Downton Abbey writer to retell story of the sinking of liner in a six-part, seven-hour mini-series Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes’s next ITV drama is to be a mini-series about the sinking of the Titanic. Fellowes, who hit on a successful, Oscar-winning formula of interweaving the lives of upper and lower classes in the movie Gosford Park and repeated it for last year’s ITV1 hit Downton Abbey, will take a similar approach in retelling the story of the sinking of the Titanic on 14 April 1912. ITV promised that viewers will be “taken on a heart-wrenching journey through Titanic’s last hours, as the drama reveals which of the characters they have come to know so well will survive … and who does not”. “Interweaving multi-arc action, mystery and romantic plotlines and featuring fictional and historical characters, Titanic will focus on different characters ranging from steerage passengers to upper class guests,” the broadcaster said. “Each point of view will culminate in a cliffhanger as the ship begins to founder, building to an explosive conclusion which draws together each of the stories.” The sinking of the Titanic was a key plot point in Downton Abbey, with the heir to the title of Earl of Grantham going down on the “unsinkable” liner in the first episode, bringing the much-debated “entail” into play. Filming will begin on the six-part, seven-hour mini-series in Hungary in the spring and the drama has already been snapped up by foreign broadcasters including ABC in the US and Channel Seven in Australia. Maria Kyriacou, managing director at ITV Studios Global Entertainment, said: “The fantastic pedigree of the production talent behind this major series has generated huge interest from our global broadcast clients and we are very pleased to announce these new partners today. Providing a vividly different experience of the ship’s last hours alongside a definitive snapshot of what was a unique and uncertain moment in history.” Titanic is a UK/Hungary/Canada co-production and will be produced by Nigel Stafford-Clark and Chris Thompson. The executive producers are Simon Vaughan (Lookout Point), Kate Bartlett (ITV), Jennifer Kawaja, Julia Sereny (both Sienna Films), Howard Ellis and Adam Goodman (Mid Atlantic Films), and David Collins (Samson Films). •
Continue reading …How to use Google’s timeline to trace the history of all those annoying cliches – it’s not rocket science Buzz phrases sometimes come out of left field. Sometimes they’re hiding in plain sight. Often they come in under the radar. Google’s timeline search (listed under “more search tools” on the left of the Google homepage) is a treat for anyone interested in buzz phrases. If for example you want to know about the elephant in the room, enter the phrase (in quotes) in a timeline search and you’ll see a chart showing how often it crops up in documents accessible to Google over decades or centuries – so you can see when the elephant entered, and also when it became too big to ignore. In 1989, William Schneider uses it in the Los Angeles Times : “In New York politics, the race issue is like an elephant in the room. It’s big and it’s kind of hard to ignore. But everyone pretends it isn’t … Sooner or later, somebody’s going to notice that there’s an elephant in the room.” Schneider takes some time out of his analysis to explain the elephant, suggesting that this behemoth of modern prose can probably be dated to the late 1980s. Using the Google timeline, we can see the elephant making its presence felt, with decreasing subtlety, in rooms around the world throughout the 90s; and, at the start of the new century, becoming a nuisance. There are enough old newspapers and books on open web access now to make the historical pursuit of buzz phrases a fascinating one. A Google timeline search may not show you the very first recorded use of a phrase, but you’ll usually get a good sense of its early adopters and where and how it took off. Some are sleeper hits; some go viral almost straight away. There are often quite a few red herrings to watch for, though – lots of early hits are actually from more recent documents about historical events. But finding a genuine early use is quite exciting. Sometimes (see “flagged up”) the buzz phrase appears to be born when a writer adapts a more logical phrase, either in a flash of lucidity, or a moment of madness. Moment of madness Moment of madness is now a phrase that no miscreant wants to be without. It’s easy to see why: it has the ring of a proper excuse, but people don’t often go momentarily mad. They just do something on impulse that they might not have done if they had given it more thought (or if they had thought they would get caught). It appears on Google for the first time in an encyclopedia in 1704 , explaining why Alexander the Great set fire to a palace. Then it disappears for 250 years before popping up in the US a few times between 1950 and 1990. But it is Ron Davies, the former Wales secretary, who makes it his own as he explains what came over him (as Julian Clary might have said) on Clapham Common in 1996. Thus was a man, and possibly a raft