Interview: Why Turkey's President Abdullah Gul Believes His Country's Moment Has Come

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Abdullah Gul believes Turkey can bring dynamism to the Euro-club and mediate with its strife-torn neighbours, reports Harriet Alexander in Ankara

Looking out from his presidential palace, high on a hilltop above the Turkish capital, President Abdullah Gul can see trouble at the farthest gates of his nation.

In the south, Syria's bloody uprising grows more violent by the day, while to the east Iran continues its dangerous nuclear dance, frustrating and frightening world leaders. In the west, Greece is struggling to keep its entire economy from collapsing.

And yet Mr Gul believes that, despite being in the middle of such drama, this is Turkey's moment.

"We are between Asia and Europe – we are like a bridge," he said. "Some of us are in Asia, some in Europe. We are at the very centre of both sides."

That the nation of 79 million is a strong, integral part of Europe – and should be accepted as a member of the EU - is Mr Gul's mantra. The Turkish president will be in London this week on a three-day state visit, staying at Buckingham Palace as a guest of the Queen - and the affable, British-educated president will certainly not lose the opportunity to emphasise Turkey's potential to contribute to the EU club.

"Turkey is a natural part of Europe," he told The Sunday Telegraph in the elegant, cream marble surroundings of his Ankara palace.

"Being a member of the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights; being one of the oldest members of Nato, as well as being part of European culture and art - this is a natural path Turkey is flowing into." » | Harriet Alexander in Ankara | Saturday, November 19, 2011

Stupid Is as Stupid Does! EU Bans Claim That Water Can Prevent Dehydration

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Brussels bureaucrats were ridiculed yesterday after banning drink manufacturers from claiming that water can prevent dehydration.

EU officials concluded that, following a three-year investigation, there was no evidence to prove the previously undisputed fact.

Producers of bottled water are now forbidden by law from making the claim and will face a two-year jail sentence if they defy the edict, which comes into force in the UK next month.

Last night, critics claimed the EU was at odds with both science and common sense. Conservative MEP Roger Helmer said: “This is stupidity writ large.

“The euro is burning, the EU is falling apart and yet here they are: highly-paid, highly-pensioned officials worrying about the obvious qualities of water and trying to deny us the right to say what is patently true.

“If ever there were an episode which demonstrates the folly of the great European project then this is it.” » | Victoria Ward and Nick Collins | Friday, November 18, 2011

Spanish Right Heads for Biggest Election Victory in Decades

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Spain’s conservative party is set to win the biggest election victory since Spain’s transition to democracy as voters angry over the economic crisis go to the polls on Sunday.

Mariano Rajoy, 56, the man expected to become the next prime minister of Spain, called on financial markets to grant a period of grace to turn around the economy, after a week that saw Spain’s borrowing rate edge closer to the critical 7 per cent.

“Those who win should have a minimum margin, more than half an hour” to enact swift reforms, he said Friday on the last day of campaigning, amid market pressure that treatened to make Spain the next victim of the Euro crisis.

Polls have consistently placed the Popular Party (PP) 15 points ahead of the ruling Socialists, but a mid-week survey conducted by Sigma Dos predicted an even greater lead, with the PP securing 48 per cent of the vote against 28 per cent for the PSOE.

Such a result could help calm the markets, handing Mr Rajoy’s party the absolute majority deemed necessary to push through a new round of austerity measures and job-creation incentives intended to cut the public deficit while creating economic growth.

With more than 34 million Spaniards entitled to vote, the PP looked set to secure between 195 and 202 in the 350-seat congress. » | Fiona Govan, Madrid | Saturday, November 19, 2011

Libya Trial Pledge Over Gaddafi Son

THE INDEPENDENT: David Cameron revealed tonight that he has received assurances from Libyan leaders that captured fugitive Seif al-Islam will be tried in line with international standards.

Britain will offer "every assistance" to Libya's government to ensure Muammar Gaddafi's son is brought to justice over his role in the "barbaric" reign of terror, the Prime Minister added.

Al-Islam was seized in southern Libya with two aides, who were trying to smuggle him out to neighbouring Niger, officials confirmed today.

Mr Cameron said: "The Libyan government's announcement of Seif al-Islam's arrest shows we are near the end of the final chapter of the Gaddafi regime.

"It is a great achievement for the Libyan people and must now become a victory for international justice too.

"He could have contributed to a more open and decent future for his country, but instead chose to lead a bloody and barbaric campaign against his own people. The fate of the Gaddafis should act as a warning to brutal dictators everywhere.

"Britain will offer every assistance to the Libyan government and the International Criminal Court to bring him to face full accountability and justice for what he has done. » | AP | Saturday, November 19, 2011
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Cheikha Moza, aux limites de "l'islamiquement correct"

LE MONDE: LE CAIRE, CORRESPONDANCE - "Comment peut-on sincèrement parler de la participation politique des femmes au Moyen- Orient où elles sont devenues un produit cyniquement utilisé pour servir de caution à des régimes dans lesquels elles n'ont aucun pouvoir réel ?". Celle qui s'exprime ainsi, en mai 2007, devant les étudiants de l'Université Rice de Houston (Texas), n'est pas une militante féministe occidentale. Celle qui se cabre, gracile à son pupitre, avec un sourire de défi, n'est autre que la cheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al-Misnad, deuxième des trois épouses de l'émir du Qatar, la seule à paraître en public.

Les Qataris ont découvert cheikha Moza à la télévision un soir de 2003, aux côtés de son époux, le cheikh Hamad Ben Khalifa Al-Thani. Devenue depuis la meilleure VRP du richissime petit émirat, elle sillonne le monde pour prêcher la bonne parole du "dialogue des cultures" et de "l'alliance des civilisations". Elle défend à longueur de conférences les intérêts de son mari, en donnant des gages de sa propre indépendance. Car au-delà de son discours consensuel, la première dame du Qatar est une personnalité complexe et ambiguë.

