Click here to view this media I watched This Week with Christiane Amanpour and I could swear she’s sleepwalking through this interview. Is there anything close to a pointed question here? Is there some reason this mush-mouthed faux “patriot,” this enemy of democracy, goes unchallenged? AMANPOUR: Yunji, thanks so much for being with us there in New Orleans and keeping an eye on that. Labor Day is the traditional kickoff of the campaign season, so get ready for a flurry of activity. There’s a debate on Wednesday. And tomorrow, the leading Republican presidential candidates take center stage at a South Carolina forum, hosted by the state’s powerful senator, Jim DeMint. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was planning to skip the event, but he changed his mind when Rick Perry surged ahead in the polls. Senator DeMint, of course, is a major force behind the Tea Party movement. His endorsement is one of the major prizes of 2012. And he joins me now from Clemson, South Carolina. Senator, thank you for being with us. DEMINT: Christiane, it’s great to be with you. And we’re really looking forward to this forum, because it’s set up in a very different style. Instead of the typical debate, with lots of candidates on stage, each candidate gets to spend 21 minutes on the stage by themselves to define themselves in their own terms . So I think folks all over the country will find it very interesting. Translation: We’re not going to let anything happen like that last one, where Chris Wallace surprised us all by asking tough questions. Goddamnit, we’re Republicans, we’re supposed to protect each other! That’s why we came up with this beauty pageant format. AMANPOUR: Well, let me ask you then for your view on the latest entrant into the race, and that is Texas Governor Rick Perry. Earlier this summer, you said you didn’t know enough about him. Now can you tell me your views since he’s been in the race and there’s been a lot said by him over the last couple of weeks? DEMINT: Well, I’m excited about our field. I think the more people find out about the Republican candidates, the more strengths they see. I think that’s why a lot of people have hesitated to jump in. And it’s good to give people a choice. So I’m glad Governor Perry jumped in. But I’m going to withhold any endorsement or support for several months. It’s really important to me to see how these candidates respond to the big issues of the day. I want to see not only their policy proposals, particularly as it relates to jobs, but I want to see how they respond to recommendations from this super-committee and what Congress is doing towards balancing the budget and other issues like that. That’s going to play out over the next couple of months. But this forum’s going to be very helpful to me and others, because instead of forcing them to answer my questions, we are going to encourage them to define the issues on their own terms . This will give us a little bit deeper understanding on how they view the Constitution and their role as president. AMANPOUR: Senator, I know you want to withhold an endorsement, but I do want to press you, because Rick Perry is the front-runner at the moment. And I want to know — and particularly he’s quite beloved of the Tea Party movement, of which you’re a major force. What can you tell me? How do you feel, for instance, about his endorsement of Al Gore back in 1988, of his praising Hillary Clinton’s and the Clinton health care plan? What do you feel about those stances? DEMINT: Well, I want to find out more about him, obviously, but we know people change. Reagan was a Democrat. And I want to look at what the governor’s done as governor of Texas, just as I’m going to try to dig into a lot of the issues, past, present and future policy proposals of all the candidates. But I want to give them all a little room to change. I know I’ve changed some positions I had 10 years ago, because the country’s in a very different situation . So I’m going to listen and look and do my — do my homework. And I’m not counting any of them out at this point. Translation: I don’t care if we nominate a piece of lumber, I’m 100% behind them! AMANPOUR: What about Governor Perry’s stance on Social Security? In his book, which is now being pored over, as you can imagine, he basically called Social Security like a bad disease and a big failure. Do you think that is going to haunt him on the campaign trail? DEMINT: Well, I want to hear him explain his views on that. I’ve developed a lot of reform proposals myself and been accused of trying to destroy Social Security, when the whole point was to try to save it. I think most people know that Social Security is bankrupt. And I believe the governor probably feels as I do: We need to keep our promises to seniors and offer better choices to younger workers . But I want to hear him explain these things on his own terms. And so I think we’ll learn a lot about that and other issues on Monday. Lying old coot. Oops, did I just write that? It doesn’t matter who gets the nomination, they’re all going after Social Security. AMANPOUR: Well, just quickly to wrap up Governor Perry, do you like what you’ve seen so far? Is he the presumed front-runner for you? DEMINT: Well, there are things I certainly like, just like I do with all the candidates. Like I said before, I see some good things, some strengths in a lot of the candidates. And the ones — we’re having — we’ve got the top runners or the top tier there on Monday. So I’m not making any real judgments, but there are things I like about all of them. AMANPOUR: Now, you’re being very cagey, Senator. Let me ask you about Governor Mitt Romney, who did earn your endorsement the last time he ran. He’s having a lot of trouble with the Tea Party