The daily contemplates what the future might hold. "The situation has changed since the legislative elections [in July] increased the Islamist party, AKP's advantage over the opposition. In addition, Gul's candidacy is supported by two minority groups in Parliament, which gives it the necessary quorum for it to hope to win the presidential election scheduled for the end of August [It will take place in Parliament]. Gul has promised to defend Republican values, but this man ... is rejected by the secular community and in particular by the army. The opposition, embodied by the Republican People's Party (CHP), has announced that it will once again boycott the election and there are fears in public opinion that the army might intervene as it did in 1997, to topple an Islamist government, which would, without a shadow of a doubt, have grave consequences on the European future of this country." (16/08/2007)

» ir a la página de inicio (enlace externo, La Vanguardia)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política interior, » Europa, » Turquía

"The AKP is continuing the confrontation between the religious and the secular camps," writes Adelheid Wölfl commenting on Abdullah Gul's decision to run as a candidate for head of the Turkish state once more. "Gul's candidacy sends a clear message to the military: we won't give in, even if you threaten us with a military coup. This raises a fundamental question for the military: will the army accept a new boss - the president is its commander-in-chief - imposed on it by the parliament against its will? In other words, is the parliament more important [than the army]? That Gul's election to president would strengthen not only the AKP, but also democracy in general, is perhaps not the most important factor for the governing party. For Turkey, curbing the power of the military on a long term basis could hail the dawn of a new era in which people no longer need live in fear of threats and military coups." (16/08/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, alemán)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Religión, » Ideología, » Turquía
Todos los textos disponible de » Adelheid Wölfl

"Turkey and the AKP would have been better off with a more widely acceptable alternative candidate - even though some party members would describe this as 'bowing to the will of the military' and it meant that Erdogan's party lost supporters," Peter Lindner writes in the newspaper's online edition. "A compromise would have been a gesture of reconciliation and a first step towards bridging the deep divide within the country. Also with regard to solving the problem with the terrorist PKK organisation - the armed forces have called for massive military action here - it's anything but helpful that the government and the army are at loggerheads with each other. The situation is likely to cause a wave of concern within the EU, too. Gul's nomination will make it very difficult to curtail the political influence of the military. The army continues to play a key role and is not willing to give up that role - presumably even less so under a President Gul." (14/08/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, alemán)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Religión, » Ideología, » Turquía
Todos los textos disponible de » Peter Lindner

The daily considers that the army's attempt to block Gul was "politically Neanderthal. It is the military and the unelectable Kemalist secular elite it fronts for that is stuck in the past, not the neo-Islamist AKP that -so far- has provided successful, stable and modernising governance. ... As a foreign minister [Mr.Gul] won international respect and carefully defended Turkey's interests in Europe, the US and its own difficult neighbourhood. He is at the same time emblematic of a newly confident Muslim middle class and an economically dynamic central Anatolia. The secular establishment's objections to him smack of class and cultural warfare: its arguments about the dangers of theocracy in stealth are hysterical and bogus. Mr Gul, of course, must honour his pledge to represent all Turks. ... His job will be to represent an outgoing Turkey to the world and, above all, doggedly pursue membership talks with the European Union." (15/08/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, inglés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Política interior, » Turquía

In the 1960s Hungarian film director Miklós Jancsó's unconventional camera work and expressionist picture compositions won him international fame. Since the collapse of communism he has restricted his work to filming bitter-sweet comedies. In an interview with Tamás Vajna he points out that one can only laugh about the present. "I admit that doing silly things is a symptom of aging. When you're a kid you think you'll live forever and you take yourself very seriously. But as the end of your life draws visibly closer you start asking yourself what it's really all about." Jancsó points out that films have become a part of everyday culture, and filming an elementary cultural technique: "The language of films has become a daily form of expression. Nowadays cameras perform the same function pencils once did. Things have turned out just as Alexandre Astruc, the renowned exponent of the Nouvelle vague, predicted they would. Last year the first festival for films filmed with mobile telephones took place in Kapolcs. Making films today is as commonplace as writing and reading." (15/08/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, húngaro)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Película, » Hungría, » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Miklós Jancsó

