Europe Intelligence Wire articles from May 2009

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from May 2009

Keith Earls ruled out of Lions' tour match against Golden Lions.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) The Lions were today nursing wounds sustained during the narrow victory over a Royal XV in Rustenburg, grateful not to have to lick them after staring defeat in the face, but only the Ireland centre, Keith Earls, has...

Gordon Brown pledges code of conduct to regulate MP expenses claims.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Gordon Brown today pledged to introduce a legally binding code of conduct for all MPs to prevent further scandals over expenses claims. The proposal, part of the prime minister's fightback following the expenses...

Ominous echoes of Tiananmen.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Like the reformists in Beijing who courageously had their 20th Tiananmen Square anniversary event on 10 May to dodge the Chinese government's clampdown on anything to do with 4 June, I wrote and posted my piece...

The humbug of war.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Sixty five years on, D-Day still stirs powerful emotions. So Antony Beevor's book on the subject , about which he spoke at Hay on Saturday, has inevitably stirred strong feelings, too. Beevor's emphasis on the...

Norwich Union changes to Aviva in the UK.
May 31, 2009... (From InsuranceNewslink.com) Tomorrow, Norwich Union will complete its planned name change to Aviva as part of the group's strategy to grow and transform as it competes globally. The international savings, investments and insurance group...

Critical illness insurance complaints reduce significantly following ABI Code of Practice.
May 31, 2009... (From InsuranceNewslink.com) A major agreement between insurers has resulted in a significant drop in complaints on critical illness insurance, according to the latest FOS (Financial Ombudsman Service) Annual Report. The ABI Code of Practice...

US broker consolidation slows but opportunities continue says survey..
May 31, 2009... (From InsuranceNewslink.com) Agent and broker mergers and acquisitions in the US have slowed since the 2006-2008 boom, but market fundamentals are in place for continued, targeted activity, according to Down But Not Out: The M&A...

Hub International acquires in Washington State.
May 31, 2009... (From InsuranceNewslink.com) Hub International has announced that its Northwest operating unit has acquired the assets of Rettenmier Benefits Group, an Everett, Washington-based employee benefits consulting and insurance brokerage firm...

ABI responds to proposals for EU financial supervision.
May 31, 2009... (From InsuranceNewslink.com) The European Commission has released its proposals for a new shape of EU financial supervision. The Commission makes proposals for the membership and duties of the European Systemic Risk Council (ESRC), a...

Guidewire ClaimCenter live at Guild Insurance in Australia.
May 31, 2009... (From InsuranceNewslink.com) Guild Insurance Limited, one of Australia's pre-eminent suppliers of general insurance products and services to niche markets, and Guidewire Software have announced that Guild Insurance has deployed Guidewire...

How 'the busy one' ekes out a living from the devastation of Gaza in Jabaliya refugee camp.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Mahmoud Mohammed Imad sits in front of his curtain made of rubbish. The opening to his shop in the Jabaliya refugee camp could be work of art. A single black army boot hangs threaded through its eyes. It dangles...

Talking Horses.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Today's best bets, by Ron Cox With 15 winners in the past two weeks, Richard Fahey could hardly be in better form. That is his Flat record, of course, but it is an encouraging pointer to the chance of Iona Star...

Reinventing politics.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) The belief that parliamentary and constitutional reform is the "answer" to public disaffection from politics may be mistaken. Popular disengagement from politics has more to do with the changing sensibility of the...

Six killed as Palestinian police clash with Hamas in West Bank.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Six Palestinians were killed yesterday in the deadliest outbreak of fighting between rival Palestinian factions in the West Bank for two years. Three policemen from a force loyal to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian...

Homemade bomb on board plane intensifies tensions ahead of Iran elections.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Rising political tensions in Iran ahead of watershed presidential elections on June 12 intensified today with the discovery of a homemade bomb on board a domestic airliner. The incident closely followed a fatal...

Athens Newspaper Headlines.
May 31, 2009... (From Athens News Agency) The Sunday editions of Athens' dailies at a glance Next Sunday's European Parliament elections, opinion polls and the resurgent interest in the Siemens bribery and kickbacks furor mostly dominated the headlines in...

PM continues tour of Epirus province.
May 31, 2009... (From Athens News Agency) Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis continued his tour of northwest Greece on Saturday evening with an address in the port city of Igoumenitsa, Thesprotia prefecture, hours after inaugurating a crucial stretch of the...

