Sayeeda Warsi Slammed by Islamic Fundamentalists
DAILY STAR SUNDAY: NEW Tory chairman Sayeeda Warsi has been slammed by Islamic fundamentalists who warned she could be in physical danger if she visits Muslim communities.

The 39-year-old baroness is the first female Muslim to be given a full Cabinet position.

But controversial preacher Anjem Choudary accused her of “betraying” her religion.

He told the Daily Star Sunday: “Sayeeda Warsi is not a Muslim in my eyes.

“She may look like a Muslim and have a Muslim-sounding name but she does not ­represent Islam or anyone in this country who is a Muslim.

“She is a ‘coconut’, brown on the outside but white on the inside.

“In fact, she is whiter than most of the other white people in government.

“How can she be a Muslim and support the military involvement of the British Army in Islamic countries?

“She is somebody who ­pretends to be a practising Muslim but, from her views and statements, she is clearly against Sharia.

“She is a disgrace and many true Muslims are angry that she claims to stand for Islam despite betraying Allah.”

Choudary – whose group Islam4UK was banned by the last government – predicted that Baroness Warsi would become the focus of hate.

He said: “She will be attacked by eggs every time she goes near a Muslim community.

“Some more extreme protesters may take the attacks further. There is no doubt she is in danger.” >>> John Ward | Sunday, May 16, 2010

First Muslim Woman Brit Minister Accused of Betraying Her Religion
ONE INDIA: London – Baroness and Tory leader Sayeeda Warsi may be the first Muslim woman to hold a full Cabinet Post, but Muslim fundamentalists see her as an apostate who is hardly representative of the Muslim community.

She has also been warned of physical harm if she visits Muslim pockets. Last year she was pelted with eggs by Muslim protesters when she visited Luton, Bedfordshire.

Anjem Choudhary, a firebrand radical preacher whose group Islam4UK was banned by the last government accuses her of betraying her religion by supporting the British Army's involvement in Islamic countries. >>> ANI | Sunday, May 16, 2010

Saeeda Hussain Warsi

‘Mummy’ Merkel Battered as Germans Lose Faith in EU
THE SUNDAY TIMES: After bailing out Greece and now the euro, Germany is fed up with being Europe’s paymaster

Germans are proud of working for global brand names such as manufacturing firms such as Mercedes-Benz and are outraged that Angela Merkel is giving taxpayers’ money to a country with little industrial output. Photo: The Sunday Times
GISELA and Susi, thirtysomething civil service secretaries, were shivering over their sausages in what the tabloids labelled the “most miserable May of the millennium” and planning their summer holidays. “I know where I’m not going,” one of them said. “The hotels, service and food aren’t as good as Turkey but the prices are as high as Italy!”

As Berliners bravely sat on the banks of the River Spree in unseasonably cold weather for the Ascension Day holiday that traditionally marks the start of summer, they had no doubt that the cold wind was blowing from the sunny south: Greece in particular.

The multi-billion-euro payout for Greece, followed by an even more expensive rescue package for the threatened single currency, has created the greatest political climate change in a generation.

Suddenly Germans are asking questions about the European project that has been the bedrock of their politics for 60 years, leaving Angela Merkel, the chancellor, under fire from the electorate, the opposition and her own party.

It took a stand-up display of table-banging aggression from President Nicolas Sarkozy and an intervention on the telephone from President Barack Obama to get Merkel to agree to the euro package.

“We foot the bill for EU disaster,” screamed a headline in Bild, the tabloid newspaper. Christoph Schmidt, a government economist, responded by warning: “Germany cannot become Europe’s paymaster.”

The tension between Germany and France threatened to spill over at a Brussels summit last weekend when Merkel and Sarkozy had a furious row. According to observers, it ended with Sarkozy threatening to leave the euro.

“It was a stand-up argument,” an official told El Pais, the Spanish newspaper. Sarkozy, furious at Merkel’s reluctance to sign up to a safety net of €750 billion (£644 billion), was shouting and bawling at Merkel and smashed his fist on the table. “It was Sarkozy on steroids,” one witness said.

Dubbed “our Iron Lady” — or just “Mutti” (Mummy) within the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) that she dominates — Merkel returned to Germany accused of having given too much, too late.

Her timing was also poor. The euro talks, combined with the Greek bailout, led to a CDU defeat in North Rhine-Westphalia’s state election last weekend and with it the loss of her majority in the upper house. >>> Peter Millar in Berlin | Sunday, May 16, 2010

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Germans Turn Against the EU as Eurozone Meltdown Heaps Misery on Angela Merkel >>> Andrew Gilligan in Bielefeld, Westphalia | Sunday, May 16, 2010

A 'Quantum Leap' in Governance of the Euro Zone Is Needed
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: In a SPIEGEL interview, Jean-Claude Trichet, the 67-year-old president of the European Central Bank, discusses the largest financial rescue package in the history of Europe, the role and importance of speculators in the euro crisis and the weakness shown by politicians in the euro zone member states. >>> | Saturday, May 15, 2010

Germans Turn Against the EU as Eurozone Meltdown Heaps Misery on Angela Merkel
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: German fury at paying for Greek extravagence is turning into anger against the European Union, the euro, and Angela Merkel, writes Andrew Gilligan in Westphalia.

Unlike the lily-livered British red-tops, the main German tabloid, Bild Zeitung, puts nipples on the front page. Day after day for the past week, it has been metaphorically stripping naked the same victim, then pouring cold baked beans over her head. Once-divorced mother-of-none Angela Merkel, 55, from Berlin, a chancellor of Germany, has had probably the worst seven days of her life.

To imagine the full scale of Mrs Merkel's disaster, think of it as a bit like that moment in 2008 when Britain suddenly had to find £46 billion of public money to bail out the banks, overnight storing up years of spending cuts, tax rises and general misery for everyone else. Then multiply the amount of money potentially required, and the amount of pain which could be inflicted, by three.

Mix in the fact that the people the German government has had to rescue aren't even Germans, but Greeks. Add that the deal was done only after the repeated prodding by Mrs Merkel's great European rival, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who reportedly threatened to pull out of the euro. Then there was the problem that as all this was unfolding, Mrs Merkel had to face a vital election.

And top off with the slowly-dawning, horrified realisation by the taxpayers of Germany that late last Sunday night, their Chancellor signed them up for potentially even bigger, indeed unlimited, bailouts of everyone else in the single currency, too.

"We are again the idiots of Europe!" shrieked Bild, which has the power of the Daily Mail, The Sun, and the Daily Mirror added together, and whose official slogan can be broadly translated as "We think up your opinions so you don't have to." Even before Sunday night, things had been going downhill for the world's most powerful woman. Last Saturday, Mrs Merkel held an open-air rally in the industrial city of Bielefeld. Intended to rouse her party supporters on the eve of the crucial poll, it turned into something of a rout. >>> Andrew Gilligan in Bielefeld, Westphalia | Sunday, May 16, 2010

Top Liberal Democrats Open Rift Over Coalition With Conservatives
THE OBSERVER: Why I refused to back deal - Charles Kennedy / Former leader fuels doubts over pact

Paddy Ashdown and Charles Kennedy congratulate Nick Clegg after he beat Chris Huhne to become Lib Dem leader in 2007. Photo: The Observer
The depth of division among Liberal Democrats over Nick Clegg's coalition deal with the Tories bursts into the open today as former party leader Charles Kennedy reveals that he refused to vote for the deal.

