enlarge Credit: Perrspectives If nothing else, the 2012 Republican presidential contest has forced GOP White House hopefuls to run a gauntlet of ever more draconian pledges demanded by party purists . At the top of the list is the Grover Norquist’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge , which demands candidates “solemnly bind themselves to oppose any and all tax increases.” But at a time of record high income inequality , historically low federal taxes and rising national debt their party is largely responsible for producing, the GOP presidential wannabes must take a two-part vow about their own tax-cutting proposals: (a) If my tax cut plan is enacted, my family and I will save ________ in federal taxes every year. ((b) If my tax cut plan is enacted, it will add ________ trillion dollars to the national debt of the United States over the next decade. Call it the “MyTaxCut Pledge.” The need for the MyTaxCut Pledge became glaringly apparent after the 2008 presidential campaign. Republican nominee John McCain offered a Treasury-draining tax cut plan that would have produced a massive windfall for him and his heiress wife, Cindy. As the Center for American Progress explained at the time: McCain favors making the Bush tax laws permanent, and also plans to repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax, double the dependent exemption and offer tax breaks on business income…Had McCain’s tax proposal been in place in 2006, [they] would have done incredibly well – saving even more than they did under the existing Bush plan. John and Cindy McCain would have walked away with $373,429 in their pocket. McCain’s tax plan was radically more regressive than even that of President Bush – it would have delivered 58% of its benefits to the wealthiest 1% of American taxpayers. But John and Cindy’s winnings wouldn’t have ended there. As both the financial crisis and his slump in the polls deepened, John McCain proposed slashing capital gains taxes (a halving from 15% to 7.5%). Again, the gains from his scheme go overwhelmingly to the richest Americans (almost 60% of its benefits to families earning over $1 million a year), including his wife : The McCains made $746,395 in capitals gains last year. A new analysis by Michael Ettlinger, Vice President for Economic Policy at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, reveals that McCain’s capital gains cut would have reduced the McCains’ taxes by $55,980 in 2007. But the McCain’s proposed personal payday pales in comparison to the vault-stuffing espoused by his surrogate Meg Whitman . During her failed 2010 run for governor of California, the billionaire former eBay CEO proposed killing the state’s capital gains tax altogether . As the Los Angeles Times’ Michael Hiltzik noted, ending the capital gains tax would cost California up to $10 billion in revenue annually even as it would put tens of millions of dollars directly into Meg Whitman’s pocketbook. The Whitman campaign refused to tell me this week what percentage of Whitman’s income derives from capital gains (which can be defined as profits on stock, bond, real estate and other such investments). Whitman has thus far refused to make public her tax returns, which might hold a clue…Capital gains might even represent the majority of her income in some years. As Chris Kelly of the Huffington Post aptly put it, “Meg Whitman’s Tax Plan: She Stops Paying Hers.” That recent history suggests that the 2012 GOP presidential field should come clean about what their respective tax plans will do for their own personal finances. After all, by any standard most are wealthy , with Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman and Herman Cain especially so. (Romney’s fortune has been estimated as high as $250 million dollars.) Alas, the odds of any of the Republicans taking the MyTaxCut Pledge are virtually zero. After all, as Politico reported earlier this year: A POLITICO survey of the major GOP hopefuls found that none are promising to making their tax returns public, as then-candidate Obama did in 2007 and 2008 — as well as during his Senate campaign in 2004 and later in 2006. But if the would-be Republican presidents won’t fess up about the personal bonanzas their tax policies are certain to produce, at least they could come clean about what they’ll do to the national debt. For example, the Paul Ryan budget plan supported by 235 House Republicans and 40 GOP Senators includes $4.2 trillion in tax cuts over the next 10 years. That’s the major reason why the Ryan plan would add $6 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, which would ironically force Republicans to repeatedly raise the debt ceiling . The top tax rate would be lowered to 25% (from 35%), as would corporate taxes. As is almost always the case with GOP tax cut proposals, while the tax loopholes to be closed are left unmentioned even as the tax burden is dramatically shifted to lower and middle income Americans. (It should come as no surprise that Grover Norquist is now pressing Republican office seekers to sign a new pledge : enact the Ryan budget.) If Republican candidates refuse to be honest about the oceans of red ink their tax-planning plans will produce, here are some helpful reminders for the electorate. The ” Tax Relief Certainty Act ” co-sponsored by Senator Jim Demint (R-SC) and Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) would make permanent the Bush tax cuts current set to expire on January 1, 2013. Those tax cuts aren’t merely the biggest driver of debt over the past decade and the next. As the New York Times explained today, the price tag is a staggering one: Letting all of the cuts expire at the end of 2012 would save $3.8 trillion over the next decade. Letting the tax cuts expire for those making more than $250,000 would save $700 billion. That would make a real dent in the $2.4 trillion in total deficit reduction envisioned in the debt limit deal. But when it comes to emptying the U.S. Treasury in order to pad the bank accounts of the richest Americans, self-proclaimed “Sam’s Club Republican” Tim Pawlenty takes the cake. That became abundantly clear in June when Pawlenty unveiled his economic plan diverting $11.6 trillion from the U.S. Treasury in order to give millionaires a 41% tax cut . His ” Better Plan ” would create two tax brackets of ten percent for those earning up to $50,000 and 25 percent above. (As with the Paul Ryan plan, the loopholes Tim Pawlenty would close remain unnamed.) In addition, the man who calls himself “T-Paw” insists, “we should eliminate altogether the capital gains tax, interest income tax, dividends tax, and the death tax.” (It is worth noting that less than one-quarter of one percent of U.S. families