Royal Wedding Security: Snipers on Rooftops as 5,000 Police Officers Take to Streets of London
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain's biggest security operation in a generation is under way for the royal wedding, with 5,000 police officers under orders to deal ''robustly and firmly'' with any threats.


As the attention of the world fixes on London, detectives have thrown a multimillion-pound ring of steel around the royal wedding.

They appealed to the public to be the police's ''eyes and ears'' to help keep troublemakers at bay.

Snipers are taking to rooftops and undercover officers are mingling among the crowds as part of a massive covert and overt operation to avoid an atrocity.

Security against potential threats from al Qaeda-inspired extremists, dissident Irish republican terrorists, anarchists and even lone stalkers is being balanced with the desire to let onlookers enjoy the day of pageantry.

Around 70 people are banned from the City of Westminster as part of their bail conditions after being arrested or charged over various previous alleged disorder offences. » | Friday, April 29, 2011

Royal Wedding: Three Arrested for 'Mock Execution' Plan
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Three protesters who were planning on staging mock executions outside Westminster Abbey this morning have been arrested by Scotland Yard.

Watch YouTube video here

Bahrain Sentences Four Democracy Protesters to Death
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bahrain has risked further inflaming tensions after recent unrest by sentencing to death four protesters whose car ran over and killed two police officers.

The four were all from the island kingdom's Shia majority, which has led protests against the rule of the Sunni Muslim monarchy.

The Shia complain they suffer discrimination and are excluded from the best jobs in Bahrein, as well as being condemned by the election system to a minority voice in the country's parliament.

A report on the state news agency website confirmed that the four, named as Ali Abdullah Hassan al-Singees, 21, Qasim Hasan Matar Ahmad, 20, Saeed Abduljalil Saeed, 20, and Abdulaziz Abdulridha Ibrahim Husain, 25, had been found guilty of murder by the National Safety Lower Court. Three other men were sentenced to life in prison.

The state of national safety is the government's term for a state of emergency imposed when troops were sent in to clear public squares occupied by protesters last month.

The report described the deaths of the two officers as "one of the most gruesome murders in Bahrain". It was captured on camera, and videotapes were shown to the court. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Thursday, April 28, 2011

Royal Media Frenzy Hits London
Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in London, Britain's capital, a day before Prince William ties the knot with his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton.



The event on Friday is expected to attract the biggest TV audience on record of a royal wedding.

Not surprisingly, the world's media is jostling for position in London to cover it. 



Stephen Cole reports on the plans to broadcast the big day across the globe.

Worst US Storms for 40 Years Kills at Least 230
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: More than 230 people have been killed by hundreds of tornadoes raging across the south of the United States, in the region's most devastating storm outbreak for almost 40 years.


Entire US towns were destroyed, as six states were struck by huge twisters. One that was captured on extraordinary video footage measured a mile wide – 20 times larger than the typical tornado.

States of emergency were declared by the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee, and the death toll was expected to rise.

Alabama, one of America's poorest states, was worst hit. More than 131 people there died, 36 in the city of Tuscaloosa alone. Walter Maddox, its mayor, said the city had been "obliterated".

"I don't know how anyone survived," said Mr Maddox. "It's an amazing scene.

There are parts of the city I don't recognise and I've lived here my entire life." » | Jon Swaine, New York | Thursday, April 28, 2011

Un mariage, trois leçons
LE POINT: L'union de Kate et William scelle l'alliance de la classe moyenne et de la monarchie.

Il y a le fracas insensé d'une pipolisation mondiale, un mariage en mondovision. Mais derrière les cortèges de la monarchie triomphante, on peut sous le parchemin royal déchiffrer un sous-texte en trois lignes de force.

