Remember the US inspired Cedar Revolution ?

Lebanese girl who was injured by the Israeli attacks in Chebaa, south Lebanon, July 15, 2006.

E.ON "red heart" Gazprom

A marriage (of sorts) has been announced between Russia's largest State company and the worlds biggest privately owned energy company.

Subject to approval by the European Union Commission and Hungarian authorities,Russian State controlled Gazprom, has acquired assets in Hungary`s gas and power sectors in exchange for giving German based energy firm E.ON a 25 percent stake in its Siberian gas field, E.ON said on Thursday.

Gazprom will acquire a minority interest of 50 percent minus one share in Hungarian gas companies E.ON Foldgaz Storage and E.ON Foldgaz Trade, a stake of 25 percent plus one share in the regional power and gas supplier E.ON Hungaria and a compensation still to be quantified, while E.ON will obtain a a stake of 25 percent minus one share in the Siberian gas field Yuzhno Russkoye.

Perhaps of greater significance to EU consumersE.ON and Gazprom have also agreed to cooperate on specific gas-fired power station projects (no details available) in Europe as they plan to conclude a detailed agreement on the exchange of assets by the end of the year.

E.ON UK is the second largest electricity generator in the UK and own the second largest distribution network in the UK. They are part of E.ON, based in Germany who claim to be the world's largest investor-owned power and gas company.

US Embassy in Lebanon to be evacuated

As the oil price hovers near US$80 a barrel, and US airstrikes in Helmand bomb a school, the US Embassy in Beirut is planning to evacuate all staff to Cyprus.

"We are looking at how we might transport Americans to Cyprus. Once in Cyprus, Americans can then board commercial aircraft for onward travel," an embassy statement is reported by Fiox news.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said late on Friday. "Right now ... from the U.S. government perspective, there aren't any reliable ways to get out by air, land or sea." (The Embassy posts a note that reads..."The Department of State reminds American citizens that the U.S. government does not provide no-cost transportation but does have the authority to provide repatriation loans to those in financial need. For the portion of the trip directly handled by the U.S. Government, Americans will be asked to sign a promissory note and will be billed at a later date."

IAF airstrikes on runways and fuel depots (see pic) have closed down Beirut international airport. Israel has also imposed a naval blockade on the country and has made road travel to Damscus impossible by bombing the main highway from Beirut.

A special flight chartered by the Cyprus government arrived in Larnaca at 6.30am yesterday, carrying 102 Cypriots, six Britons, four Czechs, two French nationals and one American citizen who had been stranded in Beirut, which is under attack by Israel.

Another 20 Cypriots were yesterday due to be evacuated to Athens, along with 60 Greek nationals after the Greek government said it had chartered an Olympic Airways plane and was ready to fly it to Jordan to pick up Greek and EU nationals.

France, whith historic ties to Lebanon and 17,000 resident citizens , announced plans on Saturday to ferry French nationals to Cyprus where Air France flights would be waiting to bring them to Paris.

There is no news from the UK Embassy Beirut, on evacuatin UK nationals other than "Following the latest security developments in Lebanon, a Call Centre to provide information for British nationals has been setup in London. People concerned can call on the following number: 00 44 207 008 1500.

The British Embassy Beirut will receive phone calls from 9:00 am until 18:00 on (+961 1 990 400). After this time you are advised to contact the Call Centre in London"

WHITE HOUSE PRESS CONFERENCE Kempinski Grand Hotel Heiligendamm, Germany 13/7

" .....We have obviously been in contact with representatives of the government of Israel. Secretary Rice has talked to her counterpart, Foreign Minister Livni..."

You bet. Getting her instructions....

Lord Levy off the hook (along with New Labour 27)

SKy News No Charges Over Shooting Updated: 14:15, Saturday July 15, 2006

The possibility of murder or manslaughter charges over the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes has been ruled out, according to reports. The Crown Prosecution Service will make a formal announcement on Monday.

There have been reports Metropolitan Police Commander Cressida Dick, who was in charge of firearms operations, and two firearms officers could face manslaughter charges.

But according to the Guardian, no individual police officers involved will face prosecution.

This follows a report earlier in the Guardian - but one might believe that Rupe's Rags have run this one by the Boss, who has, as is well known, a clear line through to No 10.

CPS rules out prosecutions for murder or manslaughter in shooting case

Guradian Clare Dyer, legal editor Saturday July 15, 2006

No individual police officers involved in the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes will face prosecution over his death, the Guardian has learned. The Crown Prosecution Service has ruled out murder or manslaughter charges after a review of the circumstances surrounding the killing of the innocent Brazilian who was mistaken for a suicide bomber in July last year.....

... But the CPS is expected to announce on Monday that the Metropolitan police as an organisation will be charged with breaching health and safety at work laws over the shooting, raising questions over the future of the Met commissioner Sir Ian Blair. If found guilty of breaches, the Met could be fined an unlimited sum. (Always tell it's the Guradian when they commence a paragraph with a conjunction)

"In taking the decision, crown prosecutors sought advice from an independent QC, Clare Montgomery, a highly-regarded criminal silk practising from Matrix, the former chambers of the director of public prosecutions, Ken Macdonald QC. Decisions not to prosecute can be judicially reviewed by the courts if the reasoning is flawed and have been quashed in the past."

Now where was it that Cherie Blair (wife of the Prime Minister Tony Blair) places her briefs in between trips rattling her handbag to pay off the mortgage ? Matrix ?

So. The deal is done, and Lord Levy cannot expect to feel his collar felt any more, nor any of the New Labour 27 who have so selflessly given of their riches to the causes of Mammon and Zion.

Now for John Reid, Thane of Cawdor, to make his move.

Health and Safety at Work breaches , now we know why they went after Craig Murray armed with the Copyright Act.

Cynthia McKinney, sole vocal Israeli critic on the Hill has no worries in primary this week

Will Georgia Voters Give Cynthia McKinney a Pass? says the headline in TIME magazine reviewing Cynthia McKinney as she heads into the July 18 Democratic primary.

The principal concern is to see how this feisty lady "crazy like a fox" as they say in Georgia fares, faced with implacable opposition by AIPAC and it's many allies.

AS TIME explains ...."Controversy has surrounded McKinney before. In the wake of the 9/ 11 attacks, she sparked outrage when she challenged the popular decision by New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani to refuse $10 million in relief funds from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal because he linked the attacks to U.S. support for Israel. She wrote to the prince, apologized for Giuliani's rebuff and said she could use his money to help African-Americans. Fomenting more ill will, she later suggested that the Bush administration may have had advance knowledge about the attacks. This energized pro-Israel activists, long critical of McKinney's voting record on the Jewish state, and in 2002 she was upset in the Democratic primary by Denise Majette. She regained the seat two years later after Majette opted for an unsuccessful Senate bid."

Lord Patel's money is on Cynthia even if AIPAC have hi-jacked the Democratic Party.

Amanda Delew, Lord Levy's capable assistant

Professionalizing the Millbank Tendency:June 2001
Guradian 2001
" ,,,,appointment of Amanda Delew as a fund-raising consultant to Tony Blair in 1996; the following year she moved from Blair’s private office to Labour’s former headquarters at Walworth Road where she became head of the new High Value Donors Unit, a move which placed her on the party payroll."

Fundraiser's role as envoy under attack

Levy takes growing part in Middle East diplomacy (Which is another story Lord P.)

"The peer's importance to the party as a channel for funds was underlined by the disclosure that a professional fundraiser recommended by Lord Levy has been engaged by the party to drum up support.

Jeff Shear, director of a north London-based management and consultancy company, has been engaged to woo potential donors, and has helped to organise tomorrow night's £350-a-plate gala dinner at the Brighton conference.

Both men met through Jewish Care, a charity of which Lord Levy is president and for which Mr Shear raises cash.

Mr Shear, 46, a Labour supporter, was hired by Millbank on the personal recommendation of Lord Levy, and is paid to chase up leads and suggest which business people might hand over cash.

Until the election, much of that work was done in Millbank by Amanda Delew in a special high-value donor unit. According to one donor who has dealt with Lord Levy, the task has been effectively "contracted out of Millbank to strengthen the hand of Levy".

What the Guradian failed to mention was that our Amanda (Amanda the Loot as they liked to call her at Millbank)also worked at Jewish Care - whose expenditures exceed £55MN per annum. Probably the largest for any ethnically directed charity in the UK it has been claimed.

