No terror attack over holidays proves one of two things

Do miracles really happen? Jesus turned water into wine, but do the spooks that staff the hierarchies of the British and American intelligence establishment possess the same divine powers? Or were they simply lying again when it was sternly reported that only a “miracle” would prevent London from being attacked by terrorists over the holiday period?

British Home Secretary John Reid, former hardcore Stalinist, member of the Scottish Communist Party and an alcoholic bully with a penchant for thumping people in the face, reiterated the threat that it was “highly likely” that terrorists would attempt an attack before the first of the year.

“It will be a miracle if there isn’t a terror attack over the holidays in London,” a senior American law enforcement official told ABCNews.com on December 21st.

By that logic, the fact that a terror attack did not happen proves one of two things - that miracles really do happen in the modern world or governments are lying to us about terrorism in order to scare populations into accepting the deliberately engineered drift towards authoritarianism.

Which do you think it is? (more…)

Britons flying to America could have their credit card and email accounts inspected by the United States authorities following a deal struck by Brussels and Washington.

By using a credit card to book a flight, passengers face having other transactions on the card inspected by the American authorities. Providing an email address to an airline could also lead to scrutiny of other messages sent or received on that account.

The extent of the demands were disclosed in “undertakings” given by the US Department of Homeland Security to the European Union and published by the Department for Transport after a Freedom of Information request.

About four million Britons travel to America each year and the released document shows that the US has demanded access to far more data than previously realised.

Not only will such material be available when combating terrorism but the Americans have asserted the right to the same information when dealing with other serious crimes. (more…)

Powers allowing police forces to keep the DNA of people accused of sexual or violent offences have come into force.

The measure will allow the police to store such information on a database, even if there is no conviction.

Currently, DNA must be destroyed if it belongs to an accused of sexual or violent crimes if there is no conviction obtained.

The changes are contained in the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006.

They will allow police to retain DNA samples for up to three years and apply for an extension if deemed necessary. (more…)

In 2007, we should demand that MPs of all parties fight to restore the liberties which have been stolen by this government

An article in the New Scientist has reported that a rhesus monkey named Murph and a bottlenose dolphin called Natua, which lives in a harbour in Florida, have both exhibited a fascinating ability when doing reward-based tests. As well as being able to understand when they answered right or wrong, they learned to signal when they didn’t know something and so avoid the disappointment of being wrong. Like Mastermind contestants, they elected to ‘pass’.

Knowing what you don’t know is a type of abstract thought process called metacognition. A pigeon doesn’t know what it doesn’t know, but Murph and Natua do and that means they are both very intelligent and have a basic requirement for consciousness.

It occurred to me that during 2006, most of us have been exhibiting precisely the opposite to Murph and Natua’s talent. We don’t know what we know. Or, rather, we chose not to know the incontestable and unequivocal truth about the character of this government. Certainly, we know about the sale of peerages, the scandal over the manipulation of legal advice and intelligence before the Iraq war, the constant move to centralise power and authority at the expense of ordinary people and the associated contempt for parliamentary scrutiny. (more…)

John Scarlett, who took responsibility for the error-ridden dossier that justified the war in Iraq, is knighted in today’s New Year’s Honours list. The award will enrage peace campaigners, who have accused the veteran spymaster of saving Tony Blair’s skin over the flawed case for the invasion.

The news came as a British soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Basra yesterday, the 127th to die since the invasion in 2003.

Sir John, the head of MI6, played a key role in the Hutton Inquiry hearings into the death of the weapons expert David Kelly, three years ago. He steadfastly defended the dossier, which contained the notorious claim that Iraq could launch weapons of mass destruction in 45 minutes. And he dismissed accusations he had bowed to pressure to “sex up” the document’s conclusions.

As chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, he told the inquiry he had “overall charge and responsibility” for the dossier.

Sir John allowed last-minute changes that had the effect of strengthening its conclusions, leading Lord Hutton to suggest that he could have been “subconsciously influenced” by his political masters. (more…)

Tony Blair is today accused of “disgraceful hand-washing” in Iraq by a former British Army chief, the latest attack on the Government by an increasingly outspoken military.

