RAF intercepts pair of Russian jets over Lewis
It was a mid-air game of cat and mouse that would have been commonplace 40 years ago during the height of the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union.
While the world may not be heading back to the brink of nuclear armageddon, the RAF revealed yesterday its jets were involved in a close encounter with two Russian Blackjack bombers over the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides 15 days ago.
Saturday, 27 March 2010
SNP plotting a passage to India
Plans to boost links between the two countries in education and science, tourism, trade, investment and culture are laid out in the Scottish Government’s new India Plan.
Turning to the gringos for help
As drug-related violence continues to rise, Mexican and American officials unveil plans for unprecedented security co-operation. But will they work?
Germany Awakes. Rules of the Game Are Changing in Europe
At its spring summit, currently being held in Brussels, the European Union is expected to present a rescue package for Greece, consisting of a joint EU-IMF solution. However, even if the EU succeeds in finding a solution, the crisis surrounding the euro has revealed that Germany is no longer willing to put EU interests before its own.
This week, the euro fell to its lowest level against the dollar in ten months, and its lowest level ever against the Swiss franc. The crisis over the euro, triggered by the budgetary problems of Greece, one of the 16 countries which use the common European Union currency, is causing political tensions between the countries of the so-called eurozone. Meanwhile, the next domino seems to be about to fall. Earlier this week the international ratings agency Fitch lowered the credit rating of Portugal, another eurozone member and the home country of Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission.
JUNK BONDS TO CARBON COP-OUT
CARBON emissions trading might be useless at tackling climate change but it is proving to be highly profitable for the financial engineers behind it – men like the godfather of pollution trading, an American called Richard Sandor, who was one of the founders of financial derivatives in the 1980s at junk bond trader Drexel Burnham Lambert.
EU leaders look outside UN process to push forward climate talks
European Union leaders have for the first time officially endorsed moving beyond the United Nations in order to push forward the international climate negotiations process.
At the EU's spring summit, the bloc's premiers and presidents embraced the G20 as a possible forum more amenable to climate discussions than the UN process, long bogged down by mistrust between rich and poor countries, while at the same time not completely abandoning the UN as some in the US have called for.
Sea ice normal
Click to enlarge
Source: The Cryosphere Today via Bishop Hill.
The unacceptable links between Labour and the BBC
The effect of the presentation of news by the BBC is now so awesome that it now completely dominates the outcomes of elections.
To pretend that the BBC does not have a political effect is ludicrous.
Labour supporters have been at the very heart of the BBC holding key political roles. These people have been open and declared political party activists before, after and even during their BBC service.
10 things you didn't know about the unemployment statistics
Every month the Office for National Statistics publishes the UK's unemployment figures. But the report doesn't just give the big numbers. It includes a fascinating breakdown of the UK at work - and out of it.
Here are 10 things we learnt today (and the table numbers in the official release, so you can find them too):
The Big Dollop Blog
The Thoughts and Opinions of a 50 Year old Scotsman.
Check out Big Dollops' Blog at the link above(apologies to the Big Dollop for missing your Blog)
BNP’s Legal Team Shuts down Identity Theft Fraudster
The website, set up using the name of a real but completely unrelated company, allowed media gangsters and UAF-type thugs to search through around 25,000 names allegedly linked to the BNP by entering postcodes which then hyperlinked to addresses on Google Maps.
Robert Green Names Down's Syndrome Chief Exec in Cover up of the Hollie Greig Child Abuse Scandal
Please watch Robert Green's testimony on how the very Association that is meant to help and support Down's Syndrome children was compilicit in the cover up of the years of Child abuse suffered by Hollie.
From TruthJuice
The war on WikiLeaks and why it matters
A newly leaked CIA report prepared earlier this month (.pdf) analyzes how the U.S. Government can best manipulate public opinion in Germany and France -- in order to ensure that those countries continue to fight in Afghanistan. The Report celebrates the fact that the governments of those two nations continue to fight the war in defiance of overwhelming public opinion which opposes it -- so much for all the recent veneration of "consent of the governed" -- and it notes that this is possible due to lack of interest among their citizenry: "Public Apathy Enables Leaders to Ignore Voters," proclaims the title of one section.
A tribute to our armed Forces
Another of our armed forces has been killed in Afghanistan.
