Nick Clegg: I Cry to Music and Even My Sons Ask Why Everyone Hates Me
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nick Clegg has admitted that he feels like a "punch bag" in the face of public hostility towards him and that he "cries to music", in his latest toe-curling magazine interview.

Insisting that he is a human being with feelings, the Deputy Prime Minister said even his sons ask their “Papa” why he is hated by students following the row over tuition fees.

In words which will irritate No 10, he distanced himself from the Prime Minister, who he referred to as “Dave,” and insisted that, despite appearances, the two are not friendly.

He also admitted telling “white lies” to his family to explain his absences, adding that he was often "quite miserable" at the amount of time he was forced to spend away from them.

The candid interview, in this week’s New Statesman magazine, was conducted by Jemima Khan, the heiress and socialite, and is almost certain to raise questions about Mr Clegg’s judgement.

It follows another frank interview he gave to Piers Morgan for GQ magazine three years ago, in which he admitted to having had “no more than 30” previous lovers. » | Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Le Portugal demande l’aide financière de la Commission européenne
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le Portugal a demandé mercredi à bénéficier d’une assistance financière de l’Union européenne, a annoncé le président de la Commission européenne José Manuel Barroso dans un communiqué.

"Le Premier ministre du Portugal José Socrates a informé ce jour (mercredi) le président de la Commission européenne José Manuel Barroso de son intention de demander l’activation des mécanismes de soutien financier" de l’UE, a précisé la Commission.

"Le président de la Commission a assuré que cette demande serait examinée le plus rapidement possible (...) et s’est dit confiant dans les capacités du Portugal de surmonter ses difficultés actuelles avec la solidarité de ses partenaires", a ajouté la commission. Peu auparavant, le Premier ministre portugais José Socrates avait annoncé lors d’une allocution télévisée que le gouvernement portugais avait "décidé aujourd’hui même d’adresser une demande d’assistance financière à la Commission européenne". » | AFP | Mercredi 06 Avril 2011

Yemen Protesters Hold Firm
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Yemen, demanding an end to the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
 More than a hundred people have been killed in anti-government demonstrations since February. Our special correspondent has this report from the Yemeni capital Sanaa. 
We are not naming her due to security reasons

Gaddafi Sends Message to Barack Obama
YAHOO! NEWS UK: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has sent a message to US President Barack Obama, the White House has confirmed, as Nato claims his forces are using human shields for protection.

Colonel Gaddafi sent the message "following the withdrawal of America from the crusader colonial alliance against Libya", Libya's official news agency JANA said.

No further details were given by the state broadcaster about the message to Mr Obama. » | Sky News | Wednesday, April 06, 2011

US Defense Chief in Saudi Arabia to Discuss Mideast Unrest
VOICE OF AMERICA: Officials say talks with Saudi ruler to focus on political change across the region, progress on $60 billion arms deal, missile defense[.]



U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Saudi Arabia to meet King Abdullah for talks on the recent spate of political unrest sweeping the Middle East and North Africa. » | VOA News | Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Gaddafi Forces Using Civilians as Human Shields, Says France
THE GUARDIAN: Libya rebels accuse coalition of standing by as Misrata assault continues, saying air strikes have abated since Nato took charge

Muammar Gaddafi's forces are using civilians as human shields to foil Nato air strikes, France said after rebels accused the western-led coalition of standing by while government troops continue their assault on Misrata.

The French foreign minister, Alain Juppé, conceded that the position of rebel-held city – under daily shelling and sniper fire from the army – was intolerable but said there was little more which could be done immediately.

"We've formally requested that there be no collateral damage for the civilian population," he told France Info radio [Radio France]. "That obviously makes operations more difficult."

The head of France's armed forces gave a similar response to complaints from rebels that the pace of air strikes has abated since Nato took over control of Libyan operations from the US, France and UK on 31 March.

"I would like things to go faster, but as you are well aware, protecting civilians means not firing anywhere near them," Admiral Edouard Guillaud told Europe 1 radio. "That is precisely the difficulty." » | Peter Walker and agencies | Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Fox News to Drop Glenn Beck's Show
THE GUARDIAN – BLOGS – RICHARD ADAMS: Fox News announces it is dropping Glenn Beck's daily talkshow - but spins it as a "new partnership"

Fox News announced today it is dropping Glenn Beck's daily talkshow – but in its official statement said the network and the controversial host would work together on unnamed future projects.

That may just be a face-saving device for Beck and the network, or it may be an attempt by Fox to find a way to use Beck in a form that avoids alienating advertisers. » | Richard Adams | Wednesday, April 06, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Glenn Beck 'to transition off' Fox News: Network axes Tea Party icon's daily slot amid mounting controversies and exodus of advertisers » | Richard Adams in Washington | Wednesday, April 06, 2011

L'infirmière de Kadhafi
LE POINT: Oksana Balinskaya décrit deux années "heureuses" passées au côté du chef de la Jamahiriya.

