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Constitutional body rejects 'carbon tax'

2009-12-29T21:51:06-08:00

Constitutional body rejects 'carbon tax' A 'carbon tax' planned for January cannot be applied as it includes too many exemptions, a French government body has ruled, dealing an embarrassing blow to President Nicolas Sarkozy's administration. By News Wires (text) �

REUTERS - France's planned carbon tax cannot be applied because it includes too many exemptions, a French government body ensuring laws are constitutional ruled on Tuesday, in an embarrassing setback for the government.

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The tax on carbon-emitting products, meant to encourage consumers to save energy and use less fossil fuels, is one of President Nicolas Sarkozy's most loudly defended initiatives and was meant to come into effect on Jan. 1, 2010.

"The exemptions included in the carbon tax run counter to the aim of fighting climate change and create inequalities with respect to public charges," the Constitutional Council said in a statement.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon said in a separate statement the cabinet would in January examine a new law taking into account the ruling.

Sarkozy has thrown his weight behind the levy, saying it would support the battle against climate change, but the plan had to be watered down extensively to appease critics.

In its ruling, the council said the law exempted some of the worst industrial polluters such as refineries and included relief for farmers and fishermen, among numerous other exemptions.

"93 percent of carbon dioxide emissions of industrial origin, other than fuel, will be totally exempt from the carbon tax," the government body said in the ruling.

The tax has caused public upheaval in France, with critics within the ruling party saying the tax would hurt poor families and people in rural areas with little public transport.

The opposition Greens broadly agreed with the principle but said the tax should be higher, while the Socialists said it would deal a further blow to consumers already struggling to cope with the economic downturn.

As a result, the system that was eventually adopted would have differentiated between urban and rural dwellers, and applied to oil, gas and coal but not to electricity.

The levy, initially set at 17 euros ($25) per tonne of carbon dioxide emissions, would have translated into a rise in the price of fuel for cars, domestic heating and factories.

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British anger at China execution

2009-12-29T10:54:26-08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8433704.stm

British anger at China execution

Akmal Shaikh was arrested in 2007

The Chinese ambassador Fu Ying has been summoned to the Foreign Office amid a growing row between the UK and China over the execution of a British man.

Akmal Shaikh, 53, a father-of-three from London, was executed in China after being convicted of drug smuggling despite claims he was mentally ill.

Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis told the ambassador "China had failed in its basic human rights responsibilities."

The Chinese Embassy said Mr Shaikh had no previous record of mental illness.

Mr Lewis said after the meeting: "I had a difficult conversation with the Chinese Ambassador today.

Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis: 'Mr Shaikh had mental health problems'

"I made clear that the execution of Mr Shaikh was totally unacceptable and that China had failed in its basic human rights responsibilities in this case, in particular that China's court had not considered the representations made about Mr Shaikh's mental condition.

"It is an important element of a mature bilateral relationship that we are able to speak frankly about issues on which we disagree and that those concerns are heard."

ANALYSIS FROM BEIJING By Chris Hogg, BBC News

The news of Akmal Shaikh's execution is being carried in state-run newspapers and on state-controlled websites here in China. Most of the articles focus on the comments made by the Foreign Ministry spokesman earlier on, when she said the judicial process was legal and fair.

It's interesting to see what ordinary Chinese citizens are saying on the discussion boards. Most of these websites are state-controlled and subject to censorship but overwhelmingly the comments on those discussion sites are supportive of the Chinese government's decision.

One says: "This is all a show by the British government. If it had really wanted to save Akmal Shaikh it would have negotiated in secret with the Chinese." Another says: "If someone commits a crime on our territory we have the right to punish them."

There's very little discussion of the mental health issue on the websites and discussion boards. In terms of the discussions here in China, it doesn't seem to be registering.

The execution by lethal injection took place despite repeated calls from his family and the British government for leniency.

Sally Rowen, of the legal charity Reprieve, said a report from a consultant forensic psychologist had diagnosed him with bipolar disorder and delusional psychosis.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "appalled" at the execution, however China warned criticism of the case would harm UK-China relations.

Brothers Soohail and Nasir Shaikh, who travelled to China to visit their cousin in prison and make a last-minute plea for clemency, said they were "deeply saddened, stunned and disappointed" by the execution.

They said: "We are astonished at suggestions that Akmal himself should have provided evidence of his own fragile state of mind.

"We find it ludicrous that any mentally-ill person should be expected to provide this."

His daughter Leilla Horsnell added: "I am shocked and disappointed that the execution went ahead with no regards to my dad's mental health problems, and I struggle to understand how this is justice."

Condemnations

In a statement issued after the execution, the Chinese Embassy said Mr Shaikh's rights "were properly respected and guaranteed" and British concerns were "duly noted and taken into consideration".