pay the estate tax , while George W. Bush’s last round of capital gains and dividend tax cuts in 2003 delivered 70 percent of their savings to “top 2 percent of taxpayers, those making more than $200,000.”) Pawlenty’s claim to that he could achieve to five percent economic growth over ten straight years – a feat never performed in modern American history – was rightly mocked across the political spectrum as ” fantasy “, ” magical “, ” wishful thinking ” and ” fuzzy math .” But the most jaw-dropping aspect of Tim Pawlenty’s economic hallucination is the unprecedented upward income redistribution it would produce. As Citizens for Tax Justice concluded, the 400 richest Americans – whose incomes doubled and tax rates were halved over the past decade – would enjoy a 73 percent reduction in their tax bills. As it turns out, the merely well-off and the fabulously rich would join the unimaginably wealthy in reaping the T-Paw Payday for the gilded class : Taxpayers with incomes in excess of $1 million would enjoy an average cut in personal income taxes of $288,822, a 41.4 percent cut. Taxpayers with incomes in excess of $10 million would enjoy an average cut in personal income taxes of $2.4 million, a 46.3 percent cut. The cost of the personal income tax cuts just for taxpayers with incomes in excess of $1 million would be $141.8 billion. If this all sounds familiar, it should. In 2008, John McCain briefly promised to balance the budget by 2013 even as his tax plan would have added $2 trillion more to the national debt. Acknowledging the fiscal reality, his chief economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin walked back McCain’s comically impossible promise: “I would like the next president not to talk about deficit reduction.” At the end of the day, for Republicans there are only two certainties in life: debt and tax cuts . Which is why every Republican 2012 presidential candidate must take the MyTaxCut Pledge. Americans now struggling to make ends meet have the right to know how much the next Republican President would benefit from the tax cuts he or she would give him or herself. And after Ronald Reagan tripled the national debt and George W. Bush doubled it , we need to know what it will cost the rest of us. (This piece also appears at Perrspectives .)
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Lobsang Sangay, a Harvard-trained scholar who has never visited Tibet, takes the oath of office in Dharmsala, India A Harvard-trained legal scholar has been sworn in as the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, replacing the Dalai Lama as leader of his people’s fight for freedom. The Dalai Lama, 76, announced in March he would be giving up his political role as leader of the Tibetan exile movement , although he would remain the spiritual leader for Tibetan Buddhists. Lobsang Sangay, who was elected in April, was surrounded by hundreds of Buddhist monks and nuns, as well as the Dalai Lama, as he took the oath of office in Dharmsala, India, where the exile administration is based. Sangay has said he will follow the Dalai Lama’s approach of seeking increased autonomy for Tibet within China. However, China refuses to recognise Sangay’s authority. “We will continue the Middle Way policy. We are also willing to negotiate with the Chinese government any time, anywhere,” Sangay told crowds during the ceremony at the Tsuglagkhang temple. Sangay said he would work to fulfil the Dalai Lama’s vision of a truly secular democratic society. “Tibetan leadership is far from fizzling out … We are here to stay,” he added. Tibetans played traditional musical instruments and cheered as the Dalai Lama accompanied the leader to the temple for the brief ceremony. Later, the crowds applauded as the Dalai Lama hugged and blessed Sangay after the ceremony. Sangay’s election as the Kalon Tripa (prime minister) marks many firsts. He was born in the eastern Indian town of Darjeeling and has never visited Tibet. He is also the first secular leader to take over the political leadership of the Tibetan community. The Dalai Lama said he needed to resign as political leader because he feared chaos would erupt after his death, when the Chinese government and Buddhist monks are certain to argue over the identity of his successor. “Now, that danger is no longer there,” he told the Associated Press. The Dalai Lama fled into exile in northern India in 1959. The Indian government allowed him to establish the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharmsala, setting up schools, hospitals and housing for the hundreds of thousands of Tibetans who fled China over the past five decades. The Dalai Lama, who is worshipped as a near-deity by most Tibetans, said he would continue to advocate for the Tibetan people. He also promised to allow the exile government’s envoys to act in his name. China, which has vilified him as a separatist troublemaker but dislikes the exile government even more, is forcing him to remain involved. Chinese leaders have said they will only hold negotiations with his representatives. Dalai Lama Tibet India China guardian.co.uk
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UK donations are lower for east Africa crisis than for Asian tsunami or Haiti earthquake, despite it affecting more people British donations to tackle the drought crisis in east Africa are falling far short of previous appeals, figures released by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) reveal. In the first weeks of the campaign, donations totalling £42m were received by the DEC. This is less than an eighth of the £396m raised after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and also far less than the £106m raised for the Haiti earthquake and £71m for Pakistan in more recent campaigns. The shortfall is made even worse by the huge numbers affected by the drought across Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya. Estimates suggest at least 10 million people have been hit by food shortages – five times as many as were directly affected by the natural disasters in Pakistan, Haiti and south Asia. This means UK donations per person believed to be affected stand at just £4.20, compared with £58.89 for Haiti and £196 – 45 times higher – for the south Asian tsunami, which affected an estimated two million people. The DEC does not set targets for its campaigns, but said the first few weeks of donations were crucial and the absence of strong pictures from the disaster had hurt fundraising. “The majority of donations come in the first few weeks as people respond to media appeals,” said Kath Hindley, deputy chief executive of the DEC. “But it’s never a simple story. It’s difficult to compare a natural disaster such as Haiti with a