AXIS Accident & Health Names Richard Phillips as Senior Vice President, Chief Underwriting Officer,

June 6, 2013, 1:33 pm

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Filed under: Investing

*AXIS Accident & Health Names Richard Phillips as Senior Vice President, Chief Underwriting Officer, North American Reinsurance*

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AXIS Accident & Health, a division of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYS: AXS) , today announced the appointment of Richard Phillips as Senior Vice President, Chief Underwriting Officer of its North American Reinsurance Division. Reporting to Dan Bolgar, CEO - Reinsurance, AXIS Accident & Health, Mr. Phillips will be based in Princeton, NJ.

With nearly 29 years of industry experience, Mr. Phillips was most recently President of Munich Health North America Inc.'s Reinsurance Division, where he was responsible for the management of Munich Health's US health reinsurance business. At AXIS Accident & Health, the reinsurance underwriting staff will report to Mr. Phillips, who will also work closely with the business's actuarial team.




"As a well-known and widely respected professional within the accident and health reinsurance industry, Rich has a proven ability to oversee the profitable growth of a significant portfolio," said Mr. Bolgar. "He will lead our efforts to continue developing innovative approaches in the highly dynamic US health reinsurance sector."

Mr. Phillips received his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Additionally, he is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA) and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA).

AXIS Accident & Health offers accident and health insurance and reinsurance coverage for employers, affinity groups, schools, financial institutions and other customers through managing general underwriters, brokers, third party administrators, and other key distributors. With significant capacity for underwriting global reinsurance risks for accident and health insurance carriers, AXIS Accident & Health has offices in Princeton, New Jersey; Chicago, Illinois; St. Paul, Minnesota; London, England; Barcelona, Spain; Madrid, Spain; Paris, France; Dublin, Ireland; Zurich, Switzerland, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.AXISaccidenthealth.com.

AXIS Capital is a Bermuda-based global provider of specialty lines insurance and treaty reinsurance with shareholders' equity at March 31, 2013 of $5.9 billion and locations in Bermuda, the United States, Europe, Singapore, Canada, Australia and Latin America. Its operating subsidiaries have been assigned a rating of "A+" ("Strong") by Standard & Poor's and "A" ("Excellent") with a positive outlook by A.M. Best.





*Investor*
AXIS Capital Holdings Limited
Linda Ventresca, 441-405-2727
Investorrelations@AXIScapital.com
or
*Media*
AXIS Accident & Health
Michael Updyke, 609-375-9132
Michael.Updyke@AXIScapital.com


*KEYWORDS:*   United Kingdom  United States  Europe  North America  New Jersey

*INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:*

The article AXIS Accident & Health Names Richard Phillips as Senior Vice President, Chief Underwriting Officer, North American Reinsurance Reported by DailyFinance 47 minutes ago.

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24/7 Business Journal: Solar Energy Battle, Europe Recession Data

June 5, 2013, 4:01 am

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*Less Bad European GDP*

The recession in Europe got "less bad" in the first quarter of this year, if that is any comfort to the millions of people who are out of work and tens of thousands of businesses that are struggling to remain open. If the contraction continues, no matter what the rate, it is a sign that any real recovery is quarters away, if not years. Eurostat says of gross domestic product in Europe:



GDP fell by 0.2% in the euro area1 (EA17) and by 0.1% in the EU27 during the first quarter of 2013, compared with the previous quarter, according to second estimates published by Eurostat

In the fourth quarter of 2012, growth rates were -0.6% and -0.5% respectively. Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, GDP fell by 1.1% in the euro area and by 0.7% in the EU27 in the first quarter of 2013, after -1.0% and -0.7% respectively in the previous quarter.



Not surprisingly, the worst of the damage among the region's largest economies was in France (down 0.2%), Italy (down 0.5%) and Spain (down 5.0%).

*Less Bad European PMI*

Europe got another piece of "less bad" news. The area's Purchasing Manager's Index decline was a little better than in previous months, but only a little. However, Spain's level was the best in 23 months. Add that to slightly better jobs figures and there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Otherwise, according to Markit:



· Final Eurozone Composite Output Index: 47.7 (Flash 47.7, April 46.9)
· Final Eurozone Services Business Activity Index: 47.2 (Flash 47.5, April 47.0)
· Germany ekes out marginal growth, while downturns ease in Spain and France

The downturn in the eurozone economy eased for the second month running in May. Rates of decline eased for both manufacturing production and service sector business activity, reaching 15- and three-month lows respectively.

