From the Sunday Times:

Gordon Brown is drawing up plans to turn Britain into the most Islam-friendly economy in the western world. The chancellor has given Muslim leaders private assurances that he wants to create a ‘level playing field’ in the economy, so that more and more ‘sharia compliant’ financial products can be offered to British Muslims... ‘Making the UK and London a centre for Islamic finance means putting in place the tax and legislative framework that is supportive of Islamic products,’ said a senior Treasury official. ‘On top of this, we’re also looking at promoting the City abroad as a centre for Islamic finance.’ Officials insist the changes will not compromise the government’s determination to root out and cut off sources of terrorist finance. The Muslim Council of Britain will host a large conference in June to showcase Britain to Muslim investors as a ‘gateway for trade with the Islamic world’. The chancellor will be a keynote speaker at the conference, which is expected to have a delegation from every leading Muslim country.

From the Spectator:

During Dr Rice's recent visit to London, the Secretary of State broke off from her formal engagements to meet Mr [David] Cameron... With Blair firmly in the twilight of his premiership, Washington is keen to establish good relations with his potential successors, and in this spirit Dr Rice was keen to meet the 'new Tony Blair'. But before securing him a coveted invitation to the Oval Office, she first wanted to establish that he was 'sound' on Iraq. 'But he just didn't come through, 'one of Dr Rice's aides told me shortly after the meeting took place in an anteroom at the Savoy Hotel. 'We were looking to him to make some kind of conciliatory gesture over Iraq, but he just wanted to sit on the fence. And that is not the kind of place we expect our allies to be.'

From the Times:

Climate change was a greater threat to the future than terrorism, the Prince of Wales told a meeting of small businessmen in London yesterday.

Ain’t life grand!

Posted by melanie at March 17, 2006