General Sir David Richards says Nato must consider increasing range of legitimate targets in Libya or settle for stalemate British defence chiefs are applying pressure on other Nato countries to intensify the bombing campaign against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime amid deepening concerns that military action will end in stalemate. Nearly two months since the start of air strikes against Libya, Nato chiefs fear divisions within the alliance, and at the UN, will lead to fewer air strikes just at a time when, they claim, the regime is starting to feel the pinch and even its core support showing signs of cracking. They want Nato to expand its targets, as the UK and a number of smaller Nato nations already have done, to include more static targets such as command and control centres and not only those posing a direct and clear threat to Libyan civilians, such as tanks and artillery. Well-placed British government officials made this plain on Sunday as General Sir David Richards, chief of the defence staff, said that he wanted the rules of engagement changed so that attacks can be launched against the infrastructure propping up Gaddafi’s regime. “The vice is closing on Gaddafi, but we need to increase the pressure further through more intense military action,” Richards told the Sunday Telegraph. “We now have to tighten the vice to demonstrate to Gaddafi that the game is up and he must go,” he added. “We need to do more. “If we do not up the ante now there is a risk that the conflict could result in Gaddafi clinging to power.” Richards added: “At present Nato is not attacking infrastructure targets in Libya. But if we want to increase the pressure on Gaddafi’s regime then we need to give serious consideration to increasing the range of targets we can hit.” Though he said that Nato forces were not targeting Gaddafi directly, the Libyan leader could become a legitimate target if he was discovered directing attacks against Libyan civilians. The UN security council resolution allowed Nato to use “all necessary means” to protect civilians. “We are not targeting Gaddafi directly, but if it happened that he was in a command and control centre that was hit by Nato and he was killed, then that is within the rules,” Richards said. Taking a much tougher line than earlier in the conflict when he made clear Gaddafi was not a target – and was sharply criticised by Downing Street for his pains – Richards now says that Gaddafi cannot be allowed to remain in power. “If Nato withdraws its forces with Gaddafi still in power, then there is a significant risk that he will launch fresh attacks against the rebels,” he said. Significantly, Richards added: “The prime minister and I are on the same page. We are in total agreement that the only solution to this conflict is for Gaddafi to go.” Liam Fox, the defence secretary, admitted on Sunday that a number of Nato countries were “less happy” with Britain’s decision to extend the number of targets, to include command and control centres and what he called “intelligence networks”. Speaking on BBC1′s Politics Show, he said: “Not all Nato countries take the same view.” Fox added that if Gaddafi regime commanders chose to be in a command and control centre it was “a risk they take”. Concern among senior defence officials is likely to be increased further as Baroness Amos, former Labour cabinet minister and now top UN official for humanitarian relief, responded to Richards’s comments by calling for a temporary halt to hostilities. She called for a political solution as soon as possible, adding that “any upscaling of the fighting will have a significant impact on the people”. Adrian Mitchell, the international development secretary, said it was not the coalition engaged in air strikes, but Gaddafi”s forces, who were preventing medical supplies and food from being distributed. The military campaign was not about “targeting individuals”, he said. Libya Muammar Gaddafi Military Defence policy Nato General Sir David Richards David Cameron Richard Norton-Taylor guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …. This is why Newt can never be a serious candidate for the Republican Party and if he was as smart as he keeps telling us he is, he’d know it. There is no way that conservatives will be able to get past all the sordid aspects of Newt’s personal failings. It’s not the hypocrisy of prosecuting Clinton while having an affair, it’s that he dumped his first wife (whom he dated secretly while she was his high school geometry teacher and married to get out of going to Vietnam) while she was recovering from cancer surgery. It’s about her suing him to get him to pay child support, while he was taking money from special interests. It’s about all the messy details his scorned second wife told the media after he told her he wanted to annul their 18 year marriage so that his third marriage would be recognized in his fiancee’s church. And then openly carried on with the now third Mrs. Gingrich for years (Vanity Fair referred to her by the classy euphemism of “Gingrich’s frequent breakfast companion”). How can social conservatives possibly bring themselves to vote for someone when it’s open knowledge that he prefers oral sex from his women friends so that he has the plausible deniability that he didn’t “sleep” with that person? Newt has had to find ways to deal with this and sadly, this pathetic approach is the best he’s got: “Yeah, I’ve been a bad boy, but look at me now!” It’s pretty big leap Newt is asking his supporters to take to believe that all those horndog tendencies were youthful indiscretion, especially since he was in his mid-50s when he hooked up with his latest wife. And like the husband caught with lipstick on his collar, promising that it won’t happen ever again, it’s foolish to believe that Newt’s fundamental selfishness will change.
