http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fake-that-the-uncanny-world-of-americas-biggest-celebritylookalike-convention-1823681.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fake-that-the-uncanny-world-of-americas-biggest-celebritylookalike-convention-1823681.html ]]> <p> Holy mackerel! Look over there! Isn't that Richard Gere, with his dreamy silver hair and professorial wire spectacles, taking a leak in the Gents? And OhMiGaaaad, am I seeing things or is that Sarah Palin holding a conversation with (pinch me, somebody) Arnie Schwarzenegger in a serious gun shop? </p> Americas Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/blair-happy-to-be-out-of-race-for-europe-job-1824931.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/blair-happy-to-be-out-of-race-for-europe-job-1824931.html <p>Tony Blair will not seek another big international job after being rejected for the new post of "President of Europe", his allies said yesterday.</p> Europe Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-guru-with-a-gift-for-brainwashing-1824943.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-guru-with-a-gift-for-brainwashing-1824943.html <p>Thierry Tilly looks like a geography teacher or a chartered accountant, or a French version of Bill Gates. He claims, variously, to be a Nato "master-spy", a confidant of presidents and prime ministers, a financial genius, a 21st-century representative of an ancient, secret order descended from the Knights Templar and a man with superhuman powers sworn to fight the forces of evil.</p> Europe Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/herman-who-the-world-greets-new-eu-president-1824932.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/herman-who-the-world-greets-new-eu-president-1824932.html ]]> <p> Limp waves of polite puzzlement circled the globe yesterday as leaders adjusted to the news that the much ballyhooed EU President would be a mild-mannered, competent manager rather than a charismatic new "face" for Europe. </p> Europe Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/peruvian-gang-killed-peasant-farmers-for-their-fat-1824950.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/peruvian-gang-killed-peasant-farmers-for-their-fat-1824950.html ]]> <p>Police in Peru say they have arrested three members of a gang who murdered a string of peasant farmers, drained the fat from their dead bodies, and then attempted to sell it to European cosmetics manufacturers. </p> Americas Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/prostitute-in-rome-scandal-dies-1824952.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/prostitute-in-rome-scandal-dies-1824952.html <p>A body believed to be that of a Brazilian prostitute involved in a scandal that brought down the governor of the Rome area was found in an apartment fire yesterday.</p> Europe Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/man-who-escaped-in-parcel-is-caught-1824954.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/man-who-escaped-in-parcel-is-caught-1824954.html <p> A French murder suspect who caused a media sensation after escaping from prison in a cardboard box and evading a huge manhunt during weeks on the run, has been recaptured, the interior ministry said on yesterday. </p> Europe Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/hes-off-egypt-pulls-ambassador-in-fallout-from-world-cup-clash-1824953.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/hes-off-egypt-pulls-ambassador-in-fallout-from-world-cup-clash-1824953.html ]]> <p>Never mind the "hand of Henry" – the "foot of Yahia" has caused an even greater World Cup fallout in north Africa as rioting erupted in the early hours of yesterday morning in Cairo. It was Algerian defender Antar Yahia's powerful right-foot volley that settled their play-off with bitter rivals Egypt in the week's most contentious match.</p> Africa Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/maoist-rebels-derail-train-after-threat-of-crackdown-1824951.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/maoist-rebels-derail-train-after-threat-of-crackdown-1824951.html ]]> <p>Maoist rebels in India have blown up a railway track, leading to the derailment of a crowded passenger train, killing two people and injuring dozens. </p> Asia Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/a-warm-welcome-from-the-pope-sows-anglican-unease-1824948.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/a-warm-welcome-from-the-pope-sows-anglican-unease-1824948.html ]]> <p>Pope Benedict XVI will today greet Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, for the first time since the Vatican announced the creation of a canonical structure to receive groups of Anglican converts en masse.</p> Europe Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-senator-calls-for-return-of-lockerbie-bomber-to-jail-1824944.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-senator-calls-for-return-of-lockerbie-bomber-to-jail-1824944.html <p>A US senator has written to Gordon Brown, demanding the immediate return of the Lockerbie bomber to prison. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi's early release from Greenock jail in Scotland on compassionate grounds was granted on the assumption that he had only three months to live because he was suffering from prostate cancer.</p> Americas Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-etruscan-roots-of-the-twilight-saga-1824664.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-etruscan-roots-of-the-twilight-saga-1824664.html ]]> <p> Were there vampires in Volterra? Probably not, but the Etruscans had their own brigade of gods and demons representing night, death and resurrection. </p> Features Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:08:29 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/sam-zarifi-if-afghanistan-fails-who-will-pay-the-price-1824628.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/sam-zarifi-if-afghanistan-fails-who-will-pay-the-price-1824628.html <p> Debate about the risks faced by the international community in supporting President Hamid Karzai’s “corrupt” Afghan government regularly omits the people that matter most: Afghans. </p> Commentators Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:43:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/weak-little-b-husband-jailed-for-strangling-wife-1824455.