Blair to Be Named EU President ‘Within Weeks’ if Irish Ratify Lisbon Treaty
MAIL ONLINE: Tony Blair is set to become EU President within weeks if Ireland votes 'Yes' in its referendum on the Lisbon Treaty tomorrow.

The former prime minister's candidacy for the new post will be rushed through as quickly as possible, according to government sources.

Mr Blair is among the favourites to become the first President of the European Union, a role that is chosen by the EU's 27 leaders and not by voters.

Such an appointment would restore him to the world stage as well as boost his long-term income.

Mr Blair has refused to rule himself in or out of the running, but did say that 'it is good to have fans' for a possible candidacy.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has given his full support to a Blair bid. When French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner was asked yesterday if Mr Blair was the only real candidate, he said: 'For the moment, indeed.'

The post of President cannot exist until the Lisbon Treaty is formally ratified by all member states and officials across Europe would scramble to move forward this weekend if Ireland votes 'Yes' on Friday. >>> | Thursday, October 01, 2009

Nile Gardiner: Barack Obama’s Top Five Embarrassing Speeches on the World Stage
THE TELEGRAPH: Last week’s débacle at the United Nations where Barack Obama delivered a speech so naïve that even Jimmy Carter would have blushed, has inspired this list of the five most embarrassing speeches by the president (so far) as a world leader. By embarrassing I mean embarrassing to the United States, speeches that have projected weakness rather than strength, policy statements that have forced millions of Americans to cringe in front of their television sets.

In compiling this list I have picked the five presidential addresses by President Obama that represent the antithesis of the kind of leadership that Ronald Reagan demonstrated in confronting the Soviet Empire and winning the Cold War. These are all speeches that show either staggering naïveté or have gone out of their way to apologize for American power or America’s past, humiliating the United States in the process. Here is my list, in descending order: >>> Nile Gardiner | Thursday, October 01, 2009

Homecoming
NEWSWEEK: With a surge in the number of American residents joining Al Qaeda, its menace to Homeland Security is now more acute than at any time since September 11.

In the eight years after September 11, and especially during the Bush administration's first term, Americans became all to [sic] accustomed to a diet of orange alerts, sensational terror arrests, and breathless press conferences announcing the thwarting of yet another serious plot. But months and years down the line, it often emerged that such plots may not have represented such grave threats after all: terrorism suspects were charged with less serious offenses or released altogether; plotters turned out to have little or no capacity to launch attacks; and, often, when juries did convict, it emerged that entire conspiracies were reliant on the helping hand of undercover law-enforcement agents.

But 10 days ago federal agents in Denver foiled an alleged plot on U.S. soil that, for the first time, appears to have posed a true and severe threat to the U.S. homeland. Najibullah Zazi, a permanent resident of Afghan nationality, pled not guilty Tuesday in his arraignment in Brooklyn to charges including conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. He is believed to have trained to make bombs with Al Qaeda in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan and to have initiated plans—apparently without assistance from undercover agents—with others in the United States to perpetrate a terrorist attack in New York City. The FBI, in other words, has just thwarted the most serious plot, by far, on U.S. soil in the last eight years.

And this is just the beginning. The threat from Al Qaeda to the U.S. homeland is arguably more acute now than at any time since September 11. This is not because Al Qaeda has become a stronger foe. (On the contrary, Osama bin Laden's terrorist network has actually been weakened in the last two years by intensified U.S. missile strikes against its leadership in FATA and a sharp backlash among Muslims worldwide against its violent excesses.) It is because a growing number of Americans have gone to FATA, the global hub of Al Qaeda's terrorist operations, to join the jihad in Afghanistan—something which was very rare until recently—and Al Qaeda, opportunistically, has recruited them for attacks on their country. The number of American residents who had joined or trained with Al Qaeda …>>> Paul Cruickshank | Newsweek Web Exclusive | Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Schockierend! Shocking! Choquant! «Erschreckende» Resultate nach einer Umfrage in der Türkei
TAGES ANZEIGER: Viele Türken wollen keine Juden als Nachbarn, auch Christen sind oft unerwünscht. Dies zeigt eine Studie, die mit Unterstützung der EU durchgeführt wurde.