drought in terms of both needs and messaging. “Visual images make so much difference – people respond very differently to an earthquake than a drought. The impact is not the same.” The situation has been exacerbated by the shortage of reporters on the ground, particularly in Somalia, to cover the crisis. Somalia has not had a stable government since 1991, leading to substantial logistical and safety challenges when reporting in the region. Reporters Without Borders describes Somalia as “the deadliest country in Africa for journalists”. Farah Hassan Sahal , 45, a presenter for Radio Simba, a Somali station, was shot dead last Friday outside the entrance to his workplace. The shortfall in British donations is mirrored across the world, as the UN struggles to raise the $2.5bn (£1.5bn) it says is needed to manage the crisis. As of last week, the UN had raised only $1.27bn in funding or pledges of the total sum needed. Somalia, estimated to need $1.06bn, had just $408m (38%) pledged, while Kenya had $357m (48%) of a $741m requirement. Ethiopia has received $148m for its humanitarian requirements, but just $22m to aid with its worsening refugee situation, less than 10% of what the UN believes is needed. The US is the largest state donor to the crisis so far, having pledged $398m. The UK is second with $111m, followed by the European commission ($92m) and Japan ($87m). Somalia Famine Disasters Emergency Committee Drought Africa Aid South Sudan Kenya Ethiopia James Ball guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …‘Incredibly exciting’ find implicates defect in RAD51D gene as hugely increasing the chances of developing ovarian cancer Scientists have pinpointed a rare gene variant that increases a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer six-fold. The discovery will lead to new diagnostic tests to identify the cancer earlier and provides better information to help doctors choose targeted anti-cancer drugs. Ovarian cancer can develop without many clear symptoms and is the fifth most common cancer in women. In the UK, 6,500 cases are diagnosed every year and, of those, almost 4,000 end in death. In the latest study, scientists found that, in around 60 cases of ovarian cancer every year in the UK, the women had faults in a gene called RAD51D. Anyone who inherits a faulty version of this gene, they calculated, therefore had a one in 11 chance of developing ovarian cancer, compared with one in 70 for the general population. “At this level of risk, women may wish to consider having their ovaries removed after having children, to prevent ovarian cancer occurring,” said Professor Nazneen Rahman, head of the division of genetics and epidemiology at the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden hospital, who led the research. “There is also real hope on the horizon that drugs specifically targeted to the gene will be available.” Rahman’s colleagues have also showed that a new class of anti-cancer drugs going through clinical trials, called PARP inhibitors, are effective in killing ovarian cancer cells with RAD51D faults. In laboratory tests, the drugs killed 90% of cells that did not have a functioning RAD51D gene, compared with just 10% of cells where the gene was working properly. A decade ago, scientists found that the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes accounted for around 10-15% of ovarian cancers and there have been several findings since that show very small further contributions to the risk of developing the disease. In that context, Cancer Research UK described the discovery of RAD51D variants as a “landmark”. Rahman’s team looked at DNA from women in 911 families with breast and ovarian cancer, and compared it to the DNA from a control group of 1,060 people in the general population. The researchers found a series of eight faults in a gene called RAD51D in the women with ovarian cancer, compared with just one fault in the control group. Their work is published on Sunday in Nature Genetics . RAD51D seems to be important in the repair of damaged DNA so if it does not function properly, faults can build up in cells as they grow and divide. More faults means more opportunities for the cell to become cancerous. Professor Nic Jones, chief scientist at Cancer Research UK, said it was “incredibly exciting” to discover this high-risk gene for ovarian cancer. “It’s further evidence that a range of different high-risk genes are causing the development of breast and ovarian cancer and we hope there are more waiting to be discovered in different cancers.” He added that the results would also help inform personalised treatment for ovarian cancer and “give doctors better information about risks of cancer to tell patients”. Cancer Medical research Genetics Biology Cancer Health Alok Jha guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …ABC Finds ‘Some Mainstream Christians Are Concerned’ About Perry Rally, But Cites Liberal Activists
August 8, 2011 No Comment
Officials say there were no casualties in incident involving Chinook, which Taliban claims to have shot down A Nato helicopter has made a “hard landing” in east Afghanistan on Monday but there were no apparent casualties, officials said. The incident occurred in the volatile Paktia province, and comes days after a Chinook helicopter crashed on Friday killed 38 troops – the largest single loss for foreign forces in 10 years. International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) spokesman Lieutenant Colonel David Doherty confirmed there were no casualties in Monday’s incident. An investigation was under way but it appeared there was no enemy activity in the area at the time. However, a Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed in a text message to Reuters that the group had shot down the helicopter, also a Chinook, in the Zurmat district of Paktia, and that 33 American soldiers had died. The Taliban often exaggerates, although it correctly identified the number killed in Friday’s Chinook crash in Wardak. The surge of military deaths is being matched by record casualties among civilians, who continue to bear the brunt of a war that started almost 10 years ago. On Monday, 300 Afghans took to the streets in Ghazni province carrying the bodies of two people they claimed had been killed during a raid by ISAF troops. The provincial deputy police chief, Mohammad Hussain, said the bodies have not yet been identified. Civilian deaths caused by fighting between foreign troops and insurgents have been a major source of friction between the government in Kabul and its western backers for some time. UN figures show those casualties hit record levels in the first six months of 2011, although it blamed 80% of them on insurgents. Another ISAF