Tony Blair the Return? Former PM 'Seeks EU Saviour Role'

THE INDEPENDENT: Tony Blair reportedly proposed a 'pro-European role' for himself in a meeting with Angela Merkel

Tony Blair is apparently angling for a come back to European politics as saviour to the European Union in the face of growing public scepticism.

Not content with his widely condemned performance and perceived failures as Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East, Blair now wants to get his hands back on the EU and Britain.

In a meeting with Angela Merkel, hours after the European elections, Blair pushed the case for him taking up a “pro-European role”, The Financial Times reports. » | Toma Jivanda | Saturday, May 31, 2014

Suffering Youth: Greeks Don't See Light at End of Austerity Tunnel

The IMF is about to send another cash injection to the Greek government. The public, however is failing to share the optimism of the authorities about what the new bailout will do to the economy. RT's Marina Kosareva is out in Athens to find out more.

Cameron soll Merkel mit EU-Austritt gedroht haben

Haben Unstimmigkeiten zu verzeichnen: Angela Merkel und David Cameron.

TAGES ANZEIGER: Die Besetzung des Spitzenpostens der Europäischen Union macht den Regierungschefs zu schaffen. Grossbritannien will sich nicht mit Jean-Claude Juncker abfinden – offenbar aus innenpolitischen Gründen.

Der britische Premier David Cameron hat laut dem deutschen Nachrichtenmagazin «Der Spiegel» beim EU-Gipfel am vergangenen Dienstag unter anderem Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel mit der Warnung unter Druck gesetzt, er könne bei einem Mehrheitsvotum der Staats- und Regierungschefs für Jean-Claude Junker als neuem EU-Kommissionschef den Verbleib Grossbritanniens in der EU nicht länger garantieren.

Nach Angaben aus Teilnehmerkreisen machte Cameron am Rande des Treffens deutlich, ein solches Votum könne seine Regierung derart destabilisieren,dass ein Austrittsreferendum vorgezogen werden müsste. Dieses werde mit grosser Wahrscheinlichkeit zu einem Nein der Briten zur EU-Mitgliedschaft führen werde. » | Samstag, 31. Mai 2014

'We Must Close Our Borders to Migrants Who Burden Britain': Senior Tory Adds Fuel to Incendiary Debate over Immigration from EU That Is Dividing the Cabinet

Former Defence Secretary: Leading Right-wing
flag-bearer Liam Fox has called on David Cameron
to seize the 'historic opportunity' to control our borders

MAIL ONLINE: The Cabinet has been at loggerheads this week over immigration from the EU, with Home Secretary Theresa May leading calls for an end to the influx of workers from poorer European countries – and Foreign Secretary William Hague arguing that it couldn’t be done.

Here, leading Right-wing flag-bearer Liam Fox calls on David Cameron to seize the ‘historic opportunity’ to control our borders.

In last week’s European elections, voters across Europe sent a signal to the bloated, hideously expensive and out-of-touch Brussels bureaucracy.

From Denmark to Greece and from Finland to France, the people of Europe made it clear that they increasingly reject the idea of open borders and mass migration.

Some see it as an economic threat, others as a challenge to their perception of national identity.

Whatever their reasons, political leaders in Europe must take note. I have lost count of the number of people who told me: ‘I wouldn’t dream of voting Ukip in a General Election but I wanted to send a message.’ Usually, this was about immigration. Read on and comment » | Dr Liam Fox | Saturday, May 31, 2014

Sudanese Woman Meriam Ibrahim Sentenced to Death for Apostasy 'To Be Freed'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese woman sentenced to death for apostasy, is to be freed in a few days, a senior Sudanese official has said. But her lawyers say they will not believe it until they see her walk out of prison

Sudan appeared to be bowing to international pressure on Saturday night to free a woman sentenced to death for apostasy. A foreign ministry spokesman said that Meriam Ibrahim would be released and not face further charges.

