Vissers uit de kleren voor groter quotum

Vissers uit Newlyn gingen uit de kleren voor een nieuwe kalender die geld moet opbrengen om een groter visquotum te kopen.

Crew bare all for quota calendar

Trawlermen in Cornwall have revealed all for a new calendar to raise money to pay for a greater fish quota. The crew of the Chloe T stripped for the Duchy Quota Company's 2008 calendar to illustrate the journey from leaving port to returning the catch to market. Two thousand of the £6 calendars have been printed by the Duchy Fish Quota Company (DFQC). The not-for-profit company buys as much Cornish fish quota as it can to help local fishermen. There are 706 registered fishing vessels which make up the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly fishing fleet and all the boats catching whitefish come under the UK fish quota management system. The DFQC has already bought nearly £150,000 of Cornish fish quota which is then leased to Cornish fishermen which gives them permission to land more fish. And all the money received from leasing the quota to those fishermen is re-invested in the company to buy more quota. A number of other companies involved in the fishing industry have helped to cover the costs of producing and printing the calendar which was launched at the Newlyn Fish Festival on Monday.

Vlaamse palingen bevatten verboden stoffen

De Vlaamse palingen in de rivieren bevatten een aantal stoffen, zoals de gevaarlijke stof DDT, die al jaren verboden zijn. Dat heeft Claude Belpaire, onderzoeker bij het Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek (INBO), gezegd. INBO voert onderzoek naar vervuiling in zoetwater in Vlaanderen en gebruikt de paling als indicator. Het onderzoek is onder meer gericht op PCB's, pesticiden en zware metalen. "Voor bepaalde verboden stoffen is er een daling genoteerd in Vlaamse wateren, maar ze zijn toch nog in zeer grote mate aanwezig", zegt Belpaire. Uit het onderzoek van INBO blijkt dat in 77 procent van de 350 meetplaatsen in de Vlaamse rivieren PCB-waarden worden vastgesteld die boven de toegelaten norm zitten. "Op bepaalde plaatsen wordt die norm bij palingen zelfs tot zeventig maal overschreden", aldus Belpaire. Ook de dioxinewaarden bij Vlaamse palingen liggen volgens Belpaire te hoog. Vlaamse zoetwatervis als paling wordt normaal niet verkocht in Vlaamse supermarkten, maar wordt wel vaak door de vissers zelf gegeten. "Vissers mogen de palingen meenemen, maar we raden sterk af om die op te eten", waarschuwt Belpaire. De vervuilende stoffen hebben ook een negatieve invloed op de paling zelf. Zo tasten ze onder meer de voortplantingsmogelijkheden van de vis aan. Mogelijk is dit een van de belangrijkste redenen waarom het Europese palingbestand zo in achteruitgang is, aldus Belpaire. De vervuiling die in paling wordt aangetroffen, kan ook doorgetrokken worden naar andere vissoorten. "In roofvissoorten als snoek en snoekbaars, die gegeerd zijn door Vlaamse vissers, wordt de vervuiling ook aangetroffen", zegt Belpaire. Hoe hoger de roofvis op de voedselladder staat, hoe meer kansen er zijn dat de vis de polluenten opstapelt. "Op een op de vijf meetplaatsen zit de roofvis ook boven de toegelaten PCB-norm", waarschuwt de INBO-onderzoeker. Uit de resultaten van het onderzoek van INBO blijkt dat de vervuiling van regio tot regio verschilt, afhankelijk van de soort industrie of landbouw die daar actief is. "Zo hebben we in de Antwerpse en Limburgse kanalen veel PCB's bij palingen aangetroffen", aldus Belpaire. INBO pleit ervoor om de vervuiling van de Vlaamse rivieren voor bepaalde stoffen via vissen te meten. "Veel vervuilende stoffen zijn vetoplosbaar en kan je in water moeilijk meten. Stoffen als PCB's hopen zich wel op in vissen en kan je op die manier meten. De milieumonitoring van vervuilende stoffen in Vlaanderen kan erop afgesteld worden", besluit Belpaire.

Loog Mebo-ingenieur over Lockerbie?