At 47.7, the final Markit Eurozone PMI Composite Output Index was in line with its earlier flash estimate and above April's 46.9.

Germany edged out of contraction territory in May, as an improvement in its manufacturing sector offset a slight decrease in service sector business activity. Although the downturns in France, Spain. and Italy all remained marked, rates of contraction eased to a five-month low in France, 23-month low in Spain and stabilised in Italy.



*Chinese Solar Panel Dispute*

Let the trade wars begin between Europe and China - in this case over solar panel dumping. Bloomberg reports on the dispute:



The European Union imposed tariffs as high as 67.9 percent on solar panels from China in the largest EU commercial dispute of its kind, seeking to help revive a withering industry in Europe.

The duties punish Chinese manufacturers of solar panels for allegedly selling them in the 27-nation EU below cost, a practice known as dumping. Yingli Green Energy Holding Co., Wuxi Suntech Power Co. and Changzhou Trina Solar Energy Co. are among the more than 100 companies targeted.

EU producers such as Solarworld AG , Germany's No. 1 maker of the renewable-energy technology, have suffered "material injury" as a result of dumped imports from China, the European Commission, the bloc's trade authority in Brussels, said today in the Official Journal. The commission said 25,000 jobs in EU solar production would likely be lost without the import taxes.

The EU's action "is an emergency measure to give life-saving oxygen to a business sector in Europe that is suffering badly from this dumping," European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht told reporters. The levies, due to take effect tomorrow at an initial lower rate of 11.8 percent, will be for six months and may be prolonged for five years.




Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Market Open

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Reported by DailyFinance 3 days ago.

European PMI in May Sees Small Improvement

June 5, 2013, 4:13 am

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Europe got another piece of "less bad" news. The area's Purchasing Manager's Index decline was a little better than in previous months, but only a little. However, Spain's level was the best in 23 months. Add that to slightly better jobs figures and there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

Otherwise, according to Markit:



· Final Eurozone Composite Output Index: 47.7 (Flash 47.7, April 46.9)
· Final Eurozone Services Business Activity Index: 47.2 (Flash 47.5, April 47.0)
· Germany ekes out marginal growth, while downturns ease in Spain and France

The downturn in the eurozone economy eased for the second month running in May. Rates of decline eased for both manufacturing production and service sector business activity, reaching 15- and three-month lows respectively.

At 47.7, the final Markit Eurozone PMI Composite Output Index was in line with its earlier flash estimate and above April's 46.9.

Germany edged out of contraction territory in May, as an improvement in its manufacturing sector offset a slight decrease in service sector business activity. Although the downturns in France, Spain. and Italy all remained marked, rates of contraction eased to a five-month low in France, 23-month low in Spain and stabilised in Italy.




Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Economy, International Markets

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Reported by DailyFinance 3 days ago.

The United Bases Of America And The Paradox Of Imperialism

June 6, 2013, 7:53 pm

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The United States is estimated to have anything from 700 military bases around the world to more than 1000. Hans-Hermann Hoppe asks *"how can democracy be a stable equilibrium if it is possible that it be transformed democratically into a dictatorship, i.e., a system which is considered not stable?" *Concluding it may be better to heed the advice of Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn and, instead of aiming to make the world safe for democracy, we try making it safe from democracy - everywhere, but most importantly in the United States.

 

 

Excerpted from Hans-Hermann Hoppe via the Ludwig von Mises Institute,

*The Paradox Of Imperialism*

"Democracy has nothing to do with freedom. Democracy is a soft variant of communism, and rarely in the history of ideas has it been taken for anything else."

 

...

On theoretical grounds: *How can democracy be a stable equilibrium if it is possible that it be transformed democratically into a dictatorship, i.e., a system which is considered not stable?* Answer: that makes no sense!

Moreover, *empirically democracies are anything but stable. *As indicated, in multi-cultural societies democracy regularly leads to the discrimination, oppression, or even expulsion and extermination of minorities — hardly a peaceful equilibrium. And in ethnically homogeneous societies, democracy regularly leads to class warfare, which leads to economic crisis, which leads to dictatorship. Think, for example, of post-Czarist Russia, post-World War I Italy, Weimar Germany, Spain, Portugal, and in more recent times Greece, Turkey, Guatemala, Argentina, Chile, and Pakistan.

