When Reality TV Meets Humanitarian Action in Italy
RAI 1, the flagship television channel of the national public service broadcaster and the most watched channel in Italy, is developing a humanitarian aid show in reality form. The first episode is planned to be broadcast next 4 December 2013.
German elections TV duel produces no winner
Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Social Democrat challenger in this month’s German election clashed over the euro, tax policy and US spying in a television debate yesterday (1 September) that produced no clear winner.
The only TV duel of the campaign, watched by an estimated 15 million viewers, was one of SPD candidate Peer Steinbrück’s last chances to change the momentum in a race in which he has trailed the popular Merkel from the very start.
Is Bank of Cyprus becoming a bailout hostage?
In a June letter, Anastasiades called Bank of Cyprus his country’s “mega-systemic bank”.After the upheaval of March?s prolonged fightover Cyprus?s ?10bn bailout, much of the ensuing debate has focused on the island?s largest remaining financial institution, the Bank of Cyprus, which was saved from shuttering but faces an uncertain future.
Spain launches first venture financed by EU ?project bonds?
A large offshore submarine gas storage facility in Spain was the first in Europe to issue ?project bonds? for a total of ?1.4 billion, three years after the idea was launched by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.
Speaking at the European Forum Alpbach in Austria last week (29 August), the European economics and finance commissioner, Olli Rehn, said the large underground gas storage project in Spain recently became the first to use a project bond under the pilot phase of this joint initiative by the Commission and the European Investment Bank (see background).
The bank?s fate was highlighted in a letter from Cyprus?s president to EU leaders in June, where he argued that eurogroup finance ministers had not properly dealt with the ?urgent need? to address the ?severe liquidity strain? the bailout had placed on the country?s last ?mega-systemic bank?.
Why the use of chemical weapons in Syria should change our response
Last Thursday’s vote in the House of Commons means that Britain will not participate in military action against Syria. Conservative MP Rory Stewart explains why he thinks the use of chemical weapons should lead to cautious intervention and argues that an international campaign against chemical weapons should now be Britain’s priority.
Gallery: Warsaw’s underground cultural rebirth
Why have US activists have been more successful than their British counterparts in building a constructive immigration dialogue within mainstream politics, asks Katy Long.
Liberal Britain comforts itself with the idea that, however bad things may get, it?s worse in America. The death penalty; gun control; worker?s rights; healthcare; abortion ? how easy to smugly list the ways in which Britain is better, more progressive, more civilised. But there?s one issue on which we?d do well to look across the Pond with far more humility: immigration.
Merkel and Steinbrück TV debate ?a draw?
Lessons for Greece from derelict Detroit
The ruins of the US city symbolise the decline or a modern industrial city. There is no reason to think that it could not happen elsewhere
Merkel’s necklace aside, who won yesterday’s German election debate?
Some 17 million Germans ? and, we dare to say, a record number of keen international analysts – tuned in yesterday to watch the first and last televised debate between Angela Merkel and SPD contender Peer Steinbrück, ahead of the country?s elections on 22 September.
Tackling the normalisation of sexism in Irish political culture
Recent positive legislative change will hopefully encourage more Irish women into political life, but the laddish, sexist political culture which remains in the Dail must change if gender parity is to be fully achieved, argues Louise Hogan.
Neither ending the bloodshed nor preventing the further use of weapons of mass destruction in Syria is served by military intervention. Amidst speculation over the US-UK special relationship, the Iranian reaction points a way forward.
Italy?s parties contemplate generational shift
Italy?s voters returned from summer break to find a fresh political landscape, after Matteo Renzi, mayor of Florence, bid for leadership of the Democrats
Croatians tear down Serbian signs
Dozens of protesters in the Croatian town of Vukovar tear down signs written in the Serbian Cyrillic script.
Of course Greece will need a third bailout. But it wont be for the people.
By now, a clear picture of what sort of behaviour the two previous bail-outs have supported ought to have emerged. Further aid, which will definitely be accompanied by further cuts and ?reforms?, will only add to the burden imposed on Greek people.
The Startup Europe Manifesto: A plan for a more entrepreneur-friendly EU
Teach children entrepreneurship, roll out a pan-European Startup Visa and make it easier for high-growth companies to go public ? those are just three recommendations from a 22-point plan that a group of leading European tech entrepreneurs have put forward to the European Commission in a manifesto published today. Now they?re looking for you, the startup community, to support it.
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