The mafia has cranked up money laundering activities in Italy after the credit crunch prompted banks to stop lending, leaving a funding gap that criminal capital has filled, according to the Bank of Italy. Read the article
It was almost exactly eight years ago that the public beat of the Washington war drums became so loud and insistent that it could no longer be ignored. But we now know that for quite some time before July 2002 Tony Blair and George Bush had been engaged in a dialogue of the determined with regime change in Iraq at the top of their agenda.
Before Chilcot, we had to rely on leaked documents such as telegrams from diplomats, accounts of meetings held round the sofa at No 10, and, for lawyers, the crown jewels of the Attorney General's written advice to the Prime Minister... More July 26th, 2010
President Obama's finance team is recommending a transaction tax. His plan is to sneak it in after the November election to keep it under the radar. This is a 1% tax on all transaction at any financial institution i. e. Banks, Credit Unions, extra. Any deposit you make, or move around within your account, i. e. transfer to, will have a 1% tax charged. If your pay check or your social Security or whatever is direct deposit, 1% tax charged. If you hand carry a check in to deposit, 1% tax charged, If you take cash in to deposit, 1% tax charged... More July 26th, 2010
The head rabbi of a prominent yeshiva in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar was arrested Monday for writing a book that allegedly encourages the killing of non-Jews.
Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira is the alleged author of the book "The King's Torah," which deems as legal, according to "Jewish law," the killing of non-Jews.
Police began investigating Shapira after an advertisement for the book in a Hebrew newspaper created a public uproar.
Deputy Attorney General Shai Nitzan encouraged the investigation as he believed the book contained an incitement to violence... More July 26th, 2010
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez threatened on Sunday to cut oil supplies to the United States in case of a military attack from Colombia as a dispute escalated over charges his country harbors Colombian rebels.
A vocal and frequent critic of the United States, Chavez broke off diplomatic relations with Colombia last week over the claims by the outgoing government of President Alvaro Uribe, a close U.S. ally.
Chavez, a leftist who says Washington is behind the charges, has never carried out previous threats to cut oil supplies to the United States, Venezuela's main customer... More July 26th, 2010
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in an interview to the Washington Post on Monday that if Hezbollah resumes firing rockets at Israel, the Israel Defense Forces will respond with a direct attack on Lebanese government institutions.
In an interview to the American paper ahead of his landing in the United States for an official visit, the defense minister warned that Israel would strike directly at the Lebanese government, since it is allowing Hezbollah to rearm.
He said that if Hezbollah fires rockets at Tel Aviv, "we will not run after each Hezbollah terrorist or launcher... More July 26th, 2010
It is a busy time at Independence Point as people hit the beach to play in the water and soak up the sun. Keeping the area safe is also an issue. Police are exploring the idea of putting up surveillance cameras for extra security. Not everyone is happy with the idea.
The proposals include offering plane tickets to the mainland, creating a homeless "tent city" on less visible state land and providing more affordable housing in Honolulu, where rents are among the nation's highest.
"If you're going to be homeless anywhere, it's good to be here," said Williams, a 35-year-old tattoo artist from Long Beach, Calif., as he hung his clothes to dry between two palm trees. "I'm dealing with the cards I got dealt. I don't want to stay here forever."
There were 4,171 homeless on the island of Oahu when a census was taken in January, according to the report released last month, an increase of 15 percent from the same time last year... More
A ‘pain ray’ that blasts the enemy with unbearable heat waves hasbeen pulled out of Afghanistan by the US military.
The Active Denial System (ADS), which cost about £42 million to develop, was on the brink of being deployed to disperse members of the Taliban as they attacked US forces.
The weapon, which causes immense pain to subjects but no lasting physical damage, was pulled from the war zone last week but US army chiefs in Afghanistan have stayed silent about the reason for the U-turn... More July 26th, 2010
European Union foreign ministers are set to hit Iran with the toughest sanctions they have ever imposed on it when they meet in Brussels on Monday, diplomatic sources said.
A month ago, the United Nations Security Council imposed new sanctions on Iran to try and force the Islamic republic to stop enriching uranium. But the EU and United States decided that those sanctions were not enough.
EU foreign ministers at their regular monthly meeting are therefore set to agree the "toughest ever" sanctions on Iran, targeting the energy and financial sectors and cracking down on people and companies linked to the government, diplomats said... More July 26th, 2010
Justice is harsher in America than in any other rich country. Between 2.3m and 2.4m Americans are behind bars, roughly one in every 100 adults. If those on parole or probation are included, one adult in 31 is under “correctional” supervision. As a proportion of its total population, America incarcerates five times more people than Britain, nine times more than Germany and 12 times more than Japan. Overcrowding is the norm. Federal prisons house 60% more inmates than they were designed for. State lock-ups are only slightly less stuffed... More July 26th, 2010
Top BP executives stepped out of a White House meeting last month promising to pay all legitimate claims for damages caused by oil gushing from its well in the gulf.
The pledge sounds simple enough. But some Pinellas beach businesses say uncertainty about ground rules for dispersing the $20 billion fund has them worried they may not be fully compensated for their losses.
One major concern is the incoming boss of the Gulf Coast Claims Fund. Kenneth Feinberg won acclaim overseeing the U... More July 26th, 2010
The way U.S. officials see it, there's little mystery behind the most notorious shipwreck in recent Korean history.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls the evidence "overwhelming" that the Cheonan, a South Korean warship that sank in March, was hit by a North Korean torpedo. Vice President Joe Biden has cited the South Korean-led panel investigating the sinking as a model of transparency.
But challenges to the official version of events are coming from an unlikely place: within South Korea... More July 26th, 2010
Who made the decision for police to stand down despite the fact the city was under attack?
