BBC News - Bronislaw Komorowski declared president of Poland

Bronislaw Komorowski has been officially declared the winner of the Polish presidential election.

According to election officials the acting president won 53.01% of the vote while rival Jaroslaw Kaczynski got 46.99%.

Mr Kaczynski had initially accepted defeat based on an exit poll, but Mr Komorowski's camp remained cautious.

Mr Kaczynski is the twin of former President Lech Kaczynski, who died in a plane crash with 95 others in April.

This run-off election was held after neither candidate gained more than 50% in the first round in June.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

BBC News - Turkey threatens diplomatic break with Israel over raid

Turkey has for the first time threatened to break diplomatic ties with Israel over its raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May.

Turkey's foreign minister said a break could only be averted if Israel either apologised or accepted the outcome of an international inquiry into the raid.

The Israeli government said it had nothing to apologise for.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

BBC News - Iran says its passenger jets were refused fuel abroad

Iran has accused the UK, Germany and the UAE of refusing to provide fuel to Iranian passenger planes.

The allegation came days after the US enacted unilateral sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme, to penalise foreign companies trading with Tehran.

Britain said it was not aware of any refusal to refuel Iranian planes, and Germany stressed there was no ban.

Oil firms contacted by the BBC said they could not comment on individual contracts.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

BBC News - Spain to press Cuba over jailed dissidents

Spain's foreign minister plans to increase pressure on Cuba to release political prisoners, during a visit starting shortly.

Miguel Angel Moratinos said he was going to Havana to support negotiations between the Catholic Church and Cuba's communist authorities.

Spanish diplomats told the BBC there were indications the talks could lead to a substantial release of prisoners.

Cuba is holding about 200 dissidents in prison, some of them on hunger strike.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

BBC News - Two French junior ministers quit over perks

Two French junior ministers embroiled in separate spending scandals have resigned from the government.

President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Francois Fillon had decided that the two ministers must go on Sunday, a government spokesman said.

Overseas Development Minister Alain Joyandet was criticised for spending 116,500 euros (£96,153) on a private jet to fly to the Caribbean for work.

Greater Paris Minister Christian Blanc spent 12,000 euros on cigars.

The spokesman, Luc Chatel, said Mr Sarkozy and Mr Fillon had "decided to address the consequences of the events of the past few days, that the French people neither understand or accept".

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Chimes of freedom « Shot by both sides

I blogged recently about the presentation of new Private Members' Bills by those who had come out top in the PMB ballot.

Today, at about 5.30pm, we will have the presentation of a whole bunch more, thirty in total, from Bone, Chope and Hollobone, which sounds like a particularly sinister firm of Victorian bodysnatchers funeral directors.

They won't become law,  and will probably be tabled so far down the list on Private Members' Bills' Fridays we're unlikely to get to debate them. But here they are... the new Tory party at play:

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

School building programme scrapped in latest round of cuts | Education | guardian.co.uk

Michael Gove today cancelled Labour's school building programme, suspending projects for 715 new schools as part of the coalition's latest tranche of spending cuts.

The coalition government took its axe to another £1.5bn in spending commitments cutting £1bn from the schools budget in England and millions from the business department, communities and local government and the home office.

The £55bn Building Schools for the Future programme, which will be cancelled altogether, was the biggest casualty. Some 706 new school buildings and services that already have contracts signed will go ahead but another 715 will be scrapped.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Russian spy ring: Irish passport 'used in alleged conspiracy' | World news | guardian.co.uk

An Irish fireman has found himself at the centre of the Russian spy scandal in the United States after his passport details were apparently used by one of the alleged spies.

Eunan Gerard Doherty, from Ballyloskey, Carndonagh, County Donegal, has said he has yet to be told if his passport or a copy of it was used by Richard Murphy. Murphy was arrested in New Jersey last week, along with his wife, and both have been accused of being Russian spies.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

European Parliament: All this week's events (5/7/2010 - 11/7/2010)

Plenary Session - Strasbourg

Financial markets/economic governance.  Parliament is set to vote on laws on EU supervision of financial markets, as well as rules on bonus payments in the banking and investment sector (debates Tuesday, votes Wednesday). The latest proposals on economic governance will be debated with Commission President José Manuel Barroso (Tuesday).

External action service.  The Foreign Affairs Committee will give its verdict on the creation of the EU diplomatic service (Tuesday), then the plenary will debate the plans with Catherine Ashton (Wednesday) ahead of a vote (Thursday).

Terrorist finance tracking/SWIFT.  MEPs will decide whether to allow a new agreement between the EU and US on the monitoring of banking data from the financial messaging system SWIFT.  The Civil Liberties Committee will examine the issue first (Monday), ahead of a plenary debate (Tuesday) and vote (Thursday).

Council Presidencies: Spain and Belgium.  José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will present the outcome of Spain's Council presidency to Parliament (Tuesday), while Yves Leterme will set out the priorities for the new Belgian presidency (Wednesday). 

Passenger rights.  Legislation on the rights of bus, ferry and waterway passengers will be put to the vote at second reading (debate Monday, vote Tuesday).

Novel foods.  A draft law on food from new sources, such as cloned animals, will also be put to the vote at second reading (debate Tuesday, vote Wednesday).

Restricting pollution.  New rules on emissions from industrial plants look set to become law as Parliament votes at second reading (debate Tuesday, vote Wednesday).

Iceland/EU.  Parliament will debate Iceland's application for EU membership and adopt a resolution setting out its position (debate and vote Wednesday).

President's activities.  Jerzy Buzek will meet the French Prime Minister, François Fillon (with a press point), and Fu Ying, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of China (both Tuesday).

By laying out pros and cons we risk inducing people to join the debate, and losing control of a process that only we fully understand. - Alan Greenspan

European Parliament: EP group leaders back major breakthrough in relations with Commission

Major successes

Some of the major achievements of Parliament's negotiators in the second phase consolidate the key principles agreed during the first round. On international negotiations, the new agreement includes detailed provisions taking into account the enhanced role of Parliament under the Lisbon Treaty. These relate both to access to information and to participation in international conferences. Also on programming, there are revised provisions to improve the involvement of Parliament.

