• Lenders threaten to pull plug on further bailouts • Finance minister promises reforms and cost-cutting Europe’s failure to resolve its spiralling debt crisis saw stock markets and the euro fall sharply on Monday amid fears that Greece, the country at the centre of the drama, was veering towards default. Investors watched closely as a crucial teleconference between the Greek finance minister and Athens’ international creditors got under way tonight in a desperate bid by the cash-strapped nation to secure more funds to keep afloat. European stock markets were down heavily with the FTSE 100 in London closing down more than 100 points at 5259. The Dow Jones industrial average was down more than 200 points in afternoon trading amid warnings from the US treasury secretary, Tim Geithner, that the euro crisis was affecting American business confidence. The oil price fell $2.20 to $85.76 in New York, while the euro dropped at one point as low as $1.3586, approaching last week’s seven-month low of $1.3495. At stake for Greece is an €8bn (£7bn) rescue loan – the sixth instalment of a €110bn package that Greece received in May 2010 – and a second bailout worth €109bn that the European Union, European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) also approved to prop up an economy viewed as insolvent. Before the start of the two-hour talks, the finance minister, Evangelos Venizelos, had emphasised that he would stress Greece’s commitment to meeting its debt obligations. He attempted to douse anger over Athens’ failure to implement long-overdue reforms by insisting that the socialist government would faithfully implement cost-cutting policies prescribed by the country’s “troika” of lenders, the EU, ECB and IMF. “If we don’t make such changes now we will have to make them later in circumstances that will be possibly uncontrollable and much worse,” Venizelos told the conference attended by IMF officials in Athens. With lenders threatening to block further aid, a barrage of further austerity measures were to be the focus of the televised talks, according to Greek media. Venizelos described the conference call as “a productive and substantive discussion”, saying “tomorrow morning, the teams of technical experts in Athens will further elaborate on some data and the conference call will be repeated tomorrow at the same time”. International inspectors, who abruptly suspended a visit to Athens three weeks ago in frustration over the emergence of budget shortfalls, had made clear that they will not return until they are convinced that the government is intent on pursuing reforms in return for aid. Without implementation of measures that include the privatization of state assets and deregulation of the labour market, EU officials believe neither Greece’s economy nor culture will ever change. The budget deficit originally projected at 7.4% for this year is now expected to be nearer 10%.Under unprecedented pressure during a meeting of EU finance ministers in Poland at the weekend, the beleaguered government agreed to fast-track reforms – outlined in a contentious ‘mid-term fiscal plan’ passed by the Athens parliament amid fierce protests in July – to make up for the gaping €2bn budget black hole. “Every time we give them something, they give up,” complained one EU observer following Greece’s fiscal progress. “Nothing has been done to implement the reform programme passed in July, which is why the economy is now in such difficulty.” Measures required to reduce the public deficit to a sustainable level will now almost certainly include mass layoffs in the 700,000-strong public sector, closure of inefficient state-owned entities, cutting pay and pensions and extra taxes on heating and diesel oil. Once reclaimed from the public sector – long exploited for political patronage in a society reared on grace and favours – resources will be released into Greece’s under-developed private sector to help boost lagging levels of competitiveness. “The ball is in the Greek court. Implementation is of the essence,” Bob Traa, the IMF’s permanent representative in Athens, told the conference. Some 50,000 civil servants will likely be placed in a special “labour reserve” with lower pay in the coming weeks with double that number laid off by 2015 if the policies are enforced as creditors want. The spectre of more austerity – after two years of continuous price rises, wage cuts, pension drops and tax increases – has been described by many Greeks as a tipping point that will almost certainly unleash further social unrest. The country’s powerful unions reacted last week to the news of a surprise new property tax – perhaps the most unpopular measure to date – by promising to take to the streets. “The measures will be much harder to pass now than they were two months ago,” political analyst Kostas Panagopoulos said. “The government now has to do what it hasn’t done [yet] in record time and people are not only frustrated, they are increasingly desperate. There will be unrest. We are closer to a social revolution in Greece than ever before.” European debt crisis European banks Greece Europe Stock markets IMF Economics Global economy Helena Smith guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Libyan forces takes key parts of Sabha but NTC claims sighting in city where Gaddafi loyalists hold fast Free Libyan forces have taken key parts of the