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"Joker" creche killings stun Belgium
Close British borders to immigration for 10 years

Banner by 4N6 DNA

[sunnykerr]

Air France Rio crash: Jet plunged in minutes The Air France jet which crashed into the Atlantic en route from Rio in 2009 stalled and fell in three and a half minutes, French investigators report. The air accident investigations bureau (BEA) found the crew had struggled with contradictory speed readings just before the plane crashed. A principal theory for the cause of the crash is that the jet's speed probes iced up, resulting in faulty data. All 228 people on board were killed in the disaster. The BEA findings were released in an online statement in response to speculation in the media over the findings from the flight recorders, only recovered from the sea this month. A full report into the disaster is not expected until next year. Airbus, the maker of the A330 jet involved, said the French statement was a "significant step" in understanding the causes of the crash. 'Inconsistent speeds' Ahead of Friday's statement, the BEA said it wished to correct "partial and more or less contradictory information published in the media". It was giving "factual elements on the operation of the flight that... establish the circumstances of the accident but not the causes". According to the statement, the twin-engine jet's autopilot and auto-thrust disengaged after it ran into turbulence, and the plane slowed dangerously, climbing to 38,000 ft (9,100m). Speeds displayed on the left primary flight display were inconsistent with those on the integrated standby instrument system. French investigators have been working on the theory that the speed sensors, known as Pitot probes, malfunctioned because of ice at high altitude. This may have set off an unpredictable chain of events. Final minutes The drama began while the captain was taking a routine rest, with the two co-pilots in the cockpit, the BEA said. Summoned to help, however, he was back in the cockpit two minutes and 48 seconds before the crash, it found. The BEA statement found the composition of the crew had been "in accordance with the operator's procedures". Flight AF 447 went down on 1 June 2009 after running into an intense high-altitude thunderstorm, four hours into a flight from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to Paris. Those on board came from more than 30 countries, though most were French, Brazilian or German. The wreckage of the plane was discovered after a long search of 10,000 sq km (3,860 sq miles) of sea floor.

Source

I hope these findings bring a measure of closure to the loved ones of those aboard Flight AF 447. It's hard to tell, though, since the findings are pretty horrific, if you ask me.

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That would be the scariest 3.5 minutes ever. Yes Sunny I hope there is some closure there but I doubt it really will make anyone feel much better.


LINK

France indicts 2 men on suspicion of seeking Pakistan terror training
By The Associated Press – 9 hours ago
PARIS — French authorities have indicted two men on suspicion of travelling to Pakistan to attend a terrorist training camp.
Judicial and police authorities say the two unidentified French citizens were accused Thursday of "criminal association with terrorists" and placed under investigative detention.
Authorities say the suspects sought training in the use of explosives.
The men, who were from the Paris region, were detained in the Pakistani city of Lahore in January and transferred to France on Sunday.
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If we could find that training camp that would be a big step. I want to know the circumstances in which they became under the suspicion of being terrorists in training, or if this just a fishing expedition.

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Drought cuts across Europe, hurts harvests and food prices

LINK


BRUSSELS — A drought throughout much of northern Europe this spring is starting to hurt upcoming harvests and efforts to bring food prices down.
From beer hops in southern Germany’s Bavaria to cereals in eastern England and fodder shortages in many areas, the lack of rain and abundance of sunshine is creating problems for farmers in much of Europe, officials said.
The Rome-based U.N. food agency FAO said its earlier hopes of a 4-5 percent spike in wheat and barley production in the EU have been dashed.
World food prices have reached a historic peak this year, raising fears of a repeat of the global food emergency that led to violence and unrest in many countries in 2008.
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The weather is causing havoc this year with the crops. I hope we can work something out so people can eat.

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Archaeologists dig out 500-yr-old remains of Mona Lisa 'model'

ANI | May 29, 2011, 06.38am IST




FLORENCE: Archaeologists in Italy's Florence city have uncovered a skeleton they believe could be the 500 year-old remains of the noblewoman who is believed to have posed for Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa masterpiece.

An excavation that started earlier this month of what was once the convent of Saint Orsola , where Lisa Gherardini — the wife of wealthy silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo - was buried following her death in July 1542 at 63 years. A grave was unearthed that contained a skeleton of an adult woman with parts of the skull and pelvis, said Giorgio Gruppioni, an archaeology professor from the University of Bologna and coordinator of the excavation.

"The skull and pelvis have been crushed by the weight of the ground," he said. Other pieces of skull and pelvis must first be recovered before the archaeologists can determine the skeleton's sex, he said. Once they locate the skull, the team will attempt to recreate a likeness of what the woman might have looked like.

