Britain's coalition leaders hail new era of politics

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/europe/la-fg-britain-coalition-20100513,0,2032771.story
Britain's coalition leaders hail new era of politics
Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy, Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg, set about putting together a governme
Henry Chu
May 12, 2010
Reporting from London

Britain watched in fascination Wednesday as perhaps the most momentous marriage since Charles and Diana unfolded before their eyes, a political union that will determine this country's direction for the next few years.

It wasn't a match either suitor had expected. But David Cameron, who became prime minister Tuesday, and Nick Clegg, his deputy, extolled their alliance as a new way of doing politics and set about putting together a team to run the nation.

The government that began to take shape is Britain's first attempt at coalition rule in 65 years, combining Cameron's dominant Conservatives and Clegg's smaller center-left party, the Liberal Democrats. Their partnership brings to an end the Labor Party's 13-year hold on power.

Never mind that Cameron, when once asked what his favorite political joke was, responded, "Nick Clegg." Or that Clegg recently described his new political bedfellow as a man of "breathtaking arrogance."

Their inaugural news conference Wednesday afternoon was more of a love-in. The two men — both 43, privately educated, of similar height and build, both novices in government — said their common purpose was to make Britain a freer, fairer, more responsible country.

"We are announcing a new politics, a new politics where the national interest is more important than the party interest, where cooperation wins out over confrontation," Cameron said in the garden of his new residence, 10 Downing St. "It can be a historic and seismic shift in our political landscape."

The contours of that shift were evident in the composition of Cameron's Cabinet. Although the plum posts went to his fellow Tories, the Cabinet also includes five Liberal Democrats, including Clegg.

Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne will work with Vince Cable, the new business secretary, a Liberal Democrat who is one of the country's most admired politicians because of his grasp of economics and his straight talk.

Among the coalition's first orders of business is a Tory pledge to slash $9 billion from the budget this year. The Liberal Democrats agreed to back that plan, despite having campaigned for a go-slow approach.

The "Lib Dems" also swallowed their support for an amnesty for some illegal immigrants, more integration with the rest of Europe and the elimination of Britain's submarine-based nuclear deterrent.

But some analysts said the small party that landed just 57 seats in the 650-member House of Commons had gained more than they lost.

In concessions that have angered some on the Conservative right, Cameron agreed to make tax changes to help low-income people, keep the inheritance tax and, most crucially, hold a referendum on overhauling Britain's voting system, which could cost the Conservatives seats in Parliament.

Skeptics are already predicting that this marriage will dissolve long before the end of the five years Cameron and Clegg say they will stick together. Between them, they have only 14 years of experience in Parliament and zero in government. (By contrast, Gordon Brown, the Labor prime minister who resigned Tuesday, racked up 27 years in Parliament, 13 of those in government.)

On the grass-roots level, Tory and Liberal Democrat activists often loathe each other. Unhappy members have already taken to grumbling about the new "Con-Dem Nation."

And the machinery of government, used to single-party rule, will no doubt creak for a while. For instance, how much information will the parties share with each other?

But practical problems were eclipsed Wednesday by a sense of novelty. Even habitually cynical pundits kept repeating words like "remarkable" and "unprecedented."

"I'm happier to have the Tories in with a moderating Liberal element rather than Tories on their own," said Henrietta Otley, 41, a student midwife in the city of Bath, who voted Liberal Democrat. "It's time we had a challenge to our old system."

The choreography of coalition began with a much-photographed handshake between Cameron and Clegg outside 10 Downing St.

At their news conference about five hours later, they were all smiles, virtually indistinguishable (one commentator said) but for the colors of their ties: blue for Conservative, yellow for the Liberal Democrats.

They arrived and left side by side. They called each other "David" and "Nick." They laughed at each other's jokes. The chemistry prevailed even when a journalist asked Cameron about having once referred to Clegg as a joke.

"Did you say that?" Clegg asked his new partner.

"I'm afraid I did," Cameron replied with a grimace.

"I'm off," Clegg declared, walking away from his podium.

"Come back!" Cameron said.

He did.

henry.chu@latimes.com

Times staff writer Janet Stobart contributed to this report.

Huge hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure uncovered

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090924/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_anglo_saxon_gold

Huge hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure uncovered in UK
By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press Writer
9-24-9

LONDON – It's an unprecedented find that could revolutionize ideas about medieval England's Germanic rulers: An amateur treasure-hunter searching a farmer's field with a metal detector unearthed a huge collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver artifacts.

The discovery sent a thrill through Britain's archaeological community, which said Thursday that it offers new insight into the world of the Anglo-Saxons, who ruled England from the fifth century until the 1066 Norman invasion and whose cultural influence is still felt throughout the English-speaking world.