Furthermore, major improvements were achieved in issues concerning information on Commission meetings with national experts on EU legislation, the use of soft law, Parliament's access to classified and confidential information, new rules for the participation of Commissioners in election campaigns, a review of all pending proposals at the beginning of a new Commission's mandate, as well as a commitment by the Commission on adaptation of the "aquis communautaire" to the new regime of delegated acts.

Background

The relations of the European Parliament and the European Commission have been governed by a Framework Agreement since 1990. This agreement is updated every five years. The last agreement was concluded in 2005. The current update is guided by the new institutional architecture under the Lisbon Treaty, with the establishment of two equal legislative and budgetary branches. The Framework Agreement defines the political responsibilities of each institution towards the other and sets rules on the flow of information between them.

By laying out pros and cons we risk inducing people to join the debate, and losing control of a process that only we fully understand. - Alan Greenspan

Legislating more efficiently: questions & answers on new delegated acts

To avoid making EU legislation over-complicated and technical the Lisbon Treaty introduced a new system for delegating to the Commission limited powers to make minor changes to laws, provided these do not affect the "core" legislation decided by Parliament and the Council.

Such changes may be needed to take account of scientific or technical progress or specific events, or to update quantitative values. For example Parliament has decided that the Commission may change the technical requirements for a rabies vaccination to be deemed valid for a "pet passport", in order to take account of scientific progress.

...

Before the Lisbon Treaty took effect, the Commission's implementation of much EU legislation was overseen by committees of Member State experts, via a so-called "comitology" system.  This system has now been abolished, and the Treaty instead distinguishes between "delegated" acts and "implementing" acts. This Q&A focuses on delegated acts, on which Parliament is to state its position at the April plenary session, in Strasbourg.

After the bad rep accumulated by "commitology" over the years, are we just getting "commitology by another name"?

By laying out pros and cons we risk inducing people to join the debate, and losing control of a process that only we fully understand. - Alan Greenspan

polly curtis (pollycurtis) on Twitter

Lord McAlpine, Lord Laidlaw, Baroness Dunn and Lord Bagri have resigned from the Lords to keep their "non-dom" status

get this then: they get to KEEP their titles despite leaving the Lords

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Op-Ed Columnist - Punishing the Unemployed - NYTimes.com

There was a time when everyone took it for granted that unemployment insurance, which normally terminates after 26 weeks, would be extended in times of persistent joblessness. It was, most people agreed, the decent thing to do.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

BBC News - Greece claims deficit cut by 40% in first half of year

Greece's finance minister, George Papaconstantinou, has said the country cut its deficit by 42% this year.

He hoped Greece would be able to borrow from financial markets again by 2011.

It means the country is beating a target set by the IMF and EU under the terms of a 110bn-euro (£73bn, $88bn) emergency loan extended this year.

According to Greek central bank data, the government's deficit was 11.5bn euros in the first half of the year, down from 19bn euros a year earlier.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Is America Really Free, If A Privately-Owned Central Bank Controls Our Currency And Runs Our Economy?  Michael Snyder  Business Insider

This weekend we celebrated America's Independence Day.  But are we really a free nation?  The truth is that it is really hard to argue that we are "free" when our currency system and our economy are run by an unelected privately-owned central bank.

You see, the truth is that the U.S. government does not "print money" whenever it wants.  Under the current system, in order to get more U.S. currency, the U.S. government has to borrow it.  The Federal Reserve creates the new currency out of thin air and then either keeps the "U.S. Treasury bonds" they get in return from the U.S. government or they sell them off to others.  But what kind of sense does that make?  Why does a "free government" have to go into debt to print its own currency?  It is the U.S. government that should be printing U.S. currency - not a privately-owned bank called the Federal Reserve.

....

The truth is that the Federal Reserve is about as "federal" as Federal Express is.  And no unelected private central bank should be "running" our economy.  Actually the free market should be running our economy, but if anyone is going to run it, it should at least be the government that we have elected.  But instead we have a group of unelected bureaucrats making our interest rate decisions, determining our money supply levels and deciding which of their friends get big bailouts.  That isn't the American Dream!  What kind of "democracy" and "freedom" is that?  The sad truth is that as long as we allow an unelected privately-owned central bank to run our economy we will not be truly free.

The reality is that the Federal Reserve desperately needs to be audited.  The Federal Reserve has never undergone a true comprehensive audit since it was created back in 1913.  The truth is that we have very little idea of what is really going on inside that institution.

I think we have an idea what is going on and it is not pretty.

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

Budget - MEPs want specific budget line for stabilisation mechanism

A specific EU budget line for the new EU stabilisation mechanism should be created as soon as possible, to ensure its credibility, Council, Commission and Parliament negotiators agreed at a three-way meeting on Wednesday. With a specific budget line, as proposed by Parliament, the mechanism could be mobilised within 24 hours if necessary. MEPs also expressed their disappointment at the Council's proposed cuts in the 2011 budget.

The European stabilisation mechanism, including an EU loan guarantee worth €60 billion, was agreed upon between the EU Member States early in May, in response to reaction to the Greek debt crisis.

At Wednesday's meeting, Council and Commission representatives accepted Parliament's specific line proposal, which would provide EU budget backing for the mechanism, and decided to create a budget line for the mechanism in an amendment to the 2010 budget.

By laying out pros and cons we risk inducing people to join the debate, and losing control of a process that only we fully understand. - Alan Greenspan

European Parliament caps bankers' bonuses

A different bonus culture

This new EU wide law will transform the bonus culture and end incentives for excessive risk taking. These incentives for chasing short term bonuses over the long term health of the financial system played a key role in the crisis. The new rules mean reward is linked to long term performance. 

