Brussels Threatens to Sue Britain to Let in 'Benefit Tourists'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The European Commission has threatened to take legal action against Britain if ministers do not water down rules limiting foreigners’ ability to claim benefits.

Ministers fear the move could leave taxpayers handing out as much as £2.5  billion to EU nationals, including out-of-work “benefit tourists”, a new cost that could wreck Coalition plans for welfare reform.

The commission’s threat, on the eve of the Conservative Party conference, has raised the political temperature on Europe still further.

In an outspoken attack today, Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, says the commission’s move is part of a “wider movement” by the “unelected and unaccountable” European authorities to extend their power over the UK.

“This kind of land grab from the EU has the potential to cause mayhem to nation states, and we will fight it,” he writes in The Daily Telegraph.

The commission is objecting to Britain’s rules on welfare, claiming they discriminate unfairly against foreigners. To claim benefits in Britain, EU nationals must pass a “right to reside” test. The commission says the test is too tough, and wants Britain to apply more generous EU-wide rules.

The commission said it had given Britain two months to bring its rules into line with the weaker EU standard. “Otherwise, the commission may decide to refer the UK to the EU’s Court of Justice.”

The intervention has infuriated ministers, in particular because social security has long been seen as a national policy area and not one in which the EU is allowed to interfere.

It will also inflame the Coalition’s internal debate over Europe. Tory MPs, who will gather in Manchester this weekend for their annual conference, are pushing David Cameron to drive a much harder bargain with Brussels. Liberal Democrat ministers have said they will resist any move to renegotiate Britain’s EU membership. » | Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Government Plans to Raise Speed Limit to 80mph
THE GUARDIAN: Transport secretary to announce proposed increase in speed limit from 70mph to 80mph at Tory conference

The government plans to raise the speed limit to 80mph from 70mph in a victory for the transport secretary, Philip Hammond.

Hammond said on Thursday he will launch a consultation later this year with a view to introducing the new limit in 2013.

The new policy is part of a determined bid to shift the government on to the side of the motorists after successive governments appeared keen to discourage driving.

Hammond is expected to couple the increase with an expansion of 20mph limits in many urban areas.

But the motorway proposal is expected to receive stiff opposition from road safety campaigners and environmentalists who point out that cars are far less fuel efficient at the higher speed.

Hammond said: "Britain's roads should be the arteries of a healthy economy and cars are a vital lifeline for many." he blamed Labour's "shortsighted and misguided war on the motorist" for penalising drivers.

"This government has already scrapped the M4 bus lane, cut central government funding for money-making speed cameras and announced new measures to crack down on boy racers and reckless drivers while standing up for the decent majority," he said.

"Now it is time to put Britain back in the fast lane of global economies and look again at the motorway speed limit which is nearly 50 years old, and out of date thanks to huge advances in safety and motoring technology.

"Increasing the motorway speed limit to 80mph would generate economic benefits of hundreds of millions of pounds through shorter journey times. So we will consult later this year on raising the limit to get Britain moving." » | Allegra Stratton, political correspondent | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Erdogans Leibwächter prügeln sich mit Sicherheitskräften

Museum stellt uralte Bibelschriften online

Keine Glückwünsche für Berlusconi

Zu Guttenberg an US-Thinktank berufen

Verwandt »

Divorce de l'Aga Khan : le prince condamné à verser 60 millions d'euros à son ex-épouse
LE POINT: C'est la séparation la plus chère jamais prononcée en France par la justice.

C'est le divorce le plus cher jamais prononcé en France par la justice. Comme le révèle Le Point.fr, la cour d'appel d'Amiens a condamné aujourd'hui Son Altesse l'Aga Khan à verser à son ex-épouse la Begum Inaara 60 millions d'euros de prestation compensatoire. Une somme nette d'imposition. Le chef de la communauté musulmane des ismaéliens devra en effet régler lui-même la totalité des frais fiscaux. Le jugement a été prononcé aux torts exclusifs du prince. » | Le Point.fr | Jeudi 29 Septembre 2011

Hugo Chavez in Hospital 'for Kidney Failure'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hugo Chavez, who has been fighting cancer, was rushed to a military hospital for emergency care following kidney failure, according to reports.

The leftist, staunchly anti-US stalwart Chavez went into the Military Hospital in Caracas on Tuesday morning, the report on the newspaper's website said, citing anonymous sources with knowledge of the case.

