London
Homegrown assassin: A British Muslim woman inspired by al Qaida was convicted this week of trying to kill her local member of Parliament. Roshonara Choudhry, 21, stabbed MP Stephen Timms in the stomach at his office last May because he supported the Iraq war. “I wanted to kill him,” she said. “I was going to get revenge for the people of Iraq.” It was the first Islamist terrorist attack in Britain since the 2005 bombings of London’s transport system. Prosecutors said Choudhry, a gifted university student born in the U.K. to Bangladeshi parents, was radicalized by the Internet sermons of Anwar al-Awlaki, a leader of the Yemeni branch of al Qaida. He urges Muslims to strike out against the West any way they can.
London
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France and U.K. join forces: France and Britain signed historic military treaties this week, establishing a joint rapid-reaction force and joint nuclear-weapons labs, and agreeing to share aircraft carriers. “This unprecedented decision shows a level of trust and confidence between our two nations that is unequaled in history,” said President Nicolas Sarkozy. British Prime Minister David Cameron was careful to assert that British troops would still be under British control. “This is not about weakening or pooling British or French sovereignty,” he said. “It is about practical, hard-headed cooperation.” Europe’s only two nuclear countries both face deep budget cuts; the partnership will save them money.
Rome
Prime minister and teen: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is embroiled in a new scandal with an underage girl. Berlusconi, 74, admitted this week that he ordered theft charges dropped against a then-17-year-old Moroccan belly dancer with the stage name “Ruby Rubacuori.” Berlusconi falsely told Milan police that she was a granddaughter of the Egyptian president and her arrest would create an international incident. Opposition politicians have called for an investigation into possible abuse of power. Meanwhile, Rubacuori, who turned 18 this week, has filled the tabloids with tales of her friendship with Berlusconi, who she says invited her to parties for “bunga bunga”—an “erotic ritual” that, she says, Berlusconi learned from Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi. Last year, Berlusconi’s wife divorced him after he allegedly had a dalliance with an 18-year-old who called him “Papa.’’
Athens
Embassies get letter bombs: Greek police suspect anarchists are responsible for a series of mail bombings that injured one person in Athens this week. A package addressed to the Mexican Embassy exploded in the hands of a courier, causing minor burns. Letter bombs also exploded at the Swiss and Russian embassies, injuring no one, and bombs addressed to the Belgian and Dutch embassies were intercepted and destroyed. Police arrested two suspects, one a member of the Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire, an anarchist terror group responsible for a string of arsons. Greek anarchist groups have been increasingly active since the accidental killing of a teenager by police sparked riots in December 2008.