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Early projections in Zurich referendums show 80% are against proposals to outlaw ‘suicide tourism’ Voters in Zurich have rejected proposed bans on assisted suicide and “suicide tourism”, or foreigners travelling to Switzerland to receive help in ending their lives. Early projections showed both initiatives had been rejected in local referendums by about 80%, the Swiss news agency SDA reported. There are about 200 assisted suicides each year in Zurich. Assisted suicide has been allowed in Switzerland since 1941 if performed by a non-physician who has no vested interest in the death. Euthanasia, or “mercy killing”, is legal only in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the US state of Oregon. Many terminally ill foreigners – particularly from Germany, France and Britain – travel to Switzerland to kill themselves, taking advantage of rules on suicide which are among the world’s most liberal. But a rise in foreigners seeking to end their lives in Switzerland, and a study showing that more and more people seeking assisted suicides in the country do not suffer from a terminal illness, have provoked heated debate. The Swiss government has said it is looking to change the law on assisted suicide to make sure it is used only as a last resort by the terminally ill, and to limit “suicide tourism”. Right-to-die group Exit has agreed rules to govern assisted suicide with prosecutors in Zurich in the hope they may eventually form the basis of national regulation. Foreigners are not explicitly excluded under the new rules, but a Swiss doctor who prescribes the deadly anaesthetic must have met the person twice over a period of time to be sure of their wishes. Switzerland Europe Assisted suicide guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Fox Panel Accuses ‘Liberal’ Media of ‘Tearing Down’ GOP Presidential Candidates by Reporting on Their Marital Problems
May 15, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media This week on Fox News Watch, Fox’s excuse for a supposed media watchdog show, the host Jon Scott and a couple of the panelists, Jim Pinkerton and Cal Thomas all claimed that that mythical “liberal media” was just hell bent on tearing down potential Republican presidential candidates because they aren’t treating Newt Gingrich as a serious candidate due to his personal baggage. A claim that even Judith Miller found ridiculous. And what other proof did syndicated columnist Cal Thomas offer here that the media is biased against all of the Republican candidates? The fact that the media has reported on Mitch Daniels’ marital problems as well. That’s some conspiracy theory you’ve got going there Cal. The press tells us the truth about how Gingrich has treated his ex-wives and that Daniels’ wife left him and came back, and all the media coverage on the Republicans is negative now. Wow. That’s quite a stretch there. And the coverage I’ve seen of Daniels on the matter hasn’t exactly been negative. He was portrayed as being a good father and doing the right thing and taking care of his kids in some of the rather glowing segments on Daniels that I’ve seen so far where this was brought up. Thomas also trotted out the tired old talking point that if President Obama had received more scrutiny from the media about the Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers, he would never have been elected and that it took the conservative media to bring those things out. Thomas must not have been paying attention to Sean Hannity flogging these whipped up controversies on his show night after night that did get picked up by the rest of the media as well to the point that Obama felt he finally had to put a stop to it when he gave his speech on race in Philadelphia in March of ’08. I guess Thomas also wasn’t paying any attention when Sarah Palin was out on the campaign trail accusing then Senator Obama of “paling around with terrorists” week after week. The claim that President Obama did not receive any scrutiny for his ties to Ayers and Wright and that it would have kept him from being elected is laughable. That’s not going to stop the talking heads over at Fox from continuing to paint the poor downtrodden Republicans as somehow oppressed and never given a fair shake by the press and to pretend that Democrats get more favorable coverage. Just another day in upside down land at Fox.
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Spanish court refuses bail for Deyan Valentinov Deyanov as questions are raised over island’s mental health provision The man accused of murdering Jennifer Mills-Westley, the British woman who was beheaded in a frenzied knife attack while shopping on the holiday island of Tenerife, has been remanded in prison by a Spanish court. The decision came amid a growing scandal over how Deyan Valentinov Deyanov, a 28-year-old Bulgarian with a record of mental health problems and violence was allowed to roam the streets of the tourist resort of Los Cristianos, in the south of Tenerife. Locals also expressed growing concern about the impact on tourism in a Canary Island resort highly popular with Britons. It has emerged that Mills-Westley, 60, who had five grandchildren, had sought refuge at an employment centre in Los Cristianos, where she told social services officials she was being trailed. A man was reportedly sent away from the area by a security guard before she left the building. A police source working on the murder inquiry told the Sunday Times that Mills-Westley had waited in the office until the man following her had disappeared. She then walked into a Chinese-owned shop nearby but he went after her. “He grabbed a large kitchen knife from the shelf and stabbed her at least 14 times in the neck without saying a word,” the source said. The local Canarias 7 newspaper reported on Sunday that Deyanov was known