David Miliband ‘Bid to Be Labour Leader’
METRO: A secret campaign to replace Gordon Brown with David Miliband is reportedly being waged by Peter Mandelson and Tony Blair.

The bid is also thought to have the backing of home secretary Alan Johnson, defence secretary Bob Ainsworth and Olympics minister Tessa Jowell, meaning he could be installed as soon as Friday. >>> | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG: Gordon Brown: I'll quit, but I won't cash in like Tony Blair >>> James Kirkup | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

LYNN NEWS: Labour man blasts his own party leader

NORTH-west Norfolk's Labour candidate has blasted Gordon Brown, calling him "the worst Prime Minister" Britain has ever had.

Speaking from his Leicester home, Manish Sood (38), told the Lynn News: "Immigration has gone up which is creating friction within communities. The country is getting bigger and messier.

"The role of ministers has gone bureaucratic and the action of ministers has gone downhill – it is corrupt.

"The loss of social values is the basic problem and this is not what the Labour Party is about.

"I believe Gordon Brown has been the worst Prime Minister we have had in this country.

"It is a disgrace and he owes an apology to the people and the Queen." Brown is 'worst PM ever' says Labour candidate >>> Sophie Wyllie | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Clegg: 'We Have Days to Deliver Fairness'

B. Hussein Obama: "Countries like Europe"?

Greek Protestors Unfurl Banners on Acropolis
THE TELEGRAPH: Greek protesters have unfurled banners over the walls of the Acropolis attacking new austerity measures imposed as a condition of an international bailout.

Greek Communist Party members wave flags from the Acropolis archaeological site behind a banner hung in front of the Parthenon temple. Photo: The Telegraph
About 100 protesters from the Greek Communist Party cut through locks on the gates of the major tourist attraction shortly after dawn and unfurled the banners in Greek and English reading: "Peoples of Europe - Rise Up."

Police did not intervene as the protesters carrying red flags stood beside the ancient Parthenon, next to the two large banners. The demonstrators did not attempt to prevent tourists from visiting the site.

Greece's government announced sweeping spending cuts worth 30 billion euros through 2012, in order to secure a rescue package of loans from the International Monetary Fund and the other 15 European Union countries using the euro. >>> | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Verbunden: Akropolis aus Protest gegen Sparpaket besetzt: Spektakuläre Aktion zum Auftakt der landesweiten Streiks >>> sda/afp | Dienstag, 04. Mai 2010

U.S. and U.K. Step Out as Ahmadinejad Speaks

Akropolis aus Protest gegen Sparpaket besetzt: Spektakuläre Aktion zum Auftakt der landesweiten Streiks
NZZ ONLINE: Mit der Besetzung der Akropolis haben in Athen rund 200 kommunistische Gewerkschafter gegen die drastischen Sparpläne der Regierung protestiert. Die Demonstranten entrollten zwei Transparente mit dem Aufruf «Völker Europas, erhebt euch», die direkt unter dem Athener Wahrzeichen weithin sichtbar waren.

Demonstranten besetzen die Akropolis in Athen. Foto: NZZ Online
Laut Polizei war zunächst unklar, wie die Aktivisten auf das Gelände gelangen konnten, das um diese Zeit noch geschlossen ist und streng bewacht wird. Die Aktion bildete den Auftakt eines zweitägigen Streiks im öffentlichen Dienst gegen das Sparprogramm. Für Mittwoch haben die Gewerkschaften zum Generalstreik aufgerufen. >>> sda/afp | Dienstag, 04. Mai 2010

Schlammschlacht: Erdogan wehrt sich gegen Hitler-Vergleiche
WELT ONLINE: In der Türkei haben die Beratungen über weitreichende Verfassungsänderungen begonnen. Der Streit zwischen der Erdogan-Regierung und der Opposition hat mittlerweile den Charakter einer politischen Schlammschlacht. Das beliebteste Stilmittel: Vergleiche mit Hitler und Nazi-Deutschland. >>> Von Boris Kálnoky | Montag, 01. Mai 2010

