The Danish paper "Jyllands-Posten" had long defended its publication of the Mohammed cartoons with reference to freedom of expression. Now the paper's editor-in-chief, Carsten Juste, has published an open letter addressed to Muslims all over the world in which he apologises for the cartoons' impact: "Serious misinterpretations of a series of drawings of the prophet Mohammed have recently led to a lot of anger and the boycotting of Danish products in the Muslim world. Perhaps owing to cultural differences, the act of publishing these 12 cartoons has been interpreted as a campaign against Muslims in Denmark and the rest of the world. I categorically deny these accusations. We have no intention of offending people because of their beliefs. If we have done so, it was unintentional. Jyllands-Posten disassociates itself from any kind of symbolic act aimed at demonising certain nationalities, religions or population groups." (30/01/2006)

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Henrik Berggren says Jyllands-Posten's apology comes too late, and is only half-hearted. "In the big picture of things, the EU states are now called on to show solidarity with Denmark. Not with the 'Jyllands-Posten' cartoons, which Bill Clinton quite rightly compared with 1930s anti-Semitic pictures, but against countries which make no distinction between state power and free civil society. The stance adopted by Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen is perfectly understandable. To discuss things that have been published in Danish newspapers with official representatives from other states would be an indirect attack on freedom of the press and freedom of expression. At the same time, one of the main purposes of diplomacy is to discuss issues with representative of regimes with whom one disagrees. The internal criticism of the Danish government's chaotic behaviour also shows it should have more actively sought dialogue, without compromising its basic position in this issue." (31/01/2006)

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Gilles Kepel, a professor at the Institute of Political Sciences in Paris and a specialist in the Muslim world, says in an interview led by Marc Semo that "the notion of blasphemy remains an extremely sensitive one in a Muslim world that lives with the feeling of being under siege and that Islam is a religion under threat - even though many preachers and imams go around asserting that it is going to conquer the world. ... It is understandable that believers should consider themselves appalled by a drawing depicting the founder of their religion as a terrorist. While certain terrorists are islamists, that in no way means that all Muslims are." (31/01/2006)

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"If an evil genie had been looking to ignite a firestorm in the 'clash of civilisations', he could not have found a better way of doing so," Jurek Kuczkiewicz observes in an editorial. "The confrontation of various beliefs and convictions with freedom of expression is not always easy to weather. The confrontation with caricature - by its very nature excessive, if not unjust - is even less so. ... It is at once revealing and distressing that this whole affair of the 'Muhammad drawings' has occurred in Europe. That is, in the part of the world where freedom of expression remains least burdened by the 'politically correct', but where cultural and racial diversity have raised tolerance to the status of...religion. The demand for tolerance, however, cannot limit the ideal of freedom to the level of the least tolerant among us. Whatever their faith." (31/01/2006)

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Reinhard Wolff describes the publication of the Mohammed cartoons by the newspaper "Jyllands-Posten" as an act of "calculated provocation". "Over the past few years Denmark has gained a reputation as a country with policies overtly hostile to foreigners. This policy has left its mark not only in politics and law, but also in the public discourse. Leading Danish politicians can refer to entire groups of immigrants as second-class citizens and liken Islam to the plague without triggering major protests." Wolff nonetheless complains that the reactions of the Muslim world have been so predictable. "This reaction leaves the West no alternative but to defend the freedom of the press – even if it's a difficult task considering the unappetising nature of the cartoons." (31/01/2006)

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In an open letter, Dutch author Geert Mak outlines events in the Netherlands since the murder of Theo van Gogh and the ensuing "shameful hate campaign" against immigrants. "From what I've heard, the Dutch disease has broken out in some parts of your country too, triggered by a series of cases of severe abuse of women and so-called 'honour killings'. Perhaps you can learn from our experiences over the past few years. They were painful and sometimes shameful, but we too have learnt from them. The most important lesson is that such deplorable events should never be played down just because this kind of discussion is unpleasant for us well-meaning, tolerant cosmopolitans. It's so easy to talk about 'family consolidation' without realising how much pressure it sometimes entails. We complain about the 'lack of language skills' without realising that it represents captivity, particularly for women, because the ability to read and write is the basis for all forms of communication, self-expression and freedom." (31/01/2006)

