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Brussels critical of national strategies on RomaNikolaj Nielsen | Brussels | May 23 Speaking to reporters in Strasbourg on Wednesday (23 May), EU justice commissioner Viviane Reding said the desperate situation of Roma is "a wake-up call for leaders." EU leaders in June 2011 had backed a European Commission plan to end the centuries-old exclusion of the continent's 10 to 12 million Roma minority. Most live in Bulgaria, followed by Slovakia, Romania and Hungary. Access to education, jobs, healthcare and housing are among the four policy priorities. Raja May 25, 2012 - 12:30am
Paul Krugman on Euro Rescue Efforts 'Right Now, We Need Expansion'The interview was conducted by Martin Hesse and Thomas Schulz | May 24 Tina May 23, 2012 - 11:45pm
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![]() British daredevil leaps from plane without parachuteLondon | May 24 Wearing a specially-made "wing suit", Gary Connery leapt from a helicopter over Henley-on-Thames in southern England, aiming -- with his life hanging in the balance -- at a "runway" of 18,000 cardboard boxes. After plunging at a speed of approximately 130 kilometres (80 miles) an hour the 41-year-old landed successfully onto the boxes, but the anxious crowd had to wait several minutes before he emerged from the pile. Connery, who has appeared as a stuntman in films including "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and the Bond movie "Die Another Day", said the experience had been "absolutely amazing". "I'm in a strange space, if I'm totally honest," he told Sky News. "I guess I haven't digested what's just happened." "(The landing) was so comfortable, so soft -- my calculations obviously worked out and I'm glad they did," he added. Tina May 23, 2012 - 11:11pm
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![]() ( categories: AgonistWire | United Kingdom )
M.I.6 Says Still 25-50% Chance Israel Will Attack Iran Before NovemberThe Guardian's Nick Hopkins reports that British defense chiefs are dusting off and updating contingency plans after being told by M.I.6 that there's still a "25-50% chance" that Israel will decide to attack Iran before the US elections in November, inevitably drawing in the US and UK.
British contingency measures are mostly defensive: making sure British troops in Helmand, Afghanistan are properly prepared for the prospect of Iranian-sponsored attacks as well as by Talibanesque groups and moving UK minesweeping vessels to the Persian Gulf to help keep shipping lanes open if Iran mines the Strait. Hopkins reports that some cabinet ministers would strongly resist UK involvement in any missile or air strikes on Iran by the US if Israel does drag the allies into war. That resistance seems to extend into the British civil service and military establishments.
I wonder if US officials feel the same way? Probably. Steve Hynd May 23, 2012 - 1:28pm
Nato, Europe & American ExceptionalismI always find it both amusing and frustrating when American national security analysts decide they're going to pontificate on NATO and Europe. Try as they might, it seems impossible for them to see the issue in any other than a highly polarized, American exceptionalist, way. Take my friend Michael Cohen at the national Security Network, writing today:
Now there are exactly two unarguable facts in all that: that Europe refuses to pony up its share of the NATO budget and that European countries face not a single legitimate military threat to their well-being. Do you think the two might be connected? Look, from a European point of view - and I don't mean the poodlish yes-men in London - the NATO budget may be agreed to by all parties but it is set to an American agenda and only agreed to after a lot of American arm-bending. It funds an organization which has outlived its original purpose, surviving now only to give a modicum of cover to American military adventurism - which is why the US will "never pull the plug". NATO only survives because the costs that would be imposed by America on any European nation who withdrew would be greater than the status quo. It is ridiculous to suggest that European allies are "taking advantage" of the US or that the US is "underwriting European security" while admitting that there's no threat to Europe needing all that money spent on it. But Michael isn't the only smart American making the same logical mistake this week, to say nothing of what gets said by the not-so-smart hawks over on the Right. P.S.: Is America sure it wants a well armed Europe? Remember the last time it was true? The US spent the next thirty years guaranteeing Europe's security partly so that Europe (Germany) wouldn't have to stand up seriously continental-sized armed forces itself. And if it does, why does it keep trying to put its own spanner in the works of a European Defense Force and other intra-European defense pacts? Steve Hynd May 21, 2012 - 12:35pm