right now. He’s decided to come to your forum, where he was going to skip it. Where do you think he needs to go in order to get Tea Party support? Do you think he’ll get it? DEMINT: Well, the Tea Party’s being thrown around a lot today, but for everyone who calls him a Tea Party — themselves a Tea Party member, there are hundreds of people who have the same concerns about our spending and our debt. We know over 70 percent of Americans want to balance the budget. So it’s not one, small group. What it is, is just thousands of groups around the country who are concerned about the future of our country. I think it’s one of the best things that’s happened to our country and to politics, because there’s a broad cross-section of Americans involved in citizen activism today. And some are called Tea Party; some are not. Some of us are called Democrats, and we’ll be working hard to stop you, Jim. But all the candidates are going to have to appeal to this new grassroots movement. And that’s really what I’m looking for. I’m not trying to anoint any candidate. I’m looking at which one really catches the attention and inspires the average American, who has gotten involved with politics and the political process. So that’s key to me. Any of these candidates are going to have to appeal to those Americans who are unified, particularly around fiscal issues. AMANPOUR: Talking about fiscal issues, President Obama is going to be making a big speech towards a joint session of Congress this week. Do you expect him to make any proposals that will win Republican support? DEMINT: Well, I’m, frankly, very tired of speeches. I don’t want to be disrespectful to the president, but what I want to see is something in writing and that the Congressional Budget Office tells us what it’s going to cost so that we can not only read it ourselves, but the American people can read it. Speeches, we’ve found, are not very similar to the actual legislation. So I’m pretty frustrated with the speech idea. And, frankly, the things that have been leaking out of the White House, none of them are like what I’ve been hearing from businesses all over the country. You know, extending unemployment, cutting payroll taxes, offering tax credits when you hire someone, I haven’t heard one business say things like this. What they want is some certainty. They want the regulators off their back. They want the National Labor Relations Board to stop pushing the union agenda and try to help companies that create jobs. So I don’t think the president is going to come out with things that are really going to create jobs. I’m afraid it’s just pandering to his base. But if he’ll send a written proposal, I’ll give it every chance, in — but I’m not interested in his speech right now. And as the Congressional Budget Office said, we can’t score a speech. We can’t tell him what it’s going to cost or what it’s going to do. AMANPOUR: Senator DeMint, thank you so much for joining us from South Carolina. Must. Hit. Head. On. Wall. Oh Christiane, I had such hopes for you, and I do see the occasional glimmer of what could be. Why would you let a weasel like Jim DeMint string together one lie after another and go unchallenged ? As recently as this week, businesses were saying regulations aren’t the problem with the economy. And Republican extremists are the only people trying to keep the NLRB from doing their job. Not to mention that his only real goal is to keep Obama from being reelected. How about asking him about that ?
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Heavy rains and landslides leave 20 dead and many missing as flooded rivers and collapsed bridges hamper rescue operations At least 20 people have been killed and 50 others missing in Japan after the country’s western coast was hit by typhoon Talas on Sunday. The typhoon has unleashed heavy rains, triggering landslides, and is slowly moving north. The government has ordered evacuation of 460,000 people in western and central Japan. Hundreds of people are still stranded as the rescue efforts are being hampered by flooded rivers and collapsed bridges, local agencies report. The typhoon has caused record amount of rainfall in some areas, making it the worst storm to hit the country since 2004. Talas has damaged Nijojo castle, designated as an important cultural treasure and a popular tourist attraction in the ancient city of Kyoto. Public broadcaster NHK showed a bridge swept away after torrential rain. People holding umbrellas waded through knee-deep water in city streets and residential areas. Many cars were washed away in the floods. Japan’s meteorological agency warned of more heavy rains, strong winds, floods and landslides. It has issued landslide warnings in nearly all of the country’s prefectures. Japan Natural disasters and extreme weather guardian.co.uk
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Tony Blair to seek path back to peace talks in effort to avert collision over Palestinian bid to win UN recognition of statehood Tony Blair is expected to meet Palestinian and Israeli leaders this week in an attempt to find a path back to peace negotiations and avert a potential diplomatic collision over a Palestinian bid to win UN recognition of their statehood. The former British prime minister has reportedly been entrusted with the task of finding a formula to restart talks that would be acceptable to the members of the Middle East quartet – the US, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations – as well as to both sides in the conflict. Blair met Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, last week and has further meetings scheduled for this week. The US is accelerating efforts to forestall the Palestinians’ bid to win recognition of their state, according