Nato claims that anti-Gaddafi forces are "assuming control of the key approaches to Tripoli". The Alliance's military spokesman on Tuesday argued that these advances represent the rebels' "most significant territorial gains for months".
The fighting is now some 40km to 60km (25 to 37 miles) from the Libyan capital. To the west, forces loyal to the rebels' National Transitional Council (NTC) have advanced on Sorman and Zawiya, two towns on the coastal road leading west from Tripoli towards the Tunisian border. A little to the south of Tripoli rebel troops are reported to have entered Gharyan.
These advances are of crucial strategic significance. Zawiya is the location of Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime's only functioning oil refinery.
For more: BBC News - Libya conflict: Beginning of the end?
8/17/11
Alternative Energy: Tapping into the power of the sea brought to a halt by David Cameron in Britain
In Great Britain and other European countries, companies are preparing to use the energy of ocean waves and tides to produce electricity. The UK is hoping to produce as much as 5 percent of its electricity needs with tidal power plants.
Great Britain had hoped to soon be able to take the global lead in tapping the power of tides and produce clean energy. This single power plant was expected to cover 5 percent of the country's electricity needs by providing 8.6 gigawatts of CO2-free electricity, the equivalent of about eight nuclear power plants -- but without the pesky waste.
The tidal range at the mouth of the Severn, Britain's largest river, is 15 meters. The previous British Labour government of Gordon Brown had wanted to put this enormous force to use with its Severn Barrage project. The barrage was planned to hold back water at high tide like a dam, and 216 giant turbines -- each about 9 meters in diameter -- and to be powered up as the water ebbed.
Tidal power could also be put to good use in Germany, argues Kai-Uwe Graw, a professor for hydraulic engineering at the University of Leipzig. Graw says sufficient flow velocities -- around three meters per second is optimal -- can be found on parts of the island of Sylt near the German-Danish borner.
Graw began raising awareness about tidal power's potential back in the 1990s. In his opinion, tidal power plants can easily be compatible with coastal conservation efforts. One benefit is that the facilities extract some of the energy from tides, which could help to reduce the kind of beach and coastal erosion that has been a major problem for Germany on North Sea islands like Sylt in recent years.
Unfortunately the new British Conservative government of David Cameron sounded the death knell for the world's largest tidal energy project – to be built across the Severn estuary between Somerset and south Wales – when it recently ruled out the use of public funding for this, what they considered, controversial euro 23B plan.
The announcement obviously pleased some environmentalists, who were worried about the impact on bird life in the estuary, but others say such spending cuts made a mockery of David Cameron's pledge to be the "greenest government ever".
For more: EU-Digest
Alternative Energy: Cleantech industry finds a natural home in Maine- by Lori Valigra,
Maine’s 3,500-mile coastline, rugged mountains and abundance of trees make it a natural location for cleantech, and crafty New Englanders already are making a mark on the international stage in tidal and wind power.
“Where Maine can take leadership positions in clean technology it gets attention,” said John Spritz, new executive director of the Technology Association of Maine (TechMaine) in Portland. “People think, ‘They care more about it,’ so it ups the street credibility. It’s a strength for us.”
Spritz also credits former U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie for his crafting of the Clean Water Act, which was passed in 1972 and was inspired by the then-polluted Androscoggin River in Maine.
For more: Cleantech industry finds a natural home in Maine - Mass High Tech Business News
“Where Maine can take leadership positions in clean technology it gets attention,” said John Spritz, new executive director of the Technology Association of Maine (TechMaine) in Portland. “People think, ‘They care more about it,’ so it ups the street credibility. It’s a strength for us.”
Spritz also credits former U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie for his crafting of the Clean Water Act, which was passed in 1972 and was inspired by the then-polluted Androscoggin River in Maine.
For more: Cleantech industry finds a natural home in Maine - Mass High Tech Business News
Alternative Energy: Will oceans' tides supply endless electricity? - by Rob Hotakainen
In the latest quest for clean power, Washington state has emerged as a hotbed of high-tech research into what's known as hydrokinetics.
The project is driven in part by Washington state residents' demand for a change from traditional carbon-based fuels for generating electricity. They passed an initiative in 2006 that requires large utility companies to increase the amount of electricity they generate from renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar, to 15 percent of their supply.