( categories: Miscellany | Europe | Global Arms Control | USA: Armed Forces | USA: Foreign Relations )
"Is there any place for democracy in a regime of bureaucratic oversight designed to appease markets?"John O'Brennan cuts to the heart of the Eurozone crisis, outlining the political consequences of issuing aloof, one-size-fits-all austerity requirements from afar:
The whole thing. Read. h/t RCW. matttbastard May 21, 2012 - 12:02pm
NATO activates missile shield, reaches out to RussiaChicago | May 21 President Barack Obama and his allies declared an "interim capability" at a Chicago summit, putting a US warship carrying interceptors in the Mediterranean and a Turkey-based radar system under NATO command in a German base. The alliance insists that the shield is not aimed at Russia and aims to knock out missiles that could be launched by enemies such as Iran, but Moscow fears the system will also serve to neutralize its nuclear deterrent. "We have invited Russia to cooperate on missile defense and this invitation still stands," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a news conference. "We will continue our dialogue with Russia and I hope that at a certain stage Russia will realize that it is in our common interest to cooperate on missile defense," he said. Besides the ironic title, I guess it explains why Putin refused to go to Chicago. Tina May 21, 2012 - 12:11am
Low turnout, fraud row mar Serb presidential voteAleksandar Vasovic & Matt Robinson | Belgrade | May 20 Voter apathy and accusations of fraud marred a presidential run-off in Serbia on Sunday, where pro-Western incumbent Boris Tadic is vying with rightist Tomislav Nikolic for the right to lead the nation into talks on joining the EU. Seven hours after polls opened, just 23.2 percent of the 6.7 million Serbs eligible to vote had done so. Tadic began the day as the frontrunner, but analysts have said a low turnout might favour Nikolic, whose supporters are considered more disciplined voters. Twice elected president since 2004, Tadic, 54, was part of the reformist bloc that ousted strongman Slobodan Milosevic in 2000 after a decade of war and isolation during the collapse of Yugoslavia. Under Tadic, Serbia in March became an official candidate for EU membership, but there is deep frustration among Serbs over the grinding transition from socialism to capitalism and an economic slowdown that has driven unemployment up to 24 percent. Nikolic, 60, was an ultranationalist ally of Milosevic when Serbia was bombed by NATO in 1999. But, since losing to Tadic in 2008, he has tried to rebrand himself as a pro-European conservative, accusing his opponent of presiding over a creeping culture of elitism. Tina May 20, 2012 - 12:27pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Balkans )
20,000 march at Frankfurt Occupy protest rallyBerlin | May 19 The protesters peacefully filled the city center of continental Europe's biggest financial hub on a warm and pleasant afternoon, said Frankfurt police spokesman Ruediger Regis. He said 20,000 people were there, while organizers put the number at 25,000. Raja May 19, 2012 - 10:21pm
"It's a war between peoples and capitalism"The Guardian's Helena Smith talks to Greek leftist leader Alex Tsipras:
Even the old capitalist robber-barons understood that the way to get wealthy was to create wealth for all while making sure you kept the lion's share. Neoliberal austerity policies are just asset stripping under a false banner. Steve Hynd May 19, 2012 - 12:13pm
Tiles May Help Shrink Carbon Footprint by Harnessing Pedestrian PowerThomas K. Grose | London | May 18 The squares aren't just ornamental. They are designed to collect the kinetic energy created by the estimated 40 million pedestrians who will use that walkway in a year, generating several hundred kilowatt-hours of electricity from their footsteps. That's enough to power half the mall's outdoor lighting. Tina May 19, 2012 - 11:42am
Gazprom Hopes to Build Second Baltic Sea PipelineFrank Dohmen & Alexander Jung | May 19 Tina May 19, 2012 - 10:45am