spokesman, Captain Pietro D’Angelo, said two insurgents had been killed after a patrol came under attack. “There are no reports of civilians harmed during this operation,” he added. Nato officials are still investigating the cause of a helicopter crash on Friday that killed 38 people , including 30 US soldiers, seven Afghans and an interpreter. The majority of those killed were from Navy Seal Team 6, the unit that killed Osama bin Laden, but are not the same personnel. The Taliban claim to have shot down that troop-carrying CH-47 Chinook in Maidan, Wardak province, and a US official in Washington, who asked not to be identified, also said the helicopter was believed to have been shot down. “We’re still not aware of the cause of the incident, this is a very vital part of the investigation,” Brigadier General Carsten Jacobsen, senior spokesman of the Nato-led ISAF, told a news conference. “The area in which the helicopter was operating was known to be not free of insurgents.” Meanwhile, at least another seven ISAF troops were killed over the weekend, four of whom in two separate attacks on Sunday, including two French legionnaires. The spike in casualties – at least 383 foreign troops have been killed so far this year, almost 50 of them in the first week of August – comes at a time of growing unease about the increasingly unpopular and costly war. US and Nato officials issued statements vowing to “stay the course” in Afghanistan after Friday’s Chinook, but the recent death toll will raise questions about how much longer foreign troops should stay in Afghanistan. The deaths came barely two weeks after foreign troops began the first phase of a gradual process to hand security responsibility over to Afghan soldiers and police. That process is due to end with the last foreign combat troops leaving at the end of 2014, but some US lawmakers are already questioning whether that timetable is fast enough. Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, issued a statement on Sunday saying that enemies of Afghanistan, such as the Taliban and other insurgents, wanted to disrupt the transition process. UN figures show that 1,462 Afghan civilians were killed in conflict-related incidents during the first six months of 2011, the deadliest period for civilians since the Taliban were toppled by US-backed Afghan forces in late 2001. Foreign military deaths also hit record levels in 2010 with 711 killed. Afghanistan Taliban Nato Hamid Karzai United States guardian.co.uk
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Suspect in Fulwood case is believed to be grandson of one victim and nephew of the other A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his grandmother and one of his aunts, whose bodies were found in a burning bungalow shortly after 2am on Monday. Officers were called to the address in Fulwood, near Preston, in the early hours. A spokeswoman for Lancashire constabulary said: “On arrival the house was found to be on fire and inside were the bodies of two women. “A 21-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and is currently in custody.” The man being questioned is understood to be the grandson of one of the victims, who was named locally as Maureen Allen. Neighbours said she used a wheelchair and was often seen looking after her garden in the quiet close of seven similar properties. Stephanie McDougall said that her mother, who lives next door to the burned-out bungalow, rang her in distress just before 2am. “My mother thought the house was on fire and someone had stabbed somebody. “I didn’t know them myself but they were nice people. It’s very upsetting. It’s shocking that something like this could happen here.” The other dead woman is understood to be the arrested man’s aunt. Police have sealed off the semi-detached property while it is searched by forensic officers and fire service specialists. The close was also sealed off, with only residents and visitors allowed in. One woman allowed through said it was her mother’s house. She spoke briefly to officers at the scene before driving away with a police escort. Lancashire constabulary said more details would be released later. Crime Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
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Unrest and looting spreads across London following the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan in Tottenham – 10.32am: My colleague Jasmine Coleman has this dispatch from Brixton: The pavements all along Brixton road are closed as police officers and shopkeepers try to deal with what happened last night. Shops windows have been smashed — especially those of fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, KFC and Nandos. One shop, which I’m told was once a JD Sports, has been torched. Shakir Alam, 21, arrived at work at McDonalds on the corner of Acre Lane and Brixton Road this morning only be sent away again. He said: It just doesn’t feel right. Look at this street, it’s all smashed up. “I think the reason is the same as in Tottenham where that guy was killed.” Sam Gafre, 16, heard the violence at around midnight last night from his home nearby: I heard lots of smashing glass and lots of sirens. But I didn’t know how badly it was up until now. “I came here to shop but it’s all closed. “From what I’m hearing it is just because of what happened in Tottenham, people are just using it as an excuse to rob stuff.” 10.26am: Over in Wood Green, one bookshop owner is very, very angry about the weekend’s events . Here’s some of what he wrote last night: We are not at all happy about this. The people who did this are not representative of how Wood Green (and Tottenham) feel … They have used a controversial and tragic incident and turned it into an excuse to steal things and smash things and ruin things. They have no interest in anything other than what they can gain from this situation and I am furious. I had a text message at 5.30am from one of our most wonderful and precious customers. She lives above a shop on the High Road. She texted me to tell me about how horrible things were and to give me a warning in case I didn’t know. Now here’s the thing. She is pregnant, and was due to give birth yesterday. The high road has been cordoned off. All the police and ambulances are in Tottenham. Not a good situation when the looting and rioting in Wood Green has been going on for 2-3 hours without any police intervention (they are all still in Tottenham) and the likelihood of a taxi to take you to a hospital is zero. This is just one example of the short sighted, ignorant, self indulgent and greedy nature of the actions in Wood Green and Tottenham. There are many many more.” 10.21am: Huge thanks to the people of Brixton, who are helping us build up a pretty thorough picture of what happened there last night. Latest snapshot comes courtesy of Rahul Verma, a freelance journalist who’s live in Brixton for 12 years: It seems remarkable that big businesses and chains including KFC, McDonalds, WH Smith, Currys and JD Sports were targeted while the Ritzy cinema a venue that’s visible, has lots of windows and is in the heart the trouble is untouched.” 