"We're very enthusiastic about this. ... We're trying to use ocean space in a way we've never used it before," said Andrea Copping, a senior program manager who's in charge of the project at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's marine science lab in Sequim.
The project is driven in part by Washington state residents' demand for a change from traditional carbon-based fuels for generating electricity. They passed an initiative in 2006 that requires large utility companies to increase the amount of electricity they generate from renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar, to 15 percent of their supply.
"We're very enthusiastic about this. ... We're trying to use ocean space in a way we've never used it before," said Andrea Copping, a senior program manager who's in charge of the project at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's marine science lab in Sequim.
Greece to Join this Year Izmir Fair in Turkey - by by Apostolos Papapostolou
Greece will join this year’s Izmir International Fair (IEF) for the first time since 1993, as Anatolia news agency reports. The 80th Izmir International Fair will open in the western city of Izmir on September 8.
Austria will be the partner of Turkey’s first international trade show this year. The theme of this year’s event is Environment and Environment Technologies.
For more: Greece to Join this Year Izmir Fair in Turkey | Greek Reporter Europe
Austria will be the partner of Turkey’s first international trade show this year. The theme of this year’s event is Environment and Environment Technologies.
For more: Greece to Join this Year Izmir Fair in Turkey | Greek Reporter Europe
8/16/11
Sarkozy and Merkel push euro integration
The leaders of France and Germany have unveiled wide-reaching plans for closer euro zone integration, including deficit limits and biannual summits, but say joint euro bonds can only be a longer-term option.
Under heavy pressure to restore confidence in the euro zone following a dramatic market slump, President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel stopped short of increasing the bloc's rescue fund but vowed to stand side-by-side in defending the euro and laid the groundwork for a future fiscal union.
Their message was that the focus should be on further economic integration rather than signing bailout cheques, and suggested that straying from euro zone rules and fiscal targets would no longer be tolerated.
For more: Sarkozy and Merkel push euro integration | Stuff.co.nz
Under heavy pressure to restore confidence in the euro zone following a dramatic market slump, President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel stopped short of increasing the bloc's rescue fund but vowed to stand side-by-side in defending the euro and laid the groundwork for a future fiscal union.
Their message was that the focus should be on further economic integration rather than signing bailout cheques, and suggested that straying from euro zone rules and fiscal targets would no longer be tolerated.
For more: Sarkozy and Merkel push euro integration | Stuff.co.nz
Eurobonds debate overshadows Franco-German summit today
France and Germany's leaders face a stark choice in talks today (16 August) over whether to steer the embattled euro zone towards closer monetary union or risk watching the bloc unravel.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are meeting in Paris to discuss what further measures they can take to contain Europe's debt crisis, which is now spreading to the continent's core.
Italy has been forced to ramp up its austerity measures and financial market jitters hit France last week, with French banks' shares subject to panic selling on rumours that the country could be next to lose its prized AAA debt rating.
Many experts say the only way to ensure affordable financing for the bloc's most financially distressed countries would be for the euro area to issue joint eurobonds – although officials in Paris and Berlin said Tuesday's talks would not address that possibility.
Although the German government has long opposed the idea, support is beginning to emerge, with the country's export association saying on Monday that eurobonds may be the only solution to prevent the markets from launching new assaults on eurozone members.
For more: Eurobonds debate overshadows Franco-German summit | EurActiv
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are meeting in Paris to discuss what further measures they can take to contain Europe's debt crisis, which is now spreading to the continent's core.
Italy has been forced to ramp up its austerity measures and financial market jitters hit France last week, with French banks' shares subject to panic selling on rumours that the country could be next to lose its prized AAA debt rating.
Many experts say the only way to ensure affordable financing for the bloc's most financially distressed countries would be for the euro area to issue joint eurobonds – although officials in Paris and Berlin said Tuesday's talks would not address that possibility.
Although the German government has long opposed the idea, support is beginning to emerge, with the country's export association saying on Monday that eurobonds may be the only solution to prevent the markets from launching new assaults on eurozone members.
For more: Eurobonds debate overshadows Franco-German summit | EurActiv
German economy grows slower than expected in second quarter
The German economy grew by a slim 0.1 percent in the second quarter of 2011, according to official data published Tuesday.
