All Entries Tagged With: "UK"

It’s time that we valued people over profits, poll results show

The British public want business to put “people before profits” and to see politicians close the gap between rich and poor, according to a new survey.

The findings suggest growingsupport for “responsible capitalism” in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and bankers’ excessive bonuses – and public sympathy with the anti-globalisation protests such as the Occupy London camp outside St Paul’sCathedral.

YouGov, which polled 1,723 people for the Labour-affiliated Fabian Society and the TUC, found that 80 per cent believe the private sector should forgo some profits to meet a wider responsibility to their employees, customers and communities and invest more for the long-term. Only 12 per cent think that maximising profits for shareholders is a company’s top priority.

Full Story Here: It’s time that we valued people over profits, poll results show – UK Politics – UK – The Independent.

Liam Fox resignation exposes Tory links to US radical right

Labour and Lib Dem politicians have stepped up demands for the PM to explain ministers’ involvement with Atlantic Bridge

David Cameron has been accused of allowing a secret rightwing agenda to flourish at the heart of the Conservative party, as fallout from the resignation of Liam Fox exposed its close links with a US network of lobbyists, climate change deniers and defence hawks.

In a sign that Fox’s decision to fall on his sword will not mark the end of the furore engulfing the Tories, both Liberal Democrat and Labour politicians stepped up their demands for the prime minister to explain why several senior members of his cabinet were involved in an Anglo-American organisation apparently at odds with his party’s environmental commitments and pledge to defend free healthcare.

At the heart of the complex web linking Fox and his friend Adam Werritty to a raft of businessmen, lobbyists and US neocons is the former defence secretary’s defunct charity, Atlantic Bridge, which was set up with the purported aim of “strengthening the special relationship” but is now mired in controversy.

Full Story Here: Liam Fox resignation exposes Tory links to US radical right | Politics | The Observer.

Severe weather warning as Hurricane Katia tail approaches

Gales, combined with heavy rain, could cause significant disruption in Ireland, England and Scotland

A severe weather warning covering northern Ireland, England and Scotland has been issued by the Met Office, with forecasts saying Britain will be lashed by the tail of Hurricane Katia, causing gale-force winds of up to 80mph late on Sunday and Monday.

The gales, combined with heavy rain, could cause “significant disruption” for Monday morning commuters and, where high winds coincide with high tides along western coasts, there could be flooding.

Full Story Here: Severe weather warning as Hurricane Katia tail approaches | UK news | The Guardian.

Britain enacts blanket ban on protests

The British government has applied a blanket ban on all kind of marches and protest gatherings in London amid fears of violence and disorder.

The Home Office announced the blanket ban on all marches in five London boroughs for 30 days starting from September 2, the Independent reported.

Home Secretary Theresa May banned all marches in Tower Hamlets, east London, and four neighbouring boroughs in the capital for a 30-day period following a request from Scotland Yard Acting Commissioner Tim Godwin.

The move comes amid fears of violence and disorder if the marches were allowed to go ahead.

“Having carefully considered the legal tests in the Public Order Act and balanced rights to protest against the need to ensure local communities and property are protected, I have given my consent to a ban on all marches in Tower Hamlets and four neighbouring boroughs for a 30-day period”, said the Home Secretary.

“I know that the Metropolitan Police are committed to using their powers to ensure communities and properties are protected”, added Theresa May.

Full Story Here: PressTV – Britain enacts blanket ban on protests.

‪London Riots. (The BBC will never replay this. Send it out)‬‏ – YouTube

Darcus Howe, a West Indian Writer and Broadcaster with a voice about the riots. Speaking about the mistreatment of youths by police leading to an up-roar and the ignorance of both police and the governement. Intelligent black male.

Phone hacking inquiry judge attended parties at home of Rupert Murdoch’s son-in-law

The judge in charge of the phone hacking inquiry has attended parties at the home of Rupert Murdoch’s son-in-law.

Full Story Here: Phone hacking inquiry judge attended parties at home of Rupert Murdoch’s son-in-law – Telegraph.

London Protests Gather Strength After Massive Budget Cuts Announced

More than 250,000 people took to London’s streets to protest the toughest spending cuts since World War II – one of the largest demonstrations since the Iraq war – as riot police clashed with a small groups. More than 200 people were arrested.

Although most of Saturday’s demonstration was peaceful, clashes continued into the night as dozens of protesters pelted officers with bottles and amonia-filled lightbulbs. Groups set several fires and smashed shop windows near tourist landmarks such as Trafalgar Square.

Teachers, nurses, firefighters, public sector workers, students, pensioners and campaign groups all took part in Saturday’s mass demonstration.

Full Story Here: London Protests Gather Strength After Massive Budget Cuts Announced.

Murdoch’s papers busted hacking phones of liberal politicians – Looses in court

Met must hand over News of the World phone-hacking evidence

Police must pass documents seized from Glenn Mulcaire to lawyers representing growing number of people suing paper

The growing number of public figures suing the News of the World won a major high court victory when a judge said Scotland Yard must hand over a mass of phone-hacking evidence that has never before been disclosed.

The ruling by Justice Geoffrey Vos, who was appointed this week to handle the 14 phone-hacking cases currently going through the courts, means the Metropolitan police will be forced to pass reams of documents seized from Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who worked for the News of the World, to lawyers acting for the politicians, celebrities and football figures who are suing the paper. They include Sienna Miller, Paul Gascoigne, Steve Coogan and the former culture secretary Tessa Jowell.

Vos ruled on Friday that the Met must give unredacted documents – including Mulcaire’s emails, address and contacts books, and phone bills – to another hacking victim, the football agent Sky Andrew. The decision sets a precedent for the other hacking cases and has far-reaching implications for the NoW, police and other litigants. It will lead to a flood of hacking documents being released to other claimants, all of whom are seeking copies of papers seized by police in a 2006 raid on Mulcaire’s home.

