Humiliation for Gordon Brown over US Plan for G4 Elite Without Britain
MAIL ONLINE: Labour last night faced humiliation with the prospect of Britain missing out on a place in a new elite club of economic superpowers.

Reports in the United States claim President Barack Obama is keen to establish a top table of global economies which would leave Britain on the sidelines.

The proposal will put further pressure on Chancellor Alistair Darling and Prime Minister Gordon Brown as Britain also faces dismissal from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The so-called Group of Four (G4) would comprise the biggest global economies: America, Japan, China and the Eurozone countries.

It would have enormous clout over international economic affairs, an arena in which Britain has for many years punched above its weight.

Ironically, if the G4 were made up entirely of individual countries and not the Eurozone, the UK would gain admittance as its national economy is in fourth place internationally.

The proposal has yet to be finalised but international financial sources last night dismissed Britain’s hopes that the Eurozone place at the table could be broadened to comprise the whole European Union.

A key qualification for membership is the ability to deliver on monetary commitment and currency pledges. The Eurozone shares a currency but the EU does not.

Conservative MP Graham Brady, a member of the Treasury Select Committee, said: ‘This is especially embarrassing for a Prime Minister who presided over Britain’s economy since 1997 and used to pride himself on his economic mastery.’

The snub would mean the loss of Britain’s independent voice in high-level economic diplomacy for the first time since the economic summits of the mid- Seventies, held in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis. >>> Dan Atkinson, Mail On Sunday Economics Editor | Saturday, October 03, 2009

Greek Woman Formally Presses Charges Against Crete Burns Victim
THE TELEGRAPH: Marina Fanouraki, a Greek woman accused of setting fire to British holidaymaker Stuart Feltham after he allegedly groped her in a bar has formally pressed charges of sexual harassment against him, it has been disclosed.

Miss Fanouraki, 26, is charged with seriously wounding Mr Feltham, 20, following claims that she doused him in alcohol and set him alight in the Cretan resort of Malia.

Miss Fanouraki was due to go on trial on Monday, however the case was postponed after Mr Feltham's legal team requested more time to gather evidence.

However, her lawyer, Nikos Maniadakis, said that the brunette has now formally laid charges against Mr Feltham of attempted sexual assault, molestation and personal insults.

She claims that she only threw a sambuca drink over Mr Feltham after he drunkenly fondled her, and that he subsequently caught fire when he lit a cigarette.

Mr Maniadakis said: "We not only want Miss Fanouraki to be acquitted, but we also want the misbehaving British tourist to be punished.

"After all, Marina is the real victim of attack and humiliation and she is the one who needs to have her honour restored in society." The incident took place in early hours of Tuesday morning in the Electra bar on the infamous Malia "Strip", whose numerous bars and nigthclubs attract thousands of young Britons every summer.

Mr Feltham, a plumber from Swindon, Wilts, alleges that Miss Fanouraki set him alight in a "completely unprovoked attack". >>> Murray Wardrop in Crete | Monday, August 10, 2009

Briton 'Set on Fire' Denies Provoking Attack
THE INDEPENDENT: A British tourist allegedly set on fire by a Greek woman who accused him of sexually harassing her during a night out today insisted he did nothing to provoke the attack.

Stuart Feltham, of Swindon, Wiltshire, was due to testify against 26-year-old student Marina Fanouraki, who is accused of throwing sambuca on him and lighting it in a bar on Crete.

But the 20-year-old plumber flew home on Sunday night because he feared vigilante-style reprisals, according to his father Ian.

Fanouraki was charged last week after turning herself in to police in the resort of Malia.

She admits pouring the drink over Mr Feltham, claiming she did so after he made inappropriate advances to her. But she denies setting fire to him. >>> Rosamond Hutt and James Woodward, Press Association | Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Related:
'Hero' Greek Woman Sets Fire to Drunken Briton's Genitals >>> Paul Anast in Athens | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Poll Reveals Labour Heading for Election Humiliation
Under Gordon Brown's leadership, Labour's poll rating has slid to its lowest mark in history. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMES ONLINE: The expenses scandal has had a devastating impact on Labour and Gordon Brown, a Populus poll for The Times finds today.

Labour’s overall position has slid to 21 per cent, its lowest in polling history. When asked how they would vote in next week’s European election, those polled have put Labour in third place behind UKIP and the Tories, for the first time.

All the minority parties, including the Greens and the British National Party, have made striking advances in the past three weeks as the row over MPs’ allowances has engulfed all the main parties.

Surprisingly the Liberal Democrats have been hit almost as badly as Labour in both the general election and European voting standings. >>> Philip Webster, Political Editor | Saturday, May 30, 2009