Posted on 12/17/2006 4:03:30 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT
Flight ban for anti-Bush T-shirt
A passenger barred from a Qantas airlines flight for wearing a T-shirt depicting US President George Bush as a terrorist has threatened legal action.
Allen Jasson said he was sticking up for the principle of free speech by challenging the decision by the Australian flag carrier.
Mr Jasson was stopped as he was about to board the flight from Melbourne to London last Friday.
Qantas said the T-shirt had potential to offend other passengers.
The T-shift features an image of President George W Bush, along with the slogan "World's Number One Terrorist".
'Principle'
The 55-year-old computer specialist, who lives in London, had encountered difficulties with the same T-shirt on an earlier Qantas flight in December.
After clearing the international security checks at Melbourne Airport, he reportedly approached the gate manager to congratulate him on the company's new-found open-mindedness.
At that point, Mr Jasson was ordered to remove the T-shirt after being told it was a security threat and an item which might cause offence to other passengers.
He was offered the chance to board the flight wearing different clothing, but refused.
"I am not prepared to go without the t-shirt. I might forfeit the fare, but I have made up my mind that I would rather stand up for the principle of free speech," he told Australian media.
A Qantas spokesman defended the airline's decision, saying: "Whether made verbally or on a T-shirt, comments with the potential to offend other customers or threaten the security of a Qantas group aircraft will not be tolerated".
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6285971.stm
Published: 2007/01/22 09:45:06 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Australian anger at flag controls
A request for fans not to bring the national flag to a major rock concert in Australia has provoked outrage.
Organisers of the Big Day Out said they feared a repeat of "racism disguised as patriotism" at last year's event, which came weeks after race riots in Sydney.
Politicians and veteran groups have strongly condemned the move.
PM John Howard said the "proposition" that the display of the flag should ever be banned "is offensive and it will be to millions of Australians".
The Big Day Out is Australia's biggest outdoor rock concert, held in Sydney and other major cities around the country.
It often features some of the world's most well-known bands, and tickets for this year's concert sold out in a matter of hours.
Angry veterans
In a statement on the Big Day Out website, organisers said, in recent times, there had been an "increased incidence of flags brandished aggressively and this has led to increased tension.
"With all this in mind and the aim to create a happy, peaceful, musical event, organisers would like to request that fans please leave their flags at home."
The concert has already been brought forward 24 hours, to take place on Thursday, the eve of Australia's national day, to avoid any nationalistic overtones.
Event producer Ken West said he was concerned by the use of the flag by white mobs during race riots on Sydney's Cronulla Beach in December 2005, and by some fans at the Big Day Out concert a month later.
"The Australian flag was being used as gang colours," he was quoted by The Daily Telegraph newspaper as saying. "It was racism disguised as patriotism and I'm not going to tolerate it."
He also said he was disturbed by clashes at last week's Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne between ethnic Croatian and Serbian fans.
The saga has prompted protests across the political spectrum - and especially from Australian war veterans, who say the flag is a symbol of national unity rather than division.
Don Rowe, president of a veterans group in New South Wales state, said the event organisers were trying to bar a symbol which had served through two world wars.
Prime Minister John Howard added: "The event organisers should not ram their peculiar political views down the throats of young Australians who are only interested in a good day out."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6285665.stm
Published: 2007/01/22 07:44:25 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Kazakhstan medics HIV trial opens
By James Rodgers
BBC News
More than 20 medical staff allegedly linked to the spread of HIV in Kazakhstan have gone on trial in the southern city of Shymkent.
More than 70 people, mostly children, contracted the virus, apparently from infected blood transfusions.
It is not known how the defendants are expected to respond to the charges.
The trial is being held behind closed doors; even the street in which it is taking place has been cordoned off, according to reports from Shymkent.
Court officials will not give any details of the proceedings, but they have confirmed that the trial is under way and expected to last for several months.
Local media reports say that 21 medical personnel face charges linked to the presence of HIV-infected blood in the city's blood banks.
Prosecutors allege that the accused purchased blood from donors who had themselves not been tested for HIV.
The defendants are further alleged to have reused disposable medical equipment.
Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2007/01/19 16:56:35 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Bird flu prompts cull in S Korea
South Korean quarantine authorities are preparing to slaughter more than 270,000 poultry after an outbreak of a virulent strain of bird flu.