Protest gegen BNP: Hakenkreuz auf Parlament in London gestrahlt
KRONEN ZEITUNG: Als Warnung vor einem möglichen Erfolg der Rechtsextremen bei der britischen Parlamentswahl am Donnerstag haben Aktivisten ein Hakenkreuz an das Parlament in London gestrahlt. "Zeit der Entscheidung. Haltet die extreme Rechte draußen", schrieben sie in der Nacht zu Montag mit Lichtstrahlen neben das weiß-rote Hakenkreuz an die Fassade des Parlaments. >>> | Montag, 03. Mai 2010

BRISBANE TIMES: Swastika beamed on to UK parliament: Campaigners against the far-right in Britain on Monday projected an image of a swastika on the side of parliament, amid fears extremists could be voted in at this week's general election >>> AFP | Monday, May 03, 2010

Gordon Brown: We Need a World Constitution!

Euro : Paris et Berlin veulent durcir les règles
Angela Merkel, lundi à Berlin. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Angela Merkel veut modifier les traités pour imposer plus de discipline financière. Et imposer une agence de notation européenne. La France est d'accord sur les principes, mais pas sur le détail des mesures.

Prêts à tirer au plus vite les «leçons» de la crise, Paris et Berlin ont manifesté, dès lundi, leur intention de réformer le «Pacte de stabilité», qui a prouvé sa totale inefficacité dans la crise grecque. Ce texte impose aux états membres une limite de déficit à 3 % du PIB et de dettes à 60 % du PIB. Aujourd'hui, la Grèce affiche un déficit de 14 % du PIB et une dette supérieure à 130 % du PIB. «Il faut transformer le Pacte de manière à ce qu'il ne puisse pas être contourné», a plaidé lundi Angela Merkel, après avoir obtenu le feu vert de son gouvernement au plan d'aide à la Grèce, qui s'élèvera pour Berlin, à 22,4 milliards d'euros sur trois ans. >>> Par Alexandrine Bouilhet | Lundi 03 Mai 2010

General Hospital Under Threat as NHS Faces Post-poll Closures
TIMES ONLINE: The NHS is facing significant cuts in services across England and Wales despite election pledges from the main parties to protect health spending.

Analysis by The Times has revealed that the number of health bodies preparing the ground for possible closures has increased. Those seeking advice on big changes to NHS services, including shutting down hospital units, has doubled over the past year. >>> Sam Lister and David Rose | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

The Case for Change
Britain needs a stable and legitimate government to navigate its fiscal crisis and punch its weight abroad. On balance, the Conservative party best fits the bill. – FT
FT – Editorial: The word “change” has ricocheted around the British election campaign. All the main parties, including the incumbent Labour government, have promised it, with varying degrees of plausibility. None has managed to convince a wary public.

To some extent this is because the electorate is uncertain about the change it wants. The national mood veers between cynicism and contempt towards politicians. The main beneficiaries have been the Liberal Democrats, who have transformed themselves, partly by virtue of novelty, from marginal players into potential partners in a future government.

But the parties have not articulated convincingly what change means. The campaign has focused too much on personalities rather than matters of substance. The televised debates between the party leaders briefly captured the popular imagination, but the price was to foster the idea of politics as game show. Real differences on policy have been obscured.

None of the parties has tackled head-on the question of how to restore Britain’s public finances. This year, the UK is expected to run a fiscal deficit of 11.1 per cent of national output – or £163bn. The parties have not been straight with the public about the austerity that lies ahead. Whoever enters Number 10 may suffer a form of winner’s curse.

The Financial Times has no fixed political allegiances. We stand for a liberal agenda: a small state, social justice and open international markets. But we do have a vision of the changes needed for economic and political renewal. It is on this basis that we judge the fitness of the contenders for power.

The problems facing the UK are daunting – more so than at any time since the 1970s. Then, as now, there was much talk of national decline. But Britain’s difficulties are not insurmountable. Strong leadership under Margaret Thatcher made the difference in 1979. Similar resolve is required today.