as “the prophet” because of his habit of shouting out that he was God on Earth. “A lot of people called him the prophet, and everyone knew he was dangerous,” Davide Balsamo, who helped tackle the man as he ran down the street with his 60-year-old victim’s head on Friday morning, told the newspaper. “We used to hear him shouting in the street and he had been arrested more than once for attacking people,” neighbour Bernardo Parra said. While the local town hall denied having had any dealing with Deyanov, local people said that the municipality’s own mental health services should have taken charge of him. “Someone as dangerous as this should never have been allowed out of psychiatric treatment,” said Rosa, a poster on the Canarias 7 website. The local El Día newspaper reported that Deyanov, who lived in a semi-abandoned building, had been detained several times after creating trouble in bars and shops. In February, municipal police had taken him to the psychiatric unit at the local Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria hospital. He had since been released. Deyanov was eventually disarmed by a security guard from the local employment offices where Mills-Westley had reportedly sought help moments earlier after being threatened by Deyanov. “Death! I’ll kill you,” Deyanov had shouted at security guard Juan Antonio Hernández, who responded by striking him on the arm with his baton, making him drop his knife. Deyanov was chased up the street by Hernández and others and eventually tackled and handcuffed. “He smelt strongly of alcohol and was shouting,” said local woman María Carmen Pérez. Mills-Westley’s daughter Sarah said: “Mum retired a number of years ago and was fully enjoying her retirement travelling between Tenerife and France where she spent time visiting her daughter and grandchildren, and her other daughter in Norfolk. She was full of life, generous of heart, would do anything for anyone. “We now have to find a way of living without her love and light and we would ask at this difficult time for some privacy as we try to come to terms with our loss.” Her ex-husband Peter told the Mail on Sunday she was a “wonderful woman, a brilliant mother and I loved her dearly”. Relatives are being helped by consular staff who have been liaising with the Tenerife authorities. Spain Europe Giles Tremlett guardian.co.uk
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Opening of floodgate should also spare Louisiana’s capital but leaves farms, oil refinery and wildlife refuge in path of deluge US army engineers have opened a key floodgate to allow the swollen Mississippi river to flood thousands of homes and crops but spare New Orleans and Louisiana’s capital, Baton Rouge. The engineers opened one of the 125 floodgates at the Morganza Spillway 45 miles north-west of Baton Rouge on Saturday, sending a flume of water on to nearby fields. The move, last taken in 1973, will channel floodwaters towards homes, farms, a wildlife refuge and a small oil refinery in the Atchafalaya river basin to avoid inundating Louisiana’s two largest cities. Weeks of heavy rains and runoff from an unusually snowy winter caused the Mississippi to rise, flooding 1.2m hectares (3m acres) of farmland in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas and evoking comparisons to historic floods in 1927 and 1937. It could take three weeks for the enormous flow of water to pass through a system of levees and spillways to the Gulf of Mexico about 100 miles to the south, said Major General Michael Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission. “It’s putting tremendous pressure on the entire system as we try to work this amount of water through the Mississippi river tributaries,” Walsh said before the floodgates opened. Some 3,000 square miles of land could be inundated in up to six metres of water for several weeks. When flows peak around 22 May, the spillway will carry about 3,500 cubic metres per second, about one quarter of its capacity. About 2,500 people live in the floodpath, and 22,500 others, with 11,000 buildings, could be affected by backwater flooding – the water pushed back into streams and tributaries that cannot flow normally into what will be an overwhelmed Atchafalaya river. Some 7,300 hectares of farmland could be flooded as waters rise, peaking in about a week and remaining high for several weeks before subsiding. “The land’s going to wash away, but that’s life,” said Hurlin Dupre, who represents Krotz Springs on the St Landry parish council. “The worst of it is we are in a drought and we can’t use none of that water.” Failing to open the floodgate would have put New Orleans at risk of flooding that, according to computer models, would eclipse that seen during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when 80% of the city was flooded. About 1,500 people died in the disaster. Lower Mississippi flooding threatened densely populated areas, up to eight refineries and at least one nuclear power plant alongside the river. The refineries account for about 12% of the nation’s capacity for making petrol and other fuels. In the Atchafalaya river basin, authorities went door to door to begin evacuations in small towns and parishes in the path of the water, which could take weeks to reach the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana’s governor, Bobby Jindal, said on Friday that the state had plans with the American Red Cross to provide shelters for evacuees. “I’m very scared,” said Heidi Fangue, a Morganza resident. “I have my bags packed and ready to go.” Fangue, who was selling T-shirts that read “Morganza Spillway [floodgate] 2011 – Gates finally opened,” said she would depart in her mother’s camper van once floodwaters began to creep over the nearby levee. In Morgan City to the south, workers were reinforcing levees and placing sandbags along the Atchafalaya river. “The fatigue factor is something we’ll have to watch for, both on the levees and on the people,” said Morgan City mayor Tim Matte. “This is unprecedented.” The army engineers corps said the gradual opening of the floodgate would prevent an immediate rush of water. Alon USA Energy said it expected its refinery in Krotz Springs to be surrounded by water within 10 to 14 days of the floodgate being opened. Exxon Mobil’s refinery in Baton Rouge, the nation’s second largest, was not expected to cease operations, but its Mississippi river dock was shut owing to high water, a plant spokesman said. Mississippi United States Natural disasters and extreme weather Flooding guardian.co.uk