Première ligne du sous-texte : il s'agit de marquer la pérennité de la couronne britannique. Ce mariage, en présence de la reine Elizabeth II, fait écho à ses propres noces en 1947. Depuis lors, la reine aura connu les années folles du Swinging London et les rages du punk sans que le protocole soit altéré. On a eu les cris de John Lennon, le fracas des Who, le règne rock'n'roll du temps court ? Fort bien, mais John Lennon est mort, Paul McCartney est anobli, et les carrosses roulent toujours. Ce qui est ainsi proclamé, c'est le temps long de la monarchie anglaise. Après la génération prince Charles - celle qui attend toujours le pouvoir -, la génération prince William, celle qui devra s'armer de patience pour y accéder à son tour. Le mariage, avant d'être une promesse, est une durée. Il marque une permanence. » Par Marc Lambron | Jeudi 28 Avril 2011

Bahrain 'Torture Service' Official to Attend Royal Wedding
THE GUARDIAN: Ambassador to UK was previously in charge of Bahraini agency that is accused of electric shocks and beatings

The former head of an agency accused of torture and human rights abuses is expected to be a guest at Friday's royal wedding, the Guardian has learned.

Sheikh Khalifa Bin Ali al-Khalifa is a former head of Bahrain's National Security Agency (NSA) and will attend the wedding in his role as the current Bahraini ambassador to London.

British sources confirmed he had been invited and a spokesperson for the Bahraini embassy in London said he was expected to attend.

Khalifa was head of the agency from 2005 to 2008. The pressure group Human Rights Watch alleges that in 2007 detainees in Bahrain suffered torture including electric shocks and beatings. » | Vikram Dodd | Thursday, April 28, 2011

At Least 14 Killed in Morocco Café Blast
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: At least 14 people were killed by a blast in a café in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh.

The blast appeared to have been caused by gas canister catching fire inside the Argana café, in the main Jamaa el-Fna square.

Witnesses reported rescue services pulling casualties from the café.

"There was a huge bang, and lots of smoke went up, there was debris raining down from the sky. Hundreds of people were running in panic, some towards the café, some away from the square. The whole front of the café is blown away," Andy Birnie, of north London, told The Associated Press by telephone. Mr Birnie is honeymooning in Marrakech.

"It was lunchtime so the square was very busy. We had just walked into the square, but were shielded by some stalls. The locals are telling us it was gas bottles exploding."

"It was lunchtime so the square was very busy. We had just walked into the square, but were shielded by some stalls. The locals are telling us it was gas bottles exploding." » | Thursday, April 28, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Row brews over Moroccan alcohol law: It is illegal to sell alcohol to Moroccan Muslims, but this is a law that is broken openly every day. » | Omar Brouksy, in Rabat for AFP | Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Kate Middleton Arrives at ‘The Goring Hotel’, Belgravia

Royal Wedding: Syrian Ambassador's Invitation Withdrawn
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syria's ambassador to London has had his invitation to the royal wedding withdrawn in the wake of controversy over his presence on the guest list.

The Foreign Office said it had decided Dr Sami Khiyami's presence at the royal wedding ceremony would be "unacceptable" in the light of the killing of up to 450 pro-democracy demonstrators in recent weeks.

Kevan Jones, the shadow defence minister, had warned Buckingham Palace of the damage that would be done by the "horrific spectre of killing on the streets of Syria while the Syrian ambassador is in Westminster Abbey for the royal wedding."

A statement from the Foreign Office said: “Representatives of countries with which the UK has normal diplomatic relations have been invited to the wedding.

"An invitation does not mean endorsement or approval of the behaviour of any government, simply that we have normal diplomatic relations with that country.

"In the light of this week’s attacks against civilians by the Syrian security forces, which we have condemned, the Foreign Secretary has decided that the presence of the Syrian Ambassador at the Royal Wedding would be unacceptable and that he should not attend.