Vier von zehn Türken wollen keinen Juden als Nachbarn, jeder Dritte lehnt es ab, neben einem Christen zu wohnen: Zu diesen Ergebnissen kommt eine neue Umfrage, welche die jüdische Gemeinde mit Unterstützung der EU durchgeführt hatte. Die Resultate seien «erschreckend», sagte Vize-Regierungschef Bülent Arinc nach einem Bericht der Zeitung «Radikal» vom Donnerstag.

Mehr als jeder zweite Befragte lehnte in der Umfrage die Beschäftigung von Nicht-Muslimen in der Justiz, in der Armee, bei der Polizei, beim Geheimdienst und in den politischen Parteien ab. Über 40 Prozent sind zudem dagegen, dass Christen oder Juden in der Wissenschaft und im Gesundheitswesen vertreten sind. Zu 99 Prozent muslimisch >>> sam/sda | Donnerstag, 01. Oktober 2009

Ghadhafi fordert erneut Entschuldigung: Veröffentlichung des Polizeifotos von Hannibal als Demütigung gewertet
NZZ ONLINE: Nach Ansicht des libyschen Staatschefs Ghadhafi soll sich die Schweiz ein weiteres Mal entschuldigen. Streitpunkt ist dieses Mal das Polizeifoto von Ghadhafis Sohn Hannibal, das in verschiedenen Medien veröffentlicht worden war.

Laut Bundespräsident Hans-Rudolf Merz fordert der libysche Staatschef Muammar Ghadhafi eine Entschuldigung auch für die Veröffentlichung des Fotos in den Medien, das die Genfer Polizei von seinem Sohn Hannibal machte.

Eine weitere Demütigung

«Für ihn (Muammar Ghadhafi) war das der Beweis, dass die Schweiz die Libyer ein weiteres Mal demütigen wollte», sagte Merz in einem Interview, das heute Donnerstag in der Westschweizer Wochenzeitschrift «L'Hébdo» erschien. Er habe vor allem auch verlangt, dass die Verantwortlichen für die Herausgabe dieser Bilder bestraft würden. Die Fotos waren von der Genfer Tageszeitung «Tribune de Genève» veröffentlicht worden.

Merz hatte Ghadhafi vergangene Woche am Rande der Uno-Generalversammlung in New York getroffen. Merz bedauerte im übrigen weder seine Entschuldigung in Tripolis, die «nichts gekostet habe», noch seine Reise nach Libyen. Mit seiner Reise habe er zeigen wollen, dass sich die Schweiz für alle Bürger einsetze, die im Ausland in Schwierigkeiten seien. >>> sda/ap | Donnerstag, 01. Oktober 2009

Kadhafi demande de nouvelles excuses
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: PHOTOS | Selon Hans-Rudolf Merz, le dirigeant libyen a demandé de nouvelles excuses de la Suisse après la publication des photos d'identification de son fils prises par la police .

Khadafi. Crédits photo : Tribune de Genève
Le président de la Confédération Hans-Rudolf Merz révèle que le numéro un libyen a demandé de nouvelles excuses de la Suisse après la publication des photos d'identification de son fils prises par la police genevoise. Sur son voyage à Tripoli, le chef du DFF admet une erreur de communication. «Pour lui, c'était la preuve que la Suisse voulait une nouvelle fois humilier les Libyens», déclare dans un entretien à paraître jeudi dans «L'Hebdo» M. Merz, en référence à la réaction de Mouammar Khadafi aux photos de son fils.

Le leader libyen lui a demandé de nouvelles excuses et des sanctions contre les auteurs des fuites lors de leur rencontre la semaine dernière à New York. «Il y aura des sanctions si la justice peut faire la lumière sur cette affaire», lui a répondu le président de la Confédération. Le numéro un libyen lui a aussi fait part de «son amour pour la Suisse» et lui a donné des dattes et du thé, indique-t-il. >>> ATS | Mercredi 30 Septembre 2009

L’HÉBDO: De Kadhafi à Polanski... Gaffes à gogo >>> Par Chantal Tauxe | Jeudi 01 Octobre 2009

Niederlande: Frauen mit Burka sollen Arbeitslosengeld verlieren
WELT ONLINE: In den Niederlanden sollen mit der Burka verschleierte Frauen das Recht auf finanzielle Unterstützung bei Arbeitslosigkeit verlieren. Einen entsprechenden Vorschlag unterbreitete der Amsterdamer Bürgermeister. Wer wegen der Burka keine Arbeit fände, solle keine Anspruch auf Arbeitslosenhilfe haben, so Job Cohen.

