Desperate British Students ‘Turning to Prostitution,’ Sex Workers' Group Says

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Desperate British students, faced with rising costs on the back of government austerity measures, are turning to prostitution, gambling and other dangerous pursuits to fund their studies, support workers and student leaders said on Wednesday.

The English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP), a welfare body for sex workers, said it estimated the number of people approaching it for help had doubled in the last year as students struggled to make ends meet.

“(The government) know the cuts and the austerity programs and the removing of grants, they know when they remove those resources they know it drives women further into poverty,” Sarah Walker from the ECP told Reuters.

“The way that women survive poverty is often through sex work. The government knows that and they don’t seem to care frankly.”

Young people have been the hardest hit by economic slowdown with youth unemployment now accounting for 1.03 million of the 2.64 unemployed, the highest level since 1992. » | Michael Holden | London | Reuters | Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Canada Declares ‘Voluntary Evacuation’ from Syria

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: The federal government has delivered a stark warning to roughly 5,000 Canadian citizens in Syria to get out now, hinting the embassy in Damascus won’t be there much longer to help them.

“The time to leave Syria is now,” Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Thursday.

Mr. Baird has warned Canadians in Syria to leave since October. But escalating violence in Syria, combined with sanctions that have reduced the number of flights out of the country, have sparked Ottawa to declare a “voluntary evacuation” from the country. Mr. Baird urged Canadians to get travel documents and book a flight.

Federal officials said they estimate there are roughly 5,000 Canadian citizens in Syria, though only 1,512 have registered with the embassy in Damascus.

Most are believed to be dual citizens who live in Syria, federal officials said. But the complication is that their families are not always all Canadian citizens, and they may require visas to come to Canada. » | Campbell Clark | Ottawa | Thursday, December 15, 2011

Aliaa's Nudity: A Different Form of Protest
ALMASRY ALYOUM (‘EGYPT TODAY’): How many Egyptians have appreciated the message behind Aliaa Magda Al Mahdy's naked photo? We only know that few have actually expressed admiration or support, and they did so by posting words of encouragement on her blog, her Facebook page and on Twitter, leaving the pages of printed media to reactions that ranged from the lack of sympathy to outrage. Her boyfriend Karim Amer — though he has nothing to do with the photo — was not spared.

The issue today seems to belong to the past, but we are reminded of Aliaa's action by scattered allusions in the press to the legal charges filed against her: spreading vice, encouraging lewdness and license, and contempt for religion. We are also reminded from material circulating on the net showing a girl resembling her being attacked in Tahrir or slaughtered — supposedly by Islamic fundamentalists.

More now than ever before, Egyptians from all walks of life are talking about liberty. The chants for freedom have united the revolting masses beyond — and regardless of — ideological affiliation. But why has the call for a freer society limited itself to the political sphere: liberties stated in the constitution, parliamentary elections, management of state institutions and — to a lesser extent — media freedoms? Can one espouse democracy as a political system without extending its logic to gender relations, sexuality and issues of personal privacy?

Most important, why have the self-proclaimed "liberals" forsaken Aliaa and exerted all their efforts to excommunicate her from their liberal ideal? Most of those who reiterate the slogans of freedom and democracy have politely denounced Aliaa's move, but not from the point of view of rejecting permissiveness and debauchery — for that would equate them with the same forces "of darkness" against which they have come to define their raison d'être.

Instead of discussing Aliaa’s fundamental right to undress as she pleases, post whatever she likes on her blog — in short to exercise freedom of thought and expression and do what she sees fit as long as she doesn't directly harm anyone — those who tend to view themselves as being opposed to all forms of oppression have nevertheless abstained from uncompromising support for Aliaa's freedom of expression. Instead, they slammed her from the point of view of aesthetics, depth, timing and "cultural sensitivity.

Instead of supporting her, they pitied her; they made statements about her "confused" state of mind, and the fact that she is one year below the age of legal adulthood. The sympathy they expressed is that which one feels for a human being who is "messing up her life" (as some noted worriedly), and who is naïve and unaware of the consequences of her act, that she is not aware of the risks (i.e. getting killed by the forces of evil: the Salafis). Underneath this patronizing tone, there’s a reluctance to either support Aliaa's courageous venture or attack it as immoral. » | Rime Naguib | Sunday, December 11, 2011

Related »

Printemps arabe, hiver islamiste? les leçons des premières élections libres en Tunisie, au Maroc et en Egypte
FRANCE SOIR: Selon une idée en vogue, le “printemps arabe” aurait consacré la “démocratie musulmane” et devrait balayer à la fois les tyrans corrompus et les terroristes islamistes, dont la violence ne serait qu’une “réaction” aux dictatures militaires. Or cette vision qui présente les "révolutions arabes" comme un bloc unique et idyllique est selon nous fausse. Car ce “printemps arabe”, initié par des jeunes libéraux épris de liberté, de dignité et de laïcité, a vite débouché sur un “hiver islamiste”. » | lundi 12 décembre 2011

Obama to Approve Indefinite Detention and Torture of Americans
RUSSIA TODAY: Less than a month after he threatened to veto terrifying legislation that would cease constitutional rights as we know it, Obama has revoked his warning and plans to authorize a bill allowing indefinite detention and torture of Americans.

After passing in the House of Representatives earlier this year, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 went before the US Senate last week, where it was met with overwhelming approval. In the days before, the Obama administration issued a policy statement on November 17 saying explicitly that the president would veto the bill, as it would challenge “the president’s critical authorities to collect intelligence incapacitate dangerous terrorists and protect the nation.”