to a report in the New York Times . Barack Obama is anxious to avoid a situation where the US has to veto such an attempt, thus risking the anger of the Arab world. The US has made it clear it will wield its veto if the issue comes to a vote at the security council. Blair is said to be pushing for a consensus around the key issues of borders and acknowledging Israel as a “Jewish state”. However, Israeli officials are unhappy with Obama’s speech in May in which he spoke of a Palestinian state “based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed land swaps”, saying this should not be the starting point of talks. The Palestinians reject formally acknowledging Israel as a Jewish state as it disregards the 20% of the population that is Palestinian and undermines the “right of return” for Palestinian refugees. Both sides have little confidence in the other’s expressed willingness to return to negotiations. There are also difference of opinion within the quartet that may prove difficult to bridge. Blair has a long track record of negotiating between the Israelis and Palestinians built up over four years as the quartet’s special envoy. According to Daniel Kurtzer, former US ambassador to Israel, the US administration needed a high-profile political figure to push the parties towards negotiations. “There is a bit of outsourcing going on to someone like Tony Blair just to see if he can make something work,” he told Reuters. “If he can, the administration will glom on to it and if he can’t the administration has not soiled its nest.” Israel Palestinian territories Middle East Tony Blair Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk
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Muammar Gaddafi’s stronghold said to be a scene of growing desperation with no power or water and food running low Libyan rebels say 25 doctors are seeking entry into one of Muammar Gaddafi’s besieged strongholds in a bid to avert an escalating humanitarian crisis. The town of Bani Walid is said to be a scene of growing desperation with no power or water for a week, food running low and Gaddafi loyalists firing in the streets. Rebels have surrounded the town, one of the last in Libya that remains in the deposed leader’s grip. Despite ongoing clashes they were continuing last ditch efforts to negotiate a peaceful surrender. Rebels claimed their first priority is now bringing emergency relief to the population. At a desert outpost around 60km away, Abusif Ghnyah, a rebel spokesman who comes from Bani Walid, said: “There is no fruit or vegetables and a shortage of water. People are relying on food stored in their house. The city has been without electricity for a week and the houses rely on electricity, even for water. There is nothing at the hospital.” Two of his colleagues had gone to Bani Walid to negotiate passage for 25 doctors, Ghnyah said. “We are not fighters. We want to supply food, medicine and so on. We are preparing for humanitarian intervention. But unless it is 100% safe, we will not go in.” The talks appeared to have broken down because rebels want the doctors and ambulances to go in with an armed convoy. Pro-Gaddafi elements in Bani Walid, 140km southeast of Tripoli, have found this unacceptable. Ghnyah said 120 people gathered in Bani Walid last week and agreed a negotiated surrender, only for the meeting to be disrupted by Gaddafi loyalists shouting dissent. Ghnyah claimed that around 20 loyalist gunmen are causing mayhem in the town, “most likely” on the instructions of Gaddafi himself. “We have heard some of the Gaddafi gangs controlling Bani Walid are making trouble for the people. They are firing into the air and threatening people. They are giving guns to children. They are destroying the city.” On Saturday the rebels claimed that Bani Walid’s radio station was under their control and flags had been raised in defiance. Ghnyah added: “The whole population of Bani Walid is with us but they are frightened for their lives. Their lives are not safe if they say they are with the 17th of February [the date of the uprising]. I heard yesterday the streets are empty of people except these gangs.” Many of the rebel fighters moving up to 10km west of Bani Walid in pickup trucks with mounted artillery guns hail from the town and belong to its dominant tribe, the Warfala. They say they are unwilling to take it by force and risk civilian casualties unless entirely necessary. Various deadlines for surrender have come and gone. Ghnyah added: “We have told them they are our brothers, our elders, and we are not going there for bloodshed. We are patient because we want to save the lives of people. We don’t want to fire one shot, we don’t want to hurt the people.” But asked how just 20 Gaddafi sympathisers could be holding a town of 60,000 people hostage, Ghnyah replied: “That’s a good question.” Rebel officials have given conflicting statements about the situation in Bani Walid and other loyalist areas. Dao Salhin Eljadek, a colonel in the Tripoli Military Council, contradicted earlier reports by suggesting that Gaddafi’s sons, Saif and Saadi, are still in Bani Walid. “Saif is in Bani Walid and has given about 80 FN guns to snipers and mercenaries,” he said. “Saif is causing problems and is causing us to fight each other. The people of Bani Walid should abandon him.” He added: “I know Saadi is in Bani Walid and negotiating a surrender. If they give up, they will be given a fair trial. Everyone who was working with the Gaddafi regime, as soon as surrendering, will be treated humanely and kept safe under our control until going to court.” Asked to estimate the strength of Gaddafi’s forces, Eljadek commented: “Numbers don’t matter. We’ll do our best for the country.” Meanwhile Nato reported