With its greenhouse gas emissions and food price speculation, mankind has only itself to blame for the catastrophic droughts and skyrocketing grain prices, writes the liberal daily Corriere del Ticino, arguing that a ban on biofuel is the least that should be done to counter the trend: "In addition to the neglect of climate protection, the disaster can be attributed to a series of other human errors. … For example turning agricultural products into financial products, which effectively cancels out the law of supply and demand. Today the volume of agricultural sector transactions traded on stock exchanges is on average 46 times higher than actual production levels. That's madness. And as if that wasn't enough the consumption of biofuel is rising after being prematurely marketed as environmentally friendly. A constantly growing proportion of global agricultural production is evaporating, literally. It is being gobbled up by our combustion engines. That may lower harmful emissions but it is also increasing starvation in the world." (16/08/2012)

» more information (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Energy, » Demographics, » Agriculture, » Economy, » Global
All available articles from » Alessandro Leto

The real problem behind the rising grain prices is not the current droughts but the cultivation of corn for biofuel, as 40 percent of the corn harvest in the United States ends up in fuel tanks, writes the left-liberal daily Der Standard: "We're dealing here not with a shortage of supplies but a lesson in economics. Because across the world the granaries are well filled. No one need starve any more. But the prices are leaving stomachs empty. … If the US ditched its biofuel policy there would be so much corn on the table that the price for grains would almost certainly drop. The areas for cultivation threaten to grow at a slower pace than the world's population. If governments continue to rely on biofuel, the second generation which converts waste straw into fuel must be made marketable as quickly as possible. Otherwise the food supplies of the world's poorest will depend on our driving behaviour." (14/08/2012)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Energy, » Trade, » Agriculture, » U.S., » Global
All available articles from » Hermann Sussitz

Given the spiralling grain prices the Dutch agricultural association LTO has called for grain reserves to be put aside to protect farmers from the negative repercussion of major price hikes. This is pointless and fails to tackle the root of the problem, writes the Christian-social daily Trouw: "There is a risk that incomes in the agricultural sector are boosted through production. There have already been bad experiences with this in the past in Europe. To try and control price fluctuations through medium-term contracts or supplies is basically a good idea. But this must be done by the market forces and not the state. The rapidly rising prices for grains must however prompt a revision of biofuel production, above all in the US. American laws ensure that a large part of the corn harvest ends up not in people's stomachs but in the fuel tank. These laws must be adjusted. … Also because there is now the technology to produce biofuels from plant waste products that are inedible." (16/08/2012)

» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Energy, » Agriculture, » Economy, » Netherlands, » Global

More than 60,000 Syrians are estimated to have fled the civil war to neighbouring Turkey, and roughly twice that number to Jordan. Providing help for the refugees in their tent camps is not just a moral imperative but also a matter of self-interest, the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung argues: "Flows of refugees are also a political factor. The expulsion of Palestinians when Israel was founded has left the region destabilised to this day. ... In Jordan, Palestinian guerillas once planned to overthrow the king, who had them brutally expelled during the 'Black September' of 1970. In Lebanon, their new place of refuge, they upset the delicate balance between Christians and Muslims. ... Refugee camps are the breeding grounds of radicalism. The Afghan Taliban emerged from the Pakistani refugee camps on the border region. And Pakistani radicals also found new recruits among the army of uneducated, embittered, homeless refugees. ... There is a moral duty to help the Syrian refugees, with money if nothing else. But just as pressing a reason is our own self interest." (16/08/2012)

» more information (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Crises / War, » Migration, » Global, » Syria
All available articles from » Sonja Zekri
Who's saying what » Civil war raging in Syria

The Greek head of government Antonis Samaras will push for more time to implement the austerity programme demanded by the country's international creditors during meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande in the coming week. Antonis Fourlis writes in the news portal Protagon that the visit will be decisive for the future of the Samaras government: "I contradict those who say that Greece will automatically have to exit the euro if it is not given an extension now. … If it does come to an exit, the Samaras government will be in a very bad position because it will be confronted with a society that has given up all hope. The trips to Berlin and Paris will perhaps seal Samaras' fate. Luck is not on his side, but he has no alternative. When he returns he will know either that he has come up against a brick wall or that there is light at the end of the tunnel." (16/08/2012)

