what should beon the frontpage: November 2011

Wednesday, 30 November 2011

Public sector strike to be 'largest for a generation'

Public sector workers around the UK are staging a strike over pensions in what unions say could be the biggest walkout for a generation.

Thousands of schools are closed and hospital operations have been cancelled. Courts and government offices are among disrupted services.
Prime Minister David Cameron described the strike as a "damp squib".
Unions object to government plans to make their members pay more and work longer to earn their pensions.
The strike is having the following effects:

Department for Education figures suggest more than half (58%) of England's 21,700 state schools are closed, with another 13% partly shut
In Scotland, 33 of the 2,700 council-run schools are believed to be open, says local authority body Cosla, while in Wales 80% of schools are shut. In Northern Ireland, just over half of about 1,200 schools are closed
Plane arrivals and take-offs at Britain's two biggest airports - Heathrow and Gatwick - are said to be largely unaffected with only a few cancellations of in-bound transatlantic flights to Heathrow
In Northern Ireland, no bus or train services are operating
Unions estimate about 300,000 public sector workers are on strike in Scotland while 170,000 workers in Wales are taking action
NHS managers say about 6,000 out of just over 30,000 routine operations have been cancelled across the UK as well as tens of thousands of appointments
BBC News Channel's chief political correspondent Norman Smith tweeted: "(Health Secretary) Andrew Lansley says patients who have ops cancelled today will still be seen within 18-week limit."
South East Coast Ambulance Service says it is now only responding to "life-threatening emergencies"; London Ambulance Service tells BBC London it is "struggling", is unable to respond to many 999 calls and prioritising life-threatening cases
Union leaders say although court staff are taking action, the trial of two men accused of killing of teenager Stephen Lawrence will not be disrupted
Just 18 job centres out of more than 900 across the UK have closed, according to the cabinet office
Demonstrations are taking place across the UK, with thousands joining marches in places including Cardiff, Birmingham, Leeds, Exeter, York, Gateshead and Aberdeen
Scotland Yard said 37 protesters detained in east London at about 10:00 GMT had now been arrested on suspicion of breach of the peace
Four arrests were made ahead of a march now under way in London - two for assaulting an officer and two for possession of a weapon
BBC political correspondent Mike Sergeant tweeted: "Strong police presence + metal cordons in Trafalgar Square. Interesting new tactic. To stop any attempt to occupy?"

Video from around the UK

Unions say up to two million public sector workers are to take part in the strike but the cabinet office said early indications showed significantly less than a third of civil servants taking part in the action.

At Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Cameron said he thought the government had made a "very reasonable, very fair offer to public sector workers".

Why have strikes been called?

The government wants most public sector workers to:

Pay more into their pensions
Work for longer
Accept a pension based on a "career average" salary, rather than the final salary arrangement which many are currently on
The government says the cost of funding public sector pensions is "unsustainable" as people are living longer
Unions say the proposals will leave members paying more and working longer for less

"I don't want to see any strikes, I don't want to see schools closed, I don't want to see problems at our borders, but this government has to make responsible decisions," he said.

Earlier, the prime minister's spokesman said a small number of Downing Street staff had gone on strike, while others had been affected by school closures and some staff from the Downing Street policy unit were helping out at the borders.
Mr Cameron's press secretary Gabby Bertin is working on passport control at Heathrow airport, along with a number of No 10 staff, Downing Street confirmed.
Speaking from Brussels, Chancellor George Osborne told BBC Breakfast that the "strike is not going to achieve anything" and will only "make our economy weaker and potentially cost jobs".
He said unions should be holding talks with the government to resolve the pension dispute, rather than taking strike action.
'Refused to negotiate' But union leaders accused the government of failing to participate in proper negotiations in recent weeks.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said that the last time unions met Treasury ministers was 2 November, adding that "this idea that negotiations are continuing is just not true".

At the scene

Sarah Bell BBC News, central London

Standing out in their suits, ties and smart overcoats, the headteachers took their place at the front of the march.
It's the first time their union, the NAHT, has been on strike for 112 years.
Chris Hill, head of Hounslow Town primary school, said all staff there were striking for the first time.
"It's not a decision we take lightly but we have to take a stand," she said.
Also among the thousands gathering in central London are paramedic staff, out for the first time since the 1970s.
Among the placards and balloons is a common message to the government, "Don't work longer, and pay more to get less."

In pictures: Strikes across UK

Cabinet Minister Francis Maude disputed this claim, saying formal discussions with the civil service unions took place on Tuesday and that talks would take place with teaching unions on Thursday and with health unions on Friday.

A TUC spokesperson responded: "There have been informal exchanges but nothing that could be described as negotiations at the national level."
Chris Keates, head of the teachers' union NASUWT, said: "We're in this position today simply because the government had not entered into genuine negotiations at an earlier stage."
Labour leader Ed Miliband said he had "huge sympathy" for people whose lives are disrupted by the strike.
But he said he was "not going to condemn the dinner ladies, nurses, teachers who have made the decision to go on strike because they feel they have been put in an impossible position by a government that has refused to negotiate properly".
Liberal Democrat Party president Tim Farron told the BBC News Channel the unions were wrong to strike because workers on low to middle incomes would get a "better, or certainly no worse" pension when they retire than is currently the case.
'Huge damage' TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the public sector was "under attack" by the government, adding that the action was justified.
"With the scale of change the government are trying to force through, making people work much, much longer and get much, much less, that's the call people have made," he said.
Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members who work for the UK Border Agency have gone on strike but airport sources suggested to the BBC that immigration controls were at two thirds of normal staffing levels - more than the 30-50% predicted previously.

Public sector workers demonstrating in Newcastle

Public sector workers have begun a march in Newcastle

A UK Border Agency spokesperson said: "Early signs show our contingency plans are minimising the impact of strike action, but waiting times at some ports may still be slightly longer than normal."
The Immigration Services Union says 80% to 90% of staff are striking, with 22 out of 23 workers at Calais port not showing up for work and, as far as they are aware, none of their members working at Heathrow.
Lucy Morton from the union said queues at Heathrow were "not that significant" due to reduced flight capacity, adding it would have more information when the next shift was due to turn up for work at lunchtime. The ISU has 4,500 members out of a workforce of 6,000.
Gatwick's chief operating officer Scott Stanley said: "Whilst passengers have so far not experienced delays at the border zones we do expect delays to occur at some point today as the rate of arriving flights increases."
Simon Walker, of the Institute of Directors, told the BBC News Channel the strike was doing "significant damage" to the economy.
"If you're damaging the productive capacity of this country you're really doing huge damage to the fabric of the economy and that will last a long time and impact on all of us," he said.

taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15953806

Another mysterious blast in Iran's Isfahan damaged key nuclear site

A mysterious blast which reportedly rocked Isfahan in western Iran on Monday damaged a key nuclear facility in the city, the Times of London reported on Wednesday.
On Monday, Haaretz sited Iranian media as reporting that an explosion was heard near Isfahan, home to a uranium conversion plant operational since 2004.

