Pensions, squatters and secret rockets...

 Get ready for a flurry of strikes. Unions around the country will be plotting a series of crippling walkouts as teachers, army officers, police, doctors and fireman were delivered more bad news by the Government today. State workers will no longer enjoy the perks of an early retirement; and their pensions will now be proportionate to how much they earned over their lifetime, rather than how much they were earning when they retired. 1 in 5 workers in Britain are employed by the state and most of their pensions are currently paid by the taxpayer. The Government proposes that these workers should effectively start picking up their own tab and move more in line with those in the private sector. For many, this will mean working longer for a smaller pension, and it does seem like quite a bitter pill to swallow. On the other hand, the system we currently have is clearly unsustainable and many people argue that pensions will now be fairer and more evenly distributed.

Fighting in Libya continues to accelerate as Gaddafi holds firm in his refusal to back down. Doctors and nurses are fleeing hospitals because they are too vulnerable to attack, but civilian fighters are proving just as determined to hold their ground as Gaddafi himself. It’s clear that the West is still tentative about dipping their toes into the hot bath that is another Middle Eastern conflict. France are being reliably French in their ‘sod that’ approach however - and have become the first country to formally recognize the rebels as Libya’s new Government and to sever all ties with the bad guys. NATO has launched round-the-clock surveillance of the air space over Libya and might yet impose a no-fly zone. Meanwhile, mutiny is stretching all the way back to London; where a group of Libyan’s have ‘gained access’ to Saif Gaddafi’s Hampstead Heath mansion. The squatters have been photographed lording it up, making peace signs and adorning the property with Libyan flags. Amusingly, none of them have been arrested.

A severe earthquake has hit the remote Chinese region of Yingjiang. Co-incidentally, it has once again shone a harsh light on China’s tough communist regime. Corruption and corner cutting were seemingly evident by the fact that cheaply built schools had crumpled to the ground like paper and ‘official’ buildings had remained standing.

And back to the Middle East for our final key news event. UK Special Forces have busted Iran supplying the Taliban with fuck off attack rockets. The Taliban are the militia group who ruled most of Afghanistan until they were overthrown following the September 11^th attacks. The same group who banned women from being educated, employed or even seen in their own homes. Other Taliban prohibitions included music, chess, satellite dishes and sewing catalogues. Yes really. Iran claims to support stability and security in neighbouring Afghanistan, as well as ‘international community’ in general. Slipping weapons under the table to terrorists who plan to blow up said neighbours would suggest otherwise.