» full article (external link, Greek)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Germany, » France, » Greece
All available articles from » Antonis Fourlis
Who's saying what » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

Since the beginning of August the French authorities have cleared several Roma settlements and deported some of the people living there to their home countries. This means the new socialist government is following up on ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy's controversial anti-Roma policy, the daily newspaper Sega writes, accusing the Bulgarian government of lacking the courage to protest: "The European Commission has put France under observation for the second time for ethnic discrimination. … However even with a strong ally like the EU [Bulgarian Prime Minister] Borisov doesn't dare stand up to France. Yet Paris is threatening to join forces with other European countries put pressure on Bulgaria, Romania (and most recently Hungary). … They want to force these countries to somehow persuade their own Roma to stay in their home country rather than heading for Western Europe. Perhaps we should ask the French authorities whether they wouldn't like to see the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain back in place?" (15/08/2012)

» full article (external link, Bulgarian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Minorities, » France, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Svetoslav Tersiev

The Russian blogger Maxim Yefimov requested asylum in Estonia at the beginning of August. The Russian authorities had sought to have him put in a psychiatric clinic in reaction to his critical remarks on Kremlin policy and the Orthodox Church, which has close ties to the state. The daily Eesti Päevaleht calls on Estonia to help: "Former state security officers still occupy leading positions. Consequently there are very good reasons for Estonia to offer Yefimov a safe place of residence, even if the 'putting away' of dissenters has also met with displeasure in Moscow. ... Estonia cannot help with the democratisation process in Russia: the Russians must do this work themselves. But Estonia must help Russian democrats to defend their freedom of speech whenever possible. That includes offering Russian dissidents refuge in our country." (15/08/2012)

» more information (external link, Estonian)
More from the press review on the subject » Human rights, » Russia

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation voted by a large majority to suspend Syria on Wednesday night. Philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy calls on the West to finally intervene in the conflict in an article published in the liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera: "Aleppo is today's Benghazi. … It would be incomprehensible if the steps that were taken to stop an announced slaughter in Libya were not taken in Syria. The killing there began long ago. … It's not likely that Assad is crazy and willing to risk his life like Gaddafi. A carefully thought out plan that initially avoids extremist actions could force the regime to make an exit. Assad is a paper tiger; our weakness makes him strong. If the 'friends of the Syrian people' show their determination Assad will prefer exile to suicide. … Moreover Assad is now ostracised by the Arab world. He is more isolated than Gaddafi ever was. The coalition that comes to the help of the victims of the Syrian ruler would outnumber the Libyan coalition and be almost as strong as it was." (15/08/2012)

» more information (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Crises / War, » Syria
All available articles from » Bernard-Henri Levy
Who's saying what » Civil war raging in Syria

ECB head Mario Draghi and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti have repeatedly argued for the quick implementation of a European banking and fiscal union. But this could force the crisis countries into a blatant state of dependency, Antonio Lettieri fears in the blog EUROPP of the London School of Economics: "The governments of Spain and Italy may be secured from speculation, but they have had to apply for aid from the European rescue Funds. Following their request, European Governments ... will establish the conditionality and tools to monitor their implementation. In essence, two out of four major founding countries of the Euro will be put under receivership. To sweeten the potion, this will be considered as a step towards a fiscal union and an anticipation of the European Political Union. This is a strange perspective of Union, one that is hard to sell to the people, as it looks more like a process by which some countries will be subjecting the others into a semi-colonial condition. ... Germany can take steps to dismiss governments in distressed countries, reducing them to a semi-colonial condition, but cannot accept any doubt about the sovereignty of the German Parliament and the Constitutional Court itself." (16/08/2012)

» more information (external link, English)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Economy, » United Kingdom
Who's saying what » The row over debt mutualisation, » Crisis countries pin their hopes on ECB