	An aerial photograph showing Iran's uranium conversion facility just outside the city of Isfahan, March 30, 2005.
	Photo by: AP

Is Israel behind a recent string of "mishaps" in Iran? Join the discussion on Haaretz.com's Facebook page.
According to reports by the semi-official Fars news agency, frightened residents called the fire department after the blast, forcing the city authorities to admit there had been an explosion. Residents reported that their windows shook from the explosion's force.
At first, Iranian officials denied the reports, with the governor of Isfahan later alleging that the blast was caused by an accident that had occurred during a nearby military drill.

	In a photo from 2009, Iranian technicians work at a facility producing uranium fuel for a planned heavy-water nuclear reactor, just outside the city of Isfahan.
	Photo by: AP

However, a report in the Times on Wednesday alleged that the blast had not been a military accident, and that the city's nuclear facility was damaged.
The report quotes Israeli intelligence officials who based their conclusion on updated satellite images showing smoke billowing from the direction of the conversion plant.
According to the Israeli sources, there was "no doubt" that the blast had damaged the nuclear facility, and that the explosion was not an "accident."

	Original report of blast in Iranian city of Isfahan as appeared on Fars website, Nov. 28, 2011.

"This caused damage to the facilities in Isfahan, particularly to the elements we believe were involved in storage of raw materials," one source told the Sunday Times.
It must be noted that the Times report was not confirmed by any other source.
The Isfahan plant went into operation in 2004, taking uranium from mines and producing uranium fluoride gas, which then feeds the centrifuges that enrich the uranium.
Since 2004, thousands of kilograms of uranium flouride gas were stockpiled at Isfahan and subsequently sent to the enrichment plant in Natanz.

Commenting on the report of an explosion in Isfahan, U.S. State Department Spokesman Mark Toner said Monday, "We don't have any information at this time other than what we've seen in the press as well. But certainly we're looking into it."
"As you know, we're somewhat limited in our ability to glean information on the ground there, but we're certainly looking into it," Toner added.
Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan said in a television interview on Tuesday that if Israel attacks Iran, it will be dragged into a regional war.
According to Dagan, Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas will respond with massive rocket attacks on Israel. In that scenario, Syria may join in the fray, Dagan said on the television program “Uvda”.

By Yossi Melman taken from http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-mysterious-blast-in-iran-s-isfahan-damaged-key-nuclear-site-1.398671

Police in LA, Philly raid Occupy camps

Police in Los Angeles and Philadelphia stormed Occupy Wall Street encampments under darkness Wednesday to arrest or drive out some of the longest-lasting protesters since crackdowns ended similar occupations across the country.

Dozens of officers in riot gear flooded down the steps of Los Angeles City Hall just after midnight and started dismantling the two-month-old camp two days after a deadline passed for campers to leave the park. Officers in helmets and wielding batons and guns with rubber bullets converged on the park from all directions with military precision and began making arrests after several orders were given to leave.

The raid in Los Angeles came after demonstrators with the movement in Philadelphia marched through the streets after being evicted from their site. About 40 protesters were arrested after refusing to clear a street several blocks northeast of City Hall, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. They were lined up in cuffs and loaded on to buses by officers. Six others were arrested earlier after remaining on a street police that police tried to clear.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa raised public safety and health concerns in announcing plans for the eviction last week, while Philadelphia officials said protesters must clear their site to make room for a $50 million renovation project.

Defiant Los Angeles campers who were chanting slogans as the officers surrounded the park, booed when an unlawful assembly was declared, paving the way for officers to begin arresting those who didn't leave.

In the first moments of the raid, officers tore down a tent and tackled a tattooed man with a camera on City Hall steps and wrestled him to the ground. Someone yelled "police brutality."

Teams of four or five officers moved through the crowd making arrests one at a time, cuffing the hands of protesters with white plastic zip-ties. A circle of protesters sat with arms locked, many looking calm and smiling.

Opamago Cascini, 29, said the night had been a blast and he was willing to get arrested.

"It's easy to talk the talk, but you gotta walk the walk," Cascini said.

At least two dozen people had been arrested in the first two hours and police said they planned to arrest the 75 people remaining in the park. Police Cmdr. Andrew Smith said one person was arrested for violence against a police officer, but Smith couldn't provide details.

Police used a cherry picker to pluck five men from trees. Two others were in a tree house — one wore a crown and another taunted police with an American flag.

In Philadelphia, police began pulling down tents at about 1:20 a.m. EST after giving demonstrators three warnings that they would have to leave, which nearly all of the protestors followed. Dozens of demonstrators then began marching through the streets and continued through the night.

Ramsey said breaking up the camp in the early-morning hours helped minimize any disruption to businesses and traffic.

"We acknowledge the fact that we are going to have to leave this space .... but in another sense this has been our home for almost two months and no one wants to see their home taken away from them," Philadelphia protestor Bri Barton, 22, said before police began clearing out the camp.

"Whether or not we have this space or work in the city is nowhere near done," she said.
The eviction overall appeared to have been carried out without any significant scuffles or violence.

Demonstrators and city officials in both Los Angeles and Philadelphia were hoping any confrontation would be nonviolent, unlike evictions at similar camps around the country that sometimes involved pepper spray and tear gas. The movement against economic disparity and perceived corporate greed began with Occupy Wall Street in Manhattan two months ago.

About 1,200 Los Angeles officers staged for hours outside Dodger Stadium before the raid. They were warned that demonstrators might throw everything from concrete and gravel to human feces at them.

"Please put your face masks down and watch each other's back," a supervisor told them. "Now go to work."

Before police arrived in large numbers, protesters were upbeat and the mood was almost festive. A protester in a Santa Claus hat danced in the street. A woman showed off the reindeer antlers she had mounted on her gas mask.

Some were smoking pot, some were carrying gas masks, others wore hoodies and had bandanas around their faces. Some protesters carried lit candles and held signs saying "Defend Occupy LA."

Fireworks exploded in the sky at one point. Later, as helicopters hovered above, someone blew "The Star Spangled Banner" on a horn.

As officers first surrounded the camp, hundreds of protesters chanted, "The people united will never be defeated."

Campers planning to defend the camp and hold their ground barricaded entrances to the park with trash cans.

The police operation was planned at night because downtown is mostly vacant, with offices closed, fewer pedestrians and less traffic, but a spokesman said it could make officers more vulnerable.

"It's more difficult for us to see things, to see booby traps," Lt. Andy Neiman, told pool reporters. "Operating in the dark is never an advantage."

Neiman said the force was prepared to deal with demonstrators holed up in the camp or those who had climbed up trees in the small park.

Gia Trimble, member of the Occupy LA media team, said a lot of people committed to the cause would stay and risk arrest.

"This is a monumental night for Los Angeles," Trimble said. "We're going to do what we can to protect the camp."

