Saturday, 4 August 2012

Clint Eastwood endorses Mitt Romney for president

A Superbowl ad featuring Clint Eastwood was thought by some to endorse Barack Obama

US Presidential Election 2012

Oscar-winning actor and director Clint Eastwood has endorsed Republican Mitt Romney in the race for the White House.

Eastwood attended a Romney fundraiser in Sun Valley, Idaho, said to have raised over $2m (£1.29m).

The Dirty Harry star said he was endorsing the Republican because "the country needs a boost somewhere".

In February Eastwood starred in a Chrysler Superbowl advert, Halftime in America, sparking debate over whether he backed President Barack Obama.

At the time, Eastwood had said he was not endorsing either candidate and, speaking to Fox News, said he was "certainly not politically affiliated with Mr Obama".

"It was meant to be a message about just about job growth and the spirit of America," Eastwood said in February of the Super Bowl advert.

"I think all politicians will agree with it. I thought the spirit was OK. I am not supporting any candidate at this time."

'Handsome enough for president'?

On Friday Mr Romney said of Eastwood's endorsement: "He just made my day. What a guy."

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After an introduction from Mr Romney, Eastwood spoke to about 325 guests gathered for the Idaho fundraiser.

Eastwood said he first saw Mr Romney when he was running for governor of Massachusetts, and Eastwood was directing the film Mystic River in Boston.

Eastwood said he thought: "God, this guy, he's too handsome to be governor. But it does look like he could be president."

Backing Mr Romney, Eastwood added that Mr Romney would "restore a decent tax system... so there's a fairness and people are not pitted against each other," according to reports from Idaho.

Mr Romney is challenging Mr Obama for the White House in November's presidential elections.

Also on Friday figures showed that the US added 163,000 jobs in the month of July, but national unemployment rose to 8.3% from 8.2%.

Correspondents say the health of the US economy is likely to become a decisive factor in the outcome of the election.

Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Francois Hollande falls into 'trap' to look like 'dwarf' alongside Coldstream Guards

Francois Hollande has been ridiculed in France for allowing himself to look like a "dwarf" alongside the Coldstream Guards – the battalion that won battle honours at Waterloo and then occupied Paris.

During an official visit to London on Tuesday, the French president inspected a Guard of Honour from the 1st Battalion of the Coldstream Guards at the Foreign Office.

He then appeared in photographs alongside Major General George Norton, who looked around two feet taller than the Gallic head of state.

Comments alongside the image on a website of pictures taken by AFP, France's national news agency, suggested Hollande had fallen into a "trap" made to make him look ridiculous.

"Poor France," wrote Jean-Marc Rameau, from Paris, while Dmitri Kovaley mocked Mr Hollande, who is 5ft 7 ins, with the words "Dwarfs rule the world".

There were also references to Gulliver's Travels, while others noted how the 5ft 5 ins Nicolas Sarkozy, Mr Hollande's predecessor, made huge efforts to disguise his small stature.

These included everything from standing on tiptoe and wooden boxes, as well as wearing stacked heels.

"I find it ridiculous, not because of (Mr Hollande's) size, but because he falls easily into the traps that Sarkozy knew how to avoid," wrote another poster under the name 'Councillor De Mist'.

Sebastien Esteve of Marseilles, meanwhile, suggested that Mr Hollande appeared "smaller than Nicolas Sarkozy" alongside the guardsmen, adding the President wore a "badly cut" suit.

Arguably the greatest military achievement of the Coldstreams was the part they played in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte's army at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

The Coldstreams were part of the 2nd Guards Brigade which famously defended the Hougoumont farmhouse – a key part of the Duke of Wellington's strategy.

Following victory, the regiment then transferred to the French capital, where they humiliated locals further by taking part in the Occupation of the city.

The regiment, the oldest in the regular British Army in continuous active service, defeated the French throughout the Napoleonic Wars, notably in Egypt in the early 19th Century.

Waterloo, which ended Napoleon's reign, is viewed by the French as one their most shameful defeats.

The French dictator became a prisoner of the British on the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, before dying in captivity in 1821, but he is still glorified all over France as a national hero.

Mr Hollande, a 57-year-old Socialist, has suffered numerous picture disasters since replacing Mr Sarkozy as president last May.

Images include Mr Hollande being soaked to the skin by heavy rain during his official inauguration in Paris.

Mr Hollande spent a short period as an officer in the French Army during a period of national service.