Een kroongetuige in de zaak over de aanslag in Lockerbie heeft onlangs aan de Zwitserse politie bekend dat hij heeft gelogen. Dat schrijft de Franse krant Le Figaro. De aanslag in het Schotse Lockerbie in 1988 eiste 270 doden. "Ik heb gelogen in mijn getuigenis over de aanslag in Lockerbie", zo zou de 65-jarige Ulrich Lumpert volgens Figaro hebben bekend aan de Zwitserse politie. Lumpert was een ingenieur van de Zwitserse maatschappij Mebo, de vroegere eigenaar van de zeezender Radio North Sea International. Hij stelde op het proces in 2001 dat hij een deel van een zelfontspanner had herkend die de explosie zou hebben uitgelokt. De zelfontspanner zou gemaakt zijn door Mebo. Het bedrijf zou er loten van verkocht hebben aan Tripoli. Toch zouden de Libiërs nooit de bewuste zelfontspanner hebben gekregen. Lumpert zou volgens Figaro een zelfontspanner hebben "gestolen" in een lab van Mebo en die hebben overgemaakt aan de Schotse politie die het onderzoek voerde. Hij geeft evenwel geen motief voor zijn daden. Dit nieuwe element "sterkt de overtuiging van heel wat journalisten, magistraten en zelfs familieleden van slachtoffers dat het onderzoek 'gemanipuleerd' werd om Libië te beschuldigen, terwijl de eerste pistes leidden naar een pro-Syrische splintergroepering", aldus Le Figaro.

NvdR. Ongeloofwaardig als men weet dat Mebo veel zaken deed met Libië. Zeer onwaarschijnlijk dat het bedrijf dan onterecht dan de vinger naar dat land zou wijzen.

Erkenning voor Belgische Lancastria slachtoffers?

De RMS Lancastria was een Cunard passagiersschip dat op 17 juni 1940 tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog tot zinken werd gebracht, waarbij mogelijk 4000 man omkwamen. Onder de slachtoffers niet alleen Britse soldaten maar ook Belgische en Franse vluchtelingen. Het schip werd tot zinken gebracht tijdens Operatie Ariel, de evacuatie van Britse en Franse troepen uit West-Frankrijk na de Slag om Duinkerken. Na een korte reparatie vertrok het schip uit Liverpool op 14 juni onder kapitein Rudolf Sharpe en arriveerde bij het Loire estuarium op 16 juni. Tegen de middag van 17 juni was er een onbekend aantal burgervluchtelingen en RAF personeel ingescheept. De schattingen lopen uiteen van 4000 tot 9000, terwijl de officiële capaciteit 3000 was. Rond 16:00 werd het schip gebombardeerd door Junkers Ju 88 vliegtuigen van II.Gruppe/Kampfgeschwader 30. Door drie directe treffers maakte het schip eerst slagzij naar stuurboord en daarna naar bakboord, waarna het kapseisde en binnen twintig minuten zonk. Meer dan 1400 ton brandstof kwam in zee terecht en vatte deels vlam, mogelijk door beschietingen. Veel verdronken, stikten in de olie, of werden beschoten door Duitse vliegtuigen. Er waren 2477 overlevenden. Het dodental bedroeg ongeveer een derde van de totale verliezen van de British Expeditionary Force in Frankrijk. Het schip zonk zo'n vijf zeemijl zuid van Chémoulin, zo'n 9 mijl van Saint-Nazaire. Het enorme verlies aan mensenlevens was dusdanig dat de Britse overheid via het D-Notice aan de pers verzocht niets te publiceren over de ramp. Het verhaal werd gebracht door de New York Times en The Scotsman op 26 juli en de Britse pers maakte er een kort bericht over. Vanwege de D-notice spraken overlevenden en bemanningen van schepen die Lancastria te hulp schoten niet over de ramp uit angst voor de krijgsraad te moeten verschijnen. De Britse overheid weigert van de plek een oorlogsgraf te maken door middel van de Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, ondanks dat uit vrijgegeven documenten blijkt dat dit mogelijk is. De Franse overheid heeft het wel verboden gebied gemaakt. Langs de hele kust, van Saint-Nazaire tot La Rochelle, zijn de slachtoffers van deze ramp begraven.

Volgende maand worden de Britse parlementsleden in de gelegenheid gesteld om het verzwijgen van de oorlogsramp met de Lancastria een beetje goed te maken. Ze kunnen namelijk stemmen over de aanmaak van een herinneringsmedaille voor allen die omkwamen aan boord van het evacuatievaartuig. Een en ander werd mogelijk na het overmaken van een petitie in die zin aan het parlement in Londen door de "Lancastria Association of Scotland".