Full Story Here: Met must hand over News of the World phone-hacking evidence | Media | The Guardian.

Brits object to Corporate Tax cuts

Global citizens take to the London streets to demand Philip Green pays his taxes!

‘Huge’ demonstration over Government cuts planned

Unions are gearing up for a demonstration in the spring against the Government’s massive cuts in public spending, predicting it will be a “huge” national event.

The TUC is organising the protest in London on March 26 and said that by then, the impact of the austerity measures will have started to take hold, with an expected loss of tens of thousands of jobs.

Union members from across the UK are set to join the demonstration in London’s Hyde Park, which will follow a series of protests in recent weeks against increases in student tuition fees and cuts in public services.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “People have yet to feel the full impact of the Government’s cuts. When they do – as we saw with the cancellation of the schools building programme – they have been angry.

Full Story Here: The Press Association: ‘Huge’ demonstration over Government cuts planned.

After tripling tuitions, UK may ban student marches

London’s top police officer says he is considering banning student marches in the wake of violent flare-ups at protests opposing a massive increase in university tuition fees.

The move has prompted some observers to declare that Britain may be headed towards “martial law” as police push back against angry youth who find they can no longer afford an education, at a time when jobs openings are rare.

Speaking about a possible ban on marches, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said “it is one of the tactics we will look at and something we will keep under review, and if we think it is the right thing to do then we will do it.”

Full Story Here: After tripling tuitions, UK may ban student marches | Raw Story.

McDonald’s and PepsiCo to help write UK health policy

Department of Health putting fast food companies at heart of policy on obesity, alcohol and diet-related disease

The Department of Health is putting the fast food companies McDonald’s and KFC and processed food and drink manufacturers such as PepsiCo, Kellogg’s, Unilever, Mars and Diageo at the heart of writing government policy on obesity, alcohol and diet-related disease, the Guardian has learned.

In an overhaul of public health, said by campaign groups to be the equivalent of handing smoking policy over to the tobacco industry, health secretary Andrew Lansley has set up five “responsibility deal” networks with business, co-chaired by ministers, to come up with policies. Some of these are expected to be used in the public health white paper due in the next month.

The groups are dominated by food and alcohol industry members, who have been invited to suggest measures to tackle public health crises. Working alongside them are public interest health and consumer groups including Which?, Cancer Research UK and the Faculty of Public Health. The alcohol responsibility deal network is chaired by the head of the lobby group the Wine and Spirit Trade Association. The food network to tackle diet and health problems includes processed food manufacturers, fast food companies, and Compass, the catering company famously pilloried by Jamie Oliver for its school menus of turkey twizzlers. The food deal’s sub-group on calories is chaired by PepsiCo, owner of Walkers crisps.

Full Story: McDonald’s and PepsiCo to help write UK health policy | Politics | The Guardian.

Former British Government Minister Disputes Bush’s Claim That Waterboarding Foiled Terror Plots In Britain

Promoting his new book during an interview with NBC host Matt Lauer that aired on the network last night, President Bush defended his decision to authorize the waterboarding of terror suspects during his administration. Bush said it “saved lives” and was legal “[b]ecause the lawyer said it was legal.” “I am not a lawyer,” he added, “but you got to trust the judgment of people around you.” The Times of London reports that Bush reveals in his book that waterboarding “helped break up plots to attack American military and diplomatic facilities abroad, Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf in London, and multiple targets in the United States.”

However, the Times also reports today that British officials dispute the assertion that waterboarding saved lives:

A former British government minister has cast doubt on President Bush’s claims that torturing terror suspects prevented terror attacks on London as Number 10 disputed his assertion that waterboarding does not constitute torture.

[Foreign Office minister] Kim Howells said he was not convinced that plots to attack Heathrow and Canary Wharf were foiled because of information obtained by waterboarding Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Abu Zubaydah and one other high profile suspect in Guantánamo Bay. [...] “I don’t think there was any doubt there were real plots,” Mr Howells told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. “Where I doubt what President Bush has said is that this, what we regard as torture, actually produced information which was instrumental in preventing those plots coming to fruition. I’m not convinced of that.”

Full Story: ThinkProgress » Former British Government Minister Disputes Bush’s Claim That Waterboarding Foiled Terror Plots In Britain.

British Trades Union Council (6.5 million workers) confirms support for Israel boycott 14Sep10

Britain’s unions have thrown their weight behind a campaign of disinvestment and boycott from companies which are profiting from Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.

Trade unions voted unanimously today at the TUC’s annual conference for a motion put forward by the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), seconded by the GMB, and supported by UNSION, PCS (the Public and Commercial Services Union) and the FBU (Fire Brigades’ Union).

The motion called for the General Council to work closely with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign to actively encourage affiliates, employers and pension funds to disinvest from, and boycott the goods of, companies who profit from illegal settlements, the Occupation and construction of the Apartheid Wall.

Full Story: British Trades Union Council (6.5 million workers) confirms support for Israel boycott 14Sep10.

Attorney General will step in to end speculation over David Kelly death

The Attorney General has signalled that he is prepared to intervene in the controversy over the death of Dr David Kelly, admitting that those who doubted his suicide “may have a valid point”.

Full Story: Attorney General will step in to end speculation over David Kelly death – Telegraph.

Should British soldiers be dying for the rights of Afghan women? No.

An expert who knows the Pashtuns intimately says we are wasting our time trying to change their society

The case of Bibi Sanubar, the Afghan widow brutally flogged and shot dead by the Taliban for the crime of being pregnant, caused outrage in the wes. Earlier in the month, Time magazine published a truly shocking picture of Aisha, an 18-year-old girl whose nose had been cut off because she had run away from her inlaws. With so much talk recently of political reconciliation with the Taliban leadership, their attitude towards women is fast becoming as urgent and emotive a topic as it was when they first came to power in the mid-1990s.

