Friday, April 09, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: "I don't tell my children where I get the food, I'm too ashamed," said Iris Aegisdottir, an Icelander who has been going to a food bank every week for a year to feed her three children.
The crisis that brought down Iceland's economy in late 2008 threw thousands of formerly well-off families into poverty, forcing people like Iris to turn to charity to survive.
Each week, up to 550 families queue up at a small white brick warehouse in Reykjavik to receive free food from the Icelandic Aid to Families organisation, three times more than before the crisis.
Rutur Jonsson, a 65-year-old retired mechanical engineer, and his fellow volunteers spend their days distributing milk, bread, eggs and canned food donated by businesses and individuals or bought in bulk at the supermarket.
"I have time to spend on others and that's the best thing I think I can do," he said as he pre-packed grocery bags full of produce.
In a small, close-knit country of just 317,000 people, where everyone knows everyone, the stigma of accepting a hand-out is hard to live down and of the dozens of people waiting outside the food bank in the snow on a dreary March afternoon, Iris is the only one willing to talk.
"It was very difficult for me to come here in the beginning. But now I try not to care so much anymore," said the weary-looking 41 year-old, who lost her job in a pharmacy last summer, as she wrung her hands nervously.
The contrast is brutal with the ostentatious wealth that was on display across the island just two years ago, as a hyperactive banking sector flooded the small, formerly fishing-based economy with fast cash.
Back then, the biggest worry for many Icelanders was who had the nicest SUV, or the most opulent flat.
But today visible signs of poverty are quickly multiplying in the Nordic island nation, despite its generous welfare state, as the middle class is increasingly hit by unemployment, which is up from one to nine per cent in about a year, and a large number of defaults on mortgages. >>> Marc Preel, in Reykjavik for AFP | Thursday, April 08, 2010
Read more on Iceland >>>
THE TELEGRAPH: Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's attempt to defuse rumours she and her husband were having affairs has backfired after it emerged Nicolas Sarkozy ordered French counter-intelligence to find out who was behind the rumours.
The revelation came just three hours after the president's wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy went on air to deny there was any inquiry into speculation the couple's marriage was in trouble.
The first lady's radio interview was designed to counter claims that her husband believed the rumours of infidelity were part of an international conspiracy against France, but her damage limitation exercise backfired on one crucial point.
Press reports on Wednesday said that President Sarkozy ordered the DCRI, France's counterespionage service, to root out the source of unsubstantiated rumours that both he and his wife were having affairs. The reports said as part of the inquiry, Rachida Dati, the former justice minister, was bugged and subsequently declared persona non grata by the Elysée. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Thursday, April 08, 2010
Related:
Various articles on this story both in English and French >>>
THE GUARDIAN: The French president's techniques to uncover the source of rumours would not have been out of place in the ancien régime
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy sounded like an 18th-century first lady who lunches, when she appeared live on French national radio to laugh off rumours about infidelity at the Élysée Palace. "Non," she purred, there was nothing in the silly claims. She had not fallen for a hunky young pop singer called Benjamin Biolay and, "non", her husband, Nicolas Sarkozy, was not being comforted by a young minister-come-karate champion called Chantal Jouanno. Moreover, there would be no possibility of revenge against the disloyal underlings accused of spreading the gossip – particularly former justice minister Rachida Dati who, Carla added ominously, remained "our friend".
So that was that all sorted then? Pas du tout! Forgetting all the grim allusions to affairs of state (or inter-ministerial "karaoke sessions" as one of Sarkozy's more entertaining wives once described them), what the latest scandal teaches us is that the court of the French head of state is as vindictive and cruel as it was in the days of Marie Antoinette and her husband Louis XVI.
Within hours of Bruni-Sarkozy's devastating reference to Dati, the former head of the DCRI, the Gallic version of MI5, appeared on another radio station to confirm that he had been ordered to find and punish the blabbermouth. This was not long after Dati, who is now an MEP, had been stripped of her chauffeur-driven car, three bodyguards and even governmental smart phone. >>> Nabila Ramdani | Friday, April 09, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Israel's prime minister has called off a trip to Washington next week to attend a conference on nuclear non-proliferation, deepening tensions with Barack Obama and threatening to overshadow an event the US president views as crucial to his global agenda.
Israeli officials said Benjamin Netanyahu decided to send a minister in his place after reports that Muslim nations in the Middle East would single out Israel's undeclared nuclear programme for criticism.
The White House tried to downplay the cancellation, but will be privately furious at a very public snub by Mr Netanyahu, who may have been looking for such an opportunity after a recent tete-a-tete [sic] with Mr Obama behind closed doors in Washington. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Friday, April 09, 2010
Thursday, April 08, 2010
THE GUARDIAN: Extremist anti-Roma group Jobbik on course for success at this Sunday's elections in Hungary
It has been a good few weeks for racists, populists and rightwing radicals across Europe. A comeback for Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front in French regional elections. Big gains in Italy for the anti-immigrant Northern League. The Islam-baiting campaign of Geert Wilders in the Netherlands has taken his Freedom party to 25% and poll position ahead of June's general election.