The Franco-Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jelloun considers that it is necessary for the EU to adopt a common policy on immigration. "When one ponders the future of European societies, which are evermore multiethnic, we are confronted with the question of whether or not it is acceptable for European identity to be composed of foreign components. The question that arises most clearly is that of Islam, for the Portuguese, Spanish and Italians have no problem being integrated in France. ... To welcome someone into one's home does not mean they can disrupt everything and be allowed to conquer the territory ... . Instead, the rules of hospitality must be observed in order for an agreement on cohabitation to be established. ... We need to accept the idea that the European landscape is going to be composed of a mixture of races and will thus be enriched, transformed and more open. Integration is a two-way operation, which does not imply the renunciation of one's origins, but rather their adaptation to the new life one is embracing and according to what one receives." (10/08/2007)

» informaciones adicionales (enlace externo, italiano)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Migración, » Integración, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Tahar Ben Jelloun

"The decision of the Garda [Irish police force] authorities not to permit a Sikh to wear a turban as a member of the Garda Reserve has been justified by the Minister of State for Integration, Conor Lenihan, in a blunt way that does not do justice to an issue that illustrates the complex choices to be made if a rapidly changing Irish society is to develop in an orderly way", considers the daily, adding that it is not however calling for "a carte blanche willingness to incorporate any form of dress into the Garda uniform - clearly the burqa, for example, might impinge on the operational effectiveness of a female garda. However, many police forces, and indeed armies, allow Sikhs to wear turbans and they are no less effective. ... A Garda willingness to accommodate such an expression of faith would signal its respect for diversity and its commitment to a two-way integration process rather than the incorporation approach which the Minister, on the face of it, seems to prefer." (16/08/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, inglés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Irlanda

Two months after having won the legislative elections, the Christian-democrat Yves Leterme still hasn't composed his government. French-speakers and the Flemish are having a hard time agreeing on a common programme. The daily publishes a survey that shows how little Leterme is appreciated by French-speaking Belgians. He is reaping what he has sewn, considers the editorialist Francis Van de Woestyne : "What is Yves Leterme, future Prime Minister of Belgium, doing to conquer and nurture a community to which he should, as of tomorrow, be as attentive as he is to his own? What empathy has he shown? How interested is he really in the French-speaking community and Brussels inhabitants? It isn't enough to come and drink a few good beers brewed in local abbeys to claim to be attentive to millions of people. It isn't his strict image that poses a problem, we aren't asking him to go and show off on the Mediterranean coast. We just want him to open up, to open his eyes, ears and heart to people in the south and centre of the country." (16/08/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, francés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Bélgica
Todos los textos disponible de » Francis Van de Woestyne

For the editorialist Jean-Pierre Denis, the current stock market crisis "illustrates the extent to which [the] race for prosperity puts us all, rich and poor, in a situation of close mutual dependence. ... The most surprising lesson has been drawn from this realisation: seeing as we are all interdependent, nothing should be supervised or controlled. ... The cold, infallible logic of stock markets is assumed. ... [This] incites evermore costly risk-taking. The certitude that central institutions will always be ready to cough-up crazy sums of money in order to bring business back to normal is an incentive to crime. There will be a price to pay for this lesson: so far, almost 200 billion euros for Europeans [the sum of liquidity injected by the European Central Bank last week]. Who hasn't got a little voice in their head pointing out how this money could have been used to alleviate some of the planet's misery?" (14/08/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, francés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Consumidor, » Europa, » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Jean-Pierre Denis

The ultra-conservative radio broadcaster Radio Maryja played a key role in the victories of the Kaczynski brothers in Poland's parliamentary and presidential elections, Tomasz P. Terlikowski writes. Now, he points out, the Catholic radio station and the Polish daily Nasz Dziennik, also owned by Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, are turning their backs on the two right-wing conservative politicians: "The alliance between Jarosław Kaczyński and Father Tadeusz Rydzyk was a mere marriage of convenience, as not only the views but also the approach of the two camps had long been radically opposed... For someone who closely follows both the political position of the governing party and that of the radio station, the scathing attack Father Rydzyk delivered against the presidential pair and PiS policies during a university lecture as well as the political turnaround of the Thorn media empire do not come as a surprise." (16/08/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, polaco)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Medios de comunicación audiovisuales, » Medios de comunicación impresos, » Polonia
Todos los textos disponible de » Tomasz Terlikowski

