http://www.neurope.eu New Europe News: The European News Source. en-us Copyright The Media Company S.A. info@neurope.eu (New Europe) kgougakis@neurope.eu (Kostas Gougakis) Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:22:00 +0200 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:22:00 +0200 New Europe New Europe 5 http://www.neurope.eu/images/logo.jpg http://www.neurope.eu 100 35 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/95164.php text... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/95164.php Thu, 01 Jan 1970 02:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/95394.php text... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/95394.php Thu, 01 Jan 1970 02:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/95797.php text... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/95797.php Thu, 01 Jan 1970 02:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/96689.php text... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/96689.php Thu, 01 Jan 1970 02:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/96870.php text... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/96870.php Thu, 01 Jan 1970 02:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/97810.php text... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/97810.php Thu, 01 Jan 1970 02:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98516.php text... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98516.php Thu, 01 Jan 1970 02:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98930.php The earth did move in 62AD certainly for the citizens of Pompeii. In other shocks Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism less out of conviction than a desire to gain the French Crown. 1n 1885 Belgian King Leopold establishes the Congo as his personal possession and began the Heart of Darkness. In 1918 a US polit claims the first aerial victory by shooting down a German plane. In 1924 the Greenwich Observatory begins broadcasting a series of pips known as the Grenwich Time Signal and in 1954 the US lose an H Bomb off the coast of Savannah Georgia it has never been recovered. In 2004 Rebels from the Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front capture the city of Gonaiuml;ves starting the 2004 Haiti rebellion. 1597 ndash; A group of early Japanese Christians are killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society. 1900 ndash; The United States and the United Kingdom sign a treaty for the Panama Canal 1919 ndash; Charlie Chaplin Mary Pickford Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith launch United Artists. 1945 ndash; World War II: General Douglas MacArthur returns to Manila. 1946 ndash; The Chondoist Chongu Party is founded in North Korea. 1958 ndash; Gamel Abdel Nasser is nominated to be the first president of the United Arab Republic. 1962 ndash; French President Charles De Gaulle calls for Algeria to be granted independence. 1968 ndash; Vietnam War: Battle of Khe Sanh begins. 1988 ndash; Manuel Noriega is indicted on drug smuggling and money laundering charges. 1994 ndash; Byron De La Beckwith is convicted of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers. 1994 ndash; During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina more than 60 people are killed and some 200 wounded as a mortar shell slams into a downtown marketplace in Sarajevo. 1997 ndash; The so-called Big Three banks in Switzerland announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families. 2004 ndash; Twenty-three Chinese people drown when a group of 35 cockle-pickers are trapped by rising tides in Morecambe Bay England. Twenty-one bodies are recovered. 2008 ndash; A major tornado outbreak across the Southern United States leaves 57 dead the most since the May 31 1985 outbreak that killed 88. 2009 ndash; The United States Navy guided missile cruiser Port Royal runs aground off Oahu Hawaii damaging the ship as well as a coral reef. Births 1608 ndash; Gaspar Schott German mathematician d. 1666 1626 ndash; Marie de Rabutin-Chantal marquise de Seacute;vigneacute; French author d. 1696 1788 ndash; Robert Peel Prime Minister of the United Kingdom d. 1850 1840 ndash; John Boyd Dunlop Scottish inventor d. 1921 1840 ndash; Hiram Stevens Maxim American inventor Maxim gun d. 1916 1909 ndash; Gra#380;yna Bacewicz Polish composer and violinist d. 1969 1910 ndash; Francisco Varallo Argentine footballer 1910 ndash; Charles Leblond Canadian cell biologist d. 2007 1911 ndash; Jussi Bjouml;rling Swedish tenor d. 1960 1914 ndash; William S. Burroughs American author d. 1997 1914 ndash; Alan Lloyd Hodgkin Nobel Prize Laureate d. 1998 1928 ndash; Andrew Greeley American priest and novelist 1940 ndash; H.R. Giger Swiss artist 1944 ndash; Al Kooper American musician 1946 ndash; Charlotte Rampling British actress 1948 ndash; Sven-Gouml;ran Eriksson Swedish football manager 1948 ndash; Christopher Guest American actor 1948 ndash; Barbara Hershey American actress 1948 ndash; Errol Morris American film director 1961 ndash; Savvas Kofidis Greek footballer and manager 1969 ndash; Bobby Brown American singer 1969 ndash; Michael Sheen Welsh actor 1980 ndash; Jo Swinson British politician 1980 ndash; Robin Vik Czech tennis player 1981 ndash; Nora Zehetner American actress 1981 ndash; Loukas Vyntra Greek football player Deaths 1578 ndash; Giambattista Moroni Italian painter b. c.1520-24 1705 ndash; Philipp Jakob Spener German theologian b. 1635 1843 ndash; Theodoros Kolokotronis Greek general in the Greek War of Independence b. 1770 1881 ndash; Thomas Carlyle Scottish writer and historian b. 1795 1917 ndash; Jaber II Al-Sabah Emir of Kuwait b. 1860 1941 ndash; Banjo Paterson Australian poet author of Walzing Matilda b. 1864 1957 ndash; Sami Ibrahim Haddad Lebanese surgeon b. 1890 1977 ndash; Oskar Klein Swedish physicist b. 1894 1993 ndash; Joseph L. Mankiewicz American writer producer and director b. 1909 1999 ndash; Wassily Leontief Russian economist Nobel Prize Laureate b. 1906 2000 ndash; Claude Autant-Lara French film director b. 1901 2008 ndash; Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Indian guru founder of Transcendental Meditation b. c. 1917 nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98930.php Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:07:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98929.php nbsp; It may not be a completely unfeasible slogan in 2012 according to some political speculators saying Jeb Bush George W. Bushrsquo;s brother and former Governor of Florida is making a comeback into the public eye in preparation for a presidential bid. SeveralAmerican newspapers are hypothesizing his potential run for the presidency after quite a few news-worthy appearances which since he left the governorrsquo;s office four years ago had been rare until recently. In addition to showing up to support fellow republicans at fundraisers and other events the move that got people really talking was his appearance on NBCrsquo;s Today Show following Vice President Joe Biden last Thursday. He spoke of bi-partisan politics giving a speech about democrats and republicans working together which stuck out as one of the most presidential characteristics he displayed on the show. ldquo;`I think that leaders on both sides of the aisle need to figure out where there is common ground and at least focus on that he said. ``Its one thing to give a good speech. The other thing is to invite people that dont agree exactly with your point of view to build consensus. But it seems like Obama is doing just that. Jeb and older former President Bush George Bush Sr. reportedly made a mysterious stop to the White House for a meeting with President Obama on Wednesday. A White House spokesman told the New York Times that the meeting had no agenda but was instead simply a cordial visit from Bush Sr. while he was in Washington DC. Despite the recent hype about a possible third Bush candidacy many say America ever voting for another Bush family member is utterly out of question. His brother said goodbye the White House on treacherous grounds with U.S. citizens leaving behind an ever-lasting war and one of the greatest economic crises in American history. And no one can forget about that fateful night in 2000 when Jeb helped his brother controversially to put it lightly win Florida in 2000.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98929.php Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:43:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98928.php Described as the Commissioner with the least time to prepare Ms Georgieva was cool calm and collected. Haiti was the first item on the agenda and she praised the EU Humanitarian Aid saying that on day 1 the EU released 3 million euros and staff were working on the ground. She voiced her strong desire to represent those in dire need and for victims of sexual violence used as a weapon of war. She said that when building camps it was important not to put women at risk and to think in gender terms about how actions could expose women to risk. She said advocacy was important but not enough. Advocacy needed to be linked with holding people to account especially those actions of soldiers towards women in conflict. She stressed that she needed to work with others. Her opening remarks were met with enthusiastic applause far more than any other Commission Designate received at any stage of the hearings. She pointed out that lessons had been learned from previous disasters including regional stockpiling of goods but described the communication of what the EU had done as underwhelming and it was clear that she was trying to be polite! Asked on the situation in Western Sahara she said that neutrality was at the heart of humanitarian aid and there were many other instruments to put pressure on governments. Humanitarian aid needs to be blind and not allow itself to be captured by those who abuse power. Working coherently with other agencies and Commissioners was seen as a key to a successful strategy. She said there was a continual dilemma between speed and stability. Aid has to be brought quickly but development work needs to be prioritised as soon as possible. ldquo;Every year 300 million are affected by man-made or natural disasters and 42 million are displaced and these numbers will go up because of climate change rapid urbanization and state fragility rdquo; she explained. The Commissioner Designate also signaled that she would not support private sector involvement in aid but there was a role for the private sector in development. However private companies should be held to account for their environmental and social responsibilities in the developing world and it was important to distinguish between those companies who had a positive impact and the ones interested only in making profit. Bill Newton Dunn ALDE mentioned her Russian language skills and experience and she said she would use her experience to work with the Russians and gave examples of her prior work with the World Bank. During the G8 she suggested to them to hold an emerging donor conference which they did. She was asked about using blogs and Twitter. She said Twitter was great for providing headlines to journalists as it specialised in short and fast messages and she would like to use such technologies to raise awareness of the EU humanitarian aid. Asked if she would fight against vested interests by Nirj Deva ECR she replied Yes sir to laughter and applause following it up by saying that she was sure other would hear her answer. Asked about the Copenhagen Summit she replied that ldquo;The Copenhagen Summit was problematic both because it was chaotic and because the EU did not get EU seat that it was hoping to get. However five years ago I wouldnrsquo;t hope to see 120 heads of state together so I believe the level of awareness has gone up a great deal.rdquo; The hearing was slightly farcical at times as there was little time to ask questions and the Commissioner designate was frequently cut off in mid sentence especially as she was trying to give replies in a context without waffling. Advocating the EU response she said that the EU brings values to development that will enable building a better world. But because disasters are becoming more frequent it was important to build a better response. She approved of working with other Commissioners and Baroness Ashton as sometimes capabilities that were not part of a civil protection force and she welcomed their experience. She said the portfolio was logical because it linked aid with civil protection and she wanted to bring in regional organisations like ASEAN and the Arab League to provide regional solutions as in the Burma floods. Pressed on the use of military aid she said the view of the aid community was that military intervention was the last resort and they wanted to be consulted. Saying that she needed to learn more but felt that this was a complex issue and she wanted to work to come up with Ashton to develop policy. It was important to have very clear principles and Europe came to these principles the hard way. She said the current co-ordination method worked well for what it was designed for but she wanted the member states to get on board to broaden it although some had reservations but post-Haiti she expected more intensive discussions and hoped it would move forward. Stressing that humanitarian aid and disaster response was at the heart and core of her portfolio and as an example of co-operation she mentioned the Burma floods where access was difficult until ASEAN was approached who then helped workers reach the victims. On accountability of NGOs the EC had a system of auditing and those that didnt deliver on the ground or in supplying accounts were dropped. She stressed that accountability of all partners was important and that she was so concerned about this she had spent time with auditors so she could fully understand. ldquo;My many years in development taught me a very simple but a very important lesson ndash; no one can do it alone but together we can make a difference rdquo; she stated. On funding she said that there should be no blurring of lines between the neutral humanitarian objectives and said this budget is sacred but warned that if the number and scale of future disasters was to increase then she would need more funding. If she had to use reserve funds in nine years out of ten then something was wrong. Asked by Emma McClarkin ECR why she wanted to be a Commissioner she said that we faced an unusual situation and my fellow Bulgarians were not happy. In this case when the call came I thought it was my duty. She added that Change was good and I will try to step up and Im looking forward to it. this was met with another round of enthusiastic applause. In fact the room was so supportive that Michael Cashman Samp;D said he was so impressed by her breadth of knowledge her experience and cohesion that he didnt have a question but thought the meeting should move straight on to formally confirming her. This suggestion was met by applause from all around the hall. Her final words reflected her confidence and her human tough Today is my mothers 89th birthday normally i would have been with her but I make one pledge to my mother. She lived through the Second World War and the division of Europe but I never learned French and I promise her that If I am confirmed I will try to learn French. Shell have to get a textbook pretty quickly as all parties seemed to say bienvenue to this Commissioner Designate. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98928.php Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:50:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98927.php A day of the noble. In the US this is Four Chaplains day marking the sacrifice of four religious leaders Methodist Reverend George L. Fox Rabbi Alexander D. Goode the Roman Catholic Priest John P. Washington and the Reformed Church in America Reverend Clark V. Poling. They were on board the USAT Dorchester when it was sunk. THey handed out lifejackets to the crew until they ran out and then they passed their own lifejackets out. A survivor Grady Clark described the scene As I swam away from the ship I looked back. The flares had lighted everything. The bow came up high and she slid under. The last thing I saw the Four Chaplains were up there praying for the safety of the men. They had done everything they could. I did not see them again. They themselves did not have a chance without their life jackets. There were other noble people this day. In 1960 British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan gave a mojor speech where he spoke of a wind of change of increasing national consciousness blowing through colonial Africa that makerd the end of Colonisation. In 1971 New York Police Officer Frank Serpico is shot during a drug bust in Brooklyn and survives to later testify against police corruption. In 1690 Massachusetts issues the first paper money in America in 1870 The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified granting voting rights to citizens regardless of race. It took a while to be put in practice though. In 1913 The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified authorizing the Federal government to impose and collect an income tax. This was put into action somewhat sooner. Events nbsp; 1488 ndash; Bartolomeu Dias of Portugal lands in Mossel Bay after rounding the Cape of Good Hope becoming the first known European to travel so far south. 1783 ndash; American Revolutionary War: Spain recognizes United States independence. 1830 ndash; The sovereignty of Greece is confirmed in a London Protocol. 1917 ndash; World War I: The United States breaks off diplomatic relations with Germany a day after the former announced a new policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. 1918 ndash; The Twin Peaks Tunnel in San Francisco California begins service as the longest streetcar tunnel in the world at 11 920 feet 3 633 meters long. 1930 ndash; The Communist Party of Vietnam is established. 1945 ndash; World War II: The Soviet Union agrees to enter the Pacific Theatre conflict against Japan. 1945 ndash; World War II: As part of Operation Thunderclap 1 000 B-17s of the Eighth Air Force bomb Berlin. 1958 ndash; Founding of the Benelux Economic Union creating a testing ground for a later European Economic Community. 1966 ndash; The unmanned Soviet Luna 9 spacecraft makes the first controlled rocket-assisted landing on the Moon. 1969 ndash; In Cairo Yasser Arafat is appointed Palestine Liberation Organization leader at the Palestinian National Congress. 1971 ndash; New York Police Officer Frank Serpico is shot during a drug bust in Brooklyn and survives to later testify against police corruption. Many believe the incident proves that NYPD officers tried to kill him. 1988 ndash; Iran-Contra Affair: The United States House of Representatives rejects President Ronald Reagans request for $36.25 million to aid Nicaraguan Contras. 1989 ndash; After a stroke P.W. Botha resigns party leadership and the presidency of South Africa. 1989 ndash; A military coup overthrows Alfredo Stroessner dictator of Paraguay since 1954. 1991 ndash; The Italian Communist Party dissolves and splits into the Democratic Party of the Left and the Communist Refoundation Party. 1999 ndash; In Jammu and Kashmir the political party Democratic Janata Dal is revived. 2007 ndash; A Baghdad market bombing kills at least 135 people and injures a further 339. Births 1795 ndash; Antonio Joseacute; de Sucre South American independence leader d. 1830 1809 ndash; Felix Mendelssohn German composer d. 1847 1826 ndash; Walter Bagehot English essayist journalist and businessman d. 1877 1830 ndash; Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Prime Minister of the United Kingdom d. 1903 1874 ndash; Gertrude Stein American writer d. 1946 1894 ndash; Norman Rockwell American illustrator d. 1978 1904 ndash; Pretty Boy Floyd American gangster d. 1934 1909 ndash; Simone Weil French philosopher d. 1943 1924 ndash; E. P. Thompson English socialist historian The Making of the English Working Class d. 1993 1927 ndash; Kenneth Anger American Underground Filmmaker 1927 ndash; Val Doonican Irish singer and entertainer 1939 ndash; Michael Cimino American film director 1947 ndash; Paul Auster American novelist 1947 ndash; Dave Davies English musician The Kinks 1953 ndash; Savvas Tsitouridis Greek politician 1959 ndash; Ferzan Ouml;zpetek Turkish cinema director 1983 ndash; Gabriel Sargissian Armenian chess Grandmaster Deaths 1399 ndash; John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster b. 1340 1428 ndash; Ashikaga Yoshimochi Japanese shogun b. 1386 1468 ndash; Johannes Gutenberg German publisher 1566 ndash; George Cassander Flemish theologian b. 1513 1924 ndash; Woodrow Wilson 28th President of the United States Nobel laureate b. 1856 1956 ndash; Johnny Claes Belgian racing driver b. 1916 1959 ndash; The Day the Music Died Buddy Holly American singer b. 1936 Roger Peterson pilot b. 1937 Ritchie Valens American singer b. 1941 J.P. The Big Bopper Richardson American singer b. 1930 1967 ndash; Joe Meek English record producer b. 1929 1985 ndash; Frank Oppenheimer American physicist b. 1912 1989 ndash; John Cassavetes American actor b. 1929... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98927.php Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:03:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98926.php Critics said it was bound to happen and it did. The European Union already sliding off the radar screen of political importance in the world despite having three Presidencies has been ignored by US President Barack Obama who said he wonrsquo;t bother coming to an annual summit this year ndash; partly because US officials say the EU canrsquo;t even figure out whorsquo;s hosting it. Media reports led by the Wall Street Journal said Obama will come to an annual EU-US summit on 24 May tentatively scheduled for Madrid as Spain and Prime Minister Jose Manuel Rodriguez Zapatero hosts the rotating EU Presidency. But new EU President Herman Van Rompuy reportedly said he wants in on the deal and American officials said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso wants to be the big shot for the event. ldquo;We donrsquo;t even know if theyrsquo;re going to have one a summit an unnamed US official told the Journal. ldquo;Wersquo;ve told them lsquo;Figure it out and let us know rsquo;rdquo; while another American official tried to downplay the dismissal and said internal European politics was unrelated to Obamarsquo;s decision making and he had never planned to attend this summit and that he wants to turn his attention to domestic issues such as the incessant unemployment still roiling the country. ldquo;Who attends from the U.S. and at what point will depend on whorsquo;s calling the meeting rdquo; said the State Department official who has been briefed on the deliberations. ldquo;Therersquo;s a competition in Europe because you now have the standing EU architecture.rdquo; The EU said it still expects Obama to show up. European Commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen said that she wasnbsp;rdquo;not aware of any such situation.rdquo; She added that ldquo;It is normally the case that the summits are summits precisely because they are attended by heads of state and government.rdquo; The EU and US have held an annual summit for the last 13 years generally switching from one continent to the other. Obama paid a record number of visits - six - to Europe in 2009 including major events such as NATOrsquo;s 60th anniversary April and the Copenhagen conference on climate change December . He hosted the EUrsquo;s presidency then held by Sweden in November but hersquo;s been getting clobbered in opinion polls in the US for his failure to get unemployment under control and his administrationrsquo;s policy of continuing huge bankrolls of bonuses to Wall Street and banks while workers are going bankrupt and millions of Americans are losing their homes so Europe is not registering as much with him right now. If he doesnrsquo;t come it could be seen as a huge embarrassment to the EU and to Van Rompuy and the EUrsquo;s new Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton two unknowns whorsquo;ve been struggling to gain credibility and show they are not under the thumb of the EUrsquo;s powerful countries and leaders such as French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98926.php Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:37:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98925.php At the cost of $150 million an American attempt to take down a ballistic missile of the type that Iran has been testing over the last year failed due to a faulty radar system the Pentagon announced today. The target missile was launched from Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall islands in what has become an increasingly active US military base but the missile launched from the Vendenberg Base in California wasnrsquo;t able to take the anti ballistic missile down as ldquo;one of the radars did not function as planned.rdquo; This in effect is the first attempt by the US to test their anti missile systems against possible attacks from Iran. The cost of such a test amounted to $150 million andnbsp;was conductednbsp;at the same time as a Pentagon Report release which documents that Teheran has extended its ballistic missile capabilities in what it calls a ldquo;significantrdquo; threat to the US and its allies in the Middle East. The report mentions that Iran now has the possibility to hit targets in the Middle East and in Eastern Europe in.gr reported. An investigation has already begun looking into this issue but many weeks will be needed before initial conclusions are documented.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98925.php Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:31:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98924.php nbsp; European Union officials and international experts fighting against global illicit tobacco sales will meet tonight at a conference to discuss the ongoing concern over the illegal cigarette market just weeks before a vital United Nations meeting in March on the issue. The UN will meet from 14 - 21 March on a new protocol that could secure a binding international agreement to combat the massive market of illegal tobacco sales. It will be the fourth meeting of the International Negotiating Body on the supplementary protocol to the already-in-place Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which passed in 2005 and was the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization. Belgian Green MEP Bart Staes who is hosting tonightrsquo;s conference in Brussels to push more EU leadership on the issue said it is necessary to have strong action rather thansimply more political talk. ldquo;Its essential that the EU takes the lead in the final negotiations and helps to win international support for a strong Protocol to combat the illicit tobacco trade rdquo; he said in a statement. ldquo;Anything less risks resembling the disappointing outcome of the UN Climate summit in Copenhagen - plenty promising words but no binding agreement.rdquo; Proponents of the supplement argue illicit tobacco creation and smuggling undermine government taxes and attempts to improve public health. Illegal cigarette trade accounts for nearly 12% of all cigarette consumption worldwide according to a report released by the International Union of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease in 2008. This takes away roughly 35 billion euro from governments in tax revenues each year. The report also states smoking will cause more than 8 million deaths a year by 2030 of which more than 80% will occur in low and middle income countries where tobacco use has been rising dramatically and illicit trade is the highest. And because raising taxes and therefore price of cigarettes has been shown to decrease tobacco use in countries officials say illegal sales undermine government efforts to do so. The proposed protocol would put several actions into effect one of which would require parties to set up international tracing and tracking systems with one focal point to enhance the ability of effectively tracing illegal sales. Another part of the protocol would require specified parties participating in tobacco trade to hold a valid license. In a more 21st century approach states under the protocol would need to restrict or ban Internet sales of tobacco which contributes to a large part of global illicit cigarette trade. People also can find making or smuggling tobacco attractive because there are less harsh penalties compared to those who engage in trading harder drugs. The protocol would include provisions that treat illegal cigarette activity as more of a serious crime.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98924.php Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:17:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98923.php UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has announced his intention to offer Commissioner Margot Wallstrom the post of special representative to intensify efforts to end sexual violence against women and children in conflict situations. We will continue efforts to end the conflicts in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo restore state authority facilitate the return of refugees and protect civilians against all forms of violence including sexual violence Ban said. Wallstrom said she was honoured to be offered the role and said The challenge is enormous. I intend to bring all of my energy and political experience to bear on it. This is an issue which I regard as one of the most important and yet one of the most overlooked and ignoredd in modern conflicts. The Commissioner has often campaigned for womens rights and a greater representation in government including the 50/50 50-50 campaign for democracy a Europendash;widenbsp; initiative to increase the presence of women in the decision-making process. She has also applied pressure for a more gender balanced Commission. Speaking about her new role she stated that Violence against women is the most common but least punished crime in the world. It continues in every continent country and culture and the results are devastating on womenrsquo;s lives as well as on their families and on the fabric of society as a whole. In recent years it has been sickening to see sexual violence become a tool of modern warfare. In far too many parts of the world women are excluded from the decision-making process and from conflict resolution and peacekeeping. This absolutely has to change and I am determined to play my part in making that change happen. According to the UN Sexual violence in conflict is a serious present-day atrocity affecting millions of people primarily women and girls. It is frequently a conscious strategy employed on a large scale by armed groups to humiliate opponents terrify individuals and destroy societies. Women and girls may also be subjected to sexual exploitation by those mandated to protect them. Sexual violence during conflict remains vastly under-addressed due to weak national mechanisms for protection and judicial redress and inadequate health and social support services. Many still view sexual violence as an inevitable if regrettable consequence of conflict and displacement ndash; an attitude which encourages impunity for perpetrators and silences survivors. Rape during conflict is a war crime and a serious violation of human rights and humanitarian law which has received widespread condemnation. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98923.php Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:15:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98826.php US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on 28 January in London who said afterwards that Tehran cannot keep the world waiting forever in the standoff over its nuclear program. ldquo;The Iranian nuclear program is certainly an important theme of our dialogue. We are disappointed that Iran has not responded constructively to the proposals offered by the lsquo;three plus threersquo; group. We agreed to continue to seek a positive response to these proposals. But clearly we cant wait indefinitely and our partners are talking about the need to discuss additional steps in the UN Security Council so we can move forward towards the goals set by the international community rdquo; Lavrov said. Britain China France Germany Russia and the US have been negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program amid concerns that the Islamic republic is secretly developing fissile material for nuclear weapons. ldquo;On the Iran issue what has happened is that the United States and others believe we have sort of come to the point where it seems that Iran is not going to respond to the initiative of the six in an acceptable way and so clearly the next step is look at - Now What?rdquo; James Collins a former US ambassador to Moscow whos now at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told New Europe on 28 January. Collins noted that ldquo;the issue of sanctions - or lsquo;What we do if Iran will not meet its international obligations?rsquo; - is now actively on the table again and is under discussion ... People have found the Russians to be constructive about the question: lsquo;What we do?rsquo; and not ruling some kind of sanctions beyond where we are now by any means but also not specifying how far they are prepared to go at least at any public forum.rdquo;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98826.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98828.php Unemployment fears resulted in German consumer confidence falling for the fourth month in a row a survey released on 25 January from the Nuremberg-based GfK marketing group showed. The group said its forward-looking consumer confidence index slipped more than forecast to 3.2 points for February after falling to a revised 3.4 points in January. In particular the threat of a rise in unemployment and the slight weakening in German economic recovery are playing a significant role the GfK said releasing the survey. In terms of consumption 2010 is therefore likely to be a more difficult year than 2009 it warned. Analysts had predicted the survey would come in at 3.3 points for next month the same as the GfK initial estimate for January. Based on about 2 000 households the GfKs survey comes against the backdrop of a sense of economic uncertainty left in the wake of the recession that engulfed the German economy over the last 12 months. Economists have been warning that unemployment could rise next year as Berlin begins to wind back the €85-billion emergency fiscal plan it launched to helped shield the nations economy from the global downturn. However the GfK said Conversely the many price cuts in the retail sector are boosting the propensity to buy. The Gfks indexs section measuring willingness to buy edged up to 25.4 from 21.2 with Berlin having launched a €8.5-billion package of tax cuts for companies and families this year. While the surveys gauge of consumers income expectations fell to 12.5 from 15.0 the indexs economic expectations component slipped to 1.5 from 1.7. However the economic expectations sub-survey now stands at more than 34 points above the same period last year when the global recession was tightening its grip on Germany. A batch of recent data has pointed to muted recovery underway in Germany after it emerged from the downturn during the second quarter. Berlin is expected to raise its 2010 growth forecast to 1.5% this month after Europes biggest economy shrunk by 5% last year. However many economists believe that the nations economy could grow by 2% plus this year powered ahead by a pickup in exports.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98828.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98829.php French President Nicolas Sarkozy began an intense media offensive on 25 January with polls suggesting his ruling conservative coalition will suffer a bitter defeat in March regional elections. Ahead of a 90-minute appearance on national television on 25 January evening Sarkozy urged the French users of Facebook to tune in to the program which will include a question-and-answer session with 10 French adults chosen by TF1 which is broadcasting the show. Do not hesitate to let me know your doubts and the issues that you think I should touch on Sarkozy wrote on his Facebook page which counts more than 203 000 fans. An Against Nicolas Sarkozy Facebook page has a little more than 194 000 fans and a page seeking signatures for a No Sarkozy Day to be celebrated on 27 March has attracted more than 365 000 members. The upcoming regional elections are widely seen as a major test for Sarkozy and his stuttering politics of reform. In 2004 parties of the left won control of 20 of the 22 regions of mainland France. The results were seen as a major setback for Sarkozys predecessor Jacques Chirac and his prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin. Sarkozy has been struggling with near record lows in his approval rating since taking office in 2007 with a poll at the weekend showing that only 38% support him while 61% disapprove of his performance. The jobless rate remained stable at 9.1% in the third quarter of 2009 but the government has warned that the employment outlook will take some time to improve following last years recession.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98829.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98830.php German auto giant Volkswagen revised its previous assumptions for global car market sales lower by 67 million vehicles for the period through 2018 Automobilwoche reported citing a letter presented to VWs top management. This means a loss for the global market during this period that is equivalent to an entire calendar year said senior VW manager and former head of group sales Detlef Wittig in a letter presented to VWs executive board. This effect would lead to sustainably lower group deliveries to customers versus the previous The company which recently introduced its new Concept Coupe Hybrid vehicle during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit said the global effect would lead to sustainably lower group deliveries with the resultant lower financial result.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98830.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98831.php Germanys labor union IG Metall estimates that around 700 000 jobs are at risk in the auto and engineering sector and elsewhere if employers politicians and workers dont join forces to prevent mass layoffs the unions head Berthold Huber told journalists in Frankfurt on 25 January. IG Metall is the key union in Germanys automotive and engineering sector where it negotiates wages and working conditions for roughly three million workers. It also holds sway in the countrys steel and paper industry. I am convinced that the actual test for labor market stability will come this year Huber said. Without active measures by the government employers and unions a grave decline in staffing and employment is the most likely scenario. We expect up to 700 000 jobs in our industries will be at risk by the end of 2012 he explained. Many economists warn that a gradual return to growth in Germanys export-heavy economy does not mean slack utilization rates for its installed production capacity will recover in the coming years to boom levels seen in 2006 and 2007.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98831.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98832.php A spokesman for the German government said on 23 January no decision was taken at the meeting on 21 January on the life-span extension of nuclear power plants. As said at the regular government press conference on Friday 22 January no negotiations took place and no decisions were taken on the planned extension of the lifespan for nuclear power plants on Thursday a government spokesman said in a statement. Managers of Germanys four nuclear energy providers begun negotiations with the government on 21 January on the conditions for allowing them to continue producing nuclear power beyond a previously planned shutdown. The extension of the allowed running time of the countrys 17 nuclear power plants was a key part of the coalition agreement signed by the centre-right government of Chancellor Angela Merkel in October. According to Consumer Protection Minister Ilse Aigner the government was set to press for the four companies - E.ON RWE EnBW and Vattenfall - to agree to reducing electricity prices as a condition of the extension. Under an agreement signed by a previous centre-left government the power plants were due to be switched off before the end of their natural life span by around 2022.The government also wants part of the extra profits generated by the extension to be ploughed back into research and development for renewable and environmentally friendly energy technologies.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98832.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98833.php French energy giant EDF has given up plans to sell its electricity distribution network in Britain because the French state electricity giants new boss is against the move a financial news website reported on 24 January. Henri Proglio who has always been opposed to this project that was initiated by former EDF boss Pierre Gadonneix is set to announce soon that he is ending it Wansquare website said citing British banking sources. EDF said in October it had put its British distribution network in Britain on sale with the aim of raising more than €4 billion euros to reduce debt.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98833.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98834.php The European Commission approved on 25 January the liquidation of mortgage lender Bradford Bingley and a public funds injection into Dunfermline Building Society the last two state aid measures proposed by the British government to prop up its banking sector Media reports said.. The decision in the case of Bradford Bingley together with the decision taken on Dunfermline is closing the chapter of British bank restructuring prompted by state aid in the context of the financial crisis the commission said in a press release. Bradford Bingley was nationalized in September 2008 and its profitable savings and deposits business was sold to Spanish banking giant Santander. The commission which is the EUs executive arm - has now authorized the British government to liquidate its remaining impaired assets over a period of 10 years or more at an estimated cost to the British taxpayer of GBP 18.6 billion $30 billion . The mortgage provider - which had 197 branches and 141 agencies holding a 7.7% share of the British market at the end of 2007 - is no longer active but it is set to continue offering limited services to existing clients. Scotland-based Dunfermline ran into difficulty in March 2009. Its good quality assets and liabilities were sold to Nationwide Building Society while the rest was put into administration. EU regulators cleared the British governments decision to help the companys split-up by providing GBP 1.5 billion $2.4 billion in aid to facilitate its sale and a working capital loan of GBP 10 million to allow it to meet its pre-administration contractual commitments.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98834.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98835.php Aer Lingus and Aer Arann have announced a deal to set up a franchise arrangement between the two airlines. The franchise services will be branded Aer Lingus Regional and will use Aer Arann aircraft and crew RTE Ireland reported on 26 January. Under the agreement Aer Arann will operate 12 routes from Dublin and Cork. These will include current Aer Lingus and Aer Arann flights as well as three new routes. In a statement Aer Lingus said that Aer Arann will assume full operational and commercial responsibility for the services covered by the deal with Aer Lingus getting a franchise fee for providing its brand and produce suite to the smaller airline. Meanwhile Aer Lingus also gave an update on its financial position. It said that in 2009 it made an operating loss and its gross cash fell by about €400m due to restructuring costs buying and leasing new planes and the repayment of debt. However it added that it has a strong balance sheet and by the end of December it had gross cash and deposits of €825 million. Of this about €55 million is restricted due to certain lease obligations while the remaining €770 million is unencumbered. The group has more than sufficient liquidity to meet both its short-term and medium-term capital expenditure and lease repayment requirements todays statement said. After what it called a detailed review of its business and in an effort to ensure it best serves its markets Aer Lingus said it is planning to introduce new additional paid services. To enhance revenue it said it would unbundle paid product options for passengers offering low fares for the majority with additional premium enhancements on demand such as pre-booked seat numbers. It also said it enhance its network through the new Aer Arann franchise and it is also looking at enhancing its existing partner network in the longer term with a special emphasis on improving its long haul connectivity in Asia.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98835.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98836.php Global online payment company PayPal said it is adding 100 staff to its Irish workforce at Blanchardstown in Dublin RTE Ireland reported early last week. The company already employs more than 1 100 people in Ireland after it opened its European operation centre with just 25 staff in 2003. The Dublin center manages all direct customer contact for PayPals businesses across Europe. The jobs announced today are for permanent positions in customer service and operations for people who have a second European language. It is a great testament to the team here in Dublin that we are able to announce the creation of further jobs at PayPal. Our European business continues to grow and I am proud to be able to once again support Irish job creation commented Uwe Heddendorp vice president PayPal European operations.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98836.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98837.php Italian confectioner Ferrero ruled itself out of the Cadbury takeover race on 25 January after the recommended GBP 11.9 billion bid from US food giant Kraft RTE Ireland reported. Ferrero - famed for its Rocher chocolates and advertisements - had been weighing up its options over the Dairy Milk maker since November amid rumours of a joint approach with US rival Hershey. But Hershey formally withdrew from the race on January 22 clearing the way for Krafts takeover. Kraft which makes products ranging from Terrys Chocolate Orange to Maxwell House coffee also gave more details on the terms of its offer on 25 January. The final offers value will change as the Kraft Foods share price and the USD/GBP exchange rate change the US company added. Shareholders have until 2 February to accept Krafts offer which will end Cadburys heritage as an independent business stretching back to 1824. The combined group would have more than 40 major confectionery brands becoming the worlds number one chocolate and sweets firm and the second biggest in chewing gum with the addition of Cadburys Trident brand. Cadbury employs over 1 200 in Ireland at two plants in Dublin and one in Kerry.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98837.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98838.php WWRD Group the company which took over the Waterford Crystal and Waterford Wedgwood brands said it will open a new crystal facility in the city RTE Ireland reported on 25 January. It said it has signed an agreement with Waterford City Council to open the new manufacturing facility retail outlet and visitor centre in the former ESB regional office and surrounding buildings at The Mall. WWRD said it will employ 80-90 full-time staff at the facility and 30-40 temporary staff according to seasonal demand. It is planned that 40 000 pieces will be hand-made every year by around 20 skilled craftspeople at the facility. The Waterford Crystal Prestige Manufacturing Facility is scheduled to open in June 2010. The Council will retain ownership of the site with WWRD responsible for all operational aspects of the venture.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98838.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98839.php Beating forecasts Banco Popular Espanol SA posted a 27.2% fall in 2009 net profit to €766 million. Spains third-largest listed bank said it was reasonably optimistic about this year. Popular has been more exposed than some retail banking peers to Spanish property companies feeling the pinch of the sector downturn after a decade-long boom Bad loans as a percentage of the total rose to 4.81% at the end of December from 4.63% at the end of September beating forecasts for about 5% and compared with 2.46 % at Bankinter Reuters reported. Net interest income rose 11.3% to €2.82 billion also beating forecasts for €2.8 billion.The bank reported a 24% increase in fourth-quarter net profit as tighter cost controls and increased revenue offset provisions the company set aside to cover loan-losses. The lender said net profit in the quarter rose to €114.9 million from €92.6 million a year earlier beating analyst expectations of €105.6 million. It booked provisions of €425.3 million for the fourth quarter. Banco Popular plans to provision similar amounts in coming quarters but sees its bad debt level diminishing significantly this year the companys Chief Financial Officer Jacobo Gonzalez Robatto was quoted as saying by the press. He added however that 2010 overall would be another tough year for Banco Popular and the Spanish banking industry in general.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98839.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98840.php Italian industrial group and carmaker Fiat on 25 January posted 2009 fourth quarter results showing a better-than expected 26% drop in earnings compared to the same period the previous year. The Turin-based company which builds Fiat Alfa Romeo and Lancia branded vehicles and controls US carmaker Chrysler said trading profit earnings before interest taxes and one-time gains or costs declined to €488 million from €663 million in 2008 Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa reported. According to Fiat the results were better than those forecast by analysts including an estimated group trading profit of €460 million for the fourth quarter. Fiat said that on a total of some 2.1 million cars and light commercial vehicles delivered its automobile division had achieved revenues for the year 2009 of €26.3 billion down 2.4% from 2008. Fiat which in a statement said outlook for 2010 remains positive said its board would propose paying out some €237 million in dividends. In April Fiat Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne is scheduled to detail production and savings from Fiats alliance with Chrysler the third-largest US-based carmaker of which Fiat owns a 20% stake. Two weeks ago Marchionne said he expects Fiat to perform better this year than in 2009 even without government-incentives aimed at assisting the car industry - Fiat is Italys largest private sector employer - overcome the global economic downturn. In 2009 Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconis conservative government offered €1 500 a car for trade-ins of vehicles older than a decade and destined for scrapping. Industry Minister Claudio Scajola said in late November that scaled-back incentives may be offered in 2010.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98840.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98841.php The Portuguese state budget expected to outline new measures to fight the soaring fiscal deficit would not be obstructed by the two main opposition parties local media reports said last week citing a recent indication emitted by the parties. However both the parties stopped short of committing to a firm pact with the minority Socialist government. Manuela Ferreira Leite the leader of the Social-Democratic party PSD which has the most parliamentary seats after the ruling Socialists said her talks with the government had been encouraging but did not reveal how her party would vote. According to the conversation we had with the finance minister there are very good signs that they are interested in presenting a budget with measures and efficient changes addressing trends that needed reversing she said after meeting Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos. The center-right PSD said it would support a budget that would help reduce debt and deficit. It is the fundamental issue and well await the final document to see its all there she told reporters declining to reveal any concrete proposals by the government so far. The ruling socialists have 97 seats in the 230-seat parliament and the PSD holds 81 seats. All other parties make up just 52 seats. After the government would submit the budget bill to the parliament legislators will have until March 12 to vote on the bill. Meanwhile the leader of the right-wing CDS-PP party Paulo Portas said he would recommend to his parliamentary faction a constructive abstention assuring the party would not to leave the country without a budget when it risks a credit ratings downgrade.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98841.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98842.php Jordan and Spain recently inked an agreement for nuclear cooperation for peaceful uses particularly in water desalination and electricity generation. The accord was signed by President of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission JAEC Khalid Touqan and the visiting Spanish Minister of State for Trade Silvia Iranzo. Jordan and Spain are partners in the search for new energy resources to lessen dependence on conventional fuel in the light of the rising crude prices Touqan said at the signing ceremony. Iranzo described the agreement as a milestone along Jordans endeavours to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and trimming its oil bill. Under the agreement Spain will help Jordan to train personnel in peaceful uses of nuclear energy in industry agriculture medicine and environment.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98842.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98843.php  A recently released statement from the tourism and trade ministry of Spain showed that the number of foreign tourists arriving in the country was 52.2 million in 2009 marking a decrease of 8.7% year-on-year. Nonetheless according to a survey taken by the ministrys institute of tourism studies the decline in the number of tourists tapered off as the year 2009 progressed. Spain received 2.7 million foreign tourists in December a reduction of 3.6% compared with December 2008. The principal source country for tourists was Britain with a total of 13.3 million travelers 15.5% less than in 2008 because of the economic crisis and the depreciation of the GBP with respect to the Euro.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98843.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98844.php A suspected Spanish double agent on 25 January denied selling confidential information to Russia as his began in Madrid. Prosecution was seeking a 12-year sentence on treason charges for Roberto Florez a former agent of the National Intelligence Centre CNI new agencies reported. Florez lawyer Manuel Olle denied the charges against his client pledging to seek his acquittal on entering the courthouse in Madrid. Florez worked with the CNI from 1991 to 2004. He was detained in 2007 on the Canary Island of Tenerife where police found evidence suggesting spying in his home. The evidence included CNI documents DVDs CDs cassettes computer discs as well as copies of two letters addressed by Florez to the then third-in-charge of the Russian embassy in Madrid.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98844.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98845.php Volksbank Austrias troubled fourth-largest bank announced on 26 January that it is thinking of looking for a strategic partner a step that could help consolidate the countrys banking sector DPA reported. Oesterreichische Volksbanken-AG as the bank is officially known had to raise its credit risk provisions last year owing to its heavy exposure in Central and Eastern Europe and is currently unable to pay interest on the capital injected by the government. The countrys largest retail banking group Raiffeisen has been mentioned in media reports as a potential buyer for Volksbank of which it owns 6%. Volksbanks Eastern European branches could be an interesting opportunity for international investors the chiefs of the financial market regulator Helmut Ettl und Kurt Pribil said according to Austrian press agency APA. National bank governor Ewald Nowotny has called for a consolidation of the fractured banking sector which boasts six nationally operating institutes compared to only two in Switzerland. Volksbank made a net loss of 488 million Euro USD 690 million in the third quarter of 2009 while provisions for bad credits nearly doubled to 1.1 billion Euro. The bank received capital worth one billion Euro last spring. Volksbank is active in several Central and Eastern European countries including Romania the Czech Republic Hungary and Slovakia.