And why?
Was it a police decision or political?
These should be the cornerstone questions of an external review surrounding the chaos of the G20.
After all, police officers were trained to stop the Black Bloc anarchists, were appropriately equipped and massively manned.
As downtown Toronto witnessed burning police cars and a small group of thugs on a rampage, a police source tells me the only thing that stopped the officers from doing that was an order telling them not to... More July 26th, 2010
Venezuela’s defense minister on Friday warned Colombia against provoking a conflict after President Hugo Chávez severed ties with the nation and placed his military on alert.
Speaking on state television, Defense Minister Carlos Mata promised “a strong response” if foreign forces crossed into Venezuelan territory.
Mr. Chávez broke off all diplomatic relations with Colombia on Thursday, accusing it of fabricating evidence of Colombian rebel bases inside Venezuela... More
A United Nations body is moving ahead with an investigation of the deadly flotilla incident off the coast of the Gaza Strip in late May, despite Israeli opposition.
Israel has rejected a decision by the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate the Israeli raid on a Gaza aid flotilla two months ago. Commandos stormed the ships as the vessels tried to run the Israeli blockade. Nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed.
Israel faced world outrage, and the U... More July 26th, 2010
A year and a half after President Barack Obama breathed new life into global talks on a climate treaty, the United States is back in a familiar role -- the holdout.
The Senate's decision Thursday to shelve legislation on climate change is certain to cast a long shadow over December's meeting in Cancun, Mexico that will work on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.
Obama's Democratic allies acknowledged they lacked votes to approve the first-ever US plan restricting carbon emissions blamed for global warming... More July 26th, 2010
Marco Wanderwitz, a conservative member of parliament for the German state of Saxony, said it is unfair and unsustainable for the taxpayer to carry the entire cost of treating obesity-related illnesses in the public health system.
"I think that it would be sensible if those who deliberately lead unhealthy lives would be held financially accountable for that," Wanderwitz said, according to Reuters.
Germany, famed for its beer, pork and chocolates, is one of the fattest countries in Europe... More July 26th, 2010
After losing a leg in Afghanistan, Private Aron Shelton was determined not to surrender to his disability.
The brave 26-year-old learned to walk again with a prosthetic limb and, although it leaves him in great pain, can cover more than 400 yards unaided.
His reward? He has been ordered to return the adapted Vauxhall Vectra he was given in lieu of £180 a month disability living allowance.
‘I go to war and fight for my country, lose a limb and this is the way I’m treated,’ said Pte Shelton, from Bridlington, East Yorkshire... More July 26th, 2010
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli sued Merrill Lynch and Bank of America on Thursday, claiming that both companies knew that Merrill Lynch had tens of billions of dollars in unreported losses from the subprime mortgage meltdown. BofA shareholders, ignorant of the financial morass, authorized the $29.1 billion acquisition of Merrill Lynch, which quickly torpedoed profits, according to the federal complaints.
"BOA shareholders were deprived of information that was material to their vote, and an overwhelming 82 percent of votes, including those based upon all of plaintiff's approximately 18 million BOA shares, were cast in favor of the merger on December 5, 2008," DiNapoli wrote in one of two complaints - one against BofA and the other against Merrill Lynch... More July 26th, 2010
Citigroup, the embattled American bank, yesterday unveiled huge losses for the second year in a row. The bank said it shed $1.6bn last year after it plunged into the red in the fourth quarter, largely thanks to repaying $6bn of US government support.
The total loss for the last three months of the year was $7.6bn. However, while the bank was in the red its performance was significantly better than in 2008 when total losses of $27.6bn were racked up.
The bank's pay and bonus pool actually fell by a fifth to $25bn, but Citi had 265,000 workers at the end of the fourth quarter, a significant reduction on the previous years... More July 26th, 2010
In the first few days after BP's Deepwater Horizon wellhead exploded, spewing crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, cleanup workers could be seen on Louisiana beaches wearing scarlet pants and white t-shirts with the words "Inmate Labor" printed in large red block letters. Coastal residents, many of whom had just seen their livelihoods disappear, expressed outrage at community meetings; why should BP be using cheap or free prison labor when so many people were desperate for work? The outfits disappeared overnight... More July 26th, 2010
A provision buried deep within the recently passed Wall Street reform bill has the power to finally kill off mandatory binding arbitration, one of the more dangerous anti-consumer practices still sanctioned by law. While the bill includes a limited provision banishing arbitration agreements from mortgages and home equity loans, it also gives broad powers to the Securities and Exchange Commission and the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to kill off arbitration in all other consumer financial products... More July 26th, 2010
The mafia has cranked up money laundering activities in Italy after the credit crunch prompted banks to stop lending, leaving a funding gap that criminal capital has filled, according to the Bank of Italy.
“The crisis has given organized crime room to thrive because access to credit has become more difficult,” said Anna Maria Tarantola, the central bank’s deputy general director, in a July 12 interview in her Rome office. “Whoever holds large amounts of cash, like crime groups, can make investments that aren’t possible for others... More July 26th, 2010
The Transportation Department fired back at two airline consultants who say the rule that puts a three-hour limit on tarmac delays is harming travelers.
DOT said the study released Tuesday "offers a misleading and premature assessment of the impact of the new passenger protections."
The consultants, Darryl Jenkins and Joshua Marks, say the rule is hurting travelers because it leads the airlines to cancel more flights in an effort to avoid fines. The DOT can fine airlines up to $27,500 per passenger for holding them more than three hours... More
Menzies Campbell: Iraq was always wrong. Now we have proof
Top settler rabbi arrested for allegedly inciting to kill non-Jews
Warmington: Cops had hands 'cuffed