The economic challenge goes beyond the need to restore the public finances. The state has grown too large, accounting for 48 per cent of national output. Its sprawling size threatens to stifle the economy, crimping private enterprise and the wealth creation vital to preserve Britain’s standing in the world. It must be hacked back. >>> FT Editorial | Monday, May 03, 2010

FT Switches Allegiance To The Tories
SKY NEWS: The Financial Times has switched allegiance to the Tories having backed Labour at the previous four General Elections. >>> Miranda Richardson, Sky News Online | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

LE POINT: Le Financial Times apporte son soutien à David Cameron : Le Financial Times a apporté mardi son soutien aux conservateurs, à deux jours des élections générales en Grande-Bretagne, affirmant que le principal parti d'opposition, s'il arrive au pouvoir, instaurera le meilleur climat pour les entreprises. >>> LePoint.fr | Mardi 04 Mai 2010

Mumbai Gunman Faces Death Penalty After Conviction
THE TELEGRAPH: The lone surviving gunman involved in the Mumbai attacks in which 166 people died is facing the death penalty after being convicted mass murder and waging war on India.

Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, 22, was jointly responsible for the assault on the railway station where 52 people were gunned down.

He was convicted on 86 charges of waging war against India, possessing explosives and aiding and abetting the murders of all 166 victims.

Kasab and his fellow militants from the Lashkar e Taiba (LeT) terrorist group struck at three hotels, a bar, a Jewish centre and the city's main station in an attack lasting 60 hours.

His victims included the head of Mumbai's antiterrorist police in a shoot-out as he left the railway station. Their murders wiped out the city's antiterrorist command and sabotaged its response.

India's Home Minister, P Chidambaram, welcomed the verdict and said it sent a clear message to Pakistan that "they should not export terror to India. If they do, and if the terrorists are apprehended, we will be able to give them exemplary punishment," he said. >>> Dean Nelson in New Delhi | Monday, May 03, 2010

Guilty Verdict for Mumbai Attacker

B. Hussein Obama Discloses His Hand
THE TELEGRAPH: The United States has become the first country to disclose an up-to-date figure for the number of weapons in its nuclear arsenal.

It has done so to encourage more openness from other nuclear states and to further President Barack Obama's goal of global disarmament.

The Pentagon said 5,113 warheads were either operationally deployed, kept in active reserve or held in inactive storage. On a fact sheet detailing numbers that had been classified for decades, it said that the arsenal has been reduced by 84 per cent from its maximum level of 31,225 warheads at the end of 1967.

The total disclosed by the Pentagon did not include the number of warheads that have been retired and scheduled for complete dismantlement, an estimated 4,600 according to the Federation of American Scientists.

The Pentagon did not detail the size of the remaining warheads. But according to previous analysis many weapons in the arsenal are far more powerful than the 15 kilotons of TNT used at Hiroshima and the 22 kiloton bomb dropped on Nagasaki. US has more than 5,000 nuclear warheads >>> Alex Spillius in New York | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Boost for Disarmament Talks as US Reveals Size of Nuclear Arsenal
TIMES ONLINE: The US revealed the size of its nuclear arsenal last night in an unprecedented attempt to galvanise efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, announced the declassification of one of the Pentagon’s most closely guarded secrets at the opening day of a critical international meeting on global disarmament.

The Pentagon’s figures show that the US stockpile consists of 5,113 nuclear warheads and “several thousand” more retired warheads that await dismantling. The figures reveal an 84 per cent reduction from the historic peak of 31,225 warheads in 1967 at the height of the Cold War.

