Eurozone Countries Go It Alone with New Treaty that Excludes Britain
THE GUARDIAN: David Cameron loses bid to shield City of London from EU regulation and critics warn 'dangerous' move isolates UK


Britain is facing isolation in Europe after David Cameron vetoed a revision of the Lisbon treaty, prompting a majority of EU members to agree to draw up their own deal outside the architecture of the union.

In one of the most significant developments in Britain's 38-year membership of the EU, the British prime minister said early on Friday morning he could not allow a "treaty within a treaty" that would undermine the UK's position in the single market.

The move marked a victory for Nicolas Sarkozy, who had been pressing for an inter-governmental agreement among the 17 members of the eurozone to underpin tough new fiscal rules for the single currency. "We could not accept this," he said of Cameron's demands.

The French president, who has been pressing for the formalisation of a "two-speed Europe", was pleased on Friday when the number of EU member states indicating their support for a separate treaty reached 23. Britain was joined by Sweden, which rejected euro membership in a referendum, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, who had hoped to agree a revision of the Lisbon treaty, said she believed the accord would stabilise the euro. "I have always said, the 17 states of the eurogroup have to regain credibility," she said. "And I believe with today's decisions this can and will be achieved."

Cameron wielded the British veto in the early hours of the morning after France succeeded in blocking a series of safeguards demanded by Britain to protect the City of London. Cameron had demanded that: » | Nicholas Watt, chief political correspondent, in Brussels | Friday, December 09, 2011

David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy Clash as Leaders Wrangle over Euro Deal
THE GUARDIAN: French accused of setting Britain up as 'fall guy' in attempt to ringfence eurozone


David Cameron was at the centre of a furious row with Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday after Paris tried to isolate the prime minister at the EU summit by suggesting that Britain is seeking to exempt the City of London from all European regulations.

In a move dismissed by officials in Brussels as an attempt to set Britain up as the "fall guy", senior French figures said Cameron wanted an "opt out" from EU financial services regulation.

The French were said to have found themselves isolated in their attempts to limit an agreement on tough fiscal rules for the single currency just to the eurozone's 17 members.

Britain said Sarkozy was distorting the British position, which is to ensure that changes to the eurozone do not harm the City of London.

Cameron confronted Sarkozy in a joint meeting with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, shortly before the EU's 27 leaders met for dinner to try to hammer out an agreement to underpin new fiscal integration in the eurozone.

"The prime minister was very determined and very strong in the meeting," one British source claimed. "This is going to be a very difficult discussion."

The joint meeting with Sarkozy and Merkel set the scene for a tense night of negotiations as EU leaders embarked on a mammoth effort to prevent the collapse of the single currency at what was seen as the most important Brussels summit in years. » | Nicholas Watt, Ian Traynor and David Gow in Brussels | Thursday, December 08, 2011

Rick Perry Launches Attack on Barack Obama over Gay Rights and Religion
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Governor Rick Perry has recorded a new campaign advert aimed at the United States' religious conservatives in which he vows to end “Obama’s war on religion”.


In the 30-second advert, the governor of Texas denounces open homosexuality and opposes President Obama's repealing of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gays serving in the military.

“I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Christian,” Mr Perry says in the advert, “but you don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.” Read on and comment » | Thursday, December 08, 2011

EU Summit Signals Crunch Time for Cameron at Home and Abroad

THE GUARDIAN: Prime minister arrives in Brussels for European summit amid demands for referendum and accusations of 'obnoxious' tactics

David Cameron arrives in Brussels on Thursday night for a European summit, buffeted by the conflicting pressures of a Eurosceptic cabinet rebellion over an EU referendum and increasing isolation in key capitals across Europe.

Tory MPs on the right met on Wednesday night to discuss tactics after the Eurosceptic Northern Ireland secretary, Owen Paterson, challenged Downing Street by declaring that a revision of the Lisbon treaty would have to be put to the British people in a referendum.