Upfront cash bonuses will be capped at 30% of the total bonus and to 20% for particularly large bonuses.  In place of upfront cash between 40 and 60% of any bonus must be deferred and can be recovered if investments do not perform as expected.  Moreover at least 50% of the total bonus would be paid as "contingent capital" (funds to be called upon first in case of bank difficulties).

Bonuses will also have to be capped to salary.  Each bank will have to establish limits on bonuses related to salaries, on the basis of EU wide guidelines, to help bring down the overall, disproportionate, role played by bonuses in the financial sector.

Finally, bonus-like pensions will also be covered.  Exceptional pension payments must be held back in instruments such as contingent capital that link their final value to the underlying strength of the bank. This will avoid situations, similar to those experienced recently, in which some bankers retired with substantial pensions unaffected by the crisis.

As I commented earlier:

If anyone thinks this will end risk-taking I have a bridge selling for really cheap.

In fact, it doesn't seem to me that this will be much of a restriction. It's not like firms were in the habit of giving out 100% of the bonuses in cash, or that they were not using deferred compensation already...

Harsher treatment for bailed out banks

To address moral hazard the law will introduce special measures for bailed out banks and it will restrain the overall amounts paid in bonuses, encouraging bankers to prioritise a stronger capital base and lending to the real economy over their own pay and perks.  The rules will also require that the repayment of taxpayers is the priority.

Capital requirements for stable banks

New capital rules for re-securitisations and the trading book will ensure banks are properly covering the risks they are running on their trading activity, including for types of investments like mortgage backed securities that were central to the crisis.

By laying out pros and cons we risk inducing people to join the debate, and losing control of a process that only we fully understand. - Alan Greenspan

nyuk, nyuk, nyuk

Overseas reports on the weekend said that bankers advising BP were trying to gauge the interest of rival oil companies and sovereign wealth funds in making a 5% to 10% investment in the company at a cost of around US$9-billion.

Adding fuel to the speculation, a top oil executive in the North African state of Libya said Monday he would recommend the country's sovereign wealth fund invest in BP.

BP is interesting now with the price lower by half and I still have trust in BP, I will recommend it to the [Libyan Investment Authority]," Shokri Ghanem, chairman of Libya's Nation Oil Co., told Dow Jones. "It's a good opportunity for bargain hunters."

"Based on our numbers, BP doesn't need to do this by any means," said Pavel Molchanov, an energy analyst with Raymond James. "But clearly many investors have a lack of confidence in BP after the last two and a half months and a capital injection from a sovereign wealth fund would provide a tangible vote of confidence from a high-profile investor."

Among those high up on the list of potential investors is the Kuwait Investment Office, a Middle East sovereign wealth fund that already owns a nearly 2% stake in BP....

Certainly the shares look cheap based on many metrics, but the headline risk is still very high," said Mr. Molchanov, who's had a "hold" on BP's shares since April 29.

Read more...

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

Thousands march for Shalit release - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Thousands of people in Israel have joined the family of Gilad Shalit, a captured Israeli soldier, on a week-long march to the house of Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, in Jerusalem.

Police said around 15,000 protesters rallied in Tel Aviv on Monday, the ninth day of a 12-day march across the country from the Shalit family's hometown of Mitzpe Hila, near the Lebanon border.

Shalit's supporters hope the march will increase the pressure on Netanyahu to forge a deal with the Palestinians for Shalit's release.

Shalit was captured by Palestinian fighters near the Kerem Shalom border crossing on June 25, 2006, and is believed to have been held prisoner in the Gaza Strip ever since.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Lahore mosque assault suspects held - CENTRAL/S. ASIA - Al Jazeera English

Pakistani police have arrested six people allegedly linked to attacks on two mosques in May that killed at least 80 people in Lahore.

Authorities said on Monday that they seized almost 18 tonnes of explosives, 21 grenades, six-47s and a lot of bomb-making material from the the group.

Aslam Tareen, Lahore's police chief, said the suspects were running "a sort of bomb-making factory".

He said four of the suspects provided logistical support to the attackers by purchasing motorcycles, cell phones and SIM cards.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Israel creates new Gaza 'blacklist' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Israel has retained tight limits on desperately needed construction materials while easing restrictions on the entry of consumer goods into the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Israel said all items would be allowed into Gaza except "weapons, war material and dual-use items".

However, prospects for rebuilding the damage from Israel's military offensive on the Palestinian territory last year remain uncertain.

Construction materials like iron and steel will only be allowed to enter under Israeli supervision for use in projects overseen by the United Nations or other international bodies.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Press Groups Call Gitmo Banning Prior Restraint | Emptywheel

"Any system of prior restraints of expression comes to this Court bearing a heavy presumption against its constitutional validity" ... The Government "thus carries a heavy burden of showing justification for the imposition of such a restraint." SCOTUS Pentagon Papers Decision

A coalition of press outlets have written DOD General Counsel Jeh Johnson, calling that the banning of four Gitmo reporters for publishing the name of Omar Khadr interrogator Joshua Claus an unconstitutional example of prior restraint.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Coalition whips to Netanyahu: Don't renew settlement freeze - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Leading officials in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition declared Monday that the temporary construction freeze in West Bank settlements must not be renewed once it expires in September.

The faction whips of all the right-wing parties convened for an emergency meeting on Monday evening, a day before President Barack Obama was expected to urge Netanyahu during their talks in Washington to extend the freeze beyond the 10-month period.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

BBC News - BT strike ballot axed over legal hitch

A ballot of BT workers for strikes over pay has been cancelled following legal advice, according to the Communication Workers Union (CWU).

The CWU was balloting members in support of a 5% pay rise after what it called a period of wage freezes and a round of redundancies.

The firm has offered a 5.1% rise over 21 months and several one-off payments.