General Sir Michael Rose, the former commander of British troops in Bosnia, accuses the Prime Minister of putting British soldiers at “considerable and quite unnecessary risk” in Iraq, in an article for today’s Independent on Sunday.

His remarks follow those of the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, and of the Army’s commander in Iraq, Major General Richard Shirreff.

Maj-Gen Shirreff said on Wednesday that a “generation of underfunding and neglect in political terms” was undermining soldiers’ capacity to protect themselves. His remarks follow those of General Dannatt’s pledge to “stand up for what is right” for the troops.

In his article, Sir Michael says it is “tremendously heartening” for soldiers to see their “present bosses standing up for them”. (more…)

A car bomb exploded at Madrid’s international airport injuring four people on Saturday after an anonymous warning by telephone and a second call claiming it was the work of Basque rebels ETA, Spanish authorities said.

Passengers at the ultra-modern Terminal Four said the departure hall filled with smoke after the explosion in a nearby parking lot which could mark the end of a cease-fire declared by ETA in March after four decades of armed struggle for Basque Country independence.

The bomb exploded at about 9 a.m. (8:00 a.m. British Time), causing minor injuries to four people including two police officers and a taxi driver, emergency services said, and sending a huge pall of smoke over the terminal at Barajas Airport.

While witnesses said they were evacuated after the explosion, authorities received the first warning at about 8 a.m. (7:00 a.m. British Time) after a man with a Basque accent called Basque traffic authorities to warn them of a bomb in a purple Renault Traffic van in a roofed parking area. (more…)

Detectives investigating the murder of Alexander Litvin-enko are trying to trace a Russian businessman who flew to Britain at the same time as a consignment of deadly polonium-210 was allegedly smuggled into London.

The man was spotted on a flight from Hamburg sitting beside Dimtri Kovtun, another Russian whom German police are investigating for trafficking the radioactive material used to poison the former KGB spy.

Officers have studied CCTV footage from airports at Hamburg and London and are understood to believe that the two men were travelling together. However, the mystery figure disappeared after leaving Heathrow with Mr Kovtun. The name he used on the flight and the passport presented to immigration officials does not show up on any hotel register in the capital. It is believed that he met up again with Mr Kovtun in London on November 1, the day Litvinenko fell ill.

Mr Kovtun was one of the last people to see Litvinenko before he collapsed. Scotland Yard will not say if it regards Mr Kovtun as a victim, a witness or a suspect. (more…)

On January 1, 2007, Europe celebrates the fifth anniversary of the launch of euro notes and coins by welcoming a thirteenth member of the eurozone – Slovenia, the tiny former Yugoslav republic. But the eurozone’s geographical expansion is modest in comparison with the rapid growth in euro notes in circulation within the region and beyond.

Earlier this month, the value of euro notes pushed through the €600bn (£402bn; $787bn) level – roughly double the value of the then-national currencies in circulation at the end of 2001. The signs are that in December the currency came of age by overtaking the US dollar in terms of the value of notes in circulation. The figures used for the comparison by the Financial Times include notes held in the vaults of commercial banks but exclude reserves of notes held by central banks.

Slovenia’s small size – its population is just 2m – means that the impact of its entry will be hard to separate from the usual spike in demand for cash around Christmas and New Year, according to Antti Heinonen, head of the European central bank’s bank notes directorate. So what has driven rapid growth in euro notes?

After the 2002 launch, the rate of increase slowed, but has remained at or above 10 per cent a year. The exact reasons are unclear; even central banks do not know where their notes are or for what purposes they are used. (more…)

MIAMI — British Airways blamed poor lighting at Miami International Airport for a commercial jet overshooting a runway with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his family aboard, but airport and federal officials said Wednesday that the lights were fine.

British Airways Flight 209 from London hit some airfield lights after it landed around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, but it did not leave the pavement and it reached the gate under its own power, airport officials said. No injuries were reported.

British Airways spokesman John Lampl said the pilot stopped the 747 at the end of the runway because he couldn’t see the lights to the taxiway.

