Europe Slammed by its own Latest Poll!

Paradoxically, EU people and non-EU people seem to have one thing in common; lack of trust in the European Union.

Traditionally, Britain was always the most consistently Euro-skeptic country within the EU. Since the recent raft of Bail-Outs, that has now changed.

According to the most recent survey conducted in the UK, a shocking 68% of UK citizens don't trust the EU, however that number is even greater in Cyprus, Spain, Greece, Portugal and even more.

Just to get an idea, a worrying 83% of Cypriot citizens say they do not trust the EU decisions. It's not surprising that the vicious Troika cocktail of austerity, doom and gloom which has been forced on the unsuspecting people of the EU bail-out countries is deeply unpopular.

Interestingly, the Poll of 32,000 people across a section of people within the Euro-zone was paid for by Brussels. 

The unpleasant and revealing results for the unpopular European Commission were semi concealed, as they were not featured in any Press Release. Instead, they were camouflaged within a boring 200 page report giving the full details. Such reports are rarely read by the Public.

Despite the distasteful effects of the Bail-Outs leading to war-time like conditions in countries like Greece, large food banks for the poor, increased crime, shocking unemployment levels (especially for the young), street riots and the fear of anxiety for the population at large, the social tank of the EU carries on regardless. 

All of this while the EU commissioners seemingly show NO empathy or compassion for the destruction caused by the Euro and the exchange mechanism to southern European communities.

By: Progress On 16:26

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Volcanoes Around the World

Many years before, volcanic eruptions were thought to be the punishment of Gods. Nowadays, the reasons of a volcanic eruption are well known to the public. 
This, of course, doesn't make their explosive effects less devastating. 

Today, we are going to show you a list of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world!   

Taal Volcano, Philippines (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mount Vesuvius, Italy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Popocatépetl, Mexico (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Galeras, Colombia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mount Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of Congo
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mauna Loa, Hawaii (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By: Progress On 02:05

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The Hotel Taxi Scam

This scam in essence is a common play conducted by Hotels across the world that do not value their clients best financial interests. In its simplest form, whenever a Hotel Guest requests to the Concierge or Reception for a Taxi to the airport or wherever, the Hotel calls a Taxi Company or worse still a friend of someone with whom they have crafted a commission based deal.

Essentially the commission becomes a kind of surcharge and the Hotel Guest will end up paying significantly more for the ride. The minimum mark up is around 5 euro and the maximum can even go up to 50 euro in extreme cases for longer rides. This scam manifests its way in various forms around the world. At London Heathrow Airport Hotels for example, commonly private cars are used (even unofficial on occasions). Some 5 star Hotels justify the unofficial surcharge by arranging for a Limousine or Luxury car, even if you just asked for a mere Cab.

SOLUTION
The first rule of the thumb is to simply never blindly trust a Hotel Concierge or Reception again to organise your Taxi trip to the airport or elsewhere. A good tactic in city Hotels is to locate a nearby rank and walk there each time. You will notice a significant difference in cost.

Failing that, go onto the Internet and look for a Taxi Company. Call them yourself. If possible meet the Cab just outside the Hotel so that the Concierge or Reception don't try to get a piece of the action. Each time you use a Taxi that offers a good service at a reasonable price, remember to ask for the number. In this way you can build your own Global Portfolio. This comes in very useful when you need to find a Cab and you find yourself exposed. In the case you have no other option but to use Reception, ask for the price beforehand and judge with common sense.

By: Progress On 21:59

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Mosque Torched In "Price Tag" Attack

Police in Jerusalem clashed with Israeli right-wing extremists after a mosque was set on fire in that city. The mosque which has not been used in years, was also tagged with graffiti that read "A good Arab is a dead Arab." These events are being labeled "price tag" attacks.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 04:18

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Arrests Made In French Citizens Kidnapping

Three alleged kidnappers of two French citizens have been arrested in Mali. Phillipe Verdon and Serge Lazarevic were grabbed at gun-point on November 23 in Hombori, Mali. According to one official, the three men were "subcontractors" for Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim) and the hostages are now in their hands. There is no word yet as to the fate of their French captives.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 01:47

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Chinese Leader Wants Navy Prepared for War

 

Interesting insight from China's perspective on recent comments made by Chinese President Hu Jintao when he "urged the navy deputies to accelerate the transformation and modernization of the Navy, and make extended preparations for warfare in order to make greater contributions to safeguarding national security and world peace."

