EUobserver / EU's 'French style' diplomatic service under fire

German liberal MEP Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, part of a group of deputies actively debating the diplomatic service, told press on Friday (19 March) that the proposal is "a continuation of French policy by other means."

The MEP, who hails from the same party as German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle and who says his concerns are largely shared by the German foreign ministry, identified two problems with the draft set-up.

He said it accords too much power to the secretary general of the service, on the model of the French foreign ministry, and isolates the military (ESDP) part of the service away from political governance.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

France24 - Spanish press speculate on `disastrous' ETA operation in France

The Spanish daily "El Pais" says the botched plan to steal six expensive cars from a dealership, which lead to the policeman's murder, equalled a strategic disaster for the separatist group, and was further evidence of its diminishing numbers and arms stockade.

The leading Spanish daily went on to say that the activity organised by ETA was "ahead of an operation of greater impact, or the beginning of a new wave of attacks in Spain."

The incident grabbed a top headline in "La Vanguardia", which gave a detailed, but still unconfirmed, account of the events leading to the French policeman's killing and the arrest of one of the suspected ETA militants.

"La Vanguardia" was one of several Spanish newspapers to reveal the detainee as a Joseba Fernandez Aspurz, who was handcuffed by police on a road in Dammarie-Les-Lys before unseen ETA agents "opened fire on the policemen to liberate their associates."

The conservative daily "ABC" cited experts who suspect the operation was a prelude to an imminent hit on weapons stockades, similar to ETA's "1999 assault in (the northwest French town) Plevin, in which they took nine tons of dynamite, or the one committed in 2001 in the south-eastern French town of Grenoble, in which they took 1,500 kilos of explosives."

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Germany calls off EU summit talks on education | EurActiv

Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council - which gathers EU heads of state and government - was forced to remove a discussion of the headline target 'education' from the agenda of the summit, scheduled for 25-26 March.

The move has angered European Commission President José Manuel Barroso who is insisting that skills are a key part of restoring competitiveness.

Wolfgang Reinhart, Europe minister for the German state of Baden-Württemberg, told EurActiv Germany that the decision to raise the issue was taken after a meeting in Brussels with Europe ministers from other German Länder.

The German federal system, Reinhart stressed, guarantees that the Länder retain their own competence on education and more EU involvement with the issue would create problems if applied in Germany.

Austria is also reluctant and is backing the German position, he said.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Dutch vow not to block Iceland's EU talks | EurActiv

"I would rather have them at the negotiation table than with their back turned to the EU," ANP quoted Verhagen as saying in the Dutch parliament.

Iceland's settlement of the debt was necessary, however, before it could become an EU member, Verhagen said.

"One way or another we have to continue with Iceland. One way or another we will have to get the money back," he added, according to ANP.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

EUobserver / Kosovo head says EU countries 'moving' on status

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Kosovar President Fatmir Sejdiu has said that the five EU countries that do not recognise Kosovo's independence are "moving" on the issue.

Focusing on Greece, which does not recognise Kosovo but which plays a role in policing the former Serb province and which accepts Kosovar passports, Mr Sejdiu told EUobserver in an interview that:

"We have a postive movement. I cannot say now which will be the day when they recognise [Kosovo's status] because they are a sovereign state. But what is positive is that Greece is actively involved in all the issues in Kosovo."

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

EUobserver / Van Rompuy and Barroso to both represent EU at G20

"The two presidents have decided that the EU delegation will be composed of both presidents in one single delegation. That's quite normal, as their roles are complementary," a spokeswoman for the European Commission said during a press briefing on Thursday (18 March).

One of the novelties introduced by the EU's new treaty is that the permanent president of the EU Council, former Belgian premier Herman Van Rompuy, also represents the bloc abroad in foreign policy and security matters.

But in other areas, such as climate change, President Barroso will speak on behalf of the 27-member club.

Four months after Bliar's failure, will the English-language media finally learn Van Rompuy's proper job description and that there is no (single) "EU President"?

