"China's critics have succeeded in the first act of a show that won't stop until the Olympics begin. They have taken advantage of the global torch relay - which is a marketing gag - and are using its impact to achieve the opposite," Stefan Kornelius writes. "First of all, the protest tells us a lot about the Chinese government. Beijing has lost control of images. The stubbornness with which it disregards the protest is testimony to a complete ignorance of the rules of an open society. ... But does it help when the torch goes out in Paris? Not necessarily - so far the protest itself has been more a sign of utter impotence than anything else. And for the demonstrators, too, symbolism is everything - there's not much political substance behind the spectacle. Every protest, every boycott and every outcry is, of course, legitimate. But in the end it must stand up to a simple question: does it achieve its aim, does it change anything?" (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Deportes, » China
Todos los textos disponible de » Stefan Kornelius

Seweryn Blumsztajn was delighted to see the Olympia torch relay disrupted in Paris. "Now we, the citizens of the world, have extinguished the flame of the Chinese superpower. In day-to-day life we are powerless against catastrophic world politics. And then suddenly there comes a moment when our Internet appeal or a poster hung in a window become part of the world power of decent people - a new global power. I was moved when the Olympic torch was put out in Paris. I remember the 14th December 1981. ... Together with trade union leaders, we [living in exile in Paris] staged a demonstration against the imposition of martial law in Poland. Hundreds of thousands of Parisians marched behind us; nowhere else in the world did so many people join the protest. How proud I was of this city back then, and today I am once again proud of it." (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Movimientos sociales, » Deportes, » Francia
Todos los textos disponible de » Seweryn Blumsztajn

"Who says Sunday's Olympic torch relay in London was a shambles ? Who says the police were 'humiliated' ? A triumph, I call it. What are the Olympics about if not persistence, courage and goodwill towards foreigners (in this case Tibetans)?" asks columnist Libby Purves. "Western democracies had no need to go along with this relay. The international flame-tour is not time-honoured. Hitler invented it in 1936 with the torch coming from Greece to Germany as a pan-Aryan gesture. It did not catch on for 64 years, until Sydney touted it round the Pacific rim, again for political reasons. ... Joining in China's triumphalism is not necessary. Not right now, not with the suffering and injustice rife in Tibet. This torch procession is nakedly political and should not have been encouraged by our leaders... . Luckily, when the guttering flame reached London there were enough spirited protesters to save our national honour." (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Deportes, » Gran Bretaña, » China
Todos los textos disponible de » Libby Purves

The daily considers that the incidents in London and Paris "clash head-on with the values the Olympic Games should have and give us an idea of the protests which might occur during the competition, inside or outside the Olympic compound. ... China has committed an enormous error in under-estimating the conjunction of democratic societies and the fundamental objectives of the Olympic Charter - 'to promote a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity' - and in thinking that the success of this event would be guaranteed by spectacular financial investments. ... [The repression of the protests in Tibet] woke world public opinion up and unleashed a wave of sympathy for the Tibetan population, reminding us that China has too many holes in its democracy to spare the sporting competition." (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Deportes, » Global, » China

In London on April 6th, then in Paris yesterday, "the same popular message was expressed with the passage of the torch, which has become, due to the incompetence of the International Olympic committee (IOC) and Beijing's unwavering attitude, a spectacular symbol of human rights," writes the sports daily. "The outcry that ran from London to Paris faster than the torch bearers - who've paradoxically become the protesters' targets - is the shock that we will have to wait for the IOC. We hope that its president and its officials, who are terribly forgetful of their mission since they picked Beijing in 2001, assume their role and make some overtures towards the Chinese to remind them of their responsibilities laid out in the Olympic Charter. These are the Olympic games before they're the Beijing games." (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Deportes, » Global

