Northern League’s Umberto Bossi makes life difficult for Italian PM with demand that could generate new eurozone crisis The threat of a new crisis on the eurozone’s southern flank loomed on Sunday as a crucial ally of Silvio Berlusconi demanded that the government cut taxes, despite the serious implications that this would have on Italy’s public finances. Umberto Bossi, the Northern League leader and arbiter of the prime minister’s fate, brushed aside concerns that Italy could go the way of Greece when he told cheering supporters in Pontida that the tax burden in Italy had gone “beyond all limits”. Bossi, Berlusconi’s partner in Italy’s rightwing coalition government, has been under huge pressure from his party’s rank and file since local elections last month showed a sharp fall in the league’s support. Tax cuts would offer both men the promise of regaining their lost popularity, but could widen the budget deficit of a country that has the eurozone’s biggest public debt. On Friday, the rating agency Moody’s warned it could downgrade Italy’s credit ratings because of concerns that the crisis in Greece could increase eurozone interest rates and derail Italy’s already precarious economic recovery. The finance minister, Giulio Tremonti, has been urging prudence on his cabinet colleagues and was reported by La Repubblica to be planning a mini-budget that would include deficit reduction measures totalling €40m (£35m). But Bossi told his supporters: “Tremonti says that we risk ending up like Greece. But, whatever, something has to be done to bring down taxes.” He stopped well short of threatening to bring down the government in a confidence vote on Wednesday because that would force a general election “at a moment favourable to the left”. But he said Berlusconi’s leadership of the Italian right would be at stake after the next general election in 2013 “if he does not do certain things”. Largely thanks to Tremonti’s insistence on fiscal rigour, Italy has remained comparatively unscathed by the financial hurricane blowing through southern Europe. Italy’s budget deficit this year is expected to be a modest 4% and investors demand a return of less than 5% for 10-year loans to the Italian treasury; in Greece, the rate is above 17%. But Italy’s public debt is expected to top 120% of GDP by the end of the year, so any increase in the cost of borrowing could swiftly make it impossible for the Rome government to contain its budget deficit, especially as Italy’s low economic growth is holding down tax revenues. Tremonti has tried to square the circle by rooting out tax evasion, but the clampdown is among the chief grouses of Bossi’s mainly lower middle-class following of small business owners and self-employed workers. A poll on Saturday indicated 55% of the league’s voters disapproved of the government’s performance. Many would like to see Bossi withdraw from the coalition and some would like him to lead the north out of Italy. Seven times during his speech, he was interrupted by chants of “Secession. Secession.” Bossi told them Tremonti had done “shameful things” and repeated a demand for some government ministries to be moved to the north. “The industry ministry shouldn’t be in Rome. It ought to be in the north, where the factories are,” he said, adding that he and another Northern League minister had signed decrees for the transfer of their departments to Monza “but then Berlusconi shat on it”. The League’s plan could yet cause the government serious problems. The regional governor of Campania in the south promptly demanded the transfer of an equivalent number of ministries to Naples. His counterpart in Lazio, the region around Rome, announced a petition to keep the government in the capital. And the mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, warned of a “hard, serious” tussle. Italy Europe European debt crisis Europe Euro Silvio Berlusconi European Union Euro Currencies John Hooper guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media Chris Wallace says he just doesn’t understand the difference between Fox News’ activism and the type of material presented by Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart. Stewart tried to spell out the differences Sunday when he appeared on the conservative network but Wallace just didn’t seem to get it. Wallace accused Stewart of playing politics by comparing a video for former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s bus tour to a herpes medication ad. “You’re insane,” Stewart charged. “Here is the difference between you and I. I’m a comedian first. My comedy is informed by an ideological background. No question about that. The thing that you will never understand and things that conservative activists will never understand is Hollywood, yeah, they’re liberal. But that’s not their primary motivating force. I’m not an activist. I’m a comedian.” “Honestly, I think you want to be a political player,” Wallace insisted. “You can’t understand because of world you live in that there is not a designed ideological agenda on my part to affect partisan change. Because that’s the soup you swim in. I appreciate that. I understand that. It reminds me of, you know, you know, ideological regimes. They can’t understand that there is free media other places. Because they receive marching orders.” “I don’t think the viewers are the least bit disappointed with us,” Wallace said. “Our viewers think finally we’re getting somebody to tell the other side of the story.” “Who are the most consistently misinformed media viewers?” Stewart asked. “The most consistently misinformed? Fox viewers. Consistently. Every poll.” “I’m just trying to understand you,” Wallace claimed. “Is that really true? Here is the thing that surprises me about that. I’ve existed in this country forever. There have been people like this who satirized the political process,” Stewart explained. “I’m sitting here talking to Jon Stewart. I’m trying to get it. Understand you and what I believe to be true: there is as much bias on the other side as you subscribe to Fox and why you go easy on that.” “I think there is, probably a liberal bias that exists in the media because of the medium in which it exists. The majority of people working in it probably hold liberal view points, but I don’t think they are as relentlessly activist as the conservative movement that has risen up over the last 40 years,” Stewart said. “Do you get me?” “Well, you know what? When you come back we can explore this some more,” Wallace concluded.