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/weak-little-b-husband-jailed-for-strangling-wife-1824455.html <p> A Melbourne man who strangled his controlling de facto wife in a fit of rage has been jailed for 14 years. </p> Australasia Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:31:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hurricane-katrina-it-was-not-an-act-of-god-1824127.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hurricane-katrina-it-was-not-an-act-of-god-1824127.html ]]> <p>The US government could be facing a bill running to hundreds of billions of dollars after a federal judge ruled that failures by the US Army Corps of Engineers were responsible for the worst flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina.</p> Americas Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/european-leaders-choose-the-path-of-least-resistance-1824103.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/european-leaders-choose-the-path-of-least-resistance-1824103.html ]]> <p>Britain last night secured the job of the EU's first "foreign minister" for Baroness Ashton of Upholland after Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy was crowned as the first "President of Europe", quashing any hopes Tony Blair might have still been harbouring of assuming the role.</p> Europe Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/news/daily-show-brit-gets-own-comedy-series-1824105.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/news/daily-show-brit-gets-own-comedy-series-1824105.html ]]> <p>John Oliver, the lanky-haired Brummie comedian who moved to America to try out his funny accent on the natives and has risen to something near fame as "Senior British Correspondent" on the The Daily Show, is being rewarded in the only way that is appropriate – with his own weekly US show.</p> News Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/killers-of-the-father-of-bangladesh-likely-to-hang-1824131.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/killers-of-the-father-of-bangladesh-likely-to-hang-1824131.html ]]> <p>Five ageing Bangladeshi army officers face the gallows after their death sentences were upheld in Dhaka yesterday, bringing an end to a murderous saga that has racked the nation for more than three decades. </p> Asia Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/happy-holidays-ndash-without-santa-claus-or-pumpkins-1824134.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/happy-holidays-ndash-without-santa-claus-or-pumpkins-1824134.html <p>The Grinch stole Christmas back in the days of innocence, but today climate change and sexual alarmism are doing just as good a job as Dr Seuss's mean critter.</p> Americas Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/behind-asias-nice-manners-tough-lessons-for-obama-1824136.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/behind-asias-nice-manners-tough-lessons-for-obama-1824136.html ]]> <p>Barack Obama's first trip to Asia, which ended yesterday, has underscored two related truths about America and its 44th president. In his foreign dealings Mr Obama is long on charm and reason but – thus far at least – short on concrete results. And people don't listen to the United States like they used to.</p> Americas Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/how-ashcroft-became-the-banker-to-paradise-1824138.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/how-ashcroft-became-the-banker-to-paradise-1824138.html ]]> <p>The residents of Providenciales call it the White House. With its Palladian facades and gleaming windows, the sprawling beachfront mansion is the home of Michael Misick, the one-time estate agent turned disgraced multi-millionaire premier of a Caribbean island paradise. </p> Americas Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/oprah-winfrey-quits-tv-show-after-25-years-1824226.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/oprah-winfrey-quits-tv-show-after-25-years-1824226.html ]]> <p>Oprah Winfrey, the reigning monarch of daytime chat and occasional champion of presidents and authors, is to announce on her television show today that after nearly a quarter of a century of syndication success she is preparing to quit her show for good the year after next.</p> TV & Radio Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/separated-twin-is-doing-well-1824137.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/separated-twin-is-doing-well-1824137.html <p>A Bangladeshi girl separated this week from her conjoined twin sister was talking and behaving normally yesterday after waking from a medically induced coma. </p> Australasia Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-26yearold-victim-of-the-first-world-war-1824135.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-26yearold-victim-of-the-first-world-war-1824135.html ]]> <p>Maité Roël is just 26 and she is the youngest victim of the First World War. And when she walks to meet me past the old churchyard in her village of Bovekerke, she limps, ever so slightly, on her left leg, the living ghost of all those mutilated, long-dead men whose memory the world honoured on Armistice Day earlier this month. She even holds a First World War veteran's card – "mutilée dans la guerre" – and when she shows it to the local railway ticket inspectors for reduced fare train trips, they suspect her – with awful inevitability – of stealing it from dead grandfather or great-grandfather.</p> Europe Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/suicide-bomber-kills-19-in-peshawar-bomb-blast-1824132.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/suicide-bomber-kills-19-in-peshawar-bomb-blast-1824132.html <p>A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a courthouse in Pakistan yesterday, killing 19 people in the latest attack by Islamist militants retaliating against an army offensive near the Afghan border.