Literary scolar Sigrid Weigel criticises the renaissance of the German concept of "Kulturnation" (culture nation) in times of economic hardship: "The concept of 'Kulturnation' emerged in the 19th century as a result of an obsession with creating national unity on the basis of cultural, linguistic and ethnic homogeneity. ... In an age when the concept of a national culture has become obsolete simply because the voices of many other cultures are becoming increasingly clear and pronounced in German culture, it's important to look back before bundling up culture, language and nation all in one package. To answer the questions of post-national cultures it's worthwhile studying pre-national diversity - not as a model or a magical formula, but as a store of experience. An interest in the diversity of the origins of one's own culture creates the pre-conditions for dealing with 'words from foreign parts' in one's own language." (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política Cultural, » Alemania
Todos los textos disponible de » Sigrid Weigel

Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz writes that governments should be helping the poor, and not bailing out investment banks. "The US government didn't charge a dime in insurance premiums, and yet Bear Sterns shareholders are walking away with more than a quarter of a billion dollars. It is outrageous for the government to say it is worried about moral hazard when it comes to poor homeowners, many of whom were taken advantage of by predatory lenders and are losing not only their houses but their life savings - and yet somehow to be unconcerned when it comes to the investment banks. Investment banks have prided themselves on their ability to manage risk. The global regulatory framework was premised on that ability. They did manage risk, but in a way that ensured that they were the winners and everyone else the losers. Now everyone else will have to pick up the pieces." (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Economía política, » Mercado de finanzas, » EE.UU., » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Joseph E. Stiglitz

Spanish journalist Javier Ortiz gives his reasons for opposing bullfights. "How can we see what goes on and only retain the beauty of the passes made with the cape, the precision of the 'puya' [wooden spear], the placement of the banderillas or the quality of the deathblow. ... To make an abstraction of the bloody aspects of the show and the beast's cries of pain signifies a worrying lapse of sensitivity... . 'The beasts have no better moment in the abattoir' respond the fans of bullfighting, laughing at those who criticise the activity. I don't know how they calculate the pain felt at an abattoir. But I do know that it's one thing to kill to eat and survive - a behaviour that we find among all animals - and it's quite another to kill for amusement. Without even mentioning that people pay to watch suffering and death." (07/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Cultura cotidiana, » España
Todos los textos disponible de » Javier Ortiz

Bulgarians are eagerly awaiting the publication of a list of former Stasi collaborators, including diplomats, bankers and journalists. The daily complains that despite the fact that a commission for the publication of Bulgaria's Stasi files exists, it has no control over the archives of the former secret service, to which only the interior ministry has access: "For years the commission could only make public information it received directly from the secret services. The interior minister is free to protect any file from publication. When former Stasi agents were being exposed, there were rumours among MPs that four key politicians belonging to the ruling Socialist party were not being named. If we want to put an end to this practice, the archives should be passed on to the commission as soon as possible." (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Historia, » Bulgaria

Umberto Bossi, leader of the North League, declared on April 7th that he was 'ready to take up arms' to defend the interests of his region. In the lead up to the April 13 and 14 general elections, his power over Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right alliance is immense, writes editorialist Curzio Maltese. "In an already dreary election campaign, a despondent surrogate has emerged with the last personal polemic between Berlusconi and Bossi. After the swashbuckling over the North League leader's 'guns,' Berlusconi responded with elegance, saying that Bossi would not be a minister 'because of his health being what it is.' Bossi [66 years old] replied that he was in very good health and Berlusconi refuted his claim. This could be considered a sad harangue between two old politicians, but assuming that the polling is correct, Berlusconi will not be able to govern, neither in the house, nor in the senate, without the support of the League... . A Berlusconi victory would thus deliver Italy to the League and its 'guns.'" (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Italia
Todos los textos disponible de » Curzio Maltese

The Swedish fishery authorities managed to catch only a single, finger-long codfish during its most recent trial catch in the Kattegatt. 95 percent of the Kattegatt's cod stock has disappeared. Scientists were unable to find any signs of codfish spawn. The daily accuses Swedish politicians of failing to take preventive measures over the past decades. "We need a memorandum for the entire fishing industry - not only for the Kattegatt and not only for the spawning season. And of course the fishing fleet must be reduced in size. Sea reserves and measures against over-fertilisation are necessary. It's not enough to want to save cod from overfishing, we all want that. Those in power, namely the government, must make the following decision: to take note of the facts and have the courage to make itself unpopular in certain quarters." (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Medio ambiente, » Economía agrícola, » Economía política, » Suecia

