“The Iranians would sooner fight in Baghdad than in Tehran,” said one Iraqi analyst.It is unclear how far the initial returns will reflect the outcome. Arnault as a French self- made billionaire], bought Chateau Latour, Bernard Arnault had to have a leading chateau of his own. Baron Frere reputedly drinks only water but he knows a great deal about wine. Many Bordeaux chateaux, including some of the great names, are accused of using itinerant wine-makers, such as Michel Rolland, the great villain of Mondovino, to “Parkerise” their wines. For this reason, Chateau Cheval Blanc is as close to organic as you will find in a great vineyard. WOULD-BE IMMIGRANTS into the Netherlands are to face an exam testing detailed knowledge of everything from Dutch language and history to its laws on topless sunbathing before taking up residence there. A new inburgeringsexamen, or integration exam, has been unveiled as part of the crackdown against immigration after last year’s murder of the controversial film-maker Theo van Gogh, who was an outspoken critic of Islam.

That assassination, which shocked the Dutch nation, has stoked up a vigorous debate on how to assimilate the country’s ethnic minorities.
The exam plan, which still needs parliamentary approval, has provoked protests from critics who say they measure is a knew-jerk reaction and that it will create one of the highest entry barriers to immigrants anywhere in the western world.Initially the tests will only be required of foreigners applying for an immigration visa from outside the Netherlands but Rita Verdonk, the Dutch immigration minister, said she plans to extend examinations to people already living in the country. That means that some 755,000 people already in Holland could eventually be required to prove their knowledge of Dutch history and language, or risk a fine and possibly the loss of residency rights.Those who want to come to the Netherlands will have to take the exam in their home country before being granted a visa, unless they come from countries exempted from the law, which include other EU states and the US. They will have to pay a fee of about ?50 (pounds 240) to take the test, which will be administered in Dutch embassies around the world.Ms Verdonk’s ministry estimates that some 250 to 350 hours of study will be needed to pass the test, which will be taken by dialling into a speech- controlled computer system by telephone. Those sitting the exam will pay for the cost of the call.In order to prepare for the test they will have to study an “integration pack” of exam material, which will cost ?5. He said: “The Dutch focus on the learning of language to the exclusion of all other tools in assimilating immigrants is wrong.

The Dutch have got caught up in panic measures with party politicians trying to outbid each other to show how tough they are on immigration.” Others argue that the scheme will simply encourage immigrants to enter the Netherlands illegally.The government estimates that 14,000 people will apply to take the test each year.. JULIA TYMOSHENKO, the radical firebrand known as Ukraine’s Joan of Arc thanks to her pivotal role in the “orange revolution”, was confirmed yesterday as the country’s Prime Minister. Her appointment, which was proposed by President Viktor Yushchenko, was overwhelmingly endorsed by the parliament in Kiev and was seen as a reward for her success last November in mobilising tens of thousands of disgruntled Ukrainians whose actions helped propel Mr Yushchenko to power.
Three hundred and seventy three MPs (out of a total of 450) supported her nomination, with only the Communist Party voting against her.Ms Tymoshenko, whose striking good looks, designer clothing and wealth (largely made from the gas industry) have also earned her the titles the “gas princess” and the “orange princess”, said the country’s 48 million citizens could look forward to a new liberal era. “We don’t want, under any circumstances, the state or the government to retain the functions of managing or policing people, the functions of coercion and humiliation” she said.Ukraine’s new government is expected to accelerate attempts to join the EU, Nato and the World Trade Organisation.. SWEDEN, THE country with the highest taxes in Europe, is planning to increase them further to boost public services already envied by most of its neighbours. In a forthright challenge to the low tax orthodoxy of Britain’s centre-left, Swedish politicians say their voters will stump up more money because they get value for money from their welfare state. The move also underlines the success of the so-called “Nordic model” under which countries following Sweden have forged competitive economies with high levels of taxation and public spending.

Although Swedes face some of the highest tax bills in the world, they enjoy free, high-quality school and university education, generous unemployment benefits, state- funded maternity and paternity leave and guaranteed child care. So popular is the system that Eurosceptics won their referendum campaign against euro membership in 2003 mainly by presenting the single currency as a threat to the welfare state.
The Swedish Finance Minister, Par Nuder, said there will be a “gradual” rise in taxes over five to 10 years and challenged other governments to follow suit. He told the Financial Times: “Contrary to many of my European colleagues, I dare to say what is necessary. What people are demanding from us all over Europe is that we should invest more in the public sector.”With elections next year, Sweden’s centre-left government is convinced presenting itself as the champion of the welfare state is a vote-winner even if it means higher taxes.Jens Henriksson, state secretary at the Swedish finance ministry, said: “People may be able to afford five flat-screen TVs, but what they really want is a good school for their children.” He said increased taxation is necessary to pay for a predicted rise in the cost of public services over the next 30 years as the country gets richer and more demands are made on education and health care.The Swedish government has yet to decide which taxes to increase but the cost will fall on the average citizen. Though the tax burden in 2003 was 51.4 per cent of gross domestic product – the EU’s highest – corporate tax rates are low to compete with other European member states.Mr Henriksson, who took four months of paternity leave when his second child was born – with four-fifths of his pay reimbursed by the state – said that citizens feel they are getting value for money.