With a negative growth of 0.6 percent, the Belgian economy shrank three times faster than expected in the second quarter of this year. The country now figures among the weak performers of the Eurozone along with Spain and Italy. The country's inactive government is mainly to blame, writes the business paper De Tijd: "You can't draw far-reaching conclusions on the basis of a single quarter. But if our country's economic growth continues to be disappointing in the third quarter, the alarm bells will have to start ringing. Because when the economy shrinks it triggers a downwards spiral: fewer jobs, budget gaps, dwindling confidence among entrepreneurs and consumers, etc. The forecasts from June that the Belgian economy would grow by 0.6 percent this year were a fata morgana in which the government was only too happy to believe. So with its quick review of the budget in July, it saw no need to introduce structural measures to stimulate the economy. Now this lack of foresight is making itself felt." (16/08/2012)

» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Economy, » Belgium
All available articles from » Stefaan Michielsen
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

The Spanish Ministry of Transport has launched an inquiry against budget airline Ryanair and threatened the company with a ban on flying. Three of its aircraft had to make emergency landings in Valencia on July 26 because they were running out of fuel. For the conservative daily El Mundo the investigations are exemplary for Europe: "When on July 26 no less than three Ryanair pilots had to declare an emergency owing to a lack of fuel, the government lost its patience. The Ministry of Transport has warned that it will withdraw the airline's licence, preventing it from operating in Spain, if it doesn't guarantee the safety of its flights. It's interesting that the company led by the eccentric Michael O'Leary has already received more than 100 warnings for all kinds of infractions yet so far no one has tried to do something about it. The government is now fulfilling its duty by demanding that Ryanair adhere to the laws. Even if it is the first government in Europe to do so." (16/08/2012)

» more information (external link, Spanish)
More from the press review on the subject » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Corporations, » Spain, » Ireland

France's archbishops agreed on a prayer to be said in all the churches across the country on Wednesday, the Catholic holiday Assumption of Mary, in which they defend the traditional model of the family. The prayer sparked fierce criticism as it appears to have been directed against the idea of same-sex marriage. According to the conservative daily L'Est Républicain, the Church must finally accept that its definition of the family is outdated: "Why did the prayer spark such an outcry? Because this unusual gesture (a universal prayer on a national scale) seems like a clear warning to a government that is considering giving homosexuals the right to marry and adopt children. ... The second reason for the outcry is that the prayer runs counter to a society where the traditional model of the family has exploded. If it can't understand that, the Church should resign itself to seeing its own children increasingly turn their backs on it." (16/08/2012)

» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » France

More stringent smoking ban laws came into effect in Denmark on Wednesday. Local politicians are also considering banning public sector employees from smoking at all during working hours. The liberal daily Belingske warns of a dangerous trend: "It's easy to agree that people should smoke less. No one can argue that smoking doesn't damage your health. The problem is that the most recent restrictions are conveying the image of a society where the health argument is taking on religious proportions. Politicians and authorities suddenly feel they have the right to restrict individual freedoms simply by pointing to health reasons, without further discussion of the basic issue. This is a trend that must be carefully watched." (16/08/2012)

» full article (external link, Danish)
More from the press review on the subject » Health Policy, » Health and Medicine, » Society, » Denmark

Hungary's national-conservative government has given an enthusiastic welcome to the country's athletes on their return from the London Olympics, loudly acclaiming the 17 medals they won there. Publicist György Lázár writes in the opinion portal Galamus that the government's display of national pride comes across as inappropriate: "The US athletes are also celebrated for their performances, but the idea of seeing the many medals as proof of the national greatness of the US never even crosses the politicians' minds. How different things are in Budapest, where Deputy Prime Minister Szolt Semjén said the Olympic Games have demonstrated that a small people can be a grand nation. ... Take for example the three-time Olympic winner and London bronze medallist Natasa Janics. She was born in Yugoslavia and rowed for Serbia until 2000 before receiving the Hungarian nationality. ... The rower Danuta Kozák, who won two gold medals in London, has a Polish Mother. ... Of course it's great when the Hungarians can congratulate their countrymen for their performance in international competitions. In Hungary, however, things have got way out of hand: sport has become no more than an instrument of national government policy." (16/08/2012)

» full article (external link, Hungarian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Olympics, » Hungary, » U.S.
All available articles from » György Lázár