“Apparently they’re doing some resurfacing work and relighting, so the lighting was poor,” Lampl said.

But airport spokeswoman Lauren Stover said the lights were working fine. (more…)

All secondary pupils in Scotland should be given ID cards in an effort to stamp out bullying, according to a teaching union.

The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) says many schools already have card systems in place for school lunches and libraries.

It believes adding a picture would stop pupils missing meals because they have been bullied into handing over cards.

However, the Green Party described the proposal as “deeply troubling”. (more…)

A draconian regime of fines, which would hit families at times of marriage and death, is being drawn up by ministers to enforce the Identity Card scheme. Millions of people, from struggling students to newly-wed women and bereaved relatives, will face a system of penalties, netting more than £40 million for the Treasury.

People would be fined up to £1,000 for failing to return a dead relative’s ID card, while women who marry will have to pay at least £30 for a new card if they want to use their married name, risking a £1,000 fine if they do not comply.

The revelations will fuel debate over ID cards in the countdown to their nationwide introduction, which the Government claims will boost security, tackle identity fraud and prevent illegal working. But costs are soaring and the technology has failed in tests. (more…)

Meacher set to announce he’s running in Labour leadership race; could anti-war rebel really stand a chance?

Michael Meacher MP, former environment minister and 9/11 truther who attracted press attention for publicly questioning the official story behind the terrorist attack in a September 2003 article, could be in contention for the Labour Party leadership race and thus replace Tony Blair as the next British Prime Minister.

“Michael Meacher is “well on the way” to announcing his decision to stand in the forthcoming Labour leadership race, according to one of his key supporters,” reports the London Guardian.

With Tony Blair set to stand down before September 2007, the party leader will be the de facto Prime Minister, at least until the next general election in 2009, where many expect David Cameron, a favorite of the Globalists, to reclaim 10 Downing Street for the Tories.

Meacher is set to rally the anti-war left sentiment of the Labour Party in an attempt to defeat current Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, who up until now has been widely tipped as a shoe in for Prime Minister. (more…)

Keeping Africans in chains while herding Westerners into the same prison cell

Bono’s latest efforts to dodge taxes and invest in the very capitalist franchises he supposedly rallies against prove that he is one of the leading characters in a puppet show that, far from helping emaciated kids in Ethiopia, serves only to keep the third world in chains while herding Westerners into the same debtor slavery prison.

It’s commonly acknowledged that of the estimated $500 billion that has been poured into Africa over the last 40 years, the majority has gone no further than ruling dictators who keep the money and use it to bankroll their opulent lifestyles while their disease ridden subjects starve to death and are infected with AIDS from poisoned vaccines generously donated to them by billionaire philanthropists who advocate mass population reduction and genocide.

The only way to truly elevate third world is to give them the tools to build the infrastructure necessary for modernization.

But the World Bank/IMF/Globalist doctrine is not about improving the status of third world countries, its about bleeding westerners dry in the name of fighting poverty and AIDS and then siphoning off the profits to their own dirty cronies. Bono is a figurehead for this policy and was even in contention for the World Bank crown before losing out to arch Neo-Fascist Wolfowitz. (more…)

It’s Saturday night in Middlesbrough, England, and drunken university students are celebrating the start of the school year, known as Freshers’ Week.

One picks up a traffic cone and runs down the street. Suddenly, a disembodied voice booms out from above:

“You in the black jacket! Yes, you! Put it back!'’ The confused student obeys as his friends look bewildered.

“People are shocked when they hear the cameras talk, but when they see everyone else looking at them, they feel a twinge of conscience and comply,'’ said Mike Clark, a spokesman for Middlesbrough Council who recounted the incident. The city has placed speakers in its cameras, allowing operators to chastise miscreants who drop coffee cups, ride bicycles too fast or fight outside bars.

Almost 70 years after George Orwell created the all-seeing dictator Big Brother in the novel “1984,'’ Britons are being watched as never before. About 4.2 million spy cameras film each citizen 300 times a day, and police have built the world’s largest DNA database. Prime Minister Tony Blair said all Britons should carry biometric identification cards to help fight the war on terror. (more…)