The union said that there were technical breaches of the ballot which could have invalidated the result.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Mexico:

Overall PRI candidates won nine of the twelve gubernatorial elections, taking Zacatecas, which had been governed by the PRD for twelve years, Aguascalientes, which had been governed by the PAN for twelve years, and Tlaxcala which had been governed by the PAN for six years and by the PRD for six years before that, all by large margins. The PRI also won the gubernatorial elections in Tamaulipas, where the PRI's candidate had been assassinated a few days before the election, by a two-to-one margin, and easily won the gubernatorial elections in Chihuahua. The PRI also won the municipal elections in both Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez, two of the country's largest cities which have been important cities for the implementation of President Calderón's strategy against organized crime. Indeed, the PRI won all five municipalities in Baja California, long a bastion of the PAN.  Nonetheless, the election results have demonstrated that the PRI is far from invincible.

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne

Venezuela:

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) -- Venezuela and Chile will head a new regional bloc that will include all countries in the Americas except Canada and the United States to be inaugurated in July 2011, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC, its Spanish-language acronym), will have among its goals tightening trade and institutional cooperation in the region, in step with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's so-called "Plan Caracas."

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne

I posted the cartoon below by mistake in the July 5 Salon. Mig saw and commented on it, so I will copy that thread. Below that thread I have a guest post from Naked Capitalism by Richard Kline that follows on a similar theme.

Lexington Herald-Leader (July 4, 2010)

That is Lexington in north-central Kentucky. Lest one think that this is just a liberal paper in conservative country:

Tea Partiers assail Rand Paul for taking D.C. money

"I am deeply disappointed that he did that," said Warren Scoville of London, an attorney who served more than 20 years in various positions with the state Republican Party. "I voted for (Paul) because of where he was, and now he's not where he was."

Last year, with the primary election still months away, Paul pledged not to accept contributions from any senator who voted for a federal bailout of the banking industry.

That was in response to plans by Paul's main opponent, Secretary of State Trey Grayson, to attend a Washington fund-raiser hosted by Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and others who voted to shore up giant banks with taxpayer money.

Paul has been sharply critical of the bailout, citing it as a reason he got into the race.

After trouncing Grayson, however, Paul benefited from a $1,000-a-person fund-raiser June 24 in Washington hosted by McConnell and attended by senators who voted for the bailout.

Attorney General Jack Conway, Paul's Democratic opponent, said the move showed Paul had become part of the very thing he railed against in the primary, and Conway accused him of hypocrisy.

It is becoming clearer that the problem is less having people willing to vote for change than having politicians who are willing to deliver. A lot of the middle of the US electorate are thoroughly fed up with corporate influence in the USA, right up to the actions of the new conservative majority on the Supreme Court and their ruling on corporate persons having civil rights to free speech equal to human individuals.

Re: World -- A sign of the times? (none / 0)
Jesus, what a depressing cartoon...

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jul 5th,

    Re: World -- A sign of the times? (none / 0)
    The fact of its publication rather cheered me up! I hope lots of McClatchey papers pick it up.

European Salon de News, Discussion et Klatsch - 5 July

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

Newsweek editor asks: `Why are we fighting a major war in Afghanistan?' | Raw Story

International editor questions war in country with 'fewer than 100 al Qaeda fighters'

Since the resignation of General Stanley McChrystal as the commander of US forces in Afghanistan and CIA Director Leon Panetta's admission a week ago that there may be no more than fifty to a hundred al-Qaeda members in that nation, there have been increasing signs of a loss of support for the Afghan War.

Fareed Zararia, the editor of Newsweek's international editions and CNN host, criticized the war in his strongest terms yet on his CNN program Sunday. "If Al Qaeda is down to a hundred men there at the most," Zakaria asked, "why are we fighting a major war?"

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Backfire at "America Speaks" Propaganda Campaign vs. Social Security and Medicare Yves Smith, naked capitalism

For those who did not catch wind of it, the Peterson Foundation, which has long had Social Security and Medicare in its crosshairs, held a bizarre set of 19 faux town hall meetings over the previous weekend to scare participants into compliance and then collect the resulting distorted survey data, presumably to use in a wider PR campaign. It's important to keep tabs on this propaganda effort, since its big budget (the Foundation has a billion dollars to its name), means it will keep hammering away on this topic. But it appears that they overestimated how much public opinion expensively produced and stage-managed presentations can buy.

....

The amusing part is that the event moderators had trouble force feeding the geese they had thought to stuff with their message. For instance, from Lambert Strether:

   When the primary facilitator stated the agenda and explained its purpose, a number of people immediately called for a discussion of the purpose of the event and questioned whether there really was a fiscal crisis. I pointed to the Government's option to deficit spend without issuing debt and pointed out that doing this would save nearly $1.4 Trillion in interest costs in 2025, alone, and that, the cumulative effect of a no debt issuance policy would be to eliminate a good part of the deficits projected between now and then. Another participant, active, in the DC non-profit world, mentioned the continuing recession and high levels of unemployment. She pointed out that SS had no immediate fiscal problems, and that the "crisis" was caused by people in the financial industry, who are not the ones being asked to sacrifice, but who are now asking others to do so. Yet another, an economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, talked about most of the difficulties being due to health care cost increases and the current recession. He denied that there was any long-term fiscal problem. Still others also questioned whether the topic of the meeting was appropriate.

From Suzie Madrak:

   For the first time in a long time, I might have some faith in America. Because no matter how many times the facilitators of this event (which was funded heavily by Pete Peterson, the conservative billionaire who wants to cut Social Security) tried to steer us toward cutting Social Security and Medicare, the 3500 or so people who took part in this national town hall weren't buying it. Sure, there were Fox News junkies here and there, and some cautious, low-information voters who kinda-sorta disagreed, but the majority who attended seemed to have their own ideas about how to solve the deficit "problem."

    You know what most of them wanted to do? Soak the rich -- and cut defense spending. (Are you listening, President Obama?)