In their anticipation of an eviction, the Los Angeles protesters designated medics designated with red crosses taped on clothing. Some protesters had gas masks.

Organizers at the camp packed up computer and technical equipment from the media tent.
Two men who constructed an elaborate tree house lashed bamboo sticks together with twine to push away any ladder police might use to evict them.
Police said they would be able to remove the tree climbers.

Members of the National Lawyers guild had legal observers on hand for an eviction.

By CHRISTINA HOAG and KATHY MATHESON taken from http://news.yahoo.com/police-la-philly-raid-occupy-camps-112358365.html

More baton rounds training at Metropolitan Police

Scotland Yard is training more officers to use baton rounds - also known as plastic bullets - according to a police report into the August riots.

The Metropolitan Police force is also considering whether to buy water cannon to deal with any large-scale disorder. The use of CCTV with facial recognition could also be stepped up.
Extra public order powers might also be requested from the government.
The report lists 10 main findings on the disorder from 6 to 9 August.
'Level of tension' Water cannon would cost £1.3m each, the Met said, and based on the experience of Northern Ireland three units would be needed.
During the three days of violence, looting and fires there was some criticism of how the authorities handled the situation.
Among the eight main responses in the report, the force also recommended training specialists to deal with fast-developing intelligence and "professionalising" the police use of social media.

London riot prosecutions

More than 150,000 hours of CCTV footage still to be viewed
Over 3,000 arrests made
Over 2,000 charges made
729 cases completed at court

Source: The Met

The force said that the violence which erupted in 22 of the 32 boroughs overseen by the Met was either spontaneous or there was "a level of tension" not picked up by community engagement.

Violence began after the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Mark Duggan by police in Tottenham on 4 August.
The police report said "intelligence-gathering systems could not cope with the scale and speed of the spread of the disorder".
It also found there were not enough officers and they did not arrive quickly enough to deal with the disorder.
Tactical options About 3,000 officers were deployed on the first night of violence on 6 August - plus 380 public-order officers in Tottenham and the rest of Haringey borough.
By 7 August that number had risen to nearly 4,300, while about 6,000 were on the streets on 8 August.
According to the report, baton rounds were made available during the riots but they were not used due to the "agility" of the disorder and the availability of other tactical options.
The report said the Met had increased the number of officers trained to work with "Kestral" teams - officers deployed with baton rounds - and further expansion had also been considered.
The first part of the report was released on 24 October.
The full report will be published at the end of December but the force said changes were being made as they were identified.

taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15957872

Britain expels Iranian diplomats and closes Tehran embassy

The foreign secretary, William Hague, has ordered the expulsion of Iranian diplomats from the UK and announced that the UK is closing its embassy in Tehran, saying that the storming of the mission on Tuesday had the backing of the regime.
Hague said Iranian diplomats would have to leave Britain within 48 hours, and that all British embassy staff in Tehran had now left Iran.
He said that the move would not mean the severance of all ties, as the two countries could continue to have a dialogue at international meetings, as the US has done since the seizure and closure of its embassy in 1979, but the move marks a new low in relations, which have been growing increasingly strained.
The foreign secretary said it was not possible to maintain an embassy in the current circumstances, adding that the estimated 200 protesters who invaded the embassy and the British diplomatic compound yesterday were "student basij militia". The basiji operate as a youth wing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, one of the most powerful institutions in the country.
Hague said it would be "fanciful" to think that the embassy invasion could have taken place without "without some degree of regime consent".
He added: "If any country makes it impossible for us to operate on their soil they cannot expect to have a functioning embassy here."
Iranian diplomats in London refused to comment on the announcement.
Foreign Office sources said the foreign secretary had made his statement minutes after he received confirmation that the 26 British embassy staff had taken off from Tehran, heading for Britain.
The announcement had been delayed until then for fear "there would be some nutso backlash against our people", the source said.
The fleeing diplomats left the Iranian capital with whatever possessions they could salvage from their homes after the British residential compound in northern Tehran had been completely ransacked, an official said.
"The residential accommodation had been comprehensively trashed. The mob had gone through houses and apartments, wrecking them, nicking things. It was like a gang of feral street kids had been given license to do as much damage as possible," he said.
The crowd had also set fire to the first floor of the embassy, the official said, causing extensive damage. The only staff left at the embassy and the residential compound will be local security staff, who will be asked to prevent the buildings becoming "a playground for local youths".
In the next few days a decision will be made on which country's embassy could act as a UK interests section. In previous low points in UK-Iran relations the Swedes have played that role, but no decision has yet been made.
Hague will now go to Brussels for an EU foreign ministers' meeting looking for support, and for other capitals to call in resident ambassadors to complain.
The message, as one official put it, would be: "If you let your thugs destroy our embassy and assault or scare our staff, you cannot expect to maintain normal civilised relations with the rest of the world."
Earlier on Wednesday, Norway temporarily closed its embassy in Tehran, citing security concerns, and Sweden summoned Iran's ambassador to Stockholm to its foreign ministry. "Iran has a duty to protect diplomatic premises, and authorities there should have intervened immediately," said a Swedish foreign ministry spokesman.
The Scandinavian countries' reactions follow outspoken condemnation of the attack from the US and France. The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said: "The United States condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms. It is an affront not only to the British people but also the international community," she said.
In Iran the attack on the embassy has prompted mixed reactions even among the supporters of the regime. The Iranian foreign ministry last night expressed regret over the "unacceptable behaviour by [a] few demonstrators" and promised an investigation.
But Ali Larijani, the country's powerful parliamentary speaker, told MPs on Wednesday that the attack was the result of "several decades of domination-seeking behaviour of Britain".
Larijani also criticised the UN security council for condemning Tuesday's incident.
"The hasty move in the security council in condemning the students' action was done to cover up previous crimes of Britain and the United States," the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Larijani as saying during an open session at Iran's parliament.
In contrast , the Iranian foreign ministry said it was committed to protecting diplomatic personnel and said a thorough investigation would be launched.
In Tehran the episode has been seen as the latest episode in an extraordinary power struggle between the conservatives in parliament and the judiciary on one side, and the government of the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on the other.
Pro-Ahmadinejad supporters have interpreted the recent events as an attempt to hamper the government's efforts to reduce tensions with the international community and undermine the government's foreign policy.
Iranian state agencies, meanwhile, tried to depict Tuesday's events as an spontaneous protest by "university students" and attempted to distance the establishment from the attack.

by Julian Borger and Saeed Kamali Dehghan taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/30/britain-expels-iranian-diplomats-tehran

S&P Downgrades Dozens of Global Banks

Standard & Poor’s on Tuesday cut its credit ratings for many of the world’s largest banks, including Citigroup (NYSE: C), Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC).
The move follows S&P’s shift, announced earlier this month, in the methods it uses for rating the banks.
Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America Corp. each had their long-term credit rating downgraded a single notch to A- from A. Similar cuts were applied to JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS).
Dozens of other banks were also affected by S&P’s new criteria and many of the downgrades stemmed from the affected banks’ exposure to the European debt crisis. S&P cited weaker confidence in governments' ability to bail out struggling banks.
The new criteria for rating banks comes in the wake of criticism leveled at all three major rating firms – Moody’s and Fitch’s are the other two -- that they rubber stamped their highest ratings on investment products loaded with subprime mortgages in the years leading up to the financial crisis.
Congress has considered reforming ratings system to remove perceived conflicts of interest.
S&P alerted the markets and the banks of the pending changes in March 2010 and again in January 2011. Analysts praised the ratings firms for their communication with affected banks as the new criteria was being established.
British banks that also saw downgrades include Barclays, HSBC Holdings, Lloyds Banking Group and The Royal Bank of Scotland.
However, due to the complexity of the new criteria, ratings for several big European banks, including Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, ING and Societe Generale remained unchanged despite the ongoing debt crisis there.