Not only is this close correlation between democracy and dictatorship troublesome for democratic-peace theorists; worse, they must come to grips with the fact that the *dictatorships emerging from crises of democracy are by no means always worse*, from a classical liberal or libertarian view, than what would have resulted otherwise. Cases can be easily cited where dictatorships were preferable and an improvement. Think of Italy and Mussolini or Spain and Franco. In addition, how is one to square the starry-eyed advocacy of democracy with the fact that dictators, quite unlike kings who owe their rank to an accident of birth, are often favorites of the masses and in this sense highly democratic? Just think of Lenin or Stalin, who were certainly more democratic than Czar Nicholas II; or think of Hitler, who was definitely more democratic and a "man of the people" than Kaiser Wilhelm II or Kaiser Franz Joseph.

According to democratic-peace theorists, then, *it would seem that we are supposed to war against foreign dictators, whether kings or demagogues, in order to install democracies, which then turn into (modern) dictatorships, until finally, one supposes, the United States itself has turned into a dictatorship*, owing to the growth of internal state power which results from the endless "emergencies" engendered by foreign wars.

Better, I dare say, to heed the advice of Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn and, instead of aiming to make the world safe for democracy, we try making it safe from democracy — everywhere, but most importantly in the United States. Reported by Zero Hedge 22 hours ago.

CREDIT SUISSE: Here Are 3 Reasons To Be Optimistic About Europe

June 6, 2013, 10:22 pm

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By most economic measures, Europe is still ailing. The euro zone remains in its longest recession since the introduction of the single currency in 1999, and many EU member nations continue to struggle under the weight of the ongoing sovereign debt crisis.

But in an interview with The Financialist, Credit Suisse Chief Economist Neal Soss offers reasons to be optimistic about the continent, including Spain, which suffered a severe economic downturn.

In fact, Soss thinks a number of the EU’s peripheral countries could see economic growth resume later this year or next. Among the factors that could help usher in a long-awaited European resurgence: a continuing shift away from fiscal austerity, the European Central Bank’s demonstrated commitment to supporting the euro, and favorable import/export balances in peripheral countries such as Spain.

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  Reported by Business Insider 19 hours ago.

CREDIT SUISSE: Here Are 3 Reasons Why Everyone Can Be Optimistic About Europe

June 6, 2013, 9:37 pm

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By most economic measures, Europe is still ailing. The euro zone remains in its longest recession since the introduction of the single currency in 1999, and many EU member nations continue to struggle under the weight of the ongoing sovereign debt crisis.

But in an interview with The Financialist, Credit Suisse Chief Economist Neal Soss offers reasons to be optimistic about the continent, including Spain, which suffered a severe economic downturn.

In fact, Soss thinks a number of the EU’s peripheral countries could see economic growth resume later this year or next. Among the factors that could help usher in a long-awaited European resurgence: a continuing shift away from fiscal austerity, the European Central Bank’s demonstrated commitment to supporting the euro, and favorable import/export balances in peripheral countries such as Spain.

Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

 
 
 
  Reported by Business Insider 20 hours ago.

Viva Espana! Brits boost the Spanish property market

June 7, 2013, 12:04 am

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Select Resorts, in association with Savills International, highlight findings that the Spanish property market is once again looking increasingly attractive to foreign investors. The county’s ease of access, temperate climate and accessible price points are attracting booming numbers of Britons back, and after a long-standing recession Spain is enjoying a revival once again.

Poole, Dorset (PRWEB UK) 7 June 2013

Spain was one of the worst hit in the global economic recession for overseas property investment, but is now starting to see a renaissance of its vacation home construction industry and demand for holiday property. New figures released in the Bank of Spain and the Real Estate Registry’s annual report state that non-Spanish national investments in the country were up 17% in 2012 – their highest levels since 2004. Britons accounted for more than 16% of the share of the foreign market last year – which is around 1.35% of the total Spanish property market.

In an article titled “Return of the Cranes” published by OPP (Overseas Property Professional, May 2013) John Howell reports that new cranes have arrived at various site locations across Spain, and others that have been standing idle for years are now back in use – indicating that construction is commencing once again. Speaking to Des Rowson from DLR Properties he reports that “buyers are back, particularly at the lower end of the market. Prices are creeping up. We are finding it difficult to find good inventory at the right price.” These early indicators imply that there is increasing demand for investment in the country – which is driving developers to start and indeed re-start once forgotten projects.