Son parcours est celui d'une femme traditionnelle du Golfe issue d'un milieu aisé et mère de sept enfants. Celle que ses biographes font naître au Qatar à la fin des années 1950 sans plus de précision est la fille du plus célèbre opposant à la dynastie au pouvoir, Nasser Al-Misnad, décédé en 2007. Diplômée en sociologie à l'Université du Qatar, elle est mariée à 18 ans dans le cadre d'un arrangement politique. Il a permis au futur émir de se réconcilier avec le clan des Al-Misnad qui avait été exilé au Koweït après s'être illustré dans des grèves historiques dans les années 1950. Une fois son époux parvenu au pouvoir, à la faveur du coup d'Etat de 1995, elle a su asseoir son influence au sein de la famille régnante et s'impliquer au grand jour dans la vie politique de l'Emirat. » | Cahier Géo&Politique du "Monde", daté du dimanche 20 - lundi 21 novembre 2011

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi: From Heir Apparent to Prisoner of Libya's New Rulers

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who has just been captured by Libya's new government, had long been seen as the likeliest successor to his father.

Now the 39-year-old, who occupied no formal political office but wielded vast influence, is a prisoner of his country's new rulers - arrested in the southern desert by forces of the National Transitional Council.

He had been on the run and in hiding for almost a month since the last towns held by troops still loyal to his father fell in mid-October.

For years he had been seen as a western-leaning and reformist figure inside the Gaddafi regime, and was courted by western politicians and businessmen who had high hopes for the future.

But once the rebellion in Libya got under way he became increasingly vocal in support of the regime's violent crackdown.

"Libya is at a crossroads. If we do not agree today on reforms, we will not be mourning 84 people, but thousands of deaths, and rivers of blood will run through Libya," he said in February, soon after the uprising began. » | Telegraph reporter |Saturday, November 19, 2011

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WIRTSCHAFTSWOCHE: Gaddafis prominentester Sohn gefasst: Der Sohn des früheren libyschen Machthabers Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam, ist offiziellen Angaben zufolge im Süden des Landes gefasst und festgenommen worden. Er galt einst als Reformer und Hoffnung des Westens. » | rtr/dpa | Quelle: Handelsblatt Online | Samstag 19. November 2011

LE MONDE: Saïf Al-Islam Kadhafi a été arrêté dans le sud de la Libye : Saïf Al-Islam Kadhafi, capturé samedi dans le sud de la Libye, sera jugé équitablement en Libye pour des crimes graves passibles de la peine de mort, a déclaré le ministre libyen de la justice Mohammed al Alagy. Seif Al-Islam était le dernier fils encore en cavale de l'ancien dirigeant Mouammar Kadhafi, tué le 20 octobre. » | LEMONDE.FR avec AFP et Reuters | samedi 19 novembre 2011

Video Shows Saif al-Islam Gaddafi On Board Plane After His Arrest
The footage shows Saif al-Islam wearing traditional robes with a scarf pulled over his head sitting on board a plane bound for Zintan after his capture.

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Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Captured in Libya

THE GUARDIAN: Interim Tripoli government says son of Muammar Gaddafi was arrested while attempting to flee to neighbouring Niger

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the fugitive son of Libya's deceased former dictator, has been arrested in southern Libya, according to officials from the country's new government.
Libyan state TV reported that Saif has arrived in captivity and unhurt at an army base in the town of Zintan, 90 miles south-west of Tripoli.

Muammar Gaddafi's second and highest-profile son was captured along with several bodyguards by fighters near the town of Obari in Libya's southern desert, said the interim justice minister and other officials.

Saif was said to be in good health, according to the justice minister Mohammed al-Alagi.

"We have arrested Saif al-Islam Gaddafi in [the] Obari area," the minister told Reuters.

Saif was captured near the southern city of Sabha with two aides trying to smuggle him out to neighbouring Niger, militia commander Bashir al-Tayeleb said. » | Chris Stephen in Tripoli and David Batty | Saturday, November 19, 2011

Photo of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi »

Saudi Moral Committee Threatens to Cover “Tempting” Women’s Eyes

BIKYAMASR: Women with sexy eyes in Saudi Arabia may be forced to cover them up, according to the spokesperson of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV) in the conservative Gulf kingdom.

Spokesman of the Ha’eal district, Sheikh Motlab al-Nabet said the committee has the right to stop a women whose eyes seem “tempting” and order her to cover them immediately.

Saudi women are already forced to wear a loose black dress and to cover their hair and in some areas, their face, while in public or face fines or sometimes worse, including public lashings.

The announcement came days after the Saudi newspaper al-Watan reported that a Saudi man was admitted to a hospital after a fight with a member of the committee when he ordered his wife to cover her eyes. The husband was then stabbed twice in the hand. » | Manar Ammar | Wednesday, November 16, 2011

HT: Always On Watch »

Egypt’s “Nude Photo Revolutionary” Just That, Revolutionary

BIKYAMASR: CAIRO: Despise Aliya Mahdy or not, she has done what few revolutionaries in Egypt have been able to do: take revolutionary action. Her public display of her naked body in a blog post has seen attacks from the conservative Islamists and the liberals alike. Nudity, especially female nudity, leaves people queasy. Had she been a man, would the reaction have been so virulent against her? Doubtful. The man would likely have been praised for his use of his body as expression. Mahdy, unfortunately, is a woman living in Egypt.

Women are objects in many conservatives’ views. Things that can be owned and used for a man’s pleasure when he desires and when he wants. This is why we have seen the growth of polygamy, the shoving aside of a woman’s ability to choose her life’s goals, and the unending “debate” over the causes of sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Whether we agree that one’s body should be a form of protest – which so many of Egypt’s liberals disagree with – is irrelevant. The reality is that Mahdy has been able, with her body, [to] debunk all myths of Egyptian liberalism. Her naked image, which has seen over one million hits, has shown that Egypt is not ready for free expression.

Liberal activists online lamented that the 20-year-old university student has “ruined” her life, is “young and doesn’t know what she has done.” But in an inherently conservative society, Mahdy has created something only the truly revolutionary in today’s world can do: showing the hypocrisy of the so-called freedom fighters for expression.

In the ultra-male dominated society of Egypt, women are too often told what they should put on their bodies. Wear the veil, wear loose clothes, don’t wear this, don’t wear that, and so on. Mahdy has shown that nobody has a right to tell her, or other women for that matter, what is appropriate for a woman. Her body is her own and she can do what she likes with it, and that includes putting nothing over top it and publishing it online. It’s her right. Read on and comment » | Joseph Mayton | Thursday, November 17, 2011

Britain 'Will Join Euro Before Long’, Says German Finance Minister
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain will have to abandon the pound and join the single currency “faster than people think”, Germany’s finance minister has said.

