Carla Thinks Obama and Michelle Are Beautiful…

…Ditto Sarah Brown!

THE TELEGRAPH: Carla Bruni website publishes Barack Obama and Sarah Brown drawings >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Wednesday, October 07, 2009

THE TELEGRAPH: She's a fox, she can sing, she can draw (-ish): what's not to like about Carla Bruni? >>> James Delingpole | Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Io sono il Signore, tuo Dio. Non avrai altri dèi di fronte a me.
Silvio Berlusconi's Lawyers: Italian PM Is Above the Law
THE TELEGAPH: Silvio Berlusconi's lawyers said he should be considered above the law, as Italy's highest court deliberated on whether legislation giving him immunity from prosecution is unconstitutional.

Mr Berlusconi's duties as prime minister distinguished him from ordinary Italians, his legal team insisted, using a justification which opposition politicians branded "Orwellian".

"The prime minister ... should be considered the 'first above equals'," said one of his lawyers, Gaetano Pecorella, putting a new twist on the more familiar Latin term primus inter pares, or "first among equals".

Mr Berlusconi, 73, has repeatedly complained of being unfairly hounded by "Left-wing" magistrates who he claims have waged a politically motivated campaign against him since he first entered politics 15 years ago.

An opposition MP, Massimo Donadi, of the Italy of Values party, said the argument recalled George Orwell's novel Animal Farm, in which the power-corrupted pigs asserted that "all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others". >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Tuesday, October 06, 2009

"Super Sarko": Mighty man, mighty ego, mighty complex
Fitness Fanatic Nicolas Sarkozy Wants to See Less of His Ministers
TIMES ONLINE: Brains and political talent are no longer enough to land a job in the French Cabinet. Under President Sarkozy, members are also expected to cut a trim figure.

Eager to be surrounded by fit-looking people, “Super Sarko” told a would-be minister to lose weight and change his hairstyle if he wanted to be considered for a job, insiders have reported.

Mr Sarkozy acquired his passion for thinness after meeting Carla Bruni, his supermodel future wife, and her fitness coach in late 2007. Living off cottage cheese, fruit compote and mineral water, Mr Sarkozy has lost about 15lb (7kg) over the past year. His resolve is said widely to have been spurred by the election of the tall and feline President Obama.

“Nicolas Sarkozy is very attentive to the physique of his ministers. They have to show an example, keep in shape,” an Élysée Palace aide told Le Point news magazine this summer. Yesterday Le Parisien noted a spectacular weight loss by several ministers. “You would think that the Élysée Palace has launched a real policy of political correctness for the figure,” it said.

Gérard Apfeldorfer, a Paris psychiatrist specialising in nutrition, told The Times: “I know that Sarkozy is putting pressure on his ministers to have a flat stomach. He is a prisoner of the stereotypes of our age, to the point of imposing it on the others,” he said. >>> Charles Bremner in Paris | Wednesday, October 07, 2009

THE TELEGRAPH: Carla Bruni effect: French ministers vie to keep up with Sarkozy's diet: French ministers are succumbing to the "Carla Bruni effect", vying to keep up with Nicolas Sarkozy's weight loss programme following reports that one MP was told to shed pounds if he wanted a top job. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Gold gefragt wie noch nie: Preis pro Feinunze klettert auf Rekordhoch
NZZ ONLINE: Für die Feinunze Gold wird derzeit ein Preis von exakt 1036.40 Dollar bezahlt. Dieser neue Höchstwert überbietet den bisherigen Rekordpreis um 5.60 Dollar aus vom März vergangenen Jahres.

Der Goldpreis ist auf einen neuen Rekordstand geklettert. Die Dollarschwäche trieb den Preis für eine Feinunze (etwa 31 Gramm) in der Spitze auf 1036.40 Dollar. Damit wurde die alte Rekordmarke vom März 2008 bei 1030.80 Dollar übertroffen. >>> sda/dpa | Dienstag, 06. Oktober 2009

Dollar Tumbles on Report of Its Demise
THE INDEPENDENT: Gold price at record high as Independent story sends global markets into a frenzy

The price of gold is surging on world markets amid fears that the old economic order based on the supremacy of the US dollar could be breaking down.

A new spike has sent the cost of the precious metal to a level not seen before. The dollar slid sharply after yesterday's report in The Independent that Gulf Arab states are secretly planning to stop trading oil in dollars, and a senior UN official said that the US should be stripped of its position as the main source of currency reserves for other countries.