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• Email jacob.steinberg.casual@guardian.co.uk • Check out the latest league tables here • All today’s latest scores sont ici • Follow Jacob to hell and back on Twitter Half-time emails. “Clearly rebuilding has been needed at Chelsea for a while, last year’s double notwithstanding,” says Rob Moline. “If Ancelotti told Abramovich to release all those players last summer – Ballack, Deco et al saying he could win the league without them, then Ancelotti should go. One suspects, however, that Ancelotti has no say; others buy and sell the players, and he’s being right, royally screwed. Don’t know – do you? And while Josh Mc? might blow away in a stiff breeze, Wilshere isn’t exactly the incredible Hulk, yet he manages to play a robust, physical (manly, after Souness) game.” I don’t think Ancelotti has much say. “Why are Chelsea fans complaining,” says Tom Shaw. “You don’t get football, do you?” Sadly I get it all too well. “Come on, Scottish Fitba – at least to judge by EPL zealots’ denunciations of it – is *always* in disgrace, but it’s still compelling!” insists Ryan Dunne. A helicopter is quite literally about to land near the pitch at the Rangers game! Maybe it would be cool if, in England, helicopters landed at freshly-relegated teams and gave them (say) a Guide to the Championship and map to all the diddy team grounds?” I’m about to cause a scene. “Well, Chelsea have really had their stuffing pulled out by that last goal,” says Linda Howard. “They look like sad, sad puppies. Stuffingless puppies. With the added melancholy of Ray Wilkins’ sighs and lamentations about their sad, sad season I’m starting to think of jinking on over to a sad, sad patchy live stream of Scotland with all the “Who knows what will happen!”. All the potential to bring even more of the sad.” Everything ok? Anything you want to share with the group? 45 min+2: Ryan Taylor wastes the free-kick, trying to drive the ball through the crowd. Lampard boots clear and the half-time whistle is blown. That was entertaining enough. 45 min+1: Ramires is booked for kicking the ball away after he barges into the back of Gutierrez to the left of the area. 44 min: Anelka’s drive from the edge of the area is charged down, but the spin on the shot takes it behind for a corner. Lampard whips it in from the left and the cross squirms into the six-yard box, leading to a goalmouth scramble. Newcastle eventually scramble it clear and streak forward on the counter. With Ivanovic injured in Newcastle’s box, Chelsea are all over the place as Lovenkrands releases Ferguson on the left. He makes his way into the area and then stands a cross up to Lovenkrands. He’s a mere three yards from goal but Cole does excellently to ease him away from the cross. 42 min: Barton dithers over a clearance in his own area and loses possession to Ramires. He works an opening with Torres, but again he’s too slow and lethargic, and eventually finds himself outmuscled. 41 min: Ray Wilkins is referring to Chelsea’s players by their first names, just in case you’d forgotten that he knows them, used to work there and is definitely not bitter about his sacking. 40 min: Cech hits a dreadful decision straight to Ferguson, but he’s blocked off by Alex. He knocks it back to Enrique but his cross is deflected through to Cech and Chelsea get away with it. 38 min: And now they’re angry again, not that they have any reason to be. Anelka was fouled 25 yards from goal but the ball ran to Lampard, so Mason quite correctly played the advantage. Lampard’s shot was blocked, but Chelsea were in a good position, so why are they complaining? 37 min: Sarcastic applause and jeers from the Chelsea fans as Mason gives them a free-kick for Coloccini’s foul on Benayoun. 36 min: Chelsea’s fans are getting increasingly irate with Lee Mason, who is giving a lot of marginal decisions against them. Now he penalises Lampard for a handball in the middle of Chelsea’s half, but Ryan Taylor tries to score from a preposterous distance. The end result is predictable. 33 min: Football fans always find identikit songs. A few years ago the in-vogue chant was ‘Easy! Easy! Easy!’ whenever a goal was scored. Now all away fans have started singing “I want to go home! I want to go home, this is a EXPLETIVE DELETED, I want to go home!” It’s really dull and has to stop. Not least because Phil Brown made the song popular. 32 min: It’s still not really happening for Torres. 