"He was in fairly serious overall condition," a source told the Miami-based Spanish-language daily. "When he arrived, he was in quite serious shape and that is why he was brought in for emergency care." » | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Islam in Australia: ‘How I Came to Islam’ – ‘Brother Tom’

Nigeria’s Proposal to Criminalize Same-Sex Marriage
BOX TURTLE BULLETIN: A BTB reader found a copy of Nigeria’s latest proposal to not just ban same-sex marriage (it’s already illegal in Nigeria), but to impose criminal penalties on anyone who enters into a same-sex marriage — as well as for anyone who “witnesses, abets and aids the solemnization of a same gender marriage contract.” The penalty for entering into a same-sex marriage under the proposed measure would be three years’ imprisonment. The penalty for witnessing/aiding/abeting a marriage would bring five years imprisonment or a fine of ₦2,000 (2,000 naria, or US$13 in a country where the average annual income is US$1,200). If a group of persons witness/aid/abet a marriage, the fine is ₦50,000. It’s unclear whether two people at a wedding would be considered two individuals or a group. The bill also does not define what constitutes witnessing, abetting or aiding in the solemnization of a marriage. » | Jim Burroway | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Bahrain Sentences Medics Who Treated Protesters
BBC: A court in Bahrain has jailed 20 medics who treated protesters to up to 15 years, after convicting them of incitement to overthrow the regime.

In a separate case, the special security court sentenced a protester to death for killing a policeman.

The medics had been released on bail after many staged a hunger strike.

They treated people injured when a protest movement calling for more rights for the country's Shia majority in the Sunni-ruled kingdom was crushed.

Human rights activists say the sentences against the medics come as a surprise.

They had been cautiously hopeful that the medics' release on bail was a sign that the government was softening its approach.

The Bahraini doctors and nurses were sentenced to between five and 15 years in prison on charges that include possessing unlicensed arms, seizing medical equipment, and provoking sectarian hatred.

All worked in the Salmaniya Medical Complex in Manama, which security forces entered on 16 March after forcefully clearing the nearby Pearl Roundabout of demonstrators.

Human rights activists say they were only doing their duty. » | Thursday, September 29, 2011

US Ambassador Robert Ford Pelted with Tomatoes in Syria
BBC: Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have thrown tomatoes and eggs at US ambassador Robert Ford as he met an opposition figure in Damascus.

Veteran politician Hassan Abdul Azim said about 100 protesters tried to get into his office as Mr Ford arrived and then surrounded it.

Mr Ford, who has been accused of inciting protests, was trapped inside the building for at least two hours.

Meanwhile, Syria has accused the US of inciting violence against its military.

"Recent statements from American administration officials... clearly indicate that the United States is involved in encouraging armed groups to practice violence against the Syrian Arab Army," a foreign ministry statement said.

It is thought the statement was referring to comments made by US state department spokesman Mark Toner, who said on Tuesday that it was "not surprising" that the opposition were using violence against the military.

Mr Ford has angered Damascus in the past, notably by visiting the central city of Hama with his French counterpart in July.

It led to both the French and US embassies coming under attack from supporters of the Assad regime. » | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Neuer Job: Guttenberg wird Chefdenker in Washington

WELT ONLINE: Neuer Job für den in die USA geflüchteten Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg: Als "herausragender Staatsmann" wird er ein europäisch-amerikanisches Dialogforum führen.

Der wegen eines Plagiatsskandals zurückgetretene Ex-Verteidigungsminister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (CSU) hat einem Bericht zufolge eine neue Aufgabe an einem der renommiertesten Politik-Institute in den USA gefunden.

Guttenberg schließe sich dem in Washington ansässigen Forschungszentrum Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) an und werde dort an der Spitze eines neuen transatlantischen Dialogforums stehen, berichtete die ”Bild“-Zeitung. Dieses Forum solle die europäisch-amerikanischen Beziehungen stärken.

Das CSIS begründe Guttenbergs Berufung mit dessen Leistungen bei der Reform der Bundeswehr und mit seinem langjährigen Einsatz für die transatlantischen Beziehungen. » | AFP/dapd/dpa/mcz | Donnerstag 29. September 2011

Ukraine: Timochenko se dit victime d'un «lynchage» politique

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: L'ancienne premier ministre ukrainienne Ioulia Timochenko, contre laquelle le parquet a requis sept ans de prison, a dénoncé jeudi son procès pour abus de pouvoir comme un cas "classique" de "lynchage" politique.

"Ce procès est un cas classique de lynchage politique. Cette affaire a été falsifiée. Il n’y a aucune preuve que je sois coupable", a lancé Mme Timochenko, contre laquelle le parquet a requis sept ans de prison.

"Nous sommes contraints de nous défendre contre des répressions politiques", a ajouté la prévenue, dont les propos étaient souvent interrompus par des applaudissements de députés ukrainiens du parti de l’opposante venus la soutenir.

