Reid to expand use of Taser stun guns

The use of Taser stun guns could be extended to non-firearms police officers, the Home Office said on Wednesday.

Home Secretary John Reid is due to tell the Police Federation's annual conference in Blackpool that he wants to see more frontline police officers carrying the 50,000 volt devices.

The guns, which temporarily disable a suspect, can only be used by firearms officers at the moment, but Reid wants to extend the use to non-firearms officers working in specially trained units.

Currently, officers can only use the guns when confronted by an armed person, but under the plans, officers will also be able to use them if they face violence or threats, the BBC reported.

Taser guns have been used in 619 incidents since their introduction in the UK four years ago, a Home Office spokeswoman said.

The plans have angered human rights groups who say Tasers have been linked to dozens of deaths in America and Canada.

The Home Office said no deaths have been linked to their use in Britain.

An independent medical panel is carrying out research on whether the guns, which fire two barbed darts trailing electric wires, can cause serious injury.

If the plans get the go-ahead, trials could begin from September.

Source: Reuters UK

Lawyer for bomber's widow condemns police

The solicitor of a woman released without charge after being arrested in connection with the July 7 bombings has condemned police for her treatment.

Last night Scotland Yard confirmed three people arrested in connection with the July 7 bombings had been released without charge.

Those released include Hasina Patel, 29, the widow of London bombings ringleader Mohammed Sidique Khan.

Ms Patel's solicitor, Imran Khan, said he was relieved his client had been released, but shocked at the way she had been treated.

He said police had destroyed relations with the Muslim community in the way they had behaved towards the widow of Mohammed Sidique Khan.

A fourth man aged 34, Khalid Khaliq, remains in custody after police were granted a warrant to detain him for further questioning until May 21.

The two men released are Ms Patel's brother Arshad and Imran Motala.

The four were arrested in a series of anti-terror raids last Wednesday, during which properties in West Yorkshire and the West Midlands were searched.

All four, held on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, were taken to the high-security Paddington Green police station in London for questioning.

Mr Khan told BBC News 24: "I'm relieved that she's out after her ordeal and shocked that the police only revealed at the last minute information which they had in their possession before Hasina was arrested which shows she had no idea, not an inkling of what Mohammed Sidique Khan was going to do."

While Mr Khan said he was not at liberty to reveal what that information was, he said it showed "clearly and unequivocally" that she knew nothing of what Sidique Khan was planning.

Source: The Independent
To read the full story, please click on the source

Fox News Hannity and Colmes double-teamed Ron Paul

After the show, Hannity and Colmes double-teamed Paul in an attempt to discredit him in the eyes of both liberals and conservatives, with Colmes going after him on abortion and Hannity chomping at the bit to smear the Texas Congressman as weak on terrorism.

Here is the video:

Police release 7/7 bomber's widow

Three people, including the widow of 7 July bomber Mohammad Sidique Khan, have been released without charge after being questioned over the 2005 attacks.

Hasina Patel, 29, brother Arshad Patel, 30, and Imran Motala, 22, were held on 9 May in West Yorkshire and Birmingham.

Police have been granted a warrant to continue to detain Khalid Khaliq, 34, of Beeston, Leeds, until next Monday.

The four had been held in London on suspicion of commissioning, preparing or instigating acts of terrorism.

Last week's arrests followed an intelligence-led operation involving Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command.

Police searched seven addresses in Dewsbury, Batley and Beeston, all in West Yorkshire, and Birmingham.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "In all operations some people may be released early without charge while others may remain in custody for further investigation.

"This is not unusual and is to be expected in large and complex criminal investigations."

Source: BBC News
To read the full story, please click on the source

Israel Jerusalem policy condemned

The international Red Cross has privately accused Israel of reshaping Jerusalem to further its own interests, in violation of international law.

A leaked ICRC report says Israeli policy has far-reaching humanitarian consequences for Palestinians living under occupation in East Jerusalem.

Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967, and the territory is regarded as occupied land under international law.

But Israel rejects this, and says the report's premise is, therefore, wrong.

The report says Israel shows "general disregard" for its obligations under international humanitarian law and the law of military occupation in particular.

Violations that change the status of East Jerusalem include the West Bank barrier, an outer ring of Jewish settlements around the city and roads to connect Israeli districts and settlements, the report says.

An ICRC spokesman confirmed that leaked quotations in a US newspaper were from a confidential report transmitted in February 2007 to Israel and some other governments.

