Free Republic

Kindly stop tarring the entire Chechen nation with the "terrorist" brush. There is no evidence of links between this man and terrorism. Unless you consider being part of an elected government overthrown by a genocidal army to be "terrorism". Oppressive regimes are using the term "terrorist/terrorism" as a stick to beat dissidents with - including peaceful ones. I agree with the decision to grant Akhmadov asylum.

I think Reza Pahlavi is cute.

His only crime is being a member of the elected government of Chechnya from 1996-9. That is why Moscow considers him a "terrorist". And George III considered George Washington a "terrorist" too. And Lloyd George considered Michael Collins in Ireland to be a "terrorist" aswell.

Well done to the US for giving him asylum. There is no evidence of his links to terror attacks. The Chechen cause is just, and while a minority of the separatists kill innocent people, the majority don't. The Russians killed 300,000 Chechen civilians and sent them to death camps. But we don't get the hysteria about this "terrorism", from Western leaders do we? The hypocrisy is galling.

Malsua, you think they were better off as it was?

With 11% unemployment?

Get real!

Here in Ireland we are in the Euro and have the lowest unemployment rate in the EU (4.2%). So the problems many countries are having in the Euro have nothing to do with the currency. It has simply become a scapegoat for unpopular governments - especially the Italian one.

Polls show 27% of Italians want a return to the Lira. I think the Italians have a Swiss-style direct democracy provision to their Constitution triggering referendums if 4 million sign a petition. However, the turnout has to be at least 50% or the result is invalid - like the vote on liberalising infertility laws is like to be with just 14% turning out today though the poll is continuing tomorrow.

Actually, when Italy first joined the Euro its unemployment fell along with France and Germany's as the then weak Euro made exports to the US cheaper. When the Euro became strong (rising from 82 US cents to $1.38 c and now $1.21 cents now), that hurt exports. However, the existence of the Euro means that no longer can the Lira go up and down versus other Eurozone currencies. So outside of the Euro, things could be worse for Italy.

In Ireland, 6 months before we joined EMU, we had 10% interest rates, compared to 2.5% now. Ask mortgage-holders do they want a return to 10% interest rates and see what answer you'll get.

Italy, France and Germany's main economic problems are connected to:

A: High taxes
B: Inflexibly labour laws that make sacking a worker too difficult and give unions too much power e.g. secondary picketing.
C: Rampant and intransigent trade unions.

Nothing to do with the Euro.