The federal government is going through its stuff looking for things it doesn’t use much anymore and can sell off to raise some cash. A “garage sale” method included in President Obama’s deficit reduction plan could see the government selling off unused land, roads, vehicles, and even airwaves, the New…
Continue reading …After reports surfaced that Hugo Chavez had suffered kidney failure earlier this week, the Venezuelan president summoned reporters to the presidential palace in Caracas. They found Chavez wearing a red tracksuit, jogging, and throwing a baseball around with members of his cabinet, the Guardian reports. “I’m fine. Those who don’t…
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Floating vessel can hold four adults and could save lives, manufacturers claim A Japanese company has developed a miniature version of Noah’s ark in case Japan is hit by another massive earthquake and tsunami – a floating capsule that looks like a huge tennis ball. Engineering company Cosmo says its “Noah” shelter is made from enhanced fibreglass and could save users from disasters such as the earthquake and tsunami on 11 March that devastated Japan’s northern coast and left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing. The company’s president, Shoji Tanaka, said the capsule could hold four adults and had survived many crash tests. It has a lookout window and breathing holes, and could also be used as a toy house for children. The company said it had completed the capsule earlier this month and had received 600 orders. Japan Engineering Natural disasters and extreme weather guardian.co.uk
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Former News of the World senior reporter breaks silence, saying he ‘took no part in the matter which led to his dismissal’ Neville Thurlbeck, the former News of the World chief reporter, has sensationally broken his silence on the phone-hacking scandal, saying he “took no part in the matter which led to his dismissal”. In his first public statement since he was arrested and bailed for alleged phone hacking in April, Thurlbeck said the “truth will out” and “those responsible will eventually be revealed”. In a clear shot across his former employer’s bows, Thurlbeck claimed there was “much I could have said publicly to the detriment of News Interntional”, but had so far chosen “not to do so”. Thurlbeck had applied for “interim relief” at an employment tribunal hearing scheduled to be heard on Friday but pulled out late on Thursday. His solicitor Nathan Donaldson, employment partner at DWF, also issued a statement on Friday confirming that Thurlbeck was continuing his action against News Group Newspapers, the News International subsidiary that published the News of the World, “for unfair dismissal and whistleblowing”. The Guardian revealed more than two years ago the existence of a “for Neville” email – believed to be a reference to Thurlbeck – sent to private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, which contained a transcript of messages left on a mobile phone belonging to Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor. The “for Neville” email contradicted the defence that News International had maintained until late 2010, that phone-hacking was limited to Mulcaire and one “rogue reporter” on the News of the World, former royal editor Clive Goodman. Both were jailed in early 2007 for phone-hacking offences. Thurlbeck was due to attend an “interim relief hearing” about his unfair dismissal claim on Friday, but withdrew because the “issues to be determined by the employment tribunal will require key individuals within the News Group Newspapers being cross-examined”. His solicitors added that “unfortunately” Friday’s hearing was limited to “a review of papers” and because of this “procedural limitation” Thurlbeck and his legal team decided to withdraw. They wanted to ensure the benefits of a full hearing where “complete disclosure” from the parties would be made. The 49-year-old former chief reporter at the News of the World was sacked by Rupert Murdoch’s News International earlier this month, prompting him to sue his former employer for unfair dismissal. “Scotland Yard has now made me aware of the reason for my dismissal, a reason which News International has withheld from me for almost a month,” Thurlbeck said, in a statement issued by his solicitors that shows he is fighting back against his former employer. “For legal reasons, I am unable to go into the reason cited. However, I will say this. I took no part in the matter which has led to my dismissal after 21 years of service,” he added. “I say this most emphatically and with certainty and confidence that the allegation which led to my dismissal will eventually be shown to be false. And those responsible for the action, for which I have been unfairly dismissed, will eventually be revealed.” Thurlbeck also claimed that for more than two years, News International had accepted he was not responsible for the matter in question and there was “no valid or reliable evidence now to support their sudden volte face. At the length, truth will out.” Thurlbeck also said he would “fight my case to the end” and accused News International of “giving ‘off the record’ briefings” to the press. “This has compelled me to speak for the first time since my name became linked to the phone hacking scandal through the ‘For Neville’ email more than two years ago,” he said. “I would request that
