Tea Party favourite kicks off campaign for Republican nomination with pledge to give Americans ‘independence from government’ Michele Bachmann , the rising favourite of the Tea Party movement, launched her presidential campaign on Monday with a pledge to give Americans “independence from government” so they can go back to relying on God and their neighbours. The Republican member of Congress kicked off her race for her party’s nomination in Waterloo, Iowa, where she was born 55 years ago, with a significant opinion poll showing her tied with the front runner, Mitt Romney , in the state which is seen as a key battleground. But even as Bachmann played to the crowd with reminiscences about her childhood, she was already coming under scrutiny over her family’s acceptance of hundreds of thousands of dollars in farm and business subsidies when she vigorously claims to be in favour of slashing government spending. Bachmann, who represents a district in neighbouring Minnesota in Congress, staked out a position aimed at Tea Party supporters who she said go far beyond the Republican right to include disaffected Democrats and independents. She said that because of years of failed government policies “the American dream is now distant from many Americans”. “I think that Americans agree, our country is in peril today and we have to act with urgency to save it,” she said. Bachmann said the people stand with her “against government that’s got too big, spends too much and takes away too many of our liberties”. Bachmann has called for corporate tax cuts, the scrapping of some environmental laws and the phasing out of a number of personal taxes. She has also called for greater fiscal restraint. “We can’t continue to rack up debt and put it on the backs of the next generation. We can’t afford an unconstitutional health care law that will cost us too much and deliver so little. We can’t afford four more years of failed leadership here at home and abroad. We can’t afford four more years of millions of Americans who are out of work and who aren’t making enough in wages to support a family,” she said. Bachmann played to her local roots, telling Iowans that she cried when her mother told her the family was leaving the state for Minnesota. “I always say everything I need to know I learned in Iowa,” she said. The Des Moines Register released a poll of support for Republican presidential contenders in Iowa that put Bachmann in a virtual dead heat with Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who is considered a more mainstream candidate, among those likely to attend the caucus. Romney pulled in 23% while Bachmann had 22%. However, the Republican field is far from complete with potential heavyweights such as the Texas governor, Rick Perry, still to declare. For all her stand against big government, Bachmann is facing accusations of hypocrisy after being questioned about the fact that her family farm received $260,000 in federal subsidies and that her husband’s business has accepted $30,000 from the state of Minnesota. Asked about the payments on Fox News, Bachmann said that her family never directly profited from the farm subsidies. “It’s not my husband and my farm. It’s my father-in-law’s farm. And my husband and I have never gotten a penny of money from the farm.” But, according to the Los Angeles Times , Bachmann’s financial disclosure forms for the past two years show her receiving between $15,000 and $50,000 from the Bachmann Family Farm LP. In addition, the Los Angeles Times reported that Bachmann’s husband received nearly $30,000 in subsidies from the state of Minnesota over the past five years for a counselling clinic he runs. “First of all, the money that went to the clinic was actually training money for employees,” Bachmann said. “The clinic did not get the money. And my husband and I did not get the money either. That’s mental health training money that went to employees.” Michele Bachmann US elections 2012 Tea Party movement Republicans United States US politics Chris McGreal guardian.co.uk
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Announcement comes after Metropolitan police say half its 24-hour stations will be closed to public outside of office hours Greater Manchester police have been accused of ending “face-to-face access” for the public after the disclosure that many public service counters at police stations across the region face closure. But the police minister, Nick Herbert, defended the move, saying contact time with the public could actually be increased if the police adopt innovative approaches, such as sharing community centres and shop premises, instead of retaining “an attachment to old buildings”. In the case of the Greater Manchester force, the alternative to the 20 public service counters that face closure appears to be a phone mounted on the outside wall of the police station with a direct line to a remote control room. The Manchester police station closures follow last week’s announcement by the Met that half the 64 “open all hours” police stations in London are to be closed to the public outside office
Continue reading …… And after Maddow had spoken so glowingly of an FBI strategy for capturing notorious fugitive mobster Whitey Bulger. Or did she? Rachel Maddow made a curious disclosure on her MSNBC show Friday after interviewing former Boston Globe reporter Dick Lehr, co-author of “Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob,” about Bulger's court appearance that day in his native Boston (video clip after page break) — I should note that we had scheduled interviews tonight with the U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts responsible for prosecuting the Bulger case and with the head of the Boston FBI office. Those interviewed were scheduled for tonight, they were confirmed and then both guests backed out. No comment. Gee, without even telling you why? An explanation that could easily run along these lines — yes, we agreed to come on your show — until we saw a clip in which it seemed to us that you mocked our tactics. Tactics which, not incidentally, resulted in two high-profile arrests. It was probably when Maddow asked in mock excitement last Monday, mimicking FBI officials, “Do you think we can get on 'The View'?!” that she crossed the line into disparagement, suggesting that FBI investigators were motivated by little more than self-promotion. And, even worse, are fans of “The View.”
