Izvestia: 'Russian Aristocrat Wants to Be British Premier'
MAIL ONLINE: Yesterday he was at it again.

Touring Newcastle, Nick Clegg - who, as we now know, was a keen childhood actor - told students he was: 'the only one of the three leaders who actually comes from one of our great cities in the North.'

So just how true is that statement? In fact, the Lib Dem leader was brought up in affluent comfort in the Home Counties.

But to understand just how wealthy his background is, we need to cut to South-West France, and a hill overlooking the hamlet of Curac where an imposing ten-bedroom chateau stands.

The house is approached by a long, straight drive bordered by poplar trees which lead up to two sets of iron gates. Inside is an outdoor swimming pool, four-car garage and spacious outbuildings.

By any reckoning it is an impressive pile and one that, were it in England, would undoubtedly fall foul of the Lib Dem's proposed mansion tax on properties worth more than £2million.

It is possible that Clegg actually dreamt up the tax while in Curac, maybe while splashing about in the pool or strolling through its gardens.

After all, it is his parents' house and one that he and his family often visit.

'It's an idyllic spot, and the Cleggs have made it their home from home,' said a near neighbour, who often bumps into the politician and his Spanish wife Miriam, a successful London lawyer whose annual earnings run into the high six figures, when they are there.

'They come down with their children and always look very relaxed and happy.'

Not a bad place for a summer break. And come the winter there is another alternative. Clegg's parents also own a 20-room skiing chalet in the Swiss Alps. Some ordinary northerner! How Nick Clegg is really a man of extraordinary privilege whose family own a chateau >>> Tom Rawstorne | Saturday, April 24, 2010

Nick Clegg Hailed as 'Russian Aristocrat'
Nick Clegg: 'Winston Churchill-like popularity ratings'. Photograph: The Guardian
THE GUARDIAN: Izvestiya newspaper talks of Liberal Democrat leader's Russian heritage and 'Winston Churchill-like popularity ratings'

Is there no limit to Cleggmania? It seems that not only Britain, but now also Russia has fallen under the Liberal Democrat leader's mesmerising spell, with today's Izvestiya newspaper hailing him as a genuine "Russian aristocrat" (article in Russian).

Under the headline "Russian aristocrat wants to be British premier", the paper picks up on Clegg's emphatic victory in the first leaders' TV debate and notes his "Winston Churchill-like popularity ratings".

But a blue-blooded Russian toff? In fact, Izvestiya is not far off the mark: Clegg's father (also Nick) is half-Russian. Nick Clegg senior's parents, who married in 1932, were Hugh Anthony Clegg, a subeditor on the British Medical Journal, and Kira Engelhardt.

Engelhardt was actually a Russian baroness. Her mother, Alexandra Moullen, was the daughter of Ignaty Zakrevsky, a former attorney general in the imperial Russian senate.

In common with other dispossessed Russian aristocrats, Clegg can even lay claim to a ruined manor house.

Zakrevsky, his great great-grandfather, lived on a large estate in modern-day Ukraine, not far from Kiev. The crumbling estate is currently occupied by an agricultural college, but still boasts a two-storey classical mansion, annexes, and a large park. It also has a pyramid. >>> Luke Harding in Moscow | Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Cashmere Loo Roll, the Ultimate Bathroom Indulgence
THE TELEGRAPH: Quilted, embossed, ultra soft aloe vera – the humble loo roll has gone steadily more upmarket in recent years. But surely it has now hit the apogee of indulgence: a cashmere version has gone on sale.

Cashmere loo rolls. Photo: The Telegraph
Cashmere, one of the softest and most prized materials, has been used to add an extra layer of extravagance to the sheets of paper, ensuring consumers enjoy the bottom line in comfort.

The loo rolls have gone on sale in Waitrose, the supermarket with a legion of loyal and discerning middle-class customers. >>> Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor | Wednesday, February 10, 2010

For Sale: Carla Bruni's Castle
THE TELEGRAPH: The Italian castle where Carla Bruni-Sarkozy grew up is for sale.

