Audit Scotland warning over planning black hole. 15 September 2011Last updated at 02:20 Planning law changes in 2006 aimed to modernise the system Problems with the planning system have left a multi million-pound black hole in council finances, Scotland's spending watchdog has warned. Audit Scotland said the shortfall had risen from £6.7m to £20.8m in the last six years - despite a 29% drop in the number of planning applications. The watchdog said councils were having to fill the gap between spending and the amount they got back from fees. The government said work was under way to improve performance. New laws in 2006 aimed to modernise the planning system. The umbrella body for Scotland's 32 councils, Cosla, said it was already in discussions with the government over issues raised in the report. Spending gap Audit Scotland said more information was needed to see whether efficiencies were being made.
Continue reading the main story Jamie McIvor BBC Scotland local government correspondent. UK hires extra tax collectors to police super-rich. LONDON — Let the audits begin. As the U.K. tightens its belt during economic uncertainty, a senior government official said Sunday he was hiring more than 2,000 extra tax inspectors to make sure that Britain's wealthiest feel the squeeze. The British Treasury's Chief Secretary, Danny Alexander, told the Sunday Independent newspaper that his priority was "making sure that those with broadest shoulders bear their fair share of the burden.
" Alexander said a 100-member "affluence team" would be in place in less than a month to keep an eye on the country's wealthiest taxpayers — the estimated 350,000 people whose personal wealth exceeds 2.5 million pounds ($3.95 million). The British government's crackdown on tax evasion has already netted more than 2 billion pounds ($3 billion) a year, Alexander said, predicting that figure could rise to 7 billion pounds ($10.6 billion) a year by 2015.
"Something is not right here," he told the broadcaster. Canada honours slave 'underground railroad' - Americas. Good news from Greece: The schools of Athens. 32 arrested in "gutter oil" scandal in China - GlobalPost. Please support our site by enabling javascript to view ads. 32 people have been arrested in China in connection with a scheme in which oil was illegally collected from restaurant gutters and then resold.
According to The Wall Street Journal, China's Ministry of Public Security issued a statement Tuesday saying that "officials seized 100 tons of the recycled oil, which can contain carcinogens and other toxins that are harmful when consumed by humans. " Officials also shut down production sites where the oil was repurposed. The criminal network spanned 14 provinces. Cooking oil is practically sacred in China, where nearly every recipe requires a wok to be filled with it. Sang Liwei, a Beijing director at the nonprofit organization Global Safety Forum, told the Journal that those involved probably had no real intention to hurt others, but that economic factors have been contributing to food-safety violations. No details were given for when the campaign will start or how long it will last.
Social media booming in Brazil - Americas. Anger sweeps Egypt as emergency law makes powerful comeback. This is the death of the Egyptian revolution, said activists, politicians, and scholars in the wake of the full implementation of the articles of the emergency law, regulations that not only apply to activities allegedly destabilizing security, but that extend to the press and freedom of expression. The Higher Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) issued decision number 193 for the year 2011 to modify several articles in law number 126 for the year 2010, which deals with the state of emergency. According to the new regulations, the state of emergency will be effective in cases of internal instability, terrorist and national security threats, possession and trading of weapons or narcotics, thuggery and acts of vandalism, and the blocking of roads, as well as the propagation of misleading news or false rumors.
The law also renders any citizen who criticizes the Higher Council for the Armed Forces or the Egyptian government subject to persecution. (Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid) French Socialist rivals hold TV debate. 16 September 2011Last updated at 02:11 Candidates spelled out how they planned to solve France's problems The six contenders for the right to stand for France's opposition Socialists at the 2012 presidential poll have held a live TV debate.
The candidates were careful to avoid attacking each other and instead sought to show a common aim in ousting President Nicolas Sarkozy. However, the debate was overshadowed in the French media by the president's visit to Libya on Thursday. The Socialist candidate will be chosen at US-style primaries next month. For the first time the post will be open to any French voter with leftist leanings. Critics say the primaries campaign has lacked dynamism. The front-runners are former party boss Francois Hollande and the party's current leader, former cabinet minister Martine Aubry. Opinion polls suggest Mr Hollande has developed a clear lead over Ms Aubry. "My priorities are yours - employment, spending power, education and security," said Ms Aubry. Spain raises taxes on the rich | Business. Spain today became the latest European country to hike taxes on the wealthy, with a new asset-based tax targeting the country's richest people.