30 min: A decisive piece of goalkeeping from Krul, who races out of his area to beat Anelka to the ball and head it away. 28 min: This was nearly the own goal to top all own goals. McEachran, who has started positively, slides a great pass inside Barton for Cole to chase. He holds off two challenges and then knocks the ball across the area, trying to find the onrushing Anelka, who would have had a simple finish. Enrique gets there first however, only for his firm clearance to crash against Taylor who was nearby. It could have gone anywhere but thankfully flies wide rather than into the net. Given the way Newcastle got their goal, there would have been a certain amount of justice if that had gone in. 27 min: Encouragement for Newcastle. First Lovenkrands breaks down the left flank and tries to slide a low cross to Ameobi, Alex desperately cutting it out. That was a vital piece of defending. Then Simpson tries a shot from 30 yards out, the ball flying over the top. 25 min: “It’s a great game, isn’t it?” says Ray Wilkins, I love his relentless enthusiasm. He’s just so pleased to be here and refers to every player as a ‘ lovely young man ‘, sounding strangely like your doddery old aunt as he does. 25 min: Lampard heads a long ball into Chelsea’s area behind for a corner on the right. Ryan Taylor’s delivery is dismal though, the midfielder’s corner going behind and then coming back in. Just before he took it, Ray Wilkins had been praising his ability with set-pieces, his very own Kevin Keegan moment. 24 min: “Regarding the new kit, are Chelsea so hard up that they have had to start using Birmingham’s cast offs?” says Mark Elliott. It does bear a striking resemblance actually. 22 min: This time Anelka tries his luck on the left. He teases Simpson and then makes a fool out of the young defender, stepping past him in nimble fashion. His cross is too close to Krul however. He did the hard part so well, but the end product was poor. 21 min: Torres causes more bother on the left but again he can’t get a shot away as he tries to trick his way inside. He loses it but Lampard seizes possession, only for his cross to take a deflection and fly to Krul. 20 min: Lampard hoists a free-kick into the Newcastle area. They make a meal out of clearing it, Ameobi only heading out to Alex, who shanks an awkward volley miles wide of the left post. 17 min: After Newcastle pootle about unconvincingly outside Chelsea’s area, they lose the ball and suddenly it’s shuffled forwards to Torres, who’s faced by just two Newcastle defenders. In his Liverpool days, he would surely have taken them on, but instead looks too edgy to do so here. He stops and checks for support, but with no one helping out, he realises he has to go it alone. He lopes towards the area, eventually going down under a challenge from behind. He wants a free-kick but Mason waves his appeals away. The ball breaks to Lampard, who’s finally burst forward but he can’t get it under control and eventually Ramires is penalised for a late lunge on Simpson. 16 min: McEachran concedes a free-kick out on the left touchline. It’s curled high to the far post towards Ameobi, who causes Cech a bit of bother. Cech spills it and it nearly falls to Coloccini with the goal gaping but a Chelsea defender steams in to boot it behind. The corner comes to nothing. 15 min: “I point Ryan Dunne to live streaming,” offers Linda Howard. “It’s patchy, it freezes and jerks you through and makes you sad for your limited life, and then there’s the increased threat of catching a nasty virus. All hail Scotland! Meanwhile this is GOOD STUFF!” 12 min: Torres races behind the Newcastle defence again but fouls Coloccini in a bid to get to the ball. The whistle blows and Torres then cracks a shot wide. He’s not booked though, which should wind up Arsenal fans. GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle (Gutierrez, 10 min): The free-kick is delayed while John Terry performs his fourth official duties, deciding precisely where the ball should be placed. It looks like Ryan Taylor has stolen a few yards forward to be fair. After a bit of faffing about, eventually Taylor cracks a low shot towards the bottom right corner. It looked like Cech would have had it covered, but he was completely wrong-footed as the shot deflected off the backside of Gutierrez, standing on the edge of the area. A goal reminiscent of Pippo Inzaghi’s first against Liverpool in the Champions League final in 2007 . Gutierrez is adamant it’s his goal and lets Taylor know in no uncertain terms. What a start. 9 min: John Terry earns the first booking after getting caught the wrong side of Lovenkrands, bringing the Danish forward down 25 yards from goal. 7 min: Lampard and Benayoun combine beautifully to set Torres racing in behind the Newcastle defence on the left. He’s just forced wide by Benayoun’s quick-witted flick, but manages to cut inside Simpson, working the ball on to his right foot and then slips as he slices a dreadful shot away to the right corner flag. Ah. The camera pans to Abramovich, who looks unimpressed. 6 min: Ivanovic has enjoyed an excellent start. It was his wicked that cross that won the corner that led to his goal and Newcastle are struggling to cope with his raids up the right flank. A rude awakening for young Ferguson. 5 min: Cole, who is being booed by the Newcastle fans whenever he gets it, heads down to Anelka, who skews an ambitious volley high and wide of the right post. 4 min: Anelka goes on a mazy run down the left flank but his cross towards Torres is too long and Enrique chests back to Krul confidently. GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle (Ivanovic, 2 min): All hail the power of Chelsea’s new kit. They lead already. It was poor defending from a Lampard corner on Newcastle’s part. How often have we written that? From the left, he whipped it towards the near post and Torres got there to flick it into the six-yard box, where Ivanovic got ahead of the ponderous Coloccini to knee the ball home on the volley from close range. 