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98845.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98846.php Slovenia becomes the sixth European country to sign the European Cooperating State Agreement with ESA. ESAs Director of Legal Affairs and External Relations Peter Hulsroj and Slovenian Minister of Higher Education Science and Technology Gregor Golobic signed the agreement at ESTEC Noordwijk The Netherlands early last week. This agreement strengthens Slovenias relations with ESA and defines the legal basis for developing a Plan for European Cooperating State PECS Charter describing activities projects and budget for Slovenias cooperation with ESA. Following the signing ceremony Mr Golobic visited the ESTEC Test Centre and Concurrent Design Facility. Hungary was the first country to gain this status in April 2003 with Romania Poland and Estonia also becoming ECS countries. The Czech Republic now a full Member State was the second ECS. The first visit to ESA of a Slovenian delegation was in May 2006 led by Mr Alojz Peterle former Slovenian Prime Minister and currently Member of European Parliament . Since then several steps have been made in cooperation between Slovenia and ESA and the first Cooperation Agreement was signed in May 2008.  ESA participated through its Earth Observation Directorate in the Bridging the gap conference in Portoroz 1416 May 2008. An ESA expert team visited Slovenian industrial and research organizations involved in space projects in May 2009 notably the Josef Stefan Institute bed rest studies and EMO Orodjarna a supplier for the Ariane 5 program. During the coming months Slovenia will define with ESA the specific areas and projects for cooperation and the budget for the next five years. Its major participation will be in ESAs Science and Robotic Exploration program. Slovenia has a longstanding involvement in astronomy and space science. Herman Potocnik 18921929 was a Slovene rocket engineer and pioneer of astronautics. His book Das Problem der Befahrung des Weltraums - der Raketen-Motor The Problem of Space Travel - The Rocket Motor was published in Berlin in 1928. Potocnik devoted himself to rocketry and space science set out plans for a permanent human presence in space with detailed plans for a space station and one of the first calculations of a geostationary orbit.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98846.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98847.php TUI Cruises and Viset Malta plc recently signed a formal agreement which would see Malta serving as Mein Schiffs Mediterranean port of departure in the 2011 season local media reports revealed. According to the terms of the agreement from May to November 2011 the Seven-day cruises would start and finish in Valletta. On its butterfly cruise schedule the Mein Schiff would call at Piraeus in Athens Kusadasi in Turkey Mykonos Catania on Sicily as well as Civitavecchia in Rome Livorno Monte Carlo and Ajaccio in Corsica. Having Valletta as baseport gives us the opportunity of arranging a most interesting schedule said the Chief Executive of TUI Cruises Richard J Vogel explaining the choice of the base port. TUI Cruises is the only German cruise company to offer 2 different routes from Malta one in the eastern Mediterranean and one in the western. Maltas Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said that this was gratifying but at the same time it was a commitment for Malta. Nevertheless I have no doubt that the private and public sector will work in unison towards fulfilling this. We will continue with our endeavours to further expand Valletta and consequently Malta as a competitive cruise ship destination and a convenient base for home porting given its strategic location added Marco.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98847.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98848.php More post offices are being closed following the introduction of new legislation at the start of the year it emerged early last week Austrian Times reported. The new legislation allowed postal service Post AG to close offices after a three-month period of examination by the broadcasting and telecommunications regulatory authority RTR . Post has been looking since last year to close underperforming post offices as it bids to cut costs. But last year Social Democratic SPO Infrastructure Minister Doris Bures blocked Post from closing 337 post offices. Now though under the new law more offices are closing and in Tyrol alone an additional 24 post offices have been closed since the beginning of the year. It reported that Tyrol Peoples Party OVP Governor Gunther Platter had said he had held talks with Post managers and that no post offices should be closed before partners or substitutes for them that would handle essential business had been found. Post AG press spokesman Martin Riedl said Post was continuously observing post offices that had failed to make a profit but declined to say how many there were in Tyrol. Post chief Georg Polzl announced last November that profit had dropped year on year from 17.4 to 11.2 million Euro in the first three quarters of 2009. He added that turnover had slumped 3.4 percent year on year to 1.723 billion Euro and earnings before interest and taxes Ebit had fallen nine percent year on year to 93.7 million Euro in the first three quarters. Polzl said at the time the company had been focusing on cutting personnel and fixed costs and had laid off 1 012 employees in the year ending on October 31. He said staff numbers would continue to fall.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98848.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98849.php Cycleenergy Beteiligungs- und Management AG one of the fastest growing biomass power plant developer and operator in Austria doubled its capacity after securing successfully 10 million euros of equity funds in the third quarter last year with the Portuguese Infrastructure Funds NEF Budapest Business Journal reported on 26 January. Cycleenergy implemented the acquisition of Bioenergie Gaishorn GmbH in the last days of 2009. The Gaishorn biomass power plant is one of the largest power plants in Styria. It provides approximately 25 000 households with electricity indirectly and has a capacity of 21 Megawatt. The Gaishorn acquisition is another important milestone in the success story of our company which also secures us to enter the pellet market said Karl Gruber technical director of power plant operations. The Gaishorn takeover will not be the last acquisition this year stated Florian Dietz CEO and co-founder of Cycleenergy. We will purchase two more operational assets in the next month. Therewith the number of biomass power plants run by Cycleenergy will rise from four at present to six. Our project pipeline is well filled and we will increase our equity value from currently 20 million to 35 million Euro in 2010 said Dietz. Cycleenergy was founded by the Corporate Finance Boutique Ventacc in 2006 and operates biomass combined heat and power plants based on state guaranteed fixed feed in tariffs and long term heat supply contracts. In 2007 and 2009 international private equity funds invested in Cycleenergy. Cycleenergy made a turnover of 15 million euros in 2009.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98849.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98850.php Belgian Development Minister Charles Michel is protesting Israels decision to deny him entry into Gaza on the basis that his visit would give legitimacy to Hamas.  Speaking at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brussels Michel labeled the reasoning behind the refusal for access into Gaza as ridiculous. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told Michel at a meeting on 24 January that this type of trip would only strengthen the Islamist militant group. We allow humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza including food and medication but we will not allow political visits that bolster Hamas Ayalon said in a statement. At a press conference on the matter Michel vowed to take up the issue with the European Council. I would be there to reinforce Belgian and EU ideals he said speaking today at a press conference. I asked to go to meet and have contact with the population. Michel planned to visit the region to offer local residents aid. Belgium has pledged funds through UN agencies to help build schools and complete other infrastructure projects but construction has not begun because of Israels barriers. Israel has relatively isolated the region since Hamas took control of the area in 2007 after a week of deadly street battles. Last week Amnesty International accused Israel of collectively punishing the population of Gaza with border closures tightened after the takeover of Hamas. Ive been told since March 2009 they stopped allowing people in Gaza Michel said. Now only 20 percent of humanitarian aid arriving in Gaza each month is allowed into the areas tightened borders. Michel called for Israel to open the borders to more aid and stated European officials must be able to visit areas in which they are funding projects. Israel has denied other similar requests to enter the Gaza strip such as to a French Minister and a Turkish Minister who were also not allowed access.  ... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98850.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98851.php ING announced early last week that it has completed the sale of its Swiss Private Banking business to Julius Baer the leading pure-play Swiss Private Banking group. As announced on 7 October 2009 the divestment is in line with INGs Back to Basics strategy to focus on fewer franchises and reduce the complexity of the group. The transaction will generate an estimated net profit for ING of euros approximately150 million. ING Private Banking in the Benelux and Central Eastern Europe remain part of the core business of the Bank.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98851.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98852.php This is the target the postal sector has set itself for reductions in CO2 emissions to be achieved by 2020. Under the coordination of the IPC International Post Corporation association 19 operators including PTLuxembourg have committed to a 20% reduction by 2020 in comparison to 2008 emission rates. These operators represent 80% of the overall volume of mail on an international scale. The members of the IPC association manage a stock of approximately 100 000 buildings and 600 000 vehicles. Collectively the 19 operators which participated in the IPC study emit 8.36 million tons of CO2 . The target is to reduce this volume to 6.69 million tons by 2020. The postal sector wants to make a significant gesture states Paul Peckels Director and Chairman of PTs Sustainable Development Committee. It is the first pledge of a services sector aiming to unify its efforts in favour of sustainable development. The reduction in CO2 emission affects everybody and it is therefore normal that we combine our efforts. This joint commitment and the main conclusions of the study were published in the report which was made public on the fringes of the Copenhagen Climate Summit which is currently taking place. This study is called IPC Postal Sector Sustainability Report on the Environment and available at www.ipc.be.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98852.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98853.php Dexia Belgiums largest standing bank release a proposal for economics in 2010. Although banks balance sheets may not yet be fully cleaned tensions on the money and credit markets have eased further. Stock markets have bounced back from their depressed levels of the beginning of the year. Regarding the real economy we are witnessing signs of recovery: for the first time since the beginning of the crisis the IMF has revised its growth forecasts upwards! The consequences of the crisis will however be felt for quite some time. In the United States the worst is over but the present is far from bright! Step by step activity is regaining momentum. In the coming quarters exports should support growth. Activity will also get a substantial albeit temporary boost from the moderation in inventory liquidation. A modest resumption of growth in equipment investment is likely despite still unfavourable borrowing conditions. Residential investment will at long last take off again this time from a very low level from which it will not be of much help to overall activity. With fiscal support to their income coming to an end households will hopefully if the improvement in house prices and stock markets is sustained benefit from the recent rise in their wealth. All in all GDP growth could well reach close to 3% in 2010. But the crisis will leave its marks on the economy and the United States is now facing some tough challenges. State and local governments still financially embarrassed could require further federal assistance. Given the likely high level of foreclosures to come downward pressures on house prices will persist. The labor market too has been deeply hit and it will take time to re-absorb the large supply of un-/under-employed. The euro zone has also been severely hit too.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98853.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98854.php The earthquake crisis in Haiti is prompting a worldwide humanitarian response. Through its North American companies Anheuser-Busch Labatt and Latin American North operations AmBev Anheuser-Busch InBev is joining governments and relief agencies in life-saving efforts on several fronts including the donation of water that is critically needed by the people of Haiti. The day after the earthquake the companys AmBev unit was among the first to provide relief to victims of this tragedy by immediately shipped nearly 350 000 plastic bottles of fresh drinking water from a brewery it operates in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic about 160 miles from Port-au-Prince. In addition the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Cartersville Ga. is working with the American Red Cross to ship another 600 000 cans of water. In total the company will donate nearly one million cans of water. Also the Anheuser-Busch Foundation and Labatt will match donations made by North American employees and its network of U.S. wholesalers to the American and Canadian Red Cross organizations totaling up to $300 000. As the world joins together in response to this crisis our companies can play a role in the recovery efforts said Luiz Edmond Zone President of North America for Anheuser-Busch InBev. We have the capability to package and distribute fresh drinking water quickly and our employees wholesalers and consumers are eager to provide monetary support in a time of need like this. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti during this crisis.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98854.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98855.php The Polish pharmaceutical market has grown dynamically in the past five years showing great resilience to the impact of adverse trends prevailing in the market. As demonstrated by the results of the most recent study conducted by the advisory company KPMG and the research company PMR in June 2009 the current economic situation linked to the global economic crisis has not affected the good performance of the pharmaceutical industry; either it has not had an adverse effect on the optimistic mood prevailing among pharmaceutical companies in Poland. Marcin Rudnicki Partner Head of the Pharmaceuticals Group KPMG emphasised: Pharmaceutical companies expect continued growth of the market. Over half of companies surveyed plan to increase investments in employee development and production infrastructure in the next 12 months. He also points out that More than 60% of the surveyed companies described the current market situation as good or very good a steep 40% of the surveyed companies plan to introduce three to 10 new drugs by the end of 2009. Monika Bartoszewicz Partner Audit Department KPMG adds: It appears that the pharmaceutical sector has managed to find a solution to achieve growth during the times of economic slowdown. In 2009 the value of the pharmaceutical market in Poland will exceed PLN 25bn which shows a significant improvement over the figure for 2008. On-line pharmacies will be the fastest growing distribution channel a whopping 80% of the companies surveyed predict that distribution through this channel will develop faster than the pharmacy sales market as a whole.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98855.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98856.php Mid Europa Partners has announced on 25 January that it has completed its tender offer to purchase any and all of the outstanding ordinary shares par value 0.01 euros per share Invitel Shares and any and all of the American Depositary Shares each representing one Invitel Share Invitel ADSs of Invitel Holdings A/S Invitel Portfolio Hungary reported. According to the report of the settlement agent for the offer a total of 2 900 489 Invitel Shares and Invitel ADSs have been tendered and not withdrawn including Invitel ADSs subject to guaranteed delivery Mid Europa said in a statement. As a result of the offer Mid Europa will own about 91.8% of the outstanding Invitel Shares including Invitel Shares represented by Invitel ADSs . Mid Europa intends to acquire the remaining Invitel Shares not owned by Mid Europa in a subsequent compulsory acquisition procedure under Danish law at the same per share cash price offered and paid in the tender offer the company added. Invitel formerly known as Hungarian Telephone and Cable Corporation HTCC is the second-largest fixed-line operator in Hungary with over one million customers with activities in Eastern Europe. Invitel is and also operates on the regional wholesale market. Mid Europa Partners and GMT Communications Partners had acquired 100 percent of Invitel in April 2003 and rearranged its capital structure in July 2004 so that a large part of their original investment yielded a return. They had sold the company to HTCC in April 2007.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98856.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98857.php According to the latest official figures cited by Czech media last week Ceske drahy CD the state-run rail operator last year transported the lowest number in its history. CD transported 162.9 million passengers in 2009 which compared to 2008 was lower by 12 million. In percentage terms the figure plummeted by 7 %. The figures were reportedly sent to the Czech transport ministry by Ceske drahy. The railway operator however did not confirm the figures. I do not know the results for the entire year yet but I estimate that they will be officially available in mid-February Ceske drahy spokesman Petr Stahlavsky was quoted as having said. Until now Ceske drahys passenger numbers were the lowest in 2003 when the company transported 172 million people. In 2008 passenger numbers reached 175.2 million. Ceske drahy admitted that the number of their passengers already dropped by 8% in the first half of 2009.According to data made public by the transport ministry the decrease in the first three quarters was similar. Despite the dramatic fall in passenger numbers Ceske drahys revenue from fares might not have fallen so much as the average distance passengers travel with Ceske drahy has grown by 3% to almost 40 kilometers according to statistics.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98857.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98858.php Hungarys state-owned railway company MÁV has placed an order with Bombardier Transportation for 25 Bombardier Traxx P 160 locomotives valued at about 80 million euros USD 112 million Portfolio Hungary reported early last week. The contract also includes an option for a further 25 locomotives. The delivery of the first locomotive is scheduled for spring 2011. According to MAV the locomotives which operate with alternating current AC are intended for passenger service in Hungary as well as for cross-border transport to Austria and Germany. Our locomotive investment project and the purchase of the new TRAXX locomotives are very important for achieving better energy efficiency within our fleet and replacing older locomotives said Imre Markus Chief Executive Officer of MAV-TRAKCIO Co. He said the new locomotives would contribute to the modernization and energy effectiveness of the Hungarian railways. They will enable the company to reduce maintenance costs and continue to fulfil more contractual obligations for international corridors. There are currently around 800 TRAXX locomotives in service in Europe alone. The TRAXX product family is designed for the transport of goods as well as passengers in national and international routes on all networks. It consists of three electric variants multi-system alternating and direct current locomotives and a diesel-electric design. The final assembly of the AC locomotives for MAV will take place at the Bombardier plant in Kassel Germany. The car bodies will be produced at Bombardiers site in Wroclaw Poland the bogies in Siegen Germany and the bogie frames in the companys Hungarian site of Matranovak.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98858.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98859.php The position of Czech households was best in the region last year in terms of net financial that improved making up over 42 % of GDP in 2009 according to the revelations of a recent study conducted by the UniCredit Bank. The effect of the global crisis was comparatively moderate in the Czech Republic than in most countries in central and eastern Europe the bank said. The high share of bank deposits in households savings and the stable domestic financial sector had prevented a fall in financial assets of households in relation to GDP also in the worst year 2008 when none of the neighbouring countries managed to avoid the fall the study said. According to UniCredit Bank analysts the financial position of Czech households will remain stable in 2010 and 2011. Assets are foreseen to grow by up to 6 percent a year on average given slow economic growth. Emphasis would be laid on safe banking products but households would also diversify their savings to a greater extent than elsewhere in the region investing in shares and other securities according to the study. The bank also warned that households savings in pension funds have been growing at a slow pace in the Czech Republic. The absence of the pension reform with mandatory savings will make the Czech Republic the only country in the region in the years to come where annual increments in assets in pension funds will not reach two-digit values said the banks analyst Pavel Sobisek. According to the study financial assets of households in the region are estimated to have returned to growth last year adding over 12 percent to account for 44 % of GDP.  ... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98859.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98860.php Swedish banking group Swedbank on 27 January said it would scrap bonus payments for 2009 - totalling some 406 million Swedish crowns $ 57 million Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. Chief Executive Michael Wolf said it was a unique decision in the light of the banks losses and government efforts and should not be interpreted as a signal that we have changed our view regarding the basic principles for the banks remuneration system. Bonus payments not affected by the banks decision totalled 17 million crowns. In 2008 Swedbank was the first main banking group to join a voluntary guarantee program set up by the Swedish government. The group in 2009 reported loan losses over the economic downturn in the Baltic countries and Ukraine. Swedbank has some nine million private customers and 600 000 corporate customers at branches in Sweden the Baltic countries and Ukraine.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98860.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98861.php Denmark is tipped to be one of the first countries in the world to establish an electric car grid infrastructure but French car manufacturer Renault is threatening to withdraw from a deal in which it would provide the vehicles Copenhagen Post reported on January 22. Renault is supposed to provide electric cars to Better Place the company overseeing the installation of the infrastructure for an electric car grid but will pull out if the government cant reach agreement on viable car tax exemptions. Japan-based companies IT service provider NEC and car manufacturer Nissan are also involved in the plan having created the lithium-ion battery pack to be used in the cars. DONG Energy is creating a national network of charging stations. Better Place aims to have 500 000 electric cars on the roads by 2020 but the issue of vehicle registration tax remains. As part of the governments green energy initiative it was decided that electric vehicles would not be subject to the normal vehicle registration tax of 180 percent until 2012. Previous Climate and Energy Minister Connie Hedegaard hinted last year that an exemption or at least a significant tax reduction would be extended until 2015. But nothings clear yet. Jorgen Hostmann an analyst in electric car technology at the Technical University of Denmark is urging the government to take the threat seriously.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98861.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98862.php Nordic bank Nordea said it would abolish passbooks in Finland News room Finland reported early last week in a move to increase e-banking and decrease wastage. Nordea added that the EUs payment services directive due to enter into force in May required banks to record more transaction information than could be entered into passbooks. But other banks have not announced plans to refuse service to passbook holders. Jussi Mekkonen of Nordea said the bank had up to 4 000 Finnish account holders for whom the passbook remained the sole means of access to their account.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98862.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98863.php Nokia the worlds largest mobile phone maker on 28 January posted a higher pre-tax profit for the fourth quarter 2009 and said it increased its share of the global handset market DPA reported. The Finnish-based company posted pre-tax earnings - excluding special items - of €1.47 billion $2 billion compared to €1.24 billion in the same period of 2008.Fourth-quarter sales dropped five percent year-on-year to €12 billion but grew 22% compared to the preceding quarter the group said. Nokia chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo told analysts the fourth quarter was strong and that the group had been able to ramp up its portfolio with several advanced models including touch screen phones. For the full-year 2009 the group reported that sales dropped 19% to €40.98 billion and that pre-tax earnings were down 50% year-on-year to €3.5 billion. The company sold 126.9 million units during the fourth quarter up 12% year-on-year and a 17% increase compared to the third quarter of 2009. Nokia estimated that it had 39% of the global handset market share in the final quarter compared to 37% year-on- year and slightly up on the third quarter 2009.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98863.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98864.php Matti Vanhanen the Finnish Prime Minister joined Mauri Pekkarinen the economy Minister in pledging aid to the countrys struggling shipbuilding industry owned for the most part by South Koreas STX News room Finland reported on 25 January. He told the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE that the government would consider including a shipyard aid package in a draft supp­lementary budget to be handed to Parliament in the spring. Vanhanen said that as the government could not place orders for cruiseships the aid would take the form of innovation and environmental subsidies.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98864.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98865.php Carlsberg has announced that a sudden strike at its Danish operations has now ended and that brewing operations had now resumed. The strike began previous Friday after around 600 workers protested over pay and was only resolved last week Nam News reported on 25 January. The 3f union initiated the strike after Carlsberg declared that there would be no local pay rises for blue collar workers this year following a weak set of results in 2009. The number of workers striking rose to about 900 at the end. Carlsberg said there had been no negotiations and workers had resumed work on their own.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98865.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98866.php Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson on January 25 blamed the drop in its fourth-quarter sales and net income partly on cautious investments by operators in some markets official said. The group said net income - after losses and restructuring charges - shrank 82 percent to 700 million Swedish crowns USD 97 million while fourth-quarter net sales fell 13% to 58.3 billion crowns. Operating income excluding restructuring charges was 7.5 billion crowns in the fourth quarter down 16% year on year. Full-year 2009 net sales were down one percent to 206 billion crowns and net income fell 65 % to 4.1 billion crowns. New Chief Executive Hans Vestberg told analysts the groups focus in 2010 is to grow faster than the market adding that it was a little too early to say where the market is going. In 2009 the group maintained market shares in all segments he said. Vestberg noted that in 2009 operators in a number of developing markets especially Central Europe Middle East and Africa became increasingly cautious with investments.Other markets including China India and the US continued to show good development with major network build-outs he added. Vestberg recently succeeded Carl-Henric Svanberg who has left the group to become chairman at British Petroleum BP . Ericsson also announced an extra 1 500 jobs would be cut under a restructuring plan which bit deeply into fourth-quarter net profit at the firm the world leader in phone network equipment. Total announced job cuts are now about 6 500 generating huge restructuring charges with the intention of bringing equally huge cost savings. Ericsson expected its cost saving plan to be completed in the second quarter this year and expected to save some 15-16 billion crowns by the second half of 2010.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98866.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98867.php Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis won the recent crucial parliamentary vote to ensure the medium-term future of the Baltic states €7.5 billion international aid package despite a large-scale rebellion within his own ruling coalition. Dombrovskis won a vote by 54 to 22 on whether he could continue negotiations with lenders including the International Monetary Fund IMF World Bank and European Union. However the Peoples Party - the largest party in the ruling coalition government - voted against the prime minister forcing him to rely on support from one opposition party the Latvias First Party/Latvian Way and abstentions from another opposition party the pro-Russian Harmony Centre party which had been expected to vote against the legislation. The partys opposition to efforts by Finance Minister Einars Repse to sack the head of the tax office recently sparked a public war of words between it and the New Era party of which Dombrovskis and Repse are members. Failure to win the vote would have meant Latvia would have had to redraw its international agreements from scratch. That in turn could have led to market jitters fears of a default and renewed pressure on the Latvian currency the lat. Latvias has taken out loans totaling €7.5 billion from international institutions as part of an economic rescue package after its overheated economy imploded and the near-collapse of its second-largest bank Parex in 2007. The economy is thought to have contracted by around 18% in 2009 and is expected to shrink again by between 2% and 4% in 2010.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98867.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98868.php The foreign minister of Lithuania Vygaudas Usackas recently submitted his resignation just a day after President Dalia Grybauskaite announced that she had lost confidence in him. I am announcing my resignation. I have signed my resignation letter and will hand it to the prime minister later today Usackas told a press conference. Usackas refused to comment on his future plans and said he had yet to hear a concrete reason why the president had called for his dismissal. President Dalia Grybauskaite had urged Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius to take specific procedural steps for the dismissal of the foreign minister. Tension had been growing between Grybauskaite and Usackas for several weeks over a range of issues. A rift opened between the two over the handling of the recall of Lithuanias ambassador to Georgia whom Grybauskaite accused of becoming politicized. They were also at loggerheads over interpretations of a parliamentary probe into a possible secret CIA prison in Lithuania with the president suggesting the facility probably did exist and the foreign minister saying it did not. Usackas served as foreign minister since the Kubilius government formed its cabinet on 4 December 2008.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98868.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98869.php Estonia comfortably met the European Union budget requirement in 2009 and the country would have to face an even bigger buffer to fulfill the budget criteria in 2010 Jurgen Ligi the Estonian Finance Minister said in a questions and answers session to lawmakers last week local media reported. Estonia seeks to become the third eastern European nation to adopt the Euro after Slovenia and Slovakia to spur investment and trade. Commerzbank AG recently said Estonia was highly likely to join the Euro next year echoing Nordea AB and Swedbank. The finance ministry spokeswoman Piret Seeman announced that the ministry would shortly present preliminary data on the central government budget deficit the key component of its overall finances. The European Central Bank said the government must ensure that national statistics are collected independently before Euro adoption according to a legal opinion dated 6 January evaluating a draft law on collecting statistical information in Estonia. Ligi said the draft due for parliamentary discussion in February had already been amended to address ECB concerns. As the European Central Bank pointed to the possibility that the finance ministry could somehow interfere with statistics I took a look at the clauses which indeed seemed strange Ligi said. There is indeed no need to provoke anyone with childish expressions in a draft and I am confident these statements have already been removed by today the minister added.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98869.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98870.php A joint Vietnam-Slovakia business exchange was held in Hanoi on 27 January to increase economic trade and investment cooperation between the two countries VOV news reported. Addressing the event Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Assembly Nguyen Duc Kien affirmed that the Vietnamese government attaches great importance to strengthening ties with Slovakia and its time for the business communities of the two countries to boost investment cooperation. He hoped that businesses would discuss specific measures to seek their investment opportunities establish partnerships and enter their huge European and ASEAN markets. Slovak National Council Speaker Pavol Paska pointed out both countries potential and said they can cooperate in energy transport health care and national defense. Slovakia supports bilateral cooperation and it believes that such cooperation will bring about good results said speaker Paska. Representatives of 10 Slovak economic groups and businesses introduced their potential fields in transport pharmacy and construction to nearly 40 Vietnamese businesses. The event was co-hosted by the Slovak Embassy and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98870.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98871.php The new South Korean Ambassador to Slovakia Seok-soong Seo stated recently that prominent Korean investors Kia and Samsung plan to expand the scope of their activities in Slovakia Radio Slovakia reported on 27 January. The Korean side would like to expand the co-operation with Slovakia in additional fields especially the chemical industry nuclear engineering science and research. Currently the Korean companies in Slovakia employ around 20 000 people. Towns and villages in Slovakia need €100 million from the state budget to compensate the effects of the economic downturn stated the chairman of the Slovak Association of Towns and Villages ZMOS Michal Sykora Radio Slovakia reported on 27 January. They said that they expect a significant decrease in tax revenue in March. The reason for the expected shortfall should be that for the first time municipalities will have to return to the state budget their excess revenue from personal income tax they received during 2009. This excess revenue was caused by last years modification of the deductible item from the income tax base in the Income Tax Act. Prime Minister Robert Fico promised aid in two phases totaling €70 million; self-governments should receive the first amount of €40 million in March and the remaining part of €30 million in April.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98871.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98872.php At its 27 January meeting Slovakias cabinet approved a draft new concept for the countrys subsistence level scheme Slovak spectator reported. The Ministry of Labor Social Affairs and Family plans to re-evaluate the subsistence scheme by 2012 and if it turns out that the subsistence scheme does not comply with the conclusions of the re-evaluation the ministry will initiate a change to the subsistence level law the ministry said in the draft concept. Besides re-evaluating the subsistence level the ministry is expected to re-think the provision of assistance to people in material need i.e. the sum of benefits paid to persons in material need that goes to various types of families as well as additional contributions so that these together guarantee an income sufficient to cover the basic needs of a household. The Trade Union Confederation KOZ has asked the Ministry of Labour to shorten the period within which it is to re-evaluate the subsistence concept but Labour Minister Viera Tomanova said that this was impossible.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98872.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98873.php The Greek government enjoyed a much-needed boost on 25 January as it succeeded in selling €8 billion of bonds although it paid a high price to do so. The government celebrated the success and economists said the strength of demand — which at €25 billion was equivalent to almost half of Greeces full-year borrowing schedule. The huge demand for the bonds bodes well for Greece as it suggests Athens will be able to secure the sufficient funds to repay debt maturing until the start of April. The premium Greece paid to sell the bonds was also considerably above levels paid in the past. The premium demanded by investors or spread to hold Greek 10-year bonds over German Bunds fell below 300 basis points down from around 310 basis points late on 23 January. In August before the crisis erupted spreads were around 120 basis points. Economists said that this was a breakthrough for the Greek economy showing that Greece can still get loans and there is confidence at the Greek economy but at a high price. It is still a massive premium compared with the 2.25 percentage points over mid-swaps Greece paid to sell a five-year deal in March 2009. The extra premium a product of the deterioration in sentiment towards the nation in the past year will only add to Greece mounting costs. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreous government is struggling to reduce a budget deficit of 12.7% of gross domestic product and needs to sell $53 billion of debt this year the equivalent of about 20% of GDP. Standard Poors said the number of companies and governments at risk of credit-rating downgrades fell to the lowest in 15 months. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on 26 January termed the securing of a five-year joint venture loan a positive vote for the country despite the fact as he said that the loaning was costly. Papandreou told Greek reporters following the end of his visit in Strasbourg that in any case it is a first good message for the country but we have a lot and systematic work to do for Greece to regain its credibility and this was only the beginning. Papandreou was also asked about his meetings in Davos which he was due to visit on 28-29 January accompanied by Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou and said that he will be having many meetings with the mass media mainly with the financial media.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98873.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98874.php During a press conference to review the year 2009 on January 25 the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated Russias support and for the tactic followed at the negotiations. Namely negotiations beginning from the simple issues and moving on to the complicated ones since as Lavrov stated this allows for confidence to be reinforced when the simple matters are resolved creating therefore the preconditions for the resolution of the difficult issues the Cyprus government said in a press release reported. A very significant point is also Lavrovs reference to Russias insistence upon the position that the resolution of the Cyprus problem must take place without arbitration outside pressure or forged timeframes the Cyprus government said. As Lavrov himself has said these procedures were followed in the past during the shaping of the Annan plan and failed; consequently they cannot be used now it added. Lavrov repeated his statements that the positions of Russia on the Cyprus problem are founded on principles and in particular on the UN resolutions. He also reiterated Russias support for the negotiating process that unfolds in Cyprus between Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat in order to reach a mutually agreed solution of the Cyprus problem.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98874.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98875.php Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said on 26 January in Strasbourg that Greek-Turkish relations are always difficult for one to judge and mentioned the example of 2004 since it had appeared then that some issues were heading for a solution. He added that many efforts must be made and termed the latest statements by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglou positive. Questioned about revelations in the Turkish press regarding the intentions of the Turkish armed forces he said that everything is being evaluated but at the same time everything is not taken at face value and this as he said due to the many internal tensions existing in Turkey and which can affect the relations of the two countries. Papandreou also expressed hope that political will exists for some steps to be taken.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98875.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98876.php Greek Agricultural Development and Foods Minister Katerina Batzeli on 26 January presented a package of measures designed to create a national strategy for farming over the coming months after the end of a two-day conference on farming issues in central Athens that was shunned by farmers manning protest road blocks around the country. Among the key measures presented by the ministrys leadership was the injection of some €5.5 billion in cash to boost liquidity and incomes in the agricultural sector in 2010 as well as reforms of the agricultural compensation organization ELGA to make the distribution of compensation more equitable greater participation of younger farmers in the sectors union organizations up to 60% steps designed to lower production costs and measures to control the market and close the gap between producer and retail prices for farm products. Regarding the last issue the government intends to ensure that retail prices are no more than 100% over that paid to farmers while wholesale prices should be up to 30% over that paid to farmers. Those violating those limits will face additional taxes while the ministry also intends to create a databank of companies that violate food safety laws or charge excessive prices. Other measures will seek to improve farming as a profession including eligibility for life-long learning programs at the education ministry. Batzeli said that one of the main obstacles to improving the operation of the agricultural economy were outdated attitudes including that which said that farmers should live off subsidies.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98876.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98877.php Greek Employment and Social Solidarity Minister Andreas Loverdos delivered to social partners the draft law on labor relations on 26 January. The draft law includes clauses for subsidization by the Manpower Employment Organization OAED for social security contributions for the hiring of young employees over the next four years for the first year 100 % the second 75 % the third 50 % and the fourth 25 % . Loverdos underlined the ministrys effort to drastically reduce contribution evasion as well as the expenditures of funds in the sector of health and medical and pharmaceutical care.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98877.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98878.php The total number of motor vehicles registered during 2009 decreased by 25.7% to 50.291 from 67.722 in 2008. Of these 23.333 were new vehicles and 26.958 were used vehicles reads a report Registration of Motor Vehicles for the period January - December 2009 published by the Cypriot Statistical Service on 22 January. Private saloon cars decreased by 26.2% in 2009 to 36.252 from 49.100 in 2008; used private saloon cars registered in 2009 reached 21.271 or 58.7% of saloon cars registrations while new private saloon cars registrations were 14.981 or 41.3%; self-drive cars registrations decreased by 49.6% to 1.099 in 2009 compared to 2.216 in 2008.  ... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98878.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98879.php The European Investment Bank EIB is lending 50 million euros to Piraeus Bank Romania to finance permanent working capital increases as well as projects of small and medium-sized enterprises SMEs in Romania in the areas of industry services including tourism agriculture health energy environmental protection and development of a knowledge-based economy.  This loan is designed to support projects promoted by SMEs in Romania under more accessible and attractive lending conditions. It is also aimed at reducing the impact of the current economic crisis by improving access to medium and long-term funds on advantageous financial terms. To these ends the EIB has also simplified its procedures and is broadening the scope of its financing by also covering intangible types of investment and working capital. In addition it is increasing transparency by working towards a more effective transfer of the advantage of EIB funds to the final beneficiaries. Each loan under the facility will be subject to complying with the eligibility criteria imposed by EIB.  Eligible projects to be financed have to be implemented by SMEs with fewer than 250 employees and by municipalities. To increase the access of SMEs to long-term financing the EIB closely cooperates with local financial institutions that have local market expertise like Piraeus Bank Romania particularly in providing services to businesses through a well-developed network.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98879.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98880.php The problems connected with Bulgarian healthcare have come back in the most painful way. Under the pressure of the financial crisis Healthcare Minister Bozhidar Nanev has announced that in order to make up for the lack of finances the ministry will have to close down or restructure wards and hospitals introduce three-month delegated budgets for healthcare institutions and tighten the financial discipline. There isnt enough money but the ministry is making attempts to reformat the system in very difficult times and conditions and this could have happened some time ago when the conditions were much better said the minister. He forecast that as early as during the first half of 2010 about 70-80 health treatment institutions will close down or will be turned into hospices and hospitals for completion of medical treatment. In some smaller towns this will happen as early as this year because they have practically gone bankrupt. Experts are developing nine medical paths for completion of hospital treatment and rehabilitation which will be paid for from the national health insurance fund and through which the new centres will be financed. Nanev has also announced that the money for healthcare for next year amounts to 2.6 billion levs about 1.3 billion euros with the money for hospital treatment being curtailed the most by 220 million levs. This amount is expected to be compensated with the help of the reform and with putting a stop to the process of draining finances. About 30% of hospitalizations are currently unnecessary Nanev also said trying to formulate another reason for the closing down of hospitals. Next year clinics which do not correspond to the standards for the respective disease or do not have a full-time specialist will not be able to work with the national healthcare insurance fund which would mean that they will not be financed. According to the minister there are such wards in about 100 healthcare institutions in Bulgaria and they will gradually drop out. Nanev added that the money for medicines allocated for next year by the national healthcare fund is at a critical level since it has been reduced by 10 million levs and currently amounts to 320 million levs. We will have a high death toll during this reform Sergei Stanishev leader of BSP and the most recent former prime minister grimly forecast some days ago. The healthcare minister immediately opposed this viewpoint and said that the closing of some hospitals will give a breath of fresh air to the healthcare system and assist the overall development of the reform. Nobody has ever stopped talking about reforms in Bulgaria for 111 years now and this is the case especially in the healthcare sphere. The closing of the hospitals may not be affected as easily as it sounds in theory. Moreover a study carried out by the World Healthcare Organization indicated that Bulgaria ranks 102nd in the world in terms of quality of the healthcare system which is another reason why Bulgarians are especially sensitive with respect to the topic of health.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98880.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98881.php  The population dropped due to the negative natural increase recorded in November 2009. In November 17306 children were born 9.8 live births per 1000 inhabitants 2736 less than in October. The number of people who died in November was 21930 12.4 deaths per 1000 inhabitants 143 deaths more than in October Romanias National Institute of Statistics reported on January 14. The excess of deaths over live births negative natural increase led to a drop of 4624 in the population in November. The number of children under one year who died in November was 190 11.0 children under one year per 1000 live births a decrease compared to October 201 children under 1 year deceased . During the period under review 7036 marriages were recorded at registry offices 4.0 marriages per 1000 inhabitants a decrease of 8236 compared to the previous month. 1740 divorces were granted by final court decision 0.99 divorces per 1000 inhabitants 91 more than in October. The number of live births fell by 514 in November 2009 compared to the same month of 2008 and the number of people who died was greater by 496 than in November 2008. In November 2009 the population decreased by 4624 people while in November 2008 it dropped by 3614 people.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98881.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98882.php Last week the Sofia City Court ruled out another attempt at postponing the trial against Hristo Kovachki and allowed a lawsuit against him to begin. In this way one of the richest Bulgarian businessmen finally stands before Themis which refutes probably the axiom that what money cant buy lots of money can. The suit as it is is about money as well. Kovachki owner of mines power plants and factories in Bulgaria and Serbia is being tried on two charges: tax evasion and for alleged unlawful usage of tax credit as per the Value Added Tax VAT Law. The prosecutors office claims that the accused incurred damages to the state equaling 16 781 960 levs around nine million euros and the crime carries a penalty of from three to eight years in prison. The investigation in the case started sensationally at the end of October in 2008. At that time he was accused of being organizer and leader of a criminal group specializing in tax evasion. The businessman was arrested and anti-Mafia officers broke into 17 of his offices and confiscated thousands of documents. Later the court set 300 000 levs for a release on bail. Kovachki complained he did not have that much money and the magistrates responded by reducing the bail to 200 000 levs. Eventually in the course of investigation the prosecution failed to prove the existence of a criminal group and only Kovachki received charges. In the meantime the energy tycoon tried to enter politics and became the leader of the political party LEADER. The formation was unsuccessful in its bid for the European Parliament and the Bulgarian Parliament receiving less than the required votes to be elected. At the end of September 2009 Kovachki got something unprecedented. By request from the Commission for confiscation of unlawfully acquired property the Sofia City Court put a lien on his property valued at 143 411 811 levs around 73 million euros .... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98882.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98883.php Norways leading gas transporter and operator Gassco transported 99.8 billion standard cubic meters scm of Norwegian gas in 2009 up by roughly 2.3 billion scm from the 2008 gas year. The 96.6 billion scm covers pipeline deliveries to Germany Belgium France and the UK. In addition come 1.4 billion scm of gas delivered for domestic Norwegian consumption and 1.8 billion scm for injection in fields on the Norwegian continental shelf NCS .  A central goal for Gassco is to run Norways integrated gas transport system with the highest possible regularity and this averaged 99.6% for the gas year which has now ended. The processing plants at Kårstø and Kollsnes in western Norway are cornerstones in the transport network with roughly 55% of Norwegian gas exports passing through them.Weve achieved high availability and regularity at the gas processing facilities we operate during the past year says Jan Hauge executive Vice President for Product Management at Gassco.  He says that the growth in Norwegian gas deliveries to Europe reflects increased production from the gas fields at the NCS and an increased demand for Norwegian gas.  The previous record was beaten on Saturday 16 January when 355.8 million scm Norwegian gas was delivered during the 24-hour gas day which runs from 0600 until 0600.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98883.