This promises to be a hard winter to come..
One in four households and nearly 12 million people will officially fall into fuel poverty after British Gas said that it would increase domestic energy prices by 18 per cent, or an average of £180 a year..
With the rest of the energy supply industry looking certain to follow British Gas.. and the 19 per cent rise announced by ScottishPower last month.. Consumer Focus, the industry watchdog, said that millions more would struggle to pay their bills this winter..
The hike by British Gas means that 9.3 million customers will be paying on average an extra £116 a year for their gas.. and 6.6 million electricity customers will be paying £64 more for their electricity.. at £465..
Those who are on dual fuel with the company and pay by monthly direct debit will on average pay £1,209 per year. That makes British Gas, for now, the most expensive supplier in the land.. even ahead of ScottishPower. Family households will be paying significantly more than the average..
Not good news.. it's going to have a significant effect on this faltering economy..
And again, those who'll be effected the most, will be those on fixed incomes..
One mus wonder, how many years it's going to be, before we see a light at the end of the tunnel..

The news from Washington's what only be called 'dire'..
The job market is defying history..
A dismal June employment report shows that employers are adding nowhere near as many jobs as they normally do this long after a recession has ended..
Unemployment has climbed for three straight months, and is now at 9.2 percent.. There's no precedent, in data going back to 1948, for such a high rate two years into what economists say is a 'recovery'..
Workers' hourly pay fell in June.. simply because they worked fewer hours..
And 16.2 percent of those who wanted to work were either unemployed, forced to settle for part-time jobs or had given up looking for work. That figure was up from 15.8 percent in May..
The economy added just 18,000 jobs in June.. a fraction of the 90,000 jobs economists had expected and a sliver of the 300,000 jobs needed each month to shrink unemployment significantly..
The excruciatingly slow growth is confounding economists.. spooking consumers...and dismaying job seekers..
Friday's report forced analysts to re-examine their assumption that the economy would strengthen in the second half of 2011..
Employers have good reason to wait, says economist Ken Mayland at ClearView Economics.. A political standoff over the federal debt limit threatens to send the U.S. government into default next month. That would send interest rates soaring and might tip the economy back into recession..
Even if Barack and Congressional Republicans agree to raise the borrowing limit, the deal will likely require deep cuts in government spending and possibly tax increases.. Combined, those steps could slow the economy further..
The tax base has already lost 493,000 government jobs since the recession ended, most of them eliminated by cash-short cities and counties.. Now it faces the prospect of big cuts by the federal government as well..

White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley told ABC television that Pakistan had "taken some steps that have given us reason to pause on some of the aid"..
He said the US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in May had affected ties but he insisted the relationship "must be made to work over time"..
The $800m (£500m) equates to about a third of the annual US security aid to Pakistan, according to White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley told ABC television that Pakistan had "taken some steps that have given us reason to pause on some of the aid".,
He said the US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in May had affected ties.. somewhat of an understatement there.. but he insisted the relationship "must be made to work over time"..
US officials say the $800m (£500m) equates to about a third of the annual US security aid to Pakistan.. it might be safe to say the rest of that aid could be tied to some agreement being reached between Pakistan and the US.. have been 'poor', to say the least.. the man on the street thinks his government is 'soft' on the US.. allowing an American covert operation to take out bin Laden..

The News of the World is closing amid a major scandal over phone hacking and alleged payments to police officers, but once upon a time journalists went even further to get the ultimate story, writes Neil Root..
There was a time when everything and anything was done in pursuit of the perfect crime news story..
The allegations being made about dubious journalistic practices at the News of the World are shocking and immoral if proven to be true..
But the current row takes us back to the 1940s and 1950s when hacks on that very same tabloid and other even more prestigious papers were just as clandestine in their methods, and with even fewer legal restrictions..
The three serial killers Neville Heath, a "charmer" who murdered two or possibly three women.. John George Haigh, who murdered at least six people and disposed of their bodies in acid.. and John Christie, the monster of Rillington Place who killed seven or eight people, and watched Timothy Evans hang for one of those murders..
These dangerous men were made into macabre pin-ups by the popular press of the time, the immediately post-war world where London and other cities were cratered and scarred by Hitler's bombs..
The practices of two legendary Fleet Street crime reporters - Norman "Jock" Rae of 'The News of the World' and Harry Procter of 'The Mail' and later 'The Sunday Pictorial'.. stand out from the rest of their peers..
With the chequebooks of their editors in hand, these hardened and tenacious hacks chased down the stories of these murderers, and tried to get them at any cost..
These were the days when 'The News of the World' sold more than 8 million copies every Sunday, and every effort was made to get a crime scoop.. the more grisly the better..
Fleet Street's crime reporters were star journalists then, and became known as the Murder Gang, with incredible contacts amongst the police, judiciary and legal system..Payments were made without a second thought, and papers such as 'The News of the World' and 'The Sunday Pictorial' got the best inside morsels of information for the simple reason the Sunday papers paid more than the dailies..
Incredibly, these hacks got the full inside stories on Heath, Haigh and Christie, and in return paid their legal defence costs.. in two cases, they made substantial payments to the families of two of the killers after they were executed..
Sunday's crime confession scoops were always tomorrow's fish and chip paper, but copies were sold on the day, and that was all that was important. Today laws and media regulations prevent criminals profiting from their crimes, but in 1946-53, there were no such restrictions..
Rae and Procter were highly regarded by their editors.. as their crime stories produced great spikes in circulation.. When a rival paper bought a helicopter to get to stories faster in the late 1940s, Procter's editor said: "They may have a helicopter, but we've got a Harry Procter."

South Sudan has formally declared its independence in front of thousands of citizens singing and dancing in celebration and international dignitaries.. including the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.,
“We, the democratically elected representatives of the people, based on the will of the people of South Sudan, and as confirmed by the outcome of the referendum of self-determination.. hereby declare South Sudan to be an independent and sovereign nation,” said James Wani Igga, speaker of the new country’s parliament, reading the formal proclamation in its capital, Juba..
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir unveiled a statue of civil war hero John Garang, the man who signed the 2005 peace deal which ended decades of hostilities with the north which killed at least two million people..
We'll be discussing the economics of this division over the next few weeks, as it becomes clearer what factions the new government will favour..
Meanwhile, insurgencies continue in regions of Darfur and Southern Kordofan. The United Nations Security Council voted yesterday to establish a force of up to 7,000 peacekeepers for South Sudan..
Many of South Sudan’s nine million citizens lack the most basic services.. The country is home to all but one of the world’s deadly diseases.. vaccination rates are the world’s lowest.. almost half the population has no access to clean water, while more than a third go hungry even when the harvests are good..
It has the world’s worst maternal mortality rates and one in seven children who survives birth will die before the age of 5..
Illiteracy is rampant.. even among civil servants and legislators..
Only one in ten children finishes primary school and the rate for girls is even lower..
This separation of the countty was brought about through inequality.. the vast gulf between the depths of poverty, and stolen assetts..
Yet the country is rich in oil.. and it's now up to the government of this new country to build an infrastructure which will see an end to endless fighting.. a beginning of public projects the likes of irrigation and farming techniques.. and education..
With the interest already shown by foreign investors, this should be easily achieved.. even taking the traditional 'baksheesh' into account..

A strong earthquake jolted on Sunday the same area of northeastern Japan that was hit by a massive quake in March, but there was no sign of further damage along the coast or to the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, according to officials..
The Japan Meteorological Agency lifted a tsunami alert for the region before noon today after initially urging residents in the disaster area to stay clear of the coast..
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at 7.0 and said it had occurred at a depth of 18 km (11 miles) off the northeastern coast of Japan just before 10 am local time..
This is the second quake to hit that area this week..

We began with mentioning the difficulties who winter will pose for some.. How inflation, a frozen bank rate, will affect many of those among us who live on fixed incomes..
We end with the same theme..
As the numbers of those without work increases.. as the numbers of those who dream of a lifestyle which disappeared decdades ago when there was still hope.. as the numbers of those who still live in the past when there was a work ethic and dream of a return to those ways.. for those who still believe in a chicken in evey pot and a car in every driveway..
The best of British luck to all.. for those are the attitiudes we want, and need..
And are sadly lacking..

What’s in a name? An entire cultural and national identity if you are from Sudan’s oil-producing south..
The region of southern Sudan is now less than seven months away from a referendum on whether it should split away to form Africa’s newest country.. Already, foreign investors confidence of a smooth transition of power have brought some 33% increase in the bonds of the new country, and the same increase in oil leases yet to be negotiated..
While the story which sees most media attention is the plight of the hundreds of thousands who have fled from the violence.. the abuse.. the torture still being committed against those who have brought this change from a pipedream to a reality..
Seems one of the most pressing problems facing the new country, is what to call irself..
Juwama vs. the Nile Republic.. The simplest option would be to stick to what people call it now.. South Sudan or Southern Sudan..
But there are some serious branding issues.. Say “Sudan” to most outsides and they will immediately think of a list of nastiness.. Darfur... he never-ending north-south civil war.. military coups.. militancy and crippling debt..
But Sudan became the first state to recognise the independence of its oil-producing south Friday, smoothing the way for the division on Saturday of Africa's largest country into two.. but not dispelling fears of future tensions between them..
A new nation might be grateful for a new name with a clean slate..