However nauseating the treatment of Bibi or Aisha, it would be a mistake to let our stomachs rule our heads. However much westerners would like to see change in Afghan society, this was never the reason our military went to Afghanistan – and nor does it justify our staying there now. The US commander in Afghanistan, David Petraeus, is wary of mission creep and sought to clarify this point in November 2009. “Let us not forget why we are in Afghanistan,” he said. “It is to ensure that this country cannot become once again a sanctuary for al-Qaida.” Women’s rights are important, but they have no direct bearing on the threat from al-Qaida.

This does not mean the west should stand by in silence. On the contrary, it is our duty to go on arguing the case for gender equality and to keep Afghans engaged in that old debate. But we have no right to be shrill and it will do no good to dictate. If social change is to come, it must come from within, which, eventually, it will.

Full Story: Should British soldiers be dying for the rights of Afghan women? No. | James Fergusson | Comment is free | The Observer.

Report: Doctors not asked about Lockerbie bomber’s release

‘I was surprised when I heard he was being released,’ doctor tells newspaper

Four doctors who treated the Lockerbie bomber for cancer were not consulted over his release from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds, according to a report.

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi was freed in August 2009 because Scottish officials said he was believed to have only three months to live.

However, ahead of the first anniversary of the Libyan’s release Friday, The Sunday Times newspaper in the U.K. said that none of the four cancer specialists had been asked about his release.

They were cited in a report on Megrahi’s case by Andrew Fraser, the Scottish Prison Service’s director of health and care, but their names were blacked out.

Full Story: Report: Doctors not asked about Lockerbie bomber’s release – World news – Europe – msnbc.com.

OPS: BP owns England just as EXXON owns the US

David Kelly ‘suicude’ death inquest may be reopened

Attorney general considers move after experts say official finding on scientist’s death was ‘extremely unlikely’

The attorney general is considering re-opening the inquest into the death of government scientist David Kelly, it has emerged.

A spokesman for Dominic Grieve, who has the power to go to the high court and ask for a new inquest, said he was reviewing the case in light of fresh calls for the weapon inspector’s death to be investigated.

“He remains concerned about this matter and is considering how to take it forward with his ministerial colleagues,” said the spokesman.

Full Story: David Kelly death inquest may be reopened | Politics | The Guardian.

Solar panels and wind turbines to be installed on schools and hospitals

Solar panels could be fitted to the roof of every public building and wind turbines installed in hospital car parks under plans for local authorities to earn £100 million a year from generating green electricity.

Full Story: Solar panels and wind turbines to be installed on schools and hospitals – Telegraph.

Treasury orders cabinet ministers to brace themselves for 40% cuts

Shock demand comes as ministers step up emergency cost-cutting across public sector

Cabinet ministers have been ordered by the Treasury to plan for unprecedented cuts of 40% in their departmental budgets as the coalition widens the scope of its four-year austerity drive.

The eye-watering demand from the chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, was sent this weekend to cabinet colleagues ahead of a week in which ministers will step up emergency cost-cutting across the public sector.

The only departments not included in the Treasury trawl will be health and international development, which have been “ringfenced” for the current parliament. Education and defence will also escape lightly. Alexander has told the education secretary, Michael Gove, and the defence secretary, Liam Fox, to plan for two scenarios – cuts to budgets of 10% at best and 20% at worst over four years. All other departments – including the Home Office, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Transport – have been ordered to produce plans showing the impact of cuts of 25%, and at worst 40%.

Full Story: Treasury orders cabinet ministers to brace themselves for 40% cuts | Politics | The Observer.

Coalition rocked as Laws quits over cash for partner

The 18-day-old coalition looked fragile last night as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Laws, resigned over expenses claims paid to his partner.

The 18-day-old coalition looked fragile last night as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Laws, resigned over expenses claims paid to his partner.

Mr Laws, who friends said was “terrified” of being outed as gay, quit after it was revealed he claimed £40,000 in public money for rent paid to his long-term partner in apparent breach of House of Commons rules.

Full Story: Coalition rocked as Laws quits over cash for partner – UK Politics, UK – The Independent.

Britain to scrap unpopular ID card program‎

The new coalition government is to scrap a national identity card scheme introduced by former prime minister Gordon Brown’s administration, it announced Thursday.

The scheme will be abolished within 100 days under legislation presented by Home Secretary Theresa May, the first bill to be introduced to parliament by Prime Minister David Cameron’s government.

The move, which will invalidate cards that have already been issued on a voluntary basis, should save 86 million pounds over the next four years.

Full Story: Britain to scrap unpopular ID card program‎ | Raw Story.

British defence minister on Afghan visit calls for troop withdrawal

Senior British officials, including new Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived in Afghanistan Saturday with a warning that Britain wants to withdraw its troops as soon as possible.

Hague, Defence Secretary Liam Fox and International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell are set to meet President Hamid Karzai in their first visit to the country since a new coalition government took power in London this month.

Hague described Afghanistan — where around 10,000 British troops are helping fight a Taliban-led insurgency well into its ninth year — as “our most urgent priority” in comments released from London as the party touched down.

In an interview with The Times newspaper before arriving in Kabul, Fox made clear the visit would focus on speeding up the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan, and that no new troops would be deployed.

Full Story: Channel NewsAsia – British defence minister on Afghan visit calls for troop withdrawal – channelnewsasia.com.

British Election 2010: Exit Polls Predict Hung Parliament

David Cameron’s rejuvenated Conservatives captured far more seats than Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s battered Labour Party but failed to win an absolute majority Thursday in Britain’s national election, according to television projections.