The developments come on top of speculation that the Obama administration is operating a policy of benign neglect of the dollar, engineering a devaluation that could help repair some of the economic damage caused by the recession.

Not since the collapse of the Bretton Woods system in 1971 has gold been treated as the equivalent of a world currency, but The Independent reported that it could form part of a basket of currencies that would be used for oil trading by the end of the next decade.

Aram Shishmanian, the chief executive of World Gold Council, said: "The financial and economic instability of the past 18 months has brought gold's historical role into sharp focus and has continued to increase its prominence among policy advisers, central banks, and investors around the world.

Across the world, investors have been reaching for gold as an alternative to the dollar and to other US assets, fearing that the American currency is headed inexorably lower.

The dollar index – which measures the greenback against other currencies – fell 0.7 per cent yesterday and the dollar was lower against all major currencies except the British pound. >>> Stephen Foley in New York | Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Robert Fisk: A Financial Revolution with Profound Political Implications
THE INDEPENDENT: Such large financial movements will have major political effects in the Middle East

The plan to de-dollarise the oil market, discussed both in public and in secret for at least two years and widely denied yesterday by the usual suspects – Saudi Arabia being, as expected, the first among them – reflects a growing resentment in the Middle East, Europe and in China at America's decades-long political as well as economic world dominance.

Nowhere has this more symbolic importance than in the Middle East, where the United Arab Emirates alone holds $900bn (£566bn) of dollar reserves and where Saudi Arabia has been quietly co-ordinating its defence, armaments and oil policies with the Russians since 2007.

This does not indicate a trade war with America – not yet – but Arab Gulf regimes have been growing increasingly restive at their economic as well as political dependence on Washington for many years. Of the $7.2 trillion in international reserves, $2.1trn is held by Arab countries – China holds about $2.3trn – and the nations interested in moving away from dollar-trading in oil are believed to hold over 80 per cent of international dollar reserves.

Saudi Arabia's denials of any such ambitions were regarded by Arab bankers as a normal part of Gulf politics. The Saudis, of course, managed to deny that Iraq had invaded Kuwait in 1990 – even when Saddam Hussein's legions stood along the Saudi frontier, until the US broadcast the news of Iraq's aggression to the world. >>> Robert Fisk | Wednesday, October 07, 2009

American Dream Evaporating
YNET NEWS: Great hopes stirred by Obama waning in wake of questionable performance

The fact that Barack Obama is the first American president since 1991 not to meet the Dalai Lama is not worrying in and of itself.

The reason why Obama chose to adopt this dubious step (his wish not to upset China) is also not perturbing. After all, he does not fundamentally object to anything about the Dalai Lama. He simply listened to the wrong advisor and underestimated his power as an American president and his ability to be received with great honors anywhere in the world, regardless of who he met with the day before.

Yet the issue is becoming disquieting because of the feeling that is increasingly being reinforced in our collective sense of anxiety that the charismatic guy who ran the exciting campaign – the guy who for a moment convinced all of us that we’ll be seeing an acute change and that the world will at once turn into a good place to live in – is turning before our eyes into a so-so president, at best.

His rhetorical ability is still there, but suddenly everyone is talking about the fact that the American president is reading from a teleprompter. Charisma isn’t enough >>> Hanoch Daum | Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Saudi King Sacks Cleric for Attack on His University
THE TELEGRAPH: King Abdullah, the Saudi monarch, has dimissed a senior Muslim cleric after he described a new university that will teach male and female students together as 'evil'.

Sheikh Saad al-Shethri was "relieved" of his duties on the influential Council of Religious Scholars, according to state television. He had described the new King Abdullah University of Science and Technology as a "great sin" and had demanded that fellow scholars vet the curriculum to be taught at the flagship institution, which opened near Jeddah last month.

The university is part of a new opening up of the conservative kingdom by Abdullah, who is keen to pursue its modernisation. >>> | Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Film Director Roman Polanski Refused Bail in Switzerland
THE TELEGRAPH: The film director Roman Polanski has lost his bid to be bailed from prison in Switzerland ahead of his possible extradition to the US over his 1977 conviction for unlawful sex with a 13-year-old-girl, Samantha Geimer.

In 2002 Roman Polanski won an Oscar for The Pianist. Photo: The Telegraph
"We continue to be of the opinion that there is a high risk of flight," said Folco Galli, a Swiss justice ministry spokesman.