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98884.php The National Energy Authority has granted the company Sjavarorka a 6 year research permit for a tidal wave power plant in Hvammsfjordur fjord the innermost part of Breidafjordur fjord in west Iceland Iceland Review reported on 26 January. In September it was reported that Japanese industrial giant Mitsubishi was looking into options of harnessing tidal wave energy in the West Fjords in collaboration with the West Fjords Business Energy. Minister of Industry Katrin Juliusdottir said that she is keen on obtaining an overview of energy harnessing options in Iceland and making long-term plans for the distribution of energy instead of only evaluating one project at a time. She added that it is important to have options ready to attract green industries. A referendum on the enlargement of the smelter in Straumsvík is coming up in Hafnarfjordur and Juliusdottir said it is uncertain where the energy for increased aluminum production in Straumsvík will come from. No permits in relation to the enlargement have been issued the minister said.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98884.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98885.php Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis reported on 26 January a 54% increase in fourth-quarter net income to $2.3 billion in part due to sales of swine flu vaccines official said. The drug-makers board also appointed Joe Jimenez currently division head of the pharmaceutical business as new chief executive officer to replace Daniel Vasella who steps down after 14 years on the job. Vasella will stay on as chairman. Under further changes Novartis has slimmed down its leadership structure by reducing the size of its executive committee from 12 to nine members. Vasella said the outgoing fourth quarter had been especially strong with the company benefitting from better exchange rates and the shipment of large orders of swine flu vaccine in the final 3 months of 2009. For the full year Novartis reported $8.45 billion net income a four percent increase over 2008 on a rise in net sales of 7% to 44.3 billion.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98885.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98886.php The Norwegian electronics company Kongsberg Maritime has successfully delivered the first Helicopter Operations Surveillance System HOSS for amphibious ships to the US Navy Norway Post reported early last week. The delivery is part of an $11 million Naval Air Systems Command NAVAIR fixed price Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract awarded in December 2008. The new contract is a follow-on to the original HOSS contracts awarded in 2007 which saw the successful development qualification and delivery of 13 HOSS for amphibious ships with the final system being delivered November 2008. Previous ship systems included seven Landing Ship Dock LSD and six Landing Helicopter Assault and Dock LHA/LHD -class variants. Included in the new contract are design upgrades to the original system equipment specifications second generation and delivery of numerous amphibious ship systems for up to five years.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98886.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98887.php A Swiss court issued a ruling halting the transfer of UBS AG client data to the United States putting in doubt a landmark agreement reached over the summer between the US and Swiss governments official said. The Swiss Federal Administrative Court said failure to fill out a tax form for the US authorities was not tax fraud and therefore under Swiss laws the clients information should not be disclosed. The case was brought by a US client of the Swiss bank and could affect some two dozen others. The United States wants information on clients it suspects evaded taxes with the help of UBS employees. In Washington the Internal Revenue Service said it had not yet reviewed the courts decision but had every expectation that the Swiss government will continue to honor the terms of the agreement. This is the second ruling by the court calling into question Berns plans to cooperate with the US by relaxing banking secrecy through the transfer of confidential data.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98887.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98888.php The Ministry of Finance has decided to exclude 17 companies that produce tobacco from the Government Pension Fund Global GPFG based on a recommendation from the Funds Council on Ethics. The divestment of shares in these companies has now been completed.We have taken these changes on board and believe amongst others in light of the consultative input in connection with the evaluation of the ethical guidelines that it is timely to exclude tobacco from the Fund. It is important that the ethical guidelines reflect at all times what can be considered to be commonly held values of the owners of the Fund says Minister of Finance Sigbjørn Johnsen. In Report No. 20 to the Storting on the Management of the GPFG the Ministry proposed excluding tobacco producers from the Fund. The move was supported by the Storting. The specific delimitation of the tobacco criterion was described in the National Budget for 2010. The recommendation was made in line with this. Since the companies themselves state that they are primarily engaged in tobacco production the Council on Ethics has not found it necessary to contact the companies to confirm this.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98888.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98889.php As the Guarantor the Croatian food company Podravka will pay its liabilities from the Financing contract based on a backed bill signed with Fima Grupa as the Client which amounts 102 609 752.86 Croatian kuna using in majority a short-term loan given by the Erste Steiermärkische Bank d.d. Rijeka. The minor part will be paid from its own equity. The above mentioned refinancing is a part of an arrangement reached with the largest creditors of Podravka d.d. whose claims are partially due in the first quarter of 2010. After settling this liability Podravka d.d. will start a procedure to collect the amount in question from Fima Grupa d.d. i.e. its legal successors by using the regress right. This liability is a part of the earlier announced risks of 310 million kuna and is the only risk of outflow found up to the moment of this announcement. Pursuant to the Capital Market Law and the Rules of the Zagreb Stock Exchange on 25 January 2010 Erste Factoring d.o.o. called Podravka d.d. as the Guarantor to pay its liabilities.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98889.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98890.php During a visit to Belgrade a German delegation led by chairman of the German business association Eastern Committee Klaus Mangold met with Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic and ministers of the Serbian government on January 25 Beta news agency reported. The delegation comprised of representatives of Volkswagen the RWE energy company the Deutsche Telecom Siemens Deutsche Bank BASF and Air Berlin. In the course of talks Mangold expressed that the interest of German investors in Serbia even more which they see as the market of the future. He said that Serbia is very competitive at the international level. He said that German industry saw great potential for investing in Serbia in the fields of agriculture the food industry energy and telecommunications. He announced that a seminar will be held in Germany in the second half of 2010 at which German investors will be informed about possibilities for investing in Serbia. Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said that the meeting with the German delegation was plenary in nature and that there has been no discussion of concrete projects. He said that the association Eastern Committee gathers businessmen whose total annual turnover is 300 billion euros. Mangold also visited the Dr Zoran Djindjic Fund and had talks with its chairwoman Ruzica Djindjic.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98890.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98891.php The Albanian Ministry of Finance recently announced that the country needs reductions in budget expenditures to improve its credit ratings AENews reported. The document of the ministry states that government should revise its 2010 budget and reduce its expenditure by 10% prior March to avoid a very likely downgrade in its Moodys credit rating. We face high uncertainty in the revenue forecast while a new credit rating that will take into account the macro-fiscal situation of the last year will be issued in March the report reads. In the current situation there is little possibility that the countrys rating will stand at minus B1 with a stable outlook and the only way to avoid the downgrade is to demonstrate our will to manage the risks with a credible scenario it adds. The Ministry of Finance dubbed as unrealistic the governments prediction in December that a 5.5% economic growth for this year is likely to happen. The 2010 public budget forecasted 410 billion lek 2.97 billion Euro worth of expenditures and 360 billion lek 2.63 billion Euro in revenues. Albania intends to issue 300 million euros sovereign bonds this year to repay old debts. However several analysts believe that the current economic forecast for the region fails to augur for an entry into the international bond market.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98891.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98892.php The fund of International Monetary Fund money is vital to maintain Bosnias fiscal stability as without it the budgets will be in deficit Fars news agency reported. All three governments and parliaments revised 2009 budgets and passed 2010 budgets a condition set for the release of the second installment of 1.2 billion euros IMF loan in January. However IMF intends not to issue the second tranche of its standby loan to Bosnia unless its regional parliaments pass disputed laws that cut cash transfers to social groups. It was reported that regional parliaments have yet to adopt legislation reforming generous cash transfers to war veterans and their families. IMF Resident Representative Milan Cuc said that the IMF staff-level agreement with the authorities envisages all relevant legislation should be adopted by parliaments. The Board could meet within a few weeks after all prior actions have been completed added Cuc. For now no date has been set for the IMF Executive Board Meeting. The timing will largely depend on how quickly the authorities are able to complete the measures Cuc said. IMF supports the authorities efforts to complete all the prior actions early and facilitate initiation of necessary reforms without delay.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98892.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98893.php The Head of the European Union delegation to Bosnia-Herzegovina Dimitris Kourkoulas in an interview told daily Dnevni Avaz that the country is yet to complete a lot of work Fars news agency reported. In the legislative sense Bosnia has fulfilled all demands but there is more work with the technical conditions said Kourkoulas. Kourkoulas said that with the adoption of the changes and additions made to the Criminal Law in the Bosnia-Herzegovina parliament is a large step towards fulfilling all conditions but at this moment it cannot be said that all the conditions are fulfilled. It was reported that Bosnia is yet to fulfill all conditions required for visa liberalisation. According to Kourkoulas experts of the European Commission will pay a visit to Bosnia in mid-February to make a final assessment on whether Bosnia is ready for the visa-free regime. Kourkoulas said that adequate solutions need to be found for 148 people seeking asylum in Bosnia and that several sub-law acts must be passed for the control of suspicious transactions and that the action plan for implementing the strategy for the fight against organized crime must be adopted as well.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98893.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98894.php Ambassador Vincent Degert Head of the European Union Delegation to Serbia together with Ambassador of Spain Inigo de Palacio Espana organized a working lunch with Serbian Premier Mirko Cvetkovic as the guest of honour Beta news agency reported. Serbias European integration perspectives following the positive achievements of 2009 were some of the topics discussed at the meeting. The Premier and Ambassadors exchanged views on political and economic developments in Serbia as well as on regional co-operation. Cvetkovic reiterated and conveyed to the ambassadors his countrys the firm commitment as well as the overall social consensus in respect of Serbias European orientation and its association with the EU. This was affirmed in Serbias submission of the application for full-fledged EU membership in December 2009. He acquainted the ambassadors with a brief overview of the economic situation in Serbia followed by prospects for the upcoming period.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98894.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98895.php Albania recently awarded a project to Biopower Green Energy shpk part of Italys Marseglia Group. Marseglia is a leader in manufacturing and marketing vegetable oils. The project which received the approval of the Albanian government envisage construction of a power link with Italy to boost electricity transmission lines AENews reported. The Italian firm will build an interconnection link between Kallmet/Lezhe in northern Albania and Zapponeta/Manfredonia in the neighbouring country in a 600-million-euro investment. It will also build a 140MW plant powered by liquid biomass worth 150 million Euro and two 234MW wind farms for about 250 million Euro the government said in a statement.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98895.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98896.php The Croatian multinational company Atlantic Grupas Vice-President of Finance Zoran Stankovic and a member of the Management Board of Erste Securities Zagreb Ltd Hrvoje Krstulovic signed a market making agreement at the premises of the Zagreb Stock Exchange with which Erste Securities Zagreb Ltd are taking over the obligations of performing market making activities for the shares of Atlantic Grupa ATGR-R-A in the official quotation of the Zagreb Stock Exchange.    ... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98896.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98897.php Turkey hosted a trilateral summit in Istanbul with the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan on 25 January. Led by Turkish President Abdullah Gul the meeting was the fourth such summit. Afghani President Hamid Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari attended along withgovernment military and intelligence officials from both countries. What were trying to do is make sure the international communitys efforts be translated to local activity and that the neighbors of Afghanistan are committed to its well being Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa quoted Burak Ozugergin the Turkish ministry of foreign affairs spokesman as saying. Predominantly-Muslim Turkey a NATO member currently has some 1 700 troops in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force ISAF operating in the country. They are mostly involved in training and reconstruction efforts. Ankara has tried to take a lead in addressing non-security issues in Afghanistan for example recently hosting a meeting between the Afghani and Pakistani education ministers. You need to get the bureaucracy doing and we are doing that. We are a country well suited for doing that because we have a cultural affinity with Afghanistan Ozugergin said. What we are trying to do is address softer issues if I may call it that just as much as security issues. Security by itself is not enough.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98897.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98898.php The World Banks Global Economic Prospects 2010 report reviewed the performance of global economies in the turbulent 2009 and made projections for 2010. The Bank also revised downward its projection for Turkeys growth in 2010 from 4.9% to 3.3% due to updated data regarding Turkeys performance in 2009. The report revealed that the Turkish economy contracted by 5.8% in 2009 nearly equal to the 5.7% decline during the 2001 economic crisis and the largest contraction on record since 1969. The report also praised the Central Bank of Turkey for its efforts to support domestic demand recalling that it cut its key policy interest rate by more than half from 16.75% in October 2008 to 6.5% in October 2009. The report projects that the Turkish economy will grow by 4.2% in 2011 and estimates that the global economy will reach a growth rate of 3.2% the same year. A great deal of uncertainty clouds the outlook for the second half of 2010 and beyond the report said. Commenting on the Turkish economys performance in 2009 and its possible course this year World Bank Turkey Country Director Ulrich Zachau said the country is going through a process of recovery and spoke highly of the economys outlook for this year. Even though the official numbers havent been disclosed yet the growth rate in the fourth quarter of 2009 seems to be on the positive side compared to the same period a year ago. The fundamentals of the Turkish economy are still sturdy Zachau added. He reiterated the World Banks official expectation of around a 3-4% growth rate in 2010 for Turkey especially fueled by a reinvigoration in domestic consumption.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98898.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98899.php Turkish Industry Trade Minister Nihat Ergun accompanied by a large delegate of businesspeople recently paid a visit to Egypt to attend the conference Turkey-Egypt: A Bridge of Trade and Investment. The meeting which was attended by 100 Turkish businesspeople and 800 Egyptian businesspeople was held in Cairo by the Confederation of Turkish Businessmen and Industrialists TUSCON news agencies reported. Minister Ergun had a meeting with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Trade and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid after which the two ministers held a joint press conference. In the course of talks Ergun said that the visa requirement between Turkey and Egypt must be ended. He expressed hope that talks on the issue would be completed soon and visa requirements between the two countries would come to an end. It was reported that both countries share deep historical and cultural relations and their locations opens many opportunities. In this regard Ergun stated that the businesspeople investors and the peoples of the two countries must benefit from such opportunities. Ergun mentioned that both sides are working to foster relations. For instance he said that a free trade agreement was inked between the two countries. This agreement will increase the trade volume between the two countries to USD three billion. With this agreement Turkish investments in Egypt are soaring. TUSKON Chairman Rizanur Meral also said current trade volume between Turkey and Egypt was below a desired level and that they are committed to working to increase this. Meral stated that Turkish and Egyptian entrepreneurs considered embarking on joint investment projects in Africa in the coming months. Some 290 Turkish businesses have made investments in Egypt thus far.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98899.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98900.php The government of Montenegro has announced that it has established diplomatic relations with Kosovo. The government statement said the ties were established through the exchange letters of the Foreign Ministers of the two countries Montenegro Times reported. The exchange of ambassadors however has been put off until the two sides settle the issue with the recognition of a Montenegrin minority in Kosovo Montenegrin Foreign Minister Milan Rocen said. Montenegro demands the recognition of such a minority with an official status representation in the parliament and certain education and cultural rights. Montenegros recognition of Kosovo is expected to infuriate Serbia which still maintains the position that its former province should be integral part of it. It has disputed Kosovos declaration of independence at the International Court in the Hague and has called upon other countries to postpone the establishing of relations with Kosovo until the ruling of the highest judicial institution of the UN is clear. Montenegro recognized the Kosovo Albanian unilateral proclamation of independence in October 2008 and had its ambassador expelled from Belgrade.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98900.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98901.php Montenegro Prime Minister Milo Dukanovic for the first time paid an official visit to Slovakia on 18 January since the countrys declaration of independence from Serbia in 2006 Montenegro Times reported. The Montenegrin Premier met with his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico. Both sides discussed the level of bilateral relations and scope for fostering political dialogue and strengthening economic cooperation. Fico also reasserted Slovakias support for Montenegros ambitions to join the EU and NATO. Other issues discussed during the talks include the latest developments in international relations particularly in the western Balkans. Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic visited Slovakia in July 2007.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98901.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98902.php The recent decision of the European Union to remove visa requirements has failed to trigger interest by FYROMs to travel abroad according to figures released from FYROMs ministry. The number of people who left the country after the visa regime was abolished on 19 December until 12 January has risen insignificantly compared to the same period in 2008/09. In the aforesaid period over 208 000 exits from FYROM were recorded while some 170 000 passengers entered said the Ministry. A year earlier in the same period some 193 000 passengers left the country and 171 000 paid a visit. The visa liberalization also failed to boost the work of travel agencies. The chairman of the Association of the Travel Agencies of FYROM ATAM Mile Spirovski said the expectations for an increase of tourist travels abroad were not met. He added that on the contrary the interest of travelers declined and presently it is at its lowest level mainly due to the economic crisis. The fall of the visa regime for FYROM as well as for Serbia and for Montenegro enabled free travel of people to the European Schengen area.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98902.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98903.php Ukraine goes back to the polls on 7 February for the Presidential run-off vote between Yulia Tymoshenko and Viktor Yanukovych. The choice facing voters is not between the personality or image of the candidates. Ukrainians must decide simply who they trust to manage their economy and sustain the recovery. Ukraines economy started to climb back last month from a deep recession thanks to a strong harvest and revival of steel prices that helped industrial output in the final quarter of 2009. But recovery is fragile and whoever is elected as President will face some difficult and unpopular decisions. Social expenditure will need to be reined in to bring Ukraines debt financing from the IMF back on track. Revenue and tax collection will need to be improved. Business will want an efficient VAT recovery programme as part of that. Reforms are needed to improve the investment climate and increase the attractiveness of Ukraine as a destination for foreign direct investment. Structural funding and support for Ukrainian business is needed to prepare for the deep and comprehensive Free Trade Area under negotiation as part of the EU Ukraine Association Agreement. The necessary reforms are well sign posted but they will need courage and commitment to implement. If the incoming President can achieve a working parternship with the Verkhovna Rada the Speaker and the Prime Minister then whoever is elected President can undertake a 4 year programme of reform that will give the hard-suffering Ukrainian electorate the stable foundations needed for recovery. We will not know whether this is a realistic scenario until several weeks after the run-off vote. The EBRD is predicting a modest growth of 3% in GDP for Ukraine in 2010. But this is conservative. The ongoing revival of the global economy suggests that there is huge potential upside for an export driven economy like Ukraine if the new incoming presidential administration can develop a stable parliamentary platform for economic reform. The vote next Sunday is a no-brainer. Its the economy. James Wilson is the Director of the EU Ukraine Business Council... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98903.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98904.php On 25 January at the World Customs Organisation in Brussels the Eurasian Economic Community EurAsEC held a conference on their joint plans to establish a Customs Union for Russia Belarus and Kazakhstan. The Customs Union foresees a single trade procedure in relation to third countries and a harmonised economic policy between the participating member countries. The objective is to create a common economic space by 2012 with freedom of movement of services goods labour and capital. Speaking at the WCO conference in Brussels Ambassador Senko of Belarus outlined his countrys ambitions to develop as a transit country for trade flows in EurAsEC and as a distribution centre for EU products into this market. The EU is already Belarus most important export market accounting for 40% of all exports. To help attract foreign direct investment Belarus has set itself a challenging target in 2010 to make the country a better place to do business and plans to implement reforms that will raise Belarus up to within the top 30 countries for ease of doing business based upon the IFCs annual Doing Business report. The Customs Union will mean that Belarus will be the main frontier with the EU. There are consequently important considerations for investment in the development of the frontier infrastructure at the major border crossings between Belarus and its neighbours Latvia Lithuania Poland and Ukraine to ensure that efficient procedures of customs and excise control keep the trade flowing with high standards of security for business. But implementation of the new Customs Union is controversial not least with European exporters who have expressed concern at potential disruption to trade. International business is arguing that the Common External Tariffs are too high and will worsen market access for many important European industries including the automotive textiles steel machinery and food industry. Such negative business sentiment could lead to a deterioration in the trade and investment climate for the countries of the Customs Union. What is clear is that there needs to be closer consultation of business interests and better communication between companies and government ministries so that policies can be debated and clear forecasts factored into strategic business planning. Business never likes surprises or unpredictability. The next milestone in the development of the Customs Union will be 1 July when the Common External Tariffs CET for the Customs Union are due to come into effect. So we can expect debate on the thorny questions of the level of customs tariffs and market access to be intense over the coming 6 months. Business will be arguing to get those duties down. James Wilson is the Director of the EU Ukraine Business Council... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98904.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98905.php The World Bank Board of Directors approved an additional financing credit to the Republic of Moldova in the amount of US $20 million for the Social Investment Fund II Project.The additional financing will complement the total credit of US $40 million allocated under Phase I and II of the project. According to the World Banks press release the credit resources will be used to contribute to employment and wage incomes in selected poor communities during the current economic contraction and during the recovery in 2010-2011. The US $20 million will be directed towards scaling-up the community development component and most importantly it will increase the labor-intensiveness of works and deliver as much employment as possible in 2010 and 2011 when economic conditions are likely to be weak. In March 2009 the World Bank Board of Directors approved US $5 million to support the rehabilitation of community infrastructure with a preference for villages damaged by floods in the summer of 2008 particularly along the Prut and Nistru Rivers. The credit maturity is 20 years grace - 10 years and interest rate - 0.75%. The Social Investment Fund Project has been one of Moldovas greatest development successes said Melanie Marlett World Bank Country Manager for Moldova. It has empowered poor communities and vulnerable populations across the country to take a role in managing their development needs strengthened their sense of ownership of success and helped them sustain it through strong monitoring and accountability mechanisms. Building on the earlier results of the project the World Bank is pleased to be scaling up financing to create new job opportunities and provide an income to address the impact of the current economic crisis on Moldovas rural population. To date the Moldova Social Investment Fund Project MSIF I and II has assisted mine than 700 localities in addressing local development needs. It has provided access to natural gas and funded major improvements in roads schools kindergartens cultural centers and other social institutions across Moldova. As Infotag has already reported earlier the Moldovan Government asked the World Bank WB to consider the possibility of the additional financing for Moldovas Social Investment Fund II Project and substantiated this necessity by difficulties Moldova faces under the conditions of the global financial and economic crisis.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98905.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98906.php Belarus will have to nullify the export duties on oil products First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko told a press conference in Moscow on 27 January. Up to the present day the export duties on Belarusian oil products have been equal to the Russian export duties. I suppose we will have to nullify the export duties on oil products as the double taxation is inadmissible Vladimir Semashko said. Our companies invested in the production development. Every year we invest from $150 million to $250 million in our oil refineries to make them more competitive said the First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus. Nowadays the Belarusian oil refineries are more technologically advanced than the Russian ones according to Vladimir Semashko. Our next objective is to make sure the budget receives oil refining revenues. We have special calculations as to how regulate the relations between the budget and oil refineries Vladimir Semashko said.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98906.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98907.php The attention of the Euro-Atlantic community is increasingly focusing on Kazakhstan as it chairs since January 1st the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Few in Europe know however that Kazakhstan is no stranger to leading major international forums and more importantly in contributing to strengthening international security. Kazakhstans initiative to convene the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia CICA and its success in bringing most Asian countries together in creating this structure now one of the most dynamic and promising multilateral institutions in Asia is a particular case in point. Bridging Europe and Asia geographically and now with simultaneous chairmanships in the OSCE and CICA also politically Kazakhstan can play an important role in promoting the dialogue and cooperation between the two parts of Eurasia. It is then important to share what the CICA stands for and where it could work with the OSCE. The collapse of the bipolar world in the late 20th Century the appearance of new states in Eurasia following the disintegration of the Soviet Union the dynamic development of major Asian nations and their diverging interests created a new challenging security environment. Kazakhstan a newly independent state coming onto the world stage with no negative baggage internationally saw the opportunity to shape this environment in a way that would benefit all. One of the countrys first acts was to call on the international community to establish a new forum for security and dialogue in Asia. In 1992 in his speech to the UN General Assembly Kazakhstans President Nursultan Nazarbayev proposed to convene the CICA. After a decade of intense diplomacy in 2002 Kazakhstan hosted the first ever CICA summit bringing together countries such as China India Iran Israel Pakistan and Russia. Since then the conference under Kazakhstans chairmanship has become a functioning body effectively dealing with a variety of security issues. Today it is the only forum covering the entire Asian continent. It has twenty member states representing nearly 90% of the area and population of Asia. Its reach extends from Turkey in the west to the Republic of Korea in the east. The CICA is a unique platform that offers equal opportunities to each and every Asian state to participate in the debate and decision making on a broad range of security problems of common interest. It has already been able to demonstrate its ability and relevance as for instance when last year the CICA issued an appeal to its member states for humanitarian assistance including emergency food aid to Afghanistan. CICAs main objective is to move towards a unified Asian collective security structure on a step by step basis. The CICA aims to achieve this through implementing confidence building measures CBMs in five areas including military and political dimension; the fight against new challenges and threats including terrorism drug trafficking trans-national crime and human trafficking; economic dimension; environment; and human dimension. CICA founders recognized the response to common security challenges should be collaborative and multilateral. The CICA decided to adopt a consensus-based approach. The CICA member states also came to understand that the existing discords in the region could not be an obstacle to finding common approaches to common problems. The CICA offers a platform for the member states to discuss current issues of common interest. A few months ago CICA deputy foreign ministers met in Beijing to consider the way to implement confidence building measures in military and political dimension. They agreed that a Perception Paper presented by Kazakhstan would form the basis for further deliberations in this dimension. They also adopted action plans for multilateral cooperation in the small- and medium-enterprise sector and tourism. The most important item on the agenda though was the preparation for the third CICA summit in Turkey next summer when Ankara assumes CICA chairmanship. Things do not always go smoothly. Asia is the most diverse continent ethnically and culturally. There are religious political and economic differences to overcome. In addition Asia continues to face multiple flash points with significant conflict potentials that have been in existence for historical and other reasons. In these circumstances it would be unnatural for the CICA to make drastic moves forward. The forums value is in its ability to offer a platform for its every members concerns to be heard and considered. This quality allows the CICA to find a way and move forward. While the CICA was not visualized as an OSCE for Asia there are obvious similarities and connections between the two institutions. Both share the fundamental objectives of promoting peace and security in their respective regions. Principles guiding relations between member states of the two bodies have striking similarities. The CICA Almaty Act of 2002 like the OSCE Helsinki Act is a political document and not a treaty. In both structures decisions are taken by consensus and implemented on a voluntary basis. Seven CICA member states are also members of the OSCE others happen to be the latters Partners for cooperation. We are convinced Kazakhstans Chairmanship will help the OSCE develop closer cooperation with Asian institutions such as the CICA. Closer interaction will be beneficial for both the CICA and the OSCE. Specific areas of mutual interest include military and political aspects of security; the fight against terrorism; conflict prevention; activities in the spheres of economy environment and cooperation in human dimension. The OSCE has rich experience in implementing confidence building measures that is valuable for other organizations. We in the CICA have no doubt Astana will continue to play a positive role of a bridge builder. During the short period since its inception the CICA with Kazakhstan at its helm has made big strides in its endeavor to find ways and means to eliminate the causes of mistrust tension and hostility and create conditions for economic prosperity and sustainable peace in Asia. We believe Kazakhstans OSCE Chairmanship in 2010 will add new dynamism and produce practical results that are beneficial for Asia the relationship between the CICA and the OSCE and therefore for both the East and the West. Dulat Bakishev is the Executive Director of CICA Secretariat based in Almaty Kazakhstan.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98907.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98908.php Sapar Berdiniyazov Ambassador of Turkmenistan recently invited in the Parliament House Pakistans Speaker of the National Assembly Dr.  Fehmida Mirza. During the meeting Mirza stated that Pakistan attach importance to its relations with Turkmenistan and wanted to further strengthen these relations through enhanced parliamentary exchanges and economic cooperation Turkmenistan.ru reported. She expressed her countrys wiliness to further deepen ties with Turkmenistan through economic cooperation and broad-based people to people contact. She underlined the importance of enhanced parliamentary exchanges for bringing the two countries closer. The Speaker said that democracy presented best solution to all problems and therefore both the countries needed to strengthen their parliaments through sharing experiences. She said that both countries need to strengthen their parliaments through sharing experiences as democracy served as best solution to resolve all problems for both countries.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98908.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98909.php Tajik Minister of Energy and Industry Sherali Gul on 23 January said that his country attaches much significance to relations with Tehran. He added that the priority of Dushanbe is to expand cooperation with Iran specially in economic fields Asia-Plus reported. He expressed Ministry of energy and industrys willingness to use all its facilities and potentials to promote the level of mutual cooperation with Iran. Tajikistan is ready to erase all obstacles in the way of developing mutual cooperation with Iran. The country welcomes any measures from Iran to expand and enhance activity of the Iranian companies in the energy and industry sectors in Tajikistan. During the visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Dushanbe this month the energy ministries of the two countries inked three cooperation documents to accelerate implementation of previous agreements and new energy projects in Tajikistan.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98909.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98910.php Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev said for the first time an Asian nation will chair the 56 member OSCE. He stressed that the country play this role amid an era complicated by the global financial crisis and tectonic shifts taking place in the global order Gazeta.kz reported. Nazarbayev will have his work cut out for him and this pro-Western nation sitting between China and Russia having to play a delicate balancing act between two of the worlds major political economic and military powers all while flirting with U.S. influence in the region. In his speech the President said that the erosion of the regime of nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction terrorism humanitarian and ecological disasters famine poverty epidemics reduction of energy resources conflicts on interethnic and interreligious grounds - such is a far-from-complete list of challenges faced by the modern civilization requiring maximum efforts of reputable multilateral institutions like the OSCE. In recent years the country played appositive role toward strengthening regional and global security.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98910.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98911.php According to data released by the National Statistics Committee Kyrgyzstans gross domestic product GDP has increased by 2.3% in 2009 Irinnews.org reported. Without taking into account the Kumtor mining companies revenues economic growth in the republic averaged to 2.9% 196.423.1 billion soms in 2009. Therewith industrial development rate reduced by 6.4%. Last year Kyrgyz production output made up 97.249 billion soms. The mining sector witnessed a 4.7% growth while processing industry and energy sector faced 7.8 and 1.3% decline respectively. Gross output of agriculture and forestry sectors grew by 7.4% along with investments in the basic capital 19.7% increase . In money terms capital investments hit 38.690.5 billion soms for the year. Kyrgyzstan also faced a decline in sales turnover with other countries. So export rates in January-November 2009 averaged to 1.169.8 billion Euro having dropped by 21.9%. Import rate reduced by 26.8% and reached 2 686 7 billion euros in the republic. Meanwhile last research of the Heritage Foundation reported that Kyrgyzstans economy ranks the 80th in 2010 Index of Economic Freedom. Its score is reportedly 61.3 that is 0.5 point worse than last year reflecting decreases in trade freedom and freedom from corruption. In the last Doing Business rating Kyrgyzstan was on the 41st place ranking among 50 leading countries. At the same time the country took the 123rd place in competitiveness rating by the World Economic Forum.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98911.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98912.php The European Bank for Reconstruction ad Development in its latest press release issued that it has increased its 2010 growth prognosis for Azerbaijan GDP from 7.1% to 9%. The EBRD covers the countries of Central and Eastern Europe Turkey the Caucasus and Central Asia. Azerbaijan leads in terms of development rates in the banks Eastern Europe and Caucasus region. The Bank predicts a slightly faster economic recovery across entire region of Azerbaijan than anticipated last October. According to the Bank the economic recovery is expected to strengthen moderately in 2011. In the aforesaid period EBRD predicts average regional growth of 3.8%. Following a contraction of real GDP of about 6% in 2009 the EBRD now expects average growth for the region of 3.3% in 2010 compared to 2.5% predicted in October. The upward revision of the Bank was taken taking into account stronger than expected performance in large economies Poland Turkey Russia and Kazakhstan amid stronger commodity prices and a resumption of capital flows to large emerging market countries. The commodity exporters are expected to benefit from the rebound in commodity prices suggested by futures prices with spillover effects on the neighboring region. Azerbaijan will grow by 9% driven to varying degrees by remaining spare capacity in the natural resource sector and continued support of domestic demand by fiscal policy. Fellow commodity exporters Russia and Kazakhstan are expected to grow between 3.5 and 4% in 2010. This will spill over into growth in the other economies of central Asia that rely heavily on remittances from or exports to Russia and Kazakhstan. Growth in central Asia will also be supported by stabilizing non-oil commodity prices and substantial government- or donor-funded investment. Only Turkmenistan will surpass Azerbaijan in terms of growth in the wider EBRD region with Turkmen GDP forecast to increase 14% in 2010 and 13 % in 2011. The EBRD makes a much lower forecast for Azerbaijan neighbors Turkey and Russia. The Bank does not expect the economies of these countries to be restored to the pre-crisis level before 2012. This will affect Azerbaijan as its raw materials and agricultural exports relies on these countries.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98912.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98913.php The seminar of the joint consultative program for development of the free industrial-economic zone Navoi was recently held in Tashkent. The total volume of investments invested by this country in Uzbekistan has exceeded $2 billion. At the conference on Navoi free economic zone held in March 2009 in Seoul about 40 agreements on creation of joint ventures were signed between the two countries. They will operate in oil and gas chemical pharmaceutical light industries machinery building mining construction furniture production. Uzbekistans President Islam Karimov signed a decree on creation of Navoi free economic zone in December 2008. The move is aimed at increasing the industrial potential of Navoi region development of transport and social infrastructure production of high technologies and attraction of foreign investments. To date 19 agreements on creation of industrial enterprises in Navoi economic zone worth $187 million was signed. After their launch they will annually produce goods worth $375.5 million almost half of which will be exported. This year launch of 50 projects is expected in Navoi free economic zone.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98913.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98914.php Azerbaijan and Switzerland have signed a protocol as a result of the fourth session of the joint commission on trade and economic cooperation of the Swiss Federal Council and Azerbaijans government Trend news agency quoted Azerbaijans Ministry of Economic as saying. A protocol on the results of the meeting specifies trade industry agriculture finance and banking investments tourism and energy as areas of cooperation this year. The commission met on 18 January in the Swiss capital Bern. During the meeting Azerbaijans delegation headed by a co-chairman of the commission - Minister of Economic Development Shahin Mustafayev including representatives of the foreign finance justice tax health and culture ministries the Central Bank of Azerbaijan Azersu water company and the Melioration and Water Industry Company. Economic Development minister Mustafayev co-chair of the commission met his Swiss counterparts Jean-Daniel Gerber director of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO and SECO board member Monica Ruehl-Burzi who is the Swiss co-chair of the commission. In his speech Mustafayev stressed that Swiss President Pascal Couchepins visit to Azerbaijan in May 2008 and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs visit to Switzerland in October 2009 played an important role in the development of economic and political relations between the countries. According to Mustafayev presently the required legislative and regulatory base was created between the two countries. It gives real opportunities to further expand trade and economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Switzerland while using existing potential of the two countries.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98914.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98915.php Romanian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Nicolae Ureche recently stated that Azerbaijan is crucial for NATO as the country plays a significant role in the fight against terrorism promoting international energy security and has an advantageous geopolitical position Trend news agency reported. He stressed that the country should adopt military political and economic reform. This is a complex process which requires not only government but also civil society he said adding We need to know the views of civil society. In the case of Azerbaijan it requires hard work in many areas and that will take time. Farrukh Mammadov head of the Azerbaijani Institute for Cooperation with NATO said that the country wants to cooperate with the alliance but the problem is entire population is not acquainted with the activities of the organization.    ... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98915.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98916.php The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents visited Russia on 25 January to discuss their 21-year dispute over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh enclave with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. In a January 25 statement the Kremlin said that Russia is willing to guarantee a compromise agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh. The four UN Security Council resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh call for the unconditional withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani regions.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98916.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98917.php Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has installed an Opel motor in his four-wheel-drive Lada Niva. Putin on 25 January revealed the secret of his cars power - the more powerful motor from Opel the European subsidiary of the US carmaker General Motors - to a group of university students while visiting Cheboksary in southern Russia. I wont hide it the car I bought has an Opel engine he conceded. It turns out that it is more powerful he said. Putin bought the car last year and its now parked in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. But I drive it he said adding his Lada Niva was an excellent all-terrain vehicle reliable and good value for the money. They are relatively cheap by European standards and the quality is not bad. It is a simple reliable and highly practical car. The Russian prime ministers admission to the students is likely to rankle with workers at Avtovaz the crisis-hit firm that produces Ladas. The Lada Niva sold in Russia has a Russian-made engine similar to that used in the Lada sedan whose shape has changed little since 1970. Lada has been the butt of jokes since Soviet times and sales in recent years have dropped as Russian consumers opt for European and Japanese car models. Nevertheless Putin said on 25 January that his SUV even drew admiring remarks from international sporting officials inspecting mountain venues at the Black Sea resort of Sochi which is set to host the 2014 Winter Games. They liked it and so do I he said. When in Moscow Putin is driven around in an armor-plated Mercedes limousine accompanied by a large security convoy.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98917.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98918.php Russias state-controlled weapons exporter increased its sales by 10% in 2009 Interfax reported on 28 January. The Rosoboronexport Chief Executive Anatoly Isaikin said sales had risen to $7.4 billion. Rosoboronexport is planning to sell arms to Iraq and Afghanistan in cooperation with the United States. Baghdad and Kabul have already expressed interest he said. Rosoboronexports largest customers are India Algeria China Malaysia Venezuela and Syria. The companys sales have risen 140% since 2001 according to Isaikin. Isaikin also said the company would not drop its arms deal to sell the sophisticated S-300 anti-aircraft system to Iran. I just dont quite understand why supplies of the S-300 system to Iran trouble you so much he said. Iran struck a deal with Russia in 2007 to obtain the sophisticated defense system to improve its deterrence power. According to western experts the system would shield Iranian nuclear sites against military threats amid ongoing Israeli warnings to launch military attacks against Iran. The S-300 system which can track targets and fire at aircraft 120 kilometers away features high jamming immunity and is able to simultaneously engage up to 100 targets. The West has pressured Russia to drop the deal. However Moscow says it sees no reason to do so. From my part I just want to say I have nothing to add to these statements Isaikin said.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98918.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98919.php Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on 23 January told officials in the North Caucasus to ensure what he called the normal work of human rights groups operating in the tumultuous region continues. In a meeting in the northern Caucasian administrative centre of Pyatigorsk Putin requested that local authorities do everything in their power to make safe the work of rights activists who were operating within the law. I ask the representatives of regional authorities to do everything for the support of normal work and daily activity of rights-defending organizations in the Caucasus Putin said in televised remarks. Those who work within the framework of the law and help people he added. The Russian human rights organization Memorial welcomed Putins statement. I hope that there are not merely empty words but that actions follow said Memorial spokesman Oleg Orlov on the radio broadcaster Echo Moskvy. In August activist Natalia Estemirova was murdered in Chechnya. Orlov has blamed Chechen President Ramsan Kadyrov for the crime which has not yet be solved. Putin arrived in the southern city of Pyatigorsk to chair a meeting of the leaders of the provinces that suffer the most from violence linked to Islamist separatists.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98919.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98920.php Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili recently paid a visit to Tallinn to meet his Estonian counterpart Thomas Hendrik Ilves. In the course of talks the Estonian President said that Georgias territorial integrity will not be restored in the near future so the country needed to show strategic patience and commitment to the successful construction of its country Georgian press reported. He said that it would not be fruitful to waste energy on problems that cannot be resolved in the near future. He assured Estonia and EUs support to Georgias territorial integrity saying that they would never recognize independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He also commended Georgia for going through a process of development with regard to economic reforms as well as the development both of democracy and the rule of law and in the combat against corruption.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98920.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98921.php Armenian Finance Minister Tigran Davtian recently presented an annual report on his ministrys activities to Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian and fellow cabinet members Armenia Liberty.org reported. He said that the countrys state budget deficit stretched to a record high level equivalent to roughly 7.4% of Gross Domestic Product last year due to a serious shortfall in the governments tax revenues. The reported proportion is just below the maximum level set by Armenian law. The Armenian parliament raised the debt-to-GDP ceiling from 5% to 7.5% in June to enable the government to make up for the shortfall with additional financial assistance from abroad.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98921.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98922.php Armenia has asked Russia for a $100 million loan in order to revive its struggling  diamond industry the Ria Novosti news agency reported. The request has been received we are considering it Konstantin Vyshkovsky who heads the ministrys state loan department said adding the decision would be taken within a reasonable time. The Armenian Finance Minister Tigran Davtyan who visited the Russian capital Moscow on 20 January announced earlier on 23 January that the republics intention to spend some $100 million of loan funds to buy Russian rough diamonds. Other $20 million of loan are expected to be spent on the development of cooperation between Armenian diamond producers and Russias largest diamond miner Alrosa.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98922.