It said: "As for his possible mental illness which has been much talked about, there apparently has been no previous medical record."

A report from the official Chinese news agency Xinhua said that China's Supreme People's Court had not been provided with any documentation proving that Mr Shaikh had a mental disorder.

In a statement, Mr Brown said: "I condemn the execution of Akmal Shaikh in the strongest terms... I am particularly concerned that no mental health assessment was undertaken."

Jiang Yu, Chinese foreign ministry: 'We urge Britain to correct their mistake.'

Conservative leader David Cameron echoed the condemnation, saying he "deplored and deeply regretted" the execution.

Mr Lewis, who held last-ditch talks with the Chinese ambassador in London on Monday evening, said the execution made him "sick to the stomach".

He said the government had made 27 representations to China in two years, and believed it had done everything it possibly could.

A spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Jiang Yu, told a press briefing in Beijing no-one had the right to comment on China's judicial sovereignty.

"We express our strong dissatisfaction and opposition to the British government's unreasonable criticism of the case. We urge [them] to correct their mistake in order to avoid harming China-UK relations," she said.

CHINA DEATH PENALTY China executed 1,718 people in 2008, according to Amnesty International Last year 72% of the world's total executions took place in China, the charity estimates It applies to 60 offences, including non-violent crimes such as tax fraud and embezzlement Those sentenced to death are usually shot, but some provinces are introducing lethal injections

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Executions shrouded in secrecy Q&A: Bipolar disorder

The legal charity Reprieve had taken up Mr Shaikh's case for the family.

Ms Rowen, of Reprieve, said it was "outrageous" Mr Shaikh had been killed.

"The Chinese's blatant refusal to even consider [his mental illness] is outrageous and totally inappropriate," she said.

Mr Shaikh is the first EU national to be executed in China in more than 50 years.

His body will not be repatriated to the UK, and Mr Lewis said Mr Shaikh had been buried quickly "in accordance with the Muslim faith".

'No excuse'

In its statement, the Chinese Embassy said Mr Shaikh was convicted of "serious" drug trafficking.

"The amount of heroin he brought into China was 4,030g, enough to cause 26,800 deaths, threatening numerous families," it said.

Sally Rowen of campaign group Reprieve condemned the ''barbaric act''

Mr Shaikh's family said he had been delusional and duped into a carrying a suitcase that did not belong to him when he was found with 4kg of heroin in Urumqi, north-west China, in September 2007.

His daughter has said drug smugglers in Poland convinced him they would make him a popstar in China.

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity Sane, said the Chinese authorities had showed not only a lack of compassion, but a "profound ignorance" about how a mental illness such as bipolar disorder could affect a person's sense of reality.

"Mr Shaikh's lack of official medical records is no excuse for failing to give him a psychiatric assessment or offer him the treatment he needed," she added.

Charity MDF, The Bipolar Organisation, described the execution as "medieval rough justice" and an "absolute tragedy".

Spokesman Robert Westhead said: "The way the Chinese authorities have stubbornly failed to take account of this poor man's severe mental illness shows that China is still stuck in the dark ages."

10 Things You Should Know About the Obamacare Bil

2009-12-28T03:17:46-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcBaSP31Be8& this you sjould whatchfeature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcBaSP31Be8&feature=player_embedded

http://www.resistnet.com/forum/topics/10-things-you-should-know

10 Things You Should Know About this Bill

'Democrats have spent six weeks behind closed doors putting together a trillion-dollar experiment in government-run health care that raises premiums, raises taxes, and cuts Medicare-a 2,074-page bureaucratic nightmare'

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks (as prepared) on the Senate floor Friday regarding the importance of getting it right on health care reform:

"Democrats have spent six weeks behind closed doors putting together a trillion-dollar experiment in government-run health care that raises premiums, raises taxes, and cuts Medicare. We've now had less than 48 hours to look through this 2,074-page bureaucratic nightmare. But here are 10 things that every American should know about this bill.

� The Democrat bill includes nearly half a trillion dollars in new taxes that hit virtually every American, including middle class families making less than $250,000 a year.

� The Democrat bill would increase insurance premiums for individuals and families.

� The Democrat bill cuts Medicare for seniors by nearly half a trillion dollars ($465 billion) and limits the choices that millions of seniors now enjoy.

� The Democrat bill won't lower health care costs according to the Congressional Budget Office.

� The true cost of this bill over 10 years, when fully implemented, is about $2.5 trillion.

� Under the Democrat bill, if you like the health insurance you have, you may not be able to keep it.

� The Democrat bill would let government bureaucrats dictate what kind of health plans Americans must purchase and what benefits they can receive.

