PC Simon Harwood, the police officer who pushed Ian Tomlinson to the ground at the G20 protests two years ago, gives evidence at the newspaper seller’s inquest 9.39am: We’re about to start the fifth and potentially most dramatic day of the inquest into Ian Tomlinson’s death. PC Simon Harwood, the police officer who struck Tomlinson with a baton and shoved him to the ground moments before his death, will shortly attempt to justify his actions to a jury. You can already tell the mood is tense here. The front and back entrance to inquest venue at 70 Fleet Street are surrounded by press photographs and police. This will be Harwood’s first public appearance since he was captured on film lunging at Tomlinson, who had his hands in his pockets and his back to the office. It will also be the first time he comes face to face with Tomlinson’s widow and nine children, most of whom are in the room. Harwood had a balaclava covering his face and his badge numbers were not showing when he encountered Tomlinson around 7.20pm on April 1 2009. He only came forward to admit the assault a week later, after the Guardian released footage clearly showing him striking Tomlinson. In July last year, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute Harwood for manslaughter – although that decision could be reversed. When the inquest is over, Harwood will face a Metropolitan police disciplinary panel, but for the time being, and for the purposes of today’s proceedings, he remains a Met officer, suspended on full pay. Here is a quick recap of important developments in the inquest so far: Day 1 : The inquest opened last Tuesday with the senior judge presiding over proceedings, Peter Thornton QC, telling the jury that neither Harwood or the Met were “on trial”. He predicted that an issue of “controversy” was likely to be divergent medical evidence given by three different pathologists. Dr Freddy Patel, who conducted the first postmortem examination, concluded Tomlinsond died of a heart attack. Dr Nat Cary and Dr Kenneth Shorrock found he died of internal bleeding. Day 2: The jury heard how Harwood was a van driver in the Territorial Support Group (TSG) who had strayed from his post without the knowledge of his supervising officer before his encounter with Tomlinson. It emerged that Tomlinson may have been the last of a handful of protesters and bystanders to become embroiled with Harwood, who minutes earlier was caught on CCTV engaging in scuffles with a protester and possibly dragging a press cameraman to the ground. Day 3: The New York investment fund manager who shot the crucial footage of Harwood’s assault of Tomlinson and handed the material to the Guardian described seeing the newspaper vendor being “violently shoved”. He said Tomlinson was “not being confrontation at all” moments before the attack . Earlier, another police officer described the moment Harwood saw footage of the attack on television. “PC Harwood was sitting next to me and his reaction was, ‘My God that’s me’”, said his colleague PC Alex Jackman. “I thought he was joking.” Day 4: In arguably one of the most significant developments, a police officer who spoke to Tomlinson seconds before he was struck by Harwood said it was clear he was not a demonstrator and he “posed no threat”. PC Kerry Smith also said she was “shocked by the forcefulness of the push” to Tomlinson. Smith spoke to Tomlinson as he tried to get through a police cordon on Royal Exchange Buildings as he tried to get home. She said she had expected to see blood after seeing Tomlinson propelled to the ground a few feet in front of her. Ian Tomlinson Police G20 Protest London Paul Lewis guardian.co.uk
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Eighteen-year-old from Streatham held by police after arrests of two other suspects over weekend A third man has been arrested in connection with the shooting of five-year-old Thusha Kamaleswaran. The 18-year-old was arrested on Sunday and taken to a south London police station, where he remains in custody, Scotland Yard said. He is also being held in connection with the shooting of 35-year-old Roshan Selvakumar in the incident at a shop in Stockwell, south London. Last week, Thusha’s mother urged people to help the police and save another family from suffering the same tragedy. Sharmila Kamaleswaran said what had happened to her daughter had left her feeling empty inside. “This incident has caused much shock for me and my family,” she said. “As any mother, I have deep love for all my children and what has happened to my daughter Thusha has left me feeling empty inside. “I cannot eat or sleep properly until she opens her eyes. “My daughter Thusha is such a sweet, quiet and helpful child, always smiling and laughing. I cannot wait to hear her voice again and hold her. “I thank everyone who is praying for her. I ask for any person who knows about those responsible for this to come forward and speak to the police. I do not wish this to happen to another family.” She spoke as a man was remanded in custody charged with two counts of attempted murder following the double shooting. Anthony McCalla, 19, Streatham, south London, will appear next at the Old Bailey on 10 June. He appeared at Camberwell Green magistrates court on Saturday charged with shooting the little girl and Selvakumar. McCalla, wearing a brown and white striped top and blue jeans, listened intently during the 15-minute hearing and spoke only to give his name, address and date of birth. District Judge Sue Green refused an application for bail. On Friday night, a 14-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with the shootings was bailed to a date later this month. Relatives are maintaining vigils at Thusha’s hospital bedside while detectives build up a “continuity trail” of the attackers’ movements. Police said both victims remained in a “serious but stable” condition. Gun crime Crime London guardian.co.uk
