Pew Environment Group says national parks and heritage sites are at risk if Obama lifts mining moratorium • In pictures: Grand Canyon under threat America’s most majestic landscapes – from the Grand Canyon to Mount Rushmore – are at risk because of booming global demand for uranium, a new report warns. The report, by the Pew Environment Group , calls on the Obama administration to overhaul antiquated laws governing the mining of gold and uranium, and offer permanent protection to national landmarks. The administration must decide by July whether to extend a two-year respite on thousands of mining claims in areas around the Grand Canyon , Mount Rushmore, Joshua Tree national park and the area around Yosemite national park . If it does not, there is nothing to stop mining interests from drilling on its claims around the canyon, the report warns. “These claims are all still active, and there is nothing right now that the government can do to prevent them from becoming mines,” said Jane Danowitz, who works on public lands protection for Pew. Obama moved to protect public lands soon after coming to the White House, calling a two-year halt to mining in sensitive areas. The interior secretary, Ken Salazar , must now decide whether to extend the ban. But environmental organisations argue Obama had already demonstrated reluctance to take on a fight with Republicans over protecting America’s natural heritage. Under a spending deal reached last week , Obama agreed not to use money from a newly launched wilderness initiative that would have protected 7.3 million acres of land from drilling. Critics argued the initiative had only been launched last December, and had not been allotted funds, so the funding ban would make no impact on reducing the deficit that Obama is targeting. The last five years have seen a 2,000% increase in mining claims in the west. More than 8,000 mining claims have been staked in the Grand Canyon alone – mainly by major international companies rather than the pick and shovel claims of yore. The claims are a legacy of America’s antiquated mining laws, which were written to lure newcomers to the west. Mining National parks Conservation Mining United States Suzanne Goldenberg guardian.co.uk
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The latest developments from the courtroom as they happen, as the pathologists who conducted postmortems on Ian Tomlinson’s body continue their evidence 10.51am: Dr Nat Cary, the second pathologist to conduct a postmortem on Tomlinson’s body, has taken the witness stand . Cary was instructed by solicitors for Tomlinson’s family and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). He has a very long list of qualifications (no room to repeat them here) and has been on the Home Office register of forensic pathologists for 18 years. He has a moustache, and is wearing a light pink shirt and a grey tie. He is being questioned by Alison Hewitt , counsel to the inquest. When Cary conducted his examination – on 9 April 2009 – more information as to the circumstances of Tomlinson’s death, including this video footage showing his encounter with PC Simon Harwood , were available. Cary: I suppose the most important information I had was that clearly Mr Tomlinson had been involved in police contact shortly before he collapsed. And I don’t think that was known to Dr Patel at the time he carried out his examination. Hewitt: Had you seen prior to your postmortem the piece of footage of that contact between Mr Tomlinson and PC Harwood? Cary: Yes, because I watch the television quite a lot. 10.36am: We heard on Tuesday that a sample of the fluid found in Tomlinson’s abdomen was inadvertently discarded . A juror had asked a question about this mix-up, to which Thornton has replied that Patel took the sample in case he was unable to obtain a blood sample from elsewhere. Patel was able to take another blood sample, rendering the fluid less important. As a result the sample, which we would all have liked to have, of the fluid in the abdomen was, according to Dr Patel, discarded. It was not needed. So when the issue arose later about the proportions of blood [and bodily] fluid, he went back to see if the sample was available, and it was not. 10.31am: Patel has had to postpone his evidence due to illness, again. He arrived at the hearing but was “not 100%” and has gone home. He is scheduled to reappear on Monday morning, judge Peter Thornton QC said. It is nothing to do with this hearing or any questions he has been asked. It is not a trivial thing, but it is something he has been suffering from some time which has re-occurred. 10.30am: Some slight delays here. Remember you can also follow proceedings via Twitter . 10.10am: A quick clarification. I said yesterday that Patel altered his description of the level of blood found in fluid in Tomlinon’s abdomen a year after his initial postmortem. Elsewhere I have explained the crucial importance of the “extent of blood” found in Tomlinson’s abdomen. To be clear, Patel did not alter his original notes. The new description of the fluid appeared, as we explained correctly on Wednesday , in his second, amended report. 9.58am: The thirteenth day of evidence in the Ian Tomlinson inquest is about to start. Dr Freddy Patel , the controversial pathologist who concluded Tomlinson died of a spontaneous arrhythmic heart attack at the G20 protests is expected to finish his testimony shortly. You can read his evidence over the last three days here , here and here . Next up will be Dr Nat Cary , the second pathologist to conduct a postmortem on Tomlinson’s body. The jury has heard how Cary (along with two other forensic pathologists) contradicted Patel’s findings, concluding instead that he died of internal bleeding in the abdomen. Ian Tomlinson Police G20 Protest London Dr Freddy Patel Paul Lewis guardian.co.uk