"Buckingham Palace shares the view of the Foreign Office that it is not considered appropriate for the Syrian Ambassador to attend the wedding.” » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Thursday, April 28, 2011

Syria Crackdown: Hundreds Resign from Ba'ath Party
THE GUARDIAN: Members of president Assad's ruling party have resigned in protest as uprising claims at least 500 lives

Hundreds of president Bashar al-Assad's ruling Ba'ath party have resigned in protest at an increasingly bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters which is now believed to have claimed more than 500 lives.

News of the resignations emerged as a deeply divided UN security council failed to agree on a European and US-backed statement condemning the government's use of violence.

The draft – proposed by France, Britain, Germany and Portugal – was opposed by several within the 15-member security council, including Russia, Lebanon and India.

Alexander Pankin, Russia's ambassador to the UN, warned that a "real threat to regional security could arise from outside interference in Syria's domestic situation".

France, Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain all summoned Syrian ambassadors in their countries and told them that they condemn the violence and said Assad must change tactics. » | Katherine Marsh in Damascus and agencies | Thursday, April 28, 2011

Hamas and Fatah Sign Reconciliation Deal
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation deal on Wednesday, setting Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, on a collision course with Israel.

In a surprise announcement following secret talks in Cairo, Mr Abbas’s moderate Fatah party and its Islamist arch-rival Hamas said they had put a four-year rift behind them.

The two parties pledged to form an interim unity government with elections in both the West Bank and Gaza in December.

The rapprochement is seen as a vital step towards the creation of a Palestinian state but immediately stoked fears in Israel that the moderate Palestinian Authority, led by Mr Abbas and dominated by Fatah, would swing towards radicalism.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, immediately condemned the deal.

“The Palestinian Authority must choose either peace with Israel or peace with Hamas,” he said. “There is no possibility for peace with both. Hamas aspires to destroy Israel and fire rockets at our cities ... at our children.” » | Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Wednesday, April 27, 2011

British Men among Fattest in Europe
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: British men are among the fattest in Europe, while as a nation we do less exercise than almost every other nation on the planet, according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The study, into the rise of heart and lung disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes, ranked UK men as the third fattest in Europe, with 67.8 per cent of males 15 or over either overweight or obese.

Only Greece (77.5 per cent) and Malta (73.3 per cent) are fatter.
Globally, British men are the 21st fattest of 192 countries while our women fare much better, at the 51st fattest.

However, contrary to the lean 'Crocodile Dundee' image Australian men like to portray, they are significantly fatter than their British cousins. More than three in four (75.7 per cent) of Australian men are overweight or obese, WHO reported. Read on and comment » | Stephen Adams and Martin Beckford | Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Royal Wedding: The American Media Comes to the Party
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The cream of the US media has landed as the fascination for all things royal and British captivates viewers back home.

Tomorrow morning, a number of alarm clocks will be set for 4am by the octogenarian residents of Fox Run nursing home in Novi, Michigan. After being served with hors d'oeuvres, they'll gather around television sets for several hours of blanket coverage of the royal wedding live on all the Detroit stations, with the ceremony starting at 6am local time.

On-screen commentary will be courtesy of all three network anchors – Katie Couric of CBS, Diane Sawyer of ABC and Brian Williams of NBC. Each member of that triumivurate of American television royalty will be broadcasting from specially constructed studios outside Buckingham Palace. Other American media icons such as Barbara Walters, whose television special William & Catherine: A Modern Fairytale, was shown on ABC this week, will be flown in. Joan Rivers and comedienne Kathy Griffin will be there, along with Britain's own exports to the US, Tina Brown and Piers Morgan.

For the American media, the timing of the wedding hits a broadcasting sweet spot. The vows will be uttered as people are getting up, giving the opportunity for wall-to-wall coverage throughout the day.

According to Nielsen, the global media measurement company, online media coverage of the wedding is "considerably higher" in America than in Britain. In addition, blogs, Twitter and Facebook are generating a "greater volume of buzz" online in the US than on the other side of the Atlantic. "By any definition, this is a news story," says Mark Lukasiewicz, vice president of NBC News. "It is an unusual event, because events of this size don't happen that often.