But lawyers for 27-year-old Ms Ibrahim expressed scepticism that she would be freed so quickly.

“It’s a statement to silence the international media,” said Elshareef Ali Mohammed. “This is what the government does. We will not believe that she is being freed until she walks out of the prison."

He said he had even heard reports that the spokesman was in the UK on medical leave when he told the BBC she would soon be freed.

“If they were to release her, the announcement would come from the appeal court, and not from the ministry of foreign affairs. But at least it shows our campaign to free Meriam is rattling them. We must keep up the pressure.” » | Harriet Alexander | Saturday, May 31, 2014

Related »

World Leaders Back Campaign to Drop Sudanese Woman's Death Sentence

Daniel Wani married his wife Meriam in 2011 but the court
ruled the union invalid and found Ibrahim guilty of adultery.

THE GUARDIAN: British PM David Cameron and US activist Jesse Jackson speak out against death row detention of Meriam Ibrahim

World leaders have added their voices to the campaign to lift the death sentence given to Meriam Ibrahim, a Sudanese woman sentenced to hang for apostasy. They join her husband, Daniel Wani, in calling for the sentence to be dropped.

The British prime minister, David Cameron, and the US civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson were among those to speak out after Wani appealed for international support to free his wife from death row, where she is being held with her two young children after giving birth in shackles this week.

Cameron said he was "absolutely appalled" when he heard of the decision. "The way she is being treated is barbaric and has no place in today's world. Religious freedom is an absolute, fundamental human right."

His words were echoed by the Labour and Lib Dem leaders, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg, and the former prime minister Tony Blair described the sentence as a "brutal and sickening distortion of faith". » | Harriet Sgerwood | Saturday, May 31, 2014

British Woman 'Sentenced to 20 Years in Iran for Facebook Posts'

Roya Saberi Hegad Nobakht

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iranian court sentences British woman and seven others to up to 20 years in jail for 'anti-regime propaganda' posted on Facebook

An Iranian court has sentenced a British woman and seven others to up to 20 years in jail for crimes including posting comments on Facebook, an opposition website said yesterday.

Roya Saberi Negad Nobakht was arrested during a visit to Shiraz last autumn for comments she had made on her Facebook page, and was last week sentenced to 20 years in jail, the Kaleme website said.

Kaleme, which did not cite a source for its report, said the sentences were delivered last week.

Ms Nobakht, who was said to be "devastated", has dual British-Iranian nationality and had been living with her husband in Stockport, according to media reports.

"She is not doing well," a source said according to The Times. "She is just a housewife and is not an activist. » | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Friday, May 30, 2014

Reporting Saudi Arabia's Hidden Uprising

BBC: In Saudi Arabia's oil-rich Eastern Province, protesters inspired by the Arab Spring have been venting their anger against the government for the last three years. Saudi journalist Safa Alahmad got unprecedented access to the area.

Even inside Saudi Arabia, the protests in the coastal region of Qatif hardly ever make the news. It's nearly impossible for journalists to operate here.

But I travelled in under the radar. I know the area well, as I was born and raised nearby.

I visited the Eastern Province several times in the past two years without the knowledge of the Saudi authorities.

I wanted to find out why activists from the country's Shia minority were risking their lives to demonstrate against the monarchy.

How had frequent protests rumbled on without being silenced? » | Friday, May 30, 2014

Saudi Arabia ‘failing to address human rights concerns’ »

Provocative Islamic Sign That Says 'Do Not Walk Your Dog Here! Muslims Don't Like Dogs' Investigated By Police

THE INDEPENDENT: Park sign may have been put there by Islamists or EDL, says local MP

A sign declaring a London park an “Islamic area” and ordering dog walkers to stay away because “Muslims do not like dogs” is being investigated by police.

The warning, branded “alarming and divisive” by the local council, appeared in Bartlett Park in east London’s Poplar.

It read: "Do not walk your dog here! Muslims do not like dogs. This is an Islamic area now."