Source: BBC News
To read the full story, please click on the source

Investigating Scientology

Shown last night - 8.30, Panorama went uncover to understand Scientology. The documentary showed how you shouldn't call Scientology a cult, they are a religion. The newscaster had been followed by Scientology members throughout his investigation, Tactics employed similar to secret service, and it seems that Scientology are above the law. They also use the Christian cross and have Church, but the culture of Scientology is nothing to do with Christian

BBC News Item


Past issues on Scientology issues, Tom Cruise and South Park

South Part Portion with what Scientology believe in



Keith Olbermann MSNBC news coverage

Palestine - Civil War?

Rival Palestinian gunmen battled on the streets of Gaza on Tuesday despite a renewed pledge to curb the biggest surge of factional fighting in months.

Palestinian leaders were expected to renew their appeals for calm in speeches marking the annual "Naqba", or what Palestinians describe as the tragedy that befell them when Israel became a state in 1948.

No deaths were reported in the morning in the on-going fight for supremacy between power-sharing partners Hamas and Fatah. Ten people have been killed since a new round of violence, threatening their coalition government, erupted on Friday.

Masked gunmen ruled Gaza. Residents who risked leaving home darted across streets, shoulders hunched, to the crackle of volleys from automatic weapons.

Source: Reuters UK
To read the full story, please click on the source

Today a Terrorist Talks in London

Today there will be a celebration of 40 years of Occupation of Jerusalem, with the guest speaker Moshe Arens who left America as a young man to join the Zionist terror group the Irgun (see 1st source) which carried out terrorist attacks against Arab civilians and the British authorities in Palestine. Its most infamous attack was the King David Hotel Bombing which killed 91 people. After the Nakba the Irgun terrorists joined the 'Israeli Defence Force' and Moshe Arens went on to hold top posts in the Israeli government, including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Ambassador to the United States. And tonight he is speaking to assembled guests in North London, to celebrate the dispossession and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians of Jerusalem.

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Arens
http://www.zionist.org.uk/Event/posterpage.php?evid=174

Poster:


Yet all mainstream media are not showing this event. The question you have to ask is why?

EU boycotts 'provocative' Israeli anniversary party

Ambassadors from European Union states are to boycott celebrations of the 40th anniversary of Israel's conquest of Arab East Jerusalem this week - in the opening shot of what promises to be a challenging summer for Israeli diplomacy.

The United States ambassador, Richard Jones, is also expected to join the Europeans in snubbing the celebrations .

What Israelis commemorate as the "reunification" of their historic Jewish capital is seen by most of the international community, not to mention the Palestinians, as a unilateral attempt to pre-empt a key issue in any peaceful solution. One-third of the city's 725,000 residents are Palestinians, who have opted to reject offers of Israeli citizenship. Along with most other countries, the Europeans keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.

Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian parliament, yesterday welcomed the European boycott as a blow for international law and peace. "The Israelis," she said, "cannot get away with creating facts on the ground and then forcing everybody to fall in line".

Foreign diplomats are likely to be equally wary of celebrating the anniversary of the 1967 June war. Most Israelis cherish it as a glorious victory, but left-wing demonstrators reminded them last week that it heralded 40 years of occupation of Palestinian and Syrian lands.

On the Europeans' behalf, Germany, which holds the rotating presidency of the 27-member union, rejected invitations to a Jerusalem Day event at Israel's parliament on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the European Commission said: "... we do not recognise the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem. We believe that the future of Jerusalem should be settled by negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians".

The British embassy confirmed that Tom Phillips, the ambassador, would not attend the event. "We think it is not appropriate," a spokeswoman explained, "because Jerusalem is one of the unsettled final-status issues."

The Israeli reaction was calculatedly low-key. It is not spoiling for a fight over Jerusalem at this stage. Mark Regev, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said: "We are disappointed and unhappy that not all governments will be sending representatives."

He reiterated Israel's long-standing policy: "We have agreed that the issue of Jerusalem is part of final-status talks. We will bring our position to the table. The Palestinians will bring [theirs]. But our position is that Jerusalem will remain the united capital of the Jewish state."

The Israeli cabinet, which met yesterday in the Menachem Begin Heritage Centre overlooking the Old City, approved a 5.75 billion-shekel (£7m) package designed to strengthen Israel's hold on Jerusalem over the next five years. It includes tax relief for charities, hospitals and educational institutions; and transferring more government offices to the city.