Split by region, it is mainly the coastline areas such as Costa Blanca and the Costa del Sol that are seeing a resurgence in overseas investment as Brits migrate to Spain for holiday and retirement homes in the sunshine.

Overseas property investment in Spain is only expected to increase, as in July new rules will come into effect that state non-EU nationals that spend more than €500,000 will get the automatic right to residency in the country in a bid to boost investment.

Pauline Bonnani has noticed the change: “We’ve always loved Spain as an investment country – it’s a fantastic location for Brits looking for a bolt-hole in the sun, but we’ve definitely seen an increasing number of enquiries for our investment opportunities on the Costa Del Sol.

“It’s interesting to see that big players such as Taylor Wimpey are returning to the market – which indicates a cautious confidence in the country and its future. Only time will tell if these early indicators show a genuine confidence in the market – but we’re hopeful it’s a sign of things to come.”

Select Resorts are currently offering for sale a number of large 2 & 3 bedroom apartments on the new La Floresta Sur La Mairena development on the Costa Del Sol. Launched in April 2013 the company have seen an impressive number of enquiries from foreign investors looking to purchase in high-quality and well-managed developments. Facilities include use of the El Soto Golf Club and prices start from €178,000.

To register interest in finding out more about this development please click here.

Notes to Editors:

About Select Resorts

Anyone looking to invest funds into property or land abroad should contact Select Resorts. A well-established company with over 30 years’ experience in the industry, the dedicated and passionate team offer the service one would expect from a company giving expert advice on a vast range of international property areas to assist in reaching more profound decisions on purchasing overseas property and land. Reported by PRWeb 17 hours ago.

Exceptional Cooperation between Franco Dragone and the Spanish National Ballet

June 7, 2013, 1:39 am

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2013 is very much a year of change for the FDEG group. Following the renewal of the group’s management team at the start of the year and the confirmation of major contracts all around the world, founder Franco Dragone is now focusing on European projects. On 12 June 2013, at the Matadero arts centre in Madrid, the premier of an exceptional artistic cooperation between Franco Dragone and the Spanish National Ballet will take place.

(PRWEB UK) 7 June 2013

This project is the result of a meeting between two artists: Antonio Najarro, the young choreographer who directs the prestigious Spanish National Ballet, the high altar of flamenco and traditional Spanish dances, and Franco Dragone, the globally renowned director and creative genius behind the shows A New Day by Céline Dion, Le Rêve in Las Vegas, The House Of Dancing Water and Taboo in Macau, and just recently Story of a Fort, Legacy of a Nation in Abu Dhabi.

Franco Dragone will offer a stunning production, inspired by the paintings of Joaquín Sorolla and his vision of Spain, somewhere between tears and laughter. A recurring highlight of this production will be the various regional dances of the Iberian Peninsula as painted by Joaquín Sorolla between 1913 and 1919. With this spectacular production, Franco Dragone evokes this country, lending it an air of tension. Tension between the reality of Spain in the time of Joaquín Sorolla, and how this is depicted in his paintings. Tension between the flourishing Spain that was able to finance the magnificent renovation of the Matadero, and the Spain that we see today where culture, like the Spanish people, is suffering from a terrible crisis, not completely dissimilar to the situation of over a hundred years ago.

To ensure the success of this exceptional project, Franco Dragone has teamed up with hugely talented professionals Pascal Jacob (for the co-production) and Vincent Lemaire (for the scenography). The choreography has been entrusted to a team of four Spanish choreographers under the direction of Antonio Najarro: Miguel Fuente, Arantxa Carmona and Manuel Liñán. The music by Juan Colomer and the costumes by Nicolas Vaudelet develop meaning-laden counterpoints between the luminous brushstrokes of Joaquín Sorolla, “the painter of light”, and a darker reality.

This meeting between two universes promises the spectator an unforgettable experience that is both bold and emotional. Performances will take place from 12 to 30 June in the stunning setting of the Matadero, the former slaughterhouse that has been converted into a magnificent centre of art and culture.