of his measures, brought low. Raft of measures A raft of measures is occasionally sighted in American newspapers before the 20th century, but none feels the need to explain to their readers what they mean by the phrase. It pops up occasionally in the second half of the 20th century, but then, at the end of the century, Google flags up hundreds of them floating around. Flagged up For nearly all of the 20th century, it’s only a tail or a ship that can be flagged up (the former held up and waved like a flag, the latter flying its flags). Then in 1989, Hugh McKinlay describes in the Glasgow Herald how a footballer’s foul is “flagged up” by the referee. Probably “flag upped” would have conveyed the sense better, but we’ve been flagging up ever since. We are where we are. We are where we are This foul verbal agglomeration really took off after it started to be used in the same sense as its equally evil twin, “let us look forward, not back”. Google timeline finds a fair number of writers in the past talking about “why we are where we are”. But more recently the phrase has broken away to become a statement of fact – and an increasingly popular form of bluster. “We are where we are” is political or business-speak for “I would be grateful if you would ignore my mistakes.” Or as the Urban Dictionary puts it: “We’re in the shit, but suck it up.” The Google timeline is great fun for anyone who is well aware that we are where we are, but still wants to know why. Buzz phrases are everywhere. Now I’ve run some by you , why not have a go with some of your own? They shouldn’t be too hard to find. Bring something to the party . Knock yourself out . It’s not rocket science . Post your findings below (if that’s not too big an ask ). Language Ben Thomas guardian.co.uk
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Officials fear all 52 men underground at the time of the methane explosions in the Baluchistan mine are dead All 52 miners caught underground during a series of explosions at a coalmine in south-western Pakistan are feared dead, mine officials said. Rescue workers have recovered 24 bodies after using their bare hands and shovels to dig through one of the mine’s three wings, said Iftikhar Ahmed, a top mine inspector. The search was hampered by the presence of poisonous methane gas, which caused the explosions on Sunday at the mine in Baluchistan province, 25 miles east of the provincial capital, Quetta. The fragile state of the coalmine also prevented the use of heavy machinery, Ahmed said. “We have yet to dig out and search the remaining two wings, but there is 0% chance we can get anybody alive,” said Ahmed. Ten of the dead miners found were charred from the explosion, while the others appeared to have been killed by falling debris or suffocation, said Ahmed. The bodies found so far were at a depth of about 2,000ft (600 metres), but the mine continues down to 4,000ft. The mine was declared dangerous two weeks ago, but the warning was ignored, said Ahmed. The mine is owned by the state-run Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation but leased to a contractor, he said. Ghulam Rasool, a 25-year-old miner who spent all morning searching for victims, said the work was exhausting and hampered by gas fumes. “The mine’s wooden support has collapsed at many points, leaving huge chunks of debris blocking the way,” said Rasool. More than 200 people stood outside the mine entrance waiting to help or hear news from the search. Most were mine workers who have friends or relatives trapped in the mine. Seven of the dead were from a single family from the Swat valley. Ghulam Mohammad, a 30-year-old miner who was waiting his turn to join the search, said he feared for the lives of his room-mates. “None of my five room-mates has been found dead or alive yet,” he said. Outside the mine, more than 20 wooden caskets were set out on the ground, waiting for victims who had not yet surfaced. Pakistan guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …It makes me proud that Hull is the only English city not having a street party for the royal wedding When in April 1642 Charles I moved to secure the port of Hull, he found the gates firmly shut. Having considered it his divine right to gain access to Hull’s extensive arsenal (the largest weapons cache outside the Tower of London, no less), Charles discovered that the MP, Sir John Hotham, refused to follow royal orders. After a siege, the citizens drove away the royalists under gunfire – and Hull witnessed the first military action of the English civil war. I was reminded of this anecdote a couple of days ago, when I heard that Hull’s was the only council in the country that hadn’t had a single application for a street party for the royal wedding . Nearby East Riding of Yorkshire council has received 12. Lots of my old friends sent me