Iraq meltdown

The focus of world events has shifted from Baghdad to Beirut where Olmerde, egged on by his Vice President, Lady Macbeth, can say with Macbeth ..."I am in bloodStepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more,Returning were as tedious as go o'er."

Nonetheless Iraq is in meltdown and the US / Coalition forces can and will do nothing. Moqtada Sadr’s Mehdi Army militia with at least 20,000 (well) armed men - and growing daily, will soon completely control Baghdad.

Barzani has held out from sending any peshmergas to help the embattled , third rate Maliki who went as a supplicant to Irbil on Monday seeking help, on Monday July 10th.

In the south, the UK forces having handed over a piece of desert to the Iraqi Police have hunkered down and accepted that the Mehdi Army are in total control of Basra.

The real fun will start when the Sh-ite forces decide to assault the Green Zone - cue pictures of Saigon Embassy retreat.

Meanwhile in Afghanistan ...... UK forces as their helicopters yield to heat, dust , inadequate maintenance, lack of spare parts, exhaustion of the few pilots and engineers ......

Danger - The Israel Lobby at work in the US

Peace Palestine has the full text of a speech by Jeffrey Blankfort which takes on the arguments of The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy in the London Review of Books by Professors John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Steven Walt, of Harvard, with fascinating detail about AIPAC

Jeff Blankfort - The Influence of Israel and its American Lobby over US Middle East Policy

Presentation by Jeffrey Blankfort at the Islamic Human Rights Commission Conference, School of Oriental and African Studies, London, July 2, 2006

"The lobby, however, is more than AIPAC, which, alone, would be unable to exert such power. There are, in fact, more than 60 organizations, from small to large, engaged single-mindedly, in promoting Israel’s interests in the US while marginalizing, intimidating and silencing its critics. Its targets include Jews opposed either to Israel’s existence as a Jewish state, such as myself and others who are simply outraged by Israel’s continuing occupation and theft of Palestinian land, and the deadly means with which both are carried out, held in check only by the mild restraints of the international community."


Justin Raimondo

"The U.S. must unequivocally condemn the invasion of Lebanon and call for the unconditional withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Lebanese soil. Furthermore, the naval and aerial blockade of Lebanon must end: thousands of tourists and others are pouring into Syria, where they may not be safe for very much longer. This is an intolerable act of war against the whole civilized community, and for the United States government to not only stand by but implicitly condone it is unforgivable. The "war on terrorism" apparently requires enabling Israeli state terrorism."

Trade vs Aid US fucked over Vietnam, now it's the EC's turn.

This poster from ADbuster ... Yeah, Right On , exploiting the Third World.

Action Aid report
Half a million footwear jobs at Risk
Where is the balance between Trade and Aid ?

Read this fascinating report and make your decision about the rights and wrongs of globalisation, giving people jobs rather than handouts.

Quote
" ....in Vietnam, low labour cost is an advantage for all enterprises in general and footwear enterprises in particular. To work in footwear enterprises requires only minimum education and salary ranges from just VND500,000 to VND800,000 per month (approximately 25 to 40 Euros).

Yet that figure is not a result of exploitation. In 2003, the average per capita income in Vietnam was US$482 per year (372 euro), or US$40.25 per month (31 Euros) and this is considered in line with common income levels."
...

On February 23, 2006, the EC announced the time schedule for the EC imposed provisional duties on footwear with leather uppers originating in Vietnam. According to that, on April 7, 2006,the duties were 4.2%; 8.4% from June 2, 2006; 12.6% from July 17, 2006; and fi nally 16.8% fromSeptember, 2006. After September 2006, EC will make a fi nal decision on the case. If Vietnam is offi cially considered to have dumped products on the EU market, an official anti-dumping duty will be applied."

Camel, Marlboro, Nike, Rockport,Timberland, whomsoever, at cost and inconvenience will move their production to another third world country. Cui bono ?

Don't ask me, I just write this stuff.

Big tits = Biggger sales, profits at La Senza as founder sells out at the top of the market

Theo Paphitis, Limassol born director of Millwall FC , one of BBC's Dragons in the Dragons' Den business investment programme is said to have bought the ailing La Senza for £1.00. This week he is rumoured to have sold its chain of 118 Europe wide shops for £100Mn.The company has affiliates in Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Malta and Gibraltar, and is expected to focus on southern Europe markets including Spain.(Pic Senza Summer Sale ...Cherry Gingham Bra was £16 50% off now £5)

To Y/E , April 2005, La Senza made profits of £7.4m, which is expected to have grown on sales increased 22% to £94Mn. this year.

The buyers are Lion Capital who are the renamed European arm of Hicks, Muse, Furst and Taite, (who fucked up big style over Christie Tyler the furniture manufactueres for M&S and Ikea) which owns 118 shops across Europe who have been talking to La Senza on an exclusive basis for a number of months.

Lion bought restaurant chain Wagamama for a reported £102.5m last July and this purchase is their 2nd move into retail.

Robert Darwent, Lion Capital's founding partner is quoted in the Daily Telegraph,"We plan to expand the business in the UK, and also continue and accelerate the brand's expansion into southern continental Europe."

Theo tells me he will still act in a consulting capacity with a minority 10% holding, and will also be active in the Rymans stationery chain,which he owns. He also has a stake, alongside fellow "Dragon" Peter Jones in the Red Letter Days gift-experience company.

Tabloid editors were delighted that La Senza publicised "research" they had undertaken this week that showed their sales of bras with DD, E and F cup sizes have risen by a third year on year since 2003. In contrast, bras with cup sizes A to D have gone up by just 8%.Women's body shapes have also changed, with waist and bust-lines expanding by 6.5ins and 1.5ins, respectively, since the 1950s.

Cue the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS)to explain that in the UK the number of women having surgery to boost breast size has more than doubled in 12 months with 5,655 breast enlargement operations last yearcompared with just less than 2,000 the year previously. Coincidentally many women are now travelling to Cyprus to combine a holiday with the operation to return , tanned and "body tuned", and amply filling out their bikin at several clinics, here

TRIVIAL FACTOID ABOUT LADIES LINGERIE


Sixty years ago the bikini named after Bikini Atoll, the Pacific Ocean nuclear test site made its debut on a Paris runway via the well-endowed frame of a nude dancer from a casino, by Louis Reard, an auto engineer who had taken over his family's lingerie business. It is said he used the name in competition with another firm who called their swimwear "Le Atome" the smallest known thing in the Universe.

In 1951 the bikini was banned from the Miss World beauty pageant but who will ever forget Raquel Welch in her fur bikini in "One Million Years B.C."(1966).

Blair / Bush - bombing the Press, silencing dissent

Keep your Diary free for next Tuesday July 18th 2006.The case returns to court (Horseferry Road presumably now Bow Street has closed from today) of the "alleged" leaked memo of a conversation between Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George W. Bush .The memo was an account of a meeting on April 16, 2004 - at the time of the at the height of Operation Vigilant resolve, the bloody assault on Fallujah by US Marines and a few "Iraqi security forces".

David Keogh, 50, civil servant, is accused of violating Sections 2 and 3 of the Official Secrets Act, which prohibit government employees from disclosing damaging information about defense or international matters without prior approval.

Leo O’Connor, 43, Parliamnetary reseracher to , Tony Clarke (then an MP) is charged with violating Section 5, which prohibits anyone who receives such information from disclosing it.

The report "allegedly" says that ( and was reported by the Daily Mirror ) that during the Bush-Blair conversation, the President,had suggested that allied forces should bomb the Arab television network of Al Jazeera in Qatar, only to be discouraged by our Dear Leader.

A White House official told CNN "We are not going to dignify something so outlandish with a response," and a Pentagon official called the Daily Mirror report "absolutely absurd." A Downing Street spokesman said: "I'm not aware of any suggestion of bombing any Al Jazeera television station."

By coincidence (?) The widow of Al-Jazeera correspondent Tareq Ayyoub ( Dima Taboub who lives in Jordan and Manchester with her daughter Fatima) is bringing a lawsuit against the Bush administration for her husband's death - He was the first journalist to be killed in Iraq just hours before U.S. forces seized the capital.

On April 8 2003, Ayyoub was reporting from Al-Jazeera's offices in Baghdad when he was killed by a U.S. missile. The U.S. military had previously bombed Al-Jazeera's office in Kabul, Afghanistan - nobody was killed but their offices were destroyed.Nik Gowing from the BBC reported that (4/8/02), Rear Admiral Craig Quigley, the U.S. deputy assistant defense secretary for public affairs, claimed that the compound was being used by Al Qaeda-- a charge strongly denied-- and that this made it a "legitimate target."