He said the risk was too great for the government to accept bail or other security measures in exchange for the release of the filmmaker.

Polanski, 76, the director of Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby and The Pianist, was arrested on Sept 26 as he arrived in Zurich to receive an award from a film festival. Authorities in Los Angeles consider him a convicted felon and a fugitive, and Switzerland says there has been an international warrant for his arrest since 2005.

His legal representatives are also asking Switzerland's highest criminal court to free Polanski. Mr Galli said the justice ministry has submitted a letter to the tribunal explaining why it opposes release even on bail.

Two former Zurich prosecutors have said Polanski stands a minimal chance of an immediate release.

Dieter Jann said extradition would be hard to fight, and he thought Switzerland had followed procedures correctly. Peter Cosandey added that Polanski was unlikely to be released because he is not a permanent resident and had already jumped bail years ago in the US. >>> | Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Proche-Orient : Les incidents se multiplient à Jérusalem-Est
LE TEMPS: Les lieux de prière juifs et musulmans sont sous haute surveillance policière depuis vendredi. Les autorités israéliennes ont interdit l’accès de l’Esplanade des mosquées aux hommes âgés de moins de 50 ans

La tension entre juifs et musulmans remonte dangereusement à Jérusalem. Lundi, pour protéger les prières organisées devant le mur des Lamentations dans le cadre de la fête juive des Cabanes (Souccot), la police israélienne avait d’ailleurs mobilisé des milliers d’effectifs. Ainsi qu’une montgolfière d’observation et un hélicoptère.

Tout a commencé vendredi dernier lorsqu’un groupe de touristes français a été attaqué à coups de pierres par des extrémistes musulmans alors qu’il venait de pénétrer sur l’Esplanade des mosquées. Depuis lors, les incidents n’ont cessé de se multiplier. Lorsque des musulmans postés sur l’esplanade lancent des pierres aux fidèles priant devant le mur des Lamentations, des extrémistes juifs ripostent en attaquant des chauffeurs de taxi arabes. Le lendemain, des ultra-orthodoxes qui se rendaient devant le mur des Lamentations ont été caillassés à leur tour.

Pour réduire les incidents, l’armée, la police et les services de sécurité de l’Etat hébreu ont interdit l’accès des lieux saints musulmans aux hommes âgés de moins de 50 ans. Ils patrouillent dans les ruelles sinueuses de la vieille ville – où ils sont régulièrement attaqués par de jeunes nationalistes palestiniens – et contrôlent l’identité de tous ceux qui pénètrent sur l’Esplanade des mosquées.

Quant à l’Autorité palestinienne dont un responsable a été arrêté durant les manifestations du week-end, elle lance une campagne internationale accusant Israël de ne pas respecter la liberté de culte en «sélectionnant» les musulmans autorisés à prier sur l’esplanade. «Judaïser» Jérusalem-Est >>> Serge Dumont | Mardi 06 Octobre 2009

Physik: Nobelpreis für die Erfinder der Digital-Fotografie und den Meister des Lichts
ZEIT ONLINE: Ohne sie gäbe es weder Breitband-Internet noch digitale Fotos: Die Physik-Nobelpreisträger 2009 revolutionierten den Alltag und ermöglichten die Informationsgesellschaft.

Charles K. Kao, heute an der Universität Hongkong, schaffte die Grundlage dafür, dass Glasfasern Licht leiten. Ein Effekt, der nicht nur diese Glasfaser-Lampe zum Leuchten bringt, sondern auch die digitale Übertragung von Bilder ermöglicht. Bild: Zeit Online
E-Mails, Digitalfotos im Internet, Videos auf dem Handy – all das gibt es nur, weil wir Daten rasant durch Glasfasern schicken und Bilder digital auf Chips speichern. Möglich wurde dies zu einem großen Teil durch die Forschung dreier Physiker, die in diesem Jahr dafür den Nobelpreis erhalten.

Für ihre Arbeiten im Bereich der Glasfaseroptik und der Telekommunikation erhalten die beiden US-Wissenschaftler George Elwood Smith und Willard Sterling Boyle von den Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill im US-Bundesstaat New Jersey die Hälfte der Auszeichnung. Sie teilen sich den Preis mit dem gebürtigen Chinesen Charles Kuen Kao von der Universität Honkong.