bombing an ammunition storage facility near Bani Walid. It also bombed a military barracks, a police camp and several other targets near Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte on Saturday night, as well as targets near Hun, a possible staging ground in the desert halfway between Sirte and Sabha. National Transitional Council officials announced plans to bring their heavily-armed fighters under control and try to integrate thousands of them into the police force and find jobs for others. Interim interior minister Ahmad Darat said: “We only need the revolutionaries for the first month. We have a plan we will announce today to include 3,000 of the revolutionaries in the interior ministry who will be trained and will work in national security. “The rest of them work in business or are builders etc – they don’t want to be in the police. They will give up their weapons. It’s just a matter of time and organisation.” Libya Muammar Gaddafi Middle East Africa Arab and Middle East unrest David Smith guardian.co.uk
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Jakob Kellenberger to meet Bashar al-Assad after activist network reports 14 more deaths and gang attacks military bus The deaths of several protesters and security personnel were reported in Syria on Sunday as the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Damascus to seek access to activists arrested during the five-and-a-half-month uprising. At least 14 people were shot dead across Syria, including in suburbs of the capital and the western cities of Homs and Hama, according to the Local Co-ordination Committees, an activist network. A journalist, Amer Mattar, was among a wave of reported arrests that spread from the capital to the northern port city of Latakia and to Deir Ezzor, near the Iraqi border. The government said nine people were killed when an “armed gang” opened fire with machine guns at a military bus in central Syria. The state news agency Sana said six soldiers and three civilians had died. The report could not be confirmed, but activists say there have been limited cases of retaliatory killings in areas subjected to the most brutal crackdowns. One Homs resident said: “Some people are arming and we have killed security forces and shabiha [pro-regime thugs assisting in the crackdown], but only in retaliation.” The ICRC chief, Jakob Kellenberger, met the foreign minister, Walid al-Muallem, and was scheduled to meet the president, Bashar al-Assad, on Monday, Sana said. The visit came as Nabil al-Araby, the head of the Arab League, said he had been given permission to visit Damascus. Last week the 22-country body called on the Syrian regime to stop the bloodshed. Despite rejecting foreign interference, Syria appears to be granting greater access to foreign delegations amid growing international pressure. Last week a UN humanitarian delegation visited cities including Latakia and Homs, where government forces reportedly opened fire at protesters as the delegation was leaving the city. “The Syrian government told me that it welcomes the visit of the secretary general at any time and it will probably be this week,” Araby told a press conference in Cairo. On Saturday four of Syria’s leading businessmen were put under EU sanctions for alleged financial support of the regime, as a European oil embargo was passed. The European energy sanctions will have more effect than the US embargo because the majority of Syrian oil – which accounts for more than a quarter of government revenue – is sold to France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. France’s foreign minister, Alain Juppe, on Saturday called for further international pressure against the regime in Damascus. But Russia and China have blocked attempts to get the UN security council to adopt a resolution against Syria. Syria blames foreign-backed armed groups for the ongoing violence in which at least 2,200 people have died, according to the UN. Thousands more have been detained. Nour Ali is the pseudonym of a journalist based in Damascus Syria Bashar Al-Assad Middle East Nour Ali guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media In an interview Sunday, Fox News’ Chris Wallace took it easy on former Vice President Dick Cheney. The Fox News host probably wasn’t shocked to find out that Cheney ignores the suggestion that he is a war criminal and that he doesn’t discourage Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from running against President Barack Obama. The former vice president’s response to “What do you think of Barack Obama as president?” simply wasn’t going to surprise anyone. But probably most predictable was Cheney’s answer to Wallace’s prompting that the mainstream media is too liberal. Wallace noted that following Cheney’s interview on NBC’s The Today Show , the network showed a protester holding a sign saying, “Torture Is a Crime: Investigate Cheney.” “Investigate Cheney,” Cheney repeated with a smile. “I somehow doubt that if Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama were speaking they would have taken the shot and then suddenly a person with a sign would have been putting their picture up,” Wallace declared. “Do you think there is a liberal bias in the mainstream media?” Wallace asked. “I think there probably is,” Cheney replied. “But I don’t spend time worry being it. I think that those of us right-thinking conservatives find that there are a lot of outlets out there now in the media, on the Internet that give us ample opportunity for our points of view to get across and heard.” “Mr. Vice President, thank you for talking with us and thank you for your service to our nation,” Wallace concluded the interview by saying. “His book is In My Time and I can tell you it is a very good read.”