The exit polls did not bode well for Brown, Britain’s prime minister since 2007, and triggered uncertainty over who will form the next government. The country’s top three parties – the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats – immediately began jockeying to form alliances.

An analysis by Britain’s main television stations suggested the Conservatives will win 305 of the 650 House of Commons seats, short of the 326 seats needed for a majority. Labour was seen winning 255 seats and the Liberal Democrats 61, far less than had been expected after their support surged during the campaign.

Full Story: British Election 2010: Exit Polls Predict Hung Parliament.

Radical tax on debt put to parties

Households should pay a new tax on every pound of debt they owe, according to one of Britain’;s leading economists.

Martin Weale, director of the National Institute for Economic and Social Research, said the winner of the election should consider the plan in an effort to wean Britain off its reliance on debt. He said that a small annual levy of 1pc on all household debt, including mortgages and credit cards, could help raise £15bn a year – more than would be raised from a 3p increase in the basic rate of income tax.

Although the suggestion will raise eyebrows, Mr Weale runs one of the country’s most respected independent institutions, so may spark speculation that it could be examined by the next government. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have both pledged to overhaul the tax system to remove the favourable treatment of debt, although neither has suggested a direct levy on household borrowing.

Full Story: Radical tax on debt put to parties – Telegraph.

Observer Latest Paper To Abandon Labour (For The Liberal Democrats)

Several national UK newspapers have announced their political allegiances in an attempt to sway their readership ahead of the General Election.

Most of the announcements spell bad news for Gordon Brown as Labour loses the support of at least three newspapers.

The Observer, which has traditionally supported Labour, is the latest to announce it is switching to back the Liberal Democrats.

In an editorial, it praises Mr Brown for “reversing a generation of Tory under-investment” but concludes he “failed to inspire”.

Dismissive of the Conservatives’ claims it offers something new, it argues only the Lib Dems represent a “radical, positive change in politics”.

Sister-paper the Guardian has also endorsed the Lib Dems.

Full Story: Newspapers Declare Political Allegiancies In An Attempt To Sway Voters Ahead Of The General Election | Politics | Sky News.

Britain Investigates Almost A MILLION Errors In Organ Donor Lis

Britain’s transplant authority said Saturday that it was investigating several hundred thousand errors in its organ donor list stretching back about a decade.

The National Health Service Blood and Transplant organization said a proportion of its 14 million-strong organ donor list has been affected by technical errors since 1999 – and that a small group of people may have had organs removed without proper authorization as a result.

The programming error meant that, for example, people who wanted to donate organs such as their lungs or their skin were incorrectly identified as people who wanted to donate their corneas or heart.

Full Story: Britain Investigates Almost A MILLION Errors In Organ Donor List.

Brown calls UK general election for May 6

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has confirmed May 6 as the date of the UK’s long-awaited general election, triggering a fierce political battle for control of the country.

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, Brown said he had met Queen Elizabeth earlier Tuesday to ask for parliament to be dissolved next week.

Brown’s announcement sounds the starting gun on a month of frenetic campaigning that is likely to be dominated by arguments over the state of the economy, public spending cuts and the size of the UK’s national deficit.

Full Story: Brown calls UK general election for May 6 – CNN.com.

Pope’s immunity to prosecution may be challenged in Britain

Protests are growing against Pope Benedict XVI’s planned trip to Britain, where some lawyers question whether the Vatican’s implicit statehood status should shield the pope from prosecution over sex crimes by pedophile priests.

More than 10,000 people have signed a petition on Downing Street’s web site against the pope’s 4-day visit to England and Scotland in September, which will cost U.K. taxpayers an estimated 15 million pounds ($22.5 million). The campaign has gained momentum as more Catholic sex abuse scandals have swept across Europe.

Although Benedict has not been accused of any crime, senior British lawyers are now examining whether the pope should have immunity as a head of state and whether he could be prosecuted under the principle of universal jurisdiction for an alleged systematic cover-up of sexual abuses by priests.

Full Story: Pope’s immunity to prosecution may be challenged in Britain | Raw Story.

UK Expels Israeli Diplomat Over Dubai Murder Case

Britain took the extraordinary step Tuesday of expelling an Israeli diplomat for the first time in more than 20 years, after concluding there was compelling evidence that Israel was responsible for the use of forged British passports in the plot to slay a senior Hamas operative in Dubai.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said trust between the two countries had been badly dented, demanded formal assurances it never happen again and – in an unusual step – issued travel advice to U.K. citizens warning their identity details may be at risk if they visit Israel.

Miliband told the House of Commons that the expelled diplomat, who has not been named, was removed following an investigation into the use of 12 fake U.K. passports in the Jan 20. slaying in Dubai.

Full Story: UK Expels Israeli Diplomat Over Dubai Murder Case.

Robert Fisk: The mysterious case of the Grey Lady of Bagram – Robert Fisk, Commentators

How does a neuroscientist and mother of three end up in jail as an al-Qaida agent?

Dr Shams Hassan Faruqi sits amid his rocks and geological records, shakes his bearded head and stares at me. “I strongly doubt if the children are alive,” he says. “Probably, they have expired.” He says this in a strange way, mournful but resigned, yet somehow he seems oddly unmoved. As a witness, supposedly, to the mysterious 2008 re-appearance of Aafia Siddiqui – the “most wanted woman in the world”, according to former US attorney general John Ashcroft – I guess this 73-year-old Pakistani geologist is used to the limelight. But the children, I ask him again. What happened to the children?

