Treasury will buy companies’ corporate bonds, providing cash direct to struggling firms unable to gain funds from banks A scheme to avert a second credit crunch through a multibillion pound credit-easing programme for small firms, funded by the Treasury, has been unveiled by the chancellor, George Osborne. The credit will be provided by the Treasury through an arm’s-length operation direct to companies, with the Bank of England acting as the Treasury’s agent. Under the scheme, the Treasury will buy small firms’ corporate bonds, providing cash direct to struggling firms unable to gain funds from the banks. The initiative is separate from the quantitative easing by the Bank of England which is, in effect, the printing of money. Ministers also see the credit easing as a medium-term way of developing a US-style credit market for small and medium sized firms that does not depend on banks. The proposal – an admission that the banks are still not lending properly – was presented as a sign that the Treasury is responding to events in a way that does not involve abandoning deficit reduction. Osborne has also announced that anyone applying to make a claim at an employment tribunal will have to pay a fee of between £100 and £150. A full-scale hearing will cost £1,000, and any claim for more than £30,000 in compensation will cost more. The money will be recoverable if the claim is won, but Treasury officials believe the costs will deter vexatious claims. The chancellor also confirmed that Britain will abandon its leadership role in climate change when he said it would not go further than other EU countries in its commitment to cut its carbon emissions. “We’re not going to save the planet by putting our country out of business,” he said. Osborne’s overall tone was to provide reassurance and some optimism for the future, insisting that “together we will ride out the storm”. He told delegates at the Conservative conference in Manchester: “I don’t want anyone to underestimate the gravity of the situation facing the world economy. But I also don’t want anyone to think that the situation is hopeless, that there is nothing we can do. “Our economic problems were not visited on this country by some cruel act of God or blind force of nature. They were created by the mistakes of human beings, and the endeavour of human beings can put them right.” Treasury officials also hailed the way in which Standard and Poor’s credit ratings agency had confirmed Britain’s AAA credit rating in the middle of the speech, insisting they had no influence over the content or timing of the announcement. Osborne also rebuffed those in the cabinet who have been proposing a £5bn to £10bn fiscal stimulus, pointing out that that kind of stimulus would be dwarfed if it led to higher interest rates. Labour claimed the resort to credit easing was a sign that Project Merlin was not working and said that deal with the banks had been designed to ease the flow of credit to small firms. Osborne admitted in his speech: “Because the banks are damaged, they won’t lend at the current low rates. It’s like putting your foot on the accelerator but, because the transmission mechanism is not working properly, the car wheels won’t respond.” The Treasury officials said the credit rating plan stemmed from an approach to the economy first laid out by Osborne in a 2007 speech, and was similar to the national loan guarantee scheme he had proposed in the UK. The Treasury credit would not add to the deficit because the Treasury is buying assets, and therefore does not represent spending money that will not be recovered. Osborne made a bold pitch for the aspirational centre, using the booing of Tony Blair’s name at the Labour conference as a sign Labour was no longer in touch with the centre ground. Conservative conference 2011 George Osborne Credit crunch Market turmoil Financial crisis Ratings agencies Financial sector Banks and building societies Banking Economic policy Small business Conservative conference Conservatives Economics Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk
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October 3, 2011 No Comment
Liam Adams, who is accused of sexually abusing his daughter, loses fight against extradition at Dublin court The brother of the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, is to be extradited to Northern Ireland to stand trial on allegations that he sexually abused his daughter. Liam Dominic Adams is wanted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in relation to 18 alleged offences against Aine Tyrell, who has waived her right to anonymity. The 56-year-old, who denies the allegations, lost his fight against extradition from the Irish Republic at the high court in Dublin. Adams has 15 days to lodge an appeal against the court’s ruling before the extradition order takes effect. Adams had claimed he would not get a fair trial after the Sinn Féin leader publicly supported his niece. The sex abuse claims became public in December 2009 when Tyrell was featured in a television documentary. He is accused of rape, indecent assault and gross indecency at various addresses in Belfast between March 1977 and March 1983, when the alleged victim was aged between four and 10. Adams, who was supported in court by another daughter, Claire Smith, and her friend, showed no emotion as sections of the 64-page judgment were read by Mr Justice John Edwards. The judge rejected arguments that the accused could not get a fair trial because of pre-trial publicity and comments by his brother, a delay in bringing charges and changes in the jury selection in Northern Ireland. “He must look to the courts of the requesting state to protect his rights,” said Edwards. “Those courts would be better placed to deal with those issues.” The judge put a three-day stay on the deadline for an appeal to be lodged. Adams was granted bail until the 15-day appeal window opens on Thursday. Ireland Northern Ireland Gerry Adams Europe guardian.co.uk