La jeune femme s'est confiée au quotidien russe Komsomolskaya Pravda. Selon elle, sûr, Kadhafi est en très bonne forme. "Il prend soin de sa santé et, tous les ans, il fait des examens médicaux. Et sa tension artérielle, on ne peut que l'envier... " déclare l'infirmière. Le personnel du leader a pris l'habitude de l'appeler Papa. C'est d'ailleurs ainsi qu'elle-même le désigne. "Côté gastronomie, Papa est un homme sans prétention. Il aime le couscous à la viande de chameau ou de mouton. Comme tous les Libyens, il adore la cuisine italienne, surtout les pâtes." » | Le Point.fr | Mercredi 06 Avril 2011

Syria Relaxes Veil Ban for Teachers
THE GUARDIAN: Bashar al-Assad also orders closure of Syria's only casino in bid to appease Muslims ahead of proposed anti-regime protests

Syria has closed the country's only casino and reversed a ban on teachers wearing the Islamic veil – moves seen as an attempt to reach out to conservative Muslims ahead of calls for pro-democracy demonstrations.

Syrian activists have urged protesters to take to the streets on Wednesday and the following two days to honour more than 80 people who were killed in a crackdown on demonstrations that erupted nearly three weeks ago.

President Bashar al-Assad's decisions on Wednesday were unusual concessions to religious concern in Syria, which promotes a strictly secular identity.

The recent protests, however, have brought sectarian tensions into the open with thousands of people taking to the streets calling for democracy in a country where Alawites – followers of a branch of Shia Islam who represent just 11% of the population – have been in power for nearly 40 years. The country is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim. » | Associated Press in Cairo | Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Österreich: "Nazi-Bäcker" laufen die Kunden davon
KURIER.AT: Die Torte mit Nazi-Symbolen eines Bäckers bleibt nicht ohne Folgen. Der Konditor aus Maria Enzersdorf entschuldigte sich.

Ich wurde am Telefon als Nazi-Schwein beschimpft, man hat mir und meiner Familie den Tod gewünscht und Gäste haben mir ausrichten lassen, dass sie nicht mehr ins Lokal kommen." - Konditor Manfred Klaschka aus Maria Enzersdorf (NÖ) bekommt die Auswirkungen der "Torten-Affäre" deutlich zu spüren. Wie berichtet, hatte das "Mauthausen Komitee Österreich" Anzeige erstattet, weil sich in einer Mustermappe von Klaschka Fotos von Torten mit Nazi-Symbolen (vom Hakenkreuz bis zum Hitlergruß) fanden. » | Mittwoch, 16. April 2011

KURIER.AT: Zuckerbäcker bot Nazi-Torten an: Im Bezirk Mödling wurden Süßwaren gespickt mit Nazi-Symbolen feil geboten. Das "Mauthausen Komitee Österreich" hat Anzeige erstattet. » | Mittwoch. 04. April 2011

FOCUS ONLINE: Konditor wegen Nazi-Torten angezeigt: Österreich ist für seine vielfältigen Süßspeisen bekannt – eine sehr geschmacklose Kreation hat einem Konditor nahe Wien nun aber eine Anzeige eingebracht: Der Bäcker bietet mit Nazisymbolen verzierte Torten für jeden Anlass an. » | jba/dapd/dpa | Dienstag, 05. April 2011

DIE PRESSE: Niederösterreich: Konditor bäckt Torten im Nazi-Design – Im Bezirk Mödling wurde ein Konditor angezeigt, der mit NS-Symbolen verzierte Torten im Programm hatte. Er selbst "würde auch Gaddafi backen". » | APA | Dienstag, 05. April 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Austria: 'Nazi' cakes cause outrage – A pastry maker in Austria has had a complaint filed against them [sic] by a Holocaust survivors group for baking cakes decorated with Nazi designs. » | Emanuelle Degli Esposti | Wednesday, April 06, 2011

24HEURES.CH: Signes nazis sur des gâteaux: un pâtissier autrichien dans la tourmente – Une association autrichienne de survivants de l’Holocauste a porté plainte contre un pâtissier qui décorait, à la demande, ses gâteaux avec des symboles nazis comme des croix gammées. » | AFP | Mercredi 06 Avril 2011

Witness - Shahrbanoo
The encounter of an American woman with a super-conservative Iranian family living in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of Tehran. An extraordinary trip deep into the heart of conservative Iran

Egypt Military Trying Political Prisoners
Mohamed Ibrahim Soliman, Egypt's former Housing Minister, has been arrested on corruption allegations, becoming the latest member of the former Mubarak government to be detained over allegations regarding deals worth billions of dollars.