"A new web tool was launched this week. The WikiScanner allows users to track changes made to the phenomenally popular online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia", explains writer and columnist Oliver Kamm. "The editors of Wikipedia entries may be identified according to their location and the organisation from which they post. The removal of unflattering references to particular corporations has been traced back to computers at the relevant companies. ... The development of technology that exposes such shenanigans could be taken as evidence of the self-correcting nature of cyberspace. It ought to be seen instead as a lesson in how easily information can be manipulated in a culture that prizes 'user-generated content'. ... Critics of the web decry the medium as the cult of the amateur. Wikipedia is worse than that; it is the province of the covert lobby." (16/08/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, inglés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Medios de comunicación online, » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Oliver Kamm

Lucian Mindruta pays tribute to actor and singer Florian Pittiş, who died on August 5. He describes the impact Pittiş had on him and his generation. "I can't say Pittiş was a dissident or the leader of a revolt. He avoided confrontation - he was certainly no Che Guevara," Mindruta writes of Pittiş who wore his hair long despite the demands of the Ceausescu regime that he have it cut. He told them he wouldn't have it cut and paid for his refusal by being banned from the stage. "Pittiş was one of the reasons why the system became porous from the inside... He too will one day be forgotten, but for my generation he will always remain alive, and we can tell our children when they're old enough: 'It's better to be free than to be rich.'... These are not Pittiş' words, but without him I wouldn't have been able to write such a thing." (16/08/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, rumano)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Música, » Escenarios, » Rumania
Todos los textos disponible de » Lucian Mindruta

Evelyn Finger was impressed by Robert Thalheim's film "Am Ende kommen die Touristen" (And Along Come Tourists), in which he decribes how people deal with the legacy of Auschwitz with a mixture of irony, light-heartedness and earnestness. "The young director, who also wrote the script for the film, explores the longing for the much-touted 'normalisation' and its impossibility through two characters who are as different from each other as could be. The young German Sven, who is doing community work to avoid compulsory military service, meets the Polish concentration camp survivor Krzeminski at the guesthouse at the Auschwitz memorial site... This is a meeting between a member of a later generation and a witness of the events, between a care-free nature and a traumatised person who isolates himself behind a wall of sullen taciturnity. While the young hero attempts in vain to break down this wall, he learns from his Polish contemporaries how difficult and at the same time straightforward life is in a small town that bears the name of the ultimate crime." (16/08/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, alemán)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Película, » Historia, » Alemania, » Polonia
Todos los textos disponible de » Evelyn Finger

The Estonian government put out a tender for the design of a monument commemorating the country's war of independence between 1918-1920 and has now chosen a 28-metre-high pillar. The Estonian newspaper praises plans to have the monument completed by 28 November 2008, the 90th anniversary of the beginning of the war. "The long delay in the building of a freedom monument is among the country's greatest embarrassments. Even before the Second World War there were plans for such a monument, and the tender was supposed to be put out back in 2001. At a time when even in Washington there is a monument to the victims of communism, it's all the more strange that we have no monument to the events that led to Estonia's independence. Although we have the bell of freedom in Tallinn, it symbolises the regaining of independence in 1991, not the initial achievement of independence in 1918." (16/08/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, estonio)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Arquitectura / Ciudades, » Artes gráficas, » Cultura cotidiana, » Historia, » Estonia

Sylvain Besson, the daily's Paris correspondent, is surprised to see so many of the capital's shops closed for annual holidays. In August, he notes, Paris is a "Potempkin village, emptied of its inhabitants, where all activity has been drawn to a halt. ... In fact it is pretty much the whole country that has shut down until the end of the month, which poses serious problems for those who continue to work. The media, for example, have nothing left to keep them going. A month ago, they were all going on about the Vélib' phenomenon, those new self-service bicycles that you can cycle around Paris on. One month later, 'Le Figaro' is reduced to dedicating its front page to... wait for it... the huge success of the Vélib'. As for the political pages, - four or five per day during the rest of the year, for the main papers- they have disappeared entirely since the beginning of the week. This is the fault of Nicolas Sarkozy who has failed to give us any news since lunching with the Bush family on Saturday." (16/08/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, francés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Medios de comunicación impresos, » Francia
Todos los textos disponible de » Sylvain Besson