Current Affairs

Le Figaro reports that Valéry Giscard-d’Estaing, the visionary statesman whose leadership of the constitution drafting process worked out so well for the EU last year, has plunged back into European debate. Showing himself to be every inch the washed-up former French President, VGE has been lambasting the Turks and

A new environmental report bashes air travel as a huge greenhouse gas generator. That’s why I take the train.

The BBC is reporting that a group of CofE bishops are suggesting a meeting of Christian and Muslim religious leaders to apologise for the Iraq war. Whatever your view of the rights and wrongs of the war, this is surely really stupid. I’m never convinced by the ‘Bishops shouldn’

Confused (or more likely apathetic) about the German elections? Don’t be! They’re important, quite interesting, and now Der Spiegel’s English language edition gives you a handy primer to the issues and people. Link via A Fistful of Euros.

Salon.com (click-through advert or paid sub, sorry) has a good review of the new book The Republican War on Science, talking about such things as stem cell research, the anti-global warming campaign, and – of course – intelligent design. See the John Stuart Mill quote in the title.

Just been watching Bush and Blair speaking at the UN Security Council (clips on Newsnight for the next 24 hours, about 10-12 minutes in). My God, Bush is an atrocious public speaker. He reads from his notes, he gabbles, he hesitates, he mumbles. I’m glad I’m not his

From the BBC. Compare: EU countries have come under pressure to control fuel costs amid a clamour for action from hauliers, farmers and motoring groups. The French government announced a package of measures on Tuesday designed to ease the situation for farmers. They will be offered tax breaks and refunds

The Washington Post reports that five out of eight leaders of FEMA (the emergency management agency that had such a triumph in New Orleans) had “virtually no experience” in disaster management when they were appointed. This is – like so much about this Administration – astonishing but not surprising. The political appointment

Delinquency and youth violence in 14 French departements has prompted Nicolas Sarkozy to read the riot act to the relevant prefects. Le Figaro also reports from Isère, one of the affected areas.

Poll results suggest the forthcoming (Sept 18th) German elections will be close, and Alex Harrowell at A Fistful of Euros comments. Brief summary: “Coalition negotiations are the hard-core porn of politics, and this looks like it’s going to be absolutely filthy.“