April 2005

Ye may recall my obituary on French crook Alfred Sirven, the former World’s Most Wanted Man and kingpin of the Elf-Aquitaine scandals. There’s an interesting report (French) in Le Figaro on a new development in one of the scandal’s many wings. Renaud van Ruymbeke, the judge who is still investigating the “frigates affair” section of…

Read this, and also this. It’s worth it. Then ask yourself why a Bulgarian helicopter full of mercenaries was clattering around with Fijian security guards aboard to guard the security of the security guards travelling in it. Then read this Washington Post story regarding life as a mercenary in Iraq, and enjoy the following stupidity…

John Robb says interesting things about Iraq, as does Steve Gilliard.

Some SAS men have been detected by local cops outside the PM’s residence, on a “Routine training exercise”. God knows what that was about.

This of people posing as hospital inspectors is deeply sick and Ballardlike.

Michael Howard, it seems, wants to say that his father came not from “refugee stock” but from “immigrant stock”. Let us leave the point that the very phrase suggests a genetic superiority of one over the other, and move on. As one says. Howard initiated the Great Asylum Cry back in the mid-90s when he…

Years ago, I asked why the aircraft belonging to the new Iraqi Airways were all registered under 9L-, that is, Sierra Leonean registration. Stranger yet, some of the well-travelled Boeing 737s involved had Sierra Leone registrations sequential with various VB ships. 9L-LEG, serial no. 22885, for example, had seen service at Trans Air Congo with…

An Mi-8 helicopter (NATO name Hip) has been destroyed by Iraqi rebels/insurgents/terrorists. Aboard were eleven men – three Bulgarian aircrew, two Fijian guards, and six US “security contractors”. They are all reported dead. One of them apparently survived the crash and was then murdered by the shooters, who filmed his death and published the film…

A week ago, I asked exactly who had experienced the fear, harassment or distress that led to anti-Menwith Hill campaigner Lindis Percy being slapped with an ASBO. I now know something about this: the body that applied for the ASBO was the Ministry of Defence. Just think – one old lady committed on pain of…

The Independent on Sunday: “Amid mounting anger last night among more than 5,000 workers facing redundancy, it emerged that the so-called “Phoenix Four” directors, led by John Towers, are the biggest creditors to MG Rover. This means that the directors, who have already made about £40m from the company after buying it for £10 each,…