Opposition from the White House seemed all but rampant until RT revealed earlier this week that Senator Carl Levin told lawmakers that the legislation was altered because “the administration asked us to remove the language which says that US citizens and lawful residents would not be subject to this section.”

On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that those last minute changes yielded legislation that would “not challenge the president’s ability to collect intelligence, incapacitate dangerous terrorists and protect the American people,” and therefore “the president’s senior advisers will not recommend a veto.” » | Thursday, December 15, 2011


RUSSIA TODAY: Obama insists on indefinite detention of Americans » | Monday, December 12, 2011


RUSSIA TODAY: Indefinite detention: 'Architecture of fascist state': Terror suspects in America could be held in prison indefinitely – without charge or trial. The military will be able to take custody of alleged terrorists virtually without question. Critics say this would be a stark violation of human rights. » | Paul J. Richards / AFP | Thursday, December 15, 2011

Syrien schlittert in den Bürgerkrieg
Rebellen und Soldaten liefern sich erneut Gefechte
NZZ ONLINE: In Syrien ist es erneut zu einem Gemetzel zwischen Deserteuren und Regierungssoldaten gekommen. Dabei wurden acht Soldaten getötet. Zuvor hatten Asads Truppen fünf Zivilpersonen getötet.

In Syrien haben Rebellen am Mittwoch bei einem Angriff auf einen Konvoi von Regierungstruppen acht Soldaten getötet. Nur wenige Stunden zuvor hatten syrische Regierungssoldaten laut Menschenrechtsaktivisten auf ein Auto geschossen und dabei fünf Zivilpersonen getötet. » | ddp | Mittwoch 14. Dezember 2011

Whistleblower in Court: US Determined to Punish Bradley Manning

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: For some, Bradley Manning is a hero. Others feel that the US soldier, who is accused of providing secret documents to WikiLeaks, is a traitor and a threat to American security. The military proceedings against him, which begin Friday, are likely to end in a guilty verdict.

Daniel Ellsberg knows a few things about heroes. In fact, many Americans see him as a hero. When he was working for a key think tank associated with the United States military, Ellsberg photocopied the so-called Pentagon Papers, 7,000 pages of top secret analysis and documents that revealed that American politicians knew all too well how hopeless the situation in Vietnam was. When the New York Times published the secret documents in 1971, it opened the eyes of Ellsberg's fellow Americans once and for all to the details of a disastrous war.

But when Ellsberg, now 80 and white-haired but still energetic, talks about heroes, he is no longer thinking about the past. Today he says that Bradley Manning, the presumed source of the classified documents about American military officials and diplomats published by WikiLeaks last year, is "unreservedly a hero." There are so many things Manning's actions uncovered, says Ellsberg, as he begins to rattle them off. Could the Arab Spring have materialized without the WikiLeaks reports on the corruption of Arab potentates? And would anyone have been talking about war crimes committed by American soldiers in Iraq without the documents on detainee abuse?

Ellsberg is convinced that like him, Private Manning, who was only 22 at the time, wrote history and, just as in Ellsberg's case, the powerful are now intent on punishing Manning for what he did. Former US President Richard Nixon once threatened to throw Ellsberg into prison. But to the country's highest courts, the truth was more important than government secrecy, and Ellsberg and the Times emerged unscathed. The man who had exposed the government's secrets about Vietnam became the prototype of the whistleblower. Facing Life in Prison » | Marcel Rosenbach and Gregor Peter Schmitz | Thursday, December 15, 2011

Israel: Jüdische Extremisten setzen Moschee in Brand

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Gewalt rechtsgerichteter Israelis eskaliert: In Jerusalem legten sie Feuer in einer Moschee und sprühten islamfeindliche Slogans auf die Wände. Einer davon lautet: "Mohammed ist ein Schwein."

Jerusalem - Mutmaßliche jüdische Extremisten haben in Jerusalem eine leerstehende Moschee in Brand gesetzt. Polizeisprecher Mickey Rosenfeld sagte am Mittwoch, in einem Raum sei in der Nacht Feuer gelegt worden. Die Täter hätten auch Slogans in hebräischer Sprache an die Wand geschmiert. Die Moschee im westlichen Teil der Stadt sei zuletzt nicht in Gebrauch gewesen. Die Polizei fahndet nun nach den Tätern.

Einer der Slogans an der Wand lautete "Preisschild". Rechtsextreme jüdische Aktivisten verwenden diesen Ausdruck, wenn sie sich für Einsätze der israelischen Regierung gegen nicht genehmigte Siedler-Außenposten im Westjordanland rächen. "Mohammed ist ein Schwein", lautete eine weitere Inschrift, daneben ein Davidstern. "Ein guter Araber ist ein toter Araber", hieß es zudem. » | hen/dpa | Mittwoch 14. Dezember 2011

Netanyahu Backs Law to Ban Loudspeakers at Mosques across Israel

THE INDEPENDENT: Cabinet split over Bill that would prevent Muslims from being called to prayer

A highly contentious Bill which threatens to inflame Arab religious and ethnic sensitivities in Israel by clamping down on mosques using loudspeakers for the call to prayer has split the Cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Netanyahu expressed sympathy this week for the principle behind the Bill, promoted by Anastasia Michaeli, a Knesset member in the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party led by the Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman.

Ms Michaeli's so-called muezzin Bill would actually ban the use of such loudspeakers in any place of worship, but is clearly directed at mosques used by Israel's mainly Muslim million-plus Arab minority. She has said the Bill comes from "a world view whereby freedom of religion should not be a factor in undermining quality of life".