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Watchdog says force had no effective system in place to deal with persistent harassment of disabled man The police watchdog has condemned a force’s “systemic failures” in helping the family of a man with severe learning difficulties who collapsed and died after confronting youths who had taunted him for years. Greater Manchester police completely failed to acknowledge the targeting of David Askew , 64, and his family as a hate crime, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said following an investigation. In almost half the incidents reviewed by the IPCC in which the family contacted the police there was no acknowledgement of the family’s vulnerability or the history of abuse suffered. Askew collapsed and died in the garden of his home in Hattersley, Greater Manchester, in March last year after confronting a group of youths who had reportedly thrown around a wheelie bin and tampered with his mother’s mobility scooter. Following his death it emerged that Askew and his family had reported anti-social behaviour and other crimes to the police on 88 occasions over six years. The case echoed that of Fiona Pilkington , who killed herself and her 18-year-old daughter, Francecca, who had severe learning difficulties, by setting fire to the car in which they were sitting near their family home in Barwell, Leicestershire, in October 2007. A subsequent inquest found the family had endured years of abuse motivated by the disability, and held police and council officials partly responsible for failing to properly respond to Pilkington’s requests for help. The IPCC report into Askew’s death was less condemnatory, noting that local police worked “diligently” to assist the family, including when off duty. However, it found that the police had failed to consistently identify the vulnerability of the Askew family, respond to incidents as possible hate crimes or liaise properly between officers responding to calls and the local neighbourhood policing team. The force had no systems in place to deal with such repeated targeting of the disabled, and many incidents were dealt in isolation by officers who did not know the background. “Anti-social behaviour is the type of low-level crime that can pass beneath the radar of police,” said IPCC Commissioner Naseem Malik. “However, for the families experiencing such crime it can be a horrific experience. The Askew family had experienced years of torment at the hands of local youths who targeted David in particular.” The IPCC recognised that some local officers “went beyond the call of duty” in trying to help the family, he said, adding: “While the Askew family perceived the work of the local team as assisting and giving them some comfort, they were actually being failed at a higher level as opportunities to implement a co-ordinated approach to tackle and deal with the problems was being missed. They were left with a sticking-plaster solution when the matter needed extensive surgery.” Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said the force recognised “more should have been done” to help Askew and his family. But, he said, even before the death the force had began a major review of how it dealt with anti-social behaviour and new systems were now in place to prevent future failings. Disability charities have repeatedly warned that crimes targeting disabled people are too often under-reported and not properly investigated. The IPCC report should be “a wake up call”, said Richard Hawkes, chief executive of Scope. He said: ‘Disabled people experience harassment and abuse on a daily basis, simply because they are different. Often it starts with persistent low-level incidents. But if left unchecked, anti-social behaviour can escalate into something more serious. The impact can be unspeakable. “Victims find it hard to come forward. Many will ignore harassment; others will find the justice system literally inaccessible. As a result disability hate crime is sorely under-reported and official figures mask the true scale of the problem. Where it is reported, conviction rates are much lower than other types of hate crime.” Last September, a 19-year-old man who lived near Askew was detained in a young offenders’ institution after he admitted using intimidating, threatening and aggressive behaviour against the family. Independent Police Complaints Commission Asbos Communities Disability Manchester UK criminal justice Crime Police Peter Walker guardian.co.uk
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NCAA Third Round Prep and Media Interviews Ask a Student: Med Students for Life National Tour Peggy Troy, RN, MSN, Nurs ’74 on The Difference Network at Marquette University The Unitary Governor : Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog Marquette University Law School – Contact Us Marquette University Law School, P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201 (414) 288-7090. Street Address: Marquette University Law School, 1215 W. Michigan St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233 … Ponderings of a Law Professor: Where Are Women's Voices … Street Address: Marquette University Law School, 1215 W. Michigan St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233. The opinions expressed here are those of the individual authors and do not represent the views of Marquette University or its Law School. DJO Diaries: Dime's Big Dance Blog With Marquette's Darius Johnson … Marquette University ). After an efficient sophomore year in which he averaged 13.0 points on 45.5 percent shooting, including 47.4 percent from distance, Marquette guard Darius Johnson-Odom took his game a step further this season. … George Mason University 03.20.2011 | George Mason University … George Mason University 03.20.2011 | George Mason University | NCAA Scores Sunday Update: George Mason University Ousted | george mason | george mason basketball | marquette university | marquette | syracuse. 