Sunday, July 31, 2005

'Mr Euro' says goodbye


Wim Duisenberg : "No, the prices didn't rise after the euro; it's just an illusion".

The 70-year-old Dutch Wim Duisenberg, former head of the European Central Bank, died today in France, where he was spending vacation. He has been found dead in a pool at his home in the town of Faucon, drouned following cardiac problems. He will be always remembered as the man who introduced the Euro.

More: BBC News

- Cartoon by Collignon, in Courrier International (Paris)

Friday, July 15, 2005

UK bomb investigation widens to Egypt and Pakistan

The investigation into last week's London bombings has widened with an arrest in Cairo. An Egyptian biochemist, 33-year-old Magdy Elnashar, has denied any link to the attacks.

More: Euronews

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Comment
Withdrawal would curb terrorism


Arab TV channel. Journalist: "The sheikh Osama bin Laden..."
Western TV channel. Journalist: "The terrorist Osama bin Laden..."

The Gleneagles summit's grand stage might well have shown up George Bush's hypocrisy in proclaiming an "ideology of compassion" over African poverty and global warming. Instead, the London bombings allowed the president and Tony Blair to strut as anti-terror champions again, when in fact their policies continue to produce thousands of new terrorists.

The comment by Salim Lone, former spokesman for the UN mission in Iraq, for The Guardian

- Cartoon by Amjad Rasim for Asharq al-Awsat (London)

Monday, July 11, 2005

London death toll rises to 52



The names of two women who died in last week's London bombings were made public, as the confirmed death toll from the attacks rose to 52. As the victims were named, the London mayor, Ken Livingstone, opened a condolence book in City Hall. "The city will endure. It's the future of our world. Tolerance and change," Mr Livingstone wrote in the book.

More: Guardian

- Cartoon by Dave Brown for The Independent (London)

Perspectives
The London Choice


"And the chosen city is... London"

- Cartoon by Kroll for Le Soir (Brussels)

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Another sad day for the history



After a happy day, a sad day came not only to London, but to all the world. Large numbers of casualties have been reported after at least six explosions on the Underground network and a double-decker bus in London. Our blog is against all kinds of terrorism. We always expect a recent attack to be the last one. Only with peace between nations it's possible to the world to live as one.

To know more on these tragical events: BBC News

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Congratulations to London!



London was awarded the 2012 Olympics today, defeating European rival Paris in the final round of voting to take the games back to the British capital for the first time since 1948. After Moscow, New York and Madrid were eliminated in the first three rounds, London beat its cross-Channel opponent on the fourth ballot of the International Olympic Committee vote, capping the most glamorous and hotly contested bid race in Olympic history.

More: CNN

Sunday, July 03, 2005

Luxembourg may revive EU treaty



Voters in Luxembourg could have the final say on whether the European Union officially abandons its constitution, the country's prime minister has said.

Jean-Claude Juncker told the BBC that as an EU founder member traditionally in favour of closer European ties, Luxembourg's opinion was vital. A "Yes" vote in a referendum in the tiny country on 10 July could be a signal the project is alive, he said.

More: BBC News

- Cartoon by Martin Rowson for The Guardian (London)

Saturday, July 02, 2005

Extremists win if EU reform fails



Extremist parties on the far right and left will flourish across Europe unless the EU embraces radical reforms to tackle high levels of unemployment, Tony Blair warned yesterday, at the launch of Britain's six-month presidency of the EU.

In a sign of his determination to shake up "Old" Europe's cherished social model, which Britain blames for pushing unemployment up to 20m across the EU, the prime minister will host a special summit to assess its "sustainability". Mr Blair issued a blunt warning of the need to reform what he regards as hidebound labour markets.

To the delight of Downing Street, the European commission president José Manuel Barroso announced that his commission will review the social model ahead of the informal summit in October.

More: The Guardian

- Cartoon by Steve Bell for The Guardian (London)

Schröder gets his way by losing

What sort of leader would engineer his own defeat in a vote of confidence, in order to bring forward national elections that he will almost certainly lose? An odd tactic it may be, but Germany’s chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, seems sure that it offers his only hope of securing a mandate strong enough to push through reforms that would revive Germany’s run-down economy.

More: The Economist