Thursday, 5 July 2012

Bashar al-Assad warns Turkey to stop 'interfering' in Syria

Bashar al-Assad has accused Turkey of trying to provoke a sectarian war in Syria by arming “terrorists” intent on overthrowing his regime, marking a new low in relations between the two states.

The Syrian president rounded on Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, calling him “two-faced” and claiming that he was was responsible for many of the estimated 16,000 deaths reported since the uprising began.

“With his desire from the beginning to interfere in our internal affairs he has made Turkey a party to all the bloody acts in Syria,” Mr Assad told Cumhuriyet, a Turkish newspaper.

“Turkey has given all kinds of logistical support to the terrorists killing our people.”

The two states are already engaged in a military stand-off along their 550-mile border after Syria shot down a Turkish reconnaissance jet last month.

Turkey has scrambled its air force three times in recent days after Syrian helicopters flew close to the frontier and has also deployed two armoured brigades and anti-aircraft batteries in the border zone.

Though Mr Assad however was careful to express his regret for the downing of the Turkish fighter, his most vehement denunciation of Turkey since the crisis began heightened tensions and is sure to infuriate Ankara, which has already provided sanctuary to Syrian rebels and allowed smuggled arms to cross its border.

The dispute between the two neighbours has given added urgency to Western efforts to end the crisis by forcing Mr Assad to stand down.

Ratcheting up the pressure on Damascus, William Hague yesterday committed the Government to seeking a Chapter 7 United Nations resolution against Syria, the same type used to remove Col Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, if a new plan for a national unity government failed.

Britain and its allies would however add a sub-clause, article 41, to Chapter 7 that rules out the use of armed force. The resolution would threaten the “complete or partial interruption of economic relations and of rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio, and other means of communication”.

The Foreign Secretary warned that Britain and its allies would move quickly to seek stronger action at the UN if the plan agreed by world powers at the weekend for Mr Assad to hand over power came to nought.

In that event, “countries like United Kingdom will be seeking a Chapter 7 resolution at the UN Security Council to mandate the implementation of the Annan plan and threaten consequences for those who do not implement it” he told CNN.

“What I’m talking about in the immediate future or near future that should be in such a resolution is sanctions or the threat of sanctions on those not cooperating,” he said, adding that military force could not be ruled out.

The Annan plan did not name Mr Assad, but called for a national unity government formed “by mutual consent” between regime and opposition figures.

Amid a flurry of diplomatic activitiy, Mr Hague met the French foreign minister Laurent Fabius yesterday. They warned Moscow that its support for Mr Assad was futile and was damaging Russian influence in the Middle East.

“Russia must understand that the situation in Syria is heading toward collapse,” said Mr Hague. “There is no point in anyone standing by the Assad regime.”

Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov meanwhile denied speculation that it would offer the beleaguered Syrian leader a home. “The situation with the future of the president of the Syrian Arab Republic is not being discussed with the United States,” he said.

Western diplomats admitted the Russians had been adamant during the Geneva talks that they wouldn’t play host to Mr Assad.

Last month, rumours circulated that American and British officials might be willing to offer Mr Assad clemency and protection from prosecution by the International Criminal Court if he left his post.

Thursday, 19 April 2012

Bahrain F1 security stepped up as practice runs begin

Authorities in Bahrain have tightened security ahead of practice sessions for Sunday's Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Anti-government protesters have promised "three days of rage" to coincide with the event.

Correspondents say there is palpable unease about the fate of the race amid escalating unrest and violence.

On Wednesday night, Force India team members were forced to flee as petrol bombs were thrown near their car on their way back from the track.

The four mechanics in a 4x4 were caught in the middle of an incident as police clashed with protesters. Two members of the team have since asked to return home.

Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, only decided to go ahead with this weekend's race at the last minute.

'Down F1'

Bahrain has seen protests against the ruling Sunni al-Khalifa clan for more than a year. Last year's F1 was cancelled after 35 people, including five police, were killed in demonstrations.

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There has been pressure from activists outside and inside Bahrain for the lucrative event to be called off this year as well.

"Formula One in Bahrain has been taken as PR for the ruling elite, the repressive dictators who are ruling the country," said human rights activist Nabeel Rajab at a news conference.

Earlier in the week, Bahraini security forces fired stun grenades at protesters outside a cultural exhibition in Manama.

"A number of rioters and vandals had been arrested for taking part in illegal rallies and gatherings, blocking roads and endangering people's lives by attacking them with petrol bombs, iron rods and stones," the Information Affairs Authority said in a statement, citing Maj-Gen Tariq Al Hassan.

