Spain-Crises: EU again urges dialogue to end Catalan crisis

The European Commission repeated its call for dialogue in Spain to end the crisis in Catalonia amid concerns that the Catalan regional authorities could declare independence on Tuesday.

“We called on all those concerned to get of this confrontation as quickly as possible and to start dialogue,” a spokesman for the EU executive said in answer to a question on how the Commission might respond to such a declaration. 

“Violence, as we said, can never be a political tool,” he told reporters, recalling a statement made last week. “And we expressed our confidence in the capacity of Prime Minister (Mariano) Rajoy to manage this delicate process in full respect of the Spanish constitution and the basic fundamental rights of the citizens.”

Read more: EU again urges dialogue to end Catalan crisis

UK: Brexit: 'I don't want to be in no man's land': most 'Brexit Brits' seeking second passports - by Guardian Reporters in the EU

Across Europe British expats fear that if the UK leaves the European Union the lives they have built up abroad could be destroyed.

 Britons have been wrong-footed by the sudden lurch closer to EU exit. The Guardian spoke to Brits in five European countries about action they are taking to ensure Euroscepticism doesn’t ruin their lives.

All the people interviewed deplored the idea.

Aiden Macfarlane - a British national living in Sweden says: “I love the space and the freedom here, and people have different things to talk about than house prices,” says Macfarlane, 58, from Manchester. “The quality of my life cannot be compared to England – I’ve forgotten what stress is.”

But now the dream is crumbling and stress is staging a comeback for Macfarlane in the form of Britain’s impending referendum on leaving the EU.

He is worried about the consequences for his right to run a business in Sweden, and is urgently trying to become a Swedish citizen.

But his tour company is just a year old, and even though he has lived here for three years it is only his time paying tax that counts towards the necessary residence period to qualify for citizenship.

“I don’t want to get stuck in a no man’s land,” Macfarlane says. “What happens to my business? I have worked very hard to build it up. What happens to my right to live here?”

As all of the Expats interviewed said : "BREXIT would be the most ridiculous thing Britain could do." 

For the complete report click here: 'I don't want to be in no man's land': the 'Brexit Brits' seeking second passports | Politics | The Guardian

Oil Giant Shell Dumps ALEC Over Climate-Change Position - by Ben Geman

Royal Dutch Shell said Friday that it's severing ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council, a coalition of companies and conservative state lawmakers, over differences on climate change.

"ALEC advocates for specific economic growth initiatives, but its stance on climate change is clearly inconsistent with our own.

We have long recognized both the importance of the climate challenge and the critical role energy has in determining quality of life for people across the world," Shell said in a statement.

Shell, which has faced pressure to dump ALEC from groups including the Union of Concerned Scientists and Common Cause, said it would let its association with ALEC lapse when "the current contracted term ends early next year."

It's the latest major corporation to bolt ALEC, which is under pressure from liberal activists over its stance on global warming and attacks on state green-energy standards, among other issues. Over the last year, a number of major corporations including Google, Facebook, BP, and Occidental Petroleum have abandoned the group.

Read more: Oil Giant Shell Dumps ALEC Over Climate-Change Position - NationalJournal.com

Eurozone struggles to find joint response to Greek referendum - by Ian Traynor

Germany and France scrambled to avoid a major split over Greece on Monday evening as the eurozone delivered a damning verdict on Alexis Tsipras’s landslide referendum victory on Sunday and Angela Merkel demanded that the Greek prime minister put down new proposals to break the deadlock.

Read more: Eurozone struggles to find joint response to Greek referendum | Business | The Guardian

EU Parliament: More than 30,000 lobbyists and counting: Brussels under corporate siege

When the Polish MEP Róża Thun was elected five years ago, she thought the job would be fairly straightforward. She hadn't reckoned with the lobbyists.

Take mobile phone charges. She saw the fact that EU citizens pay eye-watering sums in other EU states as an anomaly that needed fixing. But it wasn't that simple. "We had telephone companies and lobbyists who started to invade us," she recalls. "They obviously didn't want to reduce roaming charges because it would hit them in the pocket."

To stroll around the vast, ugly and permanent building site that is Brussels' European district is to brush up against the power of the lobbies. Every office block, every glass and steel construction within a kilometre of the EU Commission council and parliament is peopled by some of the globe's biggest corporate names.