By Dunstan Prial taken from http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2011/11/29/sp-downgrades-dozens-global-banks/

North Korea claims nuclear plant progress

North Korea says it is making rapid progress on work to enrich uranium and build a light-water nuclear power plant, increasing worries that the country is developing another way to make atomic weapons.
Pyongyang's foreign ministry said in a statement that the construction of an experimental light-water reactor and low enriched uranium were "progressing apace".
It added that North Korea had a sovereign right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and that "neither concession nor compromise should be allowed".
Concerns about North Korea's atomic capability took on renewed urgency in November 2010 when the country disclosed a uranium enrichment facility that could give it a second route to manufacture nuclear weapons, in addition to its existing plutonium-based programme.
North Korea has been building a light-water reactor at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex since last year. Such a reactor is ostensibly for civilian energy purposes, but it would give the North a reason to enrich uranium. At low levels, uranium can be used in power reactors, but at higher levels it can be used in nuclear bombs.
Earlier this month, North Korean state media said "the day is near at hand" when the reactor will come into operation. Washington has concerns about reported progress on the reactor construction, saying it would violate UN security council resolutions.
The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, speaking to reporters on Wednesday at an international aid forum in the South Korean port city of Busan, did not address the North's statement on uranium. She called the US-South Korean alliance strong and mentioned the recent first anniversary of North Korea's artillery attack on a frontline South Korean island that killed four.
"Let me reaffirm that the United States stands with our ally, and we look to North Korea to take concrete steps that promote peace and stability and denuclearisation," Clinton said.
Five countries, including the US, have been in on-again, off-again talks with North Korea to provide Pyongyang with aid in exchange for disarmament. North Korea pulled out of nuclear disarmament talks in early 2009 in protest at international condemnation of its prohibited long-range rocket test.
In recent months North Korea has repeatedly expressed its willingness to rejoin the talks, and tensions between the Koreas have eased. Diplomats from the Koreas and the UShave had separate nuclear talks, and cultural and religious visits by South Koreans to the North have resumed.
South Korean and US officials, however, have demanded that Pyongyang halt its uranium-enrichment programme, freeze nuclear and missile tests and allow international inspectors back into the country before resuming negotiations.
The North Korean statement on Wednesday accused the U S and its allies of "groundlessly" taking issue with the North's peaceful nuclear activities. They are "deliberately laying a stumbling block in the way of settling the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula through dialogue and negotiations", the statement said.
Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at Dongguk University in Seoul, said the North's statement appeared aimed at applying pressure on Washington and the international community to rejoin the nuclear disarmament talks quickly. "North Korea is expected to step up its rhetoric," he said.

taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/30/north-korea-nuclear-plant-progress

EU takes hardline stance at UN climate talks

Europe is taking the toughest negotiating stand it has ever adopted on global warming at this week's UN climate talks in Durban, departing from decades of "dovish" practice by insisting stiff conditions must be met by China and other major developing countries if there is to be any global climate treaty.
The hardline stance has already caused consternation among developing countries at the talks, and the discord threatens the future of the Kyoto protocol. But the bloc is determined not to back down, as officials are angry that the EU's goodwill on climate change has been taken for granted.
"It's very important that other major economies join the effort – it would not make sense for only the EU to take on a second commitment under the Kyoto protocol," Poland's under-secretary of state for the environment, Joanna Mackowiak-Pandera, told the Guardian. Poland is in a key position at this year's talks – as holder of the revolving EU presidency, its ministers lead the bloc's delegation. They have led the sea-change in Europe's public attitude, which marks the biggest shift in stance in nearly 20 years of climate talks.
Pandera added: "We already have challenging, ambitious targets, so I think it's crucial that others also enter into the Kyoto protocol, which I know will not be easy."
At stake is the survival of the Kyoto protocol, the only international treaty stipulating emissions cuts, as the EU represents the last hope of any major developed countries signing up to a continuation when its current provisions expire in 2012. Although developing countries are insisting on a "second commitment period" that would run until 2020, Europe's major partners in Kyoto – Japan, Russia and Canada – have abandoned the accord, and the US has ruled out signing up.
That leaves Europe in a head-to-head battle with emerging economies – chiefly China, but also India, Brazil and the hosts South Africa – over what conditions the latter group must fulfil if there is to be a continuation of the totemic treaty.
China has proposed that developed countries should take on international legally binding commitments to cut emissions, but that developing countries should be allowed to submit weaker plans lacking the same legal force - they would be voluntary, or binding only at a national level. That idea is backed by India, which is adamant that it will only take on emissions-cutting targets on a voluntary basis, without committing to a legal instrument.
But Europe's negotiators now want much more. The Polish presidency is leading a group of member states that want to ensure the conditions for a second commitment period include firm commitments to "legal parallelism" – the principle that if the EU signs up to an international legally binding treaty, developing countries must do the same.
"Different countries have different opinions, but in my view they should ratify a new agreement in a legally binding international form," said Pandera. "It should have international legally binding status, not just national plans as national laws can be changed easily. Our view is that taking an international agreement will be much stronger and changes could be agreed only with other parties."
Europe's new stance is all the more remarkable because virtually since the beginning of the 20-year talks it has been seen as the leading "dove", seeking to smooth over deep differences between the rich and poor world, trying to draw the US back into the negotiations under the presidency of George W Bush, and offering billions of euros of financial inducements to developing countries. The bloc has the toughest carbon targets in the world, with a pledge of 20% cuts in emissions compared with 1990 levels by 2020, and an offer to increase that to 30% cuts if other countries join in.
On Wednesday, China's leading climate negotiator, Su Wei told China Daily that he regards Kyoto as a "cornerstone" of the climate talks. "I think EU is just shifting the goalpost from one place to another," Su said. "This is actually not an efficient way to do things, because we need to accomplish the goals one by one."
"But since EU is the group of countries who would seriously consider a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, developing countries are also open and ready to talk to them about how to address that issue," said Su.
The change in tone from Europe at this year's talks is partly down to the Polish presidency. Poland has been notably hardline in opposing stiffer emissions cuts, in part owing to its heavily coal-dependent economy, and there is a degree of climate scepticism among prominent Polish politicians.
But the change also reflects anger among member states and EU officials at the reception given to Europe's proposals, and the waning power that the EU has wielded at the long-running talks as other nations have taken its dovish stance for granted. At the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009, the EU was pointedly left out of last-minute negotiations to forge a partial agreement, and officials were visibly flummoxed when the US led China, Brazil, India and South Africa in proclaiming a deal had been done without Europe.
The EU has also been stung by criticism from developing countries that it is not moving fast enough, and the hardline stance is in part a reaction to that. As officials privately point out, the EU's member states have offered to do more than any other rich nation. By contrast, Japan is seeking to water down its existing emissions-cutting targets, and the US has been actively blocking the ability of the green climate fund to disburse money to poor nations.
"Look at the US – what are they doing? Look at the other developed countries. No one is focusing on them, it's all about criticising Europe but we have done the most," said one official.

