Swansea court told defendant lured Rebecca Aylward, 15, to woods in Bridgend and beat her with a rock to win bet A schoolboy murdered a former girlfriend by battering her with a rock after he was promised a free breakfast if he carried out the killing, a jury heard. The alleged killer, aged 16, lured Rebecca Aylward, 15, to woods near Bridgend in south Wales where he attacked her, Swansea crown court heard. To divert suspicion, he told her to tell friends she was meeting someone else. But she did not follow his directions and revealed his identity to her mother, the jury heard on Tuesday. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies murdering Rebecca in October last year and blames his best friend. Greg Taylor QC, prosecuting, said the accused boy and Rebecca had briefly been in a relationship about a year before the murder and had kept in touch. The defendant used to meet friends at a local cafe for breakfast, the court heard. At one meeting, he openly discussed killing the girl. His friends assumed he was joking but, in a text,he asked one friend: “What would you do if I actually did kill her?” the court heard. The friend replied: “Oh, I would buy you breakfast.” Two days before the killing, the defendant contacted his friend to confirm he would attend their breakfast date. He added: “Don’t say anything but you may just owe me a breakfast.” His friend replied: “Sick, sick boy.” After the killing, the boy is alleged to have asked friends: “Do you know how hard it is to break someone’s neck?” The jury heard that the boy told them: “She was facing away from me and I thought: ‘This is it, I’m going to go for it.’ I tried to break her neck. She was screaming so I picked up the rock and started to hit her with it. The worst part was feeling and seeing her skull give way.” The jury was told the “academic” boy and Rebecca, also a bright child, had dated for three months and had a sexual relationship. Taylor said: “When they split up it was not amicable – all of their friends observed a love-hate relationship between them. They gave different reasons for the break-up. “The boy said Rebecca tried to trick him into getting her pregnant. She told him she was on the pill and he found out that she wasn’t and that she had lied to him. The boy was also telling people that Rebecca was going to go to the police and alleged that he raped her. “Rebecca’s version was that the boy refused to wear condoms and she asked him repeatedly to wear them but he refused.” The boy allegedly told a friend: “Wouldn’t it be easier if she wasn’t here? I am going to kill her – it would be real easy.” The jury heard another friend said the defendant claimed he would “kill her, cover it up and not get caught”. He also allegedly claimed he would make “a poison” out of foxgloves and kill her using that. The trial continues. Crime Wales Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
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Official statistics reveal that England’s primary and secondary schools are becoming more diverse England’s state schools are far more ethnically diverse than they were five years ago, with almost a quarter of all pupils in primary and secondaries from an ethnic minority, official statistics show . Some 24.3% of pupils in state primaries and secondaries are from an ethnic minority, according to figures collected in January and published by the Department for Education (DfE). Five years ago, the proportion was 19.8%. In primary schools, 26.5% of pupils are from an ethnic minority, compared with 21.9% five years ago. In secondaries, 22.2% of pupils are from an ethnic minority, compared with 17.7% five years ago. The statistics, taken from the School Census and surveys completed by local authorities, show the proportion of pupils whose first language is not English has risen to 16.8% in primary schools, from 13.5% five years ago. In secondaries, the proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is 12.3%, compared with 10.5% five years ago. In the east London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Newham, the proportion of primary school pupils whose first language is not English is 78% and 74% respectively. A spokesman from the DfE said that pupils whose mother tongue was not English did not necessarily have poor English skills. “The evidence is clear that once English is established, children catch up and even overtake their peers,” he said. Ethnic minorities will make up a fifth of Britain’s population by 2051 , compared with 8% in 2001, according to projections published by the University of Leeds. Some 121,420 more pupils in state schools are eligible for and claiming free school meals than five years ago, the figures also show. Around 18% of pupils now claim free school meals, compared with 16% in 2007. In nursery and primary schools, the figure is almost one in five – 19.2% – while in secondaries it is 15.9%. Local authorities that are offering all pupils free school meals as part of a pilot project only included those pupils who are currently eligible for the benefit. Meanwhile, separate figures show the number of parents who appealed to get their child into their preferred state primary school last year grew by 10.5% on the year before. Some 42,070 parents appealed against their local authority’s decision, compared with 38,080 the year before. This means that just over five in every 100 primary school places were contested. The number of primary school appeals has doubled in the last four years. Demand for places has soared because of a baby boom. Some parents, to save money, have also changed their minds about sending their children to private schools. The number of