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Finance ministers to throw Greece a €12bn lifeline but meeting marked by pessimism over fate of euro Europe’s single currency governments are expected to throw Greece a summer lifeline, agreeing to disburse €12bn by next month to keep the debt-stricken country from going broke and triggering an international crisis. But the meeting in Luxembourg of finance ministers from the 17 eurozone countries also faced the much bigger challenge of trying to structure a new three-year bailout for Greece in a way that would persuade European banks, pension funds and other private creditors to roll over the country’s ballooning debt. The Eurogroup meeting took place amid a mood of growing futility over Greece and pessimism over the fate of the euro. “We wouldn’t be able to control an insolvency,” warned the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. “We all lived through Lehman Brothers. I don’t want another such threat to emanate from Europe.” Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg prime minister who heads the Eurogroup, said that Italy and Belgium, rather than Spain, could be at risk if the new bailout being negotiated for Greece involved losses for creditors and the financial markets then declared Greece to be in default. On Friday in Berlin, Merkel admitted defeat in a fight with the European Central Bank, dropping German insistence that the international banks should take part in the proposed bailout by swapping existing bonds for new paper with a seven-year maturity, giving Greece time to try to recover. At the weekend she reiterated that private creditor involvement should be “substantial”, but admitted there was no way of ensuring this. Germany is the biggest player in bailing out Greece, but the commitment of taxpayers’ money is deeply unpopular. Merkel’s volte-face on Friday earned her biting criticism in the weekend media. After a year in which Greece has already received €53bn in bailout funds, only to see the crisis worsen, doubts are growing over whether the embattled Greek government will be able to deliver the savage spending cuts being demanded as the price of rescue. Amid a sense of deepening panic and gloom, leading European industrialists are to take out full-page adverts in the French and German press on Tuesday pleading for intervention to save the euro. “A return to a stable financial situation will cost many billions of euros, but the European Union and our common currency are worth every effort,” says the advert. Top German economists lined up at the weekend to accuse Merkel and other EU leaders of “political failure”. The Greek government was also a target. “It is disappointing that the Greeks are not grateful for the help from Germany and the EU,” Hans-Werner Sinn, head of Munich’s IFO Institute, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper. The cover story in Monday’s edition of the influential Hamburg weekly Der Spiegel, is “an obituary for the common currency.” Britain, meanwhile, stressed that it wanted no part of any new Greek rescue, except through its participation in the International Monetary Fund. “It’s the eurozone that is taking forward discussions now about the next stage of dealing with Greece’s substantial problems,” the chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, told Sky News. “There’s simply no proposition on the table for the UK to contribute beyond IMF involvement and I don’t expect there to be one.” That could change if the EU decides to use an emergency bailout fund administered by the European commission for the rescue. Britain is liable for a share of this and any decision would be taken by qualified majority vote, meaning the Cameron government would not be able to wield a veto. European debt crisis Greece European banks Europe European Central Bank Euro European Union Euro Angela Merkel Ian Traynor guardian.co.uk
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Libyan government claims Nato missile struck house in residential Tripoli, killing civilians, including two children Nato is urgently reviewing the details of its weekend bombing missions after the Libyan government claimed one of its missiles had struck a house in a residential area of Tripoli, killing a number of civilians, including two children. If confirmed, the attack would be the biggest blunder by coalition forces during the four-month campaign, and a PR gift for Muammar Gaddafi at a time when Nato has been trying to increase the tempo of military operations against the Libyan leader. However, Nato officials were by no means sure it had been responsible for the alleged bombing in the Souk al-Juma district of the Libyan capital – the area was not being specifically targeted and the coalition has nobody on the ground to verify what the Gaddafi regime has been saying. The Guardian understands that investigators are focusing on French aircraft that were flying over Tripoli to target a potential missile site. RAF planes were not thought to be involved. Nato was debriefing the pilots who flew sorties on Saturday night and Sunday morning, as well as reviewing data gleaned from their aircraft, to establish whether one of their missiles had hit the three-storey house by mistake. A Nato official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was confusion over the exact location of the explosion, and pointed out that the district in question was an anti-Gaddafi stronghold. Wing commander Mike Bracken, a Nato spokesman, said: “Nato confirms it was operating in Tripoli last night, conducting air strikes against a legitimate military target. “Nato deeply regrets any civilian loss of life during this operation, and would be very sorry if the review of this incident concluded it to be a Nato weapon.” Reporters based in Tripoli were taken by government officials to the scene of the blast and then to a hospital, where they were shown the bodies of four people