� The Democrat bill creates a government plan that CBO has said would have higher premiums.

� The Democrat bill would, for the first time in history, allow federal programs to pay for elective abortions.

� Finally, Americans should know that this bill doesn't have the common-sense reforms that they have been asking for all along, like getting rid of junk lawsuits and leveling the playing field when it comes to health care taxes.

"Americans want reform. But higher premiums, higher taxes, and cuts to Medicare to create more government isn't reform. Yet that's precisely what they'd get with this Democrat bill."

US actress Brittany Murphy dies aged 32

2009-12-20T13:37:07-08:00

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US actress Brittany Murphy dies aged 32

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Murphy was married to British screenwriter Simon Monjack

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Actress Brittany Murphy, who starred in films such as Just Married, Clueless and 8 Mile, has died at age 32.

The actress died on Sunday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center near Beverly Hills, a hospital spokeswoman has confirmed.

The LA Times said Murphy went into cardiac arrest, but hospital sources would not release the cause of death.

Murphy was married to British screenwriter Simon Monjack. The couple lived in Los Angeles.

Reports said the LA fire department responded to a medical call at Murphy's home in West Hollywood at 0800 local time (1600 GMT).

Two hours later, she was pronounced dead at hospital.

Murphy grew up in New Jersey but moved to Los Angeles with her mother to pursue acting.

She got her start in the sleeper hit Clueless and rose to stardom in 8 Mile alongside rapper Eminem.

Her on-screen roles declined in recent years, but Murphy voiced characters for the hit US television series, King of the Hill, and animated movie Happy Feet.

She is due to appear in Sylvester Stallone's film, The Expendables, set for release next year.

Murphy once dated Ashton Kutcher, who co-starred with her in the 2003 romantic comedy, Just Married.

Kutcher tweeted Sunday morning about Murphy's death: "2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine."

"My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany's family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon," his tweet said.

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UN Sponsored Poster Campaign Depicts Humans As Evil Monsters

2009-12-20T11:31:39-08:00

UN Sponsored Poster Campaign Depicts Humans As Evil Monsters

A new poster campaign sponsored by the United Nations depicts humans as evil horror movie monsters intent on slaughtering wildlife, another abhorrent example of how eugenicists are following through on the Club of Rome's 1991 promise to portray Homo sapiens as the enemy in an effort to construct a world government around the pretext of saving the earth.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/un-sponsored-poster-campaign-depicts-humans-as-evil-monsters.html

Criminal Bernanke Hailed As World's Savior By TIME

2009-12-20T11:30:43-08:00

Financial Crisis Perpetrator Bernanke Hailed As World's Saviour By TIME

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has been named TIME person of the year for 2009 and hailed as a saviour when in the real world he has overseen the worsening of the financial crisis, the looting of the American economy by foreign offshore banks and the destruction of the Dollar.

http://www.infowars.net/articles/december2009/161209Bernanke.htm

UN Chief: We Will Impose Global Governance

2009-12-20T11:29:57-08:00

UN Chief: We Will Impose Global Governance

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has again publicly admitted that the agenda behind the Copenhagen summit and the climate change fraud is the imposition of a global government and the end of national sovereignty.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/un-chief-we-will-impose-global-governance.html

Climate Cultists Assault Global Warming Skeptic

2009-12-20T11:28:22-08:00

Climate Cultists Assault Global Warming Skeptic During Live Interview

Aghast that someone dared challenge the sanctity of Al Gore's holy climate empire, global warming loons pelted journalist Phelim McAleer with objects during a live television interview, proving once again the extreme left's constant preaching of tolerance doesn't extend to tolerating the free speech of anyone who disagrees with them.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/climate-cultists-assault-global-warming-skeptic-during-live-interview.html

Final Copenhagen Text Includes Global Transaction Tax

2009-12-20T11:25:19-08:00

Final Copenhagen Text Includes Global Transaction Tax

The final Copenhagen draft agreement which was hammered out in the early hours of Friday morning includes provisions for a global tax on financial transactions that will be paid directly to the World Bank, as President Obama prepares to bypass Congress by approving a massive transfer of wealth from America into globalist hands.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/final-copenhagen-text-includes-global-transaction-tax.html

Obama Forced To Address Climate Skepticism

2009-12-20T11:24:45-08:00

Obama Forced To Address Climate Skepticism In Bad Tempered Tantrum

A visibly frustrated President Barack Obama was forced to address climate skepticism during his ill-tempered tantrum today in Copenhagen, desperately claiming that man-made climate change was "not fiction," a view not shared by the majority of Americans he has failed to represent as he attempts to ram through a huge transfer of wealth to the new world order.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/obama-forced-to-address-climate-skepticism-in-bad-tempered-tantrum.html