Welfare state could be the real loser from Britain's debt crisis
Good news from the deficit front. It's not as bad as we thought, chaps. It's just the £163.4bn for 2009-10, rather than the £167bn we feared

Alex Jones: Global Bank Conspiracy
The IMF has proposed levying two global taxes on the worlds banks to make sure the banks dont get us into trouble again. If that sounds dubious that’s because it is, in reality what is being proposed, and has been falling into place for some time, is the framework for an unelected global authority with powers above and beyond those of sovereign governments

'Fabricating Terrorism' - Victims Of UK Injustice
Launched in October 2003, Cageprisoners is a human rights organization dedicated to raising the "awareness of the plight of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay" and other War on Terror victims. As a "comprehensive resource," six words explain its mission: "education, campaign, support, motivation, co-operation (and) prevention" for its efforts to educate the public, campaign for Guantanamo and other detainee repatriations or their asylum, and have prisoner rights guaranteed under international law, including humane treatment not to be:

7/7 families call for victim inquests to examine intelligence services
Bereaved families of the 7/7 bombing victims are calling for their inquests to examine whether the intelligence services could have prevented the tragedy.

Town that scrapped 'motorist tax' speed cameras sees no increase in accidents
The first town in Britain to scrap fixed speed cameras has seen no increase in accidents, it was revealed yesterday.
But the number of motorists prosecuted for speeding there dropped by more than 40 per cent.
Swindon switched off its cameras over claims they were a ' blatant tax on the motorist' which did nothing to improve safety.

Labour slumps to six month low in latest ICM poll
Labour's election campaign suffers a fresh blow with support for the party slumping to its lowest level for six months, a new ICM poll for The Sunday Telegraph has found

How a hung parliament could hit you in the pocket
Many people attracted by the prospect of a hung parliament may be shocked to see how much it could cost them

VP Stresses Iran's Preparedness to Repel Enemy Attacks
TEHRAN (FNA)- The massive wargames conducted by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Persian Gulf showed that any enemy threats against the country will be reciprocated by Iran's powerful response, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday

Large cloud over the UK economy
Despite the fact that the UK economy is finally showing signs of growth there is still a large cloud looming over UK with growth in first-quarter of 2010 confirmed at just 0.2% against expectations of 0.4%. After the return to growth in the final quarter of 2009 there were hopes that 2010 would start much stronger and give the UK economy a springboard for the future. Unfortunately it looks as though the UK is set for a further period of disappointing growth with the budget deficit needing to be slashed, national debt spiralling out of control and a potential change of government all on the cards.

The looming global food crisis
Food prices have been rising. As reported here , world food prices started rising in 2007 and climbed to a record in June 2008 with rising prices of wheat, rice and corn sparking riots from Haiti to Ivory Coast. Around the world, food security is the big issue now. In the United States, food prices are spiraling ever upwards , with the price of fresh and dry vegetables up 56.1% and eggs up 33.6%,

Tipping Point for European Debt?

For nations living the good life, the party's over, IMF says
To keep the global economy on track, people in the United States and the rest of the developed world need to work longer before retiring, pay higher taxes and expect less from government. And the cheap imports lining the shelves of mega-chains such as Wal-Mart and Target? They need to be more expensive

18 veterans kill themselves every day: report
The suicide rate among war veterans is extraordinary, new data reveals.

Thirty try to commit suicide each day, on average, reports the Army Times. Eighteen succeed, roughly five of whom receive medical care from Veterans Affairs, rated one of the best health programs in the country.

EU wants united airspace after ash cloud
European authorities have seized on this week's airline crisis to fast-track their control of airspace, but they appear to have less interest in helping airlines pay the bills left by the volcanic ash cloud.

Scientist says Arctic getting colder
A Russian scientist says the Arctic may be getting colder, not warmer, which would hamper the international race to discover new mineral fields

The nine-bin nightmare: Families forced to follow green zealots' new recycling diktats
Families are facing a nightmare future of recycling confusion.
In a regime set to spread across the country, residents are being forced to juggle an astonishing nine separate bins.
There has already been a storm of protest with warnings that the scheme is too complex and homes simply don't have the space to deal with the myriad bins, bags and boxes

The World Is Running Out of Stuff
There are numerous investors, companies, and even countries speculating in “Peak Oil”, but there could be an even bigger shortage looming. What could possibly be as important as the world’s energy supply? A very interesting article in Foreign Policy magazine presents the case for “Peak Phosphorous”, an element on which the global food supply could depend

US Food Inflation Spiraling Out of Control
Things are going to get ugly in the US this summer

BRITAIN TO HELP BAIL OUT GREECE
BRITISH taxpayers’ money is poised to join a multi-billion pound bail-out of Greece after the debt-ridden nation formally asked for an international loan deal to be activated.

BLOW AS THE RECOVERY FALTERS
BRITAIN’S battered economy ­suffered another setback yesterday after official figures showed the recovery slowed during the winter.

Oceans die, while humans trivialize
When I look at the news, I am often struck by the trivial matters with which people seem to be obsessed, while the world around them is going to hell in the proverbial handbasket. For example, So-and-So's ugly dress at the latest Hollywood party gets 5,000 retweets, while nobody seems to care much about the fact that our oceans, seas, rivers and waterways in general are becoming cluttered with junk and toxic chemicals.