Wolfgang Schäuble said that, despite the current crisis in the eurozone, the euro will ultimately emerge as the common currency of the entire European Union. He said he “respects” Britain’s decision to keep the pound, but insisted that the survival and eventual stabilisation of the euro will convince non-members to join the currency club. “This may happen more quickly than some people in the British Isles currently believe,” he added.

Mr Schäuble also said Germany will stand firm on its call for a financial transaction tax that Britain believes would badly harm the City of London. » | Bruno Waterfield, in Brussels and Christopher Hope in Berlin | Friday, November 18, 2011

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Germany Tightens the Screw on 'Isolated' Britain as Tensions Soar

THE INDEPENDENT: Talks between Merkel and Cameron lay bare fundamental differences over plan for euro

An anti-British backlash gathered pace in Germany yesterday as David Cameron and Angela Merkel struggled to disguise the gulf between them on how to tackle the eurozone crisis.

The Prime Minister returned from talks in Berlin with the German leader having made little progress in agreeing emergency action to stop the financial contagion spreading.

Tensions were inflamed after a close ally of Ms Merkel predicted Britain would eventually adopt the euro.

The German media joined the clamour, with the mass-circulation newspaper Bild questioning whether it might be better for Britain to leave the European Union altogether.

Behind the leaders' smiles at a joint press conference yesterday, they acknowledged fundamental differences remained on three key issues: » | Nigel Morris and Tony Paterson | Saturday, November 20, 2011

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Newt Overtakes Mitt. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

THE INDEPENDENT: Republican challengers to Romney have crumbled under media scrutiny. Now it's Gingrich's turn...

He is the new flavour of the moment in the race for the Republicans' presidential nomination, but former Speaker Newt Gingrich is discovering what many of his rivals know well already. No sooner do you bob to the top of the popularity polls than a tempest of media scrutiny and investigation threatens to push you back under again.

But then Mr Gingrich, who was Speaker of the House for much of Bill Clinton's span in the White House, is – as he likes to remind all of us often – wiser than any of the other runners for the nomination, and is a historian. He therefore cannot be too surprised. "Everything is legitimate," he told reporters this week. "This is the presidency."

As Herman Cain, the former pizza tycoon, has faded after allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women, so Mr Gingrich has risen, and he is now in high orbit alongside Mitt Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts. A new Fox television poll released yesterday put him at 23 per cent, against 22 per cent for Mr Romney and 15 per cent for Mr Cain.

His is a space ship heavily stacked with baggage, however, some of which Republican voters, who begin choosing their nominee in Iowa in just 45 days, may have trouble overlooking. The latest has to do with the very lucrative relationship he struck after retiring from Congress in 1999 with Freddie Mac, the government-backed mortgage lending agency that conservatives have long excoriated for helping create the housing bubble and its collapse. » | David Usborne | Friday, November 18, 2011

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Barack Obama Assassination Attempt: Oscar Ortega-Hernandez Says He Is 'Modern Day Jesus'
The man charged with attempting to assassinate President Barack Obama described himself as "a modern day Jesus" in a rambling video tape sent to the Oprah Winfrey channel.

Read the article here | Raf Sanchez | Friday, November 18, 2011
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Egypt's Naked Blogger Is a Bomb Aimed at the Patriarchs in Our Minds
THE GUARDIAN: By posing naked, Aliaa Mahdy has brilliantly challenged the misogyny and sexual hypocrisy of Egypt's leaders

When a woman is the sum total of her headscarf and hymen – that is, what's on her head and what is between her legs – then nakedness and sex become weapons of political resistance. You can witness how nudity sears through layers of hypocrisy and repression by following Aliaa Mahdy, a 20-year-old Egyptian who lit the fuse of that double-H bombwhen she posted a nude photograph of herself on her blog last week.

It was in Egypt, after all, that the ruling military junta stripped women of both headscarves (detained female activists were made to strip) and hymens when it subjected them to "virginity tests" last March, by which a soldier inserted two fingers into their vaginal opening. What are the military's "virginity tests", but a cheap tactic to humiliate and silence? When sexual assault parades as a test of the "honour" of virginity, then posing in your parents' home in nothing but stockings, red shoes and a red hair clip is an attack towards all patriarchs out there.

Supporters and detractors quickly lined up to comment on her blog, where the counter for pageviews outpaces a pendulum many times over. Far from the immature naïf some have tried to paint her as being, Mahdy knows exactly where it hurts – and kicks. She wrote:

"Put on trial the artists' models who posed nude for art schools until the early 70s, hide the art books and destroy the nude statues of antiquity, then undress and stand before a mirror and burn your bodies that you despise to forever rid yourselves of your sexual hangups before you direct your humiliation and chauvinism and dare to try to deny me my freedom of expression".

She might have been born 10 years into Hosni Mubarak's rule, but Mahdy understands the way personal freedoms have steadily shrunk in Egypt. The double whammy of military rule – in place since 1952 – along with the growing influence of Islamism, ensured that. Mubarak would fill jails with Islamists, but would fight their ideas not by giving civil and personal liberties room to express themselves, but through conservative clerics employed by the state. When the only two sides fighting are conservative – even if one of them is just conservative in appearance – then everyone loses. And women don't just lose; they're also used as cheap ammunition.

Witness the ultra-conservative Salafi party's use of female candidates on their list: it looks good when you have female candidates; you can tell the feminists who decry your misogynistic ideology to shut up. But the said candidates have no face, and no voice. On election pamphlets, a rose represented one Salafi female candidate – and soon after, the rose was replaced by a picture of the candidate's husband. There are reports that if Salafi women win parliamentary seats, their husbands or a male guardians will speak on their behalf because Salafis consider a woman's voice to be sinful. » | Mona Eltahawy | Friday, November 18, 2011

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Cameron-Besuch in Berlin: Ein nettes "No"

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Man schätzt sich, man braucht einander - dennoch kommen Kanzlerin Merkel und der britische Premier Cameron im Kampf gegen die Euro-Krise nicht voran. Die Differenzen bleiben auch nach dem Treffen in Berlin bestehen, vor allem die Finanztransaktionsteuer ist mit London nicht zu machen.