The soldier, from the Household Cavalry Regiment, serving as part of the Brigade Reconnaissance Force, was killed yesterday afternoon (26 March). He died as a result of a grenade attack which occurred in an area 3 kms south of Sangin district centre, in Helmand Province. He was on a BRF foot patrol and was fatally wounded by a grenade thrown from behind a wall.
His death brings the death toll in this war to 277.
My thoughts go out to his family and friends. Spare a thought for them.
The GM war in Europe starts here
Brussels bureaucrats want to spread GM crops throughout Europe, against the will of most of its people, says Geoffrey Lean.
Three Approved GMOs Linked to Organ Damage
In what is being described as the most comprehensive study of the effects of genetically modified (GM) foods on mammalian health, researchers have linked organ damage with consumption of Monsanto's GM maize. All three varieties of GM corn—Mon 810, Mon 863, and NK 603—were approved for consumption by U.S., European, and several other national food safety authorities. Made public by European authorities in 2005, the confidential raw data of Monsanto's 2002 feeding trials on rats, which was used to approve GM corn in different parts of the world, is the same data, ironically, that the new team of researchers analyzed.
Business leaders criticise Budget
More than two thirds of business leaders think Chancellor Alistair Darling is doing a bad job, a survey by the Institute of Directors suggests.
Europe Dithers On ‘Tobin Tax’
Brussels - The European leaders failed to agree on the introduction of a levy on financial trading to compensate taxpayers for bank bailouts at the Spring Council meeting of the European Union (EU), which concluded March 26. The Heads of State or Government of 27 nations stressed instead that they must reach an agreement before the G20 Summit June 26-27 in Toronto.
The Drugging of Children
Modern psychiatry in its attitude to children exemplifies the old Victorian mantra that ‘children should be seen and not heard’. Why bother listening to children and helping them to solve their problems when you can simply drug them into silence whilst making a nice profit on the transaction?
Worse Than Peak Oil? We're Quickly Running Out of a Chemical Essential to Growing Food
P" is for phosphorus, the stuff of life, and "p" is for "peak phosphorus" by 2030, ecologists say, unless - presto! - pee can be turned into gold through modern-day alchemy.
FOREIGNERS TO FLOOD UK
BRITAIN is facing a fresh flood of immigrants unless ministers act now
Influential think tank MigrationWatch reckons we’ll be swamped by millions more foreigners in the coming years.
PM outlines new immigration measures
The Prime Minister has set out how the Government is transforming the way it deals with immigration through its new points-based system and the steps it is taking to identify skills shortages and bottlenecks.
GORDON BROWN 'HAS FIDDLED' TOLL OF MIGRANTS
GORDON Brown was last night accused of fiddling immigration figures after claiming the number of newcomers to Britain was falling.
Critics said the Prime Minister was using “cuckoo” statistics to suggest that net immigration – the number of people arriving minus those who leave – fell last year.
Today’s quick list of how global warming alarmism is winding down
Orange Punch bloggers write from a particular libertarian point of view. We’re dedicated to advancing human freedom and believe that the primary role of government is to defend Americans’ liberties.
The British economy: The pain to come
A terrible recession will be followed by a lacklustre recovery, but Britain is no basket-case
Double-dip recession could destroy one in four small firms
Research finds 28 per cent of UK small businesses believe economic trouble would drive them to the wall
Britons 'cutting everyday costs'
Britons are trimming their everyday costs as they deal with the effects of the recently-ended recession.
A study by Santander has found that eight out of ten people have made changes to lower their outgoings
Ireland economy shrinks by record 7.1%
Ireland remains in a deep recession after its battered economy shrank by a record 7.1 percent in 2009, official data showed Thursday in another blow for the eurozone as it endures its worst-ever crisis. Skip related content
Bonfire Of The Liberties
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Immigrants and asylum seekers face driving licence ban
Asylum seekers and some immigrants have been banned from applying for a driving licence under changes announced by the Government.
EU backtracks on 'economic government plan'
The European Union has backtracked on plans to create an "economic government of the European Union" following protests from Britain.
Did the Pope shield paedophile priest? 'Cover-up' over curate's abuse of 200 deaf children
The £4.75billion raid on private pensions: But public sector schemes will be unscathed
Private sector workers will take a £4.75billion hit to their pensions to pay for the economic recovery - while public sector workers will escape cuts.
