Herman Cain Consults Wife, Then Bows Out of Republican Race over 'False Allegations' of Sexual Misconduct
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Herman Cain, the former pizza executive has abandoned his White House ambitions after a string of "false accusations" of sexual misconduct.

Mr Cain, who briefly upended the Republican race to face President Barack Obama next November, arrived at the opening of a new campaign headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, holding hands with Gloria, his wife of 43 years.

Mr Cain, 67, was by turns defiant and emotional as he announced his decision.

"I am proof that a common man could lead this nation," he said, his lip trembling "I consider myself to be one of you, not one of the political elites.

"But as false accusations about me continue they have sidetracked and distracted my ability to present solutions to the American people."

His decision was a blow to Mitt Romney, the party establishment favourite for the nomination who is facing a powerful surge from Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives. » | Toby Harnden in Washington | Saturday, December 03, 2011

‘West’s Policy on Syria Could Ignite WWIII’

Senate Approves Indefinite Detention and Torture of Americans

RUSSIA TODAY: The terrifying legislation that allows for Americans to be arrested, detained indefinitely, tortured and interrogated — without charge or trial — passed through the Senate on Thursday with an overwhelming support from 93 percent of lawmakers.

Only seven members of the US Senate voted against the National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday, despite urging from the ACLU and concerned citizens across the country that the affects of the legislation would be detrimental to the civil rights and liberties of everyone in America. Under the bill, Americans can be held by the US military for terrorism-related charges and detained without trial indefinitely.

Additionally, another amendment within the text of the legislation reapproved waterboarding and other “advanced interrogation techniques” that are currently outlawed.

"The bill is an historic threat to American citizens,” Christopher Anders of the ACLU tells the Associated Press.

For the biggest supporters of the bill, however, history necessitates that Americans must sacrifice their security for freedom. » | Friday, December 02, 2011

Egypt: Between Sharia Law and Anarchy

L'Iran cherche à calmer le jeu avec les Occidentaux
REUTERS – FRANCE: TEHERAN - Invoquant un problème purement bilatéral, l'Iran a invité samedi les puissances occidentales à se garder de provoquer une crise diplomatique majeure à la suite de la mise à sac de l'ambassade de Grande-Bretagne à Téhéran par des manifestants.

Dans le même temps, les diplomates iraniens expulsés de Grande-Bretagne ont été accueillis en héros à Téhéran par des manifestants qui criaient "mort à l'Angleterre !".

Londres a ordonné la fermeture de la mission iranienne en Grande-Bretagne et le départ de tous les diplomates à la suite de l'attaque, mardi, de l'ambassade du Royaume-Uni par une foule.

Cette dernière dénonçait les nouvelles sanctions imposées par les Britanniques à la République islamique, soupçonnée de vouloir se doter de l'arme nucléaire.

Londres a de son côté fermé son ambassade dans la capitale iranienne et rapatrié tout son personnel diplomatique après les incidents de mardi.

La France, l'Allemagne, l'Italie et les Pays-Bas ont également rappelé leurs ambassadeurs en poste à Téhéran en guise de solidarité avec Londres.

"Le gouvernement britannique cherche à élargir à d'autres pays européens le problème existant entre Téhéran et Londres", a déploré le porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères, Ramin Mehmanparast, cité par l'agence de presse officieuse Fars.

"Mais naturellement, nous avons dit aux pays européens de ne pas lier leurs relations avec la République islamique à ce genre de problèmes qui existent entre l'Iran et la Grande-Bretagne".

Les diplomates iraniens expulsés ont été accueillis avec des fleurs à l'aéroport Mehrabad de Téhéran par une centaine d'hommes et de femmes dont la plupart semblaient être des miliciens "bassidji" proches du régime. » | Par Parisa Hafezi et Ramin Mostafavi | samedi 3 décembre 2011

"Je ne connais pas d'islamisme modéré", dit Jeannette Bougrab

REUTERS – FRANCE: PARIS - "Je ne connais pas d'islamisme modéré", déclare samedi dans Le Parisien/Aujourd'hui en France la secrétaire d'Etat française à La Jeunesse, Jeannette Bougrab, qui s'inquiète des résultats des récentes élections en Afrique du Nord.

Les élections organisées en Egypte, en Tunisie et au Maroc après les soulèvements populaires de ces derniers mois ont donné l'avantage à des partis se réclamant de l'islam.

"C'est très inquiétant. Je ne connais pas d'islamisme modéré", déclare Jeannette Bougrab, qui est d'origine arabe.

"Il n'y a pas de charia light (...) » | Par Elizabeth Pineau | samedi 3 décembre 2011

Clinton Wraps Up Myanmar Visit
Dec. 2 - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi speak to media. Julie Noce reports.