10.16am: A dispatch from a Brixton bus last night (thanks to Matthew Turner for this): I was on the No 3 bus last night going through Brixton right on midnight. We were 100m from the tube station when the road was blocked of by rioters using the newspaper recycling bins as blockades. Fires were being started in phone booths about 10m from where the bus was stationed. The bus was stationary for about 10 minutes before the driver decided to smash through the recycling bins. I was very surprised by the lack of police given that Brixton police station is only 100m down the road. I called the police to alert them to the situation but didn’t see any police in the space of 10 minutes. Footlocker was being looted and bricks were flying everywhere. 10.09am: Laura Kudrna has just sent in this saga from Brixton: I’ve just woken up on my friend’s sofa this morning which is not where I expected to be. Around midnight last night I tried to get to my door on Coldhabour Lane after my friend drove me back from Telford where I had attended a wedding. She dropped me off at the top of Coldhabour Lane near the Ritzy because there was traffic and I quickly saw why, as police were blocking my road. I assumed there had been a stabbing and I would receive an escort to be my door as has happened in the past. Instead, when requesting to get to my door, I was shouted at by a female police officer and told to leave the area. Upon asking why, she told me five people had been stabbed and someone was running around with an axe so I needed to go the police station. This was all I was told and had no idea what was going on. I saw my friend, a local shop owner, and he told me to wait for the police to calm down and it was just some youths causing trouble. I started to head to the police station after requesting numerous times to get to my door and being blocked from going through. I tried walking down Electric Lane and Electric Avenue to get to the high street and first saw broken glass all over the high road, then saw a woman screaming and running top speed after a man headed towards the KFC. I turned my head to look right towards the station, and saw a huge crowd moving my way. I turned around and started running down Electric Avenue (full sari and heels and suitcase!) unable to call anyone because my phone was out of battery. I was truly terrified. Fortunately I have a friend on the street and rang his bell until he answered. He let me in and we could see a fire burning from his roof – we thought it was the Marks and Spencer but I guess it was Foot Locker. I could see riot police and hear shouting and breaking glass. I can understand the frustration of the people looting and rioting – our political and economic climate is pretty bad and it sounds like the police should have engaged in more open communication with Mark Duggan’s family. I am disappointed this will contribute to stereotypes about Brixton being a dangerous place to live because it’s really not, I love living here and it has a wonderful, normally very safe community. 10.04am: The home secretary, Theresa May, is thought to be in her way back to the country today to talk to police and take charge of the situation 10.02am: My colleague Jasmine Coleman, who’s just arrived in Brixton, sends this: Brixton tube station is still closed due to ‘a police investigation’. There was a handful of officers at Stockwell station but no sign of unrest so far. 9.42am: We’ve got a team of reporters in — or heading down — to last night’s hotspots. If you’ve got any information on what happened in your area, do get in touch on the thread below or by emailing sam.jones@guardian.co.uk 9.38am: Interesting technological observations here from the Urban Mashup Blog: In recent public disturbances such as the Student protests, commentary has focused on the role that social networks such as Twitter and Facebook have played in the planning of demonstrations and coordination of protesters. By contrast in this riot it appears the social network of choice is one provided by none other than BlackBerry. Blackberry’s have been produced by Research In Motion (RIM) since 1999. They were originally associated with busy office executives who needed to access their emails on the move, but in recent years they have become increasingly popular within youth and urban cultures. I have to admit that I found this puzzling. It took my far cooler 17 year old nephew to explain that the main reason for their popularity is due to BBM – BlackBerry Messenger. BBM as it is known, is an instant messenger system that has become popular for three main reasons: it’s fast (naturally), it’s virtually free, and unlike Twitter or Facebook, it’s private. So what has all this got to do with the riots in Tottenham? Well, it appears that BBM messages have been circulating since Thursday’s shooting of Duggan by the police. These have fuelled the anger of the youths that have taken to the streets. BBM was also the channel used to spread the word that the riot had started, and from what I can tell on Twitter, it appears to be the means by which communications continue to be shared. 9.33am: Amid the chaos, PA brings some cheer: In front of the KFC on the corner of Coldharbour Lane in Brixton, which also had its windows smashed, the proprietor of a local bakery was giving out free cupcakes. The owner, who would only give her name as Ms Cupcake, said: “Brixton is about love. Who cares if people didn’t show love last night? We wanted to show there is kindness in Brixton.” 9.26am: Malthouse has also denied that the resignations last month of Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson and Assistant Commissioner John Yates in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal had contributed to gaps in decision-making at the top of the force. He defended the Met against allegations that too few officers were sent to tackle the rioters, adding: We can’t just maintain a standing army sitting in vans all over the place just in case something might kick off. “We have to employ those officers as efficiently as possible.” 