http://www.sott.net Signs of the Times, featuring news and commentary on world events. Never wavering in our unending search for the light of truth in a pathocracy driven world! en-us Original content Copyright 2010 by Signs of the Times. For other content, see our Fair Use Policy at www.sott.net Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:13:40 -0500 http://www.sott.net/images/sottlogo_rss.jpg SOTT.net http://www.sott.net http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202728-Ethiopian-plane-exploded-after-take-off Beirut - An Ethiopian jet which crashed off Lebanon's coast last month exploded after take-off, Lebanon's health minister said on Tuesday in the first such official comment since the mysterious crash. Remarks by Jawad Khalifeh could not be immediately confirmed by other officials in Beirut and came as Ethiopian Airlines said one of the plane's black boxes has been sent to France for analysis. "The plane exploded during flight and the cabin, as well as the bodies of those on board were dispersed into the sea, in different locations," Khalifeh said to explain why some corpses were found dismembered. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202728-Ethiopian-plane-exploded-after-take-off Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:13:35 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202726-Bomb-scare-on-Dutch-train-hundreds-evacuated Dutch police say they have evacuated hundreds of passengers from a train and cleared the station where it was stopped after witnesses reported a man threatened to blow it up. Spokeswoman Marika Stewart says the man has been taken into custody from the station in Den Bosch, and investigators with dogs are searching the train. So far no explosives have been found. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202726-Bomb-scare-on-Dutch-train-hundreds-evacuated Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:27:14 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202725-Greek-airports-to-close-as-unions-strike-against-budget-cuts All flights to and from Greece will be disrupted Wednesday as civil aviation workers plan to join a civil servants' strike, while the country attempts to tackle a debt crisis that has shaken the entire European Union and single currency. The walkout in protest against the government's austerity measures - which include wage freezes and bonus cuts - will affect state schools, hospitals, tax offices and local government offices. Greece's financial credibility has taken a battering since October, after the newly-elected Socialist government said its deficit for the year was likely to hit 12.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), rather than the 3.5 per cent predicted earlier. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202725-Greek-airports-to-close-as-unions-strike-against-budget-cuts Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:24:42 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202693-France-to-issue-citizens-handbook-on-how-to-be-more-French-to-every-child French children are to be given a "citizen's handbook" to teach them to be better republicans, as part of national identity measures announced by the government today. Schools will be ordered to fly the French flag and to have a copy of the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in every classroom. The measures, announced by the French prime minister, François Fillon, are the first to emerge from the country's controversial debate on national identity. Under new rules, immigrants who come to live in France, who since 2007 have had to sign a contract of welcome and integration, will have to take part in a more solemn ceremony to become French citizens. They will also be expected to demonstrate a better command of the French language and a greater knowledge of the "values of the republic". All candidates will be required to sign a "charter" outlining their rights and responsibilities. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202693-France-to-issue-citizens-handbook-on-how-to-be-more-French-to-every-child Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:23:18 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202687-Contractors-Using-Dangerous-Pesticides-in-U-K-Schools Survey finds that school children are being exposed to harmful pesticides, but schools claim safer alternatives would be 'uneconomic' A survey of 206 local authorities in the UK has found that school children may be exposed to four potentially cancer-causing pesticides. The research, carried out by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) and Pesticides Action Network (PAN), identified the use of carcinogens and pesticides to control rabbits, rats and weeds on school premises. One substance, glyphosate, is the active ingredient in Monsanto's herbicide RoundUp and is commonly used to kill weeds on hard playgrounds and paths. It has also been linked to lymphoma. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202687-Contractors-Using-Dangerous-Pesticides-in-U-K-Schools Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:20:08 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202684-Threat-to-City-of-London-as-EU-Parliament-seeks-to-whittle-away-power-to-veto Key members of the European Parliament are drawing up plans to whittle away Britain's power to veto decisions by the EU's new apparatus of financial super regulators, a move that may leave the City of London without defence against threatening proposals. The Euro-MPs in charge of drafting the rules for oversight bodies covering banking and markets aim to make it much harder for Britain or other states to use an "emergency brake" to block decisions on regulation, and perhaps to strip them of their veto altogether. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202684-Threat-to-City-of-London-as-EU-Parliament-seeks-to-whittle-away-power-to-veto Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:33:34 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202661-France-and-Russia-in-Warship-Deal France has agreed to sell Russia an advanced warship and is considering a request from Moscow for three others, French defence officials say. It would be the first arms deal of its kind between Russia and a Nato member. It remains unclear when or where the 23,000-tonne Mistral-class warship will be built. The deal, which would increase Russia's capacity to launch amphibious offensives, will alarm ex-Soviet states such as Georgia, analysts say. Russia and Georgia fought a short war in August 2008. French President Nicolas Sarkozy had approved the sale of one Mistral, but Moscow naval officials had then asked for a further three ships, said Jacques de Lajugie of the French arms agency DGA. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202661-France-and-Russia-in-Warship-Deal Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:52:34 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202649-China-s-hawks-demand-cold-war-on-the-US More than half of Chinese people questioned in a poll believe China and America are heading for a new "cold war". The finding came after battles over Taiwan, Tibet, trade, climate change, internet freedom and human rights which have poisoned relations in the three months since President Barack Obama made a fruitless visit to Beijing. According to diplomatic sources, a rancorous postmortem examination is under way inside the US government, led by officials who think the president was badly advised and was made to appear weak. In China's eyes, the American response - which includes a pledge by Obama to get tougher on trade - is a reaction against its rising power. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202649-China-s-hawks-demand-cold-war-on-the-US Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:34:57 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202648-Russia-is-all-for-nuclear-strikes-against-potential-aggressors President Dmitry Medvedev has signed his country's new military doctrine which allows preventive nuclear strikes against potential aggressors. ''The President informed the members of Russia's Security Council yesterday that he has approved two documents - the military doctrine and the Fundamentals of the state policy on nuclear deterrence until 2020,'' presidential press secretary Natalia Timakova said. ''Military conflicts will be transient and selective, with a high degree of damage caused to targets, manoeuvrable troops and fire, and with the use of various mobile groups of troops (forces),'' the doctrine, which was published on the Kremlin website, said. ''The seizure of strategic initiative, dominance on the ground, at sea, and in aerospace will be the decisive factors in attaining goals,'' it said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202648-Russia-is-all-for-nuclear-strikes-against-potential-aggressors Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:08:40 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202633-Gordon-Brown-admits-striking-a-deal-with-Blair-about-PM-position Gordon Brown is for the first time to admit that he did strike a deal with Tony Blair to carve up the Labour leadership at Granita restaurant in Islington, it was reported today. In an interview to be broadcast next weekend, the Prime Minister will tell Piers Morgan that Mr Blair did secretly promise to hand over power to him later, but that the two men later fought bitterly after Mr Blair failed to keep his end of the bargain. "It is really explosive stuff - neither Brown nor Blair has even gone on the record before about their famous deal which dogged them for years," a source involved in the show told the News of the World. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202633-Gordon-Brown-admits-striking-a-deal-with-Blair-about-PM-position Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:55:53 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202631-Ukraine-braced-for-conflict-as-polls-signal-end-of-Orange-Revolution Ukraine faced the prospect of renewed political confrontation on the streets after exit polls predicted that the man closely allied to Moscow was heading for victory in the fiercely contested presidential election last night. According to exit polls published immediately after voting ended, Yuliya Tymoshenko, the glamorous, firebrand leader of the Orange Revolution and Prime Minister, was narrowly beaten by Viktor Yanukovych, her bitter rival. The margin of defeat, however, was as little as 3 percentage points, paving the way for a potential challenge in the courts - and in the streets, if her campaign alleges widespread ballot fraud. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202631-Ukraine-braced-for-conflict-as-polls-signal-end-of-Orange-Revolution Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:31:40 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202611-Black-Box-Retrieved-14-Days-after-Ethiopian-Plane-Crash Lebanese Army Command announced Sunday afternoon that divers from the army's Navy Commando Regiment were able to pull eight bodies from the sea in addition to one of two of Ethiopian plane's black boxes which was moved to Beirut naval base to be handed over to crash investigators. A statement issued by the army command said the black box had been retrieved around 11:35 am. Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi said the flight data recorder had been retrieved and that efforts continued to recover the cockpit voice recorder. The boxes were found under a rear section of the fuselage, Aridi said, adding that the cockpit was also located on Sunday. "Divers from Navy Commando Regiment were able to pull eight bodies belonging to victims of the ill-fated Ethiopian plane up till now, the search is ongoing to find the remaining bodies," an army communique issued Sunday afternoon stated, bringing to 23 the number retrieved. The bodies include those of two toddlers. However, media reports said the bodies of seven victims were delivered Sunday evening to Rafik Hariri state hospital. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202611-Black-Box-Retrieved-14-Days-after-Ethiopian-Plane-Crash Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:37:03 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202579-Heathrow-Airport-Expansion-Cover-Up THE Department for Transport (DfT) is facing a criminal investigation following a complaint that it deleted sensitive internal emails about the expansion of Heathrow airport. It is accused of disposing of emails to and from the airport's operator, BAA, between September and November 2007 as the government prepared to push through its controversial plans for a third runway. The investigation unit of the Information Commissioner's Office, staffed by former police officers, has asked to interview civil servants at the DfT about the apparent destruction of evidence. The emails were requested under freedom of information laws by Justine Greening, a Tory frontbencher, who has led the campaign against the £9 billion expansion. She asked for an investigation after spotting gaps in email conversations between transport officials and BAA. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202579-Heathrow-Airport-Expansion-Cover-Up Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:56:57 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202569-UK-Mystery-as-Hugh-McFall-kills-wife-and-daughter-before-committing-suicide A businessman killed his wife and daughter at their suburban home before driving to his office several miles away to commit suicide. Hugh McFall, 48, who ran a wholesale flower business in the Shropshire town of Oswestry, was said to have been devoted to his wife, Susan, 55, and their daughter, Francesca. The 18-year-old, described as a "bubbly teenager", was a former head girl at The Marches school and was studying for A levels at the £12,000-a-year private Oswestry School. She hoped to go to the University of Warwick to read medicine. Friends spoke about a happy and close family who had recently returned from a holiday in New York telling everybody they had "a whale of a time together". Detectives were trying yesterday to piece together the last hours of Mr McFall's life behind the closed door of the family's four-bedroom detached home to find out what drove a man with no apparent financial difficulties or marital problems over the edge. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202569-UK-Mystery-as-Hugh-McFall-kills-wife-and-daughter-before-committing-suicide Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:07:48 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202568-Russia-names-NATO-expansion-as-national-threat President Dmitry Medvedev approved Friday a new military doctrine identifying NATO expansion as a national threat and reaffirming Russia's right to use nuclear weapons if the country's existence is threatened. The doctrine identifies the expansion of NATO to Eastern Europe and U.S. plans to create an anti-missile shield in Europe as concerns for national security, although it also states that the likelihood of a nuclear conflict has abated. As Russia's conventional troops lack modern equipment and undergo a painful reform aimed at creating professional armed forces, Moscow relies on its nuclear arsenal as a last resort, the document, published on the Kremlin website, says. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202568-Russia-names-NATO-expansion-as-national-threat Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:39:08 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202564-China-puts-media-ban-on-new-milk-scandal Chinese officials have banned independent reporting on the latest toxic food scandal involving melamine, a chemical blamed for the deaths of six babies in 2008, a press watchdog says. The International Federation of Journalists, citing local sources, said on Thursday censors in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong had ordered that media outlets "must only use information formally released by the authorities". There was no immediate comment from authorities in Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202564-China-puts-media-ban-on-new-milk-scandal Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:03:56 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202562-German-doctor-refuses-to-treat-teen-named-Jihad An orthodontist in southern Germany has refused to treat a 16-year-old whose first name is Jihad, which is Arabic for holy struggle or holy war, because she took offense at his name, reports the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (in German), citing a local magazine. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202562-German-doctor-refuses-to-treat-teen-named-Jihad Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:48:44 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202558-Turkish-girl-16-buried-alive-for-talking-to-boys Death reopens debate over 'honour' killings in Turkey, which account for half of all the country's murders Turkish police have recovered the body of a 16-year-old girl they say was buried alive by relatives in an "honour" killing carried out as punishment for talking to boys. The girl, who has been identified only by the initials MM, was found in a sitting position with her hands tied, in a two-metre hole dug under a chicken pen outside her home in Kahta, in the south-eastern province of Adiyaman. Police made the discovery in December after a tip-off from an informant, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported on its website. The girl had previously been reported missing. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202558-Turkish-girl-16-buried-alive-for-talking-to-boys Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:27:40 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202556-Psychopathic-Boy-who-said-suicide-family-deserved-it-walks-free-from-court A teenager who branded a disabled girl found dead in a burnt-out car as "Frankenstein" walked free from court today after the main prosecution witness collapsed during her testimony. The 16-year-old boy allegedly abused parish councillor Hazel Smith after she spoke out about the torment faced by Francecca Hardwick and her mother C from a gang of yobs. Ms Pilkington, 38, set light to her car as she sat inside with her 18-year-old daughter after being attacked by the gang for more than 10 years while she cowered in her home in Barwell, Leicestershire. A coroner severely criticised police and council officials for failing to help Ms Pilkington and her family in the years before their deaths. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202556-Psychopathic-Boy-who-said-suicide-family-deserved-it-walks-free-from-court Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:53:22 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202548-Black-box-of-Ethiopian-jet-located Beirut - Search crews have located the black box under parts of the tail of the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea last month, Lebanon's transportation minister said Saturday. The Boeing 737 crashed Jan. 25 minutes after takeoff from Beirut in a fierce thunderstorm. All 90 people on board died. Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi said the black box has been located at a depth of 150 feet (45 meters) off the coastal village of Naameh just south of Beirut airport. "Its location has been determined and efforts are under way to find the best means to retrieve it," he told The Associated Press. Aridi said earlier that "significant parts" of the back end of plane had been found Saturday. He said Lebanese army divers and search teams were photographing the segments before their retrieval. The black box is usually located in the rear of a plane, the area most likely to survive a crash intact. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202548-Black-box-of-Ethiopian-jet-located Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:59:10 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202523-UK-Accused-MPs-argue-they-are-above-the-law Three Labour MPs charged yesterday with theft over fraudulent expense claims declared that they were above the law and would fight attempts to put them on trial. Elliot Morley, David Chaytor and Jim Devine each face up to seven years in jail after Keir Starmer, QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions, announced that he was charging them under the Theft Act 1968. Lord Hanningfield, the Tory frontbencher and leader of Essex County Council, faces six charges over his expense claims. In a joint statement, the three MPs announced that they would fight the charges by claiming parliamentary privilege over their expense claims. It said: "We maintain that this is an issue that should be resolved by the parliamentary commissioner, who is there to enforce any breach of the rules." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202523-UK-Accused-MPs-argue-they-are-above-the-law Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:47:48 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202476-Soldiers-could-fight-terrorism-on-Britain-s-streets- The UK's armed forces could be used on the streets of the Britain to confront the threat of terrorism, under the terms of a strategic defence review (SDR) announced yesterday. Two of the six "key questions" to be considered by the SDR will focus on domestic threats which "cannot be separated from international security", according to a Green Paper setting out the grounds for a full scale review to start after the General Election. Decisions need to be made on the "balance between focusing on our territory and region and engaging threats at a distance" and "what contribution the armed forces should make in ensuring security and contributing to resilience within the UK". http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202476-Soldiers-could-fight-terrorism-on-Britain-s-streets- Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:46:10 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202458-Romania-Says-It-Is-Joining-Missile-Shield Romania's top defense body approved a United States proposal to base missile interceptors there, the country's president said Thursday. The announcement from the president, Traian Basescu, came as a bit of a surprise. The United States had negotiated to place the system in the Czech Republic and Poland, but plans for Romania's participation had not previously been disclosed. Mr. Basescu said in a statement that Romania, the Black Sea country and former Warsaw Pact member that is now a part of NATO, was prepared to begin negotiations with the United States to accept the deployment of ground-based interceptors as part of an anti-ballistic missile defense system. He said the system could be working in Romania by 2015. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202458-Romania-Says-It-Is-Joining-Missile-Shield Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:31:44 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202448-Adolf-Hitler-s-Mein-Kampf-to-be-Republished-in-Germany Adolf Hitler's autobiography Mein Kampf is to be republished in Germany in 2015 for the first time since being banned under the country's constitution at the end of the Second World War. Under the post-1945 German constitution, the dissemination of Nazi philosophy has been a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment. But the copyright, held by the state of Bavaria where the Nazi movement began life in the 1920s, expires in 2015, 70 years after the death of its author in his Berlin bunker. On Thursday the Munich-based Institute of Contemporary History (IfZ) pledged to publish an "annotated version" with historical notes that it hopes will see the book used in schools and colleges. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202448-Adolf-Hitler-s-Mein-Kampf-to-be-Republished-in-Germany Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:28:11 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202440-Member-of-Swiss-Political-Party-that-Pushed-for-Minaret-Ban-Converts-to-Islam The news about Switzerland's ban on the construction of minarets has made the headlines, providing shocking evidence of the strength of increasing intolerance in Europe. I shall be writing more about the minaret ban and its implications later, God willing, but right now I wanted to share an interesting side note. Daniel Streich was a member of the Swiss People's party (SVP), the political party that pushed the minaret ban initiative. Streich is a military instructor in the Swiss Army and a local politician in the commune of Bulle. Formerly a devout Christian, he converted to Islam - and kept it a secret for two years. Streich has left the SVP, made his conversion to Islam public, and has denounced the SVP's anti-Muslim campaign as a witch hunt. As far as I