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

Washington's role in 2002 Venezuela Coup « South of the Border - a film by Oliver Stone

Washington's Involvement in April 2002 Coup in Venezuela - Key Evidence

The U.S. involvement in the 2002 coup is important because it has been the fundamental cause of Venezuela's conflictual relationship with the United States.

There are five key pieces of evidence for this involvement (these are presented in the film, South of the Border).

1)      A U.S. State Department document says:

"...it is clear that NED [the National Endowment for Democracy], Department of Defense (DOD), and other U.S. assistance programs provided training, institution building, and other support to individuals and organizations understood to be actively involved in the brief ouster of the Chavez government."

2)     The CIA had advance knowledge of the coup, as shown in these documents:

"Conditions Ripening for Coup Attempt"  Date: April 6, 2002]

"Dissident military factions, including some disgruntled senior officers and a group of radical junior officers, are stepping up efforts to organize a coup against President Chavez, possibly as early as this month... To provoke military action, the plotters may try to exploit unrest stemming from opposition demonstrations slated for later this month or ongoing strikes at the state-owned oil company PDVSA...[April 8:, 2002] "Disgruntled military officers are planning a coup..."

3)  ARI FLEISCHER (White House spokesman) claimed Chavez's departure was not the result of a coup, despite this advance knowledge:

"We know that the action encouraged by the Chavez government provoked this crisis. According to the best information available, the Chavez government suppressed peaceful demonstrations. Government supporters, on orders from the Chavez government, fired on unarmed, peaceful protestors, resulting in 10 killed and 100 wounded. The Venezuelan military and the police refused to fire on the peaceful demonstrators and refused to support the government's role in such human rights violations. (...) The results of these events are now that President Chavez has resigned the presidency. Before resigning, he dismissed the vice president and the cabinet, and a transitional civilian government has been installed."

The combination of (2) and (3) makes a very compelling case of involvement.  To take an analogy:  Imagine that you tell me that you are going to kill someone, and  then you do so. But then, when questioned by the prosecutor, I say that the killing was actually self-defense - despite my knowledge of the plan. That is a form of involvement.

In other words, the CIA documents show that Bush Administration officials had advance knowledge of the coup, and even how it would unfold. But when it happened they pretended that it was not a coup at all, trying to convince the world that Chavez had "resigned" because of popular anger over his alleged orders to shoot demonstrators in the streets. This by itself was an important form of involvement by the Bush Administration in the coup. It also helped to provide international legitimacy for the overthrow of Venezuela's democratically elected government.

no way!!!

" Nothing can bring you peace but yourself." R.W.Emerson

European Parliament: Democratic Republic of Congo: MEPs call for action on human rights

Setting up an inquiry into the death of the Congolese human rights defender Floribert Chebeya Bahizire, stepping up support to human rights organisations, tackling illegal exploitation of minerals and putting an end to sexual violence against women and girls, were the key demands of MEPs at Thursday's Human Rights Subcommittee hearing on the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

...

A more structured dialogue with the Congolese authorities

To follow up the hearing, MEPs asked that the human rights situation be addressed at the next ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, on 2-5 December 2010 in Kinshasa. Charles Goerens (ALDE, LU) called for the establishment of a preventive mechanism in the form of an ACP-EU joint standing committee, which should take action when abuses of human rights take place.

...

Possible EP mission to the DRC

Besides passing urgent resolutions, Parliament should a mission to the DRC to highlight the issues of sexual violence and the illegal exploitation of natural resources as well as demonstrating support for human rights defenders, said Ana Gomes (S&D, PT).

By laying out pros and cons we risk inducing people to join the debate, and losing control of a process that only we fully understand. - Alan Greenspan

European Parliament: Buzek briefs Human Rights Subcommittee on visits to Russia & China

Human rights and relations with Moscow and Beijing were in the spotlight when EP President Buzek discussed his recent visits to China and Russia with MEPs on 24 June. As the first holder of the post to visit the Kremlin in over a decade, he described his talks with President Medvedev as "open minded". He also said that he had brought up human rights cases with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during their talks.

...

China and Russia: Europe's strategic partners

Referring to both China and Russia Buzek stressed that Europe must fully engage with its strategic partners on addressing common challenges like climate change, the economic and financial crisis and the fight against terrorism. However, at the same time there had to be "an open and frank dialogue on human rights".

He went on to say: "China and Russia are independent states. Our problems are centred on democracy, the rule of law and human rights. But if we want to keep relations, mutual respect is necessary. We can't pressure too hard. It is their decision if they want good relations with the EU and develop."

By laying out pros and cons we risk inducing people to join the debate, and losing control of a process that only we fully understand. - Alan Greenspan

US climate scientists receive hate mail barrage in wake of UEA scandal | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Climate scientists in the US say police inaction has left them defenceless by in the face of a torrent of death threats and hate mail, leaving them fearing for their lives and one to contemplate arming himself with a handgun.

The scientists say the threats have increased since the furore over leaked emails from the University of East Anglia began last November, and a sample of the hate mail sent in recent months and seen by the Guardian reveals the scale and vitriolic tone of the abuse.

The scientists revealed they have been told to "go gargle razor blades" and have been described as "Nazi climate murderers".

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Determining oil spill's environmental damage is difficult

How dead is the Gulf of Mexico?

It is perhaps the most important question of the BP oil spill -- but scientists don't appear close to answering it despite a historically vast effort.

In the 2 1/2 months since the spill began, the gulf has been examined by an armada of researchers -- from federal agencies, universities and nonprofit groups. They have brought back vivid snapshots of a sea under stress: sharks and other deep-water fish suddenly appearing near shore, oil-soaked marshes turning deathly brown, clouds of oil swirling in deep water.

But, with key gaps remaining in their data, there is wide disagreement about the big picture. Some researchers have concluded that the gulf is being spared an ecological disaster. Others think ecosystems that were already in trouble before the spill are now being pushed toward a brink.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Torres Strait islanders win ocean rights | World news | The Guardian

After a nine-year legal battle, indigenous tribes have secured native title rights over a vast tract of ocean north of Australia.