9.24am: The deputy mayor for policing in London, Kit Malthouse, has told Sky News that the capital is one of the “safest big cities on earth”. He’s also suggested that some people are using the shooting of Mark Duggan as an excuse to steal “a new set of trainers or whatever it is”. He added: I think it is worth stressing that this is quite a small group of people within our community in London who have decided to perpetrate violence and who, frankly, are looking for stuff to nick. “They’re picking particular kinds of stores, whether it is because they want a new set of trainers or whatever it is. “What we have to be careful to do, in the media and in politics, is not create some kind of atmosphere of excuse for their behaviour.” Malthouse said police would be “unrelenting” in pursuing people who took part in criminal activity over the weekend, adding that they would be “hoovered up” by police in the next few weeks. He defended Boris Johnson’s decision to stay on holiday during the crisis in the capital, saying: “Should he be reacting to these criminal provocateurs in that way by coming back? I think that is kind of rewarding them. “Modern communications mean he can stay in touch and participate in meetings from around the globe.” 9.19am: This comment from @simonlondontown is worth a read: I was in Tottenham on Saturday, the police had petrol bombs and bricks and concrete thrown at them all night however they were still really polite with people who weren’t involved. They were chiefly concerned with trying to protect the fire brigade who were rescuing families from flats that were on fire in the High Road. This has nothing to do with a local gang member criminal who was shot while shooting at police, this is sadly just the typical sort of excuse adopted to try and add some shred of credibility to the actions of the unemployed lawless criminal low-lifes who, when they’re not stealing — and now apparently looting — are swindling honest hard working people out of their taxes through the benefits system. Until we make people work for their benefits in this country this type of lawlessness will continue. Let’s stop criticising the police — who the media and particularly the BBC now blame for everything — and start facing up to dealing with the real problem. What have you seen and heard where you live or work? Post below or drop me an email: sam.jones@guardian.co.uk 9.11am: Elsewhere, we’re getting reports that the Bike Shack shop in Leyton has been looted and that the windows at Currys Leyton Mills have been smashed. And thanks to pjlayer (on the thread below) for this: Peacocks in Harringay Arena Shopping centre got looted last night. Possibly sports direct too, judging by the number of their hangers strewn across the car park this morning. Meanwhile, here’s what JD Sports in Streatham looks like today 9.04am: More info on the affected areas from colleagues. One, who lives in south London, writes: Been told by a couple of neighbours that T Mobile & JD Sports in Streatham were broken into last night, possibly rammed Another, who lives in Walthamstow, writes: I was woken up at just before 12.30am to the sound of cars speeding, loud banging and lots of people talking. I looked out my window and a crowd of about 40 youths had gathered at the top end of the High Street and were just milling around, with their attention focused down the High Street towards where the shops are, including BHS and Argos. At just gone 12.30am, three police vans pulled into the top end of the High Street, and the youths began to be questioned by officers, but it seemed reasonably calm so I went back to bed. The sirens continued in the area into the early hours of the morning. 8.44am: Nick Clegg has a busy day ahead of him and is expected to phone and meet top police officers and ministers to talk about the weekend’s violence. It also appears that the Met’s Tottenham borough commander, Chief Superintendent Sandra Looby, is cutting short her US holiday to fly back to the UK and address the situation in her area. Looby has been criticised for jetting off to Florida in the runup to Saturday night’s violence. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Kavanagh told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: The local chief superintendent, when she went away, actually handed over to a senior officer … and had two superintendents working on the borough constantly. “She’s now coming back because she is very committed to that borough.” He admitted there were too few officers in Tottenham on Saturday night, but blamed Twitter for fuelling looting and violence, saying: “Social media and other methods have been used to organise these levels of greed and criminality.” Kavanagh pledged that more officers would be on London’s streets tonight to prevent or tackle further outbreaks. He added: “There will be even more officers out, even more committed and brave then they have been thus far, to make sure London stays as safe as possible.” 8.36am: More on the trouble in east London last night, courtesy of Twitter and Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow: for clarity areas affected locally – walthamstow high st, green man tescos, leyton tescos, chingford mount & leyton mills. Police aware. Ok update as at 8.30 – in waltham forest 51 arrests made, 5 active crime scenes ( may be more as people go to their shops etc) … 3 officers injured- 2 run over by looters- and there was a stabbing in early morning. Person went 2 hospital & injuries not life threatening 8.23am: There appears to be some confusion over what happened in Islington last night. Despite reports on Twitter that a police officer was dragged from his car and beaten — and that Islington police station was surrounded by dozens of angry youths — the Met have just told me they’re not aware of anything other than the broken police car windscreen and the group causing a disturbance. 8.14am: Here’s a little more on events last night in the north London borough of Islington — which seem to have lacked the fury and violence of those elsewhere. According to the Met: In Islington there were reports of a group causing a disturbance and a police vehicle windscreen was smashed.” 