Journalists will not soon or easily forget the day, soon after the US forces in Iraq arrived in Baghdad that a U.S. Abrams tank fired an explosive shell at the Palestine Hotel, where most non-embedded international reporters in Baghdad were based. Taras Protsyuk a Ukrainian journalist with Reuters and Jose Couso of the Spanish network Telecino, were killed and 3 other journalists were injured. The tank, parked by a perimeter concrete barrir was seen to carefully select its target,precisely raise and aiming its gun turret some two minutes before firing a single shell.Both news outlelts had informed the Pentagon of their exact location.

A little earlier, the U.S. had launched a separate but near-simultaneous attacks on the Baghdad offices of Al Jazeera (resulting in Aayoub's death) and Abu Dhabi TV, two Arabic-language news networks that had been broadcasting graphic footage of the human cost of the war.

Dima Taboub's Attorney, Hamdi Rifai, said their case is being launched in part because of the disclosure last year in London's Daily Mirror that President Bush told British Prime Minister Tony Blair of his desire to bomb Al-Jazeera's headquarters in Qatar. The Daily Mirror had cited a secret memo leaked from the British government.Qataris were naturally unhappy.

In his disgustingly inaccurate, and very partial book, "The One Percent Doctrine" Ron Suskind wrote, “On November 13, 2001, a hectic day when Kabul fell to the Northern Alliance and there were celebrations in the streets of the city, a U.S. missile obliterated Al Jazeera's office. Inside the CIA and White House, there was satisfaction that a message had been sent to Al Jazeera.” .. probably one of the few truths in the book.

GOVERNMENT HEALTH WARNING

All news organizations in the United Kingdom have been warned by Attorney General Lord Goldsmith (no les) against further publication of information from the leaked memo; Goldsmith has mentioned the possibility of prosecution under section five of the Official Secrets Act, 1989 if published details from the memorandum are considered to damage interests of the United Kingdom abroad. Boris Johnson MP, and Ian Hislop Editor of Private Eye have both promised to publish it, if it becomes available as have many bloggers organised by Blairwatch.

TEXT OF MEMO AVAILABLE HERE

Lord Patel received a text of the ";eaked" memo which he published last November and is available here.

Cressida Dick - taking the heat off Sir Ian Blair

The news is that Gold Commander on the day the Metropolitan Police murdered de Menezes Ms. Cressida Dick is being considered by the CPS for some sort of charge, conspiracy to be a Gold Commander on a sunny day, whatever.

Lord Patel took the opportunity to discover a little bit more about this lady whose biogs. stress she is Oxford educated (that means she went to school in Oxford, not University)

Gun crime does a number of things
Wednesday, August 17 2005

246 people from 100 agencies crammed the Hanover Hotel, in Hinckley, Leicestershire, for the Independent Advisory Group on May 24/5th 2004.

On of the key speakers at this beano, was Commander Cressida Black who was Gold Commander on 22nd June when De Menezes was shot dead by Police.

The full proceedings are here, but this may be an interesting taster , pages 10/11

“She said that gun crime has a large effect on communities. (Cressida was born and brought up and educated in Oxford) …. It is a sad fact that if a young black man is shot in London today, it is unlikely to hit the headlines. Gun crime does a number of things:

It wrecks lives
It creates fear
It effects confidence in and between communities
It erodes the confidence between the Police and other agencies
It has a huge economic cost with loss of investment and provoking “middle class flight”


Well, as for the two sharpshooters. who pumped 8 / 11 / 13 bullets into the head Brazilian electrician, they wuz only obeyin' orders guv.

Don't hold your breath that anyone will even be disciplined for the murder of an inoccent man in broad daylight whilst going about his business.

Coincidentally Deputy Commissioner Yates might decide to forget about the cash for coronets nonsense,especially as some of the evidence seems to have gone up in smoke.

Of course the people who put about the stroies that de Menezes was an illegal alien , rapist, whatever , the journalists who swallowed the stories, the Editors who printed it .... well, one of life'slittle mysteries how these stories get about.

Short-sighted energy planning threatens bleak future

A History lesson.

The Institution of Civil Engineers is the pre-eminent engineering institution in the world. Established as a learned society in 1818, it has 80,000 members and provides a voice for civil engineering, continuing professional development and promoting best practice throughout the industry.

A report published 3 years ago by the ICE revealed that, within a generation, Britain will become completely reliant upon energy sources supplied via pipelines from politically unstable countries thousands of miles away. The ‘State of the Nation 2003’ report highlights a potential 80% shortfall in meeting the country’s energy demands from current supplies by 2020, and points to the possibly cataclysmic effects of becoming reliant upon unsecured, imported fuel supplies.

Tom Foulkes, ICE Director General, introduced the report The ‘State of the Nation 2003’ three years ago (01/07/2003) which the Press Release said, "Britain will become completely reliant upon energy sources supplied via pipelines from politically unstable countries thousands of miles away. The ‘State of the Nation 2003’ report highlights a potential 80% shortfall in meeting the country’s energy demands from current supplies by 2020, and points to the possibly cataclysmic effects of becoming reliant upon unsecured, imported fuel supplies."

Tom Foulkes said, inter alia , ( but it is best to read the whole thing) said:

“This country has been largely self sufficient in electricity generation for the past 100 years. We have been able to ride through a succession of energy crises, such as oil in 1973, coal in the early 1980s and the self-inflicted petrol crisis of 2000. All of these had the potential to inflict serious economic damage, but this was largely avoided by the fuel mix and diversity available at the time. This is about to change dramatically”. Currently our generation mix for electricity is approximately 32% coal, 23% nuclear, 38% gas, 4% oil with 3% others and renewables. Emission constraints mean that the UK’s coal-powered generating plants will close shortly after 2016 and only one nuclear power station will remain operational beyond 2020, due to the Government’s failure to invest in maintaining and upgrading Britain’s nuclear power programme. At present, renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and wave can only provide a fraction of the total requirement.

Under current Government planning, the outstanding balance will have to be replaced by gas-fired power stations, importing 90 per cent of their fuel, no later than 2020. Initially, some supplies will come from Norway, but as demand across Europe exhausts supplies during the 2020s, Britain will be forced to source gas supplies from West Africa, the Middle East and the former Soviet Republics. "

David Anderson, chair of ICE’s Energy Board, says: “The Government simply isn’t taking on board the generation mix that will be needed beyond 2020 if security of supply and meeting our environmental commitments are both to be achieved. A return to the blackouts that marked the ‘Winter of Discontent’ and the country grinding to a halt are very real possibilities in less than 20 years time.

“As well as increasing investment in the full range of available fuels, the country needs far greater capability to store long-term energy reserves to see us through any future crisis. Major gas users such as Germany, France and Italy all have a gas storage capability of over 20% of annual consumption, or over 70 days worth." etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc.,

28 June 2006, @ a No 10 meeting Magazine Editors, - Tony Blair said

" ....there is a simple stark fact that I would just like to put in front of people, which is we are going to go over the next 15 or 20 years to a situation where: one, the 20% that we get of our electricity from nuclear is going to decline to virtually zero; and two, where we are going to go from being 80 or 90% self-sufficient in oil and gas, to 80 or 90% importing it."

Yes that's right, it took 3 years for him to get it... which is better than any of the Energy Ministers who went through the revolving door at the DTI marked energy.

The headings provide pithy and quotable statements ..

The biggest waste at the moment is the waste of precious time.

Can we be sure the lights will stay on ?

Environmental and social aspects are being addressed but economic issues are being fudged.

POSTSCRIPT

One of the issues raised, (and raised in subsequent ICE reports) was the supply of engineering skills within the UK to meet the needs of new nuclear plants and power engineering. It is therefore if interest to note what has just been reported from Finland ..

The new Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor(Finlands 5th) at Pori in SW Finland, was due to commence operations in 2009, Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), the nonprofit electricity generator that commissioned the plant, has admitted this week that construction is one year behind schedule. The 1,630-megawatt reactor is the first third-generation European Pressurized Water Reactor - designed for greater safety and higher thermal efficiency.(see Pic from TVO)

Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) says the builders , the French reva SA and German Siemens AG consortium ,have mismanaged the project because they selected subcontractors with no prior experience in nuclear power plant construction to implement the project.All in all more than 1100 subcontracts have been concluded so far half of them with Finnish companies.

"These subcontractors have not received sufficient guidance and supervision to ensure smooth progress of their work."