A local journalist said the demonstrators in Old Manama were shouting "Down, down, F1" and demanding the release of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, an activist who has been on hunger strike in prison for more than two months.

Mr Khawaja is now said to be refusing everything except water.

Another protest has been called for 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) outside the Bahrain International Circuit. Correspondents say riot police will have to show restraint with the international media so close at hand.

The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Manama says the protesters are determined to use the race to draw attention to their campaign, while the government is determined to stop them.

Bahrain's ruling royal family are being pressured to improve human rights and make reforms by the majority Shia population, who accuse the minority ruling Sunnis of discrimination.

Tuesday, 10 April 2012

Bo Xilai's wife suspected over 'murder' of Briton

The wife of a disgraced Chinese politician once tipped as a future leader has been detained over the suspected murder of a British national.

Gu Kailai has been "transferred to the judicial authorities" as part of an investigation into the death of Neil Heywood, state news agency Xinhua said.

Her husband Bo Xilai, former Chongqing party chief, has been stripped of key posts in the ruling Communist Party.

He had been one of China's most popular politicians.

The news that his wife is now a suspect in a murder investigation only intensifies the rumours swirling around him.

Mr Bo, 62, suffered a spectacular fall from grace last month when he was sacked as party chief in Chongqing.

This came after his police chief Wang Lijun spent a day holed up in the US consulate in Chengdu.

It was rumoured that Mr Wang had been attempting to defect.

The suggestion was that he had been demoted by an angry Mr Bo after the officer had alerted him to the fact that the mayor's family was the subject of a police investigation linked to Mr Heywood's death in November.

While in the consulate Mr Wang alleged that Gu Kailai had been involved in murdering 41-year-old Mr Heywood in Chongqing, Xinhua reported.

Police said after Mr Heywood's death that he had died from excessive drinking and his body was cremated. However, his friends said he did not drink that much.

The new allegations led to a second investigation. Xinhua says this showed that Gu Kailai and her son were in "conflict" with Mr Heywood over "economic issues", and these had intensified despite them being friends.

'Good friend'

Mr Bo has been dismissed from the Communist Party's hugely powerful 25-member Politburo, and the 300-member Central Committee due to suspected "serious discipline violations", Xinhua reported on Tuesday.

The exact nature of Mr Heywood's role and his relations with the family are unclear and have been the subject of much speculation inside and outside China.

"According to reinvestigation results, the existing evidence indicated that Heywood died of homicide, of which [Gu Kailai] and Zhang Xiaojun, an orderly at Bo's home, are highly suspected," the news agency reported.

News of the reinvestigation was welcomed by UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, who had recently called on the Chinese authorities to look again at Mr Heywood's death.

"The Chinese are doing as we asked them to do and we now look forward to seeing those investigations take place and in due course hearing the outcome of those investigations," he said.

Mr Bo, who made his name taking on corruption in Chongqing, had been expected to be elected to the Politburo's standing committee later this year - as the party prepares for a once-in-a-decade change of leadership.

Wednesday, 14 March 2012

'Attack on Leon Panetta's plane' at Camp Bastion

An Afghan worker made a deliberate attempt on the life of Leon Panetta as he landed in Helmand after he broke through defences and drove a vehicle towards the American defence secretary’s aircraft, defence sources have disclosed.

Leon Panetta, right, arrives at Camp Bastion

A British serviceman was also injured in the incident when the local employee at Camp Bastion deliberately drove the stolen vehicle into a group of soldiers undergoing training near the airfield.

The Afghan managed to get through the heavy security cordon surrounding the airfield in the middle of the base and onto the runway where the politician was arriving.

He managed to break through the perimeter surrounded by armed security and large concrete block guards.

The truck, possibly a pick-up, caught fire and crashed into a ditch on the runway close to where Mr Panetta’s jet had just landed or was coming into land.

Initial military reports indicate there were no explosive devices inside the vehicle at Camp Bastion. The car was heading towards a welcoming committee for Mr Panetta when it burst into flames and the alleged perpetrator was arrested.

Security teams dashed across the runway and took the Afghan into custody. It is understood that he was suffering from severe burns. It is not known if he had gunshot injuries or if the gunfire set his vehicle alight and made it crash.

While the Defence Secretary’s visit to Afghanistan was not publicly announced it is understood that it had become known to people in Bastion that he was arriving.

“It appears to be a serious attempt on the aircraft carrying the US Defence Secretary as he was coming in to land,” a defence source said.

