OBL Home Movies of the Day: The Pentagon today released five home videos of Osama bin Laden obtained during the raid on his compound in Abbottabad. The first video contains “[a] complete, unreleased message to the American people” recorded between October 9th and November 5th of last year. Three of the five, dubbed “practice videos,” show a bin Laden — his beard dyed black — preparing to record various… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Daily What Discovery Date : 07/05/2011 20:49 Number of articles : 3
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‘Phoenix four’ disqualified from directorships after paying £42m in bonuses while running car firm into the ground Four former MG Rover directors, who paid themselves millions as they ran the car manufacturer into the ground, have been banned from acting as company directors for a combined total of 19 years. The so-called ” Phoenix four ” of Peter Beale, John Towers, Nick Stephenson and John Edwards acquired Britain’s last remaining volume car producer from BMW for a nominal £10 in 2000, with the enthusiastic backing of the then Labour government. They then spent the next five years pocketing huge awards before the company collapsed in 2005, owing £1.3bn to creditors and putting thousands of people out of work. Edward Davey, the business minister with responsibility for corporate governance and company law, said: “These disqualification undertakings represent a successful conclusion to a lengthy and complex investigation into the collapse of MG Rover. The outcome of this case serves as an important reminder that unacceptable conduct by company directors can result in lengthy periods of disqualification.” From 17 May, Beale will not be able to work as a director for six years, Towers and Stephenson for five and Edwards for three. When MG Rover collapsed in April 2005 with the loss of 6,500 jobs, the Phoenix four and former MG Rover chief executive Kevin Howe had paid themselves a total of £42m . Howe has not been banned. The disqualifications follow a government report into the financial affairs of MG Rover and its associated companies that found that the conduct of the Phoenix four made them unfit to be company directors. It added that the directors manipulated the assets and income streams through the use of companies in which they, rather than the creditors of MG Rover had an interest, allowing them to benefit through large salaries, dividends and profits. The quartet described the report as a “witch-hunt” and a “whitewash” . Rover Automotive industry Simon Goodley guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …‘Phoenix four’ disqualified from directorships after paying £42m in bonuses while running car firm into the ground Four former MG Rover directors, who paid themselves millions as they ran the car manufacturer into the ground, have been banned from acting as company directors for a combined total of 19 years. The so-called ” Phoenix four ” of Peter Beale, John Towers, Nick Stephenson and John Edwards acquired Britain’s last remaining volume car producer from BMW for a nominal £10 in 2000, with the enthusiastic backing of the then Labour government. They then spent the next five years pocketing huge awards before the company collapsed in 2005, owing £1.3bn to creditors and putting thousands of people out of work. Edward Davey, the business minister with responsibility for corporate governance and company law, said: “These disqualification undertakings represent a successful conclusion to a lengthy and complex investigation into the collapse of MG Rover. The outcome of this case serves as an important reminder that unacceptable conduct by company directors can result in lengthy periods of disqualification.” From 17 May, Beale will not be able to work as a director for six years, Towers and Stephenson for five and Edwards for three. When MG Rover collapsed in April 2005 with the loss of 6,500 jobs, the Phoenix four and former MG Rover chief executive Kevin Howe had paid themselves a total of £42m . Howe has not been banned. The disqualifications follow a government report into the financial affairs of MG Rover and its associated companies that found that the conduct of the Phoenix four made them unfit to be company directors. It added that the directors manipulated the assets and income streams through the use of companies in which they, rather than the creditors of MG Rover had an interest, allowing them to benefit through large salaries, dividends and profits. The quartet described the report as a “witch-hunt” and a “whitewash” . Rover Automotive industry Simon Goodley guardian.co.uk
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‘Phoenix four’ disqualified from directorships after paying £42m in bonuses while running car firm into the ground Four former MG Rover directors, who paid themselves millions as they ran the car manufacturer into the ground, have been banned from acting as company directors for a combined total of 19 years. The so-called ” Phoenix four ” of Peter Beale, John Towers, Nick Stephenson and John Edwards acquired Britain’s last remaining volume car producer from BMW for a nominal £10 in 2000, with the enthusiastic backing of the then Labour government. They then spent the next five years pocketing huge awards before the company collapsed in 2005, owing £1.3bn to creditors and putting thousands of people out of work. Edward Davey, the business minister with responsibility for corporate governance and company law, said: “These disqualification undertakings represent a successful conclusion to a lengthy and complex investigation into the collapse of MG Rover. The outcome of this case serves as an important reminder that unacceptable conduct by company directors can result in lengthy periods of disqualification.” From 17 May, Beale will not be able to work as a director for six years, Towers and Stephenson for five and Edwards for three. When MG Rover collapsed in April 2005 with the loss of 6,500 jobs, the Phoenix four and former MG Rover chief executive Kevin Howe had paid themselves a total of £42m . Howe has not been banned. The disqualifications follow a government report into the financial affairs of MG Rover and its associated companies that found that the conduct of the Phoenix four made them unfit to be company directors. It added that the directors manipulated the assets and income streams through the use of companies in which they, rather than the creditors of MG Rover had an interest, allowing them to benefit through large salaries, dividends and profits. The quartet described the report as a “witch-hunt” and a “whitewash” . Rover Automotive industry Simon Goodley guardian.co.uk