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![]() Angela Merkel caught in referendum row with GreeceConal Urquhart | May 19 Greek politicians reacted angrily, but Merkel's aides insisted she had not suggested a referendum during a telephone call on Friday with the Greek president, Karolos Papoulias. The Greek government's spokesman, Dimitris Tsiodras, said: "[Merkel] relayed to the president thoughts about holding a referendum in parallel with the elections on the question whether Greek citizens wish to remain in the eurozone." A German government spokesman rejected the idea that Merkel had proposed a referendum. "This is false and we completely dismiss this," he said. Some commentators suggested that the misunderstanding was due to an error in translation. One said that Merkel had said that the 17 June elections in Greece would be like a referendum on the country's membership of the euro. But Greek politicians criticised Merkel's perceived interference in Greek affairs. Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the leftwing Syriza party that wants to renegotiate Greece's bailout by the EU and the IMF, said: "Ms Merkel is used to addressing Greece's political leaders as if the country was a protectorate." Tina May 19, 2012 - 8:59am
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![]() ( categories: AgonistWire | Europe Minus UK )
Hollande sticks to Afghan pledge in Obama talksWashington | May 19 Hollande met President Barack Obama for the first time since taking office three days ago, ahead of a testing weekend of international summits, with G8 leaders at Camp David and NATO chiefs at a 61-nation gathering in Chicago. "I recalled to President Obama that I had made a promise to withdraw our combat troops from Afghanistan at the end of 2012," Hollande said, as the two leaders spoke to reporters in the Oval Office. "I also stipulated that there would still be support in another form," Hollande said, adding that the French withdrawal would be done in consultation with French allies in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Obama did not dispute Hollande's position, but stressed that NATO states must sustain their commitment to help "Afghans build security and continue down the path of development." Washington is currently soliciting funding from its allies to ensure training and financing for Afghan armed forces after NATO combat troops leave - which it estimates could cost around $4 billion a year. Apart from Afghanistan, both sides sought common ground, with Obama styling the partners as complimentary as cheeseburgers and French fries, though alarm over the euro zone tempered Hollande's visit. Tina May 18, 2012 - 3:13pm
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![]() NHS 'should consider giving statins to healthy people'James Gallagher | May 16 The study of 175,000 patients, in the Lancet, said even very low-risk patients benefited from the medication. The Oxford researchers says the NHS should consider giving statins to healthy people. The NHS drugs watchdog, NICE, is reviewing the evidence. Raja May 18, 2012 - 2:28am
Told You SoNot sure exactly when I said it, but I did predict that Greece would exit the Euro. I also said that it should leave the Euro sooner, rather than later and do so on its own terms. Now elite opinion has decided it's okay for Greece to exit. Mostly because the neoliberals have already raped the economy there. You heard it here first. Sean Paul Kelley May 16, 2012 - 1:59pm
Rebekah Brooks charged with perverting the course of justiceSandra Laville | May 15 Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International, has been charged over allegations that she tried to conceal evidence from detectives investigating phone hacking and alleged bribes to public officials. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced that Brooks, one of the most high-profile figures in the newspaper industry, would be charged with three counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in July last year at the height of the police investigation. Scotland Yard later confirmed she had been charged along with her husband, Charlie Brooks, and four others. Brooks is accused of conspiring with others, including her husband, a racehorse trainer and friend of the prime minister, and her personal assistant, to conceal material from detectives. Brooks and her husband were informed of the charging decision – the first since the start of the Operation Weeting phone-hacking investigation last January – when they answered their bail at a police station in London on Tuesday morning. Tina May 15, 2012 - 11:28am