8:10 PM ttc … Marquette Student Media: Newspapers and paywalls, some thoughts A blog designed to forward information and views to members of student media and others at Marquette University . Content will pertain not only to student media, but to professional media as well. Of course, all opinions are mine and do … TTNews88 says: Marquette University : Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) – Darius Johnson-Odom made the go-ahead three- pointer with… http://bit.ly/hLFIF2
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• Coalition forces launched a second wave of strikes • Dispute over whether civilians have been killed • Italy joins France, US, Britain and others • Gaddafi officials announce a fresh ceasefire Follow live updates here 9.34am: The EU’s top foreign policy official is trying to play down cracks in the coalition. Catherine Ashton says the head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, was misquoted when he expressed alarm at reported civilians deaths in the first raids. “Moussa was misquoted, as I understand it,” said Ashton, without elaborating on what she thought what Moussa actually said. Shortly after the air strikes began, Moussa yesterday told reporters in Cairo that, “What happened differs from the no-fly zone objectives. What we want is civilians’ protection not shelling more civilians.” 9.25am: British commanders have insisted that the targets so far have been “carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties”. Earlier we heard France say it had no evidence of any civilian casualties , apparently in response to the Arab League calling for an emergency meeting and claiming coalition strikes had “led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians”. The Guardian’s security and defence correspondent, Nick Hopkins, has been speaking to Air Vice Marshall Phil Osborn, who said the military are “hugely aware of the risks”. “The targeting would have been highly detailed. We will not proceed against targets if the risk is deemed to be unacceptable. The risk of collateral damage is at the forefront of our minds.” Major General John Lorimer told Nick: “Targets were carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties and to strike at key military instillations in Libya.” 9.12am: The Guardian’s Chris McGreal is at “what is now the front line”, 9km outside Ajdabiya, having travelled with rejuvenated rebel forces from Benghazi. He says rebel forces have gained 150km of ground , and a substantial amount of morale, since coalition air strikes began on Saturday morning. He says Gaddafi’s forces have been driven all the way back to the edge of Ajdabiya – having previously been on the outskirts of Benghazi – but are repelling any further advance by the rebels. There definitely is continuing resistance. There have been a number of incoming tank rounds from Gaddafi’s forces, which suggests that they’ve still got tanks, they may still have some rockets. But above us now we can hear planes, which we have to assume are coalition planes, and we have heard a number of very deep explosions in the past few minutes which suggests those are attacks by coalition forces, possibly on those same tanks which were shelling us just a few minutes earlier. Chris says: “If the coalition air forces are now turning their attention to those Gaddafi forces around Ajdabiya I can only imagine they’re going to meet the same fate as they did on the edge of Benghazi, which was fairly comprehensive destruction”. 9.06am: Reports of air strikes on or around Gaddafi-held Ajdabiya in the last few minutes. More shortly. 8.50am: I’ve just been speaking to the Guardian’s Ian Black , who is in Tripoli and has more on the alleged bombing of Gaddafi’s compound in the capital by coalition forces. The compound was famously bombed in 1986 by the US in retaliation for a terrorist attack blamed on Libya against US troops in Germany, which gives a “symbolic significance” to the strike, Ian says. Something happened, certainly, in the centre of Tripoli last night I could certainly see a substantial column of smoke rising from the general direction of it, maybe a couple of miles from where I am. There was a lot of very, very loud, but pretty erratic, anti-aircraft fire going up around the same time, and later on in the middle of the night some reporters were taken to the compound to see the damage. Ian says journalists were shown a three storey building that was “in ruins”, but there was no smoke or flames at the scene. He adds: “Whatever happened has been used quite energetically by the Libyan propaganda system to present its view of what is going on. It’s hard to say what exactly did happen.” 