In a heartfelt article for today's Observer, Kennedy writes that he could not bring himself to back Clegg in the crucial, behind-closed-doors meeting of Lib Dem MPs last Tuesday night. He feared the move to a formal coalition with the Tories could wreck for ever plans for a progressive centre-left alliance in British politics.

Other party grandees, including former leaders Menzies Campbell, Paddy Ashdown and David Steel, also had profound doubts. But in the end Ashdown and Campbell voted in favour. Steel, who could not be present at the meeting, authorised Kennedy to express their shared views about the dangers of the deal. >>> Toby Helm and Anushka Asthana | Sunday, May 16, 2010

David Cameron Lines Up Labour's Frank Field As Poverty Tsar
THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has lined up Frank Field, the Labour MP and former minister, to be his "poverty tsar" as he puts the fight against deprivation at the heart of his agenda.

Mr Field, a long-time champion of welfare reform, has been asked to lead a major review into levels of poverty across Britain. He is also expected to study how poverty should be measured in the future.

The appointment, which could be officially confirmed in the next few days, comes as the Prime Minister seeks to boost his coalition between Conservatives and Liberal Democrats with a number of outside figures in key roles. >>> Patrick Hennessy and Melissa Kite | Saturday, May 15, 2010

Labour Hid ‘Scorched Earth’ Debts
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Labour ‘left poison pills’ for Cameron’s government

THE government last night accused Labour of pursuing a “scorched earth policy” before the general election, leaving behind billions of pounds of previously hidden spending commitments.

The newly discovered Whitehall “black holes” could force even more severe public spending cuts, or higher tax rises, ministers fear.

Vince Cable, the business secretary, said: “I fear that a lot of bad news about the public finances has been hidden and stored up for the new government. The skeletons are starting to fall out of the cupboard.”

The new cabinet has been discovering previously unknown contracts and uncosted spending commitments left by their spendthrift predecessors. >>> Marie Woolf and Jonathan Oliver | Sunday, May 16, 2010

Analysis: Liberal Democrats Switch Support to Labour After Tory Coalition Deal
THE TELEGRAPH: The Liberal Democrats have clearly taken an electoral hit as a result of their decision to enter into a coalition with the Conservatives, writes John Curtice.

At 21 per cent, their share of voting intentions is down three points on what they secured in the ballot box just ten days ago.

Only around three-quarters of those who voted for the party on May 6th say that they would vote for them now. In contrast nearly everyone who voted Conservative or Labour would do so again.

Moreover, most of those who have defected from the Lib Dems have switched to Labour. This has helped push Labour up three points to 33 per cent, though the Conservatives have edged up a point to 38 per cent too.

Yet this result may still be greeted with some relief at Lib Dem headquarters. The party might have feared the electoral fallout from last week would have been much greater. The Lib Dems' current rating is still above what the party polled during most of the last parliament.

The Lib Dems will also be encouraged by the finding that the public might vote in favour of a switch to the Alternative Vote system in the proposed referendum, the key concession Nick Clegg obtained from David Cameron. As many as 56 per cent say they would back a switch. >>> John Curtice | Saturday, May 15, 2010

Griechenland-Rettung: Politiker zürnen Ackermann
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Nachdem Deutsche Bank-Chef Ackermann bezweifelt hat, dass Griechenland seine Schulden zurückzahlen wird, hagelt es Kritik aus allen Parteien. Wirtschaftsminister Brüderle nannte die Äußerungen „ungewöhnlich und ärgerlich“. EZB-Chefökonom Stark verteidigte im Gespräch mit der F.A.S. den Rettungsschirm. >>> | Samstag. 15. Mai 2010

Thailand: Bangkoks Innenstadt gleicht einem Schlachtfeld
DIE PRESSE: Bei den immer heftigeren Zusammenstößen zwischen Oppostion und Exekutive in Bangkok starben bisher mindestens 22 Menschen. Die Innenstadt wurde zur Sperrzone erklärt. Dort wird scharf geschossen.

Foto: Die Presse
In der von den Streitkräften deklarieren Sperrzone wurden Demonstranten und Anrainer auf Schildern in Thai und Englisch vor Schusswaffengebrauch gewarnt. In mehreren Teilen Bangkoks gab es auch am Samstag wieder Zusammenstöße zwischen Oppositions-anhängern und Sicherheitskräften, vereinzelt waren Explosionen zu hören. Demonstranten beschuldigten Scharfschützen des Heeres, drei Oppositionsanhänger mit Kopfschüssen gezielt getötet zu haben.

"Die Lage kommt minütlich einem Bürgerkrieg näher", sagte einer der Führer der Proteste, Jatuporn Prompan. Zugleich erklärte er, die Regierungsgegner seien entschlossen weiterzukämpfen. >>> APA | Samstag, 15. Mai 2010

Verbunden / Related: hier / here

Sadly, This Man Is Depriving Some Village of Its Idiot! West Immune to Natural Disasters 'So the People Can Sin and Be Condemned to Hell'
THE TELEGRAPH: A prominent hard-line Iranian cleric has said that God may be holding off on natural disasters in the West in order to let people sin more and doom themselves to hell.

The cleric, Kazem Sedighi, sparked widespread derision with his pronouncements in a prayer sermon last month that women who don't dress modesty spread adultery in society, in turn increasing earthquakes.

In Tehran's main weekly prayer sermon on Friday, he defended the claim but added some further explanation on why some places are hit more than others.

"Some ask why (more) earthquakes and storms don't occur in the Western world, which suffers from the slime of homosexuality, the slime of promiscuity and has plunged up to the neck" in immorality, he said.

"Who says they don't occur? Storms take place in the US and other parts of the world. We don't say committing sin is the entire reason but it's one of the reasons," he said. >>> | Friday, May 14, 2010

Cameron and Clegg: What Is Their Body Language Really Saying?
THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron and Nick Clegg look alike, sound alike, and come from equally privileged backgrounds - but just how similar are they in reality? Leading body language expert James Borg scrutinised the new Prime Minister and his deputy during their crucial first few days in office. Here, he reveals the unspoken signs

Conservative leader David Cameron and Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg on the steps of 10 Downing Street on Wednesday. Photograph: The Telegraph
From a distance, they were indistinguishable. When Prime Minister David Cameron walked across the Downing Street lawn with his new deputy Nick Clegg last week, it was hard to tell them apart. Both dressed in sober suits and ties, they strode confidently side by side – a seemingly promising sign that these former rivals are already at ease with each other, in the flush of what one might dare refer to as first-date fever.