Verschleierten niederländischen Frauen könnte das Recht auf Arbeitslosengeld aberkannt werden. Bild: Welt Online
Verschleierte Frauen könnten in den Niederlanden das Recht auf Arbeitslosengeld verlieren. Dieser Vorschlag des sozialdemokratischen Amsterdamer Bürgermeisters Job Cohen finde breite parlamentarische Unterstützung, berichteten niederländische Medien.

Cohen hatte erklärt, Frauen, die im Berufsleben nicht auf den als Burka bekannten muslimischen Ganzkörperschleier verzichten mögen und daher keinen Job fänden, sollten keinen Anspruch auf Arbeitslosenhilfe haben.

„Das ist eine gute Idee“, sagte die Abgeordnete Mirjam Sterk von der christdemokratischen Regierungspartei CDA der Zeitung „De Telegraaf“. „Wer wegen des Burka-Tragens arbeitslos bleibt, darf von uns nicht subventioniert werden.“ Eine entsprechende Bestimmung müsse in die Arbeits- und Sozialgesetzgebung aufgenommen werden. >>> dpa/sk | Dienstag, 29. September 2009

Die neuen Methoden der Al-Qaida: Ein Prinz und der Terrorist mit der Bombe im Bauch
WELT ONLINE: Abdullah Hassan al-Assiri ging durch Sicherheitsschleusen und wurde mit Metalldetektoren nach Waffen abgetastet. Doch der Sprengstoff in seinem Körper blieb unentdeckt. So gelangte der Terrorist in das Büro des Prinzen Mohammed Bin Nayef, wo die Bombe explodierte. Eine unglaubliche Geschichte.

Während in Deutschland die Sicherheitsmaßnahmen nach den jüngsten Terrordrohungen erhöht werden, wirft der Fall des letzten Selbstmordanschlages in Saudi-Arabien neue Fragen auf. Erstmals trug ein Attentäter seine Bombe nicht am Körper, sondern versteckte sie wie Rauschgiftschmuggler über 30 Stunden in seinem Darm. >>> Von Florian Flade | Mittwoch, 30. September 2009

If Fashion Is Anything to Go By, Western Civilization Is In Steep Decline!!


THE TELEGRAPH: Paris Fashion Week: grey is the new black at Gareth Pugh in Paris: Hilary Alexander reviews the Gareth Pugh spring/summer 2010 collection from Paris. >>> Hilary Alexander, Fashion Director at Paris Fashion Week | Thursday, October 01, 2009

Voters: Reds Blew It for Us Too
THE SUN: LABOUR voters let down by the Government told The Sun yesterday why they were turning their back on the Party.

Our website and text service was swamped by readers backing our decision to dump PM Gordon Brown and support David Cameron's Conservatives instead.

Those backing our stand include victims of crime, families of Our Boys serving on the front-line in Afghanistan and those left devastated after losing loved ones to NHS hospital superbugs like MRSA.

But mostly it was just the ordinary man and woman in the street saying they thought the Reds had blown it too - and after 12 long years of failure and disappointment, it was finally time for a change. >>> Alex Peake | Thursday, October 01, 2009

The Sun Has Finally Set on New Labour's Love Affair with the Media
THE TELEGRAPH: Like John Major before him, Gordon Brown is now a leader at war with those who report him, says Benedict Brogan

For most people, the details of which newspapers back which parties are about as interesting as the dusty weights and pulleys that keep the conference stage sets in place. What happens behind the theatre curtain is not meant to be noticed. The workings between press and politicians come under what Alastair Campbell used to deride as "processology", of negligible interest to voters perfectly capable of making their own judgments. But every now and then it is worth pulling aside the velvet brocade to understand why things are as they are.