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 01:45

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Belgium Grenade Attack Kills Four

A man threw grenades and opened fire on a crowd at a bus stop in Liege, Belgium this morning (12/13). At least four people have been reported killed with 64 wounded. At this time there are few details, but one report says the attacker was one of the the dead from self-inflicted wounds. Earlier reports said another had been captured by police, but now officials say Nordine Amrani acted alone.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 01:51

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Woman Beheaded for "Witchcraft and Sorcery"

Amnesty International has condemned Monday's (12/12) execution of a Saudi woman convicted of "witchcraft and sorcery." Amina bin Salem was beheaded in the northern province of al-Jawf. She was the second woman beheaded since October when another woman suffered the same fate after being convicted of killing her husband by setting his house on fire. Amnesty International says this marks the 73rd execution in Saudi Arabia this year.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 01:47

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73 Dead in Hospital Fire

An early morning fire at the Amri Hospital in Kolkata, India has left at least 73 dead and many dozens injured. Starting in the basement the fire quickly spread throughout the facility trapping many patients who died of suffocation. One expert said that many people died unnecessarily because the hospital is encased in a glass facade that trapped gases and carbon monoxide causing many to be asphyxiated. The state government has already brought criminal charges against the hospital authorities.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 03:33

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Airlines Fight UK Air Passenger Duty Charges

A group of four British and Irish passenger airlines have united to try and overturn current Air Passenger Duty charges in the UK.
Air Passenger Duty (APD) is levied on virtually every commercial flight that leaves a UK airport. It's applicable to the tickets brought by all travellers carried by aircraft with a minimum ten ton weight or a minimum of 20 passenger seats, although with an exemption made for connecting flights involving international destinations.


Air Passenger Duty Charges
Put into effect in 1994, UK APD was initially charged at somewhere between £5.00 and £40.00 but it's since been adjusted five times.  Now, UK Air Passenger Duty charges range from a minimum of £24.00 to a maximum of £170.00 - a price band influenced by several factors including flight length and ticket class.  That's a situation that British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair and Easyjet all want changed and, backing their cause, they've highlighted what they consider its negative effects.

Airlines Fighting UK APD
The airlines fighting UK APD say it's essentially a penalty placed on passengers and they've put their sentiments into an open letter sent to George Osborne - the present Chancellor of the Exchequer. In it, they state: ‘For hard-working families APD is a tax too far for the privilege of taking a well-earned holiday', adding: ‘It is also a tax on tourism and a tax on business'.  ‘Aviation doesn't just drive exports - it is a major exporter in its own right with our airlines earning nearly 11 billion pounds of foreign revenues every year. Tourism is one of the UK's most important earners and is worth 115 billion pounds to the UK economy.'

"We consulted on a range of reforms to APD, including simplifying the tax and making it fairer by extending APD to private jets", a representative for the Treasury stated, in comments quoted by the BBC.

"We will say more on this in the coming weeks. It is also important to remember that the UK is not the only country with a passenger duty, and unlike many other countries the UK does not levy VAT on flights."

By: Progress On 23:30

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Three US Students Arrested in Cairo

A fourth day of protests and violence continues in Cairo's Tahrir Square with thousand of protestors flooding into the city and being met by security forces firing tear gas and rubber bullets. During the clashes three U.S. students attending American University in Cairo were arrested for throwing fire bombs outside the interior ministry offices. The students are said to be in police custody and are being investigated for their alleged activities. No names have been released.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 04:03

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The German Government plant malware on the Laptops of Travellers at customs

In an age of austerity and eroding human rights it appears that the German Government have taken it into their own hands to deliberately plant malware onto the Laptops of unsuspecting travellers passing through German customs.

It was the well known hackers group aptly called the "Chaos Computer Club" that first uncovered this extraordinary issue. In essence the Malware is like a Spyware that can syphon away intimate data, but also offers a remote control and back door functionality for uploading and executing arbitrary other programs. Significant design and implementation flaws make all of the functionality available to literally anyone on the Internet.