southern desert town of Sabha, a bastion of support for Muammar Gaddafi and other senior regime fugitives, the new rebel government in Tripoli announced on Monday. Confirmation of the capture of Sabha’s citadel and airport marks a significant military advance, though the fate of the rest of the town was unclear. But there was no sign of an end to heavy fighting in Bani Walid, 100 miles south of Tripoli, where Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, the deposed leader’s son, was said to have been spotted. Saif al-Islam, wanted along with his father for crimes against humanity, has been rumoured to be in the area before, but this was the first sighting to be claimed by officials of the National Transitional Council, now recognised internationally as Libya’s government. Fighting continued around Bani Walid on Monday amid signs that the rebels remain disorganised and disoriented in the face of a determined enemy that dominates the high ground. The situation is complicated by the fact that the town is home to Libya’s largest tribe, the Warfalla, who were hitherto loyal to Gaddafi. NTC officials have made confident predictions about the eventual outcome of the fighting, promising victory within a few days, but there are worries about civilian casualties. “Our fighters are at the gates of Bani Walid,” said the NTC’s military spokesman, Ahmed Bani, who warned that the “forces of the dictator” were trying to destroy the town before it was captured. “Everyone who has been implicated in crimes in Bani Walid will be punished according to the law,” he said. Rebels in Misrata believe a senior Gaddafi figure – possibly another son, Mutasim – is hiding in the coastal city of Sirte, which is also holding out after five days of heavy fighting in which 44 rebels have died. Many believe that the ferocity of the resistance in both strongholds can be explained only by the presence of a member of the former ruling family. Gaddafi was born in Sirte, home to his Gaddadfa tribe. But reports that communications intercepts had revealed the presence of a key regime figure could not be confirmed. Suleiman Mahmoud, the NTC military chief, toured the Sirte front, where it was confirmed that one of his most charismatic brigade commanders, Ibrahim Halbus, had been paralysed by a bullet on Sunday. Mahmoud told the Guardian he hopes to negotiate the surrender of loyalist forces. With Tripoli under NTC control, Gaddafi’s cause was hopeless. “We succeed,” he said. “We will win this fight for freedom.” Speaking in Tripoli, Bani played down the significance of capturing Gaddafi, insisting: “We are not concerned with him. We are busy liberating the whole of Libya. That is our first priority. If we knew where he was we would have finished with this problem earlier. We consider him as part of the past. And the best proof of that is that we are here in Tripoli.” Libyans believe Gaddafi may be hiding in the desert south of Sabha, protected by Tuareg tribesmen and specially recruited loyalists who have been trained to defend him with their lives. Many say it is vital that he be killed, or caught and brought to justice, not least so that the vast sums of money he is believed to have stolen can be reclaimed by the new government. The volatile security situation remains a preoccupation amid fears that continued fighting will embolden Gaddafi supporters and set back ambitious plans for change. The so-called “countdown” to a new Libya can begin only when the NTC is able to declare the liberation of the entire country, which cannot happen as long as Sirte and Bani Walid hold out. In another important step towards wider international recognition, Libya’s interim prime minister, Mahmoud Jibril, will be at the UN general assembly in New York this week. But he leaves behind the unfinished business of forming a larger interim cabinet to address concerns about the under-representation of Tripoli and pressure from Islamists for a bigger role in government. Libya Muammar Gaddafi Middle East Africa Arab and Middle East unrest Ian Black Chris Stephen guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Deputy prime minister admitted failure to communicate core messages but said conscience was clear about the big decisions Nick Clegg issued an impassioned plea to his fellow Liberal Democrats on Monday to stop “beating ourselves up” over the compromises the party had to make in forming a coalition with the Tories. In a pep talk at the Lib Dem conference, the deputy prime minister admitted that he had failed to communicate many of his core messages during a “really tough year”, though he insisted the party had made the right judgment call overall. Clegg, whose comments came during a 45-minute question and answer session, said: “We have had a really, really tough year, a really tough year, the like of which I think many of us could not have predicted. But we have got to stop beating ourselves up about it. A political party that does not move forward always ends up going backwards.” The deputy prime minister said that the party had a clear conscience after forming a coalition in the national interest. “I remember looking in the rear view mirror at all the people ranting, saying, why did you do this? The supporters we lost. But at the end of the day, when you explained to them calmly over and over again why we did what we did and that our conscience is clear on the