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• Set your page to update automatically using the button below • Send your emails over to paolo.bandini@guardian.co.uk • Get the latest from elsewhere at Wimbledon with our live blog • You can even follow Paolo on Twitter, if that’s your thing Second set: Rafael Nadal* leads Juan Martín del Potro 7-6, 0-1 Nadal, who has had his ankle taped up, seems to be moving a little more freely now, though he makes another uncharacteristic error on the opening game of the new set, clipping a half-court backhand into the tramlines. Del Potro holds to 30, though he is no longer getting his first serve in with the consistency he had earlier in the match. Injured opponent or otherwise, he will need that to be firing. Nadal has disappeared for more treatment Del Potro, meanwhile, is furious. He thrashes his racket against the ground in frustration, before reopening his dialogue with the chair umpire. Rafael Nadal wins the first set 7-6 (8-6) Unbelievable. On set point, Del Potro double faults. Nadal takes the set, but can he survive another two? Or even more? First set tie-break: Nadal 7-6 Del Potro* Nadal successfully defends Del Potro’s first set point, before bringing up one of his own with an inch-perfect passing forehand that catches the back edge of the baseline. Del Potro challenges, but in vain. First set tie-break: Nadal* 5-6 Del Potro Nadal just keeps hanging on in there, bringing himself level at 5-5 after another lengthy rally, but on the next point he again slaps a forehand wide when under no apparent pressure. First set tie-break: Nadal 4-5 Del Potro* Nadal gives the points straight back, thrusting consecutive shots into the left-hand tramlines. Big chance now for Del Potro to take the set. First set tie-break: Nadal* 4-3 Del Potro Injured he may be, but Nadal still finds a way to take both points off Del Potro’s serve, standing and watching as the Argentinian’s lob drifts past the baseline. First set tie-break: Nadal 2-3 Del Potro* Nadal soldiers on, taking both points on serve as Del Potro slices backhands into the net on both occasions. But in-between the points Nadal looks far from happy. First set tie-break: Nadal* 0-3 Del Potro A big serve brings Del Potro the first point on serve, and then Nadal crashes a forehand into the bottom of the net cord – before limping away in disgust. First set tie-break: Nadal 0-1 Del Potro* An inauspicious start for Rafa as he clumps a forehand long. I have to say … It doesn’t look great. I’m no expert, but Nadal’s body language and tone of voice hardly speak to a man full of optimism. Del Potro remains livid, complaining to another official about the delay. The crowd have settled for a Mexican wave to keep themselves entertained. So … Del Potro is less than happy about the time-out, presumably frustrated at being denied the opportunity to close out the set while his opponent is struggling, but this looks as though it may be serious. The medics quickly establish that the injury is to the back of Nadal’s foot/ankle, and “on the bone”. Nadal confirms that this is a new injury – though he was taking anti-inflammatories for other injuries beforehand – which he first felt at the beginning of the set, but which seems to have been exacerbated as he won that point to bring up a set point at 30-40. First set: Nadal* 6-6 Del Potro A first cry of “¡Vamos!” from Rafa as he clubs his way to 15-30, but two points later he is grimacing despite earning another set point at 30-40, and it appears he is in some discomfort, though it’s not easy to tell what the problem is. Del Potro seizes on this moment of weakness, following a big serve with a huge forehand right to the baseline to force deuce, and continuing to ride the serve over the next two points to seal the game. Tie-break coming up, but first we have a medical time-out. First set: Nadal 6-5 Del Potro* Nadal curses out the officials again, this time under his breath, after successfully challenging a call that his forehand had travelled long on 15-0. But while Hawkeye saves him on that occasion, there is no such respite after he places a dropshot attempt into the net to bring up 30-30. Del Potro promptly summons his best tennis of the match, reversing the tide of a rally with an enormous forehand that allows him to rush the net and deliver a backhand volley that Nadal can’t quite return. That brings up Del Potro’s first break point of the match, but he is unable to capitalise, Nadal dictating proceedings again before this time getting his dropshot just right. He holds at the first attempt on deuce, and Del Potro must serve to stay in the set again. First set: Nadal* 5-5 Del Potro Nadal continues muttering at the umpire throughout the break as a trainer rushes on to seemingly have a quick check on his footwear. Del Potro stays quiet, but when the tennis resumes he quickly finds himself in trouble, whipping one forehand into the net and then another long as he slips from 30-0 up to facing a set point at 30-40. He rescues it with a huge serve out wide to the advantage court, and then repeats the feat after giving up another break point on deuce. Finally he is able to see the game through, finishing things off with a rather delicate backhand volley. First set: Nadal 5-4 Del Potro* Oooh, a time violation warning against Nadal at 15-15, and it’s fair to say the Spaniard isn’t