The Bill is believed to be the first attempt to impose change on calls to worship from mosques since the formation of the state of Israel in 1948. This week, Mr Netanyahu postponed discussion of the measure in the key ministerial committee on legislation after it ran into stiff opposition from three prominent ministers in his own Likud Party: Dan Meridor, a Deputy Prime Minister, Michael Eitan, and Limor Livnat. All three argued that it would unnecessarily escalate tensions.

But Mr Netanyahu made it clear that he wanted the issue addressed, saying in reference to curbs in Belgium and France, where officials have imposed bans on street prayer, that "there is no need to be more liberal than Europe".

The Bill, or a version of it, may be put before the ministerial committee next week. » | Donald MacIntyre, Jerusalem | Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Rachida Dati Accuses French PM of Sexism and Elitism

THE GUARDIAN: In open letter to Le Monde former French minister launches scathing attack on political colleague François Fillon

She was Nicolas Sarkozy's pin-up for diversity, the first Muslim woman with north African parents to hold a major French government post. But Rachida Dati has now turned on her own party elite with such ferocity that some have suggested she should be expelled from the president's ruling party.

Dati launched a blistering attack on the prime minister, François Fillon, under whom she served as justice minister, accusing him of sexism, elitism, arrogance and hindering the political advancement of ethnic minorities.

The row started over who will run for parliament in a wealthy rightwing constituency on the left bank in Paris, a safe seat for Sarkozy's ruling UMP. Dati is already a local mayor in the neighbourhood, a job felt to have been handed to her on a plate when she was a Sarkozy favourite. She has since fallen from grace, and when she left government she took a European parliament seat, considered a consolation prize.

She now wants to be a Paris MP. But Fillon wants the same Paris seat when he steps down, after next year's election. Both have their eye on the main prize: running for Paris mayor in 2014.

For months, Dati warned she would refuse to stand aside. Now she has stunned the political class with an open letter to Fillon in Le Monde, a scathing character assassination accusing him of the "lone ambition" of a disillusioned political elite, of doing politics in a way that "never favoured women" and stopping ethnic-minority candidates from progressing at elections. She said he was committing "a sad mistake" in trying to run in Paris. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris | Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Aïcha Kadhafi veut une enquête internationale sur la mort de son père

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: La fille du leader libyen Mouammar Kadhafi a envoyé une lettre au procureur de la Cour pénale internationale (CPI) afin de l'inciter à ouvrir une enquête sur la mort de son père et de son frère Mouatassim.

Un avocat d'Aïcha Kadhafi, fille du défunt leader Mouammar Kadhafi, a indiqué mercredi avoir envoyé une lettre au procureur de la Cour pénale internationale (CPI), sa cliente souhaitant savoir s'il enquête sur la mort de son père et de son frère Mouatassim.

"Aïcha veut savoir si le procureur Luis Moreno-Ocampo enquête sur ces meurtres, et si ce n'est pas le cas, pourquoi il ne le fait pas", a déclaré Nick Kaufman, avocat de la fille de M. Kadhafi.

Mouammar Kadhafi, tout comme son fils Mouatassim, avait été tué le 20 octobre à Syrte par des rebelles libyens après avoir été capturés.

"D'après les informations à ma disposition, Mouammar Kadhafi et Mouatassim Kadhafi ont été capturés vivants à un moment où ils ne représentaient une menace pour personne", a soutenu l'avocat dans une lettre adressée au procureur.

"Ils ont donc été assassinés de la plus horrible des manières et leurs corps ont été montrés et abusés de manière grotesque", a-t-il poursuivi, parlant de "meurtres brutaux". » | AFP | jeudi 15 décembre 2011

Fashion Model Tells Court How Mega-rich Saudi Prince 'Raped Her on Yacht in Ibiza'

MAIL ONLINE: Fashion model tells court how mega-rich Saudi Prince 'raped her on yacht in Ibiza' • 23-year-old woman repeated claim she was drugged and attacked by prince three years ago • He insists he was in France at the time

A fashion model who claimed she was raped by a wealthy Saudi Prince has given a fresh testimony after prosecutors said some details needed to be clarified.

The 23-year-old woman, who arrived at court in Ibiza yesterday wearing a black hat and dark sunglasses, repeated her accusation against the prince, despite what her lawyer called 'tough questioning'.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, 56 - one of the world's richest men with an estimated fortune of £12.3billion - is accused of raping the model in Ibiza three years ago.

The alleged victim claims she was lured on to the 384ft yacht Turama after her drink was spiked in a nightclub on the island. » | Emma Reynolds | Thursday, December 15, 2011

Bye, Bye England? SNP Plans Closer Scandinavian Ties after Independence
THE INDEPENDENT: Document reveals government wants to turn away from London if it wins referendum

An independent Scotland would shift much of its attention away from the UK to become a member of the Scandinavian circle of countries, with its own army, navy and air force modelled on its Nordic neighbours, according to detailed plans being drawn up by the SNP.

Senior SNP strategists are compiling a "prospectus for independence" which they hope to use to sell the idea of separation to Scots ahead of the referendum in 2014 or 2015.

The document is not due to be published in full for another year but SNP insiders have disclosed key extracts.

They reveal that SNP leaders want an independent Scotland to look north and east in Europe for partnerships, trade and key defence relationships, rather than continuing to focus on western Europe and the Commonwealth, as the UK does now.

Senior Nationalists, including Alex Salmond, have made several trips to Scandinavia over the last couple of years, meeting ministers and officials in an attempt to pave the way for greater co-operation if Scotland becomes independent, particularly on energy. Indeed, initial plans have already been drawn up for an electricity super-grid between Scotland and Norway.