Paterson's call, echoed by London's mayor, Boris Johnson, runs counter to a law passed in July which says that a referendum will be held only if significant UK powers are transferred to the EU. Downing Street says that any agreement at the crucial two-day EU summit, designed to save the single currency from collapse, will not involve the transfer of UK powers.

Amid irritation with the Northern Ireland secretary in No 10, Paterson's allies in the three main groups on the Tory right – the No Turning Back Group, the 92 Group, and the Cornerstone Group – held a joint meeting where they said Cameron must achieve "clear gains" at the EU summit.

"We are on manoeuvres," one senior figure said. It became clear that Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, had approved the intervention by Paterson, a longstanding ally. In what was described as a co-ordinated move, following a call by Duncan Smith on Sunday for a referendum, Paterson told the Spectator: "If there was a major fundamental change in our relationship, emerging from the creation of a new bloc which would be effectively a new country from which we were excluded, then I think inevitably there would be huge pressure for a referendum."

The prime minister will join the EU's 26 other leaders in Brussels as they examine proposals to revise the Lisbon treaty to ensure that joint fiscal rules for the eurozone are placed on a legal footing. Cameron, who said he was prepared to veto any treaty revision if British demands were not met, has infuriated senior figures in Brussels, Paris and Berlin with what are regarded as hardball tactics. » | Nicholas Watt and Ian Traynor in Brussels | Wednesday, December 07, 2011

A Controversial Paragon: Europe Shudders at Germany's New-Found Power

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Germany, admired and envied for its economic success, has become a model for Europe in the debt crisis. The Continent is becoming more German as countries get serious about fiscal discipline. But the nation's new dominance is also stirring resentment, and old anti-German sentiments are returning. By SPIEGEL Staff

A French tricolor flag fluttering on a video screen provides the grand backdrop for Nicolas Sarkozy, who is about to take to the stage to talk about the euro crisis. The flag is huge, almost as if the organizers were attempting to allay any doubts that the speaker really is the French president rather than a mere emissary of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

When Sarkozy appeared in front of his supporters in Toulon last Thursday, he spoke of the "fear that France could lose control of its own destiny." His dramatic words were an appeal to French national pride, but his response to those fears was anything other than nationalist: "France and Germany have decided to unite their fate," he announced. So-called "convergence" -- greater alignment of the two countries -- was the only way out of the crisis.

There is no doubt which country wants to align itself with which. Later that day, one of his advisers said Sarkozy wanted "supply oriented economic policies and debt reduction modeled on those of Gerhard Schröder," Merkel's predecessor. In his speech, the president even announced a "jobs summit" between employers and unions just like the one initiated by then-Chancellor Schröder six years ago.

The very next day the French daily newspaper Libération ran an article under the headline "A President Modeled on the Germans," which claimed "If you closed your eyes, you could hear Merkel speaking" during Sarkozy's speech.

During a televised interview back in early November, Sarkozy uttered almost unimaginable words for a French president: "All my efforts are directed towards adapting France to a system that works. The German system."

Speaking in Toulon, Sarkozy condemned the long-established French policy of buying economic growth by simply borrowing more. He said France could only overcome the current crisis through "work, effort and controlled spending," objectives that sounded eerily German. Fortunately the tricolor was still fluttering, and the event closed with a rendition of the Marseillaise.

In these days of crisis in Europe, the "German model" has become something of a magic formula. Like it or not, the dusty, dry Germans now seem to hold the key to European salvation. » | Spiegel Staff | Monday, December 06, 2011

US Elections 2012: Mitt Romney Launches Attack on Leader Newt Gingrich

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Mitt Romney moved to crush Newt Gingrich's challenge for the Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday, highlighting the former House Speaker's infidelity and two divorces.

In a sharp change to his campaign tactics, Mr Romney, who has tried to rise above squabbles with rivals, began alluding to Mr Gingrich's personal life to try to reverse his surge in the opinion polls.