Franco Dragone Entertainment Group
Franco Dragone, an artistic director and producer with a world- wide reputation, founded his company in 2000: Franco Dragone Entertainment Group. In his mind, entertainment is a fundamental artistic gesture that consists in changing the way people look at the world, and the way the world looks at people. Each of these events constitutes a major innovation and pushes back the limits of the art of live shows.

Among the most significant achievements of the past decade: Celine Dion A New Day, The Dream (Las Vegas) The House of Dancing Water (City of Dreams, Macau). Based in La Louviere in Belgium, the company shines throughout the world bringing to the region, as wherever he sets up, a major impact in terms of jobs, excellence and expertise.

http://www.dragone.be

Press contact
Evelyne Raymakers
Communication & PR Manager
Off: +32 64 312 640
Cell: + 32 473 87 36 38
evelyne(dot)raymakers(at)dragone(dot)be Reported by PRWeb 16 hours ago.

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Germany seek to improve record against Spain

June 7, 2013, 7:55 am

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Germany have won only one of their five previous competitive fixtures against Spain and will need to improve on that record in Netanya after losing their opening Group B game. Reported by UEFA 10 hours ago.

Seven Reasons You Eat Better than a King!

June 7, 2013, 6:23 am

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Edited by Sherry Nourian

Today, and most days, you eat better than a King, the ruler of a country who presided over a population of millions. You eat better than him. Yes, you. You poor student. You low wage earner. You bad cook. You too-poor-to-afford-a fancy-dinner reader. Even you, person who may be out of work right now: You eat better than a King.

Perhaps not a modern King, but certainly better than the majority of Kings or rulers who have ever lived.

How is this possible? Well...

1) Spices were not readily available. Entire economies were shaped by this trade, militaries were assembled for the purpose of acquiring them, many people died in search of them. In 1519, the King of Spain sent five ships in search of spices, but only one, that of Ferdinand Magellan, ever returned -- because the King did not have access to the spices he wanted. In the grocery store aisle, we have rows of hundreds of spices. The men of Spain died for some of the very spices you can now purchase for a few dollars.

2) The methods of transportation: air, train, ship, automotive, are all relatively new inventions, and prohibited the transfer of food from all corners of the world in a reasonable time without spoilage. Medieval England had not been introduced to a number of foods that might be among your favorites, including chocolate, coffee, tea, turkey, vanilla and broccoli.*** Beef did not make its way into China until about 2500 years ago, and bread was not available there until 800 years ago. While I am certain that the rulers had an abundance of food choices at each meal, it likely did not compare to what you have a standard Las Vegas Buffet or Souplantation.

3) Modern refrigerators, the machines you use to reliably keep your food fresh were not invented until the 1900’s. Some cultures would keep ice from the winter to keep foods fresh, though it this may not have been possible in a number of climates and regions. As a result, food lost flavor, taste, and texture in the process.

4) Meat and fish were preserved by burying the food in salt or a thick saline bath. The resulting meal would inevitably be extremely salty, and had to be prepared with additional sauces to disguise the taste.

5) Other foods had to be sundried - exposing the food to airborne microbes and would similarly lose aesthetically pleasing components.

6) Modern dentistry, what you likely think of dentistry (drills, fillings, implants, etc.), didn’t exist until the last 70 years, causing a great deal of pain for everyone - kings included. King James I (16th Century) lost most of his teeth, while the Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome was also known to have very bad teeth.

7) Common painkillers and antibiotics were not accessible to alleviate dental pain. King Louis XIV of France underwent a truly terrible ordeal: they removed all the teeth from the top layer of his mouth, then punctured his palate and broke his jaw. This was all completed without anaesthesia, the king being fully awake throughout this procedure. The most powerful man in Western Europe was helpless before the primitive medical knowledge of his time. At least the wounds were kept clean on this occasion – cauterised with red-hot coals*

Next time you are eating at an average quality cafeteria, consider what King David would have been thinking if he had time-space warped into your body for that meal. Genghis Kahn might have murdered you for such a feast. Perhaps the Egyptian Pharaohs would have considered it a meal from the Almighty. Every day of your life - you are eating a meal fit for Julius Caesar. Now Chow Down!

