France Moves to Ban e-Cigarettes from Public Places

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Health ministry due to unveil tough anti-smoking rules that could ban e-cigarettes and impose 'neutral' packets without logos

France could ban e-cigarettes in public places and force tobacco companies to remove logos and colours from packaging under tough new legislation due to be unveiled in June.

The measures are reportedly among several being considered by Marisol Touraine, the French health minister, and which will be outlined on June 17.

They could see all company branding and colour banned from cigarette packs dubbed “neutral”, in legislation similar to a landmark 2012 Australian rule.

A maximum of 65 percent of the package could be covered with written or visual anti-smoking messages, which would be a 25 percent increase over the current 40 percent limit, French daily Le Figaro reported.

It is hoped that by removing recognisable symbols, such as the bright red of Malboro packages, younger people will find the whole idea of smoking less appealing. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Friday, May 30, 2014

Robert De Niro On Gay Father: ‘I Wish We Had Spoken About It Much More’

Robert De Niro has opened up
about his gay father

PINK NEWS: Robert De Niro has opened up about his gay father, saying he wishes they had spoken about his sexuality more.

The actor was speaking to Out Magazine, ahead of the launch of a documentary about his father – the artist Robert De Niro Sr – who died in 1993.

On his father’s sexuality, De Niro said: “I was not aware, much, of it. I wish we had spoken about it much more.

“My mother didn’t want to talk about things in general, and you’re not interested when you’re a certain age.

“Again, for my kids, I want them to stop and take a moment and realize that you sometimes have to do things now instead of later, because later may be 20 years from now — and that’s too late. » | Nick Duffy | Tuesday, May 27, 2014

EuroMillions Lottery Winner to Give Away €50 Million to Charity

The philanthropic Frenchman has been hailed a hero on social
media after giving away more than two-thirds of his Euro
Millions winnings to worthy causes

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: French winner donates lion's share of €72m jackpot to worthy causes in 'incredible act of generosity'

Amid all the gloom over a stagnating economy, serial scandals and a surge in support for the far-right, France finally had a good news story to celebrate on Friday.

A man who scooped more than €72 million (£58 million) on the EuroMillions lottery has decided to give €50 million of his jackpot to charity.

In what the Le Parisien tabloid hailed as "an incredible act of generosity," the unidentified winner from the Haute-Garonne area of southwestern France has said he will share his giveaway between around 10 NGOs working on behalf of the disadvantaged. » | AFP | Friday, May 30, 2014

Sir John Major: Ukip Is 'Very Intolerant' And Will Not Last

Sir John Major, the former Prime Minister, says Ukip is 'very intolerant'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Sir John Major warns that leaving the European Union would cost Britain billions and leave the country in a 'very isolated and very difficult' position

Ukip is a "very intolerant" party and its appeal is not likely to last for a "long time" despite its success in the European elections, Sir John Major has said.

The former Conservative Prime Minister said Nigel Farage has been "very smart" and proved "good at exploiting grievances".

But he warned that the arguments for quitting Europe are "absolute nonsense" and said it would cost billions and leave this country in a "very isolated and very difficult" position.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: “Ukip are extremely good at exploiting grievances and people are very upset about Europe. Politically, Ukip have been very smart in exploiting those disagreements, but Ukip are not, frankly, a very tolerant party. » | Steven Swinford, Senior Political Correspondent | Friday, May 30, 2014

Edward Snowden Exclusive Interview with NBC Brian Williams

Are the Fascists Coming Back to France?

Is Marine Le Pen's smiling face a mask?

BBC: The Front National's victory in the EU elections - its greatest triumph ever - is attributed to the policy of "detoxification" conducted by Marine Le Pen since she took over in 2011.

But its enemies remain unconvinced that the FN has become in any sense a normal or acceptable political force.

Mainstream politicians regard the FN as a classic party of the nationalist extreme, exploiting economic distress to whip up hatred of the outsider, the immigrant.

For the German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, reacting to Sunday's vote, there is no question but that the FN is "fascist and extremist".