STUK identified several problems of project management leading to delays, though they stated that none undermines or compromise nuclear safety on the site.

TVO said, "Generation, review and approval of detailed design, manufacturing and construction solutions have taken more time than expected. The schedule has also been affected by the fact that such an intensive and demanding project has not been carried out for many years". or as they say "Asennustyöt reaktorilaitoksella ovat alkaneet. Suojarakennuksen hätäjäähdytysjärjestelmän putkistoasennukset ovat meneillään. Teräsvuorauksen sisällä raudoitustyöt jatkuvat. Reaktorirakennuksen isojen valutöiden aloitus on ajoitettu loppukesään. Turpiinilaitoksen puolella pilareiden ja seinien valut jatkuvat."

The total manpower on the construction site of Olkiluoto 3 is 730, with more than twenty different nationalities represented on the site. Finnish workers account for more than half of the manpower. The number of German and French employees is ca. 250 at present.

So before our Dear Leader starts planning on a "fleet of replacement reactors" perhaps we should start checking on the engineering, manpower resources available for the task. ( A letter from an engineering recruitment agency in the Daily Torygraph today takes up this point)

FCUKED official policy is that this task should be organised on the lines of the Manhattan project run by general Groves .. such is the importance to the economic future of the country , its economy and social well being.

US diesels will use Danish technology to meet EPA 2010 emission standards

Haldor Topsøe A/S of Denmark introduced their urea-based SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system for removing nitrogen oxides (NOX) and unburnt hydrocarbons from diesel powered trucks and buses in 2002. Cummins Diesel, Mack Trucks and Volvo have chosen this 100% Danish technology to meet future Clean Diesel targets in the US.

NOX is a precursor to chemical smog, and exhaust smells result from unburnt hydrocarbons, the catalyst sued also assist in removing the mani health hazard from diesel exhaust which is the ultra-fine particles which are believed to present the biggest health hazard, especially to asthmatics.95% of diesel particulate falls into PM 2.5 (2.5 microns size) which penetrate deep into the lung and worsens preexisting lung condistions like Asthma and COPD.

The Urea-SCR System, has a storage tank for a 32.5% liquid urea solution, a urea injection system, and a catalyst. The heat in the exhaust decomposes the urea which produces ammonia NH3 which reacts with NOX on the catalyst surface and produces harmless nitrogen (N2) and water vapour (H2O). Removal of hydrocarbons and particles takes place on the catalyst independent of the injection of urea.

Grundfos A/S, the Danish pump manufacturer have worked with Topsoe to provide a complete solution either fitted to original equipment or retro-fitted. After several years of development they now have just announced a major multi million US$ contract with US company Cummins Inc., the world's largest producer of diesel engines a dosage-pump that releases specific amounts of urea to the dieselto supply pumps to be installed into diesel cars.

Volvo Truck Group to use SCR for 2010

Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) and Mack Trucks, are truck manufacturing companies of the Volvo Group, a publicly held company based in Gothenburg , Sweden.(Volvo cars is part of Ford). Both companies have chosen to use SCR to meet EPA’s 2010 diesel engine emissions standards and have been running field tests of SCR-equipped trucks in operation since 2000 and 2003, respectively logging more than two million miles on ten customer vehicles

“Our experience indicates that vehicles utilizing SCR can achieve better fuel economy than those using only Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) for NOX control, while at the same time meeting the dramatically lower emission standards coming in 2010,” Mack president & CEO Paul Vikner said.

The 2010 regulations, developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), call for NOx emissions levels to be reduced more than 80 percent from the standard set to take effect in January 2007. Since June 1st this year refiners have had to produce low sulfphur emission diesel fuels.

EU regulations (Directive 70/220/EEC plus amendments) require that the amount of nitrogen compound from diesel exhausts (Euro 4 emissions regulations) be decreased by 30 % by 1 October 2006. Starting in 2009, the amount of nitrogen oxides in exhausts must be reduced by a further 49 %.

Lord Levy - serial North London Police station visitor

Deputy Assistant Commissioner John Yates briefed members of the Commons Public Administration Committee (PAC) behind closed doors today about his team's progress on the cash for coronets trade that was operating out of a Totteridge tennis court. Apparently 3 people (all Labour ?) have refused to be interviewed according to Tony Wright (Chairman of the PAC) on the BBC4 1.0 pm clock news. Nick Robinson BBC Political Journo says charges are not imminent ... No blue dress is involved he said rather mysteriously - Let's hope that has nothing to do with Lord Levy surrendering a sample of his cheek DNA yesterday. No names, no Pack Drill.

Simultaneously Lord Levy, (currently on Police Bail) with his solicitors Bindman & Partners , was being questioned at Colindale police station, North London about his wide social circle and the generous nature of his friends towards the New Labour Party.

Colindale Police Station, Grahame Park Way, Colindale, NW9 5TW
Email: barnet@met.police.uk Tel : 020 8200 1212

Getting there
Tube station: Colindale (Northern Line)
Main line : Mill Hill (Thameslink)

Opening times: 24hrs - 7 days a week
Accessibility: This station has disabled access.

The website offers, amongst many things the interesting observation that : "The Census revealed that although the majority of residents are Christian, some 14.8% are Jewish, the highest proportion for any local authority in England and Wales."

Under "Significant Issues" the site lists ..."Levels of Motor vehicle crime have become a particular concern. A dedicated Pro-active Unit has been established to combat increases." So Lord Levy should take care where he parks his Jaguar, unless he walks, which given the nature of his footwear might be unwise. Although he might consider using a Pedal Cycle given the extremely low rate of theft experienced locally ... but I doubt it.The bicycle clips would spoil the fall of the trouser leg on his exquisitely tailored, hand made Savile Row, mohair suit.

You may be sure that Chief Superintendant Steve Kavanagh (see pic) , Barnet Borough Commander will take every effort to make his visit both brief and pleasant ... non of this nonsense "Help the Police fight crime ...throw yourself down these cellar steps"

There is a helpful part of their website devoted to FAQ's which although brief provides a curious insight into the questions that people ask of the Police in Barnet -

What is the legal age for a person to be a babysitter?
What is the law regarding children sitting in the front seats of cars?
A neighbours dog is always out on the street, what can I do about it?

Unhelpfully it does not answer more everyday nagging problems which arise in an area like Barnet - for example

"The New Labour Party received £14Mn in "commercial" loans immediately prior to the General Election in 2005 and the chief fund raiser, a local gent, forgot to mention this to the New Labour Party Treasurer (or indeed anybody else) and it appears that some of these generous benefactors were under the impression they were to receive Peerages but which the scrutiny committee withdrew the offer when they discovered the existence of these loans, What can I do about it ?"

Superintendant Kavanagh's team will probably shortly be able to provide the curious enquirer with a suitable answer in a day or to.

UK Coal - on the move

Shares rose in UK Coal (UKC) yesterday to 170p, almost a five year hgh with 1/2 Mn shares bought. Something stirring in the tunnels as they move into profit and UK coal imports rise 29% and usage in power station soars on the back of climbing gas prices (bolstered by all time US£75 a barrel oil).

Tel Aviv / London Governments in turmoil, bodies litter the landscape

Contileezza Rice must awake today with the grim satisfaction that the billions of US taxpayers dollars she has funnelled to Israel, are paying off.

US supplied F 16's have been active over Gaza , where early in the morning they bombed and destroyed the Interior Ministry building, with it appears remarkably light cicilian casualties although the death toll this week stands at 60 and rising.

In the Lebanon, air strikes throughout the day destroyed bridges, roads and two missiles struck Beirut airport closing it to air traffic.

The kidnapping of a single Jewish soldier has unleashed massive destructive power which is set to alter the balance of power in the Middle East - and drive the price of oil , now at a record US$75 a barrel even higher.

The kidnapping of a single Jewish businessman, Lord Levy by the Metropolitan Police in London yesterday threatens to alter the balance of power in London. A rich and highly paid solicitor from blue chip City firm Bindman & Co displayed a hurt tone when he explained that the arrest of his client was unecessary. Maybe, but it must have brought a warm glow to the cockles of the heart of beseiged Plod Sir Ian Blair, and a few others at new Scotland Yard.

Commentators point out that Lord Levy could sue for damages for wrongful imprisonment... it seems there is a slim chance that Lord Levy will wish (by choice) to be responsible for the washing of New Labour Party dirty linen in a court of law... although the opportunity may arise if PC Plod cannot be called off.