can tell, this story has not broken in the English language press. So, I translated a news article on Streich from German to English, published at the Swiss news site Twenty Minutes Online. Here it is: http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202440-Member-of-Swiss-Political-Party-that-Pushed-for-Minaret-Ban-Converts-to-Islam Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:01:26 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202424-War-on-People-Army-to-patrol-streets-of-Britain Long-awaited Green Paper foresees new domestic role for Britain's services, with emphasis on greater co-operation as chiefs face up to budgetary constraints Britain's armed forces could be used on a regular basis on the streets of Britain to confront the threat of terrorism, under the terms of a strategic defence review announced yesterday. Two of the six "key questions" to be considered by the SDR will focus on domestic threats which "cannot be separated from international security", according to a Green Paper setting out the grounds for a full scale review to start after the election. Decisions need to be made on the "balance between focusing on our territory and region and engaging threats at a distance" and "what contribution the armed forces should make in ensuring security and contributing to resilience within the UK". http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202424-War-on-People-Army-to-patrol-streets-of-Britain Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:15:53 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202389-Calling-all-bloggers-Help-beat-the-gag-on-the-BBC You can help beat Trafigura's gag on the BBC by embedding this Youtube video on your website... ...and linking to this pdf! Here's why... Late last week the BBC chose to delete from its website a damning Newsnight investigation into the Trafigura scandal, following legal threats from the company and its controversial lawyers, Carter-Ruck. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202389-Calling-all-bloggers-Help-beat-the-gag-on-the-BBC Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:53:30 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202382-Ukraine-breaks-up-alleged-Russian-spy-ring A spying scandal between Ukraine and Russia threatens to heighten tensions between the countries as Ukraine's holds a presidential runoff election Sunday between a Russian-leaning candidate and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Ukraine's security service said Wednesday five Russians were detained last month after being caught trying to obtain confidential military information from a Ukrainian citizen. "We have broken up an FSB spying operation," Ukrainian security services spokeswoman Marina Ostapenko said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202382-Ukraine-breaks-up-alleged-Russian-spy-ring Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:51:28 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202380-Russian-rail-terror-act-wounds-worker A bomb has exploded on a railway line near Saint Petersburg wounding the train driver, two months after a deadly blast derailed an express train, investigators said. The blast which happened around 4:15am on Tuesday as a railway inspection carriage travelled along the line, is being classed as an act of terror, investigators said. "We are considering this as an act of terror, this is our main line of investigation," the head of the North-West Transport Prosecutor's Office, Anatoly Kvashin told journalists. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202380-Russian-rail-terror-act-wounds-worker Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:44:53 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202338-Swiss-lawmaker-likened-German-attempts-to-buy-data-on-tax-evaders-to-bank-robbery A Swiss lawmaker likened German attempts to buy data on cross-border tax evaders to bank robbery on Tuesday and the Swiss banking lobby said Berlin was acting as a receiver of stolen goods. Switzerland's interior minister clearly sought a diplomatic solution with Berlin in a sharply escalating row with the Alpine country's most important trading partner. "It is very important to have a good relationship between Switzerland and Germany," said Didier Burkhalter. "We now need to find a way -- and we will discuss this at Wednesday's cabinet meeting -- to ensure a stable relationship with Germany." Germany has said it is prepared to pay for data on clients of Swiss banks who may have been evading German taxes that is being offered to authorities by a whistleblower, even if the information has been obtained illegally. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202338-Swiss-lawmaker-likened-German-attempts-to-buy-data-on-tax-evaders-to-bank-robbery Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:13:13 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202276-Ireland-Hundreds-of-complaints-over-abuse-of-disabled-people Health authorities are investigating hundreds of complaints of mistreatment, abuse or lapses in care for people with disabilities in residential settings. More than 500 complaints have been made over the past 2½ years, according to records seen by The Irish Times. The most serious incidents include allegations of abuse or physical assault by staff at a number of residential centres. At present, there are no mandatory care standards or independent inspections of disability services, unlike nursing homes for older people and residential centres for children in State care. The Government rejected plans to put these measures in place on a statutory basis last year because of pressures on the public finances. Officials privately say that it would have cost between €5 million and €10 million. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202276-Ireland-Hundreds-of-complaints-over-abuse-of-disabled-people Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:08:15 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/118533-Northwest-Airlines-plane-bound-for-Mumbai-turned-back-to-Amsterdam Amsterdam - A U.S. Northwest Airlines plane bound for Mumbai was turned back to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Wednesday accompanied by Dutch fighter planes due to worrying passenger behavior, officials said. "Northwest flight number 42 from Amsterdam to Mumbai with 149 passengers returned to Amsterdam when a couple of passengers displayed behavior of concern," said Northwest spokeswoman Kristin Heinmets, speaking from Minneapolis. A Dutch air traffic control spokeswoman said the plane was in German airspace when it turned back. A spokeswoman for Schiphol said the pilot had taken the decision. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/118533-Northwest-Airlines-plane-bound-for-Mumbai-turned-back-to-Amsterdam Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:03:38 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202191-Greeks-protest-over-debt-crisis George Papandreou faces mounting unrest as he tries to fix the €300bn debt problem For the first time in the modern history of Greece, anti-government protesters last night pitched tents outside the large standstone building of the Athenian parliament amid growing public anger and unprecedented international concern over the country's dire public finances. As Greeks attempt to get to grips with an economic crisis that has begun to spill over the borders of their tiny state into the rest of Europe, the sight of tents lined up in Sydagma Square has conjured the mood of the nation: one that is veering, perilously, between bewilderment and despair. "It is a simple issue of survival," said Anna Tsounara, a protester sitting in a tent lined with sleeping bags and blankets. "I am a divorced mother-of-two. I have never demonstrated like this before but now I want answers. All of us here worked in the public sector on contracts for years and now we are told the state is bankrupt by a government that comes in and says it wants to get rid of us. Just like that. That's not fair." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202191-Greeks-protest-over-debt-crisis Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:57:29 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202178-Preparing-for-the-changing-of-the-guard-in-the-UK-Book-packed-with-revelations-about-PM-Brown-s-pathological-behaviour-to-be-published-in-time-for-elections Sensational claims that Gordon Brown has physically attacked his staff in a series of outbursts in Downing Street - and once in America - have rocked the Government. Well-placed sources say the Prime Minister has been accused of hitting a senior adviser, pulling a secretary out of her chair and hurling foul-mouthed abuse at aides while distraught over an alleged snub by President Barack Obama. The claims, which are fiercely denied by Mr Brown's allies, are linked to a new book about Mr Brown by respected political journalist Andrew Rawnsley. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202178-Preparing-for-the-changing-of-the-guard-in-the-UK-Book-packed-with-revelations-about-PM-Brown-s-pathological-behaviour-to-be-published-in-time-for-elections Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:14:46 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202157-China-threatens-U-S-sanctions-over-Taiwan-arms China threatened to impose sanctions on U.S. arms firms and cut cooperation with Washington unless it cancels a $6.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan, in an unprecedented move signaling Beijing's growing global power. China on Saturday bitterly denounced the Obama administration's announcement a day earlier that it planned to sell the package of weapons to Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing views as an illegitimate breakaway province. The dispute deepens the rifts between Beijing and Washington, also at odds over trade, currency, Tibet and the Internet. Beijing said it would sanction U.S. companies that sold arms to Taiwan, a break with past practice. China's commercial reprisals have in the past been informal. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202157-China-threatens-U-S-sanctions-over-Taiwan-arms Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:20:29 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202155-Ex-middleman-of-the-British-weapons-company-BAE-charged-with-bribery The first ever criminal case has been filed against a former middleman of the British weapons company, BAE Systems. Count Alfons Mensdorff-Pouilly, one of BAE's former confidential agents, was charged with bribery over arms deals by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The charges were formally brought by the SFO director, Richard Alderman. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202155-Ex-middleman-of-the-British-weapons-company-BAE-charged-with-bribery Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:15:45 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202152-Crashed-Plane-Head-Likely-Detached-from-Body Beirut - The eight identified victims from the Ethiopian doomed plane were business class passengers, hence they were seated in the plane's front, knowing that the business class seats count 16 out of 138 seats available on the plane, An Nahar daily reported on Saturday. The business class compartment had also additional three passengers, hence totaling the passengers at 14 added to Ethiopian security guard whose body has been found without being officially identified, knowing that his wallet and gun were found with the body. According to aviation sources, the security guard is usually situated in the front part of the plane. An Nahar added that the victim Hasan Tajeddine, a businessman, occupied the seat A1 located behind the cockpit, knowing that the plane's first door is located between the cockpit and the seat A1, and that Tajeddine used to choose this seat for its nearness to the door. His body was found with no major deformations. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202152-Crashed-Plane-Head-Likely-Detached-from-Body Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:41:38 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202109-Russia-flexes-military-power-with-5th-generation-fighter-jet Russia returned to the global stage Friday as a first-rank military and technological power by launching a 'fifth generation' fighter plane, with futuristic characteristics of stealth, sustained supersonic cruise, and integrated weapons. Vladimir Putin is jubilant, the Russian aviation industry is filled with pride, and even normally skeptical military experts say they're truly impressed by reports Friday that Russia has successfully test-flown the first prototype of a "fifth generation" fighter plane. They all may have good reasons to cheer. Building such a plane is so expensive, complex, and technologically sophisticated that, until now, only the United States has been able to field an operational version of one: the F-22 Raptor. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202109-Russia-flexes-military-power-with-5th-generation-fighter-jet Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:39:18 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202088-French-duel-rages-as-Sarko-appeals-Villepin-acquittal French prosecutors moved Friday to appeal against the ruling that acquitted former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin over slander charges that he had sought to discredit President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2004. The appeal case will likely take place at the end of the year or in early 2011, Paris state prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin said. "The court did not draw all the conclusions from all the elements contained in the investigation and heard during the trial and part of the truth has yet to emerge," his office said in a statement. The move paves the way for the second round of a trial to prosecute Villepin for allegedly trying to sabotage Sarkozy's bid to win the presidency in 2007. Villepin condemned the appeal and accused Sarkozy of pursuing a vendetta against him, Reuters reported. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202088-French-duel-rages-as-Sarko-appeals-Villepin-acquittal Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:57:45 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202053-Cover-up-claims-as-David-Kelly-post-mortem-set-to-stay-under-wraps-for-70-years Medical records which would shed light on the death of government scientist David Kelly will be kept secret for 70 years, it emerged yesterday. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202053-Cover-up-claims-as-David-Kelly-post-mortem-set-to-stay-under-wraps-for-70-years Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:58:57 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202043-Auschwitz-survivor-Israel-acts-like-Nazis- One of the last remaining Auschwitz survivors has launched a blistering attack on Israel over its occupation of Palestine as he began a lecture tour of Scotland. Dr Hajo Meyer, 86, who survived 10 months in the Nazi death camp, spoke out as his 10-day tour of the UK and Ireland - taking in three Scottish venues - got under way. His comments sparked a furious reaction from hardline Jewish lobby groups, with Dr Meyer branded an "anti-Semite" and accused of abusing his position as a Holocaust survivor. Dr Meyer also attended hearings at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, where five pro-Palestine campaigners are accused of racially aggravated conduct after disrupting a concert by the Jerusalem Quartet at the city's Queen's Hall. Speaking as his tour got under way, Dr Meyer said there were parallels between the treatment of Jews by Germans in the Second World War and the current treatment of Palestinians by Israelis. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202043-Auschwitz-survivor-Israel-acts-like-Nazis- Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:32:23 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202035-Is-London-Conference-Becoming-a-Taliban-Fundraiser- Initially organized chiefly to try to lure major military commitments from NATO member nations for the ongoing war in Afghanistan, Thursday's London Conference was eventually redefined as an all-purpose planning session for a massive nation-building effort. But as most of that planning seems to have gone on behind closed doors before the conference, it seems now that the most high profile goal for the conference is fundraising, and more precisely fundraising for a Taliban "buyout." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202035-Is-London-Conference-Becoming-a-Taliban-Fundraiser- Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:36:57 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202026-France-ex-PM-Villepin-cleared-of-Sarkozy-smear Former French PM Dominique de Villepin has been cleared of plotting to discredit President Nicolas Sarkozy when he was the interior minister. He had been accused of failing to stop the Clearstream corruption inquiry into Mr Sarkozy, despite knowing the claims against his rival were false. Both men had been hoping to succeed Jacques Chirac as president in the 2007 election. Several other defendants in the case were found guilty on various charges. The judge said there was no proof Mr De Villepin had acted in bad faith, and he was cleared on all four counts of complicity to slander, to use forgeries, dealing in stolen property and breach of trust. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202026-France-ex-PM-Villepin-cleared-of-Sarkozy-smear Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:51:43 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202012-Over-300-Poisoned-by-Holy-Water-in-Siberia More than 300 people are suffering from poisoning in the east Siberian city of Irkutsk caused by "holy water" taken from wells during religious ceremonies of Epiphany, Russia's consumer regulator said on Thursday. Believers take water from churches on January 19, when the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the baptism of Christ. Water is believed to become holy on Epiphany and have healing properties, and some people store the water sanctified in churches for long periods. "From January 22 through January 27, 307 instances of diarrheal diseases were registered in the Irkutsk Region, including 167 children under 14," Rospotrebnadzor said in a press release. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202012-Over-300-Poisoned-by-Holy-Water-in-Siberia Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:54:01 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202010-Leak-at-German-nuclear-plant-firm Berlin - A leak in a uranium enrichment plant in Germany exposed an employee to a high level of radiation but posed no danger to people outside the facility, the firm operating the plant said on Friday. The employee was taken to hospital as a precaution, a spokeswoman for the German subsidiary of British nuclear firm Urenco said. None of the radiation escaped, the company added. "There is no danger to the public. The necessary authorities were informed straight away," Urenco said in a statement. The North Rhine-Westphalia local authority is studying a report into the incident. The plant is located near Germany's border with the Netherlands and has been in operation since 1985. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/202010-Leak-at-German-nuclear-plant-firm Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:05:53 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/201958-Video-two-trapped-as-Liege-apartment-building-collapses-in-Belgium Belgian rescuers in Liege are today searching for at least two people in the rubble of an apartment building that collapsed last night. In the early hours of the morning there was an explosion inside the building, which caused a fire to break out. Around five hours later, at 0800, the building caved in. The explosion was thought to have been caused by a gas leak. Firemen were battling the flames at the time of the collapse, but were forced to retreat. The Mayor of Liege, Willy Demeyer said that at least two people were thought to be alive in the rubble. He said: "Firemen are working to try to bring them out." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/201958-Video-two-trapped-as-Liege-apartment-building-collapses-in-Belgium Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:58:16 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/201956-Ethiopian-Crash-Jet-Flight-Recorders-Found-Off-Lebanon The "black box" flight recorders from a passenger jet which crashed off the coast of Lebanon two days ago have been found, officials say. A search team located the recorders from the Ethiopian Airlines flight just over 1.3km (0.8 miles) underwater, 10km west of the capital, Beirut. The search team is now trying to retrieve them, Lebanese security officials said. All 90 people on board the flight are presumed dead following the crash. At least 24 bodies have been pulled from the sea so far. Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, bound for Addis Ababa, crashed into the Mediterranean minutes after take-off from Beirut at 0237 (0037 GMT) during a severe thunderstorm on Monday. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/201956-Ethiopian-Crash-Jet-Flight-Recorders-Found-Off-Lebanon Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:52:08 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/201947-Ethiopian-airliner-likely-shot-down-with-a-rocket- Hypotheses and speculations mounted about a "sabotage" action in the Ethiopian plane crash which plunged into the Mediterranean sea in stormy weather earlier this week with 90 passengers and crew on board feared dead. The Ethiopian plane crash which plunged into the Mediterranean sea in stormy weather earlier this week with 90 passengers and crew on board is likely a "deliberate" attack, some media reports said Wednesday. While the daily al-Liwaa said the crash is likely a "deliberate" attack, pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat did not rule out "sabotage" after the disaster presumably killed all 90 passengers and crew. OTV, meanwhile, which is close to Hizbullah and is reputed to have strong ties with Hizbullah circles, cited official circles as saying that the Ethiopian plane was likely hit by a rocket. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/201947-Ethiopian-airliner-likely-shot-down-with-a-rocket- Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:23:03 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/201946-10-Million-Tons-of-Chemical-Fertilizer-Discharged-into-China-s-Water-Every-Year A new report finds that Chinese farmers used a stunning 40 percent more fertilizer than necessary. When most people picture China as a polluting giant, the image of smoke-spewing coal plants comes to mind (that, and the statistic that a new coal-fired power plant opens every day in China). But the truth is that the majority of China's pollution comes from agriculture--and that the excessive use of chemical fertilizers have become a huge problem. A new report finds that Chinese farmers used a stunning 40% more fertilizer than necessary, resulting in 10 million tons being discharged into China's water. The report urges China to cut its fertilizer use by at least 50%. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/201946-10-Million-Tons-of-Chemical-Fertilizer-Discharged-into-China-s-Water-Every-Year Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:12:57 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/201945-Lebanese-official-claims-Ethiopia-jet-crash-caused-by-lightning-strike According to a senior Lebanese official, who asked to remain anonymous because he was revealing confidential information, the Ethiopian plane was in flames before crashing early Monday due to a lightning strike and structural failure. Speaking to local media in Beirut, the official claimed the plane must have run out of control after the strike and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. The Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane, ET409, was Addis Ababa-bound and carried 90 people on board. According to the airlines CEO, there have been no survivors found and the stormy weather has affected the search and rescue operations. According to the Lebanese official, the plane disappeared from the radar after making a turn as the result of the powerful strike during the thunderstorms. Eyewitness accounts close to the crash site in Naameh, about 3.5km from the coast, confirmed the plane was engulfed in fire following a lightning strike. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/201945-Lebanese-official-claims-Ethiopia-jet-crash-caused-by-lightning-strike Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:11:59 -0500