</p> Asia Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/karzai-inaugurated-ndash-but-where-were-the-crowds-1824130.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/karzai-inaugurated-ndash-but-where-were-the-crowds-1824130.html ]]> <p>There were no overt celebrations and the general public were excluded from the ceremony. As Hamid Karzai was inaugurated for his second term as Afghan President – three months after a fraud-riddled election – the capital was in a state of siege. Helicopter gunships clattered overhead and rings of armed checkpoints choked Kabul, the only sign of life on empty streets.</p> Asia Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/first-challenge-for-karzai-is-to-approve-corruption-charges-1824129.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/first-challenge-for-karzai-is-to-approve-corruption-charges-1824129.html <p>Afghan President Hamid Karzai's promise to stamp out corruption has come up against its first test with the revelation that indictments against five high-ranking politicians on charges thought to range from embezzlement to money-laundering need only his signature to proceed. </p> Asia Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/baroness-ashtons-eu-role-gives-britain-a-powerful-voice-1823742.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/baroness-ashtons-eu-role-gives-britain-a-powerful-voice-1823742.html ]]> <p> Gordon Brown insisted tonight that Britain would remain a powerful voice in Brussels after Labour peer Baroness Ashton was appointed as the European Union's first foreign minister. </p> Europe Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:43:46 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/prehistoric-masterpieces-the-swimmers-and-the-beast-1823637.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/prehistoric-masterpieces-the-swimmers-and-the-beast-1823637.html <p> The inhospitable plateau of Gilf Kebir in the far south-west Egyptian desert was once home to an early Egyptian civilization, who left behind spectacular cave art. </p> News Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:40:18 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/rickshaw-gambler-killed-over-6p-bet-1823635.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/rickshaw-gambler-killed-over-6p-bet-1823635.html <p> A Indian card player was killed after an argument over winnings of just </p> Asia Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:35:56 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/karzai-sworn-in-as-afghan-leader-1823419.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/karzai-sworn-in-as-afghan-leader-1823419.html ]]> <p> Veteran Afghan leader Hamid Karzai was sworn in as president today, pledging to fight graft and take control of his country's security before his five-year term ends, after a fraud-marred election left his image in ruins. </p> Asia Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:39:16 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/girl-10-tasered-by-police-with-mothers-permission-1823510.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/girl-10-tasered-by-police-with-mothers-permission-1823510.html <p> A police officer in a small US town used a stun gun on an unruly 10-year-old girl after he said her mother gave him permission to do so. </p> Americas Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:01:06 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/meteor-turns-midnight-into-daylight-sky--video-1823421.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/meteor-turns-midnight-into-daylight-sky--video-1823421.html <p> A streaking fireball briefly illuminated parts of the Utah sky to daylight-level conditions, surveillance footage shows. </p> Americas Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:18:55 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/19-killed-in-peshawar-blast-outside-court-1823420.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/19-killed-in-peshawar-blast-outside-court-1823420.html <p> A suicide bomber killed 19 people today outside a courthouse in northwestern Pakistan, the latest attack in an onslaught by Islamist militants fighting back against an army offensive in the nearby Afghan border region. </p> Asia Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:13:34 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/remains-found-in-hunt-for-missing-journalist-1823411.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/remains-found-in-hunt-for-missing-journalist-1823411.html <p> A forensics team searching for the body of a British journalist kidnapped by Palestinian militants more than 20 years ago recovered human remains in Lebanon, the Foreign Office said today. </p> Middle East Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:29:41 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/twin-talking-after-separation-surgery-1823408.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/twin-talking-after-separation-surgery-1823408.html ]]> <p> A Bangladeshi toddler separated this week from her conjoined twin sister was talking and behaving normally today after waking from a medically induced coma, the head of the surgery team said. </p> Australasia Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:17:32 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-admits-defeat-on-camp-xray-closure-1823209.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-admits-defeat-on-camp-xray-closure-1823209.html <p>President Barack Obama admitted yesterday what his aides and other Washington insiders have known for months: that his deadline for closing the Camp X-Ray prison inside the Guantanamo Bay naval base on 22 January – the first anniversary of his coming into office – will not now be met.</p> Americas Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/british-soldier-dies-in-helmand-gun-battle-1823217.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/british-soldier-dies-in-helmand-gun-battle-1823217.html <p>A British soldier was killed in Helmand yesterday, the Ministry of Defence said. </p> Asia Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/political-satire-show-has-afghans-glued-to-their-tvs-1823224.