Investigators probing how low Britain’s News of the World was willing to go in pursuit of a story may have finally hit bottom: Police have notified relative of the victims of the 2005 London bombings that they were targeted by the paper and may have had their phones hacked, the…
Continue reading …A bill requiring California schools to teach gay history is headed for Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk after passing the state assembly. The bill, SB48, would make California the first state to require history classes and textbooks to include the contributions of gay and lesbian Americans, reports the Los Angeles Times…
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dancesWfascists says: Rush Limbaugh takes to tornado-ravaged Joplin, Mo. with a …: Read 'Rush Limbaugh takes to tornado-ravaged Jopl… http://bit.ly/r0MM7l
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Ministers say emissions have been cut by 14% in the past year, compared to the 10% reduction that had been promised The UK government has exceeded its own targets for greenhouse gas reductions, ministers announced on Wednesday. Central government emissions were cut by 14% in the past year, compared to the 10% reduction that had been promised . The prime minister, David Cameron, applauded the effort but said he wanted to go further, pledging a 25% reduction in carbon from central government by the end of this parliament. Officials said the reductions in the last year were the result of energy-saving measures, such as turning down air conditioning and turning off lights, rather than staff cuts, which had largely not taken effect when the reductions were calculated. The new 25% commitment will mean an end to many of the perks enjoyed by ministers and civil servants, because travel will be included in the carbon targets for the first time. This will force senior MPs and officials to reconsider carbon-intensive travel such as ministerial cars and business class flights. The move is likely to mean officials have to ensure more flights are taken in economy, and there will be a higher bar to justify business class tickets, though some flights will still be taken in the more expensive cabin. Business class passengers are allocated a greater share of a flight’s CO 2 output because they occupy more space. Cameron made the decision with the backing of climate secretary Chris Huhne, but against wishes of some on the Tory right. Liam Fox, secretary of state for defence, which owns one of the biggest government estates, was against it. However, Cameron’s efforts to restore his government’s claim to be “the greenest ever” were undermined by his own MEPs on Tuesday, who staged a rebellion against the party line by voting against tougher emissions targets for Europe . The votes by 16 of the 23 Tory MEPs helped to swing the European parliament’s decision against more ambitious climate change targets. Carbon emissions Climate change Energy Green politics Fiona Harvey guardian.co.uk
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Domestic violence charge dropped against Lohan’s dad; ‘Captain America’ keeps full name in most of world; Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott is engaged. (July 6)
Continue reading …Bernie Sanders: Americans Think it’s Insane to do Deficit Reduction on the Backs of the Working Class and Poor
July 6, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media I think Bernie Sanders is one of the last people in the United States Senate that I can stand to listen to these days with all of this kabuki theater going on over raising the debt ceiling and the demands for deficit reduction on the backs of the working class and the poor along with Republicans drawing a line in the sand with their public refusals to raise taxes. Ed Schultz asked Bernie about former President Bill Clinton tossing the idea about lowering the corporate tax rates in America in exchange for closing some loopholes, which Sanders shot down. We all know how that would turn out after watching how the Republicans are negotiating in bad faith on the budget right now. They’d get Democrats to agree that the tax rates should be lowered and then stomp off when they tried to get them to agree to which loopholes to close. That or the only ones they’d go after are those that affect the middle class and not the rich. Bernie’s still out there asking people to sign his petition, which now has well over 100,000 signatures. If you haven’t signed yet, you can do so here .