In a television advert to be broadcast in Iowa, the socially-conservative state first to vote in the contest, Mr Romney said he had been married to his wife Ann for "42 years", to a slide show of family pictures.

"If I'm President of the United States, I will be true to my family, my faith and our country," he said.

In a speech in Washington, Mr Romney described his "42-year marriage" as one of the "defining constants in my life". He added: "My commitments are firm, and they do not falter."

Mr Gingrich divorced his first wife, Jackie, in 1980 as she was in hospital recovering from surgery to remove a tumour. She had previously suffered from cancer.

After marrying his second wife, Marianne, he had an affair with Calista Bisek, a staff member 23 years his junior, even while leading an inquiry into President Bill Clinton's liaisons with Monica Lewinsky.

He eventually married Miss Bisek in 2000 following a divorce from Marianne, who had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis eight months earlier. Read on and comment » | Jon Swaine, Washington | Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Saadi Kadhafi et sa famille ont tenté de fuir au Mexique

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Saadi Kadhafi, 38 ans, s’est réfugié en août au Niger, où il a obtenu l’asile humanitaire, après la chute de Tripoli qui a mis fin aux 42 ans du régime autoritaire de son père.

Saadi Kadhafi, fils du leader libyen déchu Mouammar Kadhafi, et sa famille ont tenté d’entrer illégalement au Mexique, a annoncé mercredi le ministre de l’Intérieur mexicain, Alejandro Poiré.

"Le 6 septembre, les services secret mexicains ont détecté un projet d’entrée illégale de Saadi Kadhafi et de sa famille (...). Le gouvernement a mis fin à ce risque et démantelé un réseau international qui prétendait les doter de fausses identités mexicaines", a expliqué M. Poiré lors d’une conférence de presse.

D’après la porte-parole du gouvernement mexicain, Alejandra Sota, également présente à cette conférence de presse, Saadi Kadhafi "est actuellement au Niger, où il est en garde à vue". » | AFP | mercredi 07 décembre 2011

Church Fury over Opening of McDonald's on Christmas Day as Muslim Manager Is Drafted In

MAIL ONLINE: 'I’m sad that we’ve got to this point in our society where something that means as much as Christmas seems to mean so little'

Church leaders have hit out at a branch of McDonald's which is to open on Christmas Day.

A Muslim branch manager has been drafted in by the fast food outlet to cover for the usual boss who is taking the day off and staff have volunteered to work that day for seven hours.

Parish Rvd Wayne Stillwell said the decision to open the branch showed 'the continuing decline of Christendom in this country' and his reaction was 'one of great sadness'.

He added: 'I’m sad that we’ve got to this point in our society where something that means as much as Christmas seems to mean so little.

'It shows the continuing decline of Christendom in our country.' » | Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Romney: Obama Has Hindered Peace in the Middle East 'Immeasurably'

THE GUARDIAN: Speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition Forum, Mitt Romney blasted the president's 'weak' handling of Israel

Mitt Romney, a leading Republican presidential contender, has called for regime change in Iran and said that the US should make clear to Tehran that it is "developing military options".

Romney made the call during a scathing attack on Barack Obama at a Republican Jewish Coalition forum of presidential candidates in which he accused the president of weak support for Israel, of appeasing America's enemies and of setting back peace in the Middle East with his fractious relationship with the Israeli leadership.

Before a hawkish, pro-Israel audience, Romney and another contender, Rick Santorum, dwelt at length on the threat posed by Iran's nuclear programme and what they characterised as Obama's weak response.

Romney called for "crippling sanctions" against Tehran and for Iran's diplomats and businessmen to be treated as pariahs.

"Ultimately regime change is necessary. We should make it very clear we are developing and have developed military options," he said.

Santorum said that on his first day in office as president he would ensure that the US and Israel are safe from Iran. But he didn't say how.