If anything can be said about the Prime Minister's predicament at the end of what must be his last Labour conference as leader, it is that, like John Major before him, he is now a leader at war with those who report him. Not only is his message deeply flawed, but his best route to getting it heard is being closed off.

The Sun's decision to pull the plug on Gordon Brown, and on his big day to boot, is the latest spin in a downward spiral that was already well underway. The defection of the weathervane tabloid, although expected, has had a bigger effect in the Westminster village than it will have in the wider world. Although it compounded the already dire press reaction to the Prime Minister's speech, it also marked the final collapse of relations between New Labour and the media. >>> Benedict Brogan | Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Grande-Bretagne : Le «Sun» lâche le Labour
LE TEMPS: La prise de position du tabloïd souligne la puissance du magnat de la presse Rupert Murdoch

Même la pin-up quotidienne du Sun s’en trouve chamboulée. Au lieu de la traditionnelle page 3, elle s’est retrouvée mercredi renvoyée en page 7. Le tabloïd a en effet décidé d’utiliser le congrès du Parti travailliste pour très officiellement mettre fin à son soutien à Gordon Brown. «Après douze années au pouvoir, ce gouvernement s’est perdu. Maintenant, il a perdu le soutien du Sun aussi.» Sur cinq ­pages, plus un poster à détacher au centre, le tabloïd, qui tire quotidiennement à 3 millions d’exemplaires, détruit méthodiquement le bilan du premier ministre britannique. >>> Eric Albert | Jeudi 01 Octobre 2009

Fraud Watchdog Poised to Decide on BAE Bribery Prosecution
THE GUARDIAN: Arms giant given deadline to plead guilty in deal / Company firmly denies all allegations of wrongdoing

The Serious Fraud Office is expected imminently to announce whether it will take the politically momentous decision to seek to prosecute BAE over bribery allegations. The UK arms giant failed tonight to meet a deadline to settle the case or face the courts.

Sources close to the SFO said that the agency would decide what to do tomorrow or Friday. After months of fruitless negotiation, BAE had been given a deadline by the SFO to plead guilty in a negotiated plea deal which would at last draw a line under a six-year investigation into the company's behaviour.

Both sides were refusing to reveal their hand tonight in what appears to be a high-stakes poker game between Britain's biggest arms firm and the agency entrusted with eradicating foreign bribery. >>> David Leigh and Rob Evans | Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Serious Fraud Office Seeks BAE Bribery Prosecution
TIMES ONLINE: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today announced it will seek permission to prosecute BAE, Britain's biggest defence contractor, over bribery charges.

In a brief statement, marking the culmination of an investigation lasting almost six years, the SFO said that it will seek consent from Baroness Scotland, the Attorney General, to prosecute BAE for "offences relating to overseas corruption".

It said that it would prepare its papers to be submitted to the Attorney when the agency “believes it is ready to proceed”.

It gave no further details on the timing of a prosecution, which has to be agreed by the Baroness. >>> Miles Costello | Thursday, October 01, 2009

France and Germany Unite to Push Britain to EU Sidelines
TIMES ONLINE: France and Germany are planning a new treaty of friendship and an array of other joint schemes that could push Britain to the sidelines in Europe, according to sources close to President Sarkozy.

The plan to put Paris and Berlin back at the heart of the stalled European Union covers defence, immigration, a new industrial policy and a drive to loosen what the pair see as Britain’s grip on the European Commission.

The revamped Franco-German axis may include the permanent assignment of ministers in each other’s Cabinets. The initiative would exploit Britain’s situation, with Gordon Brown weakened and distracted by next year’s general election and the decision by the Conservatives to quit Europe’s main centre-right grouping, the European People’s Party.

Paris and Berlin, reverting to the old idea of a two-speed Europe, aim to push ahead with a separate headquarters for European defence and the promotion of industrial champions. Britain wants none of that. The scheme, already far advanced, will follow this week’s repeat referendum in the Irish Republic on the Lisbon treaty, whether the vote is “yes” or “no”.