8.27am: The head of the Gulf’s main political bloc, the Gulf Cooperation Council, has said Qatar and the United Arab Emirates remain part of the international military coalition. Abdul Rahman bin Hamad al-Attiyah said the two states are part of the coalition, despite criticism from Arab League’s Secretary-General Amr Moussa that the attacks had killed civilians. Al-Attiyah did not clarify Qatar and the UAE’s role or say whether they have taken part in air strikes. He spoke on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Abu Dhabi. The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. 8.13am: Yesterday we heard that supporters of Gaddafi had formed a human shield around his compound in Tripoli, with men, women and children singing songs against the rebel “germs”. But it is likely such fervour does not quite sum up the mood of all those in the capital, with many tweets suggesting less warmth towards the Libyan leader. @OurLibya Tripoli’s silence is not a sign of consent. it is muted by Gaddafi brutality.I live in Tripoli and I know what I am talking about.#Libya 8am: Good morning, welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the continuing military intervention in Libya, as Gaddafi remains in power. • Coalition forces have launched the second night of air strikes on Libya after halting the advance of Muammar Gaddafi’s forces on Benghazi and targeting air defences to allow their planes to enforce the no-fly zone. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, director of the US military’s Joint Staff, told reporters there had been no new Libyan air activity or radar emissions, but a significant decrease in Libyan air surveillance, since the strikes began on Saturday. Benghazi was not yet free from threat, Gortney said, but Gaddafi’s forces in the area were in distress and “suffering from isolation and confusion” after the air assaults. • France – the first country to bomb Libya on Saturday – said on Monday morning it has no evidence of civilians being killed, contradicting the Arab League, which had said the strikes had “led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians”. A Libyan government health official said 64 people had been killed by Western bombardment on Saturday and Sunday morning, while the Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa called for an emergency meeting of the group’s 22 states to discuss Libya. He requested a report on the bombardment, which he said had “led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians”. “What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians,” Egypt’s state news agency quoted him as saying. French government spokesman Francois Baroin told television Canal+ that “there is no information of killed civilians that the French command is aware of”. • Italy joined the attacks on Sunday night, as Gaddafi officials claimed the Libyan leader’s Tripoli compound had been targeted. Libyan officials took Western reporters to Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli – a sprawling complex that houses his private quarters as well as military barracks, anti-aircraft batteries and other installations – to show what they claimed was the site of a missile attack two hours earlier. “It was a barbaric bombing,” said government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim, showing pieces of shrapnel that he said came from the missile. “This contradicts American and Western [statements] … that it is not their target to attack this place.” The Guardian has been unable to confirm the damage was caused by coalition air strikes. • The onslaught resumed last night despite a ceasefire announced by the Libyan authorities at 7pm UK time. “We, the Popular Social Leadership of Libya, recommend to the armed forces to announce an immediate ceasefire to all military units,” said regime spokesman Ibrahim Moussa in a pre-prepared statement. Earlier in the day, the Libyan dictator had threatened “a long war”, and his forces launched a fresh assault on rebels in Misrata, where one resident in the town said pro-Gaddafi boats in the port were preventing aid from reaching the town. Libya Arab and Middle East protests Protest Muammar Gaddafi Military Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …• Coalition forces launched a second wave of strikes • Dispute over whether civilians have been killed • Italy joins France, US, Britain and others • Gaddafi officials announce a fresh ceasefire Follow live updates here 9.34am: The EU’s top foreign policy official is trying to play down cracks in the coalition. Catherine Ashton says the head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, was misquoted when he expressed alarm at reported civilians deaths in the first raids. “Moussa was misquoted, as I understand it,” said Ashton, without elaborating on what she thought what Moussa actually said. Shortly after the air strikes began, Moussa yesterday told reporters in Cairo that, “What happened differs from the no-fly zone objectives. What we want is civilians’ protection not shelling more civilians.” 