SNP strategists insist that Scotland would continue to be extremely close to the rest of the UK, which would remain its biggest trading partner, but they also believe that Scotland has more in common with its Scandinavian neighbours than the UK does and they are keen to take this relationship to a new level. » | Hamish MacDonnell | Monday, December 05, 2011

EU 26 Fight to Stop Pact Unravelling
THE INDEPENDENT: Several non-eurozone nations having doubts about 'fiscal compact', while Sarkozy inflames divisions with attack on 'kid' Cameron

Hopes of an early end to the eurozone's troubles were fading yesterday as Nicolas Sarkozy launched a personal attack on David Cameron amid growing signs that last week's agreement struck by the other 26 European Union countries without Britain is fraying at the edges.


Blaming the Prime Minister for the collapse of the Brussels summit, the French President told his MPs: "Cameron behaved like a stubborn kid, with only one objective: protecting the City [of London], which wants to carry on behaving like an off-shore tax haven. No other country supported him, which is what you call a clear political defeat." » | Andrew Grice, John Lichfield, Ben Chu | Thursday, December 15, 2011

Death Penalty Declines in US as Disapproval Grows
THE GUARDIAN: Opposition to capital punishment reaches record levels as numbers of executions and new death sentences continue to fall

Mounting opposition to the death penalty in America is starting to take effect, with the number of executions as well as newly imposed death sentences falling to record low levels in 2011.

As the year draws to a close, the annual review by the authoritative Death Penalty Information Centre points to an ongoing withering of the practice of judicial killings in the US [pdf]. The reduction in executions is matched by the rise in public disapproval of the sentence.

There were 43 executions this year, down from 46 last year and 85 in 2000. Some 78 prisoners were added to the population of death rows – the first time since the death penalty was reintroduced in 1976 that new sentences have dropped below the 100 mark. Last year 112 people were sentenced to death, and 224 in 2000.

"The multitude of problems associated with the death penalty is gradually convincing Americans that it can no longer be sustained," concludes Richard Dieter, the director of the information centre.

While the application of the death penalty fell, America's tolerance of it also declined. The highlight of the year was the execution of Troy Davis in Georgia in September that saw an outpouring of disgust and outrage at an intensity rarely seen within the country. » Ed Pilkington, New York | Thursday, December 15, 2011

Bashar al-Assad: 'There Was No Command to Kill'
Barbara Walters discusses brutal crackdown of protests with Syria's president.

Jacques Chirac Found Guilty of Corruption

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A French court has found former President Jacques Chirac guilty of embezzling public funds and other charges in a trial over illegal financing of the conservative party he long led.

The first former French head of state to face prosecution since the World War II era has now been found responsible for crimes.He was given a 2-year suspended prison sentence in corruption trial[.]

But Mr Chirac, who is 79 years old, did not take part in the trial after doctors determined that he suffers severe memory lapses.

The court said Thursday it had found Mr Chirac guilty in two related cases involving fake jobs created at the party he led during his 1977-1995 tenure as Paris mayor. Mr Chirac has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

It said the former president diverted city money to benefit his political party and reward supporters, the court ruled today.

In theory, Mr Chirac could have been sent to jail for 10 years, the maximum sentence for the charges against him. » | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Thursday, December 15, 2011

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Chirac, un lion qui ne rugit plus : PORTRAIT | Sur la scène politique française depuis plus de 40 ans et à la tête du pays pendant 12 ans, Jacques Chirac est une bête politique incontournable, mais actuellement sur le déclin, en raison d'une maladie neurologique. » | AFP | jeudi 15 décembre 2011

Three Swiss Men Charged in Libya Nuclear Weapons Case
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Three Swiss men face up to 10 years in prison for involvement in illegal sales of nuclear weapons systems to Col Muammar Gaddafi's Libyan regime.

Swiss prosecutors said Friedrich Tinner and his sons Marco and Urs had pleaded guilty of supplying nuclear equipment through the network of AQ Khan, the Pakistani scientist who sold uranium enrichment to Muslim states. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Photo Gallery: The Advance of the Salafists
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Democracy is coming to Egypt. But the results may not be to the West's liking. In addition to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafist party al-Nour also has significant support. They would like to see a return to the world of the Prophet Muhammad.

To the gallery » | Wednesday, December 14, 2011
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Egypt Faces a Hardline Islamic Future: The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood led the way in the first round of parliamentary voting in Egypt. Second place went to the even more hardline Salafist party al-Nour. The group would like to see the introduction of an ultra-conservative brand of Sharia -- and a ban on bikinis. » | Daniel Steinvorth | Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Romney: Gingrich an "Unreliable" Conservative

CBS NEWS: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is escalating his attacks against Newt Gingrich's conservative credentials, attempting to sow doubt among GOP voters about the current frontrunner.

Romney's campaign released a web video on Wednesday called "Newt and Nancy," which focuses on the 2008 ad that Gingrich made with Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi to promote former Vice President Al Gore's climate change initiative. There are few liberal leaders or issues that conservatives like less than Pelosi or the fight against global warming.

"With friends like Newt, who needs The Left?" the video asks.

Romney also attacked Gingrich for making the ad interview with the Washington Post.

"Let's look at the record," he said. "When Republicans were fighting for cap and trade and needed a leader to stand up against cap and trade, he did an ad with Nancy Pelosi about global warming." » | Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Saudi Arabia Executes Woman Convicted of 'Sorcery'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi authorities have executed a woman convicted of practicing magic and sorcery.

The Saudi Interior Ministry says in a statement the execution took place on Monday, but gave no details on the woman's crime.

The London-based al-Hayat daily, however, quoted Abdullah al-Mohsen, chief of the religious police who arrested the woman, as saying she had tricked people into thinking she could treat illnesses, charging them $800 per session.