big judgments – not on individual decisions – we have nothing to apologise for.” The remarks by Clegg, who appeared impatient at times, encapsulated his core message at this year’s conference in Birmingham. First, the Lib Dems had a duty to form a coalition, after the electorate declined to hand any party a majority, and to show this could work by working in a civilised manner with the Tories. Second, Lib Dems now had the space to trumpet their own achievements after showing the coalition is stable. Clegg reeled off a list of policies that would not have been introduced if the Tories had governed alone: • Taking 1 million people on low pay out of paying income tax. • Making every basic rate taxpayer £200 better off because of the increase in the income tax threshold. • Restoring the earnings link for pensioners. The deputy prime minister illustrated the Lib Dem influence in government by announcing a new £350m programme to help educate an extra 1 million girls in Africa and Asia. “That is us bringing our convictions to bear,” he said. Announcing the policy, Clegg said: “The evidence is now overwhelming. If you want to deal with the demographics in the developing world, if you want to deal with levels of economic development, educational performance – start with women, start with girls.” Illustrating how the Lib Dems will now hail their achievements, Clegg said: “You have got to constantly, constantly, constantly tell our side of the story. If we don’t tell our side of the story, I tell you, very many other people won’t.” But he said people had to understand that both parties had to compromise because neither won the election. “It is a coalition. It is built on compromise. People either accept that compromise can work. It is not a dirty word. You’ve got people on the left who hate it, who scream at us ‘treachery’. People from the right, like Nadine Dorries, cannot get over the fact that the Conservatives didn’t win the last election.” He lit up when a delegate highlighted research showing that the Lib Dems had managed to include 75% of their manifesto in the coalition agreement, compared with 60% for the Tories. “I have always been taught by my mum to be modest about your achievements. But the fact that the BBC should choose to publish research showing that 75% of our manifesto is being delivered in the coalition agreement – more than even the Conservatives – exposes the lie that somehow we have sold ourselves short.” But Clegg said the leadership was guilty of a failure of communication over policies such as university tuition fees. He said the coalition’s policy, which will see a trebling of fees, is fairer because the repayment threshold has been lifted from £15,000 to £21,000. “I totally accept the challenge, self-evidently, that have we been really successful in communicating all that? No, clearly not. Do we need to? You bet,” he said. “Are we getting better at doing that? Yes, we are. Have we got a long way to go? Even more so, yes. If you look at what ministers are doing, day in day out, and what we did when we negotiated the coalition agreement, I don’t think any fair-minded person looking in the round can say we did anything other than punch above our weight.” Liberal Democrat conference Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg Liberal-Conservative coalition Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Not that this study will make much of an impact anyway, because we all know worry about job growth isn’t the real reason the House majority won’t extend unemployment benefits. They simply want people to be so desperate, they’ll even vote for Republicans: Generous unemployment benefits have had little effect on the unemployment rate, according to a new study that may help ease concerns that benefits give sidelined Americans a disincentive to hunt for jobs. Yes, because not being able to pay your mortgage, buy food or put gas in the tank isn’t quite disincentive enough. Sometimes I think these economists would get better results if they became voodoo doctors. Unemployment insurance, which is available for up to 99 weeks in some states, nudged the jobless rate up 0.2 to 0.6 of a percentage point higher than it would have been otherwise, according to a new paper by Jesse Rothstein, a University of California, Berkeley economist and released at the Brookings Institution this week. “Any negative effects of the recent unemployment insurance extensions on job search are clearly quite small, too small to outweigh the benefits of transfers to people who have been out of work for over a year in conditions where job-finding prospects are bleak,” according to the report. Economists generally agree that extended jobless benefits increase the unemployment rate. But they disagree on how big the effect is and how damaging that is to the economy. Generous unemployment insurance can increase joblessness if Americans who are out of work don’t search as hard as they otherwise would have for new jobs. They can also give recipients a reason to hold out for better-paying jobs. Those impacts can be a negative for the economy because it means instead of reentering the job market, sidelined workers are relying on the government for assistance and staying unemployed for longer. Yes, because as any austerity cheerleader will tell you, it’s very important that workers get used to the fact that they’re now permanently competing for Third World wages. The extended benefits can also push the unemployment rate up for less ominous reasons. Because jobless Americans have to be searching for work to receive benefits, the checks could give them an incentive to continuing hunting for a job when they otherwise would have given up and dropped out of the labor force . That bumps up measured unemployment, which counts only those who are jobless but looking for work, but it doesn’t increase the actual number of people out of work in the U.S. Mr. Rothstein’s research found that at least half of the increase in the unemployment rate from extended benefits came from workers staying attached to the labor force as opposed to Americans not searching as hard for jobs or being pickier about the ones they would accept.