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Pope to sex abuse priests: Submit to justice - Europe- msnbc.com

Pope Benedict XVI told priests who have abused children to submit to the "demands of justice," according to a letter released Saturday.

The pontiff said a misplaced concern for the church's reputation and inadequate methods of choosing priests had contributed to decades of sexual abuse of children by members of the clergy.

In a letter written to Catholics in the Irish Republic, the pope said he was "deeply disturbed" by the flood of allegations in Ireland and told victims he was "truly sorry." He acknowledged they had suffered "grievously."

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

EUobserver / Top EU officials push for agreement on Greek aid next week

"It is essential that when we deal with a euro area country there is a European lead and a European responsibility," EU economy commissioner Olli Rehn said at a conference in Brussels on Friday (19 March).

"It is important that the EU in the course of next week comes to a more specific conclusion, specific political conclusion about the European framework for co-ordinated and conditional action, if needed and required," he told journalists afterwards.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso appears set to go further on Saturday, indicating the EU is ready to provide financial aid to Greece if it is requested, according to a leaked transcript of an interview with French radio, seen by Dow Jones Newswires.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Germany takes on record debt in 2010 | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 19.03.2010

Never before in the history of post-war Germany has a finance minister taken on more debt. Due to the impact from the global economic crisis, the German parliament on Friday approved Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble's record new borrowing figure of 80.2 billion euros ($109 billion) for 2010.

This is double the amount borrowed in 2009, but the government insists there is no other way to deal with the fallout from one of the biggest global economic crises in history.

"None of us have any experience with such a dramatic economic meltdown," Chancellor Angela Merkel told parliament earlier in the week.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Barnier: 'I don't believe in self-regulation' | EurActiv

"Barroso has given me a mandate to clean up the internal market and close its missing links," Barnier told a 400-strong crowd from European businesses, federations, NGOs and the media on Wednesday (17 March).

Though the commissioner at times evaded offering concrete details of upcoming policies, he insisted he was a strong advocate of more stringent financial supervision in the EU.

The Frenchman also reiterated that EU regulation would follow the same roadmap adopted by world leaders at last year's G20 summit on international financial regulation in Pittsburgh (EurActiv 07/09/09)

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

German bus sector keen to catch up with Deutsche Bahn | Business | Deutsche Welle | 19.03.2010

In Germany, there are few national bus services with the exception of those operating to and from Berlin. Anyone who wants to travel by public transportation from Stuttgart to Munich, for example, can only do so by plane or train. That's in keeping with Paragraph 13 of the Public Transport Act of 1931. The clause permits national bus routes only in exceptional cases - and only if the national railway company, Deutsche Bahn, has no objections.

This privilege is set to come to an end by 2011 at the latest, in accordance with an agreement between the members of the ruling coalition. New countrywide bus services could be launched soon, adding to the few routes that already exist, like the Hamburg-Berlin route, which is a relic of pre-unification days.

The wonderful new liberal 'transport' 'policy'. <tears hair out>

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

BA strike to go ahead after talks collapse - News & Advice, Travel - The Independent

Talks aimed at averting strikes by British Airways cabin crew collapsed today and the action will go ahead from midnight.

Officials from the Unite union have been locked in talks with the airline's chief executive, Willie Walsh, this week in a bid to find a breakthrough in a bitter row over cost-cutting.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

EUobserver / De Gucht criticises China and US on trade

"The yuan is under-priced," he told the Financial Times in an article printed on Thursday (18 March). "It certainly has an impact on their [US] export and trade patterns. The complaint is legitimate and there is awareness of that in Europe."

...The Belgian politician also took aim at US protectionism, blaming Washington for holding up the currently stalled Doha round of multilateral free-trade talks.

"One of the problems is that we don't know exactly what the United States wants. They don't want to go forward for now, that much is clear," he said of the decade-old negotiations, in an interview with Belgian business daily De Tijd.

US congressional elections in November were partly to blame, he added, but singled out a commitment from President Barack Obama to double US exports over five years.

"I don't see how anyone can double exports if there's no movement towards free trade," he said. "Protectionism will not lead to a doubling of exports."