Papandreou appearance in west Athens.
May 31, 2009... (From Athens News Agency) Main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou continued his appearances and addresses ahead of next Sunday's European Parliament elections, with the former foreign minister speaking to young people and adults on...

Analysis: Fears that APS will encourage banks to pull the plug on firms.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Treasury wags dubbed it Operation Broom because it was designed to sweep away all the toxic waste in the financial system. Officially, it is the asset protection scheme (APS), a complex insurance policy sold by the...

Key Bulls players in ominous form ahead of Lions Tests.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) The first to appear at the post-match press conference after the Super 14 final was poor old Ian Foster, the coach of the Chiefs, who had just gone down by eight tries and a record score, 61-17, to the Bulls . "I was...

Papariga address in Oropos.
May 31, 2009... (From Athens News Agency) Communist Party of Greece (KKE) leader Aleka Papariga continued her pre-elections appearances and addresses, as she spoke to supporters in the coastal town of Oropos, north of the greater Athens area. Papariga...

Andy Murray enters unchartered French Open territory after beating Marin Cilic.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Andy Murray reached his first French Open quarter-final, and the third in his last four slams, with a 7-5, 7-6, 6-1 victory over Marin Cilic. The 20-year-old Croat, ranked 10 places below Murray at No13 in the world,...

Toxic loan insurance scheme 'could increase bankruptcies'.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Alistair Darling is to fast-track the recruitment of a top City executive to run the government's toxic-loan insurance scheme, amid growing concerns that trigger-happy banks will force recession-hit firms into...

Police official at foreigners' directorate charged with bribery.
May 31, 2009... (From Athens News Agency) A police sergeant serving at the foreign nationals' directorate in central Athens was arrested over the weekend, along with his girlfriend, by internal affairs officers and charged with demanding money from third...

Greek envoy in Nicosia on inter-communal talks.
May 31, 2009... (From Athens News Agency) NICOSIA (ANA-MPA/A.Viketos) - Greek Ambassador to Cyprus Vassilis Papaioannou said Sunday emphasised that "certain convergences have been registered but serious disagreements still remain", in reference to on-going...

Papandreou visits farming regions in Magnisia.
May 31, 2009... (From Athens News Agency) Main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou toured farmlands in the region of Almyros, in the prefecture of Magnisia in central Greece on Sunday and accused the government of "lacking planning and of...

The dark side of Vince Cable.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) "Cheap jibes," the government is calling them. In his a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1189823/VINCE-CABLE-Its-time-personal--just-Mr-Darling.html"&g t;column in today's Mail On Sunday, the...

Film industry seeks online 'speed humps' to thwart internet piracy.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) The UK film and television industry is calling on the government to introduce online 'speed humps' that would slow down or restrict the broadband access of people who illegally share copyrighted material, and slap...

Foundation stone laid for new Halkida hospital.
May 31, 2009... (From Athens News Agency) Health and Social Solidarity Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos laid the foundation stone for the new general hospital in the city of Halkida, on the island of Evia, in eastern Greece, on Sunday. The project, one of...

Elderly women charged with running profitable drug business from their home in Santiago.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) They did not fit the typical drug dealer profile: two elderly grandmothers, one of them bed-ridden, living beside a police academy on a leafy suburban street. But according to Chilean authorities, Maria...

Creation of cells from hair raises hope of treatments for inherited diseases.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Scientists have taken a big step towards treating a rare inherited disease by creating healthy cells from flakes of skin and strands of hair plucked from patients. The study is the first to demonstrate that it is...

Antisoma's AS1409 shows anti-cancer activity in phase I trial.
May 31, 2009... (From Hugin) London, UK, and Cambridge, MA: 31 May 2009 - Antisoma plc (LSE: ASM; USOTC: ATSMY) today announces positive findings from a phase I trial of its antibody-cytokine fusion drug, AS1409. The trial identified a well-tolerated dose...

General Motors set to file for bankruptcy.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) General Motors is expected to declare itself bankrupt within hours, seeking legal protection from its creditors after running up losses of $81bn (GBP50bn) over four years. Its bankruptcy filing will be the third...

How much is it worth to be one of Twitter's suggested users?
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) With Twitter gr owing so fast , people are once again turning their eyes on the service's Suggested Users List - the set of accounts that Twitter recommends to new users. When you sign up for the service, Twitter...