1 min: And we’re off. Newcastle get us going, kicking from left to right, attacking the Matthew Harding Stand. McEachran’s on the ball straight away, indulging in a bit of tiki-taka in midfield before his attempted pass through to Cole is cut out. Sky have managed to pick the two least interesting games of the day to show live, but finally this match has a bit of relevance for Sky – it’s a chance for them to show Chelsea in their NEW KIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s a bold line-up from Ancelotti, a nod to the future, with Fernando Torres starting and the new Jack Wilshere, Josh McEachran, in midfield. McEachran is meant to be the real deal, although my colleague Tom Bryant points out that he could get blown away by a gust of wind at any moment. Four of the old guard, Essien, Drogba, Mikel, Malouda, are on the bench, while David Luiz is still on the naughty step after last week’s disaster at Old Trafford. As for Newcastle, they have a youngster of their own in midfield, Shane Ferguson. I’ve never seen him play, but apparently he’s a left winger. More interestingly, Carl Cort’s Shola Ameobi’s brother, Sammy , is on the bench. The stats aren’t particularly favourable for Newcastle. Although they won at Stamford Bridge in the Carling Cup in September, they haven’t won here in the league since a 3-1 victory in 1986. They’ve also been on the end of some right hammerings in the Roman era too. Pre-match emails. “Bit harsh to call Mourinho a raging galoot I’d say,” says Robin Hazelhurst. “If Chelsea are looking to replace Ancelotti now, then they be interested that Grant could be available again, and he at least got them to the final of the Big Cup. Although I understand that fans of his current club are loving his work and would be very sorry to see him go.” Don’t test me. Not today. “Is there anything good about coming 2nd instead of 3rd in the Prem?” asks Edward Taylor. “In terms of money, Champions League draw, anything?” You do get more money if you finish second, but other than it’s all about being first loser. “Why is there a MBM of this Chelsea/Newcastle dead rubber but not of the fabulous Helicopter Sunday aka last day of the Scottish Season!?!” blasts Ryan Dunne. “Frank Lampard supports the Glorious Glasgow Rangers you know ( whilst a Hammer like yourself surely has a vague interest in Celtic’s fortunes?))” Scottish football is in disgrace, that’s why. So this is a total waste of time. This time last week, Chelsea harboured realistic hopes of going into this game in first place, but with Manchester United wrapping up the title yesterday, they now find themselves with nothing to play for, unless the race for second really grabs you. It’s end-of-term time at Stamford Bridge then. Maybe everyone should just stop pretending that this really matters and stick a DVD of Gladiator on instead. (That still happens, right?) But wait! You wouldn’t want to miss what most probably will be Carlo Ancelotti’s last appearance at Stamford Bridge, would you? I don’t know. It’s a strange thing when a manager who won the double last season – and not to mention two Champions League titles with Milan – is now judged not good enough on the basis of one dodgy season. A dodgy season in which they look finishing second in the league, one place behind the most successful side in the history of English football. Clearly rebuilding is needed at Chelsea; the side has to be manufactured to get the best out of Fernando Torres next season, but surely Ancelotti’s record demonstrates that he deserves another chance to get it right. The decision to trust in the youth players last summer backfired during their horrible run in the winter, but that was a call from upstairs. True, Chelsea’s displays in the domestic cups were miserable. They have also disappointed against Manchester United and Inter in the Champions League, which perhaps contributed more to Ancelotti’s likely dismissal, but it stands to reason that a manager who has won the competition twice probably knows how to win that competition. If Ancelotti does go, Roman Abramovich will have seen off him, Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari and with the exception of one raging galoot on that list, there are some big names right there. Maybe it’s not them, Roman. Maybe it’s you. There’s always someone worse off than you though which is the mantra I repeat to myself every morning, afternoon and night and Chelsea could always have Mike Ashley running the show. Now there’s a man who makes some interesting decisions. I suppose we have to give him some credit for Newcastle’s fine season though, even if the decision to sack Chris Hughton still looks ludicrous. It’s easy to forget this now, but back in December, everyone was expecting Alan Pardew to take Newcastle straight back down. In that context then, Pardew has done a remarkable job since taking over, overcoming a dubious Toon Army and turning up at training one day to find Shefki Kuqi standing where Andy Carroll used to be. Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Alex, Terry, Cole; Ramires, McEachran, Lampard; Anelka, Benayoun, Torres. Subs: Turnbull, David Luiz, Essien, Drogba, Mikel, Malouda, Ferreira. Newcastle (4-4-2): Krul; Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Jose Enrique; Gutierrez, Barton, Ryan Taylor, Ferguson; Shola Ameobi, Lovenkrands. Subs: Soderberg, Smith, LuaLua, Ranger, Tavernier, Kuqi, Sammy Ameobi. Referee: Lee Mason. Premier League Chelsea Newcastle United Jacob Steinberg guardian.co.uk
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Freedom of speech or political association is not a value the liberal media revere, at least not when it comes to blacklisting people who oppose homosexuality. Peter Vidmar, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist, had to resign as chef de mission for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team because as a Mormon, he donated $2,000 for Proposition 8 in California supporting traditional marriage and appeared at two Prop 8 rallies. But Vidmar’s not alone. Lifesitenews.com reported one of Canada’s major sports anchors, Damian Goddard of Rogers Sportsnet, was fired after voicing support for Vidmar on his Twitter page . Gay Olympic skater Johnny Weir explicitly tied Vidmar to racists