happy. Didn’t catch all of it, but it sounded like his response was along the lines of ‘I always do this’. Is that an excuse? Del Potro actually seems to offer his support, but in any case it doesn’t seem to have done Nadal any harm. He races through the rest of the game in a fury, driving Del Potro off the court and only dropping one further point after misjudging the flight of a desperation lob that he had assumed was sailing long. First set: Nadal* 4-4 Del Potro Nadal overturns an ace at 15-15 with a challenge that shows the ball had travelled into the tramlines by quite some distance, but it does him no good, as Del Potro takes the point anyway after a short rally. at 40-30, the BBC commentators note that in the first week of Wimbledon, Del Potro serve-and-volleyed 19 times, winning 16 of those points. The Argentinian promptly does exactly that to seal the game. Isn’t in-game coaching supposed to be banned? First set: Nadal 4-3 Del Potro* Nadal gives his opponent an opening at 0-15, making a mess of his backhand volley but then seizing his second opportunity with relish after Del Potro does a similarly poor job with his attempted lob. The Spaniard, we know, is not one to give you two chances. An ace is followed by another booming first serve that Del Potro can only clang away off his frame. First set: Nadal* 3-3 Del Potro Whilst it is commonly agreed these days that the grass at Wimbledon plays slower than it once did, few would dispute that the ball still bounces much lower here than on other surfaces, and when these two get into rallies you can see how far down Del Potro is having to reach. Playing forehands at shin height cannot be easy. Nadal races into a 0-30 lead after two brief rallies, but the Argentinian recovers to make it 30-30. An incredible point ensues, as Del Potro somehow contrives to block a string of vicious groundstrokes at the net before finally deflecting one long. Break point Nadal, but once again Del Potro’s serve comes to the rescue, and he takes the next three points to hold. First set: Nadal 3-2 Del Potro* Much as in his encounter with Muller in the previous round, Nadal looks utterly untouchable on his own serve. Another hold to love. First set: Nadal* 2-2 Del Potro From the vantage point of the BBC’s camera behind the court, Del Potro looks almost absurd, towering over the court in such a way that it seems remarkable that he can even get the ball down fast enough for it to come down to earth inside the service box. When he opts for a touch of topspin on second serve, the ensuing double fault seems as though it was the only possible conclusion. But when the first serves go in, there is little Nadal is able to do about them, and Del Potro drops only one further point. First set: Nadal 2-1 Del Potro* A rally, at last, as Nadal chases Del Potro around the baseline, whipping his racket up behind his head like a tomahawk with every forehand. Del Potro races this way and that, digging out returns, but there was only ever going to be one winner. Nadal thrashes a backhand winner to bring up 40-15, before seeing out the hold. First set: Nadal* 1-1 Del Potro A scruffy first service game for Del Potro, mixing up unreturnable serves with others that plough into the net at knee-height (well, shin height for him). Nadal, though, is also feeling his way into this game, clumping a forehand long here and shanking another there. Del Potro holds to 15. First set: Nadal 1-0 Del Potro* He might have a wingspan that would make a pterodactyl weep with envy, but Del Potro is still left lurching at thin air as Nadal fizzes down his first ace, the ball hopping away from the Argentinian off the inside tramline on the deuce court. Nadal holds to love. Here we go Nadal to serve first. Checking the forecast We may see the roof closed on Centre Court before this match is out – there are whispers of rain in the vicinity, but the match officials have chosen to start the match with it open and see how we go. Form is not the only issue, of course … Even before his injury woes, Del Potro was known for being as useful on grass as a talking towel . This is the first time he’s gone beyond the third round at Wimbledon – and at one point it didn’t look like he would go this far, becoming so frustrated during his match against the 5ft 5ins Belgian Olivier Rochus that he wound up throwing a shoe out of the arena in frustration. But he seems to be finding his stride on the surface now, and on paper it should suit him well. Players may complain about the grass not being as fast as it used to be, but here is no doubting the fact that a big serve is still a huge asset on this surface, and Del Potro certainly has one of those. Preamble Afternoon folks, and welcome to the biggest match of the men’s singles so far at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. No disrespect intended to Messrs Murray and Gasquet , Federer and Youzhny, nor Djokovic and Llodra, but this is without a shadow of a doubt the match-up that has sparked the greatest excitement SW19. Little wonder. Twenty-one months have passed since Juan Martín Del Potro stunned New York, powering his way to US Open victory but few who watched him then can have forgotten the devastating elegance of his 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 demolition of Rafael Nadal, nor indeed his five-set victory over Roger Federer in the final. He remains the only player ever to have beaten both of those players in a single grand slam, and while a wrist injury, then a hip complaint, have derailed his career in the interim, there is no question that his talent remains. Nadal was within his rights to grumble when surveying last week that his opponent today is not your typical 24th seed. That said, he is not at the levels of 2009 either, while Nadal has looked typically imperious thus far. He will expect to win this. But then, he probably did at Flushing Meadows too. Wimbledon 2011 Wimbledon Tennis Rafael Nadal Juan Martín del Potro Paolo Bandini guardian.co.uk