A casualty of the deal, hammered out in secret and involving all main ministries since last spring, is likely to be Franco-German backing for Tony Blair as the first president of the EU, diplomats said. The post opens if the Lisbon treaty is ratified.
Among alternatives being considered are Felipe González, the former Socialist Prime Minister of Spain, and Jean-Claude Juncker, the long-serving Prime Minister of Luxembourg.

“Tony Blair is a man of the past and the United Kingdom is no longer any model,” said a French diplomat. >>> Charles Bremner in Paris | Thursday, October 01, 2009

In the New Merkel Goverment Deutschland Comes First; the UK Is an Also-ran
TIMES ONLINE – Analysis: For the past few days Berlin’s politicians, journalists and wonks have been puzzling over why Guido Westerwelle, the man tipped to become Foreign Minister and Vice-Chancellor to Angela Merkel, was so rude to a British reporter at an inaugural news conference. “This is Germany,” he snapped. “And so we speak German.”

A fellow member of the Free Democrats — new members of the German Government — attributed this brusque put-down to nerves. But something deeper is at work. The tone towards the British has become rougher; Britain has become marginal.

Germany’s Social Democrats have just been trounced; the Germans expect new Labour to go the same way. The talk today is of the Government embracing a German version of “progressive conservatism” that provides for a vigorous European Union led from the centre and not the fringes of the Continent.

Anyone who wants to share in the EU’s leadership has to play by the rules set by the French and the Germans. Officials in Germany say that this is an “inclusive” deal, by which they mean the following: the Lisbon treaty is the basis for the future of the EU. Oppose it and you are going to be left behind. >>> Roger Boyes | Thursday, October 01, 2009

The Sun Says: Labour’s Lost It
THE SUN: TWELVE years ago, Britain was crying out for change from a divided, exhausted Government. Today we are there again.

In 1997, "New" Labour, shorn of its destructive hard-Left doctrines and with an energetic and charismatic leader, seemed the answer.

Tony Blair said things could only get better, and few doubted him. But did they get better? Well, you could point to investment in schools and shorter hospital waiting lists and say yes, some things did - a little.

But the real story of the Labour years is one of under-achievement, rank failure and a vast expansion of wasteful government interference in everyone's lives. >>> | Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The Sun’s dossier of Labour failures >>>

Related:
Gordon Brown Dismisses The Sun's Decision to Back Conservatives >>> | Wednesday, September 30, 2009

International Blasphemy Day: From Danish Cartoons to Jerry Springer - The Opera
THE TELEGRAPH: It's International Blasphemy Day. We take a look at some of the key moments in the history of the profane.

International Blasphemy Day, 30 September, is intended “to remind the world that religion should never again be beyond open and honest discussion”.

It marks the anniversary of the 2005 publication of the 12 Danish cartoons that depicted Mohammed and led to worldwide riots. Its founders want to “dismantle the wall which exists between religion and criticism”.

It has, of course, met with criticism – prominent US Catholic Bill Donohue accuses the movement of picking on Christianity: "The stated purpose of Blasphemy Day has nothing to do with any religion but Islam. So who have they chosen to mock? You guessed it - Christians."

However, not all religious people take offence. “The Lord Jesus Christ was and is despised and rejected of men,” says Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. “Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are not commanded to defend his honor, but to be willing to share in the scorn directed to him.”

Here is a brief look at some of the recent history of blasphemy. >>> Tom Chivers | Wedmesday, September 30, 2009

BNP Members Could Be Banned from Teaching
TIMES ONLINE: Teachers who join the BNP could be banished from the classroom, Ed Balls indicated today as he announced a review of rules against racism in schools.

The Schools Secretary said he considered membership of the organisation “fundamentally incompatible with the values and ethos of teaching profession”.

Mr Balls, who has been under pressure from teaching unions to impose tighter restrictions on racism in schools, has so far stopped short of following the example of the police and prison service with an outright ban on BNP membership for teachers.