And in the UK, Nigel Farage of UKIP says he will never go into alliance with Marine Le Pen because of her party's "nasty, anti-Semitic past". » | Hugh Schofield, BBC News, Paris | Thursday, May 29, 2014

Clegg Under Pressure To Sack 'Disloyal’ Cable

Business Secretary Vince Cable (right) with Leader of Liberal
Democrats Nick Clegg

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Senior Liberal Democrats say Vince Cable should be stripped of his economic affairs title over plot to undermine Nick Clegg

Vince Cable should be stripped of his role as the Liberal Democrats’ voice on economic affairs over his links to a plot to undermine Nick Clegg, colleagues have said.

Senior Lib Dems are pushing Mr Clegg to sideline Mr Cable in the party’s general election campaign next year, giving control of economic policy to loyal younger ministers.

That could mean Mr Cable is denied a role in any pre-election television debates or a major position in any new coalition government the Lib Dems might join next year.

Mr Cable, the Business Secretary, is facing questions about his loyalty this week after it emerged that Lord Oakeshott, a friend and political ally, had secretly commissioned opinion polls that suggested the Lib Dems would win more votes if they ditched Mr Clegg.

Lord Oakeshott has said he told Mr Cable about some of his polling several weeks ago. Some Lib Dems say Mr Cable failed to stop “treacherous” moves to remove Mr Clegg and take his job. » | James Kirkup, and Georgia Graham | Thursday, May 29, 2014

Talk to Al Jazeera: Why Arab Women Still ‘Have No Voice’ (April 2012)

Amal al-Malki, a Qatari author, says the Arab Spring has failed women in their struggle for equality.

Talk to Al Jazeera: Marine Le Pen: The Threat of Radical Islam (December 2012)

The leader of the far-right National Front party explains why she sees Muslim immigration as a grave threat to France.

Reaktion auf Le-Pen-Wahlsieg: Frankreichs Regierung stoppt Einwanderer-Wahlrecht

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der Europawahl-Sieg des rechtsextremen Front National setzt Frankreichs Regierung unter Druck: Das Wahlrecht für Nicht-EU-Ausländer in Kommunen werde doch nicht eingeführt, erklärte der sozialistische Innenminister.

Paris - Nach dem Sieg des rechtsextremen Front National (FN) von Marine Le Pen bei der Europawahl rückt Frankreichs Regierung vom geplanten Wahlrecht für Nicht-EU-Bürger auf Kommunalebene ab. Das Vorhaben habe nun keine Aussicht auf Erfolg mehr, sagte Innenminister Bernard Cazeneuve dem Fernsehsender LPC.

Präsident François Hollande hatte eine entsprechende Gesetzesänderung in seinem Präsidentschaftswahlkampf vor zwei Jahren in Aussicht gestellt. Davon profitiert hätten vor allem die in Frankreich lebenden Marokkaner und Algerier. » | ade/Reuters/AP | Donnerstag, 29. Mai 2014

Inside Story: Anti-Europe Protest Vote?

The far right and hard left make significant gains in European Parliament elections.

Drama: Clara Immerwahr

Breslau, 1880er Jahre. Clara Immerwahr ist intelligent und wissbegierig und wird darin von ihrer weltoffenen jüdischen Familie unterstützt. Angeregt von ihrem Vater Philipp hat sie großes Interesse an chemischen Forschungen. Clara will unbedingt das Abitur machen, was im deutschen Reich für Mädchen nur auf mühseligen Umwegen möglich ist.
Das Drama hier anschauen
Related »

Germans Rediscover First World War Heroine in New TV Drama

Clara Immerwahr was the first German woman to be awarded
a doctorate in chemistry

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: New film has reawakened interest in Germany in a largely forgotten feminist heroine from the war

A new TV drama is leading Germans to rediscover a long-forgotten heroine of the women’s rights movement – and tragic victim of World War One.

Clara Immerwahr was the first German woman to be awarded a doctorate in chemistry, and with her husband, Fritz Haber, a pioneer of chemical fertilisers. Together, they devised the process by which ammonia is produced to this day.

But with the coming of the First World War, Haber turned his talents to darker uses, and became the father of chemical weapons, supervising the use of chlorine gas in Flanders, the first deployment of a weapon of mass destruction in history.