said to have been killed in the strike, including two infants. Associated Press said journalists were escorted back to the site during the day, where children’s toys, teacups and dust-covered mattresses could be seen amid the rubble. Foreign journalists in Tripoli are not allowed to travel and report freely and are almost always shadowed by government minders. Libya’s deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaim said: “There was intentional and deliberate targeting of the civilian houses. This is another sign of the brutality of the west.” Nato appeared to strike the capital again on Sunday afternoon. A number of explosions could be heard in the city, and smoke could be seen rising over the southern part of the capital. Nato’s military campaign has come under renewed scrutiny in recent days, with rebel commanders saying the alliance is not doing enough to support efforts to topple the Libyan dictator. However, military commanders have privately expressed frustration about the present stalemate, saying that Nato’s mandate is not to act as the rebels’ air force. They also concede that they have run out of obvious targets, and are having to rely on precision weapons to take out Gaddafi’s command and control centres, which have been hidden in public buildings, such as schools. Libya Nato Middle East Africa Nick Hopkins guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media After talking about how Gov. Rick Perry “stole the show” at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans this weekend and whether he may throw his hat into the 2012 presidential race, Chris Wallace asks former White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton whether the Democrats should be worried about Perry entering the race. After Burton dismisses Perry as just a “pretty extreme version of George W. Bush” and noted that no matter who wins the nomination, this election is going to be about the economy and Wallace attempts to defend Perry’s record in Texas. WALLACE: Rick Perry’s got, huge job growth. It’s the biggest job-producing state in the country. BURTON: But on the bottom in education, on the bottom on the unemployed, on the bottom of a lot of different things. WALLACE: Well, we’re going to have to leave it there, to be continued. Thank you panel and see you all next week. As was already pointed out here and as Burton rightfully noted, the economy in Texas is not in good shape, but apparently Chris Wallace didn’t want to discuss that. Think Progress has more on Rick Perry’s record on job creation in Texas. Gov. Perry Talks Up Job Creation As He Prepares To Lay Off One-Third Of Texas’ Teachers Gov. Perry Promised His Budget Would Lead To Job Creation — Instead It Would Destroy 600,000 Jobs
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PC Simon Harwood to face charge of manslaughter over death of Ian Tomlinson at G20 demonstration in April 2009 The Scotland Yard officer accused of killing homeless newspaper vendor Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests is to appear in court on Monday. PC Simon Harwood, from Carshalton, south London, will appear before City of Westminster magistrates court charged with manslaughter. Tomlinson, 47, collapsed and died on the fringes of the demonstrations in central London in April 2009, after being hit by a police baton and pushed. Harwood was charged over the death after Keir Starmer, QC, director of public prosecutions, reviewed an inquest jury’s verdict of unlawful killing. Starmer overturned an earlier decision not to prosecute anyone in relation to the death after the inquest heard new medical evidence and the opinion of experts leading him to conclude there was a “realistic prospect” of a successful prosecution of Harwood. Starmer said after the inquest: “The difficulties that would now confront any prosecution have changed in nature and scale from last year when a decision was taken not to prosecute, although it is clear that real difficulties remain.” Tomlinson’s death became the subject of intense controversy after New York businessman Christoper La Jaunie handed video footage taken during the protest to the Guardian. The inquest saw CCTV images, police helicopter footage and hand-held video recordings showing Tomlinson staggering away from a police cordon after being hit by a baton. He is seen gesturing to police and appearing angry after being sent tumbling to the ground. The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, said the case was “clearly a very, very serious matter for all concerned”. He added: “I have got to be very, very concerned at an inquest verdict that returns a verdict of unlawful killing involving, as the inquest did, one of my police officers. My sympathies continue to be with the Tomlinson family.” Ian Tomlinson Police London Sir Paul Stephenson Keir Starmer G20 Caroline Davies guardian.co.uk
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Carvings in Mongolia, Buddhist sites in Japan and modernist architecture of Le Corbusier among 42 nominations to join list Ancient German beech forests, rock carvings in Mongolia, Buddhist sites in Japan and the architectural works of the modernist genius Le Corbusier are among the nominations before Unesco this week as it debates which of the world’s cultural treasures to elevate to its world heritage list . The 35th session of the world heritage committee will meet in Paris to discuss 42 nominations for the list, which for almost 40 years has aimed to define and cherish places of universal significance. It will not be a serene process of looking at images of awe-inspiring ancient monuments and ravishing landscapes. Although joining the list brings no money nor even statutory protection, countries among the wealthiest and poorest on Earth are keen to be included, and the debates are often passionate. Six countries are likely to have sites accepted for the first time: Congo, which has jointly nominated