PARIS (Reuters) - Segolene Royal, the Socialist frontrunner for France's 2007 presidential poll, has said gay couples should be allowed to marry and adopt children, laying out her position on what could become a divisive election issue.

Royal said France needed to do a lot more work to make sure homosexuals were treated fairly.

"It is essential that everybody has equal rights and dignities and the chance to express themselves freely," Royal told the gay magazine Tetu in an interview to be published on Wednesday.

The issue of gay marriage caused a stir in France two years ago when a maverick mayor performed the country's first gay wedding. The marriage was promptly declared illegal.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin's conservative government opposes gay marriages and does not allow same-sex couples to adopt children, but has given homosexual couples who form a civil union more financial rights.

A transatlantic war over visas threatens to derail a summit attended by President George Bush tomorrow, after the EU threatened to impose new restrictions on US diplomats and soldiers.

The escalating dispute arises from visa requirements imposed by the US on travellers from countries that recently joined the EU.

Though travellers from almost all the "old" EU member states are allowed into the US on a visa waiver, those from almost all of the new, mainly ex-Communist nations need a full visa.

The issue is on the agenda for the annual EU-US summit in Vienna. Along with other issues such as the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, the spat could sour a summit designed to debate issues such as Iran and the global challenge on energy.

The EU's threat of retaliation was made explicitly by the European Commission in a letter to Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, and Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

LONGYEARBYEN, Norway (Reuters) - The Norwegian and Icelandic prime ministers welcomed on Monday a recommendation by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to relax a ban on commercial whaling.
Japan, Norway and Iceland are the world's main whaling nations. They say stocks have recovered since a 1986 ban.

"This is positive and goes in our favor," Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde told a news conference on the Arctic island of Svalbard after an annual Nordic prime ministers' conference.

"It supports the rightful development of using natural resources," he said.

On Sunday IWC members voted 33 to 32 in favor of a Japan-backed statement that the whaling ban is no longer necessary -- the first time in over 20 years a pro-whaling declaration has been passed.

A 75 percent majority is needed to overturn the moratorium so it is not immediately threatened.
Whalers have killed around 25,000 whales since the 1986 memorandum. Japan and Iceland have used legal loopholes to conduct some whaling while Norway has largely ignored the ban -- whale steaks feature on menus around the country.

Western European workers at General Motors are putting pressure on the US carmaker over its threat to shut an assembly plant in Portugal.

Staff at the Azambuja plant in central Portugal briefly downed tools, while those at four German factories are due to hold protests and ban overtime.

GM has deferred a decision to close the Portuguese plant, giving the government time to produce a rescue plan.

Workers also fear that GM is seeking more cutbacks across western Europe.

Looking east

GM recently broke ground at a major new production site outside St.Petersburg in Russia, and is in talks about opening a joint-venture facility near Warsaw in Poland.

It has said that it costs 500 euros (£342) more per vehicle to produce its Combo delivery vans in Portugal than at other potential manufacturing sites.

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Providing fertility treatment to more women could help offset Europe's demographic crisis, a leading think tank said on Monday.

Increasing longevity, improvements in health care and falling birth rates mean that by 2050 the number of Europeans over the age of 65 will double from around 15 percent to about 30 percent.

Governments are concerned about the financial consequences because the graying population will increase healthcare and pension costs and there will be fewer younger people in the work force.

RAND Europe, an independent research organization that has been studying how governments can address the issue, believes providing more fertility treatment, or assisted reproductive technology (ART), could increase dwindling birth rates and help to offset the crisis.

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder said Monday that it was "foolish" to think Europe could reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas, even while he insisted Russia was a reliable energy supplier.

"One should not pretend that there is a reliable alternative to Russia," said Schröder, now an executive at a subsidiary of Gazprom, at the start of a two-day investment conference organized by Renaissance Capital.

"Mutual dependency can create trust between Russia and Europe. Europeans know that there is no truly reliable alternative to Russia as an energy partner," Schröder said.