One thing is certain , Lord Levy as Tony Blair's very personal envoy in the Middle East (from his office situated in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office c/o Ma Beckett) will have little time to contemplate the savage and wanton destruction of Gaza and Southern Lebanon and the slaughter of it's citizens by his fellow Zionists.

The body count has not started in London but expect it to rise very quickly.

Pic from reuters - Smoke rises after Israeli jets fired missiles on the village of Rachaya Al-Fokah near Chibaa in south Lebanon .

Israel using chemical weapon claims Palestinian Doctor

The curiously named IDF operation "Summer Rain" was not just the code name of a military operation launched by Israel against Gaza since June 26. In a report from Gulf News in Dubai Dr Jomaa Al Saqqa, head of the Emergency Unit at Gaza's main medical facility, the Al Shifa Hospital accuses Israel of using a type of chemical ammunition which causes burns and injuries in soft tissue and cannot be traced by X-ray.

"It is a live exercise on a new ammunition that, so far, has resulted in killing 50 Palestinians and injuring 200," said Dr Saqqa.

Working at Al Shifa for 10 years he claims he has not seen wounds like these before, and thought at first it was just because the attack was from a close distance or that the temperature of bullets penetrating the bodies of injured or killed people were so high they were causing burns.

He said he was not yet sure about the kind of chemical being used because the Israeli Army had bombed the only criminal laboratory in Gaza on the first day of the assault.

Dr Saqqa who has been working in the Al Shifa Hospital for almost 10 years said he had never seen such wounds before.

"I thought it was just because the attack was from a close distance or that the temperature of bullets penetrating the bodies of injured or killed people were so high they were causing burns."I also noticed that despite the damage in internal soft tissue in the bodies of injured people, the fragments were not detected by X-ray. In other words, they had disappeared or dissolved inside the body."

Al Saqqa urged the international health authorities to come to Gaza and check the wounds of people in Al Shifa Hospital.

"The situation is very bad because out of the 200 injuries there are 50 children who are suffering badly because of their internal wounds caused by the new kind of ammunition," he said.

When Gulf news asked the IDF for a comment nobody was available.

This report is not corroborated, Lord Patel will report on any further credible developments.

Lord Patel examines his Crystal Balls

Here's the deal according to my man on the terraces at Turf Lane and my man in the Rue de Matelot in Brussels.

1. Inspector Knacker Yates drops the nonsense about cash for peerages, large sighs all round from New Labour, Old Conservative and ailing Lib Dems

2. Things go very quiet in criticising the brave boys of the Met, IPCC muzzled, the press as ever keep schtumm as instructed. Maybe even another Gladio exercise..... Blair (Ian) stays and IPCC do not wish to bother a busy man like him by interviewing him and the de Memezes murder squad.

3. Tony has health problems, requiring urgent treatment, murmering backbenchers cause murmering heart, writes his book "Why I was the greatest Parliamentarian ever"

4. John Rottweiller Reid, fresh from clearing the Augean Stables at the Home Office sweeps in on a tide of regional revolt with Peter Hain, King of Wales and NI as deputy (Prescott having handed in his dinner pail,) Mr Study in Brown stays in his No 11 study.

5. Everybody goes off on a Summer Holiday - in the Dear Leaders case at Cliff's place (and no doubt his expense).

6. Everything carries on as normal.. we upgrade Trident, more troops killed , helicopters lost in Afghanistan, ditto Iraq, ....NHS falls off a cliff with a lot of computers and consultants ..

7. Snap election to endorse the new PM in the spring before Cameroon can get his head in place. Reid gets his head in place i.e very firmly up the fundament of Dubya.

I meet a tall dark handsome stranger in a bar ....

Lord Levy, kidnapped ...by the Met.

Breaking News the brothers offered up prayers at Asr and bless us, Lord Levy has not been charged and is released on bail of £250,000 !
Lord Levy, 61, schoolfriend of Efraim Halevy ex head of Mossad, (Jewish Rotary Club) tennis partner of the Prime Minister, Middle East envoy of the UK Government to promote and protect the interests of Israel, has been kidnapped arrested and is being held at a North London police station.(Pic Lord Levy and Chicken Tikka Marsala)

The gubment is breathing hard down the necks of the Metropolitan Police .... 7/7 bombings and associated lies, deceits and general incompetence, de Menezes murder and associated lies, deceits and general incompetence. 21/7 Flour Power bombings and associated lies, deceits and general incompetence.John Reid has exposed the lies about the 7/7 "Timeline" and the Metropolitan Police have compounded their lies further by denying any responsibility for claiming the 7/7 " suicide bombers" travelled on a non-existent train. "Not me guv, the 'ome Orifice made it up." Not to mention tapinga phone conversation with the Attorney General .....

Lord Levy , a famous musicologist, specialising in primitive music (Alvin Stardust etc.,) has been arrested "in connection with the "cash-for-honours" inquiry " by the Metropolitan Police, whereby they provided massive cash "loans"(total £14 Mn.) to the New Labour Cheese and Whine Party in exchange for being called the husband of Lady Patel etc., immediately prior to an "election". It is understood that the £16 Mn. in loans to the Conservative Party had nothing to do with Lord Levy, enquiries should be addressed to "Lord" Ashcroft c/o Hotel Splendido, Belize by the Sea.

Lord Levy will be returned in good working order to the Prime Minister by the Metropolitan Police if John Reid and his Rottweillers, the IPCC, the blogosphere, inquisitive journalists, lawyers acting for the de Menezes family, shut up and go away.

Lord Levy is 60. His favourite curry is, favour.

Prayers will be said during Maghrib at the Al Aqsa Mosque to intercede on his behalf.

Lady Patel remarks, (as she frequently does) that Lord Levy is lucky that Sir Ian didn't send out the de Menezes murder squad, or wear a "bulky" jacket... Although as the sharp eyed lady pointed out, he was wearing a distinctly dodgy pair of shiny patent leatherette, "Up-Lift Hi-Rise" dancing shoes for the vertically challenged. The gold embossed , "Fergiana" rose tinted shades didn't help either.

BBC whips up local hostility in Helmand says Browne

Grey haired, whey faced mumbling Des Browne, described as the Minister of Defence, told the Commons Defence Select Committee that an interview with a Taliban commander broadcast on BBC news bulletins, allowed the militants to misrepresent Britain's mission and whip up local hostility in the war-torn Helmand province. Pic is of the offending Talabani "war lord" taken on 10th June at 10.02 BST of BBC 1 TV News (by Lord Patel's vigilant staff) with prominent BBC microphone.

'It is careless with the lives of our soldiers to sow confusion where no confusion exists.' says Browne mysteriously. Confuses me anyway.

No figures are available of the number of Taliban who can catch the BBC news in the caves in Tora Bora - the MoD claim the Taliban in Afghanistan monitors British news media on the Internet, and uses material for their own 'highly effective' propaganda efforts.

A spokesman claimed a Taliban statement at the weekend (where, time unstated) warning Britain not to send reinforcements - reflecting Press guesses the UK media last week - also claiming (like they do) that 80 to 100 UK troops have been killed in recent weeks.

Fortunately we have people at the top of the BBC making decisions who are paid 4 times as much as Des Browne - so they must be right, even though , unlike Des they haven't been there, met the troops on the ground and travelled in one of the few working helicopters,(the US lost a US$6 Mn. Chinook to ground fire yesterday - good news is they will be able to cannibalise it for spares, which they are short of.)

Meanwhile over there, Rummy Rumsfeld is (like the Stones) on tour seeing the 23,000 US troops .. Lt. Gen. Carl Eikenberry, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, says, " that for now, the Taliban is back, and in some respects, bigger than ever."“The Taliban is more organized than they were last year,” Eikenberry says. “And they have more fighters in certain areas." Talk about sowing confusion where no confusion exists ....

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, an NBC military analyst, thinks a lot of drug money is flowing into the Taliban.

“We're seeing among the Taliban now shiny new weapons,” McCaffrey says. “Commercial camping gear, civilian-purchased communications equipment.”

Between gigs on the tour, Rummy reflects .." the Taliban will be defeated - There isn't any reason in the world why this country can’t succeed", at what and by when he refused to say.

I wonder what odds Betfair have on the Taliban winning in extra time ?

Don't get me wrong, I kinda like Des, he's evidently in a job, way out of his depth, has no comprehension of the tasks involved and is trying to play a straight bat in the nest of vipers that the House of Commons has now become. Bring back John "The Hammer of the Taliban" Reid, with all his Glasgow steet fighting skills.