Much less publicised in Egypt, however, are the cases of political activists who have been detained since the fall of Hosni Mubarak. Many have been charged with spreading "false information" and insulting the country's powerful military, which currently controls the state.



Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports on one such case from Cairo.

Inside Story: Tensions in the Gulf
Internal unrest through the Arabian gulf.
 


But the country being painted as the aggressor is just 300 kilometres across the famous stretch of water - Iran.



The unrest is being billed as one between the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) nations and their Persian neighbour.



The foreign ministers of the six nations - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates recently met in Riyadh. 



They released a statement criticising what they called Iran's blatant interference in internal affairs, particularly in Bahrain and Kuwait.

This comes after Iran's objection to Saudi Arabia sending in troops to Bahrain during the uprising there.
 


In return, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday the GCC statement was issued under the pressure of the US government and its allies.



This episode of Inside Story discusses what 'Iranian meddling' may or may not amount to, and just what the GCC and indeed Iran are achieving by ratcheting up the rhetoric at this time.



Inside Story, with presenter Kamahl Santamaria, discusses with guests: Hussein Shobokshi, a columnist for Asharq Alaw-sat newspaper; Ghanbar Naderi, a political commentator and jounalist; and Fahad Shulemi, a security analyst and a former colonel in the Kuwaiti army. 



This episode of Inside Story aired on Tuesday, April 5, 2011.

French Panel Debates Secularism and Islam
THE NEW YORK TIMES: PARIS — France’s governing party pressed ahead on Tuesday with a controversial debate on the nature of secularism and the challenges of Islam, an exercise criticized by some in the government and numerous religious leaders and ridiculed as cynical by both the Socialist opposition and the far-right National Front.

Held at a Paris hotel in the presence of some 600 religious leaders, legislators and journalists, the debate was shunned by prominent members of the government, and its title was altered to remove any reference to Islam, resulting in the anodyne “Secularism: To Live Better Together.”

It was three hours of debate after two months of fierce political squabbling.

Initiated by President Nicolas Sarkozy, the debate was organized by the leader of his party, the Union for a Popular Movement, Jean-François Copé. But the prime minister, François Fillon, quietly refused to take part, fearing that it would push the party too far to the right and might lead to “a stigmatization of Muslims,” he said, leading Mr. Copé to accuse him of “not being a team player.”

The concern is to help along a Westernized version of Islam that fits within the behavioral and cultural norms of France, which accept gender equality and the private nature of religious belief.

Mr. Copé said the debate was “controversial but necessary,” saying that “the values of France are like the Three Musketeers: liberty, equality, fraternity.” He would add a fourth, he said — secularism. » | Steven Erlanger and Maïa de la Baume | Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Florida Pastor Does Not Plan To Burn More Qurans
NPR: The pastor of a Florida church says he does not plan to burn any more Qurans — but Terry Jones has said that before.

Jones first made headlines around the world last September, when he announced — and then called off — plans to publicly burn a copy of the Quran at his church in Gainesville, Fla. But on March 20, he actually did it — and though it drew little media attention at the time, it has since sparked protests in Afghanistan that have claimed 20 lives.

Jones' event was markedly different from the scene outside his church last year, when reporters, cameras and satellite trucks made him a dubious worldwide celebrity — at least for a while.

To make sure the word got out, Jones' church, the Dove World Outreach Center, videotaped the event and put it up on its website. It was a mock trial, complete with a prosecutor, a jury of church members and a judge played by Jones himself. The charges: "The Quran is charged with death, rape, torture of people worldwide whose only crime is not being of the Islamic faith."

At the conclusion of the trial, Jones and his jurors pronounce the Quran guilty, and a kerosene-soaked copy of the Muslim holy book is placed on a barbecue grill and set aflame.

Jones says he did it to raise awareness about the nature of radical Islam and was surprised when it attracted little notice at first. A few days later, however, the small flame Jones lit in Gainesville was kindled into something much larger half a world away.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai strongly condemned the act, leading to a series of protests in Afghanistan that have claimed more than 20 lives, including those of seven U.N. employees.

Jones says he feels no responsibility for those deaths. » | Greg Allen | Wednesday, April 06, 2011

David Cameron: Britain Caused Many of the World's Problems
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain is responsible for many of the world’s historic problems, including the conflict in Kashmir between India and Pakistan, David Cameron has said.

The Prime Minister appeared to distance himself from the imperial past when he suggested that Britain was to blame for decades of tension and several wars over the disputed territory, as well as other global conflicts.

His remarks came on a visit to Pakistan, when he was asked how Britain could help to end the row over Kashmir.

He insisted that it was not his place to intervene in the dispute, saying: “I don’t want to try to insert Britain in some leading role where, as with so many of the world’s problems, we are responsible for the issue in the first place.”