Stunted growth leaves Bank facing interest-rate dilemma
The economic recovery lost momentum in the first three months of the year as January’s snowy weather held back businesses, official data indicated yesterday

‘Pakistan may let Taliban use its nuclear weapons against India’
Conservatives plan for a coalition
Kenneth Clarke has become the first senior Conservative to suggest how the party might negotiate with the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition government in the event of a hung parliament.

Alistair Darling favours bank 'super tax'
Alistair Darling has thrown his weight behind a new "super-tax" to be levied on banks' profits and signalled that the G20 could agree on the international tax later this year.

Another Drug Record for Afghanistan
In addition to being the world’s leading producer of opium, Afghanistan has now become the largest producer of hashish, according to the first ever cannabis survey released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) earlier this month. Again, the US invasion is behind the new record.

Peak oil predictions
The peak oil debate has always been about reserves and costs. But it's clean, green technologies that now spell oil's demise

Flu shots suspended after kids hospitalised
The Health Minister, Kim Hames, says 45 children have been taken to hospital suffering high temperatures and febrile convulsions after receiving the vaccination.

German troops in Afghanistan call on Angela Merkel to explain why they're at war
German soldiers are wearing their hearts on their sleeves - in the form of a badge that protests their country's involvement in the war in Afghanistan.
Some troops have taken to wearing the cloth accessory that states - ironically - 'I fight for Merkel' in a bid to persuade the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to explain exactly what they are fighting and dying for.

Fitch warns of debt 'shock' for Japan
Fitch Ratings has warned that Japan's sovereign debt is rising to ominously high levels as the workforce shrinks and deflation grinds deeper, while the government's reserve assets may prove unusable for defence in a funding crisis.

Leicestershire to dim street lights
A county council is planning to switch off or dim thousands of street lights next month in a bid to cut costs

Tony Blair Stands Accused
Malaysia must not allow this mass murderer to be immune from justice.

Dangerous Crossroads: US Deploys Patriot Missiles in Poland directed against Russia
MOSCOW -- Moscow is deeply concerned with the plans of the United States to deploy Patriot missiles in Poland near the Russian border, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

Bias of Weather Models: Britain's Met Office Computer Accused of 'Warm Bias'
A BBC weather forecaster has suggested that the Met Office's super-computer has a 'warm bias' which has stopped it predicting bitterly cold spells like the one we have just endured.

British grandmother returns home after 23 years in Spain... and is branded an asylum seeker
A British grandmother who returned home destitute after living in Spain for 23 years has complained after being barred from claiming benefits.
Lorraine Marsland, 52, says officials are classing her alongside asylum seekers even though she was born here and holds a British passport.
Since arriving in Britain in January with her grandson Dylan, she has been denied housing benefit, child benefit, and Jobseeker's Allowance.

In hiding, the mother accused of abuse for cuddling her child
A mother alleged to have 'emotionally abused' her daughter by telling her she was born by caesarean has fled to Ireland with the child.
Fearing that social workers would take her daughter away, Shahnaz Malik smuggled five-year-old Amaani out of the country.
After allegations that included Mrs Malik cuddling Amaani for too long while dropping her off at nursery, social services placed the little girl on a 'child protection plan' and scheduled a child mental health assessment


Mother's fury as children as young as EIGHT are being offered free condoms
Charity youth workers have been criticised after offering free condoms to children as young as eight who were playing in a park.
Angry mother Samantha Fuller says her 13-year-old daughter was given the contraceptives - but she also claims her eight-year-old nephew was asked if he wanted some.

Governments Will 'Bankrupt Us': Marc Faber
"They will all bankrupt us and expropriate us, but it may not happen tomorrow. They'll give us something to play with, until the whole system breaks down...they'll just print money and print more money," he said on CNBC Thursday

Demonizing Iran: US Media Continue Beating War Drums
Just yesterday, the New York Times, had a lead story about Israeli planning to possibly “go it alone” in an attack on Iran if the US were not to “succeed” in its diplomatic efforts to get Iran to “stop” it’s alleged attempts to develop a nuclear weapon capability.

Aside from the fact that there is no hard evidence that Iran is trying to make a nuclear bomb or even to refine uranium to obtain nuclear-grade material, the paper ignored one crucial point: Israel cannot “go it alone” in any strike on Iran, since its key weapons – F15 and F-16 fighter-bombers – are supplied to it, and kept flying, thanks to the equipment and spare parts provided by the United States. Indeed the entire Israeli military machine is largely financed and armed by the US.

Wikileaks and the Internalized National-Security-Virtual-State
The magnetism of US censorship is that people 'think' they are free and knowledgeable, but they do not 'know' they have internalized and have been imprisoned by a national-security-virtual-state. It purports fear, ignorance, confusion, and misinformation, notes Dallas Darling.

And we would've gotten away with it, too, if it wasn't for that damned Internet
There are now a whole lot of newly-minted, well-informed skeptics out there

Fly me to Dunoon... Scottish bid for de Niro's film festival

It is a plan that would move Manhattan to the Firth of Clyde

Childcare expert claims leaving babies to cry has toxic stress effect

Just grin and bear the political smile fest

Teachers' fury at pay cut for staff stranded by volcanic ash

Shake-up call as GP services makes many rural patients 'feel at risk'

Leafletgate deepens as Gordon Brown is accused of 'fear and smear'