What in the world.......

Feeling the heat

Foreign ministers strolled in the late summer heat of southern France towards their meeting, passing the impressive palace of pale stone where once popes ruled and were imprisoned as part of a power struggle over the future of Europe.Now, the rulers of Europe - or at least some of them are meeting to discuss a struggle over its most eastern boundaries: the Georgia crisis.

On his way into the Petit Palais, where the meeting is actually taking place, I asked the British foreign secretary if he saw any sign at all the Russians were taking notice of the stern noises that emanated from the summit in Brussels at the beginning of the week.
He said: "President Sarkozy has an important job in Moscow on Monday to deliver a very clear and united, firm message that the European Union, all 27 countries, are determined to see Russia live up to the agreement it has made in respect of the six-point peace plan.  "And also to pass on the universal European condemnation of the recognition of the breakaway republics, which for every European leader was the straw that broke the camel's back."......... it's likely they will decide whether to go along with the plan of the German foreign minister to launch an investigation into the beginning of the war.

Mr Miliband was not against this "It is important to make sure false stories about the origions of the crisis do not become holy writ ..but equally that serious allegations are followed through."
They will also look at the plan to send EU monitors to report on the ceasefire. This, of course, may be difficult without Russian approval but the vetran Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bilt was dismissive: "The Russian position is 'What is ours is ours, what we have taken is ours, the rest we can negotiate about'. That's classic, it's been so for a couple of hundred years. We will deploy our mission to Georgia without asking for permission".
We won't know the result of this meeting until later, or perhaps tomorrow. MORE....

Testing for a new 'Cold War' in Crimea Cheers for a Russian warship as it enters Sevastopol The Russian military operation against Georgia and its recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia have led to concerns amounting at times to near panic about whether a new Cold War is under way. The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said that he does not want a new Cold War but is not afraid of one either. So is the conflict a turning-point heralding a new age of confrontation or just a limited Russian action to resolve two border disputes left over from the Soviet era? Or something in between, a sign of uncertainty on both sides which will mean tension but not the kind of ideological struggle and military stand-off that was the Cold War itself?  MORE.... Russian invasion spooks investors Russian traders are nervous Some international banks estimating that between up to $20bn (£11bn)in foreign capital has been pulled out of Russia in the last month alone. Since the invasion the value of the rouble has slumped, reportedly leading to the central bank stepping in. So whereas Russia may have got away with a slap on the wrist from Europe for its invasion, Moscow is being punished much more directly by international investors.  MORE.... US delivers aid to Georgian port The USS Mount Whitney has a cargo of humanitarian aid A US Navy warship carrying humanitarian aid has arrived in the Georgian port of Poti, where Russian troops are still deployed. The USS Mount Whitney is the third US ship to deliver aid to Georgia since its conflict with Russia last month, but the first to dock at Poti. Poti was bombed by Russian forces when they entered Georgia, and several ships in the port were sunk.  MORE....

The Chronicle of a Caucasian Tragedy

A lengthy, but detailed, account of the buildup to the war in Georgia.  And, if true, castes some measure of blame on the United States' participation.....a good read.......

Many in the West were surprised by the outbreak of war between Georgia and Russia. But there were plenty of signs that the conflict was approaching. SPIEGEL reconstructs the road to violence. .... the war that erupted on the southern flank of the Caucasus Mountains was almost as inevitable as thunder after a lightening strike. The dozens of witness statements and pieces of intelligence information at SPIEGEL's disposal combine to form a chronicle of a tragedy that anyone could see coming -- if they only looked.  MORE....

'Osama bin Laden is Planning Something for the US Election'

US author Steve Coll spent years looking into Osama bin Laden's family. Now, his new book provides a unique insight into the clan. SPIEGEL spoke with him about where the terrorist might be hiding, how his father got his start, and the unique romantic liasons pursued by one of his brothers.  MORE....

Africa Becoming a Biofuel Battleground

Western companies are pushing to acquire vast stretches of African land to meet the world's biofuel needs. Local farmers and governments are being showered with promises. But is this just another form of economic colonialism? .......The Tanzanian government has granted the British firm Sun Biofuels, use of 9,000 hectares (22,230 acres) of sparsely populated farmland, or enough land to cover about 12,000 soccer fields, for a period of 99 years -- free of charge. In return, the company will invest about $20 million (€13 million) to build roads and schools, bringing a modicum of prosperity to the region.
Sun Biofuels is not alone. In fact, half a dozen other companies from the Netherlands, the United States, Sweden, Japan, Canada and Germany have already sent their scouts to Tanzania. Prokon, a German company known primarily for its wind turbines, has already begun growing jatropha curcas on a large scale. It expects to have 200,000 hectares (494,000 acres) -- an area about the size of Luxembourg -- under cultivation throughout Tanzania soon....  MORE....

Early Election Is Called in Canada

With apparently a significant percentage of the world's population focused on every word spoken by the US Presidential candidates, it's amazing that hardly anyone in the US is aware of, or even interested in the political events of their nearest and largest trading partner (pssst....the one we get most of our oil from), Canada.   I would also venture a large wager, that you would be hard pressed to find one neighbor, friend, or co-worker, who could tell you who the Prime Minister of Canada was, and why the election might be important to the US.  

Filed at 11:36 a.m. ET

TORONTO (AP) -- Canada's prime minister dissolved Parliament on Sunday and called an early election next month in hopes of strengthening his Conservative minority government's hold on power.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's party needs to win an additional 28 seats to have a majority in Parliament. Although he has played down that possibility, polls in recent days indicate his right wing party has a chance to do so.

The Oct. 14 election will be Canada's third ballot in four years.  The Conservatives unseated the Liberal Party in 2006 after nearly 13 years in power, but as a minority government the Conservatives have been forced to rely on opposition lawmakers to pass legislation and adopt budgets......

''It will be bad for Harper. Canadian politics don't exactly mirror those of the United States but if something happens in the United States it will find an echo in Canada,'' Bothwell said.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Saturday that if the Conservatives win the next election, the government will lower personal taxes to make them more competitive with rates in the U.S. over the next few years....

Since becoming prime minister, Harper has extended Canada's military mission in Afghanistan. Canada has lost 96 soldiers and as the death toll approaches 100 the mission could become an issue in the campaign....Harper also pulled Canada out of the Kyoto Protocol, which commits industrialized nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions....

Dion, a former environment minister who named his dog Kyoto, wants to increase taxes on greenhouse gas emitters. Dion has moved his party to the crowded left in Canada by staking his leadership on a ''Green Shift'' tax plan....Dion hasn't had much success selling the plan to Canadians, many of whom have viewed him as a weak leader ever since he surprisingly won leadership of the party in late 2006.  The Liberals have traditionally been the party in power in Canada. Analysts say Harper is intent on destroying the Liberal brand and wants to instill conservative values in Canada....

Dion was a part of Canada's Liberal government that opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and turned down Washington's request to send troops. Harper supported the Iraq war when he was in the opposition.  MORE....