parents who appealed because their child did not get into their preferred secondary school fell to 43,095 last year, from 50,195 the year before. However, the statisticians did not include the growing number of academy schools. The proportion of parents who were successful in their appeals against a primary school allocation dropped to 24.5% from 25% the year before. But the proportion who were successful in their appeals against a secondary school allocation rose to 34.4%, from 33.3% the year before. The School Census statistics also reveal that more than 8,000 children aged five and six are being taught in classes that are above the legal limit. In 2001, it became illegal for primary schools to teach children under eight years old in classes of more than 30 pupils, other than in exceptional circumstances. Some 310 classes for five and six year olds were above the legal limit, compared with 130 five years ago. Overall, the average class size for this age group has risen to 26.9 pupils, from 25.6 in 2007. Overall, the average class size in state primaries has gone up to 26.6 pupils, compared with 26.2 five years ago, but the average class size in a state secondary has gone down to 20.4 from 21.2 in the same period. Schools Primary schools Secondary schools School meals Jessica Shepherd guardian.co.uk
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Unite union says its members overwhelmingly backed settlement on new pay deal and travel concessions The British Airways cabin crew dispute ended on Tuesday when staff accepted a peace deal after 18 months of conflict. The Unite union said its members voted 92% in favour of what it described as an “honourable settlement”, with 8% against in a turnout of 72%. Just under 10,000 cabin crew were balloted. The union recommended the deal, which it said would see travel concessions returned to the BA crew who had the facility removed when they went on strike last year. Agreements have also been made on a new pay deal, and on safeguarding routes and working arrangements as the carrier introduces a new fleet of crew. There will also be a third-party binding arbitration process established to consider the cases of staff disciplined by the airline during the dispute. Len McCluskey, Unite’s general secretary, who drew up the deal with BA’s chief executive, Keith Williams, said: “Unite always firmly believed this dispute would be solved not through conflict but through negotiation. Thankfully we have reached an honourable agreement with BA. The overwhelming acceptance of this deal by cabin crew means that both parties can now move forward together on securing a bright future for the airline. “I want to pay personal tribute to the cabin crew for the principled stand they took. In these difficult times it takes courage to stand up for what you believe, but thousands of crew did so, at great personal expense and emotional cost … I hope it sends a message to employers everywhere that working with your workforce is the only way to secure productive change.” Thousands of staff took part in 22 days of strikes last year, which cost BA £150m, although the airline said it had made savings as a result of the long-term structural changes now in place with its crews. The changes made to the number of cabin crew on BA flights had given the airline an annual saving of £60m, said the firm. The two sides were locked in one of the longest disputes in the UK for years after cost-cutting moves taken by the airline. The conflict spread to other areas after BA withdrew travel concessions from Unite members who went on strike, and took disciplinary action against a number of staff. A BA spokesman said: “The skills and professionalism of British Airways cabin crew are second to none, and we are delighted this dispute is behind us. We have made permanent structural savings to our business, which is now ready to invest £5.5bn over the next five years for the benefit of our customers.” British Airways Airline industry Travel & leisure Unite Trade unions guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …World’s wealthiest people now richer than before the credit crunch, says study
June 22, 2011 No Comment
World Wealth Report reveals soaring numbers of rich individuals in Asia Pacific region – but slower growth in Britain • Read the full report here The world’s wealthiest people were richer last year than they were before the 2008 banking crisis. There were also more of them in 2010 – 10.9m – than there were before the recession struck, according to a new report. But in the UK these so-called high net worth individuals (HNWIs) – people who have more than $1m (£620,000) of free cash – have not enjoyed a return to pre-crisis levels of wealth as sluggish economic growth holds back their prospects. According to the annual world wealth report by Merrill Lynch and Capgemini, the wealth of HNWIs around the world reached $42.7tn in 2010, rising by 9.7% and surpassing the peak of $40.7tn reached in 2007. The report also measures a category of ultra-high net worth individuals – essentially those with $30m to invest. This class of wealthy people rose by 10% to 103,000, while the value of their investments jumped by 11.5%. The performance of investments made by wealthy individuals in shares and commodities helped drive their wealth, which in turn fuelled “passion” purchases of luxuries such as such as Ferraris, diamonds, Chinese art and fine wines, particularly by the growing number of wealthy individuals in the emerging markets. North America is home to the highest number of rich people – some 3.4 million – but for the first time the Asia-Pacific region, with 3.3 million HNWIs, now has the second largest