the Sangha forests with its African neighbours; Barbados, for the Bridgetown garrison; Jamaica, for the Blue and John Crow mountain ranges; Micronesia and Palau, which have jointly nominated the sites of the massive Yap stone money discs; and the United Arab Emirates, for the oases of Al Ain. The list already covers more than 900 castles, walled towns, derelict ironworks, ravines, bays and rainforests. Before deciding which places should be added, the committee must consider the knottier problem of dozens of places now in such trouble they risk being moved to the separate list of sites threatened by development, earthquakes, climate change or the shifting tides of international politics. There has been concern for years over sites in Iran – although it was the devastating earthquake, not war, that brought the ancient city of Bam on to the endangered list – as well as Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen. The conference itself has been affected by the aftermath of the Arab spring: it was originally due to be held in Bahrain, which has nominated its island pearl fishing tradition to join the list, but the political instability caused it to be moved to Unesco’s Paris headquarters. Even nominating a site can be a political act. Jerusalem’s Old City and city walls have been officially regarded as under threat for almost 20 years, since Jordan proposed they be moved to the endangered list. Bethlehem, one of the most famous places in the world, will not be among those considered this year. Unesco rejected the nomination from the Palestinian authorities because Palestine is not recognised as a state. Another site missing from the debate will be the home in Kent and the surrounding countryside where Charles Darwin wrote On The Origin of Species. Despite being turned down twice, the British government still hopes the property will join the list eventually – but it won’t be this year. Heritage Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk
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Nato says it is investigating after at least four people, including two children, reported killed in Tripoli The Libyan government has accused Nato of bombing a residential neighbourhood in the capital and killing civilians. At least four people, including two children, were reported killed. It was not possible to independently verify the government’s account, and Nato said it was investigating. The alliance has repeatedly said it tries to avoid killing civilians. Shortly after the air strikes before dawn on Sunday, government officials rushed journalists to the destroyed building, which appeared to have been partly under construction. Reporters were escorted back to the site during the day, where children’s toys, teacups and dust-covered mattresses could be seen amid the rubble. A government spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, said there were no military facilities anywhere near the damaged building. Journalists were shown at least four people said to have been killed in the strike, including the two children. Salem Ali Garadi, 51, said his brother and sister were among the victims, and claimed five people had been killed. The deputy foreign minister, Khaled Kaim, said: “There was intentional and deliberate targeting of the civilian houses. This is another sign of the brutality of the west.” Libya’s health ministry has said 856 civilians have been killed in Nato air strikes since they began in March. The figure could not be independently confirmed. Previous government tolls from individual strikes have proved to be exaggerated. Nato wing commander Mike Bracken said the alliance was looking into the latest reports. “Nato confirms that it was operating in Tripoli last night, conducting air strikes against a legitimate military target. Nato deeply regrets any civilian loss of life during this operation and would be very sorry if the review of this incident concluded it to be a Nato weapon,” he said. A Nato mission spokesman in Naples, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Gaddafi regime had made false claims in the past about Nato having caused civilian deaths. The alliance appeared to strike Tripoli again on Sunday afternoon. A number of explosions could be heard in the city, and smoke could be seen rising over the southern part of the capital. Nato warplanes have stepped up their campaign over the past week, and fighting has intensified between rebels and government troops outside the port city of Misrata, the main rebel stronghold in western Libya. The eastern third of the country is under rebel control from their de facto capital, Benghazi. On Sunday, Gaddafi’s forces unleashed a heavy barrage of Grad rockets and mortars on the rebel frontlines in Dafniya, about 15 miles west of Misrata. Muthana Issa, an official at Misrata’s Hikma hospital, said four people had been killed and 16 wounded in the early hours of the bombardment. Libya Nato guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Rick Perry Claims Republicans ‘Have the Wind at Their Back’ for 2012 During Speech at Leadership Conference
June 19, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media I think we just got a preview of what we can expect from Texas Gov. “Good-Hair” Rick Perry if he decides to enter the GOP presidential primary, which he’ll be doing soon if this speech at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans is any indication. Perry gave what could be described as a barn burner of a speech with all of the typical Republican, Ayn Rand, freedom-loving, history revisionist talking points that of course the audience there just loved. As Rachel Maddow reported this week , unfortunately for Perry, when reality comes up against his lofty rhetoric, they don’t seem to square so well with each other to put it mildly. What’s obvious to me after watching Perry and some of the other speakers at the event is that Republicans, after wrecking the economy and after enacting their extreme right wing agenda in states with Republican governors across the country, plan on making the economy front and center in their campaign rhetoric, facts and public opinion be damned. Partial rough transcript of Perry’s speech below the fold, and if there’s any doubt that Republicans are dying for this guy to get into the presidential race this year, listen to the chants by the crowd at the end yelling “Run, Rick run!” and “Perry 2012!” And question for anyone here, is it just me, or does this guy give anyone else nightmares from sounding like a George W. Bush clone on steroids? PERRY: Our party cannot be all things to all people. It can’t be. And our loudest opponents on the left are never going to like us, so let’s quit trying to curry favor with them. Let’s stand up. Let’s speak with pride about our morals and our values and redouble our elect more conservative Republicans. Let’s stop this American downward spiral! We’re going this. And it’s happening because of too much spending, too much interfering and too much apologizing. You know, in my mind there’s always been two kinds of politicians; those who seek office to gain personal power and those who seek office to give power back to the people. In state Houses across this country and in the United States Congress, conservative politicians, conservative leaders are working to return the power to the people; turning back the tide of this unchecked spending and unbridled interference in state affairs. You know, let me share something that’s not a secret, but I’m tellin’ ya’, they will never willingly give up an ounce of power in Washington D.C. until the American people stand up and demand that we adopt reform! Never will they do that! This administration may get up and mouth words about job creation, but they clearly consider enterprise a dirty word. And they think the fruits of our labor needs to be… spread around. Or, the word I like to use from their core ideology, be redistributed. […] You know in November of 2008, there were too many Americans who voted for some vague promises about hope and change and they ended up with unprecedented deficits, unrestrained spending and unacceptable unemployment. Americans voted for hope and got nothing but greater economic misery. In November 2010, Americans expressed their frustration with that misery and they voted for conservative Republicans. In the United States Congress and state Houses all across this country we have seen Republican leaders turning the tide. November 2012 is not very far away. But we’ve got to be ready to elect Republican leaders up and down that ballot who will make government smaller so that opportunity can get bigger. I’m preaching to the choir here. I understand that, but America’s greatness is not found in the size of its government. America’s greatness is resides in the hearts and the minds of our people; their innovative approaches to solving problems and their ability to endure, even in the toughest of times. If we want to stimulate the economy, we don’t need more government spending. We need to unleash the private sector in America, the individual citizens who put their hours in at the job, who pay their taxes; they’re doing their best to take care of their families. The good news is, we’ve got the wind at our back right now. As Americans are waking up to the realities of their previous choice, they’re settin’ things right with their votes. The challenges facing state leaders as we pursue these balanced budgets across the country we share with you, they’re going to pale in comparison to what we’re going to see in 2014, when that runaway train known as Obama-care hits our budgets. If the Congress or the courts don’t derail Obama-care, state budgets will crumble under the massive financial burden. The Republican majority in the House of Representatives is startin’ to slow that train down but we need to keep sending them reinforcements to bring that effort to a clear conclusion. Together… together we must keep America moving back to preeminence because our values and conservative ideas are the world’s greatest hope. Like you I still believe America is special! I see a stronger America, built on the solid foundation of spiritual strength, of individual liberty, of self-determination. We must recapture that vision and begin the hard work of lighting the way for millions of Americans who are adrift in this sea of economic misery. Let’s lead ‘em to the safe harbor of American renewal and the shores of American exceptionalism! Let’s anchor them! Anchor them in the future of good jobs and a country founded on great ideas. Restore the notion of a government of the people, for the people, by the people! If we don’t do it, who will? If not now, when? There is no greater goal, no more crucial time than right now to take and make our stand to restore our economy, our families, our country! And I happen to know that we can! And I know that you will! God bless you and thank you all for being out here today! And god bless the United States of America!
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Calls for dispensers to be bolted down after alcoholic patient in Melbourne downed six bottles of alcohol-based handwash A man who is recovering after drinking six bottles of alcohol-based handwash while being treated for alcoholism in an Australian hospital has sparked calls for the anti-bacterial gels to be better secured. The 45-year-old patient was found to have a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.271%, more than five times above the legal driving limit. Doctors said the incident highlighted the need for hospitals to bolt the dispensers to walls. Dr Michael Oldmeadow, of the Alfred hospital in Melbourne, said the incident was not the first of its kind. “You’d think it would taste pretty bad,” he said. Australia guardian.co.uk
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