy" and "helping to democratise the neighbourhood".
Only a week ago a woman was sworn in in Croatia, now Lithaunia, Iceland and of course Germany with Merkel.
Is there still a female President in Finland?
And are there any others?
Military chiefs condemn 'disastrous' move after Britain suffers bloodiest weekMinisters are secretly planning to cut the number of British troops in Afghanistan, at a time when defence chiefs are appealing for thousands more reinforcements to meet the deadly threat from the resurgent Taliban. Hours after the death toll of UK forces in Afghanistan rose above the number killed in Iraq, The Independent on Sunday established that Gordon Brown wants to bring up to 1,500 service personnel home from the war-torn country after its elections next month, seemingly on grounds of cost. Astonished former military chiefs condemned the "disastrous" move, which emerged at the end of one of the bloodiest weeks in the recent history of the British military.
Ministers are secretly planning to cut the number of British troops in Afghanistan, at a time when defence chiefs are appealing for thousands more reinforcements to meet the deadly threat from the resurgent Taliban.
Hours after the death toll of UK forces in Afghanistan rose above the number killed in Iraq, The Independent on Sunday established that Gordon Brown wants to bring up to 1,500 service personnel home from the war-torn country after its elections next month, seemingly on grounds of cost.
Astonished former military chiefs condemned the "disastrous" move, which emerged at the end of one of the bloodiest weeks in the recent history of the British military.
Senior Labour figures accused the head of the army last night of playing politics as he said that there were too few troops and helicopters in the Afghan war zone. One minister expressed fury that General Sir Richard Dannatt, the chief of the general staff, had attended a private dinner with Tory MPs and suggested an extra 2,000 troops were needed in Helmand province. The general's remarks put him at odds with the official government line, that the 9,000 British troops already in Afghanistan are sufficient to cope with the offensive. A Labour minister said: "General Dannatt has crossed an important line. He is playing a high-risk game."
Senior Labour figures accused the head of the army last night of playing politics as he said that there were too few troops and helicopters in the Afghan war zone.
One minister expressed fury that General Sir Richard Dannatt, the chief of the general staff, had attended a private dinner with Tory MPs and suggested an extra 2,000 troops were needed in Helmand province.
The general's remarks put him at odds with the official government line, that the 9,000 British troops already in Afghanistan are sufficient to cope with the offensive.
A Labour minister said: "General Dannatt has crossed an important line. He is playing a high-risk game."
But Brown has 2 choices. Either go full bore with the US or completely evacuate and leave the yanks to their latest vietnam. Typically, lacking the courage of any conviction whatsoever, he seems to be determined to have the worst of both options. keep to the Fen Causeway
Victory in A-stan is unlikely and even if it weren't the UK doesn't have any really crucial interests there. Maintaining a token force to keep the Americans happy until they lose interest in the place seems to me to be the optimal choice. Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
Twenty years after Berlin Wall fell, more than 17,000 former Stasi members are still working for the stateBerliners and the citizens of eastern Germany are struggling to digest the news that thousands of former members of the dreaded Stasi secret police were working as their local civil servants, police officers and teachers, almost 20 years after the Iron Curtain collapsed. More than 17,000 staff currently employed by Berlin and eastern Germany's five federal states were estimated to have worked for the all-pervasive communist police organisation, according to evidence compiled by historians at Berlin's Free University. Shocking cases came to light after the fall of the Berlin Wall, including a husband who spied on his dissident wife for years and a mother who informed the Stasi about her son after he reached puberty because she considered him a threat to the state.
Berliners and the citizens of eastern Germany are struggling to digest the news that thousands of former members of the dreaded Stasi secret police were working as their local civil servants, police officers and teachers, almost 20 years after the Iron Curtain collapsed.
More than 17,000 staff currently employed by Berlin and eastern Germany's five federal states were estimated to have worked for the all-pervasive communist police organisation, according to evidence compiled by historians at Berlin's Free University.
Shocking cases came to light after the fall of the Berlin Wall, including a husband who spied on his dissident wife for years and a mother who informed the Stasi about her son after he reached puberty because she considered him a threat to the state.
The Germans, pragmatic as ever, saw that stability was more important than justice. Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
Greek riot police have led an operation to demolish a makeshift camp housing illegal immigrants in the western port city of Patras.The camp was used by migrants hoping to smuggle themselves onto ships bound for Italy and Western Europe. Its closure is more proof of Greece's tougher stance on illegal immigration. The camp had been a source of tension with many Greeks who regarded it as a major eyesore for themselves and for tourists arriving from Italy.
Greek riot police have led an operation to demolish a makeshift camp housing illegal immigrants in the western port city of Patras.
The camp was used by migrants hoping to smuggle themselves onto ships bound for Italy and Western Europe.
Its closure is more proof of Greece's tougher stance on illegal immigration.
The camp had been a source of tension with many Greeks who regarded it as a major eyesore for themselves and for tourists arriving from Italy.
Workers at a bankrupt French car parts supplier have threatened to blow up their factory unless carmakers Renault and PSA-Peugeot pay them compensation, a union official said on Sunday. The 366 employees of New Fabris in central-eastern Chatellerault, are occupying the plant to demand that the auto giants - who accounted for 90 per cent of their business - pay 30,000 euros (£26,000) to each worker."The gas bottles are in the factory. Everything has been planned for it to blow up," unless there is an accord by July 31, Guy Eyermann, CGT union official and secretary of the company works council, said.The Chatellerault factory is thought to house car parts worth some two million euros, as well as a new Renault machine estimated at a further two million, the union leader said."We are not going to let PSA and Renault wait until August or September to recover the spare parts and machines still in the factory," he warned."If we get nothing, they get nothing at all."
The 366 employees of New Fabris in central-eastern Chatellerault, are occupying the plant to demand that the auto giants - who accounted for 90 per cent of their business - pay 30,000 euros (£26,000) to each worker.
"The gas bottles are in the factory. Everything has been planned for it to blow up," unless there is an accord by July 31, Guy Eyermann, CGT union official and secretary of the company works council, said.
The Chatellerault factory is thought to house car parts worth some two million euros, as well as a new Renault machine estimated at a further two million, the union leader said.
"We are not going to let PSA and Renault wait until August or September to recover the spare parts and machines still in the factory," he warned.
"If we get nothing, they get nothing at all."
On 25 October, there'll be the Primaries for the PDminusL. Every potential voter will vote. The ones that obtain the most votes will become the successors to people of the caliber of Franceschini, Fassino and Veltroni. I am going to be a candidate. Since the death of Enrico Berlinguer there has been Emptiness in the Left. An Emptiness of ideas, of proposals, of courage, and of men. A Left wing without programmes, inclined to mess-ups, just rooted in the exploitation of the local administrations. Silent in the face of the militarization of Vicenza and the introduction of nuclear power stations. Champions of incinerators and the privatisation of water. A political monster. Born of the Left and finishing up in the Vatican. The crutch of all the conflicts of interests. An ambiguous creature that has generated Consorte, Violante, and D'Alema.
a bit abbie hoffman, but...
good luck! ~Government budget deficits are not nearly as dangerous as the deficits we have created in vital and complex natural systems.~ Naomi Klein.