In further evidence of a pensions apartheid, public sector workers have avoided a raid on their gold-plated schemes.
They will simply have a limit placed on contributions to stop them building up huge pots so quickly - saving the public purse around £1billion a year.
The Critical Unraveling of U.S. Society
The economic elite have launched an attack on the U.S. public and society is unraveling at an increased rate.
Hospital wards to shut in secret NHS cuts
Tens of thousands of NHS workers would be sacked, hospital units closed and patients denied treatments under secret plans for £20 billion of health cuts.
The Higher Education Bubble Must Burst, The Mentality of Entitlement in Academia
Mr. Leiter — famous primarily for his website containing comparative rankings of philosophy programs, as well as his blog, which covers job-related news in academic philosophy — has recently learned that King's College, London (KCL) is facing budget problems and must cut back on staff. In order to assess the extent of layoffs, the school will require every faculty member to interview for their current position. Leiter has kept his readers updated on the situation through his blog, and linked to The Times Higher Education's coverage of the event — which, in an article titled "'Draconian' measure: King's to cut 205 jobs," emphasizes how the cutbacks will affect the humanities and focuses on the reaction this has set off among academics
Week of U.S. Treasury Bond Failures
The week of March 21-26, 2010 will be remembered for the worst week for Bond auctions. Yields on 10 year shot up to levels seen in June 2009. 10-year notes touched the highest levels since June amid heightened concerns about the government’s ability to finance its deficits and as investors turn to seeking out higher yields in other asset classes.
Greece Debt Crisis To Trigger Financial Tsunami across Europe
The summit of the European Union continued on March 26 in Brussels. The most important issue on the agenda of the summit is the crisis in Greece. The biggest intrigue of the meeting is about the stance of the EU’s largest country – Germany – which is supposed to carry most of the burden of help to the country that faces the danger of default. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated earlier that Greece was not supposed to receive any international help. She reportedly did not even want to discuss this issue in Brussels.
Rising taxes push London’s house prices to ‘tipping point’
The market for luxury homes in London is at a “tipping point”, according to one of the capital’s high-end estate agents.
Savills said that wealthy homebuyers were refusing to increase their offers for properties amid rising pressures on their incomes.
The eurozone: A club in crisis
Calling this a plan is, frankly, generous. It is a plan to make a plan
UK soldier killed in Afghanistan grenade attack
A soldier from the Household Cavalry Regiment has died in a grenade attack in Afghanistan, the MoD has said.
Hard left Tusc coalition to stand against Labour in 40 constituencies
As if Gordon Brown didn't have enough problems, the hard left is appealing to disaffected trade unionists by fielding parliamentary candidates in 40 constituencies in protest against Labour's perceived failure to represent workers properly.
'Buy British' food figures drop
MINISTERS have been accused of showing a lack of leadership by failing to ensure their departments buy British food.
Shadow environment secretary Nick Herbert said it was time for a Government which "cares about British farming" as he pointed to recent figures showing a drop in the amount of homegrown food procured by Whitehall.
Food and farming minister Jim Fitzpatrick conceded there was "room for improvement" but insisted "good progress" was being made on the issue.
Half of bosses think Budget harmful
Almost half of business leaders think this week's Budget will harm the economy, according to a survey by the Institute of Directors (IOD).
The snap poll, taken immediately after Alistair Darling delivered his financial statement on Wednesday, suggests widespread disquiet in the business community.
Glasgow is still a city to be proud of despite the "personal tragedy" of former council leader Steven Purcell, the Scottish Secretary said yesterday.
Jim Murphy spoke out on the issue in the wake of the sudden resignation of Mr Purcell from Glasgow City Council.
David Cameron was facing the unwelcome prospect last night of a referendum on Europe after Germany called for a new EU treaty to strengthen the rules of the eurozone.
Friday, 26 March 2010
Sarah's Law review skewed by handpicked sample
Home Office jubilation over the "success" of its sex offender disclosure scheme may be premature amid yet more evidence of the Home Office twisting research to suit its own agenda.
That is the conclusion of sharp-eyed blogger, Hawktalk, who also questioned whether the way the scheme works in practice might create problems for wholly innocent individuals through the creation of misleading audit trails and over-zealous public officials applying the rule that "there’s no smoke without fire".
