Newspapers : 23rd February

Vatican buries the hatchet with Charles Darwin. Richard Owen, The Times (en)
" ... The Vatican has admitted that Charles Darwin was on the right track when he claimed that Man descended from apes. A leading official declared yesterday that Darwin’s theory of evolution was compatible with Christian faith, and could even be traced to St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas. “In fact, what we mean by evolution is the world as created by God,” ..."

European MPs earning £1 million profits in a term. Andrew Porter, The Telegraph (en)
" ... But a leaked copy of the 92-page document details the full extent of "corruption, dodgy dealing and poor financial controls" in the European Parliament, according to the Taxpayers' Alliance. It revealed that some MEPs claimed money for assistants that were neither accredited nor registered with the parliament ...
... Over five years, each MEP can claim this includes a subsistence allowance of 117,000 Euros, staff allowance of 489,840 Euros, office expenses of 243,120 Euros, travel expenses of 60,000 Euros and an accrued pension of £350,000. This does not include the MEP salary of £63,291, which is set to increase to £73,584 after the European Parliament elections in June 2009 ..."

UK Poles finding greener grass in Poland. David Harrison, The Telegraph (en)
" ... Thousands like Mr Wozniak sense that, after five years in the European Union, Poland now offers better opportunities than the UK where unemployment is rising, wages are falling and there is growing resentment against foreign workers ..."

Czech leader attacks EU. The Independent (en)
" ... The Czech Republic President said the EU was undemocratic, elitist and reminiscent of Soviet-era Communist dictatorships in an attack which provoked an angry response from EU legislators. Vaclav Klaus, who holds the rotating EU presidency, also won applause from nationalists and other anti-EU legislators during his first address to the EU chamber ...
... "Not so long ago, in our part of Europe we lived in a political system that permitted no alternatives and therefore also no parliamentary opposition," he said. "We learned the bitter lesson that with no opposition, there is no freedom" ..."