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Glaxo funded backers of 'danger' drug - Health News, Health & Families - The Independent

The pharmaceutical industry has become adept at manipulating results and selectively withholding unfavourable data that could expose patients to harm. Now it is accused of skewing the debate over one drug, Avandia, prescribed to millions of people around the world with Type 2 diabetes. Avandia, made by the British multinational GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which helps diabetics control their blood sugar levels, was linked with an increased risk of heart attacks in research published in 2007.

...The latest study helps illuminate why the scientific opinions on Avandia are conflicting. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota - one of the few US research organisations that does not rely on commercial sponsorship - analysed more than 200 articles published in scientific journals, including original papers, editorials and letters, which commented on the heart attack risk associated with Avandia after 2007.

They found almost half (47 per cent) of the study authors had financial conflicts of interest but almost a quarter (23 per cent) did not disclose it. They were discovered by searching other publications by the same author or on the internet. Three authors declared no conflict of interest but did in fact have one.

More than nine out of 10 (94 per cent) of the authors who had positive views about Avandia had financial links with pharmaceutical companies involved in diabetes and 87 per cent had financial links with the drug's manufacturer, GSK. In contrast, less than 30 per cent of those with financial links with the industry "expressed unfavourable views" of Avandia. Those authors who were critical of Avandia safety were "largely free of identifiable conflicts of interest", the study says.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Railway Gazette: London Underground PPP funding gap

UK: London Underground is considering its options, including 'legal remedies', after PPP Arbiter Chris Bolt directed on March 10 that work to maintain and upgrade the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines in the seven and half years of Review Period 2 from July 1 2010 should cost £4·46bn.

LU contends that it can afford no more than £4bn, but is unwilling to cut back the RP2 work programme including upgrades of the Northern and Piccadilly lines where capacity increases of 20% and 28% respectively are planned under the 30-year PPP contract, with the Piccadilly Line to receive a new train fleet.

'It is essential that Tube Lines and its shareholders, Ferrovial and Bechtel, are now called upon to set out in full their plan to deliver the full scope of works for £4·46bn, fully £1·3bn less than the final cost they claimed. Also, that this plan is put to the test that would be applied by potential lenders', said LU Interim Managing Director Richard Parry. Finance to fill the funding gap should be raised by Tube Lines itself, LU believes, even though the Department for Transport is unlikely to grant approval or increase LU's funding settlement through its parent, Transport for London.

In its representations to the Arbiter, Tube Lines had argued that such finance would represent 'poor value for money' and that the benefits of lender scrutiny as sought by LU would be 'very limited'. Tube Lines says it remains 'fully committed to the contract', but the Arbiter's decision could present it with 'a significant challenge' according to Acting Chief Executive Andrew Cleaves.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

German Central Bank Admits that Credit is Created Out of Thin Air | zero hedge

Germany's central bank - the Deutsche Bundesbank (German for German Federal Bank) - has admitted in writing that banks create credit out of thin air.

As the Bundesbank states in a publication entitled "Money and Monetary Policy" (pages 88-93; translation provided by Google translate, but German speaker Festan von Geldern confirmed the basic translation):

Modern conservatives engage in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy: the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.Galbraith

Chris Dodd Asks Department Of Justice To Probe Lehman's Repo 105 And Other Firms' Shady Accounting Practices   Zero Hedge

March 19, 2010

The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Attorney General of the United States
United States Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C.  20530

Dear Attorney General Holder:

I am deeply concerned about the facts that have come to light regarding the demise of Lehman Brothers and the accounting manipulation that contributed to it. I respectfully ask you to commission a task force to investigate the Lehman situation as well as other companies that may have engaged in similar accounting manipulation with a view to prosecution of employees or agents who contributed to any violations of the law.    