number, overtaking Europe. European’s wealth rose 7.2% to $10.2tn while Asia Pacific gained 12.1% to $10.8tn. The wealth of the richest people in the Asia Pacific region is now up 14.1% since 2007, although individuals in North America and Europe are yet to recoup the losses they suffered during the banking crisis. The growth in the number of rich individuals in the UK was among the slowest among the top 10 nations, showing a 1.4% rise to 454,000 and remaining below the 495,000 recorded in 2007. The report said that while the UK stock market rose almost 30% and GDP grew 1.3% – after contracting 4.9% in 2009 – the fortunes of the rich were held back by falling house prices and the rise in unemployment. Their prospects might improve next year, however. “Construction spending for the 2012 London Olympics is expected to help propel the economy and the housing market recovery,” the report said. Adam Horowitz, head of UK, Ireland and Israel at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, said that the overall improvement in wealth in 2010 was because of the rise in the value of investments. “Global capital markets and major asset classes performed well over the year on the back of rising investor risk appetite,” he said. “The shift toward equities in 2010 by HNWI investors reflected the search for returns and the desire to recoup more crisis-related losses. We also saw HNWIs continue to favour specific asset classes, such as equities and commodities, based on market opportunity or long-standing preferences.” The 1.4% rise in the number of rich people in the UK compares with a 7.2% rise in Germany and 8.3% in the US – where there are 3.1m HNWIs – and the 3.4% rise in France. India moved into the top 12, with a 20.8% rise to 153,000, for the first time, while Italy, 10th in the table, endured a contraction in the number of wealthy people from 190,000 to 170,000. Rich lists United States India China Jill Treanor guardian.co.uk
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British designer emerges for one-day trial to face charges that he publicly made antisemitic comments in a Paris cafe Former Dior designer John Galliano has gone on trial charged with hurling antisemitic slurs in a Paris cafe, allegations that shocked the fashion world and cost him his job at the French high-fashion house. The outspoken British designer emerged for the one-day trial after spending months staying out of the public eye. In a conservative look for him, Galliano was dressed in black with a polka dot neckerchief, sporting a pencil moustache and long hair. Galliano is charged with “public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity” and could face up to six months in prison and €22,500 in fines. The verdict is expected at a later date. The famed designer was escorted to a front-row seat in the wood-panelled, gilded courtroom at the Justice Palace, sitting next to an interpreter as he faced the three judges presiding over his fate. Journalists, including fashion writers, packed the wooden benches in the courtroom, which features a high ceiling painted with a woman holding the scales of justice. Television cameras were not allowed in the courtroom but trailed the designer as he went inside. A couple contends that Galliano made antisemitic comments to them in the cafe in February. Galliano was taken in by police for questioning, and a test showed he was drunk at the time. Another woman then came forward with similar claims about another incident in the same cafe last October. Both accusations were being addressed at Wednesday’s trial. Days after the February bar incident, a video was broadcast on the website of the Sun showing an inebriated Galliano insulting a fellow cafe client, slurring “I love Hitler”. His lawyer, Aurelien Hamelle told The Associated Press this week that the designer’s comments were “misplaced and hurtful” but attributed them to Galliano’s addition to alcohol and prescription drugs. Galliano issued a statement at the time saying: “Antisemitism and racism have no part in our society. I unreservedly apologise for my behaviour in causing any offence.” He also said he was “seeking help” for personal failures, spending two months in rehab in the US. The lawyer said he will call witnesses at the cafe during both incidents who say they did not hear any insults by Galliano. Any conviction could depend on whether the court determines that the insults were made publicly or not. French law prohibits public insults toward others because of their origins, race or religion. The February cafe incident and the video reverberated throughout the fashion world because they emerged on the eve of Paris Fashion Week. Dior fired Galliano after 14 years with the company and denounced his comments. After joining the company in 1996, Galliano made an indelible mark on the storied house, with theatrical, often outrageous, runway shows that were among the most-anticipated displays on the Paris fashion calendar. The trial is being held on the opening day of another round of Paris fashion shows, the menswear spring-summer 2012 collection. John Galliano France Race issues guardian.co.uk
