Iceland volcano: eruption 'could just be rehearsal' for worse ash chaos if Katla blows
Iceland's powerful Katla volcano is a brooding reminder that Britain and Europe face even worse chaos unless they learn lessons from the ash eruption at Eyjafjallajökull

New figures underline the fragility of economic revival
The economy grew by only 0.2% in the first quarter of the year, a slower pace than expected by City analysts, as the harshest winter weather in 30 years hit output hard.

Final economic "test" paints bleak picture for UK
GORDON Brown has been dealt another blow after the fragility of the UK economy was exposed in new figures showing slower than expected economic growth

Your account now pays minus 2.82%
Savers have been dealt another blow as inflation jumped to 3.4% in March. The annual Consumer Prices Index was 3% the previous month. As savings rates lie in the doldrums --with the best-paying 90-day notice accounts struggling to pay three% interest - savers are effectively losing money by holding it on deposit.

MIGRANT ARREST TEAM AXED AS NEW GORDON BROWN LIE EXPOSED
GORDON Brown’s lies on immigration were exposed again yesterday after it emerged that frontline officers who have arrested 1,000 illegal immigrants in a year are to be axed.

Violent crimes are up by 750 a week... and Labour's preferred figures prove it
Violent crime rose sharply in the past year, according to Labour's preferred recording method.
Ministers consistently cite the British Crime Survey as they look to trumpet their record.
But figures released yesterday showed there were 750 more violent attacks leading to injury every week last year compared with the year before.

Clegg flew economy but took business-class fares from EU
Nick Clegg has admitted taking expenses for business-class air travel while actually flying economy as a member of the European Parliament.
The Liberal Democrat leader used the budget airline BMI Baby to fly between Brussels and the UK, but was paid what he admits was 'whopping' expenses based on the price of a business-class seat on a major airline.

Britain's borrowing doubles over a year: Debt now adds up to £15,000 for every Briton
Britain's public borrowing has soared to record levels, according to official figures that underline Labour’s legacy of deficits and debt.
The Government borrowed £163.4billion in the last financial year ending in March, to fund unprecedented public spending amid tumbling tax receipts.
The nation’s borrowing almost doubled from £96.5billion in the previous year – and now stands at 11.5 per cent of national output, the Office for National Statistics said

AN energy crisis will plunge Britain into darkness in just SIX years' time, warn Government experts.
They predict that power cuts will start by 2016 - THREE years earlier than previously thought

First Annual Everybody Draw Mohammad Day
Via Dan Savage's blog at The Stranger, some clever chappie (I don't know who) has declared May 20, 2010 "Everybody Draw Mohammad Day," in support of Matt Stone and Trey Parker and in opposition to religious thuggery. Why May 20? I haven't a clue, though it could have something to do with Otto ascending the throne of Greece. Or, more likely, King Sancho IV of Castile's founding of the Study of General Schools of Alcalá.

An Act Of War: The US Congress is Actively Pushing for War on Iran
Statement on Motion to Instruct Conferees on HR 2194, Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act

April 23, 2010 "United States House of Representatives" -- Mr. Speaker I rise in opposition to this motion to instruct House conferees on HR 2194, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act, and I rise in strong opposition again to the underlying bill and to its Senate version as well. I object to this entire push for war on Iran, however it is disguised. Listening to the debate on the Floor on this motion and the underlying bill it feels as if we are back in 2002 all over again: the same falsehoods and distortions used to push the United States into a disastrous and unnecessary one trillion dollar war on Iraq are being trotted out again to lead us to what will likely be an even more disastrous and costly war on Iran. The parallels are astonishing.

The Swine Flu Panic of 2009: Reconstruction of a Mass Hysteria
We bring to the attention of our readers a report by the German Magazine Der Spiegel which suggests in no uncertain terms that the World Health Organization was serving the interests of Big Pharma in blatant violation of its mandate. We are dealing with the outright criminalization of a UN specialized agency, whose ranking officials are serving private corporate interests to the detriment of the broad objectives of global public health and social development

Halt Flu Vaccines to Children
AUSTRALIA'S chief medical officer has told doctors to stop giving the seasonal flu vaccine to children.

Tony Blair, Very Close to being Indicted for War Crimes
While on a speaking engagement in Malaysia organized by "Success Resources Company", former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was the object of an articulate protest movement demanding his indictment for war crimes.

This was no ordinary protest. Tony Blair has been accused of war crimes in a legal initiative led by the country's former Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

Thousands Of Slippers To 'Greet' Tony Blair In Malaysia
PUTRAJAYA, April 21 (Bernama) -- Thousands of slippers are expected to 'greet' former British prime minister Tony Blair if he were to set foot in this country this week.

No Where to Hide: Fears of Arrest and Prosecution by Tony Blair on Charges of War Crimes
War criminal Blair, the keynote speaker at the National Achievers Conference organised by Success Resources, a sycophant Singapore outfit at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, hid in fear at the threat that members of the Malaysian anti-war NGOs would throw slippers at him and that members of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission would serve an indictment for war crimes.