London/Berlin - Im Englischen klingt das sehr hübsch: "We agreed to disagree" sagt man, wenn zwei Konfliktparteien ergebnislos auseinander gegangen sind, aber weiterhin im Dialog an den Differenzen arbeiten wollen.

Genau so ist es Angela Merkel undDavid Cameron am Freitag in Berlin ergangen: Die deutsche Regierungschefin und Großbritanniens Premier haben sich im Kanzleramt an einen Tisch gesetzt, über den Zustand der EU und die Euro-Krise gesprochen und notwendige Konsequenzen erörtert. Dabei wurde abermals klar, dass sich für sie unterschiedliche Handlungsaufforderungen ergeben. Also lautete die Botschaft bei der anschließenden Pressekonferenz: Deutschland und Großbritannien brauchen einander, genau wie Europa und die Insel, man schätzt sich - aber die Differenzen bleiben ungelöst.

Vor allem bei der Finanztransaktionsteuer geht es nicht voran: Merkel ist dafür, Cameron dagegen. Klipp und klar.

Wie sich die beiden dennoch umschmeichelten, ist zweifellos ein gutes Signal für Europa und die Märkte. Weil es dafür spricht, dass im Verhältnis zwischen London und Berlin kein grundsätzlicher Bruch entstanden ist. "Was wollen die Engländer eigentlich noch in der EU?" fragte am Freitag die "Bild"-Zeitung an prominenter Stelle. Cameron gab im Kanzleramt die Antwort: Der gemeinsame Binnenmarkt innerhalb der Union sei für sein Land von zentraler Bedeutung, sagte er - "und wir haben ein Interesse an einem starken Euro". Merkel wiederum lobte die Briten als engen Partner. » | Von Florian Gathmann und Carsten Volkery | Freitag 18. November 2011

Politischer Akt: Nackte Studentin erzürnt Ägypter

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mut oder Leichtsinn? Eine ägyptische Kunststudentin versetzt ihr Land in Aufruhr, weil sie aus politischem Protest nackt im Netz posiert. Kurz vor den Parlamentswahlen gehen jetzt selbst liberale Kräfte auf Distanz zu ihr - und Freunde fürchten um ihre Sicherheit.

Rote Lackschuhe, Nylonstrümpfe, eine Schleife im Haar. Mehr trägt Alia Magda al-Mahdi, 20, Studentin der Kunst- und Medienwissenschaften, nicht auf dem Foto, das in ihrem Heimatland Ägypten ein Tabu gebrochen hat. Ihre provokante Aktion hat ihr Drohungen, aber auch Solidaritätsbekundungen beschert - und die ohnehin gereizte politische Stimmung gut eine Woche vor dem Start der Parlamentswahlen weiter angeheizt.

Das Foto hat die Studentin der Amerikanischen Universität in Kairo in ihrem Blog veröffentlicht, gemeinsam mit weiteren Aktbildern. Eines zeigt einen nackten Mann mit Gitarre und dann wieder Mahdi mit gelben Balken vor Augen, Mund und Scham. Die Rechtecke stünden für "die Zensur unseres Wissens, Ausdrucks und Sexualität", kommentiert sie in dem Blog, das sie mit "Tagebuch einer Rebellin" betitelt hat. Sie wehre sich "gegen eine Gesellschaft von Gewalt, Rassismus, Sexismus, sexueller Belästigung und Heuchelei" - mit einem Aktporträt, das sie nach eigenen Angaben vor Monaten im Haus ihrer Eltern aufgenommen hat.

Für europäische Verhältnisse wirkt das eher altmodisch als revolutionär. Doch in der konservativen ägyptischen Gesellschaft, wo sich Paare in der Öffentlichkeit nicht küssen dürfen und Frauen auf der Straße nicht einmal ihre nackten Arme zeigen, hat die Aufnahme eine Lawine der Entrüstung losgetreten. » | son/dop/AP | Freitag 18. November 2011

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Archbishop ‘Very Disappointed’ with Gay Marriage Move

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has said he is “very disappointed” with David Cameron’s plan to legalise gay marriage.

In his most detailed public comments on the controversial move, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols warned against the proposal to “annexe the territory of marriage” for same-sex couples and “weaken” an institution at the heart of society.

He also expressed some support for the activists camped outside St Paul’s Cathedral, saying that protest can help start important debates, but added that they needed to make their demands clearer.

And in response to the current scandals involving abuse committed by Catholic clergy, the Archbishop of Westminster admitted that the Church’s response to victims has been “inadequate”.

His comments highlight the fact that the Prime Minister will face strong opposition from traditional religious groups over the next year, despite receiving praise for his commitment to allow full marriage for same-sex couples for the first time.

Homosexuals have been allowed to enter into civil partnerships since 2005, giving them the same legal rights as heterosexuals.

From next month [they] will be able to hold the ceremonies in places of worship, providing the governing body of the faith group agrees. » | Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Editor | Friday, November 18, 2011

Crise: Londres et Berlin pas d'accord
LE FIGARO: Les chefs des gouvernements allemand et britannique ont émis des signaux différents vendredi sur la manière de résoudre la crise de la dette dans la zone euro. Ils ont reconnu ne pas avoir réussi à rapprocher leurs positions concernant l'introduction d'une taxe sur les transactions financières en Europe.

Lors d'une conférence de presse à Berlin, le Premier ministre britannique David Cameron a estimé qu'il fallait un pare-feu crédible à la zone euro et que le bloc monétaire devait utiliser toutes ses institutions pour lutter contre la crise. La chancelière allemande a au contraire prôné une approche "pas à pas". » | avec Reuters | vendredi 18 novembre 2011

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Eurozone Crisis: David Cameron Admits He And Angela Merkel 'Don't Agree On Everything' After Meeting In Berlin – David Cameron attempted to play down tensions with Angela Merkel in a joint press conference on Friday, but the two leaders admitted there had not been any progress on a European-wide financial transaction tax. ¶ "We've had very good discussions between very good friends", the prime minister said. "There are many things where we are in absolute agreement - on the importance of the single market, on the need for budget discipline, on the need for all countries to deal with their debt and their deficit. This is where we are in absolute agreement... we share the same plan." ¶ Merkel is frustrated with Cameron and George Osborne for resisting calls for a Europe-wide financial transaction tax, which the UK say will hit the City of London hardest. » | Huffington Post UK | Friday, November 18, 2011

Une manifestation très suivie au Caire contre les militaires

LE FIGARO: Plus de 50.000 Egyptiens se sont réunis vendredi sur la place Tahrir, au Caire, pour exiger que les militaires transfèrent rapidement le pouvoir.

