Saturday 20th of April 2024
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"aussie tony" & the value of big business .....

‘Britain has secretly honoured a raft of senior US
military and business figures in the past three years, it emerged last night.
The recipients include General Tommy Franks, the man responsible for the
"Shock and Awe " Iraq war attack plan, and Riley Bechtel, head of the
Bechtel Corporation.  

Mr Bechtel, the billionaire head
of the US-based engineering giant, was handed a CBE for "services to
UK-American commercial relations" in 2003, according to information obtained
by The Observer. He is a likely bidder for future nuclear plants in the UK and
has made hundreds of millions of dollars in reconstruction projects in Iraq.
Others honoured include several senior US military figures, among them
Vice-Admiral Timothy Keating, the man in charge of maritime forces during the
Iraq invasion, and Rear Admiral Barry Costello, commander of the Third Fleet
and Task Force 55.’ 

Hush-Hush
Honours For US Military Top Brass

aspirational prosperity .....

meanwhile, in downtown Glascow, pesky citizens come to grips with the real meaning of "aspirational prosperity" ......

‘Banks are being deluged by thousands of court
actions a month as a consumer campaign against unfair penalty charges gains
momentum.  

Campaigners have called on customers to take
banks to the small claims courts to get a refund of "unjust" charges
- most of which are not legally enforceable, even if they are listed in the
terms and conditions of an account or loan.  

Banks have already paid out tens of thousands
of pounds to angry customers rather than risk losing a court case - a move which
could set a legal precedent and cost the banking industry millions.  

Martin Lewis, the television consumer champion
who created the Money Saving Expert website, described the wave of claims as
"a massive revolution in favour of ordinary customers".  

He said: "People fed up with
disproportionate charges are turning the tables on the banks, and good luck to
them."  

Banks, loans companies and credit card firms
together make more than £1.3 billion a year by charging penalty fees of up to
£39 for unauthorised overdrafts, bounced direct debits and missed payments. 

These charges have continued despite a ruling
by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in April that any fee above £12 is unfair
and unlawful, because it breaches the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts
Regulations 1999. These say consumers must not be charged "a
disproportionately high sum".’  

Banks In The Dock
Over 'Rip-Off' Penalty Fees

"aussie tony" & the value of the judiciary .....

‘Legal restrictions on the movement of
foreign nationals in Britain suspected of terrorism may have to be relaxed in
the wake of a judge's ruling yesterday. 

Worsening the already poor relations between
the government and the judiciary, Mr Justice Sullivan yesterday dealt a serious
blow to the "control orders" regime.

Sitting in the High Court in London, he
condemned orders imposed by the government on six men, all Iraqis said by MI5
to be involved in terrorism.  

The orders severely curtail the freedoms of the
six, restricting their movements and ability to communicate. Five are forced to
live at addresses chosen by the Home Office. All are confined indoors 18 hours
a day. They have little ability to communicate with others, and visitors are
strictly vetted.’

Judge Orders Rethink
Over Terror Suspects