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Michael Gove’s measures to enforce school discipline will include giving heads power to press criminal charges Headteachers will be able to press criminal charges against pupils who make false allegations against teachers in England, under guidance issued by the government. The policy was announced by the education secretary, Michael Gove, as part of a package of measures designed to enforce discipline, which includes allowing students’ mobile phones to be searched for inappropriate material. As well as having the power to press criminal charges, headteachers will be able to temporarily or permanently exclude pupils who make false allegations. Teachers will also get added protection through an assumption that they have behaved reasonably until the contrary is proved, and confirmation that they can use reasonable force to control children. At present, they can be suspended on the word of a pupil. Nearly 30% of school staff have been the subject of a false allegation of misconduct by a pupil, according to a 2009 survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, which said that false claims blighted careers and damaged private lives. The survey of private and state school staff found that police were notified in 16% of cases and took no further action in 55 of the 67 cases they investigated. Guidance on discipline being published by the Department of Education as part of the package will also reduce the regulations from 600 pages to a 50-page document. Gove said: “Improving discipline is a big priority. Teachers can’t teach effectively and pupils can’t learn if schools can’t keep order. These changes will give teachers confidence that they can remove disruptive pupils and search children where necessary. The government is also appointing Charlie Taylor, a headteacher and consultant who has taught in and advised some of London’s toughest schools, as an adviser on pupil behaviour. Taylor, who is a critic of New Labour policies such as league tables but who also straddles both left and rightwing thinking, has described his approach as “very basic”, including focusing on tackling rudimentary gaps in the children’s development, such as teaching them to welcome affection. “The appointment of a head of Charlie Taylor’s calibre shows how serious we are about dealing with this issue,” said Gove. “He has an excellent track record in improving discipline in some of the most challenging schools in the country.” Gove promised a “new deal” for teachers on classroom discipline last year as he prepared to unveil a range of measures, including the abolition of the so-called “no touch” rules that discourage teachers from restraining or comforting schoolchildren. Teaching Pupil behaviour Schools Conservatives Liberal-Conservative coalition Michael Gove Education policy Ben Quinn guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Brit Hume Stunned Muslims Could be Outraged by Something as ‘Trivial and Minor’ as Koran Burnings
April 3, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media (h/t Heather at VideoCafe ) Fox News Sunday pundit Brit Hume just can’t understand how Afghan Muslims could be so upset by something as “trivial and minor” as Pastor Terry Jones’ nasty little stunt of burning Korans, despite being asked by the State Department months ago not to , out of fear of inflaming anti-American sentiment in the Middle East. In Hume’s mind, because Terry Jones is the head of such an insignificant following (Mara Liasson’s estimation of two dozen followers may be generous), it’s not that big a deal that he desecrated the holy book for 1 billion Muslims worldwide. Right, and Fred Phelps and his church comprised of 18 family members shouldn’t bother the families of fallen servicemen when they demonstrate at military funerals . There’s nothing that can justify the irrational lost of life of those NATO workers. But likewise, this kind of violence was predictable and avoidable. I doubt very much that Brit and Co. would be as sanguine if some imam burned a stack of Bibles and a crucifix as a statement of the evils of Christianity. In fact, conservatives have been less than tolerant of what they view as condemnations of Christianity, from Jesse Helms and Alfonse D’Amato demanding Serrano’s Piss Christ be removed from exhibition , to Boehner and Cantor demanding the National Portrait Gallery remove Wojnarowicz’ “A Fire In My Belly,” to Maine Gov. Robert LePage not wanting to be reminded of the labor movement in a mural in the state building . Over and over again, they demand that their intolerance be respected above all else. But when the shoe is on the other foot… We can invade, destroy, then abandon and re-occupy a country, sending 10,000 Afghanistan civilians to their death , millions of Afghans left homeless , evidence of the callousness of the American servicemembers in their treatment of regular citizens rounded up and imprisoned and tortured at Bagram and even posing with the bodies of other Afghans like hunting trophies . Is it any wonder that Afghans–already pushed to the limits of stress for having lived in a war zone for more than five years–feel murderous rage towards those who claim to want democracy for them? And then Terry Jones in all his righteous and oblivious hatred, shows them (and seriously, do you think it matters to them if there are 10 or 10,000 members in his church?) even more callous disrespect by desecrating their holy book. Sure, his Freedom of Speech rights give him the right to act that way…but it does not mean Freedom from Consequence, and in this case, it was not Jones who suffered the consequences. Hamid Karzai has asked for Washington to condemn Jones’ actions , and I hope that they do as well as condemn the killings of the NATO workers…to show that this is not a war against Islam, that we have tolerance for all religions and respect for human life.