According to the Report of the U.S. Trustee-appointed Examiner Anton R. Valukas, Lehman presented a misleading picture of its financial condition to the public by using extensive repurchase agreements known as Repo 105 transactions. The Examiner found that "Lehman did not disclose its use -- or the significant magnitude of its use -- of Repo 105 to the Government, to the rating agencies, to its investors, or to its own Board of Directors." The result was to conceal its holdings of bad assets and to temporarily remove approximately $50 billion of assets from its balance sheet at the end of the first and second quarters of 2008. The Examiner found that Lehman used Repo 105 transactions for no other articulated purpose than to shrink its balance sheet at the quarter-end, in a manner that deceived investors and creditors about its true financial state and misleading others.    

We must work tirelessly to reduce the incidence of financial fraud in order to restore trust and confidence in the financial markets. A task force investigation and taking appropriate Federal actions in these matters will contribute to these goals.

Sincerely Christopher J. Dodd Chairman

After a week Chris Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committes, who is retiring at the end of this term, reluctantly does his duty. Perhaps now Justice can launch civil and criminal investigations and use the "charges pending" status to cut down on the annoying and embarrassing things that keep emerging about Wall Street's behavior.

I honestly don't know if this means a genuine investigation will begin or if the scale of the cover-up just escalates. Given electoral realities, what member of congress would chair an investigation. How can anyone at this point expect Holder's Justice Department to do a vigorous job. Given the status of the White House as a Hedge Fund Democratic client of Wall Street, someone should demand an independent prosecutor, but who will step up even to make that demand? Bernie Sanders?

The curtain gets pulled back and The Powers That Be are caught in flagrante delicto. Their best hope is that the children will be confused and will look away. But even children will often ask: "What are they doing?" Our national psychosis has erupted into the public space. How many will be able to see just how crazy this all is? How many of those will have the courage to insist on change. Will the ghost of Sam Irving knock three times?

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

There's a an updated story in the Guardian re my diary Partnership Pays

Is John Lewis the best company in Britain to work for?
It is owned by its employees - or partners - who have a say in how it is run, and receive a share of the profits. Surely this the way every organisation should be run . . .

il mio grassetto

You can't be me, I'm taken

Homosexuality and the Srebrenica Massacre: Dutch Leader Calls US General's Gay Remarks 'Disgraceful' - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

The Netherlands on Friday was quick to react to Sheehan's testimony. Dutch Defense Minister Eimert van Middelkoop issued a statement calling the remarks "outrageous and unworthy of a soldier." He went on to say, "I do not want to waste any more words on the matter."

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said the remarks were "disgraceful" and "should never have been made. ... It is way off the mark to talk like that about people and the work they do under very difficult circumstances." He added that he would not take up the matter with Obama because Sheehan is retired.

Wim van den Burg, head of the Dutch military union AFMP, called Sheehan's comments "ridiculous" and "out of the realm of fiction."

...Committee Chairman Levin said that Sheehan's attempt to connect Dutch military shortcomings to the service of homosexuals in Holland's military "was totally off target." Sheehan was NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic in the mid-1990s.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Inquiry into Kunduz Bombing: German Defense Minister Blasted for 'Slanderous' Statements - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is under pressure following parliamentary testimony relating to the controversial Sept. 4 bombing in Kunduz, Afghanistan. Guttenberg, says a top German general he fired, isn't telling the whole truth.

...The high expectations were not disappointed. Schneiderhan had prepared himself well for his appearance before the committee. He took one and a half hours to deliver his initial statement, which left few questions unanswered. He could date conversations and meetings to the minute and came across as highly credible. He also accused Guttenberg of lying about the reasons for his and Wichert's dismissals.

'Slanderous'

Schneiderhan did not mince words. Staff close to the defense minister claimed that Schneiderhan and Wichert on Nov. 25 denied the existence of reports on the Kunduz air strike beyond the NATO report, which Guttenberg had seen. That version of events was "slanderous" and incorrect, Schneiderhan said. Rather, Schneiderhan said, he and Wichert had given the minister all the available files immediately after Guttenberg had asked about other reports.