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98825.php Two days ago close to 6 in the evening Cuba time already dark in Haiti due to its geographical location the TV channels started carrying news that a violent earthquake mdash; of 7.3 intensity on the Richter scalemdash;had severely shaken Port au Prince. The seismic phenomenon had originated at a tectonic fault in the sea only 9.4 miles from the Haitian capital a city where 80% of the population lives in fragile houses built with clay and adobe. The news continued almost uninterrupted for hours. There were no images but it was said that many stouter constructions like public buildings hospitals schools and other facilities had also collapsed. I have read that a 7.3 earthquake equals the energy released by the explosion of 400 000 tons of TNT. The descriptions were dramatic. In the streets the wounded cried for medical help surrounded by ruins and their families buried under the debris. But for many hours no one could broadcast any image. The news took us all by surprise. Rather often we had heard news of hurricanes and large floods in Haiti but we did not know that our neighbor was threatened by a major earthquake. It surfaced now that 200 years ago a major earthquake had hit that city which at the time was certainly inhabited by a few thousand people. At midnight there was still no estimate of the number of victims. Senior UN officials and various Heads of Government spoke of the impressive event and announced that they would be sending rescue brigades. Since MINUSTAH mdash;UN international forcesmdash; are deployed there some Defense ministers spoke of the possibility of casualties among their personnel. Actually it was yesterday morning that sad news started flowing in on the high number of human casualties in the population and even such institutions as the United Nations reported that some of their buildings in that country had collapsed; a word that usually does not say much but that could mean a lot under the circumstances. For hours increasingly dramatic news of the situation in that country continued to flow uninterrupted with reports of different numbers of deadly victims that depending on which version fluctuated between 30 000 and 100 000. The images are appalling.nbsp; Obviously the catastrophic event has been widely reported all over the world and many governments sincerely moved are making efforts to cooperate to the extent of their capabilities. Fighting back A lot of people are sincerely touched by the tragedy especially natural unassuming people but perhaps few stop to think on why Haiti is such a poor country and why almost 50% of its population depends of family remittances. And in this context would it not be proper to also analyze the reality leading to the current situation of Haiti and its huge suffering? It is amazing that no one says a word on the fact that Haiti was the first country where 400 000 Africans enslaved and brought to this land by Europeans rebelled against 30 000 white owners of sugarcane and coffee plantations and succeeded in making the first great social revolution in our hemisphere. Pages of insurmountable glory were then written there where Napoleonrsquo;s most outstanding general tasted defeat. Haiti is a complete product of colonialism and imperialism of more than a century of using its human resources in the hardest labors of military interventions and the extraction of its wealth. Such a historic oblivion would not be so grave if it were not because Haiti is an embarrassment in our times in a world where the exploitation and plundering of the overwhelming majority of people on the planet prevail. Billions of people in Latin America Africa and Asia endure similar privation although probably not all of them in such high proportion as Haiti. No place on earth should be affected by such situations even though there are tens of thousands of towns and villages in similar and sometimes worse conditions resulting from an unfair economic and political international order imposed worldwide. The world population is not only threatened by natural catastrophes like that of Haiti that is but a pale example of what can happen to the planet with climate change; an issue that was the target of mockery scorn and deception in Copenhagen. It is fair to say to every country and institution that have sustained the loss of citizens or members to the natural catastrophe in Haiti that we do not doubt that at this point they will make the greatest effort to save human lives and to alleviate the pain of that long-suffering people. They cannot be blamed for the natural phenomenon that has taken place there even though we disagree with the policy pursued towards Haiti.nbsp; Cubarsquo;s doctors there But I must say that I feel itrsquo;s high time to seek true and real solutions for that fraternal people. In the area of healthcare and others the Haitian people has received the cooperation of Cuba even though this is a small and blockaded country. Approximately 400 doctors and healthcare workers are helping the Haitian people free of charge. Our doctors are working every day at 227 of the 337 communes of that country. On the other hand no less than 400 young Haitians have been graduated as medical doctors in our country. They will now work alongside the reinforcement that traveled there yesterday to save lives in that critical situation. Thus up to one thousand doctors and healthcare personnel can be mobilized without any special effort; and most are already there willing to cooperate with any other State that wishes to save Haitian lives and rehabilitate the injured. Another high number of Haitian youths are studying medicine in Cuba. We also cooperate with the Haitian people in other areas within our capabilities. However there is no other form of cooperation worthy of the definition but that of struggling in the field of ideas and political action to put an end to the endless tragedy endured by a great number of nations like Haiti. The head of our medical brigade has informed that ldquo;the situation is difficult but we are already saving lives.rdquo; He said this in a brief message sent a few hours after arriving in Port au Prince yesterday with an additional group of doctors. Late at night he said that the Cuban doctors and the Haitian doctors graduated at the ELAM Latin American Medical School were being deployed in the country. At Port au Prince they had cared for over one thousand patients while urgently commissioning a hospital that had not collapsed and using tents where necessary. They were also preparing to rapidly set up other first-aid centers. We take wholesome pride in the cooperation that at this tragic hour the Cuban doctors and the young Haitian doctors trained in Cuba are giving their brothers and sisters in Haiti! nbsp; Fidel Castro Ruz is the former President of Cuba who was moved to write his own reflections on the tragedy two days after it hit on 12 January. A rare opportunity from one of the world rsquo;s longest-ruling leadersnbsp; nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98825.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:56:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98824.php On the same day last week that Israeli President Shimon Peres delivered an emotional address to the German parliament appealing to the countryrsquo;s youth not to overlook the lessons of the Holocaust ndash; and as the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazirsquo;s death camp in Auschwitz Poland was marked ndash; a report by a European Union rights agency said schools have failed to make the connection about the Holocaust to human rights. The findings were in the first ever EU-wide survey on how historical sites and museums are used to teach about the Holocaust and human rights and were presented at conference in Auschwitz on International Holocaust Remembrance Day where Peres said ldquo;This is an hour of grace for the young generation wherever they may be. May they remember and never forget. They should know what took place rdquo; as he addressed the parliament in Hebrew. In its analysis the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights called on EU member states to better integrate human rights education into school curricula. It also said past and present human rights issues should be taught along with the Holocaust. ldquo;Holocaust education should go beyond the mere transmission of historical facts rdquo; the agency said. ldquo;The findings of our report reveal the importance attached to Holocaust education rdquo; Morten Kjaerum the agencyrsquo;s director said. ldquo;However this is not sufficiently reflected in school curricula and links are not established between important historical events like the Holocaust and human rights.rdquo; Education ministers from across the EU and Israel met as part of ceremonies marking the anniversary of Auschwitzrsquo;s liberation at the camp where Nazis killed some 1.1 million people mostly Jews. Stopping hate Besides Peresrsquo; visit Israelrsquo;s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman came to Hungary where he called on the government to pass laws banning hate speech. ldquo;We must stop the spread of anti-Semitism in this way because extremist movements are ever more boldly raising their heads in Hungary rdquo; Lieberman said as quoted by the state news agency MTI. The prime ministerial candidate of the governing Hungarian Socialist Party Attila Mesterhaacute;zy tabled a motion to ban hate speech in the Hungarian parliament. The Hungarian capital Budapest is home to Central and Eastern Europersquo;s largest Jewish population with some estimates as high as 100 000 as well as the continentrsquo;s largest synagogue.Up to 600 000 Hungarian Jews are believed to have perished during the Holocaust mostly in the closing days of the Second World War. As if to underscore many lessons had not yet been learned about the spillage of hate from 1945 to today the EUrsquo;s Commissioner for Justice Jacques Barrot said that grievances over the Middle East conflict have given rise to more anti-Semitism. ldquo;The conflict in the Middle East cannot be an excuse or justification for anti-Semitism. It is deplorable to read at the very wake of the commemoration of the Holocaust statements that deny the Shoah rdquo; Barrot said in a statement. ldquo;No form of anti-Semitism regardless of where and whom it comes from is acceptable. The commemoration of other crimes cannot be to the detriment of the remembrance of the Shoah rdquo; he insisted. Barrot - who is expected to leave Brussels as a new commission is sworn into office on 10 February - said that by the end of 2010 all EU member states are supposed to have adopted a ldquo;Framework Decision on racism and xenophobia.rdquo; The initiative amongst other things will turn Holocaust-denial into a offense all over the EU. Currently it is a crime in many but not all members of the bloc. ldquo;Sixty-five years after the extermination camps were liberated we can be proud that EU law makes the denial of the Shoah a crime in all its member states rdquo; Barrot stressed. The outgoing Commissioner also promised that the EU executive ldquo;shall continue to fight anti-Semitism racism and xenophobia rdquo; notably by supporting data-collection by the blocrsquo;s Fundamental Rights Agency FRA and by cooperating with the Holocaust museum set up in Jerusalem the Yad Vashem. Escaping alive Peres an 86-year-old Nobel-prize-winning statesman told the Bundestag how his grandfather along with other villagers in his native Belarus had been forced into the local synagogue by the Nazis who had then set it alight. ldquo;The doors were locked from the outside and the wooden structure was torched. The only remains of the whole community were embers rdquo; Peres said. Peres who also served two terms as Israelrsquo;s prime minister had left the village at the age of 11 to emigrate to the then British Mandate of Palestine. The President also called for the surviving perpetrators of Nazi atrocities to be brought to justice. ldquo;Men and women who took part in the most odious activity on earth - that of genocide - still live on German and European soil and in other parts of the world rdquo; Peres said. ldquo;My request is of you: Please do everything to bring them to justice.rdquo; The trial of John Demjanjuk 89 who is charged with being an accessory to the murder of 27 900 Jews at the Sobibor death camp in occupied Poland is currently taking place in Munich. It is seen as possibly the last major war-crimes trial relating to the Nazi period. EU MUST REMEMBER The Israeli president was joined in his address by Polish Holocaust survivor Feliks Tych whose parents and siblings were murdered at Treblinka. Tych said that the memory of the Holocaust was not complete without consideration of all of the European states which were in some way complicit in the genocide and not just Germany. ldquo;Nothing acquits the Third Reich from its responsibility for the Holocaust which the Nuremburg Laws paved the way for. But there is no reason to omit the governments of Hungary Romania Slovakia Bulgaria or Croatia which adopted these laws rdquo; Tych said. Earlier the speaker of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert expressed gratitude that Jewish life had returned to Germany. ldquo;We are thankful for every growing plant of Jewish life and culture rdquo; Lammert said. Those present included Charlotte Knobloch the head of the Central Committee of Jews in Germany. Lammert also said that the ldquo;close relationshiprdquo; that Germany and Israel now had despite the Holocaust was proven by the fact that Peres had spoken before the Bundestag three times. ldquo;It is not a lsquo;normalrsquo; relationship because the relationship between Germany and Israel was never lsquo;normalrsquo; - and does not have to be normal rdquo; Lammert said. The dark days of the Nazi atrocities havenrsquo;t ended in another way as the evil they did lives on after them but now there is some recompense in another way too.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98824.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:55:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98823.php New dangers are appearing over the global economic scenery with capital markets having second thought about the indebtedness of western economies and China starting to restrain its home economy because of fears it will overheat. More precisely almost all the Western governments are up to their necks in debt. The money they borrowed was spent either to support the banking sector or the real economy. The latter part of it shows no hope of being recovered while the state money bestowed to banks cannot yet be retrieved because it is not still certain if the capital and money markets can work effectively without the large state and central bank support. But let take one thing at a time. Until last week international media had focused on Greecehellip;painting this country with the colors they liked best. Dark for English and German languages newspapers grey for the French and Italian media yellow for others and so on. The idea which the international mainly English language media wanted to ldquo;sellrdquo; about Greece was that the country was on the verge of financial collapse and there was not a chance that Athens would be able to pay its debs. On 25 January the Greek government decided to test the deep waters of the international capital market for the first time this year. Up to then the Greek state was borrowing regularly but on the internal market. In view of the first international bond issue the Greek Organisation of Debt Management issued a five-year bond of a moderate magnitude going from three to five billon euros crossing its fingers because of the anti-Greek campaign by the international media. Actually this five-year bond issue was a test case to see whether Greece would go bankrupt this year or not. At least this was what the powerful media were saying. But no. The bond issue was received with the outmost openness by international capital markets and the amounts offered reached almost 30 billion euros ending in two hours the entire refinancing problem of the Greek state debt. The next day the news was buried deep on page 60 and beyond. All of a sudden the same international English language media discovered that many other Eurozone countries were on the verge of collapsing because of excessive state debt. There is no question that there a of lot truth in this. Yes some Eurozone countries are deep in debt. Not as deep however as Britain and the US. Greece for example is now forced to pay huge spreads on its state debt refinancing despite the fact that there is no money parity danger on its obligations. As far as the danger of failure is concerned a Eurozone country at the limit may default but there is no chance its debtors will not be paid in full. In any case the interest rate spread - above the benchmark 10-year German bond - on the Greek debt reached unseen before levels toward the end of last week. This is not a logical expectation after the earlier rush to buy the Greek debt paper which ended with a five-fold coverage of the asked sum. So this super-Greek spread has to be something else. And this something else surfaced on 27 January when Reuters reported that Greece was negotiating with the Chinese for a 25 billion euros financial agreement with the likely participation of Beijing in the capital of the largest Greek commercial bank the National Bank of Greece. NBG has developed or bought a strong network of subsidiaries all over South Eastern Europe and Turkey. The news was not confirmed by the Greek government but it seems there must have been a reality. Beijing is to become the ultimate creditor of the west but western capitals do not want to know. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98823.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:54:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98822.php European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet in an interview with the German language journal Focus last week in which he talked about thenbsp; ldquo;Greek problemrdquo; did not restrict himself to the usual directions and advice. This time he singled out Greece from all Eurozone countries with large fiscal deficits and accused the Athens governments of having no respect for the EU Stability and Growth Pact. This was quite a discretionary tactic at a time when not only are there other Eurozone countries with comparable budget deficits and state debts. The ECB itself has followed quite liberal and extraordinary policies in financing the monetary system with hundreds of billions of euros. And apart the fact that each and every bank in Eurozone was favored some of that money was also directed to London to save British banks. All that capital was given out almost free of charge at an interest rate of only 1%. Yes there is no question that Greece has failed on both accounts. Its fiscal deficits andnbsp; state debt exceeds all restrictions. France however refused this year to obey the European Commission and ECB. Paris approved its 2010 state budget with an 8% deficit although the Stability and Growth Pact sets a limit of only 3%. The same is true even for Germany. Berlin this year plans state expenses which will lead to a 5% of GNP deficit. There is no question that Greece has broken a lot of rules the most important being the one on credible statistical data. Greeks however did not hide behind the numbers and denounced their own sins. In a period of crisis the Eurozone should prove that it has the power to clean up its own house in every respect. On top of that Greece has vowed to fully cooperate with EU authorities and the ECB to control its deficits and make an independent body of its Statistical Service so in the future its accounts can regain their lost creditworthiness and credibility. In any case thenbsp; Eurozone is not composed only of Germany Holland Luxembourg and Belgium. Italy Spain Greece and Portugal are also full members of the ECB and have offered to it their gold reserves. South European countries have been favored by the introduction of the single money unit but at the same time they have opened their markets for northerners to sell their products and make the euro a world currency. So successful were they that over the last years the euro has appreciated drastically even thought that has undermined the largest industry of South Europe: tourism. High productivity member states of the Eurozone however such as Germany France Holland and Belgium managed to maintain their export activities. But what is of more interest is that southern European countries in many ways also helped the appreciation of the euro. The expensive euro though does not now offer anything to the South. Germany Holland and France on the other hand have used the expensive euro in order to cheaply acquire assets outside the Eurozone. This cannot go on. The euro must depreciate in order to help the South too. Tourism cannot cope with such an expensive monetary unit. Northerners must understand that the South is a part of the Eurozone too. The money zone should not continue to cater only to high productivity countries. Mercedes and champagne continuenbsp; to sell abroad even with the euro at 1.50 to the dollar. It is not the same with Italian Greek and Spanish tourism. The expensive euro has helped all the other tourist destinations outside the Eurozone. Morocco Turkey and Egypt are rubbing their hands. So there is no question that this has to change. The Eurozone should cater to all its members. Its parity with the other world monies should take care of the Greek problem which must be seen as an opportunity for a lower parity at the same time. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98822.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:53:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98821.php The year 2011 will mark the 10th anniversary of the international communityrsquo;s initial intervention into Afghanistan and therefore 2010 provides an ideal moment both to review the degree of progress made so far and to ponder the course of future policy in that country. US President Barack Obamarsquo;s annoshy;unshy;cement of a troop surge of some 30 000 American troops conjoined with a NATO commitment of an additional 7 000 troops will mark a substantial quantitative increase in the Westrsquo;s military involvement in Afghanistan over the next 12 months but only time will tell if it will also lead to a qualitative improvement given the scale of the local Taliban resurgence since 2006 together with the scandals surrounding Afghanistanrsquo;s corruption-riddled presidential elections in 2009. American reinforcements will enter Afghanistan to help implement a substantially revitalized new body of population-centric COIN Counter-Insurgency doctrine fresh from the perceived major success of this same doctrine in Iraq in 2007. However the gains made in Iraq continue to look fragile while the substantially more complex nature of Afghan rural society together with the ongoing instability in neighboring Pakistan with its highly porous border and the safe havens that it offers Pashtun insurgents place serious question marks over the ability of American strategy in this theater to succeed in a similar way. American plans to more than double the size of the Afghan National Army ANA in the space of little more than a year also raise issues regarding the longer-term economic viability of that army and the loyalty of many of the men that will now be entering its ranks while the international donor community remains wary of investment in a region where one in every two Afghans last year paid a bribe according to one recent UNODC report. The year 1986 of course marked the key turning point and the beginning of the end of the Soviet Unionrsquo;s own 10-year intervention in Afghanistan-the moment when General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev announced his determination to withdraw Soviet ground forces and accordingly re-directed Soviet efforts both towards building up the Afghan armed forces and toward pressurizing the Kabul government to engage in a National Reconciliation Strategy. The London conference this month now looks set to be marked by an attempt to implement a strikingly similar strategy via the graduated handover of greater and responsibility to growing numbers of Afghan security forces in parallel with the use of substantial financial incentives to try and break away middle ranking Taliban from the insurgent leadership. With Canada pledged by an internal democratic vote to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan in 2011 and the Netherlands likewise contemplating withdrawal from southern Afghanistan the term ldquo;exit strategyrdquo; has now become accepted in even the highest policy making circles within NATO even while many still recoil from committing to a phased clear and transparent withdrawal timetable in the manner pioneered by Gorbachev. In all likelihood therefore President Obamarsquo;s 2009 throw of the dice will prove as critical to Afghanistanrsquo;s fate as Gorbachevrsquo;s 1986 decision was; succeed or fail Western military involvement in Afghanistanrsquo;s troubles is now reaching a climax. The international communityrsquo;s involvement in Afghanistan has thrown up a host of issues surrounding both security and development ranging from how to deliver aid more effectively to the correct approach to security sector reform in failed states and the best means to conduct an effective counter-narcotics policy. The innovation of military-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams PRTs in Afghanistan has proven a controversial innovation for aid delivery in fragile and conflict-torn states. Coalition strategic policy over the course of the past nine years towards state-building in Afghanistan has meanwhile veered wildly between supporting the emergence of a centralized Afghan government and by complete contrast empowering local warlords and militia leaders to secure local governance with a so-called light footprint. The search for regional stakeholders to take up some of the burden in Afghanistan has also produced unexpected alliances with the American government asking Russia to help re-equip the Afghan armed forces and American military personnel providing indirect security for Chinese mining operations in northern Afghanistan. The challenge of counter-insurgency has also deeply influenced military reform debates within both America and Europe with the various service chiefs in the UK armed forces now locked in deep debate over the question as to whether the kind of combat experienced in Afghanistan will remain an exception or become the future normative challenge in future. The very premises of expeditionary warfare and liberal peace theory have in short been deeply challenged by the Afghan experience. With this in mind the conference to be held at the Scottish Centre for War Studies at Glasgow University on March 15-16th will bring together soldiers policy makers and scholars to explore the fundamental issues raised by Afghanistan as that country now rushes onward to confront its next crossroads. Dr Alex Marshall is a history lecturer atnbsp; the Scottish Centre for War Studies at the University of Glasgow nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98821.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:52:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98820.php More than eight years after the Taliban was ousted from Afghanistan they are on the way back in and there will be no fast exit from Afghanistan even once the Westrsquo;s new strategy for the country is in place European Union foreign ministers said before the start of a major strategic conference in London on the long-lasting war there. European states are desperate to stabilize Afghanistan so that their soldiers in the country can home. They hoped that the conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in London would find a new strategy aimed at handing responsibility for the country over to Afghan forces even as further elections in that corruption-ridden country ndash; in which Karzai was fraudulently re-elected with the blessing of the US UK and NATO ndash; have been pushed back from May to September.nbsp; ldquo;I would not be looking at any exit dates we should be looking at a gradual transition from an engagement where the overall emphasis is military to an engagement where the emphasis is primarily civilian rdquo; Swedenrsquo;s Foreign Minister Carl Bildt in Brussels for talks with EU counterparts. ldquo;Any talk of an exit strategy in Afghanistan plays into the hands of the Taliban rdquo; Bildt stressed. The EU has pinned its hopes for Afghanistan on Karzairsquo;s new government after the president was re-elected in a vote in August seen in the West as deeply flawed. Key to the strategy is a plan drawn up by the top US general in Afghanistan Stanley A.McChrystal to hand over responsibility step- by-step to the Afghan authorities although McChrystal now said the Taliban will probably have to be part of a new government. Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said ldquo;What we have to start is a transition strategy not an exit strategy. We have now to start work in order that the new Afghan government ... can work with the international community to stabilize and look to the future.rdquo; The London conference was aimed at gathering support and funding for the Afghan efforts. ldquo;We cannot win in Afghanistan only militarily it has to involve building up the governance the civilian infrastructure of the country the political system rdquo; Bildt said.nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98820.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:51:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98819.php When it comes to dealing with the threat presented by Islamist extremism in the UK banning al-Muhajiroun is just a fraction of what we need to be doing. For a start this ban only covers five names in addition to the previous two banned in 2006 under which al-Muhajiroun operate. Quilliam the organisation that I work for has previously listed no fewer than 15 different names used by al-Muhajiroun to disguise their activities a list which is far from exhaustive. No doubt they will continue booking meetings in venues across London using those front groups and new ones yet to be concocted. A ban will only go some of the way towards disrupting al-Muhajirounrsquo;s activities and it will do nothing to address the grouprsquo;s ideology. For that what we need is for people in society Muslims and non-Muslims to present a challenge not just to the activities of al-Muhajiroun but to the ideologies of Islamism: a spectrum of ideologies running from the purely political to the violent with al-Muhajiroun standing firmly at the end which glorifies and even engages in violence. This challenge should not necessarily take the form of inviting the leadership of al-Muhajiroun to debate; when Quilliamrsquo;s co-director Maajid Nawaz debated Anjem Choudary UK leader of al-Muhajiroun on British television recently Choudary simply shouted over Maajid. Reasoned debate about ideas was impossible because Choudary had no intention of allowing it to happen. What we need then is for people within society to challenge extremist ideologies whenever and wherever they come across them. If a student expresses racist views in a seminar their lecturer will challenge them. There are too many lecturers who on being asked to challenge violent Islamism being expressed by their students say that they are not prepared to ldquo;spyrdquo; on their students that it is not their role to challenge studentsrsquo; radical views. People who use Islamised language to express genocidal ambitions about Jews homosexuals people who have chosen to leave Islam or Israeli citizens are no less reprehensible and need to be challenged no less than people who express those same ambitions but couch them in 1930s fascistic terminology. This is not a hypothetical point Michael Rimmer whose former student Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to detonate explosives on board Flight 253 to Detroit on Christmas Day 2009 remembers Abdulmutallab defending the actions of the Taliban as long ago as 2001. If Abdulmutallabrsquo;s extreme and intolerant attitudes had been challenged at the time then perhaps he would not have gone on to become involved in terrorism. What complicates the matter is that Islamists often wrap up their views in the language of liberal democracy and civil rights in so doing they hope to inoculate their ideology against criticism. For example when I attended al-Muhajirounrsquo;s re-launch debate last year they had stationed thugs outside the venue to prevent women from sitting in the main part of the hall. Women were forced to sit in a women-only area upstairs. When my female friend and I informed one of those thugs that we would not be complying with his demands and that we would be sitting together he complained that we were discriminating against him. Not even a flicker of irony crossed his face. If it hadnrsquo;t been so depressing it would have been hilarious. The man standing before me was as British as me. Like me he had attended a British school and received a British education. Yet he has so little respect for the values that make me proud to be British such as freedom of speech equality of the sexes a secular public space and crucially democracy that he had joined an organisation devoted to abolishing them. How had he been able to benefit so much from life in a country which enshrines those values without wanting to defend them? Where groups break the law and most Islamist groups do not then they should be banned. But the most effective challenge to the ideologies lying behind groups like al-Muhajiroun is not a ban nor is it to challenge their leaders to a debate. Instead we have to change the mood music which allows their ideologies to flourish. It is through encouraging society in general to understand respect and defend those shared values which are essential for its pluralistic nature to survive values which are by definition inimical to Islamism that al-Muhajiroun and its fellow-travellers will be defeated. George Readings is Quilliamrsquo;s Communications Officer. Quilliam is a UK-based think tank with the objective of countering extremism. Its founders are former leading ideologues of UK-based extremist Islamist organizations... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98819.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:50:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98818.php The London conference has called into question the EUrsquo;s relevance as an actor in Afghanistan.nbsp; Most EU member states continue to view their commitment to Afghanistan almost exclusively through a NATO prism. By contrast they have severely neglected the EUrsquo;s Policing Mission in Afghanistan. In London Cathy Ashton looked and was treated very much as a fringe player.nbsp; Former US National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski has counseled Barack Obama that in spite of the passage of the Lisbon Treaty ldquo;strategic cooperation on a global scale is not possible with a partner that not only has not defined and authoritative political leadership but also lacks an internal consensus regarding its world role.rdquo;nbsp; The EUrsquo;s future as a credible security player is being undermined by the continuing under-resourcing of its contribution to Afghanistanrsquo;s governance and security. This is not where the EU needs to be with regard to the greatest overseas security test of its member states.nbsp; Fortunately it appears that much of the work in drafting a new vision of a greatly improved EU contribution to Afghanistan has already been done under the Swedish Presidency.nbsp; The Council has correctly identified areas of comparative advantage for the EU in Afghanistan and Pakistan ndash; civil and political capacity building electoral reform police training judicial reform and agricultural development.nbsp; It is now up to Ashton to take these proposals forward during 2010. The Swedish-brokered Action Plan for Afghanistan and Pakistan is a good one but one which continues to lack the resources to make a major difference.nbsp; The euro;500 million commitment by the EU over three years to both countries under the Action Plan is a fraction of the overall international aid effort which in the case of Afghanistan totalled over euro;4.5 billion for 2009 alone.nbsp; Ashton has yet to make the case for consolidating member state assistance within an EU framework.nbsp; Post the London conference there is an outstanding need to improve EU-NATO coherence and securing more European resources for an enhanced Security Sector Reform SSR commitment. The EU NATO and the UN must all operate according to the same agenda and with a more clearly defined division of labor. Meanwhile the opportunity for greater linkage between the EUrsquo;s regional programme in Central Asia and those in Afghanistan has not yet been seized. The extension of the Taliban insurgency to the West and North of Afghanistan has grave consequences for neighbouring countries yet there are insufficient linkages between the EUrsquo;s Central Asia strategy including its border management programe BOMCA and those in Afghanistan.nbsp;nbsp; 2010 is the make or break year for the international commitment to Afghanistan.nbsp; Following years of neglect where the opportunity to build Afghan capacity was squandered the message from London was resoundingly clear: European leaders get it even if their electorates do not and are willing to spend political capital in order not to endanger Europersquo;s security interests through a premature withdrawal from Afghanistan. Afghanistan is the conflict in which European security has most at stake.nbsp; The EU now needs to demonstrate that post-Lisbon it now has the capacity to respond accordingly. There is a strong argument to be made for member states to pool resources within a greatly enhanced EU capacity-building programme at the national level. Afghans have consistently voiced corruption as their number one priority even ahead of security concerns. Ultimately such a contribution could mean more in terms of undermining the insurgency than any military operation. As British Foreign Minister David Miliband put it in Afghanistan ldquo;The danger is being out-governed rather than outgunned.rdquo; Edward Burke is a researcher at the European think-tank FRIDE nbsp; nbsp; . nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98818.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:48:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98817.php Robert J. Shapiro has watched the American economy rise and fall. As a former economic advisor to Bill Clinton he worked for a president during a time of relative economic growth and job creation. Now with the world just emerging from one of the largest economic crises in history he is active in advising the Obama administration under much different circumstances and looking at the world stage for new regulatory issues. New Europersquo;s Alia Papageorgiou sat down with Dr Shapiro on a rainy Brussels day to tackle his latest economic crisis Argentinarsquo;s economic coffers being inadvertently ldquo;transferredrdquo; to Switzerland and how this could be setting a very complicated precedent. The interview follows. What brings you to Brussels on this rainy day? The latest abuse by Argentina of mutual international financial institutions in order to evade the consequences of having illegally repudiated 20 billion dollars of debt. To the US or international institutions? To individuals to 200 000 pensioners in Italy to financial institutions. In 2001 Argentina defaulted on 80 billion dollars in debt. Countries default it wasnrsquo;t the largest default in history but they defaulted. In 2005 instead of negotiating with its lenders about the terms of restructuring the defaulted debt they simply put out a take it or leave it offer. It was so far from the international norm which is 40 to 50 cents on the dollar; it was 27 cents on the dollar that half of their foreign lenders rejected the offer. When they did the new government simply repudiated their debt. Now yoursquo;re not allowed to do that. Nobody else has ever tried that. And unsurprisingly the creditors sued them in every money market country in the world where they won all the suits. The problem of course has been to collect that. And what has happened since? In an effort to evade attachment of their access Argentina has been moving its foreign currency funds into increasingly isolated places. The latest is they have moved $40 billion in foreign currency holdings to The Bank of International Settlements in Basel Switzerland. Normally a country the average country keeps between 2 to 3% of their reserves at The Bank of International Settlements - for itrsquo;s an administerial institution for relations transactions between central banks. They have 80% of their reserves in foreign currency there. Thatrsquo;s as if an African dictator who steals 200 million dollars in foreign aid declares it to be the reserves of his country and opens an account at The Bank of International Settlements. The Bank of International Settlements shouldnrsquo;t allow this. But itrsquo;s already done. Well itrsquo;s done but that doesnrsquo;t mean that they can. It is governed the governing board of the central banks all of the major central banks of the world ndash; the major central banks of the world -the US Germany Netherlands Italy and presumably the European Central Bank have the ability to say this isnrsquo;t appropriate this institution canrsquo;t be ill used in this way in order to shelter these funds from the legal process of all of our countries. Either these funds should be attachable or at a minimum the bank should set a standard in which only an appropriate level of foreign currency reserves can be held in there. And how does the situation of Argentina fit in? The importance of Argentina is that if she were to set a precedent or if she gets away with hiding her assets in plain site and repudiating debt restructuring without negotiation if this becomes the norm you intensify the risk now not just with private financial assets but public financial assets which have always been the bedrock of national and global financial systems. So all of these circumstances argue very strongly for international action to call Argentina to account. Could US President Obamarsquo;s economic record hurt the democrats in the upcoming elections? Could they? Yes. Should they? No. People donrsquo;t appreciate the lags that occur between policy changes and economic results. Theyrsquo;re always substantial they always are. I think the presidentrsquo;s policies pulled the United States and consequently the world back from potentially another great depression. Will the democrats pay a price for the fact that an economic recovery that will be in place at the second half of his year is not as robust as they hoped it will be? Irsquo;m sure they will. Do I think theyrsquo;ll pay a large price? No. How do we avoid another financial crisis? nbsp;There are dynamics in globalization that lead to bubbles which is one of the reasons wersquo;ve had serial financial crises. One of the significant causes of this crisis was the trading of very large blocks of derivatives privately so that there were no transparency requirements. People didnrsquo;t know what was in them. As soon as there was a crisis it led to an instant panic because no one knew what anything was worth. Think hard about the way financial dysfunctions affect the rest of the economy and protect the rest of the economy. Robert J. Shapiro Ph.D. M.Sc. is a former U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs and the co-founder and chairman of Sonecon LLC a private firm that advises U.S. and foreign businesses governments and non-profit organizations on market conditions and economic policy. Dr. Shapiro and Sonecon have advised among others British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Senator John Kerry; nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98817.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:47:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98816.php The former Khmer Rouge guerilla Hun Sen is now -- 25 years after his installation by occupying Vietnamese troops -- still Cambodias Prime Minister. For much of the time since the successful UN intervention in that country almost two decades ago donor countries and their human rights groups have been appealing for an end to corruption respect for human rights and establishment of rule of law and democracy. The argument has been that Cambodia deserved a peace dividend and that voters in donor countries should reasonably expect that for all of their support Cambodian leaders would be able to deliver and should want to deliver a legal system and society governed by acceptable standards. Thus there were two competing visions of the future of the country -- one foreign and one local. This is normal in international politics. The existence of parallel universes of aid donors and aid recipients has been illustrated this past week with the convening of two separate international conferences on Afghanistan -- one in Istanbul on 26 January and one in London on 28 January. Iran one of Afghanistans two most powerful neighbors attended in Istanbul but not London. The long term future of Afghanistan lies with the Istanbul constellation including Iran. The London Conference has in many respects been a huge success in that it laid down some clear markers for a desired transition toward a reduction of the foreign military forces. This is fundamentally important for maintaining support at home for the intervention. Yet the air of unreality incompleteness and wishful thinking was unmistakeable. The position of most governments in London was premised on confidence that they could manage the transition. Hopefully luck is on our side and we will be influential working alongside the government and communities of Afghanistan. Robert Gates the United States Defense Secretary has acknowledged the Taleban as part of the fabric of Afghanistan. He had at the same time been describing it as a scourge and a cancer so what meaning he was conveying is a little unclear. We can recall that Hamid Karzai was according to several sources a member of the Taleban political movement for two years or so before becoming and ardent opponent.So we are thrown back on the inevitable dilemma of ethics and governance and negotiating with the enemy and with allies with complex personal histories. The parallel universes do of course have to intersect at some point. The dilemma of parallel universes -- one foreign the other local -- was revealed with amazing force in January in the American reactions to the latest revelations about censorship in China and Google and allegations of cyber attacks by Americans on a Chinese competitor. In these reactions we have seen the same disposition as we have seen in respect of Cambodia and Afghanistan that is exuberant self-absorption by critics in a vision of China as we want it to be rather than a more sober accounting of how we work with the China that is to get it closer to where we want it to be.nbsp; Just as Hun Sen was a member of the Khmer Rouge and Karzai a member of the Taleban Chinas President Hu Jintao was according to several reports a Red Guard at Qinghua University in the critical year of 1966 when violence erupted on the campus with considerable ferocity. A black versus white approach to international politics and peace will always leave us in parallel but separate universes -- one foreign one local. To ensure our own security in the real world we need to see the grey scales in all of their variety. That does not mean we abandon our own principles but compromise is inevitable. Where that balance sits with each person is a matter of individual conscience. We make our own choices and we must bear the consequences of that. Robust engagement with those who think very differently from us is the only way of satisfying our own need -- and theirs -- for an imperfect security and prosperity that can satisfy both groups. The important operational principle is that the compromise point never remains static. The irony is that we do need vociferous defense of principle to ensure that the struggle continues. nbsp;nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98816.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:46:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98815.php After 13 years as a Member of the European Parliament Richard Corbett has recently taken up a new position in the cabinet of Herman Van Rompuy the President of the Council as his senior political adviser. The office of President of the Council has been created by a change in the Treaty and in the future there may be issues arising where there are no precedents ndash; hence the need for expertise in constitutional and EU institutional process. As author of a number of textbooks not least The European Parliamentrdquo; which is the recognized bible for any EU affairs practitioner seeking to understand the operations of the Parliament nobody has a better understanding and grasp of the detail than Richard Corbett. The eighth edition of the book will be coming out this autumn for those who need to understand the implications of the latest treaty changes. Richard has also committed to be co-editor of another standard text book on EU affairs ldquo;The EU nbsp; How Does it Work?rdquo; by Professor John Petersen of the University of Edinburgh and Alexander Stubb the Foreign Minister of Finland. But given the demands of his new responsibilities how he will find time to do all of this academic writing and research is another question. In his new cabinet role Richard will be giving behind the scenes political advice to the President on the European Parliament on his native Britain and on institutional questions. This will not only be very demanding it calls for a completely different style. As an MEP Richard was the first member of any nationality to publish a blog before this became fashionable and frequently in front of the media. As a member of the cabinet he is in a back-room role giving counsel; he will defer to the President and say nothing that might compromise the Presidentrsquo;s view. ldquo;I suppose you could say that my new position is more influential in terms of looking at the process of European Council meetings and in that sense I am closer to the centre of power rdquo; says Richard ldquo;But when I was in the European Parliament I had more actual influence on EU legislation and more authority in debating Britainrsquo;s role in the EU ndash; so in that sense I used to have more power when I was an MEP.rdquo; ldquo;As an MEP I could say what I liked rdquo; he continued ldquo;but in my new role I cannot do that. It is for the President to speak not me; and I am content with that. President Van Rompuy is a very impressive man educated articulate and cultivated. He is well read and is a pleasure to work with. I started work in his cabinet on 1 January and have already seen evidence of his special skill which is to knock heads together to produce a radical compromise out of widely divergent and opposing positions.rdquo; It is a new departure in the Treaty to have a full-time President and this is designed to provide greater continuity than was possible in the past when there was a change of President every 6 months. Now Prime Ministers have the choice of who may chair their meetings and who may represent them externally to the outside world. This was never the case before ndash; under the old rotating system the Council had to accept as chair whoever happened to be head of the national government whose turn it was to manage the Presidency. The previous system also placed an intolerable burden on the rotating President as it was an almost impossible burden to take on while at the same time governing their own country. Just talking on the telephone to the 27 Member States before each summit let alone meeting with them personally was a major undertaking. Now the new office of President allows for better co-ordination and better continuity. I asked Richard if at some time in the future he might return to politics if the circumstances and the timing were right. ldquo;Never say never!rdquo; he replied and it is no secret that many people would like him to stand in the UK national elections in May. But right now he has a fascinating and challenging role in the heart of Europe helping the first President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy to create history and establishing the precedents for this important new constitutional position. Although he keeps a house in Yorkshire Richard has moved to Belgium which may give a hint about his future. I also suspect that any future move to national politics would need to involve a front bench position to tempt one of Europersquo;s finest constitutional experts to move from the centre of power. James Wilson Managing Director of EU Ukraine Business Council nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98815.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:44:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98814.php In the New European Economy and Innovation Society the EIT ndash; European Institute of Innovation and Technology has a central role to play towards a permanent insatisfaction with the creation of value and a focus on creativity. In a time of change the EIT canacute;t wait. The EIT in Europe must confirm itself as an ldquo;enabler actorrdquo; in a very traditional system introducing in the society and in the economy a capital of trust and innovation that is essential to ensure a central leadership in the Knowledge Triangle the effective platform for the strategic competetiveness of Europe. The EIT in Europe should be more and more a global actor capable of driving to the European social matrix a unique dynamic of knowledge building and selling it as a mobile asset on the global market. To ensure this objective the EIT must aggregate in an innovative way the commitment of the so-called three T ndash; Technology Talents and Tolerance. These are in fact the ldquo;drivers of changerdquo; for the University in Europe and civil society must be able to understand this new challenge and address effective answers to the different stakeholders of the system. The Commissionrsquo;s analysis shows that the EU needs to work harder to integrate all three parts of the knowledge triangle. In particular the Commission has stressed: -The lack of innovation and entrepreneurial culture in research and higher education; nbsp;- The fragmentation of the EUrsquo;s research and higher education system which means that it does not necessarily make the most of the excellence that exists in Europe; - A lack of investment in particular private investment in research and development; - The difficulty Europe has in translating Ramp;D results into commercial opportunities; -nbsp; The difficulty in reaching a critical mass in certain fields; - The lack of a critical mass and innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises.rsquo; A European modernization agenda is stimulating the Innovation Actors to develop their diverse missions and new models for the way they operates. Innovation and entrepreneurship must be integrated while maintaining education and research as core activities. For all stakeholders outside the Innovation Actors the strengthening of their own capacity to follow and adapt the new knowledge to products and services is fundamentally important. Public institutions with far reaching societal responsibilities are increasingly dependent on interaction with the Innovation Actors. Health care is the obvious example but ageing population migration and many environmental issues are all examples of challenges for European public sector creating a demand for solutions based on new knowledge. The two historic products of the Innovation Actors are the creation of new knowledge and well-educated individuals.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The knowledge triangle also includes innovation and entrepreneurship. New knowledge in combination with well-educated individuals leads to societal vitalization. Knowledge is lsquo;livingrsquo;. It is dynamic and can therefore be innovative in the context in which it is to be used in society and industry. Through the knowledge triangle Europe has the opportunity to dramatically raise the standard of the interaction between industry society and academia. Thatacute;s why the EIT is more and more an effective player of change in Europe. Franciso Jaime Quesado is the General Manager of the Innovation and Knowledge Society in Portugal a public agency with the mission of coordinating the policies for Information Society and mobilizing it through dissemination qualification and research activities. It operates within the Ministry of Science Technology and Higher Education nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98814.