«Protéger la démocratie et le transfert du pouvoir». Tel était le thème de la manifestation organisée vendredi par une quarantaine d'associations et partis politiques. A quelques jours des élections législatives du 28 novembre, l'appel a été entendu par les Egyptiens. Ils étaient au moins 50.000, peut-être plus, venus de tout le pays, à manifester sur la place Tahrir, au Caire. » | Par lefigaro.fr | vendredi 18 novembre 2011

Qatar, the Tiny Gulf State That Has Turned Into a Big Player in the Great Game

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Qatar has emerged as the pea-sized power behind the Arab League's tough new stance over Syria.

Almost exactly a year ago, the Queen hosted a state dinner for one of the world’s more colourful couples, the portly Emir of Qatar and his spectacularly attired wife, Sheikha Mozah. I wrote at the time that there were two interesting things about their tiny country, which few Britons could pinpoint on a map and even fewer pronounce properly. One was banal: it was very rich. The second struck me as odd, but it was what a number of people had told me: one diplomat said, “Everyone suddenly seems to hate Qatar.”

In the intervening 12 months, the emirate has become much better known. Its jets have flown alongside our own over Libya. It has showered largesse on pro-democracy movements, even as its pet television station, Al Jazeera, publicised their revolutions. At home, the Emir announced the statelet’s first elections. Yet the dislike has only got worse. What has the poor old nouveau riche country done?

I’m not just talking about winning the right to host the World Cup in 2022 back in December – although the subsequent abuse of its culture, temperature, and manner of victory did, in retrospect, set the tone. Even though football fans never went so far as to burn the Qatari flag, that is what a lot of Arabs have been doing. At first, it was because they were paid to: dictators such as Colonel Gaddafi and Hosni Mubarak, seeing the Qatari hand in the revolutions that were bringing their reigns to an end, got out the bovver boys. But now there are protests in democratic Tunisia against Qatar’s interference in its politics, while in Libya, even those who have most cause to be grateful are complaining. Read on and comment » | Richard Spencer | Thursday, November 17, 2011

China Bristles as Obama Woos ASEAN Nations

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama has set a course for confrontation with Beijing, as he described an East Asian summit as the best mechanism for tackling the region's seething row over the South China Sea.

The Chinese government has declared that the long-running dispute should be off-limits at talks to be held on Saturday, which will be attended by Mr Obama, China's Premier Wen Jiabao and 16 other nations including several with claims over the waterway.

But Mr Obama said the gathering, held this year on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, "can be the premier arena for us to be able to work together on a wide range of issues - maritime security or non-proliferation".

The president has irritated China with a drive to enhance the US role as a regional power, positioning Marines in northern Australia and pushing for a potentially transformational trans-Pacific trade pact.

Beijing sees the initiatives as intruding into its own sphere of influence, with the dispute over the South China Sea putting the two major world powers' differences into stark focus.

On Friday, Wen again warned against interference by "external forces" in the wrangle. » | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Friday, November 18, 2011

My comment:

Obama is playing with fire. Two of the dumbest things he did this week were telling the world that the US is not afraid of China, and then going to Australia and advertising the fact that the US was going to expand its military in the region to protect the Australians from the Chinese. Is there no end to this man's cack-handedness? Is there no end to his naïveté? Is there no end to his lack of understanding?

If the US is truly not afraid of China, it is worrying, because it should be. Meddling in the region which is traditionally China's sphere of influence will lead to no good place. Is Obama trying to set the stage for the third world war, or what?

This is troubling indeed! – © Mark

This comment also appears here.

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US Military Pact Raises Tensions at Summit
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: AAP – The Chinese premier has warned against external interference in a dispute over the South China Sea, fuelled by Australia's new military pact with the US, as world leaders prepare to discuss the issue in Bali.

The meeting of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) will widen on Saturday into the East Asia Summit, which also takes in Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and, for the first time, the US and Russia.

But while existing priority areas of finance, education, environment, disaster management and health will feature in discussions, an increasingly tense dispute over sovereign rights in the South China Sea is set to steal much of the focus.

Maritime security is not formally on the summit's agenda, but it is expected to be discussed in a retreat session under what has been called "an exchange of ideas on regional and international issues".

China and four ASEAN countries - Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam - have staked territorial claims over the crucial sea lane, which handles more than a third of the world's seaborne trade and half its traffic in oil and gas.

The expected "exchange of ideas" on the long-running dispute comes after the issue was fuelled this week by the announcement that the US will use Australia as a base for an increased military presence in the Asia-Pacific region, viewed as a hedge against China's growing influence. » | Karlis Salna, AAP South-East Asia Correspondent | Friday, November 18, 2011

SPIEGEL ONLINE: China weist USA in die Schranken: Die USA wollen ihre Präsenz im Pazifik ausbauen, jetzt kommt die Replik aus China. Die Amerikaner müssten die Interessen der Volksrepublik respektieren, verlangt Premierminister Wen mit ungewöhnlich deutlichen Worten - und stellt klar: In Südostasien dürften "fremde Staaten" keinen Einfluss nehmen. ¶ Peking/Washington/Bali - Bis hier und nicht weiter: China reagiert scharf auf denStrategiewechsel der USA im Südchinesischen Meer. Peking respektiere zwar die "berechtigten Interessen" der Amerikaner in Ostasien, hieß es in einer Mitteilung des Außenministeriums. Doch im Gegenzug werde erwartet, dass Washington auch die Interessen Chinas berücksichtige, stellte der Sprecher Liu Weimin klar. » | als/Reuters/dpa | Freitag 18. November 2011

New EU War of Words: German Politician Upsets British with Comments

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The swipe aimed at Britain by Volker Kauder, a senior member of Germany's Christian Democrats, has caused trouble in United Kingdom, where the press says Berlin and London have fallen out over the euro crisis. Friday's meeting between Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister Cameron could be tense.

