Never has a defeated candidate looked so happy or known himself to be so important. The centrist politician François Bayrou refused yesterday to give his support to either of the remaining contenders for the French presidency and announced that he was creating a new party to break the "undemocratic" left-right mould of French politics.

However, Mr Bayrou - in a press conference in which he savoured and weighed every word - accepted an offer from the Socialist candidate, Ségolène Royal, to meet him for a public debate before the second round of the election a week on Sunday. Mme Royal later invited him to join her at a "forum" with the regional press on Friday.

M. Bayrou, who came third in Sunday's first round with 18.5 per cent of the vote, is in a pivotal position to influence the outcome of the second round on 6 May.

He refused to wield that influence directly yesterday but came close to hinting a personal preference for Mme Royal or, at least, a greater personal distaste for the centre-right candidate, Nicolas Sarkozy.

He criticised both the remaining candidates. He rejected as "impossible in the present situation" Mme Royal's suggestion that he might enter a "rainbow" government of left and centre if she became President.

Even though the European Union has a common counter-terrorism strategy, its implementation is left to individual member states. That is why anti-terror legislations differ from country to country.

Terrorism is not a new phenomenon in Europe. In the United Kingdom, Spain and Ireland alone, it has claimed 5,000 deaths over the last 30 years.

The Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, however, have had a rippling effect across the Atlantic as well. Faced with the challenges posed by the war against international terrorism, which were only heightened by the attacks in London and Madrid, European countries were forced to adapt and expand their anti-terror legislations.

"Legislative and institutional requirements have definitely become stricter in all 27 member states of the European Union," said Annegret Bendiek of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs and author of a study on fighting terrorism in the EU.

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Updated 17.00 CET European commission president Jose Manuel Barroso is in the process of organising a mini-summit brainstorming on a new-look EU constitution with the aim of giving "momentum" to the ongoing talks on the future treaty.

The informal meeting is to take place next month, soon after the second round of the French elections with 12-13 May being slated as the date.

Exactly who will be coming remains unclear, with only a select number of EU leaders expected to be invited.

Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reports that Dutch leader Jan Peter Balkenende has already been invited and that German chancellor Angela Merkel and Portuguese prime minister Jose Socrates are also set to attend.

Sources have told EUobserver the upcoming EU presidencies until 2009 - the end of Mr Barroso's current mandate - have been invited.

German authorities have admitted they were aware of testimony that called a 1981 verdict in a left-wing terrorist murder case into question, but they never acted on it. Now, the investigation into the murder of Chief Prosecutor Siegfried Buback is being re-opened.

Verena Becker told German authorities her version of the Buback murder in 1982. But they never acted on it. Three decades ago, as Germany was overwhelmed by a series of bloody terrorist attacks committed by the home-grown Red Army Faction (RAF), the country was paralyzed by what came to be known as the German Autumn. Now, with new details regarding the dramatic 1977 murder of chief federal prosecutor Siegfried Buback emerging on an almost daily basis, the country may be experiencing a German Spring.

Indeed, on Wednesday it became increasingly clear that the German government had long had information that contradicted the version of the Buback murder used to convict RAF members Christian Klar and Knut Folkerts in 1981. A third attacker, Günter Sonnenberg, was not tried due to major injuries he received during his arrest. Now, though, evidence seems to be mounting that a fourth RAF member, Stefan Wisniewski, may have been involved in the attack. Indeed, he may have been the one to fire the deadly bullets.

Britons pursuing their dream of a house in the sun were warned yesterday that an outburst of panic in the Spanish construction sector would see the value of the overpriced properties they have bought in recent years plunge.

"This is not good news for UK investors in Spain," said Diana Choyleva, chief economist at Lombard Street Research. "We have had over-investment on a gigantic scale."

A wave of panic spread through the Spanish bourse over the past week as property developers saw up to 65% of their share price wiped out in frantic trading. The loss of confidence came amid growing signs that the market was already suffering from overbuilding and rising interest rates on euro mortgages. "We will definitely see house price growth stop and a fall in nominal prices is likely in Spain over the next 12 to 18 months," Ms Choyleva said.