Ehud Olmert, the Prime Minister, said the measures would "advance and encourage Jerusalem". But Mohammed Baradeh, an Arab member of the Israeli parliament, protested: "Holding the government meeting across from the walls of the Old City, celebrating the occupation, is a provocation. There will be no peace without two capital cities in Jerusalem."

Source: The Independent UK

Israelis confess to killing Palestinian-police

Israeli police arrested on Monday two Israelis who said they had murdered a Palestinian found dead in Tel Aviv, a police spokesman said. Police spotted the men, aged 21 and 25 and also citizens of France, walking in the city with blood-stained hands, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. The men told the officers they had killed a man and led them to an apartment, where a body was found. Police then arrested them. The man was identified as a 35-year-old taxi driver and an Arab resident of East Jerusalem, Rosenfeld said. "The murder was carried out on a nationalistic level," Rosenfeld said. "Police are continuing the investigation." Israeli media said the Palestinian had been stabbed in the neck. Rosenfeld said he could not elaborate on how the man was killed but said he suffered several wounds.

Source: Reuters

Rice rejects 'new Cold War' talk

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has dismissed talk of a new Cold War between Russia and the US, at the start of a visit to Moscow.

Ms Rice said "I think the parallels just frankly have no basis whatsoever", while acknowledging that "it's not an easy time" for Russian-US relations.

The Kremlin has expressed strong opposition to US plans to deploy a missile defence shield in Europe.

Washington's backing for Kosovo's independence has also been attacked.

Source: BBC News
To read the full story, please click on the source

How Much Power does the state of Israel have over the free world

Dutch Documentary: Israel Lobby

Does The Israel Lobby Stifle Free Speech? - BBC chatback

China launches Nigerian satellite

China has successfully launched a communications satellite for Nigeria.

The official Xinhua news agency says it is the first time that a foreign buyer has purchased both a Chinese satellite and its launching service.

The Nigerian Communication Satellite NIGCOMSAT-1 is expected to offer broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband internet services for Africa.

Source: BBC News
To read the full story, please click on the source

"Smart cameras" to tackle abandoned luggage alarms

A suitcase lies abandoned in a busy airport terminal. Was it planted by a bomber, or carelessly left for a couple of minutes while the owner went to buy coffee?

One of the commonest headaches facing security staff may soon be remedied with the help of "intelligent security cameras" developed by European scientists.

A newly concluded research project relies on formulae known as algorithms to enable computers to analyze video images and spot potential threats, from abandoned baggage to people loitering suspiciously.


"It's (about) developing solutions so that computers can detect abnormal behavior," said project coordinator Jean-Marc Suchier of French group Sagem Defense Securite, a unit of Safran.

For security staff at airports or railway stations, often monitoring images from dozens of surveillance cameras at once, the new technology offers the promise of picking out dangers that might otherwise be missed.

"The idea is to automatically analyze and intelligently filter all of that video, but also to add a next level of intelligence," said James Ferryman, a specialist in 'computational vision' at the University of Reading in England.

"We're talking about smart cameras which go to the next level of proactive detection."

Source: Reuters
To read the full story please click on the source

Edit: Added by Peter
Make up your own minds by what is mentioned by intelligently filter?

Rumsfeld Keeps Ghastly 9/11 Souvenirs

The Justice Department investigation that criticized FBI agents for taking souvenirs from the World Trade Center site also found that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and a high-ranking FBI official kept items from the Sept. 11 attack scenes.

To read the full story, please click on the following link: TruthEra

I was very surprised to read the following, I do find this disrespectful to the victims of 9-11.

ID card costs rise above £5bn

The official cost of the controversial ID card scheme has risen to £5.31bn.

The figures were released as Tony Blair announced his departure, leading to claims from the opposition that the government was "burying bad news".

The Tories and Lib Dems also claimed that the Home Office broke the law by releasing the updated figures a month later than they should have.

The Home Office put the £400m increased costs down to extra staff carrying out vetting and extra anti-fraud measures.

To read the full story, please click here: BBC News

Blair names the day he'll step down: June 27

After months of coy hints and fevered speculation, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced on Thursday that he would leave office on June 27 after a decade in power in which he sacrificed his popularity to the war in Iraq and struggled at home to improve schools, policing and hospitals.

With stirring oratory cast as a personal testament, he declared: "I ask you to accept one thing. Hand on heart I did what I thought was right. I may have been wrong. That's your call.

"But believe one thing: I did what I thought was right for our country.

"I have been prime minister of the country for just over 10 years," he said. "In this job, in the world today, I think that is long enough for me, but more especially for the country.

"Sometimes the only way you conquer the pull of power is to set it down.

To read the full article, please click here

Hamas TV slips kids Mickey to teach hate - Investigation

By now you would have seen the following video, which can be easily seen on YourTube





I have thought to investigate who this company MEMRITV.ORG is. Before you believe everything a newspaper tells you, try searching on the company that provided that bit of video - Memri:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,773258,00.html

Actually, I will quote some bits:

Quote:

The reason for Memri's air of secrecy becomes clearer when we look at the people behind it. The co-founder and president of Memri, and the registered owner of its website, is an Israeli called Yigal Carmon. Mr - or rather, Colonel - Carmon spent 22 years in Israeli military intelligence and later served as counter-terrorism adviser to two Israeli prime ministers, Yitzhak Shamir and Yitzhak Rabin.

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1511

Quote:

Others, however, see a darker side to MEMRI's work, arguing that the organization "cherry picks" the items it decides to translate, revealing a clear pro-Israel, neoconservative-inclined bias. A case in point came in mid-June 2006, when discussions over the fate of Iran's nuclear program were reaching fever pitch in Washington. MEMRI held an event on Capitol Hill titled "Must See Iran TV II." The event, cosponsored by then-Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), was aimed at raising congressional awareness of Iran's threatening posture toward the United States and its allies in the Middle East. The MEMRI presentation included translated clips from Iranian television that highlighted "themes associated with Iran's nuclear aspirations, its acquisition of offensive weapons, anti-Americanism, and statements by leading Iranian government officials, including President [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad," according to an article in the New York Sun written by MEMRI Executive Director Steven Stalinsky (June 14, 2006).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East_Media_Research_Institute

Taken from http://www.upstartactivist.com/, Upstart Activist educates about Israel. We develop and deliver unique media-rich presentations, effective leadership training seminars and creative educational resources that draw upon deep knowledge of Israel and decades of proven activist experience in N. America.

Quote:

Find organizations like Camera, Media Watch, Memri, Israel Foreign Ministry, ADL that can help in yourstruggle to expose anti Israel biases. They are usually ready to assist with some pretty potent ideas and information

http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/article.php?pg=11&ar=605

Quote:

How MEMRI presents itself [From the MEMRI website:] The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East. Founded in February 1998 to inform the debate over U.S. policy in the Middle East, MEMRI is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501 (c)3 organization. The truth about MEMRI MEMRI is a main arm of Israeli propaganda. Although widely used in the mainstream media as a source of information on the Arab world, it is as trustworthy as Julius Streicher's Der Sturmer was on the Jewish world. The evidence MEMRI recently posted what it alleged was an interview I did with Lebanese television on the Nazi holocaust. The MEMRI posting was designed to prove that I was a Holocaust denier. Below I juxtapose the MEMRI version of my interview (both the actual broadcast version as well as the transcript it prepared) against what I actually said in the interview.

There are loads more, but the simple fact is the MEMRI distorts/mistranslates the language spoken and reedits them.

FOX News Tries To Link John Kerry To 9/11 Conspiracy Theorists

FOX News tried to paint Senator John Kerry as a 9/11 conspiracy theorist last night (5/9/07). Based on a brief statement Kerry made about the controlled demolition of a wall at one of the World Trade Center buildings, FOX tried to make the case that the 9/11 conspiracy theorists had bonded with him. With video.

At the beginning of the show, a chyron read, “The crazies love him” as Sean Hannity announced the upcoming Kerry segment.

To read the full story on News Hounds, please click here

Blair denies MI5 failures and rejects call for 7/7 inquiry

Tony Blair today ruled out demands for a new inquiry into the July 7 bombings, denying claims that MI5 overlooked crucial evidence which could have prevented the attacks

In the Commons, the Prime Minister said a fresh inquiry would be a "mistake" and would undermine support for the security services in the fight against terrorism.

His comments came amid reports that MI5 did not show surveillance photographs of the bombers' ringleader Mohammed Sidique Khan to the original inquiry by the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC).

The BBC reported that although MI5 had six photographs of Khan taken during the investigation of another terror plot, only one was shown to the ISC.

To read the full story, please click here