Lancastria loss has been ignored too long

IT was the worst single loss of life inflicted upon British forces in the whole of the Second World War and Britain's worst ever maritime disaster. It eclipsed the combined death tolls of the Titanic and Lusitania disasters but has remained largely forgotten by history.
Successive British Governments from 1940 onwards have consistently failed to officially recognise the ultimate sacrifice paid by more than 4000 people, an estimated 400 of them Scots, when the Clyde-built Lancastria was attacked and sunk off the French coast.
But next month MSPs will have an opportunity to finally put that right by commissioning a commemorative medal for all those who were aboard the vessel that day, following the lodging of a petition to the Parliament instigated by the Lancastria Association of Scotland. The majority who climbed aboard the former cruise liner turned troopship that hot June afternoon in 1940 were soldiers and airmen of the British Expeditionary Force. They were joined by French and Belgian refugees but all were desperate to escape the advancing Germans who, just two weeks earlier, had driven the bulk of the British Army into the sea at Dunkirk, 300 miles to the north. On the morning of the June 17, 1940, the Lancastria's most senior officer, Captain Sharp, was ordered by the Royal Navy to "load as many men as possible without regard to the limits set down under law". It was to prove a fateful decision for the thousands who were already being ferried out from the harbour town of St Nazaire, five miles to where Lancastria lay anchored in the Loire estuary. By late afternoon her decks were overcrowded with troops and a number of exhausted and confused refugees. Lancastria had lifesaving equipment for about 2500 people but by 3pm it was clear the ship was dangerously overloaded. Some survivors, including former crewmen, claim that as many as 9000 souls had boarded before the air raid sirens from the harbour signalled an enemy attack was imminent. Shortly afterwards a German bomber swooped out of the sun and dropped four bombs, three of which hit the ship directly, killing hundreds instantly before the once great liner began to turn over and sink. Soldiers on the upper decks opened fire at the attackers but it soon became apparent Lancastria was doomed. Such was the speed of the sinking that only two of Lancastria's 32 lifeboats could be launched successfully. Hundreds of troops stood on the steel plates of the Lancastria as she began to slide beneath the gentle swell. As the German bombers strafed men in the water and on the turning hull, the men began to sing Roll Out the Barrel in defiance. "If there was a hell on earth," said survivor Henry Harding, "I saw it that day." In the water men helped each other and the many refugees as best they could. All the time the Germans continued to attack, dropping incendiaries into the oily sea and machine gunning the thrashing, struggling throng. Soon a makeshift flotilla of small rescue ships arrived on the scene, many from the small harbour ports which dot the mouth of the estuary. Survivors who were picked up and who were not completely overcome with exhaustion dived back into the sea to save wounded comrades. There were countless acts of bravery that day which have never been formally recognised. Winston Churchill, on learning of the size of the disaster, decided to place a ban on all news coverage of it, fearing the adverse impact on public morale. The effect has been that the story of the Lancastria and the massive sacrifice made that day has been largely forgotten. For the past two years our association has fought to to secure wider official and public acknowledgement for the thousands who were lost aboard the Lancastria, as well as recognising the endurance of survivors, many of whom suffered real psychological trauma in the decades following the disaster. Following their return home they were ordered never to mention it and could not explain their symptoms to family or friends or reconcile the horror of what they had witnessed. Many relatives believe the ultimate price paid by the victims is somehow regarded as less than other victims of the war who are officially recognised and honoured. In 1970 the Dunkirk Municipal Council instigated a commemorative medal for those members of the British Expeditionary Force who had made a last stand in and around their town in May 1940. It recognised that despite, strategically, representing a retreat, the individual soldiers, sailors and airmen had made a valiant and courageous effort to fight back and assist one another while under sustained enemy attack. We believe the same is true of those who were aboard Lancastria which is why we are seeking a commemorative medal, as distinct from a military campaign medal, which can only be issued by the Ministry of Defence. According to the MoD "any competent body" can commission a commemorative medal, but it appears we may have a fight on our hands. Officials at the parliament claim there is no precedent for commissioning such a medal, eight years after the parliament's own corporate body issued a commemorative medal to reluctant MSPs. They also claim, wrongly in our view, that the parliament has no powers under devolution to commission commemorative medals. Officials stress that the final decision rests with MSPs and we, the relatives of victims and survivors, as well as the small band of survivors still alive today, remain optimistic that they will finally bring some closure and official recognition to this forgotten tragedy by striking a commemorative Lancastria medal. The official disregard of this event which has continued for decades may soon be put right. Mark Hirst is secretary of the Lancastria Association of Scotland and grandson of Lancastria survivor Walter Hirst. More information on the disaster can be found at http://www.lancastria.org.uk/