Continue reading …Happy Feet the penguin released into Southern Ocean after New Zealand trip
September 4, 2011 No Comment
Emperor penguin returns home more than two months after he came ashore on a beach nearly 2,000 miles away It needed a little push before speeding backwards down a makeshift slide. Once in the water, it popped its head up for one last look, and then it was gone. The wayward emperor penguin known as Happy Feet was back home in Antarctic waters after an extended sojourn spent capturing hearts in New Zealand. Happy Feet was released into the Southern Ocean south of New Zealand more than two months after it came ashore on a beach nearly 2,000 miles from home. Lisa Argilla, a Wellington zoo vet who was aboard the research vessel Tangaroa, said Happy Feet’s release went remarkably smoothly given that the boat was being tossed about in eight-metre (25ft) swells. Crew members carried the penguin inside a custom-built crate to the stern of the ship for its final send-off. But when they opened the crate’s door, it showed no interest in leaving. “I needed to give him a little tap on his back,” Argilla said. The penguin slipped down the slide on its stomach, bottom first, she said. It resurfaced about two metres from the boat, took a look up at the people aboard, then disappeared beneath the surface. “I was really happy to see him go,” Argilla said. “The best part of my job is when you get to release animals back into the wild where they are supposed to be.” Happy Feet was found on 20 June on Peka Peka beach, about 40 miles north-west of Wellington. It had been 44 years since an emperor penguin was last spotted in the wild in New Zealand. At first, conservation authorities said they would wait and let nature take its course with the penguin. But it soon became clear the bird’s condition was deteriorating, as it scooped up beaks full of sand and swallowed, possibly mistaking it for snow, which emperor penguins eat for its moisture in Antarctica. Four days after it was discovered the penguin was moved to Wellington zoo where it underwent numerous stomach-flushing procedures to remove sand from his digestive system. It was given a makeshift home in a room that zoo staff kept filled with a bed of ice so it would not overheat. A local television station, TV3, set up a webcam and streamed images of the bird around the clock. Soon, Happy Feet had 250,000 followers. They will be able to keep track of the penguin for a while longer: Happy Feet has been fitted with a GPS tracker and its movements will be posted online . Argilla expects the tracker to fall off the next time the bird moults. Argilla said the final boat journey, which began last Monday and ran into bad weather, had been difficult for her – she got seasick – and the crew. The one who seemed least bothered, she said, was Happy Feet, who rolled with the swells, slept standing up and took nips at the crew when they fed him fresh fish. Now that Happy Feet has been nursed back to health, Argilla said its chances were as good as for any other penguin in the wild. “He swam away, not caring about us any more,” Argilla said. “And that’s a good thing.” New Zealand Animals Wildlife guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Fox’s Hoenig: Children Would ‘Do Better on the Streets’ Than in Union Dominated Public School System
September 4, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media While discussing the fact that a large number of school districts across the country have now decided to start operating on a four day schedule because of budget constraints, Fox Cashin’ In contributor Jonathan Hoenig jumps the shark so badly during this segment, that even his fellow wingnuts that normally spend these Saturday show trashing public education and any public sector unions had to disagree with him. HOENIG: Government, which of course has a monopoly over the public schools, really has become the parent. If the reason for keeping this failed school system is day care, I mean honestly Tracy, believe me, it’s cheaper for you to hire a baby sitter for your kids, than to fund this union dominated school system. (crosstalk) BYRNES: Jonathan, it’s about learning. It is about keeping us on par with the rest of the world. HOENIG: Why do you want to keep them there more? That’s the whole point. They’re not learning in the public schools. You want to keep them there more… an extra day? They’d do better on the streets! This is the same idiot that John wrote about back in Feb. 2008 here — Jonathan Honeig thinks it’s a right to smash a dog’s head against a wall . And I’m beginning to think Tracy Byrnes is suffering from the same syndrome as Megyn Kelly who suddenly became a born again liberal when it comes to maternity leave that Karoli wrote about here — Megyn Kelly Defends The Family Medical Leave Act . Besides defending the public school system as she did in this segment, earlier in the show she was defending national flood insurance, after, you guessed it, her home was in one of the areas affected by the hurricane and she just got her power turned back on the day before the show.