Thousands of companies, banks, law firms, PR consultancies and trade associations are there to bend ears and influence the regulations and laws that shape Europe's single market, fix trade deals, and govern economic and commercial behaviour in the European Union of 507 million people.

Lobbying is a billion-euro industry in Brussels. According to Corporate Europe Observatory, a watchdog campaigning for greater transparency, there are at least 30,000 lobbyists in Brussels, nearly matching the 31,000 staff employed by the European commission and making it second only to Washington in the concentration of those seeking to affect legislation. Lobbyists sign a transparency register run by the parliament and the commission, though it is not mandatory.

By some estimates, they influence 75% of legislation. In principle, lobbyists give politicians information and arguments during the decision-making process. In practice, the corridors of the parliament often teem with individuals, who meet MEPs in their offices or in open spaces such as the "Mickey Mouse bar" (nicknamed so because of the shape of its seats) inside the parliament.

They explain their concerns, provide a "position paper", and send in suggestions for amendments to legislative proposals. Of course, the final decision is taken by MEPs. But examples are legion of the tail wagging the dog.

Lobbying is such a crucial part of the climate in Brussels that it has spawned manuals, a documentary (Who Really Runs the EU?) and even "the worst lobby awards". Not surprisingly, the biggest movers and shakers agitate for the biggest industries with the most to gain – and lose – from European legislation.

Basically, if you are in Bruxelles or Washington - the lobbyists have taken over and politics have not much to do with Democracy anymore.

EU-Digest

The EU Energy Dilemma : EU must become energy self sufficient: before trade deal talks with US continue

Shawn Donnan writes in the Financial Times: "Ask anyone in European business what the most daunting longer-term issues confronting them are and it is unlikely to take much time before they site energy costs.
Even before Vladimir Putin’s Russia turned into the EU’s most belligerent neighbor, the reality was that Europe is facing a long-term energy crisis."

"The shale oil and gas have radically lowered the cost of energy in the US and given American manufacturing a competitive boost. That has caused more than a measure of angst among European businesses as they fret over their long-term international competitiveness. One solution to many in Europe seems obvious. "

"With a vast new trade pact – the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership being negotiated with the US, there is a strong case for making sure the deal helps guarantee access to that same cheap energy. "

"Moreover, as officials on both sides of the Atlantic have argued publicly, the ultimate goal of the exercise is knitting two ageing economies together as part of a strategic response to the rise of China and other emerging giants. "

"Removing the barriers to trade for a key economic ingredient surely makes sense. Mr Putin has, of course, been doing his best to help that argument in recent months via his hardening stand on Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea."

"A massive natural gas deal with China sent a signal that Russia intended to reduce its reliance on European customers. This month’s downing of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine, seemingly by pro-Moscow rebels, will also undoubtedly rekindle the argument."

"The truth, however, is that a year after negotiations began, EU officials are becoming increasingly frustrated with the US over the energy component of TTIP. With good reason – discussions around one of the biggest potential prizes of the transatlantic deal are proceeding slowly."

"At the sixth round of negotiations in Brussels this month, EU officials were again pressing their case for the TTIP to include a separate “energy and raw materials” chapter. The US side, meanwhile, was again politely deferring the question.  "

The above shows once again that the present US proposals on the trade deal with the EU are self serving  and that the EU must put these talks on the back burner while they solve their energy crises by seriously developing their own alternative energy sources and finding new partners to supply oil and gas requirements.

EU-Digest

Corporate Influence: Poll: 99% of people polled say corporations wield too much power

In the latest EU-Digest poll which ran through the month of June on: "Do Corporations Have Too Much Influence On Global Governance ?" -  99% of the people polled said corporations wield too much power.

In our new July EU-Digest poll the question focuses on the possibility of Britain leaving the EU.
Should Britain Quit the EU ?

EU-Digest

European Parliament: Results of the 2014 European elections

Click here for results of the 2014 European elections - European Parliament


EU-Digest

Personal Privacy Rights: SXSW: Assange, surveillance, and the world's wake-up call - by Alistair Fairweather

All is not well in Technology Land. The normally ebullient mood at the annual SXSW Interactive conference is darker this year, weighed down by concerns about the prying eyes of governments. A keynote address by WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange over the weekend captured this growing unease.