Volker Kauder is now a famous man in Great Britain -- but that doesn't necessarily mean the senior Christian Democrat is popular on the other side of the North Sea.

"Just looking for their own advantage and not being prepared to contribute -- that cannot be the message we accept from the British," Kauder said at the conference of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Leipzig on Tuesday, in reference to British opposition to a European Union-wide financial transaction tax favored by Germany. Although the United Kingdom is not in the common currency zone, as a member of the EU itself it "also carries a responsibility for the success of Europe," Kauder said.

With his remarks, Kauder has managed to wake the slumbering British media beast. '"Controversial claim from Merkel ally that EU countries all follow Berlin's lead -- and Britain should fall into line" was how the headline in the tabloid Daily Mail interpreted his remarks. Kauder's word will certainly cause trouble in the UK, especially among euroskeptic members of the Conservatives. The Times [£] [sic] newspaper is already writing of a clash between London and Berlin. » | dsk -- with wires | Wednesday, November 16, 2011

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Cameron Warned His Eurozone Stance Risks Forcing Two-speed Europe

THE GUARDIAN: Angela Merkel wants quick revision of Lisbon treaty to underpin euro and will advise Cameron to table only modest proposals

David Cameron will be warned that he risks creating an unstoppable momentum behind a "two-speed Europe", which would be dominated by France and Germany, if Britain demands too many concessions during the eurozone crisis.

In a series of meetings in Berlin and Brussels, the prime minister will be advised that Britain should table modest proposals next year when EU leaders embark on a small treaty revision to underpin the euro.

Cameron will have breakfast in Brussels with José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European commission. He will then meet Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European council, before flying to Berlin to meet Angela Merkel, the German chancellor.

Merkel, who said earlier this week that the eurozone crisis showed the need to create a political union in Europe, is pressing fellow EU leaders to agree to a narrow and quick revision of the Lisbon treaty. This is designed to place tougher fiscal rules for the eurozone on a legal footing.

Der Spiegel reported that Berlin would like the European Court of Justice to take action against eurozone members that break the rules. A six-page German foreign ministry paper, published by Der Spiegel this week, calls for "a ('small') convention that is precisely limited in terms of content" to present proposals "rapidly". These would then be agreed by all 27 members of the EU.

Merkel warned the prime minister at an emergency European council meeting in Brussels on 23 October that she would reluctantly have to side with France if Britain overplayed its hand in the negotiations. Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, wants a treaty to be agreed among the 17 members of the eurozone, excluding Britain and the other nine EU members outside the single currency. » | Nicholas Watt, chief political correspondent | Thursday, November 17, 2011

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German Memo Shows Secret Slide Towards a Super-state

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An intrusive European body with the power to take over the economies of struggling nations should be set up to tackle the eurozone crisis, according to a leaked German government document.

The six-page memo, by the German foreign office, argues that Europe’s economic powerhouses should be able to intervene in how beleaguered eurozone countries are run.

The confidential blueprint sets out Germany’s plan to tackle the eurozone debt crisis by creating a “stability union” that will be “immediately followed by moves “on the way towards a political union”.

It will prompt fears that Germany’s euro crisis plans could result in a European super-state with spending and tax plans set in Brussels.

The proposals urge that the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), a eurozone bailout fund that will be established by the end of next year, should be transformed into a version of the International Monetary Fund for the EU.

The European Monetary Fund (EMF) would be able to take full fiscal control of a failing country, including taking countries into receivership. Read on and comment » | Bruno Waterfield, in Brussels | Thursday, November 17, 2011

Female Blogger's Nude Photo Creates a Stir in Egypt

GLOBAL POST: Aliaa Elmahdy, a 20-year-old female activist in Egypt, posted a nude photo of herself on the internet

An Egyptian female activist sparked an intense online debate over the limits of personal expression in art this week, following the discovery of nude photos the woman took and posted to her blog.

Aliaa Elmahdy, a 20-year-old college student and self-described “secular liberal feminist,” posted two nude photos of herself on her blog, “A Rebel’s Diary,” last month. The young revolutionary's photos were apparently discovered earlier this week by a Twitter user, who called them "brave."

In one of the pics, Elmahdy is standing with her right foot perched one the bottom rung of a wooden stool. She is wearing lacy, thigh-high black stockings, red slippers - and nothing else.

The second photo is a three-part collage of the first, with yellow strips censoring out her crotch, mouth and eyes. » | Jon Jensen | Thursday, November 17, 2011

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Police Arrest Protesters On Occupy Wall Street March

THE INDEPENDENT: Hundreds of Occupy demonstrators marched through New York's financial district today in an attempt to block traders from reaching the New York Stock Exchange, promising a national day of action with mass gatherings in other cities.

The action came two days after authorities cleared their encampment that sparked the global protest movement against economic inequality and greed.

Frustrations seemed to spill over in the park at the center [sic] of the protest as hundreds of people shoved back the metal police barricades that have long surrounded the area. A live television shot from above showed waves of police and protesters briefly pushing back and forth before the barricades appeared to be settled at the edge of the park once more.

"All day, all week, shut down Wall Street!" the crowd chanted, clogging the streets as they neared the stock exchange.

Police said about 50 or 60 people were arrested, including several who sat on the ground one block from Wall Street and refusing to move.

Some of the police hit protesters as they resisted arrest. Most of the marchers retreated.

The protest did not delay the opening of the New York Stock Exchange or disrupt business, said Rich Adamonis, a spokesman for the exchange. » | Karen Matthews | Thursday, November 17, 2011

Judge Expresses Sympathy with Fortnum & Mason Protesters

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A judge sentencing a group of anti-cuts protesters who stormed Fortnum & Mason appeared to condone their actions yesterday when he told them “history often vindicates those involved in such acts”.

Ten demonstrators who occupied the luxury department store on London’s Piccadilly earlier this year were found guilty of aggravated trespass when they appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

But in sentencing them all to conditional discharges, District Judge Michael Snow expressed some sympathy with their actions telling them they were all united by a “common sense of decency”.

Declining to award the famous store compensation, the judge told the group: “Civil disobedience has a long and entirely peaceful history in this country.

“History often vindicates those involved in such acts. I've read a series of glowing references on behalf of every one of you. You are united by a common sense of decency.”

