ITALY

ITALY
Corriere della Sera, Milan, Oct. 19: We all expected the bird flu virus to reach us from Russia, now the question is how to prepare.
Stockpiling antiviral drugs, like Roche's Tamiflu, is essential, and the countries ... which have ignored this have made a mistake.
But now Roche must license the patent for Tamiflu to other companies, so that we may have enough doses to face a (human) pandemic, if it should ever come.
Global health
Roche should be compensated for its patent, but global health is more important than missed revenue.
The planet is so small that the virus crosses it quickly, the economy is one, so we need to hold on dearly to our shabby multilateral organizations and forget corporate egoism.
With foresight, generosity, rationality, a bit of luck and a lot of modesty we will overcome the tragedy of a pandemic, if it should ever happen. Indifference, greed and panic will take us straight into the chicken's jaws.
BRITAIN
The Times, London, Oct. 19: "What is the latest?" Iraqis ask as they come together for tea and sympathy in these times of hope and uncertainty. And there is always someone who answers by reporting the discovery of a new mass grave where the victims of Saddam Hussein were buried.
According to the latest estimates, the remains of more than 200,000 people, the fruit of the 35-year-long rule of his Arab Socialist Baath Party, have been found in this ever expanding archipelago of death.
Lawyers at the special Iraqi tribunal, where Saddam and his seven co-defendants will be tried, say that the Dujail case, in which all victims were Shia, was chosen because it was easier to find witnesses and amass evidence for prosecution. Saddam and his supporters, including Roland Dumas, the former French Foreign Secretary, who heads the fallen despot's team of lawyers, claim that the Dujail case represents an attempt by Iraq's Shia majority to exact revenge. The lawyers' strategy is to transform Saddam from one of the most brutal rulers in history into a victim of rough justice.
Kangaroo courts
Millions of those who suffered at the hands of the regime would be glad to see Saddam punished as quickly as possible. Kangaroo courts have a long history in Iraq, starting with the televised murder-express trials presided over by the notorious Fadhil al-Mahdawi under Col. Abdul-Karim Qassem in 1958. The typical al-Mahdawi trial lasted 15 minutes, often ending with a death sentence. When Saddam seized power he reduced that time by two-thirds and added a new feature: the accused were shot on live television by their former comrades.
Saddam may try to present himself as the champion of Iraq's Sunni Arabs, who account for 15 percent of the population. The fact is that Sunni Arabs were as much a victim of his as any other community. ... Next, he may try to appear as the champion of the Baath and its claimed ideals of socialism and Arab unity. But more Baathists were killed under Saddam than any other ruler since 1947 when the party arrived in Iraq.
EGYPT
Egyptian Gazette, Cairo, Oct. 18: Hundreds of parliamentary hopefuls have been literarily elbowing to submit applications for candidacy since the agencies concerned started to receive them on Saturday. Egypt is bracing for parliamentary elections, which are widely believed to be more competitive than September's presidential polls.
This high turnout of parliamentary hopefuls reflects eagerness to be elected as a member of the parliament. Whether this can be a sign of keenness to serve voters' interest is anybody's guess.
Mouthpiece newspapers
In the run-up to the three-stage elections, which begin in Nov. 9, cracks are appearing among different political parties. The nascent liberal party of el-Ghad is facing an uncertain future. A group of its members have joined forces and decided to unseat the leader of the party. Each claims to be the legal leader of the party, which now has two mouthpiece newspapers. Several Egyptian parties are already in limbo due to similar squabbling over who should steer the helm.
The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) is not in a good position either. Hardly had the party announced its list of 444 candidates to compete in the upcoming elections when its members, excluded from the slates, have decided to run as independents.