The symmetries are all part of their supposed political chemistry. On first glance, Cameron and Clegg are alike in so many ways, in appearance, age, height and education – and in their gestures as well.

But exactly how alike are they in reality? Throughout last week, their respective body language gave subtle, unspoken clues as to the real state of their relationship.

Prior to the press conference, the pair posed briefly on the doorstep of Downing Street – a ritual that Cameron would have almost certainly have rehearsed in his mind. He certainly had finessed that relaxed, authoritative air.

In these situations, and faced with a barrage of cameras, the winner is the person who can seem natural in what is essentially an unnatural environment. After the introductory handshake, we saw both men pat each other on the back, a signal which neuropsychologists refer to as a “parental” gesture. And what do most parents signify with this movement to their young? “I’m in charge.” It’s a status reminder, and can be especially important in the 'first among equals’ situation in which Cameron and Clegg now find themselves.

But their body language was more complex than that. Cameron patted Clegg first, who reciprocated with a pat of his own. Cameron then patted back, and Clegg did the same… before Cameron gave the assertive final pat with his right – dominant – hand as he ushered his deputy through the door. This was both a classic repeat display of courtship, and a barely concealed power struggle. Crucially, by doling out the final pat, Cameron had the last word in the vernacular. >>> James Borg* | Saturday, May 15, 2010

*James Borg is the author of Body Language and Persuasion: The Art of Influencing People (Pearson Books), which are available from Telegraph Books for £10.99 and £12.99 respectively, plus £1.25 p&p. Call 0844 871 1516 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk

Tory/Lib Dem Coalition Wins Public Approval in ICM Poll
THE TELEGRAPH: The Liberal/Conservative coalition has won high levels of public approval, with nearly two thirds of voters backing the new Govern-ment, a Sunday Telegraph/ ICM poll shows.

The survey, the first by ICM since election day, showed 64 per cent of voters thought that the Liberal Democrat/Conservative coalition was the right way forward for Britain after the general election resulted in a hung parliament.

It was backed by 87 per cent of those who voted Tory this month and 77 per cent of Lib Dem voters. >>> Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor | Saturday, May 15, 2010

Twenty-two Killed in Bangkok's Bloody Street Battles
Thai soldiers open fire as they clash with Red Shirt anti-government protesters in Bangkok. Photograph: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: Thai troops have opened fire on anti-government protesters and more than 20 are dead after a a third day of bloody clashes on the streets of Bangkok.

The army offensive against the thousands of Red Shirt demonstrators occupying a sprawling encampment in the city’s commercial district escalated on Saturday.

Soldiers started moving in on Thursday but their attempts to disperse the camp have been met with fierce resistance, resulting in increasingly bloody street battles.

Crowds of protesters hurled homemade rockets, petrol bombs and burning tires at the advancing troops, who returned fire with live rounds of ammunition.

An estimated 22 people, all civilians, have been killed in the last three days and at least 161 injured.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva spoke on national TV, on Saturday afternoon, promising to restore order to the city with “minimum loss of life”.

However he stood by the military action and claimed that the protesters, who are calling for him to resign, had been infiltrated by “terrorists”.

Abhisit said: “The government must move forward. We cannot retreat because we are doing things that will benefit the entire country. >>> Robin Henry | Sunday, May 16, 2010

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The EU’s Political and Economic Prospects Look Bleak
“Even before it began, Europe’s moment as a major world power in the 21st century looks to be over.” — Richard Haass, head of the Council on Foreign Relations

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Never in history has such an elaborate institutional structure been built to so little effect. Even in EU-besotted Brussels, people are daring to wonder if the dream is finally over

Sixty years ago this week, a congenial French foreign minister named Robert Schuman stepped into the gilded rococo splendour of the Quai d’Orsay clock chamber and presented his German counterpart, Konrad Adenauer, with a plan to bind together the economies and laws of these former enemies.

To prevent another war, they and their European neighbours would put an end to borders.

It was an unlikely plan involving, as its civil-servant author wrote, “the abnegation of sovereignty in a limited but decisive field” in order to obtain what Mr. Schuman that day called “a Europe that is firmly united and solidly built; a Europe where living standards will rise as a result of the pooling of production and the expansion of markets.”

The plan would eventually be known as the European Union. It worked extraordinarily well, until that rise of living standards and expansion of markets came to a crashing halt in 2010.

Now, many here fear, with good reason, that it is all unravelling back into chaos. >>> Doug Saunders | Friday, May 14, 2010

Grande-Bretagne : le modéré David Lidington nommé secrétaire d'Etat à l'Europe
LE MONDE: Pour les médias britanniques, cela ne fait pas de doute : en nommant David Lidington, un modéré, au poste de secrétaire d'Etat à l'Europe, le nouveau premier ministre David Cameron a montré sa volonté d'apaiser les relations tendues entre son Parti conservateur et l'Union européenne (UE). Cette nomination est aussi interprétée par les médias comme une concession au Parti libéral-démocrate très européen du vice-premier ministre Nick Clegg, avec lequel M. Cameron vient de former un gouvernement de coalition. M. Lidington, 53 ans, devrait "contrebalancer la rhétorique très eurosceptique" du ministre des affaires étrangères William Hague, note le Financial Times. >>> LeMonde.fr avec AFP et Reuters | Vendredi 14 Mai 2010

Großbritannien: Cameron zeigt Europa und Euro die kalte Schulter
WELT ONLINE: Gerade in der aktuellen Finanz-krise, in der Europa weiter zusammen-rücken und seine Wirtschaftspolitik enger abstimmen soll, übernimmt in Großbritannien mit dem konservativen David Cameron ein Euro-skeptiker die Macht. Bald schon könnte es zu ernsten Friktionen mit den anderen EU-Mitgliedern kommen.

Der alte Hausherr hatte kaum seine Koffer gepackt, da ließ der neue Chef der Downing Street bereits wissen: Keine weitere Macht für Brüssel! Über jede Übertragung neuer Zuständigkeiten an die EU müsse von nun an in Referenden entschieden werden. Und dem Euro werde man ganz sicher auch nicht beitreten.

Letzteres überrascht nicht, angesichts der kriselnden europäischen Währung. Aber auch die Drohung, sich einer weiteren Vertiefung der Union per Volksentscheid entgegenzustellen, war erwartbar. Zumal David Camerons Linie hier sogar weicher geworden ist. Noch vor einem guten Jahr drohte der Tory-Chef damit, den Lissabon-Vertrag auch nach dem Inkrafttreten zur Abstimmung vorzulegen.

Dass die traditionell euroskeptischen Briten den jahrelang umstrittenen Vertrag niedergestimmt hätten, stand außer Frage. Doch was bedeutet „Machttransfer an Brüssel“? In der EU-Hauptstadt wagt man keine Voraussage. >>> Von Stefanie Bolzen | Mittwoch, 12. Mai 2010

Streit um Rettungspaket: Sarkozy soll Merkel Euro-Austritt angedroht haben
WELT ONLINE: Harter Schlagabtausch: Frankreichs Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy soll Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel bei den Verhandlungen um das Rettungspaket für Griechenland mit einer Drohung unter Druck gesetzt haben: Ihr Ja zu den Finanzhilfen oder der Rückzug Frankreichs aus der Euro-Zone. Die Bundesregierung dementiert.