His remarks about Kashmir were greeted warmly by the audience of Pakistani students and academics, but drew accusations from historians that the Prime Minister was wrongly apologising for Britain’s past.

Daisy Cooper, the director of the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit, said: “This is typical of the UK’s schizophrenic relationship with former colonies where it is both proud and embarrassed about its past. The Coalition has said that it has big ambitions for a modern Commonwealth and the UK should stop being embarrassed about its colonial past and they should work with other countries to help improve their human rights.” » | James Kirkup, in Islamabad and Christopher Hope | Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Nick Clegg: I Was Wrong to Use Father’s Help to Secure Bank Internship
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nick Clegg’s drive to stop privileged children with "sharp-elbowed" parents monopolising internships was undermined when he admitted securing a placement at a bank with the help of his father.

The Deputy Prime Minister was embarrassed as he launched his landmark social mobility strategy, which includes at its heart a plan to open up work experience to all classes, after it emerged that he also employed unpaid interns in his parliamentary office.

Speaking at an event to launch the strategy, he said it had been “wrong” of his wealthy banker father to have secured him a placement at a Finnish bank by “having a word” with a friend who worked there.

“I think the whole system was wrong,” he added. “I am not the slightest bit ashamed of saying that we all inhabited a system that was wrong.”

Mr Clegg announced that he was banning the practice of unpaid work experience across his party after a former intern came forward to say that he had not even been paid out of pocket expenses such as travel and lunch while working for free for the Liberal Democrat leader.

The Coalition is moving to take action on the “tacit conspiracy” which sees privileged professionals give their children a leg up in life by using contacts to secure internships, which are often viewed as the first step on the career ladder.

As part of the strategy, Mr Clegg called on employers to pay interns the minimum wage, or at least reasonable expenses, to avoid excluding those who could not afford to work for free. » | Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Jeremy Irons Says Smokers Deserve Special Protections, Like Disabled People
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Jeremy Irons has said that smokers deserve to be protected like disabled people and children, during a scathing attack on New York's crackdown on lighting up in public.

The veteran British actor has become one of the most high profile critics of efforts by Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York, to improve public health by banning smoking in city-owned open spaces.

Earlier this year, Mr Bloomberg – himself a reformed ex-smoker – pushed through a law making it illegal to light up in 1,700 parks, public squares and beaches, including Central Park and Times Square.

The ban, which carries a £31 fine, came eight years after Mr Bloomberg prohibited smoking in all of the city's bars and restaurants. A similar ban was imposed in Britain four years later.

Mr Irons, who was in New York to guest-star in an episode of Law & Order, a television series, described the measures as "ludicrous and a terrible bullying of a minority that cannot speak back."

Smokers should be protected like "handicapped people and children", he told an interviewer for New York magazine [sic], who said the 62-year-old's teeth were "a testament to a life of indulgences." » | Jon Swaine, New York | Monday, April 04, 2011

AFP: 'Home-grown' rebellion fights New York smoking ban » | Sebastian Smith, AFP | Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Labour Attacks Nick Clegg Over Social Mobility Plan
BBC: Nick Clegg has come under fire over his plan to improve social mobility, with Labour claiming it is "mission impossible" with him at the helm.

In an angry Commons exchange, deputy leader Harriet Harman accused Mr Clegg of "betraying a generation of young people" by raising tuition fees.

But the deputy PM said Labour had failed to improve social mobility despite doubling public spending.

He said the coalition's "overriding mission" was to make society fairer.

The deputy prime minister faced questions in the Commons after unveiling the government's social mobility and child poverty strategies – entitled Opening Doors, Breaking Barriers.

He said he wanted to stop people getting on in life purely because of "who they know" and has announced that informal internships for young people in Whitehall would be banned.

"They should get an internship because of what they know," he told the BBC.

"It's not just because of someone who's met somebody at the tennis club or the golf club, who's whispered something into someone's ear and they've got an internship for their son or daughter." (+ video) » | Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Prince Harry Can’t Quit Ciggies Habit
THE SUN: PRINCE Harry is back on the cigs, The Sun can reveal.

The royal soldier, 26, tried to give up after his ten-week stint in Afghanistan in 2008.

But he has been seen smoking again and took his favourite Marlboro Golds on his Walking with the Wounded North Pole challenge.

A source said: "Harry has really battled with fags, but he doesn't seem able to give up once and for all.

"One reason he smokes is boredom. He's been learning to fly helicopters - which is great when you're flying but there's a lot of sitting around, doing nothing.

"Harry has been training hard for his ice trek, but that hasn't stopped him puffing away.

"If he wants to give up, he's clearly got a challenge on his hands." » | Duncan Larcombe, Royal Editor and Richard White | Monday, April 04, 2011