Dr Faruqi is Aafia Siddiqui’s uncle and he produces a photograph of his niece at the age of 13, picnicking in the Margalla hills above Islamabad, a smiling girl in a yellow shalwar khameez, half-leaning against a tree. She does not look like the stuff of which al-Qa’ida operatives are made. Yet she is now a semi-icon in Pakistan, a country which may well have been involved in her original kidnapping and which now oh-so-desperately wants her back from an American prison. Her children, weirdly, disconcertingly, have been forgotten.

Full Story: Robert Fisk: The mysterious case of the Grey Lady of Bagram – Robert Fisk, Commentators – The Independent.

North Tyneside high street ‘revived’ by fake shop front

Fake businesses are to be used to lessen the impact of the recession on high streets in North Tyneside

With 140 empty shops in the borough, council bosses think they have come up with a unique way of ensuring shopping areas remain as vibrant as possible.

The first empty shop unit to be given a makeover with a “flat pack” shop front is in Whitley Bay.

North Tyneside Council said the move was cost-effective and would help to attract new investment.

The council said the fake shop in Whitley Bay – which alone has 49 empty units – has been welcomed by traders and shoppers.

Full Story: BBC News – North Tyneside high street ‘revived’ by fake shop front.

Tony Blair’s secret dealings with South Korean oil firm UI Energy Corp

Former PM’s deals revealed as his earnings since 2007 reach $20 million.

Tony Blair waged an extraordinary two-year battle to keep secret a lucrative deal with a multinational oil giant which has extensive interests in Iraq.

The former Prime Minister tried to keep the public in the dark over his dealings with South Korean oil firm UI Energy Corporation.

Mr Blair – who has made at least £20million since leaving Downing Street in June 2007 – also went to great efforts to keep hidden a £1million deal advising the ruling royal family in Iraq’s neighbour Kuwait.

In an unprecedented move, he persuaded the committee which vets the jobs of former ministers to keep details of both deals from the public for 20 months, claiming it was commercially sensitive. The deals emerged yesterday when the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments finally lost patience with Mr Blair and decided to ignore his objections and publish the details.

Full Story: Tony Blair’s secret dealings with South Korean oil firm UI Energy Corp | Mail Online.

King’s Cross to Beijing in two days on new high-speed rail network

Passengers will be able to travel by train from King’s Cross to Beijing in just two days on trains that travel almost as fast as aeroplanes under ambitious new plans from the Chinese.

China is in negotiations to build a high-speed rail network to India and Europe with trains that capable of running at over 200mph within the next ten years.

The network would eventually carry passengers from London to Beijing and then to Singapore. It would also run to India and Pakistan, according to Wang Mengshu, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a senior consultant on China’s domestic high-speed rail project.

A second project would see trains heading north through Russia to Germany and into the European railway system, and a third line will extend south to connect Vietnam, Thailand, Burma and Malaysia.

Full Story: King’s Cross to Beijing in two days on new high-speed rail network – Telegraph.

‘Spy Chips’ Hidden In 2.6 Million Trashbins Aim To Tax Those Who Toss Too Much

It’s the new front in the nanny state: Microchips placed in garbage bins to monitor how much people throw away.

A pro-privacy group warns in a new report that more than 2.6 million of the chips have been surreptitiously installed in what is seen as a first step toward charging those who toss too much.

Proponents say it’s a bid to push recycling. Opponents say it stinks.

“They should mind their own business,” said Terry Williams, an unemployed Londoner who thinks the government is meddling. “I believe they have gone too far. It’s not like we are throwing away anything that is illegal.”

Full Story: ‘Spy Chips’ Hidden In 2.6 Million Trashbins Aim To Tax Those Who Toss Too Much.

UK Army says it needs 20,000 more soldiers

Defence chiefs believe the Army may have to recruit an extra 20,000 soldiers if Britain is to win the wars of the 21st century.

A British Army strategy document seen by The Sunday Telegraph states that the Army may need to grow by 20 per cent from its current strength of 101,000 troops if the country is to be adequately defended from future threats.

It stated that expensive equipment may need to be sacrificed to pay for the additional soldiers.

The disclosures were made in an Army response to the Green Paper which set out the terms for the Strategic Defence Review, due to take place after the General Election.

Full Story: Army says it needs 20,000 more soldiers – Telegraph.

OPS: Gearing up for another round with Argentina over the oil found in the Falklands?

Pound Could Collapse Within Weeks, Predicts Billionaire Financier Jim Rogers

Billionaire financier Jim Rogers, former George Soros partner, predicts GB Pound is on the brink of a collapse, foreshadowing a huge global economic shakedown, worse than 2008/9.

PRESS DISPENSARY – Thursday, Feb 25, 2010 – The UK Pound is on the brink of a collapse which will herald a downturn worse than 2008/9, it could well happen within weeks and the British government is powerless to prevent it. And this in turn will foreshadow a global economic winter that could come before the end of 2010 and make the last two years seem like a mild spring day.

This is the dire prediction of the legendary George Soros’ former business partner, respected billionaire financier Jim Rogers, together with millionaire investment adviser and best-selling author Dr Marc Faber and the controversial millionaire trader and coach Vince Stanzione, ahead of their keynote appearances at next month’s Global Trading Day seminar in Westminster.

Full Story: Pound Could Collapse Within Weeks, Predicts Billionaire Financier Jim Rogers – Media Industry Today – News Media Monitoring.

Falkland Islands oil speculation could lead to another U.K.–Argentina showdown

Jorge Luis Borges, Argentina’s finest writer, dismissed the Falklands War of 1982 as “two bald men fighting over a comb,” but it killed almost a thousand British and Argentine soldiers, sailors and airmen anyway. So what would happen if the bald men started fighting over something really valuable, like oil?

