Die Presse - Austria
"Guantanamo : Warum Europa kneift"
“Guantanamo: why Europe is afraid”

US President Barack Obama has repeatedly announced he wants to close the controversial Guantanamo Bay prison camp. The European Union has still to come up with a common response, both to the closure of the prison and to the future of its inmates.

Obama wants 60 to 80 prisoners to be moved to other countries. And most of these countries are inside the European Union. European politicians have often criticized the camp in the past. Now though, many are afraid they might have to take in some of the prisoners.

The front page of Austrian daily Die Presse reflects the debate now raging in many European countries. While countries like the United Kingdom, France, and Spain have agreed in principle to take in former Guantanamo Bay inmates, Austria is still to decide.

Die Presse publishes a caricature on its front page. It seems to suggest a European stance on Guantanamo Bay prisoners: “we won’t see, we won’t listen, and we won’t say anything.”

Corriere della Sera - Italy
"Detenuti di Guantanamo, l’Europa si divide"
“Europe divided on the issue of Guantanamo prisoners”

Italy is another European country debating its attitude towards Guantanamo Bay prisoners. It is asking itself whether it should accept prisoners from the notorious prison inside its borders.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini had earlier declined to add his country to the list of willing destinations for former inmates of the prison camp.

USA Today – United States
“Fall of Iceland government tip of the iceberg?”

After the demise of the Icelandic government, Ken Dilanian in USA Today asks whether this could just be the tip of the iceberg.

The Icelandic government is the first to fall as a result of the world financial crisis. This comes after weeks of protests in Iceland. USA Today suggests similar situations could be unraveling in other European countries.

Several countries are experiencing political unrest. Last week, protesters marched on parliament in Latvia. Demonstrations in Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Greece are also getting attention.

The Guardian – United Kingdom
“Some like it haute”

Paris Fashion Week has begun and it’s a time for the British daily The Guardian to ask whether the recession could have an influence on high-end fashion.

The Guardian concludes that this is an industry that is in fact recession-proof. Its example is the show by British designer John Galliano, an event that “bucked the recession trend” and was as extravagant as ever.

Le Figaro – France
“L’école flammande selon Dior”
“Flemish art according to Dior"

The French press love Paris Fashion Week. French conservative daily Le Figaro puts Galliano’s fashion show on its front cover. According to Le Figaro Galliano presented a collection inspired by the likes of artists Vermeer and Van Dyk, and by fashion designer Christian Dior.

Libération – France
“Tenues de rigueur”
"Proper attire required”

On the inside of left-leaning French newspaper Libération: a two-page spread on men’s fashion.

According to Libération, men’s high-end fashion is veering towards “military chic”, thereby heralding the “end of bling-bling.” This, says the paper, is all down to the recession.

The Telegraph – United Kingdom
“A change of heart on Facebook”

Chelsy Davy used “a thoroughly modern tool” to let the world know she had split up with the third in line to the British throne, Prince Harry.

In the Daily Telegraph, Erin Baker asks: “When a relationship ends, what on earth does one do about one’s relationship status?” Chelsy Davy used the social networking website to officially declare she was no longer “in a relationship”.