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EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has called EU parliament chief Jerzy Buzek to voice concern over a vote due next Thursday in which MEPs could scrap a deal allowing American investigators to track down terrorist funding via European bank transactions. Ms Clinton's late-night phonecall to Mr Buzek comes on top of other efforts by the US administration to try and convince EU lawmakers not to reject the agreement.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has called EU parliament chief Jerzy Buzek to voice concern over a vote due next Thursday in which MEPs could scrap a deal allowing American investigators to track down terrorist funding via European bank transactions.
Ms Clinton's late-night phonecall to Mr Buzek comes on top of other efforts by the US administration to try and convince EU lawmakers not to reject the agreement.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU diplomats at internal meetings in Brussels and Kiev on Thursday (4 February) raised concerns about the potential collapse of Ukraine's presidential election process. Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and rival candidate Viktor Yanukovych are due to face off against each other in the second round of the presidential vote on Sunday. But a last-minute change to the country's electoral law, signed into force on Thursday morning, has seen Ms Tymoshenko threaten to declare the poll invalid and to bring thousands of her supporters onto the streets on Monday. The legal change means that local election commissions in charge of the country's 38,000 or so voting stations will be able to sign off on the results without the approval of commission members nominated by Ms Tymoshenko.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU diplomats at internal meetings in Brussels and Kiev on Thursday (4 February) raised concerns about the potential collapse of Ukraine's presidential election process.
Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and rival candidate Viktor Yanukovych are due to face off against each other in the second round of the presidential vote on Sunday.
But a last-minute change to the country's electoral law, signed into force on Thursday morning, has seen Ms Tymoshenko threaten to declare the poll invalid and to bring thousands of her supporters onto the streets on Monday.
The legal change means that local election commissions in charge of the country's 38,000 or so voting stations will be able to sign off on the results without the approval of commission members nominated by Ms Tymoshenko.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday (4 February) are set to unveil their own economic and political strategy document, the "Franco-German Agenda 2020," in an attempt to put some substance in the widely advertised but not always smoothly working partnership between the EU's two major economies. The plan, including 80 separate measures, ranges from economic and fiscal initiatives to common school books and simpler rules for Franco-German marriages. It is set to be published at the end of a joint ministerial council meeting of the two countries, chaired by both Mr Sarkozy and Ms Merkel in the Elysee palace.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday (4 February) are set to unveil their own economic and political strategy document, the "Franco-German Agenda 2020," in an attempt to put some substance in the widely advertised but not always smoothly working partnership between the EU's two major economies.
The plan, including 80 separate measures, ranges from economic and fiscal initiatives to common school books and simpler rules for Franco-German marriages. It is set to be published at the end of a joint ministerial council meeting of the two countries, chaired by both Mr Sarkozy and Ms Merkel in the Elysee palace.
REUTERS - France and Germany called for an urgent solution on Thursday to the funding crisis surrounding the A400M troop plane, Europe's biggest military project, as Airbus resumed talks with government buyers. The 20 billion euro project is four years late and 11.2 billion euros over budget, threatening up to 10,000 jobs. EADS unit Airbus is appealing to a group of seven NATO nations for billions of euros in extra support to start full production of the plane, which first flew in December, but governments are reluctant to let taxpayers foot the whole bill. "Everything must be done to reach a solution. It is a decisive project which must be resolved very quickly," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said after a Franco-German summit.
REUTERS - France and Germany called for an urgent solution on Thursday to the funding crisis surrounding the A400M troop plane, Europe's biggest military project, as Airbus resumed talks with government buyers. The 20 billion euro project is four years late and 11.2 billion euros over budget, threatening up to 10,000 jobs.
EADS unit Airbus is appealing to a group of seven NATO nations for billions of euros in extra support to start full production of the plane, which first flew in December, but governments are reluctant to let taxpayers foot the whole bill.
"Everything must be done to reach a solution. It is a decisive project which must be resolved very quickly," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said after a Franco-German summit.
the widely advertised but not always smoothly working partnership between the EU's two major economies.
Remember: French and Germany basically never agree on anything to start with - that's why the relationship matters: by forcing themsleves to find compromises, they find solutions that are usually palatable to others, thus their ability to prevail with such compromises.