The interdependence of Russian energy suppliers and European consumers is a theme frequently struck by President Vladimir Putin. Schröder, however, added a confrontational note to the proceedings, saying, "Europe should not pretend that Russians have to be grateful for being allowed to supply oil and gas to Europe."

MADRID (Reuters) - The European Union should demand that the United States shut the Guantanamo Bay prison camp and open detention centres around the world to outside observers, Amnesty International said on Tuesday before an EU-U.S. summit.

Current EU president Austria, which will host the summit on Wednesday, has said that the deaths of three Arab prisoners in Guantanamo Bay underlined the need to close the prison, which holds 460 people.

Amnesty International said the European Union should also demand clear explanations of the United States' "rendition" programme -- flying prisoners via Europe to detention centres.

"After four years, the EU finally seems ready to demand the closure of Guantanamo," Dick Oosting, the head of the human rights group's EU office, said in a statement.

"That is a positive step, but the EU cannot ignore other detention centres or the complicity of its own member states in the rendition programme used to send prisoners to Guantanamo and other places," he added in a statement issued in Spanish.

ROME (AFP) - Rome prosecutors called for US marine Mario Lozano to be tried for the shooting of Italian intelligence officer Nicola Calipari in Baghdad, the Italian news agency Ansa reported.

Calipari, 51, was shot dead at a US roadblock in March 2005 while he was accompanying Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena following her release by kidnappers.

Ansa said Rome prosecutor Giovanni Ferrara and three magistrates had signed the request for Lozano to be put on trial, which will be considered by a judge.

An initial hearing could be lined up within days, the report said, though Lozano himself is almost certain to be absent.

Ansa said the action was being taken under Italian legislation allowing for the prosecution of offences committed abroad and considered prejudicial to the political interests of the state.

Calipari's death, which enraged Italian public opinion, the US authorities and the then Italian administration of Silvio Berlusconi set up a joint investigation, but the two sides failed to agree in their conclusions.

A decade ago, however, he was even further to the right - straight neo-Nazi. He was the head of a tiny skinhead 'newspaper' (couple guys with a computer and photocopier) for two years.  A number of gems, including this one from 1995, entitled 'The true face of the Jew': "Severe measures against Jews are a necessity for any nation which seeks healthy and independent growth. It is time [...] to completely get rid of Jewdom, which must be expelled from all of Europe. We cannot allow ourselves to say: that's a good Jew, he never hurt anyone. No pity or false sentimentality.[...]" In other articles we find out that Vatican II is proof that the Jews control the Catholic Church.

To be fair he was only 18 at the time. But considering that he's stayed on the extreme right, I suspect his views aren't that different today. GW asked a leading PiS (main governing party) deputy for his opinion and he said that if the information is accurate Mr. Farfal would be out of a job.

Neonazista został wiceprezesem TVP?

KIEV, June 19 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's fuel and energy ministry said Monday the country faces a massive deficit of natural gas this year, and said negotiations are needed with Russia and Turkmenistan to solve the problem.

Ukraine is largely dependent on the two other former Soviet republics for natural gas. At the beginning of the year it was involved in a bitter pricing spat with Russia that was only resolved when the two countries' leading energy companies reached an agreement after Russia briefly cut supplies.

The ministry said the Ukrainian government should hold urgent negotiations "with the Russian and Turkmen sides to sign contracts on supplies of 10.7 bln cu m of gas to Ukraine in 2006 to ensure the gas balance in the country."

Earlier Monday, the ministry said Fuel and Energy Minister Ivan Plachkov's visit to Turkmenistan had been postponed.

Ukrainian officials also said the country would seek a resumption of direct gas supplies from Turkmenistan.

Rosukrenergo, which was the key company in a deal to end a bitter price row between the former Soviet neighbors early this year, is 50% owned by a subsidiary of Russian energy giant Gazprom, with the other 50% held by Austria's Raiffeisen Investment.