Continue reading …Actor Leisha Hailey thrown off flight for kissing girlfriend Camila Grey
September 30, 2011 No Comment
Southwest cabin crew member allegedly asked the couple to stop after a passenger complained Celebrity airport arrests were once big, splashy affairs – Paul McCartney getting arrested in Japan for marijuana possession, or a frenzied Courtney Love flinging her underwear around Heathrow. Now, the frustrations of air travel in the post 9/11 age have generated a different sort of friction – in which one person’s idea of free expression seems to run smack into the airlines’ definition of inexcusably bad behaviour. Just ask Leisha Hailey, a musician and moderately well known television actor who was thrown off her flight in El Paso, Texas, this week after she kissed her girlfriend and bandmate, Camila Grey, in the seat next to her. A cabin crew member, apparently responding to a passenger complaint, told Hailey that Southwest was a “family airline” and asked her to stop. By the time Hailey and Grey had stopped swearing and cursing, they were back in the airport, waiting for the next flight. Southwest later insisted the problem was the abusive language, not the kiss. “The conversation escalated to a level that was better resolved on the ground, as opposed to in flight,” it said. After days of incensed reaction from Hailey, her friends and the lesbian and gay community, however, Southwest backtracked, saying it was offering a full refund for the flight and had “reached out to extend goodwill” – a form of words that fell just short of an outright apology. Earlier this month, the lead singer of Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, was escorted off another Southwest flight in California because he refused to pull up his sagging trousers when asked. “Don’t you have better things to do than worry about that?” he retorted. The flight attendant responded: “Pull your pants up or you’re getting off the plane.” Armstrong complained, loudly, after he and his companion were taken back to the airport, and Southwest ended up apologising. He was luckier than Deshon Marman, a college American football player who suffered his own baggy trouser incident on a US Airways flight in June. He ended up in handcuffs, under arrest and charged with trespassing, resisting arrest, and battery on a police officer. The charges were later dropped, and Marman is now suing the airline. What these episodes have in common is that the affected passengers have all complained loudly and used their fan base to whip up outrage. Advocacy groups have also muscled in. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation pointed out that Southwest is a corporate sponsor and urged everyone to do the right thing. A black advocacy group called Color of Change pointed to the different treatment handed out to Marman, who is black, and Armstrong, who is white, and said it was a clear instance of race discrimination. “The vastly different treatment of these two passengers underscores the need for greater oversight and training by the airlines,” the organisation’s executive director Rashad Robinson said. The airlines, in turn, appear to be running scared from the negative publicity. Kevin Smith, the film director, has not stopped making hay over an incident in February last year when Southwest threw him off a flight, supposedly because he was too fat. Southwest, once again, offered “heartfelt apologies” but also said he had been removed “for the safety and comfort of all customers”. The L Word Gay rights Television Drama United States Texas Air transport Andrew Gumbel guardian.co.uk
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Mother and two friends are hurt in shooting, while 11-month-old boy escapes injury A teenage mother has been shot in the street with two friends while clutching her 11-month-old son in her arms. Jessica Chrichlow, 18, collapsed to the ground alongside two sisters – named locally as Sammy, 17, and Alex, 19 – after being caught in the crossfire of a botched gang attack, witnesses said on Friday morning. Detective Chief Inspector Mick Foote said: “It was a random, reckless act and we are fortunate we are not dealing with a fatal shooting here.” Police said it was “hugely fortunate” that the baby escaped injury. The three victims had been outside in John Fearon Walk, north Kensington, west London, enjoying balmy temperatures when the attacker got off a bike and screamed “motherfucker” at the group, a neighbour, who did not want to be named, said. Foote added: “I do not believe the girls were the intended targets. What’s particularly devastating is that the young girl was carrying a young child. “This was totally unprovoked.” As a hunt was launched for several young men seen on bicycles on the west London housing estate last night, the officer said he was “working on the basis” that the shooting was gang-related. One neighbour said her 12-year-old daughter saw the shooting from her bedroom window. Jacky Cinesey said: “I have sent her to school in tears today. These girls were just outside enjoying the sunshine. It’s horrifying.” Gun crime London Crime guardian.co.uk