Horrified at what her husband had done, Immerwahr committed suicide, shooting herself in the chest with his military pistol. Her death was hushed up, and for decades she has been forgotten. » | Justin Huggle, Berlin | Thursday, May 29, 2014

Gedenkfeier zum D-Day: Merkel würde neben Putin sitzen

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Russlands Präsident Putin ist bei westlichen Staatschefs momentan äußerst unbeliebt. Bei einer Gedenkfeier zum D-Day wollen einige, so das Gerücht, auf keinen Fall neben ihm sitzen. Die deutsche Kanzlerin gibt sich locker.

Berlin - Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel hätte kein Problem damit, bei einer Gedenkfeier zum D-Day in der Normandie neben dem russischen Präsidenten Wladimir Putin zu sitzen. » | kgp/dpa/AFP | Mittwoch, 28. Mai 2014

Peter Robinson Faces Backlash After Saying He 'Wouldn't Trust' Muslims

BELFAST TELEGRAPH: Petition calls for First Minister to resign after he gave his backing to controversial pastor James McConnell

Peter Robinson has faced an angry backlash from the public and fellow politicians after saying he "wouldn't trust" some Muslims.

Northern Ireland's First Minister made the remark during an interview in which he defended under-fire pastor James McConnell, who gave a sermon in north Belfast denouncing Islam as "heathen" and "satanic".

Mr Robinson said a Christian minister had a right to "denounce false doctrines".

The DUP leader added that he would not trust Muslims either for spiritual guidance, or those engaged in terrorist acts, but would trust Muslims to "go down the shops for me" or to deal with a number of other "day to day issues". » | Claire Cromie | Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Rove: Obama's Foreign Policy Will 'Embolden Our Adversaries'

May. 28, 2014 - 4:41 - Fox News contributor responds to president's West Point address

Barack Obama: US Can't Solve All World Problems With Military Intervention »

Kerry Challenges NSA Leaker to 'Man Up'

May. 28, 2014 - 3:35 - Edward Snowden claims State Dept. trapped him in Russia

Angela Merkel Counters Critics of Germany Indifference to WW1 Commemorations

Chancellor inaugurates Berlin exhibit amid criticism that Germany has invested little in commemorating the centenary of the conflict

Read the Telegraph article here | Tony Paterson, Berlin | Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Barack Obama: US Can't Solve All World Problems With Military Intervention

Obama arrives for the commencement ceremony at the United
States Military Academy at West Point, New York

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US president uses major foreign policy speech to argue for restraint before embarking on military adventures and call for more coordinated approach against terrorism

Barack Obama has sought to re-define the notion of a muscular US foreign policy, warning against “military adventures” and saying that America must lead the world through diplomacy and aid, not war.

Facing down accusations of weakness over his handling of crises in Syria, Ukraine and Iran, the US president said that working multilaterally in concert with allies was a sign of strength, not weakness.

“This is American leadership. This is American strength. In each case, we built coalitions to respond to a specific challenge,” Mr Obama said, addressing cadets at West Point military academy.

Reminding his young audience that they were the first class since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 who would not experience combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, Mr Obama argued that no-one should mistake US withdrawal for American decline.

“America has rarely been stronger relative to the rest of the world. Those who argue otherwise - who suggest that America is in decline, or has seen its global leadership slip away - are either misreading history or engaged in partisan politics,” he said. » | Peter Foster, Washington | Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Vince Cable Accused of Leadership Bid after 'Shambolic Coup'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Vince Cable, the business secretary, accused of having leadership ambitions after admitting he knew that his ally Lord Oakeshott was conducting secret general election polls

Vince Cable has been accused of trying to "take the reins" of the Liberal Democrat party after he was implicated in a "shambolic coup" to oust Nick Clegg.

The business secretary admitted he knew that his friend and party peer Lord Oakeshott had privately commissioned polls which were later used to try and undermine Mr Clegg’s position.

But in a statement addressing allegations of a plot Mr Cable failed to offer Mr Clegg his backing or endorsement.

One of the Lib Dem's leading figures accused Cable of trying to "take the reins" of the party and said that Mr Cable has "leadership ambitions".

However, in what critics described as a sign of weakness following his party’s wipeout in the local and European elections, Mr Clegg failed to sack or even condemn Mr Cable.

His decision led to further turmoil in the Liberal Democrats after a week in which MPs have called on Mr Clegg to stand aside and let Mr Cable take over. » | Steven Swinford, Senior Political Correspondent | Wednesday, May 28, 2014