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The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Bruce A Beutler, Jules A Hoffmann and Ralph M Steinman, for ‘revolutionising our understanding of the immune system’ 2.16pm: Rockefeller University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne says the university is delighted that the scientist’s work has been recognised, “but the news is bittersweet, as we also learned this morning from Ralph’s family that he passed a few days ago after a long battle with cancer. Our thoughts are with Ralph’s wife, children and family.” Steinman’s daughter, Alexis, said: “We are all so touched that our father’s many years of hard work are being recognised with a Nobel Prize. He devoted his life to his work and his family, and he would be truly honoured.” 2.07pm: The university says Steinman passed away on Friday at the age of 68. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer four years ago, and his life was extended using a form of immunotherapy based on dendritic cells – which he himself had devised. 2.01pm: We’re hearing from Rockefeller University that Ralph Steinman died three days ago. This presents a huge dilemma for the Nobel Assembly, because only living people can be awarded a Nobel prize. More to follow. 1.29pm: Dr Mark Downs, chief executive of the UK’s Society of Biology , has applauded the Nobel committee’s choice: The discoveries of these three Nobel Laureates is an excellent example of the impact we all get from investment in basic research, illustrating the benefits of understanding basic processes in the body and how long term they can impact clinical outcomes. 1.21pm: In a press release, the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute sums up the medical importance of the work carried out by today’s winners: The discoveries that are awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize have provided novel insights into the activation and regulation of our immune system. They have made possible the development of new methods for preventing and treating disease, for instance with improved vaccines against infections and in attempts to stimulate the immune system to attack tumours. These discoveries also help us understand why the immune system can attack our own tissues, thus providing clues for novel treatment of inflammatory diseases. 12.28pm: The Nobel site is also running a poll with the question “Did you know about dendritic cells’ role in immunity?” Remarkably, 60% of the 500 or so people who have responded so far say that they did. 12.20pm: Nobelprize.org has set up a page where you can send your greetings to this year’s winners. 11.42am: Before today’s prize announcement, the Wikipedia page of a Japanese stem cell researcher called Shinya Yamanaka was mistakenly updated to say he had won the Nobel – adding the award to his long list of achievements. Yamanaka is certainly a contender for his work on reprogramming skin cells into stem cells, though the clinical applications of the research are far from clear at this point. The false claim on Wikipedia was edited out within minutes. 11.15am: Ralph Steinman discovered, in 1973, a new cell type that he called the dendritic cell. He speculated that it could be important in the immune system and went on to show dendritic cells could activate T cells, which play a key role in adaptive immunity. These findings were initially met with scepticism but further work by Steinman showed that dendritic cells have a unique capacity to activate T cells. 11.12am: Bruce Beutler was searching for a “receptor” on cells that bound a substance produced by bacteria called lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which can cause septic shock, a life threatening condition that involves overstimulation of the immune system. In 1998, Beutler and his team discovered that mice resistant to LPS had a mutation in a gene that was quite similar to the Toll gene of the fruit fly. This receptor, called TLR, turned out to be the receptor they were hunting. The discoveries of Hoffmann and Beutler triggered an explosion of research in innate immunity. 11.08am: Jules Hoffmann made his pioneering discovery in 1996, when he and his team investigated how fruit flies combat infections. They used flies with mutations in several different genes including Toll, a gene previously found to be involved in the development of embryos. When Hoffmann infected his fruit flies with bacteria or fungi, he discovered that Toll mutants died because they could not mount an effective defence. He was also able to conclude that the product of the Toll gene was involved in sensing pathogenic microorganisms and Toll activation was needed for successful defence against them. 10.51am: Here is Jules Hoffmann talking about immunity earlier this year. Here is Ralph Steinman talking about dendritic cells after winning the Heineken prize. 10.42am: Some background on today’s Nobel prize winners: Bruce A. Beutler was born in 1957 in Chicago, USA. He received his MD from the University of Chicago in 1981 and worked as a scientist at Rockefeller University in New York and the University of Texas in Dallas, where he discovered the LPS receptor. Since 2000 he has been professor of genetics and immunology at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, USA. Jules A. Hoffmann was born in Echternach, Luxembourg in 1941. He studied at the University of Strasbourg in France, where he obtained his PhD in 1969. After postdoctoral training at the University of Marburg, Germany, he returned to Strasbourg, where he headed a research laboratory from 1974 to 2009. He has also served as director of the Institute for Molecular Cell Biology in Strasbourg and during 2007-2008 as President of the French National Academy of Sciences. Ralph M. Steinman was born in 1943 in Montreal, Canada, where he studied biology and chemistry at McGill University. After studying medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, USA, he received his MD in 1968. He has been affiliated with Rockefeller University in New York since 1970, has been professor of immunology at this institution since 1988, and is also director of its Center for Immunology and Immune Diseases. 