The paper said a female investigator followed up, and the woman was arrested in April, 2009, and later convicted in a Saudi court.

It did not give the woman's name, but said she was in her 60s.

The beheading took to 73 the number of executions in Saudi Arabia this year. » | Monday, December 12, 2011

Coalition at Odds as Nick Clegg Snubs David Cameron
Nick Clegg has laid bare the Coalition’s rift over Europe by refusing to even attend Parliament as David Cameron briefed MPs about his decision to reject the new European treaty.

Read article here | James Kirkup, Deputy Political Editor | Monday, December 12, 2011

The Political and Personal Failings of David Cameron
THE OBSERVER – EDITORIAL: The prime minister's catastrophic performance has left Britain isolated and impotent

Show some bulldog spirit in Brussels, urged one Eurosceptic Tory MP at prime minister's questions last Wednesday. "I will," replied David Cameron. He knew already from his diplomats that nobody at last week's historic summit was likely to offer him the opt-out for financial services regulation that he needed in order to be able to steer new EU legislation aimed at easing the eurozone crisis through the Commons. Without some figleaf that allowed him to claim triumph over the "technocrats", he felt he had no option but to exercise the veto. The alternative would have been a referendum on our relationship with Europe, which in turn would have spelled the collapse of the coalition, and an election before the key constituency boundary changes had been made – and against a background of rising unemployment and painful spending cuts.

The party interest was clear. Faced with a choice between doing the right thing for Britain and Europe – supporting the best designed policy possible within the best possible framework to save the euro – and the right thing for his party, the prime minister unhesitatingly plumped for the soft option. He could expect the first round of newspaper headlines to echo the inane call to show bulldog spirit and they duly delivered. Britain stands alone, they proclaimed. In an increasingly globalised, connected and mobile world, being alone, on an island, is suddenly a good place to be. "No man is an island," John Donne wrote. Try telling that to the rump of Conservative MPs who steered Cameron towards this lonely place.

But what was Britain standing alone against. Why [What] did it show its bulldog spirit for? The list of demands to protect Britain's financial services industry from the Brussels "diktat" was phony. A financial transactions tax can only be levied by unanimity, so there was no threat to British interests. There was no EU proposal to limit the amount of bank capital requirements, as has been claimed in justification for the veto, which might have prevented the implantation of the Vickers proposals, which, in any case, Downing Street has been dragging its feet over.

The rest of the British demands – trying to limit second order regulatory proposals in financial services at some time in the future – were trivial. Our financial services industry employs around a million people; probably 10,000 to 20,000 of them might have been affected by possible EU regulatory proposals over the next 10 years – and those largely confined to hedge funds and trading desks of investment banks. This is a tiny interest to be heralded as a major national priority, one for which our relations with Europe are now jeopardised.

Cameron used the nuclear weapon of a treaty veto to combat a non[-]existent threat. The bulldog bared its teeth and Europe turned its back in disdain. They shrugged and got to work. A toothless bulldog has roared off into the wilderness – powerless, isolated, pointless. This must be one of the most reckless positions any British government has adopted in an international forum in recent history. » | Editorial | Sunday, December 11, 2011

'As an Act of Crass Stupidity, This Has Rarely Been Equalled'
THE OBSERVER: David Cameron has made a crucial misjudgment, simply to appease the City and his own jingoistic rightwingers

The Tories are one of the world's most enduring political parties. But this long life is built on its cultural attractiveness to parts of the English middle class, especially in the home counties, rather than on its political judgments, which have, over the centuries, been almost continuously wrong, especially in foreign policy.

It was wrong to resist revolutions in France and the US; wrong to go slow over abolishing the slave trade; wrong to champion the Corn Laws; wrong to embrace appeasement in the 1930s; wrong to contest the decolonisation of India. The British right's instincts – jingoistic, imperialistic, anti-progressive and isolationist – have consistently led this country into calamities. Today, once again, the Conservative right, indulging its atavistic instincts and egged on by a no less atavistic right-of-centre press, is landing the country in the soup. » | Will Hutton | Sunday, December 11, 2011

There's Little Point in Britain Staying in the EU Now – Bill Cash Has Won

THE GUARDIAN: All key European decisions are now out of our hands. The Tory Eurosceptics have won their once-lonely battle

The massive slump in imports into the UK announced on Friday is in many ways more important than Bill Cash's victory in Brussels. The voice we are hearing is that of David Cameron, but the script has been written by Bill Cash. His long (and initially lonely) campaign to reduce Britain's place and influence in Europe is now gathering speed. There is now little point in Britain being in the EU as all the key decisions will be taken by the 17 eurozone nations, plus the six which want to join the euro. Denmark keeps its currency but the Danish opt-out is purely nominal as the Danish crown follows the ECB policy in all regards and Danish exports are based on quality of goods, not a devalued currency.

Economic analysts are urging caution on the better trade figures announced today. The main news is the massive slump in imports as British demand shrinks thanks to the drop in consumption brought about by government policies. Britain is not spending and banks are not lending, so it is little wonder that fewer goods are coming into the UK. In that sense Britain is part of the generalised crisis of the EU economic zone. Tories and the rightwing press have sought to paint the EU as the source of the UK's economic troubles. It would be more accurate to report that weak, near-recession UK economic policy is doing serial damage to the rest of Europe, which no longer find buyers for their goods and services in Britain.