In early January, Russian energy giant Gazprom signed a five-year contract for supplies of 17 billion cu m of Russian natural gas to Ukraine.

 MOSCOW, June 20 (RIA Novosti) - Top state officials should declare their incomes and property acquisitions, the head of Russia's Audit Chamber said Tuesday.

Speaking at a round table on corruption, Sergei Stepashin said: "It is necessary to ensure that Group A officials [top state officials] report their incomes and property ... and [that Russia] develop legislation to enforce the transparency of bank accounts for this category of officials."

The Audit Chamber has also proposed to introduce an anticorruption evaluation of draft legislation and several amendments to legislation ensuring financial independence of fiscal bodies, including the chamber itself.

Corporate Europe Observatory
-- a wealth of information, here

Virtual tour of Brussels' EU lobbying entities
10-12 pages into the tour:

"On the first floor of Rue Froissart 115, for instance, are the offices of the Transatlantic Policy Network (TPN). Through the Transatlantic Policy Network [eee gads, the list of "contributing institutions": CFR?, Brookings Institute? ...], sympathetic members of the European Parliament and business leaders lobby together for the creation of an EU-US free trade zone by 2015".

Oh???

See also:

"On Rue Wiertz 50, right next to the European Parliament, over 25 companies and lobby groups have found ideally located office space, including Weber Shandwick - with over 55 staff one of the biggest PR/PA firms in Brussels and very active in lobbying the EP. One of Weber Shandwick's neighbours in the building is the International Council for Capital Formation, a subsidiary of a US think-tank fighting environmental legislation, particularly climate change related measures, which it considers an unnecessary cost for business".

: ((

_________

On another hand:  Alter-EU [Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation] -- doesn't look as though they're having much success.

_________

My, but no wonder mega-businesses are advancing their agendas under the veil of secrecy! If this were common knowledge, my bet is that EU citizens would be united in making a lot of commotion.

Meanwhile, they've got us over a barrel. Addressing these issues would require that each of us become a near-full-time activist ...

Or would it.

.

can't believe that the presidential election is still a year away because it seems like every magazine cover and newspaper has a story about either Sarkozy or Royal. Right now there is a funny (from my perspective, at least) cover story that is plastered all over newsstands right now of Sarkozy and his wife who seemed to be living apart only months ago. The photo reminds me of those cheesy 70s TV commercials for really bad albums offering collections of love songs, with the couple holding hands and looking out at god knows what. Now that Royal is actually delivering a message and moving to the center, center-right, Sarkozy has to be worried that his coronation is not quite there, yet.

Two months ago I thought it would be Sarko in a landslide because the Socialists were just so far removed from today and they had no plan. Today, this is looking like a serious race and could be won by either. Sarko was moving to the right before to grab as many votes away from Le Pen as possible but now that Royal is making a land grab for the middle, it is going to be interesting to see where Sarko goes. Both candidates look like they're ready to move on and tackle issues such as economic growth and having flexibility in the system so that France can better compete on the world stage.  

Something unusual is going on in Mexico - a normal presidential election. Mexico's relatively new democratic institutions are not being strained and are not at risk. There are three major candidates, and while they have been doing a lot of mudslinging, they offer voters a real ideological choice.

Mexico lived through 71 years of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, which fell in 2000 to an opposition candidate, Vicente Fox, who proved to be a lackluster president. In other new democracies in Eastern Europe and Latin America, voters at this point have tended to grow nostalgic for dictatorship or eager to find an outsider who promises revolution. The first democratic election after dictatorship is always joyous; the second one can be deadly.

Not so in Mexico. Roberto Madrazo, the PRI candidate, is far back. One front-runner is Felipe Calderón, who was Fox's energy minister. He is a respectable model of the Latin American colorless, Harvard-educated, pro-business candidate. He wants to modernize Mexico and make it more globally competitive, thereby creating more jobs. Calderón advocates opening Mexico's poorly run and underfinanced energy sector to foreign investment. It is an unpopular idea, but sorely needed.