Continue reading …
Able Seaman Ryan Donovan, who murdered an officer on a submarine, had been fascinated with violent video games A sailor fascinated with violent video games and gangsta rap is beginning a life sentence for shooting dead an officer on board a nuclear-powered submarine. A court heard on Monday that Able Seaman Ryan Donovan was angry over losing the chance of deployment on a surface ship after disobeying an order to help scrub HMS Astute. He volunteered to take first sentry duty while Astute was docked at Southampton on a goodwill visit in April and, armed with an SA80 assault rifle, shot dead the weapons engineering officer, Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux. Donovan, 23, shot and badly injured a second officer, Lieutenant Commander Christopher Hodge, and his “murderous onslaught” was only stopped when two civilian dignitaries leapt on him in the submarine’s control room. Detectives later discovered Donovan had spoken of carrying out a “massacre” and discussed taking part in the sort of killing sprees depicted in video games. It emerged at Winchester crown court that Donovan had been seen drunk in the early hours before the attack, breaking rules that forbid sailors from drinking for 10 hours before handling a firearm. The court also heard that concerns had been raised about Donovan’s attitude but doctors had judged him fit to carry on serving. He admitted murdering Molyneux and attempting to murder Hodge and two other men who escaped unhurt, Petty Officer Christopher Brown and Chief Petty Officer David McCoy. He was told he will spend at least 25 years in prison. The court heard that four days before his rampage, Donovan had retired to his bunk when he should have been helping scrub part of the submarine. His disobedience meant his planned deployment on a surface ship was cancelled. Astute docked in Southampton on 6 April this year. On shore leave Donovan visited bars, restaurants, clubs and strip joints, drinking heavily. He got back to his hotel at 3.30am on 8 April – the day of the killing – and staggered out of his taxi. Eight hours later, just before going back on board, he told a colleague: “I’m going to kill somebody. I’m not fucking kidding. Watch the news.” Donovan asked if he could do the first sentry duty. He seemed “cheery” as he ate fish and chips in the mess and before he left he squirted vinegar into his mouth, possibly to hide the smell of alcohol, the court was told. At noon, less than nine hours after Donovan had arrived back at his hotel drunk, Brown carried out a “sniff and eyeball” check to judge if he was fit. He passed – though the prosecution said he would have failed a drink-drive test – and was issued with the SA80 rifle. As he walked off towards the submarine’s control room along a narrow corridor, Brown called Donovan to tell him he had not signed for the weapon. Donovan swivelled and, with the rifle at hip level, fired four times. Brown dived for cover and Chief Petty Officer McCoy, who was standing nearby, ran down stairs and hid in a storage cupboard with eight others. The court was told it was a “miracle” the men were not hit. Molyneux came from the control room, where he was entertaining dignitaries, put his head down and tried to tackle Donovan. When Donovan opened fire Molyneux was just a few centimetres from the muzzle. He was shot in the side of the head and died instantly. Donovan stepped over Molyneux and carried on to the control room, where his sixth shot hit Hodge, leaving him with serious kidney and liver injuries. The leader of Southampton city council, Royston Smith, and the chief executive, Alistair Neill, seized Donovan. A seventh shot was fired, but Donovan was overpowered. The spree lasted just 13 seconds. Neill later said he thought Donovan was a terrorist. His eyes looked “wild but faraway”. It was as if he was “in a dream” or “doing this in a video game”. When they investigated his background, police found Donovan was interested in violent games such as Grand Theft Auto, particularly the “kill frenzy” feature. He wondered out loud about the best way to get the biggest “kill count” on board Astute and discussed carrying out a “massacre” in the control room. He boasted he would be famous. Police also found out that Donovan had an alter ego, a rap star called Reggie Moondog. Among the lyrics he wrote was: “Tell the quartermaster I caused disaster. SA80 – more palaver.” Defending, Christopher Parker QC said Donovan had no mental illness, disorder or disability but was “radically disordered” at the time of the spree. Parker said Donovan joined