It is the largest native title sea claim in the country's history - covering 40,000 square kilometres of ocean - and formally recognises the Torres Strait islanders' spiritual ties to the sea.

The Torres Strait sits between Australia's northern tip of Cape York and Papua New Guinea, and consists of more than 250 islands, most of which are recognised as part of the Australian state of Queensland.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Global emissions targets will lead to 4C temperature rise, say studies | Environment | guardian.co.uk

The world is heading for an average temperature rise of nearly 4C (7F), according to analysis of national pledges from around the globe. Such a rise would bring a high risk of major extinctions, threats to food supplies and the near-total collapse of the huge Greenland ice sheet.

More than 100 heads of state agreed in Copenhagen last December to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5C-2C (2.7-3.6F) above the long-term average before the industrial revolution, which kickstarted a massive global increase in the greenhouse gases blamed for warming the planet and triggering climate change.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Kuwait Investment Office in talks to raise BP stake | Business | The Guardian

BP is holding talks with the Kuwait Investment Office about taking a much larger stake of the oil company in an effort to ward off a takeover by a foreign rival, as well as raising additional funds.

The Middle East sovereign wealth fund is a significant shareholder, with a 1.75% stake, but BP would like it to increase its share, perhaps to as much as 10%.

The move would raise valuable cash, about £6bn, that BP needs to cope with the mounting liabilities from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which some estimate could eventually reach $70bn (£58bn).

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

BBC News - Cuba curbs tobacco harvest as cigar sales fall

Cuba has been forced to cut its tobacco harvest in response to a fall in demand for its famous Cuban cigars.

This year's harvest of tobacco leaves is down 14% on last year, according to one of the country's state-run newspapers, Guerrillero.

"There was a reduction in planting due to limitations on resources caused by the economic crisis," the report said.

Sales of Cuban cigars fell by 8% last year, while production has fallen even further.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

BP wasted no time preparing for oil spill lawsuits - Yahoo! News

TALLAHASSEE -- In the immediate aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, BP publicly touted its expert oil clean-up response, but it quietly girded for a legal fight that could soon embroil hundreds of attorneys, span five states and last more than a decade.

BP swiftly signed up experts who otherwise would work for plaintiffs. It shopped for top-notch legal teams. It presented volunteers, fishermen and potential workers with waivers, hoping they would sign away some of their right to sue.

Recently, BP announced it would create a $20 billion victim-assistance fund, which could reduce court challenges.

Robert J. McKee , an attorney with the Fort Lauderdale firm of Krupnick Campbell Malone, was surprised by how quickly BP hired scientists and laboratories specializing in the collection and analysis of air, sea, marsh and beach samples -- evidence that's crucial to proving damages in pollution cases.

Five days after the April 20 blowout, McKee said, he tried to hire a scientist who's assisted him in an ongoing 16-year environmental lawsuit in Ecuador involving Dupont .

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

European Parliament: Dealing with Europe's growing mountain of electrical waste

Mobile phones, computers, TVs - we like them but where do they go when we are finished with them? In the worst case they can be dismantled by hand for scrap by children in developing countries. This can expose them to potentially fatal chemicals. New legislation aims to toughen existing rules on collection and treatment so that within six years 85% of all waste will be recovered and treated. Environment Committee MEPs backed the proposals on 22 June.

This type of waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the EU (over 8 million tonnes and growing) and poses a series of challenges such as health problems if the waste is not properly treated and a loss of raw materials if there is no recycling.

Rapporteur Karl-Heinz Florenz of the centre right European People's Party told us, "we lose a lot of raw material because a lot of electronic waste is illegally shipped out of Europe. For example, 1 million mobiles contain: 250 kg silver, 24 kg gold, 9 kg palladium, and 9 tonnes of copper".

By laying out pros and cons we risk inducing people to join the debate, and losing control of a process that only we fully understand. - Alan Greenspan

European Parliament: A round-up of the Energy Efficiency Package

The three energy saving measures are:

• A regulation on Tyre Labelling to promote fuel efficiency
• An update of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
• Changes to the Energy Labelling Directive

Parliament has approved the draft regulation on tyre labelling (25 November 2009), the energy performance of buildings directive (18 May 2010) and the Energy Labelling Directive (19 May 2010).

By laying out pros and cons we risk inducing people to join the debate, and losing control of a process that only we fully understand. - Alan Greenspan

New Breakthrough Increases Solar Cell Conversion Efficiency To 66 Percent

Researchers from the University of Texas in Austin and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis have discovered a process that can be used to increase the conversion efficiency of solar cells up to 66%.

The process transfers hot electrons from quantum dots to an electron acceptor. In typical semiconductor solar cells, photons with energies above the semiconductor's bandgap generate hot electrons, and much of the energy from the hot electrons is lost through heat before it can be captured and used for electricity.

This new process uses quantum dots to slow down the cooling process of hot electrons and then captures and transfers them. This allows the addition of energy that is currently lost as heat in conventional solar cells.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Secret copyright treaty participants demand less security, more border-searches of iPods - Boing Boing

Michael Geist reports in from the latest round of secret negotiations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a radical copyright treaty being negotiated without public oversight or participation:

The International Trademark Association (INTA) and International Chamber of Commerce have issued a release on ACTA urging countries to drop the de minimis provision that is designed to allay fears of iPod searching border guards. The two associations argue that the exception "sends the wrong message to consumers."

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Sky's Burley and Boulton cleared of election bias - Press Gazette

Ofcom has ruled that Sky News did not breach broadcasting guidelines despite nearly 3,000 complaints about its coverage of the May 2010 general election.

The first contentious broadcast was the second party leaders' debate, broadcast by Sky on 22 April.

Moderator Adam Boulton came in for criticism after highlighted a story in that day's Telegraph about Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg's expenses.

He said: "Mr Clegg, you're on the front page of the Telegraph today?"

To which Clegg responded: "I am indeed for a complete nonsense story. But anyway, put that aside - complete, complete rubbish."