Local Labour MP Jim Fitzpatrick alerted police to the sign after a dog walker complained.

"The question is whether it was put up by the EDL to be provocative or by religious zealots to be racist," he told the Evening Standard. » | Tom Payne | Friday, May 30, 2014

Monaco's Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene Expecting Baby

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene married in 2011

BBC: Monaco's Prince Albert II and his South African wife Princess Charlene have announced they are expecting their first child.

In a short statement, the couple - who married in July 2011 - expressed their "immense joy" at the news.

The statement said the birth was expected before the end of the year, but gave no further details.

The new baby will replace Princess Caroline - Prince Albert's older sister - as heir to the throne. » | Friday, May 30, 2014

House of Grimaldi »

LA PARISIEN/LA PARISIENNE: Monaco : le prince Albert II et Charlène attendent un enfant » | vendredi 30 mai 2014

Merkel Backs Jean-Claude Juncker for European Commission President

THE GUARDIAN: Move deals blow to David Cameron's attempts to block Luxembourg's former prime minister from taking up the role

Angela Merkel has thrown her weight behind Jean-Claude Juncker for the next European commission leader, dealing a blow to David Cameron's attempts to block Luxembourg's former prime minister from taking up the role.

The German chancellor said at the National Catholic Congress in Regensburg: "I will now lead all negotiations in the spirit that Jean-Claude Juncker should become president of the European commission."

Both Merkel and Juncker's parties are members of the European People's party (EPP) bloc, the centre-right group that gained the most seats in Sunday's European parliament elections.

David Cameron, whose Conservative party left the EPP in 2009, as well as Hungary and Sweden's prime ministers have opposed Juncker, lobbying for a more reformist candidate. » | Philip Oltermann in Berlin | Friday, May 30, 2014


Merkel spricht sich klar für Juncker aus »

Bedbug Epidemic Spreads Across Spain

Reports of bedbug infestations in Spain have risen by 70 per cent
over the past five years

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Huge rise in the number of infestations of parasitic insects reported across Spain

Housing authorities in Madrid are complaining of “a plague of bedbugs” and called for extra measures to tackle the troublesome parasites.

According to pest control experts, the reports of bedbug infestations across Spain have risen by 70 per cent within five years and is now bordering on an “epidemic”.

A residents’ association in the Lavapies district of central Madrid is demanding city authorities provide temporary housing for those affected while their homes are fumigated.

Residents are blaming the proliferation of the insects, which bury themselves deep inside mattresses, on the rise in the number of buildings being squatted in the neighbourhood.

“We never had bedbugs until the squatters moved in,” one neighbour told Spain’s daily El Mundo newspaper. » | Fiona Govan, Madrid | Friday, May 30, 2014

'Eurasian Economic Union a Huge Wake-up Call for US and Its Power'

Russia has secured another huge economic deal, by bringing together some of its neighbours, to create the largest common market on Post-Soviet territory. It's hoped the new union - with Belarus and Kazakhstan - will compete with the economic powerhouses of the EU and the US. Patrick Young, an expert in global financial markets, joins RT to discuss this deal.

Royal Nightmare: Saudi Princesses Locked Up by Father Suffer from Hunger & Isolation

Living in a royal palace may sound like a dream for many - but for the four Saudi princesses it turned into a nightmare. They have been living in isolation for 13 years after falling out of favour with their father, King Abdullah. RT has again spoken to the women.

Les funérailles du général Jaruzelski ont eu lieu à Varsovie

L'ex-président Lech Walesa et le président actuel
Komorowski étaient présents à la messe.

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le dernier dirigeant communiste polonais, toujours controversé dans son pays, est inhumé vendredi au cimetière militaire de Varsovie, après une messe à sa mémoire en présence de Lech Walesa.