Fortnum & Mason, which has an illustrious 300-year history and is often referred to as the Queen’s grocer, was targeted by protestors on the day of a large TUC rally in March. » | Martin Evans | Thursday, November 17, 2011

Kuwait Security Crackdown after Crowd Storms Parliament
THE GUARDIAN: Emir denounces protest as threat to country's stability and calls for 'stricter measures to confront chaotic behaviour'


Kuwait's ruler has ordered the authorities to tighten security measures and make arrests if necessary after protesters stormed parliament in anger at claims of high-level corruption.

Dozens of protesters surged past police barricades on Wednesday and briefly entered the parliament chamber amid attempts by opposition MPs to bring the prime minister in for questioning over claims that officials transferred state funds to accounts abroad.

The emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, on Thursday denounced the protest as a threat to the country's "security and stability" and called for "stricter measures to confront this chaotic behaviour", according to a statement from government spokesman Ali Fahad al-Rashid. » | Associated Press | Thursday, November 17, 2011

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Merkel knutscht Sarkozy

Verwandt »

Assad unter Druck
n Teilen Syriens eskaliert der blutige Machtkampf. Zugleich steht das Land unter dem Assad-Regime international immer isolierter da. Die Arabische Liga droht mit harten Sanktionen und setzt Syrien eine Frist von drei Tagen, um die Gewalt zu beenden und Beobachter ins Land zu lassen.

Iran Fires Up Voters with Partial Lifting of Water Pipe Ban

THE GUARDIAN: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government reverses unpopular ban on smoking in tea houses - but only for men

Revoking a smoking ban may seem an unlikely way to boost election turnouts. But in Iran, authorities are hopeful that allowing the traditional hubble-bubble, or water pipes, back into tea houses could encourage reluctant voters to go to the polls.

The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has signed into law a bill that removes tea houses from the list of places where smoking tobacco is prohibited, Iranian newspapers reported on Thursday.

The move comes only two weeks after Iran's court of administrative justice, a judicial body independent of the government, banned the smoking of all sorts of tobacco in traditional restaurants and tea houses. Iranians were allowed only to smoke certain types – perceived to be less dangerous – in the past.

Since Ahmadinejad first took the office in 2005, water pipes have intermittently been banned from, then allowed, in tea houses.

In his early years in power, Ahmadinejad came under pressure from conservatives to curb water pipe smoking, which had become a popular pastime for the young people but was seen as culturally decadent by the regime, despite being an integral part of the Persian culture for centuries. A smoking ban was eventually passed in October 2006 but was lifted later to allow certain kinds of tobacco. » | Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Thursday, November 17, 2011

Silvio Berlusconi Releases CD of Love Songs
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Just days after he stepped down as Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi is preparing to release his latest CD of love songs.


The billionaire businessman, who as a student crooned on cruise ships in the Mediterranean, spent two years writing the lyrics for the album, called 'True Love'.

The 11 songs he penned are sung by Mariano Apicella, a Neapolitan ballad singer who has collaborated with the former prime minister on similar albums in the past. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Thursday, November 17, 2011

Vatican to Take Legal Action against Benetton

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Vatican announced on Thursday that it will take legal action over an advertising campaign by Benetton which showed Pope Benedict XVI kissing a Muslim imam.

The Holy See said it wanted the offensive image removed from magazines, newspapers, websites and Benetton shops around the world, saying it was in extremely poor taste.

The image shows the Pope kissing the lips of Ahmed el Tayyeb, the imam of the Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo and a leading authority of Sunni Islam.

A statement from the Vatican said it would instruct its lawyers “to take action in Italy and abroad to prevent the circulation in the mass-media and elsewhere of the photo montage produced as part of Benetton’s publicity campaign.”

The image was insulting “not only to the dignity of the Pope but also to the sensibilities of the faithful”, the Vatican said.

The legal threat came despite the fact that Benetton, which is based in Treviso in northern Italy, announced that it would withdraw the image following the furore. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Thursday, November 17, 2011

Related »

LE PARISIEN: EN IMAGES. Benetton, la campagne polémique » | mercredi 16 novembre 2011

White House Shooting Suspect 'Had Obsession with Barack Obama'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A man clad in black who was obsessed with President Barack Obama pulled his car within view of the White House at night and fired shots from an assault rifle, authorities said.

The U.S. Secret Service found two bullets had hit the White House and agents caught up with Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez in Pennsylvania on Wednesday after a four-day search.

Police arrested the 21-year-old Idaho man at a hotel after a desk clerk recognised his picture. Ortega was scheduled to make his first appearance at 2pm on Thursday in a federal court in Pittsburgh and many questions remained about his motive and background.

The White House declined to comment on the unfolding events.

Authorities are investigating the man's mental health and say there are indications he believed attacking the White House was part of a personal mission from God, according to a law enforcement official who spoke with The Associated Press.

There are also indications the man had become obsessed with Obama and the White House, according to two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. » | Thursday, November 17, 2011

En Arabie saoudite, une féministe chez les Saoud

LE MONDE – LE MAGAZINE: EN COULISSES – La princesse saoudienne Amira plaide la cause des femmes dans son pays. Un engagement à portée limitée même si le roi vient de leur donner le droit de voter aux élections municipales.

Naguère, les princesses dispensaient leurs bienfaits par le biais de sociétés de charité, aujourd'hui, elles accèdent au ministère de la parole grâce à Twitter. L'Arabie saoudite s'est trouvé une égérie en la personne de la quatrième épouse du richissime prince Al-Walid Ben Talal Ben Abdelaziz Al-Saoud, Amira. Née en Arabie saoudite, diplômée en droit des affaires d'une université du Connecticut, cette princesse de 27 ans, très médiatisée, a été la première à se féliciter, sur Twitter, de l'annulation en septembre par le roi Abdallah d'une peine de dix coups de fouet prononcée à l'encontre d'une Saoudienne. Sa faute : avoir pris le volant dans un pays où une fatwa interdit aux femmes de conduire. … » | Gilles Paris | sans date

US Will Shift Focus from Middle East to Asia Pacific, Barack Obama Declares
Barack Obama has pledged to expand America's military in the Asia Pacific as a "top priority" as he declared the US intends to shift its focus from the Middle East.