Gwen Dyer

Excellent article here

"The other thing Afghans know is how to deal with invaders. They will always be richer and better armed, so let them occupy the country. Don't try to hold the cities; fade back into the mountains. Take a couple of years to regroup and set up your supply lines (mostly across the border from Pakistan, this time), and then start the guerrilla war in earnest. Ambush, harass and bleed the foreigners for as long as it takes. Eventually they will cut their losses and go home."

Des .. take note.

BBC whips up local hostility in Helmand says Browne

Grey haired, whey faced mumbling Des Browne, described as the Minister of Defence, told the Commons Defence Select Committee that an interview with a Taliban commander broadcast on BBC news bulletins, allowed the militants to misrepresent Britain's mission and whip up local hostility in the war-torn Helmand province. Pic is of the offending Talabani "war lord" taken on 10th June at 10.02 BST of BBC 1 TV News (by Lord Patel's vigilant staff) with prominent BBC microphone.

'It is careless with the lives of our soldiers to sow confusion where no confusion exists.' says Browne mysteriously. Confuses me anyway.

No figures are available of the number of Taliban who can catch the BBC news in the caves in Tora Bora - the MoD claim the Taliban in Afghanistan monitors British news media on the Internet, and uses material for their own 'highly effective' propaganda efforts.

A spokesman claimed a Taliban statement at the weekend (where, time unstated) warning Britain not to send reinforcements - reflecting Press guesses the UK media last week - also claiming (like they do) that 80 to 100 UK troops have been killed in recent weeks.

Fortunately we have people at the top of the BBC making decisions who are paid 4 times as much as Des Browne - so they must be right, even though , unlike Des they haven't been there, met the troops on the ground and travelled in one of the few working helicopters,(the US lost a US$6 Mn. Chinook to ground fire yesterday - good news is they will be able to cannibalise it for spares, which they are short of.)

Meanwhile over there, Rummy Rumsfeld is (like the Stones) on tour seeing the 23,000 US troops .. Lt. Gen. Carl Eikenberry, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, says, " that for now, the Taliban is back, and in some respects, bigger than ever."“The Taliban is more organized than they were last year,” Eikenberry says. “And they have more fighters in certain areas." Talk about sowing confusion where no confusion exists ....

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, an NBC military analyst, thinks a lot of drug money is flowing into the Taliban.

“We're seeing among the Taliban now shiny new weapons,” McCaffrey says. “Commercial camping gear, civilian-purchased communications equipment.”

Between gigs on the tour, Rummy reflects .." the Taliban will be defeated - There isn't any reason in the world why this country can’t succeed", at what and by when he refused to say.

I wonder what odds Betfair have on the Taliban winning in extra time ?

Don't get me wrong, I kinda like Des, he's evidently in a job, way out of his depth, has no comprehension of the tasks involved and is trying to play a straight bat in the nest of vipers that the House of Commons has now become. Bring back John "The Hammer of the Taliban" Reid, with all his Glasgow steet fighting skills.

Hizbollah capture 2 Israeli soldiers. IDF prepare to strike Lebanon.

Israeli ground forces have entered Lebanon and called up 9,000 army reserves in response to Hizbollah guerrillas capturing 2 of its soldiers. Minister Olmerde declared the attack "an act of war .... Lebanon will pay a heavy price (BBC News 2.00 BST)."

An IDF reserve infantry division has already been mobilised has crossed Israel's northern border with Lebanon.

Shelling between Syrian-backed Hizbollah and Israeli has been continuing all day,artillery shells have hit Lebanese border villages after rockets hit Shlomi, an Israeli frontier town about 15 km (nine miles) east of the Mediterranean coast..

The EU has called for the immediate release of the two soldiers.

IDF / State assassination attempt 9 killed but Hamas leader escaped

On Wednesday, (see previous post) an Israeli air strike on Gaza killed 9 members of one Palestinian family and totally destroyed a building where Hamas leaders were said to be meeting.

The attack killed a local Hamas leader, Nabil Abu Selmeya, his wife and seven sons and daughters aged seven to 19. 35 people were also injured Mohammad Deif, leader of the governing Hamas movement's armed wing amongst them.(Some reports claim he was not there)

The scene at the bombed Gaza building recalled Israel's assassination of Hamas military commander Salah Shehada in 2002 by dropping a huge one-tonne bomb on his home. The hit caused the collapse of the five-story building and damaged several adjacent buildings. In addition to Shehada, at least 14 other Palestinian Arabs, including several children, were killed by the raid. Palestinian doctors say 154 people were injured.

For historians this is what IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon described how the operation went ..."The execution of the air force was perfect, but the intelligence gap in regard to the neighboring house caused a hitch. Six children were killed in that house." At least it increased the world's knowledge of what happens when you drop one ton HE bombs on civilian populations... it kills people indiscriminately.

At the time US President George W. Bush denounced it as "heavy-handed," while UN officials and other world figures expressed "displeasure".

Ariel Sharon then PM boasted at the Israeli Cabinet on Tuesday, July 23, 2002"This action, to my knowledge, is one of our major successes and it necessitates all of us being on top alert."

How much longer can Olmerde last ? When will Livni take over, rather than operating from the shadows?

Deputy Assistant Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police continues to lie about 7/7 train timings

The Guradian (updated 1.03 BST oday)reports John Reid's U turn on the timing of the "suicide bombers" from Luton Railway Station on July 7th last year. (Story copied at Ananova) http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1911632.html?menu=news.story

Incredible as it might seem they also report that Scotland Yard pointed out that the official account had been produced by the Home Office and police had never given it the time for the train.

A spokesman said the mistake may have come from erroneous first-hand witness accounts of the timing it had received and then passed on.

Here is an extract the Times Online story of July 14th 2005.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22989-1693797,00.html

... one of many one could quote.

Scotland Yard today released two chilling images of the youngest of the four bombers who brought chaos to London, as millions of people across Britain fell silent to remember the victims of last week's attacks.

Hasib Hussain, an 18-year-old from Leeds, is shown in a CCTV image mounting the stairs at Luton station before taking the 7.40am train to King's Cross (an image never made public) . There the four bombers split up and launched their attacks during last Thursday's rush hour. A second photo shows the picture from the teenager's driving licence.

Deputy Assistant Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police anti-terror branch, appealed for help from the public in tracking Hussain's movement before he boarded a No 30 bus which exploded at 9.47am - almost an hour after his three fellow bombers blew themselves up. Those who believe they have information are asked to call 0800 789 321.

Are we to believe that this detailed story, with Clarke's appeal for help used a timing that was a ..."erroneous first-hand witness accounts of the timing it had received".

The train time of 7.40 has been repeated worldwide with never any suggestion by the terrist experts at SCotland Yard disagreeing with it. Although of course the blogosphere has been loud with the cries of the sheer impossibility of this, as the train never ran ... confirmed by Thameslink trains schedulers.

Yet again the Police are lying to the public - all credit to John Reid as he clears the Augean stables of the Home Office.

POSTSCRIPT

The Timeline of course says that passengers on the 7.40 train were interviewed. How so ? More ...""erroneous first-hand witness accounts....".

This crock of shit unravels hourly. How long can Deputy Assistant Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police terrists keep his job ? How long can Sir Ian Blair , head of the Met. murder gang keep his job ?

Israel's assassination squads hard at work - State terrorism in action

Increasingly it is evident, that the IDF are taking the opportunity to assassinate targets at will as they threaten, bomb, bulldoze, and terrorise the whole of Gaza. Such targeted killings have been authorised at the highest level and are the latest manifestation of Israeli State terrorism.

Mohammed Deif has been at the top of Israel's "most wanted" list for years and is thought to have narrowly escaped the Israeli army's efforts to kill him on several occasions.

He is believed to be behind a series of suicide bombings in Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv between February and March 1996, as well as the kidnapping and killing of a number of IDF soldiers. In his role of coordinator and recruiter for the Izz e-din al-Qassam brigades, Deif organized terrorist cells and sent them into Israeli cities.

Although he only took over as Gaza commander of Hamas's military wing in July 2002, Israel holds him personally responsible for the deaths of dozens of people in suicide bombings since 1996.

After the Gaza withdrawal last year he released a video (BBC stream available here)
taunting the IDF, claiming they had been humiliated. It caused enormous reaction amongst the settlers in Israel, particularly among opponents of the withdrawal from Gaza and the four West Bank settlements, .... who are very strongly supported by Deputy Prime Minister Ms Livni and whose hand can be seen behind last night's nocturnal raid.