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Comment by News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks that journalists ‘had paid police for information’ could result in an investigation by Scotland Yard Comments made by Rebekah Brooks – the chief executive of Rupert Murdoch’s News International – could trigger a criminal investigation by Scotland Yard, one of its most senior officers confirmed on Friday. Cressida Dick, an assistant commander at the Metropolitan Police, wrote to tell MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee that the force was examining whether police should begun a full inquiry. It follows Brooks’ statement to a Commons committee in 2003 that journalists “had paid police for information in the past” – which prompted a short enquiry by the Home Affairs Committee this year. The committee chairman Keith Vaz asked Brooks to explain her statement this year. She replied that: “If, in doing so, I gave the impression that I had knowledge of any specific cases, I can assure you that this was not my intention.” Friday’s letter from Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick says police planned “to conduct a scoping exercise to establish whether there are now any grounds for beginning a criminal investigation”, following the 2003 comments. Rebekah Brooks was editor of the News of the World from May 2000 until January 2003, leaving the post for the editorship of the Sun newspaper three months before she appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport committee. She became chief executive of News International, the company behind Rupert Murdoch’s UK newspapers, in 2009. More to come … Dan Sabbagh guardian.co.uk
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Squeeze into fancy gear and obsess over your route? I’d much rather trundle along, get lost occasionally and look at herons I was recently sat outside the Downgate pub in Hungerford, Berkshire, supping on a half of ale when three local men headed out to join me. After they checked I knew where I was (pretty much) and where I was going (vaguely), they commented on my bike, a green city bimbler, and my choice of cycle wear. “Respect to you,” they said. “You’ve got your socks tucked into your corduroy, you’re riding a bike like that. You’re not like those Lycra lunatics.” Adding a silent punctuation mark, a racer with all the gear sped past. Knowing glances were exchanged. This blog post isn’t meant as a dig at what I still think of as ‘proper’ cyclists. I greatly admire those with the kit, the speed and the fitness. But I am interested to hear from those who have attempted more, shall we say, amateur long-distance cycling. Here’s an example. Recently I had a few days off work I didn’t know what to do with, so I decided to cycle to Bristol to see a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. I ordered some maps via Sustrans and some panniers, both of which hadn’t turned up by the day of departure. I went anyway, with the aspiration of staying with friends and cheap B&Bs on my way. Details were liberatingly sketchy. The plan was to follow National Cycle Route 4 , which flirts with the Thames as far as Reading and then leads on the Kennet and Avon canal as far as Bath. Such obvious geographical markers would, I thought, ward against the chance of getting lost. Signage was, for the most part, impressive and comprehensive. There was the occasional issue whereby local ne’er-do-wells had removed or turned the sign, so that in one case I ended up in Virginia Water, the kind of deathless Middle England suburban location that will likely survive the next ice age. No matter. A quick chat with a friendly policeman put me back on track, and I was soon whizzing through Windsor park and rewarded with a breathtaking view of the seat of royalty, glimpsed over a huge field of deer. The monarchy are an anachronism, but they have lovely castles. As someone who cycles mainly to commute, it took me a while to forget that I didn’t have to be anywhere by a particular time. Speed can wait when you have herons to gawp at, canal boaters to talk to and ice cream to eat. Bath, Bradford-on-Avon, Devizes and Bristol were all worthy rewards for the legwork put in. Even Reading had beer. I’ll admit to a degree of naivety on my trip. As probably the last person working for the Guardian to not own a smart phone, I had to rely on the old-fashioned and frankly outdated concept of talking to people. I didn’t bring a puncture repair kit or a spare inner tube. I had no plan for what to do if disaster struck, but I imagine it would have involved an expensive taxi ride. If it rained? Well, trousers get wet. It happens. But there’s surely a healthy middle ground between my incompetence and the near professionalism that represented most of the cyclists who passed me on my way. If you have a bike that works, stuff those trousers into those socks. Set off. See where you end up. Send a postcard. Post a comment. Ethical and green living Cycling Fitness Cycling holidays James Walsh guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Squeeze into fancy gear and obsess over your route? I’d much rather trundle along, get lost occasionally and look at herons I was recently sat outside the Downgate pub in Hungerford, Berkshire, supping on a half of ale when three local men headed out to join me. After they checked I knew where I was (pretty much) and where I was going (vaguely), they commented on my bike, a green city bimbler, and my choice of cycle wear. “Respect to you,” they