Brown to Repay $20K in Expense Scandal

His EU veto could have major ramifications

(NEWSER) - David Cameron's decision to exercise Britain's veto and sit out negotiations on a new EU treaty is being seen as a momentous move, even if the ramifications aren't quite clear yet:

• New York Times : The decision "has left Britain as isolated as it has ever been in postwar Europe and effectively left out of future European decisions," write Sarah Lyall and Julia Werdigier. They add, however, that "there was widespread confusion over what this all actually means."
• Guardian : "I do not hear the sound of champagne corks or celebration among British Eurosceptics," writes Michael White. "Beware of what you wish for, is a wise saying. Who knows what happens now? But Europe, for all its follies and failings, has become a scapegoat for weaknesses that are really our own. We may be about to rediscover that awkward truth. It was why we joined in the first place."

Even body language is under scrutiny at euro summit

(NEWSER) - Britain's Daily Mail is calling it "Le Snub!": Reading much (maybe too much?) into the body language of Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron, it says the French president dissed the UK prime minister by blowing off Cameron's handshake at today's high-stakes European Union summit. (Britain isn't going along with the French-backed pact.) The Telegraph isn't so sure about it being a snub, noting that the men had shaken hands a bit earlier—but it's still happy to play up the video posing the question. See for yourself. More»

Anti-terror memos discarded after Oliver Letwin's morning stroll

(NEWSER) - As Cabinet Office minister, Oliver Letwin is David Cameron's right-hand man, and is responsible for advising the British prime minister on most aspects of government policy—but he doesn't seem to know what a shredder is. Journalists from the Daily Mirror watched as, day after day, Letwin walked around a London park reading sensitive documents before dumping them in the trash. In one case, he simply handed a bundle of documents to a park cleaner. More»

Riots a 'wake-up call' for 'broken society': PM

(NEWSER) - In the aftermath of rioting across Britain, David Cameron blasted the nation’s “slow-motion moral collapse”—a matter he plans to “take on and defeat.” Facing a “demoralized” state, “I will not be found wanting,” the prime minister said today at a youth center. The riots were a “wake-up call” for a “broken society” born from “children without fathers; schools without discipline; reward without effort; crime without punishment; rights without responsibilities; communities without control.” More»

Police using Scotland Yard's high-tech software

(AP) - Facial-recognition technology being considered for London's 2012 Games is getting a workout in the wake of Britain's riots , with officers feeding photographs of suspects through Scotland Yard's newly updated face-matching program. A law enforcement official told the AP that to use the technology "you have to have a good picture of a suspect and it is only useful if you have something to match it against. In other words, the suspect already has to have a previous criminal record." More»