"The dynamism in the German economy has cooled significantly since the robust start to the year," the federal statistics office, Destatis, said in a statement.
Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had expected Europe's biggest economy to grow by 0.4 percent between April 1 and June 30 as the eurozone grappled with a crippling debt crisis.
The data showed Germany was actually growing at a slower pace than battered, debt-ridden Spain, where gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.2 percent in the second quarter.
For more: German economy grows slower than expected in second quarter | Business | Deutsche Welle | 16.08.2011
"The dynamism in the German economy has cooled significantly since the robust start to the year," the federal statistics office, Destatis, said in a statement.
Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had expected Europe's biggest economy to grow by 0.4 percent between April 1 and June 30 as the eurozone grappled with a crippling debt crisis.
The data showed Germany was actually growing at a slower pace than battered, debt-ridden Spain, where gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.2 percent in the second quarter.
For more: German economy grows slower than expected in second quarter | Business | Deutsche Welle | 16.08.2011
Top British police slam hiring of US gang crime expert
British police chiefs on Sunday hit back at Prime Minister David Cameron's plans to enlist a U.S. crime expert after last week's riots, as the conservative leader vowed "zero tolerance" against street violence.
Cameron, criticized by some in his party as being too liberal on crime and punishment, has taken a tough stance after four nights of looting and arson hit cities across England.
The prime minister, who has suggested the initial police response to the riots was too timid, has enlisted former New York, Los Angeles and Boston police chief William Bratton to advise his coalition on how to tackle street gangs, which he blamed for much of the violence.
But senior police officers, who have criticized the Conservative-led coalition's plans for police cuts, have reacted sceptically to the plan. "I am not sure I want to learn about gangs from an area of America that has 400 of them," Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, told the Independent on Sunday"It seems to me, if you've got 400 gangs, then you're not being very effective. If you look at the style of policing in the States, and their levels of violence, they are so fundamentally different from here," said Orde, a front runner for the position of head of London's police.
But senior police officers, who have criticized the Conservative-led coalition's plans for police cuts, have reacted sceptically to the plan. "I am not sure I want to learn about gangs from an area of America that has 400 of them," Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, told the Independent on Sunday"It seems to me, if you've got 400 gangs, then you're not being very effective. If you look at the style of policing in the States, and their levels of violence, they are so fundamentally different from here," said Orde, a front runner for the position of head of London's police.
EU - European Commission proposes to make 2013 the "European Year of Citizens"
20 years after the creation of Union citizenship, tangible progress has been made that directly affects the lives of millions. To take just one example: nowadays traveling abroad entails cheaper travel costs, hassle-free border crossings, package holiday guarantees, access to healthcare systems and cheaper calls when you phone home. These are just some of the benefits derived from EU citizenship. The Commission's goal is to make sure that the remaining hurdles people face when exercising their rights abroad are removed.
To mark the European Year of Citizens 2013, a range of events, conferences and seminars will be organised across the EU at Union, national, regional or local level. The Commission is also planning to strengthen the visibility of the multilingual Europe Direct and Your Europe web portals as key elements of a 'one-stop-shop' information system on Union citizens' rights, as well as the role and visibility of problem solving tools, such as SOLVIT, to allow Union citizens to better make use of and defend their rights.
“Free movement is the most cherished right in the European Union. It is synonymous with Union citizenship. Businesses and citizens are reaping huge rewards as the EU steadily breaks down internal barriers to the free movement of goods, services and people. I want to build on our achievements so that all EU citizens feel comfortable when travelling, shopping, studying or settling in another EU Member State", said Vice-President Viviane Reding, EU-Commissioner responsible for Justice and Citizenship. ”If Europeans do not know their rights, they cannot effectively exercise them. Today 48% of Europeans feel that they are not well informed about their rights. The European Year of Citizens will help us change this. It will be a good opportunity to remind people what the European Union can do for every one of us."
EU-Digest
EU - ECB in record $32 billion bond buying spree - by JUERGEN BAETZ and GREG KELLER
The European Central Bank revealed Monday that it splashed out euro22 billion ($32 billion) last week - more than it has ever done before - propping up the bond markets of Italy and Spain.
News of the big bond purchases came a day before the leaders of Germany and France meet to discuss the debt crisis that has engulfed Europe for over a year and a half. Speculation that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy would be considering proposals for the eurozone to issue jointly guaranteed government debt appear to have been dashed, however.