Incarcérée depuis le 5 août, Mme Timochenko est jugée pour avoir signé en 2009, sans l’autorisation du gouvernement qu’elle dirigeait, des accords gaziers avec la Russie défavorables à son pays, selon l’accusation. » | AFP | Jeudi 29 Septembre 2011

Le Parlement européen favorable à la reconnaissance de la Palestine

LE MONDE: Le Parlement européen a demandé aux gouvernements de l'UE, jeudi 29 septembre, de répondre favorablement à la demande palestinienne de reconnaissance d'un Etat, présentée la semaine dernière à l'Onu par le président de l'Autorité palestinienne, Mahmoud Abbas. Les eurodéputés ont qualifié cette demande de "légitime".

Le demande déposée vendredi par le président Mahmoud Abbas est a priori vouée à l'échec en raison du veto américain. L'Union européenne, divisée sur la question, n'a pas officiellement pris position face à la demande de M. Abbas. » | LEMONDE.FR avec AFP, Reuters | Jeudi 29 Septembre 2011

Dispatches: The Wonderful World of Tony Blair
Since resigning in June 2007 Tony Blair has financially enriched himself more than any ex-Prime Minister ever. Reporter Peter Oborne reveals some of the sources of his new-found wealth, much of which comes from the Middle East.

On the day Tony Blair resigned as Prime Minister, he was appointed the official representative Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East. By January 2009 he had set up Tony Blair Associates - his international consultancy - which handles multi-million pound contracts in the Middle East.

It is so secretive we don't know all the locations they do business in. Dispatches shows that at the same time as Blair is visiting Middle East leaders in his Quartet role he is receiving vast sums from some of them. If Blair represented the UK government, the EU, the IMF, the UN or the World Bank, this would not be permitted.

Watch the programme here
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Tirade gegen Währungsunion: Britischer Minister nennt Euro "Wahnsinn"

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der britische Außenminister William Hague wettert gegen die EU. Die Einführung des Euro bezeichnet er in einem Interview als "kollektiven Wahnsinn". Europa stehe vor einem Scherbenhaufen, London müsse sich Macht aus Brüssel zurückholen.

London - Großbritanniens Außenminister William Hague hat die Euro-Zone als "brennendes Haus ohne Ausgang" bezeichnet. "Es war Wahnsinn, dieses System zu schaffen, jahrhundertelang wird darüber als eine Art historisches Monument kollektiven Wahnsinns geschrieben werden", sagte der konservative Politiker in einem Interview mit dem konservativen Polit-Magazin "The Spectator".

Hague gilt seit jeher als Euro-Kritiker. Den Vergleich mit dem "brennenden Haus" hatte er bereits Ende der neunziger Jahre gezogen, als Großbritannien sich gegen den Beitritt zur Euro-Zone entschieden hatte.

Deutschland werde schwächere Mitgliedstaaten der Euro-Zone wie etwa Griechenland für "den Rest ihres Lebens" stützen müssen, sagte Hague. » | ffr/dpa | Donnerstag 29. September 2011

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Bundestag: Mehrheit für größeren Euro-Rettungsschirm
Der Bundestag hat am Donnerstag über die Ausweitung des Euro-Rettungsschirms abgestimmt. Für die Aufstockung des so genannten EFSF stimmte eine große Mehrheit der Abgeordneten.
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BMW Dynasty Breaks Silence on Its Nazi Past

THE INDEPENDENT: The family that owns Germany's luxury car manufacturer BMW has ended decades of silence about its role during the Nazi era and admitted to taking over scores of Jewish businesses and using tens of thousands of slave labourers at its factories during Adolf Hitler's Third Reich.

The disturbing revelations about the Quandt dynasty, which became a major BMW shareholder in 1960, are contained in an independent 1,200-page study commissioned by the family in 2007 after its ruthless Nazi-era business practices were exposed in a German television documentary. BMW was not implicated in the report.

"The Quandts were linked inseparably with the crimes of the Nazis," Joachim Scholtyseck, the Bonn historian who compiled and researched the study, concludes at the end of his report published this week. "The family patriarch was part of the regime."

Mr Scholtyseck established that Günther Quandt and his son Herbert, who both headed the dynasty during the Third Reich, willingly collaborated with the Nazi regime by employing an estimated 50,000 forced labourers in its arms factories. An average of 80 slave labourers per month died at Quandt factories and many were executed. » | Tony Paterson in Berlin | Thursday, September 29, 2011

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Britons Warned of Terror Threat in Saudi Arabia
THE GUARDIAN: US government issues warning that terrorists may be planning to abduct westerners in Riyadh

The Foreign Office reminded Britons in Saudi Arabia to remain vigilant after the US government warned that terrorists may be planning to abduct westerners in Riyadh. » | Press association | Thursday, September 29, 2011