Interests exist that benefit from injustice, inequality, Papandreou says.
May 31, 2009... (From Athens News Agency) Main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou addressed a Euroelections campaign rally in the city of Larissa, in central Greece, on Sunday evening, stressing that interests currently exist that feel suited...

Tsipras urges citizens to vote in Euroelections.
May 31, 2009... (From Athens News Agency) Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (Synaspismos) party leader Alexis Tsipras addressed an election campaign rally in the city of Nafplio, in the Peloponnese, on Sunday urging citizens to vote in the...

Hungary marks Heroes' Day.
May 31, 2009... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, May 31 (MTI) - Hungary's Defence Minister Imre Szekeres marked Hungarian Heroes' Memorial Day on Sunday in a ceremony at Budapest's Heroes' Square. Szekeres said that "the survival of Hungary...

Hungary cbank chief denies opposition leader's tax dodge claims.
May 31, 2009... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, May 31 (MTI) - Hungary's central bank chief Andras Simor dismissed charges made by main opposition Fidesz leader Viktor Orban that he had used off-shore companies to dodge tax, the online edition...

EP Elections - Fidesz leader urges voters to send message to gov't at EU poll.
May 31, 2009... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, May 31 (MTI) - Hungary's main opposition Fidesz leader Viktor Orban warned his supporters on Sunday that staying at home or voting for someone else will mean "the left's victory and a continuation...

Budapest stock index down for week against global trend.
May 31, 2009... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, May 31 (MTI) - Budapest's main share index, the BUX ended last week down 2.12 percent at 14.937 points. Analysts said they could not explain the BUX's downturn on Friday, which went against...

Panathinaikos secures participation in Champions League qualifying rounds.
May 31, 2009... (From Athens News Agency) Panathinaikos Athens beat crosstown rival AEK 2-0 at the Athens Olympic Stadium in a playoff game on Sunday and secured participation in European Champions League qualifying rounds. The goals were scored by...

Mark Ramprakash's lone hand can't halt Hampshire revenge act.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Hampshire just about kept their Twenty20 Cup hopes alive today when they restricted Mark Ramprakash to a man-of-the-match award in a losing cause and thus managed to avoid losing twice to -Surrey in five days. ...

Rafeal Nadal's shock defeat leaves the door open for Roger Federer.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) If the Eiffel Tower had suddenly toppled, or the Arc de Triomphe had crumbled into small pieces, the shock could hardly have been greater than the sight of Rafa Nadal, four times the French Open champion and chasing...

Wild intervention breaks Castleford hearts.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) There have been higher quality Challenge Cup quarter-finals than this comedy of errors but for emotion and drama it would be hard to beat. Castleford led 14--6 with 11 minutes remaining only for Huddersfield, whose...

Reigning French Open champions Rafael Nadal and Anna Ivanovic fall.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) In the greatest tennis upset in the modern era Spain's Rafael Nadal, unbeaten at Roland Garros in 31 matches and attempting to beat Bjorn Borg's record of four consecutive French Open titles, was beaten 6--2, 6--7...

Royal Dutch Shell to compensate shareholders for reserves scandal.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Thousands of shareholders are now able to begin claiming compensation from Royal Dutch Shell for the reserves scandal in 2004 that led to a GBP17m fine by the Financial Services Authority and the ousting of the oil...

A gay Muslim in EastEnders? Big deal.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) When I first read that the BBC soap opera EastEnders was gearing up for a storyline involving a Muslim man locking lips with a gay character my first reaction was, who watches EastEnders anymore anyway and well, how...

PM calls for national response to international challenge.
May 31, 2009... (From Athens News Agency) Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis addressed a Euroelection campaign rally in the city of Lamia, central Greece, on Sunday evening, saying that "in the face of false dilemmas, the government replies with a positive...

John Terry discusses Claude Makelele claims with Jose Mourinho.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) John Terry took a call from Jose Mourinho in the build-up to Saturday's FA Cup final following extraordinary claims in the former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele's autobiography that the England captain had played...

Carlo Ancelotti leaves Milan and is heading to Chelsea.
May 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Chelsea are to confirm the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti after Milan's manager of eight years left San Siro by mutual consent today following the Rossoneri 's direct qualification for the Champions League. He will...

