Alistair Darling pledged today to repay some of his expenses following allegations that he claimed on two homes at once. The Daily Telegraph reported that in July 2007, 10 days after becoming Chancellor, Mr Darling submitted a £1,004 claim for service charges on his south London flat up to December of that year. The paper said that during that period he moved into Downing Street and began renting out the flat. Mr Darling insisted today he had not claimed for two homes at the same time, but said he would be repaying some of the cash. In a statement, he said: "The allegation I claimed for two houses at the same time is untrue. "I became Chancellor in June 2007. In September I moved from my London flat to live in Downing Street. I made no further claims on that flat. "In October 2007 the flat was let and the tenant moved in. The service charge was paid in advance in six-monthly intervals. When I reclaimed the cost of the service charge in July 1, I was living in the flat.
The Daily Telegraph reported that in July 2007, 10 days after becoming Chancellor, Mr Darling submitted a £1,004 claim for service charges on his south London flat up to December of that year.
The paper said that during that period he moved into Downing Street and began renting out the flat.
Mr Darling insisted today he had not claimed for two homes at the same time, but said he would be repaying some of the cash.
In a statement, he said: "The allegation I claimed for two houses at the same time is untrue.
"I became Chancellor in June 2007. In September I moved from my London flat to live in Downing Street. I made no further claims on that flat.
"In October 2007 the flat was let and the tenant moved in. The service charge was paid in advance in six-monthly intervals. When I reclaimed the cost of the service charge in July 1, I was living in the flat.
Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has been forced to announce that he would repay part of a parliamentary expenses claim on his London flat hours after denying that he had breached parliamentary rules. Mr Darling reacted after fresh allegations in The Daily Telegraph this morning that he had broken House of Commons rules by claiming second home expenses on two properties at the same time. Interviewed this morning, the Prime Minister cleared his Chancellor of any wrongdoing over the claims but refused to deny reports that he means to demote him in a reshuffle.
Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has been forced to announce that he would repay part of a parliamentary expenses claim on his London flat hours after denying that he had breached parliamentary rules.
Mr Darling reacted after fresh allegations in The Daily Telegraph this morning that he had broken House of Commons rules by claiming second home expenses on two properties at the same time.
Interviewed this morning, the Prime Minister cleared his Chancellor of any wrongdoing over the claims but refused to deny reports that he means to demote him in a reshuffle.
So, how come darling gets to say sorry, pay it back and then walk away with a fab job, a cushy pension and likely as not a retirement spot in the House of Lords, kerr ching, thank you very much, don't mind if i do ?
It ain't right. and until they understand that simple fact, the anger will continue. keep to the Fen Causeway
All the while they've been salting our money away in their own gilded layrinths for their own pleasures.
Screw 'em. I want justice, and if I cna't have that then I'll settle for the populist rolls of the tumbril and the smell of careers burning on pyres. keep to the Fen Causeway
Or is this just a distraction? In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
But they're all lurking in the background, a sense that things are decided we don't agree with, wouldn't agree with and now this is the straw that breaks the came's back. The realisation that MPs are getting away with things that anybody else would go to jail for. that in any other walk of life would be crimes resuling in jail. That contrast, that unfairness, cannot be explained away, can't be laughed off. They're rubbing our noses in their superiority, and they think they can get away with it, think they're better than us.
Well, Earth calling Westminster. Here's a newsflash.... keep to the Fen Causeway
Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, has said the future of his country can no longer depend on Russia, a day after talks between the once close ex-Soviet allies ended in acrimony. Lukashenko said the days of Minsk "bowing down" to Moscow were over, in an address to cabinet colleagues after Russia refused to hand over a final $500m instalment of a $2bn loan. Lukashenko, said: "It's not working with Russia. There's no need to bow down, to whine and cry. "We have to find our own happiness in another part of the planet." Alexei Kudrin, Russia's foreign minister, on Thursday described Belarus' planned economy and stiff control of its currency as a "meaningless policy" and said the country was taking a "parasitic" attitude towards Russia.
Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, has said the future of his country can no longer depend on Russia, a day after talks between the once close ex-Soviet allies ended in acrimony.
Lukashenko said the days of Minsk "bowing down" to Moscow were over, in an address to cabinet colleagues after Russia refused to hand over a final $500m instalment of a $2bn loan.
Lukashenko, said: "It's not working with Russia. There's no need to bow down, to whine and cry.
"We have to find our own happiness in another part of the planet."
Alexei Kudrin, Russia's foreign minister, on Thursday described Belarus' planned economy and stiff control of its currency as a "meaningless policy" and said the country was taking a "parasitic" attitude towards Russia.
MOSCOW -- Voters in the breakaway territory of South Ossetia on Sunday elected a Parliament loyal to the Moscow-backed president, Eduard Kokoity, consolidating his control in the region that precipitated the war last August between Russia and Georgia. South Ossetia's new Parliament will be dominated by the Edinstvo, or Unity, Party, which won about 60 percent of the votes, based on an early count. Critics complained that election officials had shut out Mr. Kokoity's rivals, who blame him for the slow pace of reconstruction in the separatist capital.
MOSCOW -- Voters in the breakaway territory of South Ossetia on Sunday elected a Parliament loyal to the Moscow-backed president, Eduard Kokoity, consolidating his control in the region that precipitated the war last August between Russia and Georgia.
South Ossetia's new Parliament will be dominated by the Edinstvo, or Unity, Party, which won about 60 percent of the votes, based on an early count.
Critics complained that election officials had shut out Mr. Kokoity's rivals, who blame him for the slow pace of reconstruction in the separatist capital.
The French government suffered a setback on Saturday in a battle with Cimade, an NGO that offers legal advice to immigrants faced with deportation. In France, foreigners held in detention centres have the right to legal advice and assistance as they face deportation to their home country. For the past 25 years, the Paris-based non-governmental organisation Cimade has been in charge of assisting foreigners in French detention centres. Last month, the French government criticized what it called the "monopoly" of the group and established a contract with six associations, including Cimade, to provide advice. But a French court ruled on Saturday in favour of the NGO after it contested the contracts.
In France, foreigners held in detention centres have the right to legal advice and assistance as they face deportation to their home country. For the past 25 years, the Paris-based non-governmental organisation Cimade has been in charge of assisting foreigners in French detention centres. Last month, the French government criticized what it called the "monopoly" of the group and established a contract with six associations, including Cimade, to provide advice. But a French court ruled on Saturday in favour of the NGO after it contested the contracts.
Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, has promised "cruises and seaside holidays" for those made homeless in the Italian earthquake. Mr Berlusconi, 72, made the pledge as he toured the makeshift campsites which are home to more than 40,000 people after homes were destroyed or damaged.He said:"We are looking at arranging day trips to the seaside for those families in tents as well as Mediterranean cruises, especially for the children."
Mr Berlusconi, 72, made the pledge as he toured the makeshift campsites which are home to more than 40,000 people after homes were destroyed or damaged.
He said:"We are looking at arranging day trips to the seaside for those families in tents as well as Mediterranean cruises, especially for the children."
PARIS -- British newspapers sometimes give away CDs or DVDs in the hope that readers enticed by free copies of "Batman 26" might cast a passing glance at the headlines, too. One newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, has reversed that approach, to spectacular effect. Instead of giving away a disk, it acquired one (or more) of them containing the expense records of members of Parliament. As The Telegraph splashes tales of taxpayer-financed duck islands and moat-cleaning across its front pages, there is talk of a political revolution along the Thames. Some of the conventional wisdom of the news business has gone belly up, too. One of the most interesting aspects of the scandal is the revelation that old-fashioned scoops can still sell papers. Many publishers have assumed that in the Internet era, "exclusives" stay that way for about three seconds, so they are not worth pursuing. Instead, they have shifted the emphasis of their papers toward analysis or opinion.
PARIS -- British newspapers sometimes give away CDs or DVDs in the hope that readers enticed by free copies of "Batman 26" might cast a passing glance at the headlines, too.
One newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, has reversed that approach, to spectacular effect. Instead of giving away a disk, it acquired one (or more) of them containing the expense records of members of Parliament.
As The Telegraph splashes tales of taxpayer-financed duck islands and moat-cleaning across its front pages, there is talk of a political revolution along the Thames. Some of the conventional wisdom of the news business has gone belly up, too.
One of the most interesting aspects of the scandal is the revelation that old-fashioned scoops can still sell papers. Many publishers have assumed that in the Internet era, "exclusives" stay that way for about three seconds, so they are not worth pursuing. Instead, they have shifted the emphasis of their papers toward analysis or opinion.
An Air France passenger jet bound from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, with 228 people on board - including 12 crew members and eight children - has gone missing over the Atlantic. A massive search operation is currently underway. ----Brazilian air force launches search operation The Brazilian Air Force has launched a search operation for the missing Flight AF 447. Speaking to Reuters, a Brazilian Air Force spokesman said search planes had taken off from the island of Fernando de Noronha off Brazil's north-east coast to look for the missing plane. The Brazilian navy announced that it had sent three ships to help in the search operation. From Senegal, Jean-Christophe Rufin, France's ambassador to Senegal, told a French TV station that aircraft had also set off from the West African nation to aid in the search. France's airports authority has set up two crisis lines for the loved ones of people on board AF 447. The domestic line for calls from France is 0.800.800.812. The international line for calls outside France is + 33.1.57.02.10.55
----
Brazilian air force launches search operation The Brazilian Air Force has launched a search operation for the missing Flight AF 447. Speaking to Reuters, a Brazilian Air Force spokesman said search planes had taken off from the island of Fernando de Noronha off Brazil's north-east coast to look for the missing plane. The Brazilian navy announced that it had sent three ships to help in the search operation. From Senegal, Jean-Christophe Rufin, France's ambassador to Senegal, told a French TV station that aircraft had also set off from the West African nation to aid in the search. France's airports authority has set up two crisis lines for the loved ones of people on board AF 447. The domestic line for calls from France is 0.800.800.812. The international line for calls outside France is + 33.1.57.02.10.55
and making a black box only run its beeper for a month seems a little cheap, considering the value of peoples' lives entrusted to these behemoths.
and the value of said behemoths themselves. ~Government budget deficits are not nearly as dangerous as the deficits we have created in vital and complex natural systems.~ Naomi Klein.
It is the eyesore of one of Spain's last pristine Mediterranean coastlines, a 20-storey hotel built on supposedly protected parkland next to a virgin flower-fringed beach, despite local orders for construction to stop. Politicians have long promised to bulldoze the Algarrobico hotel, but the 411-room glass and concrete structure still towers over the El Algarrobico beach in Almería, south-east Spain. Now campaigners say the authorities have changed their tune and are opening the way to more building on this stretch of protected Mediterranean coast. Campaigners warn that a recent decision to downgrade the degree of environmental protection enjoyed by this beach and other parts of the Cabo de Gata natural park threaten the future of Spain's last key stretch of protected Mediterranean coastline.
Politicians have long promised to bulldoze the Algarrobico hotel, but the 411-room glass and concrete structure still towers over the El Algarrobico beach in Almería, south-east Spain.
Now campaigners say the authorities have changed their tune and are opening the way to more building on this stretch of protected Mediterranean coast.
Campaigners warn that a recent decision to downgrade the degree of environmental protection enjoyed by this beach and other parts of the Cabo de Gata natural park threaten the future of Spain's last key stretch of protected Mediterranean coastline.