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The writer Umberto Eco, who shortly plans to publish a compilation of articles and speeches on the theme of historical regression, is concerned about a revival of anti-semitism on Italy's football pitches. "Roughly half a century after the start of the Cold War, we are seeing, with Afghanistan and Iraq, the triumphant return of the era in which we were endlessly locked in combat. We are also witnessing the re-emergence of fundamentalist Christians who we thought belonged to the 19th century, the rejoining of the debate on Darwinism and the fantasy of the yellow threat. We are finally witnessing the triumphant return of anti-semitism and the fascists are in the government. An athlete gives the Roman salute in a stadium and the crowd cheers. This is exactly what I did 60 years ago, except at the time, I was obliged to do so." (31/01/2006)

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In a commentary Israeli peace activist Uri Avneri attempts to throw a positive light on Hamas' election victory. "Israel must negotiate with any popularly elected Palestinian leadership. And the stronger this leadership, the better – whereby the integration of the extremist factions is a matter of crucial importance. Had Hamas decided not to participate in the elections, they would have been forced to do so. A group which declares itself willing to negotiate with Israel is, de facto, recognising the state of Israel. Hamas' participation in the elections alone proves that the Palestinian political system is moving towards peace. Although Hamas' victory may look like a blow to the peace effort, the result could be quite different. It could serve to make this extremist movement more moderate and guarantee that any agreement reached is more stable and lasting." (31/01/2006)

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After hearing the comments made by Khaled Mashal, head of Hamas' politburo, Victor Kocher says he detects a carefully-implemented Hamas strategy: "The first hypothesis put forward by Mashal at his big press conference in Damascus was: 'the Oslo autonomy agreement is dead and has no validity whatsoever.' This means that Hamas can look on calmly as Israel and its friends put a financial garrotte on the autonomy authorities. This is the surest way to get rid of the last remnants of the Oslo legacy. The fact that, at the same time, the Western pioneers of democracy would be dismantling the legal framework for a future changeover of power through elections by allowing this to happen is regarded with smiles by today's Islamist election winners." (31/01/2006)

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The editors of the left-wing quarterly call for protest against the Bolkestein Directive aimed at liberalising the EU's service sector, although it is generally thought the directive would benefit eastern European workers. The review's editor-in-chief, Slawomir Sierakowski, writes: "Those who have drawn up the directive claim it will boost the Union's competitiveness and productivity in the service sector. But its repercussions will be much more far-reaching. The regulations included in the directive will have the effect of reducing existing systems for protecting workers' and consumers' rights across the EU to a standardised minimum. It will allow companies to sidestep regulations for the protection of the environment, workers' rights and consumers." (31/01/2006)

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All available articles from » Slawomir Sierakowski

"The surprise assault that the Indian giant Mittal Steel has just launched against Europe's Arcelor is highly symbolic," analyses François-Xavier Pietri, the editor-in-chief of the economic daily. "He single-handedly illustrates how the pieces in the Monopoly game of globalisation are falling into place: Asia triumphant, old Europe on the defensive and the United States in the role of a referee who is jealous of this new economic balance of power before - who knows? - falling prey to it. ... Looking ahead, and without prejudging the fate of Arcelor, what is at stake is the future of Europe's large industries, dangerously stuck between the North American devil and the deep blue Asian sea." (31/01/2006)

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The daily urges Europeans to keep their personal biases at bay as they consider Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal's 18.6-billion-euro bid for Luxembourg-based Arcelor. "If Mr Mittal caught Arcelor's managers half-asleep, as would appear, the true explanation may simply be that a hostile takeover bid from an Indian, even one whose life is as much associated with London as with India, never struck them as plausible. The French Government has made no bones about being shocked — by the bidder as much as by the bid. ... Mr Mittal's bid, one of the most tangible signs yet that globalisation works in all directions at once, should be judged not on the nationality of the bidder but on the worth of the bid ... It should certainly not be influenced by out-of-date prejudices. India is no longer the permit-ridden economic laggard that, for many decades, it was." (31/01/2006)