There will be no prize awarded for guesses as to what story leads the media throughout Britain.. We have discussed the closure of The News Of The World at some length earlier.. and for the time being, we'll wait for further developments before speculating even more on the consequences of this closure..
It must be mentioned that this tabloid managed to effect some significant social changes.. and brought a vast amount of money into charities around the country..
George Orwell wrote in the opening lines of his 'Decline of the English Murder'..
"t is Sunday afternoon, preferably before the war. The wife is already asleep in the armchair, and the children have been sent out for a nice long walk. You put your feet up on the sofa, settle your spectacles on your nose, and open the News of the World. Roast beef and Yorkshire, or roast pork and apple sauce, followed up by suet pudding and driven home, as it were, by a cup of mahoganybrown tea, have put you in just the right mood. Your pipe is drawing sweetly, the sofa cushions are soft underneath you, the fire is well alight, the air is warm and stagnant. In these blissful circumstances, what is it that you want to read about?”
A question answered over the decades by that very paper.. It must be remembered with some gravity, that yesterday a little bit of England died.. and it is a moment to mourn.. For what its readers have wanted to read for more than a century and a half, they found in their copy of the News of the World on a Sunday..
Nevertheless..

For the second month in a row, American employers added barely any jobs in June, showing that the economic recovery has hit a serious speed bump..
With all levels of government laying off workers, the Labor Department reported that employers eked out just 18,000 new nonfarm payroll jobs in June.. The already low number created in May was also revised downward to a dismally small 25,000 new jobs, less than half of what was originally reported last month..
These numbers do not bode well for Barack.. unless he manages to get a significant number of Americans back on the job over the next 18 months.. his term as President could well be a short one..
And the record of the first black President could be stained with financial failure, of such a drasic nature as not seen since the Great Depression..

With the news this past week, that Japanese mobile manufacturers are losing business to those who're catering to the demographic which changes it's phones, or least the skins, following the fashion of the moment..
Japanese and Taiwanese manufacturers have been more concerned with developing a mobile phone platform for Google's Android.. Verizon Wireless followed AT&T by scrapping its unlimited-data plans for new smart phone subscribers and introducing Tired Payment Schemes based on the gigabytes of data used.. Wireless operators in
America have rapidly moved away from "all you can eat" plans for customers.. and are providing more selective pricing menus in anticipation of the increased appetite for services from high-speed networks..
And included here simply to underscore the real value of what might at first seem to be an idiotic idea in this cyberworld we live in.. It emerged that Twitter has begun another effort to raise capital from private investors, which could value the microblogging website at $7billion. In February, during a previous fund-raising round, privately held Twitter was thought to be worth $4.5 billion..
Now that's what one msu call positive growth figures..

Still with economics for a moment.. Portugal's reacted angrily to Moody's downgrade of its sovereign debt to "junk" status, complaining that it had not considered the country's recent austerity measures, or new political consensus after an election..
Moody's made the cut on the basis that Portugal will have trouble raising funds in the markets, if private investors take a hit in a second rescue deal for Greece..
More European feathers were ruffled when Standard & Poor's became the first ratings agency to confirm that it may consider French proposals for private investors to roll over their Greek debt to be a "selective default"..
This is the financial 'black hole' we've mentioned many times before..

Less than two months ago Dominique Strauss-Kahn, favourite in the polls for next year’s French presidential election, was locked up in a New York jail and on suicide watch.. following his arrest on charges of attempted rape and sexual assault..
Now, just as the French had faced up to his disqualification from public life, the case against the former IMF boss seems close to collapse.. A Manhattan judge’s decision on July 1st to free DSK, as he is known, from house arrest, amid doubts about the credibility of his accuser, has again knocked France sideways..
The latest episode in this torrid saga involving power, money, sex, politics and transatlantic incomprehension came from revelations about the plaintiff, a hotel maid..
The district attorney’s office in New York catalogued a devastating string of lies.. on her application for asylum, on her tax return, to the housing authorities, to a grand jury and, repeatedly, to the prosecutors, including over what happened in the hotel after the alleged assault on May 14th..
A report in the New York Times claims she made a phone call to a jailed man a day later, in which she discussed potential financial gain.. he and others had deposited some $100,000 into her bank account over the past two years..
For the French, stunned yet again by the DSK affair.. the most pressing question is whether he might be able to revive his political career, and even his presidential hopes..
Recent history suggests that nobody is disqualified forever from French politics..Alain Juppé, now Foreign Minister, was once convicted of political corruption..
On paper, nominations for the Socialist presidential primary are due to close on July 13th. But various party leaders, including Martine Aubry, the Socialists’ boss and herself a candidate, have made clear that this timetable could be stretched..
Such revelations leave the accuser’s credibility in tatters, whether or not her account of what took place in the hotel room is true. The maid’s lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, insists that “she has never once changed a single thing” in her story of the sexual assault.. and DNA evidence suggests that a sexual encounter did indeed take place.. Yet the case still looks likely to fall apart. It could even be dismissed ahead of Mr Strauss-Kahn’s next scheduled court appearance on July 18th..
In fact, this possibility is almost a certainty.. and the French media will undoubtedly afford Domenique all the sympathy any Frehcn politician.. falsely accused and humiliated by both the police and the American Press.. would recieve in such a high profile case..

Health experts are now saying that the financial crisis "almost certainly" led to an increase in suicides across Europe..
The analysis by British and American researchers found a rise in suicides was recorded among working age people, from 2007 to 2009 in nine of the 10 nations studied..
According to 'The Lancet'.. The increases varied between 5% and 17% for under 65s.. after a period of falling suicide rates..
Researchers said investment in welfare systems was the key to keeping rates down..
In particular, they argued supporting people back into work or having programmes to stop them losing their jobs in the first place.. was more important than giving them benefits..
The team used World Health Organization data to compare rates in the 10 countries, including the UK..
And while it may well be stating the obvious.. it is at least official recognition of a growing problem..

Moday's Moroccan vote deserves a mention.. even this far after the date..
A constitutional referendum, pressed by officials who wanted a strong turnout for what has been as much a test of King Mohammed VI’s popularity, as a poll about reform..
Businessmen backing the yes vote held celebratory street parties.. Imams at Morocco’s mosques were instructed to preach in favour of what was heralded as the King’s constitution.. But even in conservative Benslimane, a sleepy little town in the north of the country.. some 800 dissidents campaigned for a boycott..
A headmaster at a local school serving as a polling station was overheard muttering that the whole exercise was a masquerade..
The result.. 98.5% in favour.. was branded a risible by members of the February 20th movement.. This coalition of leftists, independent liberals and Islamists from the banned Justice and Spirituality movement, surprised many when its protests for social justice and democracy drew thousands of sympathisers across the kingdom earlier this year.. It called for a boycott of the referendum..
Now it's not as though this new Constitution in itself is a joke.. The new constitution includes some important reforms..
It establishes human rights as core principles.. recognises Berber, spoken by many Moroccans alongside Arabic, as an official language.. and calls for gender equality..
It gives new powers to the Prime Minister and Parliament.. and inaugurates a much-needed overhaul of the judiciary..
It no longer deems the king sacred, though he is still “Commander of the Faithful”..
Critics complain that many of the new constitution’s articles refer to “organic laws” that have not yet been written.. making the extent of some changes uncertain.. Others depend on the creation of special commissions, mostly headed by the King.. Political parties, a majority of whom backed the “yes” vote, only saw a draft of the constitution at the last minute..
No mention is made of King Mohammed’s promise, which came in a speech in March, of moving towards a Parliamentary Monarchy.. The King remains..directly or indirectly.. in control of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government..
Or as the new constitution puts it, a “supreme arbiter” of political and institutional life..
In many respects, the new constitution merely codifies an existing method of governing that allows the palace to micromanage at its whim..
Whether this will satisfy the Opposition, or indeed the general population, is doubtful..

THE herbalist stall of Dr Zachari in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, offers “cures” for AIDS, madness, lost love and “manhood misfires”, but most popular with customers coming to his tin-shack in the sprawling Konyo-Konyo market is “business advice”. South Sudan will be independent from July 9th and investors, entrepreneurs and jobseekers are pouring into the capital, lured by the prospect of equipping a new state.

Bars on the steamy banks of the White Nile are filled with Kenyan traders.. Ethiopian waiters.. Chinese engineers.. American security contractors.. Eritrean restaurateurs.. and Ugandan motorbike drivers..
Expatriate South Sudanese are also coming home in droves after decades of civil war. The most prominent are the “Cuban Jubans”, a group long ago sent to Havana for education.. they run the loudest bar in town..
Outside its doors, Hummers and other pricey cars bounce along yet-to-be-paved roads..
The embryonic nation is severely handicapped by a lack of infrastructure.. Tarmac is almost non-existent..
The information minister, Barnaba Marial, says, “We never had roads. We are starting from below zero.”
Sending a shipping container from a port in neighbouring Kenya to landlocked Juba costs almost $10,000.. “They want to tax you at every roadblock,” says Charles Opolot, a Ugandan fruit trader..
A recent report by the International Finance Corporation ranks Juba 159th out of 183 places worldwide for ease of doing business..
For a city ruined by war, and one estimated to have tripled in size since a 2005 peace deal.. that is not a terrible start.. It has had some success in attracting investors.. SABMiller built a brewery.. Oil companies are active..
And recent reports indicate that foreign investment firms have bought out some 30% of the available lad, either for development, or for exploitation..