Wanted: More Immigrants to Boost British Economy
THE INDEPENDENT: George Osborne's economic strategy rests on continued high levels of immigration to Britain – in contrast to the Conservatives' policy of cutting net migration down to the "tens of thousands".

The Government will find itself in the position of either having to allow continued immigration in the hundreds of thousands or jeopardising the country's economic recovery, according to its own fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Ministers will not reduce average annual immigration down to the "tens of thousands" over the course of this parliament according to the OBR's projections. Instead, net inward migration to Britain will remain at an average of 140,000 a year until 2016, it says, despite repeated promises from Conservative ministers that they will reduce immigration flows to substantially below these levels. » | Ben Chu | Saturday, December 03, 2011

Jacques Delors Interview: Euro Would Still Be Strong If It Had Been Built to My Plan

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Former president of the European Commission Jacques Delors talks to Charles Moore about the fate of the euro.

To use that British understatement that Continentals enjoy, one might suggest that it has not been a good year for the euro. And now, some say, only about a week remains to put things right. So who better to question than the man who invented it? In Paris on Wednesday, I called on Jacques Delors.

Mr Delors, who was President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995, is the only foreign bureaucrat ever to have become a household name in Britain. In 1988, he enraged Margaret Thatcher by coming to address the British TUC on the joys of the European “social dimension”. Her famous Bruges speech later that month was her attempt to stand against the tide of European integration that he represented.

It was Mr Delors whose report produced the plan for what we now call the euro. He was such a demon figure for British eurosceptics that The Sun produced the headline “UP YOURS, DELORS” and invited its readers to turn, face the English Channel and make a rude gesture at him in unison.

I climb several twists of typical steep Parisian stairs to a modest office. The small, bespectacled figure who greets me is old in years — he was born in July 1925, three months before Mrs Thatcher — but with undiminished physical and mental vigour. We talk for two hours, and one feels he would happily continue for another two.

Mr Delors is known for his austerity, but the man I converse with is not stiff or pompous. He remembers his old adversary with a slightly amused respect, noting her immense capacity for work and her vision in looking for change in the Soviet Union before others did.

He reflects on their difference of background and character: “I think for Mme Thatcher I was a curious personage: a Frenchman, a Catholic, an intellectual, a socialist.” Continue reading and comment » | Charles Moore | Friday, December 02, 2011

Related »

'Honour' Crimes against Women in UK Rising Rapidly, Figures Show

THE GUARDIAN: Statistics from police forces detailing numbers of crimes planned and carried out by families or communities reveals 47% rise

The number of women and girls in the UK suffering violence and intimidation at the hands of their families or communities is increasing rapidly, according to figures revealing the nationwide scale of "honour" abuse for the first time.

Statistics obtained under the Freedom of Information Act about such violence – which can include threats, abduction, acid attacks, beatings, forced marriage, mutilation and murder – show that in the 12 police force areas for which comparable data was available, reports went up by 47% in just a year.

The figures, shared with the Guardian by the Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation (Ikwro), also reveal that a small number of forces – including four in Scotland – are still not collecting data on how often such violence occurs.

The 39 police forces that gave Ikwro figures recorded 2,823 incidents in 2010. Ikwro estimates that another 500 crimes in which police were involved were committed in the 13 force areas that did not provide data.

But this is likely to be only the tip of the iceberg, campaigners say, as so many incidents go unreported because of victims' fears of recriminations. » | Rachel Williams | Saturday, December 03, 2011

MAIL ONLINE: Alarming rise in Muslim honour killings as thousands of cases reported to police last year » | Daily Mail Reporter | Saturday, December 03, 2011

Marine Le Pen accuse Sarkozy de «ne pas aimer la France»

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Très offensive, la présidente du Front national a utilisé à plusieurs reprises des termes durs contre son adversaire, avec un double objectif: montrer à quel point Nicolas Sarkozy braderait la souveraineté de la France.

Marine Le Pen s’en est prise violemment à Nicolas Sarkozy vendredi, au lendemain de son discours sur l’Europe, en affirmant que le chef de l’Etat "n’aime pas la France" et en l’accusant de "collaboration avec ses maîtres: les marchés et les banques".

Très offensive, la présidente du Front national a utilisé à plusieurs reprises des termes durs contre son adversaire, avec un double objectif: montrer à quel point Nicolas Sarkozy braderait la souveraineté de la France et redonner un coup de fouet à sa campagne, jusque-là prudente.

"Oui, je pèse mes mots, mais je dois le dire sans détour parce que personne n’osera le dire: le chef de l’Etat aujourd’hui installé à l’Elysée n’aime pas la France, ne la respecte pas", a-t-elle lancé, ovationnée par une centaine de personnes, lors d’un discours sur la défense à Charenton-le-Pont (Val-de-Marne).