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Police say they obtained confession over tax evasion charges from activist, who spent more than two months in detention China has released world-famous artist and political activist Ai Weiwei after more than two and a half months of detention, state media has announced. Beijing police said they released him on bail “because of his good attitude in confessing his crimes” and because he has a chronic illness, Xinhua news agency reported . No mention was made of his whereabouts. Ai’s detention on 3 April sparked an international outcry. He vanished after he was detained by police at Beijing airport. Officials later said he was detained on suspicion of economic crimes, but police did not notify his family of detention. The Xinhua report added: “The decision comes also in consideration of the fact that Ai has repeatedly said he is willing to pay the taxes he evaded, police said. “The Beijing Fake Cultural Development Ltd, a company Ai controlled, was found to have evaded a huge amount of taxes and intentionally destroyed accounting documents, police said.” The article gave no details of what has happened to several friends and colleagues of Ai, who went missing shortly after him. Ai’s family said they had only heard of his release through the media. His sister Gao Ge added: “Our family thinks the Xinhua news should be reliable, but the only thing we can do is wait for notification and his return.” “We won’t sleep tonight,” Ai’s mother Gao Ying told NPR. Nicholas Bequelin, Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, welcomed news of the 54-year-old artist’s release. “His detention was political and his release is political. It is the result of a huge domestic and international outcry that forced the government to this resolution … I think Beijing realised how damaging it was to hold China’s most famous artist in detention,” he said. Bequelin said he expected Ai to be allowed to return home, but that he would probably not be allowed to travel abroad without official permission and would have to report to police regularly. The Chinese government has said that Ai was arrested for for economic crimes, although his family believe it was retaliation for his social and political activism. Some human rights campaigners thought the economic focus of the allegations was intended to make it harder for other governments to press Ai’s case. But others suggested that it offered officials the possibility of drawing back – as they appear to have done – whereas it would have been too embarrassing to drop political charges. Ai Weiwei China Human rights Tania Branigan guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Liberal Salon.com Writer to Jon Stewart: Drop Your ‘Trite’ ‘I Am a Comedian First’ BS
June 22, 2011 No CommentIt's not just conservatives who are sick and tired of Jon Stewart hiding behind his “I'm a comedian” excuse when called out for his dead-serious liberal pontifications. Even liberals like Salon.com's Will Bunch are tired of the “Daily Show” host's faux sanctimony, even as he cheers Stewart's liberalism and calls on the comedian to embrace it. From a June 21 War Room blog post (emphases mine): [O]utside of “The Daily Show,” in interviews like the one he gave to Chris Wallace and even his famous 2004 confrontation that may or may not have killed CNN's “Crossfire,” I find that Stewart (and it pains me to say this, as such a fan) can come across as kind of lame, his “media criticism” beyond trite. In interviews, his complaints against the media tend to be an unsophisticated “pox on all of your houses.” I thought his largely pointless D.C. mall rally in late October repeated the mistake he makes in these interviews — trying to argue that our discourse is too loud while ignoring the real point that he hammers home on “The Daily Show,” that our politics is irrational.
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Friends fear photojournalist Maryam Majd was arrested before boarding flight to cover Women’s World Cup in Germany An Iranian photojournalist and women’s rights activist who campaigned for female football fans to be allowed to enter stadiums has disappeared. Maryam Majd, 25, is feared to have been held by security officials before boarding a flight from Tehran to Düsseldorf, Germany, where she intended to cover the Fifa Women’s World Cup. Petra Landers, a former German national footballer who had invited Majd to join her in a book project about women’s sport, said she has not heard from her since Friday when the photographer was scheduled to arrive in Düsseldorf. “I waited for hours in the airport but eventually found that she was not on the plane at the first place,” Landers told the Guardian. “The last time I talked to her she was in the airport in Tehran waiting to board the plane and I have not been able to contact her nor her family since then.” Majd specialised in sports photography, although her pictures of female athletes were usually censored in the official media. Shadi Sadr, a prominent women’s rights campaigner living in exile in London, said: “We are almost sure that she has been arrested but the question is why authorities in Iran refuse to give any information about her after five days since her disappearance.” Many opposition figures have been arrested at Tehran airport, especially since the disputed presidential election in 2009. Majd has been campaigning to allow women to watch football matches in stadiums. Women in Iran are prohibited from entering them amid fears they could face verbal abuse or violence. “Maryam is one of the very few women sports photographers in Iran and because she is a woman, she has exclusive access to women’s sports and had been able to attract lots of attention towards sportswomen in the country,” said Sadr. Sportswomen in Iran are required to cover themselves from head to toe, but despite the restrictions they have been active in international competitions. International games, however, are not broadcast on the state television because they feature foreign women players who are not covered. Iran’s women’s football team was banned from an Olympic qualifier recently after Fifa ruled that their full-body strip broke the organisations rules . President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the football association “dictators and colonialists” after the move and Iranian sports officials plan to file a complaint against the decision. Offside, a 2006 Iranian film directed by Jafar Panahi – who has been sentenced to six years in jail and banned from filmmaking for 20 years – features a group of girls attempting to enter a stadium to watch a World Cup qualifying match. Iran Journalism Journalist safety Women’s World Cup 2011 Middle East Saeed Kamali Dehghan guardian.co.uk