by Fiona Harvey taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/30/europe-hardline-un-climate-talks

Investigators Believe Single Serial Killer Behind Gilgo Beach Bodies

Police on Long Island now believe a single serial killer may be responsible for the 10 bodies found along a deserted oceanside highway, shifting their theory away from multiple killers as they previously believed.

Police also don't believe the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert is connected to the killings.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer told NBC New York Tuesday that police now think a single person is behind the deaths of the human remains found on Gilgo Beach, most of them in the last year.

Most were young women, but one body was a child and another was a man.

"The common denominators that we have now indicate that it's possibly one killer," Dormer said in a phone interview. "We've had the same dumping ground, sex workers, young women -- even though there were the Asian male and the toddler -- but we think they were connected to the sex trade in some way. And these common denominators indicate we have the one person committing these crimes."

Multimedia

Gilgo Beach Bones Mystery Grows

Newsday also reported that Dormer doesn't think the death of Gilbert, a sex worker who was seen frantically running from a house in Oak Beach early May 2010, is connected. Her body has not been found.

"We believe that it's just a coincidence that she went missing in Oak Beach and the bodies were found on Gilgo Beach, which is right across Ocean Parkway and farther west," he told Newsday. "The M.O. is completely different, the scenario is completely different."

But Dormer acknowledged the fear there will be new victims. "That's why we are moving as fast as we possibly can to apprehend this person," he told the paper.

In the interview with NBC New York, he added that another initial theory that the killer worked in law enforcement has been "debunked."

"It's not unusual for people to be very familiar with how police conduct investigations, and how criminals try to evade capture," Dormer said. "That came up early in the investigation, but it's not credible at this time."

Between December 2010 and April of this year, the remains of eight women, a male and a female toddler were found dumped along a stretch of Ocean Parkway. Five of the women were identified and found to have been working prostitutes.

Among the remains still unidentified are the toddler and a woman believed to be her mother, and the man, also believed to be a sex worker.

Initially, police said there could be as many as three killers behind the bodies, all using the brush along the parkway as a dumping ground.

But, Dormer told NBC New York Tuesday, police now believe one killer is behind the dumped bodies, though even "that could change" as the investigation moves forward.

Detectives also believe the killer is from Long Island.

"The person has got to be comfortable with the locations," Dormer said, citing the long distances between Manorville and Gilgo Beach, and from Davis Park to Gilgo Beach. "That's the theory, that it's a Long Islander."

"That's a huge distance, so somebody has to be familiar with the Long Island area and comfortable with that area," Dormer said.

Dormer said the case remains "high priority," and that police are "still actively investigating this."

taken from http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Gilgo-Beach-Serial-Killer-Investigation-Theory-Changes-Shannan-Gilbert-134724808.html

Man Sues Couple He Took Hostage

Can there be no trust between a kidnapper and his hostages?
A man who held a Kansas couple hostage in their home while fleeing from authorities is suing them, claiming that they broke an oral contract made when he promised them money in exchange for hiding him from police. The couple has asked a judge to dismiss the suit.Jesse Dimmick of suburban Denver is serving an 11-year sentence after bursting into Jared and Lindsay Rowley's Topeka-area home in September 2009. He was wanted for questioning in the beating death of a Colorado man and a chase had begun in in Geary County.The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that Dimmick filed a breach of contract suit in Shawnee County District Court, in response to a suit the Rowleys filed in September seeking $75,000 from him for intruding in their home and causing emotional stress.Dimmick contends that he told the couple he was being chased by someone, most likely the police, who wanted to kill him."I, the defendant, asked the Rowleys to hide me because I feared for my life. I offered the Rowleys an unspecified amount of money which they agreed upon, therefore forging a legally binding oral contract," Dimmick said in his hand-written court documents. He wants $235,000, in part to pay for the hospital bills that resulted from him being shot by police when they arrested him.Neighbors have said that the couple fed Dimmick snacks and watched movies with him until he fell asleep and they were able to escape their home unharmed.

Click Like For News Updates:

Dimmick was convicted in May 2010 of four felonies, including two counts of kidnapping. He was sentenced to 10 years and 11 months on those charges. He was later sent to a jail in Brighton, Colo., where he is being held on eight charges, including murder, in connection of with the killing of Michael Curtis in September 2009. A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 16. No plea has been entered in the case.Robert E. Keeshan, an attorney for the Rowleys, filed a motion denying that there was a contract, but said if there was it would not have been binding anyway."In order for parties to form a binding contract, there must be a meeting of the minds on all essential terms, including and most specifically, an agreement on the price," he wrote.Keeshan said the contract also would have been invalid because the couple agreed to let Dimmick in the home only because they knew he had a knife and suspected he might have a gun.

taken from http://www.kmbc.com/news/29882156/detail.html#ixzz1fCcZxvmn

How do you assess a killer's mental health?

Self-confessed mass killer Anders Behring Breivik is more likely to be detained in a mental institute rather than prison, after psychiatrists in Norway declared him psychotic. How is this kind of assessment carried out?

Breivik, who admits killing 77 people and injuring 151 others in July, has been declared a paranoid schizophrenic after months of assessment.
A report by two court-appointed psychiatrists says he was psychotic at the time of the shootings and in subsequent interviews. Their findings must now be reviewed by a panel from the Norwegian Board of Forensic Medicine.
If approved, it could mean he is detained indefinitely in a psychiatric hospital and will not stand trial.
So how are such assessments made? And how accurate can they really be?
Professor Tarjei Rygnestad, who heads the Norwegian Board of Forensic Medicine that will assess the report on Breivik, says psychiatrists use extensive interviews, and relevant information from other agencies like the police, to evaluate the mental state of the accused.
"They talk about not only the incident but also the time leading up to the incident and afterwards. What happened? Was he in some way displaying psychotic symptoms, hearing voices leading him? Was he on drugs?"