“Beginning today, the United States will make public the number of nuclear weapons in our stockpile and the number of weapons we have dismantled since 1991,” Mrs Clinton told the UN review conference on the Non-Proliferation Treaty. “So for those who doubt that the United States will do its part on disarmament, this is our record, these are our commitments and they send a clear, unmistakable signal.” >>> Catherine Philp in New York | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

THE GUARDIAN: US shows its nuclear hand in bid to show sincerity on arms: Exact number of US warheads revealed for first time as Iran's leader hits out on first day of non-proliferation talks >>> Julian Borger and Andrew Clark in New York | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

New York Times Square Bomb: Suspect Arrested Trying to Board Flight to Dubai
THE TELEGRAPH: An American citizen of Pakistani origin has been arrested in connection with an attempted car bombing in New York's Times Square, the US attorney general, Eric Holder, confirmed.



The man was officially named as Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-American, and said he was arrested on Long Island, New York.

Mr Holder said the man was attempting to board a flight to Dubai.

The US attorney general added that investigations were ongoing.

Authorities had launched a massive manhunt with the FBI's terrorism task force and local New York police to try to catch the would-be bomber.

MSNBC said the 30-year-old man had been linked to a sport utility vehicle seized with explosives late Saturday in the busy New York district.

The police sources told US media that the man had recently returned from a trip to Pakistan and three weeks ago paid cash for the Nissan Pathfinder SUV used in the attempted bombing.

It was sold by the vehicle's registered owner in Connecticut about three weeks ago without official paperwork changing hands, police said earlier. >>> | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

General Election 2010: Nick Clegg Could Still Spoil David Cameron’s Party
THE TELEGRAPH: The momentum seems to be with the Tories in Labour marginal seats but they are being repulsed by the Lib Dems, says Philip Johnston

A few months ago, the received wisdom held that the Conservatives were on course to regain political power after 13 years of opposition.

Now, as today’s Daily Telegraph poll of the marginals confirms, they are tantalisingly close to securing an overall parliamentary majority, but are probably going to fall short. They will win the most votes and, barring the vagaries of our electoral system, should have the most seats and might even have more than Labour and the Liberal Democrats combined.

But to win the 326 seats needed to be sure of getting their business through Parliament was always going to be a tall order and could well be beyond their reach. >>> Philip Johnston | Monday, May 03, 2010

Elderly Jewish Man Attacked Outside Synagogue
THE TELEGRAPH: Three men have attacked an elderly Jewish man outside a synagogue in southern France, spraying tear gas in his face and leaving an anti-Semitic slogan.

The man, aged in his 80s, has filed a police complaint following the assault on Sunday in Nimes as he was waiting to attend services, said Paul Benguigui, president of the Jewish association in Nimes.

The attackers daubed explicit anti-Jewish graffiti on the synagogue doors.

The incident comes less than a week after a man wearing a kippah was wounded in an assault in Strasbourg by a mentally disturbed attacker armed with a knife and metal bar. >>> | Monday, May 03, 2010

Come Dancing!
MAIL ONLINE: He has shown that he is willing to turn his hand to just about anything - just so long as it pays well.

From lucrative after-dinner speeches to advising Arab governments and investment banks, Tony Blair has certainly made the most of his life after politics.

And now the former Prime Minister has been offered £250,000 to sign up for the next series of Dancing With The Stars, the U.S version of Strictly Come Dancing.

Conrad Green, the executive producer of the show, is desperate for the former Prime Minister to come and strut his stuff for the American public. Tony Blair offered £250,000 to appear on Dancing with the Stars >>> Niall Firth | Monday, May 03, 2010

German Euro MP Koch-Mehrin Urges EU Burka Ban
BBC: A top German Euro MP has called for a Europe-wide ban on wearing the Islamic full-body veil, or burka, in public.

Silvana Koch-Mehrin, a member of the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), said the burka was "a massive attack on women's rights - it is a mobile prison".

Her party is in the German government with Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU).

Belgian MPs have voted to ban garments covering the face in public, including the burka and the Islamic niqab.

The ban would be the first such restriction in Europe if backed by Belgium's upper house.

In an article in the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Ms Koch-Mehrin said wearing the burka "openly supports values that we do not share in Europe".

"I want the wearing of all forms of the burka to be banned in Germany too - and throughout Europe." Opposition to ban >>> | Monday, May 03, 2010

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