the navy at 18 but never felt comfortable as a submariner. The prospect of joining a surface ship had been a relief and it was a “calamity” when his own disobedience wrecked that. He felt unable to see “a way out” and intended to kill himself that day. Sentencing Donovan, Mr Justice Field told him that in murdering Molyneux, “you robbed him of a bright future with a loving family and of a most promising career”. Outside the court, Molyneux’s wife, Gillian, said: “Nothing can ever replace Ian – my husband and soulmate and the father of our four beautiful children. To Jamie, Arron, Bethany and Charlie – your Daddy and I love you very much and our future will always be guided by him.” A navy spokesman said it had no legal right to breath test service personnel, but a new law to allow the armed services to do so had been mooted even before the attack. Crime Military Gun crime Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Hospitals in Sana’a unable to cope with the number of casualties as security forces clashed with anti-government groups For the past few weeks Change Square in Sana’a has belonged to Yemen’s young revolutionaries. It has been filled with dancing and singing to protest against the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. But there was no singing on Monday. Instead, the square was filled with the echoes of gunfire and screams as the young demonstrators carried their injured friends to safety, their blood dripping in a long crimson trail that led to the field hospital. It was the bloodiest day yet in Yemen’s nine-month uprising, with more than 22 killed and at least 350 wounded. The carnage followed an attack on Sunday that left 30 dead and set the scene for the violence that has broken new ground in the stand-off between anti-government groups and loyalist security forces. On Monday night Sana’a’s hospitals said they were unable cope with the number of casualties. Demonstrators were urgently calling for blood donors and trying to ferry the wounded to hospitals on Sana’a’s outskirts. Many of the wounds appeared to have been caused by high-calibre rounds fired into the crowds from anti-aircraft guns. One protester, Ridwan al-Sabahi, was mourning his comrades on the outskirts of Change Square. “They were amongst us yesterday and are dead today,” he said. “We were all laughing and dreaming of the day when Yemen will be democratic and free.” The blood of the “martyrs” had not been spilt in vain, he said, adding: “We will never forgive Saleh and his family.” Saleh, who was wounded during an explosion as he prayed in a mosque earlier in the year, remains in Riyadh as the guest of the Saudi Arabian monarch, King Abdullah, who on Monday received him in his palace. The day’s violence was vividly illustrated by a live video stream from a field hospital set up by protesters after skirmishes with forces loyal to the president. A dead 10 month-old girl with a head wound brought to the hospital was identified as Anas al-Suaidi, shot by a sniper. Soon afterwards a screaming man with no right arm arrived. At another hospital around 23 bodies were laid out in a makeshift morgue. As night fell the shooting appeared to have spread across Sana’a as rebel units clashed with loyalist forces in a series of running battles across the city. There were reports that security forces loyal to Saleh’s son, Ahmed, were stationed near several of the hospitals treating the defected soldiers. The road to the airport was closed and flights were delayed. Mohammed al-Sabri, the spokesman for the opposition dialogue committee, said: “The massacre that the Saleh regime is continuing will not be forgotten and those who kill protesters will stand trial, sooner or later.” Ahmed Qurshi, president of a Yemeni children’s rights organisation, said: “Tens of children were shot over the last two days by government troops. Is this the democracy the Saleh regime claims it is seeking?” Anti-government activists in the capital blame state media for the chaos in Yemen, claiming they openly provoke attacks. “Open government media outlets and you will see why the government is portraying these youths as outlaws rather than seekers of democracy,” said Ali Abdul Jabbar, director of the Sana’a based Dar al-Ashraf Research Center. Yemen’s government blamed al-Qa’ida elements it claimed were inciting trouble inside the anti-government movement for sparking Monday’s violence. “The government of Yemen expresses its sorrow and condemnation for all acts of violence and bloodshed as those that happened yesterday in Sana’a,” foreign minister Abu Bakr al-Kurbi told the UN human rights council. “The government will investigate and hold accountable all those who were in charge of these acts,” he added. As he spoke government helicopters patrolled the skies of Sana’a and reportedly targeted homes and property of senior opposition leaders. The youth of Yemen, who have been a driving force behind attempts to remove Saleh and his regime from office after three decades, this week lamented that their revolution had persistently played second fiddle to the events in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, which had captured international imagination and won broad regional appeal. “Nine whole months protesting in the streets under the burning sunlight, and still no one appreciates our peaceful efforts,” said Nujood Saleh, a youth activist in