Romney launched a broad attack on Obama's foreign policy. » | Chris McGreal in Washington | Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Australian Sentenced to 500 Lashes in Saudi Arabia for Blasphemy

THE GUARDIAN: Mansor Almaribe, 45, of southern Victoria state jailed for a year for 'insulting prophet Muhammad' on Muslim pilgrimage

An Australian man has been sentenced to 500 lashes and a year in a Saudi Arabian jail after being convicted of blasphemy, according to officials.

The 45-year-old man, identified by family members as Mansor Almaribe of southern Victoria state, was detained in the holy city of Medina last month while making the Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj. Family members told Australian media that Saudi officials accused him of insulting the companions of the prophet Muhammad, a violation of Saudi Arabia's blasphemy laws. » | Associated Press | Wednesday, December 07, 2011

THE AGE: 500 lashes and jail for Aussie in Saudi Arabia: A Victorian man has been sentenced to 500 lashes and a year in jail in Saudi Arabia, with his family fearing he will not survive the punishment. » | AAP | December 07, 2011

Miss USA Rima Fakih Stopped for Drink Driving, Police Say
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Former Miss USA Rima Fakih was driving with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit when she was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in a Detroit enclave, according to police.

The report says the 26-year-old from was pulled over early Saturday going 60 mph, weaving in heavy traffic and changing lanes with a turn signal.

The report says she was driving a black 2011 Jaguar and "immediately identified herself as Miss USA." » | Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Muslim Women Not Used To Drinking Walk Free after Attack on Woman

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A gang of Somalian women who repeatedly kicked a young woman in the head walked free from court after a judge heard they were "not used to being drunk" because they were Muslim.

The four women - three sisters and their cousin - were told the charge of actual bodily harm, which carries a maximum sentence of five years, against 22-year-old care worker Rhea Page would normally land them in custody.

However, the judge handed the women suspended sentences after hearing that they were not used to alcohol because their religion does not allow it.

Miss Page said Ambaro Maxamed, 24, Ayan Maxamed, 28, and Hibo Maxamed, 24, and their 28-year-old cousin Ifrah Nur screamed "Kill the white slag" while kicking her in the head as she lay motionless on the ground.

The support worker from Leicester was left "black and blue" with bruises and needed hospital treatment following the attack which came as she walked to a taxi rank with her boyfriend.

Miss Page was left so traumatised by the attack that she lost her job due to repeated absences with stress and flashbacks.

She had been walking home with her boyfriend after a night out when the drunken women attacked her, knocking her to the ground and taking turns to kick her in the head. » | Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Attack on Rhea Page Captured on CCTV in Leicester
A gang of drunk Somalian women were filmed repeatedly kicking a young woman in the head in Leicester town centre.

Read short article here | Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Archbishop of Canterbury Says Riots Will Return Unless We Reach Out to Young

THE GUARDIAN: UK must rescue those who think they have nothing to lose or face further civil unrest, says Rowan Williams

The archbishop of Canterbury has warned that England risks a repeat of the riots that spread across England this summer unless the government and civil society do more to "rescue those who think they have nothing to lose".

Warning of "more outbreaks of futile anarchy", Rowan Williams, called for a renewed effort to reach out to alienated young people during what he described as the "unavoidable austerity ahead".

In an article for the Guardian, Williams links the disorder spread [a]cross England to the "massive economic hopelessness" and the prospect of record levels of youth unemployment.

Responding to the findings of the Guardian and London School of Economics research study, based on interviews with 270 rioters, Williams argues: "It isn't surprising if we see volatile, chaotic and rootless young people letting off their frustration in the kind of destructive frenzy we witnessed in August."

An overwhelming majority of people interviewed about their involvement in this summer's riots believe they will be repeated and one in three said they would take part in any future disorder. » | Paul Lewis, James Ball and Matthew Taylor | Monday, December 05, 2011

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Prepare for War

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have been put on a war footing amid increasing signs that the West is taking direct action to cripple Iran’s nuclear programme.