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:43:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98813.php The European Commission said it wants to give Romania a one billion euros $1.4 bilion loan to help keep the countryrsquo;s economy going after officials said that the government was starting to bring its spending under control. Romania has been hard hit by the world economic crash. In May the European Commission World Bank and International Monetary Fund IMF agreed to offer a 20 billion euros loan paid in installments as long as the government took steps to reduce its spiraling budget deficit. The Commission has already paid 1.5 billion euros out of a promised total of five billion and is set to disburse one billion more in March if the government proves that it is making sufficient efforts. A week-long visit by experts from the donor organizations which ended last week concluded that ldquo;The program is broadly on track and ... the policy conditions attached to the second disbursement of the EU financial assistance are broadly met rdquo; a press release from the Commission said. That being the case EU outgoing Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said he was ldquo;confident that the commission will be able to transfer the second loan installment of one billion euros soon.rdquo; The decision to make the loan will have to be approved by EU member states. The world economic downturn has hit particularly hard in the EUrsquo;s new member states in Central and Eastern Europe where the sudden collapse of foreign investment has led to rocketing government debt and plummeting national income. Latvia Hungary and Romania have all been forced to seek massive loans from the EU IMF and World Bank to help keep their currencies stable. Greece which is one of 16 countries to use the euro has seen its deficit soar and its credit ratings collapse leading to speculation that it could undermine the euro itself. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98813.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:42:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98811.php The European Unionrsquo;s executive has approved a 576 million euros $812-million Spanish grant to the countryrsquo;s film industry saying that it would help domestic producers survive in the face of competition from the United States. According to the European Commission US films accounted for 71.5% of the Spanish market in 2008. The Spanish government has offered the grant package to run until 2015 to help local producers compete with Hollywood. ldquo;I commend the Spanish authorities for targeting the aid to increase the cultural diversity of films available to Spanish audiences rdquo; outgoing EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement. ldquo;This scheme should improve the visibility and popularity of Spanish independent films not only in Spain but worldwide without unduly distorting competition rdquo; she said.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98811.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:41:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98812.php The European Unionrsquo;s executive is to examine the electricity bills of Greek state-owned company Aluminium of Greece AoG to determine whether or not it has been given an illegal discount officials in Brussels said. The European Commission also suspects that the state-owned Public Gas Corporation paid for a pipeline which AoG uses giving it an unfair edge over rivals a statement issued in Brussels said. ldquo;We have to make sure that Aluminium of Greece did not receive an unfair economic advantage over its competitors but paid as everybody else the market price for the electricity and gas it bought rdquo; outgoing EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said. The Commission is tasked with making sure that member states stick to its rules on creating a fair business environment. In July 2008 two unnamed sources alleged to the commission that AoG had been given unfair state aid in a series of tax breaks cut-price loans and lower electricity bills. Most of those benefits dated back to the 1960s long before Greece joined the EU and therefore did not fall under EU rules. But the Commission said it suspected that the company had been granted more cut-price electricity tariffs after its EU accession and that the state had paid for a high-pressure gas pipeline which AoG uses - two measures which could amount to illegal aid. ldquo;Despite the commissionrsquo;s repeated requests Greece has to date failed to provide any information on this allegationrdquo; concerning the pipeline the commission statement said. However the Brussels-based body stressed that the launch of a probe did not necessarily mean that either suspicion was justified. ldquo;The opening of an in-depth investigation allows interested parties to comment on the measures under assessment. It does not prejudge the outcome of the procedure rdquo; the statement said. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98812.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:41:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98810.php A scheme hatched in London last week which includes getting Taliban insurgents to stop killing NATO forces in Afghanistan has drawn derision and disbelief in the European Union and elsewhere with 75% of Germans for example saying it will fail while other harsher critics said it amounts to a bribe. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown who supported the idea of giving Afghanistan as much as $500 million more used to pay the Taliban and give them jobs and housing found himself on the defensive almost immediately as reporters asked him how the families of British servicemen and women killed in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban would feel about the scheme. A survey in Germany published by public broadcaster ZDF said three-quarters of people thought that the NATO-led mission which aims to hand over responsibility to Afghan forces beginning in 2011 will not be successful. In addition 65% of respondents said that they were against sending more soldiers to the north of the country where Germany has the regional command of the International Security Assistance Force ISAF. The London conference led by NATO took place in London at which the allies pledged more efforts in civilian reconstruction and a $140 million fund to lure Taliban fighters back into civilian life even as the German government announced it would send up to 850 more soldiers to the conflict. The Taliban Fund was also condemned as being ldquo;destined to failrdquo; by womenrsquo;s rights groups and civil activists on the fringes of the London event. ldquo;We strongly urge the international community to oppose the funding of any program that offers further support of terrorism and the Taliban rdquo; a statement distributed at the conference said. No country or organization had the right to appoint ldquo;criminalsrdquo; or those who violated womenrsquo;s and menrsquo;s rights to governing bodies it said in a reference to the plans to offer moderate ex-fighters a role in a future government. ldquo;We cannot support such a plan destined to fail which will bring about insecurity in Afghanistan rdquo; it added. The organizations said they nonetheless supported those who ldquo;due to diverse problems were allied with the Taliban and we encourage them to leave their ranks.rdquo; There was no difference between Taliban leaders and the ldquo;nightmare al-Qaeda organization rdquo; said the statement. ldquo;We urge the Afghan government and world powers to not let Afghanistan once again be plunged back to the pre-2001 era rdquo; when the Taliban was in power. Janan Mosazai spokesman for the grouping Afghan Civil Society Activists said the London discussions would not lead to a solution of Afghanistanrsquo;s problems in the long term. He said the partners embraced by the Afghan government and western powers did not ldquo;represent the will of the people of Afghanistanrdquo; and failed to realize that the Westrsquo;s strategic interests in the region should go beyond ldquo;fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda.rdquo; The problems of Afghanistan required a much broader political settlement that involved the government the Taliban the people and the West. Such a settlement should be mediated by outside forces such as the United Nations and Islamic countries said Mosazai. The fund if operated well by the Afghan government was a vital element in securing long-term peace and stability in the country European Union foreign policy director Catherine Ashton said. ldquo;In any conflict anywhere in the world people get caught up in it who need to go home. They need to go back to their communities at some point and pick up their lives and be part of that community and you need to help them do it rdquo; Ashton told German Press Agency Deutsche-Presse-Agentur dpa but it seemed initially the only ones who believed that were politicians in the conference. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98810.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:40:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98808.php The European Union should give Ukraine special status and encourage it towards membership no matter who wins the countryrsquo;s presidential elections 7 February the foreign ministers of Lithuania and Estonia said at a meeting with EU counterparts. The EU is keen to strengthen its influence in Ukraine to counter-balance Russiarsquo;s resurgent diplomacy there. In the first round of the presidential elections on January 17 Viktor Yanukovich seen as the pro-Moscow candidate romped to an impressive lead. ldquo;Ukraine deserves special status in relations to the EU ... Itrsquo;s clear that partnership is not enough for Ukraine but theyrsquo;re not ready for membership: what they really need from my point of view is mentoring rdquo; said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Vygaudas Usackas. Ukraine is the largest member of the EUrsquo;s so-called Eastern Partnership a cooperation program which also links the EU with Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Georgia and Moldova. Pro-Western groups in Ukraine say that the partnership is only the first step towards eventual EU membership a stance which EU states such as Poland and the Baltics echo. ldquo;Ukraine like all other European countries should have a clear perspective of EU membership but itrsquo;s up to Ukraine how they develop and what kind of steps they are ready to take rdquo; Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said. Over the last five years the pro-Western government in Kiev has pushed for closer ties with the EU and NATO despite hostile comments from Russia and from ethnic Russian communities in Ukraine. Usackas said that that stance was not likely to change even if Yanukovich - seen in the last set of elections in 2004 as the Kremlinrsquo;s preferred candidate - came to power. ldquo;I donrsquo;t think Yanukovich is anti-European. I think he like challenger and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is first and foremost pro-Ukrainian rdquo; Usackas said.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98808.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:39:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98809.php nbsp;Trying to walk a tightrope between its refusal to recognize Kosovo and the acceptance of that Balkan countryrsquo;s independence by many other European Union countries Spain ndash; which holds the rotating EU Presidency ndash; has made a vague declaration only that it will adopt a practical approach to the province which declared itself free from Belgrade in 2008 Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said without explaining what that meant. ldquo;We are working in a pragmatic and constructive manner in Northern Kosovo rdquo; Moratinos said in Brussels after a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremic. Serbia in December formally applied to join the EU but is finding its path blocked by the Kosovo question as well as its inability to track down alleged war criminals said to be hiding in the country. Spain as the EUrsquo;s President has to also speak for the large majority of EU member states which have recognized Kosovo leaving Madrid with a dilemma it apparently has decided to sidestep. Jeremic rejected a plan drawn up by international representative Peter Feith to stabilize relations between ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians in the flashpoint area of Northern Kosovo saying that it amounted to an imposed decision. ldquo;Itrsquo;s extremely important that no unilateral steps are taken by anybody anywhere rdquo; he stressed. Local ethnic Serbians who make up the majority in Northern Kosovo but the minority in the province as a whole have - with Belgradersquo;s support - set up parallel law enforcement structures in defiance of Pristinarsquo;s authorities in Kosovo. As the head of the International Civilian Office ICO Feith represents the nations that supported Kosovorsquo;s independence such as the United States Turkey and EU leaders such as Germany Britain France and Italy - but not Spain who has ducked the question. At the same time the Dutch diplomat is the European Unionrsquo;s Special Representative EUSR in Pristina. But the bloc is also present in the area with a 2 000-strong justice and police mission EULEX. Unlike the ICO EULEX is supported by all EU member states and is officially neutral on the issue of Kosovan independence. Jeremic insisted that Serbia will only engage with the EU not the ICO even though Feith represents both organizations. He argued that the Dutchmanrsquo;s proposals for northern Kosovo are ldquo;supported by the countries that support the ICO but not by the EU.rdquo; Moratinos did not contradict him. He was also unclear on EU plans to offer Kosovo a path towards membership stating that ldquo;the issue has not been fully discussedrdquo; within the bloc. The Spanish minister however did confirm that the EU presidency plans a ldquo;high-level meetingrdquo; with Balkan leaders at the end of May in Sarajevo where ldquo;Kosovo will be represented of course.rdquo; The get-together could offer an opportunity to advance Serbiarsquo;s European bid. Belgrade is keen for EU countries to ratify a pre-accession deal and to allow the European Commission to start examining its formal application to join the bloc. But progress on both fronts is hampered by Serbiarsquo;s failure to catch Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic the last two fugitive war crimes suspects indicted by the UNrsquo;s International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ICTY. The Netherlands is particularly intransigent on the issue. ldquo;On our side we are going to do everything that is down to usrdquo; to satisfy the ICTYrsquo;s requests Jeremic assured journalists according to Deutsche-Presse-Agentur dpa. EU ministers are set to re-examine the question in June in the light of the latest judgment by ICTYrsquo;s chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz on Serbiarsquo;s efforts to arrest Mladic and Hadzic. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98809.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:39:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98807.php How do you solve a problem like Ukraine not having enough money to store Chernobylrsquo;s waste past the next 25 years? You hold a conference in Brussels. How do you solve a problem like more popular growth and opinion on Afghanistanrsquo;s centuries old warfare and hilly terrain being impenetrable? You hold a conference in London. How do you solve the problem of infrastructure companies looking for funds form nations? You hold a conference in Davos. How do you solve the issue of Security and Women and Peace? You hold a conference in Brussels. Are you beginning to see a pattern? Conferences are a world of their own ndash; and I wonder sometimes who knows about them? It depends who you are I suppose and what your interests may be. To whom are they most important? Prince Charles at the Afghanistan Conference the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown just hosted this past week or whether yoursquo;re Hamid Karzai ?ndash; the Afghan Leader. In the last 2 days of this democratic openness Irsquo;ve followed the Afghanistan Conference in London the Tony Blair hearings in London also on the Iraq Inquiry and Hillary Clinton giving a speech at the Institut de Recherehce Strategique de lrsquo;Ecole Militaire in Paris all online form my desk on Tervuren. Hillary had flown to Europe to be part of the Afghanistan Conference. In her notes she outlined some of the results ndash; several countries have committed additional troops including the United Kingdom Italy Germany and Romania other countries such as Russia Kazakhstan Uzbekistan are providing air space rights and other transit assistance. ldquo;But as important as our military mission is we know that force alone cannot achieve our goals. Last week I released the U.S. Afghanistan and Pakistan Regional Stabilization Strategy. Its goal is to support Afghan-led efforts to transform and strengthen their own society and ensure their own security rdquo; the US Secretary of State underlined. Conferences can raise awareness and public opinion especially when theyrsquo;re so well covered by the host countryrsquo;s broadcasters. I love the BBC too I do and thoroughly enjoyed chatting freely with Gordon Hamid and all the UK and Afghan students that had an audience with them on the eve of the conference it was so well planned out and moderated the journalist didnrsquo;t flinch at all when Hamid got techy about just how close the UKrsquo;s and Afghanistanrsquo;s ties werehellip;. Conferences in Brussels for example not unlike this one in London tend to bring together all the stakeholders and in this overt display of political power you want to expect a lot from them. You want their conclusions to make a difference. You want them to be implemented. And then at some point in the future hopefully a direct result of these will be more than obvious. In real life on a field in Afghanistan with a farmer growing grapes instead of poppies. One day. Follow Alia Papageorgiou on twitter @eurocentrique or email alia@neurope.eu... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98807.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:38:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98806.php As if the world and European Union didnrsquo;t have enough to worry about with terrorism ramping up as witnessed by the elevated security threat in the United Kingdom last week focus on insurgent hotbeds concentrated on Afghanistan Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is now shifting toward another troubled and barely-functioning Mideast country with a history of violence: Yemen. The West must put more effort into supporting the government of Yemen and stabilizing the country before it collapses or becomes a safe haven for terrorists European Union foreign ministers warned in Brussels. That came a month after when a Nigerian who had allegedly trained as a terrorist in Yemen tried to blow up an airliner flying from Amsterdam to Detroit and little more than 10 years since a suicide bombing attack in the Yemeni port of Aden damaged the US Navy destroyer USS Cole killing 17 sailors and injuring 39. The EU with new Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton in place is trying to figure out ways to combat the threat of Yemen being used as a kind of terrorist base camp from where to plot attacks against targets including in the EU especially as the Yemeni government canrsquo;t contain the threat. ldquo;If you look at the last information and developments it is quite wise to be worried and to look closer what the situation in Yemen is beforehand than to maybe face some not very pleasant consequences rdquo; Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said as he arrived for talks with EU counterparts. The British government said its scheduled conference on Yemen was aimed at working out how the international community can help the countryrsquo;s government bring law and order to its people. WWe want to make sure that we do everything to prevent young people being radicalized turning to terrorism and to make sure that the government there has all the resources to tackle the problem that they know they have on their own doorstep rdquo; said Britainrsquo;s Minister for EU Affairs Chris Bryant. Yemen has not featured high on the EUrsquo;s list of foreign-policy priorities in recent years as the bloc has focused its attention on security and terrorism in countries such as Afghanistan Pakistan and Somalia. Now however ministers fear that the country could slide into anarchy and become a key staging-post for Islamist terrorists if the West does not give the government support. Yemenrsquo;s combination of dwindling oil and water supplies and booming population ldquo;requires a very substantial development initiative over years in order to prevent that state from failing totally rdquo; Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said. To counter that threat the EU ldquo;is committed to joining with international partners including Yemenrsquo;s neighbors in assisting the government through a comprehensive approach encompassing security counter-terrorism political dialogue humanitarian and economic assistance rdquo; ministers said in a statement. At the same time the EU said it ldquo;calls on the government of Yemen to continue with its program of domestic political and economic reforms rdquo; but did not say how much it was willing to help in terms of money or other development aid or political help although Ashton said the EU might be willing to raise aid to the country by 33% in the period 2011-2013 according to the Yemen Post.nbsp; US President Barack Obama has weighed whether America should intervene more forcefully in Yemen as well but military action has been ruled out so far after some political analysts warned it would just cause the terrorist threat to flare and give enemies of the West a reason to rally support particularly against the US or NATO which includes troops from many EU countries. Yemeni media are carefully following developing thinking in the EU as well. The Yemen Post reported that the Ashton said she and the EU believe that the presence of al-Qaeda there is troublesome for the country and has caused economic political and security worries. The paper reported that the British conference would helpnbsp; engage Saudi Arabia the US and other countries to discuss Yemen. Yemenrsquo;s security is now a rising priority for the EU which is also mulling a bigger package of aid including intensified training for Yemeni forces and providing them with necessary equipment as well as supporting the governmentrsquo;s efforts to improve laws to confront extremism and tackle conflicts Ashton said according to the paper and media reports. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98806.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:37:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98804.php After what looked like a long death watch for the more than 60-year-old iconic automaker Saab its American owner General Motors reached a deal to sell the company to Dutch-based automaker Spyker Cars putting a stop to what seemed a certain shutdown and end of the line for the Swedish company. The deal was cinched last week amid sighs of relief from the Swedish government and Saab workers but it took a literally last-resort rescue for the money-losing brand which GM couldnrsquo;t make profitable despite a hard core cult-like following for the car. The deal is expected to be finalized by the middle of February. ldquo;Todayrsquo;s announcement is great news for Saab employees dealers and suppliers great news for millions of Saab customers and fans worldwide and great news for GM rdquo; said John Smith GMrsquo;s Vice President for corporate planning and alliances. The Dutch carmaker will form a new company as a result of the deal Saab Spyker Automobiles. GM will get $74 million in cash $326 million in preferred stock in the new company and a ldquo;third considerationrdquo; that Smith refused to detail. ldquo;Saab is an iconic brand that we are honored to shepherd rdquo; Spyker Chief Executive Victor Muller said in a statement. ldquo;Spyker Cars will provide Saab with the backing required to compete as a competitive global brand.rdquo; But he couldnrsquo;t provide any immediate answers as to how a sports car company can rescue a maker of sedans that is bleeding money. Saab has some 3 400 employees in Sweden most of who are based at the main plant in Trollhattan south-western Sweden. This plant was being reworked to produce a new Saab 9-5 model sedan later this year Saabrsquo;s first new release in seven years. An additional 3 000 positions with subcontractors were also at stake according to the Automotive Supplier Industry group. Smith said GM requested no employment guarantees and it would be up to Spyker whether it planned additional cuts. Swedish Enterprise Minister Maud Olofsson told reporters that ldquo;this is the result of long arduous work.rdquo; He said the government had been involved in the process since GM a year ago announced it wanted to shed Saab but the governmentrsquo;s principle was not to become owner of a car plant. The deal is contingent on a 400 billion euros $563 million loan from the European Investment Bank which must still be approved by the EIB and the European Commission. Olofsson said the Swedish government was willing to guarantee the loan aimed at developing cleaner fuels and environmentally friendly technology. Stockholm has underlined that it wants to make sure that a buyer has sufficient financial and organizational strength not to put taxpayersrsquo; money at risk. Anette Hellgren of the white-collar union at Saab expressed relief over the announcement. ldquo;It is great that we have got a deal rdquo; she told Swedish broadcaster SVT. ldquo;We see a future with a new owner rdquo; Hellgren added. The Dutch group was the only viable bidder left following an announcement by the Luxembourg-based investment company Genii Capital backed by Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone that it was no longer a contender. Spyker was once in the Formula One business itself taking over Team Midland in late 2006. Its presence was short-lived however as the team changed hands just one year later going to Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya who renamed it Force India. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98804.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:36:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98805.php While US President Barack Obama got mixed reviews in his country about his long-delayed decision to crack down on banks that have gotten trillions of dollars in taxpayer money but refused to lend it he got praise from Joaquin Almunia the outgoing European Commissioner in charge of economic affairs who said it was ldquo;very justifiedrdquo; if long in coming. Obama announced plans to give regulators more power to limit the size of banks and restrict the scope of risk-taking in the hopes of preventing another financial crisis down the road. ldquo;We all have the impression that financial entities in Wall Street have not yet learned all the lessons from the crisis so I think the measures adopted by the US president are very justified rdquo; Almunia told an audience of Spanish journalists in Brussels. He argued that the measures are necessary given the ldquo;resistancerdquo; displayed by US financial institutions to self-regulate themselves. But Almunia - who is to become competition commissioner in the next EU executive set to enter into office on 10 February after a vote of confidence of the European Parliament - explained that Europe faces different challenges in regulating its financial sector. ldquo;Here in Europe there is no Wall Street putting brakes on financial regulation proposals that are being discussed even though there is some tendency to believe that national solutions at the level of EU member states might be better than coordinated solutions at European level rdquo; he signaled. Almunia said he recognized that US banks and financial institutions were ldquo;not the only causerdquo; of the crisis but he criticized ldquo;excessive risk takingrdquo; and behavior that was ldquo;totally alien to the interests of the citizens and of a stable economy.rdquo;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98805.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:36:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98803.php Buried among the news stories last week but not as deep as the 1 516 NATO soldiers and 850 000 civilians dead because of the fighting in Afghanistan in the more than eight-year-old war was the little nugget that Stanley McChrystal the US General in charge has pretty much surrendered and said what the politicians wonrsquo;t: this war canrsquo;t be won if the allied forces stay a thousand years not because the soldiers arenrsquo;t brave but because therersquo;s no political will to provide them what they need to win and because unlike World War II therersquo;s no battlefield or identifiable enemy. Worse McChrystal said the inevitable answer is a political solution and a government that will include the Taliban the enemy NATO faced off against. The notion that the Taliban will return in some fashion will be bitter news to the families of the soldiers who now as in Vietnam will have died for nothing and to civilians who will face the renewed wrath of the same people who liked to kill girls because they showed their face or ankle which of course meant they were sluts asking for it. ldquo;I believe that a political solution to all conflicts is the inevitable outcome. And itrsquo;s the right outcome rdquo; McChrystal who is Commander of the International Security and Assistance Force ISAF in Afghanistan said in an interview with the Financial Times adding that peace negotiations with the insane leaders of the Taliban may already be underway which means they are. He said he believed the surge of an extra 30 000 US soldiers would weaken the Taliban enough to force them to agree to a peace deal forgetting that means they will come back to hold some power even with the corrupt incumbent President Hamid Karzairsquo;s government while the NATO troops will be home wondering what the hell hit them and why they were there in the first place. ldquo;Itrsquo;s not my job to extend olive branches but it is my job to help set conditions where people in the right positions can have options on the way forward rdquo; he said boilerplate language that means hersquo;s been told a diplomatic solution will usurp his power to chase down and kill people who otherwise would chase down and kill his people which so far has included: 703 Americans 251 British 31 Danes six Estonians 38 French 40 Germans 22 Italians 15 Poles 11 Romanians 79 Spanish including 62 killed in a plane crash in Turkey on the way home and 17 in a helicopter crash proving therersquo;s no safe ground even when yoursquo;re not deployed to combat areas; three Norwegians two Portuguese two Swedes two Czechs one Finn one Lithuanian and two Hungarians although the figures can change by the hour. And unlike WWII where there were reporters at the front giving details of the carnage and Vietnam where the fighting was beamed into your dining room at night so you could actually see war while you had dinner until you finally lost the stomach for fighting and forced the American government to get the hell out the war in Afghanistan like the war in Iraq has gone virtually uncovered except for reporters vetted by military and political leaders who are ldquo;embeddedrdquo; where they canrsquo;t see any real fighting. Look at the newspapers television and on-line: where are the pictures of the battles the kind of horror that makes people realize there are people being killed and not binary codes or integers? ldquo;As a soldier my personal feeling is that therersquo;s been enough fighting rdquo; McChrystal said. Not yet because more people are going to die until politicians get to bury their all mistakes. nbsp;Andy@NEurope.eu nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98803.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:35:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98802.php Even as some looting and disorder have continued to plague earthquake-stricken Haiti the European Union said its aid beyond money will include the sending of at least 300 police officers to the country to help the United Nationsrsquo; stabilization mission there MINUSTAH the blocrsquo;s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said. The UN Security Council previously agreed to boost the missionrsquo;s size to a total of 8 940 troops and 3 711 police an increase of 3 500 personnel over the original strength in a bid to provide security for the massive relief effort underway in the quake-stricken country. ldquo;The overall capacity of the EUrsquo;s contribution is 300 as I understand it rdquo; Ashton stated at the end of an EU foreign ministersrsquo; meeting in Brussels. The officers are set to come from the members of the European Gendarmerie Force EGF a cooperation group between EU countries that have paramilitary-style police like Italyrsquo;s Carabinieri Francersquo;s Gendarmerie and Spainrsquo;s Guardia Civil. Sources close to Ashton told Deutsche-Presse-Agentur dpa that these three nations are expected to provide collectively a total of 360 units with 220 gendarmerie and 140 police officers. They added that Ashton was more conservative because figures could vary in the next few weeks. Diplomats indicated that Italy and France will provide 120 to 140 officers each with the rest coming from Spain. Other manpower offers are expected from the Netherlands around 60 police and possibly Romania. Portugal - the sixth member of the EGF - has not made any commitments. The extra police officers are set to arrive in Haiti within the next few weeks and are expected to stay for six months. They will not be part of a unified EU mission but the bloc will coordinate their actions through a new cell to be set up in Brussels. One of the diplomatic sources stressed that the EUrsquo;s offer is nearly double what the UN has requested. Still the effort of the blocrsquo;s members pales in comparison to the US which said it would send 20 000 Marines. Ashton defended the EUrsquo;s record recalling its decision to pledge over 400 million euros $560 million in short-term and long- term humanitarian aid. ldquo;I think that therersquo;s been a recognition certainly from the people of Haiti from the UN the United States and others of the extremely important the EU has played rdquo; she stated. The European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Karel De Gucht fresh from a visit to Haiti said relief efforts ldquo;are working very wellrdquo; and explained that the next priority is to build refugee camps for ldquo;up to 250 000 internally displaced persons.rdquo;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98802.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:33:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98801.php Even as Members of the European Parliament have set the stage for a volatile showdown over demands for stronger sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program and crackdown on dissidents European Union foreign ministers backed away from a confrontation and said itrsquo;s up to the United Nations Security Council to make the call. Some MEPs ahead of a session in February over Iran attacked that countryrsquo;s record of going after government opponents and said they fear Tehran is pursuing a nuclear bomb and not peaceful use of nuclear energy the same stance taken by the United States and Israel. But EU foreign ministers echoing the blocrsquo;s preferred diplomatic stance of ldquo;soft powerrdquo; diplomacy and negotiations said they donrsquo;t want to add more sanctions to those they had already approved fearing it would make a settlement more difficult and doubting further punishment would work. ldquo;We need to see what comes out of the Security Council discussions and the role the members play and then return to the subject rdquo; the blocrsquo;s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told journalists in Brussels after meeting with EU foreign ministers. Swedenrsquo;s Carl Bildt seemed to agree as he spoke to the press before the talks with his counterparts. ldquo;The sanction instrument is a very blunt one so it should be used with extreme care rdquo; he stated. ldquo;Our aim is to get the Iranians to the negotiating table and have a political solution and if there are any ... sanctions which can reinforce that possibility Irsquo;m ready to look at them rdquo; Bildt added. For the Parliamentrsquo;s largest bloc the Center-Right European Peoplersquo;s Party MEP Joseacute; Ignacio Salafranca of Spain said that Iran ldquo;was still producing enriched uranium rdquo; and he asked how long Europe ldquo;could keep patience with such behavior?rdquo; and whether there should now be extra punitive measures against the Iranian regime. Socialist MEP Roberto Gualtieri of Italy speaking for the second largest group said that he believed Tehran had the right to a peaceful civilian nuclear program but that enriching uranium a process that could lead to building a nuclear weapon demanded a response from the international community and that he wanted stronger sanctions. British MEP Charles Tannock of the European Conservatives and Reformists group launched a scathing attacking on what he called ldquo;The ruthless nuclear ambitions of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.rdquo; He was supported by Bas Belder of the Netherlands and European Freedom and Democracy bloc who warned: ldquo;Iranrsquo;s nuclear program poses very serious security threats and the international community should act accordingly rdquo; or risk political and economic retaliation.nbsp; German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Iran that it risked increased sanctions if it does not soon cooperate with investigations into a suspected nuclear weapons program. ldquo;Time is running out rdquo; said Merkel speaking at an annual reception for German diplomats. She warned that further sanctions are on the table failing Iranian cooperation. ldquo;It would be a tragedy for the people of Iran if it came to that.rdquo; Germany is one of the main countries negotiating with Iran to find a way to get it to give up its nuclear processing capabilities which Iran claims are for civilian energy purposes but which some Western analysts fear are for a nuclear program. The EU has targeted Iran with a series of sanctions since the country stopped cooperating with the UNrsquo;s nuclear watchdog. They range from asset freezes on banks and key figures linked to the nuclear program to embargoes on exports of arms and equipment. The revelation at the end of 2009 that Iran had built a further nuclear enrichment facility near Qom led to calls for further restrictive measures. But in her press conference Ashton wouldnrsquo;t even use the word ldquo;sanctions rdquo; retreating instead to saying:nbsp; ldquo;There will be a discussion about lsquo;what else?rsquo; lsquo;what next?rsquo;. I wonrsquo;t preempt that discussion suffice to say that itrsquo;s time to have that discussion and then EU ministers will consider the results rdquo; she argued. Estoniarsquo;s Urmas Paet insisted the bloc should not move on the matter without the support of the worldrsquo;s greatest powers. ldquo;With Iran sanctions will work out only if all the UN Security Council permanent members agree. ... The EU is ready to do it but to get really functioning sanctions we need all big players in the world to be united behind this decision rdquo; he stressed. The debate came almost two months after EU leaders called on Iran to shut down its controversial uranium-enrichment program which like all similar demands from the EU have been ignored by Iran without penalty prompting some critics to say the threats are hollow. Still Ashton lamented Tehranrsquo;s ldquo;reluctancerdquo; to engage with the international community its ldquo;insufficient cooperationrdquo; with the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA and recalled ldquo;it did not respond favorablyrdquo; to the compromise proposal of having the enriched fuel it needs for its supposedly civilian nuclear program supplied by Russia.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98801.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:31:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98800.php US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on 28 January in London who said afterwards that Tehran cannot keep the world waiting forever in the standoff over its nuclear program. ldquo;The Iranian nuclear program is certainly an important theme of our dialogue. We are disappointed that Iran has not responded constructively to the proposals offered by the lsquo;three plus threersquo; group. We agreed to continue to seek a positive response to these proposals. But clearly we canrsquo;t wait indefinitely and our partners are talking about the need to discuss additional steps in the UN Security Council so we can move forward towards the goals set by the international community rdquo; Lavrov said. Britain China France Germany Russia and the United States have been negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program amid concerns that the Islamic republic is secretly developing fissile material for nuclear weapons. Under a UN plan Iran mdash; which says it only wants nuclear know-how for civilian purposes mdash; would hand over most of its stocks of low-enriched uranium in return for French and Russian supplies of nuclear fuel enriched to the higher level required for a research reactor. But the proposal doesnrsquo;t seem to be working. ldquo;On the Iran issue what has happened is that the United States and others believe we have sort of come to the point where it seems that Iran is not going to respond to the initiative of the six in an acceptable way and so clearly the next step is look at - Now What?rdquo; James Collins a former US ambassador to Moscow whorsquo;s now at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told New Europe in an interview by phone on 28 January. ldquo;What Lavrov said in London struck me as taking the Russian position neither forward nor back rdquo; he said adding that Lavrov reiterated the earlier position of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last year. However Collins noted that ldquo;the issue of sanctions - or ldquo;What we do if Iran will not meet its international obligations?rdquo; - is now actively on the table again and is under discussion. From everything I heard on our side of how talks have gone with Russia people have found the Russians to be constructive about the question: lsquo;What we do?rsquo; and not ruling some kind of sanctions beyond where we are now by any means but also not specifying how far they are prepared to go at least at any public forum.rdquo; Clinton also joined four European counterparts in London later on 28 December to discuss possible tougher sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. Clinton huddled with Britainrsquo;s David Miliband Francersquo;s Bernard Kouchner Germanyrsquo;s Guido Westerwelle and Italyrsquo;s Franco Frattini on the sidelines of a day-long international conference on Iraq. They discussed where things stand and possible next steps both in New York at the UN Security Council and with respect to greater implementation of existing measures. Asked if US-Russian ties are improving and if Iran remained a thorn in relations Collins told New Europe that Washington and Moscow may see things somewhat differently but it is not a source of division. ldquo;I can say with a good deal of confidence that certainly on the Iran issue there has been a much improved capacity to conduct an ongoing discussion and dialogue and negotiation about how we handle this problem. And that the American side from everything I have heard has been encouraged that the Russian side is actively talking with them on practical level about what can be done and what will be effective and what wouldnrsquo;t. It does not seem at this point to be an issue where we are divided. We may see things somewhat differently but I wouldnrsquo;t say it is a source of division rdquo; Collins said. The meeting in London on 28 December came a day after US President Barack Obama warned Iran of growing isolation if it pursues nuclear weapons. ldquo;The President last night after all gave fairly significant prominence if you look at the international part of the speech to all of the issues surrounding proliferation of weapons and I thought in that sense he focused on START and that we are pretty close to an agreement and also on Iran. I think these are issues where Russia and the United States are both in a reasonably constructive place rdquo; Collins said. During his State of the Union address Obama hailed the fact that the new arms-control treaty between the United States and Russia is nearly complete. ldquo;President Obama spoke with President Medvedev of Russia to thank him for his hard work and leadership on the New START treaty negotiations as the two sides have made steady progress in recent weeks rdquo; the White House said in a statement. ldquo;The presidents agreed that negotiations are nearly complete and pledged to continue the constructive contacts that have advanced US-Russian relations over the last year.rdquo; Talks are expected to resume next week in Geneva Switzerland. A technical dispute earlier last week threatened to derail US-Russia missile talks. A dispute about sharing technical data on missile systems has tripped up US-Russian weapons disarmament negotiations reported the Russian newspaper Vremya Novostey on 25 January. According to the report Russian negotiators have offered to share details on their new RS-24 and Bulava rockets in return for telemetric data on missiles in the new US missile defense system. However the US has refused to consider that information exchange as part of ongoing talks on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty START . Collins downplayed the dispute. ldquo;My sense is that we are getting close to getting this done and there are always issues right up to the end and somehow they will be resolved rdquo; Collins told New Europe.rdquo; Irsquo;m pretty optimistic from what we are being told by both sides is that we are close to the conclusion of this and itrsquo;s going to come out pretty well.rdquo; nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98800.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98799.php US President Barack Obama on 27 January renewed a push to tackle climate change warning that the United States would fall behind other countries without investing in clean-energy industries. ldquo;I know that there are those who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change. But even if you doubt the evidence providing incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future rdquo; Obama said in his first State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress. Energy reform has been hugely controversial in Congress especially as the United States battles its way out of recession. Legislation that would curb the countryrsquo;s greenhouse-gas emissions has stalled in the US Senate. ldquo;The nation that leads the clean-energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation rdquo; Obama said. Across the Atlantic the European Union on 27 January confirmed its plans to cut its CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels with an option to raise the target to 30% if other international partners make comparable efforts. The long-forecast decision had to be confirmed by 1 February - a deadline for nations to communicate their states emission targets to the United Nations. At a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels it was established that the bloc will stick to its ldquo;unilateral objective of 20% and a conditional objective of 30% rdquo; Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa quoted diplomatic sources as saying. They added that the EUrsquo;s official notification to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCC will explain ldquo;in a footnoterdquo; that the bloc is willing to go further but only if other industrialized nations follow its lead. The EUrsquo;s offer - an established policy of the bloc since 2008 - failed to move other world leaders at Decemberrsquo;s Copenhagen summit on climate. The US pledge for example amounted to a 3% to 4% cut when using the 1990 baseline adopted by the EU. In view of the summitrsquo;s failure EU members such as Italy and Poland successfully resisted calls to raise the blocrsquo;s target unconditionally to 30% in the hope that the US and other countries such as China would be urged to act. At Copenhagen no agreement was concluded on global emissions cuts. Instead nations were asked to submit their voluntary pledges to the UNFCC by the end of January. Hopes for a global deal on limiting climate change are now pinned on the next UN climate change conference due to start in Mexico on 29 November. The Copenhagen accord should be seen as part of the two-track negotiating process towards reaching a climate accord in Mexico City in December ministers from the major developing Brazil South Africa India and China BASIC said on 24 January. nbsp;The BASIC ministers in a joint statement also called for the convening of a meeting of the two main negotiating groups at Copenhagen - the developed and developing countries - by March. ldquo;These negotiating groups should be called in March and at least six meetings should be held in the year 2010 so that we have a successful conclusion at Mexico City rdquo; Indiarsquo;s Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said at the conclusion of a meeting of the BASIC ministers in New Delhi. Brazilrsquo;s Minister for Environment Carlos Minc his South African counterpart Buyelwa Sonjica and the Vice-Chairman of Chinarsquo;s National Development and Reform Commission Xie Zhenhua attended the meeting convened by Ramesh. The joint statement also called for rapid distribution of the $10 billion pledged by developed nations for tackling climate change in vulnerable nations during 2010. ldquo;If the 10 billion dollars does not flow to Africa small island states and LDCs least developed countries we will know the developed countries are not serious rdquo; Ramesh said at a joint briefing. The BASIC countries intend to communicate information on voluntary mitigation actions to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCC by 31 January a joint statement said. ldquo;All of us are unanimously of the view that the value of the accord lies not as a stand-alone document but as part of the two-track negotiating process rdquo; Ramesh said. ldquo;This meeting has sent a very powerful signal to the rest of the world of our intentions and of our continued desire to work towards a successful conclusion of the two-track negotiating process under the UNFCC rdquo; Ramesh said. Some developing countries outside the BASIC group and environment activists had expressed apprehension that the accord may sidetrack negotiations on long-term cooperative action and the Kyoto Protocol. The BASIC ministerrsquo;s statement can be seen in the context of trying to allay these worries and an attempt to draw support from developing countries which have been wary of the Copenhagen accord. Brazil China South Africa and India along with the United States brokered the deal near the end of the Copenhagen meeting after which it was presented to the other 187 nations. The stated objective is to hold the increase in global temperature below two degrees Celsius. Some non-governmental organizations have said at the current level of commitments temperatures would rise more than three degrees. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98799.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:27:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98797.php Pakistan will assume responsibility for transferring Iranian gas to India under the terms of a pipeline agreement with Tehran Iranian energy executives said. Iran and Pakistan scheduled a February meeting to sign off on a deal for a pipeline from the South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf. Pakistan gets 750 million cubic feet of natural gas per day as part a 25-year deal for the proposed pipeline. Reza Kasaeizadeh the managing director of the National Iranian Gas Export Co. said Islamabad agreed to secure the transit of Iranian gas to India across its territory state-funded broadcaster Press TV reports. ldquo;According to a gas deal signed between the two countries Islamabad will be responsible for the transfer operations of Iranrsquo;s exporting gas in Pakistanrsquo;s territory rdquo; he said. The 2 775-kilometer Iran-Pakistan-India IPI pipeline nicknamed Peace Pipeline was initially planned to take natural gas from Iran to India. However due to rising tensions between India and Pakistan New Delhi stepped back from the later stages of negotiations although it has never formally withdrawn from the scheme. The IPI pipeline was proposed in 1995 and after almost 13 years of negotiations India decided to step back last year. Indian officials have many times cited security issues and the viability of the pipeline that would pass through the territory of rival Pakistan where a near-civil war is raging between government forces and pro-Taliban militants. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98797.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:26:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98798.php Polandrsquo;s gas monopoly PGNiG has signed a deal with Russian gas monopoly Gazprom to increase gas deliveries to Poland and extend a contract for transit of gas PGNiG said in a statement on 28 January. The deal extends until 2037 a gas delivery contract signed in 1996 for transport of gas from Russia to Poland. It also increases delivery to 10.2 billion cubic meters annually. The company said the deal also extends until 2045 a contract for gas transit through Poland through the Yamal pipeline. Warsaw and Moscow were in negotiations for several months in the talks focused on increasing gas supplies from 8 to 10.2 billion cubic meters Polish Radio reported. Poland negotiated the deal after it stopped receiving 2.3 billion cubic meters of gas last year from the Russian-Ukrainian company RosUkrEnergo. The deal still requires government approval but Warsaw has said before it would be ready to sign whenever the two firms came to an agreement. Poland which imports about two-thirds of its gas from Russia faces an annual shortfall of 2.5 billion cubic meters from 2010.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98798.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:26:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98796.php A consortium led by Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell on 25 January signed a contract with the Iraqi government to redevelop and expand the West Qurna field ndash; one of Iraqrsquo;s biggest oil fields. The Exxon team said it would boost production at the field to 2.325 million barrels a day up from just 279 000 barrels a day currently. The field has estimated reserves of 8.7 billion barrels. Exxon which is the operator of the project has the bigger stake in the venture with 80% while Shell holds the remaining 20%. ldquo;I am happy to conclude this contract with these two major companies to develop the giant West Qurna oil field rdquo; Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani was quoted as saying by the press at the signing ceremony in Baghdad. Under the terms of the 20-year-long deal Exxon and Shell will be paid $1.90 for each extra barrel of oil they extract on top of current production at the field. Oil Ministry spokesman Assim Jihad at the time said the consortiumrsquo;s offer to boost production so significantly had helped it beat Russian energy giant LUKoil in bidding for the contract which began last June. Iraq has been witnessing violence-related incidents frequently since the 2003 US-led invasion of the oil-rich country. Rainer Winzenried a Shell spokesman told New Europe on 26 January that ldquo;security is a concern. It was also in the past when we engaged in Iran.rdquo; He noted that the company would take additional precautions and ldquo;would not risk of risk the life of employees in the future so we have to be very careful.rdquo; Winzenried reminded that Shell is now involved in three pillars in Iraq ndash; two oil fields and one gas field. ldquo;West Qurna is the third project. All and all it can become an important part in our portfolio rdquo; he said. Earlier Iraqrsquo;s Oil Ministry signed a deal with Italyrsquo;s ENI and the US firm Occidental Petroleum to enhance the Zubair oil field with an estimated reserve of 4.2 billion barrels. Under the agreement ENI and Occidental would spend about $1 billion annually for the next 20 years to increase production at Zubair by one million barrels per day. ldquo;They will start working to create a development plan and rates of production and investment rdquo; Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain Al Shahristani said on 22 January. Under the deal ENI and Occidental would join South Korearsquo;s Korea Gas Corp. to develop Zubair with a current oil production of 200 000 barrels per day. ENI was expected to spend $11.4 billion in the project to bolster Zubairrsquo;s output to 1.2 million barrels per day. Korea Gas said it would invest $6.5 billion and Occidental was expected to contribute more than $8 billion. Iraq also signed two final deals with Angolarsquo;s national oil company Sonangol to develop two small oil fields in the north. Each deal could be extended for five more years. Sonangol will develop the 858 million-barrel Nejma field for $6 per barrel produced. It will be paid $5 per barrel produced for developing the 807 million-barrel Qayara field. Iraq hopes the contracts will make Iraq among the largest oil producers in the world. Iraq which relies on the 2.5 million barrels per day it produces for more than 90% of its government revenue and about 60% of its gross national product landed key deals during its second round of postwar oil auctions in December. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98796.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:25:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98794.php Russian shareholders managing their end of the Anglo-Russian venture TNK-BP said they want to pursue a more equitable relationship with their partners at BP. Mikhail Fridman the interim chief executive of TNK-BP was quoted as saying by the press that the grouprsquo;s Russian shareholders were prepared to surrender their management role at the group once a permanent chief executive took charge. BP and the Alfa-Access-Renova group a group representing Russian tycoons who share 50-50 ownership of TNK-BP agreed in November to appoint Maxim Barsky a Russian oilman as chief executive after settling a bitter dispute over management. Barsky takes control on 1 January 2011. Officials at TNK-BP have been at odds over the direction of the board of executives since at least 2008 when CEO Robert Dudley was run out of office. Disputes over corporate direction and control culminated in the ouster of Dudley who fled Moscow citing ldquo;harassment.rdquo; AAR said Dudley was managing the firm as a division of BP while BP officials worried about the growing influence of Russia in the merger. BP later seated Dudley on its board of directors.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98794.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:24:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98795.php Nord Stream AG which is constructing a gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany for connection to the European energy grid has commissioned companies in Germany Russia and Japan to supply 1 MMt of steel pipes for the construction of the second pipeline of the Nord Stream project. Germanyrsquo;s Europipe was awarded 65% of the supply contract Russiarsquo;s OMK 25% and Japanrsquo;s Sumitomo 10% worth euro;1 billion. ldquo;Procurement of the steel pipes for the second line was the last outstanding significant decision regarding the requirements for the project as well as for the overall budget rdquo; a statement said. The successful tender is another boost for the group which expects to receive construction approval from Finland soon. Russiarsquo;s neighbor is the only country that has not issued a full approval for the pipeline. ldquo;The approval from Finland is expected within the next few weeks rdquo; said Nord Stream spokeswoman Irina Vasilyeva. Delivery of the pipes for the second line is scheduled to begin in May 2010. The 1 220 kilometer pipeline consists of two parallel lines. Construction of the first line of the Nord Stream Pipeline is scheduled to commence on 1 April 2010 with the construction of line two planned to begin mid-2011. In 2007 Europipe and OMK also won the tender to deliver pipes for the first stage of the link.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98795.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:24:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98793.php Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and Germanyrsquo;s E.ON Ruhrgas are reportedly near a compromise over the terms of payment for less-than contracted Russian natural gas supplies in 2009 caused by weak demand. E.ON plans to conclude discussions with Gazprom on delaying volumes of natural gas soon a spokesman for E.ONrsquo;s natural gas unit was quoted as saying. nbsp; nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98793.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:23:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98792.php Russian state-controlled oil major OAO Gazprom Neft has started crude shipments through the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean ESPO pipeline and will load a cargo at the Kozmino Port on Russiarsquo;s Pacific coast by the end of the month the company said on 26 January. Gazprom Neft has sold a cargo of 100 000 metric tons to Japanrsquo;s Mitsubishi Corp. to be loaded on 30-31 January the company said. The crude is being shipped via the new ESPO pipeline from its fields in the Tomsk region. Russia plans to send a growing volume of oil to Asia via the newly opened terminal at Kozmino on the Pacific Ocean. Over half of the ESPO oil pipeline has been built at a cost of $12 billion. It carries oil from Russiarsquo;s newest and most promising oil fields in East Siberia to Skovorodino close to the Chinese border. From there a spur line is being built into China. When finished next year it will carry 300 000 barrels per day under a $25 billion Chinese loan-for-Russian oil deal sealed in 2009. The contract is for 20 years. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98792.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:22:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98791.php ASTANA - A customs union that came into existence at of the beginning of the year is expected to facilitate the movement of goods and people within a space that includes three Republics ndash; Russia Kazakhstan and Belarus. It is also expected to be a union of three like-minded partners who would not use the new opportunities against one another to drive a wedge between them. According to the Belarus information agency BELTA the ambassador of Kazakhstan to Belarus Analoly Smirnov said at a recent press-conference in Minsk that Kazakhstan was ready to supply the necessary amounts of crude to the Belarus oil refineries. The diplomat noted that with the creation of the Customs Union Kazakhstan was receiving new opportunities to transport its crude oil to Belarussian refineries for processing and subsequent sales to the European Union. ldquo;Nobody gave up on this idea and it was reflected in all of the Belarus-Kazakhstan documents. In particular it was discussed during the mutual visits of the prime-ministers of the two countries and at the presidential talks rdquo; BELTA quoted him as saying. The ambassador emphasized that high transport tariffs had hampered the solution of this problem before and that they would be removed with the creation of the Customs Union. Smirnov also said that cooperation between Belarus and Kazakhstan in the oil sector was included in the Belarus-Kazakhstan Road Map of Trade and Economic Cooperation and in a resolution of the intergovernmental trade and economic commission. As is known the commission co-chairs are responsible for the implementation of the Road Map. In Belarus it is a vice-premier and in Kazakhstan the Minister for Extraordinary Situations. They will provide regular reports to the presidents of the two countries on the progress of the mutual projects. ldquo;Therefore I believe that such an important question as transport of oil will be resolved too. The capacities of the Belarus refineries will be filled with Kazakhstan oil rdquo; the ambassador said. The capacities of the two Belarus refineries are two times greater than that of the three Kazakhstan refineries. For comparison last year Kazakhstan refineries processed about 12.5 million tons of crude oil while their Belarus colleagues did 25 million. It is not a big deal for Kazakhstan to saturate another couple of refineries with crude oil considering that last yearrsquo;s production of oil in the republic totaled 76.5 million tons 68 million of which went for export. However there are two ldquo;butsrdquo; in the question of supplies of Kazakhstan crude to the Belarus refineries. First traditionally Belarussian refineries were the patrimony of the Russian oil companies. The bulk of the crude was provided from Russia which is logical as it was closer and cheaper to receive oil supplies from a neighborly country. Second Russia and Belarus are currently facing issues in connection with the payments for the crude delivered. Clearly Kazakhstan as Russiarsquo;s competitor in this case provides better opportunities for Belarus. ldquo;Remember a well-known saying from a popular film lsquo;It is important that our desires met with our capabilities rsquo;rdquo; the Managing Director of processing and marketing of oil of KazMunaiGas Daniyar Tiesov told New Europe when asked how realistic such a scenario might be. He said that the question of the Belarussian refineriesrsquo; dependence on Russian oil was still a reality and will continue to be so in the near or distant future. Therefore he said that ldquo;there is a lot of work between the desired and the real.rdquo; However Tiesov confirmed that it was theoretically possible to supply Kazakhstan crude to the Belarus refineries. However according to the analysts for a positive decision on that detailed studies and calculations are required. ldquo;We must protect our interests and we should look at this question through the prism of economics i.e. pragmatically. If it proves to be profitable and of interest to us it is quite possible that we will come to those refineries rdquo; he told New Europe adding that so far ldquo;We have not discussed this question with the Belarus colleagues in detail.rdquo; nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98791.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:21:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98790.php Russian gas monopoly Gazprom plans to deliver gas to China from 2015 the Russian gas giantrsquo;s Deputy Chief Executive Alexander Medvedev said recently. ldquo;We should finalize commercial contracts in the middle of next year rdquo; Reuters TV quoted Medvedev in an interview.nbsp; That will enable Gazprom to deliver gas from 2015 to the western corridor of China he said. Gazprom is betting on reviving demand for the fuel and is promising improved earnings and demand after profits in the first half plummeted 50% as demand slumped due to the financial crisis. China has called for more reliable energy resources since it is dedicated to using sources of energy like nuclear power and natural gas.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98790.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:20:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98789.php Gazpromrsquo;s plans to develop the massive Shtokman gas field in the Arctic may be delayed indefinitely while the Yamal gas projects will probably be the Russian gas monopolyrsquo;s number one priority to reflect the new realities of the global gas market. The elements of the game have certainly changed especially over the last year and the board of Gazprom is currently reviewing its strategy and priorities Chris Weafer chief strategist at Moscowrsquo;s Uralsib bank told New Europe by phone on 27 January. Gazprom is concerned about losing markets due to the strong emergence of US shale gas extraction and the possibility the US will be a major exporter and competitor of Gazprom. Also Gazprom has to factor in that China now has a direct link into Central Asia and is seeking more supplies from that region. Moreover Qatar is commissioning the worldrsquo;s biggest gas processing plant this year and is also targeting the Chinese market. Finally Gazprom will have to factor in that there has been a substantial reduction in the forecasts for long-term gas consumption in Europe. ldquo;We will not be surprised to see Shtokman put on an almost indefinite delay. Gazpromrsquo;s priorities right now will be to develop the Yamal peninsula in particular because thatrsquo;s the only source of gas to replace the expected depletion from existing fields rdquo; Weafer said. Gazprom seems to have realized that it has to adopt a greater sense of urgency to avoid losing market share in Europe the opportunity to be a big supplier to China and being short of gas in existing markets he said. Gazprom plans to develop its three gas fields in the Yamal peninsula as pipeline gas and Russiarsquo;s largest independent gas producer Novatek will develop a fourth Yamal field - South Tambey - as liquefied natural gas LNG . Gazprom has a 20% equity stake in Novatek. South Tambey is a field Novatek acquired from Gennady Timchenko who owns big oil trading company Gunvor in an asset swap last year that increased his stake in Novatek. ldquo;We expect that the Novatek gas field will be fast-tracked developed as Russiarsquo;s first major LNG project in addition to what has already taken place in Sakhalin I. The next big LNG project would likely be the Novatek project rather than Shtokman in the Arctic. That would allow Russia to get into the LNG business but it would also mean that Gazprom could concentrate on what are now higher priorities of Yamal and developing a gas source in the Far East to serve China rdquo; Weafer said. On the distribution side the government is pushing aggressively for the Nord Stream gas pipeline and the construction of a pipeline to China. The fact that the development of Shtokman seems ldquo;highly unlikelyrdquo; will not affect the Nord Stream pipeline. The Yuzhno Russkoye field which Gazprom is jointly developing with Germanyrsquo;s BASF and E.ON is on time and will be a big source of gas for at least the first phase of the Nord Stream pipeline. ldquo;At least the first phase will not be an issue but Yamal will be required to fill the second phase rdquo; Weafer said. ldquo;Without Yamal Russia would almost certainly not have enough gas to fill both Nord Stream and South Stream - that simply would not happen. It needs Yamal for domestic purposes as well as the South Stream pipeline.rdquo; nbsp;KGeropoulos@NEurope.eu nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98789.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:18:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98788.php Whilst many in Europe and the world are counting the cost of the financial crisis one person who has come out of it with pockets stuffed with banking gold is the former British Premier and EU Presidential hopeful Tony Blair who has agreed to deliver four speeches for Lansdowne Partner a hedge fund that made $100 million from the collapse of the northern Rock savings and loan company in the UK and precipitated a banking crisis. Blair is paid over $4 million as an adviser to JP Morgan Chase and over 3.5 million from Zurich Investments. His finances seem to be according to rumours nbsp; hidden behind a series of companies some of whom file no accounts and have been described by financial experts as Byzantine. All of this at a time when financial regulations are being discussed in Europe and the US. It has been said that Blair who remains in regular contact with Presidents Barroso and Obama would be in a very good position to lobby on behalf of the bankers and hedge funds. There is growing concern over his finances and in his role in the Iraq war. Currently there is an inquiry in the UK over the war and two government lawyers Sir Michael Wood the Foreign Offices chief legal adviser and his then deputy Elizabeth Wilmshurst told the inquiry that the Cabinet were told the war would be illegal without a second UN resolution. Blair himself faced the inquiry on 29 January. Sitting Premier Gordon Brown has brought forward his appearance in response to criticism that he was delaying appearing before the inquiry until after the expected British general election. However there may be a complication as there are rumours that a snap election may be called in February after release of economic figures suggesting that the UK recession may be over. Until then despite growing public anger against the bankers the former PM is raking in the cash from them. Blair appeared composed and a little nervous at the Iraq Inquiry having sneaked in through a side door well ahead of the start to avoid protesters. According to witnesses his hands were shaking but not for long. The tone of the questioning was gentle and Blair soon felt confident to interrupt. There are several points that can be made with condidence. Firstly that Blair was not as has been alleged a mere underling to President Bush but a true believer in regime change. He kept referring to Saddams WMD neglecting to mention that they didnt actually exist but for Blair that was an insignificant detail. Saddam once had them so it follows that he would have them again. Therefore he had to go. He also explained that post 9/11 the threat was more serious even though the actual threat level hadnt changed saying that objectively the threat hasnt increased but the tolerance of the international community had changed. That is life on Planet Tony. In the run up to war he said The primary aim was to send an absolutely powerful clear and unremitting message that after 9/11 a regime involved with WMD had to stop. He also stated about the future of Saddam thatnbsp; What changed after September 11 was that if necessary ... we were going to remove him. It was hard to reconcile many of Blairs statements especially his almost continual recital that Saddam was in breach of UN resolutions as we now know he had obeyed and destroyed his weapons stocks. He did drop one interesting titbit; at the Crawford meeting there were also conversations with Israelis something that will cause alarm once it is circulated. The phlegmatic Brits have a cynical attitude to these inquiries and few expect anything other than a whitewash like the previous Hutton Inquiry into the Death of Scientist and weapons Inspector Dr David Kelly who officially at least committed suicide although this has been challenged by the ambulance crew on the scene and doctors. Hutton has just ordered a judicial sealing of all records about the case including autopsy reports for 70 years. Blair understands such cynicism and his performance today was not to try to win anyone over but to set out his case for the future generations he hopes will revere him and his wisdom. In Brussels there was keen interest in the appearance and relief that Blair is not the Council President. Suddenly Mr van Rompuy looks like not so bad choice after all. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98788.php Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:16:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98787.php nbsp; The end of days appears to be the theme for this day in history. In 1649 the British King Charles I was beheaded a fate the future Charles III would like to avoid. He was overthrown by Oliver Cromwell who was ritually executed on this day in 1661 some two years after his death which would normally make an execution somewhat redundant. 1835 saw the first assassination attempt on a US President when a deranged and unemployed house painter took two shots at President Andrew Jackson both pistols misfired. The first steps towards an end of decency took place in Germany when a deranged and unemployed painter Adolf Hitler was made Chancellor in 1933. In 1945 he gave his last speech to the nation. In 1948 Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu extremist and in 1956 Martin Luther King Jrs home was bombed.nbsp; nbsp; It was the beginning of the end in the Vietnam war with the Tet offensive taking the American and South Vietnamese forces by surprise 1969 saw the last public performance by the Beatles on the roof of the Abbey Road studios. This ended prematurely when the police arrived and told them to Get Back inside. 1972 was Bloody Sunday when British paratroopers opened fire on a demonstration killing 14 unarmed protestors. Ten years later in 1982 the first personal computer virus was written for a Mac! How times have changed.nbsp; nbsp; Eventsnbsp; 1790nbsp;ndash; The first boat specializing as anbsp;lifeboatnbsp;is tested on thenbsp;River Tyne. 1820nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Edward Bransfieldnbsp;sights thenbsp;Trinity Peninsulanbsp;and claims the discovery ofnbsp;Antarctica. 1826nbsp;ndash; Thenbsp;Menai Suspension Bridge considered the worlds first modern suspension bridge connecting thenbsp;Isle of Angleseynbsp;to the north West coast ofnbsp;Wales is opened. 1847nbsp;ndash; Yerba Buena nbsp;Californianbsp;is renamednbsp;San Francisco. 1858nbsp;ndash; The first Halleacute; concert is given innbsp;Manchester nbsp;England marking the official founding of thenbsp;Halleacute; Orchestranbsp;as a full-time professional orchestra. 1889nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Archdukenbsp;Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria heir to thenbsp;Austro-Hungariannbsp;crown is found dead with his mistressnbsp;Baroness Mary Vetseranbsp;innbsp;Mayerling. 1925nbsp;ndash; The Government ofnbsp;Turkeynbsp;throwsnbsp;Patriarch Constantine VInbsp;out ofnbsp;Istanbul. 1945nbsp;ndash; World War II: Thenbsp;Wilhelm Gustloff overfilled withnbsp;refugees sinks in thenbsp;Baltic Seanbsp;after beingnbsp;torpedoednbsp;by anbsp;Sovietnbsp;submarine leading to the deadliest known maritime disaster killing approximately 9 000 people. 1960nbsp;ndash; Thenbsp;African National Partynbsp;is founded innbsp;Chad through the merger of traditionalist parties. 1964nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Ranger program:nbsp;Ranger 6nbsp;is launched. 1972 ndash;nbsp;Pakistannbsp;withdraws from thenbsp;Commonwealth of Nations. 1979nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Varignbsp;707-323Cnbsp;freighter flown by the same commander asnbsp;Flight 820 disappears over thenbsp;Pacific Oceannbsp;30 minutes after taking off fromnbsp;Tokyo. 1989nbsp;ndash; The Americannbsp;embassynbsp;innbsp;Kabul nbsp;Afghanistannbsp;closes. 1994nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Peacute;ter Leacute;koacute;nbsp;becomes the youngestnbsp;chessnbsp;grand master. 1995nbsp;ndash; Workers from thenbsp;National Institutes of Healthnbsp;announce the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment forsickle-cell disease. 1996nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Gino Gallagher the suspected leader of thenbsp;Irish National Liberation Army is killed while waiting in line for his unemployment benefit. 1996 ndash;nbsp;Comet Hyakutakenbsp;is discovered by Japanese amateur astronomernbsp;Yuji Hyakutake. 2000nbsp;ndash; Off the coast ofnbsp;Ivory Coast nbsp;Kenya Airways Flight 431nbsp;crashes into thenbsp;Atlantic Ocean killing 169. nbsp; Birthsnbsp; 1615nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Thomas Rolfe American colonial settler and only child ofnbsp;Pocahontasnbsp;andnbsp;John Rolfenbsp; d. 1675 1873nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Georges Ricard-Cordingley painter d. 1939 1878nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Anton Hansen Tammsaare Estonian author d. 1940 1882nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Franklin D. Roosevelt 32ndnbsp;President of the United Statesnbsp; d. 1945 1910nbsp;ndash;nbsp;C Subramaniam Indian politician d. 2000 1913nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Percy Thrower British Television Gardener d. 1988 1915 ndash;nbsp;John Profumo British cabinet minister d. 2006 1917nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Paul Fregrave;re Belgian racing driver andnbsp;motorsportnbsp;journalist d. 2008 1919nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Nikolay Glazkov Russian poet d. 1979 1927nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Olof Palme nbsp;Prime Minister of Swedennbsp; d. 1986 1930 ndash;nbsp;Samuel J. Byck American attempted assassin ofnbsp;Richard Nixonnbsp; d. 1974 1930 ndash;nbsp;Gene Hackman American actor 1930 ndash;nbsp;Magnus Malan South African politician 1937 ndash;nbsp;Vanessa Redgrave English actress 1937 ndash;nbsp;Boris Spassky Russian chess player and 10th world chess champion 1969-1972 1938nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Islom Karimov nbsp;President of Uzbekistan 1941 ndash;nbsp;Dick Cheney 46thnbsp;Vice President of the United States 1948nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Nick Broomfield English film- and documentary-maker 1948 ndash;nbsp;Paul Magee Provisional Irish Republican Army member 1949nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Peter Agre American biologist nbsp;Nobel laureate 1951nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Phil Collins English musician 1962nbsp;ndash; Kingnbsp;Abdullah II of Jordan 1968 ndash;nbsp;Prince Felipe of Spain 1968 ndash;nbsp;Tony Maudsley British film actor 1974nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Christian Bale Welsh actor 1974 ndash;nbsp;Olivia Colman English actress 1974 ndash;nbsp;Jemima Khan English socialite 1975nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Juninho Pernambucano Brazilian footballer 1982 - Kostas Gougakis HTML coder nbsp; Deathsnbsp; 1730nbsp;ndash; Tsarnbsp;Peter II of Russianbsp; b. 1715 1836nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Betsy Ross American seamstress b. 1752 1929nbsp;ndash;nbsp;La Goulue French Cancan dancer b. 1866 1934nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Frank Nelson Doubleday American publisher b. 1862 1948 ndash;nbsp;Orville Wright American aviation pioneer b. 1871 1951nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Ferdinand Porsche Austrian automotive engineer b. 1875 1958 ndash;nbsp;Ernst Heinkel German aviation engineer b. 1888 1969nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Georges Pire Belgian monk nbsp;Nobel laureatenbsp; b. 1910 1980nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Professor Longhair American musician b. 1918 1982nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Lightnin Hopkins American musician b. 1912 1994nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Pierre Boulle French author b. 1912 1995nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Gerald Durrell British naturalist zookeeper author and television presenter b. 1925 2001nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Jean-Pierre Aumont French actor b. 1911 2001 ndash;nbsp;Johnnie Johnson British fighter pilot b. 1915 2001 ndash;nbsp;Joseph Ransohoff the father of modernnbsp;neurosurgerynbsp; b. 1915 2006nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Coretta Scott King American activist and wife ofnbsp;Martin Luther King Jr.nbsp; b. 1927 2007nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Nikos Kourkoulos Greek actor and artistic director b. 1934... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98787.php Sat, 30 Jan 2010 13:35:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98786.php Following our revelations last week into Ms Antonyia Parvanova MEP and Vice-President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ALDE and her campaign against Commissioner Designate Jeleva it has become suspected that Ms Parvanova was less motivated by homour then a desire to help her friend Commissioner Kuneva keep a high profile job far from their native Bulgaria. Kuneva wished to remain a Commissioner but despite the pleadings of President Barroso the Bulgarian government decided to nominate their own candidate Ms Jeleva. And so the plot began. Ms Kuneva was elected as an MEP but in a moment of supreme self sacrifice declined to take up her seat and stay on as Commissioner telling the press that her decision not to enter the European Parliament was above any personal ambitions and agenda and it was important for Bulgaria to have a Commissioner and that her only desire was to better serve Bulgaria. She also claimed that she would be better placed to fulfil her election pledges as a Commissioner than as a lowly MEP. This raises several questions aside from hubris. If she wasnt going to take her seat why did she stand at all? More importantly as Commissioners swear an oath to act impartially and put aside national interests how does that fit in with her patriotic urges to stay on to serve Bulgaria? Ms Parvanova then went into overdrive on behalf of her friend throwing documentation and allegations around until despite Jeleva being cleared of all the accusations the plot worked and the Commissioner Designate made a dignified resignation. One can only imagine the look on Parvanova and Kunevas faces when the Bulgarian government declined to legitimise their skullduggery and put forward Kristalina Georgieva instead. There are rumours that President Barroso who seemingly has a strong attachment to the attractive Ms Kuneva is considering making her one of his top advisers. In the meantime Ms Parvanova is counting the cost of playing with fire. Her accusations have been discredited and she hasnt had the kudos of claiming a scalp for the Parliament and her group but is increasingly looking like damaged goods. Several journalists have privately described her as having lost the plot. ALDE seem to be casting her adrift claiming the leadership had no involvement knowledge or anything to do with Ms Parvanovas antics. But there are questions that need to be asked of ALDE and especially of their Group leader Guy Verhofstadt. Is there any actual leadership or is the group a do whatever you want organisation? Is it really true that as ALDE spokesmen claim that they had no knowledge at all of the Parvanova accusations? That they were never mentioned? Did ALDE back explicitly or implicitly Kunevas campaign to keep her seat at Barrosos table? for there only seem to be two options either Parvanova is obeying group orders or is a loose cannon. Neither option makes the group or its leader look like the good decent people they claim to be. Irish journalist Martin Dillon broke the story of the behind the scenes machinations and has discussed the affair with Parvanova. His full email exchange with Dr. Parvanova can be found on The Questions and Answers Email 1 Dear Mrs. Parvanova nbsp; I have evidence related to your dealings with Mr. Kallas I am prepared to publish it but first I would like to give you a chance to answer the questions below. I asked you when you wrote to me today would you be prepared to answer questions. You did not reply and as the saying goes ldquo;time waits for no man.rdquo; nbsp;nbsp;I am assembling my material and you have 12 hours to answer the questions before I send my article to media outlets. I am giving you more time than Mrs. Jeleva was given before the hearing. And you must know what I am referring to. nbsp;I hope you will be responsive. nbsp; 1.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Do you have a member of your staff named Etienne Maury? 2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Why did you contact Mr. Kallas regarding Mrs. Jeleva? 3.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Why did you not contact the Chairman of the Commission instead of Mr. Kallas? 4.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Do you and Mr. Kallas belong to the same party? 5.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;Did you inform Mrs. Jeleva about your findings and if so how many days before the hearing? 6.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Under what authority or whose authority nbsp;did you investigate Mrs. Jeleva? 7.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Why did you not inform the Chair of the hearings before making your allegations? 8.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Do you consider your actions a breach of E.U. Rules? 9.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Did you inform the Bulgarian legal authorities about your investigation of Mrs. Jeleva? nbsp; Regards Martin Dillon Email 2 nbsp;Dear Mr Dillon Thnak you very much for your answer. I am a person who has always been keen on clarifying the facts that are reported with regards to my political activities and statements and I would like to take the opportunity to do so with this email. With regards to the hearing of Ms Rumiana Jeleva I would like to present you with my point of view and the information that has been brought to my attention so far. I hope that this will provide you with a satisfactory clarification for the questions you may have on this issue. As you may know Ms Jelevas declaration as a Minister of Foreign Affairs - and any omissions therein - has been first debated in the Bulgaria parliament and publicly reported by the media since the autumn of 2009; due to being brought forward by the chairperson of the Committee on Anti-Corruption Conflict of Interests and Parliamentary Ethics Mr Yane Yanev. In her capacity as Member of the Bulgarian Government Ms Jeleva was required to declare any ownership of companies at present and for the last 12 months prior to the beginning of her mandate. Such declarations are published on the website of the Bulgarian Parliament and are publicly available. The debate iniated by Mr Yanev has not been proceeded any further and didn not lead to any clarification since shortly after his statement Mr Yanev has been dismissed from his position following a GERB majority vote in the Bulgarian Parliament. Unfrotunately this political interference did not allow a proper clearance of the case. As you may also know the co-President of the Greens in the European Parliament Mr Daniel Cohn-Bendit has made a statement today that already in December he warned about the lack of consistency of Ms Jelevas declarations during a press conference. Later on in January the Financial Times Deutshland and the Bulgarian electronic media have published details from the publicly accessible Bulgarian Trade Registry and well as Ms Jelevas declarations undoubtedly contradicted each other proving that she did not declare ownership in companies as it is required by law in the template declaration. Following Mr Cohn-Bendit press conference and reports in the media all political groups have been aware of and discussed this issue. As for all other Commissioner-Designates a particular attention has been given to documents personally signed and submitted to the Commission and the European Parliament as part of her Ms Jelevas official profile in advance to the hearings. As you can see on her CV for Commissioner-Designate Ms Jeleva stated that she was a managing director of the company Global Consult Limited for the period 2001- 2003 and 2006-2007 - neither share ownership has been mentioned nor the management of any other company. The Bulgarian media and politicians have already brought to the public attention the discrepancies of Ms jelevas documents and the Bulgarian Trade Registry which is publicly accessible. The Bulgarian Trade Registry indeed indicates that Ms Jeleva has been managing director of Global Consult from 2001 to 2004 and from 2006 to 2009. There is absolutely no doubt that such facts were contradicting Ms Jelevas statement of being accurate and precise in her declaration and documents. Furthermore the different declarations of interest filled by Ms jeleva when Member of the European Parliament from 2007 to 2009 did not report constitently her ownership of Global Consult and her activities within Global Consult and Etko Schneiders. These latter facts have been reported by the Parliament Legal Services as discrepancies. Further details about the second company Etko Schneiders have been disclosed yesterday by the EU online newspaper Euractiv. As you can see all the information refering to Ms Jelevas financial interests are based on public and publicly available legal documents. One cannot speak about conspiracy when a simple comparison is drawn between Ms Jelevas declarations and official public records. It is more than a common practice for all politicians in Bulgaria and in Europe to be accountable and transparent towards citizens the civil society and the media. Since you have followed the hearing of Ms Jeleva you can attest that most of the political group coordinators in their introductory statements asked Ms Jeleva to clarify these public facts and apparant discrepencies. Ms Jeleva evaded this issue during her opening speech and refused to provide further details while she has been repeatedly asked to do so. You will have noticed that the ALDE group coordinator did not even mention the issue and I did not had any intention to take to floor during the hearing. This can be easily checked with the list of speakers for the hearings negotiated and approved well in advance by all political groups coordinators. I have been given the floor following a point of order as request by Mr Ivo Vajgl after Ms Jeleva accused me of spreading rumors. I did not have any choice but to say anything about the truth and state the facts that have been public for months. If not so I would have been seen as aide in her attempt to conceal an issue already publicly debated in Bulgaria especially when refering to the Bulgarian institutions in reference to her integrity. Instead of making a scandal she could have simply present her apologies for the inaccuracy of her declaration and promise that in her capacity as a Commissioner she will be more precise in the future. As a reference to your article I would like to point out the following two clarifying facts: 1- As all this information is public as well as the following debate any kind of communication between the different institutions of the European Union can not in any way be considered conspiracy or bitchiness or callousness. On the contrary this is just the basic application of the guiding principles of the EU which are notably the rule of law and transparency. Ms Jelevas problems are orignating from her own behaviour and the documents signed by her. 2- I do not have any involvement in the accusation propagated against Ms Jelevas husband and his alleged relations with the mafia or any infromation published in international newspaper in this matter. Your records as a journalist clearly demonstrate that you have a reputation of a person guided by the principles of truth and professionalism and I am confident that you will fairly consider the thorough clarifications provided by this email. Thank you very much this is everything that I had to say about this issue. I do not wish to further dwell on this issue since as a Bulgarian the debate has been contentious and has not been resolved in Bulgaria in due time instead of being brought forwardat the EU level. My best regards Antonyia Parvanova Email 3 Dear Mrs. Parvanova Thank you for clarifying some matters for me though your email raises red flags about a number of claims you make. I have read the legal opinion issued yesterday by the parliamentrsquo;s legal secretary which clears Mrs. Jeleva of any wrongdoing. In fact it confirms that she was not in breach of the commissionersrsquo; code of conduct. That would seem to me to present a prima facie argument for stating that your position vis a vis her declaration was untenable from the moment you made your assertions. Further the legal opinion states that discrepancies can be the result of omission. You claimenbsp;there was a debate in the Bulgarian Parliament about Mrs. Jelevarsquo;s declaration. That is incorrect. The former chairperson of the Committee on Anti-Corruption Mr. Yanev whom you refer to in your letter was sacked from that position. If I am correct he made a public statement that he had found problems with declarations by five ministers. You allege that Mr. Yanevrsquo;s dismissal was the result of a GERB majority vote. There was no interference from GERB and no special parliamentary committee debate referring to Mrs. Jeleva. You state that yesterday Mr. Cohen Bendit claimed he raised the issue of inconsistencies in Mrs. Jelevarsquo;s declaration last December. That claim is untrue. Mr. Bendit waxed lyrical about Mrs. Jelevarsquo;s husband and his alleged affiliation with the Mafia but did not make one mention of Mrs. Jelevarsquo;s declaration. The first mention of Global Consult was made by you and if as you suggest it was spontaneous on your part why did you read your speech in the plenary? You mentioned a disclosure yesterday by Euractiv. Surely even you must acknowledge that it was used by BSP against Mrs. Jeleva. As for its chief GOTEV was he not a former correspondent of the communist newspaper DUMA? You make no mention of your relationship to Mr. Siim Kallas. I was astounded to learn yesterday that the Press Officer in CAB-KALLAS angrily asserted to a New Europe reporter that Mr. Kallas did not know you. Is that really possible considering yours and his political affiliations? Why did you send emails to him regarding Mrs. Jeleva and not to Mr. Barroso or to Mrs. Eva Joli? Can you tell me if there are other emails beyond the one your Parliamentary Assistant head of Office Etienne Maury send on January 7 to CAB-KALLAS? According to Regulation EC No: 1049/2001 OJL 145 31 05 2001 every citizen of EU should have public access to documents issued by MEPs and Commissioners. I note you did not answer the list of questions I provided in my last email to you. Could you please respond to those questions and to my rebuttal and questions in this email. Regards Martin D. www.martindillon.net... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98786.php Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:56:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98785.php Today is the day to mark Saint Juniper the renowned jester of the Lord who was one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi who said Would to God my brothers I had a whole forest of such Junipers. Gibraltar also celebrates Constitution Day. Eurocrats should celebrate Karl Benz patenting of the petrol driven automobile in 1886 and those of a gloomy disposition can take solace that in 1845 Edgar Allen Poes poem The Raven was first published. In 1916 Paris was bombed by Zeppelins and eighty years later in 1996 President Chirac announced a definitive end to Frances policy of blowing up peaceful islands for the sake of nuclear weapons testing. President Bush decried against The Axis Of Evil in 2002 three years after Hungary became the first Eastern bloc country to recognise South Korea. W.C. Fields was born today and described a holiday thus Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water. Events 1676 ndash; Feodor III becomes Tsar of Russia. 1814 ndash; France defeats Russia and Prussia in the Battle of Brienne. 1834 ndash; US President Andrew Jackson orders first use of federal soldiers to suppress a labor dispute. 1856 ndash; Queen Victoria institutes the Victoria Cross. 1861 ndash; Kansas is admitted as the 34th U.S. state. 1943 ndash; The first day of the Battle of Rennell Island U.S. cruiser Chicago is torpedoed and heavily damaged by Japanese bombers. 1944 ndash; USS Missouri BB-63 the last battleship commissioned by the US Navy is launched. 1944 ndash; In Bologna Italy the Anatomical Theatre of the Archiginnasio is destroyed in an air-raid. 1996 ndash; La Fenice Venices opera house is destroyed by fire. 1998 ndash; In Birmingham Alabama a bomb explodes at an abortion clinic killing one and severely wounding another. Serial bomber Eric Robert Rudolph is suspected as the culprit. 2001 ndash; Thousands of student protesters in Indonesia storm parliament and demand that President Abdurrahman Wahid resign due to alleged involvement in corruption scandals. 2002 ndash; In his State of the Union Address United States President George W. Bush describes regimes that sponsor terror as an Axis of Evil in which he includes Iraq Iran and North Korea. 2005 ndash; The first direct commercial flights from the mainland China from Guangzhou to Taiwan since 1949 arrived in Taipei. Shortly afterwards a China Airlines carrier landed in Beijing. Births 1584 ndash; Frederick Henry Prince of Orange d. 1647 1737 ndash; Thomas Paine English-born American patriot d. 1809 1846 ndash; Karol Olszewski Polish scientist d. 1915 1860 ndash; Anton Chekhov Russian writer d. 1904 1862 ndash; Frederick Delius English composer d. 1934 1880 ndash; W.C. Fields American actor d. 1946 1927 ndash; Edward Abbey American author and environmentalist d. 1989 1928 ndash; Lee Shau Kee Hong Kong property developer 1933 ndash; Sacha Distel French singer and guitarist d. 2004 1939 ndash; Germaine Greer Australian writer 1944 ndash; Andrew Loog Oldham English rock and roll producer 1944 ndash; Yoweri Museveni President of Uganda 1970 ndash; Heather Graham American actress 1979 ndash; Andreas Thorstensson Website developer 1980 ndash; Yael Bar-Zohar Israeli actress and model Deaths 1608 ndash; Frederick I Duke of Wuuml;rttemberg b. 1557 1763 ndash; Louis Racine French poet b. 1692 1820 ndash; King George III of the United Kingdom b. 1738 1950 ndash; Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Emir of Kuwait b. 1885 1951 ndash; Frank Tarrant Australian cricketer b. 1880 1956 ndash; H. L. Mencken American journalist b. 1880 1963 ndash; Robert Frost American poet b. 1874 1964 ndash; Alan Ladd American actor b. 1913 1969 ndash; Allen Dulles American CIA director b. 1893 1970 ndash; Basil Liddell Hart British historian b. 1895 1975 ndash; Orestis Makris Greek actor b. 1898 2004 ndash; M. M. Kaye British writer b. 1908 2004 ndash; Janet Frame New Zealand writer b. 1924 2005 ndash; Ephraim Kishon Israeli satirist b. 1924 2007 ndash; Dia Abdul Zahra Kadim Iraqi extremist leader b. 1970 2008 ndash; Philippe Khorsand French actor b. 1948 2008 ndash; Margaret Truman American writer daughter of Harry S. Truman 1924 2009 ndash; Heacute;lio Gracie Brazilian martial artist b. 1913 2009 ndash; John Martyn Scottish singer and songwriter b. 1948... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98785.php Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:17:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98784.php The 65th anniversary of Soviet troops liberating the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps was marked throughout Europe and by a group of 20 MEPs attending a ceremony at the camp itself. Israeli President Shimon Peres chose to address the German Parliament where the 86 year old spoke about his own memories of the holocaust and of his grandfather who put him on a train for Israel I remember his last words to me instructing me: My boy always stay a Jew. The locomotive whistled and the train pulled away ... it was the last time that I saw him. He went on to describe what happened to his family and the Jewish community in Wiszniewo Belarus they ordered all Jews to gather in the Synagogue ... the doors were sealed from the outside and the wooden building was set alight and the only thing that was left of the whole community were red-hot ashes and smoke... The fire destroyed their bodies but not their spirit.rdquo; Looking toward the future Peres added While my heart is breaking at the memory of the atrocious past my eyes envision a common future for a world that is young a world free of all hatred a world in which the words war and anti-Semitism will be dead words before reciting the Kaddish prayer of mourning. Also speaking at the ceremony was Polish historian Feliks Tych a Holocaust survivor who said that all nations who were involved in the holocaust should examine themselves saying The co-operation of the Third Reich with allies and police in most occupied countries was characteristic for the German genocide project rdquo; he said adding that ldquo;The perpetrators profiteers informers . . . the view of the Holocaust will remain incomplete and distorted as long as European complicity in these German capital crimes ndash; planned and steered from Berlin ndash; are not a part of our European historical consciousness.rdquo; Echoing this view was Richard Howitt MEP who collaborated with MEPs from across Europe and the political spectrum to lodge a calling on European politicians to accept that although Germany executed the Holocaust responsibility for involvement was more widely shared. Howitt said Those who seek to deny the Holocaust are given succour by all of us who condemn its horrors but who choose to neglect or cover-up those in our own countries who supported it directly or indirectly. Our declaration also makes clear that the Western Allies ourselves should have done more to block the rail lines to the gas chambers and to welcome Jewish refugees. The shock of the Holocaust was one of the driving forces behind the initiation of the European Union and the Parliaments President Jerzy Buzek said The Shoah is an incomparable tragedy. We are here together to ex. The European Union - whose citizens are represented in the Parliament of which I am the President - came into being in order to prevent any recurrence of the nightmare of war. We always have to remember the horror of Nazi death camps. The election of Simone Veil a former extermination camp inmate as the President of the first democratically elected European Parliament was symbolic and important. It is our duty as Europeans to ensure remembrance and to educate. Those who lived through the hell of the camps never forget. But there are fewer and fewer of them among us. The others - the younger generations - must not be allowed to forget. However there were also some disturbing signs. In Strasbourg vandals desecrated a Jewish cemetary painting swastikas on many tombs and Juden Raus or ldquo;Jews out rdquo; was written on one tomb. This happened on the same day that Polish senator Ryszard Bender opened the session of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Bender a founder member of the extreme-right League of Polish Families has according to a radio broadcast in 2000 said Auschwitz was not a death camp it was a labour camp Bender said in the radio broadcast. Jews Gypsies and others were annihilated there through hard labour. Actually labour was not always hard and not always were they annihilated. Questioned by the British Guardian newspaper he claimed the remarks were taken out of context and that he accepted that it was an extermination camp.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98784.php Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:39:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98782.php A consortium led by Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell on 25 January signed a contract with the Iraqi government to redevelop and expand the West Qurna field ndash; one of Iraqrsquo;s biggest oil fields. The Exxon team said it would boost production at the field to 2.325 million barrels a day up from just 279 000 barrels a day currently. The field has estimated reserves of 8.7 billion barrels. Exxon which is the operator of the project has the bigger stake in the venture with 80% while Shell holds the remaining 20%. I am happy to conclude this contract with these two major companies to develop the giant West Qurna oil field Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani was quoted as saying by the press at the signing ceremony in Baghdad. However Iraq has been witnessing violence-related incidents frequently since the 2003 US-led invasion of the oil-rich country. Rainer Winzenried a Shell spokesman told New Europe on 26 January that ldquo;security is a concern. It was also in the past when we engaged in Iran.rdquo; He noted that the company would take additional precautions and ldquo;would not risk of risk the life of employees in the future so we have to be very careful.rdquo; Winzenried reminded that Shell is now involved in three pillars in Iraq ndash; two oil fields and one gas field. ldquo;West Qurna is the third project. All and all it can become an important part in our portfolio rdquo; he said. Iraq hopes the contracts will make Iraq among the largest oil producers in the world. Iraq which relies on the 2.5 million barrels per day it produces for more than 90% of its government revenue and about 60% of its gross national product landed key deals during its second round of postwar oil auctions in December. On 22 January Iraq signed a contract with a consortium led by Italys Eni to develop the giant al-Zubair oil field in the southern province of Basra. The signing follows an agreement reached last year between the oil ministry and Eni to develop the four-billion-barrel oil field.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98782.php Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:34:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98781.php While some critics have decried what they said is the slow progress in helping the earthquake victims in Haiti EU Development Commissioner Karel De Gucht told Members of the European Parliament that medical treatment is reaching those in need and water and food is being distributed in the camps. He had just returned from a visit to the country and warned that the need for shelter will become more acute as the rainy season approaches even as Haiti said it needed at least 200 00 tents. De Gucht agreed and said ldquo;This is urgent as people can live in the streets at the moment but it would be a real drama if they were in the same situation when the rainy season starts.rdquo; He also said the reconstruction of the Haitian state is a priority as police stations entire ministries and their staff have disappeared ldquo;The government quarter being very much affected.rdquo; Spanish Socialist Enrique Guerrero Salom said that given the precarious state of affairs in Haiti even before the quake there is a need ldquo;not to reconstruct Haiti but to construct Haiti.rdquo; Development Committee Chair Eva Joly of France and the Greens/EFA party said that with at least 75 000 dead 250 000 injured and 1.5 million homeless the scale of help needed is ldquo;clearly huge.rdquo; Many MEPs called for a cancellation of the countryrsquo;s debt and the creation of a standing Rapid Reaction force for rescue and emergency aid operations. The EU quickly agreed to provide aid but deployment was slow because of problems with logistics and coordination Joly said. ldquo;There are lessons to be drawn from the management of this crisis. It may give fresh impetus to initiatives for an EU rapid reaction force.rdquo; Irelandrsquo;s Gay Mitchell of the EPP group called for a permanent EU force that would assist ldquo;under the European flagrdquo; the efforts of NGOs as the US did with hospital ships. UK conservative Nirj Deva said many needs are similar in all major disasters and ldquo;We seem to be re-inventing the wheel each time.rdquo; Luxembourg Liberal Charles Goerens said ldquo;It is time to put in place a permanent humanitarian system ... that can be mobilized at any moment. It should have a civilian character but that does not mean that it could not draw on military capacities and material.rdquo; Parliamentrsquo;s draftswoman on humanitarian aid Michegrave;le Striffler of France and the EPP said a permanent structure for civil protection would render the EU ldquo;more effective and visiblerdquo;. Greet Schaumans on behalf of 60 NGOs working in Haiti said ldquo;more than 46 countries have contributed to search and rescue the provision of food and non-food items water shelter while others have provided immediate medical attention to the most needy.rdquo; Haiti must be able to determine its own future she said. Government structures and civil society groups need to be supported the countryrsquo;s debt canceled and its agriculture supported to provide food and income for Haitians she said.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98781.php Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:27:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98780.php In 1547 Britain changed forever as Edward VI succeeds Henry VIII as king of England the first Protestant king. In 1807 the country took its first steps out of darkness by installing the first gas lamps as street lighting. Equally joyous is that in 1754 in a letter to Horace Mann Horace Walpole coined the word serendipity which has enriched us all. An 1820 Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev discovered the Antarctic continent by using the cunning tactic of sailing directly towards it. In 1896 Walter Arnold became the first person to be convicted of speeding after beingh caught driving at 8 mph a flagrant breach of the 3mph speed limit in London. One of the most marvelously named meteorological events happened in 1920 The Knickerbocker Storm which was not what you may be thinking but was Washington D.C.s biggest snowfall causes the citys greatest loss of life when the roof of the Knickerbocker Theater collapses. In happier news we should all celebrate the patenting of Lego in 1958. This was also a good day for explorers as General Gordon was born a real eccentric he came to believe that the Earth was enclosed in a hollow sphere with Gods throne directly above the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem the Devil inhabiting the opposite point of the globe near the Pitcairn Island in the Pacific. Also born on this day in 1833 was Henry Morton Stanley famous locator of physicians. In 1890 ndash; Robert Stroud the Birdman of Alcatraz was born. In 1986 the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after take off killing all on board. Events 1077 ndash; Walk to Canossa: The excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted. 1573 ndash; Articles of the Warsaw Confederation are signed sanctioning freedom of religion in Poland. 