Speaking to a packed audience via video conference, Assange contrasted the relative comfort of his confinement in the Ecuadorian embassy in London with the plight of prisoners around the world. But for nearly two years he has essentially been in prison.

"Outside the embassy at any one point there are at least a dozen police … The UK government has admitted to spending $8-million on surveillance of the embassy alone," Assange said, which he feels illustrates just how much money a government is willing to spend to "keep its prestige" in a situation of "international conflict".

Asked about how governments should be reacting to the revelations about abuses by the National Security Agency (NSA) and UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), Assange takes a long view on the issue.

To him this problem has been developing for over 20 years, since the fall of the Soviet Union, and is the natural result of "75% of military spending" residing in "one power block: Nato". In Assange's view, the NSA has grown, unfettered, into a "rogue agency". As the internet has come to include so much of our personal and economic lives, the NSA and GCHQ have been "sucking all this up". Given the constant exponential growth in the power of computing and a relatively stable population, "the ability to surveille everyone on the planet is almost there, and arguably will be there in a few years."

This is "a huge transfer of power from the people who are surveilled to the people who control the surveillance". And this isn't just the product of a single agency in Washington but a "fluid postmodern amalgam of agencies and private contractors, many of whom are transnational". The Edward Snowden case and the raw power brought to bear on efforts to detain the whistleblower represent, for Assange, a kind of global wake-up call for ordinary citizens.

We began to ask: "How is it that the internet, that was looked upon as the greatest tool for human emancipation that has ever been, had been co-opted … for the most aggressive form of state surveillance that had ever been." This foreshadows a kind of "new totalitarian world ... not in the sense of Stalin or Pol Pot, but totalitarian in the sense that surveillance is total, no one can exist outside of the state".

In just four years the internet has transformed from a quite "apathetic" space into a political battlefield. Assange praises activists and journalists such as Glenn Greenwald (who is also speaking at SXSW), Laura Poitras, Jacob Appelbaum. All of these people are now living outside of the US and the UK in "effective exile" in countries such as Brazil and Germany. "There's an exodus of national security reporters, national security reporters are a new type of refugee."

Ironically, the internet allows these people to continue work and do so without fear of arrest or harassment by the governments about which they are reporting. These new nodes of reportage can "bring some restraint to the growing militarism" of the US and UK, he says. Later Assange is even more blunt: "There has been a militarisation of our civilian space – an occupation of our civilian space." You might be tempted to dismiss Assange as a lone kook or a dangerous attention seeker, but earlier in the conference Eric Schmidt, chairperson of Google, was equally blunt about his views on the US's security apparatus.

Read more: SXSW: Assange, surveillance, and the world's wake-up call | Columnists | Columnists | Mail & Guardian

Armenia showing their "true colors" - by joining Russia's Customs Uniion mid-April

 Armenia says it will be ready to join a Russia-led customs union within weeks.

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian said in Yerevan on March 1 that his country will accomplish all necessary tasks by mid-April in order to join the CIS Customs Union, which also includes Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Kocharian said the Armenian parliament will debate the customs-union agreement after the document is approved by Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.

The leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress coalition, former President Levon Ter-Petrossian, has called on Armenians to "accept" the nation's upcoming membership in the Russia-led customs union.

Ter-Petrossian spoke on March 1 to thousands of people who gathered in central Yerevan to commemorate the deaths of 10 people in 2008 during deadly postelection clashes between Armenian security forces and protesters.

Ter-Petrossian said Armenia needed to lean toward Russia because joining the European Union does not appear to feasible for the country at the current time.

Ter-Petrossian said Armenia is a small country that "cannot afford a civil war."

Armenia announced its intention to join the union in September and chose, in late November, not to initial an Association Agreement with the European Union.

EU-Digest

Britain -250 jihadists reportedly return to UK - "EU must expel Imams and Preachers discussing politics and inflammatory issues"

Around 250 British jihadists have returned to the UK after training and fighting in Syria, a senior Whitehall security official told the Sunday Times. Security services are monitoring the “extremist tourists”, fearing they might carry out attacks at home.