Animal health experts have not yet determined if it is the H5N1 strain, which is potentially fatal to humans.
The latest outbreak, in the centre of South Korea, is the fifth since the virus reappeared in the country in November after a three year absence.
More than 160 people worldwide have died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu.
The latest outbreak has been detected in a poultry farm in Chonan, 90km (55 miles) south of the capital Seoul.
Chickens and other poultry are to be slaughtered within 500m (547yds) of the farm.
Hundreds of thousands of chickens were culled last November when bird flu returned to South Korea.
The World Health Organization has warned of a potential pandemic if the virus mutates to a form that can be more easily contracted by humans.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6281589.stm
Published: 2007/01/20 05:26:22 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Post-communist Mongolia's struggle
By Daniel Griffiths
BBC News, Ulan Bator
Sixteen years ago, thousands of Mongolians gathered to demand an end to decades of communist rule. They got their wish, but democracy has not brought the better life that many people hoped for.
High on the grasslands of Mongolia it does not seem as though much has changed in hundreds of years.
The vast steppe still rolls on forever until blue sky and yellow earth become one.
The nomads, astride their small fast ponies, still herd their animals from summer to winter pastures, following in the footsteps of their ancestors.
Once half of Mongolia's 2.8 million population lived this way, but now things are changing rapidly.
Tough winters
Sharhuu has spent his entire life on the grasslands.
Now in his sixties, his face weathered from years spent on the steppe, he is thinking the unthinkable - giving up the old ways forever.
Our life was good during communism but capitalism has left us with nothing. The government has done nothing to help us and nobody cares
Byambasuren
"My family can help me for now," he says, but, "I know that can't live this way for much longer."
And he is not alone.
A series of long tough winters have hit the nomads hard, destroying livestock and leaving many here with nothing.
There is little good grazing land for the animals that are left.
And since the end of communism in the early 1990s, and Mongolia's move to a market economy, there has not been much help from the government.
Like many nomads, Sharhuu has little option but to move to the cities.
'Huge change'
But central Ulan Bator is a world away from the grasslands - traffic-clogged shopping streets.
It is a sign of how much things have changed since popular protests in the early 1990s brought nearly seven decades of communist rule to an end.
The communists did not disappear - the old revolutionary leader Sukhbataar still presides over the main square - and many of them are now in the current government building a new future for the country.
Only now the talk is of money not Marx. Mongolia's economy grew by around 6% last year and some people are doing very well.
At a building site in the centre of town I meet Tsendee. He started his construction company with just 10 employees. Now he has got 400 workers on the payroll.
"Since Mongolia became a democracy and a market economy, many businesses like mine have done very well," he tells me.
"For me this has meant a huge change. I can afford to do anything... life is great."
But despite these changes, between one third and one half of the country lives in poverty, according to government statistics.
Many of them end up in the vast shanty towns on the outskirts of Ulan Bator, surviving on just a few dollars a day.
One of those is Byambasuren whose husband was an alcoholic who used to beat her.
In the end she threw him out and now she is bringing up her three children on her own in a tiny hut with no glass, just plastic sheeting, in the window frames.
"Our life was good during communism but capitalism has left us with nothing," she tells me. "The government has done nothing to help us and nobody cares."
Symbolic figure
The government say it is doing more to help fight poverty.
But many claim it is not enough and in Ulan Bator anger is growing about the gap between rich and poor.
Protests in the main square are now a daily occurrence.
In a country where the future is far from certain, many are looking for a national hero - someone who can give Mongolians a fresh identity.
But the man they are thinking of has been dead for centuries.
Genghis Khan - or Chinghis Khan as he is known to Mongolians - is a reminder of the days when Mongolia ruled from China to the gates of Europe.
Today he is big business. His image used to sell everything from clothes to cars.
And he is even doing his bit for the country's nightlife as well.
At the Genghis Khan nightclub, the main drink is, of course, Genghis Khan beer, and the man himself has no shortage of admirers.
"During the years of communism we had Lenin and Marx," one man tells me. "Now Genghis Khan has become our hero."
It is no surprise that Genghis Khan is still so popular. He is symbolic of a proud history.
In the past this vast nation has been slow to change. But the last 16 years have been times of massive upheaval.
Some have fared well in this brave new world, but many, like the nomads and the poor are struggling to catch up.
Mongolia is still one of the poorest countries in Asia.