And a few more thoughts as the day's progresses..
Police say they've managed to recover the numbers of more than 4 thousand people hacked by The News Of The World..
And that tabliod has announced that it's last edition will be published this Sunday.. ending a run since 1843..
First.. it appears The News Of The World is paying the ultimate price.. it's final edition will be, as mentioned, this Sunday's.. and that takes the reading mateial away from some 2,812,005 readers, on a weely basis taken from fugures released in 2010..
This is expensive damage control by James Murdoch, Rupert's son.. a clear indication to any future Court action, that the parent company was unaware of, and condemned wholeheartedly, even to the extent of closing the rag down, the unethical journalism which had become the standard for the publication..
A In a release issued late this afternoon.. James admitted News International’s mistakes.. saying that he hopes everyone acknowledges that it is doing its “utmost to fix them, atone for them, and make sure they never happen again.."
"Having consulted senior colleagues, I have decided that we must take further decisive action with respect to the paper.. This Sunday will be the last issue of the News of the World..In addition, I have decided that all of the News of the World’s revenue this weekend will go to good causes.."
"While we may never be able to make up for distress that has been caused, the right thing to do is for every penny of the circulation revenue we receive this weekend to go to organisations.. many of whom are long-term friends and partners.. that improve life in Britain and are devoted to treating others with dignity. ”..
"We will run no commercial advertisements this weekend. Any advertising space in this last edition will be donated to causes and charities that wish to expose their good works to our millions of readers..”.
Bet this one sells out however many printings they run.. A collectors item if nothing else..
Perhapsd also the last edition of the paper, which led to a 'legislated' set of journalistic ethics being forged.. the paper which opened the door for the politicians..

As for police role in all of this.. those investigating allegations of phone hacking by the News of the World have called for patience as they contact almost 4,000 people whose names appear in documents seized back in 2005..
The Met's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers said she understood people were more than upset.. but time was needed while officers pored through 11,000 pages of notes.. as well as dealing with more in the public eye who fear they were targets as well..

News International said allegations against its paper had been horrifying..
Five journalists and newspaper executives suspected of involvement in the News of the World phone-hacking scandal, are expected to be arrested within days.. this amid a growing political and public outcry into unethical journalistic practices.. specifically phone-tapping..
News International, the parent company owned by Rupert Murdoch said yesterday.. that it was close to identifying who authorised a private investigator to listen to messages on the phone of the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler and people involved in other high-profile stories.. Rupert himself has called these revelations 'despicable'.. and has promised those responsible will be held accountable.
Now as mentioned before, 'The News Of The World' is not what one would call an 'analytical' paper.. scandal and photo's of overweight stars in bathing suits is it's stock and trade.. it's yellow journalism at it's very lowest standards..
But oddly enough, it's the one you'll likely seen left in rush hour tube carriages or busses..
Tabloid journalism has been around, as long as broadsheets were first printed.. and unethical news gathering, and outright lying, have been part of a 'good story' for those publications who cater to a certain demographic..
While it may well be time for the Courts to step in, and award backbreaking awards to those who's privacy has been unethically invaded.. it would be yet another thing for the Government to impose restrictions on the media. David's promised the formation of one, perhaps two separate Investigations into this issue.. and one must as the government, in any way, attempt to tread lightly on the right to free speech....

There is a widespread trend these days in primary schools, wherein how the old basics of 'reading, writing, and arithmetic' were first introduced to our young minds, to opt for a system called synthetic phonics.. Rather than learning the sound each individual letter makes in combination with others.. this system is where children are taught the individual sounds of each letter and group of letters, then how to blend those sounds to make words..
The problem being, that while studies have shown the system works, those students who read for enjoyment has decreased significantly.. It would appear that by reducing words to mere expression, we have removed the imagination which the various meanings of any particular word might inspire.
It's reflected equally as well, in text-type.. that peculiar language one uses when sending a text by telephone..
It could become a serious problem a decade or so down the line.. when those looking for viable employment, struggle to write a CV without using a computer template..

According to the first flagship report of the new agency 'UN Women'...More than half of working women in the world.. some 600 million.. are trapped in insecure jobs without legal protection. About the same number do not have even basic protection against domestic violence it finds, while sexual assault has become a hallmark of modern conflict..
For millions of women in both rich and poor countries.. the search for justice is filled with difficulty, and is often expensive.. laws and legal systems frequently discriminate against them..
In Cambodia.. for example.. the forensic test necessary to lay a rape charge costs two weeks' wages, while in Kenya a land claim in an inheritance case can cost $800 and extend across 17 different administrative stages..
Now of course the vast majority of those women who're still struggling through a fight fought in the West fifty years ago, and still goes on today.. That figure deals, for the most part, with the plight of those in Muslim, or other African countries..
The fight for freedom and equality.. a Constitution.. a free economy.. involve those of both sexes..
And while this UN department will keep a close eye on women's progress as the various situations change.. it's doubtful it will achieve any impact on the situations it's described.. Only time will do that.. and the ability to achieve..

It would appear the Osama saga's not quite finished yet..
Pakistani authorities say they will not allow bin Laden's family to be repatriated to Saudi Arabia, until prosecutors are satisfied they can shed no more light on his the most wanted man in the world managed to live in a house in Pakistan, a couple of hundred yards from a Military Academy, for five years without someone knowing something about it all..
The government set up the commission.. headed by a senior judge.. last month amid mounting public fury over the U.S. raid that killed bin Laden, which many Pakistanis see as a breach of their sovereignty..
Its mandate is to look into how bin Laden could have lived in Pakistan for so long and how the United States was able to conduct the raid without the military's knowledge..
The decision to block the repatriation of the family could set it on a collision course with the country's security establishment.. if the commission says the military was complicit in hiding bin Laden..
Embarrassing, to say the least.. should it turn out there were those in either the government or the military who knew he was there..
Yet, common sense would dictate that indeed, some Pakistani agency knew..

Republicans showed new signs of flexibility to break a budget impasse yesterday, but the White House raised the ante.. pushing for more deficit reduction and taking a pugnacious tone casting the GOP as defenders of corporate tax giveaways..
First.. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.. declared he was open to closing tax loopholes that the White House says are wasteful and ineffective and that would generate some money toward reducing deficits over the long term..
Then.. Democratic officials.. said Barack wants far more deficit reduction than the $2 trillion over 10 years that for weeks has been the target for budget negotiators..
Obama in April proposed deficit reduction of $4 trillion over 12 years and White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday that goal remained "something to aspire to.."
The US has precious little time to sort out an agreement which would allow them to raise their borrowing ceiling, and avoid defaulting on their debt structure.. They have until the second of next month to pay up.. or risk an economic crisis the likes of which we cannot even imagine

There's been a series of underhanded tactics by the British media of late.. celebrities and politicians having their emails hacked or their phones tapped.. But perhaps the one case which brings this all into focus, is the Milly Dowler case..
Claims that the murdered teenager's mobile phone was hacked by a private investigator working for the News of the World are "truly dreadful", says David Cameron..
And equally as despicable.. The parents of murdered Soham girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman have been visited by police investigating phone-hacking by journalists.. those two young girls were murdered by Ian Huntley.. back in 2002..
This is not 'investigative journalism'.. but a shame shared by all those who make their living providing the public with information.
In journalism, it is indeed a case of being 'as pure as Caesars wife..' Of being the providers of the truth, acquired through ethical means.
Of course, there is a place for singular opinion.. this being an example.. but when it comes to reporting 'the news', there can be one story only, subject to topical revision..
One would hope that the parents of those children take, specifically The News of The World, to the cleaners.
While no amount of money can ever compensate the loss, it can certainly hurt those who obtained their information through vile and despicable means..
Now a development in this story.. Police have seized some 11 thousand documents from the offices of 'The News Of The World'.. in an effort to establish just how many policemen.. court reporters.. are actually on the payroll of that tabloid.. Loose lips in pubs and clubs frequented by both journalists and policemen, have led to the release of many a detail which perhaps should have been kept confidential..
But this must be kept in perspective.. not turn into a witch hunt.. While it is true many a case is discussed over a pint.. this often clarifies a situation, and gives journalists a different perspective on a case, or an issue..
But the prime responsibility of any journalist, is to take an honest approach to investigative reporting.. To have gathered their facts in an ethical and systematic manner..
This country loves a scandal.. Tabloids compete with a vengeance for their readership and in more case than one, if the absolute facts don't match what they toss across a banner headline.. the headline takes precedence..
And again if a lawsuit follows, that makes for even more headlines..
Yellow journalism must be taken as just that.. As the National Enquirer is in North America, so are the Sun, The News of the World, and their ilk to be taken with a rather large spich of salt..
It is indeed, a case of 'consider the source'.. and consider the ethics of the publication..
Rupert Murdoch, who owns News International which owns The News of the Word, has defended his Editor in Chief..Rebeckah Brooks.. but has condemned the phone hacking allegations as 'deplorable'
More headlines..
Mind you, News International stock fell a couple of points in late trading.. Perhaps a small price for the publicity..

One of the UN's African humanitarian leaders.. Antonio Guterres.. says the levels of malnutrition among children fleeing Somalia's drought could lead to a "human tragedy of unimaginable proportions.."
Estimates are that a quarter of Somalis are either displaced within their own country, or living outside as refugees..
The drought which has destroyed effectively all the crops in the south of the country is compounded by the violence in south and central areas.. In north-east Kenya's Dadaab refugee camp, some 1,400 refugees are arriving every day.. and the tide has yet to turn..
The extreme weather in the Horn of Africa has been, and will continue to be, a problem unimaginable to the Western mind.. Prolonged drought in that area is the immediate cause of the severe food crisis already affecting around 10 million people in parts of Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia. Rains have failed over two seasons, with a strong La Niña event having a dramatic impact across the east coast of Africa..
Now this year's wet season has officially ended, there is little prospect of rain or relief before September..
Put's one's own problems in a somewhat different perspective..
Especially considering the bumper crops of soya and corn in the American mid-west this year..

Barack's going to be fielding question on.. of all things.. Twitter this evening.. that's 2pm EST.. 7pm GST..
The event is supposed to be devoted to jobs and the economy, through tweets to the hashtag #AskObama cover issues ranging from Afghanistan and education to the quality of school lunches and whether to legalize marijuana..
The goal is "to try and find new opportunities to connect with Americans throughout the country," according to Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media for the White House.
"The focus is to bring in a lot of new perspectives.."
How quickly this world is changing.. The next logical step, is voting online..