And this weekend, Hungary is facing its biggest political earthquake in 20 years of democracy. On Sunday, the mainstream right and the neofascists are expected to take over the Westminster lookalike parliament on the banks of the Danube. It will be a landslide victory.
The left and the liberals who have run the country for eight years, taking Hungary to the brink of bankruptcy and into the arms of the International Monetary Fund, will be reduced to a rump.
The next prime minister, Viktor Orban, a combative populist, is leading his centre-right Fidesz party to a huge majority, running at more than 60% in the opinion polls. He may even secure a two-thirds majority enabling him to rewrite Hungary's constitution at will.
But the biggest breakthrough will be for Jobbik, the extremist antisemitic and antigypsy movement "for a better Hungary", which will win seats in the parliament for the first time and may emerge as the second biggest party.
"It's a flood that's coming. Everyone knows it's coming. We're just waiting for it. Will we drown or will we swim," said Pal Tamas, director of Budapest's Institute of Sociology. "People are trying to use the antifascist argument against Jobbik. But it's not working. It's being very poorly received."
During the past week a rabbi's home in the capital has been attacked during Passover and a Holocaust memorial was defaced. Budapest Jews have taken to the streets to protest. The country's large and marginalised Roma and gypsy communities are bracing themselves for a surge in racism and harassment. Roma solution >>> Ian Traynor, Europe editor | Thursday, April 08, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: A Muslim group has criticised the Army for using structures on a firing range that resemble mosques.
Bradford Council for Mosques said the features on Bellerby firing range at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire should be taken down immediately.
The Army has apologised but said it was vital soldiers trained in an environment which replicated where they were deployed.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the structures were ''generic Eastern buildings'' and were not used as target practice.
Mohammed Saleem Khan, chief executive of the Bradford Council for Mosques, said the shape and colour of the structures - a green dome - symbolised an Islamic place of worship. >>> | Thursday, April 08, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: A Conservative election victory would boost the British stock market, increase the value of the pound and help keep interest rates low, an investment bank has said.
Deutsche Bank said Conservative plans to cut public spending were more credible to financial markets than Labour’s proposals.
In a comprehensive analysis, the bank said Labour’s failure to set out firm plans to cut government debts was unsettling the financial markets. >>> Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor | Thursday, April 08, 2010
leJDD.fr: Le président russe, Dmitri Medvedev, se rendra en visite aux États-Unis cet été pour discuter d'un large éventail de sujets, dont la coopération économique, rapporte Reuters. Le président américain, Barack Obama, s'est dit "impatient d'évoquer ces sujets avec le président Medvedev" en marge de la signature du traité Start II. Le porte-parole de la Maison blanche, Robert Gibbs, a annoncé que cette visite était "la prochaine étape dans l'amélioration des relations" américano-russes. [Source: leJDD.fr] | Jeudi 08 Avril 2010
BBC: A swarm of locusts has invaded a town in Queensland, Australia, stripping much of the plantlife bare.
Longreach residents said the insects started to appear last Thursday, and by the weekend had eaten most of the trees bald.
The plague is said to be the biggest to hit the region in 30 years. Watch BBC video >>> | Thursday, April 08, 2010
TIMES ONLINE: 200 buried in Rio mudslide: At least 200 people have been buried alive in a landslide near Rio de Janeiro. >>> Joanna Sugden | Thursday, April 08, 2010
CYBERPRESSE.ca: Les hôpitaux de Bichkek manquent de sang et de médicaments, selon le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR), qui a fait état jeudi de plus de 500 blessés après les violents affrontements dans la capitale du Kirghizistan.
«On est immédiatement intervenus auprès des hôpitaux qui nous ont contactés à travers le ministère de la Santé pour leur donner du sang; ils étaient en manque de sang (...) et de médicaments», a indiqué à l'AFP un porte-parole du CICR, Simon Schorno.
«On a immédiatement distribué cette aide-là», a-t-il ajouté. Il a souligné toutefois que les réserves sur place de l'organisation étaient «minimes» et qu'un kit permettant de soigner une centaine de victimes dans des situations violentes et de conflits, notamment les blessures par balle, devait être acheminé samedi.
«Nous travaillons avec nos partenaires du Croissant-Rouge kirghiz pour trouver des moyens d'améliorer les dons du sang», a par ailleurs expliqué dans un communiqué Pascale Meige Wagner, directrice des opérations du CICR en Asie centrale. >>> Agence France-Presse | Jeudi 08 Avril 2010
LE FIGARO: Le premier ministre turc hausse le ton contre « les provocations » de l'État hébreu.