Article continues Widespread corruption in the Spanish building sector together with property laws in some regions, such as Valencia, which have been denounced as abusive to buyers and owners, had set the scene for this week's dramatic downturn.

At the centre of the drama are the coming men of Spain's business world: builders and property developers who have ridden an unprecedented construction boom that shot them into the club of the world's richest people.

The European Parliament today called for the resignation of World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, adding to pressure on the head of the lending organisation.

Wolfowitz, a former member of Bush's administration, already faces calls to step down following revelations he approved a high-paying promotion for his bank-employee girlfriend before she was assigned to work at the US State Department.

By 332 votes against 251, the European Union's legislature added a paragraph to a resolution on next week's EU-US summit, calling on Germany, current president of the 27-nation bloc, and the United States to ask Wolfowitz to stand down.

FRANKFURT: Most years, the United States handily beats Europe for bragging rights in deal making, based on the total value of mergers and acquisitions.

But this year, Europe is pulling ahead. The current takeover battle in banking, the biggest in the industry's history, is just the latest sign of the growing deal frenzy on the Continent.

That frenzy is prompting changes in corporate behavior. European companies are scrambling to put themselves in play, or fend off unwanted approaches, much like American companies did in the 1980s.

Europe's deal mania reflects a number of trends: more active shareholders, particularly hedge funds; an influx of private equity money; low interest rates; and a wealth of European companies with valuable assets that are ripe for the picking, in some cases because they have been poorly managed.

Iran and the European Union held "constructive" talks on Wednesday night over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme, but each side gave a cautious assessment of the progress made.

The talks, held in Ankara at the invitation of the Turkish government, were the most serious attempt for seven months to tackle the international deadlock over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

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Iran insists that its programme is for purely peaceful purposes, but the EU and the US suspect it of seeking to build nuclear weapons. Tehran says it has a right to enrich uranium, a process that can produce both nuclear fuel and weapons grade material. The United Nations Security Council insists that Iran suspend such activities.

Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief, held afternoon talks that continued over dinner with Ali Larijani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator. The talks are expected to resume on Thursday.

Poland was accused of conducting a "witch hunt" yesterday after a renowned former dissident faced the prospect of losing his seat as an MEP for failing to submit to a vetting law aimed at exposing Communist-era informants.

Bronislaw Geremek, a former foreign minister and an activist with the Solidarity trade union that helped end Communist rule, refused to sign a declaration that he was not a collaborator.

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The new law mandates that all elected officials, as well as professors, journalists, lawyers, judges and other people holding jobs of public trust have to sign similar pledges or else risk losing their jobs. Politicians had until April 19 to file their statements, and Mr Geremek was the only one of Poland's 54 MEPs not to conform.

Poland's electoral authority said he would lose his mandate. The final decision rests with Poland's parliamentary speaker, who is to rule after May 7.

Mr Geremek has completed vetting forms in the past but yesterday said that to be told to sign another was "contradictory to the rule of law and disregards the will of 121,805 voters".

The government is to investigate evidence gathered by the BBC that migrant workers are being trafficked into Britain and exploited.
(...)
Undercover Lithuanian journalist Audrius Lelkaitis, working as part of the BBC News investigation, posed as a migrant worker seeking a job in the UK.
He discovered a new underclass subjected to deception, systematic underpayment and appalling living conditions.
(...)
Mr Lelkaitis paid hundreds of pounds to agencies in Lithuania and London in return for the promise of a job in Hull which did not exist.
After being offered work with licensed gangmasters Focus Staff Limited in Hull he was paid below the minimum wage two weeks in arrears.

After three weeks, he received £97 for 20 hours' work in his first week, although £50 was deducted for accommodation costs.
He also had money deducted for accommodation without it being shown on his payslip, which is illegal, and was forced to live in overcrowded accommodation.

Paul Whitehouse, who chairs the Gangmasters' Licensing Authority, told BBC 2's Newsnight: "It's two hundred years since slavery was abolished. We mustn't allow it to continue now."