Two Belgian dredging companies sue Egyptian government for deceit

(Daily News Egypt) August 18, 2007 PARIS/CAIRO: In an international tribunal that has been ongoing since May 2004, two Belgian dredging companies are accusing the Suez Canal Authority and the Egyptian government of deliberately withholding and manipulating information.
The two companies, Jan de Nul N.V. and Dredging International N.V., have submitted their plea against the government of Egypt to the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), an arbitration body attached to the World Bank. The tribunal, which has been meeting in Paris, has already gone through one round of deliberations, in which it concluded that the ICSID does, in fact, have jurisdiction over the case. The next stage, in which the tribunal will decide on the merits of the case, is set to commence in late September.
The dispute first arose over 15 years ago when the government-run Suez Canal Authority invited 23 different international dredging companies to look into investing in an expansion project of the Suez Canal. Jan de Nul and Dredging International, two of the world’s largest dredging companies, won the contract on June 30, 1992 and commenced a two-year initiative in which they widened and deepened certain parts of the southern Suez Canal. The companies claim that in this contract the Egyptian government deliberately concealed and distorted important information on the quantities of soil to be dredged and the conditions of the soil. The Suez Canal Authority and the Egyptian government both denied these charges. The project went ahead as planned and was completed during the spring of 1994, although with significantly greater expense to both dredging companies. “The details that were provided to us were totally wrong,” Tison Pierre, Jan de Nul Area Director for Europe and Africa, told Daily News Egypt. “We suffered an extreme amount during the execution of this project and we expect to be duly compensated.” On July 17, 1993 the companies took up their accusations with the Administrative Court of Port Said arguing that the contract should be rendered null and void and requesting that the Suez Canal Authority compensate them for all the expenses incurred during the project. They then filed a second suit in 1995 with the Administrative Court of Ismailia. Both courts ruled in favor of the Suez Canal Authority, with the most recent decision from Ismailia being passed down in May of 2003. The companies immediately responded with an appeal to the ICSID and the case has been under international arbitration ever since.
On June 16, 2006 the ICSID tribunal ruled that it does have jurisdiction over the dispute — despite claims by the Egyptian authorities that international arbiters have no right to decide the case. The Belgian companies had argued that because Egypt broke both domestic and international law — specifically two bilateral treaties between Belgium and Egypt — the dispute was eligible to be considered by an international body. The suit is now about to be sent into the final stage, in which the tribunal will decide whether there is merit to the dredging companies’ case, and mandate an amount to be compensated. Although neither Jan de Nul nor the Suez Canal Authority would speculate about the amount that might be mandated, it is estimated that the cost of the project was approximately $130 million. In addition, Pierre did confirm that Jan de Nul would be asking for “a significant amount —many millions in fact.” Both sides in the dispute expressed confidence that they would win a favorable ruling. Abdu Ruhad, the Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority, told Daily News Egypt that he is “confident that we will win the arbitration. We won in Egypt and we will win again this year in Paris. All of the proceedings in 1991 were conducted legally under international law.” But Pierre had quite the opposite opinion of the trials that had taken place in Egypt. “After 12 years the judgment was not in our favor,” he said. “The local judge said that we didn’t have a case. But it wasn’t a fair ruling and they definitely didn’t take into account all the factors.” “We’ve been pressing this litigation for over 15 years,” he added. “Of course we’re confident that we’ll win.” Both men confirmed that the next round of deliberations would take place at the end of September, with Ruhad saying that the Suez Canal Authority was preparing a team of lawyers that would fly to Paris at the end of next month. The trial is expected to take at least another year before a final decision is made. Pierre said that the experience had seriously disillusioned Jan de Nul from conducting any more business in Egypt. “The Egyptian government deliberately deceived us,” he said. “Egypt is not an easy country to conduct business in.”

The ghost of U-Boat 33: German sub sunk in 1918 threatening to surface in Channel

De Duitse onderzeeër UB-33, die in de Eerste Wereldoorlog vanuit Zeebrugge opereerde en in de Straat van Dover op een mijn liep, dreigt weer boven water te komen in de drukke vaarroute die door Kanaalferries wordt gebruikt.

It was one of the deadliest submarines in the German Navy's fleet out of Zeebrugge during the First World War. The UB-33 stalked the seas - sinking at least 13 craft as it marauded across the English Channel and North Sea in search of Allied vessels. Finally, the hunter met its own end eight miles off Dover in 1918. But now, 89 years on, the ghost of the submarine is threatening to rise from the depths - to pose a new danger to cargo ships, tankers and ferries in the Channel, the world's busiest shipping lane. Lying in shallow waters, the wreck of the UB-33 has been disturbed by passing vessels, leading to fears that it could break free from the seabed and rise to the surface. So a salvage operation has been launched to prevent it hitting any of the hundreds of ships that cross the Channel each day. The saga began when UB (Unterseeboot) 33 was sunk with all 28 crew on April 11, 1918, after hitting a mine around the Varne Bank sandbank in the Dover Strait. It was armed with six torpedoes, two already loaded in its forward tubes. The area is directly beneath the shipping lane now used by ferries travelling to Calais and Boulogne and much of the movement of the wreck has been caused by the turbulence of vessels travelling above it. Currently, the UB-33 is lying 77ft down, but the official minimum clearance depth is 87ft. Trinity House - the institution which marks shipping lanes and maintains lighthouses - has temporarily stationed a vessel over the spot to warn ships. It was orginally thought the wreck could simply be blown up. However, that cannot be done because of the vessel's status as a registered war grave. Another option would be to mark its position with a large buoy. But the Varne Bank area is so busy that one shipping source said this would be like "putting a speed hump in the fast lane of the M4". A Trinity House spokesman said there are now alternative plans to gently move the UB-33 to deeper water. "It has been there a long time, but now the wreck has started to move and it is causing concern as it has once again become a danger to shipping," explained Vikki Gilson. "We have had divers surveying the wreck and one solution would be to re-set the wreck in a deeper position. It has been a hazardous job for the divers, but their survey is now complete. In the next few weeks, when conditions are right, we are hopeful we can move the boat." Trinity House says it is not officially confirming the identity of the U-boat out of respect for the families of the dead crew. "It is a sensitive situation because it is a war grave and we would not like to get anything wrong." The 324-ton UB-33, officially designated a coastal torpedo attack boat, sank three years after being launched. It was capable of doing 45 miles at 5 knots (5.8mph) submerged and involved in a total of 17 patrols. During that time, it destroyed 13 ships, damaged two others and took three as prizes. The submarine, commanded by First Lieutenant Fritz Gregor, slipped its moorings for the last time when it sailed out of the Belgian port of Zeebrugge - then in the hands of the Germans - on the night of April 10, 1918. It hit the mine the following day. It was one of more than 1,000 such boats which sank hundreds of thousands of tons of Allied shipping during the First World War. But 182 U-boats were sunk between 1914 and 1918 - and today the wrecks of some 133 lie around the coast of Britain. During the Second World War, a further 666 U-Boats were sunk and many of them are still legally protected as war graves.