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In an open letter to the University of Notre Dame, signatories say the climate sceptic stands for ‘ignorance and superstition’ Academics in Australia are calling for the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle to cancel a lecture due to be given by the prominent climate sceptic Lord Monckton on Thursday. In a letter seen by the Guardian, which is currently being circulated among academics, the undersigned say that Monckton “stands for the kind of ignorance and superstition that universities have a duty to counter” and “Notre Dame has a responsibility to avoid promoting discredited views on an issue of public risk”. Signatories already supporting the open letter include professors and lecturers across Australia, but also academics in the UK and US. The letter, which is addressed “from the Australian academic community” to Notre Dame, a Catholic university in Western Australia, was originally drafted by Natalie Latter , a political science postgraduate student at the University of Western Australia . The letter says Monckton’s lecture is particularly unwelcome in light of recent death threats made against Australian climate scientists. “Lord Monckton propounds widely discredited fictions about climate change and misrepresents the research of countless scientists,” says the letter. “With zero peer-reviewed publications, he has declared that the scientific enterprise is invalid and that climate science is fraudulent … Over the last month there has been a great deal of coverage in the Australian media of the death threats and abusive emails that have targeted Australian scientists working on climate change. These threats are fuelled by misinformation spread by figures like Lord Monckton and the distorted coverage that they receive in the Australian media. As academics, we expect our universities to support us against this kind of abuse. We expect our universities to foster academic standards of conduct and argument.” The letter continues: “We all support academic freedom and the freedom to express our ideas and beliefs … [However] Notre Dame’s invitation to Lord Monckton makes a mockery of academic standards and the pursuit of evidence-based knowledge.” Monckton, the deputy leader of the UK Independence party , apologised over the weekend for remarks he made this month during a lecture in Los Angeles in which he likened Prof Ross Garnaut , a climate change adviser to the Australian government, to a Nazi, while showing a slide of a large swastika next to one of Garnaut’s quotes. In online footage of the speech, Monckton can be heard saying in a mock German accent, “Heil Hitler, on we go” when referring to Garnaut. The comment drew criticism from across the Australian political spectrum last week. Julia Gillard, the prime minister, condemned the comments as ” offensive and grossly inappropriate “. Tony Abbott, the opposition leader who is fighting to stop the government’s proposed carbon tax and who is scheduled to attend a mining conference in Perth at which Monckton is due to speak, described the comments as ” over the top “. During a television interview on Sunday, Monckton apologised to Garnaut “for having made the point I was trying to make in such a catastrophically stupid and offensive way”. He added: “I have written to him to withdraw that unreservedly.” It is not the first time Monckton has been criticised for making such remarks. In 2009, at the Copenhagen climate summit , he described a group of young climate activists as ” Hitler youth “. Monckton is scheduled to begin a three-week lecture tour of Australia on Thursday when he addresses the annual conference of the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies in Perth. The organisers have confirmed that Monckton is still scheduled to speak, despite the controversy over his remarks. Later that day, he will deliver the Lang Hancock lecture at Notre Dame, a lecture series sponsored by Hancock Prospecting , a mining company owned by Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart. Chris Doepel, the university’s dean of business, has confirmed some invited conference guests have also called for Monckton’s speech to be cancelled, but he insisted the event will go ahead. “The university will hold it because we have a commitment to academic freedom,” he told local media over the weekend. “I think Lord Monckton is coming into this country with a clear understanding of the boundaries around polite discussion.” Doepel added that there is no plan to censor Monckton’s presentation and that the 200-strong audience will be free to ask questions. Not all of Australia’s academic community believes Monckton should be censored or barred from speaking, however. Prof