LINK
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It's not really breaking news or anything, but I think it's kind of cool they are looking for her.

[sunnykerr]

It is cool that they're looking for her, but I swear I had always heard that the Mona Lisa model had been a prostitute or even himself (the whole feminization theory(.

I mean, given that Leonardo needed patronage, it makes sense that she would have been a noblewoman of some sort.

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It could be any of those things.

[sunnykerr]

Silvio Berlusconi loses Milan and Naples in local polls Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right coalition has lost control of Milan and Naples in local elections. The run-off polls are seen as a key test of Mr Berlusconi's popularity, as he faces multiple corruption trials and sex scandals. Centre-left candidate Giuliano Pisapia won in Milan with about 55% of the vote over Mayor Letizia Moratti. Milan, Mr Berlusconi's power base, has been run by conservatives for 18 years. The city, Italy's financial capital, is Mr Berlusconi's birthplace and where he got his start in business and politics. Some six million voters were eligible to cast their ballots in 90 towns and six provinces, but the results in Milan and Naples are seen as most important. Ms Moratti got 45% of the vote in Milan. In Naples, Luigi de Magistris of the Italy of Values party won 65% of the vote in a landslide victory over Mr Berlusconi's candidate, Gianni Lettieri. Mr Lettieri had been seen as the favourite, but failed to win an outright majority in the first round of voting earlier in May. 'Hold our nerve' Analysts say the loss in Milan could threaten the coalition of Mr Berlusconi's People of Freedom party (PDL) with the Northern League, which has become increasingly disenchanted with the prime minister. "It's clear we have lost. The only thing to do is to hold our nerve and carry on," Mr Berlusconi told journalists with him on a trip to Romania. He said he had spoken to Northern League leader Umberto Bossi, who told him the government would stand and carry on with plans to the government's budget deficit. The prime minister said before the vote that to lose in Milan was "unthinkable" and called the city election a referendum on his leadership. Campaigning became increasingly vicious before the vote, with Mr Berlusconi warning that Milan would be turned into "Gypsytown" if Ms Moratti was defeated. Ms Moratti, a former minister for Mr Berlusconi, spent an average of US$400 (280 euros, £240) for every vote she obtained - 100 times more than her opponent. Earlier in May, five TV stations - including several owned by Mr Berlusconi's Mediaset - were fined by Italian regulators for giving Mr Berlusconi more coverage than his opponents. The elections are the first big test he has faced since the start of several corruption trials and scandals - including allegations of having had sex with an underage prostitute.

Source

So, basically, Italy is so bereft of any real political leadership that those who want to oppose Berlusconi have to spend a fortune to do so, with mixed results at best.

Meanwhile, the man is undergoing several trials/inquests for sexual misconduct (at the very least) and rampant corruption but, yeah, there's no one else, so he'll do?

This really doesn't give much hope to the Italians who are going through the same economic crisis the rest of us are feeling.

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I don't think sex scandals have the same clout as they do in the US. I just don't think that many people will really care.

[sunnykerr]

I don't they care about the sex all that much.

I think they care that it was with underaged girls and that it came with unprecedented levels of corruption (and we're talking about Italy here, so that's saying a lot).

[Comfortably Numb]

They have to be really underage to get attention these days. I think we are just so desensitized to this.

[sunnykerr]

Well, Italian values run pretty conservative. It is one of those countries where people stay at home till they get married, which they are expected to do.

[Comfortably Numb]

Then it really makes sense that someone like that would lose popularity over this.

[quaist]

I have wanted to see that coming for a long time.

There have already been many protests by women's rights' activist against him. I think a man like him has no place in Italy's (or any other's) government.

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I agree Quaist.


LINK

Croatia Charges Former Official With War Crimes

June 09, 2011

Croatia has indicted a former senior interior ministry official, charging him with war crimes against Serb civilians at the beginning of the country's independence war in the early 1990s.

On June 9, the prosecution confirmed the indictment on its website with the defendant's initials, as is the usual legal practice, while local media identified the suspect as Tomislav Mercep, 58.

Croatia fought a four-year war against rebel Serbs backed and armed by Belgrade. The impartial handling of war crimes is an important condition for Croatia's European Union accession.

Zagreb is in the final stage of EU entry talks and the European Commission is expected on June 10 to recommend that member states wrap up membership talks with Croatia in the coming weeks.

Croatia expects to join the bloc in mid-2013.
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Well I am glad that they are going after this guy. I think all of this crimes should be prosecuted.