Turning this ancient country into a modern one is a huge task and, despite nearly two decades of reform, Mongolia still has a long way to go.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6252741.stm
Published: 2007/01/11 16:14:43 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Chinese tycoon arrested over tax
A Chinese property tycoon has been arrested on charges of bribery and forging tax receipts in a new corruption crackdown.
Zhou Zhengyi was once named China's 11th richest man with an estimated fortune of more than $300m.
Zhou was released from prison in May last year after serving a three-year sentence for manipulating the stock market and fraud.
China's anti-corruption drive has led to thousands of arrests since 2003.
Zhou was arrested on Sunday in Shanghai, according to Dragon TV.
Zhou was once the owner of a snack-shop, but soon became part of China's celebrity set.
He is one of a number of high-flying businessmen who made their fortunes in the 1990s but since have been investigated by the government.
In September, Shanghai's Communist Party secretary Chen Liangyu was sacked over a pensions scandal.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6285053.stm
Published: 2007/01/21 18:36:30 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Asian heads stress currency risk
Asian central bankers have warned against the destabilising impact of capital inflows and unstable currencies in the region.
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said keeping foreign exchange rates stable would be one of the hardest tasks for monetary authorities.
Others warned that volatile exchange rates could harm imports and exports.
But leaders - at a symposium to mark 10 years since the Asian financial crisis - said market conditions had improved.
Monetary policy
"The foreign exchange and financial markets are much more stable and the currencies sometimes face upward rather than downward pressure," said Mr Fukui, at the event which was hosted by the Bank of Japan.
But he added that as a result of the globalisation of the world's financial markets, large capital flows would keep influencing open economies.
"It is, and will surely be, the most difficult task for any monetary authorities to maintain the stability of foreign exchange rates, the free flow of capital, and the independence of monetary policy simultaneously," Mr Fukui said.
Thailand's central bank governor, Tarisa Watanagase, said the key for its economy to grow would be by preventing the Thai baht from becoming too strong against other currencies.
A recent influx of capital to Thailand prompted a rise in the baht that was "detrimental to competition", said the bank's governor.
Meanwhile, a decision by Thailand's newly installed interim government to restrict ownership by foreigners of Thai companies has raised worries and destabilised the baht.
To prevent capital inflows from destabilising the region, International Monetary Fund chief Rodrigo Rato suggested that more could be done by making Asia's financial systems stronger and integrating the region's financial systems better.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/6285789.stm
Published: 2007/01/22 07:24:52 GMT
© BBC MMVII
French baby-smuggling case begins
A group of 56 people is to go on trial in Paris accused of being part of a network that smuggled Bulgarian babies to French Roma (Gypsy) couples.
Investigators believe that between 2001 and 2005 at least 22 children were bought by the couples, who were unable to adopt under French law.
They are said to have paid up to $10,000 for each child. The mothers were brought to France to give birth.
If found guilty the defendants face imprisonment and a fine.
These are French citizens, gypsies, desperate to have children, who had no hope of meeting these strict adoption criteria
David-Olivier Kaminski
Defence lawyer
Many of the children are thought to have been born to Bulgarian prostitutes.
Eleven of the defendants are suspected traffickers accused of bringing the birth mothers to France. They could be jailed for up to 11 years.
Another 41 are accused of buying the children and face up to three years' imprisonment. Two birth mothers and two suspected pimps are also on trial.
David-Olivier Kaminski, a lawyer for three of the couples, told AFP news agency the couples had been forced into a corner because France did not allow couples with roaming lifestyles to adopt children.
"These are French citizens, gypsies, desperate to have children, who had no hope of meeting these strict adoption criteria," he said.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6286059.stm
Published: 2007/01/22 09:59:29 GMT
© BBC MMVII
NI police collusion 'confirmed'
Police colluded with loyalists behind several murders in north Belfast, a report by the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland is to confirm.
Nuala O'Loan's report will say UVF members in the area committed murders and other serious crimes while working as informers for Special Branch.
The report will also say some Special Branch officers protected the killers and ensured they were not caught.
NI Secretary Peter Hain said it "shone a torch into a very dark corner".
The report, to be published on Monday, will call for a number of murder investigations to be re-opened.
But it is unlikely that any of the police officers involved will be prosecuted - the ombudsman is expected to say that evidence was deliberately destroyed to ensure there could not be prosecutions.