said. “You’ve got your socks tucked into your corduroy, you’re riding a bike like that. You’re not like those Lycra lunatics.” Adding a silent punctuation mark, a racer with all the gear sped past. Knowing glances were exchanged. This blog post isn’t meant as a dig at what I still think of as ‘proper’ cyclists. I greatly admire those with the kit, the speed and the fitness. But I am interested to hear from those who have attempted more, shall we say, amateur long-distance cycling. Here’s an example. Recently I had a few days off work I didn’t know what to do with, so I decided to cycle to Bristol to see a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. I ordered some maps via Sustrans and some panniers, both of which hadn’t turned up by the day of departure. I went anyway, with the aspiration of staying with friends and cheap B&Bs on my way. Details were liberatingly sketchy. The plan was to follow National Cycle Route 4 , which flirts with the Thames as far as Reading and then leads on the Kennet and Avon canal as far as Bath. Such obvious geographical markers would, I thought, ward against the chance of getting lost. Signage was, for the most part, impressive and comprehensive. There was the occasional issue whereby local ne’er-do-wells had removed or turned the sign, so that in one case I ended up in Virginia Water, the kind of deathless Middle England suburban location that will likely survive the next ice age. No matter. A quick chat with a friendly policeman put me back on track, and I was soon whizzing through Windsor park and rewarded with a breathtaking view of the seat of royalty, glimpsed over a huge field of deer. The monarchy are an anachronism, but they have lovely castles. As someone who cycles mainly to commute, it took me a while to forget that I didn’t have to be anywhere by a particular time. Speed can wait when you have herons to gawp at, canal boaters to talk to and ice cream to eat. Bath, Bradford-on-Avon, Devizes and Bristol were all worthy rewards for the legwork put in. Even Reading had beer. I’ll admit to a degree of naivety on my trip. As probably the last person working for the Guardian to not own a smart phone, I had to rely on the old-fashioned and frankly outdated concept of talking to people. I didn’t bring a puncture repair kit or a spare inner tube. I had no plan for what to do if disaster struck, but I imagine it would have involved an expensive taxi ride. If it rained? Well, trousers get wet. It happens. But there’s surely a healthy middle ground between my incompetence and the near professionalism that represented most of the cyclists who passed me on my way. If you have a bike that works, stuff those trousers into those socks. Set off. See where you end up. Send a postcard. Post a comment. Ethical and green living Cycling Fitness Cycling holidays James Walsh guardian.co.uk
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Ante Gotovina accused over ‘ethnic cleansing’ of 90,000 Serbs in trial seen as an examination of Croatia’s Balkan war strategy Judges in The Hague will on Friday deliver their most important verdict on Croatia’s conduct in the war against the Serbs in the 1990s, ruling after a three-year criminal trial on whether Zagreb prosecuted a policy of terror and murder to drive out the large Serbian minority. A decade after he was indicted for the “ethnic cleansing” of at least 90,000 Serbs from Croatia in 1995, Ante Gotovina, a commander in the storming of Serbian strongholds that changed the course of the wars in Croatia and Bosnia, is to learn his fate at the international war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The verdict is keenly awaited in the Balkans, and with great nervousness in nowhere more so than Zagreb. The influential Roman Catholic church has been calling for prayers and fasting in the hope of an acquittal. Marches and “pilgrimages” have been organised. The Croatian prime minister, Jadranka Kosor, is urging “calm and dignity” as thousands of former fighters prepare to vent their spleen if Gotovina and two former fellow ex-commanders are found guilty. Huge screens were being erected in Zagreb on Thursday night to transmit the verdict live from The Hague. While it has focused mainly on Gotovina and his two fellow accused, the trial looms larger because it has provided the main opportunity to examine the strategy and conduct of the hardline nationalist leadership of Croatia during the war. The decisive political leaders such as president Franjo Tudjman, defence minister Gojko Šušak, and army chief Janko Bobetko all died before they could face trial. The Gotovina case has served as a substitute. A former French legionnaire who returned to Croatia when the war erupted in 1991, Gotovina commanded the central operations that won the war for Croatia in August 1995, retaking the strategic town of Knin in the Dalmatian hinterland that was – the seat of a four-year-old Serbian insurgency that left Croatia crippled and partitioned. He was indicted for war crimes in 2001. Tipped off by contacts in the Croatian government, he went on the run for four years until he was arrested in a Tenerife hotel at the end of 2005. For years the Croatian government had blocked attempts to locate him until it performed a u-turn to unlock negotiations on joining the European Union. Gotovina, along with Ivan Cermak, the Knin garrison commander, and Mladen Markac, a commander of police paramilitaries, faced nine counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for overseeing the alleged deportation of tens of thousands of Serbs through murder, the torching of homes, and the shelling of civilians. The prosecution claims the trio implemented a calculated policy of expulsion ordered by the Tudjman regime aimed at permanently ridding Croatia of the large Serbian minority community that had been resident there for centuries , the prosecution contended. The defence ridiculed the argument, calling it a web of conspiracy theories, and claimed that the Serbian mass exodus was orchestrated by Serbian authorities locally and in Belgrade. For many Croats, especially those on the right, Gotovina is a national hero. Catholic bishops this week denounced the tribunal, accusing it of deliberately confusing victim and aggressor. The prime minister described the August 2005 operations as part of “a just and liberating war.”