This is an important week for Barack.. and for the entire US for that matter..
The joint Houses must come to some agreement, on how the national debt will be reduced.. If an agreement is delayed, the US risks being downgraded in the Bond Market..
Not a good thing..
Barack prodded members of both the Senate and the House.. to get on with finding an equitable agreement.. which likely will include tax hikes on the wealthy.. a move strongly opposed by the Republicans.. Obama said he was summoning leaders of both parties to the White House tomorrow to try to break the Congressional impasse and beat an Aug. 2 deadline to avert a first-ever federal default that could shake economic markets worldwide..
A massive understatement there..
"We need to come together over the next two weeks to reach a deal that reduces the deficit and upholds the full faith and credit of the United States government and the credit of the American people," Obama said at the White House..
Yet another massive understatement..
The two sides have identified roughly $2 trillion in spending cuts, which would enable lawmakers to say they are taking steps to get the national debt under control while they sign off on further borrowing... and could hold off any reduction in their Credit Ratings.. But the main stumbling block appears to the Republic intragecies is rainf some £200 billion through tax hiles for the very wealthy, and in corporate loopholes..
Somehow, it's broght the Beatle's 'Taxman' to mind.. Those American billionaires don't appreciate their situation..
$200 billion.. a drop in the bucket..

And we complain about the state of the NHS.. we don't know how lucky we are..
To curb rising Medicaid costs, about a dozen American States are starting a new budget year by reducing payments to doctors, hospitals and other health care providers that treat the poor..
Besides South Carolina.. other states reducing Medicaid payments to physicians this month are Colorado.. Nebraska.. Oregon.. and South Dakota.
Arizona, which cut rates in April, will impose another cut in October..
States reducing payments to hospitals include Colorado.. Connecticut.. Florida.. Nebraska.. New Hampshire.. North Carolina.. Oregon.. Pennsylvania.. South Carolina.. Texas.. Virginia.. and Washington.
New York cut hospital payment rates in April..
The numbers of those needing treatment which will feel this cut most deeply, are those who simply have nothing but a social safety net to keep them alive..
But then, compare the deaths caused by this cut, to the numbers being tallied daily in Somalia..

Portugal may need to join Greece in seeking a second bailout because it will struggle to hit its deficit-reduction targets, Moody’s said as it slashed the country’s credit rating to junk..
That relegation's not one to be taken lightly.. it means confidence in Greek government bonds, is non-existent.. Their paper is worth nothing..
It's a new setback in efforts to quell the Euro crisis.. the credit ratings agency downgraded Portugal’s rating to Ba2 from Baa1, and assigned a negative outlook to the nation..
That makes Moody’s the first of the top three credit ratings agencies to assign Lisbon junk status during the Eurozone crisis. It puts Portugal’s rating at the same level as El Salvador and Armenia. The euro slid against the dollar, trading at $1.4426 and dropped to 89.76p against Sterling..
This is not looking good, at all..

A reduced ability to control privatisations is going be a bitter pill for Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou to swallow, as he confronts civil unrest on the streets of Athens and a slender majority in the country’s parliament..
A further shadow was cast over Greece’s future yesterday after a leading European policymaker warned that the debt-stricken country’s sovereignty would have to be reined in..In plain language, the leading countries in the EU will have a rather large share of influence, when public companies go on the block..
Effectively, Greece has, by accepting Eurozone bailout money, abrogated it's financial right to govern to those from whom they borrowed the money.. and this will certainly not sit well with the average Greek man on the street..
It was always going to be a problem.. joining a hegemony the likes of the EU, means that while a country can expect help in times of fiscal meltdown, it can also expect to lose sovereignty.. the right to govern themselves as they see fit.
It would do well, for contries the likes of Serbia to examine this scenario thoroughly.. for if they need help in re-establishing a separate economy, they may not get it unless they're willing to give up their right to govern to the EU.. specifically Germany and France.
We warned a couple of years ago, that a union of European States would eventually lead to a central government.. as in a republican model, wherein States must defer to a Central Administration..
This may well be the path for the future.. as individual countries decide the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of going it alone..
Prey Britain doesn't fall into this mishmash of a coalition.. for as there were problems deciding what was the purview of the individual States when the US was formed.. there will be far greater concessions demanded from countries, when they choose to fall under the European umbrella..

Accoding to American military sources, hundreds of American 'Special Forces' members will be shipped into Afghanistan, to ensure the Karzai government isn't over-run by factions undesirable to the West..
A mini-surge of Navy Seals, Army “Green Beret” Rangers and other special units is being drafted from across the world.. including Iraq and the Philippines.. to ensure that there is enough combat power to expand covert raids as America withdraws 33 thousand troops over the next 15 months.. The secret deployment reflects the concerns of military commanders that the withdrawal will be a blow to military progress in the country..
By 'military progress'.. read government stability..
While Barack wants to ensure that America’s withdrawal is well under way before the next presidential election, he is also anxious that it will not be seen to have undermined the gains that allied forces have made against the Taleban..
And that, is going to prove difficult. For just a scenario came to pass when the Russians pulled out.. rival tribal factions, terrorist groups, all those the US and Britain have fought so hard to at least contain, if not eradicate, will come flooding back into the country..
Never has an armed force managed to bring peace to Afghanistan since the days of the Ottoman Empire.
It's doubtfull the US has managed to achieve any more than any other..

A mention of the former Serbian General Ratko Miladic.. He's not refusing to attend his trial in the Hague.. boycotting the proceedures so to speak..
Not that it will have much impact on the outcome of the trial..

Professor Martin Lombard, England's National Clinical Director for Liver Disease, has delivered some disturbing news.. half a million British children are at serious risk of liver disease, due to obesity..
These are kids between the ages of 4 to 14..
The British diet, or at least that enjoyed by some, could well lead to diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver later in life..
Now While the rate of increase in childhood obesity seems to be flattening out, the total number of overweight children is still very high.. to say the very least..
Government figures for child obesity in England in the school year 2009/10 showed that nearly a fifth of children in reception class (aged four) were obese or overweight..
Among thos children in their 6th year of primary school.. that would be 10 to 11-year-olds.. the figure was one in three..
This is bordering on the obscene.. that we would allow our children to get into such a state..
One can see yet another government agency stepping in, for this over-eating would seem to preclude some deeper problem, both with the parents of these children, and with the kids themselves..

This might have been expected..
New York’s district attorney is expected to drop the criminal case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn after the chambermaid who accused him of sexual assault was alleged to be married to a drug dealer who sought to make money from the charges..
The former head of the IMF was arrested in New York last month and charged with seven counts of sexual assault, attempted rape and false imprisonment..He spent a weekend in jail..appeared dishevelled and weary in a New York Court.. was publicly humiliated as his other indiscretions were publicly aired.. and lost his job as the head of IMF Fund.. Then, cracks appeared in the credibility of the complainant..so he was put under house arrest.. and his bail and bond was returned.
Strauss-Kahn has denied all charges..
The days of political assassination have yet to pass it would seem..

Muammar is welcome to live out his retirement inside Libya as long as he gives up all power.. acording to Libya's rebel chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil.. the clearest concession the rebels have so far offered..
Gaddafi has fiercely resisted all international calls for him to go and vowed to fight to the end, but members of his inner circle have given indications they are ready to negotiate with the rebels.. including on the Libyan leader's future..
This could put a different complexion on this standoff.. If Mohammar stays in Libya, it's going to be difficult for the Courts to extradite him to face charges of genocide.. which could be one of the most pressing points on his mind.
After all, they hanged Saddam..

In February, the wheelchair-bound, gray-haired Shi'a anti-government activist Abduljalil al-Singace was released from a six-month prison stint in Bahrain.. that was short lived.. A week ago, Singace was sentenced to death in a military court, along with seven other prominent Bahraini activists, the highest-profile verdict in the weeks since the regime began trying arrested members of the opposition. Another 13 were handed sentences ranging from two to 15 years in prison..
Now while the government is taking a softer stance on protesters.. it's Courts are going the job of removing the leaders of the opposition for it.
International Observers at the trials of those above, described the proceedings as a travesty.. Human Rights Watch issued a note declaring the country's ongoing trials as unjust on the 14th of June.. saying "International human rights bodies have determined that trials of civilians before military tribunals violate the right to be tried by a competent, independent, and impartial tribunal.."
Yet another Western backed regime, falling to bits..

As millions of Americans struggle in foreclosure with little hope of relief, big banks are going to borrowers who are not even in default and cutting their debt or easing the mortgage terms, sometimes with no questions asked..
Two of the nation’s biggest lenders, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, are quietly modifying loans for tens of thousands of borrowers who have not asked for help but whom the banks deem to be at special risk..
Mind you, this is indeed on the quiet.. what they don't need are tens of thousands of applications for reductions from those who feel their position is untenable..
But if the other banks follow suit.. it could be the boost homeowners need..
But it won't offset fuel prices, and the unemployment problem..

The big news, is that Domenique Strauss-Kahn has been released from house arrest with no bail demands, as the prosecution case against him is in a total state of collapse.
The maid lied, is the long and the short of it.. But the consiquences of this debacle has had far reaching effects..
Will his replacement as head of the IMF prove to be the right move..? As he was planning on stepping down anyway for the French elections.. he had plans for running against Sarkozy.. and those plans may well still be in the works.
For not only is that man one of the most astute economic minds on the planet, but he now has the sympathy of the entire French nation behind him.
It was staged. That implies there are those who planned this entire episode..
Begs a question..
Yet.. there have been questions raised in the minds of some Frenchmen.. not many mind you.. concerning the private lives of their elected officials.. However, while this attitude might well affect a British or North American Prime Minister or President, it remains to be seen how important this issue will become in France. The Continental attitude is not Calvanist, to say the least.. and while an investigation may well be launched, and a few slaps on the wrists delivered.. It may well be that the treatment he recieved at the hands of the American authorities will cancel out past indescretions.. simply because he will be found innocent of this latest incident..
Time will tell..