Problems for Russian Pipeline Projects

Gazprom’s corporate report for the second quarter of 2007, released on August 14, officially puts the cost of building the Russo-German gas pipeline on the Baltic seabed, known as Nord Stream, at €6 billion (Interfax, August 14). This means a 50% increase over the €4 billion figure, on which the project was politically sold in Germany in October 2005. Gazprom then unofficially raised the cost estimate to €5 billion in 2006, but it was widely believed even then that the real figure could be far higher.Underestimating the figure seems politically expedient in Germany for the project’s initiators. The high costs and predictable overruns would probably have to be covered from government loan guarantees, as arranged at the outset by then-Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder -- that is, ultimately at taxpayer expense.According to Nord Stream’s media office, tenders for steel pipes and for one or more pipe-laying ships are to be announced before the end of 2007 (Interfax, August 14), This could delay the start of construction by one year at a minimum. The tender’s bid-submission deadline for steel pipes had already been postponed from January to May. Moreover, the pipeline’s proposed route has become a subject of intense controversy that planners had apparently not anticipated. After Finland asked the Nord Stream company to shift the route farther away from the Finnish coast (a move that may give Estonia a say or even more than a simple say), Poland has demanded that the route around the island of Bornholm be shifted to the north -- that is, closer to the Danish coast than to the Polish one. Moreover, Sweden has asked the Nord Stream company to give up the idea of building a compressor station near the Swedish island of Gotland. The company is duly considering the Finnish and Polish requests; awaiting Estonia’s response by October; and in deference to Sweden has decided to build a single, if gigantic, compressor station, on Russian land at the point of origin of the pipeline. All of this will necessitate new planning, delays, and additional costs. Littoral countries along the route must now consider the implications of new Russian legislation that authorizes Gazprom, Transneft, and other state monopolies to create quasi-military units. Such units would be tasked to protect these companies’ assets and infrastructure. The two chambers of Russia’s parliament adopted this legislation in July and President Vladimir Putin signed it on August 1 (Interfax, August 1, 2). This development adds to earlier hints that the Russian Navy might seek to “assist” in protecting the pipeline or use its submarines for seabed exploration and construction. Littoral countries might ask as a minimal precaution that the pipeline be routed through waters shallow enough to preclude intrusion by submarines. Moscow’s heavy-handed approach raises security concerns that can stand in the way of the project. Meanwhile, Gazprom’s two German partner companies in this project are coming under Russian pressure. E.ON Ruhrgas and BASF subsidiary Wintershall each have a 24.5% stake minus one share in the Nord Stream pipeline project, to Gazprom’s 51%. The same percentages apply to the Siberian gas-extraction project at Yuzhno-Russkoye, a source of the gas to be pumped through the Nord Stream pipeline.Wintershall had to buy its entry to Yuzhno-Russkoye by consenting to share lucrative gas distribution networks in Germany with Gazprom, through a joint company (Wingas). At present, Wintershall is in discussions with Gazprom on sharing the German company’s stakes in extractive projects in the North Sea and Libya. Moreover, Wingas has already contracted for 9 billion cubic meters of gas from the future output of Yuzhno-Russkoye, despite the uncertainties involved the extractive and transport project (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, August 2). In common with some other Western companies, Wintershall seems to feel hostage to its Russian investments and partnerships.For its part, Ruhrgas risks sliding from a potential hostage situation into a Trojan horse role for Gazprom in several countries. The entry of Ruhrgas to Yuzhno-Russkoye, under negotiation since 2005, has not been finalized. Gazprom demands (along the lines of the Wintershall model) shared ownership in Ruhrgas’ vast, highly lucrative gas and electricity distribution networks in Germany. Ruhrgas, however, is offering to swap some of its assets in third countries, notably gas distribution networks in Hungary, with Gazprom for “access” to the Yuzhno-Russkoye project. Meanwhile, Gazprom wants to take over some Ruhrgas stakes in electrical power firms in Britain, as part of such a swap. According to some Ruhrgas managers speaking on background, “They [Gazprom] want more and are getting more.” (Vedomosti, August 9; Dow Jones, August 10, citing Boersen Zeitung August 10; Finansovye Izvestiya, August 14).Entering the British energy market and industry is a priority for Gazprom. The British gas market is one of the Nord Stream project’s targets. In this regard, Gazprom may face a setback along the possible route in Belgium. On August 13, Belgium’s energy competition authority, CREG (Regulatory Commission on Electricity and Gas), turned down key elements of Gazprom’s project to build an underground gas storage site in that country.Gazprom had recently proposed to extend the Baltic seabed pipeline into the North Sea and use Belgium as a “regional hub” for gas transmission to nearby countries, including Britain, across the Channel. To that end it has joined with the Belgian gas distribution company Fluxys to build the storage site at Poederlee and envisages laying a seabed pipeline from Belgium’s Zeebrugge to the English coast for Gazprom. However, on August 13 CREG ruled against the proposed 25-year duration of the storage deal and also against exclusive use of the site by Gazprom for any duration. The Commission found that such features contravene existing anti-monopoly legislation (RBK, RIA-Novosti, August 13, 14). Thus, question marks are multiplying over many portions of the Nord Stream project -- from the Siberian upstream source to the pipeline on the Baltic seabed to the implications for Germany to the proposed extension in the North Sea (see EDM, January 31, March 6, April 23, May 22).