And form a TUC press release;

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "The TUC is shocked by this exploitation of migrant workers which is tantamount to modern slavery, and has formally asked the Government to investigate Focus Staff Limited, the gangmasters involved.

"This case underlines TUC concerns about the deregulation of agency workers, which allows rogue employers to flourish. Too many unscrupulous bosses are getting rich by exploiting migrant workers and the full force of the law should be used against those profiting from such appalling ill treatment.

"Everyone should be treated fairly and with dignity and respect, wherever they come from. Unions will be stepping up their efforts to recruit migrant workers to protect them from employers who seek to deny them a fair day's work for a fair day's pay."

MOSCOW, April 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed Thursday that Russia should suspend the implementation of the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe until other parties to the treaty ratify the document.

"I propose discussing this issue in the Russia-NATO Council, and if progress is not reached in negotiations, consider the possibility of terminating our obligations under the CFE Treaty," the Russian leader said.

WASHINGTON: The House on Wednesday narrowly approved a $124 billion war spending bill that would require American troops to begin withdrawing from Iraq by Oct. 1, setting the stage for the first veto fight between President George W. Bush and majority Democrats.

Only hours after General David Petraeus, the commander in Iraq, told lawmakers that he needed more time to gauge the effectiveness of a troop buildup there, the House voted 218 to 208 pass a measure that sought the removal of most combat forces by next spring. Bush has said unequivocally and repeatedly that he will veto it.

"This bill is a statement that Congress will no longer fund the war as it exists today," said Representative Louise Slaughter, the New York Democrat who is chairwoman of the Rules Committee, as she opened the debate. Republicans accused Democrats of establishing a "date certain" for America's defeat in Iraq.

"There will be no greater event to empower radical Islam than our retreat and defeat from Iraq," said Representative Jeb Hensarling of Texas, leader of a conservative wing of House Republicans.

The Democrats in Congress are beginning to make their newly-won muscle count, with two developments that further increase the pressure on the Bush administration. The house of representatives' committee on oversight and government voted to serve Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, with a subpoena to force her to testify on the White House's pre-war claims that Iraq was trying to buy uranium. Meanwhile, the house judiciary committee voted granted immunity to a former aide to Alberto Gonzales to testify on why eight federal prosecutors were fired.

The two moves show that the pace of investigation is stepping up. The granting of immunity to Monica Goodling - who had earlier refused to testify for fear of incriminating herself - is significant, a further move pressing the embattled attorney-general Gonzales. President Bush has previously declared his support and confidence for Gonzales - but Goodling's testimony may reveal the basis for the firings, and any political involvement of the White House.

The subpoena that could be served on Rice opens another can of worms: the vexed and inaccurate claim that Iraq had attempted to buy uranium from Niger as mentioned in the president's 2003 state of the union address. It was that issue that led to the outing of CIA employee Valerie Plame and the eventual conviction for contempt of Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney's chief of staff.

The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to impose tighter restrictions on the hundreds of lawyers who represent detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and the request has become a central issue in a new legal battle over the administration's detention policies.

Saying that visits by civilian lawyers and attorney-client mail have caused "intractable problems and threats to security at Guantánamo," a Justice Department filing proposes new limits on the lawyers' contact with their clients and access to evidence in their cases that would replace more expansive rules that have governed them since they began visiting Guantánamo detainees in large numbers in 2004.

The filing says the lawyers have caused unrest among the detainees and have improperly served as a conduit to the news media, assertions that have drawn angry responses from some of the lawyers.

The dispute is the latest and perhaps the most significant clash over the role of lawyers for the detainees. "There is no right on the part of counsel to access to detained aliens on a secure military base in a foreign country," the Justice Department filing argued.

Under the proposal, filed this month in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the government would limit lawyers to three visits with an existing client at Guantánamo; there is now no limit. It would permit only a single visit with a detainee to have him authorize a lawyer to handle his case. And it would permit a team of intelligence officers and military lawyers not involved in a detainee's case to read mail sent to him by his lawyer.