( categories: AgonistWire | United Kingdom )
Back to the ballot box: Greeks to vote again in June after talks on forming new govt failAthens | May 15 The Athens Stock Exchange plunged on the news, diving 4.86 percent minutes after the announcement before recovering somewhat. The May 6 election left no party with enough votes for a majority in parliament and repeated efforts over nine days to cobble together a coalition government proved fruitless. Raja May 15, 2012 - 10:59am
( categories: AgonistWire | Balkans )
Key Murdoch Aide to Be Prosecuted in Hacking CaseAlan Cowell & John F. Burns | London | May 15 It was the first time that charges have been formulated since the police reopened inquiries into the affair in January 2011. The accusations brought the scandal to a watershed between criminal investigations, which have resulted in around 50 people being arrested and then set free on bail, and the prospect of trial before robed High Court judges. Raja May 15, 2012 - 10:45am
Greek deadlock heightens fears of full European economic crisisHoward Schneider & Anthony Faiola | May 14 European stock indexes fell, with Greece’s market now at a 20-year low, while the euro currency continued a recent decline against the dollar. U.S. stocks also fell. Raja May 14, 2012 - 10:48pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Economics | Europe | European Union | Global Financial Crisis | Global Politics and Culture )
Tens of Thousands Protest Austerity in 80 Spanish CitiesRaphael Minder | Madrid | May 13 Over all, protesters gathered in about 80 Spanish cities, but again, one of the biggest turnouts was in Puerta del Sol, the Madrid square that almost a year ago became the center of a nationwide, youth-led movement seeking to overhaul Spain’s political parties and other traditional institutions. About 40,000 people gathered in the square on Saturday evening, while a similar number of protesters rallied in a square in Barcelona. Raja May 14, 2012 - 6:57pm
Germans say NO to austerity - Curtain falling on Merkel's long Con
Merkel's party humiliated by shock election defeat "Angela Merkel's ruling conservatives suffered a humiliating defeat in key elections in Germany's most populous state yesterday when voters rejected her party's austerity policies and handed a resounding victory to her pro-growth Social Democratic Party opponents. "Ms Merkel's Christian Democrats were shell-shocked by the devastating result they returned in the poll in North Rhine Westphalia, which has a total population of 18 million. Exit polls showed that they secured a mere 25.5 per cent of the vote – their worst performance ever in the state. Michael Collins May 14, 2012 - 5:15am
( categories: Europe Minus UK )
"Only the little people pay taxes"From the Guardian's letters column:
Things aren't very much different in the U.S. I wonder just how the collected wealth of the top 0.1%, say, compares to the national debt here. Steve Hynd May 11, 2012 - 5:34pm
Banks prepare for the return of the drachmaDouwe Miedema & Sarah White | London | May 11 From the end of the Soviet Union - which spawned currencies such as the Estonian Kroon and the Kazakh Tenge - to the introduction of the euro, they have had plenty of practice in preparing their systems to cope with change. Planning behind the scenes has been underway since Europe's debt crisis erupted in Greece in 2009, said U.S.-based Hartmut Grossman of ICS Risk Advisors who works with Wall Street banks. "A lot of the firms, particularly in Europe and also here, have been looking at that for a long time," said Grossman, who added that the latest Greek political crisis had brought matters "to a little bit of a head". "But there really has been contingency planning at all of the financial institutions for that to happen ... Greece leaving the euro zone is not a new idea," he said. Tina May 11, 2012 - 2:56pm
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![]() 30,000 British Cops Join Anti-Austerity MarchPhoto: REUTERS/Eddie Keogh Given that the Conservatives have always tried to paint themselves as the "law and order" party and biggest friends of the police force, this is more than embarassing - it's a Tory disaster:
Thirty thousand is close to a quarter of all the police officers in England and Wales. Mark my words, Cameron's headed for a Last Days Of Thatcher scenario - ousted by his own party's rats to save themselves. Steve Hynd May 10, 2012 - 6:18pm
( categories: United Kingdom )
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