Today's meeting in Paris comes after a week of turmoil in financial markets, which was partly blamed on Europe's sprawling government debt crisis, which threatened to sweep up economic heavyweights such as Italy and Spain. Fears that the eurozone's third and fourth largest economies may find it too expensive to service their debts triggered the ECB's intervention in the bond markets.
News of the big bond purchases came a day before the leaders of Germany and France meet to discuss the debt crisis that has engulfed Europe for over a year and a half. Speculation that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy would be considering proposals for the eurozone to issue jointly guaranteed government debt appear to have been dashed, however.
Today's meeting in Paris comes after a week of turmoil in financial markets, which was partly blamed on Europe's sprawling government debt crisis, which threatened to sweep up economic heavyweights such as Italy and Spain. Fears that the eurozone's third and fourth largest economies may find it too expensive to service their debts triggered the ECB's intervention in the bond markets.
World Bank chief: Governments should deal with global debt woes
The World Bank called for national governments to seek long-term debt curbs today to solve the current sovereign debt crises in Europe and the United States, but said it was too early for special action by the Group of 20 nations.
World Bank President Robert Zoellick also said it was time to push a free trade agenda, warning against rising protectionism as nations seek to solve their debt crisis.
"This is really at a stage where you still have sovereign governments having to make decisions in Europe," Zoellick told reporters in the Australian capital Canberra on Tuesday.
For more: World Bank chief: Governments should deal with global debt woes - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
World Bank President Robert Zoellick also said it was time to push a free trade agenda, warning against rising protectionism as nations seek to solve their debt crisis.
"This is really at a stage where you still have sovereign governments having to make decisions in Europe," Zoellick told reporters in the Australian capital Canberra on Tuesday.
For more: World Bank chief: Governments should deal with global debt woes - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
In Yemen, A Woman Leads The Call For Revolution - by Kelly McEvers
Tawakkol Karman lives in a tent in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.
Every day and every night, she sleeps on the ground, eats on the ground, and works on the ground. Her husband and three children visit on the weekends. And Karman is also known as the woman behind the revolution.
Of all the Arab countries that have erupted in protest this year, Yemen has been at it the longest. The country is now in its seventh month of turmoil, with no end in sight.
For more: In Yemen, A Woman Leads The Call For Revolution : NPR
Every day and every night, she sleeps on the ground, eats on the ground, and works on the ground. Her husband and three children visit on the weekends. And Karman is also known as the woman behind the revolution.
Of all the Arab countries that have erupted in protest this year, Yemen has been at it the longest. The country is now in its seventh month of turmoil, with no end in sight.
For more: In Yemen, A Woman Leads The Call For Revolution : NPR
8/15/11
Turkey's Syrian Conundrum - by Azeem Ibrahim
Turkey's secular democracy is increasingly establishing itself as a fulcrum for East-West relations, notably as a bridge to Iran and Syria. Its pending application to join the European Union is seen by some to be a powerful opportunity for better Middle East relations, enriching the possibilities of a more effective and substantial EU foreign policy. Others are uncomfortable with a perceived cultural misfit and there is a fear of Turkey's neighbors as the main source of Europe's security concerns.
But most policymakers in the West have welcomed Turkey's growing rapprochement with Syria and since the Syrian uprising five months ago, are hoping that Turkey can use its influence to stop the bloodshed. Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu appealed on August 9, 2011 to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to stop killing civilians, saying that Turkey is "running out of patience" with its neighbor. Assad subsequently gave assurances to the Turkish but armed repression still continues, with some 1600 dead since protests began, causing many refugees, including Syrian Kurds, to flee across the 870 kilometer border into Turkey.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton again called on Turkey this week to use its influence in Syria to stop using force against civilians. Turkey has deplored the "savagery" but has refrained from calling for Assad's departure as the US requested. The Syrian opposition is slow to offer a credible and viable political alternative to Assad whose survival now depends on the Syrian business community. While the merchant families of Aleppo and Damascus continue to support the pro-regime paramilitary groups, most of the powerful silent majority fear civil war more t, USAan shifting their political allegiance and the situation is a painful and tragic stalemate for the regime and the protesters.