Lors de son allocution à Toulon, Nicolas Sarkozy s’est prononcé jeudi pour un nouveau traité européen avec "plus de discipline (budgétaire), plus de solidarité" et un "véritable gouvernement économique". » | AFP | vendredi 02 décembre 2011

Burma: Gemeinsam für Demokratie

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Die amerikanische Außeministerin Hillary Clinton war sichtlich bewegt, als sie Aung San Suu Kyi die Hand schütteln durfte – noch dazu an dem Ort, wo die Friedensnobelpreisträgerin in Hausarrest saß.

So hatte man das Seehaus der „Lady“, diesen fast ikonographischen Ort der Unterdrückung, noch nie gesehen. Im sonst verwaisten Garten saßen Dutzende Journalisten auf herbeigeschafften Möbeln und warteten auf das ungewöhnliche Paar. Als Aung San Suu Kyi und ihr hoher Gast aus Amerika, Außenministerin Clinton, auf die Terrasse traten, stürzten Kameraleute und Fotografen auf Stühle und Tische, um den historischen Moment einzufangen. Nichts erzählt mehr über die neue Lage in Burma als das Bild vom ungestörten Zusammentreffen dieser Frauen. » | Jochen Buchsteiner, Jakarta | Freitag 02. Dezember 2011

Große Nachfrage nach Guttenberg-Buch

Zehn Wahrheiten über Guttenberg

Queen's 'Tears' over Duke of Edinburgh's 'Brutal' Behaviour
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Queen was reduced to tears by the Duke of Edinburgh’s “brutal” behaviour towards her when she refused to take his surname of Mountbatten, according to a new biography.

Sally Bedell Smith even suggests that the ten-year delay between the births of the Princess Royal and the Duke of York was the result of “Philip’s anger over the Queen’s rejection of his family name”.

Her book, Elizabeth the Queen, to be published in January, details the Duke’s deep-rooted irritation over the monarch’s decision to accept the advice of the then prime minister, Winston Churchill, by keeping the family name Windsor.

The Duke had wanted the Royal family to be known as the House of Mountbatten when the Queen came to the throne in 1952, and complained to friends that: “I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his children. I’m nothing but a bloody amoeba.”

Earl Mountbatten, the Duke’s uncle and mentor, believed the “delay” in the couple having any more children after the Princess Royal was a result of the Duke’s anger over the question of the family name. » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Friday, December 02, 2011

Euro Doomed from Start, Says Jacques Delors

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The euro project was flawed from the start and the current generation of European leaders has failed to address its fundamental problems, Jacques Delors, the architect of the single currency, declares today.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Jacques Delors, the former president of the European Commission, claims that errors made when the euro was created had effectively doomed the single currency to the current debt crisis. He also accuses today’s leaders of doing “too little, too late,” to support the single currency.

The 86-year-old Frenchman’s intervention comes the day after France and Germany took another step towards the creation of a full “fiscal union” within the European Union and David Cameron insisted that Britain must remain a major player in Europe. Mr Delors, who led the commission from 1985 to 1995, played a central role in the process that led to the creation of the euro in 1999. In his first British newspaper interview for almost a decade, he says that the debt crisis reflects a threat to Europe’s global role and even basic Western democratic values.

Mr Delors claims that the current crisis stems from “a fault in execution” by the political leaders who oversaw the euro in its early days. Leaders chose to turn a blind eye to the fundamental weaknesses and imbalances of member states’ economies, he says. “The finance ministers did not want to see anything disagreeable which they would be forced to deal with,” he says.

The euro came into existence without strong central powers to stop members running up unsustainable debts, an omission that led to the current crisis. Now that the excessive borrowing of countries such as Greece and Italy has brought the eurozone to the brink of disaster, Mr Delors insists that all European countries must share the blame for the crisis. “Everyone must examine their consciences,” he says. » | James Kirkup, Deputy Political Editor | Friday, December 02, 2011

La France rappelle à son tour son ambassadeur à Téhéran

LE FIGARO: La France a décidé de «rappeler en consultation» son ambassadeur à Téhéran après le saccage, mercredi, de l'ambassade britannique. Plusieurs pays européens ont pris la même mesure par solidarité.

Paris va «rappeler en consultation» son ambassadeur en Iran et a indiqué au chargé d'affaires iranien en France ses «plus fermes condamnations» après le saccage, mardi, de l'ambassade britannique à Téhéran. Il s'agit d'une «violation flagrante et inacceptable de la convention de Vienne sur les relations diplomatiques», a souligné le porte-parole du Quai d'Orsay, Bernard Valero, dans un communiqué.