Ministers have been informed that more than 400 Britons went to Syria to engage in militant activities, and “Well over half of those who traveled out have come back,” the official told the Times.

Senior security officials say the number of “returnees” is now five times the previously reported figure, highlighting the growing threat of so–called ‘extremist tourists’ going to warzones and returning home hardened militants.

"For some, their jihad is done, others will help others travel to Syria, while others will raise funds for fighting," the Whitehall source said.

The security services are said to be closely monitoring the 250 returnees, who include several veteran hardliners who have fought in Afghanistan or Pakistan. Many others have participated in combat or received training in munitions or other skills applicable to terror operations, with some exhibiting a willingness to carry out attacks in the UK, security officials cited in the report said.

“There are a few hundred people going out there. They may be injured or killed, but our biggest worry is when they return they are radicalized, they may be militarized, they may have a network of people that train them to use weapons,” London police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe told the paper.

Note EU-Digest: more attention needs to be given by the EU Commission, the EU Parliament and member state Governments as to some of the "sermons" preached by Islamic Imams and Preachers - especially those who discuss political issues and matters which are inflammatory and have nothing to do with religion. 

Read more: Op-Edge

Britain: Almost as many Brits living in other EU countries than there are EU citizens living in Britain?

Is a British suicide in the making ?

Factcheck EU argues that Graham Watson, a Liberal Democrat member of the European Parliament, at  a time when the British public is particularly sensitive to issues regarding immigration into the UK, has defended  one of the bastions of the European Union, the principle of free movement, as a reaction to the British Prime Minister's intent to "crack down on European immigration rules."

To support his opinions, Mr. Watson argues that targeting specific nationalities when imposing restrictions on free movement could spark retaliations on British citizens living in other member states of the European Union. Mr. Watson reminds the British public that "there are almost as many Brits living in other European countries than there are other Europeans living in Britain."

Factcheck EU says this statement is not correct and base it on the following arguments.

A report on "Population and Social Conditions" published by Eurostat for the year 2012 states the figure is close to 1 million, which is less than the amount of other EU nationals residing on British soil. Factcheck EU then jumps one year ahead and states the most recent figures from Eurostat indicate that there are now over 2.3 millio European Citizens living in Britain..

Note EU-Digest: Factcheck is comparing Apples with Pears. What they do not describe is that either way the numbers are both substantial and a unilateral move by Britain to step out of the EU would be an economic disaster for Britain and the more than a million plus Brits living in the EU, not to mention the millions of Brits who own vacation homes in the European Union. 

Jim Cowles, Citi chief executive officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa, recently told the British Financial Times that there was "mounting concern" among clients about their ability to use the United Kingdom as a regional hub if the country exits the EU.

Bottom line Britain is far better off in the EU than outside it.

EU-Digest

Africa - Zimbabwe: West's Holier-Than-Thou Attitude Just Hot Air - by Benny Tsododo

Last week, the world woke up to some unprecedented news from the European Union with Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem saying her commission had produced a damning report on corruption in Europe.

Though the report is yet to be presented in full, she highlighted that there was "breathtaking" corruption in Europe.

Malmstroem underscored that this was the first time the Commission had produced such a report. She revealingly mentioned that corruption is costing European countries as much as US$160 billion each year.

We, from the vilified part of the world, could hardly believe this. How can these "democracies" be blighted by corruption, a vice supposedly indigenous to the poor developing nations?

Nevertheless, the coincidence of these revelations with growing reports of corruption in Zimbabwe had a didactic purpose. The staggering figure of money lost to Europe due to corruption is enough to shoulder the budgetary needs of 40 small economies like Zimbabwe that require a mere US$4 billion to pass each year.
Such is the damaging nature of corruption. Figuratively, corruption in the EU is destroying the economies of 40 nations each year. This is shocking considering the fact that efforts to secure US$4 billion to run Zimbabwe's economy are not yielding much.

Malmstroem said corruption erodes public trust and undermines the strength of economies. "We hope that this (report) will start a political process and will spur the political will and the necessary commitment at all levels to address corruption more effectively across Europe," she said.

Read more: allAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: West's Holier-Than-Thou Attitude Just Hot Air (Page 1 of 2)

Economics: How Mainstream Economics Failed To Grasp The Importance Of Inequality - by Jon Wisman

The magnitude of exploding inequality since the mid-1970s is captured by the following: Between 1979 and 2007, inflation-adjusted income, including capital gains, increased $4.8 trillion — about $16,000 per person.