10.41am: The Nobel assembly has described the award as follows: This year’s Nobel Laureates have revolutionized our understanding of the immune system by discovering key principles for its activation. Scientists have long been searching for the gatekeepers of the immune response by which man and other animals defend themselves against attack by bacteria and other microorganisms. Bruce Beutler and Jules Hoffmann discovered receptor proteins that can recognize such microorganisms and activate innate immunity, the first step in the body’s immune response. Ralph Steinman discovered the dendritic cells of the immune system and their unique capacity to activate and regulate adaptive immunity, the later stage of the immune response during which microorganisms are cleared from the body. The discoveries of the three Nobel Laureates have revealed how the innate and adaptive phases of the immune response are activated and thereby provided novel insights into disease mechanisms. Their work has opened up new avenues for the development of prevention and therapy against infections, cancer, and inflammatory diseases. 10.37am: Video or no video, we have a result: The Nobel Prize in Medicine is awarded to Bruce A. Beutler, Jules A. Hoffmann and Ralph M. Steinman . 10.22am: While we are waiting for the Nobel Foundation to sort out difficulties with live webstreaming…some brief background. Alfred Nobel was born in October 1833 in Stockholm, but his family moved to St Petersburg when he was nine. His father ran an engineering firm that supplied the Tsar’s armies with equipment. Alfred was sent abroad to study chemical engineering. He spent time in Sweden, Germany, France and the US. Alfred returned to Sweden with his father when the engineering firm went bust. There he focused on explosives, especially nitroglycerine. His younger brother, Emil, and four others, were killed in a nitroglycerine explosion in 1864. 10.18am: One prediction for the prize today is Shinya Yamanaka, who showed that it was possible to reprogramme adult cells into an embryonic stem cell-like form, and use these to regenerate other tissues. But stem cells are still in their infancy so it may be too early for the Nobel committee to recognise the work as a major breakthrough. Remember, Robert Edwards, who pioneered IVF, received the award only last year. We expect the live video stream of the announcements to be up and running in five or ten minutes. Glitches are a something of a tradition for the Nobel prizes. The awards almost never happened because Alfred Nobel wrote his last will and testament without any help and introduced a number of flaws and legal problems that left it open to contest. Part of the problem was that Nobel, who lived in Sweden, Russia, France and, finally, Italy, never claimed citizenship after leaving Sweden at the age of nine. The omission meant it was never clear which country’s laws should apply to the will. Nobel amassed assets in many countries and left the majority of his wealth to establish the prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. Economics was added later. The prizes were for “those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” 10.04am: The time for predictions is over. Soon after 10.30am BST today, the Nobel committee will announce who has won the prize in physiology or medicine. For the winner, or winners, there will be congratulations, admiration and kudos. Not to mention the prize money of 10 million Swedish kronor (£934,000). We will follow the announcement live and bring you comment and analysis from scientists in the field. Today’s award is followed by the physics prize on Tuesday morning and the chemistry prize on Wednesday. The two non-science prizes, for peace and economics, are revealed on Friday and Monday respectively. The date for the literature prize has not yet been announced. Last year, the Physiology or Medicine prize went to Robert Edwards, the British scientist who pioneered in-vitro fertilisation , a procedure that has helped in the conception and birth of an estimated four million people since the first test-tube baby, Louise Brown in 1978. In 2009, three scientists, Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak shared the prize for work that showed how chromosomes are protected by shoelace-like lengths of DNA called telomeres and the enzyme telomerase. As ever, the pundits have made their predictions for this year. The citation company, Thomson Reuters, names 18 scientists who might be honoured today . They include researchers whose work has focused on the immune system, treatments for chronic myeloid leukaemia and tissue engineering. Other predictions for the prize recognise work on leptin, a hormone involved in body weight, and the development of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for regenerative medicine. Now it is time to hear what the committee has to say. We will stream the who ceremony here as soon as it begins. You can watch live video of the Nobel ceremony below: . Nobel prizes Science prizes Medical research Genetics Biology Health Ian Sample guardian.co.uk
