David Clark, former special adviser to the UK Foreign Office, welcomes the UN initiative. "Particularly welcome is the greater moral urgency brought to the issue by Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy, who co-sponsored the resolution and seem genuinely determined that it should live up to the secretary general's description of it as 'historic and unprecedented'. It won't bring back the estimated 400,000 killed so far, nor will it remove yet another appalling stain on the conscience of the world ... . What Darfur represents is an opportunity to develop a post-Iraq foreign policy in which the responsibility to protect is more than a glib soundbite or a cover for advancing power interests. The new leaders of Britain and France have made a good start. They now need to convert good intentions into determined action." (02/08/2007)

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In an interview conducted by Olivier Stevens, the French journalist and writer Jean Lacouture considers the complexity of the conflict in Darfur. "It raises questions on numerous levels: this is a territorial conflict over an economic space, unfolding at a time of disappointed ideological hopes. ... The east-west conflict allowed for a simple, practical analysis of the situation. Things are different in the 21st century. Paradoxically, the only ideology to have survived the collapse of this battle of ideas is religious fundamentalism. ... There have been many European reactions, in NGOs, among politicians, in the press. There has also been a lot of action. But this has taken longer in institutions, on a national as well as European level." (02/08/2007)

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Christian Ultsch comments: "For all the pessimistic realism appropriate to Sudan's situation, the new international solidarity could trigger positive dynamics. China, which defended its Sudanese oil suppliers for so long, has finally assumed responsibility and is wielding its influence in Khartoum. Without the pressure from China, the Islamist government in Sudan would never have agreed to the deployment of UN troops in the country. From the point of view of international politics this is the most important aspect of the Darfur Resolution: China acting as a partner on the international stage. Meanwhile, neutral Austria will no doubt once again make itself comfortable in the audience." (02/08/2007)

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Mariam Lau approves of the German government's decision not to send troops to Darfur. "The task of equipping the Darfur task force should be mainly left to the Arabs and the Africans. After all, the perpetrators and a large number of the victims are Muslims... Nonetheless, this raises the question of why a conflict that many are describing as genocide has gone practically ignored here in Germany, while the Middle East conflict, which has claimed far fewer victims, is in the news almost every day. Things are different in the US. The black and Jewish communities, each of which have their own reasons for identifying with the victims, have raised interest in the issue there." (02/08/2007)

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The US plans to sell over 40 billion euros in weapons to Israel and the Arab States to build up a counterweight to Iran. In a commentary published in several European newspapers, former German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher criticises the plans: "Peace in the Middle East is also peace in Europe. Moreover, this is a region that borders on NATO territory. It's a region that by virtue of the EU's Mediterranean concept has close political and economic ties with Europe... The risks involved in any kind of armament policy are obviously being underestimated. The experiences after the US exported weapons to the Shah's Iran and then to Saddam Hussein to arm himself against Khomeini's Iran, as well as those after supplying weapons to Afghanistan, also seem to have been forgotten." (02/08/2007)

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Alan Wolfe, professor of political science in Boston, considers in an article published by Project Syndicate that "much of the debate over immigration is dominated by illiberal voices. ... Xenophobia is an illiberal response to immigration from the right, but multiculturalism represents much the same thing from the left. Many multicultural theorists, although committed to openness toward immigrants, are not committed to the openness of immigrants to their new home. For them, newcomers, living in an environment hostile to their way of life, need to preserve the cultural practices they bring with them, even if some of those practices ... conflict with liberal principles. Group survival counts more than individual rights in the moral accounting of many multiculturalists. ... Embracing cosmopolitanism also means that once a society admits new members, those members are obliged to open themselves to their new society. Multiculturalists are reluctant to endorse this part of the cosmopolitan bargain, but liberals must." (31/07/2007)

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The planned price increases in Germany prompt Lothar Müller to reflect on the status of milk "in the souls of the people": "Milk is... at the centre of an extended family of compound words, proverbs and idioms that feature prominently in the history of nutrition, the language of The Bible and popular mythology. And butter, like the salt with which it was mixed for centuries and like the bread with which in modern times it has been combined to make sandwiches, is a central element of this mythology. Since the times of the French Revolution, the mythological legacies of milk and butter have melted into the history of the middle classes in the same way that the labour movement became part of the industrial revolution, because nutrition issues have always been class issues at the same time. Good butter was not only a status symbol in bourgeois cuisine; it was also the goal of demands for fair distribution of wealth." (02/08/2007)

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Over 20,000 hectares have been devastated over the past few days in the Spanish archipelago of the Canaries, by fires that appear to be under control now. According to the daily, "this is holding a mirror up to institutions and their inefficiency dealing with social and environmental damage caused by fires. A quarter of the total surface burnt last summer in Galicia has already gone up in smoke this year. Christina Narbona, Minister of the Environment, has recognised that the situation is 'extremely grave', a declaration that highlights the government's weakness in the face of natural phenomena, which, in nine out of ten cases, is caused by an individual. In this kind of situation, we hear the same litanies on the need for extra means, improved coordination, and a firmer attitude to pyromania. This is all very well indeed, but citizens, whose lives and homes are in danger, want to see efficiency”. (02/08/2007)