Dagenlang weggestopt in Belgische vrachtauto

Drie Indiërs zaten dagen lang zonder eten of drinken weggestopt in een Belgische vrachtwagen. Dat hebben de Indische autoriteiten vandaag in New Delhi bekend gegeven. In de vrachtauto, die geladen was met hout, waren de drie asielzoekers vanuit ons land met succes aan boord van een Kanaalferry geraakt en passeerden ongemerkt de immigratiecontroles in Dover. Ze werden echter ontdekt toen de Belgische chauffeur bij een een bedrijf in de buurt van Bristol de deur van z'n vrachtwagen opendeed om het lossen van de lading mogelijk te maken. De Indiërs hadden zich achterin de vrachtwagen verstopt. Het eerste wat ze vroegen was "in welk land zijn we". Vervolgens bleek dat ze bij snikhete temperaturen vier dagen lang niets gegeten of gedronken hadden. Na een maaltijd werden ze echter overgedragen aan de Britse immigratiedienst in Weston-super-Mare. Uit de mededeling blijkt niet of de vrachtwagen in Oostende of in Calais was ingescheept naar Dover.

Three Indians Arrested For Illegally Entering Britain Sunday 12th of August 2007

Three Indian nationals who went without food and water for four days as they entered Britain in a delivery lorry from Belgium have been arrested and handed over to immigration services. Staff at a timber yard near the Bristol international airport were shocked when they found the three people hiding in the back of the lorry. They spoke poor English but managed to convey that that they had been in the lorry for four days without food or drink. They said they did not know they were in England. The managing director of the timber yard, Richard Goldstone, told the local media: 'The lorry had come over from Belgium on the ferry with a load of timber. When the driver, who was also Belgian, opened the lorry with one of our forklift drivers there were three men inside. 'They said they were from India and their first question was 'What country are we in?' 'They also said they had been in the lorry for four days, so the first thing we did was give them some food and water. The driver had not known about it - he was absolutely dumfounded. 'We all felt incredibly sorry for them because they had spent four days in the heat without knowing where they were going. We rang the police, who turned up incredibly quickly, and they alerted immigration at Bristol Airport. The men made no attempt to run away.' Kevin Dowling, an assistant at the timber yard who discovered the three, said: 'It was the first time this has ever happened so everyone was quite surprised.' Police spokesman Wayne Baker said: 'We had reports that a delivery from Eastern Europe was being made to a company in Brockley Coombe Road. Three men believed to be illegal immigrants were arrested and taken to Weston-super-Mare police station and will be handed over to the immigration services.'