Cluj is Romania's third-largest city, and among others Finnish mobile telephone giant Nokia has settled there. Ovidiu Pecican reports: "The natural environment in Cluj has suffered severely for years now. Its last remaining green spaces and parks are being liquidated, its shopping malls are as big as the lakes that no longer exist, and the irresponsible redesign of areas that deserve to be protected continues, while today's entrepreneurs build new buildings which bring profit on the real estate market without any regard for the consequences. The amount of traffic has also increased at a crazy pace. ... According to experts, over the next four years Cluj will become one of the country's key economic centres. This raises the question...: is it a good thing that development in Romania is concentrated in a few cities while the remaining three-quarters of the country is left completely underdeveloped?" (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Medio ambiente, » Cultura cotidiana, » Economía política, » Rumania
Todos los textos disponible de » Ovidiu Pecican

The daily celebrates the last week's awarding of the Pritzker Prize to the French architect Jean Nouvel. "He always rejected the pretentious theorising practiced by some of his colleagues; he always rejected the idea of creating a school of architectural thought. He seeks to put each work into its environment, by adapting to the history and the geography of the places. There is therefore no 'Jean Nouvel' style, but a proliferation of varied forms that hope to bring something to their surroundings, without violating them. ... The available space is becoming rare while the demographic pressure and the resulting demand for housing is growing; ecological requirements call for a profound rethinking of construction materials, methods of insulation, heating and transport. The stakes for architects and urban planners are thus immense. All the more reason to take Jean Nouvel's lesson to heart; to invent the future without forgetting people." (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Arquitectura / Ciudades, » Francia

Laurent Moyse is delighted with the enthusiasm displayed for the French film 'Bienvenue chez les ch'tis' which has already attracted more than 17 million viewers. "The film's plot is breathtakingly simple. The transformation of a French postal worker, forced to leave the sunny south, with its sing-songy accent, to move to the north Pas-de-Calais, seen as hostile or brutal, which leads to a hilarious 'culture shock'. ... The disappearance of borders has not erased mental barriers and a number of conflicts continue to survive even within nations instead of between them. Instead of finding a confrontation between civilisations, it's a clash of mentalities, a shock made worse by the realisation that the image we make of others is based on profound ignorance paired with an dismissive attitude." (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Película, » Minorías, » Francia
Todos los textos disponible de » Laurent Moyse

The Slovak government wants to push through a new press law regardless of the loud protests against it. A final parliamentary discussion on the subject has been scheduled for today. Martin M. Šimečka, who for many years was editor-in-chief of the Slovak quality daily Sme, explains why the left-wing populist Slovak Prime Minister, Robert Fico, is so angry with the country's journalists: "There is practically no left-wing press in Slovakia. The current generation of journalists grew up either in the times of the battle against [the autocratic ex prime minister] Vladimir Mečiar or with the conservative ideology of the Dzurinda government. The preponderance of conservative views in the media is an anomaly by European standards, at most comparable with that during the first half of the 1990s in the Czech Republic, where, however, there was at least one leftist newspaper: Právo. Fico's government controls state television, but this is small compensation for his frustrated sense of standing alone in the media landscape." (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de los medios de comunicación, » Eslovaquia
Todos los textos disponible de » Martin M. Šimečka

Yesterday, the European Commission passed new regulations permitting the in-flight use of mobile phones. Zbyněk Petráček is not enthusiastic: "If the person sitting next to you in the bus gets on your nerves talking on his mobile phone, you can just get off the bus. You can't get off a plane. The new European regulations can be seen as a bonus for hyperactive workaholics and a minus for those who cherish the plane as a final refuge from the omnipresent mobile phone mania. Travel is increasingly popular. The advent of cheap airlines in Europe has replaced an extensive range of services with ungodly departure times. The prices and the minimum quality standards have brought European air services down to the level of bus services. It was only to be expected that the mobile phone mania would eventually get the upper hand in this area, too." (08/04/2008)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Zbyněk Petráček