Read the article and comment here | Jonathan Pearlman in Canberra | Thursday, November 17, 2011
My comment:

This declaration sounds like a provocation to China to me. It sounds like sabre-rattling. Further, where is broke America going to get the money from? – © Mark

This comment also appears here.

Syria Is 'Like a Civil War'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Russia called for all sides in Syria’s growing civil war to lay down their arms as they compared the situation a "civil war".

Residents claimed 20 people died in a rebel attack on an air force intelligence base on the outskirts of Damascus.

“This is already completely similar to real civil war,” Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said. He urged “all states” to demand that not only the government but also the opposition to halt the violence and begin talks.

Russia, along with China, has vetoed further international sanctions against their long-term strategic ally at the United Nations. But both are growing increasingly alarmed that in the absence of any foreign intervention the situation is spiralling out of control anyway. » | Richard Spencer, Adrian Blomfield and Alex Spillius | Thursday, November 17, 2011

Kuwait Opposition Protesters Disrupt Parliament

THE GUARDIAN: Dozens of Kuwaiti protesters storm parliament, with more demonstrating outside, demanding the prime minister step down

Dozens of anti-government protesters stormed into Kuwait's parliament during a debate over efforts to question the prime minister about corruption allegations.

Local media reported the demonstrators briefly chanted before being forced out as hundreds of others protested outside on Wednesday evening, prompting opposition lawmakers to warn of a political crisis.

Opposition parliament members have sought to question the prime minister Sheik Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah over claims that government officials illegally transferred money to accounts outside the Gulf country. Last month, Kuwait's foreign minister resigned as the scandal grew.

Pro-government lawmakers managed to vote down a request for the questioning, but opposition groups filed another motion to force another debate later this month.

Kuwait's affairs are run by the ruling Al Sabah family, but it has one of the region's most politically active parliaments. » | Associated Press | Thursday, November 17, 2011

Camerons Berlin-Besuch: Deutschlands Dominanz, Britanniens Angst

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der Auftakt zum Berlin-Besuch von David Cameron am Freitag verläuft denkbar schlecht: Volker Kauders Spruch, in Europa werde nun Deutsch gesprochen, sorgt für Protest in Großbritannien. London fürchtet eine Zwei-Klassen-EU. Nun muss Kanzlerin Merkel die Wogen glätten - sie braucht die Briten noch.

Der Satz war eine Steilvorlage für die Euro-Skeptiker auf der Insel. "Jetzt auf einmal wird in Europa Deutsch gesprochen", hatte Unionsfraktionschef Volker Kauder auf dem CDU-Parteitag in Leipzig gesagt. Das Zitat wurde am Mittwoch von den britischen Zeitungen begierig aufgegriffen, bestätigt es doch alte Vorurteile über den deutschen Machtanspruch.

"Europa spricht jetzt Deutsch!", titelte die Boulevardzeitung "Daily Mail" mit dickem Ausrufezeichen und schob empört hinterher: "UndGroßbritannien soll sich einreihen". Das, so der Tenor in sämtlichen konservativen Blättern, werde selbstverständlich nie passieren. Stattdessen, so die Forderung der Euro-Skeptiker, müsse die Euro-Krise genutzt werden, um sich aus der EU zu "befreien".

Die Kauder-Kontroverse ist das jüngste Indiz für die wachsende Kluft zwischen Berlin und London. Auf britischer Seite befeuerte am Mittwoch Wirtschaftsminister Vince Cable den Streit. Es ging um die Finanztransaktionssteuer. Die von Deutschland geforderte Abgabe auf Geldgeschäfte bezeichnete er als "völlig ungerechtfertigt". Wiederum Kauder hatte die britische Blockade zuvor als verantwortungslos beschimpft. » | Von Carsten Volkery, London | Mittwoch 16. November 2011

German Neo-Nazis Had Hit List of 88 Political Targets
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A German neo-Nazi terrorist group responsible for a spree of murders and bombings across Germany had a hit list of 88 possible targets including prominent politicians.

Investigators said they had found the list as they probed the brutal world of the self-styled National Socialist Underground, a gang believed to have shot dead nine men of immigrant background and a policewoman.

The gang's end only came this month after a failed bank robbery led to two of its three members committing suicide and the survivor handing herself into the police after destroying their hideout in the east German town of Zwickau.

Along with politicians the names of leaders from Germany's large Turkish and Islamic communities were also found on the list.

The number 88 is apparently code for Adolf Hitler in neo-Nazi circles because the letter H is the eighth letter of the alphabet, and is code for 'Heil Hitler'.

As police tried to ascertain whether the three-person group was actively plotting to kill people on the list, those named reacted with shock.

"This is a dreadful feeling for me," Jerzy Montag, a leading Green politician from Munich told Spiegel Online. "The fact that the known members of the terror cell have been deactivated does not mean that this is over. If someone can think this up, then there could also be others."

Hans-Peter Uhl from the governing Christian Democrats also expressed his bewilderment at being listed by the gang.

"When I heard that my name was on the list, I was shocked," he said, adding that he was trying to work out why the group would target him. » | Matthew Day | Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Breastfeeding Is Slavery (But It Lets Men Off the Hook): Sarkozy Angers Mothers with 'Macho' Comments
MAIL ONLINE: It is a statement that is likely to raise the hackles of women everywhere.

In what many would consider to be a clumsy and insensitive move, Nicolas Sarkozy has publicly described breastfeeding as 'slavery'.

While most women would welcome their husband's sensitivity and discretion on such matters, Mr Sarkozy has spoken out about wife Carla Bruni's struggle to produce enough milk for their newborn baby.

The French president, 55, also said a mother's feeding 'freed men of blame' for not getting up at night to give the infant a bottle.

Former supermodel Ms Bruni, 44, gave birth to the couple's first child together - a girl named Giulia - four weeks ago.

It was the first child ever to be born to a president while in office in France.

Mr Sarkozy aired his views on breastfeeding while chatting to young mothers at a family benefits agency in south west France yesterday.

He said: 'Carla is feeding the baby. I think it's much better for protecting against allergies and illnesses.'But the woman, it's both a joy and a kind of slavery.

'However it does free men of blame because we don't have the problem of bottle-feeding. You don't have to get up at night, although out of solidarity, I do open one eye.'

The president added: 'But you know, she is worried about not having enough milk.' » | Deborah Arthurs | Wednesday, November 16, 2011