Ofcom received 671 complaints about this claiming that it showed bias, because the other two candidates faced no such additional questioning from Boulton, and alleging that it breached the debate rules.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

'The internet's completely over', declares petulant Prince * The Register

Purple rock geezer Prince has declared that the internetosphere has had its day, as he prepares to release his latest album exclusively on CD through UK newspaper the Daily Mirror.

In a punctuation-light interview ahead of the unleashing of 20TEN in physical form, the Jehovah's Witness declared: "The internets completely over. I dont see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They wont pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they cant get it."

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

iTunes accounts hacking more widespread than initially thought. The facts, and what you should do.

On Sunday we reported details of how one specific app developer had managed to hack iTunes users accounts and use them to purchase his own apps - making it to the top of the iTunes charts.

As the story has developed, the problem has grown far more serious than initially thought - not just that one particular developer and his apps - the Apple App store is filled with App Farms being used to steal.

This post will give a complete run down of what we know and will be continue to be updated as we learn further details.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

World Cup soccer in South Africa : The New Yorker

Still, 19.4 million, the number registered by the Nielsen ratings service, is a lot of people. It's not just more people than had ever watched a soccer game on American television before. It's also more people than, on average, watched last year's World Series games, which had the advantage of being broadcast live in prime time. It's millions more than watched the Kentucky Derby or the final round of the Masters golf tournament or the Daytona 500, the jewel in NASCAR's crown. And we don't just watch.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

On The Economist's Cover, Only a Part of the Picture - Media Decoder Blog - NYTimes.com

It was the ideal metaphor for a politically troubled president.

There was President Obama on the cover of the June 19 issue of The Economist, standing alone on a Louisiana beach, head down, looking forlornly at the ground.

The problem was, he was not actually alone. The photograph was just edited to make it look that way.

The unaltered image, shot on May 28 by a Reuters photographer, Larry Downing, shows Adm. Thad W. Allen of the Coast Guard and Charlotte Randolph, a local parish president, standing alongside the president. But in the image that appeared on The Economist's cover, Admiral Allen and Ms. Randolph had been scrubbed out, replaced by the blue water of the Gulf of Mexico.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

BBC News - A fake eBay bidder in County Durham must pay £5,000

The first eBay seller to be prosecuted for bidding in his own auctions to boost prices has been ordered to pay nearly £5,000 in fines and costs.

Minibus firm owner Paul Barrett was told by a judge he had been spared jail because he had no previous convictions.

Barrett, 39, of Stanley, County Durham, was arrested after a complaint he sold a minibus with false low mileage.

He admitted 11 breaches of fair trading regulations and was also ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

6 Music saved from closure | Media | guardian.co.uk

A vocal campaign to save BBC 6 Music from closure was rewarded today when the BBC Trust said the digital music station will stay open.

The trust said it was opposed to a proposal put forward in March by the director general, Mark Thompson, as part of a wide-ranging strategy review.

However, the BBC Trust said it would accept a formal management proposal for the closure of 6 Music's digital sister station, BBC Asian Network, provided that it included alternative plans for meeting the needs of this ethnic minority audience "in different ways".

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Clay Shirky: 'Paywall will underperform - the numbers don't add up' | Technology | The Guardian

If you are reading this article on a printed copy of the Guardian, what you have in your hand will, just 15 years from now, look as archaic as a Western Union telegram does today. In less than 50 years, according to Clay Shirky, it won't exist at all. The reason, he says, is very simple, and very obvious: if you are 25 or younger, you're probably already reading this on your computer screen. "And to put it in one bleak sentence, no medium has ever survived the indifference of 25-year-olds."

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

IDF soldiers face penalty after uploading Hebron dance video to YouTube - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

A number of Israel Defense Forces soldiers could face disciplinary action after they uploaded to YouTube a video of themselves stopping a patrol in the West Bank to dance to American electro-pop singer Kesha's hit Tick Tock.

The video "Batallion 50 Rock the Hebron Casbah" shows six dancing Nahal Brigade soldiers, armed and wearing bulletproof vests, patrolling as a Muslim call to prayer is heard. Then the music changes and they break into a Macarena-like dance.

The video was uploaded over the weekend, and quickly spread across Facebook pages and blogs.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

European Parliament: Updating EU trade ban on torture implements

The list of equipment whose trade is prohibited by Council Regulation (EC) No 1236/2005 does not include spiked batons, certain wall or floor restraints, certain leg restraints, finger-cuffs, thumb-cuffs, thumbscrews and body-worn electric-shock stun devices other than `stun belts'.  MEPs therefore want them to be banned by updating Annex II of the regulation.

...

With only seven EU States having produced public annual reports giving details of export licensing decisions, MEPs urge all Member States to submit reports with information such as the number of applications received, items involved, countries of destination and the decisions taken on each application.

...

The resolution, which was adopted by show of hands, also strongly condemns attempts by Members States or European companies to import electric-shock stun belts, imports of which are prohibited, or other devices with similar effects. MEPs ask for a an urgent investigation by the Commission to investigate if and when such devices have been transferred to any Member State and to determine whether they have been used by law enforcement or prison authorities.

See also: MEPs want clampdown on torture tools

Further information :

• Resolution
• Updating EU trade ban on torture implements
• Recording of debates
• Council regulation [PDF]
• EU's Human rights & Democratisation Policy

By laying out pros and cons we risk inducing people to join the debate, and losing control of a process that only we fully understand. - Alan Greenspan

BBC News - 'Big budget' porn film shot in London hospital

A "big budget" porn film was shot in a London hospital when it hired out one of its wards to a film company.

The movie generated "substantial income" for the hospital, Tory MP Penny Mordaunt said.

Ms Mordaunt, Portsmouth North MP, was speaking during a House of Commons debate on improving transparency in government accounting, on Monday.