But today Mr Balls said he was no longer convinced that existing rules on promoting racial equality were enough. He has asked a former Chief Inspector of Schools, Maurice Smith, to look at strengthening them. >>> Chris Smyth | Wednesday, September 30, 2009

EU Blow for Turkey
THE AGE: Berlin – TURKEY'S hopes of joining the European Union have received a blow after Germany gave warning that it was ready to join France and Italy in outright opposition to Turkish membership.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tell him that German foreign policy is under review.

Dr Merkel's Christian Democrats and the Free Democrats, which are in coalition talks after Sunday's election, are both hostile to Turkey's accession to the EU.

With almost 3 million ethnic Turks living in Germany, politicians fear EU membership would bring a new flood of immigrants. [Source: The Age] | Thursday, October 01, 2009

Europe's 1st Openly Gay FM
THE STRAIGHTS TIMES*: BERLIN - HE HAD his public coming-out five years ago at Angela Merkel's 50th birthday party and now Guido Westerwelle is in the frame to become Europe's first openly gay foreign minister.

While gay politicians have become commonplace in the much of the West, commentators said Mr Westerwelle's sexual orientation could be an issue in regions such as the Middle East and Asia where homosexuality is widely viewed as an abomination.

The leader of the business-friendly Free Democrats dismissed concerns about a clash between diplomacy and his sexuality in an interview earlier this year.

'I am convinced that today one's private life is no longer an obstacle.

Some other countries may have had a problem with the fact that Angela Merkel became the first female chancellor of Germany. Of course she does not wear a veil on the red carpet when she visits certain Arab states,' he told AFP.

'The American secretary of state (Hillary Clinton) must also hold talks in countries in which women are systematically oppressed. The decision as to who we send as a government representative rests solely with us Germans based on our political and moral standards.'

Under a front-page headline 'His Man Makes Him Strong', the mass-market Bild newspaper on Tuesday called Mr Westerwelle, 47, and his 42-year-old partner, businessman Michael Mronz, 'Germany's top political couple' and splashed photos of the two hugging on election night.

The left-leaning daily Tageszeitung, mourning the election victory of the centre-right, tried to cheer up its readers with an ironic list of its upsides including - at number two - a gay foreign minister.

'It opens up the wonderful speculation whether and how he will be welcomed at state receptions in Saudi Arabia or Syria with his life partner. And whether Michael Mronz, together with (Merkel's husband) Joachim Sauer, will try to get out of the 'ladies' programme' at summits and state visits.'

Gay rights groups hope Mr Westerwelle will keep a pledge to punish countries with records of persecuting homosexuals. He threatened in a 2008 interview with Stern magazine to cut such states' development aid. [Source: The Straights Times] AFP | Wednesday, September 30, 2009

*No pun intended!

Gordon Brown Dismisses The Sun's Decision to Back Conservatives
THE TELEGRAPH: Gordon Brown has played down the damage that The Sun newspaper's decision to switch its support to the Conservatives will do to his electoral prospects, arguing that people, not newspapers, will decide the election.


The paper published a front page headline claiming ''Labour's lost it''.

But Mr Brown dismissed the impact of the decision. "I think Sun readers actually, when they look at what I say, they will agree with what I said," he told GMT.V [sic][.]

Asked whether the tabloid's support could decide the next General Election, Mr Brown replied: "No."

"Obviously, you want newspapers to be for you. We would have liked everybody to be on our side, but the people decide. I've got an old-fashioned opinion that you look to newspapers for news not opinions," he added.

In a separate round of broadcast interviews, Mr Brown added: "It's the British people that decide the election, it's the British people's views that I am interested in."

Rupert Murdoch's paper had backed the Labour party since 1997 when it switched from its traditional Tory leanings.

George Pascoe-Watson, the newspaper's political editor, told Sky News: "We warned back in 2005 that Labour was on its last chance.

"We feel now after four years that they have failed the country and they are letting Sun readers down." >>> | Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Gordon Brown Pleads to Voters as The Sun Withdraws Support
TIMES ONLINE: Gordon Brown played down the damage to his electoral prospects today after The Sun withdrew its support for the Labour Party.

The Prime Minister insisted that voters and not newspapers decided the Government, urging people to take a close look at his policies.

In a round of broadcast interviews, Mr Brown said: "It's the British people that decide the election, it's the British people's views that I am interested in."