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• Anti-Gaddafi forces prepare for assault on Sirte • Syrian dissidents unite to form opposition • Cameron emerges as “biggest hawk” on Libya • Read the latest summary 2.08pm: More than 3,000 people have been detained in the rebellious Syrian town of Rastan since government forces took back control of it at the weekend, according to AP. After five days of intense fighting between troops loyal to the al-Assad regime and soldiers who have defected to the protesters’ side, the regime appears to have hit back with force. An activist who said he was in hiding and gave his name as Hassan said those arrested were being held at a cement factory, as well as some schools and a large four-story compound called the Sports Club. He said: Ten of my relatives have been detained…The situation in the town is miserable The reports could not be independently confirmed. 1.52pm: An ominous update on the story reported earlier (see 9.52am) of David Gerbi, the Jewish Libyan who is seeking to reopen Tripoli’s main synagogue. He returned to the country after the fall of Gaddafi’s vehemently anti-Semitic regime in the hope that the new era would bring harmony and inclusiveness. However he has hit upon an early stumbling block: he is now being prevented from entering the synagogue. AP reports: A visibly angry David Gerbi says he went to clean garbage from the synagogue on Monday only to be told by men at the scene that they had warnings he would be targeted by violence. He says they told him to stop his efforts. Gerbi, who fled with his family to Italy in 1967, says he was surprised because he had permission from the local sheik. Gerbi’s colleague Richard Peters says several men armed with assault rifles later appeared to guard the building. Breaking down in tears, Gerbi says Libya needs to decide if it’s going to be a racist country or a democratic one. 1.51pm: Libya’s new rulers have named a new Cabinet, AP reports. 12.41pm: Reuters and Al Jazeera are reporting that a Red Cross convoy hoping to bring urgently needed medical supplies to the centre of Sirte was forced to turn back this morning after coming under fire. Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr tweeted that the aid trucks had turned back “after heavy exchange of fire”, with forces in the city, and an NTC commander told Reuters: The rebels secured the way for the International Red Cross to go but as soon as they entered the city they returned because of the (pro-Gaddafi) militias firing. We did not start the firing. The militias started the firing. But a Reuters team who witnessed the incident said they saw no incoming fire from the Gaddafi loyalists inside Sirte. 12.27pm: Here’s a lunchtime summary: Libya • Residents are continuing to flee the Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte as rebels prepare to launch a last big offensive to take control of the city. Those fleeing speak of a worsening humanitarian situation. Many are unafraid to make clear their support for the deposed dictator. (See 10.31am.) • The evacuation of some 1,200 migrant workers from the southern town of Sabha has begun, according to the International Organisation for Migration. The workers and their families were said to be “extremely relieved” that their long wait to leave the country was finally over. They will be taken to Chad, the IOM said. (See 11.29am.) • Gaddafi’s playboy son Al-Saadi has “strenously” denied charges of corruption and “armed intimidation” brought against him by Interpol. Al-Saadi, who is under house arrest in the neighbouring country of Niger, was issued with a red notice from the global policing body last week. Bahrain Thirty-six people have been sentenced by a court to prison sentences of between 15 and 25 years, according to Al Jazeera. Those sentenced are believed to include 14 people convicted of involvement in the killing of a Pakistani man during the anti-government unrest. Seven university students found guilty of taking part in the protests are also thought to have been among those sentenced. (See 10.21am.) Syria The formation of the Syrian National Council by the country’s chief opposition groups has been dismissed by a member of parliament. Khaled Abboud told AP that those who announced the SNC were “deluding themselves.” He added: “It’s a dream that will never come true.” 12.02pm: Al Jazeera are reporting that 36 protesters have been sentenced to up to 25 years in Bahraini jail. This could not be independently confirmed for now. Update: It appears that that figure of 36 includes the 14 people earlier reported to have been sentenced over the killing of a Pakistani man, and seven university students sentenced over the unrest. More when we have it. 11.29am: The nightmare may be over for some 1,200 migrant workers and their families who had been stuck in Sabha waiting to be able to leave Libya. According to AP, the International Organisation for Migration has said the workers are being evacuated to Chad. IOM chief of mission in Chad, Qasim Sufi, said Monday the group of people from 11 different nations are “extremely relieved” after enduring weeks of hardship and anxiety while trapped at a transit center in the embattled city. Gunfire and fighting had prevented IOM from getting the group out of the center or bringing supplies to them in Sebha, which also lacks running water and electricity. The group, including women and children, began leaving Sunday in a convoy of 15 trucks. The journey to Chad is expected to take about a week. Earlier reports suggested that around 3,000 migrants and their relatives had been contained in the southern town, which until late last month was controlled by pro-Gaddafi forces. A spokesman for the IOM said last month that the evacuation had been delayed because the NTC wanted to “make sure of the migrants, to register them and to identify who is a real migrant and who is not.” Sub-Saharan Africans have been a target of suspicion by the interim authorities ever since Gaddafi hired mercenaries to help him fight the rebels. 