An order from Gen Mohammed Ali Jaafari, the commander of the guards, raised the operational readiness status of the country’s forces, initiating preparations for potential external strikes and covert attacks[.]

Western intelligence officials said the Islamic Republic had initiated plans to disperse long-range missiles, high explosives, artillery and guards units to key defensive positions.

The order was given in response to the mounting international pressure over Iran’s nuclear programme. Preparation for a confrontation has gathered pace following last month’s report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna that produced evidence that Iran was actively working to produce nuclear weapons.

The Iranian leadership fears the country is being subjected to a carefully co-ordinated attack by Western intelligence and security agencies to destroy key elements of its nuclear infrastructure. » | Con Coughlin | Monday, December 05, 2011

Weihnachtsbeleuchtung in der Zürcher Innenstadt (Dezember 2011)

Anders Behring Breivik's Sister Warned Mother About His Behaviour Two Years Ago

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Anders Behring Breivik's half-sister warned his mother about his erratic behaviour more than two years ago, according to the psychiatric evaluation of the self-confessed mass-killer released last week.

Elisabeth Breivik, who lives in Los Angeles, sent an email warning that the then-30-year old man was obsessed with computer games and rarely seemed to leave his mother's home.
Norwegian law authorities travelled to California this weekend to interview her for more details.

"She has been able to give us an important piece of the puzzle," Police lawyer Pål-Fredrik Hjort Kraby said on Sunday after interviewing Ms Breivik. "We don't want to give details of the interview, but we got a good result, which will be very useful in the court case."

Forensic psychiatrists Torgeir Husby and Synne Soerheim last week concluded that Mr Breivik was a paranoid schizophrenic who had been in a state of psychosis at the time that he shot 69 people, mostly teenagers, dead on the Island of Utøya, in July. If this is backed by an independent medical board, it means Mr Breivik is likely to face compulsory treatment rather than prison.

Although once close to his half-sister, Anders Breivik also seems to have seen her as an example of degraded modern humanity. Read on and comment » | Richard Orange, Malmö | Sunday, December 04, 2011

Syria: Fall of Bashar al-Assad 'Will Bring War to Middle East, Warns Iraq

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Iraq has raised renewed fears that the Middle East will be engulfed by sectarian bloodshed if Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is deposed as the country falls into civil war.

Nouri al-Maliki gave his most unequivocal support yet to the Assad regime, and even hinted that its downfall could force Iraq into an Iranian-led alliance against the Arab world's Sunni states.

"The killing or removal of President Bashar in any way will explode into an internal struggle between two groups and this will have an impact on the region," said Mr Maliki, refering to predictions of region wide conflict between Sunni Muslims and the Shia sect. "It will end with civil war and this civil war will lead to alliances in the region. Because we are a country that suffered from the civil war of a sectarian background, we fear for the future of Syria and the whole region."

Although relations with Mr Assad, once a strong supporter of Saddam despite being a member of the Alawite Shia sect, were initially strained, his regime has collaborated with Baghdad to curb militant groups linked to al-Qaeda operating along the Iraqi-Syrian border.

Many in Mr Maliki's coalition fear that if Syria's Sunni majority were to come to power, it could revitalise Sunni militants in Iraq's Anbar province who fought a long and bloody insurgency in the aftermath of the US invasion and who may harbour secessionist intentions.

Mr Maliki has refused to align Iraq with a growing Arab consensus to ostracise the Syrian regime for its repression of the uprising against Mr Assad. » | Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Sunday, December 04, 2011

Scandal-weary France to Vote on Outlawing Prostitution

THE OBSERVER: As the public mood shifts, MPs consider six-month jail term for those caught paying for sex

Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec painted them; Hugo, Balzac and Zola wrote about them; Napoleon licensed them and disgraced former presidential candidate Dominique Strauss-Kahn says he has a "horror" of them. Some even argue that they are part of France's cultural heritage. Prostitutes have been a feature of French artistic, literary and political circles – and a target for politicians – for centuries.

