25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
The Book of Luke, chapter 21
(Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron's promise of a referendum on his country's membership of the European Union is a "huge distraction" that risks reducing Britain's influence in the bloc to that of Norway, Danny Alexander warned.
In an interview that highlights deep divisions within Britain's two-party coalition over Europe, Alexander, the number two at Britain's finance ministry and a member of the Liberal Democrat party, the junior coalition partner, said a British EU exit would be "catastrophic at every level".
Losing a say over how the world's largest single market is regulated would be particularly damaging, he warned.
"Look at the Norwegians for example, where in order to maintain access to the single market they basically receive the new rules on the fax machine from Brussels and they have to implement them without changing them," Alexander told Reuters. (http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/uk-britain-europe-alexander-idUKBRE94U0WM20130531)
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/10093065/Foreign-Office-warning-over-Turkey-protests.html) An environmental demonstration in Istanbul on Friday quickly spiralled into a wider, violent nationwide protests against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian government.
The Foreign Office advised Britons to avoid the areas where protests were taking place in Istanbul, Ankara and several other cities.
"Demonstrations are taking place in Istanbul and in other cities across Turkey, including Ankara. Police are using tear gas and water cannons in response. We advise British nationals to avoid all demonstrations," the Foreign Office said.
"Demonstrations occur regularly in major cities and have the potential to turn violent."
Far-right and opposing groups are holding demonstrations in England today amid increased tensions following the death of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich last month.
His family stressed yesterday that the young soldier would not have wanted violent attacks to be carried out in his name, and urged protesters to remain peaceful.
In a statement released through the British Ministry of Defence, members of Drummer Rigby’s family including his mother Lyn, stepfather Ian, wife Rebecca and son Jack, said: “We would like to emphasise that Lee would not want people to use his name as an excuse to carry out attacks against others.
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