Any day now a deep-sea drilling rig will arrive from Scotland and start searching for oil and gas in the North Falkland basin, about 150 km north of the islands. Optimistic predictions suggest that there are up to 60 billion barrels of oil to be found around the Falklands. There might also be not very much at all—but Argentina has begun issuing warnings and veiled threats again.

This may only be bluster, but Argentina has claimed the islands, which it calls the Islas Malvinas, for almost two centuries. The local population are all English-speakers, mainly of British descent, and back in 1982 the islands’ economy was based almost entirely on sheep. The Falklands had no value—but Argentina invaded anyway, because the military regime in Buenos Aires needed a boost in popularity and it looked like an easy win.

Full Story Gwynne Dyer: Falkland Islands oil speculation could lead to another U.K.–Argentina showdown | Vancouver, Canada | Straight.com.

OPS: maybe we’ll all go broke before the Water Wars start

Blair ‘was ready to deceive to go to war’

Tony Blair was prepared to “deceive” Parliament over Iraq and freeze out opposition within his Government, because of his unshakeable belief that it was right to topple Saddam Hussein, a former Cabinet minister has said.

Clare Short, who was the International Development Secretary before resigning shortly after the March 2003 invasion, also revealed she was “jeered” at by Cabinet colleagues and told to be quiet by Blair when she attempted to dispute the legality of the war.

She added that Prime Minister Gordon Brown had complained to her that Blair was “obsessed with his legacy” and was determined to use a short, decisive victory in Iraq to secure it.

Full Story Blair ‘was ready to deceive to go to war’ – World – NZ Herald News.

UK: Children as young as five ‘to be taught about the dangers of the internet’

Every primary school child in the country will be taught about the dangers of the internet and how to safely surf online, Gordon Brown has announced.

Ministers are worried about the risks youngsters face using websites and social networking sites, such as Facebook, unsupervised.

As part of a wide-ranging series of measures children from the age of five will be taught about internet safety in the classroom, including a new ‘online green cross code’.

Ministers hope that making the lessons a compulsory part of the primary school curriculum for the first time will help tackle cyber-bullying and the online grooming of children by paedophiles.

Full Story Children as young as five ‘to be taught about the dangers of the internet’ – Telegraph.

UK air travelers who refuse body scans to be blocked from flying

If you’re planning on flying from any British airport, better get comfortable with the idea of a stranger looking at you naked.

That’s the new rule which went into effect at airports across the United Kingdom at the beginning of February, even as three dimensional body scanners were just being brought online.

Not even children are exempt.

RELATED: Arrested TSA worker allegedly groped teen girl, asked her to be his ‘sex slave’

Not all passengers will be affected, however. British publication Daily Mail noted that the new transportation security rules would only mandate a body scan for a small percentage of passengers

Full Story UK air travelers who refuse body scans to be blocked from flying | Raw Story.

New Files Show Margaret Thatcher Was At Odds With US On Iran

Now we know why there were no Margaret Thatcher tea cups in 1979. The Iron Lady wouldn’t have it.

When her media adviser, Gordon Reece, said he had been inundated with requests to lend her image to such souvenirs, she swiftly knocked it down: “No (underlined) permission to be given at all on any grounds of any kind.”

Newly released files from the first year of Thatcher's 11-year run as British prime minister show her to be as decisive on the big issues as she was on the trivial ones that tied lesser figures into indecisive knots.

Full Story New Files Show Margaret Thatcher Was At Odds With US On Iran.

Tony Blair Forced to Testify on His War Crimes

Former prime minister Tony Blair’s testimony was streamed live at 4:30 a.m. ET at the Iraq Inquiry website and on other sites, such as the UK newspaper the Telegraph which allowed viewers to rank Blair’s responses on a “Lie Meter”. Telegraph readers’ top desired questions pre-hearing were:

* What was the real motivation for invading Iraq?

* Why did you not act like a Statesman and stand up to Bush?

* Do you think the world is a safer place after our illegal Iraq crusade/mission for regime change?

* I would like Tony Blair to tell us what he knows about the death of Dr Kelly

Try to imagine a U.S. media outlet proposing such questions to Blair’s senior partner in crime! But the Inquiry itself did not put these questions to Blair in any effective way.

In the lead up to Blair’s testimony, a London protest was planned here.

Full Story Tony Blair Forced to Testify on His War Crimes | The Smirking Chimp.

Tony Blair faces judgment day on Iraq

• Former PM sees testimony as last word on his legacy
• Friends predict robust defence of invasion

Tony Blair is more of a 6am man than a 3am one, says an aide in response to claims that he has been burning the midnight oil in preparation for his grilling by the Chilcot inquiry tomorrow.

He has not been abandoning all other business to prepare for the inquiry. He was in Paris on Tuesday for a meeting of the quartet on the future of the Middle East, and it was announced this week that he would take up a lucrative contract to give several private talks to staff of a hedge fund, Lansdowne Partners.

But Blair has been working hard to prepare himself for his six-hour session, refamiliarising himself with the documents and reading digests of the evidence given by previous witnesses.

Full Story Tony Blair faces judgment day on Iraq | UK news | The Guardian.

Chilcot inquiry into Iraq war: The damning verdict of top Whitehall lawyers on invading Iraq which ministers refused to accept | Mail Online

Tony Blair and Jack Straw brushed aside repeated warnings from Government lawyers that they would not have a ‘leg to stand on’ if Britain invaded Iraq.

Devastating evidence at the Iraq inquiry yesterday revealed that every senior legal adviser at the Foreign Office believed the conflict was in breach of international law.

Astonishingly, Downing Street asked lawyers to assess what the consequences would be if Britain toppled Saddam Hussein without legal authority. When they received the lawyers’ memo, No.10 demanded: ‘Why has this been put in writing?’

Full Story Chilcot inquiry into Iraq war: The damning verdict of top Whitehall lawyers on invading Iraq which ministers refused to accept | Mail Online.