His neck-and-neck opponent is Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has been unfairly compared, by the Calderón campaign and many others, to President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela.

López Obrador, who was recently mayor of Mexico City, is a leftist, but he is no threat to the United States, nor to Mexico. He has no ambitions to foment revolution and stresses the importance of good relations with Washington. He accepts a market economy but would attempt to make it fairer to Mexico's poor. López Obrador has said that he would like to use government spending to create jobs and raise the minimum wage - now $4.50 a day. He wants to renegotiate the agricultural chapters of the North American Free Trade Agreement to benefit Mexico's small farmers.

LONDON: Governments who cut their armed forces end up relying on private suppliers to transport their weapons with few controls, Amnesty International said.

As these logistics networks proliferate in conflicts across the globe, international arms control rules are floundering, the human rights group said in a report urging tough government action to re-impose control.
"Arms supply chains are becoming increasingly sub-contracted and completely out of control," Amnesty's arms expert Brian Wood told Reuters. "They are talking about curbing brokering but they haven't even got round to transport.

"Brokering is increasingly common, with main contractors sub-contracting supply, transportation and collection in an ever lengthening and increasingly opaque chain," he added as his report "Dead on Time - arms, transportation, brokering and the threat to human rights" was published.

Not only were governments exploiting the poor controls to hide their activities, but increasingly armed opposition groups and organised crime rings were taking advantage of the murky markets to obtain their weaponry, he said in an interview.

The report, published ahead of a United Nations meeting from June 26 on small arms trafficking, says that increasingly weapons are either destined for or diverted to countries under arms embargoes or to insurgent and criminal groups.

The new UN Human Rights Council began its first-ever session in Geneva with high hopes that it will do more for the victims of abuses and avoid the political horse-trading of the past.

Opening the two-week inaugural session of the new 47-nation Human Rights Council, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the world was watching -- particularly the victims of human rights violations.

"I trust that all members of the council are fully aware of the hopes that have thus been raised, and are determined not to disappoint them," he said in the presence of ministers and senior representatives from 100 countries.

The new body replaces the former UN Commission on Human Rights, which was widely regarded as discredited due to the dominant presence of countries with poor human rights records and pervasive behind-the-scenes political bargaining that helped states duck criticism.

Jordan's King Abdullah II discusses the way out of the chaotic situation in Iraq, successes in the war against terror and the necessity of negotiations with Tehran's mullahs.

SPIEGEL: Your Majesty, the terrorist Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi posed a threat not only to Iraq, but also to your country. Now he is dead. Has the Middle East become a safer place?

King Abdullah II: One chapter was closed, but terrorism and extremism are going to continue. Al-Zarqawi will be replaced by somebody else, whoever it will be. Obviously for Jordanians because of the murder of 60 people here ...

SPIEGEL: ... in November, when suicide bombers attacked three hotels in Amman.

King Abdullah: It brings us a closure and a reason to move on. That part may be over. But it's a tactical game in the fight against terrorism. At the end of the day we want to bring stability and hope to Iraq. That's the only way to defeat terrorism.

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is lobbying to prevent Venezuela from securing an open seat on the U.N. Security Council because of concern that its leading South American rival could confound plans to step up pressure on Iran.

Under United Nations rules, Latin American governments are entitled to pick a country from the region to fill the rotating seat that comes open next year. Venezuela has been campaigning for the post.

But the Bush administration is urging Latin American countries to vote for a U.S. ally, Guatemala, instead, warning that the populist government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez cannot be trusted on crucial issues such as Iran's nuclear program, given its "disruptive and irresponsible behavior" in international organizations.

Behind the scenes, U.S. officials have been applying pressure, even to close allies, Latin American diplomats say. For example, Washington has agreed to sell F-16 fighter jets to Chile, but are warning that Chilean pilots will not be trained to fly them if the government supports Venezuela's Security Council bid, the diplomats said.