Not good news.. Growth in UK manufacturing activity slid to a two-year low.. output in other European countries also suffered a setback, suggesting that the global rebound is losing steam..
The Market/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index of factory output fell to 51.3 last month, just above the 50 reading that marks the divide between expansion and contraction..
This is not to be unexpected. The effects of a profligate economy.. which lasted nearly 40 years.. will take decades to put right..
Not a harbinger of doom here.. merely observing the light of the end of the tunnel is miles away..

And to aggravate the situation.. Work and Pensions Secretary William Hague has once again brought up the issue of immigration.. of how foreigners are taking jobs which should be filled by British workers..
Mind you.. business leaders immediately responded by suggesting British workers were less useful than foreign-born migrants who work harder..
Ian's is going public on concerns he has expressed to Cabinet colleagues which go to the heart of tension with the Liberal Democrats, on how migration should be restricted.. David said recently that he would have imposed tighter restrictions on people coming into the country if he were not in a coalition..
Is this yet the beginning of another move to distance Britain from the EU..?

And there's more to update this evening.. We mentioned a few weeks ago that the price of petrol, gas, in the US, could well put a roadblock in the path of their already fragile recovery..
Say your car takes 20 gallonsUS.. that's a hundred bucks.. and depending on the car you drive and how much it's used by various members of the family, you'll be topping up again in three days or so.. The question on many minds now.. at least 9.2% of the population.. is 'how?'
It's quite something to imagine.. the US.. the financial bulwark.. is five weeks away from defaulting on it's debts..
Both Senators and Congressmen have cancelled their scheduled 4th of July plans.. both Houses will be sitting until some bi-partisan agreement is hammered out..
Now.. both sides have agreed on about $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years, including interest savings, but only if the remaining parts of the deal fall into place.. Republicans want far more in spending cuts..
The negotiations are aimed at cutting future deficits by more than $2 trillion.. not the $4 trillion originally sought by both sides.. "A couple trillion dollars is nothing to sneeze at," said one of the two officials who weren't authorized to comment on the negotiations..
Barack wants more than $400 billion in higher taxes on what he calls "millionaires and billionaires".. but much of it would affect individuals with income above $200,000 and couples above $250,000.. The biggest item.. limiting the value of itemized deductions for that income group which would raise $290 billion over a decade.. has failed to pass Congress before..
Now both sides are frantically courting potential votes in the House and Senate.. knowing that any compromise will need support from both Republicans and Democrats..
The stakes of the debate were underscored when a Standard & Poor's executive said the credit-rating agency would give the government its lowest rating should lawmakers fail to agree on raising the borrowing limit and cause a federal default..
The hole gets deeper, and deeper..
It's even hitting individual States within the Union now.. In Minnesota..In an echo of the debate unfolding in Washington, Minnesota hurtled toward a midnight government shutdown this morning.. in a dispute over taxes and spending that could force thousands of layoffs.. bring road projects to a standstill.. and close state parks just ahead of the Fourth of July weekend..
Though nearly all states are having severe budget problems this year.. Minnesota stood alone on the brink of a shutdown, thanks to Democratic Governor Mark Dayton's determination to raise taxes on high-earners to close a $5 billion deficit and the Republican Legislature's refusal to go along..
Republican Sen. Michelle Benson said she wasn't about to budge, either..
"If we don't start taking a different approach to how we manage our government, we're going to swing from one bad economic circumstance to another," Benson said. "We can't just keep throwing more money at government and hoping that makes things better."
Begs the question.. what if on the macrocosmic scale. the House and Senate take the same approach.. and the White House doesn't get it's borrowing ceiling raised..

Now to Greece.. at least for the time being, their fat appears to have been pulled from the fire.. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble..
Since the bulk of this bailout payment was coming from German coffers, politicians in Athens must have heaved a collective sigh of relief..
But again, it begs the ubiquitous question.. are we not throwing good money after bad..?
Now what could possibly be a viable solution, would be for the highly industrialised EU countries, to not only send the cash to build factories producing commodities aimed at, for the most part to begin, the domestic market, but to send German and French skilled workers, to teach the Greeks.. to give them their own skilled workforce..
Rather than handing overt trillions of Euro's to the government.. the EU and the IMF should be negotiating with contractors and those manufacturers still in business..directly.
While a portion of the loan would of course go to the government.. pay the salaries of civil service people and maintain essential services.. But it might be a better plan to allocate some of those monies for the development of private companies, with the EU and the IMF in partnership..
Unemployment is the most pressing of this world's problems, and that excludes no economy.. a pooling of the labour force in those countries which have them, and distribution of skilled workers to countries building factories built by the IMF and the EU.. could go a long was towards easing our problems..
Hoover did it.. Roosevelt did it.. Now it needs doing on a global scale.. with global agreement..

The Tankan Index.. a business sentiment survey used as a bellweather in Japan.. has indicated that Japan's big manufacturers have turned pessimistic about business conditions in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami..
Now these Tankan Surveys have an effect on Japan's monetary policy.. The business sentiment index plunged 15 points to minus nine in June.. but all going well.. the index for September quarter is forecast to rise to plus two..
However, while the problem persists, it's unlikely we'll see Japan take it's place as the second largest economy in the world, for quite a while..

Disturbing. A review by the government indicates that some 100,000 people with terminal illnesses die every year without properly planned care, so they are shuttled in and out of hospital..
Now.. there are Paliative Care Homes, but there are vast disparities in how much money is spent on services, with some patients receiving 30 times as much as others..
Many endure substandard nursing care and have no chance to plan where they wish to die..
This is such an horrific subject for this ageing population.. the thought that when one is unable to take care of one's self while a disease eats what remains of your life.. and having to spend that time in the confines of a hospital ward..
The review concludes that while some services were good, many of the up to 457,000 people needing good palliative care were getting a piecemeal service.. A total of 92,000 were simply “not being reached,” it added..
A sad reflection..

This may be the start of a series of bad moves by our Unions..
But nevertheless, today's the day hundreds of thousands of teachers, civil servants, job center workers, court workers, will hit the bricks ib a mass protest against pension reforms and age of retirement..
Now as has been written before, these are hard times, and while the British man on the street may well be as outraged as another on the cuts the government's making.. But a significant number of them, including those who will today be out on strike, realize the necessity of austerity.. They understand the dangers of falling into the same spiral as Greece, and are fully aware nobody's come up with a better plan to avoid that situation..
But it hurts. And above all, the Unions must give the impression of being proactive for their memberships.. even if it means rabble rousing, and the masses taking to the streets.. even though those at the top realize whatever they may gain in the way of concessions, will be eaten up by the commensurate rise in inflation.. doing their membership no good, and making it even harder on those without their ranks..
Public opinion is not going to be with those on strike today.. Those who must scramble to find a carer for a child, or an elderly relative for the day.. those who find their normal traffic routes clogged with crowds waving placards.. those who still must appear at their jobs.. those who make less than those on strike and wonder where they get their cheek.. they'll make their voice known..
Perhaps even more so those among all of the above, who realize, just as their grandparents had to after the Second World War, that they must bite the bullet, and ride this out 'til the debt's paid..
And to insult to injury, the Teachers union has stood up, puffed out it's chest, and said we'd best get ready for further strike action when the Fall term starts as well..
This action today comes just days before Summer break begins.. it's a mere inconvenience..
But to display the hubris to threaten further action..
One has to shake one's head..
And as an update, while thousands were on the streets protesting.. Labour leader Ed Miliband has gone against the Unions, saying the demonstrations were well premature, that talks were still going on..
Now, the Unions, longtime stalwart Labour supporters and in fact the faction that shoved Ed into the leadership role over his brother.. have said Ed's refusal to back this action as a 'disgrace'..
Ed told the Local Government Association annual conference in Birmingham that he understood "the anger of workers who feel they are being singled out by a reckless and provocative government"..
But he said: "I also believe this action is wrong".
The Labour leader's stance sparked an angry response from Mary Bousted, leader of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, when she addressed an audience of striking workers in Westminster Central Hall..
"I am pleased we are not affiliated to Labour.."
Not what a Labour leader wants to hear.. at all..

Back to the E-coli outbreak for a moment.. Scientists now say there could be a tie with seeds imported from Egypt.. Now the report does say there is 'much uncertainty'.. but certain seeds from Egypt have been linked to two farms which produced tainted vegetables..
44 died in the recent outbreak.. hundreds hospitalised.. but one must wonder hos many more countries will be loosely tied to this disease, before they simply throw up their collective hands and say "We don't know.."

Bring the point home that the worst is yet to come, the Bank of England published it's report today, indicating that High Street Banks will be looking at record numbers of loan defaults.. mortgages are expected to be the hardest hit..
Surprisingly, the pressure on unsecured loans has eased.. but that trend could well reverse as those on fixed incomes, who are already robbing Peter to pay Paul, find themselves overwhelmed with what were formerly budgetable items, now stretching them to the limit.
The case could be made, that the Bank of England's biggest problem, is inflation. And while keeping the Bank Rate consistently low, they are fueling a trend that will eventually drive a significant proportion of those in this country, to poverty.

