Διελκυστίνδα στην ΠΓΔΜ

Διαδηλωτής υψώνει πανό που αναγράφει την λέξη «παραιτήσου» σε διαδήλωση κατά της κυβέρνησης στα Σκόπια, στις 17 Μαΐου του 2015. MARKO DJURICA / REUTERS

Η ΠΓΔΜ (πρώην Γιουγκοσλαβική Δημοκρατία της Μακεδονίας) έχει εμπλακεί σε μια βαθιά πολιτική κρίση. Από τον Φεβρουάριο του τρέχοντος έτους, πάνω από 500 καταγραμμένες ηχογραφήσεις φερόμενων ως συνομιλιών διαφόρων αξιωματούχων, συμπεριλαμβανομένου του σημερινού πρωθυπουργού, Νικόλα Γκρούεφσκι, και μερικών από τα μέλη του υπουργικού συμβουλίου του, έχουν κυκλοφορήσει σε 36 συνέχειες από τον Ζόραν Ζάεφ, ηγέτη του κύριου κόμματος της αντιπολίτευσης, ο οποίος ισχυρίζεται ότι καταγράφηκαν από κάποιον πληροφοριοδότη από το εσωτερικό της μυστικής αστυνομίας της ΠΓΔΜ. Οι ηχογραφήσεις του περιλαμβάνουν περισσότερες από μισό εκατομμύριο συνομιλίες [1] οι οποίες έλαβαν χώρα μεταξύ 2007 και 2013. Αν αποδειχθεί ότι είναι αυθεντικές, αυτές οι «βόμβες» πληροφοριών, όπως τις αποκαλεί ο Ζάεφ, απεικονίζουν μια συγκλονιστική κατάχρηση εξουσίας από το κυβερνών κόμμα στην ΠΓΔΜ.

Did Germany Send RPGs to Saudi Arabia in Order to Win the World Cup?

The genius behind much of the corruption that has enabled the criminal racket known as FIFA to become so extraordinarily powerful in global sports lies in the often obscure nature of the bribes paid to its executives. Favors are traded, deals are made, but rarely are they sufficiently explicit to be labeled as outright corruption. Now, a new report in the German press adds a potentially sordid new dimension to that horse-trading: Germany allegedly provided RPGs to Saudi Arabia in order to secure its support for the country’s 2006 World Cup bid.

Power generation alone won’t deliver energy to Africa’s poor

 At the United Nations last week, the Secretary-General convened governments and civil society organisations to identify how to achieve Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) by 2030. SE4ALL head Kandeh Yumkella rallied participants around the slogan ‘turning commitments into kilowatt hours for real people.’

The slogan was as stirring as the need is great. Energy poverty – lack of household access to a base level of electricity and quality of cooking – remains remarkably widespread. In sub-Saharan Africa alone 620 million people, or over two-thirds of the population, lack access to electricity; 730 million people, or 80% of the population, lack access to modern cooking services.

Five ways to win a referendum, and five potential pitfalls

David Cameron's new Conservative government is committed to a referendum on EU membership in 2016 or 2017. Many commentators assume that he will negotiate a package of EU reforms, cajole much of his party to back the result, and then cruise to victory in the referendum. And so he might. But there’s many a slip twixt cup and lip. How can Cameron maximise his chances of winning? And what are the chief obstacles that lie in his path?



 Here are five pieces of advice for Cameron. First, he should not over-bid. Many Conservatives will urge him to ask for the moon. But if he tries to make fundamental changes to the EU, he will fail. Britain’s partners have no appetite for a new treaty, which would need ratification in 28 member-states, in some of them by referendum. Most capitals, including Berlin, fear that the lengthy process of changing the treaties would be like opening Pandora's box. There is no chance of a new treaty being ratified before the end of 2017. The best that Cameron can hope for is an agreement on minor treaty changes, to be ratified at some point in the future.