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Provincial governor says at least 18 fighters have been killed after waves of Taliban attacks on officials in Kandahar Afghan troops have engaged in running battles with Taliban fighters in Kandahar, a day after insurgents launched waves of attacks on government and police targets . Gunfire and explosions echoed across the city through the morning as Afghan forces, aided by Nato-led coalition troops, tried to mop up pockets of insurgent fighters, including some who were holed up in a shopping centre. The governor of Kandahar province, Tooryalai Wesa, declared that the attacks had been put down, but soon after he spoke bursts of gunfire were heard from the shopping centre. Wesa said at least 18 fighters, many of them suicide bombers, had been killed. Three members of the Afghan security forces and one civilian were also killed, he said. Another 40 people were wounded, including 14 police. Four insurgents were captured, all of whom had been part of a mass jailbreak from Kandahar’s main prison two weeks ago, Wesa said. The interior ministry said eight suicide bombers had attacked Wesa’s office, an office of Afghanistan’s intelligence agency and police outposts on Saturday. The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying it was part of a week-old spring offensive. The attacks were not in revenge for the killing of Osama bin Laden, a Taliban spokesman said, despite claims to the contrary by the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. The Taliban said escapers from the jailbreak were among hundreds of fighters involved in the attacks. Other attacks occurred in the neighbouring Arghandab river valley west of the city, an important insurgent route for moving men and weapons into Kandahar. Afghanistan Taliban guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Provincial governor says at least 18 fighters have been killed after waves of Taliban attacks on officials in Kandahar Afghan troops have engaged in running battles with Taliban fighters in Kandahar, a day after insurgents launched waves of attacks on government and police targets . Gunfire and explosions echoed across the city through the morning as Afghan forces, aided by Nato-led coalition troops, tried to mop up pockets of insurgent fighters, including some who were holed up in a shopping centre. The governor of Kandahar province, Tooryalai Wesa, declared that the attacks had been put down, but soon after he spoke bursts of gunfire were heard from the shopping centre. Wesa said at least 18 fighters, many of them suicide bombers, had been killed. Three members of the Afghan security forces and one civilian were also killed, he said. Another 40 people were wounded, including 14 police. Four insurgents were captured, all of whom had been part of a mass jailbreak from Kandahar’s main prison two weeks ago, Wesa said. The interior ministry said eight suicide bombers had attacked Wesa’s office, an office of Afghanistan’s intelligence agency and police outposts on Saturday. The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying it was part of a week-old spring offensive. The attacks were not in revenge for the killing of Osama bin Laden, a Taliban spokesman said, despite claims to the contrary by the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. The Taliban said escapers from the jailbreak were among hundreds of fighters involved in the attacks. Other attacks occurred in the neighbouring Arghandab river valley west of the city, an important insurgent route for moving men and weapons into Kandahar. Afghanistan Taliban guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Provincial governor says at least 18 fighters have been killed after waves of Taliban attacks on officials in Kandahar Afghan troops have engaged in running battles with Taliban fighters in Kandahar, a day after insurgents launched waves of attacks on government and police targets . Gunfire and explosions echoed across the city through the morning as Afghan forces, aided by Nato-led coalition troops, tried to mop up pockets of insurgent fighters, including some who were holed up in a shopping centre. The governor of Kandahar province, Tooryalai Wesa, declared that the attacks had been put down, but soon after he spoke bursts of gunfire were heard from the shopping centre. Wesa said at least 18 fighters, many of them suicide bombers, had been killed. Three members of the Afghan security forces and one civilian were also killed, he said. Another 40 people were wounded, including 14 police. Four insurgents were captured, all of whom had been part of a mass jailbreak from Kandahar’s main prison two weeks ago, Wesa said. The interior ministry said eight suicide bombers had attacked Wesa’s office, an office of Afghanistan’s intelligence agency and police outposts on Saturday. The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying it was part of a week-old spring offensive. The attacks were not in revenge for the killing of Osama bin Laden, a Taliban spokesman said, despite claims to the contrary by the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. The Taliban said escapers from the jailbreak were among hundreds of fighters involved in the attacks. Other attacks occurred in the neighbouring Arghandab river valley west of the city, an important insurgent route for moving men and weapons into Kandahar. Afghanistan Taliban guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Almost Half of Detroit’s Adults Are Functionally Illiterate. Why Aren’t We Addressing Those Education Issues?