Wichert, who also addressed the inquiry Thursday, testified that the NATO report which Guttenberg had seen contained "all the facts which were in any way relevant for evaluating the incident." Wichert rejected the accusation that he had been involved in a cover-up. "This is utter nonsense," he told the inquiry on Thursday evening.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

India's 'modern-day Nero' to be grilled over Muslim bloodbath - Asia, World - The Independent

Narendra Modi, tipped as a future prime minister, is called to appear before tribunal investigating 2002 Gujarat massacre

With his face gazing from posters celebrating the 600th anniversary of the founding of this historic city, Narendra Modi - chief minister of the Indian state of Gujarat - likes to present himself as a man of destiny. Yet slowly but surely history may be catching up with India's most controversial politician.

Eight years after perhaps the worst episode of religious violence since Partition, a frenzy of brutality in which hundreds of Muslims were raped and murdered by sword-wielding mobs, the slow-turning wheels of Indian justice have finally stopped outside Mr Modi's door. A special investigation team set up by the country's Supreme Court has summoned him to appear and answer allegations that he should be held responsible for the violence.

"He has been summoned to appear from the week starting this Sunday," confirmed the inquiry's head, RK Raghavan. "[As to whether he appears] your guess is as good as mine."

No one alleges Mr Modi, a member of the right-wing, Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), personally took part in the wave of killings that engulfed several Gujarati cities in the spring of 2002, an orgy of violence triggered by the deaths of dozens of Hindu activists in a train fire. But it is said that at the very least he did insufficient to stop it, even when he was contacted by those whose lives were fatally threatened. Others say he actively seized on the violence for political reasons and allowed it to burn for several days. He has always denied the allegations.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

France24 - US, Russia 'on the brink' of new nuclear arms reduction treaty, says Clinton

The US and Russia are on the brink of a new nuclear arms reduction deal, having resolved all major issues in talks, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (pictured with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov) said on Friday after talks in Moscow.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

France24 - Obama hails 'historic' healthcare vote this weekend

US President Barack Obama has hailed a "historic weekend" ahead of a key House of Representatives vote on health reform Sunday. A "yes" vote would bring coverage to 32 million Americans who currently lack health care insurance.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

EUobserver / EU climate chief pessimistic after US visit

EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard has ended meetings with her various US counterparts dejected by uncertainty as to whether Washington will be able to pass badly-needed climate legislation in time for a summit Mexico.

"It's very, very nervous times. People don't know, will it fly or will it not fly," she told reporters in the American capital on on Thursday (18 March), a day after she had met with climate special envoy Todd Stern, climate and energy 'tsar' Carol Browner, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa Jackson and a clutch of senators and congressmen.

"The feeling that I got yesterday was that, well, not too many want to bet on the timing and what could be the outcome," she said.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Parliament seeks compromise on EU air pollution law | EurActiv

The European Parliament has reopened the debate on a revision of the EU's industrial air pollution directive, tabling a new proposal that seeks to compromise with member states by dropping controversial plans to introduce a 'European safety net' of minimum emission limits.

German MEP Holger Krahmer (ALDE), who is guiding legislation to recast the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive through Parliament, presented his new proposals to colleagues in the environment committee on Wednesday (17 March).

The proposal aims to closer align the Parliament's views with those of member states in order to reach agreement on the legislation, which will require some 52,000 industrial installations to obtain permits from national authorities to release pollutants into the air, soil or water.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Oil industry emissions 'underestimated', study warns | EurActiv

Greenhouse gas emissions from oil will reach record levels in future, according to a new study presented by the EBB.

It urged the European Commission to take this into account in the implementation of its fuel quality and renewable energy directives so as not to give fossil fuels an advantage over other fuels.

The research, carried out by environmental consultancy ERA, argued that more intensive use of existing oil fields is hiking emissions from conventional oil. In addition, the depletion of oil wells is reducing production of conventional oil, which must then be replaced by unconventional oil, the emissions from which are up to 2.5 times greater as a result of more energy-intensive extraction techniques.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Czech energy giant slowly turning green | EurActiv

''Our aim is to rapidly decrease our CO2 emissions through many low-carbon and zero-carbon projects and renovation of our coal plants, which will bring increased efficiency and greening of our electricity production,'' said ČEZ spokesperson Eva Nováková.