Sana’a. “The Libyan revolution succeeded by the use of force while we are still suffering. We insist on peaceful strategies to achieve freedom and democracy.” Another activist had a different take on events from here. “We are not scared to use weapons, said Abdullah Mujalli. “But we know that the crisis is like a matchstick. When it burns it will burn everything around it – and quickly.” Yemen Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Martin Chulov guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Rupert Murdoch’s company in negotiations over payout that will set new benchmark in phone-hacking scandal Milly Dowler’s family have been made a £3m offer by Rupert Murdoch’s News International in an attempt to settle the phone-hacking case that led to the closure of the News of the World and the resignation of the company’s chief executive, Rebekah Brooks. The money on the table is understood to include a £1m donation to charity and contributions to the family’s legal costs. But the publisher has not yet reached final agreement with the Dowler family, whose lawyers were thought to be seeking a settlement figure closer to £3.5m. The seven-figure sums under negotiation are far larger than other phone-hacking settlements reached – and amount to one of the largest payouts ever made by a newspaper owner – reflecting the fact that the phone-hacking case affected a family who were victims of crime. Milly Dowler went missing aged 13 in March 2002 and was later found murdered. The terms of any final settlement are not expected to be confidential. It is less clear, however, whether more detail will emerge about how and when the phone was targeted. The family and their lawyers declined to commenton Monday. The hacking of Milly Dowler’s mobile phone after her death emerged in July. Voicemails were accessed on behalf of the News of the World and messages left for her were deleted to make room for more recordings. This gave the family false hope that she was still alive. On Monday afternoon there was growing speculation that a deal was close, with some involved in the negotiations suggesting a deal could come as soon as this week. However, other sources familiar with the negotiations indicated that there are still enough matters unresolved to mean that a final settlement will be delayed further. The actor Sienna Miller accepted £100,000 from News International after the publisher accepted unconditional liability for her phone hacking and other privacy and harassment claims in May. A month later football pundit Andy Gray accepted £20,000 plus undisclosed costs. Other lawyers bringing phone-hacking cases have privately indicated that they would be advising many of those bringing actions to try to reach a settlement rather than take their cases to lengthy and expensive trials. A handful of cases have been taken forward as lead actions by Mr Justice Vos, to establish a benchmark for settlements in future lawsuits. However, with the amount of damages alone offered to the Dowler family expected to amount to well over £1m, the settlement easily exceeds other high-profile payout made by newspapers by way of apology. In 2008, Kate and Gerry McCann, the parents of the missing Madeleine McCann, accepted £550,000 in damages over more than 100 “seriously defamatory” articles published by Richard Desmond’s Express newspapers, including both the Daily Express and Daily Star . This year, eight newspapers paid an unspecified six figure sum to Chris Jefferies , the landlord of the murdered Joanna Yeates over allegations made against him over the her death. The titles made public apologies to him, and another man Vincent Tabak has been charged with her murder, with a trial due next month. Rupert Murdoch personally met the Dowler family in July, shortly after the story about hacking into her phone broke, making what the family’s lawyer, Mark Lewis, said was a “full and humble” apology . The News Corporation chairman and chief executive “held his head in his hands” and repeatedly told the family he was “very, very sorry”. On Monday night, News International confimed it was “in advanced negotiations with the Dowler family regarding their compensation settlement. No final agreement has yet been reached, but we hope to conclude the discussions as quickly as possible.” Sources close to News International said the publisher had initiated the offer of compensation, although at a level lower than the £3m settlement. Phone hacking Newspapers & magazines National newspapers Newspapers Milly Dowler News International News of the World Dan Sabbagh guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Tea Party Rep. John Fleming: Only $400,000 Left After ‘I Feed My Family’
