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COMPO CLAIM
An Irish woman sued the New York Waldorf-Astoria hotel for £10 million claiming she suffered an allergic reaction to a feather pillow. Did she not know she was allergic to feathers and how can the hotel be held responsible? And £10 MILLION......how ill did it make her?

CRAZY FROG RINGTONE
The Crazy Frog ringtone TV ad has been screened a record 2,000 times a DAY. Proving the more people complain about something the less notice is taken.

LONDON TERRORIST BOMB ATTACK
Several explosions ripped through London in a series of terrorist strikes leaving dozens feared dead and crippling the capital. The city's transport network was effectively paralysed and Met Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair told Londoners to "stay where you are". The entire Tube network was shut, many mainline services into London were stopped and no buses were running in Zone One. Many London-bound trains stopped at stations outside the city and the Stansted and Gatwick lines were closed. National Express suspended coach services in and out of London and Coventry Pool Meadow bus station was evacuated. South Eastern Trains refused to sell tickets to passengers wanting to get to London.

Mobile phone networks were jammed. Vodafone dedicated part of its network exclusively to the emergency services and Orange said a surge in the number of calls meant users were experiencing delays getting through. A spokeswoman for Virgin Mobile, which operates via the T-Mobile network, said, "There are so many people making calls at the moment it is taking a while for people to get through." Businesses are set to lose billions of pounds in the aftermath of the bomb attacks. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research said the economy as a whole may now grow only 2% this year and this could see taxes raised to help the Government plug the hole in its coffers.

In the City, the FTSE 100 crashed more than 200 points, wiping nearly £50billion off the market. Tony Blair has said terrorists will not succeed in destroying "our values and our way of life" after the blasts. The terrorists don't see it like that, they managed to paralyse London. Our way of life has changed. Following the bomb blasts hundreds of commuters spent the night stranded in the city and, while some hotels offered blankets and use of showers for free, other hoteliers were cashing in after prices at a number of London's hotels increased by more than double.

With the transport networks down and no way of returning home, one businessman from Manchester said he had paid £250 for an £80 room while thousands of others chose to walk for hours to reach home rather than stay the night in a hotel. Grant Hearn, the CEO of hotel chain Travelodge, said, "Travelodge is outraged to hear reports of hoteliers taking advantage of the situation to increase rates and deplores the idea that anyone should have had the insensitivity to take advantage of the tragic circumstances. It's outrageous, and I believe the companies doing this should be named and shamed." Well, those in the Thistle group for a start.......

One Hotel Booking Agents' Association member said that The Cumberland Hotel in Marble Arch, part of The Thistle chain, was quoting £370-£390 for a room, when it would normally be available to his company for £150. A spokeswoman for the Cumberland did not dispute the figures but insisted the hotel did not decide to hike its prices, but that its system automatically responded to demand. "It works on availability," she said. Another, the Ramada Plaza Regent's Park, was quoting £229 for available rooms when the normal price is £119.

One city worker said companies that arranged rooms for employees were being quoted £600 while another said her firm was quoted £295 for a room normally costing £100. Kai Bleul, revenue manager at the Ramada Plaze Regent's Park, also defended its prices. "We normally have rooms available for £119 but they were all full, and we only had executive rooms and suites available and prices start at £229 for those. There were a lot of changes, it was going forwards and backwards with cancellations, people wanting to stay and room changes involved. But we didn't increase prices." Anyone believe that lot?

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams condemned the bomb attacks and sent a message of sympathy and solidarity to Tony Blair and Ken Livingstone. He said, "On behalf of Sinn Féin I offer my sincere condolences to the victims and the families of those killed and injured and to the people of London." If this isn't hypocrisy...

TERROR SUSPECT SHOT DEAD
The Muslim Council of Britain said it was getting calls from Muslims who were "distressed" about the incident at Stockwell Tube station where police shot dead a suspected suicide bomber. Spokesman Inayat Bunglawala said Muslims were "jumpy and nervous" and want the police to explain why the man was shot dead. Er, because he was a suspected suicide bomber? They'd have been more "distressed" if he'd exploded a bomb.

Roy Ramm, former Met Police specialist operations commander, said, "The fact is that when you're dealing with suicide bombers the only way you can stop them effectively is to try for a head-shot." Of course, this normally has the effect of killing them. In most situations, wouldn't an innocent person stop moving and put his hands in view if ordered to do so by armed police? Muslim leaders have called for a review of police policy on apprehending suspects. Azzam Tamimi, of the Muslim Association of Britain, said he could not imagine how a restrained man could be a threat.

Eyewitnesses described seeing the suspect chased by officers into Stockwell Tube station. He could hardly be restrained if he was running away. Mr Tamimi said, "I just cannot imagine how someone pinned to the ground can be a source of danger." An exploding bomb which is strapped to his body could be a great source of danger. Myriam Ibrahim, spokeswoman of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee, said, "We live in a country where we are innocent until proven guilty." Try telling that one to the victims families of the 7/7 bombings.

Sir Iqbal Sacranie, of the Muslim Council of Britain, said, "It's vital that the utmost care is taken to ensure that innocent people are not killed." Try telling the terrorists that one. Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, went further by calling for a full public inquiry. John O'Connor, a former Scotland Yard commander, said it was likely that the investigation could lead to one or more officers being prosecuted. So exactly how ARE we supposed to fight terrorism - a mass leaflet campaign? Considering the circumstances which led to this incident, even considering taking action against the officer who fired the shots would be ridiculous.

It was later confirmed that the suspect had no terrorist connections and was, in fact, Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes. Mr de Menezes' family has, predictably, threatened to take legal action. His cousin Alex Pereira said, "They have to pay for that in many ways, because if they do not, they are going to kill many people. They killed my cousin; they could kill anyone." They also demanded the arrest of the officers who fired the fatal shots.

The mayor of Gonzaga, Julio de Souza, said, "What happened to English justice and England, a place where police patrol unarmed?" One word - terrorism. If people want someone to blame for this, blame the terrorists who have made such actions necessary. Evidence suggests that Jean Charles de Menezes was in the country illegally. Now there's a surprise. He came here on a student visa which expired two years ago, so he shouldn't have been here at all. If the government had done its job properly Mr de Menezes would still be alive - in Brazil. See also: Comments