Das Internet gäbe es ohne Kao nicht, man könnte nicht in alle Welt günstig telefonieren, geschweige denn Bilder um den ganzen Globus senden – Godehard Walf, Ingenieur für Nachrichtentechnik

Kao hatte bereits 1966 als erster Lichtsignale über weite Strecken in einem Kabel aus Glas übertragen. "Die Kabel, die es zuvor gab, konnten Licht wenn überhaupt 20 Meter weit leiten. Kao identifizierte das Problem und machte die industrielle Herstellung von Glasfaserkabeln möglich", sagte der Sprecher des Nobelpreis-Komitees auf der Pressekonferenz in der Königlich-Schwedischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Stockholm. >>> Von Dagny Lüdemann, Sven Stockrahm and Alina Schadwinkel | Dienstag, 06. Oktober 2009

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: 'Masters of Light' Share Nobel in Physics >>> Gautam Naik | Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Comment: Reflections on Yom Kippur and Homosexuality within Judaism
PINK NEWS: PinkNews.co.uk founder Benjamin Cohen reflects back on yesterday's Jewish festival of Yom Kippur and what it means for an openly gay Jew.

Two years ago, I wrote about my experiences in Synagogue over Yom Kippur, the day of atonement when according to Judaism, all men and women are judged and God decides whether to write them into the book of life for the following year, who will die at his allotted time and who before. It's also the day that God decides who will have a good year and who will have a year of struggle. As I left yesterday's service, I felt that it would be apt to update the original article.

As I sat in Synagogue yesterday during Yom Kippur I once again regretted that I'm still an attendee of the United Synagogue.
The United Synagogue is Britain's largest Jewish community and represents what it defines as "modern Orthodoxy", a centre ground which aims to embrace modernity with a traditional slant.

Despite their orthodox claims, the majority of those who belong to the movement are certainly not orthodox in the strictest sense of the word. They may attend synagogue regularly but they'll often watch television and drive on Shabbat (the Sabbath) something which is banned.

But in terms of morality, particularly sexual morality, those Rabbis in charge of the synagogues have failed to recognise the strides forward both society as a whole and the Jewish community in particular have made in the past few years.

Many of my parent's friends are clearly subscribers to the modern orthodox doctrines; strictly keeping Kosher, refraining from all forms of work on the Sabbath (even switching a light on) and attend Synagogue at least once a week. But all have accepted my sexuality, one even saying that I was "silly to have thought they would have behaved otherwise."

Yet as I sat in the Yom Kippur service yesterday afternoon, I was reminded that the movement still has a long way to go. The Torah reading for the afternoon was from Leviticus, particularly those verses concerning forbidden sexual relationships. >>> Benjamin Cohen | Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Onion: “It’s Gay to Smoke”
THE ADVOCATE: Last month, a conservative Congressional staffer advised that porn turns young boys gay, and now The Onion seems to be responding to his outrageous claim with a joke that may leave some people feeling burned. According to the satirical news source, “It’s gay to smoke.” >>> Julie Bolcer | Tuesday, October 06, 2009

American Bloggers Forced to Declare Interests
TIMES ONLINE: American bloggers will be forced to declare any interest in products reviewed or discussed in their blogs under new rules announced on Monday by the Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC’s revisions to its existing guidance are intended as an aid to advertisers to keep their work within the FTC Act, part of which covers endorsements by consumers, experts, organisations, and celebrities, as well as the disclosure of important connections between advertisers and endorsers. They will come into force on December 1 this year.

In a statement, the FTC said that its revised rules “also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that ‘material connections’ (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers – connections that consumers would not expect – must be disclosed… while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.” >>> Nigel Kendall, Technology Editor | Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Ed West: Muslim Honour Killing Book Cancelled over Safety Fears
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG: Another European publisher has fallen victim to the continent’s blasphemy laws – blasphemy against Islam, that is. As the German press is reporting:

Dusseldorf – A German publisher has cancelled plans to publish a mass-market novel out of fears that it might face violent protests due to a rude reference to the Koran, Der Spiegel magazine reported Saturday. The crime novel – about the “honour killing” of a Muslim woman – had been scheduled for September publication, but the Droste publishing company of Dusseldorf decided not to print it after all, the magazine said in a story to appear in its Monday issue.

It said the publisher had first asked the author, Gabriele Brinkmann, writing under the pen name WW Domsky, to tone down dialogue in “To Those Worthy of Honour” which might be construed as offensive, but she had refused.

