The lawyer of Russia’s most prominent prisoner, the founder of oil giant Yukos and wrongfully jailed Mikhail Khodorkovsky, says that eventually will those, who started the trial over Khodorkovsky, be put in jail.
“There can be only one end to the trial: it is a court ruling confirming the innocence of our defendants and, next, raising the issue of responsibility of those who started the whole thing [the process],” Vadim Klyuvgant said, according to Khodorkovsky Communications …

Member of the Dutch Parliament and leader of the country’s most popular party, the Party for Freedom, Geert Wilders says that Turkey is a Trojan Horse that should not be allowed in the European Union.
“We will not allow Turkey into the EU,” Wilders said, slamming the policy led by the Turkish authorities towards the national minorities, he writes in his blog.
Wilders said that one of his concerns is that Turkey is an Islamic country and …

Former Alaska Governor and last year’s Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said in an interview with ABC News that US President Barack Obama has no right to tell Israel that the Jewish villages in Judea and Samaria cannot expand.
“I disagree with the Obama administration on that,” Palin said. “I believe that the Jewish settlements should be allowed to be expanded upon, because that population of Israel is, is going to grow.”
“More and more Jewish …

To my surprise, the readers of The Empire Chronicles have voted former Prime Minister Tony Blair as their favourite candidate for the EU presidency, despite the fact that his chances to nail the post are slimmer than ever.
42 per cent of the respondents – 620 people – said that Blair would be the best candidate to become the European Union’s first President. Former Czech President Vaclav Havel came in second with 22% support – 329 …

On numerous occasions I’ve mentioned that The Prisoner is one of my all-time favourite TV-shows. It’s such a reflection of today’s world – as it probably somewhat reflected the world in the 1960ies when the late Patrick McGoohan co-wrote and co-produced the original series. The old Prisoner was much more “Orwellian” than Orwell ever was, and the plot, the acting, the scenes and the location – it’s just a brilliant piece of TV history which …

World’s most useless organisation, the United Nations, suggested today that the battle against “global warming” could be helped if the world slowed population growth by making free condoms and family planning advice more widely available.
UN Population Fund did not recommend countries set limits on how many children people should have, but said that “women with access to reproductive health services … have lower fertility rates that contribute to slower growth in greenhouse gas emissions”, according …

CCTV cameras are being fitted inside family homes by council “snoopers” to spy on neighbours in the street outside, the Daily Mail reports.
The £1,000 security cameras have been placed inside properties but are trained on the streets to gather evidence of anti-social behaviour. Each device is linked to a laptop computer and accessible online by police and council officials 24 hours a day.
But the trial inside two homes by Croydon council in south London has …

McLaren have officially announced the signing of reigning Formula One world champion Jenson Button on a “multi-year deal” that will see the Briton paired with Lewis Hamilton from the start of the 2010 season, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Button will line-up alongside Hamilton after parting company with reigning constructors champions Brawn GP, who were the subject of a takeover by Mercedes-Benz earlier this week.
The deal marks the first time in Formula One history that a team has started the new season with a line-up featuring the most recent…

According to a survey, more than half of patients are turning down the swine flu vaccine, ITN reports.
A poll of 107 GPs, who are signed up to Pulse Magazine’s SMS alerts, has found that some people were concerned about possible side-effects of the jab, while others believed there was no need to have it because the virus is mild.
Family doctors are currently vaccinating people at high risk from swine flu, including pregnant women, health workers …

The Government have unveiled their final legislative package before the General Election , with the Queen’s Speech containing pledges to help the neediest pensioners and crack down on excesses in the financial sector, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The unashamedly political address made clear to the public Labour’s “aspirations” for a fourth term, including free care in old age for the elderly, and action on child poverty.
With less than seven months before the country must go to …

Actor, comedian and an avid Twitter user Stephen Fry praised the microblogging site for freeing celebrities from relying upon the press to publicise their work,the Daily Telegraph reports.
Speaking today at The 140 Characters Conference held in London, Fry, who passed the million followers mark at the weekend, complimented the site for changing celebrities’ relationships and reliance upon the media.
“Like with the printing press, Twitter [has] changed the situation. People like me, Twillionaires, we can cut …

American Arabic-language news network Alhurra reported yesterday that a deal for the release of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was in the “last agreement” stages and that Shalit is slated to be released on the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al Adha, which falls next Friday, Ynet reports.
The soldier will be released in exchange for “hundreds of prisoners”, the network said.
Alhurra further informed that Shalit is slated to be released to Egypt and from there he will make his way to Israel. The details of the agreement will be made public in the coming days.

Parents of five-year-olds starting school have been sent an 83-point questionnaire that probes personal details of their lives, the Daily Mail reports.
It asks whether their children tell lies or bully others, and if they steal at home or from shops. Parents are also questioned over whether they have friends, if they can speak freely with others in their family and how well they did at school themselves.
The form also delves into family routines, questioning whether …

Former Ferrari’s Formula One pilot Kimi Räikkönen will take a sabbatical from Formula 1 next year, autosport.com reports.
Räikkönen said last month that, in the wake of being released from his Ferrari contract, his only option to remain in F1 was with McLaren – because he wanted to be guaranteed a top-line grand prix car. However, amid increasing speculation that this year’s world champion Jenson Button is on his way to the British team, the Finn’s …

Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini proposes the creation of a European army after the “new Europe” takes shape at this week’s EU summit following the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, The Times reports.
Frattini said that the Lisbon Treaty had established “that if some countries want to enter into reinforced co-operation between themselves they can do so”. This was already the case with the euro and the Schengen accords on frontier-free travel, and could now be …

An American federal advisory panel recommended on Monday that women should start breast cancer screening at 50 instead of 40, as it has been until now, but doctors say that they’re not ready to make such a drastic change.
The recommendations, issued Monday by a federal advisory panel, reversed widely promoted guidelines and were intended to reduce overtreatment, the New York Times reports. The panel said the benefits of screening women in their 40s …