Names of the Week
- November 8th, 2011
- Posted by EUEditor
Plusses and minuses:
Julia Gillard (picture, left) back in Canberra welcomed the passage of her government’s climate change legislation, having just got back from the G20, and seeing the soldiers in Afghanistan …
Other Prime Ministers not managing quite so well: George Papandreou, in Greece, contemplates life out of office after agreeing to step down, and Silvio Berlusconi. In Italy, continues his rear-guard action against growing numbers who want him out …
Carlos the jackal, aka Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, terrorist and said one-time beneficiary of the late Muamar al-Gaddafi, faced court on fresh charges in Paris …
… while much more innocuously, Casey Stoner, Australian motorbike rider, savoured a difficult victory in the Valencia MotoGT event, underlining his supremacy as outright champion for the series. … Read More »
Old habits die hard in Ukraine; the former Prime Minister defeated at elections last year, Yulia Tymoshenko, has been gaoled on charges of abuse of power while in office.
Nuclear jitters settled on France with a fatal explosion (12.9.11) at the Marcoule power station on the Rhone River, near Avignon.
Anxiety about climate change and rising seas has been a mark of the Pacific Islands Forum for several years - moreso this year with Europe and United Nations contributing to the debate.
“I want to be very clear here: The EU and the Euro are strong and resilient, and we are doing all it takes, from tackling the underlying budget problems to strengthening the governance of the Euro-zone, from tighter financial regulation to improving our overall competitiveness”, said Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, in Canberra this week. 
The European Union has sent a message supporting the Australian government’s climate change program, announced 10.7.11.
The European model chosen by Australia to peg the price of carbon has its blind-spots and problems, but is challenging climate change on a grand scale.