Tony-gate: Blair Strikes Oil in Iraq
Here in the States when someone mentions "UI," most of us think of Unemployment Insurance, but not former UK prime minister Tony Blair.
Late last week came word of a major scandal from the UK Daily Mail. In the three years since he stepped down as prime minister, Blair pocketed more than $30 million in oil revenues from his secret dealings with a South Korean oil consortium, UI Energy Corporation. Despite all his best efforts to keep his connection to UI secret, word is spreading like wildfire throughout the U.K.
New poll: About 1 in 3 Americans thinks 9/11 was “a big fabrication”
A new poll has shown that about 1 in 3 Americans — roughly 100 million people — think 9/11 was “a big fabrication.” The poll was evidently commissioned and/or conducted by anti-9/11-truth forces, as demonstrated by the headline: “Americans Disagree with Iranian President on 9/11 ‘Fabrication.’” By framing the issue as one of agreement or disagreement with media-demonized Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and focusing on those who disagreed, Angus Reid Public Opinion was spinning the story as hard as it could possibly be spun. But all the spin in the world can’t hide the fact that these are the biggest MIHOP* numbers yet!
Police Recruit Internet Cafe Owners To Spy On Users
As part of the lurching advance towards the kind of society that we thought had been consigned to the darkest days of the 20th century, the Nazi-fication of Britain continues with the news that the police are working with Internet cafe owners to spy on users who visit “extremist websites”.
“The intitative is part of the Prevent strand of the government’s counter-terrorism strategy, which aims to stop radicalisation by winning the “battle of ideas”. Café owners are asked to use their own judgement as to what amounts to extremist material
Police use of Taser weapons doubles in three months
Official figures show the electric shock device was used 402 times between July and September, up from 169 in the previous quarter.
Review all anti-terrorism laws, say MPs
All counter-terrorism laws passed since 11 September 2001 should be reviewed to see if they are still necessary, says a committee of MPs and peers.
Russia's top weatherman's blow to climate change lobby as he says winter in Siberia may be COLDEST on record
In a new blow to the climate change lobby, Russia's top weatherman today announced that the winter now drawing to a close in Siberia may turn out to be the coldest on record.
'The winter of 2009-10 was one of the most severe in European part of Russia for more than 30 years, and in Siberia it was perhaps the record breaking coldest ever,' said Dr Alexander Frolov, head of state meteorological service Rosgidromet.
Scotland's Pedophile Protection Policy:
It appears that the Holly Greig pedophile ring isn't the only group of sexual deviants to avoid justice in Scotland under Lord Advocate Angiolini. Stuart Usher, from "Scotland Against Crooked Lawyers" has sent us the following:...
The World's Next Credit Crunch Is About to Strike
Tom Dyson writes: One of the largest economies is about to declare bankruptcy: Japan.
If you thought the U.S. government was heavily in debt, you should see Japan. The Japanese government's debt has now reached $10 trillion... almost the same debt load as the U.S. government, except America's GDP is almost triple Japan's. Japan now has the world's highest debt-to-GDP ratio of any country in the world except Zimbabwe, according to the CIA World Fact/book.
Uncovered letters reveal strength of Digital Britain opposition
A new report has revealed the strength of opposition to the Digital Economy Bill, referencing citizens who have written to their MPs voicing serious concerns over the government's plans to disconnect illegal file sharers from the internet.
Now it's CowGate: expert report says claims of livestock causing global warming are false
It is becoming difficult to keep pace with the speed at which the global warming scam is now unravelling. The latest reversal of scientific “consensus” is on livestock and the meat trade as a major cause of global warming – one-fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions, according to eco-vegetarian cranks. Now a scientific report delivered to the American Chemical Society says it is nonsense. The Washington Times has called it “Cowgate”.
Are Americans a Broken People? Why We've Stopped Fighting Back Against the Forces of Oppression
A psychologist asks: Have consumerism, suburbanization and a malevolent corporate-government partnership so beaten us down that we no longer have the will to save ourselves?
Just change the word Americans to 'the British'
Regulated or Not, Nano-Foods Coming to a Store Near You
For centuries, it was the cook and the heat of the fire that cajoled taste, texture, flavor and aroma from the pot. Today, that culinary voodoo is being crafted by white-coated scientists toiling in pristine labs, rearranging atoms into chemical particles never before seen.