No names
The ombudsman's investigation began more than three years ago when Belfast welder Raymond McCord claimed that his son, also called Raymond, had been killed by a police informer.
The former RAF man, 22, was beaten to death and his body dumped in a quarry in 1997.
Mr McCord has said he wants those who murdered his son to be put in prison.
He said he had received a death threat at the weekend from the UVF.
Mr McCord said that during his campaign of justice for his son he had been made to feel by police that he was "some sort of crank".
"They just passed me off as if it meant nothing," he said.
Among the investigations which could be re-opened are the murder in north Belfast in 1992 of 27-year-old taxi driver Sharon McKenna, who was shot at the home of an elderly friend.
The names of the police officers and the informers will not be made public.
However, it is known that the main informer at the centre of the investigation is Mark Haddock, who was named in the Irish parliament 15 months ago as a UVF killer.
Mr Hain said the report had shocked him deeply and it would make "extremely uncomfortable reading", but that policing had changed.
"These things - murder, collusion, cover-up, obstruction of investigations - could not happen today, not least because of the accountability mechanisms that have been put in place over recent years," he told the BBC on Monday.
Challenged ombudsman
Some of the Special Branch officers criticised in the report have rejected the ombudsman's allegations as "unfounded and incapable of substantiation".
In a statement, the Northern Ireland Retired Police Officers' Association said they had always acted in the best interests of the pursuit of justice and had nothing to be ashamed of.
The officers also challenged the ombudsman to disclose the details of any evidence of their criminal behaviour discovered during her investigation.
Johnston Brown, a retired detective sergeant in the RUC was questioned as part of the ombudsman's enquiry, but was not charged.
Mr Brown said Special Branch prevented him from carrying out proper investigations into a range of crimes including murder.
He said Mrs O'Loan's report could not possibly uncover the whole truth.
"I believe this is not the proper vehicle. Mrs O'Loan is going to make a number of recommendations based on very little facts.
I mean I was there on the ground suffering this obstruction and if you are not in possession of all the facts it's ill advised to lump the whole of the Royal Ulster Constabulary into the same pot."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6285101.stm
Published: 2007/01/22 06:01:29 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Spain sends back African migrants
Spain has sent several hundred African migrants back to Senegal from the Canary Islands, officials say.
Six planes flew them from the island of Tenerife to Saint-Louis in the African country's north-west.
The migrants were among more than 30,000 Africans who landed in the Canaries in 2006 after dangerous sea journeys in open wooden boats.
Most of those on board were Senegalese, but others were said to be from Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali and Mauritania.
The repatriation came days after the first group of more than 70 Senegalese citizens to be granted Spanish work visas since restrictions were eased left for Spain.
'Duped'
Commander Alexis Correa, a member of Spain's national committee for managing the repatriated and displaced, told AFP news agency that 448 people were being sent back on Sunday.
The operation was a one-off, he added.
Some migrants reportedly complained that they had been duped into believing they were being flown to the Spanish mainland.
"When we took the plane, we were told we were going to Madrid or Barcelona. Now here we are back in Senegal," one of the migrants told Senegalese radio, quoted by Reuters news agency.
More than 31,000 migrants arrived in the Canaries in 2006, more than six times as many as in 2005.
The Canaries is one of the most popular destinations for Africans trying to reach Europe to escape poverty.
Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2007/01/22 10:37:33 GMT
© BBC MMVII
[They say the cold war is over, when will they admit that the warm war is on?]
Missile shield 'threatens Russia'
Russia has criticised a decision by the US to expand its embryonic missile defence shield to the Czech Republic and Poland.
A senior Russian military commander said the plan was "an obvious threat".
On Sunday the US asked for permission to build a missile defence base on Czech territory - a move backed by Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek.
Washington says it needs interceptor missiles in Europe to stop attacks by states like Iran or North Korea.
It hopes to build a radar station in the Czech Republic and to site interceptors in Poland.
It is very doubtful that elements of the national US missile defence system in eastern Europe were aimed at Iranian missiles
Lt Gen Vladimir Popovkin,
Russian space forces
But Moscow insists that the installation of US missiles in countries close to its western border would change the strategic balance in Europe.
Lt Gen Vladimir Popovkin, commander of Russia's space forces, said Moscow would interpret the move as a military threat.
"Our analysis shows that the deployment of a radar station in the Czech Republic and a counter-missile position in Poland are an obvious threat to us.
"It is very doubtful that elements of the national US missile defence system in eastern Europe were aimed at Iranian missiles, as has been stated," he said.
Political issues
Mr Topolanek, the Czech prime minister, has welcomed the US request.
"We are convinced that a possible deployment of the radar station on our territory is in our interest," he said at the weekend.
"It will increase security of the Czech Republic and Europe."
However, Mr Topolanek could face a struggle having the plans approved by both houses of the country's parliament.
His three-party, centre-right governing coalition recently won a vote of confidence, but controls just 100 of 200 seats in the lower house.
There is domestic opposition to the scheme in the Czech Republic, with reports that 200 protesters rallied against the missile defence plans in Prague on Monday.
The US has already built missile interceptor sites in Alaska and in California, but says it needs to expand into Europe to counter growing threats from further afield.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6286289.stm
Published: 2007/01/22 11:22:15 GMT
© BBC MMVII
EU laws 'will hit online trade'
European Union laws on cross-border trade will hurt online sales and may cause legal chaos, UK business leaders have warned.
Some smaller firms, especially those relying on internet sales, may have to end non-UK business, the CBI said.
Under EU proposals, a UK company selling abroad may have to comply with the laws of all 27 member countries rather than just domestic rules.
Financial and legal service providers would also suffer, the CBI said.
'Legal quagmire'
Under current rules, companies selling goods or services to other EU nations are generally subject to their domestic law.
[The proposals] will produce substantive new law and turn accepted cross-border trade principles on their head
John Cridland, CBI deputy director-general
However, if the European Commission's changes went through, the seller would have to comply with rules in the buyer's country.
The consumer contract legislation needs to be re-examined before a "legal quagmire" ensued, CBI deputy director-general John Cridland said.
"The proposed legislation was sold as a simple legal tidying-up exercise when the Commission embarked on the process but has turned into a major operation.
"It will produce substantive new law and turn accepted cross-border trade principles on their head."
Mr Cridland added that businesses would have three choices if the legislation went unchanged.
"They can spend time and money getting to grips with the varied and conflicting legal regimes of each member state they trade with; chance their arm that their processes will meet the required standards; or, most worrying, stop trading with some countries altogether."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/6285823.stm
Published: 2007/01/22 07:37:09 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Call for extra Afghanistan troops
More troops are needed for a year-long push to defeat the Taleban, the British general in charge of Nato forces in Afghanistan has said.
Gen David Richards, in an interview with the Guardian, praised the "brave" fighting with "less troops than needed" that had frustrated the Taleban.
It should not be assumed troops could "keep getting away with it", he told the newspaper.
The Ministry of Defence said it kept its contribution under constant review.
We must apply ourselves more energetically for one more year in order to win
Gen David Richards
The 32,000-strong Nato force includes about 6,000 UK troops.
Gen Richards said the achievement of troops in frustrating the Taleban's winter campaign was "against the odds" and was a result of some "exceptionally skilled and brave fighting by the soldiers of many nations".
"But all this has been achieved with less troops than are really needed and I am concerned that Nato nations will assume the same level of risk in 2007 believing they can get away with it," he told the Guardian.
"They might, but its a dangerous assumption to believe the same ingredients will exist this year as they did last."
We keep our contribution under constant review and will make further adjustments, in discussion with Nato, if they are required
Ministry of Defence
A stabilised situation was "not a good enough aim", he added.
Instead, the Nato forces "should and can win in Afghanistan".
Military commanders must be given more money to "orchestrate the overall campaign, certainly while serious fighting continues", Gen Richards said.
'More energy'
"We need to put more military effort into the country," he added.
"We must apply ourselves more energetically for one more year in order to win."
"Military effort alone" was not enough to win the battle, Gen Richards said.
"Our civilian partners must improve the speed and scale of their reconstruction and development effort, sufficient to keep pace with the people's expectations," he added.
He also called on Afghan President Hamid Karzai to speed up his efforts to root out corruption in the country.
And he said plans to stop the production of opium poppies, the source of much of the UK's heroin, were complicated by controversy and disagreement.
This effort [to stop opium production] will succeed - it must
Gen David Richards
"This effort will succeed - it must - but it will take many years and needs much more effort yet," he said.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said UK troops were operating as part of a Nato mission.
"Overall force levels are ultimately an issue for NATO commanders," he said.
"However, we keep our contribution under constant review and will make further adjustments, in discussion with Nato, if they are required."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/6286387.stm
Published: 2007/01/22 11:10:02 GMT
© BBC MMVII
More migrant workers die in Assam
Police in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam say at least two people have died in attacks by separatist rebels against migrant workers.
The police suspect the attacks are the work of the United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa).
Seventy Hindi speaking migrants were killed in a week of attacks in northern Assam at the beginning of January.
Ulfa is fighting one of India's longest running insurgencies to establish an independent homeland in Assam.
The rebels say India's central government exploits the state's rich resources such as tea and natural gas and does little for its people who are ethnically closer to Burma and China than to India.
A police spokesman said a powerful explosion late on Sunday near a crowded vegetable market in Barpeta district killed a cobbler and injured five other people - one of whom died later.
Earlier two people were wounded when a bomb exploded outside a railway station in the state.
On Saturday, the rebels shot dead a village councillor from the Congress party near the oil town of Digboi, police said.
Two weeks ago, thousands of soldiers were ordered to fan out across Assam in search of Ulfa rebels blamed for the deaths of at least 70 people.
An Ulfa commander has said his fighters would now start killing leaders of the state's ruling Congress party unless the Congress government in Delhi stopped military operations against the group.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/6285769.stm
Published: 2007/01/22 06:49:05 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Muslim Pc refused to shake hands
A Muslim woman police officer refused to shake hands with the head of the Metropolitan Police on faith grounds.
The officer, who has not been named, was granted the exemption at a passing-out ceremony where new recruits met Commissioner Sir Ian Blair.
The woman's refusal was based on her view that her faith prevented her touching a man other than her husband or a close relative.
Sir Ian had questioned the validity of her refusal, Scotland Yard said.
If the officer is called to a male victim who has been shot, the laws go out of the window
Sheikh Ibraham Mogra
A spokeswoman for the force said: "This request was only granted by members of training staff out of a desire to minimise any disruption to others' enjoyment and to ensure the smooth running of what is one of the most important events in an officer's career."
She added: "The officer maintains that she puts the requirements of being a police officer above her personal beliefs and only exercises the latter when she has choice to do so.
"Any refusal to engage in this manner would not be tolerated by the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service)."
Probationary period
The woman was allowed to pass out in December last year because she had completed all the elements of the 18-week recruit training course.
This included officer safety training, which required officers to come into physical contact with each other.
The officer will now be required to complete a two-year probationary period.
Muslim groups defended the police officer, saying her beliefs would not affect how she carried out her job and called for greater understanding of different cultures.
Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission, said: "I don't think shaking hands is something that makes or breaks a relationship.
"I don't think in any sort of job that is something that becomes an obstacle to one performing one's duties."
'Not set in concrete'
Sheikh Ibraham Mogra, of the Muslim Council of Britain, said people should not be alarmed by the officer's beliefs and that Muslim law "was not set in concrete".
He added: "If the officer is called to a male victim who has been shot, the laws go out of the window.
"If she has to resuscitate that dying person, Muslim law will then change and allow her all sorts of physical contact because a life is at risk and life is so precious.
"Muslim law will say, 'forget everything, save this life'."
Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2007/01/21 15:33:13 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Probe into fire at packaging firm
Investigators are trying to determine what caused a blaze which broke out at an industrial estate in Derbyshire at the weekend.
At one stage, more than 100 firefighters tackled flames at Daher Sawley packaging on the Meas industrial estate in Hilton.
The industrial estate is next to housing but police said no homes had to be evacuated.
Crews were on hand to check the area regularly for any reignition on Sunday.
Eyewitness Charlie Cheetham, who was in a neighbouring house, said: "There was a weird noise - not the normal wind. I opened the window and looked out and I could see flames shooting right up in the air, about twice as high as the building."
'Very severe'
Daher Sawley spokeswoman Joanne Darlington said: "Our priority at the moment is contacting all the employees and we will be talking to Rolls Royce and our different customers.
"But we do have work on other sites and we should be able to relocate fairly swiftly."
Road diversions which were put in place after the fire have been lifted.
Fire service commander Keith Brooks said: "It was a very severe fire that has completely destroyed the factory - we had to use 125 firefighters at the height of the blaze."
He said the amount of plastics, laminated timber and foam in the building caused the fire to burn quickly and the wind accelerated the flames.
He said the fire crews also had to make sure acetylene cylinders in the area were kept cool.
Some salvage work has taken place to retrieve computer servers in the building.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/derbyshire/6282359.stm
Published: 2007/01/22 07:34:54 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Arrests after 'fight' on flight
Eight men have been arrested at a Tyneside airport after reports of a fight on board a flight from Spain.
Northumbria Police said they were called to meet the EasyJet flight from Alicante when it landed at Newcastle Airport late on Sunday night.
A spokesman said the arrests were made after reports of a "fracas" between the men on board the Boeing 737.
EasyJet said none of the 130 passengers and five crew onboard the flight was injured during the disturbance.
A statement released by the airline said: "EasyJet has a zero tolerance policy towards any unreasonable behaviour and as a result eight passengers were removed from the flight by police for disruptive behaviour on landing at Newcastle."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/6285793.stm
Published: 2007/01/22 09:07:47 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Four arrests over cyclist death
Four men have been arrested after a cyclist was killed in a hit and run accident in Greater Manchester.
The 36-year-old was found lying in the road by police on Sunday night. He had suffered severe injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The man's damaged bicycle and a burnt out car were found nearby.
Four men, aged between 20 and 25, all from Wigan, were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and are being questioned by police.
The accident happened at about 2130 GMT, at the junction of Church Street, near the White Lion pub.
Greater Manchester Police are appealing for witnesses.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/6285903.stm
Published: 2007/01/22 08:12:18 GMT
© BBC MMVII
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2173018/swedish-bank-hit-600k-internet
Swedish bank hit by £600K internet fraud
Biggest internet fraud in history, says McAfee
Matt Chapman, vnunet.com 19 Jan 2007
Swedish bank Nordea has suffered the biggest internet fraud in history after more than eight million kronor (around £576,000) disappeared as a result of tailor-made Trojans launched by Russian criminals.
Up to 250 customers at Sweden's largest bank are thought to have been hit by the attacks, which have taken place over three months.
The attack worked by targeting Nordea's customers, who were asked to download an anti-spam program. Anyone who downloaded the 'raking.zip' or 'raking.exe' files was infected by the 'haxdoor.ki' Trojan.
The Trojan activated itself when users tried to log in to their online account at the bank.
The software stole users' information before displaying an error message asking the client to resend the data. Criminals then had the two access codes needed to transfer money from the account.
Despite having a list of 121 suspects, the bank and the Swedish police have been unable to stop the attacks.
Police have discovered that the user information was sent to servers in America, before being forwarded to Russia.
"This is a worrying concern for any online bank user, as the threat of cyber-crime targeting 'safe' institutions becomes an ever more real concern," said security firm McAfee in a statement.
McAfee recorded more than 17,000 phishing reports per month in 2006, and its research showed that 90 per cent of people are still unable to recognise a well constructed phishing message.
Nokia cleared in exploding phone case
Investigators baffled over source of fire
Iain Thomson, vnunet.com 19 Jan 2007
A man thought to have been the victim of an exploding mobile phone has left investigators baffled after engineers examined the device and gave it the all clear.
Luis Picaso, 59, is in a critical condition with 50 per cent second- and third-degree burns to his upper body, back, right arm and right leg after being found in his hotel room in Vallejo, California.
The cause of the fire was assumed to be his mobile phone, which was still in his pocket where the fire started.
But engineers from Nokia have flown to California to examine the 2125i handset and gave it the all clear and were even able to switch it on. Tests were carried out in the presence of the fire investigator and seem to show Nokia in the clear.
"A cell phone cannot create a spark," Nokia engineer Keith Nowak told the San José Mercury Herald.
"The most likely way a spark can happen is from a short in a battery, and if that happened, the phone would not work anymore."
Picaso has just received a skin graft, the first of many, and is unable to speak, but his attorney Vance Owen has disputed Nokia's findings.
Owen told the Mercury Herald that, since his client did not smoke, the mobile phone was the logical culprit. He added that getting Nokia to determine whether its own product caused the blaze was "like asking an arsonist if he started the fire".
While there have been instances of mobile phones overheating and catching fire, the usual culprit is third-party batteries with faulty power management controllers.
* Man injured by exploding mobile phone
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