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IMF head arrested on flight at JFK airport and charged with sexual assault and attempted rape at Manhattan hotel Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund and the French left’s great hope for president, has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a maid in a New York hotel. Strauss-Kahn, 62, was taken from the first class cabin of a Paris-bound Air France flight on the tarmac at JFK airport by plain clothes officers before Manhattan police formally arrested him on charges of criminal sexual act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment. New York police spokesman Paul Browne detailed the alleged brutal attack on a woman at the Sofitel New York on West 44th Street in the heart of the city’s theatre district, where Strauss-Kahn was staying in a $3,000 (£1,850) a night suite. The 32-year-old woman told police she entered Strauss-Kahn’s room at about 1pm. Browne said: “She told detectives he came out of the bathroom naked, ran down a hallway to the foyer where she was, pulled her into a bedroom and began to sexually assault her, according to her account. She pulled away from him and he dragged her down a hallway into the bathroom where he engaged in a criminal sexual act, according to her account to detectives. He tried to lock her into the hotel room.” By the time police arrived, Strauss-Kahn had left the hotel, leaving behind his mobile phone and other personal items. “It looked like he got out of there in a hurry,” Browne added. Strauss-Kahn, who does not have diplomatic immunity as head of the IMF, is expected to be brought before a state court on Sunday. His lawyer said he would plead not guilty. According to New York state law, a criminal sexual act includes forcibly compelling someone to engage in oral sex. The offence carries a potential sentence of 15-20 years – the same as attempted rape. Unlawful imprisonment carries a potential sentence of three to five years. The allegations threaten to severely damage the standing of the IMF, where Strauss-Kahn was leading the response to the global financial crisis. A meeting with Angela Merkel scheduled for Sunday has been cancelled. A 2008 IMF investigation cleared Strauss-Kahn of harassment and favouritism over an affair with a senior colleague but deemed it a “serious error of judgement”. The charges have stunned French politics, where ‘DSK’ was the Socialist favourite to beat Nicolas Sarkozy in next year’s presidential election. Strauss-Kahn was expected to declare within weeks that he would run in the primary race to become the left’s official candidate. But political commentators today suggested his presidential dream was over. Jacques Attalli, the economist, a prominent Socialist and friend of Strauss-Kahn said: “The most likely outcome is that this case will stick and even if he pleads not guilty, which he may be, he won’t be able to be candidate for the Socialist primary for the presidency and he won’t be able to stay at the IMF.” Michel Taubmann, author of a new official and approved biography of Strauss-Kahn, said: “He is a well-known seducer but does not have the profile of a rapist.” Strauss-Kahn is suing a French newspaper that claimed staples of his lifestyle included luxury homes and sought-after works of art. France Soir also said he had several handmade suits made by Barack Obama’s tailor – a claim hotly denied. The tailor, a 75-year-old Frenchman from Marseille, sells suits for between £4,300 and £21,000. For months opinion polls have suggested that Strauss-Kahn is the only potential opposition candidate who might unseat Sarkozy in next year’s election, but following the France Soir reports François Hollande, the former Socialist party leader who is also seeking the party’s nomination as presidential candidate, leapt to within a few points of him. Hollande’s ex-partner, Ségolène Royal, who lost to Sarkozy in 2007, is another Socialist contender to be leader, along with two other hopefuls. Renaud Muselier, an MP for Sarkozy’s ruling centre-right party said: “It’s a disaster for our country and France’s image because he is the head of the IMF and it completely changes the cards for the presidential election.” The French Socialist party said it was “stupefied” and holding crisis talks. Jean Veil, one of Strauss-Kahn’s France-based lawyers, said: “We must wait until things settle and see if it’s true or a provocation. We must be especially careful not to get into a media circus and we must wait until things are clear.” However, supporters were quick to jump to Strauss-Kahn’s defence. Michèle Sabban, vice-president of the Île-de-France socialists, told journalists: “Dominique is staying true to himself. He admits his relationship with money and that’s good.” Another supporter, local councillor Hussein Mokhtari, added: “So he has to eat sandwiches and drive a 2CV when he is head of the IMF?” Even political enemies such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the Left party and a rival presidential candidate, dismissed criticism of his wealth.”Being leftwing is a conviction, a commitment; never would a man of the left say to another ‘profit and shut up …’ I think someone who is rich can also be of the left depending on how his wealth was gained.” France IMF New York United States Angelique Chrisafis Kim Willsher guardian.co.uk