Greece hit by new riots as pressure grows to quit euro
Support for the bail-out of debt-ridden Greece was in doubt last night, leaving the country on the brink of financial meltdown as top German politicians said it should be forced to quit the euro.
Riots erupting during workers’ protests over planned public spending cuts, just hours after Greek Premier George Papandreou sought emergency £35billion of loans from eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund

Miliband wastes £80,000 changing official font on Foreign Office logo
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has spent tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money on a new logo – which is almost identical to the previous design.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband ordered the £80,000 makeover at the same time as the department was being forced to draw up a hit list of embassies and consulates around the globe it will close to save money.

Superspy in the sky could soon be patrolling over British cities to search for hidden terror cells
A Top-secret US unmanned drone used to locate Al Qaeda and Taliban hideouts in Pakistan and Afghanistan could soon be patrolling over British cities to search for hidden terror cells.

Labour 'cannot meet its pledge of 400,000 new green jobs'
Government forecast of slower growth in eco sector belies manifesto promise, say critics

Millions drink toxic water in the USA, but it's EPA-approved!
It has been so long since the federal law regulating tap water has been updated that since 2004, more than one-fifth of the U.S. population has consumed tap water that the government classifies as toxic, but still approves for human consumption

Genetically Modified Soy Linked to Sterility, Infant Mortality in Hamsters
“This study was just routine,” said Russian biologist Alexey V. Surov, in what could end up as the understatement of this century. Surov and his colleagues set out to discover if Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) soy, grown on 91% of US soybean fields, leads to problems in growth or reproduction. What he discovered may uproot a multi-billion dollar industry.

After feeding hamsters for two years over three generations, those on the GM diet, and especially the group on the maximum GM soy diet, showed devastating results. By the third generation, most GM soy-fed hamsters lost the ability to have babies. They also suffered slower growth, and a high mortality rate among the pups.

Obama administration spending billions on new global strike weapons
The Obama administration is spending billions of dollars to develop new weapons systems, including powerful conventional warhead missiles capable of striking any target in the world within less than an hour.

HOUSE PRICES SOAR BY 10%
HOUSE prices have leapt nearly 10 per cent in a year, figures will show this week.

LABOUR PLAN TO EMPTY BINS JUST ONCE A MONTH
RUBBISH collections just once a month are “inevitable”, the Government’s bin quango has announced.

LABOUR SPENT ALMOST £5BN ON BENEFITS FOR DRUNKS AND DRUG ADDICTS
LABOUR has spent almost £5billion on benefits for drug addicts and drunks, figures show.

Nick Clegg: I will not prop up Gordon Brown
NICK CLEGG has declared that he will refuse to prop up an “irrelevant” Gordon Brown even if Labour secures the largest number of seats in a hung parliament.

UK home to 1million illegal immigrants
THE government is allowing illegal immigrants and asylum seekers to stay in the country because it fails to send staff to one in five appeal hearings.

Years of austerity for bailed-out Greece
FOR Mike Sirakoulis, an unemployed graduate, enough is enough.

“I’ve got three degrees, including a master’s from a leading Australian university, and my prospects are bleak,” he said. “I send out about four or five CVs a week, with minimal response. I was even delayed going to a job interview because of disruption from a civil servants’ strike. It’s not just me. I’m now looking to go back abroad to find a decent job, as are many of my Greek friends.”

Americans Dont Give A **** About Global Warming, Survey Says
Retail investors from cities other than in the U.S. feel that climate change is the biggest issue facing the world, according to the HSBC Bank Global Pulse survey.

Representing 11 cities around the world, the 2,044 respondents answered questions about their preferences and behaviors regarding economic outlook, financial concerns and other topics. Responses came from Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong, Paris, Sao Paulo, Sydney and Toronto/Vancouver.

When asked what the three main issues facing the world are, the respondents from the U.S. put the economy and terrorism (40 percent and 39 percent, respectively) in the number one and number two spots. Twenty-six percent said climate change was the biggest issue.

CARRYING A SWISS ARMY KNIFE COULD LAND IN COURT
MAKERS of the Swiss Army knife have warned owners that they risk prosecution if they are found carrying one.

Labour civil war as support slumps in new poll
Labour's general election campaign is in crisis amid damaging rows between senior cabinet ministers and a new poll showing support for the party dropping to a six-month low

British Taxpayers to Fund Greece up to £1 Billion per Year
Though Britain is buried in debt due to decades of Tory and Labour mismanagement, British taxpayers could be forced to pay an additional £1 billion per year to bail out the Greek economy, and if the Lib Dems have their way, that figure will be much higher.

UK home to 1million illegal immigrants
THE government is allowing illegal immigrants and asylum seekers to stay in the country because it fails to send staff to one in five appeal hearings.

Secret NHS cuts axe thousands of medics
Hospitals across England are planning to shed at least 650 doctors and 2,000 nurses under new cost-cutting plans