The proposal would also reverse existing rules to permit government officials, on their own, to deny the lawyers access to secret evidence used by military panels to determine that their clients were enemy combatants.

Many of the lawyers say the restrictions would make it impossible to represent their clients, or even to convince wary detainees -- in a single visit -- that they were really lawyers, rather than interrogators.

WASHINGTON, April 25 -- Escalating his campaign to remain president of the World Bank, Paul D. Wolfowitz accused the bank's board on Wednesday of treating him "shabbily and unfairly," and appealed for more time to defend himself against allegations of favoritism and other matters.

Mr. Wolfowitz, increasingly isolated at the bank and facing a board seemingly determined to force his resignation, sent a letter to the head of a board panel dealing with issues affecting his leadership, asking to appear before the board next week in the interest of "fairness to me" and "good governance" at the bank.

The letter was described by people who had seen it.

Bank officials described many on the 24-member board as having been taken aback by the tough tone of the letter but said the board appeared likely to grant Mr. Wolfowitz at least some of his request, perhaps by allowing him to appear next week, though not necessarily with his newly hired lawyer, Robert S. Bennett.

Before Wednesday, the board had seemed to be moving toward some sort of vote as early as this week on Mr. Wolfowitz's ability to continue as president. The board met late Wednesday, but officials said it appeared unlikely to reach any quick conclusions and could put off the response to Mr. Wolfowitz until next week.

Compounding the problems for Mr. Wolfowitz, the bank's vice presidents have rebuffed his request for them to set up a committee to advise him on improving his management style. The vice presidents did not want to be co-opted into helping his campaign to stay in office, bank officials said.

Although he appears to be more and more beleaguered, Mr. Wolfowitz attended a White House meeting on Wednesday on malaria eradication, and got a new gesture of support from President Bush.

JERUSALEM, April 25 -- The state comptroller released a report Wednesday accusing the beleaguered prime minister, Ehud Olmert, of improperly helping an associate during his term as minister of trade and industry in a previous government.

The state comptroller, Micha Lindenstrauss, has handed the report over to the attorney general, who will decide whether to begin a criminal investigation into the prime minister, a spokeswoman for the state comptroller said.

Lieutenant colonel faces multiple charges for alleged misconduct in Iraq

NBC News has learned that the commander of Camp Cropper, the massive U.S. Army detention center in Baghdad, has been charged with aiding the enemy.

The Army tells NBC News that military police arrested Lt. Col. William H. Steele several weeks ago and that he is being held at a detention facility in Kuwait. He now faces an Article 32 hearing, the military's equivalent of a grand jury investigation, to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to prosecute him.

An Army statement listed these charges against Steele: "One specification of a violation of Article 104, aiding the enemy; one specification of a violation of Article 134, retaining classified material; two specifications of violations of Article 133, conduct unbecoming an officer, for relationships involving an interpreter and another Iraqi female; five specifications of a violation of Article 92, failure to obey lawful orders for wrongfully storing classified materials, improperly marking classified materials, failing to obey an order from a superior officer, possession of pornography and dereliction of duty as an approving official for the expenditure of government funds."

I suspect there is more going on here than is apparent right now.

If you have ever wanted to be in two places at once, the answer may be sitting in a Japanese laboratory, muttering, flinching and scowling at passers-by.

Geminoid is a modern variant on an old idea, a humanoid robot designed in his creator's image, down to the tiniest of details. The skin tone, the spectacles, and even the lengthy hairs on its head are the same as Hiroshi Ishiguro's, a robotics expert at the Osaka University who built his doppelganger as a stand-in for when he is otherwise engaged.

Article continues Implanted beneath Geminoid's skin are 50 sensors and motors that can be controlled by simple movements Dr Ishiguro makes. He can see through its "eyes", talk through its internal speaker and shrug or scowl if prodded and poked. Compressed air forced through its body make Geminoid's chest rise and fall as if breathing.

"At first, you may feel strange about the android," Dr Ishiguro told Reuters. "However, once you are drawn into a conversation, you will forget every difference and feel totally comfortable to speak with it and look it in the eyes."