Mr Brown told GMTV: "I think Sun readers actually, when they look at what I say, they will agree with what I said."

Asked whether the support of the best-selling redtop could decide the next General Election, as it was reputed to have done in 1992 by condemning Labour's leader Neil Kinnock, Mr Brown replied: "No."

He added: "Obviously, you want newspapers to be for you. We would have liked everybody to be on our side, but the people decide.

"I've got an old-fashioned opinion that you look to newspapers for news not opinions." >>> Philippe Naughton | Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Abfuhr für staatliche Krankenkasse in den USA: Auch demokratische Senatoren stimmen gegen Vorlage
NZZ ONLINE: Die von Präsident Barack Obama befürwortete Einführung einer staatlichen Krankenversicherung in den USA wird zunehmend unwahrscheinlich. Ein wichtiger Senatsausschuss stimmte gegen einen Vorstoss, die Schaffung einer solchen Krankenkasse in eine Kompromissvorlage aufzunehmen.

Die zur Abstimmung gelangte Vorlage hatte der demokratische Senator Max Baucus erarbeitet. Er tritt zwar auch für eine so genannte «öffentliche Option» als Alternative zu den privaten Versicherern ein, hatte aber angesichts des massiven Widerstands der Republikaner darauf verzichtet, sie in seinen Plan aufzunehmen. >>> sda/dpa | Mittwoch, 30. September 2009

Affaire Polanski : Un «manque de finesse», dit Micheline Calmy-Rey
LE TEMPS: Le malaise que suscite l’arrestation du cinéaste s’étend. Pointant une marge de manoeuvre restreinte, la ministre des Affaires étrangères n’a pas caché son embarras. Roman Polanski s’oppose quant à lui à son extradition

Le malaise que suscite l’arrestation de Roman Polanski, samedi soir à l’aéroport de Zurich, continue de s’étendre. Hier, à l’occasion de son Club de la presse diplomatique, Micheline Calmy-Rey n’a pas caché son embarras sur l’affaire, envoyant au passage une pique à l’adresse de la police fédérale et donc par ricochet à celle d’Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. «Sur le plan légal, la procédure ne soulève aucun doute. Mais on peut peut-être se poser des questions sur la finesse de l’intervention», a souligné la ministre des Affaires étrangères, interrogée sur l’opportunité d’arrêter le cinéaste alors qu’un festival s’apprêtait précisément à le célébrer.

Précisant que le Département fédéral des Affaires étrangères (DFAE) n’avait pas été informé au préalable de cette intervention, Micheline Calmy-Rey a toutefois souligné la faible marge de manœuvre de la Suisse. «La voie est tout de même étroite, car on ne peut pas traiter différemment les gens connus et ceux qui ne le sont pas. Cela, en Suisse, on ne l’accepte pas», a souligné la ministre, estimant que le pays «peut en être fier». Enfin, réagissant «aux liens faits par certains» entre les affaires Polanski et UBS, Micheline Calmy-Rey a vivement rejeté ces allégations: «Nous ne sommes pas à la botte des Etats-Unis.» >>> Valentine Zubler | Mercredi 30 Septembre 2009

Affaire Polanski : Zurich dans l’œil du cyclone
LE TEMPS: Les médias internationaux assiègent la métropole de la Limmat dans l’espoir d’en apprendre plus sur le sort du cinéaste. Ce dernier espère obtenir sa libération malgré une loi peu favorable

Quelques stations de télévision étrangères sont installées devant le tribunal de district de Zurich à la Badenerstrasse, bâtiment qui abrite également la prison de district de la ville. Mais rien n’indique que Roman Polanski se trouve bien là.

«Pour garantir l’ordre et la sécurité de l’exploitation, nous ne pouvons pas dire où est incarcéré Roman Polanski», explique Rebecca de Silva, porte-parole de l’Office zurichois d’exécution des peines. Entre Berne et Zurich, on se renvoie la balle sur les conditions de détention du régisseur. Seule certitude, Roman Polanski bénéficie des standards minimums garantis par les autorités zurichoises: une heure de promenade par jour, une heure de visite par semaine réservée à son épouse. Il pourrait même, mais il n’y est pas obligé, travailler pendant six heures par jour au maximum, coller des enveloppes ou des boîtes en carton par exemple, précise encore Rebecca de Silva.