Mercredi, le chargé d'affaires iranien a été reçu par le directeur de cabinet d'Alain Juppé, qui lui a exprimé la réprobation de la France et «rappelé les autorités iraniennes à leurs obligations», selon le communiqué du ministère des Affaires étrangères. Le représentant français en Iran, Bruno Foucher, va regagner temporairement Paris, une manière de signifier aux dirigeants iraniens un fort mécontentement.

L'attaque menée lundi contre la représentation britannique a déclenché un véritable mouvemement de solidarité dans les capitales européennes. Londres a immédiatement fermé son ambassade et donné quarante-huit heures aux diplomates iraniens pour quitter le Royaume-Uni. Mercredi, l'Allemagne, la Suède et les Pays-Bas ont annoncé le rappel de leur ambassadeur. L'Italie a indiqué qu'elle envisageait la fermeture de son ambassade. » | Par Alain Barluet | mercredi 30 novembre 2011

The Annual 'War on Christmas' Shows How a Faith that Once United America Now Divides It

TELEGRAPH BLOGS – TIM STANLEY: Fox News has declared war on the “War on Christmas”. This happens every year: one crazy liberal tries to outlaw use of the word “Christmas” and Fox announces the coming of the Anti-Christ. The furore can sound cynical and shrill, but it illustrates how culturally divided the USA has become.

This year, Christmas has been stolen by Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee. Chafee is one of those rare old birds, a liberal Republican. And Republican liberals are the worst kind of liberals because they think they’ve got something to prove. In a display of tolerance that no one asked for, Chafee renamed the 17-foot blue spruce tree in his statehouse “the holiday tree”. Fox News was indignant. Anchor Steve Doocy pointed out that the holiday tree was bought on a Christmas tree farm. Not only that, but it looks an awful lot like a Christmas tree and it was erected in celebration of … Christmas. So why rename it? Doocy put a phone number up on screen and urged viewers to call Chafee to complain. “Give him a little surprise,” he said. “It’s just an hour and three minutes until the governor's office opens.” Read on and comment » | Tim Stanley | Friday, December 02, 2011

Saudis Fear There Will Be ‘No More Virgins’ and People Will Turn Gay If Female Drive Ban Is Lifted

MAIL ONLINE: Repealing a ban on women drivers in Saudi Arabia would result in ‘no more virgins’, the country’s religious council has warned.

A ‘scientific’ report claims relaxing the ban would also see more Saudis - both men and women - turn to homosexuality and pornography.

The startling conclusions were drawn by Muslim scholars at the Majlis al-Ifta’ al-A’ala, Saudi Arabia’s highest religious council, working in conjunction with Kamal Subhi, a former professor at the King Fahd University.

Their report assessed the possible impact of repealing the ban in Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world where women are not allowed behind the wheel.

It was delivered to all 150 members of the Shura Council, the country’s legislative body.

The report warns that allowing women to drive would ‘provoke a surge in prostitution, pornography, homosexuality and divorce’. Read on and comment » | Mail Foreign Service | Thursday, December 01, 2011

Poor Saudi Arabia! Poor benighted Saudi Arabia! The Saudis are simply incapable of lifting themselves out of the dark ages, aren’t they? I wonder why? – © Mark

Nicolas Sarkozy: 'To Defend the Euro Is to Defend Europe'
Speaking to an audience of several thousand on Europe and the financial crisis, the French president called for a new treaty to re-found Europe and save the euro. Sarkozy said France would unite with Germany, as both nations lie at the very heart of Europe, and pull together for the good of the entire continent

Church of Scotland Rejects Proposals to Legalise Gay Marriage

THE GUARDIAN: Church responds to Scottish government's reform plan by saying same-sex marriage undermines society

The Church of Scotland has rejected proposals to legalise marriage for gay men and lesbians, claiming the Scottish government's proposals undermine society and the meaning of marriage.

The church, the most influential within Scotland, has added its weight to a growing backlash against same-sex marriage by religious groups. It claimed that allowing gay marriages contradicted the fundamental and historical basis of the institution.

Its intervention is a further blow to Alex Salmond's government, and follows the launch on Wednesday outside the Scottish parliament of a new multi-faith campaign against the reform called Scotland for Marriage led by Scotland's most senior Catholic, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, and a senior Church of Scotland figure, Ann Allen.

The Catholic church, many senior Muslim figures and evangelical churches have now formally opposed the proposal, while a grouping of smaller churches, including liberal Jewish groups, Quakers, the Pagan Federation and Unitarians, have supported the measure.

Nicola Sturgeon, the deputy first minister and Scottish health secretary, said, however, that her government was likely to press on with the reforms. She said ministers still "tended towards their initial view" that the changes were needed.

The Scottish National party attempted to placate its critics by again insisting that no church or minister would be forced by law to conduct a gay marriage against their will or conscience. » | Severin Carrell, Scotland correspondent | Thursday, December 01, 2011