45 Americans claim asylum in Britain

Home Office statistics reveal dozens of applications by people claiming persecution in the US

They hail from the land of the free, the home of the brave, a place where it is said anyone can prosper regardless of colour, creed or religion. But dozens of Americans have tried in recent years to gain asylum in the UK by claiming they were persecuted in their homeland, according to figures released to the Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act.

Home Office statistics show that between 2004 and 2008, 45 Americans submitted asylum applications to the UK Border Agency claiming they had fled the US and were unable to go back because they had a well-founded fear of persecution. Fifteen Canadians also applied. All 60 were turned down.

A US government source said the American applications were most likely submitted by self-declared “political refugees” claiming they faced discrimination under the last administration. The applications from the US peaked in 2008, the final year of George Bush’s presidency, when 15 Americans submitted asylum claims.

Full Story 45 Americans claim asylum in Britain | UK news | guardian.co.uk.

Wanted: Tony Blair for war crimes. Arrest him and claim your reward

Chilcot and the courts won’t do it, so it is up to us to show that we won’t let an illegal act of mass murder go unpunished

The only question that counts is the one that the Chilcot inquiry won’t address: was the war with Iraq illegal? If the answer is yes, everything changes. The war is no longer a political matter, but a criminal one, and those who commissioned it should be committed for trial for what the Nuremberg tribunal called “the supreme international crime”: the crime of aggression.

But there’s a problem with official inquiries in the United Kingdom: the government appoints their members and sets their terms of reference. It’s the equivalent of a criminal suspect being allowed to choose what the charges should be, who should judge his case and who should sit on the jury. As a senior judge told the Guardian in November: “Looking into the legality of the war is the last thing the government wants. And actually, it’s the last thing the opposition wants either because they voted for the war. There simply is not the political pressure to explore the question of legality – they have not asked because they don’t want the answer.”

Others have explored it, however. Two weeks ago a Dutch inquiry, led by a former supreme court judge, found that the invasion had “no sound mandate in international law”. Last month Lord Steyn, a former law lord, said that “in the absence of a second UN resolution authorising invasion, it was illegal“. In November Lord Bingham, the former lord chief justice, stated that, without the blessing of the UN, the Iraq war was “a serious violation of international law and the rule of law“.

Full Story Wanted: Tony Blair for war crimes. Arrest him and claim your reward | George Monbiot | Comment is free | The Guardian.

Iraq inquiries: families of dead soldiers call for private meeting with Tony Blair

The families of soldiers killed in Iraq are to approach Sir John Chilcot and ask for a private session with Tony Blair after he has given evidence to the official inquiry into the war.

The families have drawn up a list of questions for the former Prime Minister who they claim has refused to meet them and discuss the war. They are requesting a 15-minute session behind closed doors.

More than 40 relatives are expected to attend this Friday’s hearing when Mr Blair is due to give evidence. Sir John has set up a special “overspill” room for relatives to watch the evidence session after the ticket allocation was over-subscribed.

Full Story Iraq inquiries: families of dead soldiers call for private meeting with Tony Blair – Telegraph.

Alastair Campbell had Iraq dossier changed to fit US claims

WMD in a year’ allegation halved original timescale after compilers told to compare contents with Bush speech

Fresh evidence has emerged that Tony Blair’s discredited Iraqi arms dossier was “sexed up” on the instructions of Alastair Campbell, his communications chief, to fit with claims from the US administration that were known to be false.

The pre-invasion dossier’s worst-case estimate of how long it would take Iraq to acquire a nuclear weapon was shortened in response to a George Bush speech.

As Campbell prepares to appear before the Iraq inquiry on Tuesday, new evidence reveals the extent to which – on his instructions – those drafting the notorious dossier colluded with the US administration to make exaggerated claims about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction.

Full Story Alastair Campbell had Iraq dossier changed to fit US claims | UK news | The Guardian.

War Crimes Catch Up With Israeli Officials: They Can No Longer Visit The UK

Ha’aretz is now confirming that the United Kingdom had in fact issued a warrant for former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni’s arrest — for alleged war crimes committed during Israel’s Gaza offensive, called ‘Operation Cast Lead’:

British sources reported late Monday that though a British court had issued an arrest warrant for Livni over war crimes allegedly committed in Gaza while she served as foreign minister, it annulled it upon discovering she was not in the U.K.

Livni served as foreign minister alongside Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak during the Israel Defense Forces offensive in Gaza. The three figures comprised the “troika” of top decision-makers who charted the course of the war.

The Guardian points out the significance of this arrest warrant, and goes on to explain that former Israeli leaders (no longer serving) lose their diplomatic immunity granted under the State Immunity Act:

Full Story The Seminal » War Crimes Catch Up With Israeli Officials: They Can No Longer Visit The UK.

‘Whack-A-Banker’ Game A Hit In Britain

A British arcade game that allows gamers to take out their anger on bankers has proved a hit, its creator says.

The BBC reports that inventor Tim Hunkin introduced his “Whack-A-Banker” game to his seaside pier arcade in Southwold, in eastern England. It’s now proved so popular he has had to replace the worn out mallets.

Based upon the popular “Whac-A-Mole” game, players hit bankers on the head when they emerge from holes. The game allows angry Brits a chance to vent some fury about the role bankers played in the current financial crisis. However, as Hunkin told AFP:

Full Story ‘Whack-A-Banker’ Game A Hit In Britain.

Tullett Preborn To Help Employees Relocate To Avoid UK Bonus Tax

Tullett Prebon, a London-based inter-dealer broker described as one of the City’s biggest trading firms, will help employees relocate to avoid the United Kingdom’s 50 percent tax on bankers’ bonuses. The firm is also thinking about relocating its headquarters, Reuters reports:

A Tullett spokesman said the group would look into relocating staff who expressed a wish to quit the UK because it would otherwise run the risk of losing star brokers to rivals.