...Yet green NGOs think that ČEZ is behind the times and is trying to catch up by pursuing "megalomaniac"projects that run contrary to one of the key principles behind renewable energy: decentralised production.

Sedlák from Hnutí DUHA (Friends of the Earth Czech Republic) points to a 30MW photovoltaic plant in southern Bohemia as one such example.

As well as investing in new projects, ČEZ is trying to improve the efficiency of existing installations. For instance, the Temelín power plant should produce 30% more electricity following a renovation and the Prunéřov coal plant should increase its efficiency from 33% to 39%.

However, Sedlák claims that if ČEZ were to respect Czech law and EU legislation on pollution prevention and control, the efficiency of Prunéřov could reach 42% or 45%. ''Using the best available technologies, ČEZ could save half a million tonnes of coal per year,'' he claims.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Bulgaria approves law to ban GMO crops | EurActiv

Bulgaria's parliament voted on Thursday (18 March) to tighten a law that effectively banned cultivation of genetically-modified (GM) crops for scientific and commercial reasons in response to public fears.

The ruling centre-right GERB party decided to drop a planned moratorium on GMO production because the new law would keep the European Union member GMO-free, deputies said.

"There will be no field on the country's territory where GMOs can be cultivated," said Kostadin Yazov of GERB's parliamentary group.

Non-government organisations, farmers and citizens have rallied for over two months against the government's initial plans to replace a ban with a licensing regime, which they feared would flood the Balkan country with GMO crops.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

World nations reject ban on bluefin tuna | EurActiv

Governments attending the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) have rejected an EU-backed proposal to ban trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna to give the species time to reproduce.

Japan, Canada and several Arab League countries yesterday (18 March) rejected a proposal to effectively suspend international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna until stocks are no longer threatened with extinction.

They argued that the decline of bluefin tuna stocks would be best tackled by regional fisheries management organisations such as the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). They also argued that banning trade "would not stop the fishing of the species" anyway.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Saturn: a ringside seat - Science, News - The Independent

From Earth the distinctive set of rings belonging to the sixth planet from the Sun appear to be tranquil garlands adorning their mother planet but on closer inspection the rings of Saturn - composed of orbiting, ice-strewn debris - are far from peaceful.

Immense tidal forces tear into the materials that make up the rings to prevent them clumping together to form bigger objects and, eventually, a new moon. Giant rocks and meteorites pummel the rings with violent collisions that break apart the orbiting debris still further.

...After six years of studying the rings, the researchers involved in the £1.6bn Cassini mission believe they can show that the planetary rings are far from a static collection of space debris orbiting their host but rather a highly dynamic interaction of continually colliding objects.

"It has been amazing to see the rings come to life before our very eyes, changing even as we watch," said Jeff Cuzzi of Nasa's Ames Research Centre in Moffett Field, California, and lead author of a study published in the journal Science. "The rings were still a nearly unstructured object in even the best telescopes when I was a student, but Cassini has brought us an intimate familiarity with them," said Dr Cuzzi, one of the scientists in the joint American-European mission named after the great Italian-born astronomer Giovanni Cassini.

(The journo couldn't resist a bit of silly over-dramatising; for example those tidal forces are far from 'immense'. But the news is that the rings are viewed as much more dynamic today.)

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Johann Hari: The Pope, the Prophet, and the religious support for evil - Johann Hari, Commentators - The Independent

What can make tens of millions of people - who are in their daily lives peaceful and compassionate and caring - suddenly want to physically dismember a man for drawing a cartoon, or make excuses for an international criminal conspiracy to protect child-rapists? Not reason. Not evidence. No. But it can happen when people choose their polar opposite - religion. In the past week we have seen two examples of how people can begin to behave in bizarre ways when they decide it is a good thing to abandon any commitment to fact and instead act on faith. It has led some to regard people accused of the attempted murders of the Mohamed cartoonists as victims, and to demand "respect" for the Pope, when he should be in a police station being quizzed about his role in covering up and thereby enabling the rape of children.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

European centre-right claims to have defeated communism | EurActiv

In Europe, the European People's Party (EPP) was alone in denouncing communism, its secretary-general, Antonio López-Istúriz, declared in Brussels yesterday (18 March).