*Sir Edward Creasy, Fifteen Decisive Battles Of The World: From Marathon To Waterloo

** Barbara Krasner-Khait, The Impact of Refrigeration

*** Susi Vaasjoki, Food and Drink in Medieval England Reported by Opposing Views 11 hours ago.

Spain without Canales for rest of tournament

June 7, 2013, 6:36 am

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Spain will have to make do without Valencia CF midfielder Sergio Canales for the remainder of the finals because of a hamstring injury sustained against Russia on Thursday. Reported by UEFA 11 hours ago.

Montserrat Domínguez: Happy Birthday, HuffPost Spain!

June 7, 2013, 10:42 am

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A journalism that doesn't defend its right to offend, that doesn't tweak noses and laugh at the naked emperor is not worth fighting for. A journalism that doesn't stand up for the powerless will soon become a tool of power. Equally, a journalism that wrecks lives will soon find itself without readers.

Journalism should be a celebration of life in all its vibrant, chaotic, exuberant variety. It calls people to come out to the circus. It's ruined by pretension and high-mindedness. Journalists are not there to pronounce absolution on a fallen world. They're not there to call us to a better life. They are there to show us who we are and how we live.

I could say it a thousand different ways, but not better.

When I'm asked what The Huffington Post is, what kind of journalism we practice or what our mission is, I always keep in mind those words, said by journalist, essayist, historian, and former Canadian politician Michael Ignatieff in Madrid when he received the Francisco Cerecedo Prize for Journalism in November. HuffPost Spain just celebrated its first anniversary, and now we know that our intuition was right: there was a space in the Spanish-language digital-media universe -- which is growing fast -- for a provocative, ironic online newspaper that covers current events and isn't afraid to do it in a different, new way. An outlet that seeks to tell us who we are and how we live without arrogance; which takes digs at the powerful without cowardice; which gives voice to the weak rather than criminalizing or demeaning them; which understands the emotional component of news without falling into sensationalism; and which wagers that journalistic rigor is not incompatible with a sense of humor.

It falls upon journalists to report on these hard and complex times, an era in which the most vulnerable are used as fodder. This year's headlines were stinging: the drama of strikes, the exile of our youth, the evictions, the appearance of malnourished children in our schools, the increase in inequality and poverty, the spending cuts in education and health, the undermining of civil rights. It's our job to tell it all, and to do it free of political rhetoric's tired euphemisms. HuffPost's real contribution is that journalists are no longer the only ones that tell this story, even though our beautiful and draining profession is essential -- and will continue to be so.

Over the course of this year, some 400 bloggers have written on HuffPost about what's happening in Spain, in first person: scientists and students, politicians and economists, comedians and writers, engineers and filmmakers, artists and doctors, chefs and judges, journalists, miners, professors, activists, and intellectuals -- all of them have invited us in nearly 2,000 posts to reflect and debate. Their blogs put forth an idea that's then disseminated among readers, many of whom -- the vibrant HuffPost community -- comment on articles and share them on social media, and their zeal incites and enriches the debate. In one year, readers posted 500,000 comments. Telling, opining, or analyzing what is happening is no longer the job exclusively of journalists or of daily columnists: on HuffPost, anyone is invited to do it, just as they are on Twitter and Facebook. Thank you, bloggers; thank you, readers. HuffPost Spain would be impossible without you.

Blogs and social media are the DNA of the HuffPost, just as they are the new tools of online information-sharing, something unimaginable just a few years ago: links to other sites to highlight and recognize their best work; live feeds that allow us to cover major events in real time, updated to the minute; debates, votes, and surveys that offer value-added to information; galleries that recognize the best Tweets, videos, or photos of big stories. These are the new tools that young and committed journalists know how to use to ply their trade alongside the traditions of our profession -- perseverance, a nose for news, discernment -- all of which are epitomized by the news that HuffPost publishes every day.

"This is a country that's sick with solemnity," I've heard my colleague Carles Francino say on various occasions. We don't aspire to be solemn or to save this failing world or to teach lessons. We're passionate about telling you what's going on, uncovering information that some people don't want known, and sharing what entertains us most from this globalized world. And we love to hear what readers want to tell us.

More than 2.8 million unique visits in the month of May, according to Omniture (and more than 1.7 million monthly users, per Comscore's estimate) show us that we were right when we took the gamble of an innovative project like HuffPost Spain, which now has 70,000 Facebook fans and 121,000 Twitter followers. For all of you millions out there, we've created a special first anniversary page, and we invite you to check it out if you're curious to know more about HuffPost, much more than what I could fit into this post. We love to read -- and see videos of -- your commentaries, criticism, and reflections.