"We feel that, collectively, people are eager for a bit of a break from the tough news cycle we've been living in for the past few months, and the royal wedding will be a chance to focus on something that has a little bit of fun and pageantry, in the grand British style." Continue reading and comment » | Toby Harnden | Wednesday, April 27, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Royal wedding Order of Service: Jerusalem and Greensleeves to be played in Westminster Abbey: Prince William and Kate Middleton today released their wedding Order of Service, and said they have been ''incredibly moved'' by the public affection shown to them. » | Thursday, April 28, 2011

Royal Wedding: Syrian Ambassador Invitation Angers MPs
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Syrian ambassador to Britain has been invited to the Royal wedding in a move which threatens to exacerbate an ongoing row over the guest list.

Labour MPs said it “bordered on the grotesque” for Sami Khiyami to attend the event when the former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown had been excluded.

The Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad has been threatened with prosecution for alleged war crimes linked to the deaths of an estimated 450 pro-democracy protesters during marches in recent weeks.

Dr Khiyami’s presence at the ceremony will come despite him being given a formal diplomatic warning yesterday by the most senior official at the Foreign Office for his government’s crackdown on its people, which has included the use of tanks.

Denis MacShane, the former Minister for Europe, said: “Rolling out the red carpet for petty tyrants who back home chop off people’s arms and hands, or, in the case of Syria, send tanks to crush peaceful protests, is bordering on the grotesque.”

Michael Dugher, a shadow Defence Minister, said: “It seems odd that two former Prime Ministers are excluded but we have some quite dubious people being invited. » | Andy Bloxham | Thursday, April 28, 2011

University Campuses Are 'Hotbeds of Islamic Extremism'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Islamic fundamentalism is being allowed to flourish at universities, endangering national security, MPs and peers say.

Islamic fundamentalism is being allowed to flourish at universities, endangering national security, MPs and peers said yesterday.

Academics are turning a blind eye to radicals because they do not want to spy on students, a report claimed.

Despite "damning evidence" of a serious problem, little progress had been made in tackling the unsustainable situation, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Homeland Security said.

They urged the Government to tackle the issue on campuses with "utmost urgency".

Such extremism "endangers our security at home and has international implications that are serious enough to threaten our alliance relationships", said the group, which includes the former home secretary Lord Reid.

Secret files obtained by The Daily Telegraph and WikiLeaks disclosed this week that at least 35 terrorists held at Guantánamo Bay were indoctrinated by extremists in Britain.

The leaked documents, written by senior US military commanders, illustrated how Britain effectively became a crucible of terrorism over the course of two decades. » | Duncan Gardham | Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Hochzeit von William und Kate: Promis mit Krone
SUEDDEUTSCHE: Selbst ein Livestream von Bunga-Bunga-Partys würde die Menschen nicht so interessieren wie die Hochzeit von William und Kate. Die Faszination der Monarchie lebt vom Mythos der Auserwähltheit. Doch die Nachkommen der Queen benehmen sich wie Popstars.

Vielleicht hatte der eminente englische Verfassungstheoretiker Walter Bagehot recht, als er bemerkte, dass Monarchien interessant, Republiken aber langweilig seien. Darauf könnte man zwar erwidern, dass manche Politiker - Nicolas Sarkozy oder Silvio Berlusconi - aufregender und unterhaltsamer sind als Königin Elisabeth oder Belgiens König Albert.

Aber wenn am Freitag der Enkel der Queen, ein 29-Jähriger ohne besondere Qualitäten oder Talente, eine ebenso farblose junge Frau heiratet, werden weltweit mehr als zwei Milliarden Menschen zusehen - fast jeder dritte Erdbewohner. Solche Quoten würde der italienische Cavaliere nicht mal mit einem Facebook-Livestream seiner Bunga-Bunga-Partys erzielen.