Massive air strike on Gaza house BBC

At least five people have been killed and 15 injured in a massive Israeli air strike on the Gaza City home of a prominent Hamas figure.

The Israeli military says Mohammed Deif, a Hamas bomb-maker who has topped Israel's most wanted list for over 10 years, was injured in the attack.

Pic of Deif from the 80's he is now 46 and few photos exist.

Israeli tanks and troops have stormed into Central Gaza

BBC reports Israel army 'enters central Gaza' 22.56 BST

Israeli troops have crossed the border into central Gaza in an expansion of their offensive in the Palestinian territory, Palestinian witnesses say.

Residents said the soldiers were conducting searches in a village east of the town of Deir al-Balah, Reuters news agency reported.

To date at least 60 Palestinians, 20 of them civilians, including women and children have been killed in the offensive.

7/7 Timeline - another Dodgy Dossier - Reid backtracks

4 "suicide bombers" snapped on CCTV aparently entering Luton station on the morning of July 7th 2005 was released by the police on July 16th 2005.

The image is time and date-stamped as 07.21:54

The July the 7th blog covers the whole story of the train times from Luton to Kings X that morning.

The Metropolitan Police have always stated that the alleged bombers caught the 7.40am Thameslink train from Luton to King's Cross. That the alleged bombers caught the 7.40am train was widely reported in television and newspaper reports around the world - without exception. This 'fact' was also confirmed in the official Government narrative of events.... and now John Reid says it is wrong and wants to know why the "timeline" report was inaccurate.

Oooops!

Reid reveals 7 July account error (BBC Online today timed at 21.07 BST)

"The Home Secretary has asked police to explain why a mistake was made in the government's version of what happened on the day of the London bombings.

The official account, published earlier this year, said the four bombers had left Luton train station at 0740 BST on 7 July.

However, it has now emerged that was inaccurate (which is obvious because that train never ran) - they actually left at 0725, but the account was right in saying they arrived at King's Cross station, 58 minutes later at 0823.

Mr Reid said the discrepancy came to light at the end of last week, when police pointed out the inaccuracy."

But the July 7th blog says this about that train...

Let us consider an earlier train, which left Luton station at 07.25, and arrived into King’s Cross Thameslink at 08.23 am (because of delays on the line); thus, its journey took 58 minutes. This scenario would give the four young men barely three minutes to walk up the stairs at Luton, buy their tickets in the morning rush-hour and then get to the platform. Some have suggested that Lindsay German from Aylesbury had arrived early and bought the four tickets in advance (day-returns at 22 pounds each), to make this feasible. But, from King’s Cross Thameslink, it takes a good seven minutes to walk through the long, Underground tube passage which includes a ticket barrier, to reach the main King’s Cross station, in the morning rush-hour with large rucksacks – in no way could they have been captured on the 08.26am alleged CCTV picture.(Which has never been made public).

Computer records of the train timetables were kindly made available both by Marie Bernes at Customer Relations at King's Cross, and from Chris Hudson, Communications Manager of Thameslink Rail, at Luton station.

This is not the first time the Metropolitan Police have a problem with the times at Luton Station

Wednesday, September 21 Time goes backwards for the Metropolitan Police OFFICIAL

Suddenly after a press conference with PC Clarke, The Hammer of Islamofascist fundamentalist Jihadists every major news media reported that the 4 "bombers" (3 from Leedsand 1 from Luton - who had been there since 5 am (?)) all met at 6.51.... yet did not stroll into the station until 7.21.. 30 minutes later.

Finally the assiduous work of the London researchers ferreting away has been rewarded .... perhaps more of the Truth is due to emerge ?

Mr Reid has really set the cat amongst the pigeons....

FOOTNOTE

Chimes of Freedom does a good analysis of the 7/7 Timeline, raising many more discrepancies than just the one John Reid now seeks to correct.

Westinghouse to build UK nuclear power station fleet

My old pal Aris Candris, who heads up the Nuclear Services division of Westinghouse Electric Company calls me to tell me that he's really pleased that my inititative last January has changed Tony's mind about nuclear power. he was glad to catch the deputy Prime Minister he said when he called in at Anschutz's place that time ...

His colleagues at Westinghouse are overjoyed (they still cannot get over those pics of him in his cowboy outfit - tell him !)that in their future energy policy, the Brits realise they need nuclear energy and that the old special relationship on nuclear matters ... will ... er ... continue to play a major role in helping the UK to ensure secure and affordable supplies of energy.


The boys are cock a hoop (apparently !) that the UK Government is taking decisive action to remove the key barriers to private sector funding for new nuclear, and means that that utilities will come forward,wishing to discuss investment in new reactors. And Westinghouse want to be in there getting their share of the cake is keen to work diligently to help make their plans a reality. Apparently Dubya had to be hauled out of the toilet by Condi to tell him of the decision.


By the way says Aris, (lordy he never misses a chance) The Westinghouse AP1000 reactor -- the leading candidates for a series of new UK plants -- is the only Generation III+ design to receive Design Certification from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Preferred choice of US facilities (12 out of 16 recent licenses he says) is also being considered for the four plants currently under tender in China.

Based on proven and established PWR technology -- the most common type of reactor in operation around the world - don't forget says Aris, half of the world's 440 reactors based on Westinghouse technology! Could I ?

The beauty of the AP1000 design, is it is simple which means it is compact - safer in operation, through the use of passive safety features because it' relies on gravity and natural circulation.

"Hell" says Aris, it's the ideal choice for a fleet of reactors in the UK.

"We look forward to playing a major part in the UK's nuclear renaissance" he says.

Have you read my paper Lord Patel, says Aris "RECENT ADVANCES IN PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR SERVICE TECHNOLOGY" I'll send you..... then the line goes on the videoconference.

Hand it to these Westinghouse boys - straight out of the traps....

Fuck it, they might as well, they own our nuclear deterrent.

Illegal and carcinogenic food dyes still being found in imported spices / foods in EU

Remember the Sudan shoe polish dye brouhaha last year ? BBC “Food recalled in cancer dye scare” in February 2005 ? 359 products had to be removed and destroyed - as has the list of contaminated products from the FSA website.

Well - the EC say that illegal Sudan dyes in spices and other food products continue to be detected despite numerous clampdowns and extensions to the testing regime … curcuma (E100 or turmeric, from the plant Curcuma longis a member of the ginger family) and virgin palm oil were added to the list for testing last year.

The EC produced a leaflet The leaflet “Key Obligations of Food and Feed Business Operators” which makes it totally clear the responsibility is on the food processor to ensure illegal dyes do not enter the food chain.

Since then there has been no reduction in the number of notifications made by Member States of adulteration of spices other food products by illegal compounds, which was first reported in France in May 2003. Worrying but it shows that the traceability systems put in place are working.

Since July 2003, all cargoes of dried and crushed or ground chilli and curry powders entering the EU must have a certificate showing they have been tested and found to be free of Sudan I. No certificate – the cargo must be tested.

Random sampling must also be doen at ports and in stores with over 1,000 done a year on chilli alone, if they contain Sudan l to lV they must be destroyed.

The most important of these dyes is Para Red, being detected in 42 cases in chilli, chilli powder and products containing chilli in 2005.

Some 85 per cent of the positive findings for Para Red were done in Germany and the United Kingdom. In addition to developing testing capabilities for Sudan dyes, both Germany and the UK have also developed analytical tests for Para Red as have France and Belgium recently. In one third of the notifications on Para Red, spices originated from the Russian Federation or a former Soviet Republic. The contaminated spice was supplied by Spanish company, Ramon Sabater, and was believed to originate in Uzbekistan.The most frequent origin mentioned for Sudan dyes notifications (where it could be identified) was India.

A handy leaflet and site from the EU to tell you more about the carcinogenic properties of Sudan dyes, their fraudulent use in chilli to boost the colour (and therefore price) is available here (PDF Alert)

Government to reveal how, after 9 years they still do not have an agreed and coherent national Energy Policy

Now that The Dear Leader realises what a hole he has dug in having no coherent or agreed Energy Policy , he is rushing one out today. .. or at least Alastair Darling (NuLabour Energy Minister no 6) is,(HOC this afternoon) so he can take the shit that is better directed at the new convert to nuclear power at No. 10.

The DTI has recently published its quarterly Energy Trends report with data up to and including the first quarter of this year (2006). The report is available for download here: Energy Trends June 2006 (PDF alert)

Chris Vernon at The Oil Drum provides, as ever a detailed and valuable exegisis with some fascinating (and deeply disturbing graphs) which is required reading before evaluating the Gubment blather you can expect today. There is also a wealth of informed comment.