September 19, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Tea party Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) used himself as an example Monday while arguing against President Barack Obama’s plan to make sure millionaires pay about the same tax rate as the people that work for them. “In my own case, I own LLCs,” Fleming told MSNBC’s Chris Jansing. “The income flows to my personal tax return and whatever is left over after taxes are paid, I feed my family on the one hand and on the other hand, I reinvest in my business.” “With all due respect, The Wall Street Journal estimated that your businesses, which I believe are Subway sandwich shops and UPS stores — very successful — brought you last year, over $6 million,” Jansing noted. “Yeah, that’s before you pay 500 employees, you pay rent, you pay equipment and food,” Fleming agreed. “Since my net income — and again, that’s the individual rate that I told you about — the amount that I have to reinvest in my business and feed my family is more like $600,000 of that $6.3 million. And so by the time I feed my family, I have maybe $400,000 left over to invest in new locations, upgrade my locations, buy more equipment.” “You do understand, Congressman, the average person out there making 40, 50, $60,000 a year, when they hear that you have $400,000 left over, it’s not exactly a sympathetic position?” Jansing asked. “Again, class warfares never created a job,” Fleming replied. “That’s people that will not get jobs. This is all about creating jobs. It’s not about attacking people who make certain incomes. You know, in this country, most people feel that being successful in their businesses is a virtue, not a vice. And once we begin to identify it as a vice, this country is going down.” It wasn’t clear if the numbers cited by Fleming included his $174,000 congressional salary .
Continue reading …
Tens of thousands join Fukushima protest march in Tokyo amid continuing fears over radiation Tens of thousands of people marched in Tokyo on Monday in the biggest show of public opposition to nuclear power since the start of the Fukushima Daiichi crisis in March. The protesters, who included residents of Fukushima prefecture, called for the immediate closure of all of Japan’s nuclear reactors and a new energy policy centred on renewables. The demonstration was the biggest the country has seen in years. Police said 20,000 people had taken part, while media reports put the number as high as 60,000. Among the protesters were the Nobel literature laureate Kenzaburo Oe, musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and actor Taro Yamamoto, who was forced to leave his production company earlier this year because of his opposition to nuclear power. “We already have enough electricity, even without nuclear plants,” Yamamoto said. “If we don’t act, Japan will become a disposal site for nuclear waste.” Almost three-quarters of Japan’s 54 nuclear reactors are inoperative due to emergency safety checks and regular maintenance. Pro-nuclear groups, including Japan’s biggest industry lobby, Keidanren, have warned that the country faces power shortages unless idle reactors are brought back online. Oe told protesters: “We need to let leaders of major parties and the Japan Business Federation know that we intend to resist [nuclear power].” Before the Fukushima accident, Japan depended on nuclear for just under a third of its power supply. The government has abandoned plans to increase its share to 50%. The prime minister at the time of the disaster, Naoto Kan, came out in favour of phasing out nuclear power. In recent media interviews he said that at the height of the crisis he had feared Japan would cease to function as a nation and that 30 million people would have to be evacuated from Tokyo. His successor, Yoshihiko Noda, has hinted that reactors that pass newly introduced stress tests will go back on line, although he accepts that Japan must also look to other sources of energy. According to a poll by Associated Press and the market research firm GfK, 55% of Japanese want to reduce the number of reactors, while 35% believe the number should be kept the same. Only 4% wanted an increase, while 3% supported abolition. Six months after three of Fukushima Daiichi’s six reactors suffered core meltdowns, the plant continues to release radiation. The leaks have contaminated the water supply and food chain, and forced the evacuation of 100,000 people living in or around a 12-mile radius of the plant. Residents of towns closest to the facility have been told it could be years, perhaps decades, before radiation levels are low enough for them to return . Japan’s environment minister, Goshi Hosono, said on Monday that the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) would stabilise the reactors earlier than planned. Tepco, which has been heavily criticised for its handling of the crisis, had said it would bring the reactors to a safe state known as “cold shutdown” by mid-January. “We will move up the existing target period and endeavour to achieve cold shutdown by the end of this year,” Kyodo quoted Hosono as telling an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conference in Vienna. Hosono, who oversees the government’s response to the crisis, confirmed Japan would accept a team of IAEA inspectors due to arrive next month to advise on how to clean up the area surrounding the plant. Japan disaster Japan Energy Nuclear power Renewable energy Pollution Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Celebrations after high court grants emergency order restraining Basildon council from clearing site Residents due to be evicted from the Dale Farm Traveller site won an 11th-hour reprieve on Monday after being granted an emergency injunction restraining Basildon council from clearing structures on the site pending a further hearing at the high court on Friday. There were cheers from the barricade shortly after 5pm when the news arrived that bailiffs, who were due to begin evicting 86 families from the site built on a former scrapyard, would