Bloomberg Business News has noted that manufacturing shrank "at the fastest pace in two and a half years in November". So much for rebalancing. And David Cameron, whose family wealth comes from the City, showed that in Brussels he would prefer to leave Britain isolated rather than negotiate a deal with the rest of Europe for a new treaty that began to move Europe away from the era of unchallenged, unregulated finance capitalism that brought about the crash of 2008, and provoked the subsequent recession. » | Denis MacShane | Saturday, December 10, 2011

Now It's Three-speed Europe. And We're Left on the Hard Shoulder

THE OBSERVER: This abject defeat for British diplomacy is the more striking because Mr Cameron's demands were quite modest

Veto is a powerful word. It sounds presidential. It smacks of decisiveness. It rings with defiance. So in every interview he has given since the Brussels summit, David Cameron has boasted of wielding "the veto". For a day or two, it might just gull the more simple-minded Eurosceptics in his party that their prime minister did something tremendously strong when he left himself and his country in a minority of one.

Yet in all the dictionaries that I am familiar with, "to veto" is to prevent something from happening. While it is technically true that he "vetoed" an EU-wide treaty, the prime minister did not actually stop anything meaningful at all. The only thing he has blocked is British influence over negotiations vital to this country's future.

The rest of the European Union simply shrugged at his "veto" and will now proceed to try to fashion a new regime for the eurozone without a British voice in the room. The prime minister's agenda is left in shreds. He did not get the protocol he wanted to exempt the UK from European regulation of financial services and Britain's exclusion from the negotiations means that he is now even less likely to secure one in the future. He may get a hero's welcome from some of the Tory Eurosceptics who are exulting in Britain's isolation and celebrating this as the most magnificent performance since Margaret Thatcher wielded the handbag. But that is likely to prove to be very short-lived. They forget that Mrs T never made the mistake of leaving an empty chair where Britain ought to be sitting. Once their initial euphoria has worn off, Tory sceptics will discover that this outcome does not advance their ambition to repatriate powers from Brussels – it has made it even harder to achieve.

This abject defeat for British diplomacy, arguably the worst reverse in many decades, is the more striking because what he sought in Brussels was not that extravagant. He did not go to the summit – as some of the frothier sceptics in his party had been demanding – seeking the immediate and unconditional return of a fistful of powers. He argued merely to be allowed to hold on to some rights that Britain already has. The British demands were – at least from a British perspective – really very modest. One cabinet minister describes them as not much more than "a fig leaf" so that the prime minister wouldn't be left naked before his Eurosceptic backbenchers. » | Andrew Rawnsley | Sunday, December 11, 2011

Paddy Ashdown: We Have Tipped 38 Years of Foreign Policy Down the Drain
THE GUARDIAN: David Cameron has isolated us in Europe and diminished us in Washington's eyes

When Hugh Gaitskell sat down after making his "end of a thousand years of history" speech against joining Europe at the Labour conference of 1962, he turned to his wife and said: "Look how many are clapping, dear!" She replied: "Yes, dear. But it's the wrong people who are clapping."

This weekend, it's the Eurosceptics who are clapping. Many British newspapers are clapping Mr Cameron for "standing up for Britain" – at last. French ones are clapping M Sarkozy for sticking it up "la perfide Albion" – at last. Those who see Britain as Norway without the oil or Switzerland with nuclear weapons are clapping. But those of us who believe our island's greatness has been about taking the risks of engagement rather than the false security of isolation, feel bereft, sad and depressed.

It wasn't because Mr Cameron's demands were immodest that we are here: they had been negotiated down within the coalition to very little indeed (and preceded by dozens of smoothing European calls from Nick Clegg). Almost nothing was unique for Britain except the right to have stronger regulation for the City.

Mr Cameron's "asks" were rejected, not because they were too great – but because it was he who made them. No other British prime minister of recent years would have had difficulty getting this package through. This was Gallic pay-back time for all that unwise Cameron lecturing – and sometimes worse – from the sidelines these last months. I suspect that if he had asked for a cup of tea, Sarkozy would not have lost the opportunity to refuse it. Not a statesmanlike reaction from Sarkozy to be sure; but a human one.

Beneath the tragedy of last Thursday night, lies a deeper and more disturbing fact than Sarkozy's pique. Long years of anti-European prejudice from the Tory Eurosceptics, laced with downright insults from their supporting press, have now generated a growing anti-British prejudice in many European capitals, not just Paris. » | Paddy Ashdown | Saturday, December 10, 2011

EU Treaty: Britain Now Faces a Europe That Is Becoming Hostile

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain faces a wave of hostile legislation battered through the European Union by a new "Euro-Plus" bloc dominated by France and Germany as senior figures call for the British to be driven out of Europe.

David Cameron's refusal to unconditionally agree to a eurozone "stability union" treaty has polarised relations between Britain and EU at a time when the economic crisis has sharpened European power struggles.

As attitudes harden, senior European politicians and officials are warning that the Prime Minister's stand will have severe consequences for Britain.

Martin Schulz, the German MEP who will become the president of the European Parliament early next year, predicted that Britain could be forced to quit the EU.

"I doubt in the long term whether Britain will stay in the EU," he said.

"The EU can, if necessary, do without Britain, but Britain would have more difficulty without the EU."

In a sign that Anglo-German relations are at a new low, the point was echoed by Gunther Krichbaum, the chairman of the Bundestag's powerful EU committee, a political ally of Angela Merkel.

"The Treaty of Lisbon explicitly opens the possibility of a country's withdrawal," he said. "The British must now decide whether they are for or against Europe."

Der Spiegel predicted that as British applause died away, Mr Cameron would quickly be put to the test as the EU bit back. "He has completely isolated his country on the European stage - and many in his country applaud him for it. But he will soon have to prove that London still has clout in the EU," the popular magazine warned.