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/political-satire-show-has-afghans-glued-to-their-tvs-1823224.html ]]> <p>Today, President Hamid Karzai will be inaugurated in front of an audience of foreign dignitaries. But appearing on Afghan television, he is a little less statesmanlike. The incessant bickering, it seems, has grown too much, and Mr Karzai snaps: instead of calmly swearing an oath to his country, he is trying to strangle the US ambassador, jowl quivering next to spit-flecked jowl. A UN official gazes placidly at the unfolding chaos but luckily there's someone here with a little more nerve. "Shut up," screams a cross-dressing interpreter. It's not exactly The Daily Show, but this is political satire, Afghan style.</p> Asia Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/norway-and-guyana-sign-rainforest-deal-1823225.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/norway-and-guyana-sign-rainforest-deal-1823225.html ]]> <p>Guyana and Norway yesterday hailed a historic agreement that will see the Scandinavian country invest $250m (£150m) to preserve the rainforests of the Latin America nation. With world leaders warning that no legally binding agreement will be possible at the climate summit in Copenhagen next month, the two comparative minnows completed one of the biggest forest conservation deals ever signed.</p> Climate Change Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-eu-job-contest-dawns-dont-wait-up-1823222.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-eu-job-contest-dawns-dont-wait-up-1823222.html ]]> <p>The finals of the European Job Contest will take place in Brussels tonight, without the cheap glitter of the musical version but with the same sort of secret, national horse-trading and, most probably, the same kind of unmemorable winners. </p> Europe Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/vicepresidents-veto-darkens-iraq-election-1823226.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/vicepresidents-veto-darkens-iraq-election-1823226.html ]]> <p>Iraq's Sunni Arab Vice-President yesterday vetoed an election law over the number of parliamentary seats for refugees, prompting poll workers to halt preparations and casting fresh doubt on whether the vote can be held in January. </p> Middle East Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/give-money-to-hungry-not-banks-says-un-food-chief-1823228.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/give-money-to-hungry-not-banks-says-un-food-chief-1823228.html <p>The director of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has questioned how world powers could put so much money into fighting the financial crisis and not feed the one billion hungry. </p> World Politics Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/spirit-of-the-past-inspires-congo-campaign-1823230.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/spirit-of-the-past-inspires-congo-campaign-1823230.html ]]> <p>One hundred years ago today, a crowd gathered at the Royal Albert Hall in London to be told of atrocities in the Congo. Luminaries such as Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer, and the Archbishop of Canterbury were joined in their public outrage by scores of peers and MPs. The demonstration was the culmination of an extraordinary campaign by a former shipping clerk, Edmund Morel, to reveal the truth about King Leopold's Congo Free State.</p> Africa Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/rise-and-fall-of-the-indian-rope-trick-1823232.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/rise-and-fall-of-the-indian-rope-trick-1823232.html ]]> <p>By any standard, Ishamuddin Khan is a man of remarkable talents. Back in 1995, this traditional Indian magician or madari, completed the first successful outdoor performance of a trick that had been whispered about for centuries but that no one before had mastered. When, before an amazed audience on the southern edge of Delhi, Ishamuddin managed a convincing rendition of the legendary Indian rope trick, it made headlines around the world that ought to have secured his place in the history of magic and won him lasting recognition at home.</p> Asia Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/woman-divorces-no-sex-or-soap-operas-husband-1823235.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/woman-divorces-no-sex-or-soap-operas-husband-1823235.html <p>An Indian woman has successfully divorced her husband after he declined to have sex, spat on her and refused her permission to watch television soap operas.</p> Asia Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/i-met-abraham-lincoln-ndash-and-heres-the-proof-1823234.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/i-met-abraham-lincoln-ndash-and-heres-the-proof-1823234.html ]]> <p>That Abraham Lincoln had his hands full with correspondence as President is no surprise. In his years in office he received missives from Queen Victoria and wrote letters to generals, ambassadors, political allies and newspaper editors. </p> Americas Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/arnie-wont-run-for-another-term-1823233.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/arnie-wont-run-for-another-term-1823233.html <p>California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger won't say what his plans are when his term expires next year, but he won't be running for another term in office. </p> Americas Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/italys-northern-league-in-white-christmas-immigrant-purge-1823231.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/italys-northern-league-in-white-christmas-immigrant-purge-1823231.html <p>The local council of the northern Italian town of Coccaglio is dreaming of a White Christmas this year. </p> Europe Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/obama-on-the-tourist-trail-in-china-1823229.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/obama-on-the-tourist-trail-in-china-1823229.html ]]> <p>It had the look of an unscripted moment in what has been a minutely micromanaged visit. The President of the United States of America took time out from his hectic, difficult maiden voyage to the world's rising superpower, China, to contemplate destiny and the games that history can play.