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 2009 by Signs of the Times. For other content, see our Fair Use Policy at www.sott.net Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:45:23 -0500 http://www.sott.net/images/sottlogo_rss.jpg SOTT.net http://www.sott.net http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172667-Scotland-A-woman-s-head-found-in-a-bag-has-been-identified Police have identified the woman whose head was discovered in a shopping bag in Newhaven as 44-year-old Heather Stacey from Edinburgh. DNA tests confirmed her identity and police said she is believed to have died within the last two years. Tests are continuing to establish the exact circumstances of her death. The head and other remains were found on a footpath at Hawthornvale by a dog walker on Hogmanay. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172667-Scotland-A-woman-s-head-found-in-a-bag-has-been-identified Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:34:41 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172652-EU-says-deal-struck-with-Russia-over-gas-supply European leaders announced a breakthrough deal with Moscow last night that could see Siberian gas flowing to the households and heating systems of Europe. But hundreds of thousands of families across the Balkans and central Europe faced a freezing weekend without heating amid uncertainty over whether the deal settling the dispute between Russia and Ukraine would stick. With large stretches of eastern and southern Europe blanketed in snow in some of the coldest weather in a decade, an air of panic gripped parts of Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, and Bosnia, all almost entirely dependent on Russian gas for central heating. The gas has been cut off since Wednesday. Dozens of companies and factories were closed across the region, while some schools, clinics and hospitals also had to shut or improvise heating systems. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172652-EU-says-deal-struck-with-Russia-over-gas-supply Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:58:23 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172643-Russian-Gazprom-wants-Ukraine-to-pay-470-per-1-000-cu-m-of-Russian-gas Ukraine should pay a market price for Russian gas, and in the first quarter of 2009 the price for Eastern Europe is about $470 per 1,000 cu m, the Russian energy giant Gazprom said Friday. "If the price for gas Gazprom supplies to Eastern European states neighboring Ukraine is around $470 per 1,000 cu m in the first quarter of 2009, then Ukraine should also pay the market price for gas," Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told journalists. Kupriyanov said Gazprom's position is the same as the position of the Russian president and government. "Russia and Ukraine should switch over to market relations in the gas sphere," he said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172643-Russian-Gazprom-wants-Ukraine-to-pay-470-per-1-000-cu-m-of-Russian-gas Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:33:50 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172636-Scotland-Three-Injured-In-Hotel-Gas-Blast An investigation has been launched after a suspected gas explosion at a hotel in Scotland in which three people were seriously hurt. Emergency services were called to the Drumtochty Arms Hotel in Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire at about 5.30pm. One person had to be rescued from a roof skylight following the "significant" blast. Police said a man in his 20s, another in his 50s and a woman were taken by ambulance to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. It is thought they may have been drinking at the hotel bar. Their conditions are not believed to be life-threatening. Grampian Police said the building had partially collapsed in the explosion, which appeared to be linked to a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172636-Scotland-Three-Injured-In-Hotel-Gas-Blast Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:02:33 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172602-US-behind-Russian-Gas-Cuts-to-promote-Afghanistan-pipeline- Russia has made a serious mistake on this occasion both in hasty action and in failing to perceive the probable hand of the US and a trap, notes Christopher King. You will probably have heard of the present situation - you might well be suffering from it. Russian gas for Europe is being disrupted in transit through Ukrainian pipelines. Ostensibly it is about payment by Ukraine for its gas and renewal of the Ukraine-Russia contract for transit of the gas. Russia says that Ukraine has not paid for its gas and in retaliation has reduced the amount pumped into the pipeline by the Ukraine proportion. Ukraine, it is said, nevertheless continued to "steal" gas from the pipelines, so reducing the amount available to European Union customers. As a further escalation, Ukraine restricted the quantity of transit gas to the EU and, Russia says, finally closed the pipelines. The Ukrainians say that they are not stealing gas and there are "technical difficulties" that have caused problems with the onward flow of gas. Russia, they say, has now shut down the pipelines. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172602-US-behind-Russian-Gas-Cuts-to-promote-Afghanistan-pipeline- Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:39:34 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172595-Concentration-camp-remark-threatens-Pope-s-visit-to-Israel A diplomatic row between Israel and the Vatican cast doubt over Pope Benedict XVI's planned visit to the Holy Land yesterday, after a prominent cardinal said that Gazans were living in a "big concentration camp". In his annual speech to diplomats in the Vatican the Pope sought to damp down the dispute. He said that the war was "provoking immense damage and suffering for the civilian populations" in Gaza and Israel. He urged "the rejection of hatred, acts of provocation and the use of arms" and added: "Violence, wherever it comes from and whatever form it takes, must be firmly condemned. The military solution is never an option," he said. His remarks came amid outrage from Israelis over a statement by Cardinal Renato Martino, the head of the Vatican Council for Justice and Peace and a former Holy See envoy to the United Nations, who compared Gaza to a concentration camp. The cardinal criticised Israel for killing civilians who had taken shelter at a UNrun school in Gaza. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172595-Concentration-camp-remark-threatens-Pope-s-visit-to-Israel Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:02:17 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172547-Hungary-Gunman-kills-school-principal-teacher Budapest, Hungary - Police say a masked gunman has shot to death the principal and a teacher at a school in the Budapest neighborhood of Csepel. Budapest Police spokesman Endre Kormos says the unidentified gunman also shot a security guard in the hand in Wednesday evening's attack. Kormos says the gunman fled the school after the shootings and there is no information yet on the motive for the attack. A reward of 5 million forints ($25,300, euro18,600) has been offered for information leading to the capture of the assailant. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172547-Hungary-Gunman-kills-school-principal-teacher Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:52:12 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172523-States-of-emergency-declared-across-Europe-over-gas Governments across Europe declared states of emergency and ordered factories to close as Russia cut all gas supplies through Ukraine yesterday in their worsening dispute over unpaid bills. José Manuel Barroso, the European Commission President, accused the two countries of taking the EU's energy supply "hostage" amid a cold snap across the Continent, and urged them to reopen the pipelines immediately. Schools and factories were closed and trees were felled to keep home fires burning after Russia turned off the gas taps to more than a dozen countries. It was a clear demonstration of the dependence of the Continent on Russian gas supplies. Despite temperatures as low as minus 27C and the threat of heating cuts to millions of households, Moscow said that it had no choice but to cease supplies because Ukraine, the country through which 80 per cent of Russian gas bound for Europe flows, had closed its pipelines. The claim was denied by Kiev. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172523-States-of-emergency-declared-across-Europe-over-gas Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:37:48 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172468-London-Gaza-Protests London Gaza Protests http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172468-London-Gaza-Protests Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:22:35 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172466-CIA-tracking-4000-UK-terror-suspects The CIA has begun an unprecedented intelligence-gathering operation in Britain to help MI5 monitor 4000 terrorist suspects. More than four out of 10 CIA operations to prevent attacks on US soil are now conducted against targets in Britain. This has led to friction between British and American spies, with some US intelligence officers irritated that resources are being diverted to gather intelligence on suspects in their closest ally's backyard. British intelligence officers do not know the identity of all the CIA informers and are uneasy about some of the uses to which the intelligence has been put. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172466-CIA-tracking-4000-UK-terror-suspects Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:16:10 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172441-Arson-attack-on-French-synagogue Arsonists have rammed a synagogue with two cars packed with petrol bombs in the southern French city of Toulouse, local officials said. One car was set on fire and pushed by the other until it hit the door of the synagogue, at a time when about a dozen people were attending a class with a rabbi. The building caught fire but all those inside escaped unharmed. Police found unexploded petrol bombs inside the second car, which did not catch fire. They said they were investigating the attack, which took place on Monday night, and had not made any arrests. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172441-Arson-attack-on-French-synagogue Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:53:21 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172430-BBC-blackout-on-Gaza The London Daily News has learned there is an informal news blackout at BBC Radio over the mounting public outrage following the Gaza incursion by Israeli troops. According to sources, radio station phone in's have been screening out any callers wanting to talk about the Israeli air strikes and ground offensives in the Middle East. The BBC's Have Your Say comment sites are being heavily moderated - its main board 'How can a truce be achieved in Gaza?' has had half of its 4,500 comments rejected on the basis of defamation, incitement to crime and hate, harassment, abuse, threats, harmful, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, homophobic or racially offensive language. On the board 'Are the Israeli strikes on Gaza justified?' Half of the 5,000 comments have also been removed for breaking the House Rules stated above. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172430-BBC-blackout-on-Gaza Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:55:37 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172425-Revolt-Robbed-of-their-right-to-buy-traditional-light-bulbs-millions-are-clearing-shelves-of-last-supplies Millions of Britons are finally waking up to the fact that their beloved light bulb will disappear for good after 120 years. Traditional 100-watt bulbs are vanishing from the High Street because of a controversial European Union decision. Yesterday panic buyers were snapping up the remaining bulbs in a last-ditch attempt to stockpile the final supplies. Hundreds of leading supermarkets and DIY chains - including Sainsbury's, Asda and Homebase - have already sold their last remaining bulbs after a surge in panic buying. Other stores say they have enough stocks to last until the end of next week. The supplies are running out after the Government signed up to an EU decision to replace conventional 100w light bulbs with supposedly greener low energy alternatives. Ministers claim the switch will reduce carbon dioxide by around five million tons each year. But experts have questioned whether or not the new bulbs, far from being environmentally friendly, are actually harmful. The low-energy fluorescent bulbs can trigger skin rashes, migraines and epilepsy. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172425-Revolt-Robbed-of-their-right-to-buy-traditional-light-bulbs-millions-are-clearing-shelves-of-last-supplies Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:30:10 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172413-Russia-Ukraine-gas-crisis-intensifies-as-all-European-supplies-are-cut-off Gazprom, the state-owned Russian gas group, today cut off all supplies to Europe travelling through Ukrainian pipelines, intensifying the political and economic crisis that has arisen out of a payments dispute between the two countries. Amid evidence that people in eastern Europe are being deprived of heating as the Arctic cold snap continues, Russia and Ukraine continued to blame each other for the deadlock. Comment: An interesting timing indeed! Gazprom accused Ukraine of shutting down the fourth and last open pipeline crossing the country while officials at Naftogaz, Ukraine's state energy firm, simply said: "Words fail us." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172413-Russia-Ukraine-gas-crisis-intensifies-as-all-European-supplies-are-cut-off Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:33:59 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172365-New-sex-abuse-scandal-divides-Irish-Catholics Ireland's most prominent Roman Catholic leader, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, questioned Tuesday whether all of his fellow bishops adequately protect children from sexually abusive priests. Martin became the first Irish Catholic leader to break silence over a new report into allegations that two priests molested several teenagers, chiefly in the 1990s, in southwest Ireland - and the local bishop, John Magee, didn't tell police quickly and fully about it as he was supposed to do. Recurring scandals on the coverup of decades of abuse by Catholic clergy have rocked Ireland since 1993, when an Irish government collapsed over the issue. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172365-New-sex-abuse-scandal-divides-Irish-Catholics Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:56:01 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172351-Rival-Cypriot-leaders-condemn-Israel Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders yesterday released a joint statement denouncing Israel's ongoing attacks on Palestinian people living in Gaza and its display of disproportionate force. "The two leaders condemn the attack on Gaza and Israeli forces' use of disproportionate power, which has led to the loss of lives of many innocent civilians, including women and children. The two leaders strongly call on the international community to use its clout to immediately end the violent incidents," the joint statement posted on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) presidency's Web site said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172351-Rival-Cypriot-leaders-condemn-Israel Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:03:37 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172336-China-says-19-year-old-woman-dies-from-bird-flu Beijing - A Chinese woman has died from bird flu in a Beijing hospital, the government reported Tuesday, but the World Health Organization said the case did not appear to signal a new public health threat. China's Ministry of Health said Huang Yanqing, 19, died Monday and tests confirmed she had the H5N1 bird flu virus. The official Xinhua News Agency said Huang became ill after buying and cleaning nine ducks in December at a market in Hebei province, which borders Beijing. It was the first reported death in China from the illness in nearly a year. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172336-China-says-19-year-old-woman-dies-from-bird-flu Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:40:34 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172334-Natural-gas-shortages-slam-some-European-nations Vinenna, Austria - The Russia-Ukraine natural gas dispute hit Europe with the force of a winter storm Tuesday, cutting or limiting supplies to nearly a dozen nations. Tens of thousands of people were left without heat and governments scrambled to find alternate energy sources. Shocked by how fast the shortages were spreading, the European Union demanded a quick end to the dispute - a sharp turnaround from their earlier stance, when officials had downplayed the conflict between Moscow and Kiev as primarily a business matter. But by Tuesday evening, gauges on delivery pipelines to six countries - including some depending totally on Russian gas - were pointing toward zero and an increasing number of other nations reported significant reductions. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172334-Natural-gas-shortages-slam-some-European-nations Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:32:08 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172332-China-targets-Google-in-pornography-crackdown Beijin - China warned Google and other popular Web portals Monday that they must do more to block pornographic material from reaching Chinese users, the latest in a series of government crackdowns targeting Internet content. The crackdown focused on pornography but is part of a larger Chinese effort to control freedom of expression and root out material it considers destabilizing, such as sites that criticize the Communist Party, promote democratic reform or advocate Taiwan independence. Pornography is banned in China but remains widely available on and off the Internet. Popular Chinese Web portals frequently show sexually explicit pictures and provide links to pornographic Web sites. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172332-China-targets-Google-in-pornography-crackdown Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:06:35 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172304-Russia-Ukraine-gas-row-escalates-after-supply-cut A gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine worsened Tuesday after Russian energy giant Gazprom slashed gas supplies to countries in Europe, which gets about a fifth of its needs via pipelines through Ukraine. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172304-Russia-Ukraine-gas-row-escalates-after-supply-cut Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:18:44 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172280-UK-After-250-years-Waterford-Wedgwood-falls-into-administration Waterford Wedgwood, the 250-year-old maker of luxury glassware and china, fell in administration today, putting 2,700 jobs in the UK and Ireland at risk. The loss-making company, whose brands include Waterford crystal, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton fine bone china, Rosenthal porcelain and Spring premium cookware, ran out of time in its attempt to raise fresh capital. Politicians on both sides of the Irish Sea warned that the collapse of the company had severe implications for communities where china and glass have been manufactured for generations. The mayor of Waterford said it would be a "national disaster" for Ireland if production at the crystal factory ceased. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172280-UK-After-250-years-Waterford-Wedgwood-falls-into-administration Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:38:04 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172279-Islamophobia-A-new-French-plague- Racist acts against Muslims has taken the French press by storm. After the defilement of gravestones at the military cemetery of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, in Northern France, it is now the turn of the Saint-Priest mosque, situated in the suburbs of Lyon. A part of the Muslim holy grounds has been partially damaged by arson. This act, which has been widely criticized, reveals a growing trend of islamophobia in the French society. Meanwhile, anger is mounting in the French Muslim community. Thousands of Muslims, including Christians and Jews, Sunday, demonstrated in front of the Saint-Priest mosque, to express their anger and confusion over the fresh upsurge of islamophobia in the country. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172279-Islamophobia-A-new-French-plague- Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:28:43 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172267-Greek-riot-policeman-shot-extremist-group-suspected Reporting from Athens and Madrid -- Masked gunmen shot and seriously wounded a riot policeman in Athens today, raising fears that weeks of nationwide unrest here have given way to violence by an armed extremist group. The 20-year-old officer was hospitalized in critical but stable condition after being struck twice in a volley of at least 30 shots as he patrolled outside the Ministry of Culture near a van full of fellow officers about 3 a.m., authorities said. The two gunmen escaped after firing an AK-47 assault rifle and a semi-automatic pistol in the ambush in Exarchia, a university neighborhood where youth riots erupted a month ago after the shooting death of a 15-year-old activist by a police officer. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172267-Greek-riot-policeman-shot-extremist-group-suspected Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:34:10 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172251-Sign-the-Petition-to-Suspend-EU-Israel-Association-Agreement We call on the EU to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement until Israel respects human rights and International Law. The EU is Israel's biggest importer of goods, and its second biggest exporter. In 2006 the total traded between the EU and Israel amounted to 23.5 BILLION Euros. The EU-Israel Association Agreement forms the legal basis for this relationship which gives Israel preferential trade terms with EU countries. Article 2 of the Agreement states that these relations shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles which must guide internal and international policy. The EU is therefore obligated under this Article to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement whilst Israel is in breach of human rights. The Peace Cycle has travelled to the Occupied Palestinian Territories and witnessed first hand the many abuses of human rights by the Israeli Authorities, including: http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172251-Sign-the-Petition-to-Suspend-EU-Israel-Association-Agreement Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:34:04 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172217-Video-Online-apology-for-the-Armenian-genocide-in-Turkey Turkey is coming closer to breaking a long-held taboo on the Armenian question. An online petition, apologizing for the killing of Armenians in 1915, has been issued by prominent Turkish academics. In just 3 days, the text has been signed by 13,000 people. On the other side, the petition is perceived as treason by Turkish nationalists and has opened a public debate in Turkey. The issue may not be resolved easily, but the dialogue itself is a giant step in Turkish political history. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172217-Video-Online-apology-for-the-Armenian-genocide-in-Turkey Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:37:06 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172191-Russia-wants-warships-stationed-around-the-world Moscow - Russia's military leaders approved a plan by the navy on Sunday to station warships permanently in friendly ports across the globe. Underfunded since the 1991 break up of the Soviet Union, the Russian navy has been reasserting itself over the last year by chasing Somali pirates around the coast of east Africa and steaming across the Atlantic to visit allies in South America. "The General Staff has given its position on this issue and it fully supports the position of the (Navy's) main committee," deputy chief of staff Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn told RIA Novosti news agency. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172191-Russia-wants-warships-stationed-around-the-world Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:54:05 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172190-UK-Children-lose-parents-in-plane-crash-near-railway-lines Police confirm deaths of married couple and pilot in West Midlands crash A married couple with children were among three people killed when a light aircraft crashed beside one of Britain's busiest railway lines, British Transport police said today. Nick and Shirley O'Brien, from Solihull, West Midlands, were passengers on the plane when it crashed at Little Haywood, near Stafford, at about midday yesterday. A police spokeswoman confirmed that the couple, who were married in August, had two boys, aged 10 years and 18 months. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172190-UK-Children-lose-parents-in-plane-crash-near-railway-lines Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:53:14 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172186-Merkel-The-terror-of-Hamas-cannot-be-accepted German Chancellor Angela Merkel's unconditional support of Israel's retaliatory strikes in Gaza has prompted a rising number of attacks from her coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), as well as the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Left Party. SPD Parliamentarian Rolf Mutzenich accused Merkel of "siding with the permanent Israeli bombing" of Gaza. Mutzenich, who is considered Iran-friendly, is chairman of the German-Iranian parliamentary group in the Bundestag. He said the Second Lebanon War showed that Hamas and Hizbullah cannot be defeated militarily. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172186-Merkel-The-terror-of-Hamas-cannot-be-accepted Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:43:20 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172177-Huge-protests-in-Turkey-against-Israeli-offensive-in-Gaza Tens of thousands of Turks spilled into their streets Sunday after a call by a minor Islamist party to protest Israel's deadly asault on Gaza which has claimed more than 485 lives. Police refused to give a number for the demonstrators filling up the sprawling Caglayan square in central Istanbul under drizzling rain, but organisers claimed there were as many as 700,000 people in the 180,000-square-meter venue. Waving Turkish and Palestinian flags, the protesters chanted "Damn Israel" and "Allahu Akbar" or "God is great" as they burnt Israeli flags, an AFP correspondent said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172177-Huge-protests-in-Turkey-against-Israeli-offensive-in-Gaza Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:06:30 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172164-Gaza-statement-a-misunderstanding-Czech-minister The Czech foreign minister said on Sunday a previous comment by a Czech spokesman that Israel's land assault in the Gaza Strip was "defensive, not offensive" was a misunderstanding. The comments by a European Union presidency spokesman on Saturday suggested disunity in the EU and sparked condemnation from the Palestinians. The Czech Republic took over the rotating EU presidency from France on Jan. 1. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172164-Gaza-statement-a-misunderstanding-Czech-minister Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:27:58 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172144-Protests-Against-The-Gaza-Massacre-held-in-Cyprus Most major European cities held protests today, condemning the continuing massacre in Gaza by the Israeli army. Their voices were joined by groups of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot populations of Cyprus, along with Palestinians and other Arabs living on the island. The protests were scheduled to take place outside the Israeli embassy in the capital of Nicosia, but the roads leading to the building were blocked by riot police and barbwire, preventing the protesters from coming close. The group of about 2000 people, holding banners and shouting slogans that wrote "Palestine belongs to its people", and accusing the Israeli government for crimes against humanity, but also the US for aiding the genocide, marched through the major roads of the capital, starting from Eleftherias' square and finishing behind the barbwire fences. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172144-Protests-Against-The-Gaza-Massacre-held-in-Cyprus Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:38:12 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172141-More-hot-air-from-UK-Meteorology-Office Last week, as Britain shivered in sub-zero temperatures, the Met Office predicted that 2009 would be one of ''the five warmest years on record''. This statement entertained various US climate experts, such as Dr Roger Pielke Sr of Colorado University, who recalled how last September the Met Office forecast that this winter in the UK would be ''milder than average'', just before we enjoyed the coldest autumn and winter for decades. Dr Pielke also recalled the Met Office's prediction two years ago that 2007 would be globally ''the warmest year on record'', beating the ''peak'' year of 1998 (see the Watts Up With That website). Even as they made that prediction, temperatures began their steepest plunge since they toppled off that 1998 highpoint, dropping by nearly 0.7C - equivalent to the entire net warming of the 20th century. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172141-More-hot-air-from-UK-Meteorology-Office Sun, 04 Jan 2009 06:48:50 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172131-Russian-aircraft-carrier-to-train-near-Greece Greek defence officials granted permission to the Russian navy for its aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov to use Athens-controlled airspace for "training missions" over the course of the next week. The war games will take place south of the Greek islands of Rhodes and Crete. Greek officials said that their military would have no involvement in the training, but that the Russian navy would be using airspace controlled by Athens air traffic controllers. "The Kuznetsov, which is sailing in the southeast Mediterranean, asked Greece's civil aviation authority to operate within the Athens Flight Information Region," the ministry said in a statement. "The request was granted." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172131-Russian-aircraft-carrier-to-train-near-Greece Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:53:41 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172126-Vatican-divorces-from-Italian-laws The Pope has decided to divorce the Vatican from Italian law. Legal experts in the world's smallest sovereign state say there are too many laws in Italian civil and criminal codes, and they too often are in conflict with the moral teachings of the Catholic Church. The Pope has decided that the Vatican will therefore no longer automatically adopt laws passed by the Italian parliament. An Italian government minister admitted Italian laws are often badly written and are sometimes difficult to understand. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172126-Vatican-divorces-from-Italian-laws Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:22:35 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172123-France-condemns-Israel-land-offensive-in-Gaza France condemned Israel's move to send ground forces into the Gaza Strip on Saturday as well as continued Hamas rocket attacks and urged both Israel and the Palestinian group to accept cease-fire proposals. "France condemns the Israeli ground offensive against Gaza as it condemns the continuation of rocket firing," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "This dangerous military escalation complicates efforts by the international community and in particular the European Union and France, the members of the Quartet and the states in the region to end the fighting, bring immediate aid to civilians and reach a permanent cease-fire," the statement said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172123-France-condemns-Israel-land-offensive-in-Gaza Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:52:12 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172122-Poland-s-former-communist-leaders-face-pensions-cut Poland took a step towards slashing pensions for the country's communist-era leaders after deputies in the lower parliamentary approved the measure in a vote yesterday. The bill, if it becomes law, would affect former president General Wojciech Jaruzelsk, currently on trial for the 1981 crackdown against the anti-communist Solidarity trades union movement, and many communist-era officials. Since the senate, like the lower house, is dominated by liberal deputies, the bill is almost certain to be approved there before receiving the approval of Poland's conservative President Lech Kaczynski. The bill covers all members of the communist party's 1981 Military Council for Salvation of the Nation (WRON), set up by General Jaruzelski in December that year as part of a martial law crackdown on Solidarity. It also reduces pension benefits for agents of the communist regime's infamous secret police who worked between 1944-1990. The bill addressed "an elementary feeling of justice" Liberal Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after the vote. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172122-Poland-s-former-communist-leaders-face-pensions-cut Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:36:41 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172113-Russian-authorities-quell-protest-against-Israeli-aggression-on-Gaza Russian authorities unexpectedly detained about 40 people after a peaceful protest outside the Israeli embassy in Moscow demanding an end to Israel's military offensive on the besieged Gaza Strip. Despite the arrests, Russian policemen, who had to fulfill orders to break up the demonstration, expressed their sympathy with the protesters, but they seemed not to know for sure if the protest was illegal or not. The protest demo was approved by Moscow authorities several days ago, but later it was announced without any reason that such gatherings were not authorized. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172113-Russian-authorities-quell-protest-against-Israeli-aggression-on-Gaza Sat, 03 Jan 2009 22:25:40 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172097-Galloway-injured-in-Gaza-protest Outspoken British parliamentarian and Press TV presenter George Galloway has been injured while protesting the Israeli attacks on Gaza. Al-Aqsa TV reported on Saturday that Galloway, who was among the crowd gathered in front of Israel's embassy in London to protest the Gaza massacres, has sustained injury. "We should treat Israel as we treated South Africa during apartheid. They should be shunned," Galloway said during the protest. Similar protests were held in many other parts of the world. Since the start of the Israeli offensive at least 460 Palestinians have been killed and 2,300 others have been injured. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172097-Galloway-injured-in-Gaza-protest Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:22:16 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172094-EU-s-new-figurehead-believes-climate-change-is-a-myth The European Union's new figurehead believes that climate change is a dangerous myth and has compared the union to a Communist state. The views of President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic, 67, have left the government of Mirek Topolanek, his bitter opponent, determined to keep him as far away as possible from the EU presidency, which it took over from France yesterday. The Czech president, who caused a diplomatic incident by dining with opponents of the EU's Lisbon treaty on a recent visit to Ireland, has a largely ceremonial role. But there are already fears that, after the dynamic EU presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy - including his hyper-active attempts at international diplomacy over the credit crisis and Georgia as well as an historic agreement to cut greenhouse gases - the Czech effort will be mired in infighting and overshadowed by the platform it will give to Mr Klaus and his controversial views. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172094-EU-s-new-figurehead-believes-climate-change-is-a-myth Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:54:55 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172091-Thousands-protest-in-Europe-at-Gaza-offensive Thousands of chanting, banner-waving demonstrators marched in cities across Europe on Saturday to demand a halt to Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip. Protests were held or scheduled in Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain as the Israeli offensive entered its second week. Kuwaitis also took to the streets, a day after bigger Middle East rallies. In Paris, police said more than 20,000 demonstrators, many wearing Palestinian keffiyeh headscarves, marched through the city centre chanting slogans like "Israel murderer!" and waving banners demanding an end to the air attacks. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172091-Thousands-protest-in-Europe-at-Gaza-offensive Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:40:12 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172087-Tens-of-thousands-in-London-protest-Gaza-slaughter Tens of thousands of protesters showed their anger at the Israeli bombing of Gaza today in a series of rallies across the UK that included throwing shoes at the gates of Downing Street. More than a thousands pairs of footwear were thrown by protesters marching down Whitehall. A firework was also set off metres from the Downing Street gates. The organisers said they wanted to leave shoes at the gates as a Muslim symbol of disgust at the attacks. When they were prevented from doing so, protesters began throwing their footwear, mimicking the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush at a press conference last month. Protesters shouted: "Shame on you, have my shoe." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172087-Tens-of-thousands-in-London-protest-Gaza-slaughter Sat, 03 Jan 2009 17:26:08 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172030-A-torch-wielding-crowd-forces-Icelandic-TV-program-featuring-PM-off-air Reykjavik - A nationally televised meeting between Iceland's prime minister and other political leaders was forced off the air Wednesday night when angry protesters disrupted the broadcast. For more than two decades, the leaders of Iceland's political parties have met every New Year's Eve over champagne and spiced herring to talk about the year ahead on Iceland's Channel 2 television. But this year's show with Prime Minister Geir Haarde was cut short 45 minutes into the program when a torch-wielding crowd stormed Reykjavik's Hotel Borg in an attempt to get to the studio. Protesters inside and outside the hotel clashed with police, who fired pepper spray to disperse the 500-strong crowd. Some demonstrators threw water balloons, while others tossed firecrackers. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172030-A-torch-wielding-crowd-forces-Icelandic-TV-program-featuring-PM-off-air Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:23:57 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172028-Russia-shuts-off-gas-to-Ukraine Russia has stopped all gas supplies to Ukraine after the collapse of talks to end a row over unpaid bills and prices. Russia's gas giant Gazprom said it turned off the taps at 0700 GMT, when its contract to supply Ukraine ended. Ukraine insists it has paid off its debts to Gazprom, but Russia contests this. The two countries have also failed to agree on a price for 2009. Both Russia and Ukraine insist that gas supplies transported via Ukraine to the European Union will continue as normal. There have been fears that the row could lead to energy shortages in Europe, as pipes across Ukraine carry about a fifth of the EU's gas needs. The European Commission said Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko had given her assurances that there would be "no disruption of gas supplies to clients in the European Union". http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172028-Russia-shuts-off-gas-to-Ukraine Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:18:39 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172026-Boozy-Britain-s-bloody-New-Year-A-999-call-every-seven-seconds-in-alcohol-induced-mayhem Violence scarred celebrations and led to a bloody New Year across the country as emergency services endured a chaotic end to 2008. Ambulance control centres reported receiving 999 calls as often as once every seven seconds - the second highest volume of calls since the Millennium - as binge drinkers turned nasty in the freezing temperatures. Many of the calls related either to alcohol-fuelled assaults or excessive drunkenness. Booze contributed to time-wasting calls to 999 operators too, with one man calling to ask if New York was in America, and what time it was there. Elsewhere, while large numbers were ferried to hospitals, in some areas injuries were treated by paramedics in 'booze buses' to leave ambulances free for more serious emergencies. In Essex, so many drunk people were arrested that all 200 of the constabulary's cells were filled, and overflow revellers had to be shipped to neighbouring Kent to be held for the night. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172026-Boozy-Britain-s-bloody-New-Year-A-999-call-every-seven-seconds-in-alcohol-induced-mayhem Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:07:46 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172024-Medvedev-strengthens-laws-against-terrorists- Suspected terrorists, spies and coup plotters in Russia will no longer have the right to trial by jury according to a new law signed by President Dmitry Medvedev. The new law rules out jury trials for anyone accused of being involved in hostage taking or the organisation of mass riots and those cases will be overseen by a panel of three judges in a federal court. The State Duma passed the bill on December 12, 2008 and the Federation Council approved it on December 17, 2008. According to the bill, a person charged with terrorism can get from 15 to 20 years, or even life imprisonment. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172024-Medvedev-strengthens-laws-against-terrorists- Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:59:46 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172009-Chinese-author-of-book-on-famine-braves-risks-to-inform-new-generations For such a bold writer, Yang Jisheng comes across as a surprisingly quiet, almost shy, scholarly man. Yet this slightly built 68-year-old retiree has become something of a thorn in the side of the Chinese authorities in recent years. After a 35-year stint as a journalist for Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, Yang has made a name for himself writing about things the Chinese Communist Party would rather people forgot. His latest book, "Mu Bei" ("Tombstone"), published this year in Hong Kong, has been hailed as the most comprehensive and authoritative account by a mainland Chinese writer of the Great Famine of late 1958 to 1962, which was precipitated by the calamitous economic policies of Mao's Great Leap Forward and cost the lives of tens of millions of Chinese. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172009-Chinese-author-of-book-on-famine-braves-risks-to-inform-new-generations Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:44:35 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172002-Bomb-explodes-in-Spain-s-Basque-area-1-injured Madrid - A car bomb exploded Wednesday outside a regional television station in northern Spain following a warning call from the armed separatist group ETA, police said. The blast caused significant damage and one person suffered an ear injury, television broadcaster EITB, which managed to stay on air despite the explosion at its headquarters in central Bilbao city, said in its early afternoon news report. "They have tried to silence one of this country's media outlets," EITB director Bingen Zupiria told reporters outside the building later. Police said the bomb exploded shortly after 11 a.m. (1000 GMT). The building had been evacuated and the area cordoned off to traffic following a warning call to a fire department about an hour earlier. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172002-Bomb-explodes-in-Spain-s-Basque-area-1-injured Fri, 02 Jan 2009 01:44:11 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171990-Former-French-Astronaut-Hospitalized-Following-Suicide-Attempt Claudie Haignere Flew To Mir, ISS The first Frenchwoman in space, Claudie Haignere, was rushed to the hospital this week after an apparent suicide attempt. Agence-France Presse reports the 51-year-old Haignere was discovered in her home Tuesday, where according to an unidentified source she had overdosed on pill. She had regained consciousness by the time she arrived at the hospital. Haignere flew to Russia's Mir space station in 1996 as a representative of the former French CNES space agency, and followed up with a Soyuz flight to the International Space Station in 2001. She was the first European woman onboard the ISS. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171990-Former-French-Astronaut-Hospitalized-Following-Suicide-Attempt Thu, 01 Jan 2009 23:17:06 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171952-Revenge-attack-Staged-hoax-Israelis-shot-in-Denmark Two Israelis sustain light wounds after Arab assailants fire at them, Foreign Ministry says Initial report: Unknown assailants, believed to be Arab, attacked salespeople at an Israeli-owned stand in Denmark, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday afternoon. Two Israelis reportedly suffered light injuries in the shooting attack. Ministry Spokesman Yossi Levy, said the assailants identified the salespeople as Israeli before opening fire at the stand, in the city of Odenza, west of the capital, Copenhagen. He said that according to reports received by the ministry the two Israelis did not suffer life-threatening injuries. Foreign Ministry officials continue to monitor events as local police are looking into the attack. At this time, it is unclear how many attackers took part in the assault and whether they were arrested. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171952-Revenge-attack-Staged-hoax-Israelis-shot-in-Denmark Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:38:15 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171951-UK-may-take-Guantanamo-camp-inmates Britain could take in foreign terror suspects from Guantanamo Bay in order to allow incoming US President Barack Obama to shut the prison camp down, it has been reported. The issue is the subject of ongoing negotiations within Whitehall, with the Foreign Office pushing for a deal and a final decision expected to be made by the Cabinet, The Times said. Mr Obama has promised to close the prison camp on Cuba, which holds detainees from the war on terror, but he is facing difficulties in resettling about 60 inmates who have been cleared for release but cannot be returned to their home countries. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171951-UK-may-take-Guantanamo-camp-inmates Thu, 01 Jan 2009 14:10:54 +0000