Ian Chubb , Australia’s chief scientist, told the Guardian: “I think that we have to put up with deplorable people if we value our democracy. And we do. So I couldn’t argue that action should be taken, though I find his comments as outrageous as his abuse of science. I don’t think making him some sort of victim would serve any purpose, other than to add to the weight of his wallet. There will always be people somewhere in the world who will pay to hear people like him; and enhancing his celebrity through censorship will encourage more of them to pay. He just needs to be exposed for what he is.” Anna-Maria Arabia, the CEO of Science & Technology Australia , which recently organised the Respect the Science event in Canberra in which 200 scientists marched to show solidarity for climate scientists receiving death threats, also feels that Monckton should be free to speak: “Everyone is entitled to their views, but it is important that personal views are differentiated from the scientific evidence that has been through the rigorous peer-review process. The challenge for Lord Monckton is to have his ideas tested through the peer review process.” She added: “The misinformation campaign designed to create fear and uncertainty will not intimidate climate scientists who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of knowledge and know the importance of placing their results in the public domain so that fair and democratic debate can ensue. Critical decisions about making the world we live in a better and safer place must be informed by the best possible information we have, not by fear. The best possible information we have is the peer-reviewed science.” After visiting Fremantle, Monckton is scheduled to speak at venues across Australia, including the German Club in Adelaide. Last week, Elke Pfau , the club’s president said she was “looking into” the booking following Monckton’s “unfortunate” remarks about Garnaut. In April, a private school near Brisbane cancelled a business event due to feature Monckton next month after the head teacher deemed his participation to be “too controversial” . Monckton’s lecture tour is being co-ordinated by the Climate Sceptics party , a political party set up in 2009 by an Australian farmer to “expose the fallacy of anthropogenic climate change”. • This article was amended on Monday 27 June 2011. It originally stated that Lord Monckton was scheduled to begin a three-week lecture tour of Australia at a mining conference hosted by Notre Dame. The Notre Dame Lang Hancock lecture in fact takes place later on the same day he begins his lecture tour at the annual conference of the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies in Perth. This has been changed. Climate change scepticism Climate change Climate change Australia Leo Hickman guardian.co.uk
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Ryan Cleary’s bail conditions mean he is banned from using any device capable of connecting to the internet The teenager accused of attacking the website of the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency has been released on conditional bail. Prosecutors were unsuccessful in their appeal against Ryan Cleary’s bail in a hastily convened hearing at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday. The 19-year-old, who was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome last week, was arrested last Monday as part of an international investigation into the internet hacking group LulzSec following attacks on the CIA and US Senate. Cleary’s bail conditions mean he is banned from using any device capable of connecting to the internet. The Essex teenager must observe a curfew between 9am and 7pm. He will be electronically tagged and must not leave the house without his mother, Rita Cleary. She was in court for the short hearing on Monday afternoon. The court reversed an earlier decision to hear Cleary’s case tomorrow after an appeal over his “vulnerability” from his legal team. The student has spent the past week being interrogated by the FBI and UK police over the alleged attacks. He could yet be charged with further offences. Cleary’s computers, iPhone and PS3 have been confiscated by police. In a statement read outside court, Cleary’s lawyers said: “Ryan Cleary is very relieved to be granted bail and to be home to his mum, his cats and his books. “He has cooperated with police and will continue to do so. Ryan has last week been diagnosed with Aspergers… He will now be provided with the professional support he needs. His obvious intelligence can now be channelled into a worthwhile pursuit. “One thing not so positive from this case is that the British police are investigating and appear to be accepting jurisdiction [unlike the Gary McKinnock case]. Ryan will not be making further statement for the time being.” The case is due back at Southwark crown court for a case management hearing on 30 August. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook LulzSec Hacking Internet Computing Digital media Josh Halliday guardian.co.uk
