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Mr. Thomas: The total amount of funding provided by the Department for International Development for the G20 Voice programme was £49,700. This covered travel and subsistence costs for bloggers from the developing world; technical support and costs associated with the briefing day. Initial indications show that the programme reached a global audience of 14 million.
The prime minister appeared to distance himself from the growing controversy about MPs' expenses, which featured in several other Sunday newspapers.
Questioned at a summit he is attending with other EU leaders Mr Brown said: "I think over the last few days the world has made sufficient advances in how we can deal with the economy, how we can deal with terrorism, how we can deal with security and these are the issues I am concentrating on.
"All these other issues are being dealt with by the Committee on Standards in Public Life".
Before changing his small mind again and abandoned that idea in a letter released after a news conference in Islamabad.
This morning he said that the government would make fresh proposals by the summer, even though the chairman of the enquiry, Sir Christopher Kelly, had indicated that he won't be able to report by then..."
Nick Robinson has more on the tractorstats annoucements by our snot munching, mono eyed PM.
Andrew Tyler, director of animal rights group Animal Aid, said: 'Fish are probably the most abused group of animals in our culture. Fishing is seen as a poetic, meditative practice, but it's barbaric, cruel and should be banned. How much more research do they need?'Watching this shower of shit government in action, they are like a huge magnet to any loon with an axe to grind. From eco nuts who want us all to live on some communal dung heap dying from dysentry, through to booze banning doctors, anti smoking nazi's, car haters, whale huggers and now fish lovers.
A jailed Cuban journalist whose health is rapidly deteriorating in the face of prison-contracted diseases has been chosen as one of four writers to mark the Day of the Imprisoned Writer on 15 November. The special day, held on the same date each year, is organised by PEN, the writers' organisation that backs persecuted authors around the world.
Normando HernĂĄndez GonzĂĄlez was imprisoned in 2003 for reports and broadcasts on the internet and Radio MartĂ that were said by the government to endanger security. HernĂĄndez was found guilty of spying and threatening national security, crimes that carry a 25-year jail term. He was one of 75 journalists arrested in the Cuban government crackdown on the press in 2003 and, according to PEN, remains one of 59 still held by the regime.
He was thrown a glimmer of hope a few months ago when the government of Costa Rica effectively granted him asylum in absentia, launching a plea for his release after reports of a downward turn in his condition.
The move came about after HernĂĄndez's mother, Bianca GonzĂĄlez, appealed to Costa Rican legislators to intervene.
José Manuel Echandi, a former Defender of the Citizens in Costa Rica, answered the call and accused Cuba of torture in blocking the journalist's release.
The Cuban journalist's illness has been partly brought about by a hunger strike he began six months ago, but he has also contracted tuberculosis in prison. HernĂĄndez has spent most of the past 12 months in a maximum security prison, but was recently moved to a hospital for treatment.
At Echandi's request, Costa Rica asked Cuba to free HernĂĄndez and allow him to be transferred across the Caribbean Sea for health care attention in that country. When they received no response, Echandi wrote to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, to seek help to speed his release.
Press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders is also backing the request that HernĂĄndez should be transported to Costa Rica.
"Humanitarian concerns are clearly paramount as regards all prisoners of conscience," the organisation said.
Cuba has more journalists locked up than any other country in the world, apart from China. Those still held since March 2003 are serving sentences ranging from 14 to 27 years.
According to Reporters Without Borders, three journalists held in Cuba were arrested after Fidel Castro's brother RaĂș took over the running of the country last year.
Some previous bits:Paul Homes MP the useless idiot of Fidel and some more on him here.TWO Labour peers at the centre of the lords for hire scandal have been found guilty of misconduct by a sleaze inquiry and face suspension from parliament, according to senior House of Lords sources.Well I am just so impressed with that, they are quite happy to take money to amend the laws of the land and might be. Fucking might be barred from their nice little earner for a year. Although what will most likely hurt them the most is losing their allowances.
Senior peers have concluded that Lord Taylor of Blackburn and Lord Truscott have broken the code of conduct of members of the upper house.
The investigation began after undercover Sunday Times reporters posing as lobbyists found that the two peers were prepared to help to amend legislation in return for cash.
They could now be barred from parliament for up to a year and lose tax-free allowances of up to £335 a day.
Newport's large numbers of public sector jobs will help the city to weather the storm
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