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Murdo Fraser claims Conservatives’ only hope of attracting greater support in Scotland would be to split off from UK party The Scottish Tory party could be scrapped and replaced by a new centre-right party, under radical reform proposals drafted by the favourite to become its next leader. Murdo Fraser, deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives , will launch his campaign to head the party on Monday by claiming that its only hope to attract greater popular support would be to split off from the UK party led by David Cameron. Fraser, a former chairman of the Scottish Young Conservatives, will argue that creating a new Scottish centre-right, tax-cutting party would allow it to build up a fresh political mandate and attract voters disenchanted by the current party, which has failed to recover significantly from 25 years of decline. After losing every Scottish seat at the 1997 Westminster election, the party now has only one MP at Westminster, David Mundell, the Scotland Office minister. It won just 15 out of 129 seats for the Scottish parliament at the last Holyrood elections and has failed to benefit from the collapse in Liberal Democrat support in Scotland. Many senior Tories in Scotland fear the party’s often toxic reputation among Scottish voters will undermine its campaign for Scotland to remain within the UK in the forthcoming independence referendum. Fraser argues that the autonomous party would ally itself to the UK party but remain independent. His proposals have been floated with David Cameron, the prime minister, and other senior Tory figures in the UK government. Cameron’s views are not clear but one of his close allies, Francis Maude, is reported to believe the Scottish party needs a radical solution to rebuild support. Several influential senior Scottish figures in the party, such as Liam Fox, the defence secretary, and Lord Forsyth, a former Scottish secretary closely associated with the party under Margaret Thatcher, are said to be highly critical of the proposal. In the past, Scottish Tories have pointed out that the party has long been constitutionally separate from the party in the rest of the UK. Critics say this is a technical issue which the voters do not see as meaningful. Fraser’s leadership campaign has already attracted a number of prominent supporters, including the Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, the former speaker of the Scottish parliament, Liz Smith, and the senior Scottish Tory MEP Struan Stevenson. At his leadership campaign launch, Fraser is expected to say: “If I am elected as leader of the party, I will turn it into a new and stronger party for Scotland. A new party. A winning party with new supporters from all walks of life. “A new belief in devolution. A new approach to policy-making. A new name. But most importantly, a new positive message about the benefits of staying in and strengthening our United Kingdom. A new party. A new unionism. A new dawn.” Fraser is currently facing two other contenders for the leadership: Jackson Carlaw, a rightwinger close to party traditionalists, and Ruth Davidson, one of the party’s newest faces at Holyrood, elected at the last Scottish elections and the party’s only openly gay MSP. Davidson is said to be favoured by Cameron but has yet to formally declare. Carlaw launched his campaign on Friday by calling for an early referendum on independence and a new act of constitutional settlement to strengthened the UK. He told supporters: “I want to secure a strong Scotland in a great Britain and so the future of the union will be the heart and soul of my campaign and at the very centre of my appeal to party members.” Scottish politics Conservatives Scotland Severin Carrell guardian.co.uk
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Authorities are searching for the shark and the man’s missing limbs in the Bunker Bay area near Dunsborough A bodyboarder has died after a shark bit off his legs at a popular surfing spot in Western Australia. Authorities were reportedly searching for the shark as well as the man’s missing limbs. The man in his early 20s was bodyboarding with five friends when the shark attacked, a police spokesman said. He died at the scene in the surfing haven known as the Farm, off Bunker Bay near the town of Dunsborough. The beach was closed after the attack. About 30 surfers were in the water when the shark attacked on Sunday, according to a beachside cafe employee, Deb Pickett, who called police and an ambulance after hearing the disturbance. “We had some sharks spotted far out at sea a few months ago, but they never come this close to the shore,” Pickett said. She added that helicopters were still searching the area for the shark late on Sunday, while rescue staff searched for the man’s arms and legs, which she believed had been taken by the shark. Local official Ian Stubbs said it was the first shark attack in the area for more than 20 years. Australia Animals guardian.co.uk
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