"This is just a fantastic find completely out of the blue," Roger Bland, who managed the cache's excavation, told The Associated Press. "It will make us rethink the Dark Ages."

The treasure trove includes intricately designed helmet crests embossed with a frieze of running animals, enamel-studded sword fittings and a checkerboard piece inlaid with garnets and gold. One gold band bore a biblical inscription in Latin calling on God to drive away the bearer's enemies.

The Anglo-Saxons were a group of Germanic tribes who invaded England starting in the wake of the collapse of the Roman Empire. Their artisans made striking objects out of gold and enamel, and their language, Old English, is a precursor of modern English.

The cache of gold and silver pieces was discovered in what was once Mercia, one of five main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, and is thought to date to between 675 and 725.

For Terry Herbert, the unemployed metal-detecting enthusiast who made the discovery on July 5 while scouring a friend's farm in the western region of Staffordshire, it was "more fun than winning the lottery."

The 55-year-old spent five days searching the field alone before he realized he needed help and notified authorities. Professional archaeologists then took over the find.

"I was going to bed and in my sleep I was seeing gold items," Herbert said of the experience.

The gold alone in the collection weighs 11 pounds and suggests that early medieval England was a far wealthier place than previously believed, according to Leslie Webster, the former curator of Anglo-Saxon archaeology at the British Museum.

She said the crosses and other religious artifacts mixed in with the military items might shed new light on the relationship between Christianity and warfare among the Anglo-Saxons — in particular a large cross she said may have been carried into battle.

The hoard was officially declared treasure by a coroner on Thursday, which means it will be valued by experts and offered up for sale to a museum in Britain. Proceeds will be split 50-50 between Herbert and his farmer friend, who has not been identified. The find's exact location is being kept secret to deter looters.

Bland said he could not give a precise figure for the value of the collection, but said the two could each be in line for a "seven-figure sum."

Kevin Leahy, the archaeologist who catalogued the find, said the stash includes dozens of pommel caps — decorative elements attached to the knobs of swords — and appeared to be war loot. He noted that "Beowulf," the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, contains a reference to warriors stripping the pommels of their enemies' weapons as mementoes.

"It looks like a collection of trophies, but it is impossible to say if the hoard was the spoils from a single battle or a long and highly successful military career," he said.

"We also cannot say who the original, or the final, owners were, who took it from them, why they buried it or when? It will be debated for decades."

Experts said they've so far examined a total of 1,345 items. But they've also recovered 56 pieces of earth that X-ray analysis suggests contain more artifacts — meaning the total could rise to about 1,500.

The craftsmanship was some of the highest-quality ever seen in finds of this kind, Leahy said, and many British archaeologists clearly shared his enthusiasm.

Bland, who has documented discoveries across Britain, called it "completely unique." Martin Welch, a specialist in Anglo-Saxon archaeology at University College London, said no one had found "anything like this in this country before."

Herbert said one expert likened his discovery to finding Egyptian Pharoah Tutankhamen's tomb, adding: "I just flushed all over when he said that. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up."

The collection is in storage at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where some of the items are to go on display starting Friday.

It's unclear how the gold ended up in the field, although archaeologists suggested it may have been buried to hide the loot from roving enemies, a common practice at the time. The site's location is unusual as well — Anglo-Saxon remains have tended to cluster in the country's south and east, while the so-called "Staffordshire hoard" was found in the west.

In the meantime, archaeologists say they're likely to be busy for years puzzling out the meaning of some of the collection's more unusual pieces — like five enigmatic gold snakes or a strip of gold bearing a crudely written and misspelled Biblical inscription in Latin.

"Rise up, O Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face," reads the inscription, believed to be from the Book of Numbers.

Also of interest is the largest of the crosses, which experts say may have been an altar or processional piece. It had been folded, possibly to make it fit into a small space prior to burial, and the apparent lack of respect shown to such a Christian symbol may point to the hoard being buried by pagans.

"The things that we can't identify are the ones that are going to teach us something new," Leahy said.

For England, a country at the edge of Europe whose history owes an enormous debt to the Anglo-Saxons, the find has the potential to become one of its top national treasures, according to Webster.

Caroline Barton, assistant treasure registrar at the British Museum, said objects over 300 years old and made up of more that 10 percent precious metal are only offered for sale to accredited museums in Britain, so the collection will not be leaving the country.
___
Associated Press writer Karolina Tagaris in London contributed to this report.
___
On the Net:

http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/

UN Security Council meets on Kosovo

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080218/ap_on_re_eu/un_kosovo

UN Security Council meets on Kosovo
By JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press Writer
Mon Feb 18, 2008

Russia tried to block Kosovo's independence during a closed-door emergency session of the U.N. Security Council on Sunday, saying it is deeply concerned about the safety of Serbs living in the territory.