Frankreichs Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy und Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel beim EU-Sondergipfel zu Griechenland. Foto: Welt Online
Im Streit um das Rettungspaket für Griechenland hat Frankreichs Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy nach Presseangaben Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) mit einem Austritt aus der europäischen Währungsunion gedroht. Beim Krisengipfel der Staats- und Regierungschefs der Eurozone in Brüssel habe „Sarkozy mit der Faust auf den Tisch geschlagen und gedroht, sich aus dem Euro zurückzuziehen“, berichtete die spanische Zeitung „El Pais“ unter Berufung auf Vertreter der in Madrid regierenden Sozialisten, die Regierungschef José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero wiedergaben. Damit habe der französische Staatschef die zögernde Merkel unter Druck gesetzt, dem Hilfspaket zuzustimmen. >>> AFP/reuters/ks | Freitag, 14. Mai 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to pull out of euro over Greece row: President Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to pull France out of the European single currency unless Germany helped bail out Greece's economy and the wider euro zone, it has emerged. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris and Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Friday, May 14, 2010

Die Euro-Krise: Liebe Schweizer, dürfen wir zurückkommen?
WELT ONLINE: Der Euro fällt und fällt. Die Menschen in Deutschland fürchten, dass die Gemeinschaftswährung butterweich wird. Auf der Suche nach sicheren Alternativen für Devisen landen Anleger auch wieder beim Schweizer Franken – kaum ein halbes Jahr nach der erbittert geführten Schwarzgeld-Fehde.

Alphornbläser und Fahnenschwinger in der Schweizer Bergwelt: Die vermeintlich heile Welt übt mehr denn je starke Anziehungskraft auf deutsche Anlager aus. Foto: Welt Online
Millionen Fernsehzuschauer konnten am Donnerstagabend miterleben, wie der Chef der Deutschen Bank dem krisengeschüttelten Euro die nächste schwere Bürde für den folgenden Handelstag mitgab. „ Ob Griechenland über die Zeit wirklich in der Lage ist, diese Leistungskraft aufzubringen, das wage ich zu bezweifeln“, sagte Josef Ackermann auf die Frage Maybrit Illners zu seiner Meinung nach der Zahlungsfähigkeit der Hellenen.

Und als dann noch Paul Volckers, Berater von US-Präsident Obama, die Furcht vor einem Kollaps des Euro geäußert hatte, kannten die Märkte kaum ein Halten mehr: Die Gemeinschaftswährung setzte ihre Talfahrt fort, fiel gar deutlich unter die Marke von 1,24 US-Dollar. Die Wirkung des 750-Milliarden-Euro-Rettungspakets der Euro-Mitglieder und des Internationalen Währungsfonds war verpufft. >>> Von Michael Höfling | Samstag, 15. Mai 2010

Bangkok : huit nouveaux morts dans les affrontements, le Premier ministre ne veut pas "reculer"
Des tirs nourris et des explosions ont continué de résonner dans Bangkok toute la journée. Photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: Le Premier ministre thaïlandais a exclu samedi de renoncer aux opérations militaires engagées contre les manifestants, alors que Bangkok a été le théâtre de nouvelles scènes de guérilla urbaine au cours desquelles huit personnes ont été tuées et près de 50 blessées, selon les services de secours de la capitale thaïlandaise.Au total, selon les services de secours, 24 personnes ont été tuées depuis jeudi soir, date de la reprise des violences. "Nous ne pouvons reculer et permettre à ceux qui violent la loi et arment des militants de tenir tête au gouvernement", a déclaré Abhisit Vejjajijva à la télévision. Peu avant, le porte-parole de l'armée avait évoqué la possibilité d'un coup de force dans le quartier contrôlé par les "chemises rouges" antigouvernementales. >>> AFP | Samedi 15 Mai 2010

Clotilde Reiss va pouvoir quitter l’Iran
LE TEMPS: La jeune Française était assignée à résidence à l’ambassade de France de Téhéran pour avoir participé à des manifestations antigouvernementales. Elle devrait pouvoir retirer son passeport au tribunal révolutionnaire de la capitale dimanche matin et rentrer en France

La jeune Française Clotilde Reiss va pouvoir, selon son avocat, quitter dans les prochaines heures l’Iran où elle était retenue depuis juillet 2009 pour avoir participé à des manifestations antigouvernementales, après un jugement la condamnant samedi à une simple amende. >>> AFP | Samedi 15 Mai 2010

Sarah Palin's Political Bandwagon Is Wobbling Under the Weight of Contradictions
THE TELEGRAPH: The Sarah Palin phenomenon is finally beginning to fade as contradictions mount up, says Alex Spillius in Washington

We are seeing the first signs of wobble on the Sarah Palin bandwagon.

This may seem a strange thing to say about a political superstar who has earned at least $12 million in the past 18 months from a publishing advance, personal appearance fees and a television punditry contract, not to forget a reality show about life in Alaska.

Palin is such a boon to the struggling book world that her second opus, America by Heart - Reflection on Family, Faith and Flag, can already be ordered in advance even though publication is six months away. A return to the number one spot on the best seller list surely awaits.

But other indices are proving less kind to the former Alaska governor. According to a recent poll more Alaskans than not think the presidency should not form the next chapter of Palin's extraordinary story, while 45 per cent gave her a negative personal rating. >>> Alex Spillius | Saturday, May 15, 2010

First Lesbian Bishop to Be Consecrated by Anglican Church in America
THE TELEGRAPH: The first openly lesbian bishop in the Anglican church will be consecrated this weekend, deepening divisions over homosexuality.

The Rev Mary Glasspool will become Assistant Bishop of Los Angeles in a “grand event” taking place at a 13,500-seat arena on the Californian coast.

Her appointment is being made despite warnings from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, about the “serious questions” it will raise for the 80 million-strong Anglican Communion.

It is being viewed by traditionalists as another “provocative” move by the ultra-liberal Episcopal Church of the USA in “defiance” of pleas not to go against tradition and Scripture by ordaining homosexual bishops.

The Communion was first driven to the brink of schism over sexuality in 2003 when the Episcopal Church, the official Anglican province of the USA, consecrated the first openly homosexual bishop, the Rt Rev Gene Robinson.

Since then hundreds of orthodox American clergy and congregations have joined other provinces or formed breakaway movements, triggering bitter legal battles over the ownership of church property. >>> Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, May 15, 2010

William Hague Hails 'Unbreakable Alliance' Between Britain and USA
THE TELEGRAPH: William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, has hailed the “unbreakable alliance” between Britain and the USA following talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington.



On his first trip abroad since being appointed to head the Foreign Office on Tuesday, Mr Hague said the US was “without doubt the most important ally of the UK” and welcomed President Barack Obama’s description of the “extraordinary special relationship” between the two countries.