Events - CTK Business News in English, May 31.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Phone: +420 222 098 431 Duty Editor - afternoon: Katerina Koudelkova ------------------------------------------------------------ ALL TIMES CEST Photo available at PhotoSales@mail.ctk.cz for items with keyword PHOTO....

Events - CTK General News in English, May 31.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Phone: +420 603 849 146 Duty Editor: Stepan Kovarik ------------------------------------------------------------ ALL TIMES CEST Photo available at PhotoSales@mail.ctk.cz for items with keyword PHOTO. MAIN EVENTS...

Schedule of CTK Business News in English, June 1.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) ALL TIMES CEST CZECH REPUBLIC US air carrier Delta Air Lines launches Prague/New York direct flights Prague Finance Ministry makes public state budget data as of end-May, timetable of state bond and state treasury...

Schedule of CTK General News in English, June 1.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) ALL TIMES CEST CZECH REPUBLIC Prague 10:00 Government meeting with the following programme: - report on human rights in the Czech Republic in 2008 - amendment to the law on the Chamber of Deputies order of procedures...

Events - CTK General News in English, May 31.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Phone: +420 222 098 465 Duty Editor: Stepan Kovarik ------------------------------------------------------------ ALL TIMES CEST Photo available at PhotoSales@mail.ctk.cz for items with keyword PHOTO. MAIN EVENTS...

Events - CTK Business News in English, May 31.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Phone: +420 222 098 431 Duty Editor - afternoon: Katerina Koudelkova ------------------------------------------------------------ ALL TIMES CEST Photo available at PhotoSales@mail.ctk.cz for items with keyword PHOTO....

ODS, CSSD likely to support Czech caretaker govt on June 7.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - Czech Social Democrat (CSSD) leader Jiri Paroubek and Civic Democrat (ODS) leader Mirek Topolanek believe that their parties will support the caretaker cabinet of Jan Fischer in a confidence...

Czech ODS, CSSD want EP election turnout above 35 percent.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - The leaders of the Czech Social Democrats (CSSD) and the Civic Democrats (ODS), Jiri Paroubek and Mirek Topolanek, would like the voter turnout in the forthcoming elections to the European...

CzechRep already secures Kc210bn from EU funds -- Topolanek.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - The Czech Republic already has around Kc210bn worth of subsidies from EU funds for the years 2007 to 2013, Civic Democratic Party (ODS) chairman Mirek Topolanek said today on discussion...

Czech ODS leader considers EU treaty dead, yet wishes it ratified.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - Former Czech prime minister and Civic Democrat (ODS) chairman Mirek Topolanek would like the Lisbon treaty to be ratified even though he labelled it "dead" on Saturday, he said on the Czech...

Czech banks' profit down 6.6 pct yr/yr in Q1 -- CNB.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - Czech banks saw their net profit fall by 6.6 percent year-on-year to Kc11.9bn in the first quarter of 2009, while in the same period a year earlier their net earnings rose by almost a quarter,...

Czech Christian Democrats believe their congress overcomes rifts.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Vsetin, North Moravia, May 31 (CTK) - The Czech Christian Democratic Party (KDU-CSL) believes that it has overcome its internal rifts at the two-day congress that ended this afternoon and elected experienced...

KDU-CSL to decide on support to Czech caretaker govt by Friday.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Vsetin, North Moravia, May 31 (CTK) - The newly elected chairman of the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), Cyril Svoboda, said the party would decide on its possible support to the Czech interim government by Friday, June...

Czech Greens against Barroso as EC President.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - The Czech Green Party opposes the "automatic" reappointment of Jose Barroso to the post of European Commission president because he allegedly supported the interests of big countries at the...

Croat Keric named best foreign player of Czech soccer league.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - Croat striker Andrei Keric, who plays with Slovan Liberec, was elected the best foreign player of the Czech soccer league, followed by Mickael Tavares from France and Slovak Dusan Svento, who...

Largest furniture retailers see 2008 sales up at record Kc14.6bn.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - The four largest furniture retailers in the Czech Republic raised sales by Kc2.2bn year-on-year to a record Kc14.6bn last year, according to a chart of the top 50 outlets compiled by company...

Czech police chief defends measures taken at CSSD rallies.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - Czech police chief Oldrich Martinu defended the measures that police took against egg-throwers at the Social Democrat (CSSD) election rally in Prague-Smichov on May 27 against CSSD's criticism...