On Tuesday, following the New York sex scandal earlier this year that made headlines around the world and effectively ended Strauss-Kahn's hopes of becoming the next French president, MPs will discuss a bill that would make prostitution a crime punishable by six months in prison. Anyone caught buying sex would face a €3,000 (£2,600) fine.

Since the end of the second world war [sic] prostitution in France has been considered a matter of private choice and is not illegal. However, the government has become increasingly abolitionist and the public mood may be hardening following the Strauss-Kahn debacle. A series of unsavoury revelations regarding a high-end prostitution ring based at a luxury hotel in the northern city of Lille will also be in MPs' minds as they vote on the bill. » | Kim Willsher | Sunday, December 04, 2011

Aboud al-Zumour, Islamic Jihad Mastermind of Sadat's Murder, Comes in from the Cold after Egypt Election

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The young protesters who toppled President Mubarak wanted freedom, but instead they are getting Islamic radicals who want to introduce a strict new moral regime.

Aboud al-Zumour is one Egyptian prisoner over whose long incarceration by the Mubarak regime few human rights groups or American diplomats shed a tear.

Convicted of masterminding the assassination of the late President Anwar Sadat, he was a close friend of Ayman Zawahiri, the man now leading al-Qaeda. He still speaks with admiration of his former cell-mate, who he says is a "very kind and nice man".

He backs "resistance" against the "occupiers" in the Middle East - America and Israel. In his ideal Egypt, the sale of alcohol would be banned, beaches would be segregated and thieves would have their hands cut off - though, he says "it would not happen because no-one would steal".

Until last week Islamists like him were at the radical fringe, but the first results from last week's election have shown a staggering success for Islamist parties like Mr Zumour's.

Anxious liberal candidates are so worried the hardliners are now heading for a landslide that they are now making desperate appeals to Egyptians to support them in the next two rounds of voting.

Only about eight million votes have been cast so far, and the final result will not emerge for several weeks.

What has been counted so far amounts to a crushing blow for the middle-class revolutionaries, both Christians and Muslims, who filled Tahir [sic] Square in January and February to force former president Hosni Mubarak from power.

They wanted more freedom, yet are now faced with the prospect of newly-confident Islamist parliamentarians determined to enforce Sharia, ban alcohol, and banish many of the rights Egyptian women take for granted.

The cause of their fear is men like Mr Zumour, no longer just another militant but one of a string of Islamist radicals once banned and jailed who have thrown themselves into electoral politics. » | Richard Spencer, Cairo | Saturday, December 03, 2011

Political Islam Poised to Dominate the New World Bequeathed by Arab Spring

THE GUARDIAN: The Muslim Brotherhood's success in the first round of Egypt's elections has added to western fears of an Islamist future for the Middle East. But this does not necessarily mean that democracy and liberal policies face extinction

Among the potent symbols of the Arab spring is one that has been less photographed and remarked on than the vast gatherings in Tahrir Square. It has been the relocation of the offices of the Muslim Brotherhood, the once banned party, now set to take the largest share of seats in Egypt's new parliament.

Before May this year they were to be found in shabby rooms in an unremarkable apartment block on Cairo's Gezira Island, situated behind an unmarked door. These days the Brotherhood is to be found in gleaming new accommodation in the Muqatam neighbourhood, in a dedicated building prominently bearing the movement's logo in Arabic and English.

Welcome to the age of "political Islam", which may prove to be one of the most lasting legacies of the Arab spring. It is not only in Egypt that an unprecedented Islamist political moment is playing out. In the recent Tunisian elections the moderate Islamist Ennahda party was the biggest winner, while Morocco has elected its first Islamist prime minister, Abdelilah Benkirane.