A headline in the establishment French newspaper Le Monde warned that a "27-member Europe is finished" after Mr Cameron's veto of a new EU treaty to fix the eurozone debt crisis.

The newspaper called the decision "a choice with major consequences, that will bring about the emergence of a two-speed Europe, from which the UK may be increasingly excluded by core eurozone countries guided for better or for worse by Germany and France," [sic]

Le Figaro, the newspaper closest to Nicolas Sarkozy, trumpeted a "new era of isolation" for Britain. Its website poll asking "does the UK still have a place in Europe?" quickly attracted 40,000 respondents and 81 per cent answered "Non".

Elmar Brok, a senior German Christian Democrat MEP close to Chancellor Merkel, said the EU "must now marginalise Britain, so that the country comes to feel its loss of influence". Read on and comment » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Saturday, December 10, 2011

My comment:

I can't say I'm surprised by the hostility. Britain deserves it. Cameron especially. He has behaved like a spoilt child in a party. Maybe he has done wonders for his rich City friends, but he has done absolutely nothing for the British people.

It seems that Cameron's expensive, élitist education has done absolutely nothing for his understanding of European politics. He is a nobody now on the international political scene. He may well soon be a has-been, too.

He will come to regret this foolish decision. Unfortunately, the people of Britain will have to pay the highest price for his petulance. – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Londres s'éloigne de l'Union européenne

LE FIGARO: Le veto historique de David Cameron au nouvel accord européen lance une nouvelle ère d'isolement pour le Royaume-Uni en Europe.

En choisissant la fermeté face à ses alliés européens, David Cameron a pris le parti d'un isolement de la Grande-Bretagne en Europe. Pour la première fois, les Britanniques ont utilisé leur veto pour s'opposer à leurs alliés traditionnels français et allemands. Poussé par sa majorité eurosceptique, le premier ministre a donc décidé d'aller au clash et de bloquer un projet de changement de traité, faute d'avoir obtenu les garanties souhaitées sur la City de Londres.

«J'ai dû poursuivre obstinément ce qui était de l'intérêt national britannique, a-t-il déclaré vendredi matin à Bruxelles, visiblement très remonté. Ce n'est pas facile d'être dans une pièce où des gens vous pressent de signer quelque chose en vous disant que c'est dans votre intérêt. Il est parfois juste de dire : “Je ne peux pas faire ça, ce n'est pas dans notre intérêt. Je ne veux pas présenter cela à mon Parlement parce que je ne peux pas le recommander en toute conscience, donc je vais dire non et exercer mon veto”.» » | Par Florentin Collomp | vendredi 09 décembre 2011

Grossbritannien blockiert am EU-Krisengipfel
Nur 17 der 27 Euro-Länder haben sich an einem neuen Stabilitätsabkommen beteiligt. Einschätzungen der SF-Korrespondenten Jonas Projer aus Brüssel und Peter Balzli aus London.

Palestinians Are an Invented People, Says Newt Gingrich
THE GUARDIAN: Republican frontrunner says Israelis have a right to their modern-day homeland but implies Palestinians do not


The US Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has declared that the Palestinians are an "invented" people who want to destroy Israel.

The Jewish Channel, a cable TV station, posted online its interview with the former US House speaker, who has risen to the top of Republican nomination candidates to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 2012 election.

Gingrich differed from official US policy that respects the Palestinians as a people deserving of their own state based on negotiations with Israel. "Remember, there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire" until the early 20th century, Gingrich said.

"I think that we've had an invented Palestinian people who are in fact Arabs and who were historically part of the Arab community. And they had a chance to go many places, and for a variety of political reasons we have sustained this war against Israel now since the 1940s, and it's tragic," he said. » | Associated Press | Saturday, December 10, 2011

Cameron Is a Coward: European Politicians Slam British EU Veto

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Following David Cameron's veto of EU treaty reform, there is plenty of frustration in Europe over Britain's stubborn attitude in the battle against the debt crisis. Prominent members of the European Parliament have strongly criticized the British prime minister and sent him a clear message: Europe doesn't need you.

It is an irony of history -- on this very day 20 years ago, the Maastricht Treaty was signed, bringing the European Union into existence. On Dec. 9 and 10, 1991, the 12 leaders of the European Community agreed to the groundbreaking agreement and a historic project was set on its way.

Two decades on, and with the European debt crisis in full flow, the EU is facing its toughest test so far. Now one person stands out as the most divisive figure: David Cameron. Following marathon talks on Thursday night, the British prime ministervetoed a change in the EU treaties as called for by German Chancellor Angela Merkeland French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Cameron's use of his veto has provided for much discontent within the European Parliament. "It was a mistake to admit the British into the European Union," said Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, a prominent German MEP with the business-friendly Free Democrats, and vice chair of ALDE, the liberal block in the European Parliament. The UK must now renegotiate its relationship with the EU, he said. "Either they do it by themselves, or the EU will be founded anew -- without Great Britain," Lambsdorff said. "Switzerland is also a possible role model for the British," he added, refering to the fiercely independent stance of the Alpine country, which is not an EU member.

Harsh Attacks and Clear Frustration

There has also been sharp criticism of Cameron's attitude from the co-chairman of the Greens group in the European Parliament, Franco-German politician Daniel Cohn-Bendit. "Cameron is a coward," he said. He accused the British prime minister of not wanting to deal with the conflict over the Europe Union within his Conservative Party. Cameron, he said, had "manoeuvred himself into a populist corner" from which he would no longer emerge.

Elmar Brok, a member of Germany's conservative Christian Democratic Union and foreign policy spokesman for the center-right European People's Party (EPP), said: "If you're not willing to stick to the rules, you should keep your mouth shut."