May 8, 2011 No CommentEducation “reform” isn’t going to do squat for students whose families are steeped in poverty and its side effects — like illiteracy. Research shows that children whose parents read to them have much bigger vocabularies and do better in school. If your parents can’t even read, how does that happen? How does a parent check your homework, or respond to notes from the teacher? We need another wave of Great Society programs, and instead we get deep cuts in the few social programs we have left: Detroit’s population fell by 25 percent in the last decade. And of those that stuck around, nearly half of them are functionally illiterate, a new report finds. According to estimates by The National Institute for Literacy, roughly 47 percent of adults in Detroit, Michigan — 200,000 total — are “functionally illiterate,” meaning they have trouble with reading, speaking, writing and computational skills. Even more surprisingly, the Detroit Regional Workforce finds half of that illiterate population has obtained a high school degree. The DRWF report places particular focus on the lack of resources available to those hoping to better educate themselves, with fewer than 10 percent of those in need of help actually receiving it. Only 18 percent of the programs surveyed serve English-language learners, despite 10 percent of the adult population of Detroit speaking English “less than very well.” Additionally, the report finds, one in three workers in the state of Michigan lack the skills or credentials to pursue additional education beyond high school. In March, the Detroit unemployment rate hit 11.8 percent, one of the highest in the nation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last month. There is a glimmer of hope, however: Detroit’s unemployment rate dropped by 3.3 percent in the last year alone.
Continue reading …Almost Half of Detroit’s Adults Are Functionally Illiterate. Why Aren’t We Addressing Those Education Issues?
May 8, 2011 No CommentEducation “reform” isn’t going to do squat for students whose families are steeped in poverty and its side effects — like illiteracy. Research shows that children whose parents read to them have much bigger vocabularies and do better in school. If your parents can’t even read, how does that happen? How does a parent check your homework, or respond to notes from the teacher? We need another wave of Great Society programs, and instead we get deep cuts in the few social programs we have left: Detroit’s population fell by 25 percent in the last decade. And of those that stuck around, nearly half of them are functionally illiterate, a new report finds. According to estimates by The National Institute for Literacy, roughly 47 percent of adults in Detroit, Michigan — 200,000 total — are “functionally illiterate,” meaning they have trouble with reading, speaking, writing and computational skills. Even more surprisingly, the Detroit Regional Workforce finds half of that illiterate population has obtained a high school degree. The DRWF report places particular focus on the lack of resources available to those hoping to better educate themselves, with fewer than 10 percent of those in need of help actually receiving it. Only 18 percent of the programs surveyed serve English-language learners, despite 10 percent of the adult population of Detroit speaking English “less than very well.” Additionally, the report finds, one in three workers in the state of Michigan lack the skills or credentials to pursue additional education beyond high school. In March, the Detroit unemployment rate hit 11.8 percent, one of the highest in the nation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last month. There is a glimmer of hope, however: Detroit’s unemployment rate dropped by 3.3 percent in the last year alone.
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SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press= CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s military rulers have reacted swiftly to attempts to burn down a pair of churches in a Cairo slum during sectarian riots that killed 10 people by referring 190 people to military trial. Mobs of ultraconservative Muslims from the Salafi religious trend converged on a church in the Cairo slum of Imbaba late Saturday following rumors of an interfaith romance. Christians barricaded themselves inside and around the church and the demonstrations turned violent. Witnesses said people on rooftops fired into the crowd. The military said the mass arrests were to deter people from threatening the nation’s security. Military trials are…
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