\Of this, 36 percent was captured by the richest 1 percent of income earners, representing a 232 percent increase in their per capita income. The richest 10 percent captured 64 percent, almost twice the amount collected by the 90 percent below. Between 1983 and 2007, total inflation-adjusted wealth in the U.S. increased by $27 trillion. 

 If divided equally, every man woman and child would be almost $90,000 richer. But of course it wasn’t divided equally. Almost half of the $27 trillion (49 percent) was claimed by the richest one percent — $11.7 million more for each of their households. The top 10 percent grabbed almost $29 trillion, or 106 percent, more than the total because the bottom 90 percent suffered an average decline of just over $16,000 per household as their indebtedness increased.

This soaring inequality generated three dynamics that set the conditions for a financial crisis. The first resulted from limited investment potential in the real economy due to weak consumer demand as those who consume most or all their incomes received proportionately much less. Not being capable of spending all their increased income and wealth, the elite sought profitable investments increasingly in financial markets, fueling first a stock market boom, and then after the high tech bubble burst in 2001, a real estate boom.

As financial markets were flooded with credit, the profits and size of the financial sector exploded, helping keep interest rates low and encouraging the creation of new high-risk credit instruments. This enabled more of the elite’s increased income and wealth to be recycled as loans to workers. Financial institutions were so flush with funds that they undertook ever more risky loans, the most infamous being the predatory subprime mortgages that often were racially targeted. As the elite became ever richer, those below became ever more indebted to them. When this debt burden became unsustainable, the financial system collapsed and was bailed out by taxpayers.

Economists might have stood a better chance of foreseeing the developing financial crisis had they thrown their nets far wider to catch the insights that have been harvested by a wide range of so-called heterodox economists. From the underconsumptionist tradition of Keynes, Kalecki, and Minsky they could have developed an understanding of how inequality affects aggregate demand, investment, and financial stability.

From the institutionalist tradition of Thorstein Veblen they could have learned how consumption preferences are socially formed by humans who are as concerned with social status and respectability as with material well-being. And from the Marxist tradition they could have seen how economic power translates into political power. 

Economists have failed to grasp the wisdom of one of the foremost students of crises: “the economist who resorts to only one model is stunted. Economics is a toolbox from which the economist should select the appropriate tool or model for a particular problem.”

Read more: How Mainstream Economics Failed To Grasp The Importance Of Inequality

Denmark: Viking mentality still alive and well as Copenhagen zoo killing of healthy giraffe sparks outrage

A healthy young giraffe has been put down at Copenhagen zoo, despite a campaign to save it.

Protesters carrying banners gathered outside the zoo this morning and thousands of people signed a petition to rescue the giraffe, called Marius, after the Danish zoo announced it was planning to kill the animal because of European laws on inbreeding.

Other zoos, including the Yorkshire wildlife park in Britain, had offered to take it in.

But according to the Danish newspaper BT, Marius was fed some rye bread at 9.15am and was killed shortly after by a shot in the head with a bolt gun.

Live footage of his body being dissected was streamed by Ekstra Bladet, showing zoo workers wearing green rubber gloves carrying out the dissection while an announcer guided the crowd through the process and fielded questions. Some of the meat was later fed to lions at the zoo.

The zoo defended the decision to slaughter Marius, saying that to send the giraffe to another zoo would also risk problems of inbreeding. It said Marius's genes were already well represented among giraffes at the zoo.

Strange is that if the Danish Zoo knew about the EU inbreeding law they stll went ahead and bred this Graffe anyway. 

Unfortunately the Viking mentality is still alive and well in Denmark. Shame on the Government of Denmark for also not stopping this killing.

EU-Digest

Censorship: Turkey’s nightmarish adventures in censorship and surveillance on the internet - by Güneş Tavmen

In the year 2011, Bulent Arinc, the Vice-Prime Minister declared that the then President of Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSIAD), Umit Boyner, was a porn enthusiast. This was his considered reply to Mrs Boyner’s criticisms of the internet filtering mechanism installed by the AKP government.