This year, the Huffington Post brand has been extended and expanded, and we've added Italy and Japan to our roster of editions in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and France. Soon it will be Germany's turn, and we'll just keep on growing from there. All our papers share news, content, and the same spirit, but the personality of each is different in every country -- which is what has made us the most global of all online media.

We've still got a lot to do. Together. Thank you, everyone. Reported by Huffington Post 7 hours ago.

Russia not washed up yet despite Spain loss

June 7, 2013, 11:27 am

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Pavel Yakovlev told UEFA.com he could not stop thinking about Russia's loss to Spain but hoped a dip in the sea had "washed away" that game as he looked forward to better results in Group B. Reported by UEFA 6 hours ago.

Ali Breland: Taking Back the Square

June 7, 2013, 11:57 am

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By Ali Breland and Bassam Gergi

Istanbul, Turkey - As the battles in Istanbul's central Taksim Square, and across Turkey continue to grow, it is clear that what began as a relatively isolated protest intended to stop the demolition of trees and halt the construction of a shopping center has far deeper roots.

The images of Turkish protesters waving flags, carrying banners, chanting slogans, all while facing down water cannons, pepper spray and riot police are eerily familiar. Just over two years ago we watched these same scenes unfold, first in Tunisia, then Egypt, then Libya, with the tactics and symbols spreading to protests as varied as the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement in the United States to the student led civil movements in Chile and Spain.

Yet the individual social movements that compose this global wave are often depicted as isolated incidents. The revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt are seen as movements to remove dictatorial governments, OWS as a movement to heighten awareness of inequality, and in Spain as a reaction to the staggeringly high youth unemployment. The protests unfolding in Taksim Square are already being portrayed by Prime Minister Erdogan as a mainly ideological struggle between staunch secularists and his Islamic identity.

These popular struggles are explained away as economic, localized struggles. The political and far-reaching nature of the popular uprisings is denied in an attempt to deny agency to the "little people." According to the traditional understanding, the protesters act out defensively to respond to existential threats such as food shortages or economic pressures, but rarely as a reflection of political will.

While each movement possesses its own specific set of economic and social grievances, each of the struggles seems to unfold along similar political lines. They are an attempt by a broad coalition of protesters to gain a place in their society's politics through the physical occupation of public space and the utilization of street action.

Environmentalists, communists, secularists, progressives, students, and other groups have formed a modern coalition of marginalized peoples who are breaking out of the narrow confines of the political system which has restricted what types of demands they can make, and how they can make them. Often faulted for lacking a set cohesive of policy goals or aims, these groups have come together not for any single policy, but for the right to affect policy.

The 'square' has thus become a resonant symbol of the repressive relationships that deny a free and open space for these groups in politics. Taking back the public space represents more than a movement to save trees or demand jobs or to overturn a solitary dictator. Opening the Square is a direct attempt to force the closed systems of elite governance to pay attention to the suffering, sacrifice, and pain of ordinary peoples.

What Taksim Square symbolizes, once more, is that leaders like Erdogan, Mubarak, or Ben-Ali ignore the political grievances of their society at their own peril. Likewise, the coercive mechanisms of the state are no longer enough to maintain an outworn status-quo in the face of popular rebellion. Barricades and water cannons cannot hold back the waves of thousands of people who demand entree into the public and political life of their nation.

On Sunday, Turkish police had temporarily withdrawn from Taksim Square. The square lay littered with broken glass kiosks, destroyed police transporters, and the frames of cars that had been lit on fire. Graffiti covered the French Consulate and those businesses that had refused to take in wounded protesters.

Despite the scene of desolate destruction, the protesters saw the police withdrawal as a victory. Some stood on the tops of abandoned trucks and buildings, shouting freely to thousands of their compatriots. For the moment at least, Taksim Square was no longer a symbol of government repression but another indication that governments who continue to deny their peoples space in the public and political sphere, will witness more movements and further revolutions unfolding in many more squares.

Bassam Gergi is a Dahrendorf Scholar at St. Antony's College, Oxford, where he works on issues of free speech. He is currently studying for a master's degree in comparative government. Reported by Huffington Post 5 hours ago.

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*Haiti 1-2 Spain*
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