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Outgoing Russian president denies political rivalry with current prime minister, claiming he was happy to step aside Russia’s outgoing president, Dmitry Medvedev, agreed to step down because he believes Vladimir Putin is more popular, he said. “I note that prime minister Putin, without a doubt, is currently the most authoritative politician in our country,” Medvedev said in an interview to the country’s three state-run television stations. “His rating is slightly higher.” Medvedev has been the target of ridicule in Russia since Putin announced he would return to the presidency next year. The interview is to be aired on Friday but a transcript was pre-released by the Kremlin. Putin has said he will make Medvedev his prime minister. “My main ambition is to be of use to my country and my people,” Medvedev said. He stressed that he and Putin represented “the same political force” and dismissed the idea of competition between them. “Can you imagine a situation where, for example, Barack Obama started competing with Hillary Clinton?” he asked, apparently forgetting the rivalry that divided the two in the run-up to the 2008 US presidential election. Medvedev brushed off the head of state-owned television channel NTV, Vladimir Kulistikov, when he asked: “What’s the point of elections if everything is already decided?” The ruling United Russia party’s support for Putin and Medvedev was “merely a party recommendation on who to support in the elections, and nothing more,” he said. “The vote is exercised by the people – and these are not empty words,” Medvedev said. “Any politician can ‘fly’ in the elections.” “No one is insured from anything – what predictability?” Putin is likely to win the presidential election in March 2012. The Kremlin controls major television media. Russia’s main liberal opposition, the People’s Freedom party, has been refused registration for a parliamentary vote due in December. Other opposition parties, including the communists and the far-right Liberal Democratic party, are considered Kremlin-friendly. “Let the people decide whom to vote for, who has more authority,” Medvedev said. “And only people, only our citizens, are able to place the final emphasis, voting for this or that person or political force, or rejecting it. That’s democracy.” Dmitry Medvedev Vladimir Putin Russia Europe Miriam Elder guardian.co.uk
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Work on £2.3bn Myitsone dam halted after Burma’s president says he has to ‘act according to the desire of the people’ Burma will suspend a massive Chinese hydropower project on the Irrawaddy river after the country’s president joined a chorus of concerns raised by environmentalists, democracy activists and tribal militias. The proposed halting of the $3.6bn (£2.3bn) Myitsone dam is a remarkable step for a government that has long ruled by military fiat, but appears this time to have put public and ecological concerns ahead of economic priorities and the interests of its powerful neighbour. In a rare concession to opposition groups, President Thein Sein informed parliament on Friday that construction of the 3,600MW project on Burma’s most important river should be in halted because it was against the will of the people. The decision will be seen as a victory for Aung San Suu Kyi , the leader of Burma’s pro-democracy opposition. In August, the Nobel laureate called for the plan to be reassessed and greater efforts be made to protect the Irrawaddy and the interests of people who would be affected. Chief among them are the residents of the Kachin region, which would have been flooded by a reservoir the size of New York City, forcing the displacement of 10,000 people and submerging important cultural sites. Earlier this year, the Kachin Independence Organisation broke a 17-year-ceasefire after warning that it would fight to block the project. Environmental groups warned that the dam, which was to be built by the China Gezhouba Group on the confluence of the Mali and N’Mai, would inundate one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and pose a major risk in the event of an earthquake. The Burma Rivers Network, an NGO which represents communities along the river, released what it says is a leaked environmental assessment jointly commissioned by the Burmese and Chinese authorities that recommends scrapping the project. There has clearly been a tussle inside the government over the issue. Earlier this month, the minister for electric power, U Zaw Min, insisted the plan would go ahead. Senior environmental officials, however, have urged caution. Thein Sein may be taking a risk with the announcement. His government took over this year from the junta that ruled Burma for decades and is still thought to be under the influence of the military. Burma Aung San Suu Kyi Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk
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UK broadcasters told to be more careful about showing sexually explicit music videos before the 9pm watershed Ofcom has ordered UK broadcasters to be more careful about showing sexually explicit music videos before the 9pm watershed. The regulator issued new guidance on Friday, focusing on the visual as well as the verbal content of some music videos in a bid to tighten the enforcement of existing watershed rules. Broadcasters have been told to take particular care masking or editing offensive language where possible, in order to protect children. The new guidelines follow recent scrutiny by the regulator into pre-watershed programmes that it judged to be either unsuitable or close to unsuitable for children. Ofcom’s move also follows the publication of a government-backed report in the summer by Mothers’ Union chief executive, Reg Bailey, which called for tighter control of sexualised imagery including raunchy music videos. It also follows the controversy over last December’s The X Factor final, which attracted 4,500 complaints to Ofcom due to its raunchy performances by Rihanna and Christina Aguilera. Ofcom’s warning to broadcasters was accompanied by new research involving more than 1,000 parents and primary carers which showed that 11% of parents found music videos the greatest cause of concern regarding the kind of programmes shown before the watershed. Other types of programme that most concerned parents were soaps (14% of respondents) and films (14%) followed by reality programmes (12%). However, the research indicated that 58% of parents and primary carers surveyed were not concerned by what their children had watched on television before 9pm in the past 12 months. Less than a quarter – 24% – said they were “fairly concerned”, although 9% said they were “very concerned”. Just under a quarter (23%) of the 768 teenagers surveyed said that in the past 12 months they had seen something on TV before the watershed that had made them uncomfortable or had offended them. Earlier this week Ofcom upheld complaints against the music channel Greatest Hits TV for showing a quarter-hour segment of videos by the US rap star 50 Cent at 9am. The watchdog upheld a series of complaints about the scenes depicted in the videoes which included “dancing with two topless female performers in a sexualised manner” in the music video for the song P.I.M.P, as well as images of two females being walked like dogs with leashes. The video for the song I Like the Way She Do It contained the lyrics: “It never enough she like it rough. We keep it going and we switch positions, listen”. Another video for the song If I Can’t contained the words “pussies”,”nigger”,”motherfucker” and “fuck”. Ofcom ruled the screening was a “clear breach of broadcasting code” and put licence holders Mushroom TV “on notice” following the incident. This year has seen an increase in efforts to curb the broadcast of raunchy pop videos at times when children were watching. Following the Bailey report, prime minister David Cameron called for a Downing Street summit of retailers, advertisers, broadcasters, magazine editors, video games and music industry chiefs and regulators to gauge progress over issues including the exposure of children to sexualised imagery, which is due to take place in October. The summit is still due to take place according to Ofcom, but it is unclear if Cameron will accede to calls in Bailey’s report for legislation in 18 months if demands for tighter voluntary controls are not implemented. •
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Car appears to be same one left on top of Mount Snowdon on 3 September A 4×4 vehicle has been abandoned near the summit of Mount Snowdon in north Wales for the second time in a month. The Vauxhall Frontera is neatly parked next to the visitors’ centre at the highest peak in England and Wales. National park bosses, police, mountain rescue teams and the Snowdon Mountain Railway Company are working out the best way to get the vehicle down. It is thought that the vehicle is the same one that was left on the mountain on 3 September. Then the car was loaded on to a truck and taken down the mountain on the railway. Following that incident, the alleged owner of the vehicle, Craig Williams, 39, was arrested and is due in court charged with dangerous driving next week. But the 4×4 reappeared next to the £8m visitor centre Hafod Eryri on Thursday morning. Witnesses have said the car had a sign placed in the windscreen that claimed it was to be sold on an internet auction site in aid of the local mountain rescue teams. Ian Henderson, secretary of Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, said: “Even if it is auctioned for the charity we could not accept the donation as this the result of an illegal act. “Clearly we are unhappy that a car was driven up Snowdon and it presents all the authorities and those who care about the mountain with a very serious problem — how to remove it safely. “Snowdon is a mountain for all of us to enjoy and it is not a playground for motorists.” Snowdonia National Park Authority chief executive, Aneurin Phillips, said: “This irresponsible behaviour is totally unacceptable and I urge the police to prosecute the offender and impound and dispose of the vehicle.” A spokesman for the park said removing the vehicle this time would be even trickier. It had been parked next to the railway line last time, making it relatively easy to load on to a truck. This time it has been driven higher across steep, rocky ground. Getting it back down to the railway is likely to be even more difficult and dangerous. Park officials are particularly angry because the good weather means that the mountain is particularly busy. Snowdon stands at 1,085m (3,560 feet). In Welsh, Snowdon used to be called Yr Wyddfa Fawr (the Great Tomb or the Great Throne) or Carnedd y Cawr (the Cairn of the Giant). Nowadays it is simply called Yr Wyddfa. Wales Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
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