11.18am: Libya’s revolutionary army is an army that starts fighting at 10am and downs tools at 6pm — whether the battle is over or not , reports the Times this morning. Tom Coghlan writes that, what with their “courageous, chaotic, charming, inventive and incompetent” approach to battle, “it is hard not to like them immensely”. They even, he writes, have free cake and coffee on the frontline. But the amateurish tactics can often go wrong: Revolutionary commanders were somewhat embarrassed by the latest attack, which occurred during what was supposed to be a ceasefire for the Red Cross to visit the city. “There are many, many revolutionaries fighters, teenagers actually, who want to enter Sirte by themselves,” said Commander Omran al-Awaib yesterday. There is, he insisted, a high-level plan for taking the city. But the fighters often go out of their way to stress their lack of military training or indeed interest in military matters. “I got one lesson for 30 minutes,” smiled Ismael al-Zoubi, a 23-year-old graduate who now operates a multi-barrelled rocket launcher. High numbers of accidents are one result of an astonishingly relaxed attitude to weapons safety, particularly resulting from a relentless enthusiasm for shooting into the air. Recent accidents included a jerry-built rocket launcher bursting into flames, scattering its crew and filling the air with burning ammunition. On the same day another rocket launcher was accidentally fired inside a revolutionary camp killing two fighters. 10.31am: It is perhaps an indication of how bad the situation inside Sirte has got that many of the residents now fleeing the city are supporters of Gaddafi who say they simply cannot continue to live there. In this report from Al Jazeera English, the correspondent reports that “even the [NTC] fighters acknowledge that”. One woman, fleeing in her car, says: I am from Sirte. I am loyal to Gaddafi. I’m not with the rebels and NATO. I was living in my house. The bombardment forced us to leave everything. Inside the city, resistance to the NTC also remains strong, according to this report from the LA Times which contains interviews with residents . One man, a father, is quoted as saying: The rebels are worse than rats. NATO is the same as Osama bin Laden. The paper’s Ruth Sherlock continues: Revolutionary leaders say they are supported by a mandate to oust a brutal dictator. But many inhabitants of Sirte said they longed for Libya to be “just as it was” before the uprising began in February. “We lived in democracy under Moammar Kadafi; he was not a dictator,” said another Surt resident, Susan Farjan, who said she had been an on-screen journalist for Libyan state television. “I lived in freedom; Libyan women had full human rights. It isn’t that we need Moammar Kadafi again, but we want to live just as we did before.” Despite the living conditions and her dust-ridden clothes, Farjan’s makeup, Chanel perfume, diamante earrings and gold necklace told of a better life in times past. “Everyone loves Kadafi. My father loves him so much, the blood is green in his veins,” Farjan said as tears welled in her eyes, alluding to Kadafi’s use of green as the national color. Women and children gathered around Farjan suddenly burst into a raucous, tearful chorus: “God, Moammar, Libya. This is all we need!” 10.21am: A Bahraini court has sentenced 14 people to life imprisonment for the killing of a Pakistani man during anti-government unrest, according to AP. Seven university students charged with causing violence amid the protests were also sentenced, the news agency added. We will report more detail when we have it. 10.04am: US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has blunt words for Israel today on the impact of the Arab Spring . Speaking to journalists on his way to Jerusalem, he said: There’s not much question in my mind that they maintain that [military] edge. But the question you have to ask: is it enough to maintain a military edge if you’re isolating yourself in the diplomatic arena? Real security can only be achieved by both a strong diplomatic effort as well as a strong effort to project your military strength. 9.52am: There is a lovely tale in the Wall Street Journal today about the efforts of David Gerbi- the so-called ‘revolutionary Jew’ of Tripoli- to promote his faith in the new Libya . Gerbi, who fled the country as a 12-year-old boy in 1967 when anger was mounting throughout the region over Israel’s Six Day War, returned to the country this summer to help with the uprising against Gaddafi. Two years after Gerbi and his family left, the former dictator expelled the rest of the country’s Jewish community , the AP reports. But, yesterday, Gerbi took the first step towards what he hopes will be a brighter, more inclusive future in the post-Gaddafi era, reopening Tripoli’s lone synagogue for the first time in 44 years. 9.36am: Al-Saadi Gaddafi, the ousted Libyan dictator’s playboy son, “strenuously denies” charges of corruption and armed intimidation made against him by Interpol. According to an email forwarded to the Associated Press , the former head of the country’s Football Federation insisted he had “worked tirelessly” to promote Libyan soccer, and accused Interpol of taking a “political decision” to recognise the NTC. In the email, al-Saadi called the Interpol notice a “clear political decision to recognize the de jure authority of the National Transitional Council taken without appropriate regard to the current absence of a functioning, effective and fair system of justice in Libya.” It said al-Saadi “worked tirelessly to promote football in Libya, priding himself on the fact that Libya was formerly selected to host the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.” It added that Gadhafi’s son “continues to call on all sides to seek a negotiated and peaceful resolution to the present conflict.” 38-year-old Al-Saadi, Gaddafi’s third son, is under house arrest in Niger, where he sought refuge last month . 8.49am: Welcome to Middle East live. Here’s a summary of developments across the region. Libya • A ceasefire declared by the NTC to allow residents to flee the Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte has ended, and forces loyal to the interim authorities are preparing for an all-out assault. The humanitarian situation inside the city, meanwhile, is grim. A doctor told the Guardian that residents have run out of basic medical supplies and are drinking contaminated water to survive. • A Guardian investigation has revealed David Cameron’s determination to push for military action on Colonel Gaddafi , and how he overrode scepticism from both his cabinet and MI6 to enter his first non-inherited war as prime minister. One minister who attended meetings of the National Security Council (on Libya) is quoted as saying: The prime minister was always the biggest hawk in the NSC. He was always the person who was pushing and saying ‘how can we get things moving in this way?’ • Leading opposition groups have decided to form a national council to help topple Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Figures from the previously fragmented dissident movement said they hoped it would be a big step towards democratic change. • It was another bloody weekend for Syria. Mahmoud Merhi, head of the Arab Organization for Human Rights, has told Bloomberg that security forces killed at least 10 protesters yesterday in Homs, Idlib and Deraa . United Arab Emirates Five activists on trial for insulting the Royal Family and threatening national security have refused to appear in court. The men, who include blogger Ahmed Mansoor, have already been jailed since April and say they would not get a fair trial. Bahrain Some of the doctors facing years in prison for their role in the uprising have alleged that a princess working undercover as a police detective was involved in their torture. The Times reports that Sheika Noora bint Ibrahim Al-Khalifa “beat prisoners with sticks and a rubber hose, and gave electric shocks to the face with a cable”. Syria Libya Bashar Al-Assad Bahrain Lizzy Davies guardian.co.uk
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High court judge rules 49 out of 54 caravans can go, along with most concrete pitches, but eviction must await judicial reviews Most of the caravans at the Dale Farm Traveller site can be removed, a judge has ruled. Basildon council took a further step towards evicting 86 families from the unauthorised site in Essex after a judge ruled it could remove caravans from 49 out of 54 plots. The council was also told it could remove most of the concrete pitches, but the walls, fences and gates should remain, quashing the council’s stated hope of “clearing” the site and returning it to greenbelt land. The eviction cannot begin for several days, as Travellers wait to hear about three separate judicial reviews about the legality of the eviction. A separate high court judge is expected to rule if the judicial reviews can be heard by noon on Tuesday. An injunction preventing any removal from the site is expected to remain in force until at least after that decision. The eviction at Dale Farm, which is now expected to cost Basildon council £22m, was halted at the 11th hour on Monday 19 September. The council had hoped to evict around 400 people, but an emergency injunction was put in place because of fears that the eviction would go further than eviction notices allowed. At the high court, Mr Justice Edwards-Stuart ordered Basildon council to pay one-third of the legal costs to Dale Farm residents. Some caravans can remain on site, along with fences, walls, some buildings and some concrete because they were in place before Traveller families bought the land at Dale Farm, or because they were not specified in the council’s eviction notices. Dale Farm resident Kathleen McCarthy said: “This will leave Dale Farm as a patchwork of concrete and fences, not the greenbelt the council are claiming it will be. Where are we supposed to go? They are separating families and ruining so many lives here, and for what? To turn Dale Farm into a scrapyard again. It’s ridiculous.” Dale Farm Roma, Gypsies and Travellers Court of appeal Local government Communities Alexandra Topping guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …This summer, a protest in Tel Aviv started with a few tents and grew to a huge tent city, culminating in a massive march of over 350,000 people who were angry over the lack of jobs, unaffordable housing and economic justice in Israel. It included Jews, Christians and Palestinians, and at its peak, was pulling huge support in public polls, with even 85 percent of Netanyahu’s Likud voters saying the protest was justified. And yet, there was almost no TV news coverage of this in America, which was spending so much time covering the Arab spring. From August 3rd: The Tent Protest has been dominating the news cycle in Israel for two weeks, and now there are also a couple of interesting polls regarding its possible political impact. While it would be unwise to try and predict what sort of effect these unprecedented demonstrations will have on Israeli politics, the polls do confirm some of the hunches we had in the last three weeks, and most notably, a potential for far-reaching changes in the political system in the years to come. – The support for the protest crosses sectors and party lines. According to Channel 10’s poll conducted on Monday, 88 percent of Israelis support the protest. The middle class parties lead the way: 98 percent of Kadima voters (!), 95 percent of Labor’s and even 85 percent of Netanyahu’s Likud voters find the protest just. Even if these figures dropped in the last couple of days—which had some fractions and public disputes in the protest movement—they are still exceptionally high. – The attempts to discredit the protest have mostly failed. Government spokesperson and rightwing organizations tried to tie the protest to left wing movements, claiming that it is a politically-motivated move aimed personally against PM Netanyahu. Still, 74 percent of the public think that the protest is a genuine one, and only 22 percent find it to be politically motivated. – The hard right is the only group not identifying with the protest. Half of Shas’ voters and most of those voting for the settlers’ parties think the protest is politically motivated. Voters of those parties are more inclined to oppose the protest than any other group. I believe that these groups sense that the protest might challenge the dominant political arrangements in Israel – ones [which] benefit the settlers and the religious parties. – The