For more: Azeem Ibrahim: Turkey's Syrian Conundrum
But most policymakers in the West have welcomed Turkey's growing rapprochement with Syria and since the Syrian uprising five months ago, are hoping that Turkey can use its influence to stop the bloodshed. Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu appealed on August 9, 2011 to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to stop killing civilians, saying that Turkey is "running out of patience" with its neighbor. Assad subsequently gave assurances to the Turkish but armed repression still continues, with some 1600 dead since protests began, causing many refugees, including Syrian Kurds, to flee across the 870 kilometer border into Turkey.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton again called on Turkey this week to use its influence in Syria to stop using force against civilians. Turkey has deplored the "savagery" but has refrained from calling for Assad's departure as the US requested. The Syrian opposition is slow to offer a credible and viable political alternative to Assad whose survival now depends on the Syrian business community. While the merchant families of Aleppo and Damascus continue to support the pro-regime paramilitary groups, most of the powerful silent majority fear civil war more t, USAan shifting their political allegiance and the situation is a painful and tragic stalemate for the regime and the protesters.
For more: Azeem Ibrahim: Turkey's Syrian Conundrum
No stalemate in Libya – Interior Minister flees - writing is on the wall for Gaddafi - by Brian Whitaker
Even after allowing for a degree of exaggeration, reports over the last few days show the anti-Gaddafi forces making significant military gains, which could seriously disrupt supplies to the regime's stronghold in Tripoli.
A meeting in Tunisia on Sunday evening between the warring sides has also given rise to speculation that Gaddafi's exit is under discussion again. Today, the regime seemed to suffer a further political blow when Gaddafi's interior minister turned up in Cairo with nine members of his family – ostensibly on a tourist visit, though defection seems more likely, as the Libyan embassy in Egypt was unaware of his arrival.
If it came to a choice between fighting for Tripoli and letting Gaddafi stew there for a while until there is an orderly handover, the latter would certainly be preferable. A quick exit for Gaddafi is less important than a well-managed transition – one that minimises the risk of bloodletting and score-settling when Tripoli falls, and sets the country on a course for truly representative government.
For more: No stalemate in Libya – the writing is on the wall for Gaddafi | Brian Whitaker | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
A meeting in Tunisia on Sunday evening between the warring sides has also given rise to speculation that Gaddafi's exit is under discussion again. Today, the regime seemed to suffer a further political blow when Gaddafi's interior minister turned up in Cairo with nine members of his family – ostensibly on a tourist visit, though defection seems more likely, as the Libyan embassy in Egypt was unaware of his arrival.
If it came to a choice between fighting for Tripoli and letting Gaddafi stew there for a while until there is an orderly handover, the latter would certainly be preferable. A quick exit for Gaddafi is less important than a well-managed transition – one that minimises the risk of bloodletting and score-settling when Tripoli falls, and sets the country on a course for truly representative government.
For more: No stalemate in Libya – the writing is on the wall for Gaddafi | Brian Whitaker | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
EU-Paris Summit - Time for EU To Wake Up, Unite, And Get Rid of Wall Street Influence In Their Affairs
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are meeting in Paris tomorrow to discuss strengthening of the euro zone economic governance as its debt crisis threatens to hit major countries.France as well as other EU member States want EU president Herman Van Rompuy to wield new powers in an institutionalized Euro zone Council. Seen as a wily operator who can coax concessions from the most reluctant prime ministers, he would become the euro's voice in financial and economic matters.
EU states and the European Parliament are still haggling over new laws intended to force governments to keep their fiscal policies in synch, with common parameters covering everything from debt to taxation - or face financial penalties. This was meant to be completed in the first quarter of the year, but key states stand accused of seeking to dilute the the sanctions. Markets will judge the final statutes on how much teeth these laws actually have.
Meanwhile, Wall Street and many US based multi-national corporations trading on Wall Street who have been feeling the pinch of stricter European financial controls and regulations continued their negative PR campaign against the EU. This week the multi-national owned media giant Time Magazine has come out with a destructive article about Europe entitled "The end of Europe".