The discussion of the 15-member council continued to expose divisions among members on the future of Kosovo. Russia backs its close ally Serbia, while the United States, Britain, France and other European Union members support Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians.

China, a veto-wielding U.N. Security Council member that had close ties with the Yugoslav government of Slobodan Milosevic, expressed its "deep concern" Monday over Kosovo's declaration and called on the province to reach a "proper solution through negotiations" with Serbia.

The council met at the request of Serbia and Russia, which argue that Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia made earlier Sunday violates a 1999 council resolution that authorizes the U.N. to administer the territory.

The session got off to a rocky start; shortly after it began, it had to be suspended for a couple hours because of a lack of interpreters.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Serbia's president told him that Kosovo's declaration carries no legal weight, while Kosovo's prime minister assured him he was committed to "equal opportunities and no discrimination" against anyone in Kosovo.

Ban urged all sides to "refrain from any actions or statements that could endanger peace, incite violence or jeopardize security in Kosovo and the region."

The Security Council resolution on Kosovo remains in force and the U.N. "will continue to implement its mandate in the light of the evolving circumstances," Ban said.

Before the session, Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow was "highly concerned" about Sunday's decision by Kosovo's parliament in Pristina "to declare unilateral independence of Kosovo."

The government said in a statement it regretted Kosovo's unilateral declaration and hoped it would not bring about fresh tension and conflict in the Balkan region. It said U.N.-backed principles of upholding the territorial integrity of developing nations must be supported.

The past Security Council resolution means the U.N. still runs Kosovo and "it is not obvious at all what could possibly be the legal basis for even considering" Kosovo's declaration of independence," Churkin said.

He specifically addressed the estimated 120,000 Serbs living in enclaves in Kosovo.

"Our concern is for the safety of the Serbs and other ethnic minorities in Kosovo," Churkin told reporters. "We'll strongly warn against any attempts at repressive measures, should Serbs in Kosovo decide not to comply with this unilateral proclamation of independence."

U.S. and other Western countries said there was little danger to the Serbs in Kosovo and that the 1999 resolution does not preclude Kosovo's independence.

"We've knocked it down over and over again. This is an unprecedented situation, it creates no precedent," Alejandro Wolff, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N., told reporters before the session

Wolff said the United States is not "particularly concerned or sees no particular danger to be worried about" with regards to the safety of Serbs in Kosovo.

"We're pleased by the commitments made to respect for religious and ethnic communities in Kosovo," he told reporters. "We're very much pleased that the declaration also reflects a position of the United States that's longstanding."

Council member Indonesia, concerned about its own secessionist movements, said it was following the situation closely but was not yet prepared to recognize Kosovo's statehood.

Kosovo's 2 million population is 90 percent ethnic Albanian, mainly secular Muslims, who do not want to be part of Serbia, a predominantly Christian Orthodox nation.

Kosovo has been under U.N. and NATO administration since a NATO-led air war.

In April 2007, U.N. envoy Martti Ahtisaari recommended that Kosovo be granted internationally supervised independence — a proposal strongly supported by the province's ethnic Albanians, the U.S. and most of the European Union, but vehemently opposed by Serbia and Russia, a traditional Serb ally.

Russia blocked the Ahtisaari plan. An additional period of negotiations failed to bridge the differences between the Serbs, who have offered wide autonomy, and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders, who insist on independence.

Kosovo hopes for international recognition that could come on Monday when European Union ministers meet in Brussels, Belgium. Russia, which has veto power on the council, insists Kosovo is a Security Council issue — not an EU issue — and argues that Kosovo's move sets a dangerous precedent for separatist groups globally.

On Tuesday afternoon, a more formal and open debate is planned by the Security Council at Serbia's request. Churkin said Russia insisted it should be an open meeting, and the president of Serbia will attend.

However, diplomats said it was unlikely the council would be able to reach agreement on a resolution or statement.

UK living standards outstrip US

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article3137506.ece

From The Sunday Times
January 6, 2008
UK living standards outstrip US
Living standards outstrip those across the Atlantic for first time in over a century
David Smith, Economics Editor

LIVING standards in Britain are set to rise above those in America for the first time since the 19th century, according to a report by the respected Oxford Economics consultancy.

The calculations suggest that, measured by gross domestic product per capita, Britain can now hold its head up high in the economic stakes after more than a century of playing second fiddle to the Americans.

It says that GDP per head in Britain will be £23,500 this year, compared with £23,250 in America, reflecting not only the strength of the pound against the dollar but also the UK economy’s record run of growth and rising incomes going back to the early 1990s.

In those days, according to Oxford Economics, Britain’s GDP per capita was 34% below that in America, 33% less than in Germany and 26% lower than in France. Now, not only have average incomes crept above those in America but they are more than 8% above France (£21,700) and Germany (£21,665).

“The past 15 years have seen a dramatic change in the UK’s economic performance and its position in the world economy,” said Adrian Cooper, managing director of Oxford Economics. “No longer are we the ‘sick man of Europe’. Indeed, our calculations suggest that UK living standards are now a match for those of the US.”

Although many people will be surprised by the figures, Americans have long complained that average incomes have been stagnant in their country. One often-quoted statistical comparison suggests that in real terms the median male full-time salary in America is no higher now than it was in the 1970s.

Oxford Economics says that while the comparisons are affected by sterling’s high value against the dollar, they also reflect longer-term factors. “The UK has been catching up steadily with living standards in the US since 2001 – so, it is a well established trend rather than simply the result of currency fluctuations,” its report says.

It concedes, however, that a significant fall in the pound against other currencies would push Britain back down the ladder. It has assumed an exchange rate of just over $2 for the purpose of the calculation but in recent days the pound has slipped below that level.

The Oxford analysts also point out that Americans benefit from lower prices than those in Britain. With an adjustment made for this “purchasing power parity”, the average American has more spending power than his UK counterpart and pays lower taxes. (In the run-up to Christmas many Britons travelled to New York and other American cities to take advantage of the strength of sterling against the dollar and those lower prices.)

However, the British typically have significantly longer holidays than Americans as well as access to “free” healthcare.

The figures may be of small comfort to Britons worried about house prices and facing a severe squeeze on their incomes this year as a result of record petrol prices and rising energy bills.

Citigroup, which was the most accurate forecaster of Britain’s economy last year, predicts the slowest rise in consumer spending this year since 1992.

“After the credit-fuelled boom in domestic demand and asset prices, the UK economy now faces a hangover, with slowing credit growth, falling property prices and tightening lending standards,” said Michael Saunders, its UK economist.

Last week oil prices hit $100 a barrel, presaging a rise in petrol and diesel prices on the fore-courts. Npower, Britain’s fourth biggest energy supplier, announced that energy prices would go up sharply, raising the prospect of the average household bill rising above £1,000 for the first time.

America overtook Britain economically in the final years of the 19th century, during the so-called second industrial revolution, which brought mass manufacture and sharply rising prosperity to the United States.

Berezovsky wanted in Brazil

http://www.guardian.co.uk/brazil/story/0%2C%2C2126355%2C00.html

Berezovsky wanted in Brazil for alleged money laundering
Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro and Saeed Shah
Saturday July 14, 2007
The Guardian

The tussle between Britain and Russia over the London-based billionaire tycoon Boris Berezovsky took a new twist yesterday when the Brazilian authorities issued a warrant for his arrest.

Brazilian officials vowed to seek the extradition of Mr Berezovsky from the UK to face charges of money laundering. He is already wanted in Russia, accused of embezzlement.

The Brazilian move comes after the authorities there released the findings of a two-year investigation into a suspected money laundering racket involving the Brazilian football club Corinthians, which was effectively bought by a company linked to Mr Berezovsky in 2004. Brazilian prosecutors argue that Media Sports Investments (MSI), the subsidiary of an offshore company that formed a "partnership" with Corinthians in November 2004, is funded with the profits from organised crime in Russia.

In Brazil on Thursday, Judge Fausto Martin de Sanctis ordered the arrest of Mr Berezovsky and two other men, including the Iranian businessman Kia Joorabchian, who controls MSI in Brazil, which is accused of laundering Mr Berezovsky's money through the Corinthians team. Since none of the men was in Brazil, arrest warrants were forwarded to Interpol. The lawyer behind the federal investigation, Rodrigo de Grandis, told the Guardian that if the men tried to enter Brazil they would be arrested immediately. Officials from Brazil's public prosecutor admitted yesterday, however, they were not hopeful that Mr Berezovsky could be extradited.

Mr Berezovsky said the Brazilian court order was "an extension of the Kremlin's politicised campaign against me". The tycoon fell out with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and left the country in 2000. He has since been charged with embezzling millions of dollars from Russia's flagship airline, Aeroflot. This week, a trial in Russia started in the Aeroflot case, in Mr Berezovsky's absence.

The tycoon also faces potential prosecution in Russia over alleged calls for the government's overthrow, stemming from an interview he gave earlier this year to the Guardian. Britain, which granted him asylum in 2003, has repeatedly refused Russian requests for extradition.

Last year, Mr Berezovsky was detained and interrogated at Sao Paulo's international airport as he tried to embark for London. He was released without charge.