The answer

Psychiatrists conduct extensive interviews
They are trained to identify symptoms of psychosis
People accused of a murder have to prove they did not know that killing was wrong at the time
They are also assessed around the clock
Experts say it's very hard to fool the professionals, but possible

Norway killer is declared insane

They are looking for genuine psychotic symptoms or signs of a reduced level of consciousness, he says.

"If he is considered legally psychotic and been medically diagnosed as such, the accused will not be brought to the court for a criminal case. He will be sentenced to a high-security psychiatric unit.
"The principle [upheld here] is that he had no conscious choice of action due to his psychotic illness, he had no consciousness to choose."
Being psychotic can limit your ability to perform a task, he says, but not always. And while meticulous preparations such as those made by Breivik might suggest a sane mind, it doesn't necessarily rule out psychosis.
"Is he faking or not? This is always born in mind. Always, always. Especially in forensic psychiatry because if he can fake psychosis he won't be sentenced. So this is a crucial point but I think it's difficult because these are experienced psychiatrists."

Famous insanity cases in US

John Hinckley, Jr (above): Still in psychiatric care after trying to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, acquitted due to reason of insanity
Jeffrey L Dahmer: Murdered 17 men and boys, and failed in attempts to plead insanity
Lorena Bobbit: Cut off her husband's penis, found not guilty due to insanity
Ted Kaczynski: So-called Unabomber was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic but still stood trial and convicted on 10 counts

In the US, Jared Loughner, the man accused of shooting congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and killing six others, is being held in a mental health facility while doctors assess whether he is able to stand trial.

There is an insanity defence in the US, based on the M'Nachten Rules that originated in the UK, although some states have abolished it.
It requires defendants to show they were unable to tell right from wrong at the time of the offence. The standard is tough to meet and experts say it features in only 1% of cases, and is only successful in 0.3%.
"It's a tiny number of people," says Mark Heyrman, a professor of law in Chicago with a speciality in mental health. "Probably only a couple of hundred people in a year and we have hundreds of thousands of felony prosecutions each year."
The so-called Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, who conducted a deadly nail bombing campaign over 20 years, was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic but still declared competent to stand trial, and convicted in 1996.

The Hinckley effect

It became harder to successfully plead insanity after Hinckley case in 1982 caused outrage
Prosecutors no longer had to prove defendant sane, but accused must prove insanity
So the defendant bears the burden of proof
To be insane, accused must be unable to tell right from wrong
So even if everyone agreed a crime was caused by a mental illness, if the accused knew it to be wrong he can't be acquitted due to insanity

Source: Prof Mark Heyrman, Univ of Chicago

In the UK, there is a pre-trial assessment of whether someone is fit to plead, and then there are two possible defences at a trial for someone who is mentally ill - insanity, which is very rare, and diminished responsibility, which is more common.

A team of mental health professionals - psychiatrists, psychologists, nursing staff and occupational therapists - take part in assessments, says Professor Simone Fox at the University of London's psychology department. It's not just the interviews - the nature of which should remain secret, she says - but the round-the-clock monitoring and medical history that play a part.
"How are they presenting on the ward? What are they like at night-time? What are they saying? It's to see if there's a consistent picture, because what they are saying at interview could be for the sake of a trial. You would have to be very good to fool everyone."
Richard Charlton, chairman of the Mental Health Lawyers Association in the UK, says he has represented people who have killed other people believing they are saving them from the devil, but courts have not found them to be insane.

WHO, WHAT, WHY?

A part of BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? aims to answer questions behind the headlines

If they knew that killing was wrong, even if God told them to do it, then that's not enough to give them a defence of insanity although it might be sufficient to give them a diminished responsibility defence, he says.

Insanity requires a higher test, and one example might be someone who threw a baby on to a fire in the belief that the baby was a piece of wood and not a baby.
In 20 years, Mr Charlton says there have been only a handful of people who may have faked mental illness. But psychiatric detention is not always desirable.
"When you're locked up in hospital, you don't have any end date. The care is better than in prison but it's not a soft option."

taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15928316

Engineers pioneer use of 3D printer to create new bones

A 3D printer is being used to create "bone-like" material which researchers claim can be used to repair injuries.

The engineers say the substance can be added to damaged natural bone where it acts as a scaffold for new cells to grow.
It ultimately dissolves with "no apparent ill-effects", the team adds.
The researchers say doctors should be able to use the process to custom-order replacement bone tissue in a few years time.
Prof Susmita Bose helped carry out the work at Washington State University and co-authored a report in the Dental Materials journal.
"You can use the bone-like ceramic powder as a feed material and it can make whatever you draw on the computer," she says.
"It is mostly [suitable for] low load bearing applications. However, what we are trying to develop is the controlled degradation... of these scaffolds where as the scaffold dissolves in the body the bone tissue grows over it."
Binder Prof Bose's team have spent four years developing the bone-like substance.

Prof Bose hopes the material will be used for orthopaedic and dental work

Their breakthrough came when they discovered a way to double the strength of the main ceramic powder - calcium phosphate - by adding silica and zinc oxide.
To create the scaffold shapes they customised a printer which had originally been designed to make three-dimensional metal objects.
It sprayed a plastic binder over the loose powder in layers half as thick as the width of a human hair.
The process was repeated layer by layer until completed, at which point the scaffold was dried, cleaned and then baked for two hours at 1250C (2282F).
Repairs Tests carried on immature foetal bone cells in the laboratory found that new bone cells started growing over the scaffold within the first week of it being attached.
The team say they have also had promising results from tests involving live rabbits and rats.
"The way I envision it is that 10 to 20 years down the line, physicians and surgeons should be able to use these bone scaffolds along with some bone growth factors, whether it is for jaw bone fixation or spinal fusion fixation," says Dr Bose.
This is not the first time that orthopaedic experts have investigated the use of 3D printers.
Earlier this year a surgical trainee at Scotland's Monklands hospital detailed a technique to produce bone replicas using the technology.
Mark Frame suggested using a CAT scanner to produce images of damaged bones.
He said the data could then be fed into a 3D printer to create a model to help doctors plan their surgery.
He said the process cost about a tenth of traditional techniques.

taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15963467

Movers, deputies refuse to evict 103-year-old woman

A 103-year-old woman and her 83-year-old daughter were just moments from being evicted from their home Tuesday, when sheriff's deputies and the moving company hired by the bank decided not to go through with the action.

Channel 2's Ryan Young was there when the family started thanking God for the miracle.

At justthree weeks shy of her 104th birthday, Vita Lee has shared her home on Penelope Road in Northwest Atlanta with her daughter for 53 years.

"I love it. It's a mansion," Lee said about her house.

Fulton County sheriff's deputies and movers showed up at Lee's home Tuesday after Deutsche Bank planned to kick the two women out.

The moving company and the deputies took one look at Lee and decided that would not happen.

"I saw the sheriffs, who came to put them out, take off and leave. I gave all glory to God," community activist Michael Langford said.