In a joint press conference following talks dominated by Afghanistan, Iran and the economic crisis in the eurozone, Mrs Clinton said she was “very intrigued” by the outcome of last week’s election in the UK.

And she said the Obama administration was looking forward to “working with the new British Government”.

“We will continue to build on the deep and abiding trust that exists between the British and American people for a very long time,” said Mrs Clinton.

Mrs Clinton said that the General Election and the smooth transfer of power to the new coalition Government in the UK were “two powerful symbols of the enduring democratic traditions that our two nations share”. >>> Alex Spllius in Washington | Friday, May 14, 2010

Ed Miliband to Throw Hat in Ring for Labour Leadership
THE TELEGRAPH: Ed Miliband is expected to announce on Saturday that he will challenge his older brother, David, for the leadership of the Labour Party.

Ed and David Miliband. Photo: The Telegraph
The shadow energy secretary, an ally of Gordon Brown, is thought to be planning to use a speech at a conference organised by the Fabian Society to set out his stall – and launch an attack on the former government's failure to reform the banking sector.

He will argue that Labour supporters should be proud of the party's achievements under Mr Brown, and will urge them not to react to the election loss by drifting to the Right on issues such as crime and immigration.

But, he will say, the party needs to be honest about why it fell from power, by having a "serious debate" about its values and reconnecting with those who were put off by issues such as the expenses scandal and the decision to go to war in Iraq.

And, in words that will be interpreted as an attack on the former prime minister and Lord Mandelson, the former business secretary, he will argue that Labour lost its "radical edge" by allowing bankers' pay to spiral.

"We lost touch with the lives of the people we represent," he will say. "We lost touch with the progressive ideals that characterised the earlier years of the government." >>> Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | Friday, May 14, 2010

The Face Of Europe Is Now Changed For Ever
THE TELEGRAPH: The financial crisis that has engulfed the EU will not be solved by any quick fix, says Jeremy Warner.

As if the formation of the UK's first coalition government in 65 years wasn't enough drama for one week, events have been unfolding on the other side of the Channel that will change Europe's destiny, and perhaps Britain's too, for ever.

The EU's 750 billion euro (£644 billion) salvage package might be born of necessity rather than design. But it is nevertheless a watershed development, which places the Continent unambiguously on the path to full fiscal and political union.

I'm not saying that such a union is inevitable; the euro's eventual disintegration is still as likely an outcome. Nor is there any certainty that the package, which still lacks salient detail, will work as prescribed.

But willingly or not, there is little doubt where the logic of events is driving European policymakers: it is towards a federal superstate, with the power to subjugate individual nations' fiscal sovereignty if it cuts aross the needs of the whole. Never mind the challenges of deficit reduction – as this centralisation imposes itself ever more aggressively, it threatens to test the oddball mix of Britain's coalition of Eurosceptics and Europhiles to breaking point. >>> Jeremy Warner | Friday, May 14, 2010

Indonesian Militants 'Planned to Kill Barack Obama'
THE TELEGRAPH: Indonesian militants plotted to kill Barack Obama during a state visit, kill their own president and launch a series of Mumbai-style attacks on foreigners, according to officials.

The group hatched an intricate plot to trigger a swathe of high profile attacks in Jakarta on August 17th, Indonesia's independence day, assassinate President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and declare an Islamic state ruled by Sharia law on the same day in a jihadi coup.

Police sources also state that the group – suspected to be a splinter group from the al-Qaeda linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) organisation – also planned to assassinate Mr Obama when he visits Indonesia next month, although this was not officially announced. >>> Barney Henderson in Kuala Lumpur | Friday, May 14, 2010

Greek Doctors and Dentists Who Evaded Tax Are Named and Shamed
TIMES ONLINE: Greece has published details of scores of doctors, dentists and surgeons who, it says, evaded tax as it attempts to shame the nation into replenishing the State’s depleted coffers.

The Finance Ministry revealed the names of 57 of the worst offenders, including a self-employed dentist who reportedly declared a paltry income of €300 (£250) for the year. It is common practice for medical professionals across Greece, especially the more established, to accept money for treatment even when working for the State. This is often paid in the form of what Greeks refer to as fakelakia; envelopes stuffed with cash that are not declared as income by the recipients. >>> Philip Pangalos, Athens | Saturday, May 15, 2010

Don't Take Offence at Our Coalition. Its Aims Are Liberal
THE GUARDIAN: A Lib-Con deal was the only responsible choice. And our shared aim is to build a fairer society by a radical dispersal of power

The third runway at Heathrow has been cancelled. ID cards have been scrapped. There will be no more child detention. And reform is now under way to make taxes fair for millions of ordinary people.

These are some of the early achievements of a government that had its first cabinet meeting just two days ago. A new government but, more important, a new kind of government: plural, diverse; a Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition that defies the rules of old politics.

I know the birth of this coalition has caused much surprise, and, with it, some offence. There are those on both the left and right who are united in thinking this should not have happened. But the truth is this: there was no other responsible way to play the hand dealt to the political parties by the British people at the election. The parliamentary arithmetic made a Lib-Lab coalition unworkable, and it would have been regarded as illegitimate by the British people. Equally, a minority administration would have been too fragile to tackle the political and economic challenges ahead.

So, given that the people told us, explicitly, that they didn't want just one party in charge, we had a duty to find a way for more than one party to govern effectively. And we have.

That's the pragmatic analysis. But what I think has surprised all of us in the government this week is the strength of the agreement on principle, too. No government – whether it's a coalition of parties, or a coalition of rivalries as in the Blair-Brown governments – is able to survive without a core set of common assumptions and aspirations. >>> Nick Clegg | Friday, May 14, 2010

Nouvelles accusations d'abus sexuels contre Polanski
LE FIGARO: Charlotte Lewis, 42 ans, a déclaré à la presse qu'elle avait été «abusée sexuellement de la pire façon possible» par le cinéaste, actuellement assigné à résidence en Suisse dans l'attente d'une éventuelle extradition aux Etats-Unis.

Roman Polanski à nouveau dans la tourmente. Une actrice britannique a affirmé à Los Angeles avoir été «abusée sexuellement» par le cinéaste Roman Polanski dans son appartement parisien au début des années 80, alors qu'elle était âgée de 16 ans. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Samedi 15 Mai 2010

Islamic Brainwashing

Thousands of Hispanics Convert to Islam in the USA

Step In to Tackle Yobs, Says New Home Secretary Theresa May
THE TELEGRAPH: Members of the public should intervene to stop anti-social behaviour on Britain’s streets, the new Home Secretary has said.

In her first interview since her surprise appointment, Theresa May says she wants to create an atmosphere in which people feel able to stop gangs of youths blighting neighbourhoods. She suggests that more police would be on the beat – able to “help” citizens if confrontations threaten to become violent.

The Home Secretary tells The Daily Telegraph that her success in the post should be judged on whether “people feel safer in their own homes” and public faith in the police is restored.

Mrs May says a priority for the Government would be introducing laws to protect people tackling burglars and “good Samaritans” taking on troublemakers. She will also scrap dozens of Labour measures, such as ID cards, which threaten civil liberties.