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Click here to view this media Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) worried Sunday that the government might be shut down if Republican leadership continued to be cowered by the tea party movement. “The Republican leadership in the House has to make a decision whether they’re going to do the right thing for the country or do the right thing for the tea party,” Reid told CBS’ Bob Schieffer. “The tea party, you see, they spent weeks organizing here. The day came for their demonstration a couple days ago. They didn’t have thousands of people there. They didn’t have hundreds of people. They had tens of people. If you really stretch it, you might have had 150 people there. The tea party is is not looked at very strongly around the country. The only attention they get is in the House of Representatives. They shouldn’t be getting that attention,” he said. “Are you saying that Speaker Boehner and the Republicans who have been here for a while are afraid of the tea party? Is that what’s going on here?” Schieffer asked. “That’s a pretty good choice of words. The answer is yes. The tea party is dictating a lot that goes on in the Republican leadership in the House. They shouldn’t,” Reid explained.
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Paul Ryan – Years of Empty Promises New GOP Plan to Cut $Trillions — Fox News Sunday Paul Ryan dodges questions on oil/gas companies Paul Ryan on Obama: “We Don't Need a Good Politician We Need a … Well spoken, Paul Ryan . Even if Wallace insists on interrupting. Lot of common-sense folks up here in WI. Not all nut jobs like the media portrays us. Stand strong, Repubs and let’s get Barry back home to Chicago ASAP! … Rep. Paul Ryan : “Where the president has failed to lead, we're … Rep. Paul Ryan was on Fox News Sunday, and gave some details about the 2012 budget he’ll introduce this Tuesday. Ryan said, Where the president has. Paul Ryan says the GOP will lead with 2012 budget cuts Cubachi Representative Paul Ryan , a mastermind on economics and budgetary issues, was on Fox News Sunday declaring that Republicans will lead when it comes to the 2012 budget. Unlike President Obama and the Democrats who are missing in action, … Riehl World View: Rep. Paul Ryan : “Where the president has failed … Jennifer of Cubachi Rep. Paul Ryan was on Fox News Sunday, and gave some details about the 2012 budget he’ll introduce this Tuesday that will take on entitlement spending. This man is a wonk when it comes to economics…. Keep your eyes on Congressman Paul Ryan …. « Gretawire My prediction…(with a few “if’s”). Keep your eye on Congressman Paul Ryan . IF his proposal to solve our nation’s growing debt is embraced by the American people as a solution and IF his proposal is a good one, look to him being … geoff9cow says: Wake up America! ” Paul Ryan : Tax oil companies? Look over there!” http://tinyurl.com/3kwy8s6 @GottaLaff #p2 #tcot #teaparty #fok
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Robot submarines locate wreckage from still unexplained disaster but flight recorders remain missing Pieces of wreckage from an Air France plane that crashed in the Atlantic in 2009 with 228 people on board have been recovered by underwater teams, according to French investigators. A fourth attempt began last month to locate remains of the aircraft, and particularly its flight recorders, in the hope of determining the cause of the still unexplained disaster. The wreckage was recovered at the weekend by a salvage vessel equipped with unmanned submarines, the French air accident investigation agency, the BEA, said on Sunday night. The agency said the pieces were identified as parts of flight 447, which crashed on 1 June 2009 en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. In what was the worst loss of life involving an Air France plane in the firm’s 75-year history, those who died included more than 30 nationalities. Search operations that took place in the wake of the crash led to the recovery of 50 bodies as well as hundreds of pieces of the aircraft, including its torn-off tail, but the last search ended in May 2010 after it had failed to find the plane’s voice and data recorders. The latest search, which is being carried out using a deep-sea vessel called Alucia and is being financed by the plane’s manufacturers, Air France and Airbus, has been designed to cover an area of approximately 3,900 sq miles. Robotic equipment has been used to forage in depths of up to 4,000 metres in an area of the ocean floor between Africa and Brazil. Finding the black boxes is seen as essential to help crash experts and relatives understand why flight 447 plunged into a remote part of the Atlantic during an equatorial storm. “This is