Continue reading …The discoverer is calling the animal “giant wombat”. The marsupial was believed to have lived 2 million years ago. It is plant eating and has an estimated size of a four-wheel drive car. Its remains were found in a farm located in a north-eastern Queensland state of Australia specifically in Floraville Station. The place has 2 Million Year Old Giant Wombat Remains Unearthed In Australia is a post from: Daily World Buzz
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Prime minister takes more cautious approach than White House, telling MPs that Britain needs to know there is an end point The UK will withdraw another 500 troops from Afghanistan next year, as armed forces begin to transfer combat duties to the Afghan security forces, the prime minister announced on Wednesday. The decision comes a fortnight after President Obama said he intended to withdraw 33,000 US troops from the country by the end of next autumn. This announcement was a controversial move that went against the advice of commanders on the ground. David Cameron had also been under pressure to consider a more radical drawdown from the areas in Helmand province where the British are currently stationed, but he has taken a more cautious approach than the White House. Following advice from the National Security Council and military officials, who have warned that the situation remains fragile, Downing Street has chosen to keep troop numbers high until the end of 2012. Explaining to MPs why 500 extra soldiers could be withdrawn next year, Cameron told MPs that Afghanistan was entering a “new phase” and that “the country needs to know that there is an end point … This is right for the UK and it’s right for Afghanistan too.” Cameron said there was evidence that al-Qaida’s strength had been diminished and there was tentative signs that the Taliban was weaker too. “Afghan forces now stand ready to take over security … there has been real progress over the last two years.” In his statement to the House of Commons, Cameron said he was committed to ending the UK’s combat role in Afghanistan by the end of 2014. “It has given the Afghans a clear deadline against which to plan and has injected a sense of urgency into their efforts,” he told MPs. It is thought only 2,000 UK troops will be in the country by 2014, meaning there will be a sharp acceleration of the withdrawal process in 2013. The UK currently has 9,500 troops in Afghanistan. Ministers have already announced 450 troops will come home this year – almost half of them have already left. Later this month, the UK will hand over responsibility for security in the districts where British troops are based to the Afghan army and police. Earlier this week during a trip to Afghanistan, Cameron indicated there would not be a significant reduction for the next two summers, which are traditionally the “fighting seasons” for the military. “You have the enduring number of 9,500. You’re not going to see a radical change for the fighting season of next year,” Cameron said. “That’s not what this is about. 2014 is a deadline – be in no doubt. This is a matter of judgment. It is my judgment that it is right. The British people and the British military deserve to have some certainty.” The prime minister’s visit coincided with the death of another British soldier, the 375th to have been killed in the country since 2001. Scott McLaren, 20, disappeared from the vehicle checkpoint where he was stationed, early on Monday. His body was found 4km away after an extensive search . He had gunshot wounds, including one to the back of the head. Reports from Afghanistan continued to suggest that McLaren, a rifleman from the 4th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland had left his post, possibly to go for a swim. However, the MoD remains sceptical of the stories. It is understood that CCTV footage of the checkpoint, in the Nahr-e-Saraj district, shows McLaren leaving the base on his own. Military Afghanistan David Cameron House of Commons Nick Hopkins guardian.co.uk
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Prime minister says he is ‘appalled’ by revelations about behaviour at News of the World, but BSkyB deal can go ahead David Cameron has bowed to pressure to hold public inquiries into the “absolutely disgusting” allegations of phone hacking by journalists at News of the World, and into the original police investigation into the scandal. The prime minister responded to the outrage provoked by the phone-hacking crisis at the Sunday tabloid after it emerged that Scotland Yard has started to contact the relatives of victims of the 7 July 2005 attacks to warn them they were also targeted by the paper . Pressed by the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, to conduct a full public inquiry, the prime minister said he was “appalled” by the revelations and agreed that it was important that inquiries were conducted that were “public, independent, and have public confidence”. He also signalled that News Corporation’s takeover of BSkyB would be allowed to go ahead. He rejected Miliband’s call for the matter to be referred to the Competition Commission, which he suggested would be illegal. Miliband told Cameron he had made a “catastrophic error of judgment” when he hired Andy Coulson as his director of communications. In a dramatic prime minister’s question time dominated by the hacking scandal, Miliband also accused Cameron of being out of touch with public opinion on the issue of BSkyB. Cameron told the Commons that the inquiries could not be started immediately because of the major police investigation currently under way, though he conceded it “may be possible” to start some of the work earlier. “We do need to have an inquiry, possibly inquiries, into what has happened,” Cameron said. “We are no longer talking here about politicians and celebrities, we are talking about murder victims, potentially