Dr Ishiguro believes robots like Geminoid will in future allow people to be where they cannot be. Speaking through Geminoid, he says, has become natural, an extension of himself.

Industry caught in carbon `smokescreen'

Companies and individuals rushing to go green have been spending millions on "carbon credit" projects that yield few if any environmental benefits.

A Financial Times investigation has uncovered widespread failings in the new markets for greenhouse gases, suggesting some organisations are paying for emissions reductions that do not take place.

Others are meanwhile making big profits from carbon trading for very small expenditure and in some cases for clean-ups that they would have made anyway.

There was an example posted here yesterday. The following news bit looks ironic, as well:

Russian Energy Giant to Bundle Carbon Credits With Gas Sales

Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, has made handsome profits selling natural gas to Europe.

Now the company is positioning itself to make even more money, this time from the effluents from all that gas it sells to Europe. Gazprom announced Tuesday that it is selling carbon dioxide emissions credits that companies in the European Union need in order to burn Gazprom's fuel.

The company is already testing the market for an innovative combination sale of fuel-and-emissions credits in countries that have undertaken to limit the release of gases that scientists say are warming the earth.

A couple of other climate-related headlines:

[Skeptic's] Film on Global Warming Is Challenged

China to Force Rain Ahead of Olympics

Bayernglück -- that's German for the good fortune usually enjoyed by Bayern Munich when a game, or a season, is on the line. But in last weekend's loss to Stuttgart, Munich ran out of luck -- to many fans' delight.

With nineteen Bundesliga titles to their name, Bayern Munich are used to lording it over the rest of the league. Munich haters often refer to their new stadium, the Allianzarena as the "arrogance arena," and Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer once dismissed the UEFA Cup as a competition for losers.

 

But the UEFA Cup -- and not, as is customary, the Champions League -- is precisely where Bayern would be if the season ended today. Five points behind third-place Stuttgart, once-mighty Munich will struggle to salvage anything from this season.

 

And the prospect of seeing the Bundesliga's titan drop into the ranks of the also-rans for the first time in more than a decade has many fans rubbing their hands with glee.

 

The tabloid Bild newspaper described the team as "idiots" and "losers in lederhosen" after their desultory performance in Stuttgart. And the BZ newspaper wrote: "They used to brag that they were stronger than ox. But now they're the ones getting gored."

Maths enthusiasts are being challenged to answer a sample question from Chinese university entrance tests.

The tests are set for prospective science undergraduates.

The UK's Royal Society of Chemistry is offering a £500 prize to one lucky but bright person who answers the question below correctly.

But a maths professor in England, William Shaw, has said the emphasis in mathematics teaching varies from country to country and the RSC's attack is "nonsense"

They mean a right prism.

There is a need for a serious Arab organization of a strict and active administration, a huge budget, an ability to take rapid action, and teams that work 'round the clock. There is a need for a new Arab organization that is not paralyzed by bureaucracy or stricken by corruption. This required new organization should be a central body with local branch offices in a number of Arab cities.

There is a need for a serious Arab organization that does not practice politics, or compose poetry in praise of Arab solidarity. It should not be involved in illiteracy programs, education problems, or environmental disasters. It should not talk about reforms, women's rights, or the right to use peaceful nuclear technology. Its members should not give lectures on globalization. [...]

There is a need for a serious Arab organization of a huge budget. Its only task would be to effectively play the role of a burial society, as the dead in our region are many...

The first item on its agenda should be setting up coffin factories throughout the Arab region - which extends from the ocean to the Gulf. These factories should employ the latest technology to double their productivity, as the demand is high.

This is not an easy task. So, the second item must be to set up an unlimited number of morgues to receive the dead bodies waiting for their families to recognize them or waiting for the coffins to arrive. [...]

There is a need for an active Arab body with a huge budget to bury the victims of confused wars and seditions of different kinds. It shall be responsible for bidding farewell to those countries on whose unity we used to wager, and to bury the Arabs, or some of them, with all their dreams.

Hope you can enjoy this sunny Thursday.

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman