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YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP
Fowzi Badavi Nejad, the only terrorist to survive the SAS storming of the Iranian Embassy in London 25 years ago, is set to be freed from prison and granted political asylum in Britain for the rest of his life. The Home Office is also planning to provide him with a new identity for fear of revenge attacks. What, no compensation?

Ah, here it comes. Nejad is to sue the Home Office claiming HIS human rights have been abused. Nejad was moved from an open prison back to a tough high-security jail for fear he might abscond at the height of the "foreign prisoners on the loose" scandal but he now claims he is being used as a political pawn.

He was moved from Highpoint jail to Hollesley Bay open prison in Suffolk in preparation for being set free and had been expected to be granted asylum in this country for fear of being executed if he was sent back to Iran. But he was moved to Peterborough Category B jail and now, together with his legal team, claims he was transferred for purely political reasons. (Source: Sunday Mirror, Jul/06)

ACHIEVING THE IMPOSSIBLE
A Christmas stamp depicting a Hindu couple worshipping baby Jesus was criticised as "disrespectful". The Hindu Forum of Britain asked for it to be re-designed without the Hindu markings or withdrawn. Although Royal Mail apologised for any "unintentional offence" caused to the Hindu community, it said it was not possible to amend or withdraw the stamp. Within days, the Christmas stamp was withdrawn. Royal Mail said stocks of the stamp bearing the 17th century painting from Mumbai, India, would run out in three days and only be available on request. It's strange how "not possible" suddenly becomes possible when the Hindu community is offended.

FARMERS SHOULD STOP FARMING
Deloitte's annual survey, which reflects the fortunes of farms across England, shows that incomes for the year 2004-05 fell 19% from the previous year's £81 per acre. The average farm income is predicted to fall from £66 per acre to £48 an acre over the next three years. Farmers will have to write off a £35-an-acre loss from food production, while profits from diversification, such as the letting of cottages, are £31 an acre. Weak prices for commodities such as wheat and milk have plagued farmers for the past five years. The survey shows that even on some of the most efficient farms, the money received for milk barely meets the cost of production. Mark Hill, of Deloitte, said that if farmers want to make ends meet they must 'stop producing food'. (Source: Daily Telegraph)

REWARDED FOR FAILURE
Senior civil servants involved with the Child Support Agency pocketed £140,000 of bonuses while single parents went without payments. Just days previously, it was announced that more than a million calls have gone unanswered at the CSA. The backlog of cases still stands at nearly 350,000 and mums have to wait an average 448 days for their situation to be assessed. Unless the CSA tackles the problems it will take NINE YEARS to sort out the shambles.

The CSA chiefs raking it in include chief executive Doug Smith who collected up to £150,000 in 2004-05 before he was pushed out in 2004 and his deputy Mike Isaac, who received up to £105,000. Unsurprisingly, ministers defended the bonuses with a spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions saying, “A number of senior managers have worked extremely hard to improve performance on the new child support system in particular. These bonuses reflect these contributions.” (Source: The Sun)

IT'S NOT JUST CONFINED TO BRITAIN
In Florida, schools are banning Christmas and Easter holidays in response to Muslim demands. Demands from the terrorist-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for an official school recognition of a Muslim Holy Day has resulted in the Hillsborough County School Board banning all religious holidays, so Christmas, Good Friday and Easter are off the calendar. The Hillsborough County School Board and its trustees should be reminded of author Mark Twain’s take on school boards: "In the first place God created idiots. This was just for practice. Then he created school boards." (Source: Canada Free Press)

FINED FOR BEING HONEST
Jennifer Burton was prosecuted by rail bosses because of a TEN PENCE mix-up over her train ticket. Jennifer got on one stop further away from work after moving house but forgot that meant the fare was £1.20 instead of the £1.10 she was used to paying. She realised her mistake at the other end when she was grilled about where she got on. She told a woman inspector honestly and offered to pay the difference, only to be snubbed. Jennifer was sent a summons to appear before magistrates. Northern Rail demanded 10p compensation plus £100 prosecution costs. She also faces a fine.

THE DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES
On November 1st, Work and Pensions Secretary David Blunkett insisted he would not resign saying, "I have done nothing wrong." On November 2nd, he resigned. Tony Blair described him as a "decent and honourable man". Mr Blunkett quit after breaking ministerial rules four times by taking that job without consulting an independent committee which advises former ministers on whether they should take up jobs. He had been due to appear before the Commons work and pensions committee but instead he went to Downing Street to tell Mr Blair of his decision to resign. He was previously forced to step down as home secretary in December 2004.

DATA PROTECTION ACT
Sue Cruickshanks was at work as a volunteer at a stray dogs charity when a 4x4 vehicle struck her dog in the car park of the Dogs Trust kennels at Shoreham, West Sussex. The driver stopped briefly but then drove away, without leaving any contact details, as Mrs Cruickshanks nursed her dying pet. She reported the incident to police but was told that there was little they could do.

She discovered the incident had been captured on CCTV at the kennels and asked for a copy to identify the number plate of the vehicle. She was told she could not have a copy from which she hoped to enhance the film to reveal the registration number - it would breach the Data Protection Act. Mrs Cruickshanks said that when she reported the matter to the police they said they could only investigate if she gave them the registration number because the accident happened on private property.

MPs HAVE EVEN MORE PERKS
Many MPs benefit from a monthly allowance of £400 to buy meals and groceries. If their main home is in their constituency outside London, they can claim the food and grocery allowance without any need for restaurant bills or receipts. Further grants are available if receipts are furnished. The allowance is on top of the £200 a month that MPs can claim for car mileage without providing fuel receipts or any details of their trips. Other perks include being able to claim for their TV licences for a second residence, and they can buy fridges on expenses. MPs claim that they work long hours and the allowances are justified. Nick Harvey, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Devon, said, “When MPs are away from home, they are away from their domestic set-up. The MP is going to have lunch and dinner and the allowance is to cover that.” (Source: Times Online)

FLU JABS MAY BE FATAL, OR THEY MAY NOT BE!
Winter flu jabs are being linked to an increased risk of life-threatening illness among the elderly. Dozens of pensioners taking Warfarin to ward off strokes have suffered internal bleeding after flu jabs, leading to fears of potentially fatal interactions between the vaccine and blood-thinning medication. Since 2001, a total of 449 adverse reactions to the flu jab have been reported. Twenty people are known to have died after the jab, with the causes of death including sudden death, blood poisoning, heart attack, pulmonary embolism and pneumonia. But because many of the patients receiving the injection were elderly, experts say it could be coincidental that they died shortly after vaccination, and no evidence of a causal link has been established. (Source: Daily Telegraph)

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