Time Warner, formerly AOL Time Warner is one of the world's largest communication corporations, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications Inc. and Time Inc. (along with the assets of a third company, Turner Broadcasting System form the current Time Warner, with major operations in film, television and publishing. Among the subsidiaries, CNN and HBO. It was also reported recently that Time Warner Cable Inc. will acquire Insight Communications Inc., the cable operator controlled by private-equity firm Carlyle Group, for about $3 billion, edging out a line of bidders that included Cablevision Systems Corp. The deal joins two of the 10 largest U.S. cable operators by subscribers, continuing consolidation in a business facing competition for TV subscribers from satellite operators and telecommunications companies, as well as Internet-based upstarts.
Time is the world's largest weekly news magazine, and has a domestic audience of 20 million and a global audience of 25 million. The Time Inc. division publishes approximately 150 titles worldwide. It is the leading magazine publisher in the U.S. and UK, and is understood to be profitable at US$5 billion in annual revenues. In 2005, Time Warner was among 53 entities that contributed the maximum of $250,000 to the second inauguration of President George W. Bush.
Its high time for the EU to wake up, unite, and get rid of Wall Street influence in their affairs. Giving up more than 50 years of European progress for a narrow-minded nationalistic approach should never be the alternative.
For more: EU-Digest
A Revolution for Renewables: Germany Approves End to the Nuclear Era
Germany's federal parliament, the Bundestag, passed a historic package of laws Thursday that commits the nation -- once and for all -- to a phase-out of nuclear power by 2022. The step is unprecedented in Europe, and it marks the final act in a decades-long political drama that began with a grassroots anti-nuclear movement in the 1970s, which gave rise to the German Green Party.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has led the charge against nuclear power only since March, but the Bundestag this morning voted overwhelmingly to close Germany's remaining nine active plants according to a fixed, 11-year schedule. The vote was 513:79, with eight abstentions. Many of the "no" votes came from the Left Party, which argued for a swifter timeline.
The world's fourth-largest industrial nation is scheduled to be nuclear-free by 2022, but will its reliance on fossil fuels increase?
For more: A Revolution for Renewables: Germany Approves End to the Nuclear Era - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
Chancellor Angela Merkel has led the charge against nuclear power only since March, but the Bundestag this morning voted overwhelmingly to close Germany's remaining nine active plants according to a fixed, 11-year schedule. The vote was 513:79, with eight abstentions. Many of the "no" votes came from the Left Party, which argued for a swifter timeline.
The world's fourth-largest industrial nation is scheduled to be nuclear-free by 2022, but will its reliance on fossil fuels increase?
For more: A Revolution for Renewables: Germany Approves End to the Nuclear Era - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
Netherlands: Immigration and Islam Raise Questions of Dutch Identity - by STEVEN ERLANGER
Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian who admitted to mass killings last month, was obsessed with Islam and had high praise for the Netherlands, an important test case in the resurgence of the anti-immigrant right in northern Europe.
Mr. Wilders’ Freedom Party, which combines racist language with calls for more social spending, won 15.5 percent of the vote in June 2010. He was recently acquitted of charges of hate speech for comparing the Koran to “Mein Kampf” and calling mosques “palaces of hatred.” He wants all immigrants and their children deported and warns of the supposed Muslim plot to create “Eurabia.” He declined repeated interview requests.
While many Dutch recoil at his language, he touches on real fears. “Sometimes I’m afraid of Islam,” Ms. Kuhlman said. “They’re taking over the neighborhood and they’re very strong. I don’t love Wilders. He’s a pig, but he says what many people think.”
Now, after Norway, the Dutch are taking stock. The killings frightened everyone, said Kathleen Ferrier, a Christian Democrat legislator born in Surinam, who had objected to her party joining a Wilders-supported government. “Norway makes it clear how much Dutch society is living on the edge of its nerves,” she said. “Wilders says hateful things and no one objects. We have freedom of speech, but you also have to be responsible for the effect of your words.”
For more: Immigration and Islam Raise Questions of Dutch Identity - NYTimes.com
Mr. Wilders’ Freedom Party, which combines racist language with calls for more social spending, won 15.5 percent of the vote in June 2010. He was recently acquitted of charges of hate speech for comparing the Koran to “Mein Kampf” and calling mosques “palaces of hatred.” He wants all immigrants and their children deported and warns of the supposed Muslim plot to create “Eurabia.” He declined repeated interview requests.While many Dutch recoil at his language, he touches on real fears. “Sometimes I’m afraid of Islam,” Ms. Kuhlman said. “They’re taking over the neighborhood and they’re very strong. I don’t love Wilders. He’s a pig, but he says what many people think.”