not be able to enter legally until after the hearing. The council will also not be able to cut off utilities to the site, something that had concerned residents, who argued that the lives of sick people of on the site could be endangered. Speaking at the high court in London, Mr Justice Edwards-Stuart granted the order because there were concerns that measures carried out by Basildon borough council “may go further” than the terms of the enforcement notices. The case hinges on the argument that residents have not been sufficiently informed about what is allowed on each pitch, and what must be removed. Despite the scale of the operation by Basildon council, which includes a camp to accommodate bailiffs, police, council staff and the hundreds of journalists from around the world covering the case, it took three individuals, without the aid of a lawyer, to put a stop to their plans. Candy Sheridan, vice-chair of the Gypsy Council of North Norfolk, resident Mary Sheridan and volunteer Stuart Carruthers appeared at three courts on Monday, including the high court, before the injunction was granted. Speaking after the decision, Sheridan said: “This is a victory for residents who have been shown a glimmer of respect today from a judge who listened to our reasoned arguments.” The leader of the council, Tony Ball, said he was “extremely disappointed and frustrated” by the judge’s decision. “I am absolutely clear that on this issue, on Friday, the court will find in the council’s favour and that the site clearance will be able to continue,” he said. “But until then, as always, this council will comply with the law and we will comply with the judgment that has been put before us.” The judge ruled that Basildon council must tell residents on a plot-by-plot basis what enforcement measures are proposed. Residents must respond to the proposals by noon on Thursday. The judge will then decide at 11.30am on Friday if there are any remaining legal issues that could extend the injunction further. Physical structures including cars and caravans will not be able to be moved by bailiffs and electricity and water will not be cut off unless they pose a danger “to life and limb”. But the judge said further protest – which has included several protesters chained to the gates, to concrete blocks and to each other – should be discouraged and that the 20ft (6m) high barricade, festooned with banners of support, should be taken down. “It is in nobody’s interests that we have a riot on this site,” he said. “There’s got to be a bit of give and take over a limited timeframe to see if the problems can be dealt with in an orderly rather than disruptive way.” Council representatives should be allowed on site to discuss the arrangements with individual residents, he said. He told the Dale Farm representatives: “I appreciate it is a deeply unpleasant situation but unfortunately this is a road which is reaching its end and there is sadly no mileage in prolonging the agony.” Some protesters were not in favour of bringing down the barricade. “I think it’s tactical on their side and therefore it needs to be tactical on ours,” said Carol Stuart McIvor, a writer on the site. “But the decision must be the Travellers’. It’s their gig – we are only here to support them.” The council’s barrister, Reuben Taylor, told the judge a lengthy delay to the eviction could cause losses to the public purse “running into millions”, he said. Any damages granted would not come “anywhere near” meeting the council’s costs for the thousands of police officers on special duty, compounds, plant hire and bailiffs, he said. “The consequences would be enormous.” The judge responded that there was “a lack of clarity” as to which properties would be affected and to what extent. He said: “They are entitled to know whether their home is on the list for permanent removal or not, or whether just a little bit of their plot is to be removed.” There was delight at Dale Farm as the news came through after a tense day that saw bailiffs jeered as they issued a final warning to protesters and residents. Bailiffs were called “scum” and “fascists” as they told residents the council was concerned for their safety as a result of the blocking of the site gate. Tom Berry, a resident at the site, said the injunction was a stay of execution and a relief for families. “I’m over the moon. Especially for my family and the other residents on here. At the end of the day, we’ve got another week for them to sort something out for us or somewhere to go to.” He had a personal message for the leader of the council who had, earlier in the day, insisted that delaying tactics from residents were unacceptable. “Tony Ball should go back to school,” he said. Meanwhile, it has emerged that the government refused help from the United Nations to help broker an agreement between the Travellers and the council. Jan Jarab, the European representative of the UN high commissioner for human rights, said the UN had offered to help negotiate a “less dramatic” solution. “There was communication between the British government and our headquarters, but it was made clear to us that we would receive a letter that that offer was rejected,” he said. Dale Farm Roma, Gypsies and Travellers Protest Housing Communities Human rights Local politics Alexandra Topping Johnny Howorth guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …