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The Academies Close
Britain's university lecturers chose an unfortunate day to announce their proposed boycott of all things Israeli. As members of the University College Union voted 158-99 for "a comprehensive and consistent boycott of all Israeli academic institutions", news came in from The Guardian that Iran's powerful intelligence agency had warned Iranian academics that if they maintain links with foreign institutions, they will be viewed as potential spies.
Surface To Air
We like the new Microsoft Surface touch screen table, which was announced yesterday. Touch screens must be the next big thing, then: Microsoft's announcement comes a couple of weeks ahead of the arrival on US shelves of Apple's iPhone, which replaces a keyboard with a multitouch screen.
Malaysia Edges Towards Islamic Law
Malaysia's highest court yesterday refused to recognise a Muslim woman's conversion to Christianity, ruling that the country's secular courts were not able to deal with the matter, and that her case be heard by the religious authorities instead.
The ruling is being seen as a defeat for secularism in the Asian nation, where an estimated sixty percent of the population is Muslim.
Quote Of The Day
"Elgar, with his mass popularity and his unforgivable sin of patriotism, is anathema to the cultural commissars who run the arts subsidy racket."
Stephen Pollard in the Times on the Arts Council's refusal to pay for celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Sir Edward Elgar's death.
The Arts Council has commissioned 50 mobile phone ring tones to celebrate its change of office in England's South West. It also paid a Midlands artist £12,000 to kick an empty curry box down a street.
Another Japan Suicide
Following this week's suicide of Japanese cabinet minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka, a former excutive, also implicated in a corruption scandal, has taken his own life.
Every Day Is Like Sunday
PM-in-waiting Gordon Brown is considering plans for a "Britain Day" to celebrate British culture and values. Typically, the miserable Scot is said to be against the idea of making Britain Day a Bank Holiday. May we suggest a new National Anthem?
Teletubbies Say "Hello Sailor"
Tinky Winky corrupts more young minds
A senior Polish official has ordered psychologists to investigate whether the popular BBC television programme, Teletubbies, promotes a homosexual lifestyle.
Terrible Telly
Just when you thought television couldn't get any worse... the Dutch makers of Big Brother plan a reality show featuring a terminally ill woman who has to choose who gets one of her kidneys when she dies.
All this and plans from Britain's Channel Four to broadcast photos of Princess Diana's dying moments, snapped when she was trapped in her crashed car in a Paris underpass.
Lost In Translation
The Guardian's reliance on AP newsfeeds is both inexplicable and irritating, not least for its readers, most of whom appear to be fanatic anti-Americans.
But sometimes even US-friendly readers like EURSOC are confused by the headlines AP stuffs on the Guardian's front page. Look at this one. What the hell is "Razzing?" and why the hell does Mrs Obama like to do it to her husband? We can think of downmarket porn mag Razzle, hope it has nothing to do with that.
He's My Japanese Boy
How do we say this sensitively?
If former President Jacques Chirac had hoped for an uneventful retirement, he must be disappointed.The Independent has an interesting round-up of Chirac's latest travails. Police are said to investigating reports of a secret Japanese bank account with around £30 million stuffed into it over the years. This comes as judges hope to question the ex-Prez on a party funding scandal, which claimed the scalps of several Chirac loyalists while he was in power.
From Russia With Hate
Gay protestors beaten, arrested in Russia
Gay rights activists claim that Russian riot police allowed Neo-Nazi counter protesters to attack their march in Moscow on Sunday - and then arrested the gay protesters, allowing the attackers to go free.
Several European parliamentarians were among those arrested.
No More Sacred Cows
Authorities in Delhi, the capital of India, have a plan to rid the city of the cows that wander through the streets. The idea is to take the sacred animals to a new dairy complex. The installation may open in August 2008.
Shame
A Victoria Cross winning World War Two veteran has been refused the right to live in the UK because he "has no strong ties" to Britain. This is despite the fact that former Gurkha Tul Bahadur Pun (84) risked his live many times over, once storming Japanese machine gun positions single-handed, in the name of Britain in the War.
China Toothpaste Scare
Health officials in the United States say they are checking all shipments of toothpaste imported from China for contamination with toxic chemicals.
Joke Of The Day
A reader forwarded us this story from Popbitch:
Following on from Boris Yeltsin's funeral, our favourite story from a British journalist who interviewed him: Journalist: "So, President Yeltsin, how would you describe the state of the Russian economy in one word?"
Yeltsin: "Good".
Journalist: "Okay then Mr President, perhaps you would describe it in more than one word?"
Yeltsin: "Ah, in that case - not good."
Out Of Gas
Did you hear the one about the oil-rich nation where petrol was rationed? Yes, it's a case of water, water everywhere for the long-suffering people of Iran, where it has been announced that petrol rationing will begin in two weeks.
Iran is the world's fourth-largest oil exporter - but has had to import petrol to match domestic demand.
A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away
It's thirty years since Star Wars was released. EURSOC suddenly feels very old. The BBC has a handy guide to Star Wars trivia (which most fans will know anyway) while The Times argues that it was the film's lack of originality that made it such a success.
Sarkozy: Tough Line On Iran
The International Atomic Energy Agency has issued another damning report on the mysteries of Iran's nuclear programme.
In response, France's new President Nicolas Sarkozy has quickly taken a hard line, calling for tougher sanctions to be introduced if Tehran continues with its refusal to comply with UN Security Council demands.
Quote Of The Day
"The real division in the world isn't between East and West, North and South. The real division is between arseholes and non-arseholes. And arseholes are international."
- Author and artist Marjane Satrapi in Metro Paris this morning. Marjane's film based on her memoirs of live in Revolutionary Iran Persepolis opens in Cannes this week before release in France at the end of June. Persepolis will be released in an English-language version in the US later in the year.
Bad Luck Jacques
EURSOC is sure your hearts are bleeding for ex-President Jacques Chirac, who has been linked to a secret £30 million account in Japan. Chirac has denied the allegations, which appeared in a French newspaper last week, but it is clear that his retirement will be a busy time, if France's prosecutors have their way.
No Longer The Scepter'd Isle
According to the latest Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain, the backpackers' essential travel item, the island kingdom is in trouble.
Sex Files
The image of conservatives as stocking-wearing, spanking-obsessed sexual perverts took another blow this week with the release of a paper which claimed that liberals have more sexual experiences than conservatives.
Cannes Tottywatch
You'd look as happy as Quentin Tarantino if you were in his position. Death Proof, the US director's celebration of trash movies, played to cheering crowds in Cannes yesterday, proof indeed that even Festival Critics are human. After days reviewing tortuous Central Asian movies, a spot of Tarantino sounds just the ticket.
EURSOC is also delighted to see that Tarantino is continuing a great European cultural tradition into the bargain. It is always cheering to see that the Cannes Film Festival remains the place for homely men to attach themselves to dazzling starlets. Or for auteurs to discover muses, to use the correct terminology.
Iran "Targets European Nuclear Centres"
A security analyst told British MPs that Iran has been scouting for targets in Europe, including nuclear power stations and major cities.
Claude Moniquet, director of the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Centre said that "We have serious signals that something is under preparation in Europe... Iranian intelligence is working extremely hard to prepare its people and to prepare actions."
Chavez Closes TV Channel
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has carried out his threat to close down privately-run broadcasters who criticise his regime. On 27 May, Radio Caracas Television - a station which regularly hauls in 40 percent of the nation's viewers - will cease broadcasting.
RCTV is mainly known in Venezuela for its soap operas and quiz shows. However, its news broadcasts have been described as fiercely critical of Chavez and have been accused of painting a gloomy picture of crime and poverty in the nation, contrary to state television broadcasts praising the President's rule.
National Suicide?
The Guardian leads today with US reports that Iran is planning to team up with al-Qaeda and Sunni militants for a "summer offensive" designed to force the US out of Iraq.
Cyber-Terror Hits Telegraph
In a demonstration of the power of cyber-terrorism, Britain's Daily Telegraph website was knocked out by a "Distributed Denial of Service Attack" which has left the newspaper unreachable by web readers for more than 24 hours.
At the time of writing (15.25 GMT) the Telegraph's site was still unavailable from EURSOC's internet service provider, though the Media Guardian was reporting that many readers were now able to access the site again.
City SiCKO
Michael Moore's follow-up to Fahrenheit 9/11, SiCKO, has received its expected warm welcome at the Cannes Film Festival. In case a documentary on the US health service was too esoteric for European tastes, Moore warmed up his French hosts by declaring that he faces an FBI investigation back in the US thanks to a supposedly embargo-busting trip to Cuba. He even claimed to have sent a second master copy of the movie for safekeeping in French hands in the unlikely event the US authorities seize the original. Less predictably, Fox News gave SiCKO a rave review, praising Moore's newfound maturity.
Up, Up And Away!
Those long-haul flights from continent to continent take their toll. Even for the well-heeled traveller. And sometimes even more for the frequent flyer. Now there is a possible solution to diminish the fatigue.
Argentine scientists have discovered that the impotence pill, Viagra, has helped animals to cope when their body clocks are disrupted in a similar fashion to jet lag.
Little Mermaid Gets Muslim Makeover
Copenhagen's famous "Little Mermaid" was found draped in a Muslim headscarf and robes on Sunday, in one of a series of incidents where Islamist attitudes to the female form made the headlines.
Spy In The Sky
There's something mysterious buzzing in the air over Merseyside and it isn't anticipation of Liverpool FC's Champions League final clash against AC Milan. It's the latest in the British authorities' tools for spying on the population: A mini helicopter "flying saucer" that can hover 55 yards above the streets, keeping an eye on anything from football fans to armed sieges.
Situations Vacant: Foreigners Only Need Apply
In 2006 up to 600,000 eager migrants from eastern European countries arrived in Britain. This is good news for those in need of a plumber or a handyman, at least according to The Economist.
The Sickest Joke In Politics
The BBC's shooting guide and Mugabe's Africa
The Spectator is getting better and better. Apart from an uncharacteristically mealy-mouthed piece from Boris Johnson on why the Tories were right to refuse to support grammar schools, the newspaper has recently been recognisably right-wing (which is more than you can say for the Tories).
Rod Liddle - not exactly a right-winger, more a curmudgeonly dissenter, which amounts to the same thing these days - has an excellent post on the BBC's attitude to interviewees. Following reporter John Sweeney's rant at a Scientologist (see clip below), Liddle claimed that Sweeney's mistake, as far as the Beeb was concerned, was to count Scientologists among those interviewees that BBC reporters should "roundly abuse" as opposed to the "quiet hostility" they plainly deserver. Full quote after the break...
Cutty Sark Devastated By Fire
19th century tea clipper fire "suspicious"
London police are examining CCTV footage of a group of people filmed close to the dock of the Cutty Sark moments before a fire broke out, severely damaging the vessel.
Britain On Prozac
A feature in the Times last week reported that up to 31 million Britons have received prescriptions, signed by their doctors, for the antidepressant drugs, Prozac and Seroxat.
Females Make Better Spies
MI5, Britain's internal security service, is recruiting more women than ever before. It has been known since the days of Mata Hari that a clever woman who can use her personal attraction wisely is a very formidable weapon.
(Sylvia Kristel, of Emmaneulle fame, played Mata Hari once. This seems as good an excuse as any to look at Ms Kristel's career: Mata Hari wasn't really all that. And to this day, Emmaneulle remains one of France's most successful films.)
British Brown-Nosing Corporation
The BBC guarantees fair and balanced coverage: If you're a third-world despot.
The Daily Telegraph's blogs are better than most of the comment in the rest of the mainstream press these days. This weekend, diplomatic correspondent David Blair reports on his disbelief at a broadcast interview with Libya's Col Gaddafi.
Spotting The Brown
... And Guido can also take credit for the "Where's Gordon" meme in the mainstream media today
Blair Backs Brown
Outgoing PM Tony Blair has backed Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown to take over his job.
All At Sea
Here's a photo of Presidential runner-up Ségolène Royal (left) on holiday last summer with her daughter and partner François Hollande (right, reading A Dummy's Guide to French History).
Presumably this is the kind of boating scene that France's left-wing press would approve of, judging from their outcry over Nicolas Sarkozy's two-day stay on a billionaire's yacht.
Brains Trust
A commentator in The Guardian complains that Tony Blair lost the support of the "radical intelligentsia."
We're still laughing at that one...
Out With The New
Blair's party drops his contribution as he resigns
Britain's Labour Party was quick to follow Tony Blair's announcement of his resignation with a Stalin-like airbrushing of "New Labour" from the party's official website.
Blair relaunched the Labour Party as New Labour during his first speech as leader in 1994. The logo has dominated the party's publicity materials and websites ever since. However, in the night following the announcement of his resignation, the symbolism and imagery of New Labour mysteriously vanished.
Blair To Step Down June 27
Tony Blair has announced that June 27 will be his last day as Britain's Prime Minister.
He said that he had been "very blessed" to lead "the greatest nation on earth", and while he apologised for some shortcomings while in office, he argued that he left the country in a much healthier state than it was when he became PM in May 1997.
The Gordon Brown era begins, then, on Thursday 28 June. Brace yourselves, as the left-wing French newspaper Libération wrote the morning after Nicolas Sarkozy's election.
Nicolas et Cecilia vont en bateau
France's left-wing media is carping that President-elect Nicolas Sarkozy has taken a holiday on a yacht belonging to billionaire businessman Vincent Bollore.
MI5 Waits For al-Qaeda Move
Britain's internal security service, known as MI5, is struggling to cope with the prospect of a new near-certain terrorist attack somewhere in the kingdom. This is according to The Economist.
Pounds & Ounces
Meat, fish, fruit and vegetables can continue to be sold in pounds and ounces after a U-turn by the European Commission.
RAF Intercepts Russian Spy Planes
In an operation reminiscent of the Cold War, RAF fighters have been scambled to force Russian bombers away from British airspace, the Times reports.
Is Cameron The New Chirac?
Sarkozy's victory makes a mockery of David Cameron’s Tories and European centre-ground politics
France’s presidential landslide victory for Nicolas Sarkozy, an unabashed radical conservative who campaigned on the basis of “sweeping away the legacy of 1968” (the emotional and intellectual icon of modern Socialist France), shows that the French public is totally sick and tired of the ruling establishment’s permanent drift to the left.
Right And Left Ponder Sarkozy Win
Nicolas Sarkozy's victory in France's presidential election was expected but it has sent shockwaves through Europe's left and right.
While much of the media attention is going on where a Sarkozy Presidency leaves France's left, politicians on the centre-right are considering what lessons can be learned from Sarkozy's radical campaign.
A French Victory
He may not be President until May 16, but there is no doubt about it: The Sarkozy Era began yesterday evening in Paris.
On the city's Place de la Concorde, supporters danced to live music provided by French rock stars who broke with what Nicolas Sarkozy himself described as the "pensée unique" to back him: Over on the east Bastille, up to 2000 anarchist and far-left protesters fought running battles with riot police. Meanwhile, supporters of defeated left-wing candidate Ségolène Royal gathered on television news shows to discuss what Sarkozy's triumph means for the Socialist Party.
A few facts. Sarkozy won with 53 percent of the vote: over 18,983,000 French citizens voted for him in a turnout of 85 percent. That's more than half a million more than the combined vote of Britain's Labour and Conservative parties in the last British election.
Sarkozy President!
Nicolas Sarkozy elected President of France
Exit polls predict that Nicolas Sarkozy has beaten Socialist rival Ségolène Royal to become France's next president.
On a record turnout of around 75 percent, Sarkozy is said to have received between 53 and 54.5 percent of votes, easily beating his rival.
Update: Turnout was over 86 percent by the time polls closed. Sarkozy gained 53 percent of votes to Royal's 47.
Judgement Day
Aux urnes citoyens: The most gripping election campaign in recent years comes to a climax today.
Voting in mainland France began this morning. The final polls broadcast on Friday before the news blackout showed centre-right candidate Nicolas Sarkozy widening his lead over Socialist Ségolène Royal.
Update: Centrist François Bayrou cast his vote this morning. He said on Thursday he would not vote for Sarkozy. That leaves...?
Turnout is reported to be high as expected: Just under 30 percent of voters had cast their vote by noon: Up nearly 5 percent on the same time in the first round.
Update: France 2 is reporting the highest turnout since 1974.
The Terror Trail
Last week, five British terrorists were sentenced to life for plotting attacks in the UK. They had planned to bomb targets including the Ministry of Sound nightclub and the giant Bluewater Shopping Centre.
How did the Ministry of Sound and Bluewater come to the attention of these rabid Islamists, dedicated to "purging" Britain of evil elements? Brendan O'Neill of Spiked has a few ideas...
Election Farce In Scotland
Remember all that fuss about hanging chads? Couldn't happen here. Ooops! Up to 100,000 votes in the Scottish council elections may have to be discounted following problems with a new electronic counting system.
Home Alone
Two interesting takes on Britain's febrile property market, one from the left-leaning Guardian and the other in this week's conservative Spectator.
Turkey In Turmoil
Turkey is in trouble, again. Political turmiol reigns after prime minister Recep Erdogan accused the country's top court of "firing a bullet at democracy" by annulling a parliamentary vote to elect the next president.
The Royal Lullaby
"WIth me, there's no risk" - Ségolène Royal responding to typically soft-ball questions in Le Parisien this morning.
The quote made the front page, hours before the French go to the polls. A crucial strategy for Royal, who is narrowly behind in the opinion polls, is to convince wavering voters that her rival Nicolas Sarkozy is a dangerous proposal. The newspaper's headline helpfully crystallises the concerns of some voters: Sarkozy has the better grasp of policy and a clearer idea of what France needs... but is there not a danger that our enviable lifestyle could change thanks to his medicine?
French Voters: Sarko More Convincing
The first poll taken after last night's presidential debate suggests that French voters believe that centre-right candidate Nicolas Sarkozy came out as winner.
The margin is wider than we expected: 53 percent to Ségolène Royal's 31 percent.
Ségo-Masochism
You have to hand it to the French. They turned out in unprecedented numbers to vote in last Sunday's presidential first round. And last night, despite a lovely globally-warmed May evening, 22 million of them were expected to watch the gruelling 2h40m debate between remaining contenders Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal.
Also just in: "Third Man" candidate (well, he did come third) François Bayrou says he won't vote Sarkozy on Sunday.
The Level Of Debate
Photo taken in Paris, this morning. The demonisation of Nicolas Sarkozy continues.
A Sign Of Civilisation?
Here's a good article for anyone who has been troubled by the level of public rudeness in Britain (or elsewhere for that matter). A Guardian writer made a short rail journey across the country and ran into belligerent teenagers and rowdy mobile-phone users.
What happened to common decency, she asks: Is politeness a sign of social solidarity, that is, something the left should be concerning itself with, or is it a symptom of bourgeois respectability, and thus conservative territory?
Russia's Oil Arsenal
We are surprised this story hasn't featured more in the European media: Russia has responded to a row over Estonia's moving of a Soviet War Memorial by cutting off oil deliveries to Estonian ports.
Thought street violence from ethnic Russians in Tallinn appears to have subsided, Estonian PM Andrus Ansip claims that his country is under "heavy attack". He has appealled to the EU for support - the EU responded by calling on Moscow to stand by its committment to the protection of diplomats following attempted mob attacks on Estonian officials in Russia.
Honour Killing
In last night's French presidential debate, centre-right candidate Nicolas Sarkozy invoked suspicion of Turkey's neighbours as a good reason to keep the Turkey from joining the European Union.
"We do not want Kurdistan to become a European problem", he said, noting that Iran and Syria also share a border with eastern Turkey. The Daily Mail has horrific photos of the execution by stoning of a 17 year old girl in Kurdish Iraq. She was accused of falling in love with a Sunni Muslim from a different tribe.
Champions League
The Sarkozy-Royal showdown kicks off tonight at 9.00 Paris time (20.00 GMT).
France 2 will be streaming the debate live here.
Well Runs Dry
Australia's federal government reports that the country has been suffering a prolonged and severe drought over the past two years and the consequences are dire.
Terror From The Inside
As five young British Muslims are convicted of plotting terror attacks in the UK, the Telegraph has a fascinating column from Ed Husain on the threat posed by fundamentalist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. Husain himself was a member of the organisation in the 1990s.
This organisation is banned in many European and Muslim nations, but operates within the law in Britain, organising in extremist prayer groups and universities.
The BBC's Mac-Free Zone
Here's an interesting story from British blogger Iain Dale. When internet news channel 18 Doughty Street launched last year, Mac users complained that they couldn't stream live feeds (EURSOC was among the complainers). Doughty Street did a spot of fiddling, and a cheap Mac-friendly solution was found.
If only the BBC had half Doughty Street's wit.
Fear And Loathing
Europe's Left needs to come up with something better than hate
As France's presidential election enters its final straight, a group of a hundred intellectuals has issued a letter explaining to voters why they should not vote for Nicolas Sarkozy.
It's the latest step in an extraordinary campaign directed against the centre-right candidate.
We are told the housing estates are simmering with violence, ready to explode should Sarkozy win on Sunday. Advertisements featuring the frontrunner have been defaced more regularly than those posted by supporters of Jean-Marie Le Pen. In their place, posters and stickers have appeared, depicting Sarkozy as Hitler. Newspaper columnists in both France and overseas have queued to denounce Sarkozy with borderline slanderous claims about his character and policies.
"Why the hatred?" Sarkozy himself asked, during a television interview after his first round success. Why indeed?