Le ton monte entre la Turquie et Israël. Alors que la visite à Paris du premier ministre turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, devait replacer sous les projecteurs les tensions entre Paris et Ankara à propos de l'adhésion de la Turquie à l'Union européenne (UE), celles-ci ont été éclipsées par des échanges très vifs entre les gouvernements turc et israélien, qui ponctuent des mois de détérioration des relations entre les deux pays.
Face à la presse, avant un déjeuner de travail avec Nicolas Sarkozy à l'Élysée, M. Erdogan a accusé Israël d'être «la principale menace contre la paix» au Proche-Orient. «Si un pays fait usage d'une force disproportionnée en Palestine, utilise des bombes au phosphore à Gaza, nous n'allons pas lui dire: «Vous avez bien fait, bravo», a déclaré le chef du gouvernement turc. Il y a eu une attaque à Gaza qui a fait 1 500 morts (fin 2008, NDLR) et les motifs invoqués sont des mensonges. Lisez le rapport Goldstone. Goldstone est juif et son rapport est clair, a poursuivi M. Erdogan, chef du parti islamo-conservateur AKP. S'il dérange Israël, c'est parce qu'il décrit des réalités. Israël mène une politique d'invasion et de provocations permanentes. Ce n'est pas parce que nous sommes musulmans que nous le disons : notre approche est humanitaire.» Il a également justifié son opposition à des sanctions contre l'Iran par le fait qu'Israël, réputé posséder l'arme nucléaire, ne subit aucune pression. >>> Par Philippe Gelie | Jeudi 08 Avril 2010
LE POINT: L'histoire n'est pas encore écrite au Kirghizstan. Alors que dans la capitale, Bichkek, l'opposition crie victoire au lendemain du soulèvement sanglant qui a fait au moins 75 morts , le président Kourmanbek Bakiev a déclaré jeudi qu'il refusait de démissionner. "Je déclare qu'en tant que président je n'ai pas démissionné et je ne démissionne pas", écrit-il dans un communiqué publié par l'agence kirghize 24[.] kg. >>> lepoint.fr | Jeudi 08 Avril 2010
TIMES ONLINE: Ousted Kyrgyzstan leader refuses to admit defeat: The toppled President of Kyrgyzstan refused to admit defeat today despite a bloody uprising against him and formation of an interim government. >>> Joanna Sugden | Thursday, April 08, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: US President Barack Obama was in Prague to sign a landmark nuclear disarmament treaty with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that slashes their two nations' atomic arsenals.
US President Barack Obama arrived in Prague on Thursday to sign a landmark nuclear disarmament treaty with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that slashes their two nations' atomic arsenals.
The two heads of state signed a successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which expired last December, in the city where Obama called for a nuclear-free world in a keynote speech a year ago.
The treaty, which must be ratified by the US Senate and Russia's parliament to take effect, also imposes limits on the intercontinental ballistic missiles needed to deliver the warheads.
Obama will meet Medvedev at the Prague Castle - the seat of the Czech president - for a one-on-one before the signature stook [sic] place in the castle's richly adorned Spanish Hall around noon local time.
Thousands of police have been deployed to provide security in Prague during the US-Russian summit.
The agenda for the talks includes hot-button international issues such as Iran's nuclear programme. >>> | Thursday, April 08, 2010
LE TEMPS: Nucléaire – Obama et Medvedev ouvrent un nouveau chapitre du désarmement : Le président américain et son homologue russe se sont retrouvés jeudi à Prague pour signer le traité START prévoyant une réduction considérable de leurs arsenaux nucléaires >>> ATS/AFP | Jeudi 08 Avril 2010
WELT ONLINE: Abrüstungsabkommen – Obama und Medwedjew segnen Start-Vertrag ab: Barack Obama und Kremlchef Dmitri Medwedjew haben den umfassendsten Abrüstungsvertrag seit zwei Jahrzehnten unterzeichnet. Der US-Präsident sagte anschließend, der neue Start-Vertrag werde die USA und die Welt sicherer machen. Er tritt in Kraft, sobald ihn die Parlamente beider Staaten ratifiziert haben. >>> AFP/dpa/Reuters/jm | Donnerstag, 08. April 2010
WELT ONLINE: Der FDP-Politiker Frank Schäffler hat angesichts der Finanzkrise Griechenlands den Austritt des Landes aus der Euro-Zone gefordert. Der Finanzexperte hatte bereits mit dem Vorschlag, der Mittelmeer-Staat solle zur Schuldentilgung einige seiner Inseln verkaufen, für Aufregung gesorgt.