It's only when the French-German spread of opinion is not wide enough that this does not work... In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Didn't Germany and France have the rotating presidency in the last few years already? En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
Romania has agreed to host missile interceptors as part of a new US defence shield, President Traian Basescu announced on Thursday. US President Barack Obama last year scrapped a previous version of the shield, involving Poland and the Czech Republic, which had been fiercely opposed by Russia.
Polish leader Tusk has accepted an invitation by Russian premier Putin to attend a ceremony in April marking the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre. The move signals a warming-up of relations, with Russia's unrepentant outlook on the Soviet slayings of Polish officers causing past tensions.
A Russian think tank set up by President Medvedev in 2008, the Insor institute, has said in a report out on Wednesday that Russia should bring in a genuine multi-party democracy, end state control of media and the economy. It also recommended joining a reformed Nato and being open to EU membership.
LONDON (Reuters) - Nearly 400 MPs claimed excessive expenses for years, according to a report on Thursday that revived a politically damaging scandal ahead of an election that must be called by June. The report recommended 390 MPs pay back a total of more than one million pounds in taxpayers' money received for claims ranging from mortgages for second homes to payments granted for gardening work. One claim was for a floating duck house.
LONDON (Reuters) - Nearly 400 MPs claimed excessive expenses for years, according to a report on Thursday that revived a politically damaging scandal ahead of an election that must be called by June.
The report recommended 390 MPs pay back a total of more than one million pounds in taxpayers' money received for claims ranging from mortgages for second homes to payments granted for gardening work. One claim was for a floating duck house.
Her excuses were just marvellous and her eagerness, her happiness to repay was a wonder to behold. Pure comedy gold. keep to the Fen Causeway
The man never stops working though, I'm not saying he shouldn't have to repay what he owes but he definitely isn't taking taxpayers for a ride in the way that he'll be portrayed as doing. I have often emailed him late at night and received a reply within 10 minutes - on constituency issues, or responding to my queries about a Bill etc. I've seen how much work he puts in, he isn't in it for an easy ride to get the money I assure you. Haven't seen anything from BF though. Ad astra per aspera
REUTERS - Romania's top defence body approved a plan by Washington on Thursday to deploy interceptor missiles in the Black Sea state as part of a missile shield to protect Europe, President Traian Basescu said. The announcement came unexpectedly and Basescu gave few details on the project. But it appeared to be part of the revamped approach taken by U.S. President Barack Obama since he scrapped a Bush-era plan for a radar site and interceptor rockets in the Czech Republic and Poland. The missile shield has angered eastern Europe's former Cold War master Russia, who sees it as a threat to its own nuclear arsenal and has bristled at what it says is Washington's meddling in its sphere of influence.
REUTERS - Romania's top defence body approved a plan by Washington on Thursday to deploy interceptor missiles in the Black Sea state as part of a missile shield to protect Europe, President Traian Basescu said.
The announcement came unexpectedly and Basescu gave few details on the project. But it appeared to be part of the revamped approach taken by U.S. President Barack Obama since he scrapped a Bush-era plan for a radar site and interceptor rockets in the Czech Republic and Poland.
The missile shield has angered eastern Europe's former Cold War master Russia, who sees it as a threat to its own nuclear arsenal and has bristled at what it says is Washington's meddling in its sphere of influence.
I wonder how far this can get in Romania. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
The parents of Italian children who commit violent crimes face the threat of crushing financial penalties following a landmark ruling by a judge in Milan.The mothers and fathers of five teenage boys who repeatedly raped a young girl have been ordered to pay her compensation totalling €450,000 because of their failure to give their sons an "education in feelings and emotions". Judge Bianca La Monica awarded the damages against all the boys' natural parents, including those who had separated from their partners and no longer had custody of their sons.
The parents of Italian children who commit violent crimes face the threat of crushing financial penalties following a landmark ruling by a judge in Milan.
The mothers and fathers of five teenage boys who repeatedly raped a young girl have been ordered to pay her compensation totalling €450,000 because of their failure to give their sons an "education in feelings and emotions". Judge Bianca La Monica awarded the damages against all the boys' natural parents, including those who had separated from their partners and no longer had custody of their sons.