</p> Asia Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/senate-leader-prepares-for-vote-on-health-bill-1823227.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/senate-leader-prepares-for-vote-on-health-bill-1823227.html <p> The leader of the US Senate, Harry Reid, was ready last night to move ahead at last with a draft healthcare reform bill amid hopes that he can muster the necessary minimum of 60 votes for a motion to begin debate by the full Senate by this weekend. </p> Americas Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/meredith-murder-suspect-argued-with-her-moments-before-death-1822831.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/meredith-murder-suspect-argued-with-her-moments-before-death-1822831.html ]]> <p> The man convicted of murdering British student Meredith Kercher in Italy today claimed he heard her arguing with housemate and suspect Amanda Knox minutes before her death. </p> Europe Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:22:25 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/virginislands-tankers-captain-dies-of-wounds-1822789.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/virginislands-tankers-captain-dies-of-wounds-1822789.html <p> The captain of a Virgin-Islands owned chemical tanker hijacked earlier this week has died from gunshot wounds sustained when the ship was attacked, a Somali pirate said today. </p> Africa Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:54:46 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/goodbye-vietnam--facebook-faces-blackout-1822740.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/goodbye-vietnam--facebook-faces-blackout-1822740.html ]]> <p> Vietnam's growing legions of Facebook users fear that the country's communist government might be blocking the popular social networking website, which has become difficult to access over the past few weeks. </p> News Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:41:26 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/former-ss-man-charged-with-58-murders-after-student-traces-him-1822598.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/former-ss-man-charged-with-58-murders-after-student-traces-him-1822598.html <p> A former SS sergeant who worked unnoticed for decades as manager of a rail station has been charged with 58 counts of murder after a student doing undergraduate research uncovered his alleged involvement in a massacre of Jewish forced labourers. </p> Europe Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:14:18 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/miliband-taliban-must-join-afghan-parliament-1822403.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/miliband-taliban-must-join-afghan-parliament-1822403.html <p>Taliban fighters should be persuaded to lay down their arms and take seats in the Afghan Parliament in an effort to build a lasting peace in the country, the Foreign Secretary David Miliband insisted yesterday.</p> Asia Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/volunteer-shot-in-helmand-1822404.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/volunteer-shot-in-helmand-1822404.html ]]> <p> A young soldier who volunteered to serve in Afghanistan to gain experience for a future career as an officer was killed within days of arriving in Helmand. </p> Asia Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/karzai-set-to-sacrifice-lambs-not-wolves-1822416.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/karzai-set-to-sacrifice-lambs-not-wolves-1822416.html ]]> <p>Afghanistan's beleaguered President Hamid Karzai makes his inauguration speech tomorrow, acutely aware that his disgruntled international backers will be poring over it for signs that he intends to mend his ways. But while he may carry out a cull of ministers, diplomats are expecting them to be minor sacrificial lambs rather than the worst offenders.</p> Asia Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israeli-minister-plans-to-send-troops-into-schools-to-boost-conscription-1822419.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israeli-minister-plans-to-send-troops-into-schools-to-boost-conscription-1822419.html <p>The Israeli education minister has unveiled plans to take teams of senior army officers to high schools across the country to help teachers "foster the motivation" of pupils to serve in combat units following a decline in conscription rates.</p> Middle East Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-drops-in-corruption-list-amid-calls-for-new-urgency-in-the-west-1822418.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-drops-in-corruption-list-amid-calls-for-new-urgency-in-the-west-1822418.html <p>The new edition of a global "corruption index" has seen Iran fall into the bottom 10, ranking it one of the world's most crookedly run countries.</p> Middle East Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/swat-taliban-chief-gives-pakistan-army-the-slip-and-escapes-across-the-border-1822417.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/swat-taliban-chief-gives-pakistan-army-the-slip-and-escapes-across-the-border-1822417.html <p>The head of the Taliban in Pakistan's Swat Valley has claimed he has escaped from a dragnet set up by government forces and slipped into Afghanistan.</p> Asia Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/burmese-cameramen-jailed-for-defying-regime-1822420.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/burmese-cameramen-jailed-for-defying-regime-1822420.html ]]> <p>If a shocking documentary about the fate of Burma's cyclone orphans wins a prestigious video-journalism award in London tomorrow night, it will be some time before one of the men who shot it gets a chance to celebrate. </p> Asia Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/nothing-presidential-about-new-eu-presidents-job-1822422.