“We need to generate an environment in which people are able to have the confidence to intervene,” she says. “The more we are able to generate that confidence, the more people will feel confident about intervening with kids on the street corner. I would like to have a situation where people felt able to intervene.” Mrs May, who was previously the shadow work and pensions secretary, also:

*Refuses to rule out a cut in the number of police officers under plans to reduce the Home Office budget.

*Pledges to end the “health and safety culture” in the police and return officers to the beat.

*Says she does not believe that there should be an absolute limit on the population but adds that plans are under way to introduce an annual cap for immigration from outside the European Union.

*Announces plans to take samples of the DNA of every prisoner in an attempt to make it easier to catch reoffenders.

Says the Government will push ahead with directly-elected “police chiefs” despite opposition from some chief constables. >>> Robert Winnett, and Andrew Porter | Friday, May 14, 2010

Geldanlagen: Börsianer nehmen die Euro-Zone auseinander
WELT ONLINE: Der gemeinsame Anlageraum in Europa ist tot. Der Grund dafür: Die Finanzmärkte an der Peripherie der Euro-Zone stürzen ab. Privatanleger verlassen mit ihren Investments in Scharen den Euro-Raum, die Währung sackt dramatisch ab. Der Euro fällt auf niedrigsten Stand seit 19 Monaten. >>> Von Holger Zschäpitz | Freitag. 14. Mai 2010

Homophobia-related Murders Double in Mexico
ADVOCATE.COM: Despite a government sponsored tolerance campaign and marriage equality in Mexico City, the average number of killings of gays and lesbians per year in Mexico has nearly doubled since 1995, a report released Thursday claims. >>> Kenneth Harvey | Friday, May 14, 2010

Nicolas Sarkozy Threatened to Pull Out of Euro Over Greece Row
THE TELEGRAPH: President Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to pull France out of the European single currency unless Germany helped bail out Greece's economy and the wider euro zone, it has emerged.

The French President slammed his fist on the table while making the threat to tear to apart the EU last Friday at a crisis summit of euro zone leaders, diplomatic sources have confirmed.

The details of the row leaked out after Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the Spain's Prime Minister, recounted the summit's events to members of his Socialist Party on Wednesday.

President Sarkozy, who is of Greek ancestry, demanded a "commitment from everyone to support Greece or France would reconsider its position in the euro," according to one source.

Another described how the French president smashed his clenched fist down to make his point as he declared: "If at this point, given how it's falling, Europe isn't capable of making a united response, then there is no point to the euro". >>> Henry Samuel in Paris and Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Friday, May 14, 2010

Fresh Profiteering Row as Petrol Prices Hit New Record High
THE TELEGRAPH: Petrol prices have hit a new record high, despite a fall in the wholesale cost paid by super-markets and forecourts, triggering fresh accusations of profiteering.

According to the AA, motorists are now paying 121.61 pence for a litre of unleaded, compared to 109.88 on January 1. This has added just under £6 to the cost of filling an average car such as a Vauxhall Astra.

Diesel has risen from 111.52p at the start of January to 123.03p now, a rise of more than 11 pence.

While British motorists have seen no end in sight to the inexorable rise in pump prices, their counterparts on the continent have seen the cost of filling a car fall by as much as two per cent over the last week. Read more about the rip-off >>> David Millward, Transport Editor | Friday, May 14, 2010

Labour MP Stephen Timms Stabbed at Constituency Surgery
THE TELEGRAPH: A former Labour minister has been taken to hospital after being stabbed during a constituency surgery.

Stephen Timms, 54, the financial secretary to the treasury in the last government, was attacked while holding a surgery in Beckton, East London.

The incident happened at 3.20pm at the Beckton Globe Library in Kingsford Way where Mr Timms holds a monthly surgery.

A police source said he was taken to hospital by ambulance where his injuries were not life threatening.

A 21-year-old woman was arrested at the scene and is in custody at an East London police station. >>> Duncan Gardham and Nick Collins | Friday, May 14, 2010

James Corum: Barack Obama Should Fire His Homeland Security Chief At Once
TELEGRAPH BLOGS: How many screw ups does it take for the Obama administration to fire a grossly incompetent cabinet member? Well, apparently more than two.

At Christmas, when a brave passenger prevented the underwear bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, from blowing up a US airliner, President Obama’s Homeland Security chief – Janet Napolitano – immediately reassured the public. She insisted that “the system worked”.

Nonsense. Unless you believe that the US airline protection system is dependent on quick-witted Dutch tourists, it failed entirely, a fact which was proved again when the event was fully evaluated by investigators.

Since the lives of the public are literally in Napolitano’s hands, a major mistake like this arguably merits a sacking. But perhaps even cabinet members ought to be allowed one big screw up.

But now Napolitano has done it again. After another attempt to set off a terrorist bomb, in Times Square, Napolitano was at it again with her “everything is just fine” theme. In an interview with ABC News the day of the attempted attack Napolitano asserted that “Times Square I think is now safe”. She also insisted that there was no evidence that this was “anything other than a one-off” event. Finally, she tried to reassure the public by commenting that the bomb “doesn’t look like it is a very sophisticated one”. Read on and comment >>> James Corum | Friday, May 14, 2010

Three Arrested in Connection with Times Square Bombing
THE TELEGRAPH: Three people have been arrested in connection with the failed Times Square car bomb after a series of morning raids in Massachusetts and New York.



The three people have connections to Faisal Shahzad and may have provided him with funds, US Attorney General Eric Holder said.

"These are people who are connected to Mr Shahzad, we're still trying to determine exactly what the nature of that connection was.

"There's at least a basis to believe that one of the things that they did was provide him with funds and so we're trying to trace back" to determine the purpose of those transactions, Mr Holder said, calling the arrests a significant step.

Police cordoned off a small house in Watertown, a suburb about 10 miles west of Boston, where a neighbour reported seeing an FBI raid. >>> | Thursday, May 13, 2010

New York Town Orders Residents To Speak English
THE TELEGRAPH: A small town in rural New York state has passed a law that all town business be conducted in English, leading to accusations that it is stoking racial prejudice.

Jackson, a remote farming community of just over 1,700 people, has been attacked by civil liberties campaigners who say its new ordinance is unconstitutional and illegal.

However, it has already prompted a neighbouring town to pass a similar resolution and another will consider doing the same in June.

The Jackson law designates English as the town's official written and spoken language, insisting that it "be used in all official meetings and business conducted by the elected officials and their appointees".

Roger Meyer, 76, a town councillor and local sawmill owner, said he proposed the law to protect English and redress from the "grassroots" the federal government's historic failure to enshrine it as America's official language. "Everybody assumes that it is but it actually isn't," he said.