1624 ndash; Sir Thomas Warner founds the first British colony in the Caribbean on the island of Saint Kitts. 1724 ndash; The Russian Academy of Sciences is founded in St. Petersburg by Peter the Great and implemented in the Senate decree. It is called the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences until 1917. 1813 ndash; Pride and Prejudice is first published in the United Kingdom. 1878 ndash; Yale Daily News becomes the first daily college newspaper in the United States. 1887 ndash; In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh Montana the worlds largest snowflakes are reported being 15 inches 38 cm wide and 8 inches 20 cm thick. 1902 ndash; The Carnegie Institution is founded in Washington D.C. with a $10 million gift from Andrew Carnegie. 1909 ndash; United States troops leave Cuba with the exception of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base after being there since the Spanish-American War. 1915 ndash; An act of the U.S. Congress creates the United States Coast Guard. 1916 ndash; Louis D. Brandeis becomes the first Jew appointed to the United States Supreme Court. 1921 ndash; A symbolic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is installed beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to honor the unknown dead of World War I. 1933 ndash; The name Pakistan is coined by Choudhary Rehmat Ali Khan and is accepted by the Indian Muslims who then thereby adopted it further for the Pakistan Movement seeking independence. 1934 ndash; The first ski tow in the United States begins operation in Vermont. 1935 ndash; Iceland becomes the first Western country to legalize therapeutic abortion. 1938 ndash; The World Land Speed Record on a public road is broken by driver Rudolf Caracciola in the Mercedes-Benz W195 at a speed of 432.7 kilometres per hour 268.9 mph . 1945 ndash; World War II: Supplies begin to reach the Republic of China over the newly reopened Burma Road. 1964 ndash; A U.S. Air Force jet training plane that strays into East Germany is shot down by Soviet fighters near Erfurt; all 3 crew men are killed. 1965 ndash; The current design of the Flag of Canada is chosen by an act of Parliament. 1977 ndash; The first day of the Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 which severely affected and crippled much of Upstate New York but Buffalo NY Syracuse NY Watertown NY and surrounding areas are most affected each area accumulating close to 10 feet of snow on this one day. Births 1225 ndash; Saint Thomas Aquinas d. 1274 1611 ndash; Johannes Hevelius Polish-born astronomer d. 1687 1622 ndash; Adrien Auzout French astronomer d. 1691 1701 ndash; Charles Marie de La Condamine French mathematician and geographer d. 1774 1855 ndash; William Seward Burroughs I American inventor d. 1898 1873 ndash; Colette French writer d. 1954 1903 ndash; Aleksander Kami#324;ski Polish writer d. 1978 1912 ndash; Jackson Pollock American painter d. 1956 1929 ndash; Acker Bilk English jazz clarinetist 1929 ndash; Claes Oldenburg Swedish-born artist 1935 ndash; David Lodge English author 1936 ndash; Alan Alda American actor writer and director 1948 ndash; Charles Taylor President of Liberia 1955 ndash; Nicolas Sarkozy President of France 1975 ndash; David Zingler American writer 1976 ndash; Lee Ingleby British actor 1976 ndash; Miltiadis Sapanis Greek footballer 1977 ndash; Daunte Culpepper American football player 1978 ndash; Gianluigi Buffon Italian footballer 1978 ndash; Jamie Carragher English footballer Deaths 814 ndash; Charlemagne b. 742 1687 ndash; Johannes Hevelius Polish astronomer b. 1611 1697 ndash; John Fenwick English conspirator 1754 ndash; Ludvig Holberg Norwegian historian and writer b. 1684 1939 ndash; William Butler Yeats Irish writer Nobel Prize Laureate b. 1865 1947 ndash; Reynaldo Hahn French composer b. 1875 1947 ndash; Therese Brandl Nazi concentration camp guard executed b. 1902 1947 ndash; Hans Aumeier German Nazi official and concentration camp commandant executed b. 1906 1948 ndash; Arthur Liebehenschel Commandant at Auschwitz concentration camp b. 1901 1983 ndash; Billy Fury British singer b. 1940 1988 ndash; Klaus Fuchs German physicist b. 1911 2005 ndash; Karen Lancaume French actress suicide b. 1973 2005 ndash; Jacques Villeret French actor b. 1951 2006 ndash; Yitzchak Kaduri rabbi 2008 ndash; Christodoulos Archbishop of Athens and All Greece b. 1939 2008 ndash; Bengt Lindstrouml;m Swedish artist b. 1925 2009 ndash; Billy Powell American musician b. 1952... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98780.php Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:21:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98783.php There have been several awards for weblogs over the years but the main one The Bloggies has just opened its shortlist for the tenth year. founded a decade ago by Nikoli Nolan it has become the leading voice for global awards by involving bloggers in all stages of the competition and has become a great way to find new high quality blogs. There are 30 categories ranging from geographically based blogs to technology and politics to arts and crafts. Recognising the high standards of many nominees there are also awards for most humorous best writing and best photography all leading to the two main awards for lifetime achievement and weblog of the year. Winners get a prize of one cent a year meaning that this years winners will receive $20.10. voting closes on 31 January and the winners are declared in March at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin Texas. To prevent large or well known blogs dominating winners are excluded from a category after three victories keeping the whole system fresh and dynamic. The American blogs and English does dominate but that may be simply because of language differences in Europe. It is disappointing to see that there are no bloggers on the EU or interested in the EU are listed. The Best European Weblog category does have five great blogs but two Chocolate amp; Zucchini and Whats For Lunch Honey? are devoted to food the Rome Photo Blog is as described and Heather On Her Travels seems to be concerned with global travel. Belgian Waffle who describes herself as a Eurodrone unfit mother slattern is the closest we get and although her blog is uproariously funny the politics of the EU is only in the background. The Best Weblog About Politics has barely a word on Europe. It does have some fascinating reads including the left/liberal Crooks and Liars who like to investigate behind the scenes the splendidly bitchy Wonkette a sort of Berlaymonster in heels and The Huffington Post. The right is represented by Glenn Greenwald from Salon Magazine. The outsider is The Queen Of Spain who mixes family life with liberal commentary. The Best Web Application For Weblogs is a good indication on how web 2.0 is being taken up. The nominations include the Live Journal and Wordpress blogging platforms and technologies to co-exist with blogging such as Facebook Twitter and Tumblr. Multi-uses of blogging also appear in the Best Computer or Technology Weblog where Mashable Gizmodo Lifehacker Engadget and Wired compete to bring the cutting edge of technology and how it can fit into modern life often pushing technologies to their limits or adapting it in innovative ways. As blogging has evolved into a communication medium online communities have become an important part of the scene and the Best Community Weblog shows the diversity. From F My Life where people share the sadder parts of life such as Today my long term boyfriend took me to my favorite restaurant. After the main course he knelt down and finally proposed to me. I was so happy I almost cried. Until an old woman came over and said I was way to old for him. Im 3 years younger than my fianceacute;. FML. The internets seeming obsession with cats is rewarded with a nomination for I Can Haz Cheesburger a site devoted to pictures of felines with odd captions. Passive Aggressive Notes is a collection of strange notes left by flatmates and colleagues. More seriously Blog Her is a community for women who blog and Violence Unsilenced for victims of domestic violence. Brussels does have a contender for Lifetime Achievement for Zoe McCarthy who has just celebrated seven years of blogging her stories of her home life and the failings of her partner. Lets hope that next year Europe has a stronger showing. Read more about the blogs and how to vote at: http://2010.bloggies.com/ Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammo Many including the Pentagon were stunned to discover that one of their major suppliers of weaponry Trijicon who have a $660 million multi-year contract to provide up to 800 000 sights to the Marine Corps amongst other contracts have been providing sights with biblical verses secretly engraved on them to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Without irony they mention verses such as Second Corinthians 4:6 of the New Testament which reads: For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Another reference is John 8:12 Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. Tom Munson director of sales and marketing for Trijicon said the issue was being raised by a group that is not Christian. It is believed that none of the sights were inscribed with Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill. Satirical blogger Jesus General takes aim: http://tinyurl.com/neweurope300 Tom Munson Trijicon Inc. Dear Mr. Munson And the Lord our Savior and Redeemer shall make their heads explode in a mist of blood for they are brown and without belief. Those were the words the Holy Spirit whispered to me as I first read about the secret Biblical citations you place on rifle scopes you sell to the military. Surely Jesus is very pleased. He would have been a faithful customer had your products been available back then. Imagine how different the Sermon on the Mount might have been if Jesus had a Trijicon Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight mounted on a .50 cal sniper rifle. No one would have bitched about the loaves and fishes that day. Is thou looking at me thou loathsome licker of Samaritan secret parts? He might have said because blessed are the mother knowers who doth offend me for my mighty and terrible 750 gr Hornady AMAX hot load shall redeem their sins in a crimson mist of blood and brain matter. You should consider engraving His Holy Visage on each scope--just a simple line drawing of our Savior but with shooting glasses and the words Born to Kill underneath. It could serve as a kind of icon for our crusading warriors. Heterosexually yours Gen. JC Christian patriot... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98783.php Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:19:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98779.php In 1606 The trial of Guy Fawkes began famously described as the only man who entered Parliament with honest ambitions. 1785 gave the US its first public university in Athens Georgia and that educated man Thomas Edison patented the electric incandescent lamp five years later in 1880. The call of the jungle began with the premiere of Tarzan of the apes in New York in 1918 and in 1924 Lenin took up his posthumous residence in Red Square. In 1944 the siege of Leningrad was lifted and a year later Russian troops liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp finding a mere 7 000 survivors. More than 60 nations signed a treaty banning military use of nuclear weapons in space in 1967 the same day that 3 Apollo 1 astronauts die in a fire on the launching pad. The Vietnam war was finally concluded in 1973 with the Paris peace accords followed in 1977 by President Carter pardoning almost 10 000 draft evaders. In 1984 singer Michael Jackson is badly burned making a commercial for Pepsi that many believe started his drug use. In 1992 Mike Tyson goes on trial for rape he is later found guilty. 1832 saw the birth Lewis Carroll English author and 1836 Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. The real Citizen Kane William Randolph Hearst was born in 1908. Events nbsp; 661 ndash; The Rashidun Caliphate ends with death of Ali. 1142 ndash; Execution believed wrongful of noted Song Dynasty General Yue Fei. 1186 ndash; Henry VI the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I marries Constance of Sicily. nbsp; 1593 ndash; Vatican opens seven year trial of scholar Giordano Bruno. nbsp; 1695 ndash; Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul on the death of Ahmed II. Mustafa rules until his abdication in 1703. nbsp; 1825 ndash; The U.S. Congress approves Indian Territory in what is present-day Oklahoma clearing the way for forced relocation of the Eastern Indians on the Trail of Tears. 1870 ndash; The first womens fraternity Kappa Alpha Theta is formed at DePauw University. 1888 ndash; The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington D.C.. 1909 ndash; The Young Left is founded in Norway. 1918 ndash; The first hostilities occur in the Finnish Civil War. 1939 ndash; First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. 1951 ndash; Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site begins with a one-kiloton bomb dropped on Frenchman Flat. 1974 ndash; The Brisbane River floods causing the largest flood to affect Brisbane City in the 20th Century 1980 ndash; Through cooperation between the U.S. and Canadian governments six American diplomats secretly escape hostilities in Iran in the culmination of the Canadian caper. 1983 ndash; Pilot shaft of the Seikan Tunnel the worlds longest sub-aqueous tunnel 53.85 km between the Japanese islands of Honsh#363; and Hokkaid#333; breaks through. nbsp; 1996 ndash; Colonel Ibrahim Bareacute; Maiuml;nassara deposes the first democratically elected president of Niger Mahamane Ousmane in a military coup. 1996 ndash; Germany first observes International Holocaust Remembrance Day. 2006 ndash; Western Union discontinues its Telegram and Commercial Messaging services. Births nbsp; 1443 ndash; Albert Duke of Saxony d. 1500 nbsp; 1585 ndash; Hendrick Avercamp Dutch painter d. 1634 1687 ndash; Balthasar Neumann German architect d. 1753 1756 ndash; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Austrian composer d. 1791 1807 ndash; David Strauss German theologian and writer d. 1874 1814 ndash; Eugegrave;ne Viollet-le-Duc French architect d. 1879 1850 ndash; Edward J. Smith English captain of the RMS Titanic d. 1912 1859 ndash; Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany d. 1941 nbsp; 1924 ndash; Rauf Denkta#351; Turkish political figure 1926 ndash; Fritz Spiegl Austrian journalist d. 2003 1933 ndash; Mohamed Al-Fayed Egyptian billionaire businessman 1947 ndash; Vyron Polydoras Greek politician 1955 ndash; John G. Roberts 17th Chief Justice of the United States 1957 ndash; Frank Miller American comic book author and film director 1959 ndash; Keith Olbermann American news anchor 1964 ndash; Bridget Fonda American actress 1964 ndash; Jack Haley American basketball player Deaths nbsp; 1595 ndash; Sir Francis Drake European explorer b. c.1540 1740 ndash; Louis Henri Duc de Bourbon Prime Minister of France b. 1692 1814 ndash; Johann Gottlieb Fichte German philosopher b. 1762 nbsp; 1837 ndash; Alexandr Pushkin Russian poet b. 1799 1901 ndash; Giuseppe Verdi Italian composer b. 1813 1910 ndash; Thomas Crapper English inventor b. 1836 1971 ndash; Jacobo Arbenz President of Guatemala b. 1913 1972 ndash; Mahalia Jackson American singer b. 1911 1989 ndash; Thomas Sopwith British aviation pioneer b. 1888 2003 ndash; Henryk Jab#322;o#324;ski President of Poland b. 1909 2003 ndash; Louis Archambault Quebec sculptor b. 1915 2004 ndash; Jack Paar American television show host b. 1918 2004 ndash; Salvador Laurel Vice President of the Philippines b. 1928 2006 ndash; Johannes Rau 8th President of Germany b. 1931 2009 ndash; John Updike American Novelist b. 1932 2009 ndash; R. Venkataraman 8th President of India b. 1910 nbsp; nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98779.php Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:44:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98778.php In what is gearing up to be the event of the Defense calendar 2010 UK Prime Minister Gordon Brownrsquo;s timely Conference on Afghanistan is drawing every stakeholder including the USrsquo;s secretary of State Hilary Clinton. Clinton arrives in London today to tackle a number of issues including Afghanistan security and then leads into a three-day series of meetings ending on 29 January in Paris. While in Europe Clinton plans to also focus on the Haiti relief efforts and developments in Iran.nbsp; Clinton will also attend a ministerial meeting on Yemen on 27 January therefore missing Obamarsquo;s State of the Union address. Thepurpose of the meeting is to ldquo;consolidate international support for Yemen coordinate assistance efforts and reach agreement on assisting Yemen in its political and economic reform efforts rdquo; according to a statement by the State Department. The next day Clinton will attend the International Conference on Afghanistan in London to discuss the countryrsquo;s security governance and development efforts as well as demonstrate support for the its future agenda outlined by President Hamid Karzai in his 19 November inauguration speech. At a foreign affairs meeting of the European Council on 25 January members discussed the London conference on Afghanistan where the international community is reportedly expected to renew its commitment to Afghanistan following the presidential election earlier in the year. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Baroness Catherine Ashton emphasized the EUs solidarity with its international partners to focus on helping the Afghan government take greater responsibility in securing the country. Secretary Clinton will end her trip in Paris with a speech on European security. She will also meet with President Nicolas Sarkozy and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to discuss the international Haiti relief effort developments in Iran Yemen Afghanistan and Pakistan among other concerns. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98778.php Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:14:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98777.php A tangled day in European history with Edward III of England being declared King of France in 1340 France declaring war on England in 1666 and in 1788 England Netherlands Austria amp; Sardinia sign an anti-French treaty. The German - Polish non aggression pact was signed in 1934. The British introduced the Lee-Enfield rifle in 1907 and is still in use today. In 1696 John Bernoulli proposed to the mathematical world the famous problem of the Quickest Descent from A to B giving them six months to solve it. On receiving this challenge Newton promptly solved the problem before going to bed the same day. In 1838 Tennessee became the first state to prohibit alcohol in 1992 Russian President Boris Yeltsin announced that nuclear missiles would no longer be targeted on the West and in 1998 President Clinton assured his nation about impropriety with a young intern Monica Lewinski. nbsp; Franco captured Barcelona in 1939 as filming began for Gone With The Wind. nbsp; nbsp; Eventsnbsp; 1500nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Vicente Yaacute;ntilde;ez Pinzoacute;nnbsp;becomes the firstnbsp;Europeannbsp;to set foot onnbsp;Brazil. 1531nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Lisbon nbsp;Portugalnbsp;is hit by annbsp;earthquake--thousands die. 1788nbsp;ndash; The Britishnbsp;First Fleet led bynbsp;Arthur Phillip sails intonbsp;Port Jackson Sydney Harbour nbsp;to establishnbsp;Sydney the first permanent European settlement on the continent. Commemorated asnbsp;Australia Day 1808nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Rum Rebellion the only successful albeit short-lived armed takeover of the government innbsp;Australia. 1841nbsp;ndash; Thenbsp;United Kingdomnbsp;formally occupiesnbsp;Hong Kong whichnbsp;Chinanbsp;later formallynbsp;cedes. 1861nbsp;ndash;nbsp;American Civil War: The state ofnbsp;Louisiananbsp;secedes from the Union. 1885nbsp;ndash; Troops loyal tonbsp;The Mahdinbsp;conquernbsp;Khartoum. 1905nbsp;ndash; Thenbsp;Cullinan Diamondnbsp;is found at thenbsp;Premier Minenbsp;nearnbsp;Pretorianbsp;innbsp;South Africa. 1930nbsp;ndash; Thenbsp;Indian National Congressnbsp;declares 26 January as Independence Day or as the day for Poorna Swaraj Complete Independence which occurred 20 years later. 1965nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Hindinbsp;becomes the official language ofnbsp;India. 1980nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Israelnbsp;andnbsp;Egyptnbsp;establishnbsp;diplomatic relations. nbsp; 1991nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Mohamed Siad Barrenbsp;is removed from power innbsp;Somalia ending centralized government and is succeeded bynbsp;Ali Mahdi. 2001nbsp;ndash; Annbsp;earthquakenbsp;hitsnbsp;Gujarat nbsp;India causing more than 20 000 deaths. 2004nbsp;ndash; Presidentnbsp;Hamid Karzainbsp;signs the new constitution ofnbsp;Afghanistan. nbsp; Birthsnbsp; 1891nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Frank Costello Italian-born gangster d. 1973 1904 ndash;nbsp;Seaacute;n MacBride Irish statesman nbsp;Nobel Prize Laureatenbsp; d. 1988 1905 ndash;nbsp;Maria von Trapp Austrian-born singer d. 1987 1915nbsp;ndash;nbsp;William Hopper American actor d. 1970 1918nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Nicolae Ceau#351;escu Romanian dictator d. 1989 1918 ndash;nbsp;Philip Joseacute; Farmer American writer d. 2009 1922nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Michael Bentine British comedian d. 1996 1925 ndash;nbsp;Paul Newman American actor philanthropist race car driver and race team owner d. 2008 1928nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Roger Vadim French film director and actor d. 2000 1929nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Jules Feiffer American cartoonist and writer 1944nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Angela Davis American feminist and activist 1945nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Jacqueline du Preacute; English cellist d. 1987 1950nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Jouml;rg Haider Austrian far-right politician d. 2008 1955nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Eddie Van Halen Dutch musician Van Halen 1963nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Joseacute; Mourinho Portuguese football manager 1987 ndash;nbsp;Marlon Mario Brandao da Silveira Brazilian footballer nbsp; Deathsnbsp; 1697nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Georg Mohr Danish mathematician b. 1640 1795nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach German composer b. 1732 1855nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Geacute;rard de Nerval French writer b. 1808 1973nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Edward G. Robinson American actor b. 1893 1979nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Nelson Rockefeller 41stnbsp;Vice President of the United Statesnbsp; b. 1908 1993nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Jan Gies Dutch resistance leader b. 1905 2000 ndash;nbsp;A. E. van Vogt Canadian-born author b. 1912 2001nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Al McGuire American basketball coach b. 1928 2003nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Valeriy Brumel Soviet Olympic athlete b. 1942 2003 ndash;nbsp;Hugh Trevor-Roper Baron Dacre of Glanton English historian b. 1917 2003 ndash;nbsp;George Younger 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie British politician b. 1931 2004 ndash;nbsp;Fred Haas American golfer b. 1916 2006nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Khan Abdul Wali Khan nbsp;Pakistaninbsp;opposition leader andnbsp;Pashtunnbsp;nationalist b. 1917 nbsp; nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98777.php Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:42:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98776.php Russias new ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov arrived in Kiev on 25 January. He is replacing Russias former prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin who had served as ambassador to Ukraine until June 2009 leaving Moscow without a senior Kremlin diplomat to Ukraine for seven months. The Kremlin named Zubarov for the Kiev post in August but Moscow delayed his posting citing poor relations between Ukraine and Russia. Russia and Ukraine have long been divided over a host of issues including natural gas pricing and shipments trade barriers Ukraines possible plans for accession to NATO and Russian military forces based in Ukraines Crimea. Either one of the top two candidates in Ukraines ongoing presidential contest former prime minister and Opposition Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovich and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is likely to improve relations with Russia when he or she assumes the presidential post a Ukrainian diplomat told New Europe on 25 January. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has been blamed for worsening relations with Russia in recent years. Yushchenko who garnered slightly over 5% in the presidential elections will leave office soon after a run-off slated for 7 February. The diplomat said that Zurabovrsquo;s arrival to Kiev before the second round of Ukrainersquo;s presidential election signals a rapprochement in relations but that thorns in ties between the two countries are likely to continue. Yanukovich and Tymoshenko have called for less confrontation between Kiev and Moscow. Yanukovich and Tymoshenko received 35.34% and 25.04% respectively and will go into the runoff. It is a great honor and responsibility to represent Russia in Ukraine the former high-level Russian government adviser for trade and economic policy said in a statement issued after landing in Kiev. The Russian Federation is confident that Russo-Ukrainian relations have a great deal of potential he added. On 19 January Russian President Dmitry Medvedev directed Zurabov to start his mission as Moscows ambassador to Kiev. Zurabov was also appointed as the Presidents special envoy on trade and economic ties with Kiev. Russian business daily Kommersant reported on 23 January the Yushchenko administration was set to advise the Foreign Ministry against accepting Zurabovs credentials with the Ukrainian Presidents name reportedly absent on the diplomatic documents. Ukraines Presidential administration said the absence of the Presidents name on Zurabovs documents is a violation of all diplomatic norms and an attempt to humiliate Yuschehnko who is still president Kommersant reported. Yushchenko said he believes Zurabov will most likely present his credentials to a new president. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98776.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:46:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98775.php Belgian Development Minister Charles Michel is protesting Israelrsquo;s decision to deny him entry into Gaza on the basis that his visit would give legitimacy to Hamas.nbsp; Speaking at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brussels Michel labeled the reasoning behind the refusal for access into Gaza as ldquo;ridiculousrdquo;. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told Michel at a meeting on 24 January that this type of trip would only strengthen the Islamist militant group. ldquo;We allow humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza including food and medication but we will not allow political visits that bolster Hamas rdquo; Ayalon said in a statement. At a press conference on the matter Michel vowed to take up the issue with the European Council. ldquo;I would be there to reinforce Belgian and EU ideals rdquo; he said speaking today at a press conference. ldquo;I asked to go to meet and have contact with the population.rdquo; Michel planned to visit the region to offer local residents aid. Belgium has pledged funds through UN agencies to help build schools and complete other infrastructure projects but construction has not begun because of Israelrsquo;s barriers. Israel has relatively isolated the region since Hamas took control of the area in 2007 after a week of deadly street battles. Last week Amnesty International accused Israel of collectively punishing the population of Gaza with border closures tightened after the takeover of Hamas. ldquo;Irsquo;ve been told since March 2009 they stopped allowing people in Gaza rdquo; Michel said. Now only 20 percent of humanitarian aid arriving in Gaza each month is allowed into the arearsquo;s tightened borders. Michel called for Israel to open the borders to more aid and stated European officials must be able to visit areas in which they are funding projects. Israel has denied other similar requests to enter the Gaza strip such as to a French Minister and a Turkish Minister who were also not allowed access. nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98775.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:45:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98774.php NEW YORK ndash; The horrors of Haitirsquo;s earthquake continue to unfold. The quake itself killed perhaps 100 000 people. The inability to organize rapid relief is killing tens of thousands more. More than one million people are exposed to hunger and disease and with the rain and hurricane seasons approaching are vulnerable to further hazards. Even an economy as impoverished as Haitirsquo;s is a complex system dependent on trade between rural and urban areas transport electricity port services and government functions. Haitirsquo;s economy worked badly in the past and was still reeling from four hurricanes in 2008 when the earthquake struck. The fact that the quake hit the capital and demolished every center of social activity destroyed the systems upon which daily urban life depends. Millions of people are now without livelihoods and the means for survival. The first stage in an effective response the first three or four weeks must focus on rescuing survivors and stabilizing supplies of food water medical services and shelter for the population. Neither Haiti nor the world was properly equipped for this and tens of thousands will die needlessly. The worldrsquo;s emergency-response systems ndash; especially for impoverished countries in zones that are vulnerable to earthquakes volcanoes droughts hurricanes and floods ndash; needs upgrading. After just a month or so the emergency phase will give way to a decades-long struggle for recovery and long-term development. Haiti must avoid a prolonged period of tent cities in which people are mere refugees. But where should displaced people ndash; numbering hundreds of thousands and perhaps more than a million ndash; live? How should they be provided with food water health care and shelter? And how can they begin to contribute to the revival of basic economic life? The economy will have a simple structure in the coming years with most economic activities focused in five sectors: smallholder or peasant agriculture; reconstruction; port services and light manufacturing; local small-scale trade; and public services including health care and education. The key challenge is to support these five sectors in order to combine short-term relief with long-term reconstruction and development. First special efforts should be made to boost peasant agriculture and rural communities. This will enable hundreds of thousands of displaced people to return to their village communities and live from farming. With fertilizer improved seeds small-scale irrigation rapid training and extension services and low-cost storage silos Haitirsquo;s food production could double or triple in the next few years sustaining the country and building a new rural economy. Reconstruction ndash; of roads buildings and water and sanitation systems ndash; will employ tens of thousands perhaps hundreds of thousands of Haitian construction workers and boost the regeneration of towns. The World Food Program can help peasant farmers to produce more food in the countryside and then purchase the food to use in food-for-work programs oriented to construction projects. Haiti rsquo;s infrastructure was meager before the earthquake hence the shocking mortality rate and most of that is now rubble. Large-scale capital investment will also be needed to re-equip the ports and to re-establish a power grid. Recovery will also require re-establishing at least a small-scale manufacturing sector. Haiti like its next-door neighbor the Dominican Republic once created jobs in port facilities including production of clothing baseballs and other light-manufacturing items. Those jobs disappeared in the 1990rsquo;s when the US imposed a trade embargo on Haiti as part of an effort to re-establish democracy. Democracy returned but the economy was destroyed. Other countries have risen from the rubble of natural disaster and war and Haiti can do the same over the next five to ten years. nbsp; For the next decade however and especially for the next five years there will be no escape from the need to rely on international financing and mainly grant assistance to finance the rebuilding effort. The world has spent heavily in Haiti before but very ineffectively. This time it must be done right. A clear strategy is needed to bolster the key sectors discussed above. Each sector requires a five-year recovery strategy with a clear budget and clear lines of partnership and responsibility linking the Haitian government non-governmental organizations and institutional donors especially governments and international agencies. The second key to successful reconstruction is to harmonize the international response. There are probably 40 or more official organizations from abroad if not more already engaged in the recovery effort. In addition there are hundreds if not thousands of native Haitian NGOs. The Haitian government itself has been reduced to paralysis by death and destruction. There should be one overarching framework. There should be one major multi-donor bank account to finance the heavy outlays required for Haitirsquo;s recovery. There should be a highly professional executive team coordinating the international support efforts. And all of this should be put in place very soon while there is international interest. The world will move on to the next crisis very soon well before Haiti has even started to recover. I have watched the problems of international cooperation for a quarter-century. Each agency has its role but they also tend to squabble over turf rather than cooperate. International financial promises are made for headlines and photo opportunities but end up undelivered. We therefore need money in the bank and clear leadership. My nominee to guide the process is the Inter-American Development Bank. The IDBrsquo;s deep long-term commitments in Haiti and professional expertise in agriculture health education and infrastructure qualify it to coordinate the multitude of agencies that will be involved. It should work closely with a professional executive team made up of native and diaspora Haitian professionals with relevant expertise. Rebuilding Haiti will cost perhaps $10-$20 billion and will take much of the coming decade. Getting started now will save countless lives and prevent a further tragic downward spiral of a society that stands on the brink of survival. Jeffrey D. Sachs is Professor of Economics and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Copyright: Project Syndicate 2009. www.project-syndicate.org... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98774.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:18:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98773.php nbsp;People whom have traveled extensively in Africa have a special place for Ethiopian Airways for unlike many other African airlines they have a quality of service and a technical support that many European airlines envy. They are known for the quality of their pilots many of whom cut their teeth on the challenging internal flights in this mountainous nation and then on African flights. The important point is that many of these flights are flown by the pilot without the use of fly-by-wire systems. This comes in useful should trouble strike. Another strong point for the airline is its ground staff and engineers. The airline undertakes maintenance for a large number of airline fleets throughout Africa and they consistently perform at or above European standards of safety.nbsp; nbsp; There have only been three fatal incidents since 1970. In 1988 a plane leaving Bahir Dar at the source of the Blue Nile was subject to a bird strike on take off that reduced the power of the engines causing it to crash whilst attempting to land. The second incident was in 1996 when three psychotic young men hijacked the plane and demanded it be flown to Australia having read in the in-flight magazine that it could carry enough fuel to fly there. Captain Leul Abate explained that they only carried enough fuel for the scheduled flight. The men didnt believe him and started assaulting the crew. The plane ran out of fuel over the Comoros islands and the crew managed to ditch at sea despite being savagely beaten by the hijackers at the time. 125 of the 175 passengers were killed but the fact that anyone survived is a testament to the courage and skills of the crew. Anyone watching footage of the crash filmed by a tourist would not believe that anyone could survive. The Beirut crash is the third such incident. At the present time it is not known what the cause of the accident was although Lebanese have ruled out sabotage at a very early stage. Witnesses spoke of a fireball but given that the incident took place at night in very bad weather and the plane was reportedly flying at 8 00 feet and several miles away these reports may be inaccurate.nbsp; nbsp; Ive flown many times with Ethiopian and I would call it my favourite airline. Security has always been tight even at the smallest of airports and insiders say most flights have air marshals on board. This has been prompted by Somalis and Eritreans who object to Ethiopian government policy and have made several attempts to hijack planes for political ends or just to claim asylum. One such insider says that the airways has used Israeli security teams and there are some gory tales circulating about their efficiency. During the Menghistu dictatorship which was backed by the soviet Union the airline was told to ditch their fleet of Boeing planes in favour of Russian Illyushin jets. On hearing this the whole top management threatened to resign citing airworthiness and similar concerns and the dictator gave way to them. They were the only people who managed to successfully challenge the brutal despot.nbsp; nbsp; Inside the country Ethiopians are proud of their airline which flies to 56 destinations including 35 destinations in Africa -- more than any other airline and competition for jobs is fierce giving them a loyal and dedicated workforce. Although African airlines have a terrible reputation Ethiopian Airlines has always been considered an exception with a solid history by professionals. It is also one of the most profitable with an expected net profit of about $150 million in 2009/10.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98773.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:50:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98772.php Ethiopian Airlines flight 409 with 89 passengers on board lost contact with Beruits control tower shortly after taking off and crashed into the ocean. Initial reports are suggesting that bad weather was the most likely cause. Lebanese President Michel Sleiman said This is a painful tragic event. We are sparing no efforts in trying to find survivors. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the families of those on board. The weather conditions are terrible but rescue efforts are still underway. He also ruled out a terrorist act or sabotage. Witnesses describe seeing lightening and some mentioned seeing a fireball as the plane came down. In Addis Ababa Ethiopianrsquo;s Chief Executive Officer Ato Girma Wake said ldquo;The Lebanese Government has formed a rescue team lead by the Ministry of Transport. Also taking part in this rescue mission are the Lebanese Defense force including the Navy and the UN peace keeping force in the region.rdquo; Ato Girma also reported that a team of Aircraft Accident Handling and Crisis Management experts will be traveling to Beirut from London. One of the passengers was Marla Sanchez Pietton the wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon. nbsp; The plane was a Boeing 737-8BK built in 2007 and has an airworthiness certificate that is valid to 10 June 2010. Ethiopian does have a good track record for pilots and security. Their pilots are generally trained on their in-country flights where they learn to fly manually. They also gain valuable experience in Africa where resources are not always advanced but Ethiopian Airways operates at EU standards and their engineers maintain many fleets to high standards in Africa and beyond. Security is also taken seriously because of conflict with Eritrea and Somalia and it has occasionally been targeted. According to sources familiar with the company they often have security staff on board and one one occasion were rumoured to have overpowered hijackers efficiently and brutally. nbsp; nbsp;... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98772.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:17:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98668.php nbsp; Today is probably best known for dysfunctional families and in 1533nbsp;Englands King Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn which didnt end happily ever after. In 1971 the Manson family were found guilty of murder and a decade later in 1981nbsp;Jiang Qing the widow of Mao Zedong is sentenced to death. 1919 saw the founding of the less than successful League of Nations. Uganda wont have many happy memories as in 1971 Idi Amin toppled Obote to become President leading to long conflict that lasted until 1986 when the National Resistance Movement deposed Okello as President.nbsp; In 1942 Thailand declared war of Britain and the United States but it is not known if this was noticed at the time or later. It was a liberating moment for others in 1980 Paul McCartney was released from a Japanese jail after being caught getting high with a little help from my friends and in 1981 nbsp;52 Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days arrived back in US.nbsp;nbsp; nbsp; 2004 was the day the Opportunity Rover landed on Mars for a 90 day mission. Incredibly it is still going and has made many discoveries and could be mankinds toughest machine. It is also the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1759 and he remains the only human whose life is celebrated by eating sheeps lungs boiled in a stomach for three hours before serving. 1899 saw the birth of Paul-Henri Spaak who has one of the European Parliaments buildings named after him. On balance thats a better memorial than poor Mr Burns.nbsp; nbsp; On this day the Grim Reaper made Al Capone an offer he couldnt refuse in 1947 but it is the day where many branches of the Christian Church mark the conversion of another sinner St Paul and in Russia it is Tatiana Day the patron saint of students. We can all guess how that is celebrated!nbsp; nbsp; Eventsnbsp; 41nbsp;ndash; After a night of negotiation nbsp;Claudiusnbsp;is accepted asnbsp;Roman Emperornbsp;by the Senate. 1327nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Edward IIInbsp;becomes King ofnbsp;England. 1494nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Alfonso IInbsp;becomes King ofnbsp;Naples. 1554nbsp;ndash; Founding ofnbsp;Satilde;o Paulonbsp;city nbsp;Brazil. 1787nbsp;ndash; Americannbsp;Daniel Shaysnbsp;leads rebellion to seize Federal arsenal to protestnbsp;debtors prisons. 1858nbsp;ndash; Thenbsp;Wedding Marchnbsp;bynbsp;Felix Mendelssohnnbsp;becomes a popular wedding recessional after it is played on this day at the marriage ofnbsp;Queen Victorias daughter nbsp;Victoria andnbsp;Friedrich of Prussia. 1881nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Thomas Edisonnbsp;andnbsp;Alexander Graham Bellnbsp;form thenbsp;Oriental Telephone Company. 1890nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Nellie Blynbsp;completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days. 1924nbsp;ndash; Thenbsp;1924 Winter Olympicsnbsp;open innbsp;Chamonix Francenbsp; in thenbsp;Frenchnbsp;Alps inaugurating thenbsp;Winter Olympic Games. 1945nbsp;ndash; World War II:nbsp;Battle of the Bulgenbsp;ends. 1961nbsp;ndash; Innbsp;Washington D.C.nbsp;John F. Kennedynbsp;delivers the first livenbsp;presidentialnbsp;televisionnbsp;news conference. 1995nbsp;ndash; Thenbsp;Norwegian Rocket Incident:nbsp;Russianbsp;almost launches anbsp;nuclearnbsp;attack after it mistakesnbsp;Black Brant XII anbsp;Norwegiannbsp;research rocket for a USnbsp;Tridentnbsp;missile. 1996nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Billy Baileynbsp;became the last person to be hanged in the United States of America. 1998nbsp;ndash; During a historic visit to Cubanbsp;Pope John Paul IInbsp;demands the release of political prisoners and political reforms while condemning US attempts to isolate the country. nbsp; Birthsnbsp; 1615nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Govert Flinck Dutch painter d. 1660 1860nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Charles Curtis 31stnbsp;Vice President of the United Statesnbsp; d. 1936 1864nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Julije Kempf Croatian historian and writer d. 1934 1874nbsp;ndash;nbsp;W. Somerset Maugham English writer d. 1965 1878nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Ernst Alexanderson Swedish-born television pioneer d. 1975 1882nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Virginia Woolf English writer d. 1941 1902nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Pablo Antonio Filipino modernist architect d. 1975 1917nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Ilya Prigogine Russian scientistnbsp;Nobel Laureatenbsp; d. 2003 1917 ndash;nbsp;Jacirc;nio Quadros Brazilian politician d. 1992 1923 ndash;nbsp;Shirley Mason American psychiatric patient aka Sybil d. 1998 1928nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Eduard Shevardnadze nbsp;President of Georgia 1937nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Ange-Feacute;lix Patasseacute; nbsp;President of the Central African Republic 1937 ndash;nbsp;Judith Ann Mayotte American humanitarian author 1938nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Shotaro Ishinomori Japanesenbsp;manganbsp;author d. 1998 1938 ndash;nbsp;Leiji Matsumoto Japanese creator of anime. 1942 ndash;nbsp;Euseacute;bio Portuguese footballer 1942 ndash;nbsp;Shinobu Tsukasa Japanese kumicho supreme Godfather of the largest yakuza organization 1943nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Tobe Hooper American film director 1943 ndash;nbsp;Roy Black German pop singer d. 1991 1944nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Anita Pallenberg Italian model 1945nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Leigh Taylor-Young American actress 1947nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Tostatilde;o Brazilian footballer 1954 ndash;nbsp;Kay Cottee first woman to sail solo and non stop around the world. 1967 ndash;nbsp;Mark Bamford American writer/director 1975 ndash;nbsp;Dat Phan Vietnamese stand-up comedian 1980 ndash;nbsp;Efstathios Tavlaridis Greek footballer 1981 ndash;nbsp;Tose Proeski Macedonian Singer d. 2007 nbsp; Deathsnbsp; 1366nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Henry Suso German mystic 1431nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Charles II Duke of Lorrainenbsp; b. 1364 1494nbsp;ndash; Kingnbsp;Ferdinand I of Naplesnbsp; b. 1423 1559nbsp;ndash; Kingnbsp;Christian II of Denmark Sweden and Norway b. 1481 1573nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Hirate Hirohide Japanese samurai b. 1553 1640nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Robert Burton English scholar b. 1577 1670nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Nicholas II Duke of Lorrainenbsp; b. 1612 1726nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Guillaume Delisle French cartographer b. 1675 1908nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Mikhail Chigorin Russian chess player b. 1850 1949nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Makino Nobuaki Japanese statesman#12288; b. 1861 1954nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Manabendra Nath Roy Indian marxist b. 1887 1963nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Wilson Kettle nbsp;Guinness World Recordnbsp;holder for most living descendants b. 1860 1966nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Saul Adler Russian-born British-Israeli expert on parasitology b. 1895 1972nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Erhard Milch German field marshal b. 1892 1985nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Ilias Iliou Greek politician b. 1904 1990nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Ava Gardner American actress b. 1922 2005nbsp;ndash;nbsp;Stanis#322;aw Albinowski Polish economist and journalist b. 1923... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98668.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98670.php Minister of State for Overseas Development Peter Power today announced that the Government is to freight 85 tonnes of emergency supplies to Haiti as part of the international aid effort. The Government supplies will be given to Concern and Goal for distribution to 8 000 families. The consignment includes mosquito nets essential plastic sheeting for shelter and water tanks. Commenting on the consignment Minister Power said: It is essential that these important supplies reach the people of Haiti as quickly as possible. The fastest way in is by air. They are being drawn from Irelands pre-positioned stockpiles and are expected to arrive in Haiti in the coming days. The fact that we can respond so quickly is evidence of the lessons we learned as a result of our engagement with the Asian tsunami in 2004. This consignment is a key component of the Governments urgent and focused response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti and shows the importance having pre-positioned supplies and funding in place to allow us to respond swiftly.  The families whose lives are in turmoil as a result of this terrible disaster desperately need shelter and water. We are working closely with our partners in Concern and Goal to deliver this aid quickly and effectively on behalf of the Irish people who have always shown such generosity towards those in need Minister Power said. He also announced that three members of Irelands Rapid Response Corps will deploy to Haiti over the coming days while other members remain on standby as necessary. Two Corps members an electrical engineer and an IT expert will work with the World Food Programme to bolster the international response to the disaster. The third Corps member is a Defence Forces engineer who is a UN-trained disaster expert. Highly-skilled specialists are crucial to the rescue and recovery effort and I am confident that the three Corps members will play a vital role over the days and weeks to come. I have requested that other specialists in the Corps remain on standby for swift deployment as necessary and as conditions allow he said. Power also announced that he will travel to Brussels on Monday to participate in an emergency meeting of EU Development Ministers which has been convened by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton. It is vital that the EU works together to mobilise our resources in a coordinated and focused manner to do all we can to alleviate the terrible suffering of the Haitian people Minister Power said. Ireland allocated €20 million of pre-positioned funding to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund in 2009 which is being drawn down to support the UN response in Haiti.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98670.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98671.php Primark-owner Associated British Foods said it expected a significant rise in annual profit as it reported a 17% rise in first-quarter sales boosted by its discount fashion retailer chain RTE Ireland reported early last week. The London-based group which markets Silver Spoon sugar Twining tea and Ovaltine drinks said it expected good revenue growth and a significant rise in operating profit in the year to September and was confident of a good rise in earnings. First-quarter results for the 16 weeks to 2 January were led by its 196-strong Primark store chain which saw overall sales up 19% due to new store openings and very good like-for-like sales growth particularly in Britain and Spain. Primark trades as Penneys here. Trading results for this period were very encouraging and ahead of our expectations. We expect good revenue growth and a significant increase in operating profits this year the company said. In November the group which is 55% owned by the family of Chief Executive George Weston beat forecasts with a five percent rise in 2008-09 earnings and forecast good sales and profit growth in 2009-10. In December it said trading in the first two months of its current year was encouraging and ahead of expectations adding it was confident earnings would grow this year.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98671.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98672.php Wexford Milk Producers WMP has said it is in advanced talks with UK food company Dairy Crest to become the majority shareholders in Wexford Creamery Ltd RTE Ireland reported early last week. WMP a co-op of 350 dairy farmers and supplies milk to the creamery already owns 20% of the creamery. It hopes to increase its stake to 70% at a cost of around nine million euros. This would reduce Dairy Crests share to 30%. A statement from WMP said Dairy Crest would ill continue to provide a range of services to Wexford including packing and distribution and would also sell Wexford branded cheese in the UK on behalf of the creamery.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98672.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98673.php Broadband provider Digiweb on January 13 announced the acquisition of rival Internet Ireland Ireland Online reported early last week. Internet Ireland services offered include web hosting data centre colocation managed email solutions broadband and leased lines. Personnel with Internet Ireland will be transferred to Digiwebs Dublin offices and data centre during coming weeks. This deal follows the recent announcement of Smart Telecoms addition to the Digiweb Group. Digiweb said that clients of Internet Ireland will benefit through access to the wider portfolio of services and national Next Generation network infrastructure of Digiweb Group including fibre and wireless broadband leased lines high speed DSL telephony and VOIP and private networks. We are looking forward to welcoming Internet Irelands customers and staff to Digiweb and integrating these long established Irish telecoms businesses said Dan King hosting and managed services manager with Digiweb.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98673.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98674.php The second trial in four days is against Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resumed on 18 January in the northern city of Milan. Although he said he would have liked to have made spontaneous statements Berlusconi was not in court as he said his attorneys had advised against this Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa reported. The trial concerns alleged tax evasion in connection with the sale of film rights in which the Berlusconi and his firm Mediaset are thought to have earned €470 million abroad. On 15 January a corruption trial resumed against Berlusconi who was again absent. In that trial the premier is accused of making false statements in the 1990s in two trials of former attorney David Mills in exchange for around $600 000. Both trials were reopened at the end of 2009 after the constitutional court in October lifted Berlusconis immunity from prosecution. Meanwhile the Berlusconi government is discussing a package of reforms including three draft bills designed to allow him to overcome his legal woes. Justice Minister Angelino Alfano said on 18 January that the government would work swiftly on the reforms including the so- called quick-trial and the legitimate impediment to attend court hearings that for us is nothing more than to ensure ones right to govern. He was referring to two measures the centre-left opposition say are tailor-made to assist Berlusconi. Through the quick trial bill the government aims to set a six-year limit to trials in Italy where the entire three-step procedure including two leaves of appeal can last for over a decade. If approved the legitimate impediment bill would allow Berlusconi to postpone his hearings and court appearances by claiming that they interfere with his duties as premier.