Spain's socialist government hopes that the new wealth tax will raise up to €1bn in a country where growth is grinding to a halt and this year's 6% deficit target looks increasingly tough to meet. The move represents a U-turn for prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who abolished a similar wealth tax in 2008 — just before the country plunged towards recession. "The economic crisis makes it necessary to bring this tax back, applying principles of fairness so that those with bigger assets can be taxed and so those who have greater wealth can contribute more to getting the country out of the crisis," a finance ministry statement said. Spaniards with €700,000 of assets in real estate – excluding their main home – as well as in stocks and bank deposit will have to pay the new tax.
Zimbabwe News: Lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa wins ethics award - GlobalPost. Zimbabwean human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa is one of Africa's towering heroes for her principled and courageous battles to uphold the rule of law. Mtetwa was awarded the 2011 Inamori Ethics Prize at Case Western Reserve University for her zealous defense of human rights and press freedom. "I am optimistic that democracy and the rule of law will be restored in Zimbabwe," said Mtetwa in Cleveland, Ohio, for the prize-giving ceremony. "I abhor injustice and I fight it wherever I see it. I am driven to defend people who are struggling for their basic human rights. ... I am optimistic that the rule of law will be restored in Zimbabwe in my lifetime. " Mtetwa said she shared the honor of the Inamori Ethics Prize with "all the people out there who challenge the system knowing there are consequences and yet still do it.
" "I come in after they have already exercised their rights," Mtetwa said to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Consider the story of Jestina Mukoko, a Zimbabwean human rights worker. SACSIS.org.za » News » The World » Why Iceland Should Be in the News, But Is Not. Picture credit: may15internationalorganization.blogspot An Italian radio program's story about Iceland’s on-going revolution is a stunning example of how little our media tells us about the rest of the world.
Americans may remember that at the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland literally went bankrupt. The reasons were mentioned only in passing, and since then, this little-known member of the European Union fell back into oblivion. As one European country after another fails or risks failing, imperiling the Euro, with repercussions for the entire world, the last thing the powers that be want is for Iceland to become an example.
Five years of a pure neo-liberal regime had made Iceland, (population 320 thousand, no army), one of the richest countries in the world. Contrary to what could be expected, the crisis resulted in Icelanders recovering their sovereign rights, through a process of direct participatory democracy that eventually led to a new Constitution. Hardcore soccer fans driving force behind Egypt violence. Story by Ursula Lindsey, PRI's The World. Listen to audio for full report. Friday was a long, hot, busy day in Cairo. As darkness fell, protests were taking place in Tahrir (against the proposed election law and suspected collusion/incompetence in Mubarak's trial) and in front of the High Court (in favor of judicial independence).
Young, energetic, overwhelmingly male crowds were also busy knocking down the recently erected protective wall around the Israeli Embassy and reportedly removing the large eagle motif and most of the letters from the wall of the Ministry of Interior, leaving anti-army and anti-police graffiti in its place. A lot of these young men were reportedly soccer ultras. A self-described anarchist, "G" has shoulder-length hair, and a sweet, shambling manner. It's thanks to him that I know that the acronym A.C.A.B. — which I know notice everywhere on the walls of Cairo — means "All Cops Are Bastards. " The incredibly disciplined and terrifying hyped-up fans are chanting: Riots were a wake-up call to country, says Iain Duncan Smith | UK news. Iain Duncan Smith said that the August riots had exposed a society corrupted by a ‘distorted morality’. Photograph: Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images The riots that broke out across England last month forced the middle classes to acknowledge the long-ignored plight of people living on deprived council estates, Iain Duncan Smith has said.