“There is a very strong suspicion that he knew Panetta was on the plane

“Although there was no publicity, people on the base knew it was coming.

“This guy just drove through blockade and did not stop.”

A spokesman for the International Security Assistant Force in Kabul said: “ISAF is aware of a stolen vehicle incident today at Camp Bastion, which resulted in the injury of one coalition service member. The alleged perpetrator was apprehended by base security personnel. We are currently investigating to determine more facts.

“This incident took place this afternoon around the same time US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta was arriving in Afghanistan. At no point was the Secretary or anyone on the aircraft in any danger from this incident.”

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Nicolas Sarkozy appeals to far-Right saying 'too many immigrants' in France

Nicolas Sarkozy pinned his dwindling hopes of re-election on Tuesday night on wooing the far-Right electorate, saying there are "too many immigrants in France" and that their integration is increasingly failing.

Nicolas Sarkozy (R) waits beside France's First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy before taking part in the TV broadcast show "Des paroles et des actes''

With support for the incumbent conservative ebbing and the victory of Socialist candidate François Hollande looking surer by the day, Mr Sarkozy made a series of proposals aimed at wooing back National Front sympathisers who voted for him en masse in 2007 but have since become disillusioned.

"Our system of integration is working more and more badly, because we have too many foreigners on our territory and we can no longer manage to find them accommodation, a job, a school," Mr Sarkozy said.

The president has clearly veered Right since formally announcing his re-election campaign two weeks ago, and FN candidate Marine Le Pen has accused him of liberally borrowing from her manifesto.

In an almost two-and-a-half hour television grilling, a combative Mr Sarkozy insisted that while immigration could remain "a boon" for France in many areas, it would have to toughen residency qualifications for newcomers.

"Over the five year term I think that to restart the process of integration in good conditions, we must divide by two the number of people that we welcome, that's to say to pass from 180,000 per year to 100,000," he said.

He also unveiled plans to limit some welfare benefits currently available to immigrant workers to those who have enjoyed residency for ten years and have worked for five of those.

Mr Sarkozy had already sparked controversy ahead of last night's programme by calling for all kosher and halal products to be labelled to inform consumers whether food is prepared in accordance with Islamic and Jewish law.

The proposal followed Miss Le Pen's claims that kosher and halal meat is being sold in French supermarkets with no notification to customers.

Mr Sarkozy believes securing the far-Right vote is the only way to gain sufficient momentum to finish ahead of Mr Hollande in round one of elections on April 22 and in a second round run-off on May 6.

But the food labelling proposals have been sharply criticised by leading representatives of France's Jewish and Muslim communities and split his own Right-wing UMP party.

Alain Juppé, the foreign minister, criticised the debate as a "false problem" while François Fillon, the prime minister fuelled controversy by urging Muslims and Jews to abandon the notion of halal and kosher foods outright, saying they were outdated.

Mr Sarkozy's push Right came as a fresh poll suggested Mr Hollande had widened his lead in round one to 30 per cent support, up two percentage points, while Mr Sarkozy gained one point to 28 per cent.

But Mr Hollande enjoys a wide lead over Mr Sarkozy in round two, the CSA poll found, beating him by 54 per cent to 46 per cent, unchanged from the previous month.

Another poll found that 74 per cent of French people said their mind was made up concerning Mr Sarkozy.

Miss Le Pen, head of the far-Right National Front, fell back two percentage points to 15 per cent support in the first round, while leftist Front de Gauche candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon gained 1 point to 10 per cent.

The poll found that a large majority of French voters were disappointed by a campaign, complaining of too much mud-slinging and not enough emphasis on policy.

Last night, Mr Sarkozy once again laid into his Socialist rival, saying he was surprised he was their candidate as he had "never led anything" and "doesn't know how to say no".

Mr Sarkozy's popularity rose slightly after his official campaign launch in which he promised to be the president of the people against elites, countering claims he has spent five years being the "president of the rich".

But Mr Hollande gained ground with a surprise pledge to introduce a 75 per cent income tax rate for those earning more than €1 million (£830,000) a year – a move 61 per cent of the French back, one poll found.

With voters' mind increasingly made up, Le Parisien newspaper wrote: "The result of the election is a foregone conclusion". Libération, the left-wing daily, said that the French had "solidly and profoundly fallen out of love with the outgoing President".

All eyes are now on a huge rally in Villepinte near Paris on Sunday before up to 60,000 supporters – which his camp hopes will set him back on course.