Up to Press it seems that the main element of darling's plan will be to provide Stalinist Planning Controls for locations which already have Nuclear stations owned by British Energy.

The Founder of Forthcoming UK Energy Deficiency (FCUKED) will watch events, and the discomfort of the Gubment with ill disguised glee.

Indian nuclear capable ICBM missiles fail at launch

While all eyes were on the Dear Leader letting off fireworks in the DPRK, India was attempting to launch their heaviest satellite on a GEO rocket.

The launch ended in a huge fireball of smoke and flames seconds after lift-off Monday. dealing a crippling blow to the country's ambitious space programme.

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), in which there has been considerable Russian engineering input, blasted off at 1205 GMT from an island off the coast of Andhra Pradesh, cartwheeled and blew up seconds later in clear view at a cost of Euros 26 Mn.

"A mishap happened in the first stage of the separation and it will be some time before we know what went wrong," Madhavan Nair, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman, told reporters at the launch site.

Disaster struck for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) less than a day after an unsuccessful test flight of India's Agni-III nuclear-capable missile which has a range of 4,000 kilometres (2,480 miles) and designed to arm New Delhi with a ballistic weapon.

The 49-metre (161-foot) GSLV on this flight carried a 2,168-kilogram (2.4 tonne) satellite to be put into stationary orbit at 36,000 kilometres (22,320 miles) and programmed to boost television services for the next 10 years.

It was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in the Bay of Bengal. A similar GSLV successfully placed a satellite in orbit in 2004.

Initial reports said that preliminary data identified problems in the 2 stage separation process in both the 2 stage Agni (Fire) (see pic) and the three-stage GSLV as the principal problem.

Officials were gamely stiff lipped about the failures, "There has been a setback but the scale of the setback should be placed in context because countries before India who have embarked upon satellite launch business too have gone through a similar learning curve," said one.

U.R. Rao, former chief of the Space Commission, said it was a "mishap," not a setback.

It is reported that India has plans to invest US $542 Mn.to handle up to four launch services for satellites a year. There are curently nine other Indian communication satellites with a total of 175 transponders in operation, making it the largest domestic communication satellite system in the Asia-Pacific and the world's biggest civilian cluster of remote-sensing satellites.

Guradian breaks 'D' Notice on Craig Murray web posted documents

The Guradian, alone amongst the MSM (based on searches of Google News) have alerted their readers to the FCO's attempts to silence Craig Murray.

Former ambassador posts censored passages from memoir on website

Says the headline which reports an event that happened 7 days ago. They outline the FCO actions on Friday in attempting to suppress the web publication of the documents - an action which the bone heads at the FCO failed to understand would precipitate and unleash a frantic worldwide circulation, storage, mirroring, of the offending documents - which will of course have enabled them to identify all the bloggers who have been so busy over the wekend.

After a brief and useful examination, the article by David Leigh, (described as Investigations Editor), after a brief and useful examination of the principal document that details FCO objections to passages in the original text of the book, the brief report concludes...

"Lawyers say Mr Murray would be able to argue a defence of public interest for his own non-commercial disclosures, as would the media if quoting from the government documents on his website while reporting on current news events."

On which lawyers came to this view, Mr Leigh is silent, perhaps none wish to be quoted, no doubt the in-house brief must have an opinion? Mr Leigh passes the opportunity to identify where the documents may be read or downloaded.

Massive global effort by bloggers to circulate the Craig Murray texts

Lord Patel has noted over 20 sites who are mirroring the texts worldwide and is aware of a massive global interest in downloading the documents. A Google Blog search "Craig Murray downloads" , will reveal most sites hosting the texts as downloadable PDF's or Torrent or similiar bitstreams.

Many Angry Gerbils is a good start, who also prints an exchange of letters between Craig Murray and the FCO yesterday, as does Lenin's Tomb


Craig says ...

"Your peremptory demands reveal the motive behind your actions in this case - the suppression of information for political purposes. I don't believe it is right to use Crown Copyright in this way. Otherwise the government has an arbitrary power to keep secret absolutely anything that it does. Your contention in your letter of 7 July that the government can use Crown Copyright arbitrarily and politically to suppress material released under the Freedom of Information Act, would obviate the whole purpose of that Act in giving the public a "Right to know" what is being done in their name."

and ..

"If all or any of these are, in your view, matters of discretion where the government can exercise Crown Copyright if it so chooses, then the following is perhaps the most important question of all. Are there any criteria of reasonable action which the government is obliged to consider when deciding whether to enforce claimed copyright or not, or is the Crown claiming a power which is solely arbitrary?"

It is critical that Craig is given every support possible and every reader is urged to e-mail Craig with messages of support. You might also wish to write to your MP, MEP, the gormless Foreign Secretary Ma Beckett, the Prime Minister and even the preposterous Seargeant Buzfuz, AKA Mr Gareth Buttress, Official Solicitor.

Pickwick Papers. Charles Dickens (Copyright expired, Thank God)

"I say systematic villany, gentlemen," said Sergeant Buzfuz, looking through Mr. Pickwick, and talking at him; "and when I say systematic villany, let me tell the defendant, Pickwick, if he be in court, as I am informed he is, that it would have been more decent in him, more becoming, in better judgment and in better taste, if he had stopped away. Let me tell him, gentlemen, that any gestures of dissent or disapprobation in which he may indulge in this court will not go down with you; that you will know how to value and how to appreciate them; and let me tell him further, as my lord will tell you, gentlemen, that a counsel, in the discharge of his duty to his client, is neither to be intimidated nor bullied, nor put down; and that any attempt to do either the one or the other, or the first, or the last, will recoil on the head of the attempter, be he plaintiff or be he defendant, be his name Pickwick, or Noakes, or Stoakes, or Stiles, or Brown, or Thompson."

Apache - living up to it's name ?

Army being scalped of Apache pilots Scotsman Jan 14th 2006

The British Army's £3 Bn fleet of 67 Apache attack helicopters could go short of pilots after a string of resignations. They reported rumours that few qualified army pilots to fly the aircraft have either quit or plan to leave in coming months, lured by high pay in the private sector (£60,000 a year) , and more flying hours.(Pic Sir Jock Stirrup Head of UK Armed Forces on Newsnight tonight)

Training an Apache pilot takes 6 months and cost £1 Mn because the Apache is the most sophisticated combat aircraft in the world, packed with weapons systems and advanced sensor packages that provide pilots with massive amounts of information.

The report claimed that 4 Apache pilots had resigned in recent weeks rumours abound of up to a total of 11 expected to leave.

If true, several of the Apaches, which cost about £30 million each, could effectively be grounded for lack of a qualified pilot. The Apache fleet already has suffered teething troubles in the form of mechanical and technical failures.

Such is the complexity of its systems, anything between a fifth and a half of the helicopters are grounded for maintenance at any one time. A shortage of qualified engineers exacerbates the situation.

Several private companies pay generously for army-trained pilots who are then effectively hired back to the military through Private Finance Initiative training contracts.

Then again there are other problems...

Lord Vivian asked Her Majesty's Government:

What action they are taking to ensure helicopter blades are more resistant to desert conditions.[HL1247]

Lord Bach : The rotor blades of UK military helicopters are protected against erosion in desert conditions in a variety of ways. A number of helicopter types have polyurethane self-adhesive tape applied to the main rotor blade leading edges. This tape is readily removed and replaced as necessary. The remainder have blades with integral titanium or stainless steel leading edges designed to withstand sand erosion.

National Audit Office report 31/10/02

The delivery of training services for Apache pilots, groundcrew and maintenance staff through a £1 billion PFI deal with Boeing and Westland has been delayed primarily by problems with the pilot Full Mission Simulator. As a consequence of this, the full Apache pilot conversion programme will not now be completed until February 2007, nearly 3 years later than expected.

Some Apache aircraft will have to be stored until trained pilots are available to fly them....

....although some spares may have to be to sourced from the Apache aircraft which are being stored.

In introducing the report Sir John Bourn said ..."it is disappointing that because of problems with the training programme, primarily delays in the availability of the Full Mission Simulator, the helicopters are not expected to provide a Brigade-level capability until February 2007."

...which leaves the uninformed observer with the lingering suspicionthat an eye-popping £3Bn. spent on attack helicopters is not producing the desired results. 6 operational Apaches in Afghanistan, sand, dust, heat, shortage of parts, skilled pilots, engineers..... and a foe equipped with AK47's , RPG's and a few motorbikes.