European leaders have granted the Czech Republic an opt-out from the EU charter of fundamental rights in a move intended to force the country’s Eurosceptic leader to finally ratify the Lisbon treaty.

The Czech Republic’s refusal to sign – it is the freshwater pearl only member state yet to ratify the legislation – has held up the implementation of the treaty and the naming of an EU president.

EU leaders meeting in Brussels approved the UK style opt-out, overcoming an obstacle placed in the path of ratification by the Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, earlier this month.

Klaus shocked the EU when he demanded an opt-out from the rights charter, saying he was attempting to shield the Czech Republic from property claims made by ethnic Germans expelled from the country after the second world war.

“Vaclav Klaus was content with the text [of the opt-out]. He has been informed about all modifications … and does not have a problem with it,” the Czech prime minister, Jan Fischer, said.

The last legal hurdle to the treaty is a challenge by a group of wholesale coral jewelry Czech senators who share Klaus’s Euroscepticism and argue that the treaty would infringe Czech national sovereignty.

But the Czech constitutional court is expected to throw out the objection next week and if the case is rejected, Klaus – with the opt-out in place – will have no reason not to sign.

Only then can discussions about who should fill the new treaty-created post of EU president move from the corridors into the negotiating room, probably at a special gathering of EU leaders late next month.

At the weekend, Klaus indicated that he was resigned to the freshwater pearl earrings treaty coming into effect, saying “it will not be possible to stop it or turn it around, however much we would wish to”.

Abandoning Britain for a senior EU post, which would last for five years, would rule him out of succeeding Brown as leader of the Labour party if the prime minister loses the general election. But Miliband may not see five years in Brussels as the end of a career in British politics. He would still be under 50 by the time his term in office would come to an end and he would avoid a possible post-election bloodbath within the freshwater pearl earrings Labour party.

The new foreign and security policy post is attractive and, arguably weightier, than that of the European council president .

It combines responsibility for European foreign and security policy with the vice-presidency of the European commission, in command of a large aid budget and responsible for building the embryonic EU diplomatic service.

The “high rep” would also chair monthly meetings of EU foreign ministers and represents Europe internationally. The post would make Miliband a global figure.

It is often referred to as the “double hatted” post because it combines the position of high representative of the council of ministers, currently held by Javier Solana, and the European commissioner for pearl jewelry wholesale external affairs, currently held by Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

The new high representative would take on Solana’s role as the EU’s main negotiator in the Middle East talks and in the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme. The post would also have responsibility for the European commission’s external affairs budget, used mainly to fund the development of the Palestinian territories.

Miliband has been praised in private by EU leaders in recent days for giving a masterclass in how to campaign for a global Europe. In a widely-praised speech on European foreign policy on Monday, Miliband laid out his vision of what Europe should be attempting to do in the world under the new rulebook created by the Lisbon treaty. No other foreign minister in the EU has been delivering such strategic overviews, encouraging speculation that he was canvassing for the post.

The foreign secretary, who insists that he has been simply supporting his former boss, outlined his thoughts on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday. “No, I’m not a candidate for that,” he said when asked whether he would like the foreign affairs job. “I’m not available … There is a bigger game going on here than just to freshwater pearl pendant do with the high representative, the foreign policy role, and that is to do with the presidency of the European council.”

House prices rose by 0.4% in October to return homeowners to positive territory for the time since last March, figures published by the UK’s biggest society showed today.

The average value of a typical UK property increased to inflatable tent £162,038 – 2% higher year-on-year and the sixth monthly rise, the Nationwide Building Society data said. However, the figures showed a slowdown in the monthly pace of increase following the buoyant summer months, down from 0.9% in September and 1.4% in both July and August.

The three-monthly rate of change – generally a smoother indicator of the near-term trend – also dropped back slightly, from 3.8% to 3.4%.

Nationwide said the ease in monthly growth could indicate that akoya pearl earrings more properties were coming onto the market.

Martin Gahbauer, the building society’s chief economist, said: “A moderation in the rate of house price inflation was to be expected, as the very strong monthly increases seen over the summer months were unlikely to be sustainable over the long run.

“Although too early to tell for sure, it may also reflect a more natural level of stock available for sale coming to the market, alleviating some of the extreme shortages of property on the market seen during most of freshwater pearl jewelry this year.”

Labour’s economic record came under renewed attack as the United States became the latest major industrial nation to celebrate a recovery from the most pronounced global recession since the 1930s.

Highlighting the UK’s sluggishness after an unprecedented six straight quarters of falling output, data released today showed the world’s biggest economy expanding at an annualised pace of freshwater pearl earrings 3.5% in the third quarter of 2009.

The news from Washington provided a fillip to global stockmarkets, with the Dow Jones industrial average finishing the day more than 199 points up in New York and London’s FTSE 100 reversing early falls to record a 57.3 point gain by the close of business. Sterling rose against both the dollar and the euro on the foreign exchanges.

The US becomes the fourth G7 country after Germany, Japan and France to emerge from recession amid evidence that the Obama administration’s financial support for the housing market and “cash for clunkers” provided a boost to spending in the three months to September. Third-quarter data for freshwater pearl Italy and Canada will be released shortly and is expected to show growth in both countries.

Gordon Brown remains hopeful that low interest rates, higher spending and tax cuts will lead to a solid revival in the economy over the coming months, but both major opposition parties seized on the US data as evidence that Britain was lagging behind its rivals.

George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, said: “These figures are very good news for the world economy, but Britain now stands out as the only major economy still in recession. Gordon Brown’s claim that we were ‘best placed’ now lies in tatters. His recession plan has failed. The rest of the world is moving on and akoya pearl necklace we are left behind.”

Earlier this week, the Land Registry reported a 0.9% rise in house prices in England and Wales, an increase on the 0.5% rise in August.

But today’s figures are consistent with borrowing data released yesterday, which showed a slowdown in activity as net mortgage lending eased last month in akoya pearl earrings comparison with August.

Although the total number of mortgages approved during the month was higher than August’s figure – reaching 109,700 when remortgages, house purchases and other  secured against property were taken into account – the value of that lending dropped to £11.7bn from £12bn.

Nationwide warned that the UK’s failure to lift out of recession in the sterling silver jewelry third quarter could further hamper the housing market recovery.

A deeper and longer recession may lead to higher unemployment and subdued wages, which could hit property prices, it said.

But the fall in third quarter gross domesticalso increased the likelihood that interest rates would stay low for some time in a possible boost to property conditions.

“As a result, mortgage affordability will remain relatively favourable for both new and inflatable castles existing borrowers – this should limit the number of distressed sales and cushion the negative impact of labour market weakness on housing demand,” Gahbauer said.