"We combated communism. We denounced the big lie of communism," López-Istúriz said at a conference organised by the Centre for European Studies, the EPP-affiliated think-tank.

"The EPP was alone in this fight. Other parties were blind," he claimed.

The statement was not challenged by the audience, despite the fact that socialist François Mitterrand, French president in the 1980s, was an important player in many of the dramatic events that led to the collapse of the Berlin Wall, alongside German Chancellor Helmut Kohl of the centre-right CDU party.

Mitterrand famously organised a breakfast with Bulgarian dissidents at the French Embassy in Sofia on 19 January 1989, which hugely accelerated events leading to the collapse of the communist regime in that country on 10 November that same year.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Elections 2.0: Blogs Begin to Sway German Politics - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

Jürgen Rüttgers, a state governor in western Germany, faces a new challenge in his fight for re-election this May: the well-informed political blog. Independent writers armed with leaked documents have brought some "anarchy" back to Germany's staid political scene.

...Since late 2009 the self-appointed heirs of Tucholsky have written a blog called "Wir in NRW" (roughly, "We Here in North Rhine-Westphalia"), a title that will remind German readers of cronyism. The bloggers lash out at many politicians, but they focus on the state governor, Jürgen Rüttgers, a conservative Christian Democrat seeking re-election on May 9. They regularly publish internal e-mails from the archives of power, a number of which have proved embarrassing for Rüttgers' party, the CDU. Who stole what is still not clear.

The bloggers claim they never intended to become an instrument in the campaign. The purpose of the site was to spread news about the government that the mainstream press ignored. Not only did they want to shine a spotlight on Rüttgers; they also wanted irritate a man they identified as responsible for lukewarm coverage of state politics: Bodo Hombach, chief of a publishing concern called WAZ, which owns nine newspapers in Germany.

The name of the blog is a barb aimed at Hombach, a one-time cabinet aide to former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder...

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

The 'National Conservatives': An Urbane Publisher Becomes the Populist Voice of Switzerland - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

Swiss editor and publisher Roger Köppel is loud, shrill and provocative -- traits not usually associated with his countrymen. The right-wing positions he takes do not appeal to a majority of people in Switzerland, and yet he is viewed abroad as the new, authentic voice of the Swiss.

...Köppel is a man in his mid-40s who seems eternally young, with slightly rumpled hair and round, metal-rimmed glasses. He is remarkably slim, and he's wearing a trademark expensive-looking suit. Köppel looks out of place in a rural setting. The countryside is the home of the Swiss People's Party, or SVP, which has spent the last 20 years using its opposition to Europe, immigration and the liberal market economy to become Switzerland's strongest party.

But Köppel, the urban journalist, has dedicated himself to both this popular party and its leader, Christoph Blocher -- a contradiction that has earned him a reputation beyond Switzerland's borders. Three and a half years ago he bought Switzerland's Weltwoche, a liberal, left-leaning weekly newspaper, smart, stolid and politically correct, and turned it into a conservative, right-wing opinion magazine.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

France24 - Recession kills Paris skyscraper project

Plans to build a super skyscraper just metres short of the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris' business district have fallen through, the tower's French architect, Jean Nouvel, announced Friday, through lack of investment due to the economic crisis.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

Op-Ed Columnist - The Broken Society - NYTimes.com

The United States is becoming a broken society. The public has contempt for the political class. Public debt is piling up at an astonishing and unrelenting pace. Middle-class wages have lagged. Unemployment will remain high. It will take years to fully recover from the financial crisis.

 This confluence of crises has produced a surge in vehement libertarianism. People are disgusted with Washington. The Tea Party movement rallies against big government, big business and the ruling class in general. Even beyond their ranks, there is a corrosive cynicism about public action.