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/nothing-presidential-about-new-eu-presidents-job-1822422.html ]]> <p>Europhobes and Europhiles may rarely agree but they are conspiring – not for the first time – to foist a grand illusion on the European public. </p> Europe Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/a-matter-of-life-and-death-egypt-vs-algeria-is-more-important-than-that-1822424.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/a-matter-of-life-and-death-egypt-vs-algeria-is-more-important-than-that-1822424.html ]]> <p>Had Bill Shankly hailed from Cairo rather than a Scottish mining village, he might have said: "Football's not a matter of life and death – but it can cost you your eyesight." Ask the Egyptian team doctor who lost an eye after being attacked with a broken bottle by an Algerian footballer when the two countries last met for a place in the World Cup finals two decades ago.</p> News & Comment Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/till-death-us-do-not-part-french-woman-marries-dead-fianc-1822425.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/till-death-us-do-not-part-french-woman-marries-dead-fianc-1822425.html <p>The bride wore white but, as the mayor sadly pointed out, she was a widow before she left the town hall. By special permission of the French President, Magali Jaskiewicz, a 26-year-old-mother of two from eastern France, has married her dead fiancé. </p> Europe Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/no-concessions-on-strength-of-the-yuan-1822423.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/no-concessions-on-strength-of-the-yuan-1822423.html <p>There had been a flurry of optimism in the currency markets that perhaps the Chinese would use the occasion of Barack Obama's visit to announce they would finally allow their currency to rise to a level more fitting for the emerging economic powerhouse of Asia.</p> Asia Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/obama-bends-knee-to-chinese-might-1822421.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/obama-bends-knee-to-chinese-might-1822421.html ]]> <p>America used to take pride in speaking softly and carrying a big stick, but in China Barack Obama has had to speak softly and keep any stick he might feel like flourishing well out of sight. </p> World Politics Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/briton-faces-court-after-us-flight-diverted-1822245.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/briton-faces-court-after-us-flight-diverted-1822245.html <p> A British man was due to appear in a US court today after being hauled off a transatlantic flight for unruly behaviour. </p> Americas Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:38:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/90yearold-charged-with-ss-jewish-massacre-1822220.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/90yearold-charged-with-ss-jewish-massacre-1822220.html <p> A 90-year-old former member of the SS has been charged with 58 counts of murder for the 1945 killings of Jewish forced labourers in Austria. </p> Europe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:04:51 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/still-waiting-for-armour-said-soldier-two-weeks-before-death-1822190.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/still-waiting-for-armour-said-soldier-two-weeks-before-death-1822190.html <p> A Territorial Army soldier was shot dead two weeks after arriving in Afghanistan and telling friends that troops were "still waiting" for promised new body armour and helmets. </p> Asia Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:14:29 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/britain-ready-to-send-more-troops-to-afghanistan-1822098.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/britain-ready-to-send-more-troops-to-afghanistan-1822098.html <p> Allied troops must stay in Afghanistan to prevent the Taliban filling any "vacuum", the Foreign Secretary said today. </p> World Politics Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:09:11 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/conjoined-twins-separated-successfully-1821893.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/conjoined-twins-separated-successfully-1821893.html ]]> <p> A team of 16 surgeons and nurses successfully concluded 25 hours of delicate surgery today to separate twin Bangladeshi girls who had been joined at their heads, sharing blood vessels and brain tissue. </p> Australasia Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:01:48 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/why-robinson-crusoe-island-is-at-risk-1821710.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/why-robinson-crusoe-island-is-at-risk-1821710.html ]]> <p>It takes about two hours by light aircraft to fly to the remote Pacific islands of the Juan Fernández Archipelago, 414 miles off the coast of Chile. That's all it takes to destroy the 4 million-year isolation that has protected this oceanic jewel from biological destruction. </p> Nature Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-day-that-all-hell-broke-loose-in-basra-1821729.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-day-that-all-hell-broke-loose-in-basra-1821729.html ]]> <p>The war was over, soldiers felt safe enough to wear berets and to patrol the streets of southern Iraq in soft-skinned jeeps. But the sense of improving security in Basra was tragically short lived. </p> Asia Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/brown-urges-talks-to-speed-afghan-retreat-1821734.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/brown-urges-talks-to-speed-afghan-retreat-1821734.html <p>An international conference paving the way for an exit strategy for British troops in Afghanistan should be held in London in January, Gordon Brown proposed last night.</p> Asia Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/troop-numbers-breach-guidelines-1821735.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/troop-numbers-breach-guidelines-1821735.html <p> Thousands more more troops will be needed in Helmand for there to be a viable chance of fighting Taliban terrorist tactics, according to the British military's new guide to counter-insurgency. </p> Asia Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/corruption-fight-boosted-by-afghan-fbi-1821733.