Now, after Norway, the Dutch are taking stock. The killings frightened everyone, said Kathleen Ferrier, a Christian Democrat legislator born in Surinam, who had objected to her party joining a Wilders-supported government. “Norway makes it clear how much Dutch society is living on the edge of its nerves,” she said. “Wilders says hateful things and no one objects. We have freedom of speech, but you also have to be responsible for the effect of your words.”
For more: Immigration and Islam Raise Questions of Dutch Identity - NYTimes.com
8/14/11
Denmark: Gallup shows Liberals advancing
A new Gallup poll for Berlingske shows the Liberal Party moving forward and the government alliance now only 1.4 percentage points from the opposition alliance.
The poll shows the opposition wining 50.6 per cent of the vote if an election were held today, while the government and its support parties would garner 49.2 per cent, according to Berlingske’s online edition.
“A really positive poll that shows that nothing has been decided yet. I am happy that all of the parties in the government alliance are being rewarded for their courage in carrying out the necessary reforms,” Liberal Political Spokeswoman Ellen Trane Nørby tells b.dk.
For more: Gallup shows Liberals advancing - Politiken.dk
The poll shows the opposition wining 50.6 per cent of the vote if an election were held today, while the government and its support parties would garner 49.2 per cent, according to Berlingske’s online edition.
“A really positive poll that shows that nothing has been decided yet. I am happy that all of the parties in the government alliance are being rewarded for their courage in carrying out the necessary reforms,” Liberal Political Spokeswoman Ellen Trane Nørby tells b.dk.
For more: Gallup shows Liberals advancing - Politiken.dk
EU- Back to the nation - by Dirk Schümer
The European Union is the best thing that could have happened to the continent since the fall of the Roman Empire. For the jostling nations of the West to reach a state where they could no longer wage war on each other first required total catastrophe. After 1945, no sane European could go on seeking his salvation in nationalism. The ideal of a Europe united was simple: by gradually intertwining national economies, every motive for going to war – indeed, the sheer logistics of such an effort – would render war impossible. Who would lay waste to his own factories and fields?
That dream has come true. The continent is administratively and legally the strongest economic area in the world. It suffers no internal conflicts, mass poverty or dictatorships. And now? Europe has reached the end. The common currency is crashing, inflated into monetary waste paper by a handful of desperate bankers and business leaders pumping out emergency credits. In immigration, the EU is leaving desperate masses to play roulette with death on leaky sloops in the Mediterranean. And as the Near East rises up for freedom, every European country is fighting its own colonial war – or discreetly looking away.
Italian vegetable farmers are getting a drastic lesson in what the Common Market means today: lethal bacteria in Hamburg keep Italian crops out of Russian markets. France relies on nuclear power plants on the border with Germany, while the Germans prefer to hammer up windmills. The Danes are putting up new facilities too, inside the Schengen zone, for fresh border personnel, since everything bad now comes from beyond Denmark’s – not Europe’s – borders. And who wants to explain to a Slovak factory worker that his pension has been wiped out because those Greek balance-book fraudsters want to go on basking in the sun from the age of 53?
For more: Back to the nation | Presseurop (English)
That dream has come true. The continent is administratively and legally the strongest economic area in the world. It suffers no internal conflicts, mass poverty or dictatorships. And now? Europe has reached the end. The common currency is crashing, inflated into monetary waste paper by a handful of desperate bankers and business leaders pumping out emergency credits. In immigration, the EU is leaving desperate masses to play roulette with death on leaky sloops in the Mediterranean. And as the Near East rises up for freedom, every European country is fighting its own colonial war – or discreetly looking away.
Italian vegetable farmers are getting a drastic lesson in what the Common Market means today: lethal bacteria in Hamburg keep Italian crops out of Russian markets. France relies on nuclear power plants on the border with Germany, while the Germans prefer to hammer up windmills. The Danes are putting up new facilities too, inside the Schengen zone, for fresh border personnel, since everything bad now comes from beyond Denmark’s – not Europe’s – borders. And who wants to explain to a Slovak factory worker that his pension has been wiped out because those Greek balance-book fraudsters want to go on basking in the sun from the age of 53?
For more: Back to the nation | Presseurop (English)
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