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In Czechoslovakia at the end of World War II, members of the German and Hungarian minorities were declared public enemies under the Beneš Decrees. They were expelled and expropriated. János Havasi writes that it's scandalous that the victims have still not received compensation. "The Hungarians expelled in the course of the so-called exchange of peoples should receive compensation from the Hungarian state under the current agreement. Since the collapse of communism every successive government has remained silent about the fact that in the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947 and in bilateral agreements signed since with Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, Hungary promised to pay compensation to Hungarians expelled by their [Czech] comrades... What can a citizen do when the state refuses to give him back his assets? When a private individual doesn't use money entrusted to him in accordance with the owner's wishes this is called embezzlement. If the state does the same this is a breach of the constitution." (02/08/2007)

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Slovenia has proposed the setting up of an international tribunal to resolve its continuing border disputes with Croatia. In view of upcoming political events - Slovenia's presidential elections in October and Croatia's parliamentary elections in November - Tomaz Saunik hopes an agreement will be reached, at least regarding a first step. "The proposal must be seen in the context of time and space: both countries will be busy with their political programmes until the end of next year. Then there are the obligations they have towards the EU: [in 2008] Slovenia will take over the EU presidency and Croatia is conducting accession talks with the EU that are also of interest to Slovenia. After all, this is about the integration of a region that is far from stable." (02/08/2007)

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The Locarno film festival opened on Wednesday, August 1st, with 'Vexille', a film composed of computer-generated images, by Japanese Fumihiko Sori. "In any festival, the opening film, colours, sets the tone of the whole event. 'Vexille''s tone is clear : Frédéric Maire, the artistic director of the festival, wanted to mark the turning point that will see celluloid give way to digital material", writes Thierry Jobin. "It took some courage for Frédéric Maire and his team to look towards tomorrow rather than back on yesterday. In no more than ten years, film will have virtually disappeared, replaced by digital cinema, from the recording of images through to their projection. It may not seem like such a big thing, but Locarno highlights quite the contrary: no art before the seventh ever had to integrate a technological revolution of this scope in such a short time." (02/08/2007)

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Romania is in deep mourning after the death of Teoctist, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Around 90 percent of Romanians are members of the Orthodox Church, among them Sorin Alexadrescu, who nonetheless voices criticism of the deceased patriarch. "In December 1989 the Patriarch expressed solidarity with [ex-dictator] Nicolae Ceausescu and thus with the suppression of the revolution in Timisoara. Days later the revolution spread to Bucharest, the dictator died and Christmas 1989 was Romania's first Christmas as a free country. The Patriarch never retracted his statement; it remained an official declaration of the Orthodox Church... Although today people are calling for those responsible for the bloodshed to be punished, no mention has been made of investigating the role of the Patriarch in these events. There is an uneasy silence among believers and even non-believers. The Patriarch represents the Church and criticism of him is interpreted as an attack against the Church." (02/08/2007)

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The deaths of two famous film-makers, Bergman and Antonioni, have led columnist Philip Hensher to reflect on the diminishing importance given to directors "Who could guess at the names of the directors of any of the films on current release ... ? They are producers' movies, studio movies. ... The greatness of Antonioni's, and especially Bergman's, output came from a directors' cinema. There are a dozen great Italian directors from the Sixties and Seventies, whose names still resound. How many are there now? The same is true of the French and German cinema. Further afield, we know nothing of Indian cinema except the studio products of Bollywood, the noble Calcutta heirs of Satyajit Ray are hardly known. The rise in interest in Iranian cinema, such as Kiarostami and the Makhmalbafs, seems to have sunk away. If the great genius of Tarkovsky led to anything in new Russian cinema, knowledge of it in this country seems to have been actively suppressed." (02/08/2007)

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The French food critic François Simon offers an ironic view of the American animated film 'Ratatouille', a gastronomical tale of a rat-turned-chef who dreams of becoming a great chef in Paris. "'Ratatouille' belongs to that uninhibited school (in the pumped-up, Tour de France style) with its cynicism, its unsettling shortcuts (the stupid clientele) and caricatures of chefs. ... A few French chefs apparently advised directors Brad Bird and Bob Peterson at length. They must have had a ball roasting the food critic (Anton Ego) whose office is shaped like... a coffin! But, strangely enough, this Ego character doesn't hesitate to ruin his reputation in order to proclaim the genius of a ratatouille leaving one somewhat doubtful as to the quality of his advice. ... Thus we are tempted to reflect, and not without a certain delectation, that any old rat could become a film-maker." (01/08/2007)

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Many Swedes who have spent a long time abroad perceive their home country as cold and unfriendly when they return. "In Sweden there is a widespread belief that unfriendliness is 'more honest' than false friendliness. This is a remnant of the 1970s that has nasty consequences, not least for those who had such a 'free' upbringing that they have grown up to be socially handicapped... So why don't we implement a few confidence-building measures? We need more helping hands and a friendly word now and then - a popular movement to warm up the climate. People could stop just saying 'I want' in restaurants and shops, do less cleaning and meet up with friends more often instead, or even just say hello." (02/08/2007)

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The World Organisation of the Scout Movement marked its first centenary on August 1st with a 'scouting sunrise' for which scouts around the world renewed their vows at dawn. "Malta joined the worldwide international scouting movement very early in its history", notes the daily. "The over-riding value of the Scout Association of Malta has lain in the outstanding contribution it has made to the character formation, leadership and qualities of self-reliance of countless young citizens. The qualities of self-discipline, self-sufficiency, teamwork and comradeship have been instilled in thousands of young Maltese and these qualities have been invaluable to the development of civil society. ... First aid and life-saving are other practical skills that benefit all members of society. ... The Scout Association of Malta is to be congratulated on its achievements. Long may it continue to honour its motto : Be Prepared." (01/08/2007)

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