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/corruption-fight-boosted-by-afghan-fbi-1821733.html <p>A new anti-corruption squad trained by British and American law enforcement agents will investigate high-level Afghans implicated in their country's vast criminal circles, Afghanistan's Interior Minister announced yesterday. </p> Asia Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/greens-urge-tuna-ban-1821737.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/greens-urge-tuna-ban-1821737.html <p>Environmentalists called for a global ban on the trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna, after the body responsible for managing stocks cut quotas but did not suspend fishing of the threatened species. </p> Nature Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/obama-hits-out-at-chinas-censorship-1821747.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/obama-hits-out-at-chinas-censorship-1821747.html ]]> <p>Barack Obama used his first day in China to offer a carefully worded critique of Beijing's record on freedom of speech, telling an audience of students that it was good for leaders to be forced "to hear opinions that [they] don't want to hear". </p> Asia Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/donald-macintyre-palestinians-throw-down--challenge-to-obama-and-un-1821751.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/donald-macintyre-palestinians-throw-down--challenge-to-obama-and-un-1821751.html <p>As so often in the Middle East, we have been here before. The latest suggestion – that a frustrated Palestinian leadership would unilaterally declare a state and invite international recognition for it – is not new. It was made a decade ago by Yasser Arafat when Benjamin Netanyahu, then as now, was Prime Minister. It was made again after the collapse of the Camp David talks a year later, when then Prime Minister Ehud Barak, like some of Mr Netanyahu's more hawkish ministers now, threatened to annex the most populous settlements in the West Bank in retaliation. And as the second intifada – and Israel's determined military response to it – gathered momentum, nothing came of it. </p> Middle East Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vanessa-mock-shadowy-race-but-with-the-right-result-1821753.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vanessa-mock-shadowy-race-but-with-the-right-result-1821753.html <p>It is nothing new for the EU to be blasted for being an opaque and shadowy bureaucratic behemoth, but the search for an EU President has triggered some of the most strident criticism yet of the way Brussels operates. </p> Europe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czechoslovakia-the-unfinished-revolution-1821756.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czechoslovakia-the-unfinished-revolution-1821756.html ]]> <p>The patron saint of the Czechs stares from his plinth in the centre of Prague with a genial, perplexed expression. It is 20 years since Good King Wenceslas last looked out on the frozen and cheerless political landscape of Communism. But each day, he still confronts rival forces contending for the soul of the Czech people. The equestrian statue of the martyred 10th-century King of Bohemia gazes out at well-dressed Czech shoppers – in ranks deep and crisp and even – as they make for Marks & Spencer and Debenhams and the two McDonald's on Wenceslas Square.</p> Europe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/iron-lady-of-the-north-in-late-bid-for-eus-top-job-1821755.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/iron-lady-of-the-north-in-late-bid-for-eus-top-job-1821755.html ]]> <p>Flame-haired Latvian Vaira Vike-Freiberga, known as the "Iron Lady of the North", is leading a pack of late contenders who have dashed into the closing round of the race to become the EU's first president. </p> Europe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/gaddafis-night-in-with-500-attractive-girls--and-the-koran-1821752.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/gaddafis-night-in-with-500-attractive-girls--and-the-koran-1821752.html ]]> <p>The mysterious host asked the Italian hospitality agency for "500 attractive girls between 18 and 35 years of age, at least 1.7 metre high", and if the women who answered the call were in the dark about their duties, they must have felt confident that the event would be an interesting one.</p> News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/some-african-countries-are-just-not-viable-says-philanthropist-1821750.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/some-african-countries-are-just-not-viable-says-philanthropist-1821750.html <p>A month after withholding a $5m African leadership prize because there was no suitable recipient, the wealthy philanthropist Mo Ibrahim has caused another stir by saying that some countries on the continent are too small to survive.</p> Africa Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/son-of-a-lion-shooting-with-the-enemy-1821744.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/son-of-a-lion-shooting-with-the-enemy-1821744.html ]]> <p>As any Hollywood director will tell you, finding the perfect match to play the protagonist in your film can be a notoriously time-consuming and frustrating procedure. First you have to hold auditions, separating the few grains of wheat from an often wide field of chaff. Then once you've found a star, you have to deal with their money-hungry agents and the non-stop demands of Hollywood's elite.</p> Features Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czechs-mark-20th-anniversary-of-velvet-revolution-1821591.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czechs-mark-20th-anniversary-of-velvet-revolution-1821591.html ]]> <p> Vaclav Havel is small, frail and as usual he’s wearing a badly-fitting suit and an open white shirt. You feel he would be smoking, but he isn’t allowed to now. </p> Europe Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:34:22 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/three-britons-killed-fleeing-dutch-police-1821525.