In Greece, George's government has passed a severe austerity program in spite of public protest.. It's a five-year austerity package that includes tax increases, cost cuts.. plus a host of privatisations and sales of state assets..
Now this will free up the next €12 billion tranche of last year’s €110 billion emergency bailout loan from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.. It is due next month and will help the debt-stricken country avoid default and avert crisis in the wider Eurozone..
This plan come to €28 billion in higher taxes and cost-cutting over four years, as well as the creation of an agency to oversee €50 billion worth of privatisations and asset sales in coming years..
Just whether this will be enough to keep the country from defaulting on the next tranche has yet to be seen.. The problem with these bailouts, is eventually they must be repaid.. and not from further borrowed funds..
Greece's intrinsic problem is it's lack of viable industry.. That will not change within the timeframe for this new legislation..
Where the machinery of the world is still motoring away.. it's much like a ten year old Cortina.. rusted.. patched, and held together with gaffer tape..






More to come..

In action being taken by members of the National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers..some 3 thousand English schools will be shut tomorrow.. some 22 hundred others working under skeleton staffs.. That's a million students with an unscheduled day off..
The Issues are pensions, that government changes will mean they will have to work longer, pay more and get less when they retire..
Education Secretary Michael Gove told the Commons the strike would cause "massive inconvenience to hard-working families" and would hit working women particularly hard..
The move by the Unions.. in fact any strike action by any of the Unions, is a development no government needs at this point.
One would think that while it may be a bitter pill to swallow, previous governments and investment controls has put us all in a situation wherein sacrifice must be made.. and that this would be fully recognized by all who have the privilege of a job to go to.. There are many, outside the influence of a Union, who would happily take their place should the opportunity present itself.

Case in point. Statistics indicate that the disposable income of the average British household has fallen to it's lowest level since 1977..
The Office for National Statistics said that in the year to the end of March real incomes.. adjusted for inflation.. fell 2.7%, a fall not seen since that year..
A disturbing trend for a society which has grown used to substantially more.. either through easy credit, or through increases in wages..
The difficulty in this, is the effect it has on those who live on fixed incomes.. Those who perhaps worked all their lives, invested their savings in what they believed to be the wise hands of those who's business is nothing but investment..
But lest it be forgotten, swept under the carpet, it was speculative houses and banks which, to a large part, put us in this hole. It might well be said this was coming anyway, what with the 'easy money' generations which followed the 50's and 60's..
But regardless who's shoulders the blame is laid upon, the fact remains we are in a position today, wherein we have had a drastic margin call..
The Piper must be paid.

As a sidebar, the Police Association reports there has been a 'significant' increase in robberies, burglaries, and muggings since the start of the economic slowdown..
No surprise, really..

Greece is perhaps the harbinger of what's to come throughout the Eurozone..
Parliament is due to vote today and tomorrow on a series of new austerity measures in a bid to sort out the country's finances and secure another bailout..
Proposed by Prime Minister George Papandreou's Socialist Party, the measures include lowering the income tax threshold from 12,000 to 8,000 Euros..
They also feature a tightening of means-tested benefits.. 150 thousand redundancies in the public sector.. and yet another clampdown on tax evasion..
Other proposals being voted on are the privatisation.. read 'selling off'.. of some of Greece' ports, airports, banks, railways and energy companies, as well as the part-privatisation of the postal service..
The Greeks are not happy.. Papandreou has said that only his 28billion Euro austerity plan would get Greece back on its feet.. but police have fired tear gas in running battles with stone-throwing youths in Athens, where a 48-hour general strike is being held against the parliamentary vote on these tough austerity measures..

One has to wonder how long it will be, before demonstrations the likes of those in the Eurozone spread worldwide.. The US has 9.2% unemployment, and a trillion dollar debt.. taking the Eurozone as a whole, the growth ion GDP, if any, will be bolstered only by Germany, and to some small extent, France.. The Middle East is in utter chaos as the average Arab wants to join in on what's seen as a better Western lifestyle..
This next decade is going to be exceedingly interesting to watch.. as China begins to control it's own unemployment problems..
Just an observation..

And just a note.. Christine Lagarde.. the French Finance Minister.. was named as the next head of the International Monetary Fund.. the first woman to lead one of the institutions charged since the end of the Second World War with maintaining global financial order..
Best of British luck to you Christine. With all his pecadillo's, Domenique leaves large shoes to be filled..
And the global financial system will fight tooth and nail to resist any 'restrictions' that could lead to order..

It's almost a sign of desperation on the part of the government.. Ministers and representatives of the teachers unions are in frantic meetings to avert a strike slated for Thursday.. Projected figures suggest at least 1 million students will get the day off, and their instructors lobby for pension reform, job security, and an end to the State takeover of schools which show poor performance records.
This is a sad time for British education.. At one time a Certificate or Degree from this Island meant quality.. an excellence of education..
While it's not quite hopeless, this economy seems to be an issue the Unions are ignoring.. still demanding unrealistic benefits for their memberships..
One can only hope, this can be resolved in an amicable manner, and the Unions will henceforth ensure their members meet the standards which used to be the norm..

The operator of Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant moved closer to ending its radiation crisis on Monday with the start of a system to cool damaged reactors that could also help avoid dumping highly contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean..
The move was hailed as "a giant step forward" by Goshi Hosono, an adviser to Prime Minister Naoto Kan..
Plant operator.. Tokyo Electric Power Company.. is running out of space to store a huge amount of radioactive water that has accumulated during efforts to cool the reactors.. It hopes the new system, which decontaminates water and re-circulates it to reduce reactor temperatures, will help achieve its goal of bringing the plant to stability by next January..

In a sign of international unease.. the U.N. Security Council voiced "grave concern" with the deteriorating security situation in Yemen, putting aside disagreements that had prevented the 15-nation body from speaking unanimously on the unrest there..
This was accompanied by the news that President Saleh was planning a return to Damascus, and would make a television address upon his arrival.. "He will appear within the next 48 hours despite our fear that the burns on his features and on different parts of his body will be an obstacle.. given that his appearance will not be as the media expects it.." said Ahmed al-Sufi, the President's media secretary..
Yemen has been rocked by months of protests against Saleh's three decades of rule. Before that he was grappling with a rebellion in the north, separatist violence in the south and a resurgent wing of al Q'aeda.
This will not bode well for any stability in the country for the immediate future.. for those against the government will only have their fervour refuelled by the return of the man, who for more than 30 years, has run their lives..

And in Libya.. the government yesterday renewed its offer to hold a vote on whether Muammar Gaddafi should stay in power, a proposal unlikely to interest his opponents but which could widen differences inside NATO..
Pressure is growing from some quarters within the alliance to find a political solution, three months into a military campaign which is costing NATO members billions of dollars.. has killed civilians.. and has so far failed to topple Gaddafi..
Moussa Ibrahim, a spokesman for Gaddafi's administration, told reporters in Tripoli the government was proposing a period of national dialogue and an election overseen by the United Nations and the African Union..
"If the Libyan people decide Gaddafi should leave he will leave. If the people decide he should stay he will stay," said Ibrahim..
But.. he said Gaddafi.. who has run the oil-producing country since taking over in a military coup in 1969.. would not go into exile whatever happened.
"Gaddafi is not leaving anywhere, he is staying in this country."

Here at home, an economic warning..
The Bank of England came under fire Saturday from the Bank for International Settlements for failing to raise interest rates despite inflation having persistently exceeded its target..
In its annual report BIS, often described as the central bank for central bankers, also called for an end to cheap money elsewhere.. warning that global economic growth would need to slow to curb inflation worldwide..BIS said that many of the challenges facing the world were a direct consequence of a third consecutive year of “near zero” interest rates in many leading economies. It said this risked a “reprise of the distortions they were originally they were originally designed to combat”..
BIS added: “The logical conclusion is that, at the global level, current monetary policy settings are inconsistent with price stability..
“Tighter global monetary policy is needed in order to contain inflation pressures and ward off financial stability risks.”
In what will be seen as a criticism of the Bank of England, BIS highlighted the fact that UK interest rates have been held at a record low of 0.5% since March 2009, despite consumer price inflation being higher than the Bank’s 2.0% target since December of that year..

An interesting fact.. that there are more Asian millionaires than European now..
The Asia-Pacific region was home to 3.3 million people in 2010 worth $US 1 million or more.. not taking into account their homes.. that's an an increase of roughly 10 per cent from the year before, according to the 15th annual World Wealth Report by Merrill Lynch's wealth management division and consultancy Capgemini.
And yet, while there are those at the top who can boast Western worth.. there are serious questions being asked about their business practices.. The travails of Xianburg and Sino-Forest, whose stock has collapsed by 84 per cent following allegations it inflated revenue and assets, are far from unique. A review of the approximately 60 Chinese companies listed on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and the more speculative Venture Exchange has found the sector abounds in extreme levels of risk for investors – with frequent, lengthy trading halts, numerous auditor changes, illiquid stocks, and even the odd zombie company.
This might be something that turns into a worldwide reassessment of Chinese companies..
Timber company Cathay Forest Products Corp.. CFZ-X.. has been halted since the first of February.. the company didn’t provide notice or seek exchange approval for four non-arm’s length deals and failed to adequately disclose these transactions, according to a statement issued by the company about the halt.. Cathay has also been unable to file its 2010 financial statements, is unable to estimate when the filings will be issued, and is facing a shareholder class-action lawsuit.
To continue.. Kaiyue International..YU.P.. shares have been halted at the company’s request since early December.. That company is proposing to buy another company that, through two subsidiaries, owns a Chinese firm that processes prepaid mobile phone accounts.. CFO Joseph Chan said the trading is halted pending an exchange review of the acquisition. Meanwhile, shareholders are in limbo..
It poses the question.. how long will it take for the Chinese to learn Western business practices, and adapt their millennia of machination to that of the International standard..
Yet, having said all that, Chinese President Wen Jaibao's in Britain.. set to meet with David Cameron tomorrow to hold their annual meeting on bi-lateral trade agreements.. Wen will also take the time to visit the MG plant in Longbridge.. MG now owned by China's Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation...
China, for all it's failures in European investment, still has a strong interest in broadening it's scope on the Eurozone, and the West in general..
There is real money in China's coffers.. and in itself is a vast and as yet barely touched market.. It is the second largest economy in the world at the moment.. and in spite of some speculators doubting the viability of a 'good offer' from a Chinese House.. each must be taken on their merit.. their well researched merit..
Wen's initial remarks concerned the Euro.. and the predicament the Eurozone now finds itself in.. His were words of encourgement.. saing China had increased its holdings of Euro Bonds in recent years and was confident the Eurozone could overcome its problems..
Mind you, if it doesn't sort out this mess, one wonders how long it will take China to dump those bonds on the market..
An update on the talks Wen had with David this afternoon.. China's anxious to increase trade relations with Britain.. increased investment such as that in Longbridge, at the MG plant.. Up to £1billion worth of business deals are expected to be announced during Mr Wen's three-day UK tour.. a mere drop in the bucket tell the truth, but an encouraging start..