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Reporting on Michele Bachmann officially entering the presidential race on Monday's NBC Today, correspondent Kelly O'Donnell declared that “step one” for the Minnesota Congresswoman was “redefining [her] public image” by “turning down the flame-thrower persona.” Following O'Donnell's report and taped interview with Bachmann, co-host Ann Curry interviewed fellow Republican presidential candidate and former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. Curry asked about Bachmann's chances: “She has been described as being too far outside the mainstream to be president. You know her. You're both from Minnesota. Do you agree with that or disagree with that?” As evidence of Bachmann supposedly downplaying her “flame-thrower persona,” O'Donnell noted how: “Her criticism of the President remains fierce, but more carefully worded.” A clip was played of O'Donnell going after Bachmann's past statements on Obama: “You did say that the President had anti-American views. Was that a mistake?” Moments later, O'Donnell proclaimed that, “Bachmann has taken heat for gaffes and errors on things like American history,” and asked, “Have you been too careless about facts?” Here is a full transcript of O'Donnell's June 27 report: 7:00AM ET TEASE: ANN CURRY: Game changer. Tea Party favorite Michelle Bachmann formally launches her campaign for the GOP's presidential nomination this morning as a new poll shows she's already a front-runner in Iowa. We'll hear from the Congresswoman herself.
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Alexander Poteyev, who is believed to be hiding in the US, found guilty of treason and desertion over Anna Chapman ring A Russian double agent who fled to the US after betraying the espionage ring which included Anna Chapman has been convicted in absentia and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Alexander Poteyev was found guilty of state treason and desertion. Both Chapman and Poteyev’s wife, Marina, appeared as witnesses during the trial, and in its judgment the Moscow district military court revealed that he had sent a plaintive text message to the latter after leaving Russia, saying: “Mari, try to take this calmly: I’m not going away for a while, I’m going away forever. I did not want to, but I had to. I will start a new life. I’ll try to help the children.” Chapman, 29, and nine other sleeper agents known as “illegals” were captured last year in America after they had been under US intelligence surveillance for several years. They were later swapped for four men imprisoned in Russia who had allegedly spied for MI6 and the CIA . An 11th agent was arrested in Cyprus but then skipped bail and disappeared. The prosecution of Poteyev, a former Afghan war veteran and long-serving officer in Russia’s foreign intelligence service (SVR), was held in secret but journalists were allowed in to hear the court’s final judgment. “Poteyev deserted, leaving first for Belarus on his foreign passport and then with the help of the American special services he travelled to Germany, and from there to the United States, where he is hiding to this day,” the court found. Russian media first identified Poteyev, 59, as the man who betrayed the illegals in November. An initial report named a Colonel Shcherbakov as the culprit and an assassin was said to have been sent on his trail . However, intelligence sources then said that Poteyev, who had been deputy head of the US section of the SVR’s S directorate, was responsible. During the trial Chapman identified Poteyev as one of her handlers. Russia Anna Chapman US immigration Tom Parfitt guardian.co.uk
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During a month stationed in Deraa, neither Wasid nor any of his fellow conscripts saw a single armed demonstrator Wasid, a young Syrian conscript, set off for the town of Deraa in late April filled with the zeal of a soldier going to war. “We were going to fight terrorists,” he said. But less than a day after arriving in Deraa, Wasid was making plans to defect. The Syrian regime has cast the uprising as a conflict between a loyal military and a large and highly mobile group of heavily armed foreign-backed insurgents, roaming the country attempting to ignite sectarian strife. Over three hours in an Istanbul safe house, the 20-year-old soldier described events in the southern town where the wave of dissent that has swept Syria first broke out. The young defector’s account starkly contradicts the official narrative. “As soon as we got there, the officers told us not to shoot at the men carrying guns. They said they [the gunmen] were with us. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It had all been lies.” In the month they were stationed there, neither Wasid nor any of his colleagues saw any demonstrators with weapons in Deraa or the nearby town of Izraa. And instead of confronting armed insurgents, the unit was given orders to shoot protesters. “I could not believe what I was hearing – to leave alone the people carrying guns. It shocked me,” he said. “We are soldiers and soldiers do not shoot at civilians.” In the weeks leading up his deployment with the Syrian army’s 14 division, commanders had given regular briefings on the “violence” ahead. Wasid was convinced he would soon be in combat. “When we were at the base in Damascus before we left for Deraa, we were not allowed to watch television at all, except for two hours each day when we could watch Rami Makhlouf’s channel,” he said [Makhlouf, a tycoon, is president Bashar al-Assad's first cousin]. “All they showed were armed groups roaming the villages. I found out later that these groups