In Yemen and Libya, too, it seems likely that political Islam will define the shape of the new landscape.

None of which should be at all surprising. Indeed, if elections in Egypt and Tunisia had been held at any other time in the past two decades, the same result would almost certainly have ensued, reflecting both the levels of organisation of Ennahda and the Brotherhood and the countries' cultural, economic and social dynamics.

"It was a change that was supposed to happen a long time ago," says Omar Ashour, who lectures on the subject of political Islam at Exeter University and is currently in Cairo.

So what, precisely, does the rise of electoral Islamist politics mean for the Middle East and North Africa? » | Peter Beaumont, foreign affairs editor | Saturday, December 03, 2011

It's amazing that journalists keep on talking about "political Islam". There is no such thing as a-political or non-political Islam. Islam is nothing if not political. There is no separation of mosque and state; in Islam, religion and politics are inseparable. So why newspapers go on about "political Islam" all the time for, I do not know. – © Mark

Snow Set to Hit Britain
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Forecasters have warned people to take extra care on journeys as snow is expected in parts of the UK today.

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for Strathclyde, the Highlands, western isles, Tayside, Fife and central Scotland.

They warn of increasingly wintry showers throughout this afternoon into tomorrow.

Up to 15cm of snow could fall on high ground, with 1-3cm of snow on low level inland areas, while ice is likely to form on untreated surfaces, the Met Office website said.

Parts of England and Wales are also likely to see wintry weather with snow forecast on high ground in north Wales and northern England. » | Sunday, December 04, 2011

THE OBSERVER: In Klosters, three weeks before Christmas, only one thing is missing – snow: One of the favoured haunts of Britain's rich and famous is suffering, like the rest of the Alps, from mild weather. And with a strong Swiss franc, the cost of winter sports is soaring » | Jamie Doward in Klosters | Sunday, December 04, 2011

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

Police Investigate Links between Neo-Nazi Group and Far-right Party
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Police in Germany are investigating links between a neo-Nazi group that murdered nine Turkish and Greek immigrants, and a far-right party with representatives in two state assemblies.

Germany has more than 400 police and prosecutors looking into how the "National Socialist Underground" could have stayed undetected until last month, when two members were found dead in a burnt-out mobile home and a third handed herself in to police.

The head of Germany's crime squad, Joerg Ziercke, said the arrest this week of a 35-year-old man in Jena in east Germany where the cell was based indicated a link to the anti-immigrant National Democratic Party (NPD). » | Thursday, December 01, 2011

Frankreich: Schärfere Ausländerpolitik
Nicolas Sarkozy will die Zahl der legalen Einwanderer reduzieren. Möglicherweise ist das eine Taktik, um bei den Präsidentschaftswahlen im Frühling die Rechtsaussen-Partei «Front National» auszubremsen.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn: 'Uninhibited Sex Life' Ruined My Career

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dominique Strauss-Kahn has laid bare his despair at how his “weak flesh” ruined his political career for a "stupid" moment of “pleasure” with an hotel maid, in an official biography released Thursday.

Providing his first public account of what took place in his New York hotel suite on May 14, the former International Monetary Fund chief is quoted as saying: “Nothing would have happened if I hadn’t had this consensual, but stupid relationship with Nafissatou Diallo. That day, I opened the door to all the other affairs.”

The ensuing sex scandal cost the 62-year old his job and his chance of being the next French president. Beforehand, he was runaway favourite to beat the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy.

In his only previous media interview since returning to France after sexual assault charges were dropped, Mr Strauss-Kahn had only acknowledged committing a “moral fault”.

But in The DSK Affairs: the Counter Investigation, the 62-year old expresses remorse at how he threw it all away for a moment of “pleasure” in Sofitel suite 2806.

“I could have been in a position to be president,” he is quoted as saying. “Now, I’m no longer in that position.” » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, December 01, 2011

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