. Operation Storm, which climaxed with the reconquest of Knin and the Serbian exodus, was prosecuted at lightning speed, highly successfully with strong US backing. It represented the denouement to the four-year war. A fortnight earlier at Srebrenica in Bosnia, the Serbs had committed the worst massacre of the Yugoslav wars, murdering almost 8,000 Muslim males. Following the Croatian rout of the Serbian rebels, the war was over, Croatia’s independence secured, and Bosnia’s fragile peace pact was struck three months later. After the victory, Croatian forces went on the rampage, torching the homes of elderly Serbs who had not fled. The prosecution argued that the trio were to blame for not preventing the murder of 324 civilians, and demanded a 27-year sentence for Gotovina, 23 years for Cermak and 17 years for Markac. Croatia Serbia Europe War crimes Ian Traynor guardian.co.uk
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Tokyo Electric Power ordered to pay ¥1m to families forced from their homes due to nuclear crisis after quake and tsunami Japan’s government has ordered the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to compensate tens of thousands of households forced to evacuate due to radiation leaks. As many as 50,000 households within 30km (19 miles) of the plant will be eligible for provisional damages, which have been set at ¥1m (£7,300) per family and ¥750,000 for single-person households. The bill will reach ¥50bn, the president of Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), Masataka Shimizu, told reporters. Additional compensation claims expected from farmers and fishermen who have had their livelihoods destroyed could see the total rise much higher. Tens of thousands of people were forced to leave last month after the government evacuated areas within 20km of the facility, where engineers are still confronted with huge amounts of radioactive water and overheating reactors. Earlier this week the government said it would expand the no-go zone to five communities further from the plant where radiation levels could pose a long-term threat to health. The firm has come under mounting pressure to compensate residents forced to move to evacuation centres around the country. With no end in sight to the crisis, government officials are unable to say when or if the residents will be able to return. Processing the payments is expected to take time given the geological spread of evacuees, but Japan’s trade ministry insisted the payments would be made “as soon as possible”. “There are around 150 evacuation centres, so it will take time until everyone gets their money,” the trade minister, Banri Kaieda, said. “But we want the company to support those people quickly.” Meanwhile, health officials have been advised to collect blood from the hundreds of plant workers operating in hazardous areas in case they require stem cell transplants due to exposure to dangerous levels of radiation. Writing in the medical research journal Lancet, Japanese experts said the blood samples would provide a source of stem cells that could be used to rebuild bone marrow in the event of accidental exposure. “The danger of a future accidental radiation exposure is not passed, since there has been a series of serious aftershocks even this April,” wrote Dr Shuichi Taniguchi, of Toranomon hospital in Tokyo, and Dr Tetsuya Tanimoto, of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research. Collecting blood from the workers would rule out the need to find matching donors, whose cells could be rejected, and minimise the chances of infection. Japan’s nuclear safety commission has so far resisted calls to harvest blood to avoid causing panic among the workers, the men claimed. On Thursday, police officers in protective suits, goggles and gloves, entered areas within 10km of the plant to recover the bodies of people who had been left where they died in last month’s earthquake and tsunami. By Friday, police said they had identified 10 bodies and were working to free them from the debris. There are thought to be as many as 1,000 bodies inside the zone. The agreement to pay compensation comes as speculation grows over Tepco’s future. The company is the most reviled in Japan, but the government appears to have concluded that it cannot be allowed to fail. The Nikkei business newspaper said the government was considering setting up a state-backed insurance fund to keep the firm afloat and enable it to pay damages. The government would pay the bill initially, with the utility expected to repay the sum over several years. Full nationalisation of the firm now appears unlikely. Tepco has lost more than three-quarters of its market value over the past five weeks and JP Morgan estimates it could be saddled with a compensation bill of up to ¥2tn in the current financial year. Bank of America-Merrill Lynch warned the total damages payout could soar to $130bn (£80bn) unless there is a quick end to the crisis. Other ideas being floated would cap Tepco’s liabilities at between ¥2tn to ¥3.8tn and spread the remaining costs among the state and other utilities. Japan disaster Japan Nuclear power Energy Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