Spiegel reported that the offensive phrase in question was a character saying: “You can shove your Koran up …”

Publisher Felix Droste had asked an expert on Islamic society to study whether the crime story’s text could compromise the safety of his firm or his family, and the expert suggested the phrase be modified.

But the author refused to alter it to “You can shove your honour up …”

Droste wrote back that riots over Danish cartoons that poked fun at the Prophet Mohammed in 2005 showed that anyone publishing insults to Islam was putting their safety at risk, Spiegel said.

Over the weekend… >>> Ed West | Monday, October 05, 2009

Egyptian Politicians Call for Gigimo Artificial Virginity Hymen Kit to Be Banned
THE TELEGRAPH: Egyptian politicians have demanded that an ‘Artificial Virginity Hymen’ kit be banned in the country, calling it a “mark of shame”.

The Gigimo Artificial Virginity Hymen kit: controversial in Egypt Photo: The Telegraph
Artificial Virginity Hymen is distributed by a Chinese company called Gigimo and sells for about £19. It consists of a pouch which is inserted inside a woman’s vagina before sex and leaks a blood-like substance when broken during intercourse.

Its website says, in broken English: “No more worry about losing your virginity. With this product, you can have your first night back anytime... Add in a few moans and groans, you will pass through undetectable.”

Sheik Sayed Askar, a member of the conservative Muslim Brotherhood political party, said: "It will be a mark of shame on the ruling party if it allowed this product to enter the market."

"This product encourages illicit sexual relations. Islamic culture forbids these relations except within the confines of marriage.

Abdel Moati Bayoumi, a prominent Islamic scholar, agreed. He said: "I think this should absolutely not be allowed to be exported because it brings more harm than benefits. Whoever does it (imports it) should be punished." However, the product has met with some support. … >>> Tom Chivers | Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Related:
Pakistani family shot dead in 'honour killing' after wedding >>> | Monday, June 29, 2009

Study alleges 'honour killings' conspiracy >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones | Sunday, February 03, 2008

Barack Obama Accused of Snubbing Dalai Lama to Placate China
The Dalai Lama in a cowboy hat presented as the mark of an honoured guest in Calgary, Canada, last week. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: President Obama was accused of bowing to Chinese pressure and snubbing the Dalai Lama as he prepares for a Sino-US summit in Beijing next month.

Tibet’s spiritual leader arrived in Washington yesterday on his first visit since Mr Obama’s inauguration. For the first time since 1991 he will not be received at the White House. The Dalai Lama will eventually meet Mr Obama, but not until the US President returns from the Beijing meeting.

American officials have insisted that the delayed encounter is part of a broad new strategy to win Chinese co-operation on a range of issues including North Korea, Iran, Taiwan — and Tibet. But the break with a nearly 20-year tradition of White House “drop-ins” by the Dalai Lama follows a declaration by Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, that human rights alone cannot be allowed to determine the US-Chinese relationship.

A leading Republican campaigner on human rights called Mr Obama’s failure to welcome the Dalai Lama “just terrible”. Frank Wolf, a congressman, veteran advocate for Tibet and friend of the Dalai Lama, told The Times: “This is a retreat by the Obama Administration on human rights and religious freedom.

“Dissidents in Lhasa will know exactly what it means. Guards will come by their cells and laugh at them. It’s a mistake and the ramifications are going to be felt for months ahead.” One Tibetan expert with ties to Chinese delegations in the US, who did not want to be named, said that the decision was unnecessary since Beijing had been resigned to a meeting going ahead. >>> Giles Whittell in Washington | Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Obama Will Soon Tackle Gay Ban in Forces, Says Adviser
THE SCOTSMAN: PRESIDENT Barack Obama will focus "at the right time" on how to overturn the ban on gay people serving in the military, according to a top aide.

General James Jones, the president's national security adviser, said yesterday: "I don't think it's going to be – it's not years, it will be teed up appropriately."

The Democrat-led Congress is considering repealing the 1993 law, although no action is expected until early next year. The largest number of homosexuals ousted under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy came in 2001, when 1,227 were discharged.

This month Senate majority leader Harry Reid wrote to Mr Obama and defence secretary Robert Gates asking for a review of the cases of two US officers discharged from the military because of their sexuality. "At a time when we are fighting two wars, I do not believe we can afford to discharge any qualified individual who is willing to serve our country," he said[.] [Source: The Scotsman] | Monday, October 05, 2009

Related: Gays in the US Military – Mark >>> | Monday, September 21, 2009

Philip Hensher: Flummoxed by Foreign Tongues
THE INDEPENDENT: What was the BBC doing, sending a reporter who can't speak German?