One would have thought that if the German Government were going to play such games with their own citizens that at least it would be secure Spyware! The Chaos Computer Club went on to suggest that the Spyware could even be used to plant evidence, giving this matter a 1984 feel. Moreover, it could turn on Web cams record conversations and load any other software to the Users Computer.

A number of different Anti Virus Companies managed to obtain the source code and confirmed the finding. Apparently FC Secure stated that "they had no reason to doubt the Chaos Computer Clubs findings". Shockingly a number of German states have come out to admit that they used the Malware in the conduct of various investigations,

Surely the European Law of Human Rights should get involved concerning this fragrant disrespect for basic civil liberties! The average traveller and man in the street should be under no illusions that such Government led practices are taking in various countries around the world.

By: Progress On 06:49

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Ruling Party Official Says Putin to be Presidential Candidate

An official from Russia's ruling United Russia party told state-owned RIA Novosti on Saturday that party members are going to nominate former president and current prime minister Vladimir Putin to be its presidential candidate in next March's election.
Of course there is very little chance of Putin not winning his third (non-consecutive) term as Russia's president.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 03:11

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Palestine Accepted into UN's Cultural Agency

The UN's cultural agency voted to accept Palestine as a full member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The vote was 107 to 14 with 52 abstentions. While the U.S. currently provides 22 percent of UNESCO's funding, laws passed in the 1990's prohibit the U.S. from financing any UN organization that allows Palestine as a full member. That means UNESCO could lose some $70 million annually as the U.S. laws come into play.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 23:57

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Grenade Attack After Kenyan Warning

One day after the U.S Embassy in Kenya warned of a possible terror attack and told citizens to delay traveling in that country, a grenade attack at a Nairobi nightspot injured twelve. No one has taken claim for the attack, but there are suspicions it may have come at the hands of Al-Shabaab in retaliation for Kenyan troops crossing the border with Somalia in pursuit of the militants.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 03:05

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Kyrgyzstan Operation Captures 10 Suspected Terrorists

With presidential elections scheduled for later this month, coupled with ethnic tensions between the Kyrgyz and the minority Uzbeks, Kyrgyzstan security forces are on high alert with increased security checks, roadblocks and controls across the region. One anti-terror operation recently netted 10 suspected members of Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), a terrorist group who officials believe were planning to set-off a series of bombs across southern Kyrgyzstan.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 06:03

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Iran Plot Causes US to Issue Worldwide Travel Alert

The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens of the potential for anti-U.S. actions following the disruption of a plot, linked to Iran, to commit a significant terrorist act in the United States. This Travel Alert expires on January 11, 2012. The U.S. government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian Government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the United States.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 06:01

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Philippines Bombings May Be Test for Larger Attacks

 A series of bombings on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines has intelligence authorities concerned it may be the work of terror suspect Basit Usman. Usman is a reputed member of the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) also linked to the Abu Sayyaf group. No one has claimed responsibility for the bombings, but authorities are concerned they may be test missions in preparation for larger attacks potentially targeting the capital Manila. Police are currently hunting 20 suspects who reportedly have been trained in bomb making by Usman.

Source: planetdata.net 

By: Progress On 00:54

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EU Deploys to Contested Kosovo/Serbia Border Crossings

The European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) in Kosovo on Friday (9/16) deployed officials to provide customs and police operational work at the contested Jarinje and Brnjak border crossing points between the Serbian enclave of northern Kosovo and Serbia.
RFE/RL reports that Kosovar customs officials, and some NATO troops are also working at the border crossings.
This escalating crisis began in July when Kosovo moved to secure its northern border with Serbia to enforce a ban on imported Serbian goods.


Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 00:57

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Construction Accident Closes Busiest U.S. Land Port of Entry for Hours

A construction accident completely shutdown California's San Ysidro port of entry for about seven hours, forcing people to wait in line or move to alternative border crossing points before entering the U.S.
By 6:30 pm 14th September, the San Ysidro pedestrian bridge had reopened, but the port remained closed to vehicle traffic. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that 13 northbound lanes have now reopened.
At least 24 people sustained injuries in a collapse of construction scaffolding.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 23:33

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