G8 : Give Iran talks a chance
July 8, 2009
Post-election violence in Iran is “deeply shocking”, but G8 leaders nevertheless want to pursue talks to end the nuclear standoff with Tehran, French President Nicolas Sarkozy says, warning Iran that the international community was determined to make progress. Read more
British spy chief outed on wife’s Facebook page
July 5, 2009
The wife of the next head of Britain’s spy agency has posted pictures of her husband, family and friends on the social networking site Facebook, details which could compromise security, a newspaper said on Sunday.
Sir John Sawers is due to take over as head of the Secret Intelligence Service in November. The SIS, popularly known as MI6, is Britain’s global intelligence-gathering organisation.
Saddam told FBI : I was no al-Qaeda ally
July 2, 2009
Saddam Hussein told an FBI interviewer before he was hanged that he allowed the world to believe he had weapons of mass destruction because he was worried about appearing weak to Iran, according to declassified accounts of the interviews just released. The former Iraqi president also denounced Osama bin Laden as “a zealot” and said he had no dealings with al-Qaeda.
Saddam, in fact, said he felt so vulnerable to the “fanatic” leaders in Tehran that he would have been prepared to seek a “security agreement with the United States to protect it [Iraq] from threats in the region”.
The Queen’s costs rising
June 30, 2009
Buckingham Palace says public funding for the Queen and the royal family cost British taxpayers the equivalent of 69 pence each last year.
The Queen’s office published her latest accounts on Monday. It showed that the costs incurred by the royal family were 41.5 million pounds in the year to March 31, an increase of 1.5 million pounds on the previous year.
Sarkozy : Burka a sign of subservience
June 22, 2009
The Islamic burka is “not welcome” in France because it is not a symbol of religion but a sign of subservience for women, President Nicolas Sarkozy says.
Read more
Women paid to party with Berlusconi
June 18, 2009
The Italian Government is bracing for a fresh of wave of scandal after prosecutors investigating a cash-for-contracts rort allegedly unearthed wiretaps suggesting payments to young women to attend Silvio Berlusconi’s house parties.
Air France replaces speed sensors on entire fleet
June 16, 2009
Air France has replaced the air speed sensors on its entire fleet of Airbus A330 and A340 long-haul aircraft, a pilots’ union official says. The company had been under pressure from pilots who feared the devices could be linked to the crash of Flight 447.
Air France jet with 215 on board drops off radar
June 1, 2009
An Air France passenger jet with 215 people on board has gone missing after dropping off the radar over the Atlantic off the Brazilian coast Monday, a Paris airport official said.
The Queen, her chauffeur and the prostitute
May 25, 2009
A royal chauffeur was suspended on Sunday after reportedly giving two undercover journalists a tour of the Queen’s official cars in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, a spokeswoman said.
The News Of The World tabloid newspaper said its reporters, posing as wealthy Middle Eastern businessmen, paid the chauffeur £1000 to let them in, after making contact through his prostitute girlfriend.
Obama: North Korea’s nuclear test warrants international action
May 25, 2009
US President Barack Obama says North Korea’s reported nuclear and missile tests today are “a threat to international peace” and warrant “action by the international community”.
“These actions, while not a surprise given its statements and actions to date, are a matter of grave concern to all nations,” Obama said in a written statement.