9.25am: British commanders have insisted that the targets so far have been “carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties”. Earlier we heard France say it had no evidence of any civilian casualties , apparently in response to the Arab League calling for an emergency meeting and claiming coalition strikes had “led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians”. The Guardian’s security and defence correspondent, Nick Hopkins, has been speaking to Air Vice Marshall Phil Osborn, who said the military are “hugely aware of the risks”. “The targeting would have been highly detailed. We will not proceed against targets if the risk is deemed to be unacceptable. The risk of collateral damage is at the forefront of our minds.” Major General John Lorimer told Nick: “Targets were carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties and to strike at key military instillations in Libya.” 9.12am: The Guardian’s Chris McGreal is at “what is now the front line”, 9km outside Ajdabiya, having travelled with rejuvenated rebel forces from Benghazi. He says rebel forces have gained 150km of ground , and a substantial amount of morale, since coalition air strikes began on Saturday morning. He says Gaddafi’s forces have been driven all the way back to the edge of Ajdabiya – having previously been on the outskirts of Benghazi – but are repelling any further advance by the rebels. There definitely is continuing resistance. There have been a number of incoming tank rounds from Gaddafi’s forces, which suggests that they’ve still got tanks, they may still have some rockets. But above us now we can hear planes, which we have to assume are coalition planes, and we have heard a number of very deep explosions in the past few minutes which suggests those are attacks by coalition forces, possibly on those same tanks which were shelling us just a few minutes earlier. Chris says: “If the coalition air forces are now turning their attention to those Gaddafi forces around Ajdabiya I can only imagine they’re going to meet the same fate as they did on the edge of Benghazi, which was fairly comprehensive destruction”. 9.06am: Reports of air strikes on or around Gaddafi-held Ajdabiya in the last few minutes. More shortly. 8.50am: I’ve just been speaking to the Guardian’s Ian Black , who is in Tripoli and has more on the alleged bombing of Gaddafi’s compound in the capital by coalition forces. The compound was famously bombed in 1986 by the US in retaliation for a terrorist attack blamed on Libya against US troops in Germany, which gives a “symbolic significance” to the strike, Ian says. Something happened, certainly, in the centre of Tripoli last night I could certainly see a substantial column of smoke rising from the general direction of it, maybe a couple of miles from where I am. There was a lot of very, very loud, but pretty erratic, anti-aircraft fire going up around the same time, and later on in the middle of the night some reporters were taken to the compound to see the damage. Ian says journalists were shown a three storey building that was “in ruins”, but there was no smoke or flames at the scene. He adds: “Whatever happened has been used quite energetically by the Libyan propaganda system to present its view of what is going on. It’s hard to say what exactly did happen.” 8.27am: The head of the Gulf’s main political bloc, the Gulf Cooperation Council, has said Qatar and the United Arab Emirates remain part of the international military coalition. Abdul Rahman bin Hamad al-Attiyah said the two states are part of the coalition, despite criticism from Arab League’s Secretary-General Amr Moussa that the attacks had killed civilians. Al-Attiyah did not clarify Qatar and the UAE’s role or say whether they have taken part in air strikes. He spoke on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Abu Dhabi. The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. 8.13am: Yesterday we heard that supporters of Gaddafi had formed a human shield around his compound in Tripoli, with men, women and children singing songs against the rebel “germs”. But it is likely such fervour does not quite sum up the mood of all those in the capital, with many tweets suggesting less warmth towards the Libyan leader. @OurLibya Tripoli’s silence is not a sign of consent. it is muted by Gaddafi brutality.I live in Tripoli and I know what I am talking about.#Libya 8am: Good morning, welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the continuing military intervention in Libya, as Gaddafi remains in power. • Coalition forces have launched the second night of air strikes on Libya after halting the advance of Muammar Gaddafi’s forces on Benghazi and targeting air defences to allow their planes to enforce the no-fly zone. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, director of the US military’s Joint Staff, told reporters there had been no new Libyan air activity or radar emissions, but a significant decrease in Libyan air surveillance, since the strikes began on Saturday. Benghazi was not yet free from threat, Gortney said, but Gaddafi’s forces in the area were in distress and “suffering from isolation and confusion” after the air assaults. • France – the first country to bomb Libya on Saturday – said on Monday morning it has no evidence of civilians being killed, contradicting the Arab League, which had said the strikes had “led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians”. A Libyan government health official said 64 people had been killed by Western bombardment on Saturday and Sunday morning, while the Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa called for an emergency meeting of the group’s 22 states to discuss Libya. He requested a report on the bombardment, which he said had “led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians”. “What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians,” Egypt’s state news agency quoted him as saying. French government spokesman Francois Baroin told television Canal+ that “there is no information of killed civilians that the French command is aware of”. • Italy joined the attacks on Sunday night, as Gaddafi officials claimed the Libyan leader’s Tripoli compound had been targeted. Libyan officials took Western reporters to Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli – a sprawling complex that houses his private quarters as well as military barracks, anti-aircraft batteries and other installations – to show what they claimed was the site of a missile attack two hours earlier. “It was a barbaric bombing,” said government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim, showing pieces of shrapnel that he said came from the missile. “This contradicts American and Western [statements] … that it is not their target to attack this place.” The Guardian has been unable to confirm the damage was caused by coalition air strikes. • The onslaught resumed last night despite a ceasefire announced by the Libyan authorities at 7pm UK time. “We, the Popular Social Leadership of Libya, recommend to the armed forces to announce an immediate ceasefire to all military units,” said regime spokesman Ibrahim Moussa in a pre-prepared statement. Earlier in the day, the Libyan dictator had threatened “a long war”, and his forces launched a fresh assault on rebels in Misrata, where one resident in the town said pro-Gaddafi boats in the port were preventing aid from reaching the town. Libya Arab and Middle East protests Protest Muammar Gaddafi Military Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk
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Culture secretary to consider extending public interest laws which could mean News Corporation facing further sanctions Jeremy Hunt is to consider extending the public interest rules that govern the UK media industry so that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation could face further sanctions if it becomes progressively more dominant without making any more British acquisitions. The culture secretary will next month publish a discussion document to kickstart a consultation with the media industry ahead of a green paper towards the end of this year. Legislation will follow in the second half of this parliament. Hunt – speaking in an interview with MediaGuardian – said he was sympathetic to a problem identified by Ofcom, the communications regulator, when it examined News Corp’s proposed £8bn buyout of BSkyB under the public interest tests. The tests, Ofcom said, could only be applied in a merger situation under current law. Hunt said Ofcom had “made an important point” because the public interest provision could not be invoked “because of a media organisation’s economic growth”. He said extending the rules is something “we should look at” in the consultation. Earlier this month Hunt proposed that Murdoch should be allowed to go through with the buyout on the condition that Sky News is spun off, with News Corp only allowed to own up to 39%. Monday is the last day for critics to lodge objections to that plan. Those hostile to the deal – including the companies behind the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail – argue that News Corp will become progressively more dominant in Britain. Sky is growing rapidly, and by 2015 News Corp is expected to have a UK turnover of about £9bn, more than double that of the next biggest media group, the BBC. A YouGov poll published Monday conducted for online pressure group Avaaz, which is also opposed to the merger, concluded that nearly 60% of the public thought Murdoch had too much influence on British politics, while 64% said that the merger will give News Corp too much power over the media. Only 5% of the 2300 people polled backed the deal. However, despite the olive branch, Hunt robustly defended his decision, arguing that he had to base it on the “concentration of media ownership, not about market power” – which was why the only appropriate remedy was to keep Sky News separate from the Times and the Sun. He indicated that the controversy over phone hacking by private investigators employed by the News of the World did not influence his decision, but noted that he expected deputy assistant commissioner Sue Akers heading up the latest