8.09am: Brixton residents are waking up to an ugly Monday morning and what one police officer has described as “a mini-Tottenham”. Here’s PA’s report on the situation in south London: Several shops along the High Street, including WH Smith and McDonald’s, had their windows smashed, and the Tube station was closed as officers diverted commuters during the morning rush-hour. Firefighters were inspecting the burned-out remains of Foot Locker, next to the station. Inside, the blackened building looked to have been completely destroyed, with only charred remains visible from he street. Police officers on the edge of a cordon in Brixton Road were directing hundreds of commuters to a nearby bus stop amid chaotic scenes. One local, Mark Bray, 38, an IT consultant, said: “Police should have seen this coming. There was a festival here yesterday, it is no surprise with Brixton and all its history that the mood has turned sour. “The looting is pretty pathetic, to be honest – it doesn’t do anyone any favours.” The cordon prevented hundreds of commuters from getting to the overground station, which remained open. 8.07am: This is what the home secretary, Theresa May, has to say about the latest violence: Last night, police officers again put themselves in harm’s way to protect Londoners and their property. “Those responsible for the violence and looting will be made to face the consequences of their actions. Many have been arrested and further arrests will be made. “Londoners have made clear that there are no excuses for violence, and I call on all members of local communities to work constructively with the police to help them bring these criminals to justice.” 8.05am: Four months ago, my colleague Peter Walker marked the 30th anniversary of the Brixton riots with this piece . It makes fascinating reading after the weekend’s events: Just after 6pm on a mild Friday evening almost exactly 30 years ago, a young police constable inadvertently set in motion a wave of violent unrest that would, over the next three months, sweep through England’s inner cities. The catalyst for the riot that would reshape national attitudes towards deprivation, race and policing was innocuous enough: on a busy street in Brixton, south London, PC Steve Margiotta tried to stop a frightened young black man who was bleeding profusely from a stab wound; he called for help when the youth ran away. Community relations were at an all-time low amid an aggressive police crackdown that had seen 943 people searched on the street in a few days, and a rumour spread that Margiotta had prevented the youth getting treatment and – also incorrectly – that he had died. Within half an hour an angry crowd was pelting Margiotta and his colleagues with bricks and bottles. Before the weekend was over, more than 350 police officers had been injured and about two dozen buildings were gutted by fires. By the end of 1981′s summer of urban discontent, fuelled by mass unemployment and simmering resentment at oppressive, sometimes openly racist policing, similar scenes ravaged parts of Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham. More here … 7.59am: While we’re on the subject of leadership, my former colleague Kevin Maguire has tweeted this: Move along please. Nothing to see here. Crises over. Leadership restored. Clogg’s back in Britain. I’m guessing Clogg’s deliberate … 7.55am: The Labour MP and phone-hacking campaigner Tom Watson is at a loss to understand who’s minding the shop as violence erupts in the capital. He’s just tweeted this: Whatever happened to rotas? It’s remarkable the PM, DPM, Chancellor, Home Secretary and London Mayor are out of the country. 7.40am: Scotland Yard has just released this statement: Officers responding to sporadic disorder in a number of boroughs made more than 100 arrests throughout last night and early this morning. This is in addition to the 61 arrests made on Saturday night and Sunday morning.” According to the statement, there have been 16 charges over offences including burglary, points and blades, theft and violent disorder. Seventeen people have been bailed and one has been cautioned. One person has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, 11 are awaiting CPS advice and 15 are ongoing inquiries. The statement concluded: Officers are shocked at the outrageous level of violence directed against them. At least nine officers were injured overnight in addition to the 26 injured on Saturday night. We will not tolerate this disgraceful violence. The investigation continues to bring these criminals to justice. 7.37am: Good morning, and welcome to the Guardian’s live reaction to London disturbances. A second night of rioting broke out across London last night, with violence erupting in several of the capital’s boroughs, from Brixton in the south to Enfield and Islington in the north and Walthamstow in the east. The fresh unrest – some of which appears to have been part of an orchestrated plan – has so far resulted in 100 arrests. The latest rioting followed disturbances on Saturday night in Tottenham, north London, which came after the shooting by police of Mark Duggan, 29, on Thursday. London Metropolitan police Protest Sam Jones guardian.co.uk
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If successful, 61-year-old Diana Nyad will become the first person to cross 100-mile strait without protection of shark cage An American endurance swimmer has attempted to become the first person to swim from Havana to Key West in Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Diana Nyad is hoping to accomplish at 61 years old what she failed to do at 28, and if successful, would become the first person to traverse the 100-mile Florida strait without a cage. She will instead rely on technology and divers to fend off predators. Tanned and freckled from long hours training in the open seas of the Caribbean, Nyad expressed confidence before starting off just before sunset Sunday. She said the still air and calm water were perfect conditions for her attempt to make the 103-mile (166km) swim. “The adrenaline’s flowing now. This is what I dreamed – a silver platter.” She gave a kiss on the cheek to the commodore of the Hemingway Marina in Havana, who helped arrange the logistics of the trip. Then she changed into a black swimsuit and blue swim cap and goggles, which were light blue – for better night vision – and smoky charcoal-tinted to protect her eyes from the blinding daytime sun. After an assistant greased her shoulders and armpits to prevent chafing in the salty water, Nyad played Reveille on a bugle, thanked several dozen wellwishers who came to see her, then jumped feet first into the sea. Nyad said it has been a lifelong dream and she hopes her feat, if successful, will inspire people to live vigorously during their golden years. “Thirty-three years ago I stood on a beach close by here and looked out at a giant sea … Now I’m almost 62 years old and I’m standing here at the prime of my life,” she said. “I think this is my day.” Nyad first had a go at this crossing back in 1978, when she swam inside a steel shark cage for about 42 hours before sea currents hammering her off course put an end to the attempt. The following year she set a world record for open-water swimming without a shark cage, charting 102.5 miles (165km) from the Bahamas to Florida, then retired from competitive endurance swimming. Nyad said the aborted Cuba attempt had stuck with her all these years and upon turning 60, she started thinking about a comeback. “What if I