While successive waves of immigrants had happily adopted English in the past, "it seems like we're straying away from that now and people want to return to the culture of the country they came from", he said. "When people come to a country to improve their lot, they should assimilate into that country." He acknowledged that Jackson, which is 96 per cent white, hardly had a problem with cultural non-integration but he added: "A construction worker doesn't wear a hard hat because he's never been hit in the head. We just can't sit idly by and wait for something to happen." Despite his insistence that the ordinance was not aimed at Hispanic people, that is how its critics are interpreting it. >>> Tom Leonard in New York | Thursday, May 13, 2010

Samantha Cameron's £400,000 Salary to Shrink as She Cuts Back Hours
THE TELEGRAPH: Samantha Cameron's job as creative director of Smythson of Bond Street was thought to have earned her three times more than the Prime Minister.

But, with her husband in No 10, Samantha Cameron has decided the time is right to take a drastic pay cut. She announced yesterday that she is cutting back her hours to balance work with her “new life”.

Mrs Cameron will work only two days a week as a consultant to Smythson, which she has been credited with transforming from a relatively staid stationer into a “must-have” brand.

The decision will mean an inevitable cut in a salary reported to be have been in the region of £400,000, compared with the £142,500 a year her husband will earn as Prime Minister.

Mrs Cameron, already a mother of two, is expecting a baby in September. She said she had made the decision to give up her directorship after learning she was pregnant earlier this year and not once her husband headed the Government.

In a statement, she also said that reducing her workload would allow her to balance her job with her “new day-to-day life”.

“This is a personal decision made when I discovered I was pregnant and one that I have been considering for some time during what has been an understandably difficult year,” she said.

“As a creative consultant working two days a week, I will be involved in all the same areas as before, however I will not be directly responsible for them.

“I look forward to my changed role and balancing it with my new day-to-day life as well as being able to spend more time with my children.” >>> James Kirkup, Political Correspondent | Friday, May 14, 2010

David Cameron Faces Tory Revolt Over 55 Per Cent Rule
David Cameron's backbench colleagues are unhappy with one of the concessions he made to achieve his coalition Cabinet. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: David Cameron was facing his first backbench rebellion today over a plan designed to make it more difficult for the Opposition to force a general election if his new coalition Government is defeated in a vote of confidence.

A number of Tory MPs, including one who is a frontrunner to become chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee, warned the Prime Minister that his plan requiring a vote of at least 55 per cent of MPs for Parliament to be dissolved before the end of its five-year term would undermine the “primacy of Parliament".

Charles Walker, the Conservative MP for Broxbourne, said the plan was simply being introduced for the “con-Parliament”.

“It is not the duty of Parliament to prop up this coalition. That is the duty of the coalition partners and if they can’t make it work and if they lose the confidence of Parliament then we must have a general election. It is a simple as that,” Mr Walker said. >>> Philippe Naughton | Friday, May 14, 2010

'It's a Recipe for Anarchy': First Tories Break Ranks Over Five-year Parliament 'Stitch-up'
MAIL ONLINE: Cameron's former leadership rival Davis leads chorus of dissent ? / Blunkett: 'This is profoundly undemocratic'

David Cameron's plan to bring in fixed-term parliaments was condemned as a 'recipe for anarchy' today as Tories broke ranks to openly attack the move.

Senior Conservative Party figures rounded on the new PM as they argued the proposal to bring in legislation allowing him to govern for five years undermines the 'primacy' of Parliament.

They angrily condemned the idea, laid out in the coalition deal agreed by the two parties which they said had been 'cobbled together' with only the approval of Mr Cameron's closest aides.

The change in law would mean Mr Cameron could be removed only if 55 per cent of MPs voted for the dissolution of Parliament and an early election.

A number of MPs want to retain the right to kick out a government by a simple majority of one, by way of a no-confidence vote.

David Davis - once Mr Cameron's leadership rival - is understood to be among the growing number of politicians opposed to the 'stitch-up'.

Senior Tory backbencher Christopher Chope said today: 'I think it is unsustainable as a proposition.

'If the present Government was to lose its majority in Parliament and wasn't able to operate as a minority government because it didn't enjoy the confidence of a sufficient number of MPs, then what is being suggested is that it would be able to carry on. That would be, basically, a recipe for anarchy. >>> Gerri Peev | Friday, May 14, 2010

Global Shares Plunge as Eurozone Fears Return
TIMES ONLINE: Shares plunged across Britain, Europe and America today over fears that a €750 billion (£650 billion) rescue package may not be enough to stem the eurozone debt crisis.

The FTSE 100 index tumbled by 153.74 points to 5,279.99, a 2.8 per cent fall, while the Dow Jones industrial average fell 163.70 points to 10,619.25 within minutes of opening.

Meanwhile, the euro dipped below the $1.25 level for the first time since March last year, trading 0.4 per cent down at $1.244 — the lowest since November 2008.

The currency has lost ground all week after hitting $1.31 in the wake of the rescue deal announced last weekend by the European Union and IMF, which briefly boosted sentiment. >>> Nic Fildes, Graham Keeley, Francesca Steele | Friday, May 14, 2010

Related / Verbunden:

NZZ ONLINE: Nichts kann die Talfahrt des Euro stoppen: Gemeinschaftswährung auf dem tiefsten Stand seit November 2008 >>> sda/dpa | Freitag, 14. Mai 2010

Ambrose Evans Pritchard’s Viewpoint: Europe's Fiscal Fascism Brings British Withdrawal Ever Closer
TELEGRAPH BLOGS: Just when you thought the EU could not go any further down the road towards authoritarian excess, it gets worse.

The European Commission is calling for EU powers to vet budgets of the 27 member states before the draft laws have been presented to the House of Commons, the Tweede Kamer, the Folketing, the Bundestag, the Assemblee Nationale, or other national parliaments. It applies to Britain even though we are not in EMU.

Fonctionnaires and EU finance ministers will pass judgement on the British (or Dutch, or Danish, or French) budgets before the elected bodies of these ancient and sovereign nations have seen the proposals. Did we not we not fight the English Civil War and kill a king over such a prerogative?

Yet again we are discovering the trick played on our democracies by Europe’s insiders when they charged ahead with EMU, brushing aside warnings by their own staff economists that monetary union was unworkable without fiscal union. Jacques Delors knew perfectly well that this would lead inevitably to a crisis, but it would be the “beneficial crisis” that would force sovereign parliaments to submit to demands that they would never otherwise accept. Read on and comment >>> Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | Friday, May 14, 2010

Canadian Commander Accused of Murders and Sex Attacks
THE TELEGRAPH: One of Canada's most senior military figures has been accused of being a sexual predator responsible for up to ten murders.

In a case that has shocked and transfixed the nation, British-born Colonel Russell Williams has been charged with two killings but police think they may be more.

Detectives are re-examining up to eight unsolved murders and dozens of sex crimes across Canada stretching back three decades.

His arrest marked a fall from grace for the elite Canadian Air Force commander who once flew the Queen across the Atlantic.

Col Williams, 47, was the commander in charge of Canadian Forces Base Trenton, near Toronto, which is the country's largest military airbase and provides support for its operations in Afghanistan and Haiti.

The married father of four, has been relieved of duty and is being kept in jail ahead of a civilian trial.