were on our [the regime's] side – they were the Shabiyeh.” According to Wasid, the Shabiyeh – ghosts – were the only civilian gunmen in town. Their group has strong links to the military and has developed a reputation over recent bloody months of being willing to do dirty work in troublesome towns and villages. “The first day we arrived there, 24 April, the Shabiyeh came to the base to speak with our officers. It was clear that the relationship was close.” Wasid showed the Guardian his military ID and application for refugee status, copies of which have been kept. He does not want his real name or photograph used out of fear that his family may be targeted for reprisals. After many weeks of military crackdowns, the government is now on a diplomatic and media offensive. Officials are pushing their version of events to a few correspondents who were last week allowed to enter Syria for the first time since March. The official account has given particular emphasis to claims that Sunni Islamic groups have either initiated or hijacked the uprising’s agenda. “I never saw an Islamist or anybody that resembled one,” said Wasid. “And nor did anyone else with me.” He estimated that about 30% of his unit were disaffected with the military. But neither dissent nor defection are easy in Syria, where conscripts are paid $9 (£6) each month. “One guy – I only know his name as Wael, he was from the east – told an officer that what we were doing was wrong. The next day he was killed. They said he had been shot by terrorists.” Nevertheless, by 25 May, Wasid and 20 others had mustered the courage to attempt to escape. He ditched his military fatigues – and the sniper rifle which he had never used – and ran with the group to the highway, where a van took them to Damascus. “Once we got there, we agreed we would go separate directions. I stayed in Damascus for three days and then left for Turkey. I don’t know where the others went.” He crossed the border in the Kurdish northeast of Syria and made his way by bus to Istanbul, where the UNHCR and rights group Avaaz are providing him with help. Wasid’s testimony will be used in a referral to the international criminal court being prepared by another group, Insan . Four other defectors from Deraa have made their way to Amman in recent days and are also briefing investigators. Defections have been regularly reported during the uprising, but on a small scale. Apart from the apparent mutiny of half a base in the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour (where Syrian officials claim soldiers were massacred by terrorists), none of the defections have been large enough to pose a threat to command and control of the army. Wasid says his anger is directed not at the government, which he believes betrayed him, but at his army colleagues who stayed behind despite also seeing what he had seen in Deraa. “There were around 100 people each week killed there. They were civilians. “If I see my colleagues again, not only will I tell others what they have done, but I will find their families and tell them too. And then I will hurt them.” Syria Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Refugees Bashar Al-Assad United Nations Martin Chulov guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …I just sat on my sofa Sunday evening and cried, counting each of my many blessings. I know that the economy was pulled back from the brink of a massive depression by the stimulus bill, as milquetoasty as it was. But no one can possibly argue looking at these kids, who deserve so much better than fate has handed them, that the recovery has been nearly enough and we simply MUST have a jobs program to put people back to work. Unemployment continues to hover around nine percent and job creation is so slow, it’ll be years before we get back the seven and a half million jobs lost in the Great Recession. American families have been falling out of the middle class in record numbers. The combination of lost jobs and millions of foreclosures means a lot of folks are homeless and hungry for the first time in their lives. One of the consequences of the recession that you don’t hear much about is the record number of children descending into poverty. The government considers a family of four to be impoverished if they take in less than $22,000 a year. Based on that standard, and the government projections of unemployment, it is estimated that the poverty rate for kids in this country will soon hit 25 percent. As we first reported last March, those children would be the largest American generation to be raised in hard times since the Great Depression. In Seminole County, near Orlando, Fla., so many kids have lost their homes that school busses now stop at dozens of cheap motels where families crowd into rooms, living week to week. I can’t be callous and Randian and write these children off as moochers. In these most critical moments of brain and personality development, these children know hunger, instability and violence. Some, like Destiny’s older brother, quit school to find work to help the family. Will his own future be permanently compromised by quitting school? Does that cycle of poverty ever get broken? Add to that the twist of the knife of having Rick Scott as Governor. These children are nothing more than collateral damage to him.
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