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Credit ratings agency Moody’s warns Ireland may need to take further austerity measures The euro dropped against the dollar after credit ratings agency Moody’s delivered another negative verdict on Ireland on Friday morning. Moody’s cut Ireland’s rating by two notches to Baa3 and left the outlook negative. The agency said the country may need to take further austerity measures to meet its fiscal goals and that its financial position could suffer because of higher European Central Bank interest rates. “Should the intended fiscal consolidation goals not be met, a further rating downgrade would likely follow,” Moody’s warned. “Moreover, a further deterioration in the country’s economic outlook would also exert downward pressure on the rating.” The euro fell to a session low against the dollar this morning, down 0.2% to $1.4450. Gary Jenkins at Evolution Securities described the new rating as “possibly the most uncomfortable of places to be on the ratings scale – one false step from junk”. In contrast, Fitch affirmed its rating at BBB+ yesterday, took Ireland off its negative watch and assigned a negative outlook after the Irish banking stress tests which the agency described as credible, noting that the economy appeared to be nearing stabilisation. S&P rates Ireland BBB+ with a stable outlook. Global economy Economics Ratings agencies Financial sector Ireland Europe Europe Euro Currencies Euro Julia Kollewe guardian.co.uk
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Lately, anything goes when a RIM CEO gets in front of the media. Fortunately, it was the other CEO, Jim Balsillie, talking to Bloomberg this time delivering a calm, cool rebuttal to all the lukewarm PlayBook reviews . His consumer defense is largely based upon the PlayBook’s ability to receive software updates ( we received three in the brief time we had our review unit) throughout its lifetime. Jim, as you can imagine, preferred keeping the conversation focused on how the PlayBook is fully functional today when used in combination with a BlackBerry handset in business environments. Balsillie did seem to hint that the consumer experience could improve relatively quickly, saying, “We’ll have an over the air email client to announce very very soon. We have BlackBerry World — our user conference — in a couple weeks. Stay tuned for all capabilities we have coming out on this stuff.” See the man dance on the hotseat right after the break. Continue reading RIM: PlayBook email client ‘very very soon,’ 3G model this summer RIM: PlayBook email client ‘very very soon,’ 3G model this summer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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A patch that monitors glucose levels continuously has worked in a small trial. Now scientists want more diabetics to try it out Trials of an artificial pancreas that can monitor the blood sugar levels of people with diabetes and then deliver insulin more accurately should move out of hospital into homes as soon as possible, funders of the research programme say. Promising evidence that adults may be better able to control their condition overnight has emerged from a Cambridge University-led study involving 24 adults and using developments of existing technologies. It was funded by the charity Diabetes UK , and follows encouraging research using similar equipment on pregnant mothers and children with Type 1 diabetes . Type 1 usually strikes people before they are 40 years of age and affects about one in 10 of those with diabetes. They need to test their own blood sugar levels regularly before injecting themselves with insulin or setting a pump which releases the hormone via a cannula under the skin. The new system involves placing a small circular patch on the body which continuously monitors glucose levels, sending the results by radio signals to the insulin pump which then automatically delivers the appropriate amount of insulin. This should reduce the incidence of “hypos”, when blood sugar levels fall too low, possibly rendering a person unconscious or causing unpleasant symptoms, including sweating, tingling in the lips and a pounding heart. The latest tests, involving 10 men and 14 women aged 18-65, suggested a 22% improvement in the time participants kept their blood glucose levels in a safe range, halving the time they spent with low blood-glucose levels and reducing the risk of both short- and long-term complications. Half the participants were monitored overnight after consuming a medium-sized meal and the others after a larger meal and alcohol. Dr Roman Hovorka, who led the research, said: “Hypoglycaemia remains a major challenge, especially during the night, so it’s encouraging to see such promising results from our trial using commercially available devices. “The study is a stepping stone to testing the artificial pancreas at home and suggests that the artificial pancreas may be suitable in adults as well as in children and adolescents we found previously.” Iain Frame, head of research at Diabetes UK, said: “The improvements in glucose control overnight using this new technology are impressive, and it is good to see this work develop with the addition of testing the effects following a meal with some wine. “We now need to see an extension of this study, one which tests larger numbers of people, and then take it out of the hospital and in to the home setting.” Diabetes Health James Meikle guardian.co.uk
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