Metropolitan police officer hit Ian Tomlinson protester 'in self-defence'
Sergeant tells court he feared for colleagues safety and felt threatenend by activist Nicola Fisher in protests following G20.
The Future Will Be Medicated
Surfing the net over my cup of coffee, I dug up a mainstream article that painted a grim picture of American mental health. According to USA Today, the number of Americans taking antidepressants in 2005 was 27 million people, or 10% of the entire population of our country – and this was five years ago, before the government looted our economy. The 2005 number doubled from 1996, so I hesitate to imagine what it’s at now.
Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust Hospital Tip of NHS Hospitals of Death Iceberg
A lengthy report into the REAL performance of one of Britians top ranked hospitals placed The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust as a killing field for patients that walk through its doors, this is set against NHS phony statistics on hospitals and GP surgeries that relentlessly paints a picture of everything is great, against the facts of actual patient experience
Rise in NHS managers outstrips doctors and nurses
The number of managers in the NHS has risen at double the rate of doctors and nurses under Labour, official figures have disclosed.
Ministers are exaggerating the terrorist threat, say MPs
The government's assessment of the threat of terrorism in the UK is overstated and has undermined the case for imposing tough new anti-terror laws, an influential committee of MPs and peers has warned.
'Sorry we smashed down your door... have a beer on us': Police gave innocent family alcohol after blunder
Police smashed down a terrified family's front door after mistaking their home for a drugs den, and then handed them a bottle of beer as an apology.
Financial Markets and Economic Outlook Conclusions 2010, When Hope Turns to Fear, Part V
As we near the APEX of the countertrend rallies in many markets and economies, the air is full of HIGHLY-COMBUSTIBLE situations just waiting for someone to light the MATCH. The full debacle of the next leg down in developed world economies is at the doorstep. What event will act as catalyst is unknowable, and the list of candidates is mountainous. Corruption and criminality within the public sectors, crony capitalists and banksters set the stage for an explosive cocktail, are set to immolate the private sectors that still produce wealth and the public at large.
The greatest transfer of wealth from those that hold it in paper to those that don’t is UNDER WAY! A Crack-up Boom is on the horizon….
NEW EU GESTAPO SPIES ON BRITONS
MILLIONS of Britons face being snooped on by a new European intelligence agency which has been handed frightening powers to pry into our lives.
Europol can access personal information on anyone – including their political opinions and sexual preferences – if it suspects, rightly or wrongly, that they may be involved in any “preparatory act” which could lead to criminal activity.
The vagueness of the Hague-based force’s remit sparked furious protests yesterday with critics warning that the EU snoopers threaten our right to free speech
Child Obesity in America: "Mommy, Mommy! Why Am I Fat?"
Malnutrition comes in a delightful assortment of colorful flavors nowadays. But poverty and obesity are a correlation that Americans find hard to swallow.
China Seeks Russia Alliance to Counter US Dominance
Looking to form a counterbalance to the power of the US, Beijing called on Moscow, as one of the emerging market economies, to enter into an alliance with China seeking to increase their leverage in global affairs.
Speaking after talks with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping hailed the strength of bilateral ties with Russia as a success and went on to express the Beijing government's support for Russia's growing power on the global stage.
U.S. Debt Reaches Tipping Point
Even the most statist economists can understand that a country’s debt has reached its saturation point once the change in Gross Domestic Product is less than the change in the federal debt. However, now the metrics of the American economy look even worse than the picture painted above. For each new dollar in federal debt, with productivity as measured by an increase or decrease in the GDP, 45 cents of wealth is destroyed
America’s Secret Prisons
On January 28 in TomDispatch.com, Anand Gopal headlined, “Night Raids, Hidden Detention Centers, the ‘Black Jail,’ and the Dogs of War in Afghanistan,” recounting unreported US media stories about killings, abductions, detentions, interrogations, and torture in “a series of prisons on US military bases around the country.” Bagram prison, for example, is “a facility with a notorious reputation for abusive behavior,” including brutalizing torture and cold-blooded murder.
Even worse is the “Black Jail,” a facility consisting of individual windowless concrete cells with bright 24-hour lighting, described by one former detainee as “the most dangerous and fearful place” in which prisoners endure appalling treatment.
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