protesters reject the major opposition and the coalition parties alike. I wouldn’t take the headline of the Globes-Jerusalem Post’s poll—about a possible social party winning 20 seats in the coming elections—too seriously. There is a long time until the elections and it’s impossible to know which issues will dominate the campaign. Still, it’s very interesting to see where these 20 seats (roughly 16 percent of the votes) come from: 4-5 seats from Kadima, 2-3 seats from Likud, 2-3 seats from Labor, and some more votes from Meretz and undecided voters. The Arab parties and the extreme right are not hurt by the protest. To sum it up, all figures point to a unique phenomenon: the secular middle class – usually the backbone of society—is unsatisfied with the political and economical trends, and more important, with the entire political system (usually it’s the other way around – the more you move to the edges of the system, the less satisfied people there are). Under these circumstances, the potential for major political changes—though not necessarily immediate ones—is enormous. So what happened to this movement ? They were derailed by attacks officials claimed were from Gaza that killed seven Israelis : Organisers of the tent protests which have enthralled Israel for more than a month have called off demonstrations planned for this weekend following the attacks in the south of the country . A series of marches and rallies was due to be held around the country with the main focus in Jerusalem. This weekend will be the first for five weeks with no Saturday night demonstrations. In a statement, the National Union of Israeli Students said the protest movement was “lowering its head on this difficult day, joins the families in mourning, and wishes the wounded a speedy recovery”. NUIS leader Itzik Shmueli told Army Radio: “We decided given the events to cancel them.” He said the campaign for “social justice” and over the high cost of housing, childcare, fuel, electricity and food would continue. Some participants have said only a major security event would deflect attention away from the protests. So what can we learn from this? The Powers That Be don’t seem to want us to know that even in countries that aren’t run by dictators, citizens everywhere are unhappy with huge economic inequalities and lack of opportunity, nor are they willing to support the huge military expenditures that suck up money away from everything else. We also learn that whether by design or circumstances, if the people are too restless, the establishment will look for ways to divert us.
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WaPo Now Wonders If Michelle’s Target Photos Were Just Orchestrated PR with AP
October 3, 2011 No Comment
Washington Post media reporter Paul Farhi is finding a lot of unusual circumstances — and unusual no-comments — around Michelle Obama's razzle-dazzle distraction outing to Target after her latest controversy over wearing $42,000 diamond bracelets. He found “there might have been something to the notion of White House orchestration.” Farhi's story did not note how the Post's own gossip columnists were eagerly orchestrated to coo over the photo (including on NBC). Is the AP granting the First Lady a publicity favor to curb the Michelle Antoinette echoes that will give them increased access later in return? If the official White House photographer had taken these shots, Farhi noted, the rest of the press would have seen them as promotional. Somehow they weren't if AP put their prestige on the credit line instead. Farhi lined up all the improbabilities: Neither the White House nor the Associated Press will say how AP photographer Charles Dharapak came to be the only news photographer present at the Alexandria Target to capture Obama’s shopping excursion. “All I can say is that it was the result of good source work on his part,” AP spokesman Paul Colford said, declining to elaborate on the sources or the work involved. [Cue the laugh track.] A spokeswoman for Michelle Obama, Kristina Schake, also declined to discuss how the photographs came about. In a statement, she said, “It is not uncommon for the First Lady to slip out to run an errand, eat at a local restaurant or otherwise enjoy the city outside the White House gates.” But it is uncommon, and perhaps unprecedented, for a single news organization to record such a trip. First ladies, such as Laura Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton, occasionally went shopping or on outings in Washington without anyone in the media tagging along. An official White House photographer often records private or personal moments involving the president and first lady. But news organizations are hesitant to publish such photos because they are considered promotional. Having a respected news organization such as the Associated Press take and distribute the photos, on the other hand, might increase their newsworthiness, considering that they were produced independent of the White House’s image-making machinery. As a practical matter, it’s difficult to know in advance where a first lady is headed without White House cooperation. Obama, unlike the president, doesn’t travel with a regular press retinue that records every public moment. The White House doesn’t “provide details about the first lady’s personal activities” to protect her privacy, said Semonti Stephens, a spokeswoman. Dharapak, who has declined interview requests, is a veteran news photographer assigned to the White House. He doesn’t regularly cover the first lady, though he was part of the press pool that shot pictures of her family trip to southern Africa in June. Moreover, Dharapak appears to have been fortunate to have been able to take photos inside the store. Corporate chains such as Target prohibit news photography on company-owned premises without prior permission. Camera crews that went to the Alexandria Target after the photos were released were allowed to shoot footage inside the store only with the