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On Sunday, Hungarian film director Istvan Szabo revised his explanation for his activity as an informer. He said he allowed himself to be recruited by Hungary's communist-era secret police to save himself and his university studies, and not to save a friend, as he had initially claimed. Author György Fekete discusses Szabo's moral responsibility. "All those who have commented on this affair have quite rightly pointed out that perhaps Szabo's life work, which focuses mainly on the relationship between the individual, talent, artists and power, could never have been so deep and plausible were it not for his activities as an informer, about which he remained silent for so long. Is it like trying to square the circle if we insist that we can continue to revere Szabo for his humanist life's work? Well, then we must use our common sense and our ability to empathise. This time, we, too, must suffer – not just the artist." (31/01/2006)

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The Spaniard Isabel Coixet, whose "La vida secreta de las palabras" (The Secret Life of Words) won the prize for best Spanish film during the 20th Goya awards ceremony, talks in an interview led by Gabriela Giménez about the genesis of this film. "My premise was a concrete concern - the aftereffects of the Balkan war and the way in which a human being manages to overcome pain. I was bewildered by the sense of shame shared by survivors of all tragedies, and fascinated at how one manages to make another life, when hope overrides pain. ... 'La vida secreta de las palabras' is not a film that aims to denounce, because I lack the necessary theoretical baggage for that. ... My goal was to pay hommage to the victims via the Croat woman played by Sarah Polley. And I believe that I achieved it because a group of journalists from the Balkans told me during the Sundance festival that they found it to be a dignified portrayal." (31/01/2006)

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The journalist Olivier le Bussy believes that the awarding of the top prize to artist Lewis Trondheim at the 2006 Angoulême Comic Book Festival "amounts to the dubbing of a knight. In heartily endorsing one if its most distinguished figures, the festival is indirectly consecrating that golden generation of new artists grouped together under the slightly vague designation of 'the new comic strip'. ... Lewis Trondheim is, at 41, a creative and editorial phenomenon. An inspired stakhanovite whose work over the past fifteen years consists of nearly 100 albums, sketches and/or writings. A scriptwriter with a fertile imagination, and a dialogue writer beyond compare, he employs a humour in which tenderness contends with cynicism, depending on whether he is addressing children or their elders. ... This consecration will delight ordinary fans as well as champions of a more refined vision of the ninth art." (31/01/2006)

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The first scenes of the new James Bond film "Casino Royale" were shot yesterday in Prague. As the Czech financial newspaper reports, the exact sum the American film studio MGM is investing in the film has not been disclosed. "But even at this point, it's clear that 'Casino Royale' will put hundreds of millions of crowns into the Czech film industry's coffers. A representative of Barrandov Film Studios says this is definitely the biggest contract of the year. But it's not just the amount invested that makes this deal so important. More important is the fact that Bond films are cult all over the world. The production of a Bond film is such a prestigious affair that it will attract other foreign producers to the Czech Republic." (31/01/2006)

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All available articles from » Ales Borovan, » Irena Zemanova

Tristram Hunt, a journalist with the Sunday newspaper, believes that a proposal to create modern 'city-states' in Britain could spur the economic revival of urban conglomerations such as Manchester or Birmingham - as has proven successful on the Continent. "Germany's system of devolved authority means that despite the federal economic slow-down, some 15 of its cities have made their way into Europe's top performing urban centres. Much of this is the product of a cohesive regional strategy. ... Outside of an increasingly autonomous London, this urban ambition is suffocated in Britain, not least because of our democratic deficit. ... But whichever model they choose, if Britain's regional cities are going to curtail London's dominance and challenge their Continental peers, they need to start thinking like city-states, not parish councils." (31/01/2006)

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