Despite many civic controversies, the government has defended its filtering system by claiming that it is designed to protect children from pornographic and violent content. So according to the government, whoever opposes that must be a porn enthusiast by default. However amongst all the ngo’s that have raised such criticism, it was only Mrs Boyner who came in for such lowlife humiliations.

It has always set me wondering about how much of this was directly due to the fact that Umit Boyner, as leaders go, is a very strong character and a beautiful woman. In any case, Mrs Boyner’s opposition to the content filtering system as it is controlled by governmental institutions then became only one of many smear campaigns which she has had to contend.

In the last 10 years, the government’s interventions in internet regulation have always been highly problematic in Turkey. Censorship and shutting down random websites have been a daily activity. In my article in September 2013, I wrote about Facebook shutting down the pages of Kurdish politicians, citizen journalism and LGBT groups. I suggested that it was a consequence of the heavy censorship in the country and Facebook just chose to be allies with the government without any resistance to keeping these pages open.

Turkey’s shaky reputation in internet censorship has been visible in every international report on free speech, web indexes, and press freedom. Lately in November 2013, the Web Index Report prepared by the World Wide Web Foundation ranked Turkey as 58th out of 81 countries in terms of indicators based on universal access, freedom and openness, relevant content, and empowerment. In the same report, Turkey appears to champion censoring politically sensitive content together with Russia, China and Saudi Arabia.

Yet, this bleak picture was in place before the recent attack on the internet. Now, a new Bill has been passed on Wednesday night, a draft Law prepared hastily and of course without any deliberation with NGO’s, legal authorities or the internet companies.

Last June, when social media channels were heavily used in communication during the Gezi resistance, rumour had it that the government was preparing for a far stronger censorship of the internet. Prime Minister Erdogan, calling Twitter a ‘menace’, gave the clearest signal of another attempt to make things tighter under his authoritarian rule.

Read more: Turkey’s nightmarish adventures in censorship and surveillance on the internet | openDemocracy

Switzerland votes a narrow 'yes' to cap EU immigration - and shoot themselves in the foot

Switzerland has voted 50.3 percent in favor of limiting annual migration from the EU, thus ending the policy of free movement within the bloc that was established in 2002.

Swiss voters narrowly decided that immigration quotas would be reintroduced, thereby overturning the free movement policy introduced in the European Union 12 years ago. Early results showed the country to be very divided in opinion over the 'Stop mass immigration’ initiative.

‘Stop mass immigration’ was introduced by the nationalist Swiss People's Party (SVP). Its goal is to introduce annual quotas on the number of foreign workers entering the country. The SVP currently has 54 seats in the Federal Assembly, and its vote share of 29% in the 2007 Federal Council election was the highest vote ever recorded for a single party in Switzerland. The SVP opposes governmental measures for environmental protection.. The Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher. 

The SVP adheres to national conservatism, aiming at the preservation of Switzerland's political sovereignty and a conservative society. Furthermore, the party promotes the principle of individual responsibility and is skeptical toward any expansion of governmental services. This stance is most evident in the rejection of an accession of Switzerland to the European Union, the rejection of military involvement abroad, and the rejection of increases in government spending on social welfare and education.

The emphasis of the party's policies lie in foreign policy, immigration and homeland security policy as well as tax and social welfare policy. Among political opponents, the SVP has gained a reputation as a party that maintains a hard-line stance. Most memorable negative of the party is that it denied to condemn Fascism.

Final count: Yes 50.3%(1,463,954 votes) No 49.7%(1,444,438) Turnout: 56.5% 

The result will likely vex multinational companies based there; Roche, Novartis, UBS, and other industry giants frequently utilize foreign labor.

According to the latest data, 23 percent of the country’s eight million inhabitants are foreigners – the second largest proportion in Europe after Luxembourg.

Many fear the initiative would have a negative impact on the economy, which relies on foreign workers for progress and a competitive edge.

Italians and Germans reportedly comprise the largest contingent of immigrants to Switzerland, most of whom seek work in IT, healthcare, and financial sectors.

Severin Schwan, Austrian CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals, said about half of the employees at the research and development site in Basel, Switzerland are foreigners.