It's always good to have what one has written proven by the media..
We have been saying for months that the Libyan rebels, while not receiving any more than token support as far as 'advisers'.. have been supplied with arms and materiel by Britain and France for months.
Today's Times will 'break' the story that these illicit arms have been shipped through Qatar, with the full knowledge of the authorities..
Yup.

An interesting statistic from researchers from Imperial College London and Harvard University have discovered after an exhaustive survey, that those worldwide suffering from diabetes, a potentially deadly disease, has risen from 153million to 347million..
Blame television.

Just an example of how this global recession has hit Greece.. Hospitals and doctors surgeries are running short of drugs to treat their patience, as the drug companies react to the economic state of the country.. even essential services can't get credit..
Greece is between the proverbial rock and a hard place.. Prime Minister Pappandreous has been told by the IMF, France, Germany and Britain, those being the countries about to cough out another £110 billion in loans, that he'd better stick to his strict austerity programs, increase taxes, cut social services, tackle unemployment, or that's they'll not shell out..
Meanwhile there are riots in the streets of Greece, with the public both vehemently and violently opposed to these measures, and the drop in their standard of living which they would bring about..
But.. supposing Greece fails to meet these conditions.. what then..?
There are a few possibilities.. Greece could shovel this debt into a hole.. and hope their economy could survive the return to the Drachma..
Or.. France and Germany could decide enough was enough.. good money after bad and all that.. and request Greece leave the EU.. again, a case of sink or swim, but no lifeguards on duty..
Or.. Moody's could downgrade Greece even further, causing a run on what commodities Greece deals in, the likes of shipping.. Bankruptcies would only add to an already unbearable problem...It's going to be interesting to watch this Game play out.
How important is the Unity of the EU..?
Now Mervyn King.. the Governor of the Bank of England, has warned that British involvement in propping up failing economies is only adding to our own rick of sliding back into recession..
The whole issue boils down to solvency. King suggested that the ultimate answer may lie in either alleviating the burden of its debts through 'gifts' of cash, or engineering a “significant improvement in competitiveness”..
Now while that certainly has it's merits, the fact remains that it renders down to getting the populace back to work.. That may well take the return to the old currency, and devaluing it.. with the open invitation to rejoin the ranks of the Union, as soon as it's finances were sorted out.
But how to get jobs into Greece..?
Certainly a devalued Drachma would increase tourism, and might be enough to entice foreign investment.. Tax incentives would certainly be on the table..
That option, in the long run, might be the best for all concerned.. It would allow France to divert much needed funds back into public sector projects, and would allow Angela perhaps yet another term in the Reichstag's..

Now while they're telling patients not to panic.. to keep taking their meds as prescribed.. a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society seems to show that the cocktail of drugs some people are taking for various conditions, not always associated with geriatric patients but those who have longstanding medical problems requiring large doses of medication as well.. could be subject to premature dementia or Alsheimers..
Some of the drugs tested fell into Category One, meaning mild effects.. those the likes of codeine, warferin, and some eye drops, timonol maleate..
What the 'mild'effects are long term was not explained..
Perhaps it is a symptom of what our society has become, this addiction to medication..
Perhaps it started in the 60's with 'mother's little helper'.. perhaps even far earlier with the first bar fight..
But we have a predilection to use medication to excess, simply because 'if one's good, two must be better'.. This includes those doled out by physicians who have become little more than prescription pads, and if they can't prescribe it, they refer you to someone who can..
It's treating the symptoms.. not the problems..
It's a pity. There was a time the family doctor not only made housecalls, but knew his patients personally..
Makes one feel old, to say that..

What could be some rather disturbing news from Afghanistan..
As Barack plane's a phased withdrawal of 33 thousand troops from the country.. it's President Karzai, is having meetings with Akmadenejad in Tehran..
There have been some concerns about the relationship between Iraq and Afghanistan.. and what it might develop into once the West is gone..
But it's a no win situation for Barack.. He can promise to pour money into Karzai's government once the last American boot has left, but that still leaves Al Q'aida, and Iraq..
One has to feel some sympanthy for Barack.. he's not been much of a President, but he did inherit a lot..
But he's not made things any better either.. His unemployment figures are staggering.. the forecasts call for worse times to come and it's exceedingly difficult to see what magic policy is going to reverse this juggernaut..

A Brief word on the passing of Peter Falk.. While best known for his 'Columbo' character, he was an actor of some great talent beyond television.

You'll recall that we wrote, back in 2003, that there was something not quite right with the death of Dr. David Kelly, a Middle Eastern analyst for the government who disclosed to the media that he had 'doubts' about there being weapons of mass destruction in Iran.. He was found, at the time, on a path not far from his home, wrists slashed, with his glasses and wallet left neatly on the ground beside him..
There are questions still left unanswered, but the decision today from the Attourney General is, that there's not enough evidence to suggest anything other than the death was a suicide.. and there will be no further investigation..
Quite frankly, this comes as no surprise.. at the time, when the circumstances of his death and the hours before it were released, we wrote that this would be swept under the closest carpet available.. that the death was 'too convenient'..
But the government has drawn a line under Dr. Kelly's killing/death.. and for the now, that's the end of it..

For the 27th month straight, the Bank of England has left it's benchmark interest rate unchanged, at 0.5%.. This, in spite of inflation rising to 4.5% in April, which was up from 4% in March..
This is good for those who have a mortgage to pay.. bad for those retiree's who live in the income their savings produce.. also bad for those on fixed incomes, such as state benefits, who see increases tied to the central rate, not inflation..
One can see where the BofE is heading, and what they're trying to do.. To keep this flagging economic recovery on any sort of track, there must be incentive for small businesses to borrow, thus expanding the job base, and reducing unemployment..
But it's hitting what will soon be the majority of Brits.. those close to or in retirement.. who've been saving to see them through their 'golden years'..
But those who determine financial policy walk an exceedingly thin tightrope these days..
And you can't please everybody..

A brief word here on the upcoming 90th birthday of our Queen's ever faithful consort, Prince Philip..
It seems over the years, he has become something of an object of ridicule in the media.. it seems journalists don't quite know what to do with someone who speaks their mind without internal censoring.. so they exploit some of the less politically correct statements the man has made..
But it's to be kept in mind, that over his years the Duke of Edinburgh has been involved in some 800 charities.. with perhaps the most successfull being the Duke of Edinburgh Award, which has tested the abilities of more than 7 million young people worldwide since 1956.. He was one of the first environmental activists, but describes himself with being concerned with the overall picture.. not a 'bunny hugger'.. He was the first Chairman of the World Wildlife Federation.. the list goes on..
But the man's a modest one.. He candidly admitted to the BBC that he had no interest in doing a 'special' to commemorate his 90th.. To quote Prince Edward, when asked about his fathers reticence: "My father plain and simply is very modest about himself and doesn't believe in talking about himself. One of his best pieces of advice he gives to everybody is talk about everything else, don't talk about yourself - nobody's interested in you."

The Education Institute of Scotland has raised it's collective eyebrows at a proposal from Glasgow City Council.. The largest employer of teachers and the authority for maintaining schools in the country has come out with a proposal that would see new teachers spend two years, rather than the current one, as 'assistants'.. and they call for these teacher's wage to be cut in half to just over £10 thousand a year for those two years..
The EIS, which is beginning its annual conference, said that if the suggestion was adopted, low pay would be an added burden for new teachers who may have student debts and significant problems finding work..
Mind you, the student loans wouldn't actually be a factor in this.. the proposed wage is below the threshold for payments to begin..
But.. the union has asked for 'clarification' from Glasgow Council.. and no doubt will have much more to say if this goes to a vote..

Economically.. the Pound Sterling has fallen sharply in the wake of a Moody's warning that Britain might lose it's AAA credit rating, is the economy begins to show signs of slowing.. the pound dropped more than half a cent to $Us1.6356 and by 0.2% to 89½p against the Euro..
This is going to serve the government to some degree.. George the Chancellor's plan has positive projected growth potential.. and he'll be sticking to his guns in spite of the Opposition, to ensure the mechanisms he's put in place have a chance to start pulling us out of the mire..
One wonders when the US will get a call from Moody's.. with a trillion in debt.. foreign expenditures galore.. and immense unemployment problems.. it might not be long before the world's leading economy begins to show cracks..

Into the Middle East for a moment..
Britain and France have finally gone to the UN Security Council with a draft condemning the Syrian government's violent reaction to the protests in that country.. but they stop short of recommending direct action.. The text has faced stiff opposition from some Security Council members.. who fear a resolution could be the first step towards military intervention..
But realistically speaking.. who's left to put 'boots on the ground'..?
NATO would find it's resources stretched to their very limits if it was the instrument of the UN.. The US would never send more troops in to help with this development of the 'Arab Spring'..
The Russians and the Chinese would likely veto any initiative that went beyond embargos.. and that will effectively reduce the West to a role of spectator.. with the surreptitious shipment or two to tribal factions known to be favourable to the West..
It's the first step..

According to former PM Tony Blair.. Europe needs an elected president with a democratic mandate to drive sweeping reforms and give the European Union leadership on the world stage.. When talking to 'The Times'.. Tony said that the EU risks losing out to the economic and military might of China and other booming economies such as Brazil and India..
The popular consent enjoyed by a directly elected president of Europe.. chosen by an electorate of more than 386 million from 27 countries.. would give the EU clear leadership and enormous authority on the world stage, says Tony..
The post of EU President would represent a seismic development in the 50-year history of the Union.. and pave the way for sweeping economic reforms, including collaboration over tax policies..
“I put this on the agenda.." said Tony.. “The rationale for Europe today is about power, not peace.”.. He sets out five areas where the EU should forge closer links to “make us more powerful as a unit”.. They are.. tax policy and fundamental reform of the social model.. completion of the single market.. forging a common energy policy.. a common defence policy.. and a common immigration and organised crime policy..
One wonders if this 'United States of Europe' would adopt a Republican nature..
And one can thank the gods that Britain's not intimately involved.. We would do well to revert to the old Free Trade Agreement, and steer clear of EU politicking..

The depth of the financial problems of Southern Cross.. Britain's largest care home provider.. became evident last evening.. as it shed 3,000 frontline jobs, and according to The Times.. the company can no longer fully pay its taxes..
The company said it's taking a step that could have dire implications for thousands of elderly people.. in cutting more than 1,600 nursing and home-care assistants’ jobs, and would tear up contracts for most of the 41,000 other staff..
Described last week as being in a “critical financial condition”, the company has gone, cap in hand, to Revenue and Customs.. asking if it can defer income tax payments for three months..
Social services Directors across the country have emphasised the need for individual local Councils to continue sending residents to Southern Cross homes.. to keep the company afloat.. but families or residents will worry about standards of care, if staff are laid off or paid less..
The GMB union was told yesterday that all Southern Cross staff would now be put on a standardised contract.. What this means is workers will allow their hours to be varied up or down by 20% ..
Staff who retain their jobs will now face huge uncertainty over their weekly wage..
Paul Kenny.. the GMB’s general-secretary.. called for immediate financial backing from the Government to avoid any home closures.. “This is the start of a disaster for the residents as well as a kick in the teeth for the staff,” he said..
The union was told job losses would include 300 nurses, 1,300 care staff, 400 domestic workers, 700 catering staff and 250 maintenance workers..
And then there's the thirty thousand residents who could be looking at finding new accommodation.. or an inevitable deterioration of services should this company go belly up..
Unacceptable.

OPEC Ministers met yesterday afternoon, and through the evening as well.. and still the gathering couldn't come to an agreement on oil production, leaving existing quotas in place in spite of rising world prices and pressure from major oil-consuming countries to increase production..
In the short term, the stalemate.. which is a rare public disagreement within the cartel.. is unlikely to have more than symbolic importance. OPEC members are already pumping above their quota levels, and Saudi Arabia, the only OPEC country with the ability to increase production significantly, has promised to continue raising its output to satisfy world demand..
This left oil traders largely unruffled, with the price of the American benchmark crude rising less than 2 percent to settle at $100.74 a barrel..
Now what is confusing, is the rational presented to the British Public by our Power Companies..
Scottish Power started yesterday by announcing that the price of gas could go up 25%.. the price of electricity up 15%.. The oil they're buying today is cheaper than it was, say six months ago.. and while the cost is expected to rise from the $100Am mark.. it's going to be a while before it gets back up to $115Am a barrel.. And it's a far cry from the $140 mark we saw it reach just two months ago..
Not good news.. and not a good excuse from the power supplier..

They exist for only seconds at most in real life, but they've gained immortality in chemistry: Two new elements have been added to the periodic table..
The elements were recognized by an international committee of chemists and physicists.. they're called elements 114 and 116 for now.. permanent names and symbols will be chosen later.
Both elements were discovered by a collaboration of scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Russia. They made them by smashing calcium ions into atoms of plutonium or another element, curium. The official recognition, announced last week, cites experiments done in 2004 and 2006..
Science marches on..

Home Secretary Theresa May announced in the Commons this afternoon, that a new crime fighting unit's to be formed.. in what looks to be a move towards a British form of the American Homeland Security Agency..
This new unit, according to Theresa, will be called the 'National Crime Agency'.. which would have the powers to coordinate Police work, and identify matters of national security..
Agents of this new agency will have powers that 'go beyond' those of the Police Force..
She told MP's that organised crime cost up to £40 billion a year, with around 38 thousand members of 6 thousand gangs operating in the UK..
But, only 11% of those gangs were being hit "in a meaningful way" by law enforcement agencies..
It's always a concern when a government announces it's formed a new police force.. just how much power we're willing to give to new agencies is something we should all examine.. Closely..

The Man at the top of China's General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) says their first aircraft carrier is under construction.. It's a remodeled decommissioned Soviet carrier..
The PLA is one of the most secretive agencies when it comes to it's defence planning.. But Chinese diplomats are saying this ship poses a threat to 'nobody'..
One wonders then, why it was built.. Those in Taiwan, might be somewhat concerned..

Ramadan is upcoming, and American officials are thinking it would be the perfect time to begin a strategic withdrawal from Libya.. some 30 thousand troops are expected to be on their way home by late next year.. Britain's expected to follow suit, and begin bringing ours back.. Barack's set to address the nation on this topic tomorrow, and likely he'll explain that after having talks with Libyan President Karzai, this withdrawal will be the 'bookends' of the American surge which began two years ago..
This venture is costing the US some $100 billion a year to maintain and this option of ending their involvement within 18 months or so.. would be a bright political move some months away from the election..
Now, Barack has to choose between the advice of his generals, who want a full complement of combat troops for another fighting season against the Taleban, and civilian advisers.. including Joe Biden, the Vice-President.. who see the death of Osama bin Laden as the chance for a rethink of US strategy..
This is becoming a trend..the States backing away from involvement in the Middle Eastern conflicts.. at least as far as manpower is concerned.. No doubt the country could use the savings.. there are problems in the Union which need desperate attention.. Prime among which is unemployment, for without a realistic plan in place in the near future to deal with the problem, it alone could seriously put Barack's possibilities of re-election in doubt..
But bringing the boys home..
It has a ring to it that will resonate with a majority of American voters..

They've started to come out with the actual figures..
With this risible rise in fuel bills, which Scottish Power has started and the rest are expected to soon follow.. a million British households face 'fuel poverty' when the heat goes back on again..
Now as mentioned yesterday, the Power Companies are claiming the high cost of fuels has driven their costs through the roof.. But that's little consolation to those who have to face a rise in their bills to the tune of over £130 a year..
It's a problem the government's going to have to face.. those on fixed incomes are looking at 5% inflation across the board, plus this added expense for hot water and heat.. television use.. computers.. It's hitting the middle class hard.. but those below the poverty line will be crippled..
Just what Westminster can do here.. beyond increasing social service.. pension.. and disability payments to a level which recognizes the increases in daily living.. is moot.. Perhaps an injection of funds to those mentioned services could come from the monies saved in our planned withdrawal from Iraq..
It must come from somewhere..

Still in the Middle East.. NATO's stepping up it's own agenda.. dropping some 60 bombs in targets in Tripoli yesterday..wiping out large areas of Muammar's el-Qaddafi’s Bab al-Aziziya command compound..and Mohammar struck back immediately with a radio broadcast denouncing NATO..the US.. Britain.. vowing 'never to accept defeat'..
“We welcome death..” he said.. “Martyrdom is a million times better.”
Better than living, is moot.. but then who among us can say they fully understand that man's layered mind..
In a city grown accustomed to the NATO raids.. the attacks caused a heightened level of alarm, partly because they began so early in the day when Tripoli.. two and a half million people.. was busy with daily routines.. Most of the nearly 4,000 strike sorties flown by NATO since the air war began in March have been carried out deep into the night, partly, according to NATO officials, to minimize the risk of civilian casualties.. But yesterday’s daylight raids emptied much of the city of traffic, with stores in large areas of the city shuttered and the few people out hurrying to complete their business and find shelter..
Mohammar may be willing to continue.. His Army stands, for the most part, behind him.. but how long with the civilian population hold to their up 'til now, unshakable faith in Qaddafi..? Many an Arab leader has lost power, through the use of the bowstring..

Syrian President Saleh is pretty well a no show, at least for the foreseeable future.. in Damascus.. And now the Game shifts into high gear, as the US and Saudi Arabia diplomats begin their maneuvering to ensure there's no 'power vacuum in Yemen..
While mediators move toward establishing a transitional government, Saleh’s condition.. and his prospects for recovery.. emerged as the crucial factor in determining who will rule the nation.. an important ally of the Untied States in fighting terrorism..
While Washington and Riyadh have wanted Mr. Saleh to step down in the face of months of protests and increasing violence.. there was no agreement yesterday on how to proceed while he is in hospital in Saudi Arabia..
The reports on the President's condition differ, depending on which camp you speak with.. Those who support Saleh, say he'll be back in a couple of days.. those who want him gone, say he has burns to 40% of his body, and a punctured lung caused by flying splinters of wood.. and won't be back at all..
The source of the explosion, which killed several guards.. the imam of the mosque.. wounding a dozen government officials and Saleh allies.. has also been mysterious.. It was initially believed to have come from a mortar or rocket attack from outside the compound..
But as the investigation continued, there have been reports by officials in Yemen and in the press suggesting more of an inside job..
Not quite a bowstring.. but with the same result intended..