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Police say loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Volunteer Force set off two nights of rioting in which press photographer was shot in leg Dissident republicans were responsible for the gunshots that wounded a press photographer during rioting in Belfast, police said. The Press Association photographer was taken to the Royal Victoria hospital with an injury to his right leg following the burst of three shots. He is said to be in a stable condition. Petrol bombs, fireworks, bottles and bricks were among items thrown at police during a second night of the worst violence in east Belfast for many years. A police spokeswoman said: “Police can confirm that dissident republicans were responsible for the shots that were fired during last night’s disorder in east Belfast.” Dissident republicans have been responsible for a string of attacks on members of the police and army. In April they killed Constable Ronan Kerr, 25, in car bombing outside his home in Omagh, County Tyrone. There have been pitched battles between loyalists and republicans in the Lower Newtownards Road and Short Strand areas during the past two days. The police were targeted after they came between the two sides. The Ulster Volunteer Force has been blamed by senior police for igniting trouble after a second night of serious rioting in Belfast. Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay said the loyalist paramilitary group started the violence. Finlay said: “The UVF in east Belfast started this – there was no sense of anyone trying to finish that. Their hands are upon this, whether by direction, by omission or commission.” A 20-year-old woman was arrested on a weapons charge during the rioting, which saw youths smashing police vehicles with sledgehammers and hurling petrol bombs. A water cannon vehicle sustained a cracked windscreen and there were marks from live fire. Finlay said the attacks were less orchestrated than the previous night, when two people were injured by gunfire. He refused to say whether the shots were fired from the nationalist Short Strand or the loyalist Newtownards Road but called for dialogue to discuss all issues behind the violence. “Last night again we witnessed serious, sustained violence. Over two nights we have seen three people shot and injured, communities wrecked, houses and businesses damaged, lives put at serious risk. “This has got to stop, it is a time for cool heads, for people to take a step back.” Northern Ireland guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Police say loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Volunteer Force set off two nights of rioting in which press photographer was shot in leg Dissident republicans were responsible for the gunshots that wounded a press photographer during rioting in Belfast, police said. The Press Association photographer was taken to the Royal Victoria hospital with an injury to his right leg following the burst of three shots. He is said to be in a stable condition. Petrol bombs, fireworks, bottles and bricks were among items thrown at police during a second night of the worst violence in east Belfast for many years. A police spokeswoman said: “Police can confirm that dissident republicans were responsible for the shots that were fired during last night’s disorder in east Belfast.” Dissident republicans have been responsible for a string of attacks on members of the police and army. In April they killed Constable Ronan Kerr, 25, in car bombing outside his home in Omagh, County Tyrone. There have been pitched battles between loyalists and republicans in the Lower Newtownards Road and Short Strand areas during the past two days. The police were targeted after they came between the two sides. The Ulster Volunteer Force has been blamed by senior police for igniting trouble after a second night of serious rioting in Belfast. Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay said the loyalist paramilitary group started the violence. Finlay said: “The UVF in east Belfast started this – there was no sense of anyone trying to finish that. Their hands are upon this, whether by direction, by omission or commission.” A 20-year-old woman was arrested on a weapons charge during the rioting, which saw youths smashing police vehicles with sledgehammers and hurling petrol bombs. A water cannon vehicle sustained a cracked windscreen and there were marks from live fire. Finlay said the attacks were less orchestrated than the previous night, when two people were injured by gunfire. He refused to say whether the shots were fired from the nationalist Short Strand or the loyalist Newtownards Road but called for dialogue to discuss all issues behind the violence. “Last night again we witnessed serious, sustained violence. Over two nights we have seen three people shot and injured, communities wrecked, houses and businesses damaged, lives put at serious risk. “This has got to stop, it is a time for cool heads, for people to take a step back.” Northern Ireland guardian.co.uk
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