South Wales Police are investigating the former Auditor General for Wales, at the request of his employers, it has been confirmed.Jeremy Colman, 61, head of the public spending watchdog the Wales Audit Office (WAO) since 2005, resigned with immediate effect on Wednesday. It is understood there was an internal review after pornographic material was discovered on his work laptop computer. The WAO confirmed the resignation followed a personal conduct inquiry.
South Wales Police are investigating the former Auditor General for Wales, at the request of his employers, it has been confirmed.
Jeremy Colman, 61, head of the public spending watchdog the Wales Audit Office (WAO) since 2005, resigned with immediate effect on Wednesday.
It is understood there was an internal review after pornographic material was discovered on his work laptop computer.
The WAO confirmed the resignation followed a personal conduct inquiry.
Customs officials and tax inspectors in Greece are holding a two-day strike to protest against government austerity measures, including wage cuts.The strike is disrupting Greece's import market, with lines of trucks being held at the country's borders. The austerity measures have been introduced to try and tackle Greece's huge budget deficit and national debt. The EU approved the plan on Wednesday, but insisted on inspecting Greece's notoriously unreliable accounts. Part of the government's plan relies on tax collectors recovering billions of euros lost to tax evasion.
Customs officials and tax inspectors in Greece are holding a two-day strike to protest against government austerity measures, including wage cuts.
The strike is disrupting Greece's import market, with lines of trucks being held at the country's borders.
The austerity measures have been introduced to try and tackle Greece's huge budget deficit and national debt.
The EU approved the plan on Wednesday, but insisted on inspecting Greece's notoriously unreliable accounts.
Part of the government's plan relies on tax collectors recovering billions of euros lost to tax evasion.
If you watch this video on YouTube it is very clear that a group of Belgian peace activists not only got inside the wire at Kleine-Brogel Airbase -- where some US nuclear weapons may be stored -- but they also got into the area where the hardened shelters are located (within the shelters are aircraft and WS3 storage vaults with US B61 nuclear gravity bombs.)
It looks like the activists approached Kleine-Brogel from the farms to the south of the airbase. Indeed, another group hopped the fence in November 2009. Apparently, they planned to go out on the runway and get arrested just like the previous group in November 2009. But, according to the group's website "to their surprise, they were able to walk for over an hour on the runway." (One of the press reports suggests it was forty minutes.) The base is surrounded by signs indicating that the area is patrolled by guard dogs, but Milou was nowhere to be found.
The base is surrounded by signs indicating that the area is patrolled by guard dogs, but Milou was nowhere to be found.
Ein privater Wachdienst sei günstiger gewesen als Beamte dafür abzustellen, sagt Ralf Kunz, Sprecher der Innenbehörde. Jetzt aber will man zur naheliegendsten Lösung zurückkehren, wie sie bis vor etwa 30 Jahren auch praktiziert worden war: Wenn der Vertrag mit der Wachfirma Anfang kommenden Jahres ausläuft, soll die Polizei wieder selbst auf sich aufpassen. Polizeischüler könnten zum Beispiel die Hauswache übernehmen, sagt Kunz - das mache 856.000 Euro weniger Ausgaben pro Jahr.
Three Labour MPs and one Tory peer will face criminal charges over their expenses, Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer has said.MPs Elliot Morley, Jim Devine, David Chaytor and Lord Hanningfield will be charged under the Theft Act. In a joint statement the MPs said they denied any charges and would "defend our position robustly". Revelations about MPs expenses emerged in May last year with the police going on to investigate a handful of cases. Labour peer Lord Clarke will not be charged but a sixth case remains under investigation, said Keir Starmer.
Three Labour MPs and one Tory peer will face criminal charges over their expenses, Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer has said.
MPs Elliot Morley, Jim Devine, David Chaytor and Lord Hanningfield will be charged under the Theft Act.
In a joint statement the MPs said they denied any charges and would "defend our position robustly".
Revelations about MPs expenses emerged in May last year with the police going on to investigate a handful of cases.
Labour peer Lord Clarke will not be charged but a sixth case remains under investigation, said Keir Starmer.