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/three-britons-killed-fleeing-dutch-police-1821525.html <p> Three Britons died and a fourth was fighting for his life in a Dutch hospital today after a high-speed crash while escaping from police. </p> Europe Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:32:57 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/joyce-mulama-challenges-in-promoting-childrens-health-in-kenya-1821554.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/joyce-mulama-challenges-in-promoting-childrens-health-in-kenya-1821554.html <p> At age seven, Johnson Mungai, from Chokaa village, in Ruai, a peri-urban settlement on the outskirts of Nairobi, already knows that children are getting a raw deal where their health is concerned. </p> Africa Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:23:29 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ugandan-official-cane-dead-bodies-as-example-to-the-living-1821497.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ugandan-official-cane-dead-bodies-as-example-to-the-living-1821497.html <p> A Ugandan government official said the bodies of those who die because of drinking a local illicit gin should be caned six times before burial as an example to the living. </p> Africa Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:25:57 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/helicopters-boost-troops-in-afghanistan-1821250.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/helicopters-boost-troops-in-afghanistan-1821250.html ]]> <p>The first RAF Merlin helicopters have arrived in Afghanistan to address the acute shortage of aircraft, which has been blamed for the rising toll of deaths and injuries to British soldiers. The aircraft,dispatched from RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, are being reassembled at Camp Bastion, Helmand. The first batch will be flying within weeks, with the full complement of six to be operational by the end of the year.</p> Asia Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/conservationists-do-deal-with-the-devil-to-save-orangutans-1821251.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/conservationists-do-deal-with-the-devil-to-save-orangutans-1821251.html ]]> <p>Wildlife campaigners have made "a deal with the devil" in a bid to save the orang-utan from being driven into extinction. They have teamed up with the palm-oil industry, widely condemned by conservationists for causing devastation to orang-utans.</p> Nature Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iraqi-was-beaten-and-sexually-abused-1821253.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iraqi-was-beaten-and-sexually-abused-1821253.html <p>British soldiers forced an Iraqi detainee to wear an orange jump suit and told him that he was to be executed at Guantanamo Bay, according to new torture allegations being investigated by the Ministry of Defence.</p> Middle East Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/palestinian-push-for-an-independent-state-causes-israeli-alarm-1821261.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/palestinian-push-for-an-independent-state-causes-israeli-alarm-1821261.html ]]> <p>Palestinian leaders from President Mahmoud Abbas down have alarmed Israeli ministers by swinging their weight behind a planned effort to secure UN backing for a unilaterally declared independent state in the West Bank and Gaza. </p> Middle East Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/after-50-years-the-lost-innocents-shipped-from-home-win-apology-1821252.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/after-50-years-the-lost-innocents-shipped-from-home-win-apology-1821252.html ]]> <p>Thousands of British children sent to populate Australia in what was later described as "one of the most disgraceful periods in post-war politics" will be given an official apology from Kevin Rudd, the country's Prime Minister, in Canberra today. Gordon Brown will also try to make amends to the Britons who were shipped to several former colonies, including Canada.</p> Australasia Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/us-calls-on-burmese--junta-to-release-suu-kyi-1821263.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/us-calls-on-burmese--junta-to-release-suu-kyi-1821263.html <p>President Barack Obama yesterday took the opportunity of a highly unusual face-to-face encounter with a top leader of Burma's military junta to bluntly demand the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Mr Obama delivered the strong message during his summit meeting with leaders of 10 Southeast Asian nations, which included Burma Prime Minister General Thein Sein.</p> Asia Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dutch-first-in-europe-to-adopt-green-tax-for-cars-1821268.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dutch-first-in-europe-to-adopt-green-tax-for-cars-1821268.html <p>The Dutch government is to become the first country in Europe to introduce a green tax to replace annual road tax on cars. </p> Europe Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/someone-wants-to-kill-me-claims-berlusconi-1821270.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/someone-wants-to-kill-me-claims-berlusconi-1821270.html <p>Silvio Berlusconi's personal, political and legal problems are mounting, leading the Italian Prime Minister's media and political allies to speak of a plot against him and a risk of an early election.</p> Europe Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/john-lichfield/john-lichfield-what-a-relief-to-be-driving-in-disguise-1821280.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/john-lichfield/john-lichfield-what-a-relief-to-be-driving-in-disguise-1821280.html <p>By their cars shall you know them. Not any more, it appears. Parisian motorists, disliked all over France for being over-aggressive, under-friendly and simply for being Parisian, have found a way to camouflage their origins. </p> John Lichfield Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000