eluniversal.com:EU reiterates support for Chávez's mediation in Colombia

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The European Ministers of Foreign Affairs Monday voiced their support to the talks between the Colombian government and the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) to attain a humanitarian agreement to swap hostages for rebels, and showed a particular interest in the mediation efforts conducted by President Hugo Chávez, AFP reported. In a statement adopted during a meeting in Brussels, the 27 members of the European Union said the bloc "is closely watching the efforts of the Colombian government, particularly with the collaboration of the President of Venezuela, and supports the work of all the people committed to enforce the humanitarian international law in Colombia."

The statement came on the eve of Chávez's visit to Paris, where he is to inform his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy on the progress made in his mediation efforts.

Guardian: Iran virtually free of U.S. dollar in oil revenues

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Iran virtually free of U.S. dollar in oil revenues

Iran, at odds with the West over its nuclear programme, has effectively cut all ties with the dollar when it comes to oil revenues, a top Iranian oil official said on Monday. For nearly two years, OPEC's second biggest producer has been reducing its exposure to the dollar, saying the weak U.S. currency is eroding its purchasing power. Tehran is now fetching roughly $87 a barrel on daily crude sales of 2.4 million. Ghanimifard said less than 20 percent of Iran's oil export earnings are in yen and the rest in euros.
He explained that NIOC is receiving more than 80 percent of its payment for crude in currencies other than the dollar.The Islamic Republic and Venezuela made clear before and after the summit they would press for action, which could include pricing oil in a basket of currencies.

Canada.com: Noah's Ark flood spurred European farming - by Randy Boswell

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Noah's Ark flood spurred European farming - by Randy Boswel

A British scientist has found evidence linking the catastrophic collapse of a glacial ice dam in Canada more than 8,000 years ago and the rapid spread of agriculture across Europe around the same time. The dramatic discharge of freshwater from prehistoric Lake Agassiz - which covered much of Central Canada at the end of the last ice age - has long been blamed for altering global climate patterns and raising sea levels around the world by at least a meter in a matter of months. The deluged shorelines caused by the colossal Canadian gusher have even been associated with the "great flood" myths common to many ancient cultures - including the biblical story of Noah's Ark.

The Independent: Revolution in France? France faces another week of chaos - by John Litchfield

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Revolution in France? France faces another week of chaos - by John Litchfield

France faces the prospect of widespread paralysis tomorrow if transport and student strikes collide with a one-day stoppage by teachers, postmen and other public-sector workers. The President, Nicolas Sarkozy, is said to be considering making a speech today which will present the social unrest as an "ideological" contest between the government and union militants, and between the "new" France and the "old". Anti-strike demonstrators marched through Paris yesterday afternoon to make much the same point, accusing transport workers of causing widespread misery in a "selfish" campaign to protect early retirement privileges. Some of the more militant striking workers, and students, are calling openly for a political struggle against the whole of M. Sarkozy's economic reform program. Many others say they are simply digging in their heels against cuts in pensions for which they have worked all their lives.

However, in a possible sign of a new willingness to compromise, six of the unions said that they would take part in talks with railway companies and the government on Wednesday, which implied the transport strikes might be suspended after tomorrow.The more militant union federations are hoping for a "fusion" of all these disputes to generate a lengthy challenge M. Sarkozy on the streets. But this now looks unlikely. Only one in three rail workers, and one in four Metro workers, is still believed to be on strike. The parallel strike in the gas and electricity industry has collapsed.

BBC NEWS: Kurdish rally in favor of terrorist PKK leader Ocalan dispersed in Southern Turkey

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Kurdish rally in favor of terrorist leader Ocalan dispersed in Southern Turkey

Turkish police have clashed with hundreds of supporters of a pro-Kurdish party in the south-eastern city of Van. Tear gas was used to break up the rally by the Democratic Society Party (DTP) when activists chanted in favor of jailed Kurdish PKK terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan. The DTP, which has 20 seats in the 550-member Turkish Parliament is said to be linked to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The DTP denies any such claim.

Boston.com: US Economy - Bank of America writing down $3b

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US Economy - Bank of America writing down $3b

Bank of America Corp., the US second-biggest bank, said yesterday it will take a $3 billion debt-related write-down in the fourth quarter and warned its losses could grow as the market wrestles with the fallout from the housing and mortgage-lending slump. The Charlotte-based bank said it will also spend about $600 million to support a group of its money market funds because of "uncertainty around the value" of the funds investments. Of specific concern are the funds' holdings in structured investment vehicles, which use borrowed money to make risky but potentially high-yielding investments.