Le Tages-Anzeiger, sur son site internet, prend un malin plaisir à semer le doute. Neuf prisons sur le territoire du canton peuvent en théorie accueillir l’hôte illustre. Les journalistes étrangers attendent probablement devant le faux bâtiment, car il y a de fortes chances que l’on ait emmené la star dans une petite prison en dehors de la ville. Une thèse confirmée par la discrétion avec laquelle la femme du régisseur, l’actrice Emmanuelle Seigner, a pu lui rendre visite lundi. Même le Blick n’est pas arrivé à la surprendre, et a publié d’elle une photo prise à son retour à Paris. Un maître du barreau >>> Catherine Cossy et Sylvie Arsever | Mercredi 30 Septembre 2009

TIMES ONLINE:
Roman Polanski getting by on £3 a day pocket money in prison >>> David Charter in Zurich | Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Rachida Dati violemment critiquée par son frère
Jamal Dati, au moment de son procès pour trafic de stupéfiants. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Dans le livre «A l'ombre de Rachida» [sic], Jamal, le frère cadet de l'ancienne ministre de la Justice, décrit sa soeur comme autoritaire, froide et égocentrique.

«Pourquoi tout ce cinéma ?» Dans son livre «A l'ombre de Rachida» [sic], à paraître le 7 octobre chez Calmann-Lévy, le frère cadet de Rachida Dati n'est pas tendre avec l'ancienne garde des Sceaux, révèle mercredi le Nouvel Observateur, qui publie un extrait de l'ouvrage. On apprend notamment que le jour de sa sortie de la maternité avec la petite Zohra, -photo publiée dans tous les journaux-, c'est un couffin vide que tenait en réalité la ministre. «En fait, ils ont fait sortir le nourrisson sans Rachida, en catimini, pour éviter la presse», explique-t-il. «C'est pourquoi on voit ma nièce, Sânnaa, pouffer sur les photos à la sortie de la maternité : l'entourage fait semblant de regarder pendant que les journalistes mitraillent la nouvelle maman», rapporte son frère, tout en s'interrogeant sur le bien-fondé d'une telle supercherie. >>> F.G. (lefigaro.fr) | Mercredi 30 Septembre 2009

Dans l’ombre de Rachida >>> de Jamal Dati – Bientôt disponible

Charles Bremner: Brother Takes Axe to Rachida Dati
TIMES ONLINE – BLOGS: You remember this picture of Rachida Dati, the former star of the Sarkozy government, leaving the clinic with her new-born baby in her arms ? Her immediate return to work as Justice Minister earned her headlines around the world. We hear today that she wasn't holding Zohra, her daughter, just an empty baby-carrier swathed in a blanket.

This is related in a book out this week by Jamal Dati, the younger brother of the ambitious and difficult Sarkozy protegée who was cast out of the government last June and exiled to the European parliament. Scraps of A [Dans] l'Ombre de Rachida [in Rachida's Shadow] appear in le Parisien today. They make clear that Jamal, who recently spent a few months in prison for drug dealing, is out to settle accounts with the sister whose Cinderella life story was meant to inspire France's immigrant working class.

Dati, one of 12 children of a Moroccan-Algerian couple, is depicted as hard-hearted and ruthless. Those qualities are usually mentioned by those who have fallen out with the woman who is seen by the establishment as a pushy parvenue. Dati refused to have anything to do with her black sheep brother when she was minister, he says. "Every time I tried to talk to her she turned a deaf ear." He accuses his sister of having him locked up because he was a nuisance. He gave a bracelet to Zohra, he says. "She did not even thank me. She just said 'put it down there'. She did not want to take the gift in here hands. That hurt me."

The stunt on leaving the hospital last January was part of Dati's meticulous management of her image, he says. The child was taken away through a side entrance and then cared for by Dati's sister for months, says the brother. Comment here >>> Charles Bremner | Wednesday, September 30, 2009