The work and pensions secretary said the country was shocked "when the inner city finally came to call". He suggested that the widespread disorder had exposed a society corrupted by a "distorted morality" that had stripped young people of hope and aspiration. Duncan Smith is the first minister to connect the disorder in London and other English cities with the problems of drugs, gangs and welfare dependency associated with some run-down estates.
"For years now, too many people have remained unaware of the true nature of life on some of our estates," he said. "The distorted morality has permeated our whole society, right to the very top," he said. 5,000 dead or injured as result of NHS safety blunders | Society. 1,313 people in England and 78 in Wales died after medical errors. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian More than 5,000 patients died or were seriously injured as a result of NHS safety blunders in the six months to March, official figures show. A total of 1,313 people in England and 78 in Wales died as a result of medical errors involving the care they received from hospitals, mental health trusts and ambulance services. Both figures were up, by nine and 47 deaths respectively, compared with the previous six months. Another 3,699 patients in England suffered what the National Patient Safety Agency, which collated the figures, called "severe harm" – permanent harm, including disability and scarring.
That compared with 3,049 such cases in the previous six months – a rise of 21%. 'Steep' drop in public confidence in MPs, says watchdog. 15 September 2011Last updated at 09:17 Politician John Mann says MPs are treated with "contempt" Public confidence in MPs fell steeply between 2008 and 2010, research by the standards watchdog has suggested. The percentage of people in England who think MPs are dedicated to working well for the public dropped from 46% to 26%.
The Committee on Standards in Public Life said its survey indicated concerns "with self-serving behaviour" by MPs overshadowed other issues. The watchdog said it would be "strange" if the expenses scandal had not contributed to public unhappiness. Four former MPs have gone to prison for expenses fraud while a fifth has been charged but is yet to stand trial.
The watchdog's survey of 1,900 people was carried out in early 2011, 19 months after the MPs' expenses scandal broke. Although it shows a "long-term decline in public confidence in those holding public office" since 2004, the report says that on many issues, the decline since 2008 has been even "steeper". “Start Quote. Danish voters elect first female prime minister - CTV News. COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Denmark has elected its first female prime minister, ousting the right-wing government from power after 10 years of pro-market reforms and ever-stricter controls on immigration. Near complete official results showed Thursday that a left-leaning bloc led by Social Democrat Helle Thorning-Schmidt would gain a narrow majority in the 179-seat Parliament. "We did it. Make no mistake: We have written history," the 44-year-old opposition leader told jubilant supporters in Copenhagen. "Today there's a change of guards in Denmark.
" Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen conceded defeat, saying he would present his Cabinet's resignation Friday to Queen Margrethe, Denmark's figurehead monarch. "So tonight I hand over the keys to the prime minister's office to Helle Thorning-Schmidt. The result means the country of 5.5 million residents will get a new government that could roll back some of the austerity measures introduced by Loekke Rasmussen amid Europe's debt crisis. The redback abroad: Offshore thing. Haitians urge UN peacekeepers to leave - Americas. Anthony Cuthbertson: Radical Thinking to Recreate And Reimagine Our Cities. Some “nutty” ideas tried years ago by “wild and crazy” Latin American mayors might offer inspiration for a world seeking urban reinvention. By **Anthony Cuthbertson** By arrangement with WhoWhatWhy.Com. It is estimated that by the year 2050, eighty percent of the world’s population will be living in cities.
Unfortunately, modern-day cities are often crime-ridden, chaotic, and in some form of decay. One solution is to build brand new cities, such as Iskandar in Malaysia, soon to be home to 3 million people. However, if governments don’t have a few trillion dollars to spare, there is a slightly cheaper solution. Follow in the footsteps of others. A series of films commissioned by the Danish Film Institute and national broadcaster DR, focusing on four mega-cities that faced extreme problems, sought out and gave recognition to inspired visions for an urban future.
Immediately, he put into action a behavioral philosophy that turned Bogotà into an experiment in political theory. Greece urged to implement fiscal reforms - Europe. Zimbabwean generals may face treason charges over WikiLeaked comments.