But there is another way to respond to these problems that is more communitarian and less libertarian. This alternative has been explored most fully by the British writer Phillip Blond.

To create a civil state, Blond would reduce the power of senior government officials and widen the discretion of front-line civil servants, the people actually working in neighborhoods. He would decentralize power, giving more budget authority to the smallest units of government. He would funnel more services through charities. He would increase investments in infrastructure, so that more places could be vibrant economic hubs. He would rebuild the "village college" so that universities would be more intertwined with the towns around them.

Essentially, Blond would take a political culture that has been oriented around individual choice and replace it with one oriented around relationships and associations. His ideas have made a big splash in Britain over the past year. His think tank, ResPublica, is influential with the Conservative Party. His book, "Red Tory," is coming out soon. He's on a small U.S. speaking tour, appearing at Georgetown's Tocqueville Forum Friday and at Villanova on Monday.

Britain is always going to be more hospitable to communitarian politics than the more libertarian U.S. But people are social creatures here, too. American society has been atomized by the twin revolutions here, too. This country, too, needs a fresh political wind. America, too, is suffering a devastating crisis of authority. The only way to restore trust is from the local community on up.

Modern conservatives engage in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy: the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.Galbraith

As Expected, Ridiculous, Wrong, Exaggerating And Misleading Report Claims That 'Piracy' Is Killing Jobs | Techdirt

As was leaked earlier this week, a study paid for by the International Chamber of Commerce has come out with ridiculously misleading and misguided report about how "piracy" is killing jobs all through Europe. The tagline is that it's "costing" 1.2 million jobs and about $330 million. And, of course, that sort of report is the kind that the press loves, and so we get a series of headlines:

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

Nestle Discovers The Streisand Effect... But Only After Making Things Worse And Worse... And Worse | Techdirt

Earlier this week, reader Jorvay sent over the news of how food giant Nestle had massively overreacted to an (admittedly disgusting) anti-Nestle video put together by Greenpeace and posted to YouTube. The thing was, this video was getting no attention. It had less than 1,000 views... but someone who should have known better at Nestle filed a bogus copyright claim to take down the video. There is no copyright issue in the video at all, so it was a bogus takedown. Even if there had been a legit reason for the takedown, doing so only drew much more attention to the issue, and the video quickly went back up on Vimeo, where it started getting even more views, a lot of which came because of the takedown.

Okay, bad enough, right? I was going to post that story, but before I had the chance, Nestle decided to make things worse.

Because of all this new attention, a bunch of anti-Nestle people went to Nestle's Facebook group, and started posting messages that were certainly anti-Nestle. Now, there are lots of ways to respond to such things. The one thing you don't want to do is respond the way Nestle's "moderator" did. First, they threatened to delete comments from anyone using a modified Nestle's logo, claiming that this infringed on trademarks (which is an interesting claim, but unlikely to hold up in court, where countless times the use of a logo in protest has been upheld). This resulted in some pointed responses from group members, such as "It's not OK for people to use altered versions of your logos, but it's OK for you to alter the face of Indonesian rainforests? Wow!"

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

A 4500 word pontification ...

Pope's pastoral letter to Ireland.

You can't be me, I'm taken

France24 - Draw pits Barcelona against Arsenal in quarter-finals

The Champions League quarter-final draws in Lyon on Friday determined that titleholders Barcelona will play Arsenal while Bayern Munich meet Manchester United. An all-French match will see Olympique Lyon and Girondins Bordeaux square off.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

France24 - Holocaust survivor Simone Veil joins Académie Française

Simone Veil, revered French champion of women's rights and Auschwitz survivor, has been invested as an "immortal" of the prestigious Académie Française.

Simone Veil, revered French champion of women's rights and Auschwitz survivor, was on Thursday invested as an "immortal" of France's most prestigious intellectual club, the Académie Française.

The solemn ceremony was attended by two former heads of state and the current French president.

The 82-year-old former French minister ranks among the country's most respected politicians and is famous for legalising abortion in the 70s.