The colonel was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, and his parents both attended Birmingham University.

His family emigrated to Canada when he was four and he later embarked on a highly decorated 23-year military career, spending a decade at the controls of VIP flights carrying the Prime Minister and Governor General.

In 2005, he picked up the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in the UK and flew them to Canada to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta.

He is charged with the first-degree murder of Corporal Marie Comeau, 38, who was a flight attendant under his command on VIP military flights. She was found dead at her home near the Trenton base in November. >>> Nick Allen in Los Angeles | Friday, May 14, 2010

Loi sur la burqa : avis défavorable du Conseil d'État
LE FIGARO: La haute juridiction estime qu'une interdiction globale ne reposerait sur «aucun fondement juridique incontestable».

Le Conseil d'État a émis un «avis défavorable» au projet de loi du gouvernement visant à interdire complètement le port du voile intégral. Selon nos informations, les Sages réunis en assemblée mercredi, en présence du secrétaire général du gouvernement, ont une nouvelle fois expliqué, comme dans leur étude remise il y a un mois à Matignon, qu'«une interdiction absolue et générale du port du voile intégral en tant que telle ne pourrait trouver aucun fondement juridique incontestable» et qu'elle serait «exposée à de fortes incertitudes constitutionnelles et conventionnelles». >>> Par Cécilia Gabizon | Vendredi 14 Mai 2010

«Tyrannenjäger» in Spanien als Richter abgesetzt: Garzón wird wegen Ermittlungen zur Franco-Diktatur der Prozess gemacht
NZZ ONLINE: Der als «Tyrannenjäger» bekannte spanische Ermittlungsrichter Baltasar Garzón ist bis auf weiteres vom Dienst suspendiert. Dies entschied Spaniens oberstes Richtergremium (CGPJ) nach Medienberichten am Freitag auf einer Sondersitzung in Madrid.

Spaniens oberstes Richtergremium reagierte auf den Entscheid des Obersten Gerichtshofes vom Mittwoch, Garzón wegen seiner Ermittlungen zu den Verbrechen der Franco-Diktatur (1939-1975) den Prozess zu machen. Garzón wird damit bis auf weiteres vom Dienst suspendiert. >>> sda/dpa/afp/ddp | Freitag, 14. Mai 2010

Verbunden / Related hier | here >>>

Rachida Dati «une maman heureuse»
FIGARO BLOG: Deux mois après avoir été suspectée par des proches de Nicolas Sarkozy d’avoir propagé des rumeurs sur le couple présidentiel - ce qu'elle a toujours nié -, Rachida Dati veut offrir un visage serein et apaisé. L’ex Garde des Sceaux a laissé Paris-Match faire son portrait sous la plume de son ami l’écrivain Tahar Ben Jelloun. Un portrait politique mais aussi, en filigrane, intime. L’hebdomadaire montre sur sa couverture Rachida Dati et sa fille Zohra, dont la face est masquée par sa frange, en train de se promener dans le jardin des Plantes.

Très discrète sur sa vie de mère, Rachida Dati, qui contrôle très strictement l'image de sa fille, réfute à nouveau toute disgrâce entre elle et l’Elysée. «On peut être fidèle en amitié et ne pas se voir pendant des années. Je lui suis loyale. Je n’ai jamais dit quand je le voyais. Je sais que l’amitié et l’affection sont toujours là. Nicolas Sarkozy est profondément humain», assure-t-elle. «Je soutiens son action, il le sait, il me fait confiance, je l’espère, en tout cas j’ai confiance en lui». >>> Par Constance Jamet | Mercredi 12 Mai 2010

Nichts kann die Talfahrt des Euro stoppen: Gemeinschaftswährung auf dem tiefsten Stand seit November 2008
NZZ ONLINE: Auch das grösste Rettungspaket aller Zeiten hilft dem Euro derzeit wenig. Obwohl nicht nur Griechenland, sondern auch Spanien und Portugal scharfe Sparmassnahmen beschlossen haben, setzt sich die Talfahrt der Gemeinschaftswährung fast ungebremst fort.

Der Euro ist am Freitag auf den tiefsten Stand seit November 2008 gesunken. Die Talfahrt der europäischen Gemeinschaftswährung geht damit trotz Sparmassnahmen und Steuererhöhungen in Spanien und Portugal und der Rückendeckung durch die Europäische Zentralbank weiter. Zeitweise sank der Euro bis auf 1,2433 Dollar. Am Mittag kostete ein Euro 1,2443 Dollar. Ein Dollar war 0,8034 Euro wert. >>> sda/dpa | Freitag, 14. Mai 2010

Coalition Government: National Health Service Faces Cuts, Says Andrew Lansley
THE TELEGRAPH: The National Health Service will not be spared the efficiency savings which the Government will impose on the entire public sector, Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, has warned.

Overall spending on the NHS will rise in real terms, he said, but the “substantial increase” in health spending over the past decade under Labour was “not sustainable for the future”.

The Government would have to go beyond the annual efficiency savings for the NHS set out by Labour, Mr Lansley said. Labour said its plans had implied savings of up to £20 billion by 2013-14 and warned that the coalition’s plans to do more would mean “real pain for the NHS”. >>> Rosa Prince and James Kirkup | Friday, May 14, 2010

Coalition Government: Conservatives Drop Plans to Scrap European Human Rights Act
THE TELEGRAPH: A Conservative pledge to rip up the Human Rights Act has been kicked into the long grass after Kenneth Clarke, the new Justice Secretary, signalled it was not a priority.

The Tories had promised to replace the act, which many believe protects criminals more than innocent people, with a UK Bill of Rights.

But Mr Clarke, who was appointed to head the Ministry of Justice on Wednesday, suggested it was not high on the list of actions while the pledge was notable by its absence in the coalition agreement published this week.

In 2006, Mr Clarke attacked David Cameron over his “anti-foreigner” proposals to tear up the Human Rights Act, which was introduced by Labour, and said a Bill of Rights was “xenophobic and legal nonsense”.

And shortly after taking up his new Cabinet post, Mr Clarke said: “We are not committed to leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, we have committed ourselves to a British Human Rights Act.

“We are still signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights. >>> Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor | Friday, May 14, 2010

Coalition Government: Conservative Anger at 'Anti-democratic' No-confidence Rule
THE TELEGRAPH: Conservative MPs might rebel against “profoundly anti-democratic” moves to keep the new coalition in power by increasing the threshold for a vote of no confidence.

Under the terms of a deal struck between the two parties, ministers plan to introduce a law that would require the votes of 55 per cent of the Commons – 358 MPs – before the Government could be thrown out.

David Cameron said this was to ensure that the coalition survived the five-year fixed term over which he intends to govern.

However, MPs of all parties are concerned that the move amounts to a radical change in the constitution, which was not put to the electorate at the general election. Labour MPs will vote against the move and may be joined by several Conservative backbenchers, who are lobbying for the measure to be dropped.

At present, a simple majority of MPs can vote down a government. >>> Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | Friday, May 14, 2010