EU-Digest

Cuba: A Charismatic Country in the Crux of Change - by Beverly Mann

Havana, Cuba

Thanks to Obama opening up doors in 2008, U.S. Cuban residents can visit their families. Americans, such as myself, in conjunction with humanitarian and educational organizations, are able to have this unique travel opportunity.

 I didn’t realize that during my 10-day sojourn with U.S. Global Exchange, in partnership with Cuba’s ICAP (Cuban Institute of Friendship with Peoples) that I would develop an increased knowledge and appreciation for the Cuban people and their sense of sustainability and community.

One of the major attractions for me was that Cuba is considered the salsa capital of the world, and dance happens to be my passion. However, it was this contagious human spirit and vibrant arts scene that became the prominent lure.

An interesting day began with an informative lecture by a noted filmmaker and an urban planner, followed by a visit to a museum, and then a viewing a local arts group with lunch at a popular establishment. Also, the tour afforded me the opportunity to have several hours free at times to explore and observe the sights, sounds, and colors around me.

It was easier and more enjoyable to walk, when not on our tour bus, because of the lack of availability of public transportation throughout the different districts of Havana. I only noticed two major bus lines. A taxi or Coco taxi (a three-wheeled yellow bubble powered by the driver on a moped) from the residential districts to Old Havana cost 6 to 10 Cuban dollars. Note that it is approximately 90 U.S. cents to the Cuban CUC or dollar.

Cuba today, since the throes of the revolution in 1959 when Fidel Castro created a socialist state, is a country of approximately 11 million people (2.2 in Havana alone) with constant internal and external struggles, intense social consciousness, and a continual movement toward change. Some 2.5 million tourists from around the world frequented the country last year. Tourism from Europe and Latin America accounts for 51 percent of the Cuba’s GNP. Some 10 percent more Americans visited this past year.

Note EU-Digest : also read the editorial by Kingsley Guy recently published in the Sun Sentinel  " Course change needed for US in Cuba".

Read more on this story: Cuba: A Charismatic Country in the Crux of Change » The Epoch Times

US - EU Diplomacy:- Victoria Nuland gaffe: Angela Merkel calls EU insult "totally unacceptable".

Germany's Angela Merkel has said a US official's apparent insult of the EU's efforts to mediate in the Ukraine crisis is "totally unacceptable".

Victoria Nuland has apologised after she referred disparagingly to the EU's role during a conversation said to be with the US ambassador to Ukraine.

A recording of the exchange was posted online, with the US hinting at Russia's involvement in bugging and leaking it.

The EU and US are involved in talks to end months of unrest in Ukraine.

In Kiev, Ms Nuland - an assistant secretary of state - said she would not make a public statement on the matter.

She described the leak as "pretty impressive tradecraft. [The] audio quality was very good".

The state department said she had apologised in private to EU officials.

Note EU-Digest:  diplomats like Ms Victoria Nuland .who can't control what they say should not be working in the Diplomatic Service of their countries. .

Read more: BBC News - Victoria Nuland gaffe: Angela Merkel condemns EU insult

US Diplomacy At Work: Top U.S. Diplomat says to Europe: "Fuck The EU"

The United States’ top diplomat for European affairs appears to have been caught on tape saying “fuck the EU” in a leaked phone call with the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

The Kyiv Post, an English-language newspaper in Ukraine, published the tape on Thursday. The recording’s veracity has not been independently verified.

The phone call appears to show Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland discussing the political situation in Ukraine with a man who sounds to be Ambassador Geoff Pyatt and weighing the merits of different opposition leaders.

A woman who sounds like Nuland says, “I don’t think it’s a good idea” for opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko to be given a role in the government. She appears to favor the idea of having Arseniy Yatseniuk, another opposition leader, as the new prime minister, saying he has “the economic experience, the governing experience.”

She then tells a man who sounds like Pyatt that the United Nations agreed to send someone to help “glue” the deal. “And you know, fuck the EU,” Nuland says. “Exactly,” Pyatt says.

“The EU is engaged in helping the people of Ukraine through the current political crisis. We don’t comment on alleged leaked telephone conversations,” Maja Kocijancic, a spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Cathy Ashton, told BuzzFeed.

Note EU-Digest: as the saying goes "with friends like this who needs any enemies"

Read more: Top U.S. Diplomat For Europe: "Fuck The EU"