Knokke im Sommer: Die 32te Art Nocturne

Aus Kunstmarkt.com - Germany

Sie war lange Zeit die einzige Kunst- und Antiquitätenmesse Europas, die im Sommer stattfindet, die Art Nocturne Knocke. Der Termin, immer im August, ist von den Veranstaltern klug gewählt. Knokke, an der belgischen Küste, unweit von Oostende, gilt als Belgiens mondänster Badeort. Hier macht nicht nur der betuchte Belgier Urlaub, hier findet man eine internationale Sprachenvielfalt und nirgendwo in Belgien so viele Nobelkarossen deutscher Herkunft. Selbst am Sonntag haben die zahlreichen Galerien, vor allem für zeitgenössische Kunst, geöffnet. Die meisten liegen entlang der Strandpromenade, wo die Flaneure nach anregenden Galeriebesuchen sich nicht scheuen, in den zahlreichen Restaurants mit Meeresblick für übersichtliche Tellergerichte horrende Preise zu bezahlen.Der Tag ist zum Flanieren gedacht. Von 16 bis 22 Uhr ist man eingeladen, im Kulturzentrum Scharpoord die Art Nocturne mit ihrem breiten, aber übersichtlichen Angebot an Antiquitäten, Schmuck, Asiatika und zeitgenössischer Kunst zu besuchen. 1976 debütierte die Messe im „Hôtel la Réserve“ auf Initiative der Vereinigung flämischer Antiquitätenhändler. Schnell entwuchs sie dem Hotel und zog ins Kulturzentrum um. 32 Jahre erfolgreich durch ein Marketingbüro organisiert, hat sie sich im belgischen Sommer unentbehrlich gemacht. Zusätzlich zum Messeprogramm werden Ausstellungen konzipiert und in den Kunstbetrieb integriert oder in den Außenbereich gesetzt, um auf die Messe aufmerksam zu machen. In diesem Jahr sind sowohl die Schau in der Messe als auch der Skulpturenpark entlang des Strandes dem Künstler René Julien vorbehalten. René Julien, Jahrgang 1937, Absolvent der Kunstakademie von Lüttich, widmet seine Skulpturen vorwiegend den Frauen und Kindern, die heiter das Leben genießen oder sich versonnen am Strand räkeln – Bronzen von unendlicher Sorglosigkeit.Hatte man in früheren Jahren die Mischung aus zeitgenössischer Kunst, alten Meistern, kostbarem Mobiliar und edlem Schmuck bevorzugt, bleiben seit einigen Jahren die antiken Stücke im Erdgeschoss. Die Moderne präsentiert sich nun im Obergeschoss. Das Konzept hat sich bewährt. So kann jeder nach seinem Gusto wandeln. Mehr als 50 Stände laden dazu ein. Libertas aus Brügge bietet Genremalerei des 19ten Jahrhunderts. Strandleben, Schiffe und Windmühlen in typischer Landschaft. Liebliches für die Wohnung am Meer. Die Galerie Chronos, ebenfalls im nahen Brügge beheimatet, bietet die Möbel dazu, meist aus der Zeit Louis XV, die passende Pendule aus der gleichen Epoche gibt’s auch. Zum ersten Mal nimmt Peter Hardt aus Radevormwald an der Art Nocturne teil. Er konnte schon am Eröffnungstag gute Verkäufe vermelden und freut sich über das starke Interesse an seinen tibetanischen Besonderheiten. Ein seltener Sattel, verziert mit geschnittenen Eisenumrandungen, ist ein Museumsstück. Er stammt aus dem 18ten Jahrhundert und soll 49.000 Euro erbringen. Ein ebenfalls seltenes Reliquienbehältnis mit reichhaltigen Inschriften aus dem 13ten oder 14ten Jahrhundert kostet 125.000 Euro. Zum gleichen Preis erhält man bei ihm einen ganz aus Sandstein gearbeiteten Buddha von nicht unerheblicher Größe.Aus Madrid ist Eufemio Diez Monsalve angereist. Die Galerie präsentiert ein grandioses Triptychon des flämischen Renaissancemalers italienischer Herkunft Ambrosius Benson, das die Auferweckung des Lazarus darstellt, für 340.000 Euro. Bensons meist christlichen Darstellungen befinden sich in bedeutenden Museen dieser Welt. Selten taucht im Handel ein so herausragendes Stück auf. Meißner Porzellanfiguren gibt es bei Bob Shimanovich aus Berlin schon ab 1.200 Euro. 20.000 Euro muss man allerdings berappen, wenn sie einem Künstler der Meißner Manufaktur zugeordnet werden können. Chryselephantine-Skulpturen des Art Déco, wie zum Beispiel aus der Werkstatt des Odenwälders Ferdinand Preiss, sind auf dieser Messe überaus begehrt und unter 24.000 Euro nicht zu haben.Auf die Suche nach den belgischen Malergrößen wie Rick Wouters, James Ensor, Felicien Rops oder Léon Spilliaert, die in den vergangenen Jahren reichlich auf der Messe vertreten waren, begibt man in diesem Jahr beinahe vergeblich. Im Kunsthandel von Peter Pappot aus Amsterdam findet man einen Ensor von 1916 für 275.000 Euro, eine Arbeit von Paul Delvaux von 1964 für 225.000 Euro oder die „Reiter auf der Pferderennbahn“ von Raoul Dufy für 295.000 Euro. Dazu bietet die NF Art Gallery aus Berchem etwa Théo van Rysselberghes in Pastell gemaltes Portrait „Renée Druet au violon“ von 1910 an.Im Bereich der Moderne dominiert bei Nico Koster - Galerie Moderne und Elisabeth den Bieman de Haas, beide aus Amsterdam, eine Sonderschau, die Corneille zu seinem 85ten Geburtstag gewidmet ist. Hierzu gibt es ein 160 Seiten dickes Buch mit Farbfotos und Briefen von dem Vertreter der Künstlergruppe Cobra, während der Messe noch zum Subskriptionspreis von 99 Euro inklusive Versandkosten für Europa. Seine farbenfrohen Werke ziehen das Publikum magnetisch an. Ansonsten bietet dieser Bereich wenig Erbauliches, sieht man von Belgiens Superstar Panamarenko ab, dessen skurrile flug(untaugliche) Objekte bei der Galerie Jamar aus Antwerpen das Publikum begeistern.