Svoboda's election as Czech KDU-CSL head no surprise - analysts.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague/Vsetin, North Moravia, May 31 (CTK) - The fact that Cyril Svoboda won the fight for the post of Czech Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) chairman at the party congress this weekend is no surprise, according to...

Caslav, Bohemians 1905 to advance to Czech first soccer league.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - The Czech second soccer league club of Caslav today beat Most 3-2 and it may advance to the first league from the second position, along with second league's winner Bohemians 1905. While...

CR's revenues from incoming tourism to drop by one-fifth in 2009.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - The Czech Republic's revenues from incoming tourism will be one-fifth lower this year compared with last year's revenues of almost Kc131bn owing to impacts of the economic crisis and a downturn...

Czech polls show ODS, CSSD may win EP elections.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - The Czech winner of the next week's elections to the European Parliament will be the Social Democratic Party (CSSD) or the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), according to recent opinion polls. The...

Future of Czech crack military unit still undecided.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - The Czech Special Operations Group (SOG) military police unit that served in Afghanistan may not be dissolved, Defence Ministry spokesman Andrej Cirtek has told the Lidovky news server in...

Czech firms buy less gas, consumption drops by 15 pct -- press.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, May 31 (CTK) - Czech companies have reduced natural gas consumption owing to the economic crisis and gas consumption in the Czech Republic has dropped by around 15 percent in the past six months, weekly Euro...

Czech lawyer in South African prison again.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague/Johannesburg, May 31 (CTK) - Czech lawyer Julius Kramaric was arrested at Johannesburg airport again after his release from a police cell and he is to stay in detention at least till Monday, Kramaric's...

Finns, Czechs, Belgians advance in men's volleyball qualification.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Liberec, North Bohemia, May 31 (CTK) - Finland, the Czech Republic and Belgium will advance to the 3rd round tournament of the 2010 men's volleyball world championship qualification after the Czech Republic beat...

Summary of CTK General News in English, May 31, 21:00.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague - Czech Social Democrat (CSSD) leader Jiri Paroubek and Civic Democrat (ODS) leader Mirek Topolanek believe that their parties will support the caretaker cabinet of Jan Fischer in a confidence vote that will be...

Summary of CTK Business News in English, May 31, 21:00.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) Prague - The Czech Republic already has around Kc210bn worth of subsidies from EU funds for the years 2007 to 2013, Civic Democratic Party (ODS) chairman Mirek Topolanek said today on discussion programme Questions of...

CTK's Business News in Brief.
May 31, 2009... (From Czech News Agency) No. of sold ready-made firms up 10 pct -- Smart Office ------------------------------------------------------ Prague - The number of ready-made companies sold in the Czech Republic rose by 10 percent year-on-year...

COUNTRY LIFE.
May 31, 2009... (From Sunday Life) Byline: WITH EMMA-LOUISE JOHNSTON CITY girl and TV personality Emma-Louise each weekshares her insights on becoming a country girl with Sunday Life readers YOU may have seen the various pieces floating about entitled...

Heas in for a fat sentence.
May 31, 2009... (From Sunday Life) Byline: GERMANY A 21-stone bus driver who crushed his wife to death is facing trial for her manslaughter with a deadly weapon a his own fat. The burly bully had body-slammed his wife a who weighed less than 10 stone a...

Van the Manas a major fan.
May 31, 2009... (From Sunday Life) Byline: JULIAN BROUWER New York ULSTER music legend Van Morrison knew his ailing pal Farrah Fawcett would be too ill to see him in concert a so he made her a special recording for her to watch at home instead. ...

REVENGE BEST SERVED OLD.
May 31, 2009... (From Sunday Life) Byline: UNITED STATES A 78-year-old woman arrested last month for allegedly beating her 84-year-old husband because she believed he cheated on her several times during their marriage has been charged with assault. ...

FAWCETTaS FINAL ROLE.
May 31, 2009... (From Sunday Life) Byline: CAITRIONA PALMER US FOR Farrah Fawcett, the iconic 1970sa pin-up, it was the performance of a lifetime. Hunched over in her hospital bed, her body weakened from round after round of chemotherapy, Fawcett reached...

Girl is set to sue over op.
May 31, 2009... (From Sunday Life) A teenage girl is suing surgeons after they removed one of her nipples instead of a wart. Orsi Barsony (17) had gone into hospital in Pecs, Hungary, to have a growth removed from her chest. But when she woke she saw...