Le général Wojciech Jaruzelski, dernier dirigeant communiste polonais dont l'action continue à diviser ses compatriotes, est inhumé vendredi au cimetière militaire de Varsovie, après une messe à sa mémoire en présence du président Bronislaw Komorowski et de l'ex-président Lech Walesa.

Célébré à la cathédrale de l'armée, l'office dédié au général, mort dimanche à l'âge de 90 ans, a débuté à 09h00 GMT.Né dans une famille catholique de petite noblesse polonaise, Wojciech Jaruzelski avait adhéré jeune au communisme et il s'est toujours déclaré comme non croyant.

Cependant, treize jours avant sa mort à l'hôpital, il a demandé à un prêtre, «en toute liberté et de façon lucide», de pouvoir se confesser et de recevoir l'extrême onction, a indiqué le curé de la cathédrale, le père Robert Mokrzycki, pour expliquer la tenue de cette messe. » | afp/Newsnet | vendredi 30 mai 2014

Des milliers de jeunes dans les rues contre le FN

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Des milliers de jeunes ont défilé jeudi dans plusieurs villes de France contre le Front national arrivé en tête des élections européennes dimanche dernier.

«France réveille-toi», «Péril FN en la demeure», «Non au F-Haine»: plusieurs milliers de jeunes ont manifesté jeudi en France. Ils se sont mobilisés contre le Front national, après la victoire historique du parti d'extrême droite de Marine Le Pen aux élections européennes. » | afp/Newsnet | jeudi 29 mai 2014

Dans les secrets du protocole de la visite d'Elizabeth II en France

Cette visite pourrait être le dernier déplacement d'Elizabeth II en France.

LE FIGARO: La souveraine britannique assistera la semaine prochaine aux commérations du 70e anniversaire du Débarquement. Depuis six mois, Buckingham et l'Elysée se plient en quatre pour que tout soit parfait : des fleurs au menu en passant par le cadeau officiel.

Avec Barack Obama, elle sera l'invité le plus prestigieux des commémorations du 70e anniversaire du Débarquement sur les plages de Normandie. Elizabeth II arrive en France jeudi prochain pour une visite d'Etat de deux jours. Un déplacement exceptionnel. À 88 ans, la reine d'Angleterre ne voyage plus beaucoup à l'étranger. Mais, ayant grandi pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale et étant très attachée à la cause des anciens combattants, elle a tenu à traverser la Manche. Cela sera sans doute son dernier déplacement dans l'Hexagone. Raison de plus pour que tout soit parfait. C'est ce à quoi s'emploient depuis six mois les équipes de l'Elysée et Buckingham, révèle Europe 1 qui a percé de nombreux secrets du protocole. » | Par Constance Jamet | vendredi 30 mai 2014

Les buralistes «choqués» par les mesures antitabac de Marisol Touraine

Pascal Montredon est le président de la Confédération des buralistes.

LE FIGARO: «Un gouvernement aux abonnés absents» qui «fait vraiment n'importe quoi». La réaction des buralistes ne s'est pas fait attendre après l'annonce des mesures antitabac de la ministre de la Santé, Marisol Touraine qui seront présentées le 17 juin prochain.

Après la loi Évin de 1991 interdisant la publicité pour les cigarettes et le décret sur l'interdiction de fumer dans les lieux publics en 2007, voici un nouveau coup dur pour les buralistes, qui reste toutefois à confirmer. Le ministère de la Santé a en effet déclaré qu'il réfléchissait également à d'autres pistes. Le coup dur est signé Marisol Touraine, la ministre de la Santé, qui présentera le 17 juin prochain ses nouvelles mesures antitabac. Le projet de loi relatif à la politique de santé prévoit trois mesures chocs: la mise en place de paquets neutres, la possibilité de faire des actions de groupe à la manière des class actions américaines et l'interdiction de la cigarette électronique dans les lieux publics. » | Par Charlotte Peyronnet | vendredi 30 mai 2014


Tabac, famille, malbouffe : arrêtez de nous dire comment vivre ! »

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