company’s approval and only in designated areas for a limited time. Farhi began by noting how conservative talkers Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh found it suspiciously phony from the get-go. “What a phony-baloney plastic-banana good time rock-and-roll photo op,” said Limbaugh. Near the end, Farhi claimed Mrs. Obama has “taken an unusual amount of criticism for a first lady from the likes of Limbaugh and other conservatives,” and “the sniping was renewed” over the $42,000 bracelet story. Somehow, the reporter missed both the consistent conservative attention paid to Hillary Rodham Clinton and the way the media treated Nancy Reagan as Nancy Antoinette. Once again, those cooperative Post gossips skipped over the $42,000 bracelet story. Farhi's story ended by Farhi rebutting himself, finding a liberal journalism professor to insist that what looks obvious probably isn't obvious: Bob Steele, a journalism ethics professor at DePauw University in Indiana, says the available facts don’t quite warrant the conclusion that Mrs. Obama’s trip to Target was calculated to counter that criticism. “Journalists and news organizations should not allow themselves to be manipulated in the pursuit of truthful and fair news coverage,” he said, adding, “and, in general, they should be more open about revealing the methods and processes they use to gather the news,” such as disclosing any agreements made with a news source. But in this case, he said, “absent some cards that haven’t been turned face up on the table, there’s no evidence to suggest that the White House and AP were in cahoots.” Dear Professor Steele: when neither source will speak on the record as to how the photo shoot occurred, how is that not evidence to suggest someone's trying to deny cahoots? Someone likes the Democrats enough to look completely foolish and gullible in the Washington Post.
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New deal negotiated by unions will mean some staff will end up with a 20% pay hike over four years Tube drivers in the capital will see their pay go over the £50,000-a-year mark under a four-year wage deal negotiated between London Underground and union leaders. The Rail Maritime and Transport union began consulting on a four-year pay deal, which LU said offered the prospect of no industrial action over wages until at least 2015. Under the deal, staff will get a 5% pay increase this year followed by RPI inflation plus 0.5% in the subsequent three years. Industry sources said that if RPI inflation stays reasonably high, some tube staff will receive a pay rise approaching 20% by the end of the settlement period. The pay of tube drivers, currently about £46,000, will go over £50,000, while some staff could receive a £10,000 pay rise over the four years, it was estimated. The RMT said the issue of a payment for working during next year’s Olympic Games in London was separate to the four-year wage deal. General secretary Bob Crow said: “We saw major movement from LU and we now take this improved offer back to our local reps. “In these days of austerity we have shown … trade unionism is the best defence from attacks on jobs and living standards. I doubt you will find a better offer than this anywhere else in the public sector.” Mike Brown, managing director of London Underground, said: “This fair and affordable multi-year pay deal is a good deal for London – providing a platform for stability over a crucial time for the tube network. “This deal enables our employees’ salaries to keep pace with the cost of living whilst being realistic given the current economic situation and the pressure on Transport for London’s finances. “We can now get on with the vital task of delivering the huge improvements to the network that Londoners need and deserve while we continue to develop our detailed plans to keep London moving during next summer’s Games.” Tube Lines Transport London Trade unions guardian.co.uk
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Army surrounds building after insurgents burst in disguised as police officers and take hostages including mayor Iraqi insurgents are holding a town mayor and other people hostage in a police station after bursting in disguised as police officers, opening fire and blowing up an explosives vest, Iraqi officials said. The Iraqi army was surrounding the police station in the town of al-Baghdadi, 125 miles west of Baghdad in Anbar province, said the deputy provincial governor, Dhari Arkan. It was not immediately clear how many people were being held inside the station, or whether the attackers had made any demands. The ongoing standoff in western Iraq’s Anbar province demonstrates the vulnerability of the Iraqi security forces at a time when American troops are swiftly drawing down their presence after more than eight years of war. The attackers broke into the police station wearing police uniforms to disguise themselves and immediately opened fire, provincial police officials said. Then one of the insurgents blew himself up, the officials said. Among the hostages is the mayor of al-Baghdadi, whose office is on the second floor of the police station, according to the officials. The mayor of the nearby town of Hit, Hikmat Juber, confirmed the attack and hostage standoff. He said officials working on the second floor of the building where some provincial offices were located had also been taken hostage. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media. Anbar province has been a hotbed of Iraq’s insurgency for years. Sunni militants aligned with terror groups such as al-Qaida often attack the local police and military, whom they see as traitors and supporters of the Shia-led government. Under a 2008 agreement, all American forces must leave Iraq by the end of this year, although US and Iraqi officials have been discussing whether to have a small US military presence in Iraq into next year. Iraq Middle East guardian.co.uk
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