Die Art Nocturne Knocke hat bis zum 15. August täglich von 16 bis 22 Uhr geöffnet. Der Eintritt beträgt 10 Euro, Kinder bis 12 Jahren frei. Der Katalog kostet 10 Euro, zusammen mit dem Eintritt 17 Euro.

Kulturzentrum ScharpoordMeerlaan 32Knokke-Heist
http://www.artnocturneknocke.be/

Nicolas Lombaerts: «В Питере все так дорого!»

"Alles is zo duur in Petertje!" (St.Petersburg) verklaarde Knokke-Heistenaar Nicolas Lombaerts dinsdag aan de Russische pers. De nieuwe Zenit verdediger zei dat hij zeer geschrokken was van de prijzen voor appartementen in de "noordelijke hoofdstad". "Zelfs in Knokke-Heist kan men goedkopere appartementen vinden. Trouwens in het algemeen is het leven duurder in Rusland. Ik ben natuurlijk gewoon om Europese producten te kopen. In de Russische supermarkten kosten die een hoop geld. Zelfs een taxirit kost handen vol geld. Als ik taxi neem van de Neva (de rivier die in Petersburg uitmondt) naar het stadion dan vraagt de chauffeur minstens 300 roebel (8,6 €). Een enkele keer heb ik zelfs duizend roebel (29 €)moeten betalen!" Lombaerts zei wel onder de indruk te zijn van de ondergrondse. "Met de roltrap gaat het wel héél erg diep onder de grond". Op vraag van de journalisten zei de uitgevlagde Knokke-Heistenaar dat hij wel denkt opgewassen te zijn tegen de koude Russische winters. Hij hoopt echter dat in het dieptse van de winter oefenkampen in Spanje of Turkije zullen georganiseerd worden. In het team heeft hij verder ook reeds goede vriendschap gesloten met de Nederlander Riksenom en de Slovaak Shkrtelom. Tenslot gaf Lombaerts nog toe aan «Советский спорт» dat z'n ouders hun bedenkingen hadden bij z'n verhuis naar Rusland.

Николас Ломбертс: «В Питере все так дорого!»
Защитник «Зенита» Николас Ломбертс рассказал о ценах на квартиру в Санкт-Петербурге, а также о русских зимах и друзьях в составе его нового клуба.
О недвижимости и ценах в «северной столице»: «В моей Бельгии квартиры гораздо дешевле. Меня вообще удивили ваши цены! Я привык покупать европейские продукты, а здесь в супермаркетах они стоят кучу денег. Даже такси дорого! К примеру, когда я ловлю машину на Невском и хочу доехать до Петроградки, с меня просят 300 рублей. А пару раз мне пришлось отдать целую тысячу!».
О впечатлениях от поездки в метро: «Понравилось! Единственное, она у вас очень глубокая. Очень долго спускался по эскалатору».
О русской зиме: «я люблю мороз, а также зимние виды спорта. Пару раз бывал в Альпах на каникулах. Думаю, российские холода я не застану, так как команда наверняка уедет на сборы в жаркие страны: Испанию, Турцию».
О друзьях в составе «Зенита»: «Успел подружиться с голландцем Риксеном и словаком Шкртелом. С Мартином играем в центре защиты, поэтому мы с ним, как боевые товарищи».
Ломбертс также заявил, что его родители положительно отнеслись к решению переехать в Россию, сообщает «Советский спорт».