"This family has been waging a war against Deutsche Bank," community activist Derrick Boezeman said.

Channel 2's Ryan Young asked Lee is she was worried about being kicked out of the home.

"No, I knew that they know what they were doing. God don't let them do wrong," Lee said.

The house and case have been in the court system for years. Possible eviction seemed too much for Lee's daughter Tuesday. She was rushed to the hospital.

"Please don't come in and disturb me no more. When I'm gone you all can come back and do whatever they want to," Lee said.

For now, Lee remains in the home. She is hopeful things can be worked out with the bank.

By Ryan Young taken from http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/movers-sheriffs-deputies-refuse-evict-103-year-old/nFp4Q/

Man accidentally gives away life savings hidden away in donated suit

There's a cynical old saying that "no good deed goes unpunished." That adage has proved true for an elderly Illinois man who accidentally gave away his entire life savings when making a clothing donation to his local Goodwill.
The 80-year-old man, who didn't trust banks, had kept his life savings of $13,000 sewn inside the lining of one of his suits. He is currently appealing for the money's return so that he can care for his wife, who has Stage 4 cancer.

Goodwill spokeswoman Dana Engelbert said the charity has searched the Moline store where the man made his donation but could not find the suit in question. "We're sorting through the donations that came in at the time," Engelbert explained. Goodwill employees are also searching through bins of donated clothes transported from the Moline facility to a regional warehouse in Iowa City.
"We're hoping it's still there and we can find it for them," Engelbert said, "It's their life savings. It's important."
The man's daughter, who says he is remaining anonymous because he is "devastated and embarrassed" by the story, is offering a $1,000 reward for the suit's new owner to return the cash.

By Eric Pfeiffer taken from http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/man-accidentally-gives-away-life-savings-hidden-away-165333331.html

'Anglo Avenger' ordered by court to halt Achill Stonehenge

THIS is the large Stonehenge-type structure that the property developer who drove a truck at Leinster House has been ordered to stop building.
Joe McNamara (41) came to prominence last year when he drove a cement lorry with the words 'toxic bank' and 'Anglo' up to the gates of Leinster House.
He was acquitted of charges of criminal damage and dangerous driving over the incident.
But the so-called 'Anglo Avenger' will be back in court on Friday after the structure -- 4.5 metres high and 30 metres in diameter -- appeared on an Achill hilltop over the weekend.
On Monday, following an application by Mayo County Council, Mr McNamara, with addresses at Achill Head Hotel, Pollagh, Keel, Achill Island and Salthill, Co Galway, gave an undertaking at the High Court he would comply with a court order requiring him to cease the construction work in Achill.
The council intends to bring further proceedings against Mr McNamara.
The matter has been referred to a High Court sitting this Friday.
The enormous circular structure, located on commonage land above Pollagh, was erected at speed. Mr McNamara refused to comment on the development. However, it is believed 'Achill-henge' was built to synchronise with the summer and winter solstices.
Mr McNamara famously drove a cement lorry with the words 'Toxic Bank' and 'Anglo' painted on its side, to the gates of Leinster House in September 2010.
He escaped censure for that incident and two other protests he staged.
The property developer is understood to owe a significant seven-figure sum to Anglo.

By Edwin McGreal taken from http://www.independent.ie/national-news/anglo-avenger-ordered-by-court-to-halt-achill-stonehenge-2949425.html?start=1

Monday, 28 November 2011

OECD warns of European recession

The OECD has warned that the eurozone and UK could be entering a recession, and has cut its global growth forecast.

The OECD predicted the eurozone economy would shrink in the fourth quarter by 1%, and by 0.4% in the first quarter of next year.
For the UK, the OECD's predictions are a 0.03% contraction this quarter, and a further 0.15% next.
The group also revised down its forecast for global economic growth to 3.8% this year and 3.4% next year.
Events A "negative event" in the eurozone, such as a default by Italy or Spain, could even cause a global contraction, the OECD said.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development represents wealthy countries such as those within the eurozone, the US and Japan.
"More than usual, world economic prospects depend on events," it warned.
In the absence of such an event, the OECD's Economic Outlook predicted positive growth in the eurozone for 2012 as a whole of 0.2%, despite a shallow recession in the period September 2011 to March 2012.

Pier Carlo Padoan, chief economist of the OECD, warned of European recession

It recommended the European Central Bank should cut rates and increase its purchases of government bonds in order to to limit the cost of borrowing for governments.
"What we see now is contagion rising and hitting probably Germany as well," said OECD chief economist Pier Carlo Padoan
"So the first thing, the absolute priority, is to stop that and in the immediate the only actor that can do that is the ECB," he added.
In the UK, growth is predicted to be faster than the eurozone next year, at 0.5%, the OECD said.
UK risks The Paris based group also predicted rising unemployment in the UK, with the jobless rate increasing from 8.1% in 2011 to 9.1% by 2013 even as the economy recovers.
Whilst supporting plans to cut the deficit, the report recommended that the Bank of England should increase further its quantitative easing programme to a total of £400bn to increase the flow of credit to the economy.

“Start Quote

The OECD has been largely wrong in the past few years, but in this they agree with many private forecasters - and the likes of the ECB, which has also suggested that the eurozone is likely to slip into recession”

End Quote

Stephanie Flanders Economics editor

stephan

Read more from Stephanie

The government said the low growth forecast was the result of the eurozone crisis.

"It's very clear that as an open economy, we are going to be affected by what happens on our doorstep, in the eurozone," said a spokesperson.
The opposition called on the government to slow down its cuts to the deficit.
"We need action and a change of course now to boost jobs and growth and get the deficit down in a balanced way," said the shadow chancellor, Ed Balls.
Seeking growth The OECD warned that a further deterioration in the UK economy could require changes in policy.
"Short-term fiscal support would be warranted, for example by easing up on the planned cuts in public investment, temporarily slowing consolidation," it said.
Another economic forecast is expected tomorrow from the government's independent Office of Budget Responsibility.
Economists have warned there are currently few reasons to be optimistic about the UK economy.

OECD growth forecasts

	2011	2012
US	1.7%	2.0%
Japan	-0.3%	2.0%
Germany	3.0%	0.6%
Britain	0.9%	0.5%
France	1.6%	0.3%
Italy	0.7%	-0.5%
Spain	0.7%	0.3%

"It is hard to see where any growth next year will come from," said David Tinsley, UK economist at BNP Paribas.

Trade slowdown In the US, the economy is expected to continue to grow by 1.7% this year and 2% in 2012.
However, a failure by the US Congress to agree a more balanced way to cut the federal government's deficit could also see the US economy shrinking, the OECD warned, as in the absence of a deal harsh government spending cuts and tax rises are due to take place over the next 15 months.
"Much tighter fiscal tightening in the US could tip the US economy into a recession that monetary policy can do little to prevent," it warned.
Global trade growth is also slowing according to the group.
Trade will have risen by 6.7% by the end of this year, it predicted, but will slow to 4.8% during 2012.
"International trade growth has weakened significantly. Contrary to what was expected earlier this year, the global economy is not out of the woods," the report warned.
The OECD did, however, predict a pick-up in Japan's economy, following this year's earthquake and tsunami.
It said Japan would grow by 2% in 2012, after a contraction of 0.3% in 2011.

taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15915627

Occupy London sets out agenda on how it wants to change the economic world

The Occupy London movement has agreed its first specific set of proposals about corporations, just over six weeks since it first set up camp outside St Paul's cathedral to campaign against the perceived excesses and injustices of the global financial system.
While the protest has gathered considerable publicity and expanded to three sites – as well as St Paul's, there are offshoot camps in Finsbury Square, further east, and inside a vacant office complex nearby owned by the Swiss bank USB – it has faced criticism about a lack of concrete demands. Agreeing these has proved a complicated process, as all decision are reached by consensus at mass meetings.
The first policy statement on corporations calls for an end to tax havens and tax avoidance, more transparency over business lobbying, and legal reforms to make individual executives more liable for the consequences of their decisions.
"Globally, corporations deprive the public purse of hundreds of billions of pounds each year, leaving insufficient funds to provide people with fair living standards. We must abolish tax havens and complex tax avoidance schemes, and ensure corporations pay tax that accurately reflects their real profits," the statement said.
On lobbying, it calls for laws to ensure "full and public transparency of all corporate lobbying activities". Finally, the statement argues that executives must be "personally liable for their role in the misdeeds of their corporations and duly charged for all criminal behaviour".
Soon after the first camp was set up on the western edge of St Paul's, after police prevented activists basing themselves near the headquarters of the London Stock Exchange, the group issued general proposals, calling the current economic system "unsustainable" and opposing public spending cuts. The only other such statement called for more transparency and democracy within the Corporation of London, the governing authority within the City district, which owns some of the land adjoining St Paul's and which is taking legal action to evict the campers.
"From the moment the Occupy London Stock Exchange occupation started, in the full glare of the media and in the court of public opinion, we have continually been asked, 'What do you want?' "What are your demands?'" said Jamie Kelsey, a member of the corporations policy group.
"We are calling time on a system where corporates and their employees pursue profit at all costs. Just as corporates have played their role in the iniquities of the current system, they are also part of the solution and we invite them to join this important conversation."

by Peter Walker taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/28/occupy-london-policy-vision-corporations

Iran: We'll fire 150,000 missiles at Israel if attacked

Iranian Defense Minister General Ahmad Vahidi said Israel would be attacked with 150,000 missiles if it launches any military action against the Islamic Republic, the Iran Independent News Service reported Sunday.

Speaking before 50,000 army volunteers in Bushehr, the minister said "Iran is not Iraq or Afghanistan, if the Americans make the mistake and attack Iran, we will show them how to fight,” adding “Israel has to be punished for what it has done to the Muslims in Palestine and Lebanon."

However, according to Iranian news outlets Vahidi did not specify if the missiles would be fired from Iran or other locations.

On Saturday a senior commander of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said the country would target NATO's missile defense shield in Turkey if the US or Israel attacks the Islamic Republic.

Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Guards' aerospace division, was quoted by the semi-official Mehr news agency as saying the warning is part of a new defense strategy to counter what it sees as an increase in threats from the US and Israel.

taken from http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4153840,00.html

Senate Moves To Allow Military To Intern Americans Without Trial

The Senate is set to vote on a bill today that would define the whole of the United States as a “battlefield” and allow the U.S. Military to arrest American citizens in their own back yard without charge or trial.

“The Senate is going to vote on whether Congress will give this president—and every future president — the power to order the military to pick up and imprison without charge or trial civilians anywhere in the world. The power is so broad that even U.S. citizens could be swept up by the military and the military could be used far from any battlefield, even within the United States itself,” writes Chris Anders of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office.

Under the ‘worldwide indefinite detention without charge or trial’ provision of S.1867, the National Defense Authorization Act bill, which is set to be up for a vote on the Senate floor this week, the legislation will “basically say in law for the first time that the homeland is part of the battlefield,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who supports the bill.

The bill was drafted in secret by Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), before being passed in a closed-door committee meeting without any kind of hearing. The language appears in sections 1031 and 1032 of the NDAA bill.

“I would also point out that these provisions raise serious questions as to who we are as a society and what our Constitution seeks to protect,” Colorado Senator Mark Udall said in a speech last week. One section of these provisions, section 1031, would be interpreted as allowing the military to capture and indefinitely detain American citizens on U.S. soil. Section 1031 essentially repeals the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 by authorizing the U.S. military to perform law enforcement functions on American soil. That alone should alarm my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, but there are other problems with these provisions that must be resolved.

This means Americans could be declared domestic terrorists and thrown in a military brig with no recourse whatsoever. Given that the Department of Homeland Security has characterized behavior such as buying gold, owning guns, using a watch or binoculars, donating to charity, using the telephone or email to find information, using cash, and all manner of mundane behaviors as potential indicators of domestic terrorism, such a provision would be wide open to abuse.

“American citizens and people picked up on American or Canadian or British streets being sent to military prisons indefinitely without even being charged with a crime. Really? Does anyone think this is a good idea? And why now?” asks Anders.

The ACLU is urging citizens to call their Senator and demand that the Udall Amendment be added to the bill, a change that would at least act as a check to prevent Americans being snatched off the streets without some form of Congressional oversight.

We have been warning for over a decade that Americans would become the target of laws supposedly aimed at terrorists and enemy combatants. Alex Jones personally documented how U.S. troops were being trained to arrest U.S. citizens in the event of martial law during urban warfare training drills back in the 90′s. Under the the National Defense Authorization Act bill, no declaration of martial law is necessary since Americans would now be subject to the same treatment as suspected insurgents in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.

If you thought that the executive assassination of American citizens abroad was bad enough, now similar powers will be extended to the “homeland,” in other words, your town, your community, your back yard.

by Paul Joseph Watson taken from http://www.infowars.com/senate-moves-to-allow-military-to-intern-americans-without-trial/

Syria troops have killed more than 250 children, UN report finds

A UN investigation has found that Syrian troops have killed hundreds of children and committed other crimes against humanity since the crackdown by Bashar al-Assad's government began in March.
A panel of independent experts said at least 256 children had been killed by government forces as of early November, and that some boys had been sexually abused.
One military defector told researchers that he had witnessing the shooting of a two-year-old girl by an officer who said that he did not want her to grow into a demonstrator.
The panel's report to the UN Human Rights Council said government forces had used excessive force and shot indiscriminately at unarmed protesters while snipers had aimed at the upper body and head of their targets.
The report, released on Monday, said Syrian security forces along with other militias had been given shoot-to-kill orders to crush demonstrations.

taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/28/syria-troops-kill-children-un-report