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• Nato must increase attacks in Libya says armed forces chief • More killings in Syria despite promise of dialogue • Palestinians plan Nakba rally in occupied terrorities 10.40am: Gaddafi will be named tomorrow as wanted for war crimes by the international criminal court, according to reports in the Spanish press. Time magazine reported the court’s prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo told a Spanish newspaper that he would see arrest warrants for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and his intelligence chief Abdullah Senoussi . Spanish radio has carried similar reports , according to Reuters. Earlier this month Ocampo told the UN that he would seek arrest warrants against three unnamed Libyan officials. 10.19am: Al-Jazeera has shown live footage of thousands of Palestinians gathering in Ramallah in the West Bank for the start of Nakba demonstrations to mark the displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s founding in 1948. It reports: Small clashes were reported on Sunday in various neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem between stone-throwing Palestinians and Israeli security forces , as access to the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City was blocked in anticipation of possible violence erupting. There were no reports of injuries. Israel’s Jerusalem Post carries a defiant editorial on the protests which it says represents a “distorted” view of history. Palestinians continue to focus on their victimization and suffering while ignoring personal responsibility for their predicament. One of the crucial psychological barriers to peace today is Arab Israelis’ and Palestinians’ stubborn insistence on ignoring their own role in creating the refugee problem and in the failure to obtain Palestinian political autonomy. Instead of devoting so much energy to emphasizing their victimization, Arab Israelis and Palestinians would do well to learn from their mistakes. At present, they seem bent on repeating them. 10.08am: Several Coptic Christians have been injured in the Egyptian capital Cairo after they were attacked at a demonstration outside Egypt’s state TV building. Deutsche Press-Agentur says dozens of men threw Molotov cocktails at the protesters, who responded by throwing stones back at the attackers . Last weekend Muslim-Christian clashes in Cairo left 12 dead . Tens of thousands of protesters occupied Tahrir Square on Friday calling for an end to sectarian violence . 9.55am: In Libya the burials took place yesterday of 11 clerics, who the regime said were killed in a Nato airstrike on Brega. Speaking at news conference imam Nureddin al-Mijrah called for revenge against Nato, according to ABC news. He urged Muslims across the world “to take revenge for our brothers who died today. For every man we should take down one thousand men… from France, Italy, Denmark, Britain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates”. In his interview with the Telegraph, Sir David claimed there had been few civilian casualties in Nato’s campaign . So far there have been hardly any civilian casualties as a result of the extreme care Nato has taken in the selection of bombing targets. If any risk is posed to Libya’s civilian population then we do not hit the target. No one wants to kill innocent civilians. 9.19am: Welcome to a Sunday instalment of Middle East Live . Libya and Syria remain the main points of interest today, but we will also be keeping an eye on planned Palestinian demonstrations in the occupied territories. On Libya , the head of the armed forces, Sir David Richards, said Nato should step up its military campaign against the Gaddafi regime by broadening the range of bombing targets . Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph Sir David said: The vice is closing on Gaddafi, but we need to increase the pressure further through more intense military action… At present Nato is not attacking infrastructure targets in Libya, but if we want to increase the pressure on Gaddafi’s regime then we need to give serious consideration to increasing the range of targets we can hit… If Nato withdraws its forces with Gaddafi still in power, then there is a significant risk that he will launch fresh attacks against the rebels. Meanwhile, officials in Tripoli claim that Muammar Gaddafi is planning a gradual transition from autocratic rule . “He wants to move to the background and lead a dignified life. He himself has said he wants to be like the Japanese emperor, or Castro,” one official told Martin Chulov. In Syria more protesters have been killed in the continuing crackdown despite the regime’s promise of a “national dialogue”. At least four people were killed in the border town of Tall Talakh, the Gulf Times reported. The New York Times puts forward a possible explanation for the latest crackdown : The assault on Tall Kalakh may have been spurred by a protest Friday by hundreds of professionals who have recently resigned from the governing Ba’ath Party. In their protest, a show of dissent unheard of just months ago, residents said many of them chanted slogans calling for the fall of the government. Leading dissident Ammar Abdulhamid writes : Assad calls for dialogue with opposition as his security forces keep shooting people, which only reinforces the stand of protesters who see no possibility for real dialog with him on board: Assad must go! The Syrian state news service Sana has published an English translation of a press conference given by the information minister Adnan Mahmoud in which he said the regime was committed to dialogue “President Bashar al-Assad met with popular activities from different Syrian governorates and listened to their opinions, demands and visions on what is happening in Syria,” adding that next days will experience a national dialogue involving all the Syrian governorates. He said after the restoration of tranquillity, stability and security, the army units began to gradually depart from Banias and surroundings while the army units deployed in Daraa and surroundings are completing the gradual depart to return to their main camps. In the Palestinian Territories , protesters have clashed with the Israeli police at the start of Nakba Day demonstrations . Protests, partly inspired by Arab uprisings elsewhere, are planned in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Syria Bashar Al-Assad Libya Muammar Gaddafi Palestinian territories Matthew Weaver guardian.co.uk
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