Belfast Telegraph: Ireland: Irish adults the third-heaviest drinkers in Europe while Luxembourg and Hungary lead the pack

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Ireland: Irish adults the third-heaviest drinkers in Europe while Luxembourg and Hungary lead the pack

Irish adults are the third-heaviest drinkers in Europe, according to a report published by the Health Service Executive today. The report is based on data from the Central Statistics Office and the Revenue Commissioners. It says the average Irish person consumes 10.6 litres of pure alcohol every year. Luxembourg and Hungary are the only European countries with higher consumption rates.

Gulf Daily News: $28bn deals for Airbus

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$28bn deals for Airbus

Airbus received 163 firm orders valued at over $28 billion at catalogue prices, from 10 customers at the 10th Dubai Air Show. The plane maker also won its largest ever order in terms of value for 70 A350 XWBs and 11 A380s from Emirates Airline. In addition, it received 132 commitments from three customers. Demand for the A350 XWB was very strong with a total of 80 firm orders from two customers. In addition to the Emirates order for 70 aircraft, Airbus received a firm contract from Yemenia for ten A350s.

Aero-News Network: Analyst Calls Boeing's Dreamliner Goal 'Near-Herculean and doubt Planemaker Will Be Able To Build Over 100 Planes By 2010

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Analyst Calls Boeing's Dreamliner Goal 'Near-Herculean and doubt Planemaker Will Be Able To Build Over 100 Planes By 2010

Analyst Steve Binder says he has his doubts Boeing will be able to stick to its ambitious goals -- especially given the planemaker hasn't flown the first Dreamliner yet, and announced delays in initial production last month. "Reaching the planned monthly production rates to achieve 109 deliveries by the end of 2009 is still a near-Herculean task, in our view," said Binder, shortly after a meeting with Boeing management to get an update on the 787 program. Despite that less-than-optimistic summation, however, Binder adds Boeing "shares still offer a relatively attractive risk-reward profile over the next six months," despite the risk of further delays keeping the lid on likely yields below 15 percent. After seeing a strong rise in share value over the past 18 months, Boeing's shares have since dropped off 13% since the beginning of October, ahead of the planemaker's October 10 announcement of a six-month delay in development and first deliveries of the composite-bodied 787.

Goal.com - Soccer - Euro 2008 - Lippi: Italy Could Win Euro 2008

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Soccer - Euro 2008 - Lippi: Italy Could Win Euro 2008

Marcelo Lippi believes that Italy can go all the way at next summer's UEFA European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland. The veteran boss, who won the World Cup with the Azzurri last year, remarked, "This Italy squad comprises fantastic players who haven't given up their hunger for victory. Italy scraped past Scotland at Hampden yesterday, shattering the hosts' 100% home record in qualification and, moreover, sealing Italy's place in next summer's tournament.

Radio Liberty: Kosovo Election Monitors Confirm Thaci Victory

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Kosovo Election Monitors Confirm Thaci Victory

Election monitors confirmed today that the opposition Democratic Party of former ethnic Albanian guerrilla leader Hashim Thaci won the November 17 parliamentary elections in Serbia's Kosovo province. The election monitoring group "Democracy in Action" says that with votes from 90 percent of polling stations counted, Thaci's PDK is leading with 34 percent, beating the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) into second place with 22 percent. The election result puts Thaci in a position to form a coalition government.

FT.com - Opec unites behind higher prices - by Ed Crooks and Javier Blas in Riyadh

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Opec leaders meeting at the weekend summit in Saudi Arabia have differed sharply over the group strategy and purpose, but have united in defence of high oil prices. Hugo Chavez, the left-wing president of Venezuela, opened the summit welcoming oil prices at close to $100 a barrel, describing them as "fair". He called for the group to be "an Opec for geo-politics, an Opec for revolution," adding "Opec was born as a geo-political actor, not as an economic or technocratic bloc." He also reiterated his warning that oil could hit $200 a barrel if the US attacked Iran. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, the summit's host, gave a very different view of Opec's objectives, saying it was intended to protect both its members' interests and the world economy, and praising the group for acting in a "moderate and wise manner."

The draft declaration also address climate change, in an attempt to show that rising consumption of oil can be compatible with tackling the threat of global warming . King Abdullah on Saturday announced that Saudi Arabia would put up $300m for a new fund for environmental research, and called on other oil producing and consuming countries to contribute.

M&C: Greece, Turkey open Europe's first supply of Caspian gas

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Greece, Turkey open Europe's first supply of Caspian gas

Thessaloniki, Greece - The prime ministers of Greece and Turkey met along their heavily-militarised border littered with landmines to inaugurate a gas pipeline project on Sunday which will eventually ease Europe's dependency on Russian oil and gas.The 300-kilometre pipeline project is seen as an important stepping stone towards improving bilateral relations between the two traditional foes and will provide the European Union with its first supply of natural gas from the Caspian region, breaking away from Russia and the unstable Middle East. The Greek-Turkish pipeline will run from Bursa, Turkey to Komotini in Greece.

The pipeline will later be extended under the Adriatic Sea to Italy, connecting natural gas fields in Azerbaijan and Central Asia regions, to help supply energy-hungry markets in Europe by 2011.

The Seattle Times: IRAQ: Opinion - Blackwater: bulging biceps fueled by ideological purity - by Floyd J. McKay

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Iraq: Opinion - Blackwater: bulging biceps fueled by ideological purity - by Professor Floyd J. McKay

"BLACKWATER, the secretive private army now emerging into public view, is a perfect hinge linking two key elements of the Republican political base: America's war machine and a muscular form of fundamentalist Christianity. Blackwater is the private empire of billionaire Erik Prince, a major Republican fundraiser and bankroller of several fundamentalist Christian organizations. His private army employs some 2,300 active gunners and boasts a register of 21,000 ready to serve on call. He has the largest privately held arsenal in the country and the expertise and firepower to bring down a small country. In 2006, Prince expanded internationally, forming a new subsidiary in Barbados, outside American taxes and regulation, to train foreign forces, often funded by American military aid. Elite Blackwater soldiers have conducted secretive "black jobs" for the CIA or other spy agencies.

In Prince, the Republicans' radical Christian base is wed to the war-machine base, the one providing votes and manpower, the other providing campaign funds. The resulting combination is one of rigid ideology and eagerness to solve any problem with overwhelming force. The Bush administration convinced itself its views on Iraq were right, pushing aside contrary evidence, then failed to think beyond "shock and awe," with resultant horrors. In a world of nuance and gray areas, ideological purity and bulging biceps will cause as many problems as they solve. Blackwater seems to epitomize a dark side of the US psyche that should be troubling to all Americans." Floyd J. McKay is a journalism professor emeritus at Western Washington University, he is a regular contributor to the Seattle Times editorial pages. You can E-mail him at floydmckay@yahoo.com

The Real Truth: End of the Road for the United Kingdom? - by Mark P.Denee

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End of the Road for the United Kingdom? - by Mark P.Denee

The United Kingdom—which consists of the British isle states of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland—has undergone its own decline.

In 1922, Ireland split into two states, one declaring independence and becoming the Republic of Ireland; the other remaining a part of the UK, becoming Northern Ireland. In 1998, Scotland was granted the resumption of its own parliament in Edinburgh. In recent months, calls for Scottish independence have increased (they were also somewhat popular during the 1970s). Could this spell the end of the United Kingdom?

In 1997, the Labour government called for a referendum on the creation of a Scottish Parliament. It passed with support of more than 74% of voters, and in May 1999, its first members were elected. The SNP staged a historic upset in the 2007 elections, winning the most seats (47 of 129). Its leader, Alex Salmond, was subsequently named the First Minister of Scotland. Mr. Salmond has announced plans for a referendum to be held in 2010, aimed at securing independence for Scotland for the first time in 300 years. The referendum date gives the SNP “plenty of time to demonstrate competence. I’m committed to a new chapter in Scottish politics, one that’s written by the people,” Mr. Salmond said, launching what he called a “national conversation” on the referendum proposal.

Time: "ITS NOT TERRORISM BUT GLOBAL WARMING STUPID !" - A Last Warning on Global Warming - Bryan Walsh

For the complete report from TIME click on this link"ITS NOT TERRORISM BUT GLOBAL WARMING STUPID!" - A Last Warning on Global Warming - Bryan Walsh

The language of science, like that of the United Nations, is by nature cautious and measured. That makes the dire tone of the just-released final report from the fourth assessment of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a network of thousands of international scientists, all the more striking. Global warming is "unequivocal." Climate change will bring "abrupt and irreversible changes." The report, a synthesis for politicians culled from three other IPCC panels convened throughout the year, read like what it is: a final warning to humanity. "Today the world's scientists have spoken clearly, and with one voice," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, who attended the publication of the report in Valencia, Spain. Climate change "is the defining challenge of our age."

Telegraph.uk: British airports suffer worst delays in Europe - by David Millward

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British airports suffer worst delays in Europe - by David Millward

It has been disclosed Passengers at Heathrow and Gatwick suffered the worst delays of any major European airport this summer. The figures, for July to September, from the Association of European Airlines showed that 41.2 per cent of flights leaving Gatwick were at least 15 minutes late and 38.9 per cent of those leaving Heathrow were delayed by at least 15 minutes. The figures showed that the average flight delay was 33 minutes at Gatwick and 31.8 minutes at Heathrow.

CORDIS : EU project to determine the role of atmospheric fine particles in climate change

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EU project to determine the role of atmospheric fine particles in climate change

An international team of aerosol and cloud scientists from 25 countries is ready to start measuring the fine particles found in our atmosphere from many locations around the world. Following its first year developing state-of-the-art aerosol measuring equipment, the Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality Interactions (EUCAARI) project is now ready to embark on its quest to investigate the role that aerosols play in climate change.

The project team has also established a global network of measuring stations in Brazil, South Africa, China and India. These will cover measurement areas that are geographically important for the monitoring of air pollution. For example, the Brazilian station is located in the rainforest region, and the South African station in the savannah area.

The stations will start operating from the beginning of 2008. The results of the four-year EUCAARI project launched in January 2007 will feed into global climate and policy ending. The total budget of EUCAARI, currently the largest aerosol project in Europe, is €15 million, €10 million of which is covered by the European Union under its Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). One of the partners in the project, the Finnish Meteorological Institute in Helsinki, will host the first annual meeting of the project from 19 to 22 November.

Counter Currents: U.S. Economy: Recession, Depression, Or Collapse? By Shepherd Bliss

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U.S. Economy: Recession, Depression, Or Collapse? By Shepherd Bliss

"For Consumers, the Hits Keep Coming” a recent banner headline in a New York Times-owned daily newspaper here in Northern California reports. The article misses the main points. If we continue to understand ourselves as primarily passive consumers, rather than as active citizens, the US economy will enter at least a recession, probably a depression, and possibly a collapse. Even our republic is at risk. Rampant consumption, our addiction to growth, and our failure to accept limits to growth damage us. The headline beneath the banner—“Cleanup Response Criticized”—reveals one of the saddest results. We are not adequately cleaning up the San Francisco Bay after a recent oil spill. Many other aspects of our environment need cleaning up. Without a healthy natural environment and climate conducive to humans, no economy can endure. Over-consumption drives the increasingly extreme and chaotic climate. We need to quickly evolve from our destructive individual consumption patterns that damage not only the economy but the Earth itself. We need to consider their many negative impacts and work together as active citizens concerned with the whole economy and the environment on which it is dependent."

New Statesman - US Economy : Supply Side Economics - Cooking the books - by Johann Hari

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World Economy : Supply Side Economics - Cooking the books - by Johann Hari

In the mid-1970s, a group of men who were untrained in economics - and, as it happens, borderline-insane - emerged in Washington DC and invented a whole new approach to economics. In the past, it had been thought that if you wanted to cut taxes, you had to ploddingly pay for it by either cutting spending or increasing borrowing. No more. This new group preached something called "supply-side economics", which claimed that you could cut taxes, increase public spending, and hold down borrowing and inflation, all at the same time. It's easy, they said: if you cut taxes, the economy will grow even faster - and make up the difference.

The story of the supply-siders' strange rise begins when three grey-suited men met in a swish Washington hotel in the gloomy aftermath of Watergate to turn this untested idea into a governing philosophy. They were the economic consultant Arthur Laffer, the journalist Jude Wanniski and Gerald Ford's chief of staff - a man called Dick Cheney. The core principle is that economic performance hinges almost entirely on how much incentive investors and entrepreneurs have to attain more wealth, and this incentive in turn hinges almost entirely on their tax rate." It was an economic recipe for tax cuts for the rich.

Almost everyone else saw the idea as preposterous. George Bush Sr dismissed it as "voodoo economics". But a string of eccentrics, with no serious knowledge of economics, began to preach the gospel - and they were swiftly employed by Ronald Reagan's burgeoning presidential campaign. Most of these men were, it turned out, mad.