“The board has concluded that it is in the best interests of shareholders to respond to requests from desks to relocate out of the UK, and will seek to facilitate, were possible and appropriate, relocation to the company’s other offices around the world which have more certain taxation regimes,” the spokesman said.

Full Story Tullett Preborn To Help Employees Relocate To Avoid UK Bonus Tax.

Outraged Brits want Blair prosecuted for war crimes

Tony Blair’s admission that Britain would have backed the Iraq war even if he knew it did not have weapons of mass destruction sparked outrage Sunday and calls for his prosecution for war crimes.

The former British prime minister, who backed the US-led invasion in 2003, told the BBC he would “still have thought it right to remove” Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein because of the threat he posed to the region.

Lawyers representing the deposed Iraqi leadership said they would seek to prosecute Blair following his remarks, while one newspaper commentator said it was a “game-changing admission” for the ongoing official inquiry into the war.

Former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix added: “The war was sold on the WMD, and now you feel, or hear that it was only a question of deployment of arguments, as he said, it sounds a bit like a fig leaf that was held up.”

Blair is due to give evidence to the inquiry into the war, led by former civil servant John Chilcot, early next year, and the commentator in the Sunday Telegraph said the investigation's focus must now change.

Full Story Outraged Brits want Blair prosecuted for war crimes | Raw Story.

OPS: If the Brits pull this off – the Bush Crime Family will be som much closer …..

Cone of silence over Blair evidence

Key parts of Tony Blair’s evidence to the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war will be given in secret, sources close to the hearings have revealed.

His conversations with President George W. Bush when he was British Prime Minister, and details of the decision-making process that led Britain into war, will fall under the scope of national security and the protection of Britain’s relations with the United States. But well-placed sources also suggested anything “interesting” would also be shrouded in secrecy, leaving Blair’s public appearance containing little more than is known.

The revelation will dash hopes that Blair will finally detail in public why he committed British troops to the invasion on the basis of flimsy intelligence. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said if a significant proportion of Blair’s evidence were held in private, the public would “rightly conclude that the inquiry is simply too weak to give us the truth”.

Full Story Cone of silence over Blair evidence – World – NZ Herald News.

Prince William to share Queen’s duties: Treasury document reveals secret plan to make him the ‘Shadow King’

The Queen is to hand over a substantial part of her public duties to Prince William to help him prepare for the day when he becomes King, according to a confidential document obtained by The Mail on Sunday.

Secret papers reveal that plans to ease the strain on the 83-year-old monarch and her 88-year-old husband, Prince Philip, are at an advanced stage.

The disclosures come despite months of denials from the Palace that the Queen was planning to step back from her official work in favour of her 27-year-old grandson.

The information is contained in a briefing note written by Chancellor Alistair Darling’s Treasury officials about new financial arrangements for Prince Charles and his sons.

Key paragraphs, disclosing the reason for the changes, are blacked out.

But this newspaper has obtained an uncensored version of the document which confirms that the Queen is grooming William as a ‘Shadow King’.

Full Story Prince William to share Queen’s duties: Treasury document reveals secret plan to make him the ‘Shadow King’ | Mail Online.

Britain Unveils Whopping Tax On Bank Bonuses; U.S. Windfall Tax Proposal Going Nowhere

British bankers are going bonkers today after the UK government announced that it wouldn’t stand idly by as they showered themselves with obscene bonuses made possible by last year’s massive infusion of government money.

Alistair Darling, the U.K.’s Chancellor of the Exchequer — sort of like a Treasury Secretary, but with more pluck — announced today that he will impose an immediate, one-time 50-percent tax on bonuses of more than 25,000 pounds (about $40,800). That’s on top of regular income taxes.

The New York Times calls it “the most direct attack on bonuses anywhere in the world.”

Across the pond, however — where the Wall Street titans whose companies were saved from dissolution by an infusion of hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars are about to reward themselves with a good chunk of that money in the form of year-end bonuses — no such action is in the offing.

Full Story Britain Unveils Whopping Tax On Bank Bonuses; U.S. Windfall Tax Proposal Going Nowhere.

Banks in UK hit by 50% tax on bonus payouts

Move will affect 20,000 bankers

Banks will be hit by a 50 per cent tax on bonus payouts, Alistair Darling, the chancellor, said in his pre-Budget report, in a move that will inflame bankers but is likely to be welcomed by the general public.

The first £25,000 of bonuses will be exempt from the tax.

The Treasury estimates that the move – which comes into immediate effect and runs until April 5 next year – will affect 20,000 bankers. Lord Myners, the City minister, recently estimated that 5,000 bankers earn more than £1m in bonuses.

Full Story FT.com / UK – Banks in UK hit by 50% tax on bonus payouts.

UK banks win shock ruling on overdraft fees

High Street banks on Wednesday won a landmark Supreme Court appeal saving them from paying out more than a billion pounds in compensation for fees charged for unauthorised overdrafts, prompting a furious reaction from consumer groups.

The ruling, which favoured seven banks and a building society, overturns an earlier verdict obtained by the Office of Fair Trading over the banks’ practice of charging people for going over their credit limits.

Consumer groups called the ruling “devastating.” It will deal a severe blow to millions of customers whose claims for those charges to be refunded have been put on ice while the test case was put through the courts.

So far, Britain’s high street banks have paid out more than 559 million pounds in refunds to customers who complained about unauthorised overdraft charges.

Losing the court battle could have cost the banks an estimated 1.1 billion in payouts.

Full Story UK banks win shock ruling on overdraft fees | Raw Story.