terrorist victims, having their phones hacked into. It is absolutely disgusting, what has taken place, and I think everyone in this House and indeed this country will be revolted by what they have heard and what they have seen on their television screens.” He said there were two “vital areas” that needed to be considered: why the original police inquiry failed to “get to the bottom of what happened”, as well as the behaviour, practices and ethics of journalists and media organisations. Cameron said it was important that lessons were learned from “what has become a disgraceful episode”. The Labour leader called on Cameron to appoint a senior figure, possibly a judge, to lead the inquiry, which should have the power to call witnesses under oath. Miliband said the investigation should cover “the culture and practices of the industry, the nature of regulation … and also the relationship between the police and the media”. Cameron said he did not think it would be possible to investigate the original police inquiry until the new one had concluded. “Clearly, we can’t start all that sort of inquiry immediately because you must not jeopardise the police investigation, but it may be possible to start some of that work earlier,” he said. He offered to hold talks on the matter with other party leaders, attorney general Dominic Grieve and the cabinet secretary, Sir Gus O’Donnell. But he resisted separate calls by Miliband that the bid by News International to take control of BskyB be referred to the competition commission, saying that to do so would be “illegal”. Miliband said the public would react “with disbelief” if the deal went ahead in the next few days when News International was the subject of a major criminal investigation. But Cameron said the government had followed the correct legal processes, with Jeremy Hunt, the secretary of state for media, culture and sport, handling the matter in a quasi-judicial role. Only yesterday Miliband himself said that plurality issues were separate from News International ethics. The prime minister also refused to be drawn on whether Rebekah Brooks, News International chief executive, should stand down. Confronted by claims by Miliband that he had made a “catastrophic error of judgment” by taking on Coulson, the former editor of the News of the World embroiled in the latest wave of revelations, the prime minister said he took “full responsibility” for everyone he employs and appoint to work for him. The ramifications of the scandal continued to be felt by the News of the World through other channels as Halifax bank and Virgin Holidays cancelled adverts due to run in this Sunday’s paper. They followed in the footsteps of Ford which said on Tuesday it was suspending its advertising in the paper. Other companies, including the UK’s biggest advertiser, Procter & Gamble, have said they are reviewing their positions amid an online campaign urging firms to withdraw their advertising. The Metropolitan police commissioner, Paul Stephenson, also revealed that members of his force face investigation after it was reported on Tuesday night that News International had handed over details of payments made by the News of the World to police officers. He said the documents appeared to “include information relating to alleged inappropriate payments to a small number of MPS officers”. Stephenson said the matter would be investigated by deputy commissioner Sue Akers in conjunction with the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards. He added that no senior officer had been implicated. Given that the reports relate to police payments allegedly made between 2003 and 2007, when Andy Coulson was editor, many commentators have suggested they are an attempt to relieve the pressure on Brooks, also a former editor. One of those put on alert that his phone may have been hacked, Graham Foulkes, whose son David was killed in the 7 July 2005 bombings, expressed his horror at the alleged intrusion and said he wanted to meet Rupert Murdoch . He told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme: “I’d really like to meet him face to face and have a very in-depth conversation with him about responsibility and the power that he has and how it should be used appropriately.” Simon Greenberg, director of corporate affairs at News International, told the Today programme that a meeting between Foulkes and Murdoch was “certainly something we would consider”. Greenberg insisted that News International was being “highly co-operative” with the police. In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, he said the organisation was “very close” to discovering who commissioned the alleged hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone. Asked whether he was clear that the hacking was not commissioned by Brooks, who was News of the World editor at the time, he said: “We are clear.” Phone hacking Newspapers & magazines National newspapers News of the World News International Newspapers David Cameron PMQs House of Commons David Miliband Hélène Mulholland Haroon Siddique guardian.co.uk
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Article by WorldNews.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. In the midst of an ongoing investigation into the deaths of two detainees who died while being interrogated, not to mention hundreds of others that were overlooked by the United States Justice Department, comes another Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) disclosure of a clandestine operation in Pakistan. But first, Gul Rahman died in a secret CIA prison in Kabul, Afghanistan after being shackled to a concrete wall and beaten. Manadel al-Jamadi, who was hooded and chained to bars at the notorious Abu Graib prison in Iraq, was found dead with a noose around his neck. Incoming U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced this…
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