NHS Kensington and Chelsea said the incident occurred before 2002 when the primary care trust (PCT) formed.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

BBC News - Living 'costs at least £14,400' for a single person

A single person in the UK needs a gross income of at least £14,400 in 2010 to live to an acceptable standard, a charity says.

And a couple with two children need £29,200 for a minimum acceptable standard of living, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) said.

The figure indicates a growing gap between the national minimum wage and the minimum income standard.

The charity claimed this was due to rising inflation for necessities.

"This research shows what ordinary members of the public think is needed - not just to survive but to take part in society," said Julia Unwin, chief executive of the JRF.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Stonewall rates gay-friendly universities | Education | The Guardian

Club scene. Reputation for research. Proximity to parents' washing machine. All issues prospective students will be weighing up over the next few weeks as they make final decisions about which university to choose. But some will be asking another question, too - which institution will allow them to feel comfortable about who they are?

It is a question the lobby group Stonewall aims to help answer for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students through a new guide to "gay-friendly" universities. The online guide, published today, measures more than 125 institutions against a 10-point checklist, covering issues from whether they specifically mention sexual orientation in their harassment policies to whether they organise special LGBT social events. It supplements these facts with information about the strength of student LGBT societies, any reported incidents of homophopia, and whether honorary degrees have gone to prominent gay or lesbian figures ... or prominent homophobes.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Cheryl's Mewsings » Blog Archive » We've Come A Long Way

Over breakfast this morning I caught bits of a documentary on Sky Arts about the history of the pop video. I was astonished to discover that MTV had initially refused to air the video for Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" (1983) on the grounds that the artist was black.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

Seven Years Ago: The Spark That Lit the Plame/CIA Leak Scandal | The Nation

So much has been said and written about the outing of former CIA operative Valerie Plame--and the cast of characters that swirled around it, from Judith Miller to Karl Rove--that this weekend, for the seventh anniversary of how it all began, it seems proper to quote the first lines of the fateful Joseph C. Wilson IV op-ed in the New York Times:

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

BBC Sport - Football - World Cup 2010: Nigeria 'drops team ban threat'

The Nigerian government has rescinded its decision to ban the national football team from all competitions, according to reports.

The news came one hour before a 1700 BST deadline set by football's world governing body Fifa was set to pass.

Fifa had said that it would expel Nigeria from world football if the government was seen to be interfering.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

If you look for something diligently you would find it eventually. The mistake I made in Bangkok was to choose a guesthouse without Wi-Fi, it has only few computers in the lobby with often out of service devices on the side to control mouse - you put 10-baht coin and mouse supposedly should start moving for around 22 minutes. Adjacent guesthouses have Wi-Fi in their lobbies but for 2 dollars an hour, so I was confined last days to tortuously slow free Wi-Fi in the Free House on condition I place order for food and drinks. Today the generous fatty guy, manager, was missing and smart young girls tried to deceive me, asking for 30 Baht for this free service and even alleging one of them had paid 30 Bahts for me yesterday when I mentioned that Wi-Fi was free then.

Thais absolutely don't know how to lie. So I went to look around for more suitable Wi-Fi cafe and just went along Rambutri Rd and crossed the big street. Eventually I found a lovely guesthouse and cafe with free high speed Wi-Fi. Curiously it is called "Tuptim" after the name of famous concubine of king Mongkut from "Anna and the king". I was writing recently here about her execution in the movie (in Margaret Landon's book Tuptim and and her lover Balat were burned, not decapitated).

It seems that small entrepreneurs from Khaosan Rd quietly defy well known Thailand's ban on Anna Leonowens's story, in one of the second hand bookshop I even found pocketbook "Anna and the king" on sale. Though Lese Majeste in Thailand is still very rigidly applied, it seems possible to run a low profile Fronda reminding Royals of the name they would prefer to erase from public memory.

Dear Friends,

The Dalai Lama turns 75 tomorrow.

For decades he has given us all hope -- setting a generous example of wisdom, non-violence and compassion for a better world.

Now we can return the favour -- let's send the Dalai Lama a birthday tribute from millions of us worldwide! It will be delivered personally to him on a "wall of warm wishes" outside his office in Dharamsala and broadcast around the region.

Let's take this moment to honour the Dalai Lama together and make his birthday last as long as we keep signing! -- click here to sign the tribute -- then forward this alert to everyone so they can do the same:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/dalai_lamas_birthday/97.php?cl_tta_sign=33b6a5e4c2144884b0246707bb45a13b

Imagine all of our names together on a massive public tribute to the Dalai Lama, from Brazil to Ghana, Italy to Indonesia -- tens of thousands of messages of hope, gratitude and encouragement streaming in from all around the world!

The spiritual leader of Tibet has spent over 50 years in exile, and he continues to preach peace and compassion.'s share with him how much the world values him and is inspired by his life.

read the comments/wishes and have a good cry, what an ambassador for unconditional love... good for the soul.

" Nothing can bring you peace but yourself." R.W.Emerson

BBC News - Japan broadcaster pulls sumo coverage over scandal

Japan's state broadcaster says it will not show the next sumo tournament live because of a gambling scandal that has engulfed the sport.

It is the first time NHK has not shown a tournament live in over 50 years.

The decision comes two days after sumo authorities dismissed a top wrestler and coach from the sport.

The two had admitted being involved in illegal betting on baseball - an alleged source of funding for Japan's "yakuza" gangsters.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.

BBC - David Bond: Competing interests hamper youth development

Anyone searching for an illustration of the deeper problems in English football - highlighted again by this World Cup - should look no further than the game's response to a report by Richard Lewis, the chairman of Sport England, published three years ago.

The "Review of Young Players' Development in Professional Football" was produced when Lewis was still running the Rugby Football League and was supposed to provide a new structure for youth development in English football.

A brief history of what happened to his 64 recommendations is enlightening in the context of the debate the game is now having after England manager Fabio Capello's ageing side was taken apart by a resurgent young German team just over a week ago.

never let desperation get in the way of judgement.