went back and tried to chase that elusive dream of Cuba?” she said. “I started training and found it was in my heart and it was in my body … It seems almost like a dream to me, but now it’s real.” In preparation, she has made eight- to 15-hour swims over the past two years off the Caribbean island of St Martin. Australian swimmer Susie Maroney successfully swam the shark-filled waters from Cuba through the Florida Straits and to the Keys in 1997, although she used a cage. Nyad’s team is deploying an electronic boom to surround her with a current that is imperceptible to humans but is strong enough to keep most sharks at bay. Whitetip sharks are not deterred by the field, so divers will be standing by to gently discourage the creatures without harming them. For the record to be considered valid, Nyad will have to make the swim without a wetsuit. Her crew will navigate, monitor her health and provide nourishment. But she is not allowed to touch the boat, nor can her helpers hold her, until she’s fully emerged fully on to dry land. Five support vessels carried 45 navigators, nutritionists, doctors, shark wranglers and a film crew that has been documenting her story. She plans to stop every 45 minutes for 20-second hydration breaks of water, juice and sports drinks. Every 90 minutes she will rest for two minutes and nibble on bread or a spoonful of peanutbutter. By day two she’ll begin drinking heated water and hot chocolate to ward off hypothermia, which is a genuine threat after so many hours at sea, even though water temperatures are expected to be 30-31C (86-88F). Nyad embarked on a north-west course, aiming to arrive at a point in the keys slightly east of due north, compensating for sea currents. She called the attempt a “symbolic moment” for increasing understanding between the US and Cuba, two nations torn by five decades of animosity and mistrust. “I’m under no delusion that my swim is going to make any new political ramifications,” Nyad added. “But it is a human moment between the two countries.” Swimming World records Cuba United States guardian.co.uk
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Violence, vandalism and looting spread beyond Tottenham and Enfield to reach Brixton, leaving 35 police injured There has been a second night of rioting across London, with violence erupting in several of the capital’s boroughs, from Brixton in the south to Enfield and Islington in the north and Walthamstow to the east. What police are calling “copycat criminal activity” – some of it apparently part of an orchestrated plan – has so far resulted in 100 arrests. Sunday night’s rioting followed disturbances on Saturday night in Tottenham , which came after the fatal shooting by police of Mark Duggan, 29, on Thursday. In a statement on Monday morning, the Metropolitan police said they were shocked at the levels of “disgraceful violence” that had left 35 officers injured. “Officers responding to sporadic disorder in a number of boroughs made more than 100 arrests throughout last night and early this morning. “This is in addition to the 61 arrests made on Saturday night and Sunday morning … Officers are shocked at the outrageous level of violence directed against them. At least nine officers were injured overnight in addition to the 26 injured on Saturday night. “We will not tolerate this disgraceful violence. The investigation continues to bring these criminals to justice.” Shops in Enfield Town and the A10 retail park were vandalised and looted, and there were reports of two vehicles set on fire. Mounted police were seen chasing groups of masked youths, some carrying sticks, away from stores, while lines of riot police readied themselves for trouble. At 9.30pm on Sunday Met police and reinforcements from Kent began turning the whole of Enfield into a “sterile area”. Hundreds of riot police arrived with vans and police dogs, charging at groups of teenagers who disappeared into sidestreets, smashing cars and shop windows as they ran. A large crowd of youths moved off westwards, with some teenagers saying the plan was to go to nearby Ponders End. A retail park and shops were attacked, among them a closed Tesco Extra store. Workers inside described hearing windows smashing as dozens of youths poured into the store. “They left carrying TVs, alcohol – they were stuffing trolleys,” said one shop assistant. Unlike the previous night’s disturbances, this time riot police appeared on the scene in large numbers. Their stance was also more aggressive, with baton charges and dogs used to disperse crowds. Three officers were taken to hospital after being hit by a fast-moving vehicle at 12.45am, a Metropolitan police spokesman said, while a fight broke out when rival gangs went to King’s College Hospital in Denmark Hill, south London, after two victims of minor stabbings were admitted. The hospital brought in extra security for the rest of the night and officers remained on scene dealing with the initial stabbings. Six fire engines were dispatched to deal with a blaze at a Foot Locker shop in Brixton, south London, and witnesses saw riot police clash with looters at a Currys store nearby. The looting across London was carried out by “small and mobile” groups, the police spokesman said. As violence spread, about 50 youths gathered in Oxford Circus, central London, and damaged property. Elsewhere, more than 30 youths, many in masks, vandalised and looted shops in Walthamstow Central, including BHS. Meanwhile, the family of Mark Duggan’s said it was “not condoning” the riots and looting that had rocked their local area. Duggan’s brother Shaun Hall told Sky News: “It seems to be the press who are generally saying that it is linked to my brother. OK, some questions were supposed to have been answered, they weren’t answered, therefore there was a domino effect from that, we don’t condone that at all. “I know people are frustrated, they’re angry out there at the moment, but I would say please try and hold it down. Please don’t make this about my brother’s life. He was a good man.” Hall said the family was “devastated” by his death and dismissed as “utter rubbish” the allegation that he had shot at police. The Guardian has reported that initial tests suggest a bullet found lodged in a police radio after Duggan’s death was police issue. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which has launched an inquiry into the shooting, said it would not comment until all ballistics and forensic tests were complete. A major investigation codenamed Operation Withern has been launched followed the unrest in Tottenham. London Crime Metropolitan police Police Sam Jones Paul Lewis Matthew Taylor Ben Quinn guardian.co.uk
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