investigation for the Metropolitan police would do a “thorough job”. The consultation document Hunt will launch next month will also set out three areas for discussion starting with how to foster innovation in areas such as games, telemedicine, home education and “micro-broadcasting” or local television. It will also include a section on deregulation with the minister saying there was a “a need to look at” the rules governing how ITV is able to sell advertising space. But deregulation will not cover “taste and decency” or quantity of advertising broadcasters are allowed to air. The final part is to create a coherent framework of content control that could see online video treated more like television. He said he was concerned about internet content streamed onto a home television, which he said “feels like TV” but is not regulated by decency rules. Jeremy Hunt Rupert Murdoch BSkyB News Corporation Newspapers Ofcom Media law Mergers and acquisitions Regulators Dan Sabbagh guardian.co.uk
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It was likely not a surprise to “Inside Washington” viewers that most of the usual suspects on the panel saw the crisis in Japan as not being good for the future of nuclear powered electrical plants in this country. What certainly must have raised a couple of eyebrows though was the strongest opposition to any further construction of such facilities coming from lone conservative Charles Krauthammer (video follows with transcript and commentary): CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Look, I think nuclear is dead as a result of this. Look, if Three Mile Island which was a picnic compared with this – one reactor, human error, no health hazard outside of it – as opposed to four reactors, no human error, human heroism in fact, and it’s a disaster of ultimate proportions and in Japan which, you know. It’s not like Chernobyl’s shoddy Soviet construction and expertise. That’s the gold standard and it’s, it’s, it’s gonna, there’s going to be a problem that will take weeks and will leave a residue for years. The resurgence of nuclear energy is dead. We will keep the plants we have, we’re going to inspect them. Look, the Germans have taken seven of their seventeen offline. The Chinese who are kind of reckless environmentally have suspended all construction. It’s over for nuclear. It’s not going to recover. COLBY KING, WASHINGTON POST: A resurgence, but the resurgence of interest in the idea. The prospect of bringing some nuclear plants online not very good anyway it’s beginning. Why? Because Wall Street has to come in and finance those, those power plants, and there was no interest at all on Wall Street in taking that kind of investment. KRAUTHAMMER: That’s why Obama, the federal government under Obama and Bush were offering huge loan guarantees as a way to step in override the market and encourage this, but that’s not going to go on. I think its day is done. As the Left and their media minions love citing conservatives when one of them says something they agree with, it seems a metaphysical certitude Krauthammer's comments will make the rounds in the coming days. As that happens, we should hope that it is part of a greater discussion concerning what our energy policy should be without nuclear. The Left and their press are already opposed to coal due to the dreaded carbon dioxide. Oil is hated for similar reasons and is already over $100 a barrel. In deference to Al Gore and his moronic followers, wind and solar are not close to being able to meet this country's electric needs, and the possibility of getting a new hydroelectric plant built is slim because it might kill some fish. We as a nation appear to be approaching a tipping point where environmental concerns are about to make it impossible for us to power as well as heat and cool our homes, offices, and factories. With all due respect to Krauthammer who is indeed one of my favorite writers and commentators, are we really going to allow what might have been a once in lifetime confluence of historic natural disasters dictate our energy policy for the coming decades? Isn't there instead a far more rational approach to this matter whereby existing plants along the coasts are upgraded to account for tsunamis, and new facilities are built within reasonable distances from fault lines as well as the oceans bordering our eastern and western flanks? My learned conservative friend should be advised that these reactors survived a 9.0 magnitude quake and all the aftershocks including ones in excess of 7.0. The problem was caused by a tsunami, which is not something we'd have to concern ourselves with at plants 50 to 100 miles inland. That fellow panelists King, PBS's Mark Shields, and NPR's Nina Totenberg expressed skepticism for nuclear's future was one thing. For Dr. Krauthammer to not only share in the hysteria but also advance it was unfortunate. Let's hope Charles has a change of heart before he writes his next column or it could be him causing a journalistic tsunami by taking such an extreme view on this important issue.
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