These are harsh attacks. But despite all the frustration, the message is clear: The European project can not be allowed to collapse because of the UK's obstinate attitude towards the debt crisis. Cameron's critics are sending a clear signal to London: If necessary, things can carry on without you. Those critics are clearly hoping that Britain's decision will come back to haunt it at some point, and that the country will come to realize what a serious mistake it was committing when it turned its back on Europe. » | Veit Medick and Annett Meiritz | Friday, December 09, 2011

Brüsseler Beschlüsse: "Anfang vom Ende der britischen EU-Mitgliedschaft"
WELT ONLINE: Die Beschlüsse zur Euro-Rettung werden in Wirtschaftskreisen positiv bewertet. Aber das britische Nein gilt als "gigantisches Eigentor" mit Folgen.

Die Beschlüsse des Brüsseler Euro-Krisengipfels sind in Wirtschaftskreisen auf ein positives Echo gestoßen. Aus der Politik wurde aber scharfe Kritik an der Weigerung des Nicht-Eurolandes Großbritannien laut, die Vertragsänderungen zur Stabilisierung des Euro mitzutragen.

"Es ist der erste der europäischen Krisengipfel, nach dem die Finanzmärkte nicht sagen werden: Zu wenig und zu spät", sagte Deutsche-Bank-Chefvolkswirt Thomas Mayer der "Passauer Neuen Presse". Es sei auch der erste Gipfel gewesen, der nicht aktuelles Krisenmanagement betrieben,sondern nach vorne geschaut habe.

"Die neue Fiskalarchitektur stellt einen Qualitätssprung dar", lobte Mayer, schränkte aber ein: "Die weniger gute Nachricht ist, dass völlig unklar ist, wie der Weg bis dahin aussieht."

Auch der Wirtschaftsweise Wolfgang Franz sprach von einem Weg in die richtige Richtung. Die Länder müssten jetzt nicht nur auf einen soliden Kurs der Haushaltskonsolidierung einschwenken, sondern auch ihre Wirtschaftskraft mit durchgreifenden Reformen stärken, sagte der Vorsitzende des Sachverständigenrates dem "Südkurier" (Samstag).

Kritik an der britischen Verweigerungshaltung übte der designierte Präsident des EU-Parlaments, Martin Schulz (SPD). "Ich habe Zweifel, ob Großbritannien langfristig in der EU bleibt", sagte er der "Bild am Sonntag." Noch nie sei Großbritannien in der EU so isoliert gewesen. (+ Video) » | dpa/mac | Samstag 10. Dezember 2011

Angela Merkel: 'I Don't Believe David Cameron Was Ever with Us at the Table'
THE GUARDIAN: The Germans and French were ready to accommodate Britain's difficulties but were not prepared to write them into a new treaty

"I have not and have no plans to attend any wife swapping parties," David Cameron said in Brussels shortly before he flew back to Britain, in one of the more startling statements by a British prime minister at an European summit.

His jovial remark stemmed from reports that a French official had said late on Thursday that Britain's attempts to secure concessions in negotiations about the euro were akin to a man going to a wife swapping party without his wife (it turned out that the actual French quote was fruitier).

There was some method to it, designed as it was to show that the prime minister is not alarmed by warnings from across the EU that he has marginalised Britain after vetoing a revision of the Lisbon treaty, paving the way for virtually every other EU member state to agree to a treaty outside the architecture of the EU to underpin tough new rules for the eurozone.

The French briefing illustrated that France had detected even before the summit had started that Cameron was isolated. Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, drove this point home during nearly 10 hours of negotiations through Thursday night and into Friday morning. By 5am, when Sarkozy strode out of the summit room to declare that Britain had blocked a revision of the Lisbon treaty, France had taken a major step towards one of its long-standing strategic goals – the creation of a "two speed" Europe in which France and Germany surge ahead, leaving Britain to bring up the rear.

The reaction was swift and cutting. One Brussels veteran said: "I have always felt that the UK will just stumble out of the EU. This confirms that view. We are reaping the wind of 30 years of vitriolic UK press coverage." » | Nicholas Watt and Ian Traynor in Brussels | Friday, December 09, 2011

Meryl Streep: What Amazed Me about Margaret Thatcher
Portraying the former prime minister in The Iron Lady was a gruelling – and revelatory – experience, Meryl Streep tells John Hiscock.

Read the article here | John Hiscock | Friday, December 08, 2011

Did Nicolas Sarkozy Snub David Cameron's Handshake at EU Treaty Summit?
The body language between the David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy was tense today after talks ended this morning with Britain opting out a Franco-German proposal for an intergovernmental European treaty.

EU-Gipfel: Camerons Blockade spaltet Großbritannien
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Eigentlich wollten Angela Merkel und Nicolas Sarkozy die EU-Verträge ändern, doch der britische Premierminister David Cameron macht nicht mit. Seine Blockadehaltung bringt ihm daheim Applaus von den Euroskeptikern. Seine Kritiker werfen ihm vor, das Land zu isolieren.

Die Blockadehaltung von Großbritanniens Premierminister David Cameron in Brüssel hat in seiner Heimat gespaltene Reaktionen ausgelöst. Die Europakritiker in seiner eigenen Partei, den konservativen Tories, jubelten ihm am Freitag zu und forderten noch drastischere Schritte hin zu mehr Unabhängigkeit von der Europäischen Union. Die Opposition hingegen warf ihm vor, das Land zu isolieren und damit ein hohes Risiko einzugehen. » | Quelle: FAZ.NET mit dpa | Freitag 09. Dezember 2011

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