Angesichts der Finanzkrise soll Griechenland die Euro-Zone verlassen. Das hat der FDP-Finanzexperte Frank Schäffler gefordert. Die beste Lösung für die Probleme Griechenlands wäre „ein freiwilliger Austritt Griechenlands aus dem Euro“, hieß es in einem Beitrag Schäfflers für das Internetportal steuer-wahnsinn.de (hier).
Griechenland könne dann durch eine Abwertung der eigenen Währung die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit seiner Wirtschaft wiederherstellen und mit seinen Gläubigern ein Moratorium seiner Euro-Schulden erwirken. >>> AFP/fas | Donnerstag, 08. April 2010
NZZ ONLINE: Die Opposition in Kirgistan hat eine Übergangsregierung gebildet. Die designierte Regierungschefin Otunbajewa sprach in Bischkek davon, dass der «Volksaufstand» die «Repressionen, die Tyrannei und die Aggression» gegen die Menschen beendet habe.
Nach den blutigen Unruhen in der zentralasiatischen Republik Kirgistan mit Dutzenden von Toten hat die Opposition eine Übergangsregierung gebildet. Die designierte Regierungschefin Rosa Otunbajewa sprach in der Hauptstadt Bischkek von einer siegreichen Revolution.
Sie versprach Präsidentschaftswahlen in sechs Monaten. Der Volksaufstand habe die «Repressionen, die Tyrannei und die Aggression» gegen die Menschen beendet, sagte die 59-Jährige Politikerin nach Angaben der Agentur Akipress. Otunbajewa gilt als eine Vorkämpferin der Menschenrechte in der Ex-Sowjetrepublik. >>> sda/dpa | Donnerstag, 08. April 2010
NZZ ONLINE: Volksaufstand in Kirgistan: Präsident Bakijew verlässt angeblich die Hauptstadt – bis 100 Tote gemeldet >>> Markus Ackeret, Moskau | Donnerstag, 08. April 2010
NZZ ONLINE – Kommentar: Die ehemalige Sowjetrepublik Kirgistan galt nach der Erlangung der Unabhängigkeit 1991 als Vorbild für eine demokratische Entwicklung in Zentralasien. Davon ist fünf Jahre nach der sogenannten Tulpen-Revolution, die Kurmanbek Bakijew an die Macht brachte, nicht mehr viel übrig geblieben. Bakijew eiferte schon bald nach der Amtsübernahme seinem Vorgänger Askar Akajew nach, der nach gefälschten Wahlen im März 2005 in einem orchestrierten Volksaufstand aus dem Amt gejagt worden war. Das alte System der Günstlingswirtschaft wurde durch ein neues ersetzt. Anstelle des Akajew-Clans aus dem Norden des Landes beherrscht nun der im Süden verwurzelte Bakijew-Clan Politik und Wirtschaft. Die «Tulpen-Revolution» brachte keine wirkliche Änderung des Systems, sondern lediglich einen Wechsel des Personals an der Spitze des Staates. >>> C. Sr. | Mittwoch, 07. April 2010
Verbunden / Related:
THE TELEGRAPH: Kyrgyzstan Riots: Opposition Forms Interim Government After Deadly Revolt: Kyrgyzstan's new self-proclaimed leader has dissolved the country's parliament as she moved to consolidate power following a bloody revolution on Wednesday that left at least 68 people dead. >>> Andrew Osborn in Moscow | Thursday, April 08, 2010
TIMES ONLINE: The Taleban have released a video of the only American soldier in captivity, offering to release him as part of a prisoner exchange.
Bowe Bergdahl, who was taken hostage in Afghanistan last June, is pictured saying he wants to return to his family in Idaho and that the war in Afghanistan is not worth the number of lives that have been lost or wasted in prison.
His voice falteringly, Mr Bergdahl dressed in an army shirt and fatigues, clasps his hands together and pleads: “The pain in my heart to see my family again doesn’t get any smaller. Release me. Please, I’m begging you, bring me home.”
The footage shows the soldier with a beard and doing press-ups to demonstrate that he is in good physical condition. He tells the camera that he is strong and is “given the freedom to exercise; and to be a human being, even though he is a prisoner. >>> Joanna Sugden | Thursday, April 08, 2010
TIMES ONLINE: Gordon Brown promised today to serve a full five years in office if he leads Labour to a fourth term on May 6.
The Prime Minister committed himself to serving out a full term for the first time in a BBC interview otherwise dominated by an increasingly bitter row with big business over Labour's planned increases in national insurance contributions.
Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, who is regarded as Mr Brown's de facto deputy, had suggested in an interview with The Times that Mr Brown might decide to step down early – three or four years into the next parliament – after the economic recovery had been secured.
But Mr Brown told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I’ll be standing for the next five years." >>> Philippe Naughton | Thursday, April 08, 2010
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