Dr Guido Westerwelle, head of the Free Democrats party in Germany, has just found himself in the effective position of kingmaker after the German elections, second in power only to Angela Merkel. He was in confident mood at his first press conference, and when the BBC reporter called out a question in English, he had no doubt on what to do. "If you would be so kind as to ask in German, since this is a press conference in Germany," he said in German. "Excuse me, I understand that you are from England, but just as you speak English in England, so one speaks German in Germany."

Some people, even in Germany, have criticised Westerwelle for his insistence, and suggested that in fact he couldn't answer in English. Actually, though his English is certainly not as horribly wonderful as many German politicians', and he does seem to make some trivial mistakes, it is perfectly serviceable. More curiously, what did the BBC think it was doing, sending a reporter to a press conference in Germany on the German elections, knowing that he couldn't or wouldn't speak any German? >>> Philip Hensher | Thursday, October 01, 2009

Grande-Bretagne : Les Tories ouvrent leur congrès sans étouffer la polémique sur l'Europe
LE POINT: Les Conservateurs britanniques, favoris des prochaines législatives, ont ouvert leur congrès annuel lundi à Manchester (nord-ouest de l'Angleterre) sans parvenir à étouffer la polémique sur leur position sur l'Europe et le traité de Lisbonne. S'exprimant devant les délégués à l'ouverture des débats, David Cameron, que les sondages donnent bien placé pour devenir le prochain Premier ministre, a souligné que pour la première fois depuis 12 ans, les Tories ont "une vraie chance de changer les choses".

Plusieurs responsables conservateurs ont présenté les premières mesures sociales qu'ils entendent mettre en oeuvre à leur arrivée au pouvoir. Mais le chef du principal parti d'opposition n'est pas revenu sur le sujet qui fâche, le traité de Lisbonne, ratifié par l'Irlande lors d'un second référendum vendredi. À sa place, ses lieutenants tentaient d'expliciter la position du parti, perçue comme confuse. Cameron a réaffirmé vouloir un référendum sur ce traité, déjà ratifié par le parlement britannique. "Je veux un référendum. Je ne pense pas que ce soit un bon traité", a déclaré Cameron dimanche sur la BBC, ajoutant que les Tories feraient campagne pour le non. >>> AFP | Lundi 05 Octobre 2009

Seltene Ehre: Merkel spricht im November vor dem US-Kongress
WELT ONLINE: In vier Wochen hat die Bundeskanzlerin in den USA einen großen Auftritt: Angela Merkel soll vor beiden Kammern des US-Kongresses sprechen. Diese Ehre wird ausländischen Politikern nur selten zuteil. Das letzte Mal, dass ein deutsches Regierungsoberhaupt dort eine Rede hielt, ist mehr als 50 Jahre her.

Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) reist im November in die USA. Am 3. November werde Merkel vor beiden Häusern des US-Kongresses – dem Senat und dem Repräsentantenhaus – sprechen, sagte Vize-Regierungssprecher Thomas Steg in Berlin. Die Sprecherin des US-Repräsentantenhauses, Nancy Pelosi, hatte die Kanzlerin bei deren Besuch im Juni in Washington eingeladen, eine Rede vor beiden Häusern zu halten.

Es handele sich um eine „seltene Ehre“ für ausländische Staatsgäste, sagte Steg. Unter den deutschen Bundeskanzlern habe bislang nur Konrad Adenauer (CDU) im Mai 1957 vor beiden Häusern gesprochen. >>> ddp/cn | Montag, 05. Oktober 2009

’President Tony Blair’ to Pocket £3.6m Pay
THE SUN: TONY Blair will pocket £3.65MILLION if he wins his bid to be first President of Europe.

The mega deal emerged as Ireland's PM yesterday backed him for the job.

Mr Blair's salary will be at least £270,000 - £1.35million during his five-year term.

He will pay a paltry 25 per cent tax under EU rules - while raking in a fortune in perks. They include a £40,500 annual housing allowance, £16,000-a-year for entertaining, a chauffeured limo, 20 staff, fees paid for his kids' education and a huge pension. >>> Graeme Wilson, Political Editor | Monday, October 05, 2009