Mehr als 200 Jahre nachdem die Französische Revolution das Ende königlicher Herrschaft eingeleitet zu haben schien, gibt es nicht nur immer noch Monarchien, sie üben zudem anhaltende Faszination aus - auch und vor allem in Republiken wie den USA oder Deutschland. Die pessimistische Vermutung des 1952 gestürzten ägyptischen Königs Faruk jedenfalls ist nicht aufgegangen. Er hatte vorausgesagt, dass Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts nur fünf Könige überleben würden: die vier des Kartenspiels und der von England. » | Ein Kommentar von Wolfgang Koydl | Mittwoch, 27. April 2011

Etats-Unis: nouvelles tornades et inondations attendues
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le bilan des intempéries qui frappent depuis plusieurs jours une grande partie des Etats-Unis a atteint vingt morts mercredi. Et les services météorologiques craignaient de nouvelles destructions dues aux tornades et aux inondations.

La météorologie nationale (NWS, National Weather Service) a publié une alerte avertissant du «risque élevé» de tornades, de grêle, d’inondations subites et de foudre dans certaines parties de l’Alabama, de la Géorgie et du Mississippi, dans le sud du pays.

Au total, les intempéries pourraient concerner jusqu’à 21 Etats américains, sur une zone allant des Grands lacs au golfe du Mexique et à la côte Atlantique.

L’Arkansas fait partie des Etats les plus touchés, et comptait mercredi onze décès dus aux tornades et aux inondations subites. «Il y a des arbres abattus, des coupures d’électricité, des maisons endommagées (...) et beaucoup d’inondations en cours», a déclaré Renee Preslar, une porte-parole du ministère des Situations d’urgence de cet Etat. » | ATS / AFP | Mercredi 27 Avril 2011

Syrian Funding Causes Embarrassment at British University
THE GUARDIAN: University of St Andrews to review acceptance of funding arranged by Bashar al-Assad's controversial regime in Damascus

A prestigious British university is to review the work of one of its academic research centres because its funding was arranged by the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, the Guardian can reveal.

The University of St Andrews, where Prince William and Kate Middleton studied, has received more than £100,000 in funding for its centre for Syrian studies with the assistance of the Syrian ambassador to the UK, Sami Khiyami.

Following questions on Wednesday from the Guardian about its relations with figures associated with the regime – and "in view of significant international concerns about recent events in Syria" – a spokesman for St Andrews said the university would be reviewing the centre's work "to ensure its high academic standards are maintained".

The university's association with the Assad regime has come under scrutiny in the wake of the violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Syria which is estimated to have claimed 450 lives so far. » | Peter Beaumont and Jeevan Vasagar | Wednesday, April 27, 2011

WikiLeaks: Fear of Offending Muslims Allowed Extremists into Britain ahead of 7/7 London Bombings
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A fear of offending Muslims allowed extremists into Britain before the 2005 London Tube and bus bombings, a former Labour minister with close links to the intelligence services has admitted.

Kim Howells blamed “political correctness” for fostering a situation in which dozens of extremists being sent to fight the West after being indoctrinated in Britain.

The Daily Telegraph has disclosed this week how terrorist recruits from across Africa and the Middle East flocked to London to claim asylum.

According to leaked detainee files from the US detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, obtained by the WikiLeaks website and passed to The Daily Telegraph, at least 35 detainees were sent to fight against the West after being indoctrinated in Britain.

Mr Howells, a former foreign office minister and chairman of the influential Commons intelligence and security committee, blamed “political correctness” which meant that the extremists and their views were not challenged.

He said: “There is a great reluctance to talk about the whole issue. » | Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor | Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Oh, for Christ's sake, grow a spine! (No blasphemy intended! Literally, for the sake of Christ! Otherwise the West will not belong to Christ.) You lot in Westminster and in other institutions are so, so weak. What the hell are we paying you weaklings for? Spineless creatures! Spineless to the Nth degree! Quite sickening! – © Mark