EU-DIGEST

Mar 20, 2010

From St.Petersburg to Istanbul: Cruise liners look to Europe for 2011 - by Phil Reimer

Cruise lines are climbing over each other to announce their Europe itineraries for 2011, and with so many competing in that market, it may mean good news for consumers.

With Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and many of the deluxe and luxury lines sounding the European theme for next summer, and with more new European ships and Carnival returning to the continent, the confluence of all those ships could create the potential for too much capacity. Only time will tell if the fast-growing European market can fill those ships, or if the glut will lead to lower prices.

Princess is calling 2011 their most extensive summer ever in Europe. They're offering more departure and itinerary options, more overnight stays, seven new routes, and the most ships in Europe -- seven.

On some of Princess's routes, they will offer overnight stays in Venice, Alexandria, Dublin, Istanbul and Edinburgh, along with St. Petersburg, which is an overnight stop for most cruise lines.

For more: Cruise liners look to Europe for 2011

10:22 PM | Permalink | | links to this post

When is Daylight Saving Time worldwide?

"Today, approximately 70 countries utilize Daylight Saving Time in at least a portion of the country. Japan, India, and China are the only major industrialized countries that do not observe some form of daylight saving."

For the complete report go to: When is Daylight Saving Time worldwide?:

10:03 PM | Permalink | | links to this post

U.S., UK, Cayman Islands Top Destinations for Private Deposits Offshore

The rate of growth of offshore deposits in secrecy jurisdictions has expanded at an average of 9 percent per annum since the early 1990s, significantly outpacing the rise of world wealth in the last decade. The gap between these two growth rates may be attributed to increases in illicit financial flows from developing countries and tax evasion by residents of developed countries.

For more: Tax Justice Network

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Europe: A New Superpower on the Rise - by Melvin Rhodes

This year is going to be a test year for the post–Lisbon Treaty European Union. What lies ahead? An article in the British magazine The Economist, in its year-end special publication The World in 2010, states: "The fear of irrelevancy will haunt European leaders in 2010. They devised a new rule book, the Lisbon treaty, to come into force in 2010 and give their union the political heft to match its might as a trading and regulatory power. Its first year will reveal whether the design really does the job" (David Rennie, "More Than a Museum?").

The Dec. 24, 2009, issue of the Canadian newspaper Ottawa Citizen included an article titled "The Decline of America" by Karl Moore and David Lewis. It concluded with the following remarkable assessment of the near future: "In spite of all the arguments of the Euroskeptics, the European Union has transformed itself into a unique global superstate. Europe now has a president, a foreign minister, a common currency, a passport, a defence industry, a supersonic fighter, and an international role in peacekeeping.

For more: Europe: A New Superpower on the Rise > The Good News: March/April 2010

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Mar 19, 2010

Israel the spoiled child of America - Netanyahu Offers an Apology, but No Shift in Policy - by Mark Landler and Ethan Bronner

An ill-timed municipal housing announcement in Jerusalem has mutated into one of the most serious conflicts between the United States and Israel in two decades, leaving a politically embarrassed Israeli government scrambling to respond to a tough list of demands by the Obama administration.

The Obama administration has put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a difficult political spot at home by insisting that the Israeli government halt a plan to build housing units in East Jerusalem. The administration also wants Mr. Netanyahu to commit to substantive negotiations with the

Palestinians

, after more than a year in which the peace process has been moribund.

There is a feeling among officials in Washington that the Netanyahu government does not fully grasp how angry Obama officials have grown. But there are signs that it is sinking in.

For more: Netanyahu Offers an Apology, but No Shift in Policy - NYTimes.com

Labels: Israel, US

11:55 PM | Permalink | | links to this post

EU Calls for Bank Collapse Fund

The European Union's finance executive called Friday for banks to pay into a fund that could be drawn upon in case of collapse, an effort to shield taxpayers from the fallout of future crises.

Officials are also calling for new ways to deal with insolvent financial groups that operate in multiple countries to avoid a repeat of the messy and expensive cross-border wrangling that followed the September 2008 collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers.