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98674.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98675.php Spains Banco Sabadell last week announced the completion of its acquisition of US based Mellon United National Bank MUNB for €111 million. In a filing with Spanish stock market regulators the Barcelona-based institution said MUNBs branches would now operate as Sabadell United Bank. The acquisition includes $1.68 billion in deposits and $875 million in loans or about 60% of MUNBs loan portfolio and makes Sabadell the sixth-largest financial institution in Florida by volume of deposits. With the deal completed We now begin an ambitious plan to reinforce our position in Miami the Managing Director of Banco Sabadell in the Americas Fernando Perez-Hickman said in a press release. He expressed optimism about a rapid economic recovery in the United States which Perez-Hickman said would create great opportunities to institutions such as Sabadell that are in a position to make loans. Banco Sabadell Spains number four banking group has been in business for more than 125 years. The firm is active in a score of foreign countries including China India Dubai Morocco Algeria Venezuela Brazil and Mexico. In 1993 Sabadell opened a branch in Miami to coordinate its operations in the Americas and provide corporate and private banking services. The acquisition of Mellon United followed Sabadells 2007 purchase of Floridas TransAtlantic Bank and a 2008 deal to acquire BBVAs private banking business in Miami. Sabadell now has 22 branches in Florida.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98675.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98676.php The economy of Portugal is facing great danger with its exploding debt burden and weak economic competitiveness Moodys Investors Service said in a recent report. A similar warning has been issued for Greece also. According to Moodys the two nations failed to improve their fiscal balances and competitiveness during the boom years so now their problems are coming home to roost. This competitiveness gap is likely to result in countries bleeding economic potential and therefore tax-raising capacity if not reversed the agency said. Over time this chain of events would lead to a slow death of an economy within the euro area similar to the slow death that has been experienced by many regions within individual countries Moodys said. Notably Moodys recently gave Portugal a negative outlook.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98676.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98677.php Italys ENI said on 18 January that it would wait to hear from the Ugandan government before rescinding its purchase of a half-share in two oil blocks from Heritage Oil Plc. ENIs purchase was thrown into doubt on 17 January when Tullow Oil Plc dropped a plan to sell up to half its Ugandan assets. Meanwhile Chief Executive Aidan Heavey said that after pre-empting partner Heritage Oils agreed sale of its half share in Blocks 1 and 3A to ENI for up to $1.5 billion Tullow would only sell half of its 100% share in Block 2. Tullow started the process to sell up to 50% of its Ugandan assets late last year to attract a partner with experience of building the kind of pipelines and infrastructure needed to develop the fields.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98677.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98678.php Italy was to dispatch an aircraft carrier to assist in earthquake rescue efforts in Haiti navy officials said. The Cavour which was set to sail from the port of La Spezia on 19 January afternoon was expected to reach Haiti in around 10 days Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa quoted Italian Navy spokesman Massimo Romeo as saying. The vessel was due to carry medical and food supplies and a unit of Carabinieri military police is to travel on the vessel. The unit will assist United Nations security operations in Haiti including attempts to stop looting.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98678.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98679.php Spains tourist arrivals went down 8.7% to 52 million foreign tourists in 2009 in a blow to one of the countrys key industries local media reports recently revealed citing government officials. It was the second consecutive annual fall after the tourism industry made the record of more than 59 million arrivals in 2007. However tourism contracted by less than the expected 10% in 2009 tourism secretary of state Joan Mesquida said. Analysts attributed the decline largely to the impact of the economic crisis in Spains main tourism clients such as Britain Germany and France. Spain is the worlds third-largest tourist destination after France and the United States. Tourism contributes about 10% of the countrys gross domestic product GDP and gives direct or indirect employment to more than two million people.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98679.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98680.php Toyota Spain last week revealed in a statement that the company last year sold a total of 3787 hybrid cars with a combustion engine and electric representing an increase of 14.1% year-on-year. Most of these sales were for the third generation Toyota Prius with 2969 units followed by models from Lexus RX 400h and RX 450h with 725 units with 73 units GS 450h and LS 600h with 20 units. The company noted that according to the principles of Toyota Motor Corporation the Spanish subsidiary was still committed to the growth of car sales with hybrid technology facilitating reduced fuel consumption and environmentally friendly features.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98680.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98681.php Austrian National Bank OeNB subsidiary the Austrian Mint Munze Osterreich is to sell its 33.24% interest in Casinos Austria Austrian Times reported earlier last week. The Wiener Zeitung newspaper also claimed that Raiffeisen bank was the likely purchaser but said the deal would not go through until after a decision this year on extension of the casino concession which runs until the end of 2012. Analysts predicted that if Casino Austria gets the concession extension which must be tendered throughout the European Union as expected the firms value will shoot up. Harald Waiglein a spokesman for Peoples Party OVP Finance Minister Josef Proll said: No decision has been made. It is much too early to say anything about the Austrian National Banks OeNB individual investments. Meanwhile OeNB Governor Ewald Nowotny has pledged the bank will remain independent regardless of its ownership structure as the Finance Ministry calls for the central bank to be completely nationalized. The federal government has had an interest of 70% in OeNB since 2006 with the remaining 30% held by banks insurance companies and other institutions. Proll had said the OeNB needed to be completely nationalized to ensure it was independent of the banking sector since it had an important role in controlling banks. The OeNB has been criticized over its supervision of Carinthian Hypo Group Alpe-Adria HGAA which was nationalized last month to prevent it from going bankrupt.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98681.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98682.php In Slovenia the three largest non-life companies in the first half of 2009 - in terms of gross written premiums written - were Triglav Vzajemna and Adriatic Slovenica whose market shares were 39% 16% and 15.5% respectively. In the life segment the leaders in the first half of 2009 were Triglav KAD and Maribor whose market shares were 34.7% 22.6% and 11% respectively. Over time we hope to derive insights from observing how market shares change. It was emphasized though that a decline in share of Gross Written Premiums is not automatically a bad thing and is often the result of a deliberate corporate decision to focus on more profitable business lines. The report also provided a breakdown of the insurance sector by line - from the point of view of the regulator or the trade association. In Slovenia for instance the largest non-life lines in 2008 were health compulsory motor third party liability CMTPL and land vehicles voluntary insurance CASCO . These accounted for 26% 23% and 16.7% respectively of total non-life premiums. Over time we should be able to use this information to bring greater sophistication to our forecasting process. Writing in November 2009 officials said the report includes actual data for 2008. They have generally been able to use data that has been published over the course of 2009 to adjust its forecasts for the year as a whole.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98682.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98683.php In line with the Banks commitment towards the improvement of education in Malta Peter Sant Senior Manager SME EU Unit within Bank of Valletta BOV delivered a presentation on the practical aspects of setting up a business in Malta to students from the Degree Plus programme of the University of Malta. During his presentation Sant gave an overview of the importance that SMEs play in the Maltese economy. Similar to our European counterparts more than 95% of enterprises in Malta are SMEs particularly family-run micro enterprises that have been operating from one generation to the next. Within the current economic scenario therefore it is very important for educational institutions to foster a strong entrepreneurial spirit amongst our younger generations. With increased competition coming from beyond our shores it is imperative that our new start-ups target niche markets by rolling out creative and innovative products and services. Sant went on to explain the products and services that BOV offers SMEs in terms of mentoring and advice services particularly in the area of national and European Union incentives and funding opportunities. With its vast retail branch network and business centres BOV can assist SMEs in both their operational and financing needs. Furthermore its representative offices in Australia Canada Egypt Libya Tunisia and Italy can assist SMEs in the area of business generation importing and exporting and other business-related requirements.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98683.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98684.php The Malta Stock Exchange lost ground on 21 January as investors saw fit to take profits from many of the recent high flyers which had pushed the index to recent highs. The index lost over 44 points or 1.1% to close at 3912.199 on light volume of 60 646 shares across 50 deals. The big loser on the day was RS2 Software plc as a single trade pulled the software services provider shares down 2c7 to close 4.8% lower at €0.53. Bank of Valletta plc stock also lost ground yesterday as the banks shares gave back 16c to close at €3.60 down 4.2%. HSBC Bank Malta plc whose shares lost momentum from the surge they experienced in recent sessions closed down 2c or 0.5 per cent to close at €3.98 while FimBank plc closed down four cents or 3.3 per cent to close at US$1.14. Lombard Bank plc finished on the losing side as well as the stock lost 1c9 to close at €3.12 or down 0.6%. Malta International Airport plcs share price finished the day down 1.8% or 5c to €2.75 while GlobalCapital plc saw its shares climb over 13.3% or 20c to end the session at €1.70 on light volume of 1 980 shares across three deals. Middlesea Insurance plc whose stock has been rather volatile in trading as of late saw the shares swing aggressively yet again yesterday as 3 008 shares pushed the stock up another 6.9% to close at €0.832. Go plc finished the session at €2.285 up 1c5 on 14 200 shares while Plaza Centres plc closed the day unchanged at €1.65 on 2 000 shares.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98684.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98685.php Machinery producer Reich-Austria GmbH and its parent holding group Holz-Her GmbH have started bankruptcy proceedings it was announced on 14 January Austrian Times reported. The Alpine Land Creditors Association AKV said the firms based in Voitsberg Styria had debts of around 37 million euros and more than 800 creditors. AKV said the proceedings would affect 260 of 290 employees in Austria and 90 in Germany. Reich-Austria which started in 1914 has suffered a massive drop in business because of the recession and a 50% fall in turnover year on year to 50 million euros in 2009 led to banks slashing its credit lines AKV said. Reich-Austria specializes in high-value machines for the wood-working industry. Another Styrian firm BM-Battery Machines GmbH based in Ebersdorf entered bankruptcy proceedings on the back of a lack of own capital just days ago. In what was the first big Austrian bankruptcy in 2010 with the companys debts reported at 6.4 million euros. Figures from the Credit Protection Association of 1870 KSV show number of business bankruptcies had soared in the first three quarters of 2009 by 10.4% year-on-year to 5 190.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98685.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98686.php General Motors announced on 21 January in a press conference that the Antwerp factory of Opel in Belgium will be shut down. Following an economic thunderstorm that has shaken the automobile industry to its foundations over the last year Opel will continue to engage in the official information and consultation process with employee representatives regarding the envisaged restructuring the company said. We fully understand the effect this announcement has on the Antwerp employees and their families and we sympathize with them said Opel CEO Nick Reilly. Many have been dedicated to the plant over generations and have done an excellent job producing great quality cars. The decision to announce this today was not taken lightly; instead it is the unfortunate result of the current business reality. We must make this announcement now so that we can secure a viable future for the entire Opel and Vauxhall operations. The global economic crisis has led to a major downturn in the automotive industry. The Western European car market in 2010 is expected to be 1.5 million vehicles below 2009 levels and almost 4 million below its peak in 2007. It is not expected to return anytime soon if ever to these peak levels resulting in significant overcapacity in general and at Opel in particular. To ensure long-term sustainability for the company Opel needs to reduce capacity by approximately 20 percent. In view of current capacity utilization at all European Opel and Vauxhall plants planned future product portfolio timing requirements and financial impact winding down the Antwerp plant would be the most logical approach for the company. If confirmed production would conclude in the next few months.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98686.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98687.php Heineken would be taking over the beer brewing division of its Mexican counterpart Femsa the Dutch company said early last week marking the second takeover by Heineken within two years. Heineken said it would take over all of Femsas Mexican beer operations as well as 83% of Femsas activities in Brazil establishing itself strongly on the South American market and gaining the right to sell its own brand locally. The transaction is to be financed through shares with Femsa receiving a 20% interest in the Heineken Group. The Heineken family however would retain control of the company. Based on the Heineken NVs share price of 32.925 euros USD 46.993 of 8 January the equity value of Femsa Cerveza was estimated at 3.8 billion euros USD 5.5 billion . Including its net debt and pension obligations Femsas total value was estimated at 5.3 billion Euro. Heineken said it would release 86 million new shares to finance the takeover which would make Heineken the second largest beer provider on the Mexican market. Analyst Jan Meijer of Theodoor Gillissen investments called the takeover unique because the beer markets in Central and South America are growing rapidly. Until now Heineken had only a limited presence on that continent. Heineken Chief Executive Jean-Francois van Boxmeer said Heineken would become a much stronger more competitive player in Latin America one of the worlds most profitable and fastest growing beer markets. Investors responded positively to the move spiking up Heineken shares on the Amsterdam stock exchange. In 2008 Heineken and its Danish competitor Carlsberg took over British Scottish Newcastle for more than 10 billion euros.  ... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98687.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98688.php The ArcelorMittal Foundation announces its support of an intervention from the organization Médecins sans frontières MSF for the victims affected by the earthquake in Port-au-Prince Haiti. The foundation will donate $100 000 to enable this MSF intervention which aims to address the needs of around 70 000 persons affected by the earthquake. We were all very shocked when we saw what had happened during this terrible earthquake and felt we had to do something to support the population said Felicidad Cristobal Managing Director of the ArcelorMittal Foundation. This is the first step taken by ArcelorMittal on a global level. We will also be encouraging other local initiatives to support the people of Haiti.  The decision was taken by the Group Management Board only two days after the devastating earthquake. It is not the first time that the Company helps victims of big natural disasters like this: before Haiti it was the case of the Italy earthquake April 2009 the cyclone in Myanmar May 2008 the earthquake in Sichuan 2008 and the sustained support to the region affected by hurricane Katrina in the US 2005 . The MSF intervention in Haiti will concentrate on reducing the morbidity and the mortality among the affected population in the Ouest district of the Island. This includes among other measures to treat the injured to provide primary health care to the affected population to ensure follow up prevention and treatment of potential epidemics diseases.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98688.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98689.php A recent Luxembourg financial delegation led by Crown Prince Guillaume made significant efforts to cement the central European countrys ties with the financial centres of the GCC region. At a seminar at the Ritz Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa the Luxembourg delegation emitted clear indications that Luxembourg and the CGC are complementary and can benefit considerably from each other. The seminar was supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain CBB and the Bahrain Association of Banks. It discussed both Bahrain and Luxembourgs range of products and services and identified areas for collaboration to the benefit of their clients. International openness is definitely a key success factor in a globalised economy characterised by a growing degree of complexity Prince Guillaume said in his opening address. I am sure that today provides an excellent occasion for professionals from our two countries to meet and to lay the ground for an ever closer and mutually beneficial co-operation between Bahrain and Luxembourg he continued. Given Luxembourgs limited local market - the Grand Duchy has a population of less than half a million - Luxembourg financial products and services are designed for an international clientele said Luxembourg for Finance CEO Fernand Grulms.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98689.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98690.php  Futech BvBa a Belgium project development and distribution company recently inked a long-term strategic partnership agreement with CNPV Solar Power SA a recent CPNV release revealed. CNPV Solar Power is an integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic products. Under the terms of this strategic agreement CNPV would supply Futech with a total of 60MWp of PV Modules from 2010 to 2012 which includes 10MWp of scheduled delivery during 2010 according to the statement. The remaining 20MWp and 30MWp are scheduled for delivery in 2011 and 2012 respectively. However the price will be reviewed mutually on a quarterly basis if the market price falls or rises with reference to the fixed prices the company said.    ... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98690.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98691.php  A Belgium-based digital cinema services company XDC recently acquired Dusseldorf-based cinema equipment firm FTT a statement from the company informed last week. It explained that the move would strengthen the two companies position in the digital cinema market by offering exhibitors a network covering both technical and commercial issues. As part of the deal FTT Managing Director Thomas Ruttger has become a shareholder in XDC International and a member of the supervisory board. The FTT name will be retained and Ruttger will also remain chairman of the FTT board XDC confirmed. Last year digital cinema really gained momentum and that trend is even likely to accelerate in 2010 Serge Plasch chief executive of XDC said in the statement. The first project for both companies using their new structure will be the implementation of the first 100 virtual print free VPF screens in Germany.    ... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98691.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98692.php The Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk received congratulations from far and wide as he was notified of having won the EUs Charlemagne prize given to those for exemplary EU efforts. The organizers at the city of Aachen describe it as a citizens prize for distinguished service on behalf of european unification. By the will of its initiators the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen is to be awarded for outstanding contributions to the cause of European understanding and communal endeavour of humanity and world peace. It is to honour the fostering of United Europe with regard to politics economics culture and the mind and spirit. The contribution can be made in the literary scientific-scholarly economic and political sector. The President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek congratulated Tusk for winning the 2010 Charlemagne Prize. The Charlemagne Prize is a prize for distinguished service on behalf of European unification. Buzek said:I very warmly congratulate Prime Minister Donald Tusk.He has played a considerable role promoting the integration of Poland into the European Union. The Polish people can be very proud of this prize.  I am glad we can work together at the heart of the European Union.  The jury have made an excellent choice. Also President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso congratulated Tusk.  I wholeheartedly congratulate the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for having been awarded the Charlemagne Prize for 2010. I commend the jury of the Charlemagne Foundation for its excellent choice. Prime Minister Tusk has played a major role in integrating Poland into the European Union and placing his country at the heart of Europe since its accession in 2004. He was equally instrumental in securing the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by Poland. Today Donald Tusk is one of the most respected European leaders. The Polish people can also take the highest pride in this recognition. I am looking forward to continuing my close cooperation with Prime Minister Tusk on our common European project.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98692.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98693.php Hungary is to be the host of two research and development projects in the vehicle industry that will bring HUF 12 billion 44.8 million euros to the country and create more than 200 jobs Portfolio Hungary reported on 19 January. There are two RD capacity boosting projects underway in the vehicle industry that are to be subsidised by the state an official of the Hungarian Investment and Trade Development Agency ITDH said. These will bring some HUF 12 billion to Hungary and create 260 jobs. The smaller project is to be carried out by break system maker Knorr-Bremse Fekrendszerek Kft. while there are only guesses as to who is behind the other one that would cost HUF nine to ten billion and create 200 jobs. It is yet to be decided how large subsidies the state will grant as it is not yet known exactly how many jobs will be created. According to law government subsidies may amount to 25-50% of the whole project cost. The paper also said that the local unit of Japanese vehicle parts maker Denso Corp will hire some 500 workers in its Szekesfehervar plant 60 km west of Budapest where it has been operating since 1997. The companys current headcount is 3 600 who work in three shifts again.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98693.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98694.php In what could be a landmark decision based on climate change arguments the Czech Ministry of the Environment is expected to announce this week its final statement on an environmental impact assessment EIA for the proposed replacement and lifetime extension of the Prunerov II coal-fired power station. Coal-fired power plants are the largest point sources of carbon dioxide emissions and significant contributors to global warming and climate change. The Federated States of Micronesia a nation of widely-scattered islands located in the western Pacific some 12 000 kilometers from the Czech Republic has called for a negative statement on the assessment a Greenpeace press release said. The Pacific nation is among those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change especially from sea level rise changing weather patterns and increased storms. In its submission to the Czech Ministry the Federated States of Micronesia FSM argued that the effect on climate change had not been assessed in the EIA for the proposed renewal of Prunerov II.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98694.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98695.php Czech Finance Minister Eduard Janota warned in Brussels yesterday that the Czech Republics position on financial markets could worsen considerably unless further key reforms are implemented. The adoption of the euro at around 2015 would also be unrealistic without reforms Janota said. When asked whether the Czech Republic would be threatened by a state bankruptcy without the reforms as some analysts say Janota said the country is not in a situation yet when it would not be able to secure money for pensions wages investment and so on on financial markets. However if we continued to run deficits of around five six percent for some two three years the credibility of the Czech Republic on financial markets will be absolutely negatively affected Janota said. The country must adopt measures that will revaluate the Czech Republics economic power and its budget possibilities he said. However it will probably be up to the next government to make these measures as there is no will for such changes in the Czech Republic now he added. Janota also warned that the situation of the Czech Republics finances will not generate a positive response in the EU. Prague will already soon submit in Brussels its convergence programme in which it outlines its plans for euro adoption.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98695.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98696.php European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EBRD said its board of directors approved an equity investment up to 125 million Euro in the form of capital increases in Iberdrola Renovables wind farm units in Hungary and Poland Port folio Hungary reported on 18 January. Pending the completion of legal documentation the EBRD will acquire 25 percent stakes in the Hungarian and Polish units. The investment is the EBRDs first in Hungarys energy sector. Spains Iberdrola Renovables built a 50MW wind farm in northwest Hungary in 2009 and it will commission another two farms in the country by the end of 2010. IBR Polska and IBR Magyar are wholly-owned by the Spanish-based Iberdrola Renovables SA IBR the world leading developer in the renewable energy sector currently present in 23 countries. Iberdrola Renovables owns the Kisigmand wind farm in Hungary the countrys largest with 50 MW of capacity in addition to two more sites currently under construction which will total 74 MW of capacity.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98696.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98697.php The Hungarian unit of Austrian buildings materials maker Lasselsberger is under liquidation proceedings Portfolio Hungary reported on January 18. The head of the company has declined to comment. Liquidation proceedings have been initiated against Lasselsberger Hungaria Termelo es Kereskedelmi Kft. the flagship Hungarian unit of the Austria-based Lasselsberger Group one of the leading companies in Europe for raw materials building materials and ceramic products. bThe group has 67 production plants and over 13 000 employees in 17 countries.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98697.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98698.php The first private pharmacy in Sweden since 1971 opened for business in Stockholm on 17 January following an inauguration by Swedish Health and Social Affairs Minister Goran Hagglund The Local reported early last week. After hard work for a long time we are now ready to open the first pharmacy in Sweden which is privately owned since 1971 Hagglund said. The state-owned Apoteket chain of pharmacies was until previous Sunday the sole provider of prescription medication in Sweden and was until November 2009 also the only provider of non-prescription drugs such as headache tablets or other over-the-counter products. Swedens parliament in May 2008 voted in favour of the centre-right governments plans to open up the countrys market for prescription and non-prescription drugs to competition. In November 2009 the Swedish state sold 465 of its estimated 900 state-owned Apoteket stores to four firms all of them Swedish companies established for the sole purpose of running the pharmacies. The pharmacy inaugurated on 17 January in the Kungsholmen district of Stockholm was the first of such pharmacies to operate under its own brand name. It is operated by Medstop which has also taken over a further 61 pharmacies across Sweden. We want to increase accessibility and think that can be achieved through competition in the pharmacy market Hagglund said of the new pharmacy system. As of 1 November 2009 Swedes wanting to buy non-prescription drugs could do so at selected stores including some gas stations and grocery shops. The Swedish government has previously argued that putting an end to the Apoteket monopoly would improve the availability of medicines for customers in the form of more pharmacies and longer opening hours and create downward pressure on prices as more providers entered the market.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98698.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98699.php After many years of disagreement over costs Scandinavian Airlines had to pay to Copenhagens Kastrup airport the two companies have reached a new agreement that aims to halt the continued passenger decline the airline has been experiencing Copenhagen Post reported early last week. According to financial daily Borsen SAS and Copenhagen Airports have agreed to a strategic partnership which the parties hope will increase traffic at Kastrup and boost the financially-strapped airline. Copenhagen Airports CEO Brian Petersen and former SAS Denmark chief operating officer Susanne Larsen had held numerous wars of words in the media in the past over the hundreds of millions of Danish crowns the airline had been required to pay the airport annually for its use and services. But the time was ripe for this cooperation and so Weve buried the hatchet said Flemming Jensen SAS Denmarks current COO. The time was ripe because both companies are suffering under the financial crisis especially SAS which is struggling for its very survival amidst rumours of being sold to another airline. In addition Larsens departure and Jensens taking over the SAS Denmark COO post has helped to smooth relations between the two companies. Jensen said the agreement would strengthen and improve Copenhagens status as an air traffic hub with attractive connections and would increase accessibility to the Oresund region to the benefit of both business and tourism. Details of the agreement had not yet been made public at time of going to print.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98699.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98700.php India and Finland on 16 January signed a revised agreement for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with regard to tax on income business Standard reported. According to the revised agreement withholding tax rates on dividends have been reduced from 15% to 10%. On royalties and fees for technical services the rate has been reduced from 15 or 10% to a uniform rate of 10%. Lowering of withholding tax will promote greater investments flow of technology and technical services between the two countries the finance ministry said in a statement.The double taxation avoidance agreement or DTAA was signed by Central Board of Direct Taxes Chairman S N Moorthy on behalf of the central government and Terhi Hakala the Ambassador of Finland to India. The agreement will come into force after internal processes in both the countries are completed. The revised agreement also expands the ambit of exchange of information in line with current international standards. An Article for limiting benefits to the residents of the contracting countries has also been included to prevent misuse of DTAA.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98700.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98701.php Suzlon Wind Energy SWEAS the international business arm of Suzlon Energy has bagged an order from Triventus AB the wind power developer and consultant in Sweden it was reported on 16 January. The order from the Sweden company comprises of two S88-.21 MW wind turbines. The 4.2 MW Assjo project located 150 kilometers from Goteborg and Stockholm will be delivered by SWEAS through a contract that covers engineering procurement and construction. The project will be sold to Svensk Vindkorporativ Ek. Forening SVEF an active local wind power corporative after six months of operation. Suzlon will also sign service and maintenance partnership agreement with Triventus Energiteknik AB subsidiary of Triventus AB which will be applicable to future Suzlon projects in Sweden as well to ensure fast turnaround time and flexible service. The project will be sold to Svensk Vindkorporativ Ek. Forening SVEF an active local wind power corporative after six months of operation. Suzlon will also sign service and maintenance partnership agreement with Triventus Energiteknik AB subsidiary of Triventus AB which will be applicable to future Suzlon projects in Sweden as well to ensure fast turnaround time and flexible service.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98701.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98702.php The Finnish arm of Nordic bank Nordea promised on 18 January it would cover all financial losses resulting from malicious software affecting its online bank News room Finland reported. Kari Oksanen head of risk management at Nordea said 15 customers had lost about €50 000 between them. We have been in contact with the customers who sustained financial losses and agreed with them about restoring the funds Oksanen added. Nordea warned customers not to enter their username and security code if the language of the internet banking login page had changed to English indicating that the computer was infected by malware.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98702.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98703.php Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone remains in the hunt to buy Saab from General Motors despite reports touting Dutch sportscar maker Spyker as the sole remaining bidder The Local reported on 18 January. Swedish businessman Lars Carlstrom fronting a group led by Ecclestone and Luxembourg investment firm Genii Capital said he had not heard anything from GM to the effect that Spyker was the only bidder under consideration. No such information has been given to us. We are going on with our process and looking into things that we could eventually formalise better for GM. He said on 13 January that his group made a new offer showing the financial strength of Genii-Ecclestone but refused to disclose details of the offer. We are looking into a possibility to discuss with GM an offer containing a larger amount of cash than what competing bidders have offered he said on 17 January. Carlstrom explained that the Genii-Ecclestone offer would be larger than others not in terms of the total amount of cash and preferred shares but in terms of cash.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98703.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98704.php Latvian Finance Minister Einars Repse hit back recently at suggestions the recession-hit Baltic country may be forced to devalue its currency the lat. Calling for an end to any debate about the stability of the lat Repse said devaluation will not be considered and that the arrangement which pegs the lat to the Euro would be maintained. The stability of the lat is one of our priority tasks so any reduction in its stability would be pointless and have a very negative impact on our economy as a whole Repse said in a statement. Efforts would continue to put the country on track to adopt the Euro as its currency in 2014 the minister added. The Latvian economy is predicted to have contracted by around 18% in 2009 and central bank Governor Ilmars Rimsevics recently said he expected a further contraction of up to 2.5% in 2010. The Baltic state is the recipient of a €7.5 billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund IMF European Union and regional governments as it fights to rebalance its economy by means of an internal devaluation with spending cuts on education healthcare social security and wages.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98704.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98705.php More than 800 Lithuanian construction workers who have lost their jobs as a result of the economic crisis would benefit from a €1.1 million package from Brussels to help them find new employment the European Commission announced on January 18. The money would be disbursed by the EUs globalization adjustment fund EGF launched in 2007 to assist people who lose work as a result of globalization. I am confident that the planned measures will help these workers to return to employment EUs Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimir Spidla said in a press release. In Lithuania where last year the economy is estimated to have contracted by over 15% and 2009 third quarter unemployment rates hit 14.6% the EGF is set to assist 806 employees from 128 small and medium enterprises. They are due to be offered career guidance and retraining. The entire program is slated to cost €1.7 million with €600 000 to be provided by the Lithuanian government. Lithuanias construction sector was one of the hardest hit by the economic and financial crisis which has plunged the Baltic countries into a deep recession. In Lithuania the industry contracted by over 40 % when comparing the first and second quarters of 2009 with the same periods in 2008. That contraction was responsible for around 10% of jobs lost in 2008. Since its creation the EGF has intervened in 42 different occasions in France Spain Portugal Austria Germany Sweden Italy Malta Belgium Finland Ireland Denmark the Netherlands distributing a total of about €240 million the EU executive said.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98705.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98706.php The Estonian authority had recently been given a new challenge to face by the European Central Bank ECB . The Estonian Finance Ministry had requested the ECB to evaluate a bill on collecting statistical information. In response the ECB said the Estonian government must ensure that national statistics are collected independently before the country adopts the Euro news agencies reported. Several provisions of the draft law indicate that the ministry of finance has extensive powers to interfere in the production of national statistics the ECB said in a legal opinion dated 6 January . The ECB stresses the importance of securing the independence of the national statistics institute as this is of particular importance for statistics required for assessing convergence and for the smooth functioning of the European monetary union framework following the adoption of euro. Estonia is seeking to become the third eastern European nation to adopt the euro after Slovenia and Slovakia to spur investment and trade by reducing currency risk for companies. Its highly likely that Estonia will achieve its goal of joining the Euro zone in 2011 Commerzbank AG recently said. Estonia will guarantee the independence of national statistics and the national statistics office will operate in line with both European Union and Estonian regulations Estonian Finance Minister Jurgen Ligi said while commenting on the ECB suggestion.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98706.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98707.php The Slovak government last week came under international pressure over an issue that had been in focus for the past some time. The Paris based organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD on 18 January officially asked Slovakia to amend its legislation so that Slovak companies can be held liable for bribing foreign public officials. Under current Slovak legislation the prosecution and thus conviction of companies that engage in foreign bribery remains impossible because legal persons companies cannot be held liable for criminal offenses the OECD noted in a statement. Since 1999 Slovakia has been a party of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98707.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98708.php The governments used car trade-in programme to boost new car sales also known as the scrap yard contribution saw 39 270 cars with an average age of 21 years scrapped last year in two rounds new data from Slovakias Automotive Industry Association ZAP showed on 18 January Radio Slovakia reported. The make of car Skoda saw the biggest number of scrapped cars while Renault was the brand most often purchased with the programmes subsidy ahead of cars made by Skoda and Kia. The scrap yard contribution helped renew the countrys car fleet but had a paltry effect on its age said Maria Novakova from ZAP. According to the figures 1.6 million cars with an average age of 11 years are being driven on Slovakias roads.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98708.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98709.php The latest set of data published by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association ACEA showed that new car registrations in Latvia drastically nosedived last year. Marking the steepest fall in the entire Europe the Latvian figure dropped by 80.5% in 2009. In the same span new car registrations in Lithuania fell by 67.4% to 7 003 units and by 66.2% in Estonia to 8 234 units. The report included data on all the European Union member states except Cyprus and Malta as well as the European Free Trade Association EFTA countries Switzerland Norway and Iceland. In 2009 3 745 new cars were registered in Latvia compared to 19 192 in 2008 the report showed.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98709.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98710.php The Lithuanian government should start preparing a strategy to facilitate the adoption of Euro currency and the target switching date should be sometime between 2013 and 2015 President Dalia Grybauskaite commented at a press conference last week. After managing the crisis of public finances Lithuania will start recovering this year Grybauskaite said in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius in Vilnius. The time has come to start thinking about our prospects for the Euro zone he added.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98710.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98711.php Addressing the informal cabinet meeting on 20 January that focused on planning at each ministry with Easter and June being the time limit Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou called for the collective definition of the governments major priorities saying in parallel that the Greek people are showing special maturity and realize that the big changes will take place now or never. He also urged the members of the government to proceed with their work with self-confidence commitment and without panic. A special meeting was held on the farmers issue after the informal cabinet meeting with the prime minister pointing out that the farmers problem concerns all of society and underlining the governments intention and efforts for deep changes on this issue. As regards the farmers demands Papandreou said that most of them are more or less institutional and will be promoted through the dialogue that the government has called for. And which as it was stressed is open if the farmers themselves desire this. The prime minister also said that there is no reason for mobilizations and in parallel for this image of the country to be given abroad since in addition there is a new government that contains these changes in its program. He further said that it is an opportunity for farmers to utilize the new of the government and its intention for changes. Farmers continued to boost roadblocks throughout the country on 21 January as they entered their eighth day of mobilizations in demand of solutions to chronic problems. Agriculture Minister Katerina Batzeli said on 20 January that the government was dealing with the Greek farmers problems globally and that the dialogue it proposed was substantial as it focuses on the countrys farm issue. In another development Papandreou held a telephone conversation with his Bulgarian counterpart Boiko Borisov who mentioned to him that apart from the general turmoil the small producers and stockbreeders of Bulgaria are burdened daily with the cost of €3 million. The Greek prime minister replied that an effort will be made through dialogue to end the blocking of road axes.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98711.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98712.php Cyprus President Demetris Christofias said his trip to Athens was completely successful. I wish to express my warm thanks to the Prime Minister and the Greek government for the complete and unreserved support Christofias said upon his return from a trip to Greece during which he met with Prime Minister George Papandreou President Karolos Papoulias and the leaders of the Greek political parties. He emphasized that in his estimation there was complete mutual understanding from the Greek political establishment towards the efforts he is making to solve the Cyprus problem. During his visit to Greece it was agreed to establish a special legal team within the Greek Foreign Ministry to deal with the Cyprus problem and advise on the negotiation process. Christofias also said that Papandreou accepted his invitation to visit Cyprus and that he would do so quite soon. We shall coordinate and intensify our international presence and the presentation on the international stage of the Cyprus problem and our positions on it Cyprus Mail quoted Christofias as saying. During his visit to Greece Christofias and Papandreou visited the tragedy-stricken village of Artemida which was completely rebuilt with money donated by Cyprus. The village was officially delivered to its inhabitants. The village had been completely destroyed in mega-fires that raged through the Peloponnese and the prefecture of Ileia in the summer of 2007 during which 23 of Artemidas inhabitants lost their lives. For decades now during the problems faced by the Cypriot people it was a habit to call Cypriots our brothers. Today they have proved this themselves through their actions Papandreou stated at ceremony. During difficult times we are not alone. As in the past so in the future Greece will stand beside Cyprus and whole-heartedly support its efforts for a just solution to unite the island the Greek premier added. Christofias likewise noted that when Greece runs to Cyprus aid at difficult times and shows solidarity with Cyprus then it should be considered a matter of course that Cyprus with the powers it possessed should come to the aid of Greece. The Cyprus president said that the reconstruction project in Artemida had a total budget of €14 million which included flood prevention works support and safety works and aesthetic improvements for the village. In addition to the various works Cyprus had decided a series measures for the financial support of local farmers that were gradually beginning and had approved the building of a central sewage system. Papandreou said that his own visit was a follow-up of a visit to fire-stricken regions last October to indicate that his pledge for hope after the disaster would be translated into action. Papandreou and Christofias had earlier deposited flowers at shrines set up just outside the village in memory of the victims of the fires as well as visiting a new oil press and one of the houses rebuilt with funds from Cyprus.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98712.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98713.php The Trans Adriatic Pipeline project completed registration of its permanent country offices in Greece Albania and Italy. Country offices will support TAP in liaising with the authorities in the host countries in preparing and submitting all necessary applications as well as in providing information about the project to the local public and media TAP said in a press release. Michael Hoffmann External Relations Director of TAP said The opening of the new offices in Greece Albania and Italy is another sign of TAPs continuous progress.  These permanent representations will help us develop stronger relationships with local stakeholders and further create trust in TAP.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98713.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98714.php Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on 18 January emphasized the critical importance of the Kallikratis plan for local government saying this would bring about fundamental and much-needed reforms to public sector administrative structures. Today 100 days after the elections we are in a position to proceed based on the Kallikratis plan which will carry out all the major changes that the countrys administrative system needs and all the necessary reforms for a new start that local government needs he said while addressing the annual meeting of the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece KEDKE . According to the Greek premier the Kallikratis plan was an essential part the Stability Development and Reconstruction Program and its success was a goal of national importance that requires the contribution of all. Describing the proposed changes as greatly delayed Papandreou said they would finally allow Greece to throw off the mantle of the European Unions most centralized state bringing about long-awaited changes to local government while radically changing the operation of central government at the same time.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98714.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98715.php Greek Finance minister George Papaconstantinou on 21 Janaury expressed optimism on the course of the Greek economy addressing an international conference in Athens on The Future of Banking in Greece organized by the Financial Times magazine The Banker and Boussias Communications. I believe that precisely because we are in this very difficult juncture for our economy the policies that are being implemented today give prospects to the economy to leave behind its long-standing chronic problems Papaconstantinou said stressing that the PASOK government has no intention of backing down on its tough choices. We have a very clear mandate for changes and reforms always with social justice as the criterion. In this effort the government has the support of a strong social base which is very positive he added. Papaconstantinou referred extensively to the credibility problem the Greek economy faces on the international markets stressing that the goal of wiping out the credibility deficit is a priority for us because otherwise all our other policies will be founded on shaky foundations; they will be moving in quicksand that could consume us.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98715.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98716.php American firm General Electric sealed a $146 million deal with Romanian state-run nuclear energy company Nuclearelectrica on 20 January Romanian Times reported. The US company will provide maintenance services for the power plants nuclear reactors for eight years. The framework agreement was signed in the presence of Romanian Economy Minister Adriean Videanu and the US Ambassador to Romania Mark Gitenstein. Pompiliu Budulan Nuclearelectrica general manager said the minimum value of the contract was €90 million and the maximum value €146 million. The costs may vary from nuclear reactor to nuclear reactor. Nuclearelectrica operator of Romanias sole nuclear power plant Cernavoda has two active reactors that provide around 18% of the electricity consumed in the country. The company is planning to build two other reactors at Cernavoda. Nuclearelectrica owned by the Finance Ministry is the countrys second-largest energy producer after hydropower firm Hidroelectrica.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98716.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98717.php The Bulgarian livestock breeders are incurring serious losses resulting from the protest of Greek farmers along the Bulgarian-Greek border. Although we understand the demands of our Greek colleagues we insist on a sound solution to the problems which are common to all agricultural producers from the European Union. That is what Penka Boteva Chairwoman of the National Union of Livestock Breeders in Bulgaria announced. On behalf of Bulgarian livestock breeders on 19 January she sent a letter to the agriculture ministers of both countries with copies of it to the interior and foreign ministers of Greece as well as to all branch organizations of livestock breeders and farmers in Greece. The Bulgarian agricultural producers currently rely on a minimal income and do not have the enormous subsidies granted to the Greek farmers and the successive closing of the border checkpoints will lead to losses which will be irrevocable for Bulgaria Boteva also pointed out. That is the reason why the representatives of the branch organizations will insist on the introduction of a facilitated border passage for the Bulgarian cargo carriers at the border checkpoints.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) News http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98717.php Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:28:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98718.php The oil production on the Norwegian Shelf continues to fall. Making a determined effort to recover all the oil resources from the large fields has become an urgent matter the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate NPD stated Norway Post reported on 18 January. If the licensees do not make the necessary decisions profitable resources could be lost according to NPD