very good news because it brings with it the hope that at last we will get some information on what caused this accident, which to this day remains unexplained,” Air France-KLM’s chief executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon said. Speculation about the cause of the crash has focused on the possible icing-up of the aircraft’s speed sensors, which appeared to give inconsistent readings seconds before the plane vanished. But an accident report said it was impossible to establish a clear cause without further data held in the missing recorders. “We do hope that the discovery will lead to the retrieval and reading of the two recorders because this data is essential for the understanding of this accident,” said a spokesman for Airbus. A passenger jet carries two recorders, one for cockpit voices and another to log data from the aircraft’s systems. Air France and Airbus were both placed under formal investigation over the crash last month as part of a French criminal investigation into the causes of the crash. Groups representing victims’ families have criticised the way previous searches were carried out. Plane crashes France Europe Air transport Airline industry Ben Quinn guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Paul Ryan Says ‘Shame on Them’ to Democrats if They Go After Him for His Budget Proposals
April 3, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Paul Ryan admits here that the cuts he’s going to propose to our social safety nets, or as he calls them “entitlements” will end up giving the Democrats some fodder for political ads against him in the next election, but claims they’ll have to lie and demagogue the issue in order to do so. I think all they’re going to have to do is let people read his plan for themselves and run back the recordings of interviews like this one . If he thinks turning Medicaid into a voucher system and privatizing Social Security are somehow going to “save” them, he’s been drinking too much of his own Kool-Aid. WALLACE: Last question, as you look ahead, and a lot of people would say look, the answer is you’re not going to get this budget passed. It’s really setting up an issue and a sensible debate for 2012. As you look ahead to the next election, aren’t Democrats going to be able to say “Look at Paul Ryan, look at the House Republicans. They want to kill Medicare. They want to kill Medicaid. They want to gut the programs that you depend on.” Aren’t you playing into the Democrats hands? RYAN: We are. We are giving them a political weapon to go against us, but they will have to lie and demagogue to make that a political weapon. Look, we don’t change benefits for anybody over the age of 55. We save Medicare. We save Medicaid. We save these entitlement programs. We repair our social safety nets and we get our country a debt free country for our children and grandchildren’s generation, and we get jobs. We get economic growth. They are going to demagogue it and it’s that demagoguery that has always prevented political leaders in the past from trying to fix the problem. We can’t keep kicking the can down the road. The president has punted. We’re not going to follow suit and yes, we will be giving our political advisaries things to use against us in the next election and shame on them if they do it. Sorry Paul, but I say shame on any of them if they go along with your plan.
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Opponents say the case of a woman with crippling arthritis who died at Dignitas shows a shifting of the goalposts A leading campaigner for assisted dying, who opted to die in Switzerland despite having no terminal illness, has reignited debate between supporters and opponents of the right to die. Nan Maitland , 84, who suffered from agonising arthritis, travelled to Switzerland to end her life on 1 March. She said she didn’t want to suffer a “long period of decline, sometimes called ‘prolonged dwindling’, that so many people unfortunately experience before they die”. Two weeks before her death, Maitland, separated with three children, wrote in a message: “For some time, my life has consisted of more pain than pleasure. I have a great feeling of relief that I will have no further need to struggle through each
Continue reading …Daily Show’s Larry Wilmore on Obama, Birthers and Electing Our First Black President
April 3, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media The Daily Show’s Larry Wilmore had a bit of fun at the 2011 Congressional Correspondents’ Dinner with the birthers, whether he gets a pass for voting for our first black president and what might happen when there’s a second one. Funny stuff and you can watch the rest of the event at C-SPAN’s site here .
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