For more: EU Calls for Bank Collapse Fund - ABC News

12:47 PM | Permalink | | links to this post

US No. 1 arms exporter, China, India top importers

While the United States remains the world's biggest arms supplier, China and India are the biggest importers of conventional weapons, the sale of which rose sharply by 22% globally during the 2005-2009 period a leading Swedish peace research group said.

While China's arms imports accounted for nine per cent of the global defence sales, the same figure for India was seven per cent, SIPRI said. Eighty-nine per cent of China's arms imports originated from Russia, it said while identifying France and Ukraine (three per cent each) as the other major sources of conventional weapons. In the case of India, Russia supplied 77 per cent of the country's imported conventional defence equipment while United Kingdom supplied eight per cent and Israel providing five per cent of its arms requirements.

The SIPRI said combat aircraft accounted for 27 per cent of the volume of international arms transfers during 2005-2009. Orders and deliveries of these potentially destabilising weapon systems have led to arms race concerns in the following regions of tension: the Middle East, North Africa, South America, South Asia and South East Asia.

For more: US No. 1 arms exporter, China, India top importers: SIPRI- Politics/Nation-News-The Economic Times

Labels: US, Weapons Industry

1:56 AM | Permalink | | links to this post

PM Erdogan continues "sanitizing" Turkish military and detains an additional 20 people In alledged coup plot case

Turkish police on Thursday detained around 20 people in connection to an alleged plot to topple the Islamist-rooted government, and the detainees included retired and active military officers, state media said.

The operation was part of an investigation into the "Ergenekon" network, an alleged right-wing militant group that prosecutors say had planned to overthrow Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party government, broadcaster NTV said. State-run news agency Anatolian said the detentions took place in eight cities and that the operation was still going on.

For more: Turkey Detains 20 People In Coup Plot Case - Media - NYTimes.com

Labels: Turkey

12:26 AM | Permalink | | links to this post

Mar 18, 2010

CAMERA: Presbyterian Committee Member Supporter of One State Solution

Earlier this month, a committee created by a 2008 vote of the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s General Assembly issued a report that asserts Israel is largely responsible for the continued existence of the Arab-Israeli conflict. One section of this report also affirms Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

Note: EU-Digest: also see: http://www.pcusa.org/gamc/business/feb10/actions/C107.pdf

For more: CAMERA: Presbyterian Committee Member Supporter of One State Solution

Labels: Israel, Persbyterian Church

11:59 PM | Permalink | | links to this post

French leader: No mercy for Basque terrorists

Speaking Thursday at a ceremony for the officer killed outside Paris by suspected ETA militants, he said those responsible would be sternly punished and that France stands at Spain's side in fighting the separatist group.

He called for "no mercy" against ETA and said he would not allow France to be a "calm staging ground for terrorists and assassins."

Tuesday's killing was the first time ETA, which seeks an independent Basque homeland, has been accused in the death of a French police official.

For more: French leader: No mercy for Basque terrorists | rgj.com | The Reno Gazette-Journal

Labels: Basque terrorists, EU

11:56 PM | Permalink | | links to this post

Merkel Urges Stricter Rules for Euro Zone

Speaking before a session of Parliament in Berlin, Mrs. Merkel referred to a proposal made last week by Wolfgang Schäuble, the German finance minister. As she described the proposal, “It would even be possible to exclude a country from the euro zone when over the long term it no longer fulfills the conditions.”

“Otherwise, we can’t work together,” Mrs. Merkel said, though she stopped short of explicitly endorsing the idea. This week, finance ministers for the 16 countries in the euro zone promised loans, if necessary, to help Greece overcome its debt problems.

The ministers have not yet agreed about how to structure the aid, and Mrs. Merkel’s statement on Wednesday seemed to suggest that European leaders were interpreting the aid promise in different ways.

For more: Merkel Urges Stricter Rules for Euro Zone - DealBook Blog - NYTimes.com