The castle used to belong to Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's family. Photo: The Telegraph
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy’s fairy-tale castle in Italy is for sale for $28 million (£17m). The 11th-century residence in the Turin hills was renovated by Bruni’s grandfather, Virginio Bruni Tedeschi, the founder of Italian tyre manufacturer CEAT, and features frescos and marble floors. Bruni lived there as a child, sleeping in an elaborately decorated bedroom and playing in the 173 acres of parkland. >>> Anna Tyzack | Friday, November 20, 2009

Fears of Hitler’s Childhood Home in Braunau-am-Inn Becoming Fascist Shrine
MAIL ONLINE: The owner of the house where Adolf Hitler was born wants to put it on the market with a likely asking price of over £2million.

But the local authority in Braunau-am-Inn, Austria, has vowed to try to find a way of blocking any sale because it fears it could land up in the hands of extreme right-wingers who would turn it into a grotesque shrine to his memory.

The mayor of Braunau, Gerhard Skiba, said ideally the town council would like to purchase it and so control its future fate.

But there is not enough money in the town coffers to buy the property, Salzburger Vorstadt 15.

He says he will appeal to the government in Vienna to help the town purchase the property if the owner goes ahead with the sale.

It was in a room on the first floor of the three-storey, 2,000 square foot house – the ground floor of which was a pub called Gasthof Zum Pommer – that Hitler’s mother Klara gave birth to her infamous son on April 20, 1889.

She and her husband Alois, a stern local customs official, rented a suite of rooms above the pub and continued to live in it until 1892 when they moved to Linz.

Alois, a drunkard, often availed himself of the beer on sale in the saloon downstairs before returning to the family home to abuse his timid wife 24 years his junior.

The house is still owned by the family after which the pub took its name. Owner Gelinde Pommer says she wants to sell because the tenants for the past two decades, handicapped people who worked and lived there under the care of a disabled organisation, are moving to more modern premises in January, and she no longer wants to have the responsibility for it.

She has not yet advertised it, but estate agents have suggested it will have an asking price of about £2million. She was not available to comment. >>> Allan Hall | Thursday, November 05, 2009

Osama bin Laden: Sunflower Enthusiast with a Passion for Fast Cars
THE TELEGRAPH: Osama bin Laden's first wife has given a revealing insight into the complex character of the man behind the world's most wanted terrorist.

Najwa bin Laden has published a memoir claiming he was a contradiction of personality traits.

She reveals he was a disciplinarian who would beat his children for showing too many teeth when they smiled, but maintained a passion for sunflowers and fast cars his first wife has said.

He also banned the use of electrical appliances in his home and tried to toughen up his sons by making them climb desert mountains without water.

Details from the home life of the founder of al Qaeda have emerged in the book Najwa has written with his fourth son Omar.

Growing Up Bin Laden charts his journey from teenage newly-wed to the face of international terrorism, revealing along the way that he was fond of mangos and the BBC.

Alongside details of his domestic life, the memoir portrays a man who became increasingly severe as he was pursued by the Western powers. >>> Ben Farmer in Kabul | Friday, October 16, 2009

Police Raid Home of Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's Personal Doctor
The raid on Dr Murray's home follows a similar search of his office. Photo: TimesOnline
TIMES ONLINE: Police and federal agents tonight searched the home of Michael Jackson's personal physician following reports that the authorities believe Dr Conrad Murray killed the pop star by administering a powerful anaesthetic drug.

Dr Murray is said to have given Jackson propofol through an intravenous drip the night before he died. The drug, also known as Diprivan, is used to induce unconsciousness in hospital patients before major surgery. Reports have said that it was found in Jackson’s home.

A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Jackson relied on propofol - marketed as Diprivan - like an alarm clock to help him sleep. A doctor would administer it when Jackson went to bed, then stop the IV drip when the singer wanted to wake up.

On June 25, the day Jackson died, Dr Murray gave him the drug through an IV sometime after midnight, the official said.

Dr Murray, 51, has been a central character in the investigation from the outset - Jackson's family have long accused him of having a hand in his death. The raid on his gated residence in Las Vegas, apparently in search of medical records, comes a week after a search of his offices in Houston, Texas, by police. >>> Michael Harvey, San Francisco | Tuesday, July 28, 2009